When Evening Fades, God Calls Forth Songs Of Joy

When the sun sets in Sedona, the red rocks glow a deep, illuminating reddish-orange.

They give praise to the Name of the Lord.

"From the rising of the sun

to the place where it sets,

the Name of the Lord

is to be praised."

Psalm 113:3 (NIV)

Even the desert trees against the evening skies revealed the greatness of God's works, as I pondered to delight in them.

"Great are the works of the Lord;

they are pondered by all

who delight in them.

Psalm 111:2 (NIV)

When the evening fades, God calls forth songs of joy through the different hues of sunset.

"The whole earth

is filled with awe

at Your wonders;

where morning dawns and evening fades,

you call forth songs of joy."

Psalm 65:8 (NIV)

The sun may disappear for the night, but with certainty we know it will hurry back again to rise the next morning.

"The sun rises

and the sun sets,

and hurries back

to where it rises."

Ecclesiastes 1:5 (NIV)

There are certain things in the changeability of life we can be sure of: the rising and setting of the sun, and God's love and His Word.

In Him All Things Were Created

The Montezuma Castle is a pre-historic, twenty-room, five-story high-rise apartment complex nestled into a towering limestone cliff near Camp Verde, Arizona.

These cliff-dwellings were built 100 feet above the floor of Beaver Creek Canyon and lived in by the Sinagua people between 600 to 1100 AD.

Another larger ruin only a few yards away was constructed against the face of the cliff. This ruin consisted of 40 to 45 rooms.

The very small rooms were probably used for storing corn, and not as living quarters for people.

Montezuma Castle was wrongly named after an Aztec emperor of Mexico. European Americans gave these ruins this name because they thought the emperor was somehow connected and responsible for the building of them. However, it was later determined scientifically and historically that the Sinagua people abandoned the dwellings a hundred years before Montezuma was even born. Therefore, the name of these ruins misrepresents the truth.

God is the Creator of the world we live in, but many people have wrongly given the honour to other gods or man-made theories. The absolute truth resides in God's Word; in God all things were created.

"For in Him

all things were created:

things in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers

or rulers or authorities;

all things have been created

through Him and for Him."

Colossians 1:16 (NIV)

Transformed

There are over sixty types of butterflies that can be found in Arizona. The ones I photographed below are Tiger Swallowtail butterflies drinking the nectar of a blooming Lilac bush.

Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are very large. These ones form a striking contrast against the colours of the Lilac bush.

Just as a caterpillar changes into a new life form and becomes a beautiful butterfly, so it is when people accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Their minds become renewed. They no longer have a desire to follow the ways of the world, but a desire to do God's good, pleasing, and perfect will.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test

and approve what God's will is —

His good, pleasing and perfect will."

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

When we look to God, our faces will radiate the beauty of His Son, Jesus Christ, because in Him there is no more shame.

"Those who look to Him

are radiant;

their faces

are never covered with shame."

Psalm 34:5 (NIV)

Do No Allow Your Minds To Be Led Astray

Brian and I visited Montezuma Well, which is a natural limestone sinkhole near Rimrock, Arizona, that is continually supplied by an underground spring and drained by an underground outlet. Although beautiful to look at, the carbonated water in this well is unsafe for humans to drink because it is contaminated with arsenic, calcium, and other chemicals. Although no fish live in the water, there are about a half-dozen species of plants and animals found near the well that are not found anywhere else in the world, including the water scorpion and a type of leech. (I didn't have to be prompted this time to stay a safe distance from the cliff-like edge.)

If you click on the pictures below, you will see remnants of ancient Sinagua cliff dwellings built into the rock wall rim that surrounds the sinkhole. The Sinagua people were farmers, so the water was very valuable to them for irrigating their crops.

Some of the walls still remain.

The picture below is of a Hohokam pit-house. (I wonder what kind of crawly things live in there.)

As I was photographing Montezuma Well, this beautiful oasis that is surrounded on all sides by dry, hot desert, I wondered how many thirst-dying cowboys foolishly drank its waters without first examining it. Just like Eve in the Bible, we can be so easily deceived by appearances that we are fatally led astray.

"But I am afraid

that just as Eve was deceived

by the serpent's cunning,

your minds may somehow

be led astray

from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)

We must always keep our hearts sincere and purely devoted to Christ.

