i know why the caged bird sings

i know why the caged bird sings
Originally uploaded by photo_meg

Caged Bird

A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.


Maya Angelou

me at 70!!!

Farmer woman's work in spring
Originally uploaded by rotraud_71

what i want to be when i grow up...

l.t. organic farm, waukee, iowa
Originally uploaded by oceandesetoiles

masah asked me what i wanted to be when i grow up. i laughed! then i thought about it...... a farmer!!!!......go ahead laugh...but seriously ,what would be more fulfilling then growing your own food and living a sustainable, simple life on our own farm? well, all my friends and family there too!!

our first garden

the book of John.

read it, be open, take it in.
FREEDOM!!!!!

Courage

Courage
Originally uploaded by La.Joie.de.Vivre

i just finished the beth moore bible study on esther. i had never read the story . i had heard bits and pieces but never had it touch my heart as it did these last 9 weeks. the book never speaks Gods name but he is ALL over it. he uses a young orphan jewish girl to save her people from death. she rises to the call with courage and faith and allows God to use her for his Glorious deliverance of his people. she was born "for such a time as this"esther4v14. as i got more into the study mordecai( the faithful man who raised her) begin to interest me. i had never known his part in the story. he too was a huge part in carrying out Gods plan. he stayed true to his calling and knew with great faithfulness God would use his beloved esther to save his people. he fasted, weeped and wailed on behalf of her and his people. sometimes i feel like mordecai , with such a burden to see my people set free! free from the bondage of sin that has been yoked on us since the fall in the garden of eden. JESUS was sent to us just for that . i like mordecai sit at the gate wailing!!

its been nice...

Kill your television?
Originally uploaded by Blacknell

we have been without cable television for 2 weeks now and its been so nice!

Road.

Fog on a Country Road.
Originally uploaded by BamaWester

Road...

Road...
Originally uploaded by photo_snoopy4ever

i ,i choose the road less traveled by...

Road in La Fortuna
Originally uploaded by savanita2006

spring flowers

75/365 spring flowers
Originally uploaded by ultramarineblue

Spring is in the air

Spring flowers, 봄에 핀 꽃들
Originally uploaded by Ekaterry

inspiring images

redemption

redemption
Originally uploaded by elijah northen

from the wounds, life is born!
praise jesus-

missing nosara-

just a thought-

God does'nt need to punish people for sin. sin is it's own punishment,devouring you from the inside. it's not his purpose to punish it;it's HIS joy to cure it!!!

Flyleaf...she rocks!

Cornerstone Festival 2007 (Friday) Flyleaf
Originally uploaded by Cornerstone Festival

isaiah 40v28-31

prepare-vb- to make or get ready, to get ready beforehand,to put together.
preparedness- n- a state of adequate preparation.
we are in a season of preparation,in a world of instant gratification this was hard for me to grasp. but this morning i am finding hope in the fact that we are preparing! for what ...hmmm i dont know, but for who, I DO!!!


pliable,resilient,elastic,hardy,abundant,authentic..... i want to be these!

one day.........

if i only had a shed...

Ive been telling chris i want one of those sheds from home depot to put in the backyard. he thinks im crazy! this is what i would do with the inside... i would move out there!!!

still dreaming........

im dreaming of a craft room...........

esther- a warrior princess!

Esther's superficial life was about to be shattered, and a woman much deeper then her skin was about to be unearthed . As painful as the process may be, that which shatters our superficiality also shatters the fetters of our fragility and frees us to walk with dignity and might to our destinies. We are not the fragile flowers we've considered ourselves to be. WE, like Esther, are the WARRIOR PRINCESS OF GOD!!!

random pics..

a new thing-

Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:19, AMP).

this scripture fell in my lap today. i'm so excited to see the new things God is going to do in our life and yours!!!


fulfilling the destiny he has for us,
dria

this would be an awesome tat!!!!

random thoughts-

A bird does not sing because it has the answers, but because it has a song!

Although you may not have all the answers to life's questions,you have a glorious song in the word of God- let it be a door way to the love of Christ and may you pass through it with no regrets for it will be the greatest decision you ever made!


Not what we feel but what we know! RISE UP!

Love is a fight, I'm up for the fight!

Cast out all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1peter5v7

wanna go fast go alone. wanna go far go together!!! we were designed for community.

i wanna be a woman after God's own heart!

just some things i needed to put on blog. im feeling super inspired. im on day 21 of the fast our bible study and friends our doing and lovin it!!!!!

forging a new tomorrow!
dria

authentic: genuine, real

our generation longs for something authentic. they are searching for "the real thing" though they don't really know what the "real thing" is, because this generation has endured so much "me-ism" and letdown from those they were supposed to follow and trust. they want to see a genuine faith that works for non-perfect people before they are willing to trust. (this is when we have to share how imperfect we are.) they want to know this God thing is more then just a bunch of talk.(this is when they are watching to see our actions meet up with our words) they desperately want permission to be who they are with the hope of becoming more. they aren't willing to pretend, because hypocrisy repulses them. most have yet to realize that every person is a hypocrite to some degree- the only question is whether we realize it and are honest about it.

the religious leaders of Jesus day were focused on religious rule-keeping. Jesus reserved his harshest words for these pretenders " woe to the pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."(luke 11:42niv) the religious leaders of Jesus's day were so focused on the traditions they had formed around the heart of Gods message that they were neglecting the things most on God's heart.

