Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

Happy First Day of August!

Who can believe we are already here? Doesn't seem possible! July was certainly a month full of surprises...some good, some not so good, some unbelievable! I won't go over the list as I know we are all well aware of all that transpired during the month of July. It was a very long, difficult, and somewhat frightening month.  Therefore, I think it is good to start out the month of August with these words from God's Word:

With the LORD guiding us with His light, we can see our way clear through the storms and clouds and uncertainties of the days ahead.  With God leading us, we don't have to fear ANYONE or ANYTHING.

Joshua 1:9 is a favorite verse to remember and write down in our hearts so that we won't forget when times get a bit scary or dark.  God is with us wherever we go.

Yes, this is the monthly roll call of calendars. That was from the Thomas Kincade calendar, one which I always appreciate because of the messages included on each month's pages.  We keep that one in our bathroom where we also write down our important appointments for the month.  It is good to always be reminded of God's presence with us no matter where we go or what we do.  

Speaking of monthly appointments: Hubby and I both had follow up appointments with our PCP today to go over labs taken last week.  We both got very good reports and were very pleased. That is a definite praise item!!!

This is my next favorite calendar, the John Sloane Country Seasons calendar.  And I love this painting for August of  the young woman sitting outside in her pajamas and bathrobe, looking at the many stars on a starry August night.  Even though I also love to go outside and look at the stars in the sky, I rarely go in my pajamas, and sadly here in Florida the mosquitoes would be biting us so much we wouldn't be able to sit there and enjoy them for long. but it's sure a lovely thought.

I also love this Teapot calendar, with a different style of teapot for each month.  Isn't this one beautiful? So ornate and elegant.  I noticed the man in the background, and it reminded me of some figurines I have in my curio cabinet that were given to me by my mother in law.

Here they are now:   Aren't they beautiful?  And that plate behind them came from my Grandma Mursch. The crystal parfait dish was from my mother. Just some special treasures that I cherish.

Oh, August wouldn't be complete without some beautiful sunflowers smiling up at the sun!

And I saved the most fun one for last:  This is the Susan Branch calendar that has such cute drawings and sayings each month, and this one really caught my eye:

So much so, that I thought I would try to imitate it in a selfie:  LOL LOL LOL

Just having a little fun to bring a smile to your face.  

Also, I forgot to mention that quote above from Ralph Waldo Emerson about dogs respecting it when you dress well and they won't attack you...Well, I do have a praise report about that! Although I wasn't dressed quite "this well" as above, but one day last week when we went walking I heard some panting and running sounds coming out of the woods behind me. I turned around just in time to see three large dogs running out of the woods directly towards me! I stopped in my tracks and yelled at them to "Stop!" "Get out of here!", and they took one look at me and turned around and ran back the way they had come! My hubby was about 20 yards in front of me and didn't hear them or see them and so I started hollering for him, which, because of the outdoor atmosphere he really couldn't understand me, but came back to see what was all the commotion about. We were both quite thankful that the dogs had gone away. Now I carry a whistle and also I keep our car keys with the fob on it handy. I could press the alarm button on it and hopefully, if I'm not too far away from our car, the alarm will start blaring and get the attention of the dogs AND hubby!! LOL.  Actually, we think these were friendly dogs from someone's house not too far away on the other side of the woods, but still, they shouldn't be allowed to run free and scare the living daylights out of elderly women! LOL.

Speaking of selfies and smiles...tonight our kids came over for supper and brought a new game to play. (New to us anyway)

Have you ever played "Deer in the Headlights"?  It was a lot of fun...

Sweet Rose won the game.  (she's trying to smile with bite of that ice cream cone in her mouth, LOL)

Son Benton just went ahead and looked goofy with his ice cream cone...

Hubby declined the ice cream cone so he could smile nice and big for us...

I also declined the ice cream cone, but still wanted to hide behind my cards and take a selfie...

So there you have it!  We had a good time.  Now that I know how to play, maybe I'll win next time. LOL.  We are very thankful and blessed to have our kids nearby to enjoy doing things with.  It's fun to put our food together and enjoy a meal and play a game too. Yes, another blessing!

Well, I promised you some pictures of the house next door when the other half arrived. It didn't arrive until today after I waited for it all day yesterday. I was finally surprised when I looked out the window at 11:00 this morning, and there it was!

It was amazing how quickly they were steering it onto the property to line it up with the other half.

I was trying to take pictures as fast as I could, but they were really moving so quickly I couldn't believe how fast they could move that huge building.

And then they came to a screeching halt.

When he tried to make the turn to swing that end around and line it up with the other half, there was a small tree in the way on that end and he couldn't go any farther.

He tried and tried, but just didn't have enough room to make the full swing.

And so, after looking the situation over, they decided they would have to leave it like this for today and come back tomorrow with a saw or something to remove the tree and limbs that were in the way.

