Little Bean

Can you see the little bean there? That's our third grandchild. Isn't he/she cute?

Listen, I'm going to be taking a couple weeks break. I will probably be keeping up posts for my other blogs which all have a specific purpose, but I'll break from the personal goings on unless there is something I'm just itching to say.

Be by to visit here and there. See you in a couple of weeks, Lord willing!

Wedding Blog Party

Today a blogger friend of mine had a very nice post about her wedding, with loads of lovely pictures, wherein she indicated she was taking part in a "Wedding Blog Party." I was immediately interested, partly because I'm a June bride and just had an anniversary, and also because our home business is diligently seeking to venture out and minister to brides with a new line of gifts and favors. So because of that, lately I've been particularly interested in all things wedding related.

After thinking about it and wanting to take part, I then wondered what in the world I would do, since I'm too short on time to copy a bunch of photos from our album, and since presumably we were to tell our stories, that might take me a while. Then I thought of a post I made in 2007 for our anniversary, and thought it would be fitting and proper to post it again for this occasion. Hope you like it!

Stephanie at Angelic Accents is the host of this little party, so if you like wedding stories and photos, you might want to visit there. Wow, you should see Stephanie's collection of wedding things and lots of other items as well! Now, here's a trip down memory lane from a thankful wife:

The Tale of an Arranged Marriage

Once upon a time there was a young lady who dwelt in a humble house in a humble little town in a nearby land. It came to pass that this young lady, who was an ardent baseball fan, became friends with a married couple who lived in a house which was on her selfsame block.

So it was that a few years before, in a faraway territory of the country, this married couple had met a nice young man who was on tour with a minor league baseball team. It later happened that at the time of our tale, the man of the married couple became employed by a local soft drink company. Lo and behold, he was amazed and delighted to find the same young man working there whom he had met some time before as a baseball player in that faraway territory.

The married couple thought that it would be a good idea if this young neighbor lady, who loved baseball, could meet this young co-worker man, who once played baseball. So they asked the young lady, who said “okay.” Then they asked the young man, who said “okay.” A phone number was given to the young man, whereupon a phone call was made to the young lady, and forthwith a first date took place—to where else? A baseball game

Time passed, and by and by, on the 12th day of June, in the year 1971, the young lady from the small town was taken as a bride by the young man who worked for the soft drink company. It was shortly thereafter that this young married couple officially began journeying together with the very One who had arranged and orchestrated all of the details of their lives in order that the aforementioned marriage might take place. This same kind Benefactor has kindly provided them with two daughters, a son-in-law, and a precious granddaughter. He also has bountifully supplied them with love, peace, and harmony.

The picture above is of the newly married couple as they were cutting their wedding cake. Thirty-six years have passed since the hot, humid day in June of that year; the couple is no longer considered young; they have continued to abide in humble dwelling places; and baseball is no longer an important factor in their lives. They are still together by the mercies of the same One who arranged the whole union in the first place. Even though they continue to be recipients of abundant blessings from His hand, it will not be until both of them reach their real home in a far better land, claiming their mansions there while living in the presence of their King, that this couple will live happily ever after.

From me, the once young lady, to my dear hubby, the once young man:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Blessed to Blog

The other day while going to my dashboard to check my feed, I happened upon a little piece of information that surprised me. I saw that I had made 399 posts so far with Blogger. So that means.. . [drum roll?] . . .yes, this is post number #400! Wow. I had no idea. I think people do special things when they reach these century numbers. Lots of folks have giveaways, but in case you haven't noticed the sticky note at the top of this page, we're having one of those right now at the business blog, so that won't work for this. I didn't know what to do to celebrate, so I decided I'd just count my blessings. Of blogging, that is.

As is true of most of us, there have been times that I've struggled with this whole blogging thing. Mostly the struggles have to do with fitting it into my busy and sometimes hectic life. Sometimes it has had to do with subject matter, feeling a bit brain dead occasionally. It has worked out much better after I made the decision here some months ago. Having settled in with that, blogging is now a definite part of my life, resulting in real blessings. I've thought of these six, but I'm sure there are more:

1. Friends. There are quite a few of you who I sincerely count as friends. We've never met personally, but it just "feels" like we know each other and are kindred in heart and spirit. When I come by your little place on the Internet and refer to you as "sister" or "friend," I really do mean it.

