Together for the Gospel

I haven't had too much time to read all of the wonderful blog posts that have come out of the Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville this week, but what I have been able to read I have already been enriched by it. I know that this conference was for pastors, but there is still so much that was said that can most definitely be applied to the rest of us.

Visit Tim Challies' blog for detailed live blogging from the event. Visit Provocations and Pantings for photos from the conference and a blog-roll of attendees (none of whose blogs I have visited, but if you want more conference details and pics, you're sure to find it on at least one of those blogs). Also, the TFTG blog where some of the speakers have participated in lively, enlightening discussions over the past couple of months has been a lot of fun to read and I hope it doesn't end with the conference.

Reading all about the conference has reminded me that I never did finish putting up my notes from the Ligonier conference, so I shall attempt to post more on that next week.

The Grace of God

"Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift the axe of justice, so corrupt that they cannot change their own natures, so averse to God that they cannot turn to Him, so blind that they cannot see Him, so deaf that they cannot hear Him, and so that He Himself must open their graves and lift them into resurrection."
-G.S. Bishop

Water drops clinging to an opening rosebud. 

This is one of my favorite roses. Double Delight not only has beautiful pink and yellow blooms but also one of the best scents in the garden.

Pippin "checking" on the pond koi. 

Red on white. Good color combo. :-)

More bluebonnets. 

Vibrant flower whose name escapes me. 

Bee gathering nectar.  

I'm not sure what this plant is called, but it's profusion of white flowers is very lovely. 

Bluebonnet 

I know it's hard to believe this, but we really do have a spring season in Texas. For the short length of time that Spring visits us we enjoy gorgeous weather, verdant foliage and blooming flowers. After another thirty days, however, we will return to the perpetual, everlasting summer season when the weather turns hot , the earth dries up and there won't be a flower alive and blooming within 100 miles. It is no wonder then that I often find myself outside, enjoying every cool breeze that blows over me and sniffing every flower that exudes an inviting scent, all the time wishing that it could last longer than it does.

I am so glad that my younger brother, Landon, has been taking pictures of my Mom's garden as it will be such a pleasure to look at the pictures in the middle of July, and be reminded that the summer doesn't last forever... That after all of the heat, there is at least one, maybe two, months of pure, enjoyable Spring.

I'm not sure if I have any readers who knit or crochet, but if there is anyone out there reading this who does, then you'll want to know about a yarn sale that my LYS is having. If you're like me and enjoy buying sale yarn for your projects (I think it's because I feel less-guilty when self-splurging if I'm doing it at a discount), then here's a link to the store's website where you can purchase some. A quick note about the store: I truly love to visit Yarn Heaven, perhaps it's because that's where I went to get my first skein of yarn and a pair of knitting needles. I remember that the store was packed that day of my first visit, but Tarie (the owner) made sure to greet her customers as they came in, and then to say good-by as they walked out. The kind lady who helped me with my needle selection (and started me on my love for circular needles) was a Scot with a brogue so thick I could barely undertsand her. The cheerful atmosphere and the huge yarn selection impressed me, and I have returned countless times to YH since. Tarie is such a giving person (look at Vogue's KnitSimple winter '05 issue for an article about Tarie and her Hurricane Katrina relief efforts) and she always knows the books and yarn that will excite me to a new project. :-) She still maintains the best yarn inventory in my area (no competiton for her in this county!) and has just added even more to it. Take a look at her website to see the yarns for yourself. Here's a quick list of the yarns on sale:
$2
Eroica
Smart Cotton
$2.50
Utopia
$3
Bubble FX
Charm
Flag
Glace
Perla
Raffinesse
Rio (Aurora)
Sprite
Tenerife
TS Eyelash
$4
Chincilla
Davos
Fruit
Glace (variegated)
Glitz
Jolina
Maratona
Merino King
Puntolinea
Rasta
Rio (Cascade)
Shepherd Sport
Sketch
Suede
Tweed GGH
Uxbridge Tweed
Velour
$5
Capri
Cliche'
Denim Silk
Dynasty
Evita
Firenze Boucle
Flirt
Lynx
Maulbeerside Schwolle
Nimbus
Quest (solids)
Safari
Salsa
Sonetto
Spot
Stars
Tessin
Track
$6
Angora Supreme
Capri (colors)
Cliche' (colors)
Safari (variegated)
Sombrero
Sunshine
$7
Furore
Sir Galli
Trikolore
$10
Fee
Gala
$25
Showstopper
%25 off all Kollage yarns