In everything give thanks

Today at 11:35 AM

Good Morning Friends!  Wonderfully wrapped in His loving arms, Wednesday!   Well, how about our crazy weather!!  Lots of whining going on….Hot one day, raining the next, then down right cool, hot, rain, and don’t forget the wind!  Good grief what’s a person to do!  One day people are in tank tops and shorts, the next jackets and long pants, heck yesterday I saw a young lady with a stocking cap on!  Lots of, “I’m tired of all this rain,”  “the mud is driving me crazy,”  “Oh I have so much work to do outside and it’s too wet,”  “the wind is so cold, I want to wear shorts but it’s too cold,”  I’m tired of this weather,” “last night I had the air conditioner on and now today the heater,”  “this weather is crazy.”  Any of these sound familiar to you?  Well, the other morning while reading God’s word, snuggled under a blanket, listening to the pounding rain, I ran across a portion of God’s word, that just really hit me; oh boy…really made me think.  From Philippian’s 4:11-12, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (whether it’s cold and rainy or warm and sunny).  Seemed like it was pointed right at me lately…..so….if it’s cold…light a fire and put on a jacket.  If it’s raining….wear rubber boots and a rain coat…..If it’s hot turn on the air conditioner and put on your shorts….And if it’s all in one day….thank our Father that our lives are not boring!  Rejoice always (rain or shine); pray without ceasing; in EVERYTHING give thanks.  I Thessalonians 5:16-18.  Today, I am giving thanks for the blue sky and sunshine!  Woo Hoo, thank you Father.  And last night, I sure enjoyed the fire in the wood stove and a delicious pot of soup, both prepared by my husband!  Thanks again Father and please forgive us when we whine….we don’t want to we are just weak….help us to give you glory with our words and actions.

 

A happy heart makes the face cheerful.  Proverbs 15:13.  Godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  1 Timothy 6:6-8.  Everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.  1 Timothy 4:4.  Amen!  Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.  Amen!

Love you all!

Watch out for the poison stuff!

Good Morning Friends! My goodness our God is a Mighty Awesome God, Monday!  As if the magnificent green of our current landscapes is not beautiful enough, our Heavenly Father, Magnificent Creator that He is, has now dotted our landscape with wildflowers….All colors, all shapes, all sizes of beautiful wildflowers.  I love wildflower season and have been excited for them to start popping up, so yesterday on my way to church I was delighted to see that just overnight, the green fields and roadsides were dotted with pinks, yellows, purple and white wildflowers…some were in clusters, some standing alone….all equally beautiful!  Our God is an awesome God!  And I just had to tell HIM thank you as I drove….oh the beauty of HIS creation for us!  Later yesterday afternoon Kim and I had to go check cows on a lease a few miles from home.  We took the long, scenic way home and I was tickled because it meant I got to see more of God’s handiwork!  We had the windows down and were just putting down a dirt road the woods were just thick with every shade of green you could imagine and in spots the trees from both sides of the road had joined to make a cover for us.  Again, I said a thank you prayer…then in the midst of the beauty I saw it….all over the trees and down onto the ground….the dreaded poison oak…”Oh Yuck, I hate that stuff, it’s all over!”  I told Kim,  “ I bet that junk is all over at the cabin!”  For a brief moment I was really disgruntled….wondering why in the world we have to have that horrible stuff intermingled with all the beauty….and the scary part is it is pretty to look at too!”  Just then, I felt the familiar pat on my shoulder….”Ahh Father, so You agree with me about this poison stuff!”  “Oh Kathie, My child…..I agree that poison stuff is not fun, especially when it looks pretty, but let’s go a little deeper….don’t you have temptations every day that look pretty….harmless….when in actuality they are potentially dangerous to your life…..maybe something as simple as a piece of cake when you are trying to lose weight….looks good, so why not?  Right?  Or how about that cute dress you saw at Stage the other day….you would look so pretty in it….but remember you have a doctor’s bill to pay…..seemingly harmless little temptations that can lead to big problems.”  Thanks Father, for the reminder that everything pretty might not be good for us.  Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to discern what’s really good for us…..and help us to always remember, every good and perfect gift comes from YOU!  Thank you for wildflowers Father and the lesson in poison stuff!

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.  Matthew 26:41Because Jesus Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.  Hebrews 2:18.  All have seined and fall short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9. 

