Have always admired this wall. Finally snapped a pic.
Play-Doh at a friend’s
One of my bootcamp student’s quilt guild is doing a raffle and she whipped this up to hold the tickets. Just whipped it up.
East High is looking lovely this spring
Love when strawberries start getting cheap
Grass seeding
Checking out the compost
Caleb’s class made zebras out of wrapping paper tubes. I love his teachers.
Your 7 Days?
For awhile now I’ve been trying to write down things I’m into so I can participate in this link-up. And I have, once again, missed the deadline.
But that’s cool. I’m still going to share. Late.
Been thinking about this post from Jen Hatmaker on Facebook a friend alerted me to. And what it means that 80% of the prison population are former foster care children. And how the church can help.
What else am I into?
The Norah Jones station on Pandora.
These are not all the same color, contrary to my husband’s beliefs.
Painted toes.
An Oldies Dance Party playlist on Amazon prime music.
Decorating with Kid Art.
Podcasts.
This blog a friend pointed me toward.
All the babies
Listening to my boys play together.
Spring blooms
Garage Sales – especially since the one I stumbled upon last week was run by a former esthetician. Who happened to be selling organic skin care products at prices of $.75. I know.
I’m not exactly sure about the Yoga Mist, but I’ve been spraying its essential oil smell on everything sitting still and it’s making me happy.
And that’s the final thing making me happy? Silver Sneakers Yoga. Wonderful, stretching, relaxing.
What are you into lately?
In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?”
And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
Zechariah 7:1-10 (ESV)
Well, here we are. It’s been almost two years since Zechariah’s busy night with 8 visions. We can safely assume the work has continued. And now the people are curious: should they continue to fast and mourn over Jerusalem’s destruction as they had been the past nearly 70 years?
Some of the Hebrew is interesting in verses 3 & 5: The people asked, “Should I weep and abstain…” and God answered, “When you fasted and mourned…”
In Hebrew, their question was if they should continue to consecrate themselves. And God answered they had been abstaining from food.
In Hebrew, their question was whether they should keep weeping. And God answered they had wailed.
If we are using one set of words to describe our practices and God uses a different set, we should take note of His words.
And, as always, He is interested in our hearts:
Execute true justice (mishpat)
Show kindness (hesed) and mercy.
Do not oppress the poor, the immigrant, the orphan, or the widow.
Or devise evil in your hearts toward one another.
This Mishpat and Hesed are not new concepts. But I love how applicable they are to everything in our lives.
In particular how kindness and mercy can temper our desire for justice. Especially toward one another.
In our diversity-filled, opinion-differing, non-uniform, loving unity, we show the world Who He is. Any time something goes down we consider to be unfair, we really can trust Him to handle it. He is the only one who knows every detail and can bring about true justice. And often that justice for us as His kids looks like repentance for everyone involved.
In our desire to represent Him and His kindness-tempered justice, we will all fall short.
But we can rest knowing the Ultimate Just Judge never sleeps.
It’s 2nd Saturday time. Shop Douglas. Shop local.
The Workroom is hosting their Anniversary Artisan Market this Saturday the 9th. “Best local shopping #madeinICT with over 50 local art vendors, a killer live music lineup and a dozen food trucks to boot!”
At Botanica’s Tulips, Fairies & Forts this Saturday, Tanganyika Wildlife Park will have animals to see from 10 to 2. Plus, Poppy the Clown will make an appearance from 11 to 1.
Do you belong to the YMCA? If you refer a friend to join in the month of April, your friend’s fee will be waived and you will get a free month of membership. Everyone gets healthy and saves.
It’s getting to be Drive-In Theater weather. If you share this post on Facebook, you can win free carload passes from Starlite Drive-In. And carloads are only $13 on Fridays and Saturdays.
We missed the sign up for WDDC and the City of Wichita Parks & Rec annual Downtown Clean Up. But I’m still mentioning it because it’s awesome.
Ann Packer will be at Watermark next Wednesday the 13th at 6 pm in conversation with Whitney Terrell. The event is in celebration of the paperback release of Packer’s book The Children’s Crusade.
This Saturday the 9th, City Arts is hosting a Professional Development Workshop: Copyright & Intellectual Property for the artist from 1 to 3.
Library:
The Young Artists Receptions will be starting up tonight. Partnering with local early childhood programs, the library is displaying the creative work of sweet young artists. “Enjoy a special art-themed storytime, mingle with the artists and enjoy refreshments…for all young children and their families.”
Family Fun: No Bake Cooking will be at Central this Saturday from 2:30-3:30.
Learn how to buy & sell items online at Westlink’s workshop on Tuesday the 12th at 6 pm. Register here.
Get Cozy by the Campfire at Alford on Tuesday from 6-6:45 pm.
Next week’s Senior Wednesday at Central will be Welcome to Lindsborg. Hear more about this city and its artists and festivals.