2. Devotions. That's right. Some of the posts which some of you write are nothing short of devotional material as far as I'm concerned. I can't count how many times there has been a blog post that has edified, comforted, challenged, and/or encouraged me.

3. Travel. Now that may sound silly, but you've got a person here who has lived in one state all her life and has seldom traveled far from it. My blogging buddies tell me all about the weather where they are and lots of other goodies about other parts of the country. There have even been a few British and Australian friends that would give little tidbits about their neck of the woods. It's interesting reading about events on the west coast or what it's like to live on a farm and so on.

4. Fun. Love you witty folks. We actually have a lot of fun together! Some of our blogging friends give us something to chuckle about and you know how much we need the merry heart!

5. Helpful information. If you've learned a lot from being a blogger, raise your hand! I know I have. There have been so many times I've learned how to do something or how to save (like our Hands and Hearts blog), found a good recipe, gotten good household tips, etc. To me, that's no small matter and it's a real benefit. Blogging broadens our scope. I like to check in on a few folks who blog about political matters and I learn quite a bit that the regular news don't tell us. Sometimes we can find out things we wish we didn't know, but more often than not they're things we need to know.

6. Self-expression. It's good to be able to have a place to say things to others without even leaving the home. When we have a blog, it's our place where we can say whatever we want (within reason) and we can choose to "converse" with others via comments if we so choose. It's rather nice to chit-chat that way. But most importantly for me, this blog is a place where I can talk about the Lord. That's the best part of all.

So there you have it. I could say so much more, but as usual, I can't stay here long--have a lot to do. Be by to see you soon, friends, but for now you can congratulate me for 400 blog posts!

Olympic Skating Drama

Well, it's going to be bedtime soon, but I'm sitting here on the couch with my laptop, getting in some blogging and watching the Olympics. Waiting for the drama! Tonight is the men's figure skating finals and the three men you see here are in one-two-three position in order from left to right. But they are so close in points that it's almost a tie! They are from Russia, the U.S., and Japan respectively. My younger daughter is a huge fan of figure skating and she's quite excited about what's happening tonight--rooting, of course, quite intensely for the American, Evan Lysacek. They'll be skating soon! Going for the gold! Guess I'll be up late!

And I wanted to say a thank you for my new blog friend, Laurie (of Nana's House), for a sweet Sunshine Award today. Laurie blessed me in some other ways too today and I want to thank her for that also!

A Note

Making some changes to this blog in the hopes I can still take legitimate comments under the "Anonymous" category. I have a few friends who do not have blogs who I know like to occasionally leave a comment. Unfortunately, I have been picking up some spam here, even with the comment moderation, so I wanted to let you know I've added the word verification to see if that will help. If it is human beings (sometimes I wonder about this classification lately) who are doing this, then it won't work and I'll have to remove anonymous. I'll try this and see. So, I hope you don't mind the extra step to leave a comment.

We have evidence every day, don't we, that we live in a fallen world. Come, Lord Jesus.

A Word to Dissenters

Some of my thoughts and views are not agreeable to some people. That's the way life is, right? I thought this is a good time to mention something that I will no doubt be mentioning again from time to time: This is my blog where I express myself. Others have blogs where they express themselves. There are many of those folks with whom I disagree. But I would never go to someone else's blog and express harsh words to them because of their opinions. They have a right to those opinions and I respect that. I want others to do the same for me. That is the reason that I reject certain comments that come in. Enough said about that.

But I do want to respond to something a commenter said to me. I want to say that I have only one hero. And His name is Jesus. He is my all and all and my hope for heaven. No person, no country, no political party, no particular race. Just Jesus. He is the One I hope my granddaughters come to trust and believe in. Then they will be safe no matter what this world brings their way.And I want to say that is my desire for you too if you come to visit my blog. You may not agree with me, but what I think is not that important. However, what the Bible teaches and what God thinks is. And He would have you to be saved and trust in Jesus. He offers salvation to you freely. Won't you consider the Lord Jesus as your Savior? He has said that all who come to Him He will in no wise cast out. That includes you.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Bloggers: Support Our Troops

A blogger friend named Sandra just made a wonderful post drawing our attention to the troops who are all over the world serving our country and protecting our freedoms. She particularly emphasized those serving in Afghanistan. I strongly encourage you to go read this post entitled "You are Someone Special in my Life." In her post, Sandra is encouraging other bloggers to blog something about the troops, but more importantly, to pray for them. So that's what I'm doing here. Would you do the same? Would anyone who is reading this post and Sandra's also take a few minutes to show support on your blog of our men and women in the military who are putting their lives on the line for our country? Let's all join together in prayer! Let's pray that God would indeed be the power behind them.

