What thorns???...

What thorns???...

The question was, " has God ever given or allowed something painful in your life that you desperately wanted removed, but later wouldn't trade?" Kelly Minter in her study, "All things new".

Whoa...let me list the things...

Don't we all want  the perfect life, the perfect children, the perfect marriage, the perfect.....but since we are imperfect in an imperfect world, that just doesn't happen...

I watched the movie, "the Zookeepers Wife" recently after reading/ listening to the book. The horror of the falling of Warsaw, the horror of Jewish murders, the horror of the killing of innocents whether people or animals...evilness...but it brought out the strengths in people that they didn't know they had...

In Paul's case in 2 Corinthians, he gives glory to Christ who strengthens him in his weakness...he can glory in his thorn, because Christ worked through that pain to work good...a greater gain came by greater pain...

I know for a fact that I wouldn't want to repeat any of the pain that I have experienced, but my life has changed over the years drastically because of the pain...if has given me more empathy for a multitude of events in my life and those around me... I can give a hug or encouraging word to those who are experiencing those "thorns".  Christ is more real, more consuming than if I hadn't experienced pain...thank YOU...draw me closer...

Jeremiah 31:25 "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”


2 Corinthians 12:7-10 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Young mothers...

Young mothers...

I was a young mother once...and now I am an old mother...different tasks, different responsibilities, but still a mother...

I had the delight to watch a friend's two year old daughter this week...what energy, what antics..learning each other's languages...

("Bee goo"= pink juice..) why didn't I know that? She was rather frustrated that I didn't understand...but we made it...with smiles..

Anyway, it was fun while it lasted...makes me realize why God grants children while we are young...

It also reminded me of what some of the responsibilities are for older mothers...mentoring younger ones...not with a sit down, full blown Bible study, but with kindness, encouragement through the rougher times, a helping hand, a gentle touch...long suffering through the long nights of crying babies and sometimes "clueless" husbands...( I am not putting husbands down, but add wacky hormones, lack of sleep and it feels that way!!!!)
(Mine made the remark on the way home from the hospital, "well, that was easy!)🤔😧

But, another thing it reminded me of, was my striving to be the perfect mother at all times...what a fluke!  I laid that to rest over and over...but, had to rest in Christ, rely on Him to add peace...but it took many years and I wished I would have learned it sooner...(I am still learning it with different circumstances)..

Thank YOU...for all of your love during those younger years and the grace which you so freely bestowed...on my children, on my husband and on myself...

Titus 2:1, 3-5 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Psalm 145:18-19 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.—PSALM 36: 5

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.—2 CORINTHIANS 4: 17

Ready to bloom....

Ready to bloom....

Observing the yards as I walked early this morning, I realized that most of the plants,mttrss, flowers were  ready to bloom...the apple trees have tiny leaves, the blueberries and the flowering plums as well...the tulips are still in bud, the various iris are shooting up....even the dandelions are getting ready to bloom and send out their propagating seeds...getting ready to bloom...after a cold winters rest...show their brilliance and plumage to color the world around them...

And it will be spectacular!!!  God, I think, loves color, light, growth...and we get to be the recipients of His wonders all around us...

Thank YOU....

There are times, I wonder if I am ready to bloom as well...there has been various seasons of life when I have been blooming and other times in dormancy...each has a purpose...rest, growth, rejuvenation, produce, harvest...each needful for the soul...as the roots grow deeper, get more grounding, more nourishment ...to later bloom...to glorify the Creator in whatever garden he plants me...

The old saying, "bloom wherever you are planted" comes to mind...."wherever" is key...in a garden for passersby  to see or in a Secret garden...get ready to bloom...His glory...his mighty work...

Isaiah 35:1-2 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.

And the rest of Isaiah 35...

Genesis 2:9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Song of Songs 2:11-13a See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.....

Delight....

Delight...