Love you all!

Out of the mouths of babes

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully blessed by Him, Thursday.  A couple days ago I told you about Katy’s accident on Friday, remember and I had not been home long enough to get my clothes changed?  Well, the funny part is that when I left work that day I was going to Walmart to buy groceries.  My feet were already hurting from my heels, so I decided to put on my tennis shoes I wear when I work out.  Everybody got a chuckle out of Kathie going to Walmart in her dress clothes and pink tennis shoes.  I really didn’t care what they thought….lol….I wanted to be comfortable.  When I walked in the door at home, Kim laughed out loud (he is such a fashion expert you know) and made sure I knew he thought I looked like a nerd…..again I didn’t care and told him so!  Well, when Kathyrn called us to go with her to the ER it never for one second crossed my mind to change my shoes….Nope, all I could think of was getting Katy to the hospital.  After we settled in at the ER, Cooper was his usual antsy self, couldn’t sit still.  He was hopping around in front of me when he stopped and very seriously said, “Nana, I like your shoes, they’re cool.”  I looked at Kim and said, “HA, HA!!!  Cooper likes my shoes!”  As I told him thank you I put my arms around him and gave him a great big hug and mushy kiss, poor kid!  Things were a bit hectic the rest of the evening, but as I went to bed, in the darkness I smiled, I knew that our Father could see my smile from my heart, and hear my silent thank you prayer….Thank you for children Father and the lessons we can learn from their kind innocence.  Bless and protect them with YOUR LOVE.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 18:3-4.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Matthew 19:14.  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  1 John 3:1. 

Love you all!

The perfect "first responder"

Good Morning Friends!  Totally in HIS care, Tuesday!  Friday evening, I hadn’t been home long, had the groceries unloaded and frig things put away, but that was it…still in my dress clothes; the phone rang, it was Kathyrn, she was frantic…..”Can you go to the hospital with me?  Katy is hurt!!!”  “YES, we’ll be right there!” I responded, she told she was already on her way to get us.  I hollered at Papa, told him to come on Katy is hurt.  He wanted to know what happened, “don’t know” I said, “but she is hurt.”  We headed down our driveway just as she pulled in.  Katy was in the back holding a towel on her arm, crying desperately.  Papa jumped in the back by her and immediately started soothing her.  He looked at her wound and knew that she would have to have stitches.  I got in the front with Kathyrn and we flew to the hospital.  Cooper was so worried about his sister, I did my best to keep him occupied while Papa gave his attention to Katy, comforting her with his gentle words and explaining to her just what would happen when she got to see the doctor.  I was so glad we had our own “first responder” with us.  He took total control.  Dad arrived at the hospital (he was at work) about the same time we did; Papa hung back for him, I went into the ER with Kathyrn and helped her get Katy checked in….then the wait…..Cooper was a nervous wreck and itching to get himself into trouble, so Papa and I decided we could take Dad’s truck and Cooper and go home.  We hadn’t been home too long, when I heard from Kathyrn, they were in the examining room.  Pretty soon a picture came of Katy’s “boo boo” with a glowing report on the patient.  Soon they were headed home.  We were so thankful that Katy was going to be ok with a few stiches inside and out!  After Mom and Dad came and got Cooper, Papa and I rehashed the whole evening…..I was so proud of his expert “first responder” care-giving.  All his training has sure paid off!  I said a great big thank you prayer to our Father, and then chuckled to myself….My goodness we have the PERFECT FIRST RESPONDER…. On call….24/7!!!  HE didn’t need any training, no pager or cell phone….NOPE HE is our all- knowing, all powerful, healer, comforter, protector, ON CALL ready and waiting for us to come to HIM.  Oh you know I was praying all the way to the hospital and Cooper and I prayed for sister too……HE was there, with Katy, with us…..going to HIM comforted me…..knowing that HE is always there….gave me strength….peace.  Thank you Father for being our PERFECT FIRST RESPONDER for any need that we have.  Keep us mindful of YOUR presence in our lives….every minute of every day!  And thank you for taking care of precious Katy.  All glory to YOU!

Co not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the  peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7.  Cast all your anxiety on God because He cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7.  The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.  Psalm 145:18.  “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear,” says the Lord.  Isaiah 65:24.

