My friend Susan is giving away a nice item for children. It's a Read and Share Bible which looks quite interesting. I'm going on over to enter and encourage you to do so also. This would be great for your grandchildren if you have no small ones of your own. And if you have no children at all, what a nice gift this would be for a niece or nephew. Come on over with me!
Even though the Lord Jesus Himself is the most special gift that has ever been given to us, His children, He chose in His providential goodness to give our family an extra special gift during the Christmas season of 1992. She was born on December 22nd of that year and came to us all wrapped in pink and white on December 26th. She stole our hearts right away. . . can't you see why?
So, every year on this date, in the midst of all the seasonal merriment, we celebrate this special Christmas gift. This year's celebration is a significant one, however. Today is the eighteenth one and you know what that means. Not only are we thankful that the Lord has allowed us to share this day with Neesie as she reaches this milestone, but we're able to rejoice that God has seen fit to draw her to Himself and that as she reaches young adulthood she continues to look to Him to guide and direct her life. We know He will.
Neesie captured the heart of her dad and mom and big sister on that day after Christmas eighteen years ago and continues to do so. Now added to the number of those who love her dearly are a brother-in-law and two doting nieces. And I can honestly say there are quite a few others among family and friends who consider her a truly special gift.
Somewhere in her childhood we began to recite Psalm 121 to her at bedtime, and that tradition continues to this day. Needless to say, that passage is her life verse(s) and we put its reference on every birthday cake and card. So as I say "Happy Birthday, dear Neesie", I say it with a prayer that the reality of these words in the psalm will keep you looking upward all the days allotted to you. We love you very much.
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. . .The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. From Psalm 121
See this picture? Just a little bit of snow, right? No problem, right? No, you're wrong. It brought a TON of problems to this area for the rush hour! I know all you folks who are counting the snow in feet are probably chuckling at our little half inch. Well let me tell you: It started snowing late in the afternoon with a rather wet, not powdery, kind of snow which immediately froze on the very cold surface due to the low temps of the past few days. This combination turned out to be murderous for the commuters coming home from work, AND my poor husband trying to get to Neesie's place of work to pick her up. He left a half hour early and was at least a half hour late getting her. A long story, but she and he and I were back and forth on the phone his entire ride. THEN, they had to come home, which took twice the normal time. In some instances, it was taking people an hour to go one mile. Sometimes, going 15 miles per hour was too fast. Five to ten mph was safest.
Unbelievable! The road crews hadn't prepared for this unexpected turn of events, I guess. If it had started earlier in the day as forecast perhaps it wouldn't have frozen so solid, or if it had snowed more than a coating perhaps there would have been some "crunch" for the tire wheels, but wow, this was unreal.
Well, thanks to the Lord, my folks made it safely home without an accident. Unfortunately, there were many who did not make out so well.
So, guys, I think I'd rather have your two or three feet. No I don't mean that.
Just reporting in.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20
In September of 1983 my husband and I and our three year old daughter gathered with three other couples and their children for a picnic. Now having a picnic with other families is not an unusual occurrence by any means, but this meeting together was special in nature. You see, this group came together that day to discuss the possibility of establishing a church in our area. We were all like-minded in our theology and in what we believed concerning what God required of His Church in its worship. For a year we met as a Bible Study, with the help and covering of an established congregation which "mothered" us and with continued growth in our number during that year. Then, in September 1984, we had our first worship service, meeting for another year as a fellowship. By God's mercies, in December of 1985 we constituted as an official church body and ordained our pastor, who remains to this day.
Tomorrow, we are having a celebration of our 25th anniversary as a body of believers. We started out in a school, have at times used borrowed facilities graciously lent to us by other congregations, and for the past eighteen years worshipped in a building of our own. The faces of the various people meeting at one time or another have changed over the years. There have been glorious days and painful days. We have been a people with feet of clay, as is the case with every single child of God in every single congregation on the face of the earth. After all, aren't we all sinners in need of daily forgiveness? We have pressed on, however, seeking to serve our Lord and doing our best to honor Him.
But this is not a post about us; it's about the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Himself who has been kind enough to allow us to see this anniversary, still proclaiming His Person and Work. It's most of all an expression of my gratefulness to a Savior who has promised to meet with His people at each and every gathering in His Name on this earth, wherever that gathering may be and even if they're only two or three of them.
