Month: August 2008

  • Beach-Boys-Posters



    Children’s Bible in a Nutshell
    Author unknown ~

    A child was told to write a “book report” on the entire Bible.  This is amazing and brought tears to my eyes.  I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching???  

    Through the eyes of a child . . . .

    In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas.  The Bible says, ‘The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.  Anyway, God said, ‘Give me a light!’ and someone did.  Then God made the world.

    He split the Adam and made Eve.  Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet.  Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.  Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn’t have cars.

    Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.  Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million, or something.

    One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham.  Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it.  He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

    After Noah, came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast.  Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

    Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston.  Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh’s people.  These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.  God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti.

    Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments.  These include don’t lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor’s stuff.  Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more:  Humor thy father and thy mother.  One of Moses’ best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies.  Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

    After Joshua came David He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot.  He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines.  My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn’t sound very wise to me.

    After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.  One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed upon the shore.  There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don’t have to worry about them.

    After the Old Testament came the New Testament.  Jesus is the star of the New Testament.  He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn, too, because my mom is always saying to me, ‘Close the door! Were you born in a barn?’ It would be nice to say, ‘As a matter of fact, I was.’)

    During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Republicans.  Jesus also had twelve opossums.  The worst one was Judas Asparagus.  Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

    Jesus was a great man.  He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.  But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot.  Pilot didn’t stick up for Jesus.  He just washed his hands instead.

    Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again.  He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum.  His return is foretold in the book of Revolution. 

    MIKEJONES Chair-Print-I10212450


    Thought I’d share a smile with you today!  I do hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.  We have a few things planned besides getting more things sorted for the yardsale … our chiropractor appointments, a corporate prayer time at church tonight, seeing our Miss Elizabeth, Mom Betty, and O.P., (please pray for her … she is to have gallbladder surgery soon … not sure of the date yet, but I’ll keep you posted).  We need to restock the antique mall for the holiday weekend, and we also have a church campfire on Saturday night, church on Sunday, and on Monday we have a Labor Day fellowship picnic to go to again this year.  Not sure if I’ll be up to playing volleyball this time, though … but I’ll sure enjoy the fellowship, oh, and the food!!  Sometime in there I have to get my husband to rest … he worked a hard week.  It’s going to be a busy one for us as you can see, but I’ll be around off and on to check in on you … in the meantime, what are your plans for the weekend?  Whatever your plans are, be blessed, and enjoy!

    heart flagHugs,
                ~ Deborah <><

  • GIRL sunkissed432v


    Hope you’re all having a good week.  The weather has been nice, but I do think we need some rain … the grass here is looking a bit parched!  My husband’s been working overnight at a Panera Bread compnay, for the past couple of nights, so it’s been a fairly quiet week for me.  I’ve caught up on the laundry, and we’re going through things to sell at our church yard sale, which is coming up this next weekend!  I have lots to go through for that!  Why is it so hard to decide what to get rid of?!  Memories are attached to so much of what we have.  Well, at least we have the memories, right?! 

    I’ve shared with some of you that I’ve had some pain in my hip and down my leg … on Monday the chiropractor worked me over real good, and I do feel so much better today.  Sometimes it takes a few treatments to see improvement, so I was told to come back Friday.  He also feels a swelling between the vertebra on my lower back, and believes it to be a cyst that swells from time to time … no pain with it though, just feels a bit odd when it is swollen.  He said if it were serious, there would be pain.  Elizabeth is doing better, although she’s had some adverse reactions to her treatments … she is going for another one today, so if you would, please keep her in your prayers that all would go well.  We’ll hopefully be seeing her tomorrow, so I will update after that.  

    And finally, I’ll leave you with something I received from a friend in an e-mail recently … this photo is one I, very cautiously, took this past weekend when we were driving around in the country … funny, the things you see when you get lost on the back roads!  We watched them for awhile, and they seemed to get along with each other, but I sure didn’t want to get too close!  I was chased by a bull once, but he wasn’t the size of these two guys!  Look at those horns!!  They have a language all their own!!  Lol!!  Anyway, I think it fits a little with this story.  Be blessed and have a wonderful day!   Hugs ~ Deborah <><


    bulls 8-24-08 rs


    Strengthened By Our Wounds 
     ~ Steve Goodier ~

    Po Bronson, in his book Why Do I Love These People (Random House, 2005), tells a true story about a magnificent elm tree.  The tree was planted in the first half of the 20th Century on a farm near Beulah, Michigan (USA).  It grew to be a magnificent tree.

    In the 1950s, the family that owned the farm kept a bull chained to the elm.  The bull paced around the tree, dragging a heavy iron chain with him, which scraped a trench in the bark about three feet off ground.  The trench deepened over the years, though for whatever reason, did not kill the tree.

