It is Finished

(Image Credit: http://heycheng.tumblr.com)

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

So True

Such as, "What must I do to be saved?" You will probably get the wrong answer at Google, unless it takes you to Bible.com., Bible Gateway.com or the like. The right answer is only in the Bible!

Try Acts 16:31, for the answer, but it's all over the Bible, especially the New Testament.

A Secret Work

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Psalm 139:15

" 'My substance was not hid from thee.' The substantial part of my being was before thine all-seeing eye; the bones which make my frame were put together by thine hand. The essential materials of my being before they were arranged were all within the range of thine eye. I was hidden from all human knowledge, but not from thee: thou hast ever been intimately acquainted with me. 'When I was made in secret.' Most chastely and beautifully is here described the formation of our being before the time of our birth. A great artist will often labour alone in his studio, and not suffer his work to be seen until it is finished; even so did the Lord fashion us where no eye beheld us, and the veil was not lifted till every member was complete . . . 'And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.' 'Embroidered with great skill,' is an accurate poetical description of the creation of veins, sinews, muscles, nerves, etc. What tapestry can equal the human fabric? . . ." ~ Charles H. Spurgeon, from The Treasury of David


How dare we dispense with this marvelous work of God as if it were nothing but a "choice" belonging to us, the creatures? How dare we take it upon ourselves to even think we can make a determination whether this secret work of the Creator should or should not live? I wonder what Mr. Spurgeon would have thought if what would be happening in this day had been foretold? If God withholds judgment on our nation, it is purely a display of His long suffering and mercy!

Fellow saints, let's continue to pray that in the face of mercy, the time will soon come that this darkness prevailing over us will begin to be lifted. Let's do all we can to see that it happens, even if what we do seems small compared to the big picture. Who knows how even our littlest efforts can be used by the great Artist, who certainly recoils at seeing His works destroyed.

(Posting on both my personal and devotional blogs to recognize Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, 2011.)

Today, Not Yesterday

I have no yesterdays,
Time took them away;
Tomorrow may not be--
But I have today.

~ Pearl Yeadon McGinnis

What a reminder. I needed this, and I think perhaps many of you do too. Don't you pray that our Lord will help us to use today wisely, while laying aside any regrets about the yesterdays? Sometimes I reflect on how hungrily time is eating up my yesterdays, but that's not the right approach. In keeping with the apostle Paul, I hope you and I "forget those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before," continuing to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:13-14)

I'm hanging in there, trying to press on. Hope you are too, knowing the Lord will take care of tomorrow. I'm working on writing projects, and when I do, you understand that blogging suffers. Did you know I have four blogs? Well, I do. Two are connected with the home business, one of those is for children, and I stubbornly refuse to drop any of them, as they are all much enjoyed, each in a different way.

The above quote was borrowed from a delightful book by Emilie Barnes, entitled 15 Minutes with God for Grandma. You grandmothers might think about picking up a copy. The meditations Mrs. Barnes offers are short and sweet, plus she seems to be a kindred spirit in her love for quotes. A couple of them were just perfect thoughts for two blogs today, and I'll probably find more for the future. Some of you who are quotes lovers would appreciate that as well. I do recommend the book; it's a nice companion to a cup of tea or coffee.

I have a very old click art collection that has loads of flower graphics that are, of course, beautiful. What do you think of this lovely flower? Aren't flowers a wonderful gift from our kind Lord? Enjoy this one and have a blessed day. I hope to do some visiting to see some of you very soon.

Unsearchable Riches of Christ

"The unsearchable riches of Christ." Eph 3:8

NEVER forget that Jesus is our Brother, and that He has devoted all His riches to us, so that the riches of Jesus are the Christian's fortune. "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich." He employed all He possessed for our redemption, sanctification, and salvation; and now, at the right hand of the Majesty on high, He giveth liberally, and upbraideth not. He has riches of grace, riches of mercy, and riches of glory. The residue of the Spirit is with Him. He has promised largely; He has proved His readiness to bestow, in the most wonderful way; let us therefore expect great things from Him, for He has unsearchable riches. O believer, look not at thy poverty, at thy wants, or thy circumstances, but look at Jesus; all things are under His feet, all blessings are at His disposal, and His heart is set upon thee to do thee good! He will supply all thy needs while on earth, and afterwards receive thee to glory. My soul, thy Jesus has all thou needest: therefore look to Him, and Him alone!

Possessing Christ, I all possess,
Strength, wisdom, sanctifying grace,
And righteousness complete:
Bold, in His name, I dare draw nigh,
Before the Ruler of the sky,
And all His justice meet.

(Shared thanks to a recent email from Johnny Farese.)

Hi Friends. I am well, though I'm neglecting this particular blog these days. As usual my plate is full, in more ways than one. I am rich because if I possess Christ, I have all things. Unsearchable riches. This is one of my favorite themes of the gospel. Are you rich? If you don't have the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you are poor indeed. But you don't have to be.

Just wanted to share that. Be blessed all.