These are the words of my dear Bishop Ryle on Matthew 18:20:
"There is comfort in these words for all who love to meet together for religious purposes. At every assembly for public worship, at every gathering for prayer and praise, at every missionary meeting, at every Bible reading, the King of kings is present, Christ Himself attends. We may be often disheartened by the small number who are present on such occasions, compared with the number of those who meet for worldly ends; we may sometimes find it hard to bear the taunts and ridicule of an illnatured world, which cries like the enemy of old, "What do these feeble people?" (Nehem. iv.2) But we have no reason for despondency: we may boldly fall back on these words of Jesus. At all such meetings we have the company of Christ Himself." ~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Matthew.
Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for your faithfulness to us these past twenty-five plus years. Help us to "persevere and not be ashamed," as Mr. Ryle further exhorts.
Our church website is here. Also the above picture is a drawing of our building.
Is it just me or do people have too much time on their hands these days? And I'm not just talking about us Americans. This event, whatever it was, took place in South Korea. I don't know...maybe they're trying to get their minds off the problems they're having coming from up north. Seems to me they better be concentrating on the folks from the "northern kingdom" as there is nothing funny about them.
Also, as cute as these little penguins may be, and as much as I like animals, I am really bothered by the waste of money that we see going on here and abroad on foolishness when there is so much worldwide hunger. Sorry, but that's my two cents for whatever it's worth. Tell me if I'm wrong--I don't mind.
Between now and this past August, five friends of mine have lost their husbands. These are all ladies whom I have been friends with for many years, and in each instance, the marriage was a solid and long lasting one. Each was a wonderful testimony of the beauty of marriage, and now each of these dear ones will face the holidays for the first time as widows. Today I went to a church to get a good tight hug from the latest widow, shortly before she went to bury her companion of 46 years. I remember going through the whole saga of her dating him and then their marriage those many years ago. . .and now our tears mingling at such a time as this.
I just wanted to remember them now for a few minutes and ask that you'd please take a moment to say a prayer for Carol, Carole, Carolyn, Joan, and Joyce during this first Christmas season without their husbands. God has blessed each of them with children and grandchildren, so we can be thankful for that.
There is something I see in each of these ladies; it's something you see when the years have been many and the relationship has been harmonious and loving. I see tranquility in their sorrow.
Well, we had the tree sitting in the living room without decorations when my four and two year old granddaughters came over. So, they started it for me. Doesn't it look beautiful?
From our house to yours....many blessing for this Thanksgiving season. We have a great God, a wonderful Savior, a marvelous salvation, and a beautiful mansion in glory awaiting us. Why shouldn't we be thankful?
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday tomorrow and don't eat too much!!
This story was too good for me to pass up passing on to you all. Just be sure not to read ahead to the end and I have no doubt you'll appreciate it.
Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this --especially all of the ladies who bake for church events.
Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Baptist Church ladies' group bake sale in Tuscaloosa, but she forgot to do it until the last minute.
She remembered it the morning of the bake sale and after rummaging through cabinets she found a dusty old Angel food cake mix in the back of her kitchen cabinet and quickly made it while drying her hair and getting dressed, while helping her son Bryan pack up for Scout camp.
But when Alice took the cake from the oven the center had dropped flat and the cake was horribly disfigured. She said, "Oh dear, there's no time to bake another cake." This cake was so important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her new church, and in her new community of new friends. So, being inventive and not wanting anyone to think she was not the perfect woman able to handle all things at all times or that, God forbid, she not participate in her church's bazaar, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake.
Alice found it in the bathroom -- a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and then covered it with icing. Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect! Before she left the house to drop the cake by the church and head off for work, Alice woke her daughter Amanda and gave her some money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the minute it opened at 9:30, and to buy that cake and bring it home.
When the daughter arrived at the sale, she found that the attractive perfect cake had already been sold. Amanda grabbed her cell phone and called her Mom. Alice was horrified...she was beside herself. Everyone would know ... what would she do, she would be ridiculed. She would have to move or kill herself! All night Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people pointing their fingers at her and talking, What would they think?
"Oh, my goodness; what can I do?" she wailed! She would be ostracized, talked about behind her back.
