My Favorite Little Word

 My friend, Cindy, came from Maryland to visit me and brought me these beautiful snowflake hydrangea! They were still damp and had a sweet fragrance. I'm hoping to enjoy them all winter!

I'm thinking about my favorite little word. Hope. And no wonder! For the hope I have is grounded in the truth of God. No other hope can match His ability, His control or His promises.

"Hope, the balm and lifeblood of the soul."

John Armstrong (1709-1779)

I love this little word. I believe the promises it holds. Following are quotes I found interesting on hope:

""Our hope in Christ is surer than anything we can see and experience on this earth, and we arrive at that place through faith . . . Faith is a commitment to walk in the footsteps of Christ, not knowing what lies ahead, but knowing that He is with us, therefore we can take the next step."
Sheila Walsh


"Thank you, God, for the very real hope I have in You. Knowing You in all Your goodness, power, mercy, and love makes the hope I have much more than mere wishful thinking. Hope in You, rooted in Your written Word and in the risen Christ, gives me confidence about life on this earth and about eternal life."Lisa Guest, 100 Favorite Bible Verses"

This is another one of those little surprises that I didn't see until I downloaded it. The happy face of the sunflower was what I snapped. When I pulled up the snap to view it, I found the deer watching me!

 "Hope is more than just a word--it's a state of being. It's a firm belief that even if you don't know how, even if you don't know when, God will come through and better days are ahead. Life sends rain . . . Hope dances in the puddles until the sun comes out again." Rain on Me by Holley Gerth

In the February 28th devotion in Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon, the scripture verse is "My hope comes from him." Psalm 62:5. "What a privilege for a believer to be able to say these words! If he is looking for something from this world, it is indeed a poor 'hope.' But if he looks to God to supply his needs, whether they are earthly or spiritual needs, his 'hope' will not be in vain. He may continually make withdrawals from the bank of faith, getting his needs met from the riches of God's loving-kindness. This I know--I would rather have God as my banker than all the Rothschilds put together . . .  "We hope through faith that when our pulse becomes faith and our heart struggles to beat that an angelic messenger will stand over us, looking with loving eyes upon us, and whisper, 'Arise . . . and come with me.'" Song of Songs 2:10 . . .

"If these are your 'hopes,' O my soul'  (Psalm 103:1), then live for God . . . Live with the desire and determination to glorify Him who is your eternal supply and whose grace provided your election, redemption, and calling. And remember -- it is only because of His grace your have any 'hope' of the coming glory."

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

This young buck visits out back, enjoying the abundance of greenery.

Jim Reimann, Editor, Look Unto Me: "We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. . . The believers hope is powerful and permanent -- 'an anchor ... firm and secure' -- anchored 'behind the curtain' to the very throne of God!

"The word hope I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith." 

John Calvin (1509-1564)

This is something you don't want to miss out on. It's real; it's alive, and it's truth. There is no other hope in this world. God is your only Hope. Yes, my favorite little word

"But as for me,  I will always have hope . . ." 

 Psalm 71:14

The Miracle of Patience

"God engineers our circumstances as he did those of his Son; all we have to do is to follow where he places us. The majority of us are busy trying to place ourselves. God alters things while we wait for him."

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

 
As some of you know, back in the 90's I freelanced articles for publication. It was a fun and exciting time for me. Seeing an article I wrote in print was thrilling. Having a favorite magazine publish my work was a dream come true.

I was looking through the articles I've written and found this one: The Miracle of Patience.  I thought I'd share excerpts from it. Hope you enjoy!

"Patience is a word nobody likes. How can we? Everyone knows you don't pray for patience! Laughing at my dictionary's definition of patience--the capacity of calm endurance--I thought 'they must be kidding! Calm endurance?' . . .

"Yet patience is becoming a reality to me. Recently encountering a new trial in my life, I cried:  'I can't believe it's happening again.' But after the initial shock, a startling thought came to mind. My heart was breaking, but I felt strong. 'How can this be?' I wondered. And I knew, this must be the miracle of patience.

