The Aroma

As I stepped out the door yesterday and smelled the lovely fragrance of roses in our front yard, I was again reminded of a post I did a few years ago. I can’t remember if there are any roses in the front yard of the rental house we will be moving into shortly, so I am enjoying the ones we have here while we still have them. I pray this post will be a blessing to you.

 

This is the time of year when I love walking out our front door and unto the porch.  “Why?”  you may wonder.  As soon as I step out the door, I can smell the wonderful fragrance from the roses in our front yard.  It is a sweet and wonderful scent.  Isn’t it funny how smells sometimes trigger memories?  Often when I smell roses, my mind goes back to some little dolls I had as a girl.  These dolls were only about 3 inches tall and came in little heart shaped plastic bottles.  There were several varieties of these dolls called LiddleKiddles and each one smelled like a flower.  They were named after the flower whose fragrance they emitted.  We had Apple Blossom, Rosebud and Honeysuckle, but I remember that my favorite was Rosebud.  There are certain roses that smell exactly as I remember my little Rosebud smelling.

 

The other day as I was standing outside breathing in that fantastic rose scent, a thought came to my mind.  What smells good to God?  I don’t know if God dropped that question in my mind or if I’m just weird.  I’ll let you decide.  Then I thought of the term “sweet savour” that I remember reading before in the Bible.  I decided to look up this term in e-sword, and I found 44 references to it.  In the Old Testament, it’s always mentioned in reference to some kind of offering or sacrifice being given to the Lord.  In the New Testament, this term is only mentioned one time in 2 Corinthians 2:15.

 

2Corinthians 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

 

To make it a little easier to understand, here is the verse preceding this one and a few after it in the English Standard Version of the Bible.

 

2Co 2:14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2Co 2:15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,

2Co 2:16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

2Co 2:17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (bold emphasis mine)

 

 

Under the Old Testament law, the sacrifices that were offered to God according to His specifications were sweet and pleasing to Him.  I believe in The New Testament  church age that we’re living in, that as the born again church, we become living sacrifices (Romans 12:1,2)to God through which He desires to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”     This fragrance is the very aroma of Christ, and to those that receive the fragrance of this knowledge, I believe it will not only give spiritual life here but eternal life in the ages to come.

 

Maybe God was using those roses to remind me once again of my mission in life.  Dear Lord, please use me to spread your wonderful life giving aroma!

 

Edit:  Here’s a link to some Liddle Kiddles.

 

http://dollreference.com/kiddles_kologne.html

 

Because The Roses Smell So Good Today….

I thought I would do a reprint of a post I did last year.

 

This is the time of year when I love walking out our front door and unto the porch.  “Why?”  you may wonder.  As soon as I step out the door, I can smell the wonderful fragrance from the roses in our front yard.  It is a sweet and wonderful scent.  Isn’t it funny how smells sometimes trigger memories?  Often when I smell roses, my mind goes back to some little dolls I had as a girl.  These dolls were only about 3 inches tall and came in little heart shaped plastic bottles.  There were several varieties of these dolls called LiddleKiddles and each one smelled like a flower.  They were named after the flower whose fragrance they emitted.  We had Apple Blossom, Rosebud and Honeysuckle, but I remember that my favorite was Rosebud.  There are certain roses that smell exactly as I remember my little Rosebud smelling.

 

The other day as I was standing outside breathing in that fantastic rose scent, a thought came to my mind.  What smells good to God?  I don’t know if God dropped that question in my mind or if I’m just weird.  I’ll let you decide.  Then I thought of the term “sweet savour” that I remember reading before in the Bible.  I decided to look up this term in e-sword, and I found 44 references to it.  In the Old Testament, it’s always mentioned in reference to some kind of offering or sacrifice being given to the Lord.  In the New Testament, this term is only mentioned one time in 2 Corinthians 2:15.

 

2Corinthians 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

 

To make it a little easier to understand, here is the verse preceding this one and a few after it in the English Standard Version of the Bible.

 

2Co 2:14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2Co 2:15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,

2Co 2:16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

2Co 2:17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (bold emphasis mine)

 

 

Under the Old Testament law, the sacrifices that were offered to God according to His specifications were sweet and pleasing to Him.  I believe in The New Testament  church age that we’re living in, that as the born again church, we become living sacrifices (Romans 12:1,2)to God through which He desires to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”     This fragrance is the very aroma of Christ, and to those that receive the fragrance of this knowledge, I believe it will not only give spiritual life here but eternal life in the ages to come.

