It’s early morning here and black as night outside. The autumn air is so warm, 18C or around 65F and its 90% humidity.

God is watering His creation. The music of the rain filters through the darkness like tiny liquid diamonds tinkling in a crystal glass. So pretty, so sweet, so needed and welcome.

Our God amazes me. He could have created things not to need the rain, yet He chose it to be this way. He chose for us to see His provision, His love.

He created some plants to need the frost. Some fruit need a frost to make them sweet for the picking.

Seeds and bulbs need winters chill in order to flourish in the spring.

Gum trees need fire for their seeds to open and sprout.

Life needs death in order to grow.

Nature mirrors our needs.

When we die in Christ, we live for Him.

May God's love fill our hearts and our praise fill the throne room.

We were driving to the beach one day and I looked up at the clouds, as I am prone to do, and this is what I saw.

What do you see?

I see a bride with a hat on, dancing with her long vail sweeping out behind her.

The clouds can be so beautiful at times. They remind me of the Father as He spoke creation into being.

Okay, the bird in the photo is a Fantail, not a sparrow. It is so small against the bush, the land, the sky, the world and the pond. Yet, it has value to the Father. It reminded me of Matthew 10:29-31.

29... “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

30... “But the very hairs of your head are numbered.

31... “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

I slept very well last night. Never even knew there was a quake. Mind you, the house I rent shakes each time a truck goes by so a quake would have to be huge before I’d even notice. As is, it probably rocked me off to sleep. lol

Janice emailed me this morning and asked if I’d felt the earth shake. Nup, that was the first I’d heard of it.

I did a search on the web and was delighted to find this news report.


SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 · Last updated 11:42 a.m. PT
Earthquake strikes near New Zealand

By RAY LILLEYASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- A powerful earthquake hit deep under the South Pacific late Tuesday north of New Zealand, and it rocked a wide area of the country, but no damage or injuries were reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying the magnitude 7.4 quake had not generate a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami but warned it could spawn a small tsunami within 60 miles of its epicenter.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 10:39 p.m. (6:39 a.m. EDT) about 90 miles below the seabed, and was centered about 180 miles south-southwest of Raoul Island in the Kermadec island chain, which is 712 miles northeast of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland.
It came hours before countries around the Pacific rim were to test a tsunami warning system spanning the world's largest ocean.

Later Tuesday night, an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.8 struck western Indonesia, but no damage or casualties were reported and the quake did not appear to have triggered a tsunami.
The quake struck at 10:28 p.m. (11:28 a.m. EDT) off the coast of Nias island, just over 600 miles northwest of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. Indoesian meteorologist Agung Sunaryadi said "some cracks were reported on land, but that's all we've heard."

The powerful quake north of New Zealand, which seismologists said registered at magnitude 7.5, rocked a wide area of the country - but was unlikely to have caused damage, seismologist Ken Gledhill told The Associated Press.

"It has been felt very widely but is unlikely to have caused any damage in New Zealand," he said, adding that within half an hour more than 500 people had reported the quake's impact.

"It was too deep to have ruptured the sea floor," Gledhill said, adding a tsunami was unlikely "if that depth is correct."

A policeman in the east coast North Island town of Whakatane said he was sitting on a chair talking to the police communications center in the northern city of Auckland when it struck.

"Things started moving and I thought, 'this is a goodie,'" said Sgt. Andrew O'Reilly.
Wellington police inspector Peter Stokes said there were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

"We sure did feel it. Our building swayed a bit," he said.
Raoul Island was the center of a series of earthquakes during a volcanic eruption in March that killed a New Zealand Department of Conservation worker and forced the evacuation of the island.

Several conservation workers returned to the island last month to perform tasks like eradicating weeds, monitoring birds and preventing the arrival of unwanted pests such as rats.
There was no immediate word on whether they were affected by the quake.

The quake was felt as far south as Christchurch on South Island.
New Zealand is among more than two dozen countries taking part in the drill to test the Pacific warning system that has been in place since 1965.

During the exercise early Wednesday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii will send out warnings about mock earthquakes off the Chilean coast and Luzon island in the northern Philippines that are powerful enough to set off a tsunami across the vast ocean.

Governments will test if and how fast they receive the warnings and how rapidly they are relayed through domestic emergency alert systems.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1106AP_New_Zealand_Earthquake.html

This is Mount Te Aroha. Well, technically, it’s not really a mountain, but hey who’s counting those last few inches? Lol

This photo was taken a trillion years ago, back when I didn’t know hubby. He’s the one hiding behind the camera.

Anyway, I remember the day well. I was at a friends place and it had been a beautiful warm day. Then suddenly, about 3:00 in the afternoon, some strange looking clouds swept across the sky like a shroud and the day turned dark and cold.

The clouds only stayed for about 20 to 30 minutes, but when they cleared, snow blanketed the “mountain” and hills beside it.

I had never seen snow in Te Aroha before and was stunned by the beauty. It is such a rare event, that even after 25 or so trillion years, I have not seen it again. Sure, we get the odd sprinkle of white dust occasionally, but nothing like that day.

Here is another photo of the “mountain” which I took about 10 or 15 years ago.

Anyway, today is sunny here in Hamilton City. Though the sky is clear and blue, the wind is strong and c-c-c-cold. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I climbed to the top of a very tall sand dune one day and was amazed by what I found.

The Lord reminded me of something He showed me a couple of years ago. I was sitting in my living room, fellowshipping with three Christian friends. Suddenly, I saw into the spiritual realm.

I had my eyes open to both worlds. I was looking at my friends with my natural eyes, but my spirits eyes could see all around me. I could see passed the walls of my house and even see behind me without turning my head.

On the hills all around my house, I saw a legion of angels. They appeared to be resting between battles. Some were sitting, some were standing and some were talking quietly amongst themselves.

In the natural, the countryside around me was green and lush, but in the spirit, I saw it as a desert. The grass was gone so there was only dust and the trees were without leaves.

I don’t know why the Lord opened my eyes that day, but it gave me great encouragement.

We are NOT alone. Praise God.

This was taken at the top of New Zealand. If I remember correctly, this is the very tip of the North Island where the rock stretches out into the sea.

We might be going to the beach this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. I love the ocean, the sound of the sea, the rumble of waves and cry of gulls.

My oldest daughter wants to go sand boarding (All she needs is a board). Me, I'd rather race a horse at the water's edge, as I did when I was young.

I used to break and train horse’s way up north at Mangawhai beach. We exercised them daily, riding in all kinds of weather, through the pines and over tall white dunes out onto the beach. I’d ride like the wind, horse’s hooves clattering on wet sand, water spraying in the air and my spirit soaring.

Back then, I wasn’t a Christian, but praise God, He found me. Now, when I visit with the Lord, it’s as if He and I are beside the sea. I've even had visions of Him and me walking together on the beach.

Lord, please take me to the beach.