Spring Beauties

Sessile Trillium ©Penny Frost McGinnis

Large-flowered Trillium ©Penny Frost McGinnis

 Every spring 














I'm excited to find flowers sprouting and blooming. God never disappoints. He's created some of the most interesting and beautiful plants. It'd been a long time since I wandered through the woods in spring. Discovering the trillium (above)was like finding a treasure. My husband and I spotted them the first week we hiked but they hadn't bloomed. This week they spread their color.  

As an added delight, I found a Jack-in-the-pulpit (below, right). Easy to miss because of their leaf-like appearance. Then we ran across the lovely, whimsical plant (two bottom pics) with cup-like blooms and curled tendrils. If anyone knows the name, please let me know. Enjoy the pics. I had fun taking them. 
All photo ©Penny Frost McGinnis

 

The River Roared

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The water rushed over the dam of the East Fork of the Little Miami River. As the turbulent torrent roared by, my husband remarked about the incredible power of water. We've seen heavy rain cause rivers to rise out of their embankment and create  flooding so strong it carries houses and trees away. As we watched the water teem between the banks I was reminded of the amazing power of God.

Much like the vigorous water that rushed over the dam, the power of the Holy Spirit flowed through believers in Rome. Instead of destruction, his power carried hope. God's power changes still lives. He can move mountains if we have faith. As his spirit moves through my life, I'm filled with his peace and joy. Praise God for his mighty power.

Another Poem for National Poetry Month

Summer in the South 

by Paul Laurence Dunbar 

The oriole sings in the greening grove 
As if he were half-way waiting,
The rosebuds peep from their hoods of green, 
Timid and hesitating. 
The rain comes down in a torrent sweep 
And the nights smell warm and piney, 
The garden thrives, but the tender shoots 
Are yellow-green and tiny. 
Then a flash of sun on a waiting hill, 
Streams laugh that erst were quiet, 
The sky smiles down with a dazzling blue 
And the woods run mad with riot.

What a beautiful poem from a talented poet.

Do you have a favorite poem or poet? Who?

Let Them Sing!

Taken at Withrow Nature Preserve © Penny Frost McGinnis

Opening Day

opening day

the bats swing

baseball's in bloom


Does anyone else enjoy baseball? The Reds started the season with a win today. I've watched the Reds play since I was a little girl and still love the game. When I'm fortunate enough to attend a game in person, I love to watch the people along with the game. It's one of the most relaxing activities on my list.


What do you like to do to relax?

He lives!

It Blows Me Away

Luke 23:44-46
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Luke 24:36-39
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

Thunder crashed in the distance, dark skies repelled daylight, and rain pelted over the ground. Good Friday morning, I found myself thinking about the day Jesus died. As I drove in the downpour I wondered why God loved me so much. I'm not perfect like his son. I'm not even good all the time. Yet God sent his son as a sacrifice for my imperfections, my sin. Because he loves me.

That blows me away. Sometimes I can't even comprehend the difference Jesus made in my life. He lived as a human, died at the hands of sinners, and came back to life because he wants to pour his grace over anyone who chooses to believe. As Easter nears, I praise God for the resurrection of Jesus.