Merry Bluebird: 2013

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Psalm 40

Psalm 40^[a]

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
²He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
³He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him.

⁴Blessed is the one
    who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
    to those who turn aside to false gods.^[b]
⁵Many, Lord my God,
    are the wonders you have done,
    the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
    they would be too many to declare.

⁶Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
    but my ears you have opened^[c]—
    burnt offerings and sin offerings^[d] you did not require.
⁷Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
    it is written about me in the scroll.^[e]
⁸I desire to do your will, my God;
    your law is within my heart.”

⁹I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
    I do not seal my lips, Lord,
    as you know.
¹⁰I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
    I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
    from the great assembly.

¹¹Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
    may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹²For troubles without number surround me;
    my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
    and my heart fails within me.
¹³Be pleased to save me, Lord;
    come quickly, Lord, to help me.

¹⁴May all who want to take my life
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
    be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
    be appalled at their own shame.
¹⁶But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
    “The Lord is great!”

¹⁷But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.

Friday, August 23, 2013

A Flock of Chickens

Dotty and the Dots

Dotty and the Dots got their names because they are white with black dots. There are actually three of them. The third one looks just like the second picture. The top one is Dotty, the one with the most dots.

Amy and Baby

This chicken is Amy. Her sister is Baby, who looks almost exactly like her. Baby got her name because she used to be so small.

Binky the Arucana

Binky is an Arucana. She will lay blue eggs if she ever starts laying! She has little puffs on her cheeks. Sarah calls her "Chihuahua Ears."

Chippy and the Chipmunks

This is Chippy.

There are three Chipmunks. Chippy has the biggest comb. When they were babies, they were striped like chipmunks.

Hazel and the Chicks

This is Hazel.

This is the chick that we think is a hen. She has not been named yet. Any ideas? We think the other two are roosters.

This is The Penguin.

And here is The Penguin again.

This is Tom Bombadil. He did not want his picture taken!

Charlie

Charlie used to be plain black with purple legs. Now he is a beautiful rooster with a white head and white and green feathers over his black ones. He is not crowing yet.

Lucky

This is Lucky. She is a Barred Plymouth Rock hen. We used to have four of them, but she is the only one left.

Gerry

Gerry (Geraldine) is one of the cuddliest chickens. She is so soft and fluffy! We let our cousin Ben name her.

Sam Gamgee

Sam is one of my favorite chickens. He is kind of shy, but he is so beautiful! He is crowing now, but it is very squawky!

Betsy

Betsy is the speckled hen on the right in this picture. Sam Gamgee is beside her. She was supposed to start laying a while ago, but I haven't seen any eggs yet. The chickens are free-range, so they could be laying anywhere!

Bob

Bob is the king of all the chickens, except for Hazel! She is the only one he is scared of. She keeps every one away from her chicks. He has such a beautiful reddish orange color.