The next day, Alice promised herself that she would try not to think about the cake and she would attend a fancy luncheon/bridal shower at the home of a friend of a friend and try to have a good time. Alice did not really want to attend because the hostess was a snob who more than once had looked down her nose at the fact that Alice was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa, but having already RSVP she could not think of a believable excuse to stay home.
The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old South.... and to Alice's horror the CAKE in question was presented for dessert. Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake, she started to get out of her chair to rush into the kitchen to tell her hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, "What a beautiful cake!"
Alice who was still stunned and trying to formulate what words she would use to explain the situation, sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess (who was a prominent church member) say, "Thank you, I baked it myself."
Alice smiled and thought to herself "THERE IS A GOD!!!!!!!
*I found this story at Christian Life Stories and thank them for sharing it.*
It's Election Day once again in America and I, among many others across this nation, have gone and cast my votes. There were only three offices up for election in our area, but of course one of them was extremely important. That would be the vote I cast for my congressman. Each and every one of us has that crucial vote this year. Please do cast that vote for your representative in Congress as it's been a while since it's been as important.
Thomas Sowell is a well known conservative economist and political commentator, among other things, and is a favorite of mine. This man really has his head on straight. I like him so much that I wish he were a Christian, though I don't think he professes to be. Wouldn't it be even more wonderful if the Lord would bring salvation to him? He'd really be dynamite then! On Facebook, I posted something he said in one of his latest articles and then happened upon some more quotes. In honor of this critical time in the life of our country, particularly for Election Day this year, I thought I'd post some of these quotes and let Mr. Sowell speak to us as Americans at this critical time in our history.
"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best. "
"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics. "
"What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long. "
"Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders. "
"Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric. " [My favorite]
"If the battle for civilization comes down to the wimps versus the barbarians, the barbarians are going to win. "
"If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism. "
"It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong. "
"Liberalism is totalitarianism with a human face. " "
Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade ."
Mr Sowell focuses most of his attention on economics and on that we differ. I believe that the biggest problem in America is a moral one. I am against liberalism and socialism, yes, but more than that, humanism and secularism are the real issues. Our country desperately needs the Lord.
Dedicated to a dear friend of mine whose husband of 52 years has just passed on to glory. To my dear sister, as you told your dear one at his bedside, this is only temporary. You'll see him again over there. Be still and know that in every change our God faithful will remain, even though through thorny ways. Love you, dear sis. . . you have been so special to me over the years.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my foot upon a rock, and established my goings. Psalm 40:2
Now it's birthday time for Shana. As of tomorrow, our little Shae-Shae will be all of two years old! Do you remember when I posted about her birth? How can that possibly be two years ago?! Well, it has been and she is no longer a little baby. That doesn't mean Nanna can't still hold her on the lap and cuddle and give lots of kisses and hugs. She'll never get too old for THAT as far as I'm concerned.
Many people love little Shae. Of course, her mommy and daddy do; her big sister REALLY does, her Auntie Nee does too, and I could go on and on. But need I say, that she has a Nanna and Poppop who love her and are so thankful to the Lord for her and all the happiness she brings to all of us with her winsome little ways.
God bless you, sweet Shana-Bana. And may you come to love HIM even while you're young. We'll keep praying for you and your big sister.
Unbelievable. The Phillies kick off the playoff season with a No-Hitter! In a no-hitter, for those of you who don't know (or care), the star of the show is always the pitcher and credit goes to him, but the catcher is the next biggest part of the whole thing. Above you see Roy Halliday, who made history by throwing only the second playoff no-hitter in the history of Major League Baseball (and his second this season), but also you see his catcher, Carlos Ruiz, a/k/a "Chooch," who also happens to be my favorite player. And then we must remember, the other seven players who fielded all the plays should get a lot of credit also.
Such excitement in our area last night and this morning! All over the radio and TV it's being talked about. Nice to have something that's absolutely of no significance to life to take our minds off of the many serious things that are going on in our world.
I'm quite a fan of the Phils, but Jesus still reigns whether they win it all or not. Needed to remind myself of that. ;)
Hi there. Long time no talk to. How's the weather there? It's cold, damp, and shivery here, especially nice weather to be home baking bread and drinking tea. Well, I'm doing neither, but will soon be going out to run some errands rather than stay in and be cozy. It's fall, which is the favorite season for me, but unfortunately, cold and flu season has started and we're already seeing that first hand in our family and among the people from church.