Register here for Central’s Social Media Demo. Learn about Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest from 3:30-5:00 pm.
And don’t forget to join the Westlink crew for their adult coloring social each month from 6:30-7:30 pm.
Have a great weekend!
Crab apple
A boy in a tree
Star Wars
Cousin time
Pictures
Babies everywhere
Eat at Joe’s
Feed the fish
Nice weather and neighbor friends
Spring glory
Your 7 Days?
What do you think about when you hear the phrase “War on Drugs”?
No matter your answer, would you take 4 minutes and read this article?
I don’t know what the answers are.
But I do know it is worth our time to consider the facts. To think through the billions of dollars spent. To have some conversations – particularly with those most impacted. And to separate the truth that none of us want those we love addicted to drugs from the best way to prevent that from happening.
What do you think?
Then I received another message from the Lord:
“Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah will bring gifts of silver and gold from the Jews exiled in Babylon. As soon as they arrive, meet them at the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Accept their gifts, and make a crown from the silver and gold. Then put the crown on the head of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
Tell him,
‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Here is the man called the Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of the Lord. Yes, he will build the Temple of the Lord. Then he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.’
“The crown will be a memorial in the Temple of the Lord to honor those who gave it—Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah son of Zephaniah.”
People will come from distant lands to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And when this happens, you will know that my messages have been from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. All this will happen if you carefully obey what the Lord your God says.
Zechariah 6: 9-15 NLT
Here is our Jeshua again. Remember, he along with the rest of the exiles had honorable work to do. But the office he held pointed forward to the coming Branch. The One Who would truly rebuild Temple. Who would welcome others from distant lands. Who alone fulfills the offices of High Priest and King of Kings.
I’m once again reminded of how seemingly backwards this King ushered in His Kingdom. To arrive so small and obscure. To live a faithful, ordinary life for thirty years. To invest most of His ministry in a small group of misfits. Then to humiliatingly die for my shame. The only crown He wore twisted out of painful mockery.
But this upside down Kingdom changed the world.
And His are the only feet I want to fall at.
Catch Philip Donlay at Watermark on Tuesday the 5th for a book signing of Pegasus Down.
Chickens have arrived at Johnson’s Gardens. Might it be time for you to take that leap?
Get your tickets here for the Wichita Chamber Chorale’s presentation of Rachmaninov’s legendary All Night Vigil (the Vespers). “Experience the sound and spirit of the greatest masterpiece of Russian Orthodox church music.”
Tickets are available now for the Great Plains Nature Center’s Passport to Nature. Your ticket helps support this wonderful organization and includes musical entertainment, local cuisine, and an auction.
Come to Lucinda’s in Old Town this Saturday to help celebrate 15 years of business. Enjoy treats, free gift with purchase (for first 20), and chance to win a gift card.
Have you heard of Bike Walk Wichita’s Bike Beautiful? Held in Murdock Theatre, you can preview bike-friendly fashions and learn about upcoming events. Proceeds benefit local bicycle and pedestrian efforts. Great way to love Wichita.
The Sedgwick County Extention Office’s Tree Festival is this Saturday April 2nd. Enjoy seminars, demonstrations, and an arboretum tour.
Do you have a Botanica pass? Their annual Tulips, Fairies & Forts has started back up. The next three Saturdays include Fairy Story Times, a bounce house, and 60,000 tulips. Plus don’t miss their Fairy House Competition: build your own house for a chance to win a Botanica membership.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Spice Merchant. Always yes.
Boys + see saw = danger
Full bloom
Easter snow
Hosting
Athletes
Plugging up fence holes with snow, of course
I love my family
Your 7 Days?
Have you ever heard of Black Wall Street from the early 1900’s in Tulsa, OK? It was an incredibly affluent all-black community, thanks to Jim Crow laws, which was massacred in 1921.
“The dollar circulated 36 to 100 times, sometimes taking a year for currency to leave the community. Now a dollar leaves the Black community in 15 minutes. As for resources, there were Ph.D.s residing in Little Africa, Black attorneys and doctors. One doctor was Dr. Berry, who owned the bus system. His average income was $500 a day, hefty pocket change in 1910.
It was a time when the entire state of Oklahoma had only two airports, yet six Blacks owned their own planes. It was a very fascinating community…
The community flourished from the early 1900s until June 1, 1921. That’s when the largest massacre of nonmilitary Americans in the history of this country took place, and it was led by the Ku Klux Klan. Imagine walking out of your front door and seeing 1,500 homes being burned. It must have been amazing.
Survivors we interviewed think that the whole thing was planned, because during the time that all of this was going on, White families with their children stood around the borders of their community and watched the massacre – the looting and everything – much in the same manner they would watch a lynching. The riots weren’t caused by anything Black or White. They were caused by jealousy.”
An estimated 1,500 – 3,000 lives were lost, thrown in unmarked graves.
If you’ve never heard of it, you should read about it.
I don’t have any sort of application for this.
I just think it should be known.
