Alphabet of Praise - F

He makes the heart sing.

A prayer for Ireland

Last spring our church was honoured to host two wonderful Irish lads - Robin Mark and his pastor Paul Reid. We had a marvelous conference and are repeating the experience again this June. if you haven't heard this CD, I highly recommend it!

The song below, also written by Robin Mark, is featured on another CD by the same title. In honour of St. Patrick's Day, let's pray this prayer for Ireland.

Come Heal This Land

Let the exile come, let the stranger come
Let the weary come find rest all you homeless sons
All you widowed ones, all you poor and dispossessed
For a table waits in Your Father's house
There the meek can come and eat
There¹s a place of rest at Your Father's breast
Where His mercy is complete

Does a cry ring out from a broken nation
From a people who have been brought low
Was pride in our hearts, did we grieve Your Spirit
Have we blocked the ancient wells that flowed
Here is our covenant prayer
Who call upon Your name
We humble ourselves before You
We humble ourselves

Come heal this land, come heal this land
Come heal this land, come heal this land

Do the tears of One who gave all things for us
Do they fall from Heaven still because of us
For we have tasted grace and we have known Your mercy
But we have not shown this grace to men
Here is our covenant prayer
Who call upon Your name
We humble ourselves before You
We humble ourselves

May this land we love be a place of safety
Be a light for all the nations of this earth
May Your streams of love, may they flow here freely
Here where every stranger finds a home
Here is our covenant prayer
Who call upon Your name
We humble ourselves before You
We humble ourselves

Come heal this land

renovations

Main Entry: ren·o·vate
Pronunciation: 're-n&-"vAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -vat·ed; -vat·ing
Etymology: Latin renovatus, past participle of renovare, from re- + novare to make new, from novus new --
1 : to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding)
2 : to restore to life, vigor, or activity

I am in the midst of renovations - definition #1 according to Webster's - to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding). Somehow that definition doesn't capture the essence of renovations. Before you restore, you have to tear down - pull out - and generally speaking, create chaos.

And oh my goodness.... I am only renovating a very small bathroom yet it has been so disruptive to normal life!!

I have met with plumbers, electricians, contractors, painters (OK, that was my husband but I still had to plan with him :)

So many details! Colour scheme - fixtures - type of tub - vanity - lights - trim - I didn't know there were so many bathroom parts to choose. I can't imagine trying to plan an entire house!

In the last five days I have made five trips to Charlottetown for parts, lights, fixtures, paint, mirror, and then travelled back to return things that didn't suit!!!

But I discovered a couple of treasures on my bathroom hunting expeditions. I couldn't resist this little dish that I found at Winner's. Notice the perwinkle blossom on the side - the colour I chose for the new bathroom.



















And I "happened" to drop in to the library while looking for bathmats and towels...

(*confession* I am a bibliophile - I can't resist going to the library every time I go to town.)

AND they were having a book sale...

I only bought four, which, I think, is very modest. It must have been the bathroom budget that accounted for such admirable constraint.

Reading is my way to learn - my way to relax - my way to restore - but it is impossible to enjoy quiet reading time in the midst of renovations - the house is full of working men, hammers, drills and saws.

But... when the workers are all gone,

I am lighting some candles,

running a hot tub,

turning on the jets,

choosing one of my new books

and I am going to do some personal renovation...

(definition #2 from Webster's)

Alphabet of Praise - E

Everything...

(Photo credit - Rinda Dean)