Love you all!

Getting the job done

Good Morning Friends!  Wondrously wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!  Last Sunday in church I noticed one of our older (yes even older than me) ladies was sitting alone.  Her good friend that she always sat with recently passed away and her daughter-in-law had to work  so, sweet Rosemary was all alone….I too was all alone, so I decided I would march on up and join her!  We shared a hug and snuggled in ready to worship.  During announcements she whispered to me that someone had trimmed the flowers in front of the church.  She was really happy about it, explaining that she had noticed they were so badly in need of trimming, and really wanted to do it, but just hadn't gotten to it.  She went on to tell me, a beautiful smile on her face, that when she does yard work she has to choose if she wants to be on her knees or bend over.  You see, Rosemary suffers terribly from arthritis….mind you she is smiling as she relates this to me.  She chuckled and went on a bit more about her yard work…..but my mind focused on her smile, her attitude.  This woman, has reason to give up the yard work…..terrible pain in her knees and back, but she doesn't…..she picks, according to the degree of pain in each area, the position she will be in to get the job done……she doesn't give up or feel sorry for herself…..she does the very best that she can…she keeps on keeping on despite the discomfort!  Oh wow…..the more I think about her the more I must turn to our Father and ask for forgiveness….how often do we whine, complain, feel sorry for ourselves, even give up at times when life seems to be hitting us hard?  Difficult relationships, more bills than income, grief, critical illnesses….Oh yes Father…..these are the times when we must turn to You for strength you are there, with open arms, wisdom and guidance just waiting for us….help us to be strong and follow Your words from James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  Father, we know that life is hard at times, but with YOU on our side we know we can do it and give YOU glory!

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Romans 5:3-4. 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.  2 Corinthians 12:10.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22.  Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Romans 8:18. 

Love you all!

A clean slate

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty and Marvelous is our God, Monday!!!  Each Sunday during Lent in Sunday school, we all (kids and teachers) took a big nail, held it in our hands and in silence thought about our sins, maybe a particular sin that needed forgiving, asked for forgiveness and then we each, still in silence stuck our nails into a brown Styrofoam cross.  We then prayed together for God to help us do the best we can and thanked Him for sending His Son to die for us, forgiving our sins.  Like I said we did this each week so the cross was quite full of nails.  After church on Good Friday, I took all the nails out of the cross, took it home and painted the other side white; my plan was to have a lesson based on because of Easter, our sins are forgiven and we are washed clean…white.   Easter Sunday was very busy at Sunday school, so we didn’t have a chance to talk about the changes in our cross, but yesterday I was excited for the kids to see the white, nail-less cross.  I gathered them all around our table and before I could even get started one young boy, 11, said, “ hey the nails are all gone and our cross is white.”  Ah, I thought, this is going to be great, but then he went on to say, “hey the other side is still brown.”  I tried to skip over that fact and get on with the Easter message with the white side of our cross, but he would have no part of it.  He was determined to keep on about the brown side of the cross and get to the bottom of the whole deal!  Well, I was actually getting a little perturbed at him (oh yes it’s true, I had to ask for forgiveness) as he had really taken the wind out of what I thought was a great lesson.  Well, I finally got him to give it up and went on with class, but I just couldn’t get it off my mind……kids!  As I was sitting in church listening to Pastor….I finally got it……with the help of this young man, I figured it out…..Jesus didn’t die for just some of our sins, HE didn’t wash just half of them away…..HIS death and resurrection gives us a clean slate, wipes all our sins away….front and back…..inside and out….HIS blood makes us clean….Father, bring us to You in true repentance to confess and seek Your forgiveness.  Give us hearts that forgive others as You forgive us.  And Father thank  you for the pure wisdom of children and the lessons we can learn from them. 

“Come now, let us reason together,”  say the Lord.  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  Isaiah 1:18.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us.  Psalm 103:12.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  Ephesians 1:7-8.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32.

Love you all!

