Apple Blossom Time...

Good Evening Friends...

These pictures of apple blossoms really don't have anything to do with whatever I may say tonight...but I've been watching them develop throughout the past several days, and it is such a delight to see them breaking open and blossoming so beautifully that I thought I would share them with you.  These are on a little apple tree that we planted a couple of years ago in memory of our son Matthew. (Click HERE For that story)  Now that I think about it and make the connection...Matthew's birthday is coming up in a few days, February 25th...and it appears that this little tree is blossoming in honor and memory of him just in time.  The other apple tree that we planted at the same time is getting ready to bloom as well...but this one is really showing off for the first time since we planted it.  I don't know if we will ever get any apples on these trees, but the blossoms are sure sweet!!

  What a blessing and gift to honor our son for his birthday! Thank You, Lord.

I do have something else on my mind tonight that I've had swirling around all day, and perhaps it is time to just let it out and unburden myself...

When I woke up this morning I was faced with several disturbing messages from different friends in various parts of the country. The first message was from someone who "unfriended" me on Facebook because we had a difference of opinion on a subject.  At first I was a bit angry and frustrated, but the more I thought about it I realized that there was more to this than met the eye. There was a deeper need and hurt there, and instead of overreacting, God led me to pray for this person.  Long story short, my instincts in this were correct...and God is working behind the scenes. The other messages were similar to each other in that they were from friends who have each been suffering from the loss of a spouse for several years, and dealing with the overwhelming process of managing a house and other issues alone is taking its toll on their minds, hearts, and spirit. Again, I am incapable of meeting their needs, but what I can do is pray, and hopefully encourage them to look to the ONE Who can help them.

This morning I had to examine my own heart and seek the Lord's face and wisdom...because I felt inadequate to respond in the way my friends were perhaps hoping or needing at the moment.  I am not prone to depression, and I will admit it is difficult for me to totally relate and understand those who are suffering so deeply. I do understand grief, having lost my son four years ago after his four year battle with cancer, and also after the deaths of both of my parents within five years of each other.  But I've not felt the pain of being so alone. I am blessed to still have my spouse of almost 49 years by my side. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to come home to an empty house and an empty bed.  That would be horrible and I don't know how I would react. I pray it will be a long, long time before that happens...and perhaps it never will...I could be the one who goes first. But that is God's business...

The verses that we read in our devotions this morning brought comfort to me in these moments of anxiety and concern for my friends...and I pray they will bring comfort to anyone out there in need of solace at this moment:

Psalm 34:4-7

4.  "I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

and delivered me from all my fears.

5.  They looked to Him and were radiant,

and their faces where not ashamed.

6.  This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles.

7.  The angel of the Lord encamps all around 

those who fear Him, and delivers them."

Isaiah 55:10-11

10.  "For as the rain comes down, 

and the snow from heaven,

and do not return there,

but water the earth,

and make it bring forth and bud,

that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.

11.  So shall My word be that goes forth

from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

but it shall accomplish what I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing for which 

I sent it."

After re-reading what I wrote at the beginning of this post, I decided that the apple blossoms do have everything to do with what I had to say to you tonight. I love how God puts these things together, don't you?  I also hope that this post won't be confusing or burdensome to anyone.  It was a kind of therapy for me to work through a lot of feelings that were troubling me today.

The final verses of Isaiah 55 seem to fit here:

"12.  For you shall go out with joy, 

and be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills shall break forth 

into singing before you,

A wild Redbud Tree is blooming in the neighborhood

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

And the Dogwood trees are starting to bloom as well...

13.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,

and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

and it shall be to the Lord for a name,

for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Thank you, dear friends, for bearing with me in this post tonight. Thank you also for your prayers for those who are suffering from depression, anxieties and fears. I know there are many who are...perhaps even some of you. May the Lord bring comfort to you tonight and give you the peace that only He can give.

Amen.

"It Is No Secret!" - Reposted

This is a repost of a blog that I wrote about this same time last year.  Somehow, it seems good to repeat it again this year.


Original Post written 10/24/2015:
I'm not alluding to the song, "It Is No Secret What God can do..."  even though that is a wonderful old song and certainly true.  But what has been impressed on my mind lately has to do with darkness and light...hidden and revealed. Read on~

Luke 12:2-3

"For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."

Luke 8:16-17

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."

Proverbs 28:13

 "He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."

Photo via Internet

I started this post a couple of weeks ago, and then just let it sit on the back burner and simmer a while. Not sure if I am ready to tackle it again or not.  It is a deep subject. Maybe I should just let God's Word speak for itself. I certainly cannot do it any better than that.  God's Word encourages me to press on:

Isaiah 58:1

"Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."

