“The days went by, one just like the other. When the wind blew through the hedges outside the house, it whispered to the horses, “Who could be more beautiful than you?” The roses shook their heads and answered, “Elise!” And when the old woman sat in the doorway of a Sunday reading in her psalm-book, the wind turned the pages and said to the book, “Who could be more devout than you?” “Elise” answered the book. And both the roses and the book of psalms spoke the exact truth.

“The Wild Swans” by Hans Christian Andersen

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I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King!

     and I’ll bless your name into eternity.

I’ll bless you ever day,

     and keep it up from now to eternity.

God is magnificent: he can never be praised enough.

     There are no boundaries to his greatness.

Generation after generation stands in awe of your work;

     each one tells stories of your mighty acts.

Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking;

     I compose songs on your wonders.

Your marvelous doings are headline news;

     I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.

The fame of your goodness spreads across the country;

     your righteousness is on everyone’s lips.

Psalm 145:1-7 (from The Message Translation)

Excerpt from Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message

(Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message is available from Amazon.com, ACTA Publications, and my website.

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