    After some years, the family sold the farm and took their bull.  They cut the chain, leaving the loop around the tree and one link hanging down.  Over the years, bark slowly covered the rusting chain.

    Then one year, agricultural catastrophe struck Michigan in the form of Dutch Elm Disease.  It left a path of death across vast areas.  All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm became infected and died.  Everyone figured that old, stately elm would be next.  There was no way the tree could last, between the encroaching fungus and its chain belt strangling its trunk.

    The farm’s owners considered doing the safe thing: pulling it out and chopping it up into firewood before it died and blew over onto the barn in a windstorm.  But they simply could not bring themselves to do it.  It was as if the old tree had become a family friend.  So they decided to let nature take its course.  Amazingly, the tree did not die.  Year after year it thrived.  Nobody could understand why it was the only elm still standing in the county! 

    Plant pathologists from Michigan State University came out to observe the tree.  They observed the scar left by the iron chain, now almost completely covered by bark and badly corroded.  The plant experts decided that it was the chain that saved the elm’s life.  They reasoned that the tree must have absorbed so much iron from the rusting chain, that it became immune to the fungus.

    It’s said that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.  Or, as Ernest Hemingway put it, “Life breaks us all, but afterwards, many of us are strongest at the broken places.”

    The next time you’re in Beulah, Michigan, look for that beautiful elm.  It spans 60 feet across its lush, green crown.  The trunk is about 12 feet in circumference.  Look for the wound made by the chain.  It serves as a reminder that because of our wounds, we can have hope!  Our wounds can give us resources we need to cope and survive. They can truly make us strong. ~

    Bar Small Vine

    THE RAIN OF HIS SPIRIT 

    Thank Him for the storms
    that break open the dry, parched ground
    and allow the renewing rain of His Spirit
    to pour into our lives …
    It’s the weight of the wind
    and the force of the storm
    that make deep, sturdy roots
    and strong solid trees.
     
    “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
    Whose confidence is in Him.
    He will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.

    ~ Jeremiah   17:7-8 ~


  • beach Snug-Harbor-Posters


    MORE THAN GRATITUDE
    ~ Gayle Rodgers

    Becky had often heard the little saying, “Have an attitude of gratitude,” and for the most part she did.  She could count her blessings and generally found a thankful spirit.

    Yet she could find no thankfulness in this difficult circumstance!  Her “attitude of gratitude” could find nothing for which to be thankful for.  If she were not careful, her heart could slip into despair and even bitterness.

    She didn’t feel like reading her Bible, but she picked it up and flipped through it. Her eyes fell on a familiar verse she had highlighted with red…

    “…in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

    It seemed to hit her with new clarity. It said, “in everything” not, “for everything.” She pondered the thought.  If she could not be thankful FOR this particular circumstance, what did it mean to be thankful IN it?

    When we ask sincere questions, with hearts hungry to understand God’s ways, the Holy Spirit shows us the answer.

    Thoughts tumbled in her mind.  She could be thankful for God’s faithfulness to her.  As she recalled times past when life seemed out of control, she recalled God’s steadying hand upon her and how His strength had carried her in difficult times (Matthew 11:28).

    She could be thankful that God promised to work things out for good … yes; she had seen His hand bring good out of the most troubling things (Romans 8:28).

    With fresh realization her heart grew a bit lighter as she saw what God meant … be thankful IN her circumstance because she knew God was bigger than any problem and He would be faithful to help her, His child.

    ~ Father God,
    I am truly thankful for my blessings.  Yet it is quite another thing to be thankful in the hard times and with the unanswered questions of life.  Thank You for understanding that it is not easy for me.  Thank You for showing me that when I can’t be thankful for the hard stuff, You remind me just to be thankful IN it.  For it is in that where Your character of faithfulness will be proven over and over to me.  Thank You for the confidence that You will see me through.  Help me to lean hard on Your strength, wisdom and care.  Thank You that You will build a track record in my life through Your faithfulness.  You enable me to be thankful in hard times because You are my God and You can be trusted with my life, even in the hard stuff!  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.




    CHANGE ME O LORD

    Dear Lord change not Thy will in my life,
    Or trial and sorrows to be;
    Renew my faith and make me strong,
    Change not Thy will, change me.

    Though teardrops fall when trouble comes,
    Like storms on a rolling sea;
    Let Thy beacon guide my ship to port,
    Change not the storm, change me.

    When Thy Holy Word I don’t understand
    And Thy glory I cannot see;
    Teach my eyes, give me sight and wisdom,
    Change not Thy Word, change me.