Isaiah 55:6-7:

"Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

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." 

Isaiah 58:6-9

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the heavy burdens,

to let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;  

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard, 

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; 

You shall cry, 

and He will say, 'Here I am.'" 

Isaiah 55:10-11

"For as the rain comes down,

and the snow from heaven,

and do not return there,

but water the earth,

and make it bring forth and bud,

that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:12~

"For you shall go out with joy,

And be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills

Shall break forth into singing before you..."

So be it, Lord, I pray, even as You have spoken.

Amen.

The Trees of the Field Shall Clap Their Hands

"For you shall go out with joy,

and be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills 

shall break forth into singing before you,

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

Isaiah 55:12

If you've been keeping up with me here lately, you know that I am in the midst of a huge life change! It would be most appropriate to state that this is definitely an event that fits the title of my blog, Closed Doors, Open Windows perfectly!  If you go back to the very beginning of when I first started to write this blog, way back in February of 2010, you will see that the driving force behind my writing was the fact that I was in between jobs...one door had definitely closed in my life, and I was diligently searching for another to open as quickly as possible.  It didn't happen quite as soon as I thought it should...but in God's perfect timing He opened the window of His choice, 

The next five and a half + years were not always filled with joy and laughter...there were many trials to face during that time, not only in my work, but in the realm of my whole life..., (click on each link to go back in time and read the history), Read here about "The Last Farewell", "How Could I Not Want This Day to Come?".  But there were some wonderful blessings and times of joy as well...Read "Blessed to Be A Blessing", "An Offering of Praise".  

And now, today, a Monday, is the first day of my true retirement from working.  (Actually, last Friday was my last day of work, but today is the first day that I didn't actually have to set my alarm and get up and go to work).  The full reality of that probably won't hit me until I realize that I won't be earning regular paychecks anymore, and we are going to have to watch every penny to survive.  But I know that God is in this. He will provide...and so I am not going to worry about that today. 

(No, I didn't see him this morning...but I always have to be ready
just in case.)

So this morning, as soon as I was able to reasonably slip out of the door and get outside, I took at little "walkabout" our house and neighborhood, with my trusty whistle for protection from any strolling bears

or other "wildlife", and my camera ready to capture the beauty of this first morning of the rest of my life.  It was a rather chilly morning for us here in Florida, but the air was brisk and refreshing, the sun was shining...and I was FREE to wander!

Even though there wasn't much activity this morning, I found enough beauty to fill my senses with the joy of God's wonderful creation and the gift of this new freedom...it's all good. I was a little too late for the sunrise (and it was too chilly at that hour even for me), so this is the earliest picture I could get of one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood... and definitely "all the trees of the field" were clapping their hands for me today.

And all the holly berries are bursting forth in color, ready for the holiday season to begin...and also ready to feed the myriads of birds and wildlife as they store up food for winter...

 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, 

but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, 

That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

So shall MY word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, 

and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."  

Isaiah 55:10-11

And this beautiful pink camellia is blooming...this was a plant that I thought had died last year, but I kept nursing it back to health over the summer, and now it is rewarding me with the earliest blossoms before all the other bushes that appear much healthier!  This must be its way of thanking me (and GOD) for rescuing it from an untimely death...

 "Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."  Isaiah 55:13

And there is this lovely Christmas Cactus plant blooming already...another one that I thought was about dead...and it, too, is the first to bloom of all the others!

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are My ways higher than your ways, 

and My thoughts 

than your thoughts."  

Isaiah 55:8-9

Yes, today is the beginning of a new adventure...an "Open Window" of opportunity...for what? I don't yet know exactly what God has in mind for my future...but I know He holds my future...and therefore I do not fear.

"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.

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.

Incline your ear, and come to Me,

Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you..."

Isaiah 55: 1-3

(This photo was not taken today, but it still speaks volumes)

Yes, today is the beginning of a new day...an Open Window into the rest of my life!
Praise God, and Here I Go!

Thorns among the Vines/THE FRUIT OF MY LABOR Updated again...

April 9, 2012...I had to update this again...please scroll down to the bottom to see the latest "fruit of my labor"...Thank you Jesus!!


