Sunday Night Review...After the Storm...

 Wow! We sure had a humdinger of a storm last night/early this morning! We were awakened around 4:00 a.m. with the rain just pouring down on our metal roof, flashes of lightning and thunder, and lots of wind. It was somewhat frightening, but actually to our ears it sounded pretty wonderful as we  needed the rain so much. We prayed there would be no serious issue with wind/storm damage, but thanked the Lord for the abundance of rain! Our Still Waters Pond is especially grateful for the refilling of much needed water for the fish and frogs and all other pond life.  Here's a few pictures of before and after levels of water on the pond, with a few photos of our Sand Hill Crane family thrown in for interest as well...

This was the scene a couple of days ago, after we had had a little bit of rain, but not nearly enough...you can see how dry the shore line is and so many of the water lilies are dying on top of a "sea of mud"...however you can also see how big "Pat and Val" are getting...they are about 6 weeks old now.

How do they twist their necks and bodies around like that?  I wish I could move my neck like that. LOL.

Uh Oh! They saw me coming around the corner of the house and decided it was time to skeedaddle out of there before I got too close...The "colts" are getting stronger and stronger with their wings, and I noticed as they flapped them they almost left the ground...but not quite ready to fly just yet.

Anyway, you can see how muddy and dry the pond looks. They can literally walk across the pond with the exception of a few deep pockets here and there...

There they go...

But today....it's a totally different picture! There is water almost up to the original shoreline...

I caught Mr. Sand Hill Crane out for a stroll by himself this evening...probably needed a break from the family for a while...or maybe this is Mrs. Crane...either way...he or she was enjoying a little time alone before the rest of the gang arrived to settle in for the night over there on the marsh island where their nest area is...

What a difference one night of good solid rain makes!!

Although you can't see her there, Mrs. Bluebird is sitting right inside that birdhouse watching every move Mr. Crane is making back and forth in front of her house.  I think she is getting anxious for him to leave so she can get a breath of fresh air...

Eventually he worked his way back over to the garden and then moseyed on out to the pond again...

And because it was still quite windy I decided to head back inside myself.  OH, btw, because of the wind our power was out for about three hours this afternoon. Apparently a large tree fell on some wires somewhere in the neighborhood. Thankfully it didn't land on anyone's home or car, etc., but still it made us have to figure out how to live without electricity for a spell. Again, thankfully the day was surprisingly cooler and less humid after the storm and there was a nice breeze, so we didn't suffer one bit...except my cell phone died so we took a ride in the car so I could recharge it. LOL. 

This morning's song that our choir had pre-recorded earlier in the week really fit in perfectly with the stormy weather last night...

Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand.

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Thro’ the storm, thro’ the night, lead me on to the light.

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home.

When my way grows drear, previous Lord, linger near.

When my life is almost gone.

Hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall.

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home.

So wonderful to know that our "precious Lord" takes us by the hand and leads us through the storms and through the night, He leads us on to the light...and leads us home. What a comforting song!! 

BTW, if you listen to the rest of that video above, the pastor has a great message taken from Galatians 6:1-10 if you'd like to listen.  His sermons are always very scriptural and interesting...with wonderful messages for us to glean more of God's truth for our lives.

Speaking of church, today was the fifth Sunday, and as promised we had a potluck luncheon following the morning service. Of course there was way too much good food there to eat...what a blessing to have so many marvelous cooks! Doesn't every church have the best cooks in the land?

Here's a few pictures I took at the dinner.  

Oops! I caught this dear soul by surprise when she was trying to take a bite of food!  She probably wouldn't approve of this photo, but I think it's cute and she's a dear 90+ year old lady who is very precious!

Oh, I think I know these people below:

Yes, that would be my family...and looks like grandson Noah is deep in conversation with Grandpa...

Oh yes, there was a LOT of good food...and such sweet people...

