Bad Axe, Michigan - “There Shall Come Forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse”

 

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isaiah 11:1-4

“See How the Flowers of the Field Grow”

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 

Matthew 6:25-30

Pointe Aux Barques, Lake Huron, Michigan - “If You Lack Wisdom”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

 James 1:5

 

Lake Huron, Port Austin, Michigan - “The Gift”

 

By grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

EPHESIANS 2:8 (NIV)

Moultrie Creek, Shores Drive Park - “I See the Heavens Opened”

  

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,  And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Acts 7:55-56

Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia - “He will be called…Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”

For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Crescent Beach, Florida - “In the Land of Deep Darkness a Light has Dawned”

 

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9:1-2

Shores Waterfront Park - “Heart of the People Moved as the Trees of the Woods Moved with the Wind”

 

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

Isaiah 7:1-2

Commentary:  King Ahaz and his people react with fear instead of with trust in God. They are shaken and unstable in their hearts.

 In this, the people of Judah really are the people of Ahaz, not the people of the LORD. God was not shaken or unsettled by this threat. If the king of Judah and the people of Judah had put their trust in the LORD, they would have had the peace of God in this conflict.

Harbor Beach, Lake Huron, Michigan. - “Wait for the Lord”

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

Matanzas Inlet - “When You Pass Through the Waters”

But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:1-2

Houston River, Arbingdon, Virginia - “I Will Trust and not be Afraid”

 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2

Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park, Canada - “Universe Formed at God’s Command”

 

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Hebrews 11:3

Grand Tetons, Wyoming - “I have replenished every sorrowful soul."

“ For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.  After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.“

Jeremiah 31:24-25

Rock Ledge Ranch, Colorado Springs - “A Light Unto Our Path”

Inerrancy of Scripture

Whereas inspiration concerns the origin of the Bible’s authority, inerrancy describes its nature. By inerrancy we refer not only to the Bible’s being “without error” but also to its inability to err (we might helpfully illustrate this point by comparing it to the distinction between Jesus’ sinlessness or being without sin, on the one hand, and his impeccability or inability to sin on the other). Inerrancy, positively defined, refers to a central and crucial property of the Bible, namely, its utter truthfulness.

The basis for the doctrine of biblical inerrancy is located both in the nature of God and in the Bible’s teaching about itself. First, if God is perfect—all-knowing, all-wise, all-good—it follows that God speaks the truth. God does not tell lies; God is not ignorant. God’s Word is thus free from all error arising either from conscious deceit or unconscious ignorance. Such is the unanimous confession of the psalmist, the prophets, the Lord Jesus and the apostles. Second, the Bible presents itself as the Word of God written. Thus, in addition to its humanity (which is never denied), the Bible also enjoys the privileges and prerogatives of its status as God’s Word. God’s Word is thus wholly reliable, a trustworthy guide to reality, a light unto our path.

C S Lewis Institute

American Mother’s Chapel, Colorado Springs - “Come Now”

 

Learn to do good; Seek justice, 
correct oppression; 
Bring justice to the fatherless, 
plead the widow’s cause. 

 “Come now, let us reason together, 

says the Lord: 
though your sins are like scarlet, 
they shall be as white as snow; 
though they are red like crimson, 
they shall become like wool. 
 If you are willing and obedient, 
you shall eat the good of the land; 
 but if you refuse and rebel, 
you shall be eaten by the sword; 
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 1:17-20

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs - “The Whole Creation Groans”

 We know that the whole creation has been groaningas in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Romans 8:22-27

“Hear, O Heavens and Give Ear, O Earth”

 

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
    for the Lord has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its owner,
    and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does not know,
    my people do not understand.”

Isaiah 1:2-3 

“The Woods are Lovely, Dark, and Deep”

 

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep. 

~ Robert Frost

Rocky Mountains- “He Sits Above the Circle of the Earth”

 It is He who sits above the circle of the Earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,
He brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth, useless.

Isaiah 40:22

Atlantic - “Who has Measured the Waters?”

Who has measured the waters
In the hollow of his hand, 
Measured Heaven with a span,
And calculated the dust of the earth
In a measure?  Weighted the mountains
In scales and the hills in a balance?

Isaiah 40:12

Moultrie Creek - “Face of the Waters”

The earth was without form,

And void, and darkness was on

The face of the deep.  And the 

Spirit of God hovering over the face

Of the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light”;

And there was light.

Genesis 1:2-3

Port Austin, Michigan- “Finding the Light”

Though I have fallen, I will rise.

Though I sit in darkness,

The Lord will be my light.

Micah 7:8
 

Fort Matanzas Beach - “He Drew Me Out of Many Waters”

 He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hate me,
For they were too strong for me.

Psalm 18:16-17

“The Snow Maiden” A Poem

Crystal Michelle Fallin 
Snow Maiden, St. Augustine Nutcracker Ballet 1997

 The Snow Maiden

The Snow Cascaded, Swirled and Blew
In the Magical Kingdom
Of the Land of Snow;

Amidst the Snow Flakes and Fairies,

The Snow Maiden Dances,

Twirling on Pointed Toes

From Moonbeam to Shadow;

Her Silhouette we followed 

From Forest to Meadow;

Snow and Ice are Her Friends,

The Coated White Earth is her Floor;

Center Stage from Heaven

The Stars Shine on Her,

Seeking no other;

She is the Snow Maiden

Graceful and Fair,

In her Fairy White Dress

With Star Light in her Hair;

Dancing in Bliss

With no Worries or Cares,

Delicate and Graceful

From Finger Tip to Toe,

She's Eloquent to Behold;

Her Eyes Sparkles like Crystals,

Amidst the Snow Fairies and Sprites,

She Waltzes in Solace

With Mystical Delight;

From Winter's Breath She Sprang

Twirling and Dancing in the Chilled Air

Through the Forest and the Fields

The Wind Whispers her name,

Brilliant and Translucent, Crystal

The Maiden of Heaven's White Veil.

Published 1997

by Peggy Fallin

“Glory to God in the Highest and On Earth Peace to Those Whom His Favors Rests”

Crystal Michell Fallin, Lead Angel

Nutcracker Ballet 1996

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:8-14

Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina - "The Eye has not Seen, nor Ear Heard"

But as it is written:

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for
 those who love Him."

1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV

Rocky Mountains, Colorado - "To Him Who Overcomes"

 

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne,

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelations 3:21-22  

Shadow Mountain, Grand Lake - "Here I Am! I Stand at the Door and Knock"

 

Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Revelation 3:20 NIV