Friday Foto Friends a little late

 I didn't do a Friday Foto Friends for today because I posted my Thursday post so late last night and it had plenty of pictures, so I didn't think I needed another post today. But then I took a little walk about the house this afternoon when I went out to get the mail and couldn't help but take a few pictures. I always carry my camera and/or my cell phone with me when I go outside, because we just never know what will show up that I need to capture on film!  (I guess there really isn't such a thing a "film" anymore, is there? It's all digital...nothing to wind, develop and print...which can be a good thing, but also a sad thing, as some day there will be no pictures left for anyone to see because the computer pictures will become obsolete with new technology...but hopefully that is something I won't be around to worry about.)

So, all that being said, here's what I saw outside today:

These first two photos were taken this morning. They aren't very clear because of the low light, but I wanted you to see the three different kinds of water birds out on Still Waters Pond at the same time:

In the background are the two Sand Hill Cranes, over against the tan grasses. You can also see their reflections in the water if you look carefully.

On the "sand bar" (more like a mud bog) is the Great Blue Heron standing.

And in the water in front are the cute little Ring Necked Ducks, doing their daily routine of bobbing up and down for food. They are diving ducks and they seem to have so much fun even though for them it is diving for food and it their daily work.

Here's a closer look at the ducks. They always stay in a group like this and seem to take turns diving under and popping up for air. It seems like a game, but to them it is serious business.

Now, this afternoon it was supposed to rain, and it did finally, but before it started raining here's what I saw on Still Waters Pond...The Great Blue Heron again, perfectly still, waiting for the right catch:

He rarely moves an inch and stays perfectly still, until he sees his prey and then he is so quick the poor fish or frog or whatever never knew what hit him!

The Sand Hill Cranes are still out there this afternoon as well, which is unusual. They normally fly out for the day and come back in the evening, but today they seemed to stay right there all day. I don't know if they are nesting this year or not...it seems like I always see them together, and if they were nesting one would be gone sitting on the nest and the other would be coming and going and gathering food...so time will tell...

Meanwhile, up on shore, the neighborhood cat was taking a cat nap. She likes to lay there and pretend she's sleeping, but she usually has one eye open, watching the bird feeders. The birds don't like it when she's there, but after a while she'll go away and the birds will come back to the feeders.

All this time the Great Blue Heron is still standing there perfectly still...

Maybe the fish aren't biting today...

Or maybe I should have said the heron isn't biting today! LOL.  Anyway, shortly thereafter the skies grew darker and the rains started pouring down. I didn't get any pictures, but I was listening to the rain on the roof and it sounded like heaven to me. We need it so much.

I Kings 18:41-45

The Drought Ends

41 "Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 

42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 

43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”

So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain."

The curse was over...God sent an "abundance of rain"...a blessing for the people of Israel...and a message for us today...when we are in a dry spell in our lives...whether it be physical or spiritual...we need to pray for God's restoration of our land...our hearts, our souls, our bodies, and then listen for "the sound of abundance of rain"...God wants to bless us, but we often need to repent of whatever is holding us back...it could just be pure unbelief...lack of faith, weariness from trying to carry the load too long...frustration from not seeing our dreams come true or our prayers answered the way we think they should be...confess our doubts and fears and weariness...and ask God to forgive us for our unbelief, and then listen for the sound of abundance of rain...it will come, in God's time, which is always perfect timing.  

Mark 9:23-24

23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Hear my prayer, oh Lord!

Amen.

One Word for 2020

Happy New Year... Ready or not, 2020 is here!!  And with that comes the selection of a new One Word for the year...

Here was my One Word post for 2019...and the word was Abundance.  As I read back over what I wrote one year ago I realize that I didn't actually follow through with what I thought I would do in regards to learning more about abundant living in Christ...and yet, perhaps it was done for me...

One thing I have learned is that we can't make things happen to have a more abundant life...it is something that happens through life's daily routines, experiences, unexpected events, both good and not so good...God is the One Who is orchestrating our lives in accordance with His perfect plan. My schedule and time-table is not necessarily God's schedule or time-table. His plans are NOT my plans...but His plans are the perfect ones for my life, whether I see it or not at the time.

Remember this picture...the heart in the midst of the trees overlooking the pond when we first found this home?

And yet, I have experienced God's abundant love and presence in my heart and life throughout this past year in so many ways. Probably the biggest was in how He brought together all of the elements necessary for us to finally sell our home and make this huge move to our new home in such a special way.  This post that I wrote here, "A Dream Come True", probably sums it up the best.  It seems as though God went above and beyond our dreams to bring this all to pass, and I just can't thank Him enough.