That cake above with the blueberries on top was baked by my sweet DIL Rose. It was a lemon cake with blueberries and a white frosting over a lemon glaze. It was so moist and delicious...I want the recipe. She's a very good cook, btw.

It really was a great time of good food and fellowship, and the best part was the skies were bright and sunny this morning after the storm in time for everyone to make it to church on time without having to traipse through the rain with their covered dishes for the dinner, etc. God is good! All the time, God is good! And we are blessed.

Speaking of being blessed, this is our grandson mowing our front yard for us before the stormy weather crept in yesterday afternoon.

What a blessing to have him volunteer to take care of this for us! Yes, we are very thankful!

I guess that about sums up our Sunday in review.  And now I can settle in for the night and sleep peacefully...I don't think there are anymore storms on the horizon, but even if there are, I know Who is watching over me.

Psalm 4:7-8 NKJV

"7 You have put gladness in my heart,

More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Amen.

Sunday Night Hope and Comfort

Happy Sunday.  Just wanted to share today's message with you from Philippians 4:10-23, as well as the Praise Team singing, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand"

You can sing along with us, if you wish:

"Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, help me stand.

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Thro’ the storm, thro’ the night, Lead me on to the light.

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home.

When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near

When my life is almost gone.

Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home.

When the darkness appears and the night draws near

And the day is past and gone,

At the river I stand, Guide my feet hold my hand

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, help me stand.

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Thro’ the storm, thro’ the night, Lead me on to the light.

Take my hand, precious Lord; lead me home."

I know there are many times when we feel just like this...we are weak and worn and tired, and we just need the Lord to take us by the hand and lead us gently home.  How blessed we are that we have such a Savior as Jesus Christ our Lord, Who is always there, ready to help us stand when our own strength is gone.   

I hope today has been a good day for you.  We enjoyed church this morning, then went out to lunch with our kids and friends as per usual.  It's just good to spend time together, fellowshipping and enjoying good company.  I must say it is the highlight of our week!

Another highlight this weekend was this:

There's a story here.  The other evening I saw a hummingbird fly up to our back porch glass doors and flutter about, looking inside, as if to say, "Why haven't you put out your hummingbird feeders for us this summer???"  Well, to be honest, the only answer I could give was I was lazy.  The hummingbird food has to be changed every couple of days in the summertime, because it is so hot outside that the sugar water will ferment and/or mold very quickly. If you don't keep it changed often and clean the feeder thoroughly, it could make the hummingbirds very sick and they will die.  So, I decided rather than go to all that trouble, they could just search for natural sources of nectar out there in nature and not become dependent on me.   I thought I was being rather noble.    

But then, my son said to me, "Mom, I saw a hummingbird out there around the trees last night, and he was looking for food. Where's your feeder that you usually put out for them?"  Talk about being shamed by my own son. I should have said, "If you want to keep up with boiling the water and adding the sugar, and then keeping it changed every couple of days and cleaning the feeder, then YOU are welcome to do so."   But instead, I grabbed the pyrex measuring cup, boiled the water in the microwave, added the sugar, washed the feeder, cooled down the sugar water until it was cool enough, and put it in the feeder and hung it on the back porch where we could see it.

And then we were rewarded with these pictures, (and many more feedings that I couldn't get a picture of quick enough).  There will probably be more to come later.  And actually, the honest truth is, the female ruby throated hummingbird literally flew back toward the glass door after getting her drink and fluttered outside the window as if to say, "Thank you for caring enough to feed me." 

Reminds me of this story found in Matthew 25:31-40

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 

33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

(To read the rest of the story, for what happened to the goats...keep reading from Matthew 25:41-46)

And then remember Harriet the Hawk?  Looks like she came back for another fashion show...

Isn't she lovely?  

I do believe she knows when we are talking about her...

After posing for us on the tree, she leapt down to the ground to see whatever she was spying on down there:

I believe there is a hole in the ground there, and I think she can see the wiggles of a mole in the ground, probably digging his tunnels...