Tell The Next Generation

The V-Bar-V Heritage Site is the largest and most well-preserved petroglyph site in the Verde Valley.

These drawings are the rock art legacy of the Southern Sinagua people who comprised the Beaver Creek Community.

The site consists of 1032 petroglyphs in 13 panels.

It has been determined that the Southern Sinagua people lived there from 900 to 1350 AD.

The petroglyphs are identified as the Beaver Creek Rock Art Style.

The Sinagua people left a legacy behind, just as we Christians are to do, by telling the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.

"We will not hide them

 from their descendants;

we will tell the next generation

the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

His power,

and the wonders He has done."

Psalm 78:4 (NIV)

God Makes Springs Pour Water Into The Ravines

During our stay in Sedona, Arizona, Brian and I rode the Verde Canyon Railroad from Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back.

The wilderness train was powered by two FP7 locomotives, two out of only ten that remain in North America.

The trip was a beautiful four-hour journey through time that started from the old mining town of Clarkdale.

The tracks follow the Upper Verde River, which is one of the largest rivers in Arizona, created by God to supply water for the people and wildlife of the dry, hot desert.

"He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

it flows between the mountains."

Psalm 104:10 (NIV)

We soon passed crimson pinnacles. The one below is known as "Mama Coyote and Her Cubs."

This one is the "Turtle."

We also saw more ancient Indian cliff dwellings dating back to 600 BC. The Sinagua Indians must have been excellent climbers with no fear of heights. However, they are, like all of us, a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

"You are a mist that appears

for a little while

and then vanishes."

James 4:14b (NIV)

Two hours later, the train stopped at a ghost ranch called Perkinsville. This ranch was the filming location for several scenes in the 1962 movie "How the West was Won," which stars many famous actors and actresses, including Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, and John Wayne.

Finally, it was time for the train to go back to Clarkdale, and for us to enjoy the beauty and history of the trip once more, but this time with only music and no narration.

The Lord Is My Rock In Whom I Take Refuge

Located near the town of Sedona are the ruins of several ancient Indian communal dwellings made of red rock and adobe.

The dwellings are small, built side-by-side on ledges in the canyon walls.

The Indians who inhabited them are known as cliff dwellers.

Access to these dwellings is very difficult, which provided protection for the cliff dwellers from predatory nomadic tribes.

Cliff dwellers were farmers who planted crops in the river valleys below their homes.

They were experts at irrigating their fields — they had to be for their crops to survive the desert climate.

Just like the red rock was a place of safety and a home for the ancient cliff dwellers, so the Lord our God is to us.

"The Lord is my Rock,

my Fortress

and my Deliverer;

my God is my Rock,

in whom I take refuge,

my Shield

and the Horn of my Salvation,

my Stronghold."

Psalm 18:2 (NIV)

The Earth Is The Lord's

On the Wednesday Brian and I were in Sedona, Arizona, we went off-road on a Pink Jeep Tour deep into the desert forest. It was so much fun!

Unfortunately, I couldn't take many pictures because I had to hold onto the bars. I have loved jeeps since I was a very young girl! I was even picked by the driver to ride up front. God is good!

I was able to take this picture of the road we were travelling on because our jeep had stopped to let the jeep ahead go down first.

Our jeep drove close to the edge of this cliff. I loved it so much that I jokingly asked our driver if she would do it again, and she did!

When we stopped at the top of a plateau, the driver of the jeep took our picture as we gazed at the beauty of the Lord's earth.

"The earth is the Lord's

and everything in it,

the world,

and all who live in it."

Psalm 24:1 (NIV)

This is one lady who lives in this world that God has made. She was our awesome driver, with a great sense of humour!

The Desert Rejoices

I was amazed at the magnificent beauty I saw in the desert! I was unaware that all cacti bloom beautiful, brightly-coloured flowers. The desert land may be dry and parched, but the land still rejoices.

"The desert and the parched land will be glad."

Isaiah 35:1a (NIV)

Silhouetted Giant Saguaro

A Prickly Pear Oasis

Hedgehog Cactus

Red Rock Crevice Beavertail Cactus

A Multitude Of Cacti

Fruit Bearing Desert Plant Among Cacti

A Blooming Bee

Cacti In Sunset Bloom