For whatever reason, there is a woman at my water running class who calls me "delight". I don't know if she misheard me when we exchanged names or what...but she is always reminding me that I remind her of a song we used to sing in church about "delighting in Him"..what a  compliment as well as a "responsibility"!!! on my part...

I have corrected her about the name, but she smiles and blithely says, she knows, but I am still "Delight" to her ...so the name still holds...

While reading proverbs this morning, I was reminded of "delight" again and what we really are to "delight" in...

- wisdom in chapter 8, wisdom was delighted in the Lord.., rejoicing in his craftsmanship, mankind...
- Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- Reverence, Nehemiah 1:11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
- The law of the Lord,   Psalm 1:2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
- Salvation....Psalm 35:9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.
- Firm steps...Psalm 37:23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
- The Lord himself...Psalm 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
- Etc...
- There are many "delights", they go on and on...

But, I want my delight to be where it is most desired...the Lord..

Thank YOU for the "name", it just reminds me in whom and for what my real delight should be ....

Insecurities....

Insecurities ....

One of my challenges that I faced when becoming a widow was taking over my husband's business...

Not only did I resent it, I felt that it wasn't "my" job..why would he die and leave me with this "burden"?   Even though we had done everything we could do to cushion this change, in my grief, it was a huge mountain to climb...and I resented every step...

I wanted a different path, "my" preconceived and planned path...I wanted normalcy, my normalcy...
I cried, I fumed, I argued, I relented finally seeing that was indeed God's plan even though I didn't understand it...

I was reminded of this battle and, indeed, it was a battle, when I watched this short video by Jennifer Rothschild about insecurities. Plus, in my reading of the Word, I was reading 2 Corinthians 10:12-18, "comparing and working" and the question asked was "if you are jealous over someone else's calling or assignment, confess that struggle to the Lord..." (Kelly Minter). (God likes us to learn our lessons and may even remind us of them again).

I have been blessed with so much and I was resenting that gift...He had prepared a way for me and my family to carry on even though it was a path different than we "pictured"...

Now, I look back at those times of battle, even though I would have done it differently, and am blessed that God saw me through it. He took my tears, my railings and arguments, and turned them into good...He has grown us, expanded us to new horizons...giving peace in turmoil...new knowledge, strength in hardship...loved us...on to new paths...thank YOU...

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.



http://jenniferrothschild.com/memyselfandlies/truth-challenge-day-4-video/?inf_contact_key=9001d0a86053877f308c7a8e11acf98d7da35bd85f62b806e89d3c1026201e4e

Signs of spring...

Signs of spring....

The signs of spring are everywhere...the budding of the trees, lilacs...the birds gathering their nesting materials, the baby goslings paddling with their parents, the dandelion polka dotted lawns, daffodils and tulips, road crews filling the multitude of potholes, rain one minute sunshine the next, brighter colors warn by the people making their appearances outside, lawn care trucks making their way around the neighborhoods....the list goes on...the sunshine feels good even though there is still frost each morning...and I am not shoveling snow today, I think...

This has been an exceptionally long winter, it seems...record snow fall, rains, flooding in various areas, while other areas are drier with fire season already starting...I talked to someone in Tampa, Florida...San Antonio, Texas...all in one Daylily week, and we were seeing spring in its various forms from snow to balmy sunshine, to muggy hot...

God has designed such variety for us all...in weather to geography to people...seasons, giftings, personalities, everything...what a Ceeator!!!
We have some basic likenesses...shelter, food and water as well as the need to fill the worship...help us look to the one, True  God, the Creator of the big and small things, the universe to the small violet poking out on a sun filled day...the mountains to the new born bird, the person next door to the one across the world..

Thank YOU....

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, 11 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Deuteronomy 11:14, 16 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.
Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.

Song of Songs 2:11-12 See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

Ready...

Ready...

Am I ready???  That is the question I had to ask...to do whatever is put before me...do I procrastinate??? A resounding YES...
Will I be ready on time??? Do I dawdle around, using up time to no avail?
When there is something I really want to do or face, I do not get ready,,,but when I face it,,there is a relief and peace the follows...why don't I just do it???

