Sunday Morning~ Walking with Jesus

The Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-35

"13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was even miles from Jerusalem. 

14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 

15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 

16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him."

 I love this picture of Jesus on the Road to Emmaus with two of His followers. I have it framed and sitting where it can be seen in our living room all the time. Why? Well, I just love this story...and it makes me wonder sometimes about how often I may have actually been walking with Jesus and didn't really recognize Him...you know what I mean?  It could have been a stranger who needed some food, or perhaps just some words of kindness and welcome and comfort...or perhaps He had words of admonition or warning for me...or words of comfort when I needed it most...

You can read Luke 24:13-35 for the rest of the story...or listen in here to today's message at church!

This kind of reminds me of the song "In the Garden"...

1 I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

2 He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing. [Refrain]

(Mama Bluebird is ready to feed her babies inside the birdhouse)

Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

(Mama and Papa both are feeding the babies)

(Papa Bluebird is very cautious about who may be around the nest. It is getting close to time for them to leave the nest!)

3 I'd stay in the garden with Him

Tho' the night around me be falling;

But He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe,

His voice to me is calling. [Refrain]

Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

Amen!

This was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon "In the Garden", beside the still very dry Still Waters Pond.  Thankfully the lack of rain does not seem to have bothered our fine feathered friends, the Bluebirds.  Hopefully their babies will be able to safely leave the nest very soon. I am keeping a close watch to make sure that Blackie is not too close when that happens.

I hope you are having a pleasant, restful and peaceful Lord's Day.  

Until next time...why not take a little walk with Jesus?

Tuesday 4 ~ Your Garden

Oh! I wish this was my garden!!!
So lovely!

Your Garden

Its Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 once again and I thought it might be nice to talk about our gardens or house plants. After all, houseplants are indoor gardens and fish aquariums can be water gardens.

1. Do you have a garden indoors or outdoors? Houseplants count I think. If not, why don't you have them?

Funny you should ask.  Today I actually went outside and took some pictures in my "garden".  Sadly, my garden is rather laughable to even be classified as a garden.  After our long hot summer the weeds have taken over and the plants are rather tired and worn out. However, here are a few pictures I took today in my "garden". Judge for yourself!

I believe this is called a "Cape Honeysuckle", and it is really the only thing blooming much right now in my little butterfly garden.

I took this picture today as I sat outside on the swing, enjoying a rather pleasant breezy morning for a change, although it was still a bit humid and warmed up rather quickly...I enjoyed it while it lasted.

I finally got all the garden decorations put back outside after having put everything away for the hurricane a couple of weeks ago.

The only "casualty" of the storm was this lovely little teacup bird feeder/bath.  I had put it under the porch to keep it safe from harm, and then proceeded to put the other garden items like the shepherd hooks, etc. next to it. Apparently a metal rod bumped into the delicate teacup as I pushed it under the porch, and it broke into several pieces.  I tried my best to glue it back together to no avail, and then our son Scott came home and saw it sitting on the kitchen counter in pieces and took it upon himself to figure out how to glue it back together again. When I came home and saw it I was totally surprised. Although where it is glued together the water still leaks out a little around the cracks, so it really can't be used as a little tiny bird bath anymore, but it still looks pretty from a distance, so back into the garden it went this morning!! 

Here is a little visitor to the wildflowers along the shore of Still Waters Pond...

And this is the kind of flower I seem to grow best in my garden...a wildflower!  Not sure what this is called, but I will call it a butterfly plant because the flowers definitely look like little butterflies, don't you think?   I just found out from a reader that is is a St. Andrew's Cross wildflower plant. (Hypericum hypericoides)    Thank you, Mary B., for giving me this information! 

This was my view from the swing...

And here's the swing and the garden bench (which needs some work so isn't really safe to sit on right now).

I do not have much of a green thumb, so I just enjoy what God provides in His lovely garden along the shores of Still Waters Pond.

2. Have you visited Longwood Gardens or any of the large gardens and horticultural sites around the world or your state? Tell us about it.

Not really. There are plenty to visit if I wanted to, but I just haven't taken the time to do it. I know there is a lovely place near us called Ravine Gardens, and it is especially beautiful in the spring when the azaleas are blooming. I've been wanting to go there...so maybe next spring I will try a little harder to do so.

3. Most people really enjoy a little garden but I think we sometimes make too many excuses not to do things we really would enjoy. Too busy, not enough space, etc. But if we put our minds to it, anything is possible Do you believe that? 