Here's the picture of the front of the house anyway. I think it is very pretty. I do love that color. and I think it will look very nice on this lot once they have it all lined up and settled in and do the leveling and hook up the water and septic and electric and put the skirting on...yes, still quite a few steps before it is ready for occupancy, but at least they've made progress!

This is a copy of the floor plan, in case you are interested in how it looks inside:

As I've said, it will make someone (or family) a very nice home.  I continue to pray for whomever these people will be.  

Well, I guess that's all for tonight.  I am thankful also that we got another good amount of rain this afternoon. Actually, it was quite a loud thunderstorm with lightning very close to us, and I am thankful that, to my knowledge, nothing was hit in that storm. Our power did blink off for a moment, but thankfully that was all. According to my weather app on my phone (which isn't always that reliable), it looks like we will be having some rain almost every day for the next week.  That's fine with me. Still Waters Pond will be happy too!

Speaking of Still Waters Pond, I was blessed to capture this photo of Mr. Great Blue Heron yesterday morning, fishing for his breakfast. He seems quite thankful to have the fresh new water in the pond:

The 23rd Psalm is a great way to close out this evening's post from beside Still Waters Pond:

1 The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

Amen,  and Good Night Everyone!

 

Starting off the New Year with Geese, Snowmen, and No Worries!

 

Good Morning! Here it is, the first Monday morning of the New Year of 2021! The first Monday after the holidays, and I expect some people have to go back to work, or kids may have to go back to school. Thankfully I am no longer in that category of having to go to work or get kids off to school. I "did my time" in that regiment of life, and thankfully I am now enjoying retirement and no real scheduled responsibilities.  Although, like many others I have heard it said, I don't know how I ever had time to work now that I am retired...there is always something that has to be done! Doctor appointments, grocery shopping, housework, post-holiday clean up.  

But before we jump into all that work, let's just relax and have a cup of hot tea or a cup of cocoa on this chilly January morning, and start the week off right!

Today my only "appointment" is our Ladies' Bible Study this afternoon.  I look forward to meeting with this special group of women each week.  We have been studying the book of Joshua..."Winning the Worry Battle", a Bible Study by Barb Roose. 

It looks like our little mother at Pamela's Victorian Cottage is working on "winning the worry battle" with having so many little girls to look after.

Just in case you didn't notice, there is another new "little angel" added to the family, thanks to their kind Auntie from the city (a.k.a. my sister, who loves to give me these little dolls for Christmas each year). I expect this sweet little "Twinkling Star Angel" will add to the fun and excitement around Pamela's Victorian Cottage in the days and months to come.

We are working our way slowly through this Bible study book, because as is the case with most women's gatherings, we have lots of things to discuss and each week brings out more and more areas of need in the lives of our ladies...and we find ourselves spending more time encouraging one another in our walk of faith and life than in just plain old study. But God's Word is the foundation and backdrop for all of our conversation, and that is exactly how God intended it to be.   Here is one quote from the sidebar of our workbook from last week's lesson:

"If we remember God's generosity in those moments when we experience uncertainty,

then we can wait in faith for God to act."

And another one when we were studying in Joshua 7 about "fighting in fear", and it appears that even Joshua "melted in fear", or as we would call it, he had a "meltdown". But we saw that Joshua turned around his "meltdown" by turning toward God in his distress.  He expressed his truest emotions and brought his questions and concerns to God.  Our takeaway from that lesson was: 

"When stress and fear are mounting, I can avoid a meltdown by pouring out my heart to God."

This little lesson actually helped me during the stress of the holidays by remembering that God is always there for me, and He is my strength and my refuge, even when my distresses are caused by my own lack of appropriate planning and preparation. I also have made a commitment that I will not allow myself to get into that same kind of panic situation again next Christmas. May God help me to remember this and start planning way in advance.  

Speaking of having a "meltdown", if I don't move these snowmen away from in front of this fire, they may have a "meltdown" for sure! LOL!

I just realized that snowmen were playing an important part of our decorations this Christmas, and of course snowmen are fun to keep around even in January if it is cold enough!

Even in Florida you could work through your "worries" and anxieties a bit by having a snowball fight with the family:

Our family did do this, and it was fun until one landed in my hubby's cup of ice water and splashed it all over him...he actually thought we were outside in the snow it was so cold! LOL.

Yes, there were snowmen everywhere! Up at the cabin,

down on the pond,

and even up at the cabin in the hills above the train village...

Here's a little treat for you! I received a late "Christmas gift" (from myself) in the mail:

It takes a lot more breath than expected to make that thing work. LOL. Maybe that will be a good breathing exercise for me to work on each day.

