In-House OR Out-House...To Each, His/Her Own

Tongariro Crossing Out-house in New Zealand...it had a view alright, but with the door closed, it didn't much matter. All that mattered was doing business ASAP and speedily high-tailing it out of there -- or else suffocate from the the foulness of the mixed "gases" that enveloped like invisible fog.

Cozette's sweet'n'cozy In-house in Imperial Beach, California.

Truly au naturele...a very outdoorsy Out-house in Lagiloa, Taveuni...can't get more "in the bush" than this! (The snakes in Taveuni are not poisonous, though one may still come close to death from the trauma of being bit by one!)

Bbbrrr!!! No long meditative sit-downs here...Spring seems a long way off in Quebec, Canada.

Lagiloa bush country, Taveuni: an Out-house with an ever-changing view -- of wild impatience flowers and farm crops of eggplants, chili, dalo/taro, bananas; many kinds of birds (orange bunes, parrots, barking pigeons, mourning doves, hawks, mynas, silk-tails); lizards and spiders (not poisonous, just big); rain (like falling sheets or sprinkled showers), fog, rainbows, mist, clouds, sunshine, lightning and thunder...always a different palette for the senses to feast on.

Personal privacy, with a draw of the curtain...not that one gets much people traffic in the bush.

Bibi's Hideaway's outdoor shower, double-showered by GOD's tropical burst...typical Matei (Taveuni) season -- hot and humid, hot and sunny, hot and rainy, hot and hotter, hot and hottest!

Fancy In-house option at Paunzhausen, Germany...with seashell reminders of sunnier, tropical climates.

High altitude Out-house, Cusco, Peru -- used during Machu Picchu hike.

Our private moments in our In-houses or Out-houses are but the ordinary, typical parts of our daily lives...and GOD never said we couldn't talk to Him in these places. GOD said, pray without ceasing...that means anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

As a born again believer and follower of CHRIST, i have an intimate personal relationship with JESUS. i can talk with Him all the time, at all hours of the day or night, in whatever situation. He is my Constant Companion -- He is closer to me than my own skin. And i take it to heart that i can come boldly to the throne of GOD, my Father, with my prayers and petitions because JESUS gave me that privilege when He died on the Cross at Calvary.

El bano, another high-altitude Out-house in the mountains of Peru.

i don't mean to make light of the gracious gift of prayer, but i do believe that the outer, physical environment in which i pray makes much difference to GOD. What He sees is my heart as i pray...and sometimes i just pray and read His Word and chat with Him and listen to His Voice in my In-house...don't children do that?

Fruit Bearing

Cashews

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands [it], who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23)

But the fruit of the SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

Star Fruits (Balimbing)

I AM the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing... (John 15:5)

Papaya (Pawpaw)

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

Young Coconuts

For the fruit of the SPIRIT [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth. (Ephesians 5:9)

Selau, Bob and Pete from NASELESELE

In GOD's economy, everything is under His control...there are no accidents. Every thing, to the minutest detail, is in His hands. Just look at the majestic skies, the myriad stars and planets that could be seen with mere 20/20 vision. And how about the countless galaxies the Hubbell has shown us thus far? The GOD who created all that also keeps all that in perfect balance. He is the Sustainer of this awesome, amazing world we live in. He is indeed in control!

All of us balk like stubborn mules at this truth. For at heart, all of us are control freaks to some degree -- whether more or less depends on each individual's level of surrender to his Maker. The only control i have is whether i choose to cooperate with GOD's purpose(s)...what He wants to accomplish through me. i can choose to join Him in what He desires to do through me, trusting that His will is best, for He is a good and loving Father with infinite wisdom.

Or i can choose to ignore His invitation and miss out on countless blessings -- of greater intimacy with Him, of experiencing His almighty presence at work through me, of a new GODventure with my Constant Companion...JESUS.

What does all this have to do with the above photo? That with GOD in control, seeming coincidences are not accidental. This incident was a GOD-thing (a Beth Moore saying).

To me, GOD's hand is allways at work in my life. He is the Master Engineer. Through GOD's Providence, i received a computer to do this blog, i got re-connected with my friend Ronna, who owns the Coconut Grove in Taveuni, who hosted these three adventurous missionaries, who were treated to Fijian meke (dance), whose photos appeared in their blog, Steve's, Joe's and David's Travels, which i linked to via Ronna's blog, My Fiji Resort. And these kids are those same kids from Naselesele Village, where i volunteered at their village school, "teaching" kickboxing and yoga, aerobics, and art (making bookmarks made of voivoi to sell to tourists).
GOD's signature is written all over this one...i just have to wait expectantly for Him to show me when, where and how He wants to accomplish His purpose(s) through me in regards to these kids. GOD has connected us all for His perfect plan.

RONNA at Coconut Grove

One picture can evoke a thousand emotions...these wonderful Taveuni folks have warmed and touched my heart.

The only kavalagi is Mz Ronna. She no longer wears the naivete of a tourist for she is one of the transplanted local foreigners living the island dream. The lady standing on the left is my friend, Kata, from Naselesele Village. And that doberman is Sophie -- and my lips are sealed about this dog!
i shot the above photo during Kata's wedding a few years back...and Ronna was one of the honored guests. She belongs to the Taveuni Rotary Club, which helps the Naselesele Village Primary School in many wonderful ways. (The Club was instrumental in building new school buildings in the Village.)

Familiar faces, with sincere smiles. Fijians are some of the friendliest people in the whole world! They will literally give you the shirt off their back. But they also expect you to do the same -- so make sure you wear two! Nevertheless, they are big-hearted people with "simple," uncomplicated lives (compared to our very fast-paced Western lifestyles).

Ronna's Coconut Grove in Matei has wonderful views from her ocean-front restaurant and accommodations. One of these, i'll take her up on that offer for that discounted room inside the restaurant. But for now, here in San Diego, i'll just remember her easy going friendliness and that Sophie of hers!

The SUSTAINER

If you've ever tried to stand a boiled egg on its pointed end --and succeeded -- you know that it's almost like defying GOD's law of gravity. That's how i feel when, after sweating in the Baja California heat and starting over for the umpteenth time, i succeeded in stacking these rocks on their ends.

Here, i seem to have defied GOD's gravitational laws for a moment, not knowing then that even for that brief moment, it was GOD's law of gravity that was holding up the rocks. The laws He has put in place to govern Nature, which keep everything moving in their proper order, kept those rocks from flying off into space.

All you physics majors out there, all you ultra-educated folks can explain 1,000% better than i what the natural laws are that keep the planets from crashing and blowing up into smithereens.

All i know is that the law Maker is the same law Giver Who is also the Sustainer of all the laws He has ever designed to sustain His design.

After this photo was taken, GOD's wind came by and blew a gentle puff at my monument of patience, showing me Who was Boss over all.

Surfer Dudes!

Surf's up! Wow, there is a striking resemblance here! And yes, as this surfboard says, JESUS Rocks because He is the Rock! "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock." (Matthew 7:24-25)

This is part of The Wall -- cafeteria wall mural -- at Midway Baptist Church, San Diego.

Kathy's BIG Bday Card

A very BIG card indeed for a very SPECIAL lady! Happy Bday (tomorrow), Sis!