This is the verse that always comes to my mind when I think of the abundant love of God:

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)

20 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 

21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

I think of this as a kind of benediction, or blessing. Our Lord is able to do "exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think..." and not only is He able, but He does do this for His children whom He loves so much.

So, even if I don't feel like I lived up to my part of the bargain to learn more about "abundance in Christ"...God did HIS part...and He truly did do "exceedingly abundantly above all that" I could ever ask or think.  And I give Him praise and glory, Amen!!

 So now, that brings us to this year,  and the new One Word for 2020.  As of this moment, I am still thinking and praying about this. 

I read a book years ago entitled "The Joyful Journey", co-authored by four different women from the "Women of Faith" ministry,  Patsy Clairmont, Barbara Johnson, Marilyn Meberg, and Luci Swindoll. Their theme verse was from Jeremiah 31:21, which says: "Set up signposts, make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, the way in which you went."    Their goal was "to see women live as fully as God intends for each of them....to bring light to the path and to be a source of encouragement and inspiration, always pointing the way back to God and the importance of our relationship with Him." (Foreword, page 7, The Joyful Journey)  

As I scan through many highlighted, underlined, circled verses in my Bible, I find that the word "joyful" pops out at me all the way through. So often the joyfulness comes after a season of testing and difficulties in life. God's Word teaches us to be joyful in the face of affliction and trials, and to rejoice because of His righteousness and justice. I want to walk this journey of life with a joyful heart, regardless of the  trials and sorrows of life.  

So, I believe my One Word for 2020 is going to be "Joyful", and I will  start the year with one of the very first Psalms I ever learned as a child, 

Psalm 100:1-5

"Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves,

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates  with thanksgiving,

and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; 

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations."

So I am going to be watching for those "signposts and landmarks" of joy along life's pathway...opportunities to be joyful even in the face of adversity or difficulties.  No, I'm not looking for those things...they just have a way of happening without our seeking them out...so it is my desire to face each new challenge of life with a joyful heart,  knowing that the Lord, Who made me, is going to take care of all my needs regardless of what the world may say.   We are His sheep,  and we know that the Good Shepherd cares for His sheep.  So we can be joyful and trust Him no matter what.  

There you have it: JOYFUL!  Happy New Year!!! May all our hearts be joyful as we begin this brand new year and brand new decade. God is with us, so we need not be afraid to face whatever lies ahead!

Simplify My Abundance

This may be in deep contrast to my "One Word" for 2019, which is "Abundance", but in my search for abundant living, I am finding that I need to "simplify" my life first.  I'm also thinking that I should have made "simplify" my "One Word", and maybe it would have spurred me on to an abundance of simplicity...or simplifying my abundance...well...whatever or whichever, I need to get moving in this direction.  

(one of my new t-shirts I got for Christmas)

As many of you know, we are trying to sell our house with the intention of "downsizing" to a smaller home.  So far we still have no takers for this big old house. And I've been rather lazy about getting started on the downsizing process.  

But spring is springing abundantly all around us, and it seems as though with that new vitality of spring, it is time for me to begin some serious spring housecleaning.

(and try not to be distracted by the sweet little white wildflowers growing like a carpet in our yard)

Or by the abundance of azaleas that are really opening up and showing their pretty faces to the sunlight in the Secret Garden (above), and the Memorial Garden (below)

My hubby actually got the cleaning bug last week and reorganized and cleaned out his side of the closet. I was so impressed...

that I had to get busy and start reorganizing and simplifying the abundance of too many things in my side of the closet.  We were both happy to take bags of clothes to the church's thrift store, as well as take bags of old t-shirts that make great rags for painting/woodworking to our woodworking son and daughter in law for their business.

Next...well, I kept smelling an unpleasant musty odor coming from under the kitchen sink.  Usually I would just hurry up and get what I needed or put back what I used and shut the door really quick.

But it was getting worse and worse, and I knew I had to address the problem if I ever want to sell this house...

So I got down on my fanny and sat on the floor and started pulling everything out from under the sink cabinets, and discovered that the floor of the cabinets under the sink was quite wet, and it was spreading to the cabinet next to the sink as well, and it was quite a wet and stinky mess under there.

So everything is out on the kitchen floor, and I cleaned the cabinet floors and put a pan under the sink to see if we can catch the leak and figure out where it is coming from.  It wasn't real obvious, but I think it is coming from the hot water faucet...so we will check again in the morning and then determine if it is something we  can fix on our own or if we need to call someone.   I'm hoping we can do it, but then again...sometimes it is simpler in the long run to call a professional...can I get a witness on that???