Patience is a hard word to learn. It's not like joy, when you bubble over with gladness, or being sad, tears announcing your hurting heart . . . patience is something that's hard to explain but what we have to learn to survive. It's when we must trust God--His timetable and His will . . .

"I had no awareness of the true meaning of patience in the early years of my life. It wasn't until I became a Christian that I came to know patience as a quality . . .

"In my late 20s when I came to know Jesus, I learned patience to mean the ability to trust God with His timetable. My Savior now took care of me. He was in control of my life. . .

"Although I was fairly disciplined in reading the Bible, I determined to spend 30 minutes each morning with God. I yearned for the comfort and hope only He could give me. I used a devotion book and study guide to give me focus as I studied His Word. I didn't know it then, but that discipline early in my faith, was the beginning of my introduction to God's Class 101 in patience . . .

"He filled me with strength to get through each day. Many mornings, through tears, I told God, 'I trust you and I know you will take care of me.' He was always waiting to comfort my heart. And my heartfelt words He honored . . .

"About the time I was getting on my feet from a heavy burden, I received an encouraging note in the mail. My heart was so moved that someone would take the time to write me a note of encouragement that I felt God's call to join in this ministry. It was exciting to touch someone's heart! . . .

"After a few years on smooth ground, I was hit with another burden that broke my heart. My ministry of writing encouraging notes took on a new meaning . . .

"'How can I write encouraging words when my heart is breaking?' I soon realized that the words I found to write to others helped me too, reaffirming the strength I stood on. I still find it amazing though, that my heart breaks and at the same time my faith is strong. Smiling, I consider how I laughed when I read--'the capacity of calm endurance.' As I grow in understanding my God, and establish disciplines in my life to help me during times of trial, I grasp the miracle of patience . . .

"Learning about the nature of God and how He works to bring about His will is an ongoing process. Time is the essence. Just as the other Fruit of the Spirit takes time to internalize and develop in my life, patience is realized as it is played out year after year. I witness that the God I serve is able to overcome all my concerns . . .

"As the years of my faith build one upon another, I find it easy to say with the psalmist, "Be at rest once more, O my soul, For the Lord has been good to you." (116:7)"

It's always fun when I go back and read articles I wrote years earlier. My success rate of publication was 30%. But nothing will equal the very first acceptance letter I received. He gave me the desire of my heart!

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4

 

Have You Heard It?

"The more I study nature, the more I am amazed at the Creator." 

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)

Nothing says summer like a garden of flowers!

Every Tuesday morning Jerry has breakfast with the guys down at the local restaurant. They talk about a lot of different things, but last Tuesday I got a chuckle.

"You'll never believe what I heard this morning," Jerry said. "You can hear corn grow!" Well, I admit, I'd never heard that before.

Blooms and colors that take your breath away!

I just had to look it up on the internet to see if it was true. And you know what? It is!

On PHYS.org, the Acoustical Society of America wrote an article dated November 2016, sharing of a scientific experiment to prove this fact: "On a quiet night you can hear the corn grow. It may seem funny, but the University of Nebraska proved it does by attaching microphones to directly record the sounds of corn growing." And this is a big deal.

"Douglas Cook at New York University argues that by listening to corn you can prevent corn stalk failure, a problem scientists have been battling with over the years . . . he is leading a group of plant scientists that have teamed up with engineers and have designed special sensors that expand the sound the corn makes during its formation, helping them pinpoint the moment something goes wrong with its development."

Finding treasures as you drive down a road!

"What man has written man may read; But God fills every root and seed With cryptic words, too strangely set For mortals to decipher yet." 

 Charles Dalmon (1862-1917)

I learned the cracking/popping sound occurs around the V15 growth stage and what you hear is the cell walls of the stalk expanding. And scientists have also discovered that corn grows through breakage, much like your muscles do when you work out; by tearing themselves up, healing, and then growing stronger."

There are videos online where you can experience this for yourself:  https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=can+you+hear+corn+grow&view=detail&mid=192E6EADE8B9687EA9D4192E6EADE8B9687EA9D4&FORM=VIRE

One of the men having breakfast said he'd been in Nebraska and stayed on a farm that had a 1,000 acres growing corn. "It is real," he said. "On quiet nights you can hear the corn grow and the crickets. I heard it."

