Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

 Since it it late in the day on Thursday I might as well combine this post with tomorrow's post and share my photos as well as "be thankful".  

1.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2. The earth was without form, and void; 

and darkness was on the face of the deep. 

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Genesis 1:1-2

It was quite chilly this morning, and actually there was a frost on the ground, but I didn't notice it as I was too busy looking at the steam rising from the face of Still Waters Pond. It made me think of that verse in Genesis above..."And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters..."  What a beautiful thought to start our day.

And then I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Bluebird show up! He doesn't usually come around that early in the morning, at least I haven't seen him that early in a while. They haven't taken up residence yet in the birdhouse...they still seem to be just passing through or checking it out for future reference when they are ready to start building their nest. But according to what I've read, they could start building their nest anytime now...so I will definitely be watching! What a joy and blessing to witness their daily lives once things get going!!

Speaking of daily lives...This morning I had to go have some routine 

(fasting) lab work done, which of course is an occasion for going out to eat breakfast afterwards as my reward!

We've been to this little place several times before..."Colee's".  It's pretty doggone good and makes getting jabbed a more pleasant occasion.

After breakfast we went to The Dollar Tree and The Dollar General, looking for some Valentine decorations. Obviously, when you wait until a few days before the big day, it will be "slim pickin's".

I still can't find what I had last year. They are hiding somewhere in our shed I think. Our son "organized" my containers of seasonal decorations and actually did a great job, but for some reason the Valentine decorations are not in the bin where I thought they were, and I just cannot find them anywhere. I'm thinking they've slipped behind something somewhere and they will probably show up next fall...so anyway, this is what I managed to find today:

I realize that looks kind of stupid...but it is a heart shaped wreath with a garland attached to give it more color.  I may have to make it a bit more decorative than that...

This table runner I actually bought at Walmart a few weeks ago...

And this little heart wreath looks kind of pathetic...but it is what is is. 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

It's the thought that counts, right?

After we got back from eating and shopping we decided to go for a walk as it was such a gorgeous morning!  After several days of very cold,  damp, rainy, dreary weather earlier this week, we felt like kids let out of school to be able to get out and walk and enjoy the sunshine again! Praise God!

I saw this wild plum tree blooming in another section of the woods where I had not noticed it before,  and of course I had to get up close and personal with it! It was just so gorgeous, and they don't last for long, so we need to celebrate and delight in its beauty while it lasts, don't you agree?

It's funny, there are so many pine needles hanging in this tree that it looks kind of like a Christmas tree with those icicles hanging in it...remember them?

But when you get up close...well, what can I say?  I just love these little wild blossoms so much!

And would you look at that blue sky? Now tell me there isn't a God Who created all this for us to enjoy...I dare you!!

When we got back home I noticed we had quite a large flock of geese swimming around on Still Waters Pond:

At first I only saw six, but then after looking closer I realized there were actually seven geese!

Once I stepped out on the porch to take their picture, they started honking and eventually turned around

And flew away! Oh well, I enjoyed watching them while they lasted. My camera battery died when they all took off flying, so I didn't get a picture of that, of course! LOL.

So this afternoon it was SO beautiful I spent some time sitting on the swing in the garden, just soaking in the sun and enjoying the blessings of what God has provided so abundantly.

You've seen this mug before that says:

"Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God"

Job 37:14

And so that is just what I did.

I needed that.  You know sometimes we get too caught up in the world and all the world's problems and we find ourselves getting tense and frustrated and even bordering on depressed.

Then I saw this post on Facebook today, by "Susie Larson Blessings".  https://www.facebook.com/susielarsonauthor

This really spoke to me:

"Morning Blessing: May you refuse to procrastinate on the things God has clearly asked of you. May you deal with the issues of your heart that block your view of God’s goodness, holiness, and love. Daily love, forgive, obey, and pray because there’s a God in heaven who knows your name! When you take seriously the things that settle into your heart, God takes seriously the prayers that come out of your mouth. Rise up with a bold faith and a humble heart, and speak life over your life, starting today. Speak to your mountains and tell them to move in Jesus’ Name! Speak to your fears and tell them that Jesus’ love is perfect is greater still. Speak to your soul and remind yourself that God is always good. Speak to any obstacle that blocks your view of the Son and His radiance, and tell it to be tossed into the sea! May your faith combined with God’s goodness move you to a place of grace and peace. And every which way you turn, may you see evidence that God is at work an involved in your life. Have a faith-filled, powerful day. #SusieLarsonBlessings"

Mark 11:22-25 NLT ~ "Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."

