Word-y thoughts

I've always loved Psalm 42 and in my quiet time this morning, I'm beginning to realise why. It's partly coz the psalmist so unashamedly writes about his struggle with God, with faith, with hope and despair. And it's partly the words and their musicality "deep calls to deep", "among the festive throng" and the calm comfort of "By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me - a prayer to the God of my life".

Psalm 42^[a][b]

    For the director of music. A maskil^[c] of the Sons of Korah. ¹ As the deer pants for streams of water,
   so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
   When can I go and meet with God?
³ My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember
   as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
   under the protection of the Mighty One^[d]
with shouts of joy and praise
   among the festive throng.
 ⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.
 ⁶ My soul is downcast within me;
   therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
   the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
   in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
   have swept over me.
 ⁸ By day the LORD directs his love,
   at night his song is with me—
   a prayer to the God of my life.
 ⁹ I say to God my Rock,
   “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
   oppressed by the enemy?”
¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony
   as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”
 ¹¹ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

Advent carol service

I've volunteered to read at the King's advent carol service next week and I got to pick which reading I wanted to do. I've picked this one by Gerard Manley Hopkins - it's beautiful! I only hope I can do it justice

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
   It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
   It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed.  Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
   And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
   And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
   There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
   Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs--
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
   World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Posts elsewhere

I am currently remembering to sort my posts according to blog type. So remember to keep an occasional eye on http://the-natural-observer.blogspot.com/

Walking through the park

I love crunching through the fallen leaves in my boots

And look what I found randomly under my feet. I thought it was a daisy until I took a closer look

Joining in the fun at Like mother, Like daughter

A blog that I've been following with much joy is

and I've finally attempted to join in the wonderful idea of capturing the contentment of everyday life. So here's my

{pretty}

I love the way the moon lights up the clouds around it, even if I haven't captured very well

{happy}

coming home to a husband, and a lovingly prepared awesome supper

{funny}

My attempt at sock ears

{real}

Work and lots of it

Ship ahoy

For all those who love ships in bottles, here's one big enough to satisfy the most ardent

It's almost December

I should be shocked at how early the shops get their Christmas decorations up, but they are so pretty that I secretly love them.