For the Beauty of the Earth

We're taking advantage of the beautiful weather to get out as much as we can.  Last Sunday afternoon, we drove over to Boundary Creek Park on the Rancocas River to hike the trails and enjoy the day.  It was beautifully sunny and the leaves were brilliant.

It's hard to see but that little white spot in the middle of the picture is an egret.  I just couldn't get any closer and even had the zoom on.  Sigh!

Today was another sunny, fall day so off we went to Smithville Park this time.

 

As much as I love the bright yellows and reds mixed in with those that are still green, I can't help feeling a little sad because they'll soon be gone, and we'll have all grays and browns for 5-6 months.  I was thinking the other day that if I didn't believe in a Creator God, it would be easy for me to be a sun worshiper.  I love the sun - how bright life seems when the sun is shining.  

There are a lot of hymns that speak to the beauty of the earth and God's creation:


How Great Thou Art (Stuart K. Hine)
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Refrain
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
            Second Stanza
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.


Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (Music from Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, Text by Henry van Dyke)
   Second Stanza
All Thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain, Call us to rejoice in Thee.
 
Great Is Thy Faithfulness     (Music by William Runyon; Text Thomas Chisholm)
            Second Stanza
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.


This Is My Father’s World  (Music by Franklin Sheppard; Text by Malthie Babcock)
This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world; I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and  seas, His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world; He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.
 

I Sing The Mighty Power Of God (Isaac Watts)
I sing the mighty power of God, That made the mountains rise;
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained The sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command, And all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord, That filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with His word, And then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, Wherever I turn my eye;
If I survey the ground I tread, Or gaze upon the sky!
There’s not a plant or flower below, But makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, By order from the throne.
While all that borrows life from Thee Is ever in Thy care,
And everywhere that man can be, Thou, God, art present there.

  Jesus is my traveling companion.  He is with me every step of the way..My life is a faith walk and He is faithful.