I guess you're never to old to learn something. A little fact that is making a huge difference in growing corn.

 And the littlest of blooms that delight your sense of beauty!

God never made anything that was nonsense. His creation is magnificent. It's one of those things where you say, "My God is awesome!"

"The best thing is to go from nature's God down to nature; and if you once get to nature's God, and believe him, and love him, it is surprising how easy it is to hear music in the waves, and songs in the wild whisperings of the winds; to see God everywhere in the stones, in the rocks, in the rippling brooks, and hear him everywhere, in the lowing of cattle, in the rolling of thunder, and in the fury of tempests. "Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

. . . and in the sound of corn growing!

 Enjoy all the beauty from our Master Creator!

Always With You

 This is my friend's deck garden. Kathy has created deck gardens for a few years now and every year I love to imagine sitting on her deck in the early morning. She is a master creator of so many things. Thank you, Kathy, for always cheering my heart!

I love the first verse of the hymn "Still, Still With Thee." I've written it many times in notes to others for it gives a beautiful thought of waking up with Jesus:

"Still, still with Thee--when purple morning breaketh, when the bird wakest and the shadows flee; fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight, dawns the sweet consciousness--I am with Thee!"

The hymn was written by Harriet B. Stowe, 1812-1896. She is most known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin which had a strong influence against slavery just before the Civil War, but she wrote about 40 books during her lifetime.

She was inspired one morning while meditating on Psalm 139:17, 18:

"How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you."

For the 4th time I've had the joy of seeing a fawn lying down in the woods or on a field.. One time there were two under a tree on someone's lawn. There was a young buck and a doe lying near this one.

Morning is a lovely time to share with God, and I'm fortunate to be an early person. In the summer months I can sit out on the front porch and watch the day wake up. It's a lovely time, sitting in the quiet, being serenaded by the birds and watching the beauty of the sky as the sun awakens it.

"I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord; therefore, I obey your instructions." Psalm 110:55

If you're an evening person, I can just imagine sitting outside and watching the stars shine, and knowing God is there and all is well. To know rest is coming and you'll be protected by the One who is in control of all things.

"Never once since the world began Has the sun ever stopped his shining.

His face very often we could not see, And we grumbled at his inconstancy;

But the clouds were really to blame, not he, For, behind them, he was shining.

And so--behind life's darkest clouds God's love is always shining.

We veil it at times with our faithless fears, And darken our sight with our foolish tears.

But in time the atmosphere always clears, For His love is always shining."

John Oxenham, 1861-1941

Yes, God is with you all through the day, and isn't it a lovely thought.

 Another family I enjoyed while out and about last Saturday morning.

Are You Familiar With Psalm 103?

 Loved seeing this doe and twin fawn early one morning last week.

Every Sunday morning I read Psalm 103.  Charles Spurgeon writes: "There is too much in this Psalm for a thousand pens to write, it is one of those all-comprehending Scriptures which is a Bible in itself, and it might alone almost suffice for the hymn-book of the church . . . This Psalm calls more for devotion than exposition!"

Take a few minutes and read through this psalm. It may just become your thanksgiving to God:

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases;

he redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.

He satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his way to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; 

the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children's children--

with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, O my soul."

Peek a boo, I see you!

"The Pulpit Commentaries" says this about Psalm 103: "A Psalm of joy and thanksgiving for God's manifold mercies, especially for his loving kindness in forgiving sin and transgression passing into adoration of him upon his heavenly throne, and a call on all creation to praise him." Kay

Christian Ladies Network talks about giving thanks: "Isn't the Lord good? We are so prone to take His blessings and benefits for granted. He does so much for us and sometimes we forget to  thank Him . . . We teach our children to say thank you. Shouldn't we practice what we preach and say thanks to our Heavenly Father for all He does for us? . . .  Others may remember what we have done in the past, but Jesus not only forgives, but He forgets. He never remembers confessed and forgiven sin . . . This is one thing I am glad the Lord does remember. We are dust! We are not perfect. We make mistakes because we are human . . . Sounds like we need to take time out just to bless the Lord and thank Him for all His goodness to us . . . He deserves our praise. He is worthy of our praise! When we enter into prayer that is the first thing we need to do, then we can bring our petitions to Him, knowing that He will answer according to His pleasure."

