Søgne

Last night I was in Søgne with these dear friends Ragnhild and Pål Dag:

Søgne is a beautiful little town that sits right on a fjord - so typical of a Norwegian town near the sea - lots of cabins and vacation houses...and BOATS:

A thought for the day:

Isaiah 55:5-9

Seek the Lord while you can find him.

Call on him now while he is near.

Let the wicked change their ways

and banish the very thought of doing wrong.

Let them turn to the Lord

that he may have mercy on them.

Yes, turn to our God,

for he will forgive generously.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,”

says the Lord.

“And my ways are far beyond

anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so my ways are higher than your ways

and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Maybe it is easier to seek the Lord when you are looking at something like this:

.

My trip to Norway is almost over -

I go to Sweden tomorrow.

God Bless Norway tonight

May righteousness exalt this nation

17th May - Syttende Mai!

Congratulations to Norway on this Syttende Mai! (17^th May) Norway celebrates the signing of their constitution on 17^th May 1814 – this is the day Norway became an independent nation after being under Swedish rule.

This is a great day for parades…

  

Wearing the national dress (Bunad)

Close up of the detail in the bunad...

Even dogs get in the act…

Children…

Food…fun...friends...more later...

I am praying for Norway today - for revival - the presence of God to fill this land - righteousness and justice to be in government and holiness to be in the people.

A walk in Norway...

I went for a walk today...along a path...

until I came to a pond...

there were many birds swooping all over the place looking for bugs on the pond, but they were going so fast, you can barely see them...

...there were loads of forget-me-nots - a sign that spring may, indeed, come even though sunny days are rare...

...and these...

...and these...

...and these...

...and further along the trail...it would be a shame to stop before reaching the end...

...until the smell of the ocean...

...there's a lighthouse out there somewhere...

...and on the way back this cheery little red toad seemed to have lost his way...

Ps. 17:5 Uphold my steps in Your paths,

That my footsteps may not slip.

Ps. 23:3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Ps. 25:4 Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.

Ps. 25:10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,

To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Ps. 65:11 You crown the year with Your goodness,

And Your paths drip with abundance.

Bryne

Norway:

Now I am in Bryne - about 25 miles south of Stavanger - the south-western corner of Norway: 

As with everywhere in Norway - the countryside is stunning and the people are fabulous.

There is a river that goes through town - this sculpture (spears in the water) is called Momento Mori which is Latin. It is supposed to remind us of the victories we have today - because tomorrow you might not have a victory - you could be dead!! In other words, you are only human - you will die some day. I think is a particularly "Norwegian" perspective on life!

I am very sad to hear about the bombings in Boston earlier today. My heart and prayers are with the victims of this terrorist attack.

Funny Things

Rebecca has written a great article about the funny quirks of Norwegian culture. Check this out:

Norway, Norwegians and funny things!

Maybe this explains a few things!!

I also saw this very sweet story on the news today - it doesn't get cuter than this:

Dog adopts Lamb

Enjoy!