Jesus is Knocking

 

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and know.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.  To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.  Revelation 3:19-21

 

Jesus is there just waiting for us to answer His knock.  So answer the door of you heart and let Him.  You will find that once you have let Him in, He will always be there waiting for you to call on Him.  He will bend down to listen to your needs just as your earthly father bends down to listen to his little child.

 

Softly And Tenderly
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me.
Patient and loving He waiting and watching;
Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
Ye who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling;
Calling, "O sinner, come home!"

Why should we linger when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we wait, then, and heed not His mercies;
Mercies for you and for me?

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me.
Though we have sinned He has mercy and pardon;
Pardon for you and for me.

Peace & Hope

 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

 

When the storms come, and they will, we must put our faith in God.  We sometimes ask ourselves why is God allowing this to happen to me.  I'm a good person, I give to the poor, I help others, I give to the church, I serve in various ministries, etc.  Take a closer look and count the number of "I."  We want to take credit for everything that we do forgetting to give God the glory.  I think God allows things to happen to draw us closer to Him, to trust Him when the storms come our way.  How many times do we take for granted the things God has done for us?  If you are like me the answer would be too many.  Remember when we are struggling God is building our character and out of that character building comes hope. 

My Hope Is In The Lord

My hope is in the Lord
Who has renewed my strength
When everything seems senseless
My hope is still in Him

Who has made heaven and earth
And things seen and unseen
Whatever shade of passing day
My hope is still in Him

My hope is in you Lord
My hope is in you Lord

For I know that my eyes shall see you
In the latter days to come
When you stand on this earth with my lips I will confess
That the hope of my heart is come

By Robin Mark

Share His Love

 

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.   Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.   And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

The beauty and love of Christ is all around.  It is pressing around us on all sides like air.  When we quit fighting it that love will take a hold of us and our lives will change.  We will be refreshed and want to share that love with everyone we meet, whether we have known them for years or a new person God has placed in our lives.

 

Share His Love

The love of God is broader than earth's vast expanse,

Tis deeper and wider than the sea.

Love reaches out to all to bring abundant life,

For God so loved the world His only Son He gave.

 

All those who have trusted in God's only Son,

And hold this precious treasure in their hearts,

Seek ways to make it know to all who need to know

That God so loved the world His only Son He gave.

 

We show the love of God each day we live,

Reveal Christ's presence in our lives;

And how the Holy Spirit guides us day by day,

For God so loved the world His only Son He gave.

 

Share His love by telling what the Lord Has done for you.

Share His love by sharing of your faith,  and show the world that

Jesus Christ is real to you every moment, every day.

By William J. Reynolds

Love Each Other

 

Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are the children of God.  1 John 4:7

 

Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes.

Homemade Apple Sauce

 

The apple sauce cooked all night and the house smells absolutely delish.  I just finished jarring and now it is sitting to cool.  I know my sweetie can't wait to have some for breakfast tomorrow morning.  Yummy!!!

Fragrance of Christ

 

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

 

This morning the house smelt so yummy!  The apple sauce cooked all night long and the fragrance filled the house.  I want to be like my house with the fragrance of Christ enveloping me.  I want Him to permeate my soul with His fragrance so all I come in contact with be know that Christ Jesus lives in me. 

 

There's Just Something About That Name

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away
But there's just something about that name

Gloria Gaither

 

 

 

 

Last Day of Summer

Today is the last day of summer and I am so ready for it to be over.  Summer this year has been really hot with over 40 days of triple digits.  The temperatures are starting to cool down and it is beginning to feel like fall.  Since we are going to be gone most of the day tomorrow I decided to go ahead and do the fall decorating.  I love all the different shades of red, gold and burgundy.  All the bright colors make a person feel good.  Here are a few pictures of the decorations.

 

 



Since today was a decorating day I decided something simple for dinner was in order.  We had some leftover chicken so Chicken Wraps it was along with a Strawberry/Mango Salad sprinkled with just enough coconut to sweeten.



The house is beginning to take on the smells of fall.  There have been pumpkin candles burning this afternoon and now 6 pounds of apples are cooking in the crock pot for Apple Sauce.  We have been out for a couple of weeks so I told my sweetie that I would make him some more as he likes to have it with his breakfast. 

 

 







Yummy!! I love the smells of fall.