Certainly anything is possible with God's help.  My biggest excuse has been not only the extreme heat here in the summertime, but also the past few years I have had a lot of back/shoulder/neck/arm issues, which make it really difficult to do any kind of gardening. When Scott lived here at home with us he would help me with planting things, etc., but now that he has moved away he really doesn't have much time when he comes home to help with too many projects.  My hubby really isn't in to gardening either, and we both have our physical limitations, so we just really don't feel up to doing much in the way of gardening.  It's all we can manage to keep up with the lawn maintenance.  That's why I am thankful for the natural beauty around us that God has provided for us to enjoy.

4. Ideally, what flowers, shrubs and trees do you want in your little garden real or imagined?

I would love to have some good rose bushes, preferably the climbing kind like in the picture above. My one little rose bush that bloomed in the Memorial Garden for special occasions seems to have lost its momentum this year. Plus I really never got around to fertilizing it like I should have.  I have enjoyed the little butterfly garden when it was blooming better in the spring and early summer, but the heat really wiped it out.  It may come back for a little while now that the weather is getting a tad cooler...we shall see what develops.  I tend to enjoy a more natural looking setting as opposed to a highly cultivated garden that requires so much maintenance.  Wildflowers always make me smile!

And the hollyberries are starting to ripen and turn red on the holly trees!  I do hope the squirrels will leave enough for the Robins and Cedar Waxwings to enjoy this year when they pass through!

So that about sums up my gardening expertise for this post! I hope some others will post their lovely gardens for us to enjoy. You can check them out over HERE.

Meanwhile, today we started our  Women's Bible Study back up after a summer hiatus.  We picked up where we left off in the Book of Acts:

It was great to get back with our church ladies and share what's been going on in our lives this summer, etc.  I've missed it!  Our Choir Practice will start back again Tuesday night as well. It will be nice to be singing again! So thus starts a busy season of activities...but it's all good.  Oh, the Men's Bible Study started back again today as well. My hubby is the leader for that group, and they are studying the book of Hebrews right now. 

Now here's a flashback to the past, the wonderful voice of Jim Reeves singing "In the Garden"...an appropriate favorite old hymn for today's post:

"I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me

And He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing

And He walks with me

And He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

I stayed in the garden with Him

Though the night all around me is falling

But He bids me go, through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling

And He walks with me

And He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known"

Friday Foto Friends-Porch Sitting Time!

 Here it is Friday Foto Friends day, and I don't have any pictures worth sharing! What's up with that?  Probably because I've spent most of the week just trying to get by with doing the least possible I could do. LOL.  But, thank you everyone for the kind words regarding my headaches, new glasses, etc., etc.  I have started on the medicine that was prescribed for tension headaches. It is actually an antidepressant in a lower dose.  I guess it's supposed to make me feel really good about my headaches! LOL.  Last night was my 2nd night taking it, and actually I am sleeping better, but it's still too early in the morning to tell if I still have a headache or not.  I am working on not being "two tents" (if you read my last post you will understand that. If you didn't get to read it, click on the link so you'll be in the loop! LOL)

When I was at the doctor's office the other day they gave me this little pedometer and told me the goal is to work up to taking 10,000 steps per day! LOL.  So here's where I left off yesterday...which actually isn't correct because I took it off to take a nap and if you leave it sit too long it wipes out your numbers, and then I didn't wear it at all after supper, and we did take another walk...so...it should probably be up around 4500 or more instead of 1500.  I will try to do better today...but it may be a while before I reach 10,000 steps in a day! 

Speaking of walks...when we did take our walk yesterday I kept hearing this sweet little bird song, and so of course I was looking to see what kind of bird was singing above me in the treetops. I actually managed to get a picture of it, and then another when he flew to the ground right in front of me!

These pictures on the ground aren't too clear because he was moving along pretty fast:

And then I realized there were actually two of them!  I believe these are Pine Warblers., and I noticed that one of them had a long piece of pine needle in her mouth when she flew up from the ground, so maybe they are building a nest!  That would be fun to see, but this is out in the woodsy area where we go walking, so I doubt I would ever be able to find their nest. It could be anywhere!

After our evening walk I did a little "porch sitting"...well, more like yard sitting in the porch swing. LOL.  It was so pleasant out last evening, with a cool breeze coming across Still Waters Pond.

The only thing missing was you!  I sat there thinking how nice it would be if our blogging friends could be our porch sitting friends as well...

