All you people of the world,
you who live on the earth,
when a banner is raised on the mountains,
you will see it,
and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it.
This is what the LORD says to me:
“I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place,
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,
and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

Isaiah 18:3-5

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

BirthVerse

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:21

Forty-four years ago God blessed my life with this beautiful little girl and this little girl has now grown into a beautiful young woman.  Through the years she has blessed my life in so many ways and I thank God everyday for the beautiful gift He gave me.  She is now a wife and a mother and always puts the needs of her family ahead of her own.  She puts her trust in God knowing He will see her through whatever comes her way.

Marianne may today be filled with love, joy, peace, laughter and sunshine as you celebrate you.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

Love,

Mom

Contentment

If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.  Job 36:11

God may be invisible, but He's in touch.  You may not be able to see Him, but He is in control.  That includes what you've just lost.  That includes what you just gained.  That includes all of life; past, present , future.  Charles Swindoll

Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have. 

Office/Sewing & Craft Room Remodel continues......

The remodel continues with Gary painting today and he won't let me help.  I have been ill for the past couple of days with a head cold and not sleeping much because of the cough.  Hopefully I will be better by Monday so I can help with the organization and the decorating.

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
  he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

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.

I have found comfort so many times in this scripture.  This scripture tells me that God will never leave me, that He will be there with me when troubles come my way.  He will be there walking beside me and when things get to heavy for me to bear He will pick me up and carry me. 

Precious Lord Take My Hand 

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I'm tired, I’m weak, I’m lone

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near

When my life is almost gone

Hear my cry, hear my call

Hold my hand lest I fall

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears and the night draws near

And the day is past and gone

At the river I stand

Guide my feet, hold my hand

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I'm tired, I’m weak, Lord I’m worn

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Words & music by Thomas A. Dorsey

Assurance

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:19-23

Isn't it wonderful to know that our debt has been paid and to know that Jesus is ours.  All we have to do is ask, receive Him as our Savior and the love He has for each of us.

Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

The above song was written by Frances J. Crosby and published in 1875.   I love this song and it is one of my favorites.  Every time I hear it I think of sister Linda who is now residing in her heavenly home.
 

My Hiding Place

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  Psalm 32:7

He Hideth My Soul is an old gospel song written by Frances J. Crosby that was published in 1890.  I loved to hear my Momma sing this song as it speaks of our hiding place and that hiding place is our Savior Jesus Christ.

He Hideth My Soul

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

Refrain:
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away,
He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God!
For such a Redeemer as mine.

When clothed with His brightness transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,
I’ll shout with the millions on high.

My Momma is now clothed in His brightness and singing in the heavenly choir!!!

Tomorrow Flowers

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  Matthew 29:19-20

It is absolutely gorgeous outside today.  I decided I didn't want to be inside today so I weeded and planted flowers in the front flower bed; Lily of the Nile, Begonias, and Daisies.  Can't wait until they start blooming as there is nothing like all the colors of the rainbow in your flower beds.

I think that is how God feels when His children come to Him and follow Him in obedience.  In the above scripture Jesus commands us to go out and make disciples of all nations.  That means we have to plant the seeds by telling others about the good news of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Just as the plants I planted this morning will be tomorrow's flowers, the seeds we sow for our Heavenly Father will blossom into harvest for God's Kingdom.

Are you willing to sow seeds for your Heavenly Father?

Office/Sewing & Craft Room Remodel

The guest room furniture has all been removed from what used to be our Guest Room/Office/Sewing & Craft Room into our newly remodel guest room.  So, now it is time to tackle the Office/Sewing & Craft Room.  Gary was up bright and early this morning starting the wall prep and is ready to get the painting done.

He has already brought in my desk from the garage where it has been stored for the past 3 years.  We will be using it to store things on while we do the painting.  Once the back wall is painted and dry we will move the bookcases as this is part of our reorganization.

This is how the room looks now without the bedroom furniture.

We are both excited to get this room finished so we can start on another.  Of course, Gary doesn't know this yet!

Obedience

When we obey him, every path he guides us on  is fragrant with his lovingkindness and his truth.

Psalm 25:10

Walk with God today! 

 He will never lead you in the wrong direction.  Let Him guide your steps for you are always on His mind. 

Faithfulness

Remember my affliction and roaming,

The wormwood and the gall.

My soul still remembers

And sinks within me.

