Closed Doors, Open Windows

Welcome to my "Open Window"...a place of hope, encouragement, and adventure as we journey down the road from "Closed Doors" to the new opportunities God places in our pathway. I hope you will take the time to go back and follow the trail of mixed blessings and fears, failures and triumphs from the past and side-trips in the present. Perhaps it will conjure up some of your own special memories, and be an invitation for you to share with others. I look forward to spending this time with you!

Showing posts with label Monday Musings. Show all posts

Monday, February 6, 2023

Monday JOYS

Good Monday Morning! I hope you are having a lovely Monday thus far! It's a bright and sunny morning here in north central Florida, with temps currently (at 9:41 a.m.) hovering around 59 degrees. It was 47 when we woke up, and should reach 72 by the afternoon. That sounds like a picture perfect weather forecast to me! How's the weather where you are? I know many of you have had some horrifically cold weather over the past week. I hope you are beginning to thaw out a bit by now.

This squirrel is up on our back porch, enjoying an acorn.

I'm not sure that he is abiding by all of the "Porch Rules", but he is entertaining and fun to watch nonetheless.

I saw this on one of our Blogging Friend's posts this morning, and it really spoke to me, so I just had to borrow it. I hope Linda at "Linda's Life Journal" won't mind. (click on the link to read her beautiful post) Borrowed from Linda's Life Journal blog post Linda is an artist, and I thought this quote suited her perfectly.

And I thought to myself that applies to every day, not just Monday, although we all know that Mondays are usually thought of as the more difficult of days to get our best "colors" on the canvas.

Now that I am retired, I don't have much trouble with Mondays. Actually I kind of like Monday. It's the start of a brand new week...new opportunities and activities. It's kind of nice to get back into a routine of sorts on Mondays after the weekend events and Sunday routines of worship and rest...

Yesterday was mostly rest for me since I stayed home from church and nursed this cold and laryngitis. I am feeling some better today, I can actually talk a bit more without feeling like it is such a strain. But I do tend to break into paroxysms of coughing spells from the sinus drainage, so I am staying home from Bible Study this afternoon and away from people as much as possible. Thankfully each day brings progress.

Back to the "colors on a canvas" thought...Look at what God painted on His sunset canvas last evening:

God is the Master Designer of the most amazing "paintings" in His skies...no two are ever the same, and I find myself always standing in awe of His masterpieces...

And this is just a small thing, but again it is an example of God's artistry...these little azaleas are blooming after all the frosty and cold weather we've had recently...a beautiful little bright spot to remind us that spring is coming, so just hang in there...winter doesn't last forever (unless you live on the North Pole!).

So today, even though it has taken me about 3 hours to get this post written because of interruptions and my mouse dying and even with new batteries it refused to work, and so I had to find an old mouse with a cord to attach to the computer and thankfully I found one and it still works...even with all of that, today I choose to paint my canvas with JOY. Joy in being alive, joy in being a child of the King, joy in being a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, joy that there is beauty all around us if we just take the time to look for it, joy that this old cold I have will soon pass and I will be back to my old self, joy that I have interruptions and am not alone in this world...

Yes, today I paint my canvas with the color of JOY!

How about you?

Monday, April 11, 2022

Monday Reflections

Good Monday morning from Still Waters Pond!

There's a lot of activity going on here these days. Just from this morning alone we've got all kinds of comings and goings...

Mama and Papa birds feeding their young, from the smallest to the largest of creatures...

And the youngsters are growing bigger and taller every day....(although I can't see the baby bluebirds, I am quite sure they are getting bigger every day by the amount of grasshoppers and bugs their parents have been delivering to the nest every few minutes!)

The geese come to visit the baby Sand Hill Crane, "Colt" every day as well. They just seem to be very curious about this youngster toddling around after his parents all day long...

And Mr. Black Cat continues to pay a visit to the birdhouse every day as well, not so much curious as wishful...hoping he'll get a chance to snatch a baby bird if it should make a misstep when it tries to fly. I keep a close watch on him and shoo him away every time I can, but I can't be there all the time. I just pray when these babies make their debut they will be strong enough to fly high and away quickly!

Out on the pond Mr. Great Blue Heron continues to come and go, fishing in the best spots and preening when the that little itch gets to be too much. LOL.

"Colt" is definitely growing and even starting to lose some of those bright orange fuzzy downy feathers for a little bit of duller browner feathers. I think he grows 2 inches every day! LOL.

Inside there are signs of spring growth as well...The Tulips and Easter Lilies continue to open up and bloom in anticipation of the sacred events of this Holy Week.

And the new growth on the long needle pine trees have formed their little crosses like they do every spring prior to Easter...

We read in our devotions this morning from Isaiah 42: 8-10

8. "I am the LORD, that is My name;

and My glory I will not give to another,

nor My praise to carved images.

9. Behold, the former things have come to pass,

and new things I declare;

Before they spring forth I tell you of them.

10. Sing to the LORD a new song,

and His praise from the ends of the earth..."