Didn't your heart bleed, as mine did, when you heard the news of last weekend's loss of life in Afghanistan? One of them was a young man who lived in my state, in a county next door to mine. There were quite a few families across the country who got that dreaded visit this week when officers knocked on their doors. Aren't you a bit on pins and needles waiting to see what's going to happen with all the drama between the White House and the generals? What a time to pray for these soldiers and their families! Thank you, Sandra, for your timely reminder.

Have Blog, Will Post

Yesterday, I came upon a blog which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's the blog of a Christian man, rather young, married and the father of two little children. The reason I'm mentioning this is because this fellow's blog was a real inspiration to me, not in the way that you would probably first think. You see, I have a pretty full plate these days and blogging always seems to need to take a back seat. I somehow just don't get to it, and a big reason is the time it takes me to do a post. Why is that? It's because I normally feel that I need to write something somewhat substantial, such as an article about a certain topic. So, waiting for the time to do a post ends up being none done at all.

Now, what was it that I liked so much about this guy's posts yesterday? First of all, most of them were short. He posts almost every day, giving little tidbits of info on a wide variety of topics, including religious news and thoughts, political items, family updates and even some humor. If you're wondering what was there about that which affected me so much, it's because it started me to thinking about my own blogging experience, or lack thereof, lately. I really don't have the time with all the pressing needs; I'm not a fast writer; but I'm not wanting to give up blogging. I thought about how this busy young man still has time to regularly keep up his place on the internet, and I really think it's because I doubt if he spends more than ten minutes tops to make a post. That is really appealing! I don't know how much time he spends finding material to use, but I 'd be surprised if it's much.

I've decided to be a copycat! He doesn't know me from Adam, so he won't mind. The way he does his blog is a perfect solution for me to keep up mine, so I'm going to give it a try. So if you notice a change around here you'll know why. Keeping it up on a daily basis is a bit much, but certainly I hope to do better. And I hope also to go back to my original intent with my devotional blog, Scraps of Glory, by doing just short pieces of inspirational writings from time to time. A couple of my blog friends already have a similar approach to the young man I visited and I like making quick stops over at those places too.

Thanks for listening. I sure have been struggling over this issue of late and feel a lot better about it now. I still love all you wonderful friends I've made here on the web and have no intentions of letting you guys go. Be over when I can and thanks for always understanding that it may not be as often as it could be if life weren't so busy! And keep making all those God-inspiring posts that so many of you bless my soul with. I need to read them when I steal the time. They help keep me sane in this journey through a sin cursed world.

New Blog!

I've just become part of a new blog with a few other ladies. All of us are excited and I'm POSITIVE you'll like it and will want to bookmark it for the future. Who wouldn't want to get tips on being more frugal and on various topics to help you live your life as a better steward of your time, money, health, and etc.? Knowing the ladies who are taking part, you're going to be privy to all kinds of neat stuff. I may even "sneak" in a couple of my old Sneaky Nutrition posts. Come on over right now to get a more thorough explanation from Susan!

Hands and Hearts. . . For Him.

Uber Award

A sweet lady gave me an award last week and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank her. This is called the Uber Award and Susan of Penless Thoughts passed it along to me and a few others. I wanted to thank her and encourage you to visit her blog whenever you can. You'll like her frugal tips and I'm sure you'll enjoy all the goings on in her family. She has a very popular blog, and understandably so. I go there often; she's usually one of the first I visit on my blogging expeditions.

Most of you know about my hesitation to "name names" in passing on awards. As I've said before, I am a little quirky about that. So many of you have blogs that fit into the various categories given that I can't bring myself to name a few. I will say, though, that Susan would fit into almost ALL those categories. But some of you have been such faithful friends for so long that I want you to know how much your friendship has meant. And now, especially since the election series, I have made some new friends and I'm quite delighted about that too.

