Roses...

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:15

I'm reading a really good book Southern Fried Sushi by Jennifer Rogers Spinola.  This except jumped out at me and I thought I would share with you.

"But it's my roses that speak to me at home when I'm alone with my thoughts.  Why?  Because they carry thorns.  Reminders of this fallen world, our sin - my sin - and how it hurts.  How thorns pierced Jesus' forehead and nails pieced His flesh for me.  When I was still His enemy.  And yet when the blooms come, they carry scents of heaven.

A perfect picture of our sin and God's mercy.  Beauty and pain, all woven together - just like my life.  Oh, what an amazing work God has done in this cold little heart of mine!"

So the next time you prick yourself with a rose thorn or inhale the fragrance, stop for a moment and thank our Heavenly Father for sending us His Son to take away all our sins.

The Fragrance of Christ

By David Haas

Lord, may our prayer rise like incense in your sight.
May this place be filled with the fragrance of Christ.

I will thank you, Lord, with all of my heart.
You have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels, I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple.

I will thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness and love,
beyond all my hopes and dreams.
On the day that I called, you answered;
you gave life to the strength of my soul.

All who live on earth shall give you thanks
when they hear the words of your voice,
and all shall sing of your ways:
"How great is the glory of God!"

Blessings...

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

Today has been a full and busy day.  I went into work an hour early this morning as my sweetie had cataract surgery this afternoon at 12:30.  So I worked from 9;30 to 11:30, came home to pick up my sweetie and headed back to Salmon Creek for his surgery at Pacific Eye Institute.

When they took him back for surgery they asked if I would like to watch.  My answer was an immediate no as I might have it someday and I really did not want to know how they cut something off your eyeball.  So while he was in surgery I had a cup of coffee and sat there working on a scarf I'm knitting.

Surgery lasted just about a hour and we were then headed home.  On the way home my sweetie shared with me how the doctor had asked him if he minded if he prayed before they began.  Of course my sweetie said he thought that would be great.  So they prayed together asking for God's guidance and for the surgery to be successful.  I  don't know about you but I find it really comforting when a doctor asks if they can pray with me before they begin a procedure.  I believe that God has blessed them with a gift and they are using their knowledge for the betterment of others.

Father God thank you for men and women that are not afraid to pray.  Thank you that they are using the knowledge you have blessed them with to improve the quality of life to those they come in contact with.  Father God than you for blessing my life and my sweetie's life with caring physicians that lean on you for guidance in their lives.  Father God help me to be a blessing to those I come in contact with.  Amen

Make Me a Blessing

by Ira Bishop Wilson, 1924

Out in the highways and byways of life,

many are weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife

making the sorrowing glad.

Make me a blessing,

Out of my life, May Jesus shine;

Make me a blessing, O savior I pray,

I pray Thee, my Savior,

Make me a blessing to someone today.

Solid Rock...

How we praise God...who has blessed us with every blessing in heaven because we belong to Christ.

Ephesians 1:3

Do you every get discouraged when things just don't go the way you hope and pray they will?  When you feel that help is just around the corner only to find out it isn't?  I know I do so be honest with yourself and admit that there are times when you feel the same way.  When I get to feeling this way I stop and count my blessings. 

God has blessed me with all that I need and His blessings keep coming.  He provides for my daily needs and all He ask is that I share with others.  Our God is so awesome that even when I am feeling at my lowest He shows me that I am blessed beyond measure.  He is the rock of my salvation, I lean on His strength daily.    Is it easy, no for life gets in the way but He is there walking beside me, to guide me along the path He has chosen for me.

Father God thank you for the blessings that keep coming my way.  My cup overflows with your love and I am so very grateful for all you do.  Amen

The Solid Rock

by Edward Mote, 1834

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found.

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground in sinking sand.

Here They Are....

Many of you have asked for pictures of our home, so here they are...  The one above is our home as it looks now.  We have trimmed the tree, put up the flag, added some stars and plants.  We hope in the near future to remove the tree stump, put in a flag pole, new landscaping and black window shutters.

This is the living room, small but cozy...

 Kitchen and dining area

Hall Bath

 

Looking down the hallway

Our room and bath 

Office

The Magnolia Room

(Spare Bed & Sewing Area)

There you have it, our humble home...

Under His Wings...

Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings.  My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

Psalms 63:7-8

Have you ever wondered where you would be in your life without God's supporting right hand?  When I am left in charge sometimes I can really mess things up and I know that my life would be a mess without God.  There are times I know that I would never have made it through with His hand supporting me.   He is my rock and my shield.  He will never forsake or leave me.

Father God thank you so much for your support.  You are always there when I can't take another step to support me and let me lean on your strength.  Amen

Under His Wings

by William O. Cushing, 1896

Under His wings I am safely abiding,

Though the night deepens and tempest are wild,

Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,

He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, under His wings,

Who from His love can sever?

Under His wings my soul shall abide,

Safely abide forever.

Our Amazing Granddaughter...

Many, O Lord My God, are the wonders You have done.

