Wedding Song - God Knew That I Needed You

Thursday, February 8, 2018

DIKE HIKE


It was a wondrous 60 degree day today! It felt and smelled a welcome Spring day (of course it is still officially Winter), so we went for a walk along the dike on 48th; we hadn’t done that one for a while, so today seemed like a good day to revisit and hoped to see some ducks lazily swimming or pairing off to raise families ;-)

What a nice surprise awaited us! OTTERS :-D We have not been able to watch otters dart and dive and chase each other through the water since we sold our home in Cathlamet 24 years ago: we lived near the Columbia River and a creek passed through our back yard where courting ducks, frisky otters, and great blue herons were frequent visitors … and we even had a seal swim up the creek on day! The otters we saw today were a special treat to our eyes.


We did see a couple dozen ducks too - swimming, pairing off, looking for companionship, and nesting couples lining the riverbank …


We even saw 2 live curled up fuzzy-wuzzies, and a crushed one that wasn’t fast enough to avoid a heavy footfall of one of the dike hikers before us. The one shown is just curled up tight hoping we'd go away so it could crawl away. LOL:


And some geese on the opposite side in a field …


The sunshine felt sooooo good! And we weren’t the only ones enjoying it today ;-)

THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY ~ Matthew 16



THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW ~ Chapter 16

The Pharisees and Sadducees came around and, to try Him out, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. Yeshua answered them, “In the evening you say, ‘the weather tomorrow will be fine, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning you say, ‘we shall have a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Yes, you know how to read the signs in the heavens, but can’t you read the signs of the times? A wicked and immoral generation demands a sign, but you will get no other sign than that of the prophet Jonah.” Then He left them and went His way.


When the disciples now went to the opposite shore, they forgot to take bread along. Yeshua said to them, “Look out! Beware the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” They started to discuss the matter among themselves, saying, ‘He said this because we didn’t take bread along.’ Yeshua, observing this said, “Why are you arguing about not having bread? O you of little faith! Don’t you understand? Can you not remember the 5000 fed by the 5 loaves, and the number of baskets you took up? Have you also forgotten the 4000 fed by the 7 loaves, and how many baskets you again filled? Why can’t you see that I was not talking about bread when I warned you to be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?” Then it dawned on them that He had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.


As Yeshua came into the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people think the Son of Man is?” They answered, ‘Some say John the Baptist, and others Elijah. Still others think He is Jeremiah or another of the prophets.’ “But as for you,” He asked, “Who do you think I am?” Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Mashiach (the Christ) – Ben Elohim Chayim (the Son of the living God).’ “And you, Simon, son of Jonah,” Yeshua said, “you are blessed, for no human being has revealed this to you, but Elohim (My heavenly Father). And now I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I shall build My Church, and the powers of death shall not overthrow it. I shall give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; ad whatsoever you make free on earth shall be freed in heaven.” He then warned His disciples to be sure not to tell anyone that He was Mashiach.


From that time Yeshua tried to make it clear to His disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes – that He had to be killed but that He would rise again on the 3rd day. Peter, however, took Him aside and protestingly said to Him, ‘Elohei (God) forbid! This shall never happen to You, Adonai (Lord)!’ But, turning to Peter, He replied, “Get behind Me Lucifer! You are an offense to Me, for your thoughts are not Elohei's thoughts, but man’s.”


Yeshua also said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to be My disciple, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. If anyone is anxious to save his life, he will lose it; but he who gives up his life for My sake, he will find life. For what would it benefit a man if he gained the whole world but lost his soul? But the Son of man will come in the glory of the Father. He will be accompanied by His angels, and He will reward each one according to His works. Truly I say that some of those standing here will not taste of death until they shall have seen the Son of Man coming into His Kingdom.”