Good News and Bad News

The good news is that I was FINALLY able to get in our pool today --for the FIRST time since we opened it for the season.

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The bad news is that I plucked a GREY hair out of my nose!!!

Freedom

My fingernails were long.

Now they're not.

Do you have any idea
the kind of freedom that comes
from typing on a computer keyboard
with short fingernails?

What a relief!

Art

Art
is a collaboration
between God and the artist...
and the less the artist does
the better.
--unknown


This week - one of my goals is to create some art.
With God's help - of course!

Art is like therapy for me.

I've decided that I need therapy.

Steadfast

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
I Corinthians 15:58

This week, I'm reminded that 'working for the Lord' can be something as simple as helping my husband to move his (newly replaced hip) leg off of the footstool.

May we each be faithful - steadfast and immovable in EVERYTHING that we do for the Lord. One of the greatest tricks of Satan is to cause us to lose our focus. Let's purpose in our hearts to focus on the Lord - rather than our circumstances! Don't let the enemy get the upper hand. Remind him that he has lost the war! With God on our side --we are ALWAYS victorious!! And all things work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose!! ...all in His time! (not ours!)

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

We got the discharge papers this morning --Randy is home from the hospital. Albeit in a very drug-induced stupor!

We're thankful that the Lord brought him through this ordeal --and trusting Him to complete the healing that He started via a total hip replacement.

I'm glad he's home and happy that I won't be spending long hours at the hospital each day. Happy that Randy is back in his "element" --albeit in a drug-induced stupor!

Olivia went to Grandma's for a few days and Mommy is having a MAJOR withdrawal from my baby girl! I've decided that being away from Olivia is as painful as watching my husband suffer.

I'll be glad when life is back to normal!

Thanks to all who are praying!!

Surgery

Tomorrow, my husband goes into the hospital to have hip replacement surgery. Up until this point - I have been very calm, cool and collected about the whole process, but have to admit that this morning I awoke with anxiety.

I know that this is just a trick of the enemy to get me thinking about all the things that could go wrong. In fact, just last night, I sent a "kick-the-devil-in-the-butt" email to a friend who has been going through some tough times. I had NO problem reminding her where her heart and her attitude need to be. So, why is it, whenever I'm so quick to give encouragement to my friends, I have a problem "practicing what I preach?!"

This morning ---I'm just going to repeat this verse from God's Word and determine in my heart to grab hold of it and not let go!

Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
--John 14:27


I covet your prayers for Randy as he has surgery tomorrow!

A Woman

I received this in an email this morning and thought it was worth repeating!

This is written in the Hebrew Talmud - It says:

"Be very careful if you make a woman
cry, because God counts her tears. The woman
came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be
walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but
from the side to be equal. Under the arm to be
protected, and next to the heart to be loved."

A Big Hug

Early this morning, I was awakened by my husband who said to me, "I really hate to wake you up but there's something I want you to see." My first thought, after having been awake most of the night with Olivia who was suffering with an earache, was, "This better be good."

Randy pointed out the window toward TEN Great Blue Herons across the pond. There were five more resting in the nearby trees and four more fishing near our bedroom door. Nineteen herons at once! More than we've ever seen gathered together on our property. We suspect that there were more, we just couldn't see all of them.


(Click on photo for larger view.)

Located within several hundred feet of our property is the 2nd largest Great Blue Heron Rookery in the state. The first night we moved into our home we were lying peacefully in bed after a looonnnggg day of moving boxes and furniture. We had the french doors in our bedroom open to the balcony which overlooks our pond. The full moon was shining on the water, the bullfrogs were croaking and it was such a beautiful night. We had just finished thanking the Lord for the beautiful home with which He had blessed us when all of a sudden we heard this horrendous screeching which to us sounded like a flock of baby pteradactyls crying! (Not that either of us had ever witnessed a baby pteradactyl crying --but we imagined that the sound we heard was JUST like their cry!) "Oh no, what have we done? What kind of a house is this? What have we gotten ourselves into?!"

The next day, our neighbors assured us that we were not being invaded by alien dinosaurs from another space-time continuum, but had actually heard the cries of baby Great Blue Herons calling for their mothers. What a cacophonous racket!!!

Since then, we actually look forward to the raucous noise they produce. It's sort of like a "comfort" sound for us!

What a nice "Hug" from the Lord this morning!

Independence Day

On this day of Independence, I am reminded, not only of the wonderful freedoms we enjoy in our great nation, but I'm reminded of the freedom that I enjoy in Christ.

Freedom from bondage - freedom from guilt - freedom from my past. Jesus gave His life for you and I - paid a debt He did not owe. He was sinless - yet took on our sin in order to redeem us from an eternal life without God.

So, on this Independence Day - I not only am thankful for those who are representing our nation - fighting for our freedom - But I am grateful for Jesus --The King who left all the splendor of Heaven behind, humbled Himself and came to this earth to give His life for mine.

My prayer is that each of you will experience the freedom that only comes from knowing Jesus as your personal Savior.

Happy Independence Day!

In New York Harbor stands a lady,
With a torch raised to the sky;
And all who see her know she stands for
Liberty for you and me.

