A Little of This and That

 

I so enjoyed walking in the wildflower field the other morning. I've always loved wildflower fields and wanted one at our home in Maryland. That never got done. I'm hoping to make it happen here in PA. This is a picture I like because Jerry's smiling. He doesn't do that very often when his picture is taken. This is the best one taken in several years.

The other morning I had a very strong feeling of thanksgiving about my Bible. I've been reading from it for 40 years. I am just so thankful to have this great friend that tells me about God's Story through the ages and helps me every day as I try to live for Him. Make sure you have a Bible that you can understand and have a commentary or two when you need additional help.

"The Bible redirects my will, cleanses my emotions, enlightens my mind, and quickens my total being."

E. Stanley Jones, 1884-1973

If you have never read through the complete Bible from beginning to end I urge you to at least once. When I read through the Bible I would read one chapter in the Bible and the same chapter in a commentary. The additional help received made all the difference. It took me two years to complete reading all the way through and worth all the effort I made.

"It doesn't matter what you think about it, the Bible is true whether you accept it or not."

Billy Graham

 

Providentially cared for. We don't live on luck or fortune or circumstances. If we serve the living God we are providentially cared for at all times. God's care and protection are always on us and we can be assured that whatever happens to us is part of God's plan for our life. Yes, sometimes bad things happen and sometimes great things happen. But whatever it is we know it is in God's Hands and we can trust His care of us.

Last week we drove to Benezette, a little over an hour from here, to see the wild Elk. Well, we saw one. It was beside the road eating from this bush. It didn't want to have anything to do with us or anybody else on the road. We left and drove around for another hour or so and happen to pass the same location again. Well, that young Elk was still eating in the same spot. I think that bush was delicious!

Have you gone to your church to pray? Yes, you can pray at home, in nature, in your car and just about everywhere you want, but if you haven't experienced praying in the place where you worship all by yourself you are missing a great experience. Some churches are open all day; some at different hours, and some provide a time that you can come in by yourself.

It is a different experience when you sit in God's house and pray. You and God. Alone. Check out when your church is open and you can go in and sit in the sanctuary to pray. It's worth the effort!

 "Between the humble and contrite heart and the majesty of heaven, there are no barriers, the only password is prayer."

Hosea Ballou, 1771-1852

The other week we stopped at an overlook on our drive to the Veterans Home to deliver blankets. I loved this message displayed above the overlook.   

I have several books that share the stories of faithful Christians through the ages. I love reading about them and learning what they went through and how they succeeded. It brings such encouragement to my mind, and I am thankful that we have such an array of witnesses who lived for Christ to read about. It reminds me of a lovely hymn, Find Us Faithful, whose chorus goes like this:

"Oh may all who comes behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful."

Jon Mohr, 1987

What are you leaving behind? All we do tells our story and what we believe.Whether it's your children, your friends, your extended family, your church fellowship or the post man, leave behind the story that you were faithful to the God of the ages and succeeded in living for Him.

 

"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

Hebrews 12:1-2 

 

I didn't see any Hawk, but the overlook was nice to view.

 

"Wilfred Grenfell, a doctor in England, encountered Dwight L. Moody at one of his meetings back in the late 1800s. Moody inspired Grenfell to begin a long association with the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fisherman in Newfoundland. Fourteen years later Grenfell encountered Moody again and told him he had put his faith in Christ after attending one of his meetings. Moody replied: 'And what have you been doing with your life since?'"

 

A very good question. What have you been doing with your life since you came to faith in Christ?

 

"The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth."

Wilfred Grenfell, 1865-1940

This is one of the quilt pieces I created and finished in September.

And lastly, I met a new friend last week. She's a friend of our neighbor, Norma, and she is in the same art class as Norma. They've been friends since school days, and she paints just as beautifully as Norma does.

You may remember the beautiful fall scene Norma painted and gave to me recently. I created a card and bookmark from her painting. Norma took it to her art class and Rita loved it! I was invited to Rita's home to take pictures of some of her art work and make cards for her. As it turns out, Rita is a note writer too!

I'm having a lot of fun creating her cards and bookmarks. I think she's a kindred spirit. So you never know when you might meet someone new as you do what God has given you to do. So be ready in all you do because you just might meet a kindred spirit!

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