I think it is very fitting that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ should take place in springtime; After the long, dark, barren and cold days of winter, which reminds of us the very long, dark, and terrible week that Christ endured during what we call "Holy Week", which is from the time of His Triumphant entry into Jerusalem on "Palm Sunday", His "Last Supper" with His disciples before He was betrayed by Judas, His night of travail in the Garden as He prayed:

Luke 22:41-44

"41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,

42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

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

44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

And then the scourging and mocking and horror He suffered in the mock trial, as He heard those same voices who had only a few days earlier shouted "Hosanna! Praise to the King of Israel!" and now they were vehemently shouting "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" and though He was innocent, He was nailed to a cross and died an excruciating death.

But just three days later everything changed! Christ arose from the dead and conquered death forevermore!

And now everyone understood what Jesus meant when He told Martha not too many weeks earlier at the raising of Lazarus, her brother, from the dead: (see John 11)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 1:25-26

I've shared this song before just recently, so I won't go into the whole song again, but this is why I can sing, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone! Because I know Who holds the future...and life is worth the living, just because He lives!"

That, in a nutshell, is what Easter is really all about!

Well, I guess got a little carried away there going from baby birds and flowers and life on Still Waters Pond to Easter and the Resurrection! But that's what this is all about...Easter is so much more than bunny rabbits and Easter eggs...it's new life through faith in Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross of Calvary. These are some serious thoughts to ponder as we go through this holiest of all weeks.

And like Jesus asked Martha above, we need to ask ourselves the same question, and be sure of our answer. It's the most important question we can ever respond to:

And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Yes, I believe. Amen.

Monday, February 7, 2022

Monday Morning Musings

I really don't have much to share today, but here it is Monday morning and it seems like that should be noteworthy somehow. We made it through another week and are very very thankful. We finally were able to go back to church yesterday, after missing for three weeks. There had been so many of us sick over the past three weeks that it seemed like a homecoming yesterday to see everyone back again! Praise God! And here is the pre-recorded message from yesterday if you would like to sing along and also enjoy an excellent message from our Pastor from Hebrews 4:12-16, "Let Us Come Boldly".

The choir was singing "In My Heart There Rings a Melody", so perhaps you'd like to sing along:

"I have a song that Jesus gave me, it was sent from heaven above

There never was a sweeter melody, ‘Tis a melody of love

In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody with heaven’s harmony

In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody of love.

I love the Christ who died on Calv’ry, for he washed my sins away

He put within my heart a melody, and I know it’s there to stay.

In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody with heaven’s harmony

In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody of love.

‘Twill be my endless theme in glory, with the angels I will sing

‘Twill be a song with glorious harmony, when the courts of heaven ring

In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody with heaven’s harmony

In my heart there rings a melody, there rings a melody of love."

After church it was so nice to be able to go out to lunch with our church friends and family and enjoy a time of fellowship and laughter again. After being cooped up at home for the past three weeks it was surely a blessing.

(7:00 a.m.) I don't have any new pictures of anything to share. What's up with that? Maybe I should go back in my archives and see if I can find anything worth sharing. (Couldn't find anything that suited my mood for today...)

Well...three hours later...I decided I might as well just share some pictures of the way it looks outside on Still Waters Pond today. It is another rather gray, chilly, "raw" day here in "sunny Florida". 46 degrees at 10:30 a.m., and no sunshine in sight. But here is what I can see:

If you look really closely in those trees you might see two vultures sitting in the trees. They've been very active around the pond the past few days. Not too sure what they are watching or seeing...I hope it isn't me! LOL. I'm trying to look as lively as I can! LOL.

Here's a close up of one of the big old buzzards:

And there he is again in the background, and there is a lone Mockingbird sitting on a branch on this side of the pond, perhaps he is "mocking" the buzzard. LOL.

Whatever he's doing, he seems quite content to just sit there and watch the world go by. I haven't even heard him singing today. But you know, you really don't have to sing everyday to be happy. Sometimes you can just be content to be still and rest and take joy in just being still...

So that's what I'm doing...

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10

Psalm 23

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."

So that's what I'm doing today...How about you? I hope you are having a peaceful and blessed Monday, whatever you are doing. I know this world is full of woe and stress and serious anxieties right now, but the 23rd Psalm is my prayer and statement to the world...no matter what this old world tries to throw at me or no matter how the news tries to keep me off guard and create anxiety, I will put my trust in the Lord...because He is with me...and He gives me comfort no matter what. And that last verse above is so true..."Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER!" The world cannot take that away from me...or you! Claim this peace of mind today through Christ Jesus. It will carry you through any storm that may swirl around you...and there is no need to fear. Amen!

Monday, December 6, 2021

Monday Morning Reflections

Well, I started writing this early this morning, when Still Waters Pond looked like this and the morning sun was reflecting on the trees and on the pond...it was so lovely. I thought I'd get something written before now, but the day got away from me...

You know, this time of year there's always something to do!

Our church choir sang this song yesterday:

"Christmas Is Comin'"

(turn up your sound to hear it better, and just remember we are a small church country choir!)

and then if you want, stay around and listen to great sermon by our pastor from Luke 1:26-45, "The Announcement".