As I said earlier we are going to be gone most of tomorrow as we have Celebrate Recovery Leadership Training tomorrow morning and then a barbecue/potluck picnic with our CR Forever Family after the training.  Since I won't have time to prepare anything tomorrow morning I am making a Pasta Salad tonight.  Pasta Salad is actually much better the next day as all the flavors will have been absorbed by the pasta and the veggies.

 

 

 

Time to say goodnight and head in to the living room and watch a little TV with my sweetie.  Y'all have a blessed weekend.



 



September Saturday

Last Saturday was a free day for Gary and I.  There was absolutely nothing on the calendar so we decided to sleep a little later than normal.  Once we were up and moving around we headed up Hwy 198 to The Gateway Restaurant in Three Rivers for breakfast.  Wouldn't you know it we didn't get moving soon enough to get there in time to have breakfast so we settled for lunch sitting on the patio listening to the sounds of the river. 

 

 

  

 

 

After lunch we headed back down the highway taking in all the scenery along the way.

 

 

Just east of Exeter we came upon a yard sale so we decided to stop and take a look around.  Gary had been looking for a stool to use at his work bench and they had just what he wanted.  As I was meandering around I found this really cute corner shelf.  So we bought the stool and the shelf.  Didn't get a picture of the stool but here is the shelf. 

 

I love it and here in the next couple of Gary is going to refinish it for me.  Excited to see the finished project.

 

We stowed our purchases in the car and headed on home.  With nothing planned for the rest of the afternoon I decided that it was time for a pedicure since I had not had one since July.  So off I went for a pedicure.  Blackberry is the color and the right color for fall.

 

After my pedicure I met a friend at Starbucks.  We sat and visit for a while as I enjoyed my Skinny Hazelnut Frappuccino.  Just as I was getting ready to head home Gary called and said, Hey how about Panda Express for dinner and I agreed 100% as that meant I didn't have to cook.  Picked up dinner and headed home.   

 

 

It felt really good to have a relaxing day doing nothing but what we wanted to!

Tapestry of Life

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:18

 

When we look at the tapestry of our lives we see what we want to be the finished product for it is the littlest things that make up the richest part of the tapestry of our lives.  We forget about all the trials and temptations we went through to get to where we are today.  The knots that tie us to our old ways of life and how we try to untangled them on our own will not work.  God sees the underside of the tapestry with all its tangles and knots and He has smoothed them all into the tapestry we see.  So when our lives become all snarled and tangled up give the trial, the temptation to God.  I mean really give it to Him and don't try to take it back because we will only mess it up again.  It is a simple task for Him to untangle and untie the knots and get our lives back on the right track.

 

Something Beautiful

 

Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion He understood
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
But he made something beautiful of my life

If there ever were dreams
That were lofty and noble
They were my dreams at the start
And hope for life's best were the hopes
That I harbor down deep in my heart
But my dreams turned to ashes
And my castles all crumbled, my fortune turned to loss
So I wrapped it all in the rags of life
And laid it at the cross.

Bill Gaither

Cambria in August

Last month Gary and I decided to take a couple of days and get away from the valley heat.  We set our destination as Cambria and we didn't really want to stay at a hotel/motel as they are so impersonal.  So I started searching online for a B & B for us.  I found this wonderful Bed and Breakfast,, gave them a call and made our reservation.  Right away I was impressed with their service when Eleanor asked what our favorite wine was, did we drink coffee/tea, soft drinks, etc.

Wednesday morning, August 22, we headed out for Cambria and the cooler temperatures. We had to make a stop in Visalia first as Gary had a doctor's appointment and we knew that we would not be able to check until 3:00 PM that afternoon.  After Gary's appointment we said what the heck and decided to stop at Mimi's Cafe for breakfast since neither one of us had breakfast before his appointment.  After breakfast we were on the road again and headed down Highway 99.  Normally we head out toward Hanford and catch Hwy 41 but this time we said let's take a different route.  So that is exactly what we did.

We arrived in Cambria right around 2:00 PM and checked out the location of the B & B.  Once we had it located we headed into Cambria to our first stop, Ball & Skein Yarn Shop.  We arrived at the address for the shop but the building was empty.  My first thought was, Oh no they have gone out of business, but then saw the sign that they had moved.  Whew they were still there!  Two more of my favorite shops happened to be on the same street so we headed to check them out.  I absolutely love Hearts Ease with all their neat little gifts, their potpourri and their garden.  Once we had checked out the boutique we headed out back to the garden area and took a bunch of pictures of all the different flowers.  Here are just a few of them.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay so I had to throw in a couple of pictures of Gary and I!

