OUTER BANKS INTERLUDE
I dub the picture of this beautiful sunset over the Pamlico Sound at Duck, North Carolina, as an illustration of the verse in Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It was the ending of a lovely day the Lord made for us and we rejoiced in His gracious gift.
I will share some of my favorite pictures from the week Larry and I spent at our timeshare in Kitty Hawk in the magical Outer Banks. We were there the week leading up to Labor Day. It was a needed time of relaxation and change of pace after a very difficult five weeks. It all began on July 21, when Larry's sweet mother died of a sudden, massive stroke. She was so blessed to have lived in her own home, healthy and independent until the day she died at age 96 years old. We miss her, but know she is rejoicing in heaven. Two weeks later, Larry's sister Pat died at the age of 72 years of covid. Her death was a shock and we still can hardly believe it happened. We at least have the comfort that she joined her mother and they are both enjoying a happy reunion with loved ones. We had a double funeral on August 13.
So, you can see that a healing week at the beach was something we needed to help us process our loss and renew our strength. God is so good! "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds," Psalm 147:3, and "You...put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?" Psalm 56:8. Rejoice with me as I share illustrations of God's grace in our lives.
"For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that
are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness
and praise to spring forth before all the nations," Isaiah 61:11
I was so excited to see this rainbow - a rare occurrence for me.
"I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant
between Me and the earth," Genesis 9:13
This soldier-like row of Seagulls in Wanchese are specifically mentioned in
Leviticus 11:16 among a list of birds the Jewish people were not to eat,
but then, would you really want to eat one of these birds??
"the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind:"
I prefer this encouraging verse about all birds in Matthew 6:26:
"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
Here's another bird - the Hawk - listed with the sea gull in Leviticus. He doesn't
look very tasty either, but rather intimidating with his glaring eyes and sharp, curved beak.
In Job 39:26, God asks Job, "Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, and spread its wings
toward the south?" The answer, of course, is No, Job did not have that ability anymore than
we do. Only God is in control of all things. He reminds us in a following chapter
of this very truth. "Everything under heaven is Mine," Job 41:11.
We enjoyed a visit from my sister Ava and hubby Mike (sorry we didn't get a pic of Michael!)
So thankful for family - a true blessing from the Lord!! "By this all will know that
you are My disciples, if you have love for one another," John 13:35
Here are Larry and I on the famous Jeannette's Pier in Nags Head. The original pier was
built in 1939. It was destroyed several times and finally rebuilt of sturdier stuff by the
NC Aquarium Society in 2011. We enjoyed exploring this very long, interesting pier.
This is a sweet little lighthouse on the waterfront of Manteo. I love blessings and I love
joy, and the following verses offer both: "Blessed are the people who know the
joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance, in
your name they rejoice all day long..." Psalm 89:15-16
Did you know that turtles are mentioned in the Bible? We saw a brackish inlet full
of turtles along the boardwalk of Sandy Run Park in Kitty Hawk. There's something sort
of endearing about turtles, and here's what scripture says: "The flowers appear
on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of
the turtle is heard in our land," Song of Solomon 2:12 KJV
Note: I realize this verse may be referring to a "turtle-dove," but I for one know
that God can cause even a hard-shelled turtle to sing His praises if He wishes (:
I'll close with this bit of humor. We enjoyed watching a Pro-Surfing Contest
in Nags Head. I thought I'd try out the long (or short) board and catch a wave
myself. It was fun (: "But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea
whose waves roared - the Lord of hosts is His name," Isaiah 51:15
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!