Yes, it is time to simplify the abundance of things and clean and organize and refresh this old house.
It may be time to simplify the abundance of things in my mind and heart and clean and organize and refresh this old house that holds me together as well.

Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of Lent...the 40 days leading up to Easter.  My husband has been asked to lead the Ash Wednesday service next week, as our Pastor is still not well...(Thank you for your continued prayers for him and for my hubby as well, as he will also be preaching again this Sunday).  This will be a first time for my hubby to lead an Ash Wednesday service, as we did not officially observe Ash Wednesday as such in our previous churches.  So we've been doing some reading up on the order of service and significance thereof.  One of the key sets of verses that stand out to me goes along real well with what I am experiencing in my pursuit of simplifying and cleaning up the "abundance" of too much...

Psalm 51:7-12

7.  "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8.  Make me hear joy and gladness,

that the bones You have broken may rejoice.

9.  Hide Your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10.  Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11.  Do not cast me away from Your Presence,

and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

and uphold me by Your generous Spirit."

This is also a wonderful song, written and sung by Keith Green:

Thank you also for your prayers for the United Methodist Church denomination this week.  God has indeed answered our prayers, but the denomination still faces some difficult days ahead, and there may possibly be a split at some point. But we believe that God is at work and we will keep praying for those who have been hurt through this process...that they will seek God's face and find grace and forgiveness and peace.

So what about you? Are you working on any spring cleaning projects yet? I know many of you are still dealing with old man winter.  I pray that you will soon experience the joy of springtime in your home and in your heart as well...

Have a simply abundantly blessed rest of your week!!!

Time for Enjoying God's Gifts Around Us

While many in our country are bracing for a severe winter storm,  here in Florida we have been enjoying beautiful cool, sunny days with no humidity, no bugs, no snow, not even any rain...which we need by the way...(However, I hear there is rain and cold front on the way tomorrow night...so glad we had these moments before it comes!)

So yesterday hubby and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and took a bit of a walk in the woods.  We really didn't go far, but enough for us to see that we need to plan a little better and do this more often.

The pine trees think it is springtime and are putting out their pollen and new pine cones. Seems a bit early to me, but apparently the pine trees don't think so.  If you live near pine trees, you know when it is pollen time, as your cars, outdoor furniture, anything sitting outside, will soon be covered with a fine yellow dusting of pollen. For those with allergies, it is not a very pleasant experience!

This morning we took our usual walk before breakfast down our road, which is also rather dusty right now due to lack of rain.  But if we go early enough we don't get too choked by the dust as cars drive by. Most of our neighbors who live on this road are pretty considerate when they see us out walking and will slow down so that the dust doesn't get too overwhelming.

Here I am, sporting my new Christmas gifts...3 lb. weights to carry as I walk. Hubby says it should help me build upper body/arm strength, which I need, so today was the first day I remembered to take them along.  We shall see how I feel later...

Later today I was blessed to see one of God's most beautiful creatures, a male Cardinal, taking his bath!! Yes, I stayed right there and watched the whole thing!  He didn't seem to mind, although perhaps he didn't know I was peeking since I was just inside the house looking through my bedroom windows.

 These pictures of the cardinal taking his bath so peacefully in the birdbath outside our window remind me of some words of Christ, which I think serve as a very great reminder to me and possibly for you right now:

Matthew 6:25-34

25.  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, 

what you will eat or what you will drink;

nor about your body,

what you will put on.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

26.  Look at the birds of the air,

for they neither sow nor reap

nor gather into barns;

yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of more value than they?"

 27.  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28.  So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;

 29.  And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 30.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

 31.  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32.  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 33.  "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things shall be added to you.

34.  Therefore do not worry 

about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about its own things.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

You know, friends, I needed this lesson today. I love how God shows us His abundant love and care in such simple, yet profound ways. Don't you?

I am praying now for those of you who may be in the path of the wintry blast and possibly even other serious storms and/or tornadoes.  May you feel the Presence of the Lord watching over you and protecting you from danger and discomfort. God bless you, dear friend, and stay safe and warm.

Friday Foto Friends...Fridays are better with friends

 Greetings to all my wonderful Friday Foto Friends...and all friends everywhere! Hope you have had a marvelous week...and hope you took pictures to prove it!  That is what Friday Foto Friends is all about...sharing our favorite pictures from the week of whatever we did, wherever we went, and whoever we were with.  You are always welcome to join us. You can link up with the group every Friday over at Deb's place, "Breathing in Grace". Click on that link to take you there.