Now don't make fun of me, but when my daughters were young, they got lots of colds and flu illnesses with high temps. Oh, how I hated those days. Once, when Bev was five or six she got a really scary virus, which made her lethargic and with which she was running a particularly high fever. Somewhere in an old beaten up medical book which we had rescued from my husband's family home we read that putting onions and garlic in the sickroom would cause the fever to break. So we said why not try it, and try it we did and her fever broke that night, never to return. We've tried it on occasions since then and it just seems to so happen that fevers aren't quite as bad or last as long with garlic or onion in the room, even though not the most pleasant aroma to greet you when you enter.
Now, that has been of course poo-pooed as an old wives' tale, etc. etc. by the moderns of today but I say, what's it hurt? So last year with all the swine flu scary talk I kept an onion in Neesie's room all winter in a pretty little dish. When one would shrivel up, I would replace it. I figured it wasn't hurting anything and she just lived with it as she has had to do with many of her mom's weird ideas. Now I am not saying I necessarily believe all that, but as I said, I felt it wouldn't hurt anything. I do know that eating a few cloves of garlic when you have lots of chest congestion, will clear things out nicely if you don't mind what goes along with it. :)
And I do feel that the Lord can use whatever He wants to heal us and however He wants, so why not an onion or garlic? After all, He gives "herb for the service of man" as it says in Psalm 104:14.
With all that said, my purpose for this post is to pass along a link to an article on the Old Farmer's Almanac website which has lot of suggestions for natural remedies to help you when you get a cold. Please note fact number 4. When you get to the OFA site, also check out the link to the article on cold and flu prevention. I already practice a lot of the suggestions in that one and I really do believe doing so makes a big difference. So, read it all here and take or leave whatever you want from it. Oh, I just saw a link to cough remedies there too! Have a blessed day.
What wonderful weather we've been enjoying for the past few days! I even was thankful for the rainy day yesterday because of the drought watch in our area. Ahh, days of low humidity and temps in the mid to upper seventies. My favorite kind of days. And best of all, thoughts of the coming of fall. Summer stickiness leaving, limited days for mosquitoes, and the gentle and cool breezes flowing through the open doors and windows of our home. These are the days I love best.
Now comes the the time for baking the good stuff. Love, love, LOVE fall baking, especially with apples and pumpkin. And NOW sweet potatoes come into season, even though I eat them all year long. Do you eat them in your house? Does your family like them? Do you have ANY idea how nutritious they are? I was thinking this morning that it has been AGES since I've done a Sneaky Nutrition post, so it's high time that we have one.
Believe it or not, though, this sneaky post recipe is sweet and tasty. As always, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOUR FAMILY BE TOLD THAT ANY OF THESE INGREDIENTS ARE GOOD FOR THEM. Okay, so the sugar and butter (and milk fat) make this post suspect to say the least, but at least while you're attacking the arteries and vital organs, you're serving up Vitamin A, C, & D, carotenoids, potassium, fiber, and calcium. Doesn't that make you feel a little less guilty? And if you want to sacrifice taste to offset the bad stuff, try it with canola oil in place of the butter and non-fat canned milk. I've never done that, but it may be worth a try. Now, we won't talk about the crust, but you could always make it without it and call it a sweet potato casserole. I have a crust recipe with oil which may be worth trying and may sometimes try using whole wheat flour some day, we'll see.
So here goes a favorite from my culture. Even though I like pumpkin pie a lot, for us there is nothing that can top sweet potato pie. No holiday celebration would be complete without it. And in all seriousness, you would be better off serving this powerhouse vegetable just as it is, baked in the skin and like us, with a glob of applesauce for extra moisture instead of butter. Oh, and by the way, our family uses yams instead of actual sweet potatoes. They are usually richer in flavor and more moist and colorful.
SWEET POTATO PIE
2 pounds yams
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 tsp. mace (opt.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water
4 large eggs
1. Place yams in boiling water. Lower heat and cook until done. Drain and peel. Mash yams thoroughly. Add butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and mace. Stir well.
2. Add vanilla and lemon extract, milk and water. Stir well.
3. Beat eggs until fluffy and pour into potato mixture. Stir well.
4. Pour into two unbaked pastry shells. Place in preheated 375 F. oven and bake for ten minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and cook until center of pies are firm, about 30 min.