Jesus is basically saying, lose the religious pretense; its destructive to the authentic faith. shed the mask of hypocrisy you hind behind. i want honest , authentic people- not hypocrites who pretend to be something they're not.

more and more i hear the cry , the cry of a generation that is tired of falseness , tired of lies and underlying agendas. as i grow in my walk with the Lord and share my faith with people i pray i can be authentic, be honost with my struggles and let down my wall even if sometimes it isn't all that pretty!

may God stretch you today!

VICTORY!

Jesus replied, "It is written, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him'" (Luke 4:8).

Jesus was in the desert to pray. He'd been fasting. He was alone and probably weak in His body. Along comes Satan to offer Him an easy way out of going to the cross. "You can gain the world by letting me give it to you. Why don't you take the easy way out?" the devil was saying. But Jesus knew that the mission wasn't just to gain the world. He knew that the real victory was to gain the world and defeat temptation, death, hell, and the grave. There was no "easy way out" of that!

Notice how Jesus answered. Each time Satan would tempt Him, Jesus responded by saying, "It is written…" Jesus fought the enemy with the Word of God. The Word of God is your weapon. When you feel the pressure of temptation, when you feel like giving in, when you think you're not going to make it, fight those negative, self-defeating thoughts by declaring the Word of God. Declare, "I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! No weapon formed against me shall prosper. I am an overcomer through Christ who strengthens me." Speak the Word, and allow Him to lead you on the path of victory!

more then conquers!

A bounce-back person sees adversity and every setback not as permanent, but temporary. It’s not going to last forever. Every difficulty that comes your way, you can be encouraged by it, knowing that you’re going to come out better than you were before. Why is that? Because it is in our DNA. God created us and intends us to walk in the same power which raised Christ from the dead, that same overcoming power and attitude that even the grave can’t keep down.

Studies prove that during a hurricane, a palm tree will simply stretch and not break from the strong winds. It’s bent and pushed over, and all the while, it’s root system is actually being strengthened and given new opportunities for growth. That is the same way we were built to be. It even says in Psalm 92:12, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.” That means God knew there would be difficult times in our lives, that things would come against us, trying to steal our joy, peace and victory. He’s not surprised by our difficulties, but rather knew ahead of time and equipped us with everything we need in Him! Because we have strong roots, we are going bounce right back. The storms in life will come. The winds will blow. But no weapon formed against us will prosper!

on a personal note-

We've been home for 1 and half months now and we are starting to fall back into the "American" routine. School,work,friends,bills,.....you know the drill. We also returned to presidential debates , falling economy, no jobs and people who our feed up with the "American" way and blaming anybody but themselves! Let me just worn you before you read any further because I am going to express my opinion so be open or stop reading! I've listened and watch people get themselves in a Tessy about the situation the world is in and ask myself "Are you serious?" You have been living outside your means for years and indulging in the satisfactions of this world(including me) Do you really think that was going to work? At some point the money was going to run out, the credit line would bust and we would have to reevaluate our situation. Graciously I can say we as a family didn't completely go bonkers and spend to much out of our means. We pretty much have always been hand to mouth , believing God would provide for our needs as they arise.
My heart is sad for the ones who have saved and worked restlessly for their future and now are scared to death about their future. Future being monetarily,not salvation. Which brings me to my main opinion and point... Maybe this isn't about stocks, jobs, gas........etc. Our world is like a child who has grown up without parents,having no one to guide and direct her.Some have attempted to help her but most have simply tried to use her. Humans who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no consideration, other than their immediate needs. And they give little thought for their own children who will inherit their lake of love. So they use her and abuse her with little consideration and then when she shudders or blows her breath, they are offended and raise their fist at God.Maybe its time the world opens its eyes and quits denying the one who created it! Maybe its time the world humbles itself and returns back to the real reason we are here- to be in a relationship with our Father,GOD! Jesus was sent here to earth to redeem the mistake that Eve made in the garden,through Jesus we can be rescued! We can live a life of love, we can live in a relationship in which you know you are loved! This is a scary time for most- and I don't say any of this disrespectfully or lightly but our Faith and Hope is in the one who will soon be back , and we will live with him for eternity!!!

Sooo..yes we will continue to journey down this road less traveled and pray God will continue to allow our family to share our hope in him with people who don't know his unfailing love and purpose he has/had for them.

Let Salvations waves crash on the shores again and the tide of God's great Love come rushing in!
Humbly in his service,
The Peck's

The Pura Vida Community Center

We have committed to a year in Nosara to help start The Pura Vida Community Center(PVCC). Along with other believers already in Nosara and people who have given financially and prayerfully the vision is starting to take physical form. The building is in the heart of Guiones(the main surf break in Nosara). PVCC will be the meeting place for many activities that will help enhance the quality of life for the locals and
tourist passing through the town. We are in the process of putting together a schedule that includes: MOPS, Art classes, Mothers Day Out program, Woman's bible study, Music lesson, Celebrate Recovery, Bilingual Church service and any Humanitarian Service the community needs. As we step out in faith and continue to seek Gods word through this season in our family's life we are totally honored and stoked to be moving for things that matter!

we made it!

we are lovin are new family routine here in nosara. i'm still getting used to the homeschool thing, wow this is a tough one!!
each day we rise and shine, do our bible lesson then head off to surf . we return to do about 3 hours of lessons and then we have the afternoon to explore. the town here is pretty small but has just about everything we need. we have already meet alot of grengo families and are excited to see how God leads here! please keep us in your prayers finances are tough and we are exploring business and ministry oppurtunities here.we want what God wants for us!! i will post pics soon. you are all welcome to visit or even better- move here! lol. much love and joy!
the pecks