I don't know about you, but I needed to hear this today. Sometimes little things creep up on us, like little hurts and feelings of inadequacy or being misunderstood by people we care about, and if we aren't careful we can let those things build walls between us and others, and then ultimately, between us and God.  We may find ourselves wanting to retreat into a corner or run away rather than deal with the issues, but that is what the devil wants us to do.  I, for one, do not EVER want to do what the devil wants me to do. I cannot give in to his lies and doubts and fears, because once I let him get a toehold in my mind or a quenching of my spirit, it doesn't take much to take me to a place where I should never be...a place of self-pity, doubt, anxiety, or wanting to give up and run away. I don't normally have these kinds of feelings...that is actually kind of foreign to me...but it happens when I give in to those whispers of doubt.  So it is so important to "daily love, forgive, obey and pray because there's a God in heaven who knows your name!" (Susie Larson, see above). 

And so it is a good idea to daily take stock of our own hearts and spirits, and seek God's face first of all...and pray:

"23. Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

Okay,  I think this is a good place to stop for today.  I pray this has been encouraging and helpful to you as it has been to me as well.  I am so thankful for our God, Who listens and hears our prayers and gives us encouragement just when we need it most, aren't you?  Have a blessed and wonderful rest of your day today and a Happy Friday tomorrow!!!

,

Sermon Notes "Just Like Them!"

Before I get into the message from Sunday's sermon,  I'd like to share these thoughts from my morning meditation beside the waters as I watched the mist rise up from the surface much like the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters:

Genesis 1:1-5

1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.

 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

 3.  Then God said, "Let there be light";

and there was light.

4.  And God saw the light, that it was good;

and God divided the light from the darkness.

5.  God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.

So the evening and the morning were the first day."

What a powerful way to start the day! I Praise God for this gift.

This past Sunday was "Laity Sunday" at our church, and thus the Pastor was given the day off from preaching and our lay people took charge of the service.  This is also in conjunction with October being Pastor Appreciation Month.  Of course, our Pastors should be appreciated every month because they are there for us 24/7/12 months of the year. Trust me, I know...my hubby spent quite a few years in the ministry, and as the Pastor's Wife, I know what kind of hours the Pastor puts in.  But it is a calling...called to serve the Lord and His people, and any person who believes he or she has been called to serve in the capacity needs to be aware that it is a full time, life time commitment. Not something you can just walk away from, even when retired.... (and wives and family are a big part of this "calling". If you don't think you can take it, best not marry a pastor!)

All that being said, we appreciate our Pastor very much, and thank the Lord for his dedication to the flock of God at our little church.

In light of this special day, one of our laymen delivered the message entitled "Just Like Them",  from the scripture passage found in I Samuel 8:4-20.  In this passage the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel the Prophet and demanded that he "make us a king to judge us just like all the nations." (see verse 5)

Verse 6 says, "But the thing displeased Samuel when they said , 'Give us a king to judge us.'  So Samuel prayed to the Lord."

7.  "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them."

God apparently was not surprised that His chosen people of Israel would demand a king to reign in place of Him.  Way back in the book of Genesis 35:11 He told Jacob (who was renamed Israel by God), 

"I am God Almighty.  Be fruitful and multiply; 

a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, 

and kings shall come from your body..."

Israel had rejected God's leadership. Their basic problem was disobedience to God.

• In Leviticus 20:26 God said to the people of Israel: "You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the people, that you should be Mine."
• Israel was called to be a holy nation, but they no longer wanted God to be their nation's ruler.
• They wanted to be like other nations with a human king
• They did not understand that only God's strength can make them flourish.
• 
  
• We, too, are disobedient to God and not listening to Him as a nation (and as a people)
• In Deuteronomy 28:1, God told Israel:
• "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth."
• But we, as a nation, have turned away from God. Our nation is divided.
• We are His people also, not just Israel.  
• Romans 12:2 says: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
• The world is corrupting our minds and our nation.  
• Our refusal to conform to world "values" must go deeper.
• Only when the Holy Spirit renews, educates and redirects our minds can we be firmly planted in Christ.
• We need to pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us.
• 
  
• Read God's Word, the Bible.  Let God's Holy Spirit do His job of leading us.
• Romans 8:5 says:  "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit."
• There are two kinds of people:  Those who let themselves be controlled by SIN
• Those who let themselves be led by the Holy Spirit.
• Ask yourself:  What would Jesus want ME to do? Then do it eagerly!
• Make God YOUR king, and follow Him!

Thank you to our layman and Sunday School teacher, David Perez, for this excellent message from God's Word. We are so blessed to have such excellent leadership in our little church.