I have seen this Bible verse floating around through our blogs and social media quite a bit lately. It is the theme verse for our Bible Study in Joshua:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 ESV

I believe (my One Word for 2021) this is also an excellent verse to carry with us into the New Year.  And the verse that precedes that one is also one that will help guide us so that we will learn more and more about trusting in the Lord and not giving in to worries and fears:

"Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." Joshua 1:8

Yes, study God's Word and BELIEVE what you read as you meditate on it day and night...and as you BELIEVE, you will want to OBEY...and only then will we prosper and succeed in all that we do and attempt to do!  If I were to make a New Year's resolution, it would be to do just that...

Well, since I can't really go outside and build a snowman or skate on the pond, I think I will take a lesson from these Canadian Geese who earlier landed on Still Waters Pond, and just glide gently into the new year with no worries or fears.  How about you?

"Floods of Joy o'er My Soul..."

Happy Sunday everyone!! I hope that you have been having a beautifully blessed day so far! It is a lovely day here in our neck of the woods...sun shining, nice breeze, only 84 degrees, but it's going down to 66 tonight and the rest of the week looks like it will continue in a cooler trend, so that makes me happy!

I know most of you have your own churches that you attend either in person or online, but I do hope you don't mind me sharing our pastor's weekly message and our praise team's song with you. Certainly if you aren't interested you are free to skip over this, but I continue to share it because it may just be what someone out there needs to hear today. We never know what others may be going through and that they just may need a special message or a song to lift their spirits.  So thank you for allowing me to share this with you each week.  I think you will enjoy the song especially at the beginning.  I've included the lyrics for you below so you can sing along:

 Since Jesus Came Into My Heart

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought

Since Jesus came into my heart!

I have light in my soul for which long I had sought

Since Jesus came into my heart!

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure

Since Jesus came into my heart

And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

There’s a light in the valley of death now for me

Since Jesus came into my heart

And the gates of the city beyond I can see,

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know

Since Jesus came into my heart

And I’m happy, so happy, as onward I go

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

This little chickadee in the holly tree doesn't really have anything to do with what I've written above, but it just made me smile as I was sitting out in the Secret Memorial Garden yesterday afternoon, and so I thought you'd enjoy seeing him too. He was scolding me for sitting a little too close to the bird feeder, but eventually he overcame his timidity and decided I wasn't posing any threat to him and so he quickly grabbed a few bird seeds and flew away, to come back time and again for a little while. I love watching God's little birdies fly to and fro, gathering food for their families. We really aren't all that different, are we? Sometimes we have to get over our fears so we can move forward and put our family's needs ahead of our own uncertainties. That takes faith...faith that God is bigger than any perceived threat or enemy out there, and faith that God is with me and will never lead me to places where He has not already gone before me.   This goes along with our key verse for the Ladies' Bible Study we are doing in the book of Joshua:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9 ESV

I am looking forward to going through this study with the women from our church. Perhaps I will be able to share a few things with you from time to time as we go through it. The first week was about 

"On the edge of uncertainty: facing our fears". 

One subtitle was "Be a warrior, not a worrier."

These are some things for me to work on. 

You know, we are never too old to learn something new from God!

How about you? Perhaps you can share something new you are learning!

Have a blessed day and week my friends. Let us try to be "strong and courageous" no matter what this old world may throw in our paths this week.

It's Good Friday-But Sunday is Coming!

It's Good Friday, the day our Lord was crucified on the cross for our sins.

Perhaps one of the most revealing prophetic descriptions of  Christ's death is found in Isaiah 53, which was written some 800 years prior to Christ's life and death here on earth. I won't quote the whole chapter here, but commend it to your reading.  Just these particular verses stand out to me this morning:

Isaiah 53:4-6

4.  "Surely He has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows.

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5.  But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

6.  All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, 

to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

It was for my sins that Christ suffered and died on that cross. 

Have you ever asked yourself why? Here's the best answer I can find:

"For God so loved the world

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish 

but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

That's the answer in a nutshell. Because God loves us that much. He desires for us to be with Him forever in heaven...and because we were filled with sin and without hope in our own merits,  there was only one way to get us there...through the death of His perfect, spotless Lamb of God, Who took away the sins of the world...

"Behold! The Lamb of God 

who takes away the sin of the world!" 

John 1:29

Praise God for this spotless Lamb of God, Who has taken away my sin!

This past week there have been a couple of special things going on on Facebook that have meant something to me.  One is the "Faith over Fear" movement in our area, which is spreading to other parts of the country as well. People are displaying crosses in their yards or in their homes, to show that they are choosing to have "Faith Over Fear" in light of this current pandemic we are enduring.
Our sweet son, the carpenter, built this beautiful cross for me this week at my request.

There are many verses regarding having faith over fear in the Bible. The one I have chosen is

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? 