On a cool day, this is a wonderful aroma to have in your house. It's one of those smells that take me back to childhood. And really, there is nutrition.
"No Words Needed" is the title of an email some friends forwarded to me and this is the picture.
When I started blogging in July of 2006, in every post that I wrote in those days she was centric. You see, at that time she was still in the womb and I was about to become a grandmother for the first time. Those of you who have been there know what it's like.
She was born on Labor Day of that year. I saw her just a few minutes after her birth, lying on her mama's belly with her eyes wide open and fixed on her mama's face. I was right outside the curtain when she came out and heard her first cries, a moment I'll never forget.
The baby days and toddler days are over for her and she's now a little girl. A precious little girl who is loved more and more (if that is possible) by her PopPop and Nanna each passing year. She is growing more endearing and delightful each and every day.
We love you very much, Selena. Happy Birthday, four year old!
If I could place an order for beautiful weather, today's would be exactly what I would choose. We've had the hottest summer ever!!! This is so refreshing. Seventies, low humidity and a wonderful breeze. Thank you, Lord. "He restoreth my Soul."
My dear birdie friends are so happy outside and it's so nice to have the windows open so that I can hear them.
How is it with you, dear ones? Please forgive your neglectful friend. I promise that I haven't deserted you. Blessings to you all.
I guess this cured me from being down in the dumps about my sore toe. This is not particularly pleasant viewing, but one of the good things about modern technology is that it can often be used to put us right there on the scene of the sufferings and sorrows being lived out by people far away. Personally, I think we who live in such a pleasure and entertainment based society need to be put there more often. Can you add these little children, victims of the Pakistani floods, to your prayer list?
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul. . . Isa. 58:10a
And who might that be? You guessed it! Joseph of the book of Genesis. I just told you about our trip to the Sight and Sound production of this story and now I wanted to let you know we just completed our week long VBS on the same story. It was quite a blessing. The really good thing about it is that the number of children who attended from the community far outweighed the number of children who came from church families. Pray that the Lord will use our efforts to His glory in the lives of these children and their parents.
We took lots of pictures, but I'm sharing a couple which I took that included my granddaughters. The top one is of Selena's class during their craft time on Friday. You can see her in the purple sun visor (which she had just decorated) intent on getting the little beads onto the pipe cleaner. Shana is too young to attend, but one of the ladies at church who had nursery duty gave her little bits of time to work on "projects" of her own. Shana was pretty happy, especially since Mrs. H. has always been a favorite of hers.
We all enjoyed it but are tired and thankful that it's over. Btw, I was the registrar for the first time. I really liked doing that and walking around being a utility person. Good exercise which was sorely needed!
Last week was a sort of "vacation" week for us as Neesie had off work and we just sort of "hung out" as the young folks say. The best part of the week was an overnight stay in Lancaster County, PA (Amish country) where we went to the Sight & Sound Theatres to see their production of "Joseph." It's well worth your time if you live anywhere in that area. Next week is our VBS and the theme is the story of Joseph. So I'm getting a double dose of my favorite Bible story. Do you have a favorite story and if so, what is it?
Here's a very quick trailer of the production:
The preacher recited this to close his sermon on Sunday and I've been thinking about it ever since. If you're saved you should reflect on these words, but if you are not saved, I urge you to think about your answer to this question:
Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall,
Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all;
Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call?
What will you do with Jesus?
Jesus is standing on trial still,
You can be false to Him if you will,
You can be faithful through good or ill:
What will you do with Jesus?
Will you evade Him as Pilate tried?
Or will you choose Him, whate’er betide?
Vainly you struggle from Him to hide:
What will you do with Jesus?
Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny?
Or will you scorn from His foes to fly,
Daring for Jesus to live or die?
What will you do with Jesus?
“Jesus, I give Thee my heart today!
Jesus, I’ll follow Thee all the way,
Gladly obeying Thee!” will you say:
“This I will do with Jesus!”
What will you do with Jesus?
Neutral you cannot be;
Someday your heart will be asking,
“What will He do with me?”
~ Simpson
"Dad, I think the Browns next door are angry at us."
"Why is that?"
"They're probably mad because our dog can retrieve the newspaper and theirs can't."
"How could you possibly know that? We don't even subscribe to the paper."