You know, someone to actually sit beside and swing on the swing, or sit up on the real porch and enjoy a little tea party or just sitting and chatting in person. I miss that. My hubby stuck his head out the door and wondered when I was coming back inside.  I asked him to come outside and sit with me! But he was busy watching a hockey game on tv...I've learned after over almost 53 years of marriage that porch sitting  or swinging just isn't something a man seems to enjoy as much as woman! Once in a while he will come out and sit with me, but only until the first mosquito shows up and then he's "outta there"! 

LOL. But I can't complain...he has many other wonderful qualities and we actually do our best chatting while taking a ride or a walk. I am very thankful to have him and at our age, I don't take that for granted.

But I sat there contemplating how times have changed in our society.  People used to visit one another on their porches and that's where the best conversations could be had. Just relaxing and sitting and chit-chatting about this or that...drinking a cool iced tea or lemonade and simply enjoying being friends and neighbors.

There are "rules" for porch sitting, you know! Of course these mostly apply to when you are porch sitting alone, except for the "conversing" part on the list. One might think you are a bit touched in the head if you are "conversing" with no one...LOL.

However, I will say that I often have the best "conversations" with God while sitting out in my porch swing.  It's kind of like the chorus to the familiar beloved old hymn< "In The Garden"...

1 I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

2 He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

 [Refrain]

3 I'd stay in the garden with Him

Tho' the night around me be falling;

But He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe,

His voice to me is calling. 

[Refrain]

Well, friends, I guess I came up with a few things to share.  I am thankful for you and that we do have this way of conversing with one another. It's almost as good as sitting in a swing together and visiting face to face.  It would be wonderful to actually be able to do that someday, but until we can, I thank the Lord for this time of "porch sitting" that we do have.

Have a blessed and beautiful day! And thank you again for your prayers and kind thoughts! Oh, btw, my new glasses seem to be doing fine. I am adjusting to them better each day.  And I am praying that my headaches will soon be a thing of the past. One day at a time!  God is Good, All the Time God is good!

A Comforter in the Garden - Updated

This is a repost, but well worth repeating.  

3/29/2018:  This has been a week for "comforting" in the garden. Just last evening I sat in this very garden with my dear daughter in law, whose mother had passed away early that morning after a prolonged illness.  Even after "prolonged illnesses" our hearts are broken when a loved one is finally called home to heaven.  I was able to share some of the ways God had comforted me with the passing of my own mother and also our son. I pray the Lord will comfort our sweet daughter in law and her family during this time of sorrow, just prior to Easter.  My own father passed away just prior to Easter, and I remember thinking how marvelous that he would be celebrating Easter in heaven with Jesus! What a glorious time to enter heaven's gates! And, if it weren't for Easter and all that Jesus did for us at that time, we wouldn't even have an opportunity to enter heaven at all. Hallelujah, What a Saviour! (click here for a previous post about this song)

Original Post 3/24/16:

"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; 

nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.

Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  

Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Luke 22:42-44

I was sitting in my garden, enjoying the sounds of the birds and admiring the beauty of the flowers blooming on this lovely spring day, when suddenly it hit me:  Today is Maundy Thursday...the day Christians remember that this was the day that our Lord went to the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed...the night before His crucifixion and death.  It was in the garden that the Bible tells us He prayed to His Father, pleading if it were possible to "take this cup away from Me"...meaning the cup of His sacrifice of His life for the sins of the world...knowing that He would actually become sin for us, so that we would no longer be lost in our sins.  The Bible tells us that Jesus was actually in agony, so much so that "His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

In Luke's Gospel quoted above, we are told that "an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him."

I had never noticed this particular passage until this past Sunday when we read it in our Bible Study time.  It truly touched my heart to think that our Lord was suffering so greatly that God the Father actually sent an angel to comfort Him and give Him strength for the horrendous journey ahead.

As I was writing this just now a friend called me and asked me to pray for her daughter. We've been praying for this dear one for quite a while. She's been going through some very difficult surgeries and has a serious bacterial infection right now.  As I spoke with this distraught mother, I visualized this angel comforting Jesus in the garden...and I reminded my friend of this story as she had also been here with us on Sunday when we discovered this verse in our time of worship and Bible study. We both were comforted as we thought about the angel comforting Jesus...and realized that God sends His angels to comfort us during times of distress as well.  The angel may come in the form of a friend who is there to pray or lend a helping hand. Or perhaps a word of scripture that gives hope and encouragement at just the right moment...much like this one.

