Sandra Heska King

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Scripture Sunday: Bouquets of Roses

February 11, 2012 By Sandra Heska King

God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”
planted by God to display his glory.
~Isaiah 61:2-3 (Message)

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Comments

  1. S. Etole says

    February 11, 2012 at 11:11 pm

    The Rose of Sharon … the greatest rose of all.

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 8:33 am

      Indeed!

  2. Shanda Oakley says

    February 11, 2012 at 11:52 pm

    Beautiful shot!
    BTW..I stopped my In Search of Beauty because there wasn’t enough interest. I do appreciate your intentions to link up. I have an On Your Heart Tuesday blog hop if you’d like to link to that. It opens on Mondays at 6pm and is open till Friday.

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 8:40 am

      So that’s why I couldn’t find the linky-doodle thingie. There are times when we just have to let go of some things for whatever reason to make room for new. Right?

  3. Nancy says

    February 12, 2012 at 1:21 am

    Your roses are incredible!!! Thank you for sharing them.

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 8:44 am

      Thanks, Nancy. This was a heavy (as in weight) bouquet! The managing partner of one of the offices my husband is connected with gives them to the wives of his management team. He’s not even my husband’s boss since my husband is in compliance–but considers him indispensable. He’s a wonderful and gracious man.

      • Nancy says

        February 12, 2012 at 10:01 am

        That’s generous of him…

  4. Nancy says

    February 12, 2012 at 7:54 am

    That passage from Isaiah is one of my all-time favorites.

    I sent you a message on Facebook–for some reason my site is eating your messages 🙁 They did show up in my blogger feed, though, so I knew you stopped by to say hi!

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 8:46 am

      Mine, too. And I read these words from the Message with new eyes–stopped to chew on every line.

      I had some of that happen on Blogger when I was there. Then the messages would all come through at once.

  5. Maureen says

    February 12, 2012 at 10:21 am

    Beautiful. Joy instead of doom. Praise instead of languid. Thank you for sharing, as you mourn, how the Lord cares for your needs and gives you roses instead of ashes. Blessings to you!

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 5:26 pm

      Ashes make a good fertilizer, yes?

  6. Julee Ann says

    February 12, 2012 at 12:31 pm

    Beautiful flowers … and Isaiah’s words!

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 5:27 pm

      So much in those few words. Thanks for coming by, Julee Ann.

  7. Kerry says

    February 12, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    Beautiful roses and love Isaiah’s words.

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 5:27 pm

      🙂

  8. Linda says

    February 12, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    How lovely Sandy – a magnificent bouquet in exchange for ashes. A beautiful gift.

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 5:28 pm

      A great exchange!

  9. Janet Macy says

    February 12, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Oh! Oh my! What beautiful scripture. This touched my heart so deeply

    A bouquet of roses, messages of joy, and a praising heart. What a wonderful thing to offer: to us from God; from us to others.

    This gave me joy. Thanks for that. I needed some joy. I need to be able to give joy, roses, and praises so that everyone will know what an awesome God I serve.

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 5:28 pm

      Joy to you, Janet! I’m so glad this touched you.

  10. Carol J. Garvin says

    February 12, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    Thank you for this, Sandy. This is very meaningful for me. Our family members each placed a rose and the congregation added rose petals at the memorial for my brother-in-law. There were so many beautiful roses. Perhaps I can show some of them on my blog and link to yours, if you don’t mind???

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 5:29 pm

      That’s beautiful, Carol. So meaningful. Yes, do share. And I never mind you linking. 🙂

  11. Joanne Norton says

    February 12, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    Right among my favorite verses… and most lovely, lovely roses…

    • Sandra says

      February 12, 2012 at 10:06 pm

      🙂 🙂

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“Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to “Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood. . . Let me keep company always with those who say “Look!” and laugh in astonishment and bow their heads.” ~ Mary Oliver in “Mysteries, Yes”
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@tamiheim @tonibirdsong 
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My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the str My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion.” Psalm 73:26 (ESV)
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So yesterday I saw my cardiologist. It was the fir So yesterday I saw my cardiologist. It was the first time he wanted to see me in 6 months instead of a year. He said my aortic stenosis had gotten worse. Like on the cusp of moderate to severe. 😬

So the first thing he asks me is, "How's you daughter?" Wait. Isn't this supposed to be about ME?

Then he asks if I've had any symptoms. "Well, I don't know. Maybe. I felt a little dizzy out of the blue a couple times. And felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I wouldn't have paid any attention if I didn't know I was supposed to be watching for symptoms. I DID walk all over Israel and up a bunch of steep hills, even all the way up to the Golan Heights--against the wind--without anything but normal fatigue.

He laughs. "I created a monster." Ummm, yeah.

"Have you been exercising?" 

"Well, yeah. We walk a couple miles a day. I'm back on my Nordictrack Strider." I didn't tell him I'd been lifting some light weights and some very heavy boxes and other items during this renovation, though I was told in December not to.

So he listens to the beating of my heart. Then he says, "Well, I don't think the valve is ripe yet. I don't expect you to have symptoms for three or four years. You don't need to come back for a year."

Wait! So you ask if I have symptoms. But you don't expect symptoms--yet. And when I do have symptoms, someone is gonna do something. And then I'll be older and maybe weaker. Or what if I have some sudden and silent symptom and boom! And now I have to worry about that. 

(In other news, my oldest grand texts me the other day, and our conversation runs like this...
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If not, take a peek at @mlivenews .

My great-nephew, not quite 12, had just gotten home from school when the EF-3 came down the street and left its mark on every home. My niece frantically tried to find her way from work through debris and blocked roads. My sister was 30 miles away visiting my dad in rehab. I don't want to know how fast my brother-in-law drove. 

The house and yard took a hit, worse than some, not as bad as others. A mobile home park was demolished--two deaths there. I heard one person is still missing. So many injured. So much awful. But the town is coming together for each other. Pray for them.

We plan to fly up Thursday--already planned to celebrate my dad's 95th birthday. 

Also, if anyone feels led to help, the Otsego Community Foundation and Otsego County United Way are accepting donations. Note “Tornado Relief.” Beware of any other fundraising requests.
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"This memorial commemorates the Jewish communities destroyed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, and the few which suffered but survived in the shadow of the Holocaust."
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From a post I wrote for @tspoetry after a visit to the @holocaustcenter.

https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2016/07/27/regional-tour-holocaust-memorial-center-farmington-hills-michigan/
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“Now in the place where he was crucified there w “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” ~ John 19:41

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"Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness." ~ Mary Oliver in "Why I Wake Early"
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