 

Maybe God was using those roses to remind me once again of my mission in life.  Dear Lord, please use me to spread your wonderful life giving aroma!

 

Edit:  Here’s a link to some Liddle Kiddles.

 

http://dollreference.com/kiddles_kologne.html

 

Spring In Our Yard

I love this time of year!

Big fatty ol’ rose in the front yard.

I think this is jasmine. It smells fabulous.

Up in the left corner is our family of mourning doves. I was wondering if they were going to come back this year. I first spotted one in the nest on January 19. They came early.

Section of the front yard with some rose bushes.

 

Pearl Harbor Day

One of the things we had definitely planned to do when we were in Oahu was to visit Pearl Harbor and see the Arizona memorial. We were able to do this on August 14th. Before visiting the Arizona memorial, we were ushered into a big theatre with those in our group where we saw a 30 minute film that dealt with the events leading up to World War II and what happened on the day (December 7, 1941)when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. We then made our way onto a boat which took us a short distance across the harbor to where the Arizona memorial stands. We walked around inside the memorial, taking pictures and reading some information. At the far end of the building is the room that has the wall with all the names engraved on it of those that died on the S.S. Arizona(over 1000) It was a very solemn experience seeing all the names of those that perished on that sad day. We got back on the boat, returned to shore and walked around the grounds some more. We came across some displays of torpedos, which were the type that my father-in-law worked with when he was stationed at Pearl Harbor, after the bombing incident. It was special for my husband to be in a place of which his dad had talked about and had spent much time. We were going to tour the Missouri, but upon counting the cost and both feeling tired, we decided against it. We got in the car and drove for about an hour and came to the beautiful Waimea Valley in Hale ‘iwa. The botanical gardens there were beckoning to us, and we answered the call. Cameras were pulled out, and we took our time walking through the garden, trying to capture on film some of God’s beautiful creations. Pete went ever so slightly off the path to try and get a shot of this unique purple flower. He stopped on a stone which was a little wobbly and stretched out his left hand against a tree to steady himself. Immediately, he yelled, “Ow!” and moved his hand away from the tree. Upon looking closer, we could see that this tree was covered with short, razor-like needles. We read a placard nearby the tree which informed us that the fruit on this tree was poisonous. I’m glad we didn’t eat any of it(not that we were planning to), and that Pete was not seriously hurt from touching that treacherous tree. On the way back to the hotel, we ate a nice place called Jameson’s By The Sea. We both ate light, because neither one of us felt real well, but the salad I had and clam chowder were both excellent. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up and then began walking the crazy streets of Waikiki. The streets were crowded with people, and we saw breakdancers, the silver man(looked a lot like the guy we see in San Francisco, all painted in silver) steel drum players, guitar players and a man that was all clad in newspapers. Interesting. This walk was a reality check for us to wake us up to the fact that we’re not in our 20′s anymore. We should have hailed a cab on the way back, because Pete’s knee was killing him and my hip was aching, but we were trying to be young and tough. Ibuprofen was consumed upon the return to our hotel. Below are some pictures from this day.

The white structure in the water is the Arizona Memorial.

 

A remnant of the U.S.S. Arizona.

A section of the memorial wall.

This is part of that treacherous tree that Pete touched. Ouch!

This is Waihi Falls at the end of the garden path.

Waikiki night life.

 

25th Anniversary in Oahu

We had a fun day on August 13th, our 25th wedding anniversary. After sleeping in we had a wonderful lunch at the Kona Brewing Company. The coffee was outstanding. We then headed over to Hanouma Bay, which is about 15 minutes from our hotel. It was very beautiful, and we spent a couple of hours there walking around, taking pictures, dipping our toes in the water and playing hide and seek with some sea turtles. Afterwards, we took a long drive and ended up at the Dole Pineapple Plantation. We were able to tour their lovely gardens, ride the pineapple train which takes you all around the plantation and visit their large gift shop. For our anniversary dinner, we went to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. I have heard a lot about this place from people who have eaten their in San Francisco, but we had never gone to one. The food was outstanding, and the steaks were almost as good as my husband’s, but I would still have to give his steaks first place. I know I’ve gained some weight on this trip, but what a way to go!!

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In Hawaii!

On Thursday, our plane landed on the big island of Hawaii at approximately 11:20 a.m. Hawaiian Standard time.  So far, I would have to say that our time here has been absolutely glorious! We’ve done a lot already, and this is only our third day here. We’ve spent a good bit of time in Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park yesterday look at various old lava flows, craters and calderas.  Unfortunately, there are no current lava flows, but it could start up again at any time, so we can check to get any updated information.  Yesterday, we spent a few hours at the Botanical Gardens near Hilo.  It was spectacular, and both of us just took our time shooting pictures as we walked through this lush garden.  I’m going to share a few that my husband took.  Mine will be uploaded later. 