Psalm 40:5

The young girl is our amazing granddaughter.  This past year she attended Clark College while visiting other colleges to see what they had to offer in the career field she has chosen, Environmental Science Engineering.  She has made her decision and it is Utah State University.  This past March Awbrey, Marianne and Stephen went up to check out the campus and she loved it.  In June Awbrey and Marianne went back for new student orientation weekend.  She has her class schedule, her dorm room reserved and has had several conversations with her roommate.  Now all we have to do is raise the funds and get her there.

While attending Clark she maintained her GPA, worked 2 jobs saving her money to make this happen.  Papa and I as have her Mom and Dad have also been saving to help her attain this goal.  She has applied for student loans hoping she could do it on her own merit but has found herself needing a co-signer.  Papa and I would do it in a heartbeat but can not qualify, since we just purchased a home, based on our retirement income. Her other Papa refused to cosign so now we are thinking of ways to help her earn money and looking for a co-signer.

Have I said how amazing our sweet granddaughter is?  When we get discouraged and block out the light at the end of the tunnel she encourages us.  She tells us that she knows God has this, that this is His plan for her life and the funds will be there for her as she steps into the next phase of her life with God guiding and directing her. 

Her trust and faith are amazing and remind me to count my blessings, to give thanks to God in all things for He only has the best in store for our sweet granddaughter.

A very dear friend, Denise Johnson, has set up a Go Fund Me account for our granddaughter's education and I am sharing the link here (https://www.gofundme.com/2e9jk84).  If you find that you have an extra $5 to spare would you mind giving it to support her.  I know she will be very thankful as will her Papa, Mom & Dad and myself.  God's blessings on all ya'll....

Count Your Blessings

by Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1897

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. 

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Our Home...

This is our home.  Escrow closed on June 17 but we did not take possession until June 24 as the previous owners needed to stay a week to get things ready for their move across the state.  So on June 24 we took possession of our home.  We arrived around 8:00 am and as we walked through our little home we said a prayer dedicating this home to God and His work here where He has planted us to bloom and grow.

It was then time to get busy.  The first thing on our agenda was to empty our storage unit so we headed out.  Since Gary is still recovering from shoulder surgery and had a weight limit of  2 pounds our pastor met us there to help me get everything out.  What I thought would take a couple of hours the pastor and I had done in 30 minutes.  We then headed to the house where Pastor Steve helped unload the van and everything stacked in the garage.  A great big THANK YOU to Pastor Steve for your help. 

YAY we are ahead of our schedule for the day!!!

It is now time to start cleaning our home.  Julia words cannot express the thankfulness I have in my heart for you girl.  You gave of your time, your energy and stepped in with both hands to help Gary and I get everything cleaned so we could start moving in. 

Gary and I spent the next couple of days moving things over from our kids place and getting organized.  We will be forever grateful for our kids, Marianne, Stephen and Awbrey, for sharing their home with us these past 10 months. 

The big move day, Tuesday, June 28, has finally arrived.  When we first scheduled the movers for 10:00 am, they called back to let us know they needed to reschedule for 1:00 pm as they had a small job that was not on the books when we made our reservation.  Since the job was small they said they would probably be there around 12:30 pm so we said okay.  The first kink for the day was they did not show up until 1:40 pm.  We are now almost an hour behind schedule and we hope they will be fast and load everything correctly.  Unfortunately fast was not in their vocabulary.  At 5:30 pm they looked at Gary and said we have to go as we both have part time jobs to get to.  So off they went leaving us with a loaded truck and no one to unload.  Definitely no happy campers here.

Stephen looks at Gary and says "I have this" and started making phone calls.  Have I ever told you what an awesome church family we have?

Since I have

Since I had been at the house organizing and putting things away I'm not really aware of everything that has been going on.  Gary gives me a call to fill me in.  I then get a text from our sweet daughter telling me the cavalry is on its way.  Several members of our church family have at the last minute stepped in to get the the truck unloaded.  I am in tears thanking God for these awesome people.

Gary drives the truck over, the kids arrive and we are instructed to take Ozzie Bear and go get dinner while they unload.  Marianne asks for quick instructions as to how we want everything arranged and we are scooted out the door.  We arrive home from dinner to find the truck empty and the rooms arranged.  God has so richly blessed our lives with an awesome "family of families."

These past couple of weeks have been exhausting as we sort through things and set up our home.  We are so thankful to God for blessing us with our little home here on earth. 

There is an old song I dearly love that reminds me of what God has in store for me when I leave this earth for my heavenly home.

Mansion Over The Hilltop

by Ira Stanphill

I'm satisfied with just a cottage below,

A little silver and a little gold;
But in that city where the ransomed will shine
I want a gold one that's silver-lined.

Tho' often tempted, tormented and tested
And, like the prophet, my pillow a stone;
And tho' I find here no permanent dwelling
I know He'll give me a mansion my own.

Don't think me poor or deserted or lonely
I'm not discouraged, I'm heaven bound;
I'm just a pilgrim in search of a city
I want a mansion, a harp and a crown.

I've got a mansion just over the hilltop

In that bright land where we'll never grow old;

And someday yonder we will never more wander

But walk on streets that are purest gold.