    If the fruit Thou hast given me to eat,
    Taste bitter and sour, I plea;
    Let not my will but Thine be done,
    Change not the fruit, change me.

    If sometime I murmur and grumble, dear Lord,
    About the cross I carry for Thee;
    Keep it firm on my shoulders, but hold my hand,
    Change not the cross, change me.

    If You change Thy ways to please me, dear Lord,
    I would soon grow cold and turn from Thee;
    That You may hear my prayers, dear Lord,
    Change not Thy ways, change me.

    There’s a valley that I must cross,
    Someday Thy face to see;
    Lest I forget what power is Thine,
    Change not the valley, change me.
    Author Unknown ~

    adirondak chari with water and lemons

  • ~ For the Love of Elizabeth

       
    Tim & Elizabeth's Hands 8-12-08 IMG_7363 rs

    I want to share a poem that was borne from a time of trial and illness… 
    it is a poem of enduring trust & faith that has become quite evident
    in our dear little friend, Miss Elizabeth! 
    For those of you who are familiar with her story …
    for those who have been on this journey with us …
    and, for those who have and are continuing to pray for her healing
    … thank you!
    This poem is for you! 

    Bar Small Vine

    ~ God Is Always There ~

    No one ever sought the Father
    And found He was not there,
    And no burden is too heavy
    To be lifted by a prayer.

    No problem is too intricate
    And no sorrow that we face
    Is too deep and devastating
    To be softened by His grace.

    No trials and tribulations
    Are beyond what we can bear
    If we share them with our Father
    As we talk to Him in prayer.

    And men of every color,
    Every race and every creed
    Have but to seek The Father
    In their deepest hour of need.

    God asks for no credentials,
    He accepts us with our flaws,
    He is kind and understanding
    And He welcomes us because…

    We are His erring children
    And He loves us everyone,
    And He freely and completely
    Forgives all that we have done

    Asking only if we’re ready
    To follow WHERE HE LEADS -
    Content that in His wisdom
    He will answer all our needs.

    ~ Elizabeth Porter (C) 2008

    Bar Small Vine

    She is doing better, and for that, we are so very thankful! 
    God has showered His mercy and grace upon her and her family.
    He has been with her every step of the way through this illness
    known as ’aplastic anemia’, bringing comfort to her and her family,
    and performing amazing miracles along the way!
    We do ask that you continue to pray for this special little lady  …
    as she still has a ways to go for the bone marrow transplant to be complete.
    I will keep you updated on her progress!

    I hope you’re all having a wonderful day … I’ll be around to more of you this week
    to do some more catching up.  I’ve missed you all!  There just doesn’t seem to be
    enough hours in a day to do all that I’d like to do!  Ever feel that way?! 
    Have a beautiful day … make the most of it … be thankful for all of God’s blessings!
    He gives us so many that we really can’t even count them!
    Love & Hugs ~ Deborah <><

    P.S.  I did enter the photo contest over at     iliveinmycamera this week.
    It’s been awhile since I’ve done that, and there are some beautiful
    ‘Sunshine’ photos over there … please, if you have a moment, or two,
    go and vote for your favorite!  

    Bar Small Vine


  • Jer 29 www doorposts org

    HE IS our hope and our future!
    His thoughts are ‘toward’ you, and me!
    I pray that each one of us will have a deep desire
    to seek Him with our whole heart!
    Have a blessed day, everyone!

    Hugs,
    ~ Deborah <><

  • Beach-Scene-Photographic-Print-C11897098   

    ~ PIECES OF LIFE ~
    - Anya A.-

    ‘Every morning
    I lay out the pieces of my life
    on your altar
    and watch for fire to descend.’
    Psalm 5:3
    (The Message)

    Fire. 

    Sorting the eternal from the temporary. 
    Burning up the useless and leaving only that which is valuable.

    Sending into no more than fly-away ashes all that clutters, hinders, detracts.
    I crave the fire today.

    Not a culling of my own design, but that which descends.
    Fire from God.

    I scarcely can differentiate between the worthwhile and the useless.
    But fire can.

    Fire from God will get it right.
    Nothing shabby left.
    Nothing pure destroyed.

    Again this morning, Lord,
    I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch …
    ><><

Threads_of_Faith

quote and verse

Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation.
- Andrew Murray -

God often comes to us,
not in dramatic and the spectacular,
but in quiet, unexpected ways ...
In a still, small voice,
a gentle whisper,
God makes known His love.

In quietness and trust
is your strength.
Isaiah 30:15

Pleasure, possessions, power, and privilege are ultimately worthless in comparison to the indescribable
joy of knowing GOD!!

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

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye.
Psalm 32:8

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