 

After wandering through the garden for a while we headed to another favorite shop, A Matter of Taste.  This time we did more than look around and actually did some shopping.  I have been looking everywhere for a Scone Pan and they just happened to have one.  So we brought it along with some Chai Tea, a miniature measuring cup and a Christmas gift for someone so I can't say what it is.

 

Once our purchase was completed we headed to Ball & Skein's new location. 

 

 

Their new location is great and they have so much more yarn, needles, etc. to choose from.  After meandering for a while and taking in all their new merchandise it was time to make a purchase and I knew just what it was going to be.  As I was meandering through the shop I notice this really pretty cream color ruffled scarf.  I absolutely loved the feel of the yarn!  The scarf had a tag attached which stated which yarn to use, how much I would need and with the purchase of  the yarn they would print off the pattern for me.  Sweet!  Of course the pattern called for a size 13 needle and I found the perfect pair in their wooden needle selection.  I just love the feel of the wooden needles.  My sweet husband asked me if I was sure that was all I needed before he paid for my purchase. 

 

We left Ball & Skein heading back to the car with my sweetie carrying all the packages.  But wouldn't you know it we had to pass by the Wildwood.  Wildwood has all kinds of really neat things.  I talked my sweetie into a new hat   

and he brought me a beautiful bracelet.  There are five charms on the bracelet which represent each member of our family; me, Gary, Marianne, Stephen and Awbrey.

 

We had so much fun shopping together in one of our favorite places but it was now time to head to the B & B and rest for a bit.

 

We arrived at Her Castle Inn where we met our gracious hostess Eleanor.  Bill and Eleanor's home is built down the slope of a hill and we were on the second floor.  We had our own private entrance and private patio.  Once we were in our room Eleanor stated she would be right back.  She arrived with my favorite wine, ice tea for Gary and a snack tray with difference cheeses, crackers and fruit.  We also had a small refrigerator on the patio and there was a basket full of all kinds of snacks for us to munch on.  There was even a vase of fresh cut roses in our room. 

 

We decided to rest for a while before we headed back downtown for dinner at Lombardi's Italian Restaurant.  Really good food and a great place to take a family for dinner.  After dinner went back to the B & B as it had been a really long day and we were both exhausted.

 

The next morning we headed up for breakfast.  Oh my gosh there was so much to choose from; bacon, egg casserole, french toast, fresh fruit, juice, coffee, tea, etc.  We sat at the dining room table with Bill and Eleanor as a family.  Grace was said, we ate and talked about our plans for the day.

 

We had decided that we would drive down to Morro Bay

 

 so after breakfast we headed south down Hwy 1.  Our first stop was to be the Garden Gallery but they did not open until 11:00 AM so we meandered in and out of all the little shops while waiting for them to open.  Once they were open we wandered around looking at all the neat stuff, the flowers, and the plants.  There was one thing I wanted to purchase while there and it was one of their violet pots.  Purchase was made and we decided to head north on Hwy 1 to Ragged Point.

It was an absolute beautiful day to be driving Hwy 1 with the temperature in the mid 60's range.  On our way there we decided to stop in Cayucas where we wandered in and out of the antique stores and took a walk out on the pier.

 

It was time to get back on the road and head north to Ragged Point.  The views were absolutely breath taking.  We went for a walk and of course took lots of pictures.

 

Time to head back down Cambria way and we decided to stop in San Simeon at a favorite spot of ours, The Cavalier, for an early dinner.

 

 

After dinner we were once again on the road.  Since the car needed some pusholine we stopped in Cambia and then did a little antiquing.  It had been a long tiring day but an enjoyable one and we were both exhausted so we decided to call it a day. 

The next morning when we went up to breakfast another couple had come in for the weekend.  The five of us, Bill was playing tennis sat around the dining room talking about all the different plans for the day.  We had such a great time but now it was then time for us to head back to the valley heat.  You can bet the next time we are in Cambria we will stay with Bill and Eleanor again.

We headed out and I drove so Gary could take pictures as we were taking the Santa Rosa Creek Road back to Hwy 46.  Along the way we stopped at Linn's Farm Store and picked up a freshly baked apple pie and some apple scones mix.  Although the road is narrow and winding it is a beautiful drive.

 

We never know where our next adventure will take us but we will have a great time when we get there!