To all of you, or any of you, this award is being offered, so that if you want to pick it up and reward a few folks of your own, please do! Rules and more info are at Susan's blog.

I Love You This Much!

Theresa, a younger blogging friend, has been kind enough to give this sweet award to me. I like going to Theresa's blog, called "A Note From Theresa,", because she is a woman who loves God, her family, her country, and her church. I like reading her heartfelt posts on these issues. But she likes to have fun too, as I do, and she even loves the hymns, as I do. We both like sports, but on that we separate--we don't like the same teams!

Anyway, in receiving this award and passing it on to others, I was impressed by a little extra benefit from reading Theresa's words: I was impressed by the humility she displayed in confessing her shortcomings. All of us would do well to follow her example when we come face to face with our failings. And believe me, our sins WILL confront us. If they don't, then something's wrong. So reading her post was a special blessing for me as is always the case when I see this grace (a humble spirit) manifested in the life of a child of God.

My favorite commentator, J.C. Ryle, often speaks of humility. In his Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, he said this of John the Baptist:

A frame of mind like this is the highest degree of grace to which mortal man can attain. The greatest saint in the sight of God is the man who is most thoroughly "clothed with humility." (1 Peter 5:5) . . . Let us covet earnestly the best gifts; but above all, let us covet humility. The way to true honour is to be humble. No man ever was so praised by Christ as the very man who says here, "I must decrease,"--the humble John the Baptist. ~ John C. Ryle

So I thank Theresa for the award, but also for the opportunity to post this quote. And insofar as passing the award on, you know that I shrink from naming names. Those of you who are special to me know who you are. There are some of you whom I wish I could meet face to face. But, of course, in glory we'll meet someday. Thanks for being faithful to me, my bloggy friends; it's been a special part of my life. I'm thankful I started blogging two years ago, all because of each of you. You're special and I love you this much!

One Year of Blogging

…that he would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man…Ephesians 3:16

Out of curiosity, a little while ago I checked back to see how long it had been since I had become a blogger. Lo and behold, I saw that my very first blog post was made on Monday, June 26, 2006. Wow! It’s my blogging anniversary!! So, I’ve scrapped what I was about to do in order that I might celebrate the occasion. After all, various kinds of anniversaries, including birthdays, are the happier moments that we encounter on our earthly pilgrimage, right? The months of June and July bring several of these to our family, so this time period tends to be somewhat festive anyway. Well, now I can add yet another observance to the others.

My first post wasn’t made here at Blogger, BTW, because my initial effort was at a blog introduced by my business web server, Yahoo. It was a pretty pathetic technical situation there, so after about a month of stress I came here. That blog is still there, and I think they have it working better, but I only post now and then to let anyone who cares know where to find me. Now I have three active blogs as well as a Xanga, where I hang out with a bunch of young folks, including my fourteen year old daughter. It’s fun. I’ve enjoyed the whole thing from the beginning and I’m hooked. In fact, I have to be careful not to let it take up too much of my time.

In commemoration of this one year anniversary, I’ll list a few of the things that I like about blogging:

1. It’s a forum for talking about my family, especially our little Lena, and about the things of God. In fact, initially my primary topic was the anticipation of our first grandchild, while applying this great happening to the children’s catechism.

2. Now it’s become gratifying to write about so much more, so I changed my subtitle to what presently is. I know that most of you will agree that expressing ourselves about a variety of issues brings a lot of pleasure. It’s a release of sorts—if a hymn is on our hearts, we can lay it out for the world to see. It might be a poem, book review, puzzle, vacation photos, recipe, contest, and almost anything that is meaningful or fun.

3. It’s wonderful to have a place to engage in inspirational writings that others can read. And then, to peruse what fellow saints have written, words that often draw us upward to the Lord.

4. One of the sweetest blessings is the many folks (though I’ll probably never meet most of you face to face), that I have met online, exchanging our comments back and forth. It’s a real treat visiting other folks’ little corners of the web; each has its own personality and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed coming to see so many of you and love it that you come to see me!

All in all, it’s been a great experience this past year. It has been enriching and edifying and I’m thankful. I hope and pray that this is one activity on the web that God will continue to use to strengthen each and every one of us who are called by His name.