Am I ready? In Season and out of season...to give an answer for the hope that I have...to do the right things, to move forward...to help...to encourage...

Readiness instead of tardiness ....get ready...

Thank YOU for the reminder ....

1 Chronicles 28:20-21 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.
The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”

Psalm 119:173 May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
That
Jeremiah 1:17a "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you....

Ezekiel 38:7a ""Get ready; be prepared, ......

Luke 12:35, 38, 40 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready,
even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,

Truths about giving....

Truths about giving....

It seem appropriate to be studying about giving around tax day and the anniversary of the passing of my husband as well as meeting another widow whose husband gift was giving...

While going through a Bible study written by Kelly Minter, "All things New" on 2 Corinthians, part of the study includes truths about giving...

1. "God's definition of generous giving isn't dependent on how much or how little wealth a person has.
2. The experience of giving is a privilege that is accompanied by Joy even I difficult circumstances.
3. Our willingness to give must be matched with actual follow through.
4. God cares about our desire to give more than the amount we are able to give.
5. The discipline of giving is for the mutual benefit of the giver and the receiver .
6. Giving must be done in the right spirit but also in the right way.
7. A lifestyle of generosity is not an individual endeavor but a team effort.
8.  A lifestyle of generous giving requires planning.
9. God is the Ultimate source of our giving..."

I would add to her list...
1. God wants us to test him about giving,...Malachi 3
2. Giving can be done in secret not as an act to be seen by men...Matthew 6
3. We are not to love money....Hebrews 13:5
4. Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
5. Those with the gift of giving are to give generously ...Romans 12:8
6. We are not to worry about our needs. Matthew 6

And I am sure other points can be added...my husband's goal was to give more than he paid in taxes...some years we made it and mothers we didn't...but it was a worthy goal of his...
Now that we, as a family, are making more of the decisions of giving without his input, it has been a team effort...it is exciting to see all the variety of giving in our children and grandchildren, simply because we know different groups of people and their needs...

But, giving is good for the heart attitude...it is saying thank you to the provider, listening to His guidance, seeing needs, giving joy through provision...seeing the stories of the gift and how it effect lives...not matter the amount...being a tool whether in giving, evangelism, encouragement, or in any thing or way that God directs...being engaged in the Good News...

Thank YOU...for the gifts You give...help me to use them for your glory...

A song...

A song...

Last night I dreamt about my late husband...

This week has been leading up to the fifth anniversary of his passing and I have thought of those days, as well as the wonderful memories of our marriage, our children, the things we did and didn't do, the places we went or lived...just reminiscing....not depressingly...just remembering...
So my dream in the night was packing boxes for storage...objects from the past, boxing them up...collecting them from different places into a truck going I don't know where...I just remember stuff I hadn't seen or thought of for years...after we finished loading the truck we went to a formal dinner, my husband handed a sheet of a paper to the piano player and he sang that he loved me...(my husband didn't sing well) but he sang on pitch and the words were clear...

Funny, how our minds make up stories from tidbits here and there, years apart adding scenes we have viewed or lived in, people we have met along the way, places we may have visited or viewed elsewhere...adding it own storyline that makes sense in the dream but no sense awake...

But, the stuff in boxes were being packed away...from another life it seems...most of it long gone...the song was just for me...and I appreciated it, surprised that he would do such a thing...and then leave...

The Lord has been so good to us through the years...oh , they weren't perfect or that we didn't face trials on various fronts...we did...business downturns, bad business partners, teen years, lost children, broken bones, sick or dying parents, to name a few ...many of what most families face...but we had faith that God would see us through and He did...He held us when we needed, disciplined when we needed that as well...He didn't forsake us, but always was speaking truth into our lives (even when we didn't want to listen), comforted us in hardships, supplied when we were down to our last $12...added joy...and even in the loss through death, He comforted...

Thank YOU for the song of love sang in a dream in the night songs....

