Sandra Heska King

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still saturday: where to see beauty

November 23, 2013 By Sandra Heska King

beauty

 

“God expresses Himself through creation and beauty. His beauty surrounds us, and the more we grow in God’s grace, the more we recognize His beauty in the world around us . . .

“God’s saints can see His beauty in everything. Once we welcome the presence of God into our awareness, the world becomes alive with unspeakable beauty . . .

“Dr. Wendy Wright says, ‘The absence of beauty is a profound form of deprivation.’ Studies have shown that people deprived of beauty turn to violence. Too many people go through life deprived of beauty . . .

“Dostoevsky meant all of this and more when he said, ‘Beauty will save the world.’ Every retreat at Laity Lodge brings as much beauty to guests as their hearts will allow. God is the source of all beauty, and we can never get enough of God.”

~Howard Hovde in A Dream that Came to Life: The History of the Laity Lodge Retreat Center

Still soaking this weekend in the beauty of Laity Lodge

with friends from The High Calling,

Sandy

Welcome to Still Saturday where we pause after a busy week, move in quiet pilgrimage, maybe linger a while in some still place, and soak in the beauty of images and words. We’d love for you to join us. Get the details on the left, grab your favorite button, and link up below. We all love to hear if something especially speaks to your heart, but please don’t feel pressured to comment. Simply take some time to gaze long and drink deep.



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Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. Sharon says

    November 23, 2013 at 5:13 pm

    Sandy,

    I was so touched by this short, but oh so sweet, post. The post I have linked up for Still Saturday is all about what God had to say to me in my mountain home last week. My husband and I moved here last year, after I had lived in the same town, same house for almost 29 years. It’s been a struggle to adjust – even though I am surrounded by the most beautiful scenery I could have ever imagined.

    God spoke a powerful word to me – and I am now beginning to awaken to one of the reasons He brought me here. And I think finally I am going to begin to appreciate the gorgeous beauty that He has provided.

    Part of it has to do with being still…

    GOD BLESS!

  2. Patricia @ Pollywog Creek says

    November 23, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    Amen to all of it! May your time away be filled with the beauty of creation, fellowship, the Word and worship. xox

  3. June says

    November 23, 2013 at 7:26 pm

    How blessed you are to be a guest at Laity Lodge this weekend! I hope to get there some day! Stay warm!!! {no Texas is not usually this cold!!!}

  4. Elizabeth Stewart says

    November 23, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    Thanks for sharing the beauty with us!

  5. Laurie Collett says

    November 23, 2013 at 10:25 pm

    Given the miraculous beauty of God’s creation, only a fool could say there is no God. Thanks for the beautiful post & for hosting & God bless!

  6. Joanne Viola says

    November 24, 2013 at 6:40 am

    Just a beautiful lodge! May your time away bring all that you need.
    Blessings,
    Joanne

  7. Jason Stasyszen says

    November 24, 2013 at 8:24 pm

    Couldn’t help but think of our prisons when you’re talking here. Without beauty we turn to violence. We need hope. We need something greater than us and beauty is part of the equation. The ultimate in beauty is our God. Thanks Sandra.

  8. Lyli @ 3-D Lessons for Life says

    November 24, 2013 at 10:42 pm

    Sandy, hope you had a wonderful time! 🙂

  9. Barbie says

    November 26, 2013 at 1:57 am

    His beauty surrounds us! Thank you for sharing.

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I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

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For most of us, knowledge of our world comes large For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson in The Sense of Wonder
#prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michigan #prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michiganstateuniversity
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faith Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana in the background until I downloaded the photos. That, I believe, is the one that got caught in one of the openings in the neighbor's chain link fence. We tried in several (safe) ways to dislodge it without luck and could think of no other option but to leave it. Somehow it apparently dislodged itself. We also believe this is the pair that was getting into another neighbor's garden. We haven't seen either one since the last cold snap, so we are wondering if they survived. 
🌱
Thinking some may have tumbled from their perches last night. Pretty sure it will be raining iguanas tonight since we are under a frost advisory. It's cold. And windy.
Just sing... sing a song... Singing our way into Just sing... sing a song... 

Singing our way into the weekend.
"We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramse "We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramsey in Rembrandt is in the Wind
Now you see me... now you don't. Now you see me... now you don't.
"I started looking and listening. I realized that "I started looking and listening. I realized that work, like life, is shot through with poetry. It was everywhere. I was so taken with what I discovered that I wrote a book about it." @gyoung9751 
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Whether you work in an office, a retail store, a restaurant, or at home... Whether you work on roads or on power lines, or on high buildings...Whether you collect trash or preach sermons, or care for your kiddos. Whether you do art, or weave words, or take photos of a common gallinule AKA moorhen AKA swamp chicken--it's all shot through with poetry.
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So pay attention. Find a poem.
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Read more at https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2023/01/10/its-poetry-at-work-day-2023/
Rising… Rising…
Everyone needs a little balance in life. And maybe Everyone needs a little balance in life. And maybe a beauty routine. And breakfast. Especially breakfast. I wonder if it consists of a few fire ants. I hope so. (Well, not mine. I'm having oatmeal with chia seeds. What are you having this morning?)
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Also, I'd really like this skirt --> 
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Read the whole poem--> -->
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Well, bummer... The whole page didn't print. Read it in the comments below.
"What precocity, a bird half the size Of an Anjou "What precocity, a bird half the size
Of an Anjou pear." ~ Stephen Kuusisto in "The Mockingbird on Central" (Find it in The Poets Guide to the Birds edited by Judith Kitchen and Ted Kooser)
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"So fancy is the world..." ~ Mary Oliver in "This "So fancy is the world..." ~ Mary Oliver in "This World." #aweandwonder #tsaweandwonder
Look, Mom! I can walk on water! #aweandwonder #tsa Look, Mom! I can walk on water! #aweandwonder #tsaweandwonder
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Let’s take it step by step with hope and courage. Also I hope to be posting again more often.
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Tonight's moon. It's kinda okay. Tonight's moon. It's kinda okay.
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