Meanwhile this week I got inspired by a photo on Facebook that was on the "Tea for Thought" page:

Internet Photo from "Tea for Thought" Facebook Page
"Share it with someone you love"

 Some of the rest of you also enjoyed this and we kind of started talking about having a "Teddy Bear Picnic/Tea Party".   One of my friends asked me if I knew this little song, "Teddy Bears Picnic", and so I looked it up, and here it is, sung by Anne Murray.  Since listening to this, my hubby and I have both had this cute little song going around in our heads and we find ourselves singing it as we ride along on a country ride or even when we were taking a walk. It is a catchy tune and once you listen, you'll be singing it too:

 And one thing led to another.  I noticed that one of our blogging friends, Mary at "Visits with Mary" had a cute picture of a teddy bear on her header that was all dressed up with pearls and lace. (I hope she still has that header up when you go look. If not, Mary, could you post a picture again so they can see?) 

Anyway, that inspired me to dress up one of my teddybears:

 Then I noticed that another of my friends (Annie from "Cottage by the Sea") had also posted a picture of her teddy bears ready for a picnic on her Facebook page (sorry, no link for that picture, so Annie, if you want to share it on your blog they can all see it!),  and again, that inspired me to get a few of my TeddyBear friends together for a tea party:

These cute little teddies are always ready for a tea party:

 And this cute little Kitty says that "Life is One Big Tea Party"

Oh, my dollies didn't want to be left out.  Here they came with their teddy bears and picnic baskets, ready for the party!  One even brought a cake! Now they can all enjoy the party!

So that was fun.  Maybe you will want to have a little tea party with your teddies or dollies or maybe even with some real people friends. Whatever you do, have fun, and "Share it with someone you love".

Matthew 18:2-4 (NKJV)

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Now on to other pictures from the week.

Today we took a little ride (as we hummed "Teddy Bear Picnic") and discovered this little creek in the woods alongside the road.  This is known as "Gum Creek", and it runs through the woods in one of the areas where we are looking for a new house whenever we ever sell our present home.

 You will notice that the water seems to look rusty red. This is caused by "tannins" in the water, which are caused by the breaking down of organic material like bark, leaves, and roots, and are a part of the natural process.  The water in the soil becomes rich with tannins and seeps into the ground water. It is a natural phenomenon that is found in many parts of the world.

 Here is another interesting phenomenon...this vine, (which is a weed vine), is growing on our fence.  The vine is sending out shoots of roots, looking for something to grasp onto.  I think these scroll-looking curl-e-ques are kind of pretty...

 I don't really want this vine on my fence, because it will tangle and choke out the vines I do want, like my wisteria and confederate jasmine vines, but right now it is interesting and pretty, so I will leave it for a little while...

Speaking of interesting and pretty, this beautiful red amaryllis flower just opened right up, without even sending up a tall stem like it normally does. I received this plant/bulb for Christmas from my son and his wife, and planted it right away.  I was surprised to see it blooming before it really got very tall. But I love it!

It looks right at home among my African Violet plants on the window sill in the sun porch.  So wonderful to see such lovely color in the drabness of winter.

Well, friends, I hope you have enjoyed this little picnic/tea party/ride through the woods and back home again.  As many of you are aware, we are trying to sell our home and move to a community about 30 miles away, near our son and daughter in law and the church that we attend. We've had some disappointing prospective buyers who didn't show up or others that came and went and never came back. We've seen a few houses we'd like to buy, but can't do anything without selling our house first. And so we wait, and we pray, and we take rides and dream and sing little songs and visit with friends and stay busy while we wait.  We know that when God is ready to move us, it will all fall into place.  We are trying to be patient...

Reading in the book "The Way of Abundance" by Ann Voskamp, here's a few thoughts about "Abundance", (my One Word for 2019)

"Sure, life and people will try to tell you loudly that you need to be like a rock, that you'll need to harden up to live in a harsh world, be impenetrable, unmoved.  But no one can really live the abundant life that way.  Rocks don't breathe. Because they're dead."  (Ann Voskamp, pg. 33)

"Questions for Reflection" (page 34)

• "Where might God be working to soften your heart today in the midst of your work?
• Where might there be hardness in your heart that is hindering your growth into the abundant life?"

Hmm, I stop and think about this.  This week had some "hard places", and I had a difficult time staying pleasant in the face of frustration and downright rudeness.  I had to stop and check myself for wrong attitudes.  Instead of getting angry and frustrated, I had to realize that God was working on my behalf...He has this situation all timed out perfectly, and when the time is right, everything will fall into place. I need to be thankful even when there are bumps in the road and disappointments along the way because it is all apart of His protection and provision for me. There is a bigger picture here that I can't see right now, and I need to trust God enough that even this is a part of His plan for my "growth into the abundant life."  