Psalm 77:6-12 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked: “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

Shorz camp....

Shorz  camp...

39 year ago, my husband was putting together a large geology camp in northeastern NV. The goal was to map the chosen area and hopefully discover barite for the oil drilling industry which was going great guns at the time..it was a successful summer for geology as well as for friendships ...

He hired geologists for many places that summer, college students, college professors, college graduates, seminary graduates, cooks, surveyors...
We had the opportunity to live in camp trailers and tents around an old homestead. We had washing facilities, showers, running water, generators, porta potties....

All in all it was an amazing summer, life long friendships were formed, others were solidified...many still keep in touch after all those years...now grown children remember the forts, the rambles we took...the fishing holes we tried, the picnics and the fireworks we shot off...the leisurely Sunday's with our own live-in pastor...

People from that time have retired, raised amazing families, some have passed on, had grandchildren, ....how time has passed so quickly ...

It was also a time of healing and comfort ...one of our friends arrived with a new baby...the same as we...only this one had more special needs...mom was worn out and kind of in "shell shock" mode...this special little girl screamed many nights until the formula was finally found to sooth her little tummy, she reacted to outside stimuli differently than her close siblings...we would take "walkabouts " during the days to lull her to sleep...talking to her quietly...

During the following year, this family took a sabbatical from college professorship to stay with us to help finish the large geology project...miracle after miracle occurred to help with their precious little girl finding specialized care to help her develop her fullest potential at that age and set into motion care for the future...the family drew closer, became champions for special needs, more empathetic, more loving...and overall, an example for those with whom they worked with down through the years as this tiny little girl became a young woman...as hard as it was at times, they reflected the God  they served faithfully with the fruit of the spirit shining brightly...

The mother would have celebrated her birthday recently, but cancer took her home...leaving behind her wonderful children, husband and grandchildren...
I miss picking up the phone and continuing our conversations which we had..or our husbands talking geology  from one side of the country to the other...hearing about children, grandchildren...they each have special places...as with so many others in my heart...

Thank YOU for so many friendships over the years...each is a blessing in different  times, different seasons of life, different needs...You provide at just the right moments...

1 Samuel 20:42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

Proverbs 18:24b .....but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Facing darkness...

Facing darkness...

Last night I was privileged to see the movie, "Facing Darkness" put out by Samaritans Purse...the story of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, the American doctor and nurse who survived, the courageous doctors, workers, nurses staff who faced the day to day deadly disease and their stories ...thousands of people died...the shadow of death ever present, the glory of healing hands...the sacrifice of time and lives to save and comfort so many...the persecution of those who only wanted to help, out of fear...

It brought to mind the stories of Jesus healing...
Over and over, the New Testament tells of Jesus' healing those who were sick, people flocking to him for his healing powers, to be touched by him...but it tells of those who ridiculed his healing as well, persecuting those who were healed, the unbelief of people in his healing powers...the tearing down of testimonies of his healing touch....out of fear as well...

There is "nothing new under the sun" Solomon so wisely said long ago...

No matter how the doctor and nurse who so carefully worked relentless hours, got the disease...or how they were healed, it brought to the public eye the need for help for thousands of people stricken with this disease...
God was glorified in their lives...bringing needed help to others...through their sacrifice and sickness...

John 5
John 11:3-4 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Thank YOU for your healing touch, whether in physical healing or heart healing...however You answer, may you be glorified...