This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

Lamentations 3:19-24

Isn't it wonderful to know that God will always be faithful to us even when we fail him!!!

Thomas O. Chisolm wrote a poem in 1923 about God's faithfulness over his lifetime. He later sent the poem William Runyan in Kansas. Runyan set the poem to music, and it was published that same year by Hope Publishing Company and became popular among church groups.

Great if Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As thou has been, thou forever will be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Guest Room Remodel Is Done!!!

Gary and I finished up the guest room this afternoon.  At first we were going to wait until tomorrow to move all the furniture in but we just couldn't stand the room sitting there empty.  So when we got home from our class we got in there and got busy. 

We are very happy with the way it turned out.

God Put a Rainbow in the Sky

¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”  Genesis 9:15-17

  Each of us will experience troubles and trials as we go through life here on earth.  When those troubles and trials do come our way we have a heavenly Father that we can take them to, lay them at his feet, and leave them there.  There is an old gospel song that I dearly love that says it best.

God put a rainbow in the sky

A rainbow in the sky

A rainbow in the sky

God put a rainbow in the sky

A rainbow in the sky

A rainbow in the sky

It looked like the sun wasn’t

gon’ shine no more

Oh, God put a rainbow in the sky.

So when you feel like you have no where to go and all is lost, look toward heaven and call upon God.  He will be there to lead and guide you through all your troubles and trials.

 

Guest Room Remodel

The painting is done, carpet is cleaned and curtains are hung.  Now to move in the furniture but that is for another day.  Right now we are both tired and going to sit and rest for a spell.

God's Child

Since we are his children, we will share his treasures, for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too.  Romans 8:17

Isn't wonderful to know that you are God's child!  If you have a special need today, focus your full attention on the goodness and greatness of your Father rather than on the size of your need.  Your need is so small compared to His ability to meet it.

Love of God

 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.  And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Romans 5:1-5

Trials and troubles don't care who you are and they are going to come your way.  We don't have to go out looking for them because they will find us and when they do we need to give them to God.  But we must take it one step further and leave them there.  Lean on God's strength to bring you through.  Don't let other see that they can push your buttons.  When someone offends you, turn the other cheek and pray for them.  Easy to do, absolutely not!  Give thanks to God in all things.  His love will bring you through whatever befalls you and you will be a stronger and better person.  Let the love of God's glory shine through you!

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Life is not easy!  We get up every morning with good intentions but then life gets in the way.  Someone says or does something that does not sit well with us and we get our feelings hurt.  Through God's leadership I am learning to not take the bait when it is thrown out there.  Through His leadership I am learning to set boundaries.  Is this easy?  Absolutely not!  So I am going to do as God's Word tells me and trust in Him and let Him direct my path.  For when I am cradled and warmed in His hand, my heart is infused with renewing life that will restore me to my original freshness and vitality.

Guest Room Remodel

Right now our guest room is a combination guest room/office/sewing & craft room.  There is so much stuff in there that it isn't really a comfortable place to work or a comfortable place for a guest to hang out. 

For the past three years Gary's 92 year old mother lived with us but last month she decided to move to Washington to live with his younger brother.  We loved having her here with us but understand her wanting to be Jimmie for a while.

We now have an empty bedroom and at first were really unsure as to whether it should be an office, a sewing/craft room or a guest room.  We finally decided on a guest room since this bedroom is right across the hall from the guest bath.

Yesterday we got the paint and this morning Gary starting prepping the room.

Once the painting is done and the carpet cleaned we will move in the guest room furniture.  When I can comfortably get to my sewing machine I plan to make curtains to match the comforter.  Everyone that knows me knows that I love Magnolias.  So you can probably guess what the color scheme will be for this room and the guest bath. 

Yes it is Magnolia Green and Parchment!!!

I am so excited to see the finished project and will post more pictures as work progresses.  Once this project is finished then it will be time for the Office/Sewing & Craft Room Remodel.

Be Still!

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10

In solitude we are the least alone, for it is the place where we can hear the Spirit's clear, quiet voice.

My Refuge and My Fortress

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

Psalm 91:1-2

When we are told that God, who is our dwelling place, is also our fortress, it can only mean one thing, and that is that if we will but live in our dwelling place, we shall be perfectly safe and secure.

Hannah Whitall Smith

Facts!!!

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!

Psalm 139:1-6

Love comes when we take the time to understand and care for another person.

Janette Oke