"Yeah, that's probably got something to do with it, too."
Today is another birthday for Bev! For those of you who don't know, Bev is our older daughter. She's also wife to Edie, Mama to Selena and Shana, sister to Neesie, and a friend to countless others. She's now also a busy Christian business lady, working with me as my partner at Speakable Gifts and newly involved in another enterprise called Mommy Bag Marketing. The most important thing about Bev is that she is a child of the King, having a relationship with the Lord Jesus since she was a child. I can attest to the fact that in her case, she came to the Lord at a young age and her heart has been faithful to him since then. Her blog is called The High Calling and she would welcome a visit at any time.
Bev is always doing for others and her husband and sister and a few close friends finally had a chance to do something for her. She couldn't stop them from doing it because they surprised her--with a party on Saturday where all her closest friends and family attended. The picture above was taken at that event.
Happy Birthday, Bev! You are loved by Dad and Mom and many others. And you are a blessing to all of us. Closing with your life verses: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths. " Proverbs 3:5-6.
* * * * * * * CATHY!!!!!!!!!! * * * * * * * *
My dear long time blogging friend has won our DaySpring giveaway! Cathy and I have a running joke about her winning prizes from me, especially from the days when she would guess the puzzlers on this blog. So now she's won this special coupon code from DaySpring and I'm tickled pink. When my daughter picked her name, my first reaction was amazed delight. I love Cathy a lot! She's such a humble sister, making her blog a place where others and Christ are lifted up, and not herself. So God wanted to bless her once again with this prize. Visit her at her Melodies and Hymnsongs blog when you get a chance. I hope she enjoys her shopping trip at DaySpring.com. (Oh, and thanks for the Facebook plug, Cathy.)
Thanks to all of you dear folks who participated. It certainly was a lot of fun for us, reading your comments and getting to know new people. Hope to get around to visit a few folks later on.
Blessings from DaySpring and Speakable Gifts.
See the above photos? They're examples of things you can choose if you become the winner of this, our latest giveaway! The DaySpring online store is offering a $20 coupon code and you can win it here on this blog. You could use this code to purchase the Seeds of Joy canvas tote bag or the organizer box. But you are definitely not limited to these products; there are many to choose from! So you get a nice gift for yourself or someone else and only have to pay shipping costs. And you have until November 1,2010 to use your code. That's good timing for all the special events that come in the fall, and of course, for Christmas.
Leave your comment to this post and you are entered. Here are several ways to enter your name. Please leave a comment for each time you do one of the following:
1. Comment and let me know you would like to have your name entered.
2. Blog about this giveaway. Please include a link to this post.
3. Write about it on your Facebook page and include a link to this post.
4. "Like" DaySpring on Facebook.
5. If you haven't already, "Like" Speakable Gifts on Facebook. (There is a link on the sidebar.)
6. If you haven't already, become a follower of this blog. You can choose one, two or more of the above, but please remember to comment for each so your name will be submitted that number of times.
Contest closes on Monday, July 19, 2010, and the winner will be announced on the next day.
Oh! Check out their line of teapots and teacups. I really like some of them and if I were to win (which I can't, of course), I would get one of those teapots!
Note: For those of you who like giveaways, we have the perfect place for you: Visit Giveaway Scout to find loads more. The are updating all day long, so you'll want to subscribe to their feed and visit them several times a day. They have a Facebook page as well. If you have the time, go there and enjoy yourself!
It's one hundred plus degrees here. We are surely having a heat wave! What's it like where you are? I just got back from the post office and all I can say is "Whew!"
I pledge allegiance...
You promise to be true
...to the flag...
to the emblem of your country
... of the United States of America...
a nation made up of fifty states and several territories, each with certain rights of its own
... and to the republic...
a country where the people elect representatives from among themselves to make laws for them
...for which it stands...
the flag represents the United States of America
... one nation under God,...
a country whose people are free to believe in God
... indivisible,...
the nation cannot be split into parts
... with liberty and justice...
with freedom and fairness
...for all. ...
for every person in the country - you and every other American.
May your Fourth of July holiday be blessed of the Lord. May our country be blessed by Him and return to Him. Trusting you'll be joining in prayer with many others that this will be so. It's a good time for the Lord to be bombarded with lots of prayers for this needy nation. I'm sure you'll agree that our financial needs are not the top priority, but the spiritual and moral are.