I WROTE THIS ORIGINAL POST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AFTER SPENDING THE AFTERNOON PRUNING THE VOLUMINOUS VINES GROWING OVER OUR PRIVACY FENCE.  THIS WEEK I HAVE BEEN REWARDED WITH THE FRUIT OF MY LABORS:  THESE MAGNIFICENT WISTERIA BLOSSOMS ARE BURSTING FORTH WITH SUCH FRAGRANCE AND BEAUTY BEYOND MY IMAGINATION! THANK YOU, LORD!!!!!!  I CAN'T TAKE THE CREDIT...ALL I DID WAS SET THEM FREE FROM THE BRIERS... HEY, ISN'T THAT WHAT JESUS DID FOR US?  HE SET US FREE FROM THE BRIERS AND ENTANGLEMENTS OF THIS LIFE THAT HAD A STRANGLEHOLD ON OUR HEARTS AND MINDS AND SOULS...AND NOW, WE TOO CAN BLOSSOM WITH SUCH BEAUTY AND FRAGRANCE BEYOND OUR GREATEST IMAGINATIONS!

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.  For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."  II Corinthians 2:14-15

ORIGINAL POST:

"I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down.  When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction..."  Proverbs 24: 30-32

Well, today I tackled a "thorny problem".  It was such a glorious day...picture perfect weather...sunny skies, temperatures in the mid 60's, which, after yesterday's high 80's (yes, it is February in Florida), the refreshingly cool day was a God-send. So, I said to myself (and to anyone else who would listen) So I said to MYSELF, (because no one else WOULD listen)..."Today is much too beautiful to sit inside and watch a race on TV...a person would have to be crazy to stay inside on a day like this..."   And because it was such a marvelous day, I decided to do several things I have been wanting to do ever since moving into our new house in the forest. 

1. I washed our sheets and hung them on the clothesline! (Should that be "hanged" or "hung"?)
2. I washed some towels and underwear and hung them on the line also (after I took in the freshly dried, sweet smelling clean sheets and put them right back on my bed to enjoy tonight).
3. I opened windows everywhere in the house and let the fresh air in and the stuffy air out. (Who said mid 60's are too cool to open the windows? Bah humbug! Put on a sweater if you are cold!)
4. And then I decided to tackle the overgrown honeysuckle and/or wisteria vines on our privacy fence.

I have been wanting to prune these vines ever since we bought this house...and to get them cleaned out before they start to bloom and attract all manner of honeybees and bumblebees!  They appeared to not have been pruned in a long time, and I knew if I didn't get started on them soon, they would be even more overgrown and difficult to manage.  So I headed out there with my brand new pruning shears and thick work gloves, and started cutting and pulling out the dead vines.  I soon discovered why several sections of the vines were looking dead even though there appeared to be green leaves growing on them.  The green leaves did not belong to the honeysuckle and wisteria vines at all...they belonged to a thorny vine that was working its way through the healthy plants and choking them out, leaving dry, brittle dead stalks in its wake. 

As I struggled to cut through these thorny vines and pull them out I couldn't help but think about the parable Jesus taught His disciples about the "Sower and the Soils" in Matthew 13:3-23...and particularly verse 7, which says:

"And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them."

Jesus later explained this parable to the disciples as the seed that is the Word of God that is sown among good soil (hearts and minds willing to hear and learn) and the Word of God that falls upon the wayside on stony or thorny ground, are hearts that are not receptive to God because of the "cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches" that comes and chokes the word so that the person becomes unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)

Those thorny vines choking out the good vines became a very clear picture of what Jesus was talking about, in the literal, agricultural sense.  It also made me realize that I sometimes allow thorny vines to creep in and choke out my healthy growth...thorny vines of anxiety, insecurity, selfishness, preoccupation with things that really aren't that important... and I needed to add to my checklist for today to take some time out to prepare my heart for reading and hearing God's Word...(and writing the things that the Lord lays on my heart to write...)  So here I am, Lord.

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 

For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."  Isaiah 55:10-13

Lord, I pray that instead of the thorns around my heart and mind, You will cause new healthy growth to appear, and that it will indeed be an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.   I pray that Your Word, which You have shown me here today from Your mouth, will indeed not return to You void, but that it shall accomplish all that You please, and that it shall prosper in the thing for which YOU sent it.  Amen.

"And all the trees of the woods shall clap their hands"  Isaiah 55:12...Even this beautiful magnolia tree which
happens to be in my backyard will clap its hands!   (See below for a later update...)

"For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace."  Isaiah 55:12

AMEN! Thank you Lord!!

April 9, 2012...The Magnolia Tree is starting to bloom...

April 9, 2012:  Our fence is now loaded with Confederate Jasmine and
Honeysuckle in full bloom!  The hummingbirds and butterflies are in
nectar heaven!!! Thank you Lord!!



Can you smell this honeysuckle?  It is divine...



God is so good.