A lovely pond inside the garden

delicate orchids

A very unique pink quill flower

pristine waterfalls

Forgot the name of this one, but it is stunning.

 

More to follow!

 

What Smells Good To God?

“Rosebud”

 

 

This is the time of year when I love walking out our front door and unto the porch.  “Why?”  you may wonder.  As soon as I step out the door, I can smell the wonderful fragrance from the roses in our front yard.  It is a sweet and wonderful scent.  Isn’t it funny how smells sometimes trigger memories?  Often when I smell roses, my mind goes back to some little dolls I had as a girl.  These dolls were only about 3 inches tall and came in little heart shaped plastic bottles.  There were several varieties of these dolls called LiddleKiddles and each one smelled like a flower.  They were named after the flower whose fragrance they emitted.  We had Apple Blossom, Rosebud and Honeysuckle, but I remember that my favorite was Rosebud.  There are certain roses that smell exactly as I remember my little Rosebud smelling.

 

The other day as I was standing outside breathing in that fantastic rose scent, a thought came to my mind.  What smells good to God?  I don’t know if God dropped that question in my mind or if I’m just weird.  I’ll let you decide.  Then I thought of the term “sweet savour” that I remember reading before in the Bible.  I decided to look up this term in e-sword, and I found 44 references to it.  In the Old Testament, it’s always mentioned in reference to some kind of offering or sacrifice being given to the Lord.  In the New Testament, this term is only mentioned one time in 2 Corinthians 2:15.

 

2Corinthians 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

 

To make it a little easier to understand, here is the verse preceding this one and a few after it in the English Standard Version of the Bible.

 

2Co 2:14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2Co 2:15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,

2Co 2:16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

2Co 2:17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (bold emphasis mine)

 

 

Under the Old Testament law, the sacrifices that were offered to God according to His specifications were sweet and pleasing to Him.  I believe in The New Testament  church age that we’re living in, that as the born again church, we become living sacrifices (Romans 12:1,2)to God through which He desires to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”     This fragrance is the very aroma of Christ, and to those that receive the fragrance of this knowledge, I believe it will not only give spiritual life here but eternal life in the ages to come.

 

Maybe God was using those roses to remind me once again of my mission in life.  Dear Lord, please use me to spread your wonderful life giving aroma!

 

Edit:  Here’s a link to some Liddle Kiddles.

 

http://dollreference.com/kiddles_kologne.html

 

Festive Fare

Once again, the ladies of our church got together to make wreath centerpieces for the tables at our Christmas banquet.  We had a good time arranging branches, wrapping wire, picking out decorations to put on the wreaths and occasionally(mostly me)burning ourselves with hot glue guns.  Many thanks to Eva for letting us use her house for this somewhat messy but fun event.  Here are the finished products. (Click on pics for bigger image.)

                

           

 

Say It With Flowers

   

These are a couple of shots of a gladiola arrangement that my husband surprised me with for our anniversary.  While our anniversary is actually a couple of weeks away, he brought this home early for me to enjoy since I will be at Jr. Camp on that day.  Flowers have always played a part in our courtship and married life.  Back in our Bible college days when we were engaged, a lot of dead roses occupied the little desk area in my dormitory room.  I couldn’t bare to throw them out until they were brown and shriveled.  I finally had to throw out this arrangement today(although I still have the beautiful vase), because it was pitifully withered.  I’m glad I did get a couple of pictures while the flowers were still in bloom. 

In thinking about the beauty of flowers, I came across these quotes.  If you have a moment, please let me know which quote you like the best and if you have a favorite flower.

Flowers are love’s truest language.
-   Park Benjamin

 I do not think I have ever seen anything more beautiful
than the bluebell I have been looking at.  
I know the beauty of our Lord by it.
-  Gerald Manley Hopkins

Where flowers bloom so does hope.
-  Lady Bird Johnson, Public Roads: Where Flowers Bloom

When bright flowers bloom
Parchment crumbles, my words fade
The pen has dropped …
-   Morpheus

Flowers are love’s truest language.
-   Park Benjamin

 I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.
-  Claude Monet

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns,
or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.
-  Abraham Lincoln 

This old world that we’re livin’ in
Is might hard to beat.
                 You get a thorn with every Rose
         But – ain’t the roses sweet?
-  Frank Stanton