I got this in an email from some friends yesterday. Thought you'd appreciate it:
Can Cold Water Clean Dishes?
This is for all the germ conscious folks
that worry about using cold water to clean.
John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather
in a very secluded, rural area of Saskatchewan
After spending a great evening chatting the night away,
the next morning John's grandfather prepared
breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.
However, John noticed a film like substance on his plate,
and questioned his grandfather asking,
'Are these plates clean?'
His grandfather replied,
'They're as clean as cold water can get em.
Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!'
For lunch the old man made hamburgers.
Again, John was concerned about the plates,
as his appeared to have tiny specks around
the edge that looked like dried egg and asked,
'Are you sure these plates are clean?'
Without looking up the old man said,
'I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as
clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you
fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!'
Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town
and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog
started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass.
John yelled and said,
'Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car'.
Without diverting his attention from the football game
he was watching on TV, the old man shouted!
'Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!
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
Doing some much needed cleaning and organizing in the sun room, garage, and closets. You can just imagine. I'm in the right mood. You know--that "ditch it" mood. And the good thing is that I'm throwing out old paperbacks, files, and magazines on recycle day so that I don't get tempted to go and retrieve them. So, I'm dirty and dusty, but happy to be getting this done.
Hope you're all well. I'll check in with you folks when I get done.
I just looked at our church bulletin for tomorrow (it's usually posted online at our church website) and I see that we're singing this hymn tomorrow. I thought I'd post it in honor of Father's Day. I am thankful for the father of my children and recognize the importance of what a godly father means to a family. Our sermon tomorrow will be about the need for fathers to know the state of their flocks (from Prov. 27:23ff) and may we pray for our husbands, sons, and earthly fathers who take this task seriously. God bless them.
And remember, the love of our Father in heaven is the best!
The tender love a father has
For all his children dear,
Such love the Lord bestows on them
Who worship him in fear.
The Lord remembers we are dust,
And all our frailty knows;
Man's days are like the tender grass,
And as the flower he grows.
The flower is withered by the wind
That smites with blighting breath;
So man is quickly swept away
Before the blast of death.
Unchanging is the love of God,
From age to age the same,
Displayed to all who do his will
And reverence his Name.
Those who his gracious cov'nant keep
The Lord will ever bless;
Their children's children shall rejoice
To see his righteousness.
Some people may not be familiar with this hymn. It's tune is here.
What will they do next?
This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23
Thirty-nine years ago today, I married a pretty nice guy. I think since it's been going along quite well that I'll keep him. Why has it been going along pretty well? The verse up above explains it. It's the verse I put on my anniversary card almost every year, because it's true. To God be the glory.
Junior: Mom, the new baby looks just like Rover.
Mom: Junior! Don't say such a thing.
Junior: It's okay, Mom. Rover can't hear me.
Lately I've been feeling sad about the state of Christianity today, especially in our country. I've been thinking about the call of the world and how often people who are considered Christians seem to be succumbing to that call.
But Jesus calls us. He beckons us to follow Him, and if we TRULY are following Him, much of what we see happening today would not be as evident as it is. Let's follow Him, shall we, and take heed to that blessed call. If we really do, maybe a lot of the things we see going wrong will begin to take a turnabout.
This hymn has been ringing in my ears all day. Do you know it? Mrs. Alexander is one of my favorite hymn writers, particularly wanting children to know the great truths of the Bible, but also writing songs which adults love. She once gave profits from a hymnbook to help support handicapped children in northern Ireland. Now that's my kind of hero in a world with so few of them.
Jesus calls us: o'er the tumult
Of our life's wild, restless sea,
Day by day his sweet voice soundeth,
Saying, "Christian, follow me."
As, of old, apostles heard it
By the Galilean lake,
Turned from home and toil and kindred,
Leaving all for his dear sake.
Jesus calls us from the worship
Of the vain world's golden store,
From each idol that would keep us,
Saying, "Christian, love me more."
In our joys and in our sorrows,
Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still he calls, in cares and pleasures,
"Christian, love me more than these."
Jesus calls us: by thy mercies,
Saviour, may we hear thy call,
Give our hearts to thine obedience,
Serve and love thee best of all.
~ Cecil Frances Alexander