I'm so proud to be called an American,
To be named with the brave and the free;
I will honor our flag and our trust in God,
And the Statue of Liberty.


On lonely Golgotha stood a cross,
With my Lord raised to the sky;
And all who kneel there live forever
As all the saved can testify.

I'm so glad to be called a Christian,
To be named with the ransomed and whole;
As the statue liberates the citizen,
So the cross liberates the soul.

Oh the cross is my Statue of Liberty,
It was there that my soul was set free;
Unashamed I'll proclaim that a rugged cross
Is my Statue of Liberty!

Written by Neil Enloe former member of The Couriers

Where is your treasure?

A discussion came up in our Sunday School class yesterday which I found to be interesting. Somehow, the subject was brought up concerning churches who have large savings accounts. Accounts where perhaps the money isn't earmarked for any particular purpose, but is just existing in the account, drawing interest.
There were quite a few opinions regarding this issue. Some of those who voiced opinions stated with great conviction that they believed these congregations shouldn't "hoard" money, but should be using it to further the Kingdom of God. It was pointed out that there are some churches in the area who are unable to pay their pastors while these other larger churches sat on big bank accounts.

I didn't say anything - but sat and listened. I thought about my home and all of our 'stuff'. We are blessed to live in a nice home on a nice sized parcel of land in the country. And - we have a lot of 'stuff'. Most of which we could never use in this lifetime. Over the years, between collecting for my Ebay selling business and my tendency to 'never throw anything away because I never know when I may need it'...I've accumulated a lot. And it is what it is --just stuff.

There are those living in our community --in fact, those in our own church who don't have anywhere near the amount of 'stuff' that we do. I pray that the Lord will provide for their every need and know that they are blessed --but still can't help but wonder if they struggle wondering where the money for the next bag of groceries is going to come from. My point to all this rambling is that giving has to start with me --with us --with those whom the Lord has blessed with an abundance of 'stuff'. Perhaps there's a woman in my church who would enjoy owning one of the dozens of antique glass paperweights that I have packed in a box because I don't have room enough to display them. Sure, they'll bring a few dollars on Ebay --but where is the joy in that? I get a few dollars - which I'll use to buy an outfit for my daughter or an extra cube of Sierra Mist or another 'dust collector' to sit on a shelf somewhere.

Yes, we are faithful to give our tithes and offerings --but the Lord is leading me to do more. May I not be guilty of laying up my treasures in places where they'll rot. ...I think I'm going to go package up one of those paperweights --I know just the person who would be blessed by receiving a package in the mail....


“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

After all...We are all the same

We are all the same, originally uploaded by beyondhope.

Today is the day I've been waiting for -- for several weeks. Today was the culmination of much hard work, sorting through DOZENS of boxes in our garage (a.k.a. THE WAREHOUSE), preparing for today --THE YARD SALE!

Have I mentioned how much I dislike yard sales? Shopping at yard sales is one thing. I'm an expert at that and it's one of my favorite activities. However, HOSTING a yard sale is quite another story. I hate hosting yard sales. It seems that after weeks of unpacking, sorting, arranging and pricing we should have received a lot more fiscal compensation than we did. Compared to working a full-time job and receiving a paycheck...well, there's just no comparison. Yard sales are a lot of physical work and I'm exhausted. Have I mentioned how much I dislike yard sales?

Something happened at the yard sale today which was very upsetting. I was selling our wares, minding my own business, when a car pulled up and two women and a child got out of the car. Immediately upon seeing these individuals, (who happened to be Muslim in traditional dress), two other customers commented to me that I needed to really watch these people because they've been known to "five-finger discount" items and probably they had deep pockets in their clothing which would enable them to steal many items. I was a bit shocked at hearing these comments and marveled that someone would have the audacity to judge someone simply based on their appearance or ethnic group.

What was more upsetting to me was that I found myself watching these women much more closely than I did any of the other customers present at the sale. Of course, they did not steal anything, in fact were very friendly and polite. And the little girl who was with them was absolutely beautiful with a head of dark, curly hair, a beautiful smile and a pair of the biggest brown eyes that I've ever seen on a child. So why did I find myself watching their every move? Had I not been told by the previous customers that I should "look out" for them, I never would've given them another thought. Instead, I would've spent more time noticing how beautiful the little girl was instead of wondering what they may try to steal.

After all --we are all created in God's image. We're all the same. We all have the opportunity to become His children. We all put our pants on one leg at a time... (I hadn't thought that I had a problem in the area of knowing that we're all the same, but there seems to be a central theme in what the Lord has been teaching me lately. Refer to my previous post.

Oh...the power of the tongue. God's Word tells us that we have the power of life and death in our tongue. How true that is. In terms of spiritual anatomy, the tongue is directly wed to the heart, and it is the heart that motivates and manipulates the tongue for good or evil, to bless or curse.

Jesus understood this very well. In Matthew 12:35-37, He said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

My prayer today is that I may always think before I speak. May my words not be used to bring condemnation on another for no good reason.

Do not accuse a man for no reason
when he has done you no harm.

--Proverbs 3:30