There is so much to be thankful for. My friend, Kathy, sent me the book "Hearts In Fire" authored by The Voice of the Martyrs. It was a difficult book to read. We know persecution is being brutally enforced around the world, and things don't look so great in our little world of America. But God is still in control and everything that is happening is according to His time and His purpose.

Bless the Lord, my friend! He is worthy of our praise!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

 

I'm thankful for the joy of being able to see His wildlife in nature! There's that little one!

What's Really Important

"Prayer does not enable us to do a greater work for God. Prayer is a greater work for God."

Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847)

An early drive in the fog gave me this opportunity.

Many years ago a friend asked me if I would type a collection of poems that her grandfather, P. J. Wolz, wrote. He was not famous . . . just an average person who worked hard and was trustworthy. He lived his life for God.

Of all the poems he wrote, my eyes and heart stayed with a simple two line poem. I call on it frequently to remind me of what's really important as we walk with God.

"How wonderful, at evening, to be able to say,

What a day! Lord. What a day! Because I could pray."

His simple words summed it up right nicely. But how often do I take advantage of this invited invitation from God? I'd say, not often enough.

"Never wait for a fitter time or place to talk to Him. To wait til you go to church or to your room is to make Him wait. He will listen as you walk."

George MacDonald (1824-1905) 

Was a joy to watch this fawn out back last evening.

On The Hunt

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour if we will only tune in."

George Washington Carver (c. 1864-1943) 

 

 Would you like to go for a ride with me this morning? All the snaps on this post were taken on my early morning drive today. Not my best work, but it was a fun morning anyhow.

As everyone surely knows by now, summer is fawn hunting month for me. All summer long I go out in the early morning to find fawn to take pictures of. I've been doing it for many years and never tire of the joy and thrill I experience seeing them.

My excitement truly doubled last year when I had my own fawn in our backyard. I took 900 snaps last summer. (I know, what was I thinking?) Last week we saw the first one for 2019, and we may have two sets of fawn to enjoy this year.

Why did they have to stand in front of the ugly shed with junk in it! The two little ones are still fairly small.

I had two favorite places to snap fawn in Maryland, and I miss them terribly. It's where I saw my first fawn nursing, and captured the smallest fawn I'd ever seen. Those are truly favorite snaps! I also found my first fawn lying down in the woods at that location.

It was slow going when we moved to PA. I soon realized finding fawn to snap, or any deer, was going to be harder. There is so much wooded land, and there are 50% less people and vehicles. So the deer arn't as use to being around people and they run quicker around here--too quick for me to snap. But I am getting a few snaps, with the help of my own backyard.

Can barely see the eyes on the little one, but it's there nonetheless.

June can be frustrating because fawn are still small, and mom keeps them hidden, so I don't see many. But when I do it's pure delight.

This morning when I left, July 1st, I had on earmuffs, gloves with finger tips open, and a winter scarf! It was in the 50's and riding around with both the driver and passenger windows down can get a little chilly.

You can just see the ears of the little one far right. Doesn't anyone mow around here?

There is very little traffic out that early in the morning so I virtually have the roads to myself. I drive these country roads 10 to 20 miles an hour so I have time to stop when I see a deer and try to get a snap off. A few vehicles are on the road then, and several times they stop to make sure I'm ok.

Although deer move fast, I'm amazed at how many I've been able to find that just watch me and don't run. The road I was on this morning gave me a number of opportunities to take a picture. I am so happy when this happens!

I did get a few snaps of the second fawn's face, but not quite clear enough to share.

I'm realizing that my snaps are not as sharp as they use to be. I may be getting a little shakier in keeping the camera still. Age does that to you. But I'd much rather blame it on the camera. It is suppose to focus after all.

Imagine driving along country roads in the early morning enveloped with God's creation. It's a special time for me. I try and forget everything and just enjoy nature as God created it.

I wonder what he was telling her?

"The more I study nature, the more I am amazed at the Creator."

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)