She stood watch over the hole for a while, using her talons to dig at the ground a bit...

Looking around to see if anyone else was watching...

She flapped her beautiful wings and stomped her claws on the ground a few more times,

And after giving whatever was down there a real hawk eye look...she took off into the trees as if to say, "I'll be back later for you!"

Well, that's all for now...oh wait...Last evening on our walk we met this "deer" lady:

Sadly, I did not have my good camera with me, so these were taken with my cell phone from a distance, hence the poor quality. But I think you will get the "picture" anyway:

I think this is a great way to end this post for tonight:

Habakkuk 3:18-19

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Joy of the Redeemed

Isaiah 35:1-6

1. "The desert and the parched land will be glad;

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 

2 it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the Lord,

the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

4 say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

He will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

He will come to save you.”

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert."

How's that for some hope and joy as we begin a new week?  Be blessed my friends, and have hope. 

"Be strong, and do not fear; Your God will come....He will come to save you."

 

Happy Sunday Morning!

 Happy Sunday Morning!  I hope you have remembered to turn your clocks back last night, so you have had that wonderful extra hour of sleep this morning!  Did you wake up in time to see that gorgeous full moon out there? It was really something.

Wondering how many of you had any Trick or Treaters last night?  We had a lot less than we did last year, so I am guessing that many were not too sure about going out due to the threat of the virus. We were ready for them if they did come,  with plenty of candy and a friendly Scarecrow to greet them:

We don't go all out with decorations, but we have a good time, and it is always fun to see the little children in their cute costumes. There were some really creative ones last night, and I wish I had taken more pictures, but here is one special family who came to visit. They are the grandchildren of our good church friends:

Precious children who have stolen our hearts too!

A couple of them entertained us with cartwheels, which was great fun to watch!

Happy Times!

My hubby, our new Scarecrow Friend, our friend Sherrie, and me, all ready to pass out the candy to the kiddos! 

So now, it is Sunday morning, and the Halloween excitement is over, and it is time for Sunday morning worship.  I am getting ready to go to church in a little while, but wanted to share our service with you if you would like to worship along with us. Please tune in and hear our Praise Team singing 

"Precious Lord, Take My Hand."

I've copied below the history of this song, which our worship leader Carol sent to us this morning via email:

"The Praise Team is going to share Precious Lord, Take My Hand. For most, this is a very familiar song. I thought I would start sharing why certain songs were written, if I can find the information. This song was written by Thomas A. Dorsey, who was a blues musician, known as the "Father of Gospel Music." He was a musician and songwriter who began penning songs about God and faith in the early '20s. In 1932 while away working, Dorsey received horrible news that his wife and child died in childbirth. Wrecked by the news, Dorsey, in interviews, said God led him to the piano where he penned "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," which has become his best-known work.

God gave him this song to comfort him and I believe it has comforted many others since that time. If you are having difficulty dealing with the craziness around us, or difficult times in your personal lives, hold out your hand and let God take it. Sing with us."

Precious Lord take my hand, lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Thru the storm, thru the night, lead me on to the light

Take My Hand, Precious Lord, lead me home.

When my way grows drear, Precious Lord linger near

When my life is almost gone

Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall

Take My Hand, Precious Lord, lead me home.

When the darkness appears and the night draws near

And the day is past and and gone

At the river I stand, Guide my feet hold my hand

Take My Hand, Precious Lord, lead me home.

Precious Lord take my hand, lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Thru the storm, thru the night, lead me on to the light

Take My Hand, Precious Lord, lead me home.

Following the song by the Praise Team, our pastor has a wonderful sermon from Matthew chapter 18, followed by The Lord's Supper. So if you'd like join in, have your bread and cup of juice ready to participate at the close of the message.  

Matthew 18:21-22

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.

Have a blessed and Happy Sunday! The first day of November too!