Be strong and of good courage;

Do not be afraid nor be dismayed, 

for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

It is good for us to remember that our God is with us during this battle against this invisible foe, the Covid 19 virus.  He will fight for us and He will see us through.

Another movement has been the "Red Door  Ribbon (corrected) Movement", based on God's message to the children of Israel in Exodus 12 to take the blood of an unblemished lamb (see verses 1-13), and to

7.  "Take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it."

And then read on in verses 12-13:

12.  "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: 

I Am the Lord.

13.  Now the blood shall be a sign 

for you on the houses where you are.

And when I see the blood, I will pass over you;

and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

Yes, this is the Passover story. And this week is not only the Christian Holy Week, but also the time of Passover.  Our land is currently enduring a type of plague. Many people are praying for God to spare us from this disease and death. The Red Ribbon movement is a way of expressing that we are praying for our families and loved ones, and claiming the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ the spotless Lamb of God, to cover our homes and protect our families. As a believer in Christ, we are already covered by His Blood, but this is a way again, like the crosses in our yards, to be a witness of our faith in Christ over fear.   I know I don't have to do these things to be covered by God, but this was something I felt led to do to share our faith with our neighborhood as well as a kind of offering up to the Lord.  The Lord knows each of our hearts, and that is the most important thing.

The best part is...Sunday is coming! We know the beautiful end of this story!  But more about that later...

On to a couple other things from this week's photos:

The lovely Great Blue Heron showed up again. He hasn't been to Still Waters Pond in a while, maybe because of all the goose activity, but he came a few times this week and I was happy to get a good picture of him before he flew over to the other side of the pond:

I sat outside and ate my lunch one day, and these two Cardinals flew in to join me so that I wouldn't be alone:

And this squirrel hopped in for a drink as well...

Our son blessed us by weed whacking the growth of weeds along the shore of the pond this week. They were starting to get way overgrown and we were concerned about snakes, so he took care of it for us. He works for a Golf Course doing lawn maintenance/landscaping, which is considered "essential" during this time, so we are thankful he is still employed, and he also can use his skills to help us!

I hope and pray that you are safe and having a blessed Holy Week, even with all of the restrictions. Let us rejoice in that Easter is coming! And with that new hope we also look forward to the continued waning of this current plague...praying that soon the virus will be on its way out and we will be able to resume our lives...hopefully with a new peace in our hearts and an assurance that God is working in the midst of all of this. Praying for those who are still suffering, whether it be physically or financially or otherwise. May God be with you...and may our faith rise over our fears and give us peace.

Click HERE for a link to my 2019 Good Friday message.

2017: Reflections At the Cross

Time to Move On

More of the Steiner family saga...

Soon the day came when John completed his degree at the Seminary, and it was time for us to move on. In a way we were hoping that our current ministry would choose him to become their pastor full time since they were in the process of looking for a new minister. But that was not meant to be. Even though he was well qualified and well liked, it was understood that they needed to have someone new in their leadership…and we needed to move forward.

As I reflect back over this time in our lives, I would like to linger here awhile and not venture forth. See, back when we were actually looking forward to our future, we were full of excitement and joyous anticipation at what the Lord was going to do. We were young, full of vitality, somewhat innocent and naïve, and had a real sense of purpose. Our commission was “The Great Commission” as given to Christ’s disciples in Matthew 28:19-20:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It is merciful of God that He does not give us glimpses of our future, but only asks us to trust Him and obey His commands…and He promises that He will be with us always.

In Joshua 1:9 He says to His servant Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Please don’t misunderstand me…God has never forsaken us. It’s just that as I look back in retrospect, I can see when the real tests started in our lives. Everything prior to this had been a kind of preparation for the bigger tests that still lay ahead. Kind of a “pre-test” if you will. We were now approaching the precipice of true adulthood spiritually speaking…we were “graduating” from the classroom to the “real world of ministry”.

I Corinthians 13: 11-13 says at the closing of that great “Love Chapter”: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

We were being led by the Spirit of God to take the next step in our maturity…to grow up in Christ, and to receive our true inheritance:

Romans 8:14-18 gives us a look into our future: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"

Early that summer John was called to become the Pastor at a very beautiful, fairly large suburban church in the hills surrounding Cleveland, Ohio. We were “moving on up”!  (or so we thought at the time).  Sometimes the cost can be more than you bargain for...but that's another story for another time.

Thank you, Father, that You were indeed with us as we continued on in our journey of faith and trust in You. Looking back, we can see Your hand in every step of the way. There have been times when we've wondered, questioned, and even doubted and yes, stumbled.  How thankful we are that You have never let us down...You have picked us back up, dusted us off, and pushed us forward in spite of our fears and failures. That gives us great hope for our future now as well...we know that You are still working on us...we aren't yet complete...and we will continue to trust You for whatever the plan may be. Amen.