Mending fences

Good Morning Friends!  Fabulous Friday, loved by HIM!!!!   A few years ago we had a really wet spring….so wet that the creek that runs through our property, filled to over flowing, breaking its banks and flooding a pasture.  The whole event was pretty strong, so when the flood waters broke loose they took down a quarter to half mile of fence bordering the creek.  I mean to tell you…plum flattened that fence, laid it down!!!!!  Now with the fence down the cows and sheep had total access to pastures on both sides of the creek…..not really the ideal situation.  Of course, my husband had good intentions of fixing the fence immediately…..however, life happens!  One year rolled into the next, big plans to get to it, but cows and sheep roamed where they pleased….each year more grass, limbs, leaves grew over the flat fence making a job that once would have been not easy, but very do able, now seemingly impossible!  Year in…year out….can’t tell you how many times I heard “I gotta get that fence up.”  So many times, that got to the point I really didn’t hear him….especially when he complained about the animals being where they were not supposed to be!  Tuesday when I got home from work, he was sitting on the screened porch, munching on chips and dip and sipping a nice cool beverage!  Remember how beautiful and warm it was on Tuesday, so I went in changed my clothes and put up my stuff so I could join him.   He shared his chips and even had a cold drink poured for me.  We chatted about our work days, enjoying our snacks, relishing in the beautiful spring-like weather.  I needed to take care of my critters, as I was heading out the door he hollered, “hurry up, we are going for a ride!”  When Kim wants to go for a ride on a week night he has a specific plan….something that can’t wait to have my attention.  Maybe a new tool in the shop, or the beginning of one of his creative inventions or maybe a set of twin lambs….well, I had no clue what he was up to on Tuesday.  As soon as I finished my chores we hopped in his truck and headed out!  First stop, the gate that leads into the pasture that had flooded….I hopped out, unlocked the gate and in we went.  Within just a matter of a few seconds I knew what he was up to!  No new tool, or baby…..the fence was up!!!!!  The whole length from one end of the pasture to other…..up…..in one day he had, with the help of a young neighbor, put the whole fence back up….one day….not even a whole day, he had done all his farm chores too!  I was quite impressed with his accomplishment and praised him for a job well done….we of course had to drive the whole pasture and check it all out, although not perfect the fence would definitely do its job now!  As we headed back to the house I couldn’t help but think how at times, we let the severe storms of life flatten us….our spirits, our moods, our finances…..flattened relationships…..we procrastinate…..let the messes in our lives get worse and harder to fix when we have the perfect tool with us all the time to get the job done!  Our Heavenly Father is there to guide us with HIS wisdom, support us with HIS love, wrap us in HIS comfort…..HE”S there 24/7……why do we procrastinate….allow ourselves to get depressed, emotionally and spiritually….we make ourselves sick with worry and heartache…..when like Kim, when he finally just did it, got the job done in a few hours…..we can get our fences back up by going to our FATHER, giving HIM our worries, letting HIM carry the load!  Oh Kim’s fence is not perfect nor will our “fences” in life always be perfect.  Life on this earth because of sin is just not perfect….but Praise God He sent His Son to die for us and promises to mend our fences until we get HOME with HIM!   Oh Father, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!  You supply all the tools we need to keep our fences up!!!!!

Just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.  2 Corinthians 1:5.  Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Romans 8:18.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  Isaiah 43:2.  The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him  Nahum 1:7.  The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.  Psalm 29:11. 

Love you all!

Lost and found

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully His, forgiven and loved, Thursday!  This is such a special week as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior on Sunday….Holy Week….I have been wearing a cross each day this week, just to remind myself of the sacrifice that was made for me….for you….so long ago when our Heavenly Father gave His only Son to die on a cross….for me….for you…..today my cross is on a long chain and is made of tiny, little, shiny gems, so pretty.  It was unclaimed in the lost and found and given to me…..lost and found…..As I look down and see the solid, shiny cross sparkling from the sun’s reflection….I sigh deeply contemplating the sacrifice made for me….I was lost, but now I am found….found by our Heavenly Father through the death of HIS Son…But the cross sparkles, it is empty…..JESUS LIVES!  HE made the ultimate sacrifice, HIS blood was shed, on the cross…..for me….for you.  But the three days later HE shined as HE left the tomb, alive….Because HE LIVES we too will LIVE, eternally with HIM in heaven.  Father, thank you for YOUR grace and tender mercies for us….we are undeserving, but humbled.  All Glory and Praise to YOU!

 

Jesus said, “For the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost.”  Luke 19:10.  “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16.

Praying your Easter over flows with the blessings of HIS resurrection.  Love you all!