Okay, friends...let's go enjoy this Friday with friends. God bless you all abundantly above all you could ask or think!

Hold the presses! Just as I was about to hit "publish" for this post, I looked outside and saw this beautiful sunrise, so I grabbed my camera and ran down the road to the neighborhood pond to capture some pictures before it became covered with the clouds:

I knew you wouldn't want to miss it!  Praise God in the mornings...Praise Him in the evenings! Praise Him ALL day long!!!  Okay...go have a marvelous day my friends! Yes, Fridays are better with friends!

Friday Foto Friends-Preserving Family Heirlooms

 Hello Friday Foto Friends!  I hope you are enjoying this beautiful new year! It's hard to believe we are almost into the middle of January already! They say that time really flies the older we get, and I guess that must be so, because this "old gal" can't keep up with it.

I thought I'd share a few more special "Christmas gifts" with you. You may have already seen this picture on my Facebook page.  These are our kids (aka "The Newlyweds") along with my hubby, and he is showing a special gift that our son made for him.

Here's the story.  When my father in law died in 1995 my mother in law was given this beautiful big American flag because he was a veteran and was given a veteran's burial.

When my mother in law passed away this past year, she had specified that my hubby, her oldest son, should receive the flag. Therefore, we have had it for a while, but we had no way to display it or keep it covered to keep the dust off of it.

And so our son the carpenter created this beautiful case for it as a Christmas gift, however what we all didn't realize was that this flag was a bit too large for the standard size case.  

Oops! Back to the drawing board, and he was able to create a larger case. This was a close call, because this wood is actually very special, and there wasn't much left.  

My Mother in law had written this note to keep with the flag.

You see, there is a history to the wood that was used to build this wonderful gift, along with some other special Christmas gifts ...

This is my hubby's maternal grandfather, Granddaddy Martin:

And yes, those are his glasses in that case...

He also was a carpenter, and in addition to building houses he also built some special pieces of furniture.

This is Granddaddy Martin's old tool caddy, that has been passed down to his great-grandson.

Sad to say, I don't have any pictures of the piece that I want to tell you about.   Granddaddy Martin had built a tall chest of drawers out of red cedar many years ago.  It was given to us after my husband's grandmother passed away.  Unfortunately, due to its age and years of being in and out of different temperatures the wood had developed some cracks and the drawers were stuck and extremely difficult to open.  We tried to repair the dresser, but it became apparent that it really wasn't going to be repairable. It was decided that that old chest of drawers might serve a better purpose if the wood could be repurposed into some special items for family members.

And so, this past Christmas, since it was the first Christmas since "Nanny" (my mother in law) had passed away, we thought this would be a good time to make some special family gifts from Granddaddy Martin's cedar chest of drawers.  Hence, our son made the flag case for my hubby.

Not wanting to leave out my husband's brother, our son also created something special for him from the cedar wood:  I'm sorry this picture isn't real clear, and actually I turned it around upside down

because the shelf is still sitting on the floor, waiting to be hung on the wall.

But hopefully you get the picture.  It is a wonderful shelf to set a few things on and to hang a jacket or robe or towels, or belts, whatever... and it is a keepsake made from Granddaddy Martin's cedar chest of drawers!

Not to be left out, my son also made something special for me:

Yes, this beautiful new cedar bird feeder!  It is so pretty that I hate to let it get messed up with bird seed. I am thinking I will save it for when we move to our new house (sometime in the future...who knows when? God knows!!)...

and even then I may just have to decorate it and keep it inside...not sure that I want birds pooping on this...

But, then again, maybe the birdies do need a new place to dine...this old bird feeder is getting worn out...

All I can say to close this out is that I feel abundantly blessed to have a part in preserving some of our family history...we have such a rich heritage of love and family.  These are a just a very few things I am thankful for as we begin a new year.

What about you?  I hope you are also feeling "abundantly blessed". God has been so good to us.

I am looking forward to seeing what you've been doing this past week. Let us hop on over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and check up on the rest of our Friday Foto Friends.

Until next time...here's some verses about "Abundance" (my One Word for 2019)

Isaiah 55:1-3

1.  "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, 

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

and let your soul delight itself 

in 

ABUNDANCE.

3.  Incline your ear, and come to Me.

Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an

everlasting covenant with you...

The sure mercies of David."

Oh my! We need to keep reading...skip on down to verses 6-7:

"6.  Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

7.  Let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord,

And He will have mercy on him;

And to our God,

For He will ABUNDANTLY pardon."

Some wonderful thoughts for the New Year.  Praise God!!!!!