Thomas Sowell Quotes

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.

Will Rogers' Reflections

Will Rogers died in 1935. I sure wish he was around today so that he could make some more observations. He would have a field day. But then, what he saw then was not too different from what he would see now. Only now it's a lot worse. Well, here are a few of his amusing quotes from my daughter's lit book. I'll probably be coming from time to time with other nuggets from either her literature or history books. Thank God, ABeka is still teaching solid American History and may I say, teaching it quite well. They also do a great job of giving the students thoughts from the hearts and minds of many of the great Americans (of all races) who made this country unlike any other.

Now a few chuckles from Will. That is, if you're still able to laugh about these things. Which quote is your favorite?

• I am going to Washington as a delegation of one from the American Comedians' Association to get us some aid. No industry has been hit worse than us professional humorists. There is just too much unconscious amateur talent among our elected officials.
• 
  Say, can't you just see a Cabinet meeting? The secretary of war reports: "Sir, wars--none; peace--none; average: 50 percent." The postmaster general reports: "Sir, so many letters sent, so many letters received, so many letters lost."; The secretary of agriculture reports: "Sir, farms in the U.S.--eleven million; farms mortgaged--eleven million; farms carrying second mortgages--10,998,634. The department reports progress." The secretary of labor reports: "Sir, number of people laboring--ten million; people living off people laboring--ninety eight million, including twenty-three million government employees."
• 
  If you want to know when a war might be coming, you just watch the U.S. and see when it starts cutting down on its defenses. It's the surest barometer in the world.
• 
  Well, I'll tell you, the country is doing fine, if we can just keep some prominent man from getting up and crab it by saying: "We have reached the bottom."
• 
  A fool that knows he is a fool, is one that knows he don't know all about anything. But the fool that don't know he is a fool, is the one that thinks he knows all about anything.
• I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

Thoughts From My Pocket Calendar

At the end of the year, my hairdresser was giving out a cute little pocket calendar--the weekly type where you write in your appointments, etc. It's a very nice one, and even though we write most of our dates to remember on the wall calendar, I discovered something nice about this little pocket version. It has a quote for each week and many of them are by people who don't impress me as folks I'd ordinarily think of as being persons who'd pass on words of wisdom.

Since I haven't been able to think of much to blog about this week, I decided I'd pass on the calendar's quotes for the first eight weeks of 2009. (Can you believe we've come that far in the year already?) Enjoy these--I think most are quite good; of course, some are witty. I surely would like it if you'd pick one as a favorite and tell us why. Or maybe you'd like to tell others which one impacts your situation or your needs in a particular way.

"New Year's Day is every man's birthday." -- Charles Lamb

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- J.K. Rowling

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city." -- George Burns

"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." -- Bill Gates

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." -- Michael Jordan

"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything. --Theodore Roosevelt

"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but paddling like the dickens underneath." -- Michael Caine

"Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people." -- Barbara Bush

I love quotes. Folks often have a way of saying things that hit at the core in just a sentence or two. It would take me a long dissertation to try to get across a point which another person will say in just a few words.

Tuesday Tips #2

I got this one (forward) today and it reminded me that I hadn't posted in a week and that it's Tuesday and I could use it as a Tuesday Tips post. (See last post if you're confused.) I had the urge to post pictures of my kids and grandkids anyway, so this email fit perfectly, except for the riddle thing at the end that totally confused me so I'm leaving that off.

Well, I must say that I agreed with much that was said in this forwarded email, originating with Paul Harvey [this is questionable-could be someone else.] He talks about the fact that people can try so hard to make things better for their kids that it makes them worse. Then he talks about some hopes and desires he has for his grandchildren. I sure do have many of the same desires and hopes for mine. Here are some excerpts for you to ponder and hopefully take to heart.

I would love it if they never had to had a hard day in their life or that they would never need to shed a tear or that everyone would always love them and treat them like gold, but you know, what kind of person would that cause them to be? Above all else, I hope they'll know Jesus and have Him to help them through whatever life may bring. I love them so much and part of me wishes all their hurts could be taken away, but mostly I hope, as expressed here, that all of the hurts that are sure to come will be refinements:

Selena with her mommy

Shana with her Auntie Nee

Perhaps some day there will be more of you, but for now, this is for Lena and Shae-Shae:

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep. [As both your mommy and Auntie Nee have the latter.]

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. [Well, I don't know about the back eye part, but maybe some bruised feelings.]

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom .

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.


Just copying these here brought some tears. Perhaps the same will happen to you as you think about your children/grandchildren.

What Happened?

Cleaning out my inbox, I found an email I had forgotten about. Thinking about the economic difficulties we're having right now as well as the moral climate, it's hard to believe from whence we've come. The title of the email is "Comments Made in the Year 1955." That's not so long ago. Goodness. What Happened?

There were a lot of them; I'll just give you a sample of some:

'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.'

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.'

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?'

'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.'

'Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.'

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.'

'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.'

'Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat.'

'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.'

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.'

Back to the good old days.