"April 11
SEEK TO THINK MY THOUGHTS more and more. Enlist My Spirit’s help in this endeavor, for the mind controlled by the Spirit is Life and Peace. When the worries of this world are pressing in on you, take time to think things out in My Presence. Rest in Me, beloved. Let My everlasting arms enfold you in Peace. Take a break from your concerns, and fix your thoughts on Me. Intersperse quietness with reading Scripture and speaking or singing praises to Me. You can also use Bible verses in your prayers to Me. When your thoughts and prayers are permeated with Scripture, you’re able to have more confidence in them. I want you to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. The world exerts massive amounts of pressure on you through ever-present electronic communications. Instead of letting the world and its gadgets shape you, invite Me to transform the way you think. As I renew your mind, your ideals and attitudes will reflect Me more and more.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, “Destroy!”—DEUTERONOMY 33: 27 NKJV
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.—
HEBREWS 3: 1
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.—
ROMANS 12: 2 ESV"
from "Jesus Always (with Bonus Content): Embracing Joy in His Presence" by Sarah Young

"April 11 SEEK TO THINK MY THOUGHTS more and more. Enlist My Spirit’s help in this endeavor, for the mind controlled by the Spirit is Life and Peace. When the worries of this world are pressing in on you, take time to think things out in My Presence. Rest in Me, beloved. Let My everlasting arms enfold you in Peace. Take a break from your concerns, and fix your thoughts on Me. Intersperse quietness with reading Scripture and speaking or singing praises to Me. You can also use Bible verses in your prayers to Me. When your thoughts and prayers are permeated with Scripture, you’re able to have more confidence in them. I want you to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. The world exerts massive amounts of pressure on you through ever-present electronic communications. Instead of letting the world and its gadgets shape you, invite Me to transform the way you think. As I renew your mind, your ideals and attitudes will reflect Me more and more. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled" from "Jesus Always (with Bonus Content): Embracing Joy in His Presence" by Sarah Young

Fragrance filled the room...

Fragrance filled the room...

I often have a scented candle giving off its fragrance in my home...and sometimes the smells of cooking take over the atmosphere with Chinese, garlic, mid-eastern curries, onions, or braised meats or stews in the crockpot...they each add their flavor and fragrant smells to the personality of my home...even the burnt offerings that very seldom come forth...
The scented candle wax  is eventfully added to the shredded papers that I send out for fire starters to scent someone else's home...

When Mary poured out the costly perfume on Jesus' feet, she was showing her great love  and care for him, plus a sign for his burial which was soon to take place...Jesus knew this, he told of it...but they weren't hearing it yet...but, I am sure later as they thought back, they remembered that fragrance which filled the house after she poured it out ....associating his teaching and his words with that smell...as we often associate fragrances or smells with different events or places in our lives...

The smell of hospitals in dire circumstances...
The smell of our grandmothers' cooking...
Wood smoke from camping..
The smell of new mown grass or alfalfa fields...
The smell of harvest...
The smell after a rain on the desert...or in the woods...
The smell, good or bad,  of a new born baby...
The smells of hog farms coming across the Midwest...
The ocean breezes...
Of industry in smog filled cities...
Even the crisp smell of new fallen snow...
Etc.
We can see the scenes of the smell in our minds, remember the emotions of the time..
Jesus filled the house...as he fills our hearts with his fragrance... His life...

Thank YOU...help me to be a pleasing aroma to those around me...from His fragrance .......


John 12:3-8 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”
He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
"Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.
You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?

Weep for the children...

Weep for the children....

This devotional says so much...the song, the poem, the explanation, the prayer...

Weep for the children...

http://ccca.biola.edu/lent/2017/#day-apr-9

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidice_massacre

Luke 18:15-17 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Psalm 127:3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.

Thank YOU For you for the remembrances....to not only weep for the children, but to pray for them ....your compassion reaches all...

Dwelling ....

Dwelling...

Reading through 2 Corinthians again, I fell into the word, dwell...
I have an earthly dwelling which I believe has been a gift to me, as have each dwelling I have lived in all of my life, from borrowed homes, to tents, travel trailers, beautiful lodges in the Cascades of Oregon, hotels for cancer treatments, homes  we designed and built, in various towns and cities,  homes built for others and we aquired, ranches in the desert or in the foothills of California, or the beautiful majestic redwoods of the California coast...many designs, many styles, many places....given to our family as shelter for a time.....but none will compare to the dwelling that is being prepared for me...where many of my family and friends  already reside.