I don't know about you, but I find this so comforting. Jesus was not alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, even though His disciples had fallen asleep just a stone's throw away when He had asked them to watch and pray with Him.  God the Father saw His Son's agony and sent an angel to minister to Him.  God sees our agony and sends His angels to comfort us...just when we need it most.

My garden above is a special place set aside in our yard to honor the memory of our son, who died in May of 2014.  I love to sit there and pray and think about God's mercy and grace.  Even though our son died after a long battle with cancer, God did not leave us comfortless.  He sent His angels to minister to us throughout that long ordeal...and His Holy Spirit is always with us to comfort us during our times of grief.  

Maybe there are some of you who need these words of comfort today. Perhaps you are in your own kind of "Garden of Gethsemane"... and this picture of Jesus being strengthened by the angel might give you hope.  I hope so.  

Remember...even though things may look dark today...Sunday is coming...Easter day! The day we celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead...the day He burst forth from the tomb victorious over death to give us life everlasting!  So...no matter how bleak things may appear today...we have this hope in Christ Jesus! Victory is on the horizon!  

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 9- The Voice In The Garden

"I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear,

falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses,

Chorus:

And He walks with me,

and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me,

Within my heart is ringing,

(Chorus)

I'd stay in the garden with Him

Tho' the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go;

Thro' the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling."

(Chorus)

(In The Garden by C. Austin Miles)

I love coming to the garden in the morning...but actually, the birds do not hush their singing at all--rather they are continuously calling out to one another--One calls from one side of the woods,

and another responds from somewhere way over on the other side of the woods.  It could be a mate calling to his mate, and she responds "Here I am", and he warns her that there may be an intruder in the garden...and soon it seems that their voices are coming from somewhere closer together...and then their song actually changes tune, and it seems as though they are happily reunited and all is well.

And I think about myself...and the Lord is calling out to me; "Pam, where are you?"  And I respond with, "Here I am, Lord."  And He draws closer to me as I listen to His voice...and He speaks to me in tones of great love and comfort.  He truly knows exactly what I need to hear at this very moment; and while I am sitting here, silently waiting, He whispers words of love in my ear.  He reminds me that I need not fear, no matter what is happening in the world around us...because He is always near...and He will never let me go!  However, I am not held captive, no, He actually wants me to realize that I am free to go, but He will always be with me wherever I go.

Hebrews 13:5-6 says:

5.  "Let your conduct be without covetousness,

Be content with such things as you have.

for He (God) Himself has said,

'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'

6.  So we may boldly say:

"The Lord is my helper.

I will not fear what man

can do to me."

I found verses 7-9 to be interesting as well:

7.  "Remember those who rule over you,

who have spoken the word of God to you,

whose faith follow

considering the outcome of their conduct.

8.  Jesus Christ is the same, 

yesterday, today, and forever!

9.  Do not be carried about 

with various and strange doctrines.  

For it is good that the heart

be established by GRACE,

not with foods which have not

profited those who have 

been occupied with them."

I'm not sure where all of this is heading today.  But, Lord, I'm listening to Your voice.

Perhaps this message is as much for someone else visiting here as it is for me...God knows....

Thank You, Jesus, for always being there for us--and for being changeless--

In this ever-changing world, it is a great comfort to know that You will NEVER leave us nor forsake us..and we do NOT need to fear what man or the things of this world can do to us.

We are SAFE in the palms of Your loving, protective hands.

We need to keep our eyes on YOU, Lord, and not on man or any man's ideology.

Thank You for bringing us here into Your Presence today, where we can hear Your voice,

and know that You will be with us, no matter what!

Praise God!

For a previous post from "In The Garden", which was written a couple of years ago, please click HERE.  This was written long before I ever dreamed of creating this lovely "Secret Garden", but the opening scene was taken from the very same spot, early in the morning.  And the roses are from my yard, but in another garden.  These pictures today are not roses, but are camellias, which are blooming now.  I love how God provides beauty all throughout the year, if we just take the time to "stop and smell the roses" around us...and listen for His Voice!

Seeing One Another Through - Friday Foto Friends

In my last post A-little-nervous-energy and-it-isnt-even spring yet, I mentioned that I was preparing for a ladies' gathering at my home this week.  Well, today (writing this on Thursday) was the day...and what a glorious day it was! Nine beautiful ladies (and one charming little granddaughter with her grandmother) came together for a "Tea-Brunch", a time to "honor  and encourage our Pastor's Wives and Friends " with a time of fellowship and prayer....

