What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

I'm a Little Teapot

My New Red Teapot!

I have a confession to make...I NEED a whistling tea-kettle!  Why do I NEED a whistling tea-kettle?  Because I have tendency to occasionally fill my teakettle full of water, put it on the stove, turn the stove on to high, and go off and forget that I did that!  Now, I know none of the rest of you are guilty of ever doing anything that stupid...and I'm certain that none of you have ever gone so far as to let a teakettle boil dry...so I'm sure that none of you can relate to my problem!  My comment to you today is...Just wait!  Sooner or later, if you ever even use a teakettle without a whistle, you will understand why some of us NEED a whistling teakettle!

Therefore, even though the truth is that I did not let my former teakettle boil dry...the whistler broke off some time ago...and I've noticed the past few times that I've put the teakettle on to boil that I have only discovered it boiling just in the nick of time...before it totally boiled dry...and there wasn't enough water left in the kettle to even make one cup of tea!  So, before tragedy strikes...I decided to do something about it...and I went out and bought myself a new teakettle...a whistling teakettle, that is also BRIGHT RED...so that I will not only hear it whistling, I will also notice it sitting brightly on my stove, all red and shiny and new, and I will pay more attention to it before something bad happens to it!

I know some of you probably have no clue what I am talking about, but I thought I would share my confession with you today...and perhaps there may be someone who may smile and say, "Oh yes, I perfectly understand!"

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/teapot.htm    click on this link and enjoy a little song that some of you may have learned way back in kindergarten.  Now, go put on your teakettle full of water, and listen to it shout and sing!! (and hopefully whistle!)

Enjoy!!!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

"You Otter Be In Maine"

I love the title of this blog today...it came from a notepad that we were given way back when we used to live in Maine...and I have just one page of it left...in my Bible, with a few scribbled notes and scripture references jotted down on the dog-eared piece of notepaper, which is now being used as a Bible bookmark.

What is interesting is that a couple of weeks ago in my morning devotions I was reading the prescribed scripture reading for the day in II Corinthians 8:1-9, and I kept on reading down through verses 10 and 11 as follows:
"And in this I give advice: it is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have..."
As I read those verses, I had to scratch my head and try to figure out, "Now, what was I desiring to do a year ago that I must now complete?"  Hmmm...I'm not sure...except that we had gone up to visit our son and family in Maine because he was in the beginning battle against the aggressive cancer that had just previously been diagnosed in his abdomen.  I know the desire of my heart at that time was to be with him and try to help him and his family in some way...but because we had major issues of our own here at home to deal with we weren't in any position to be of much help at that time.  Thank the Lord, Matthew successfully completed his course of chemotherapy and now, a year later, seems to be managing amazingly well, all things considered. He still has some residual issues, but we are trusting God for his complete healing.

But, back to the scripture reading for that day...here we are a year later, and we still have the desire to be closer to our kids in Maine and also one in New Hampshire.  A lot of things have changed in our circumstances here in the past year.  My dear father recently passed away, my mother-in-law has moved up to live with her other son and family, and my husband has just lost his job and had to take an early retirement (such as it is) to try to survive until (or if) he can find other appropriate employment.  I have a good job, but without any health insurance benefits, which, at our age, is crucial. 

So, anyway, a few days after reading those particular scripture verses and contemplating just what God was trying to say to us, I was turning in my Bible to find the new reading for that day, and this piece of paper fell out of my Bible that said, "You Otter Be In Maine".  I showed it to my husband, and we both laughed at the funny picture of the little otter in the corner of the page and said, "yeah, we otter be in Maine if we could figure out how to get there."  Well, then I looked at the words I had jotted down on that note at some point in time...(it's dated July 2, but without the year)  and it was a scripture reference and my scribbled note of that verse....yep, you guessed it...
2 Corinthians 8:10-11 "Do what you began and were desiring to do a year ago (complete the doing of it..."
There were a couple of other things written on there at different times as well..."June 17th: Matt. 5:33-37..."Let your yes be yes"...and a note "Divine counseling at night"...and "Little girl, get up!"  (I believe I was listening to T.D. Jakes on TV when I wrote that note).

So now...what does one do with such messages being put before them in such a strange way?  Well, if you are people like us, you start praying and asking God just what He is trying to tell you.  I don't believe in coincidences...I look for God literally in everything I do...especially when it happens in an unusual way.  Now, I don't want my family to panic, or my employers to get nervous, or friends to tell me I'm crazy...but I have to consider that there may be a message here for us...and I am the type of person who prefers to listen to what God may be saying.  Of course, there needs to be some corroborative action on His part to convince me further before I pack my bags and move...but I want to be ready for action..."ready to go...ready to stay...ready to do His will..."  (from an old hymn entitled, "Ready", written by A.C. Palmer back in the mide 1800's)

I guess what I am trying to say here is, don't be surprised if God moves us back to Maine in the near future. I don't know anything specific yet...and I am not even sure it would be smart at this age to move back into those long, frigid winters when I am already living where most of the population of Maine would probably prefer to be (at least in the winter)...but I am open to God's leading.  I am listening for His voice...and if I hear "you otter be in Maine" again, I may have to start packing...

What would you do?

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Ben's Country Woodshop has some new ideas!

We haven't posted much lately from Ben's Country Woodshop, because our chief woodcrafter was busy helping to care for his elderly grandfather, who recently passed away.  Now Ben is getting ready to tune up his saws and drills and get back to work...so we have posted a few new items and some neat ideas on the page for Ben's Country Woodshop.  Check it out and give us some ideas of your own. We are looking for some unique ways to repurpose and rejuvenate some old furniture and items and bring them back to life. We'll be posting some of those ideas in the upcoming weeks and months, so stay tuned!! Thanks!!
You may just see a pile of old chairs and stacks of wood,
but I guarantee you there is great potential waiting to be
re-discovered there.  This may be the new chapter in the life of
Ben's Country Woodshop...so keep watching for updates!
I love this bucket of antique china doorknobs...they are from old
"Closed Doors" waiting to be re-opened!  Can't wait to see what they will become in their new life!

Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge for details.

See you over on "Ben's Country Woodshop" page....

Sunday, June 5, 2011

A New Dawn...A New Beginning...


Sunrise on a new beginning
 Ecclesiastes 11:7 "Truly the light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun..."

This morning I beheld the sun rise on the ocean...one of my most favorite things to do...Not only for its beauty and magnificence...which is beyond description...but for its promise...

"Promise of what?" you may ask.  Promise of re-creation...a new day...a new beginning...a fresh start...
   Promise of redemption...of hope...of forgiveness...of renewal...of salvation...
       Promise of a future...fulfillment... life everlasting...joy...peace... love...eternity

"All of this you see in the sunrise?"   Yes, all of this...and much much more.  Every day the sun rises on this earth...every day we have a new opportunity to live, to laugh, to love...to give life, to give laughter, to give love...to offer hope, forgiveness and salvation...every day that we have life...we have all this and more.

Today I beheld the sun rise on my life...and I felt the SON rise in my heart.  For it is the SON Who rises within my soul Who gives this hope, forgiveness, love, peace, joy, fulfillment, a future, redemption and salvation...it is the SON Who enables me to laugh, to receive and offer hope, to dream and see dreams come true, to forgive and be forgiven...without the SON in my life I would be hopeless, loveless, joyless...and lost.

Yes, today I beheld both the SUN rise and the SON rise on the dawning of a new day...and I have hope.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.  Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.  In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race.  Its rising is from one end of heaven, and its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat."  Psalm 19:1-6
"O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!"  Psalm 8:1 
"This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 Amen.