I'm awfully late for the WOYWW party!
I was in Dumaguete City yesterday
and I couldn't upload my blogpost
because of the slow wifi.
But here is my temporary "desk",
the counter in the hotel bathroom!
This is why we went to Apo Island off Dumaguete City-
to see pawikans, huge turtles!
It was amazing!
The guide would look for them and we could just gaze at them in awe
while they were feeding.
They were sooo graceful!
My son took videos of them "flying in the water"
with their paddle "wings".
Once in a while, they would surface to breathe.
So here I am, painting in the bathroom!
I needed a man that looked like an angel!
"So Raphael was sent to heal them both." Tobit 3:16
There are many absurd stories in the Bible and in the Book of Tobit, we find several. We get to know Tobit, who became blind because of bird droppings, but who remained faithful to the Lord, always helping others and giving alms. There is Anna his long suffering wife. We meet Tobiah his son who almost got eaten by a huge fish but used its heart to drive away demons. There is Sarah who became Tobiah's wife, after she dispatched 7 husbands, all of whom died because of a demon.
The angel Raphael is the hero of the story, much like Thor of the Avengers or Iron Man. He knows them all, knows what needs to be done, and goes with and instructs Tobiah. We all need an angel like Raphael!
But he came to help Tobit and Sarah after much despair, anguish and prayer. Sarah wanted to kill herself and Tobit wanted to die as well. When we have insurmountable problems, all we need to do is trust in God and pray. We should never give up! He will send help. Hebrews 13:2 says that we should be hospitable to strangers as some have entertained angels unawares!
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." Mark 12:17
Here in this story, the Pharisees and Herodians were trying to trip Jesus up again. They ask him if they should pay taxes. Sometimes we are tempted not to pay the correct taxes because of what the government is doing with it. It was the same during Jesus' time. Even worse, the Jews were a dominated people, forced to pay debilitating taxes to feed Roman citizens.
"Whose head is this and whose inscription?" Jesus asks about the coin he requested in answer to their question.
The coin that Jesus asked them to bring Him had the image of a goddess on one side and the image of Augustus Caesar on the reverse. It also had another element abhorrent to the Jews: an inscription "CAESAR DIVI F." which signified that Caesar was God and to be worshipped.
"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's..." He answers them. " And give to God what is God's." What a brilliant answer! In one short lesson, Jesus also tells us succinctly that as we are all in the image of God, WE should give ourselves to God! We belong to Him and we are His!
Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a
peek at desks and projects!
I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:
Mondays @ Soul Survival
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, Titus 2 Tuesdays,
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, Wildly Original
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, Titus 2 Tuesdays,
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, Wildly Original
Blessings!
Patsy
Wow, your art and stories are impressive! ( and the fact that you were doing are in the hotel bathroom is pretty amazing, too!) I bet the turtles were amazing. Would love to see them. In Hawaii, we went down to an inlet by the ocean where they were suppose to come. I was never there at the right time! #62
ReplyDeleteAn exciting outing and what a dedicated artist you are to set up a studio in your hotel bathroom. Your paintings, as always, as beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Teresa
I tell everyone I craft in every room of my house, but never thought to do it in my bath. Of course, your counter looks a bit more spacious than mine.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful paintings and a lovely story. Really enjoyed learning about the turtles, too. Happy belated WOYWW from #5.
BTW, in case you don't know, your ATC is winging its way to you. Not sure how long it will take to get there, but it's been on its way for a week.
Hi Patsy. This is my first visit to your blog (hopping over from #smallwonders link up) and I'm blown away by your beautiful art work and compelling stories! You have a lot of talent. Blessings :)
ReplyDelete