This was an idea born out of a desire to bring together the pastor's wives and friends from our local community churches, sponsored by our home Bible fellowship.  We live in a small town with only a few churches, and it seems as though we all have a tendency to stay within our own little groups and not mix with those from the other churches, and to me that just seems a real shame.  We are all here for the same purpose, serving the same Lord and sharing the love of Christ with those we meet wherever we go.  So, this was an effort to bring the ladies together for a time of getting acquainted, sharing our burdens with one another and lifting each other up in prayer.  We found out that we were a very congenial and caring group...and it is our hope that we will continue to meet like this on a regular basis in the future.

The picture above of the verse and quote is from a little daily devotional calendar that I have had for years, sitting on a shelf, and occasionally remembering to turn the pages for each day.  When I was dusting the furniture in preparation for this gathering, I thought perhaps I should flip the pages over to the scheduled day of the brunch, and was so surprised to see what was written there...and it was as if God was saying, "Here is My message for the ladies...this is what I want you to share with them..."
and so it became the theme for our time together...bearing one another's burdens...seeing one another through...perfect!  Isn't God amazing? He always comes through if we just take the time to notice.

This was an especially poignant time for me, as while we were gathered together for prayer and fellowship, my husband was meeting his brother at the nursing home where their mother (my mother in law) was being admitted for long term care.  I had a feeling that it would all collide on the same day, but God knew beforehand that this would be the best way to handle it.  These ladies were able to show me the support and love that I needed, as well as praying for my mother in law and family during a difficult transition.  And the good news is, the facility where she is now living is in the nearest city to us, so it will not be difficult for us to visit her often. That is a wonderful answer to prayer!

Okay, so this is my offering for the weekly "Friday Foto Friends"...when you are finished reading here CLICK HERE to skip over to Deb's place at  "Breathing in Grace" and see what others are sharing.  Here are a few more pictures from our event...and also some of the table settings before the ladies arrived. It truly was a lovely time...and next time the girls said they want to meet in "The Secret Garden", which hopefully will be ready soon!  (It really isn't a secret at all, is it?!)


Here are the "Before" pictures:

"An Invitation to Tea" was sent out to all the ladies

Love these beautiful camellias...









And here are the "After pictures"....love these beautiful ladies:

Our menu included a spinach, bacon, cheese, egg brunch casserole, a ham and cheese quiche, a delightful berry fruit cup topped with an almond cream sauce, delicious "Grandma's Coffee Cake" and Applesauce Muffins....and any kind of tea you could want...and of course coffee for those who prefer it.

In addition to eating, talking and praying, one of our lovely ladies (above on the right side of the table) blessed us with a beautiful solo of "In The Garden", which left us each desiring to have that peaceful time of walking and talking with the Lord in the garden "while the dew is still on the roses".
A delightful time was had by all...and we look forward to future times of "Seeing One Another Through".

In The Garden

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Early this morning as I walked through our yard,  I noticed the dew on the roses...and this is the song that came to me....
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. I come to the garden alone,

1. While the dew is still on the roses,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. 
   
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. 
    
11. 
    
12. 
    
13. 
    
14. 
    
15. 
    
16. 
    
17. 
    
18. 
    
19. 
    
20. And the voice I hear falling on my ear
    The Son of God discloses.
    • 
      
    • Refrain:
      And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
      And He tells me I am His own;
      
      
      And the joy we share as we tarry there,
      None other has ever known.

1. He speaks, and the sound of His voice
   Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
2. 
   
3. And the melody that He gave to me
   Within my heart is ringing.

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. I’d stay in the garden with Him,
   Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

2. His voice to me is calling.

• Refrain:
  And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
  
  
  And He tells me I am His own;
  And the joy we share as we tarry there,
  None other has ever known.
• "In The Garden", written by Charles A. Miles, 1913.

"Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?'

She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Jesus said to her, "Mary!"

She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher)...

(John 20: 15-16)

Have you ever spent time alone with the Lord in the garden? I do, quite frequently, but not as often as I'd like, especially in the early morning dew or the cool of the evening dusk. However, whenever I do, it is always a most pleasant experience. I can almost imagine the Lord Himself, walking beside me and whispering words of comfort and encouragement as we linger there.  I believe the day is coming...perhaps sooner than we can imagine, that we will indeed be "in the garden" with Him...forever!  Personally speaking, I am truly looking forward to that day with great joy and anticipation!  I hope you will be there too... 

Have a blessed and peaceful day my friend!