These following verses just came together as dwellings and where we may want to be...

Thank YOU for your eternal provision of a dwelling as well as each you provided here on earth...gifts beyond measure...each one...You have dwelt with us and made each a home ....

Psalm 23:5-6 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

My old man...

My old man...

I never liked the phases, "the old lady, woman", "my old man"...they just seem derogatory..."old"..."demeaning"... But this song caught my heart as I listened  to it...a soft ballad about a son singing about his father...

It just left out those of us girls who had fathers we looked up to...but the meaning is the same for us as well...we and our dads...

So I present it to us as well...

http://www.coolestone.com/media/16709/Zac-Brown-Band---My-Old-Man/#.WOOKretHaK1

When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, my father, in his eighties, drove eight hours to the hospital to be with our family as we heard the prognosis...saying " you need your dad".  It touched me to the core even though I was more worried about him doing all that driving...a year and a half later as he lay dying, he was lamenting that he missed my husband as well...memories....and our dads...fathers...

There are many I know that their fathers were not the godly example that we desired growing up...for whatever reason, those fathers lost the respect and love of heir families...they lost so much, both the children and the fathers...and their view of God as their father was distorted by the earthly view and experience they had...trying to wade through the Word finding the Father of all compassion, care and comfort was made difficult by personal experiences...but He is there...carrying, caring ....He gave it all for us...
He disciplines in love, He holds us in the night watches, he loves unconditionally, He saves...and is even preparing a wonderful eternal home...

Thank YOU...

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Psalm 27:10, 14 Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 68:5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

Psalm 89:26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 13 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.....
And now the

se three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I'll fly away...

I'll fly away....🎼

One of the songs we sang at my husband's memorials was "I'll fly away".
For the older generation this song was part of our churches' regular songs...for the younger generation, it was new...we had both at the memorials...the comment later heard, was "what a great song to sing at a funeral"...or "I have never heard that song, but it is so appropriate..."

As my husband had passed in the early morning hours, it was like he had flown away on a glad morning for him, not so much for those of us left behind...he was following the path set for him at that time...

http://www.coolestone.com/media/16697/I%27ll-Fly-Away---Gillian-Welch---Alison-Krauss/#.WODfSetHaK1

Other songs, "rock of ages" and "thank you for giving to the Lord" were included as well...they just fit him as a geologist and a giver...rejoicing in a life well lived...not perfect by any means, but a life of a sinner saved by grace...one for whom Jesus came to save...along with any who put their trust in Him...

Thank YOU for sending musicians who put life to words and musical notes...words which rejoice in your gifts, your life...words which fit various occasions...words which touch our souls...words of praise, words of longing...words which cross cultural barriers, age barriers...

Thank YOU...

Nehemiah 12:45-46 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the musicians and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon. For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Psalm 65:8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

Psalm 107:22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

Colossians 3:16-17 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

🎼🎼

April fool's day has rolled around again...

April fools day has rolled around again...

It was fun when my children were little...tried to do "something" each year, but wasn't too original ...

My father in law asked for my help one year. He made wooden discs on his lathe and then asked me to cover them with biscuit dough and bake...he was taking them to a men's dinner. They actually turned out really good and very "lifelike" and he was pleased.  Went over well at the dinner as well...he had a good chuckle over that, relating facial expressions of his fellow diners...

My children always had to use the severed finger in a box trick, finding the perfect box to fit their finger with red colored cotton...
We had cotton eggs, green eggs and ham, etc...always in suspense as what classmates would try each year...

Now living alone, prank calls or tricks aren't really on the menu...I want real..with no anxiety attached...except for laughter...

As well as not acting like or being a fool...scripturally being a fool is not a good thing as many scriptures teach....

Fools don't believe in God, they make foolish choices, their lives are not lived well, etc...etc...as opposed to wise ones...

Help me to be on the wise team...seeking Your wisdom and not my own, not fooled by the ways of the world...thank YOU...

James 1:4-8 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.