Showers of Blessing

I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.  I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.   The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land.  Ezekiel 34:26-27

There is an old hymn that I dearly love and I loved to hear my Momma sing it.  This song is one of many that tells us of God's love, mercy and of seasons refreshing.

Showers of Blessing

There shall be showers of blessing:

This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

Sent from the Savior above.

Showers of blessing,

Showers of blessing we need:

Mercy-drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing,

Precious reviving again;

Over the hills and the valleys

Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing;

Send them upon us, O Lord;

Grant to us now a refreshing,

Come, and now honor They Word.

There shall be showers of blessing:

Oh, that today they might fall,

Now as to God we're confessing,

Now as on Jesus we call!

There shall be showers of blessing,

If we but trust and obey

There shall be seasons refreshing,

If we let God have His way.

God will pour out His abundant blessings on us as long as we trust in Him and follow His will for our lives!

We Are All Equal

But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise.  In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises.  Galatians 3:25-29 

Just like the beauty of the Rose, the pure white of the Lily, the scent of the Violet or the Daisy in its simplicity are different we are too.  Each of us are unique as no two of us are the same.  We were all created in God's image and we are all Children of God.

Jesus Loves The Little Children

Jesus calls the children dear,
“Come to me and never fear,
For I love the little children of the world;
I will take you by the hand,
Lead you to the better land,
For I love the little children of the world.”

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus died for all the children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus died for all the children of the world.]

Jesus is the Shepherd true,
And He’ll always stand by you,
For He loves the little children of the world;
He’s a Savior great and strong,
And He’ll shield you from the wrong,
For He loves the little children of the world.

I am coming, Lord, to Thee,
And Your soldier I will be,
For You love the little children of the world;
And Your cross I’ll always bear,
And for You I’ll do and dare,
For You love the little children of the world.

Isn't it wonderful to know that we are all the same in Christ Jesus!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children

Psalm 103:13-17

God loves us; not because we are lovable but because He is love, not because He needs to receive but because He delights to give.
  C. S. Lewis

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 hast been, Thou forever will be.

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!

Thomas O. Chisholm

 God is my heavenly Father and I am so glad He loves me unconditionally!

Blessed Assurance

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways; 
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Psalm 91:9-12

There is an old song written by Frances Crosby in 1873 that speaks directly to me for when I hear this song I think of my sister Linda.  Our baby sister Nellie gave each of us a framed sheet of music one year for Christmas.  Mine was Amazing Grace and Linda's was Blessed Assurance. 

Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretast of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sigh,

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echos 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.

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.

Angels are messengers from God. They bring us His mercy and His love. 

Linda believed in Angels and I do too!

Sing a New Song

 

 Sing to the LORD with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.

 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.

Psalm 147:7-9

Sing a New Song to the Lord


Sing a new song to the Lord,
He to whom wonders belong.
Rejoice in His triumph and tell of His power.
O sing a new song to the Lord.


Now to the ends of the earth
See His salvation is shown.
And still He remembers His mercy and truth,
Unchanging in love to His own.


Sing a new song and rejoice.
Publish His praises abroad.
Let voices in chorus with trumpet and horn,
Resound for the joy of the Lord.


Join with the hills and the sea,
Thunders of praise to prolong.
In judgement and justice
He comes to the earth
O sing a new song to the Lord.


God has provided so much beauty in this world that we take it for granted.  As you are out and about today don't forget to thank Him for everything you see and for everything He has provided for you, your family and friends.

 

 

God's Promises

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.  Deuteronomy 33:12

Our God is a God of love and a God of promise.  He always, always keeps His word.  There are times when circumstances arise that we think it will be impossible for Him to do so.  But He loves us beyond all understanding and when God makes a promise He keeps it!

Happy Anniversary L Z & Debbie

Happy Anniversary to you,

Happy Anniversary to you.

Happy Anniversary dear L Z & Debbie

Happy Anniversary to you.

May you day be filled with love, joy, peace, laughter and sunshine as you celebrate your lives together. 

Love you,

Gary & Shirley

The Lord is My Strength

 

Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.

Psalm 28:6-7

I love this simple little song as it says so much!

The Joy of the Lord

The joy of the LORD is my strength
The joy of the LORD is my strength
The joy of the LORD is my strength
Oh, the joy of the LORD is my strength.

He gives me living water and I thirst no more
He gives me living water and I thirst no more
He gives me living water and I thirst no more
For the joy of the LORD is my strength

If you want joy you must sing for it
If you want joy you must sing for it
If you want joy you must sing for it
For the joy of the LORD is my strength

If you want joy you must shout …jump for it..
If you want joy you must shout …jump for it..
If you want joy you must shout …jump for it..
For the joy of the LORD is my strength

When those trials come, and they will come, trust in God for He makes our lives a medley of joy and tears, hope and help, love and encouragement.

Let Others See Jesus in You

Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are children of God.    

1 John 4:7

For the next several weeks our pastors are preaching a sermon series "Honor Begins at Home."  Home is where God plants us and we are to bloom and grow there.  Be the example for Jesus wherever you are.  Show love and kindness to those you come in contact with for they become your forever family.   

Let Others See Jesus in You

While passing thro' this world of sin,
and others your life shall view,
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.

Your life's a book before their eyes,
They're reading it thro' and thro'
Say, does it point them to the skies,
Do others see Jesus in you?

Then live for Christ both day and night,
Be faithful, be brave and true,
and lead the lost to life and Christ.
Let others see Jesus in you.

 Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling the story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.

 Show them you are a child of God!

Springtime at the Richards

Springtime in the Valley

It is absolutely beautiful here today so Gary and I decided to go for a drive.  We headed out toward Lindsay and decided to drive up to Balch Park.  But first we had to stop and get some pusholine so we stopped in Lindsay and filled up on pusholine.  We then headed down Hwy 65 to Strathmore and decided to take the Strathmore-Springville Hwy.  Since I was driving Gary was snapping all kinds of pictures.  Once we were in Springville we stopped at The Hamburger Stand for some lunch.  Today was also Springville's Annual Jackass Mail Run so the town was hopping.  Also today was one of those days in Springville that if you are not wearing a Jackass Blue or Pink Permit Button you can be thrown in jail and then someone has to bail you out.  We luckily escaped without being thrown in jail since we did not have a permit button.  Once we had filled our tummies we were off again for Balch Park and enjoying the scenery along the way.  However once we made the final turn for Balch Park we came upon sign posting that the Balch Park road was closed 13 miles ahead.  Oh well guess we should have checked with the county before heading out.  So we turned around and took Yokohl Drive down the foothills and then Rocky Hill Drive back to Exeter. 

Here a few pictures Gary took along the drive:

The drive was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed ourselves so much taking in all the beauty God put on this earth.  Who knows we just might do this again next weekend heading out in a different direction!