When Things Start to Fall Apart...Just Get Back Up and Shine!! Repeat Performance...

Original post written a few years ago...but it seems like I relive this "repeat performance" every year about this time...How about you? Is the pre-Christmas stress starting to get to you? Are things feeling more like they are falling apart than put together?...Read on and maybe we can get through this season together...

12/20/2017:

This morning was the day for our home Bible Study, and we have been lighting the candles on the Advent Wreath each week.  Because our wreath is made of real pine boughs attached to wet florist's blocks, I keep it outside on the back porch during the week in between our gatherings so it won't dry out so much in the warm, dry house.

This morning after replacing some of the pine boughs that were starting to die with fresh ones, I brought the wreath into the house to get it ready for our service.  As soon as I set it down around the candles on the little table in our living room, it literally fell apart...some of the foam blocks fell to the floor, with the pine needles falling all over the place...and it was a MESS!!  I quickly gathered the pieces back up and stuck them all back together as good as I could since I didn't have time to start over.

So here is the poor lopsided Advent Wreath, looking rather disheveled and worn...Kind of the way I feel about this time every year as we get closer to Christmas and I am not really ready...

I woke up this morning and said out loud (while still lying upon my bed) "I hate myself!"  My husband was just barely awake and didn't quite understand what I said, so he asked me to repeat it. So I did...and he was quite perplexed, surprised and concerned. This is not a normal state of affairs for me, especially to say out loud before I even get out of bed! Actually, I don't think I've ever said that in my head or out loud.  That's just not me.  But I went to sleep last night thinking about all the things that I still need to do in the next few days before Christmas (too numerous to list here and I don't want you to know exactly how much I still need to do...)...and I woke up thinking about all these things and I just said out loud "I hate myself!"  Why? Because I do this every single year!  You would think I would have learned by now not to put off so much until the last week before Christmas and then end up in a panic having a meltdown in the middle of a department store because I can't find what I want and I don't even know what I want even if I could find it and when I do find it I know I really don't want that after all, but in desperation I have to get something!!!  And just like that Advent Wreath, I fall apart and look disheveled and worn and just wish I could crawl away somewhere and hide until Christmas is all over.

I wonder how Mary, the mother of Jesus, felt the week before Christmas.

There she was, technically a betrothed but still unmarried young woman, great with child...(not by her betrothed husband to be, but by the Holy Spirit, so you can imagine how difficult that had been to explain to everyone...) and wouldn't you know it was time to travel to Bethlehem to be counted in the census?  I'm not sure just how long that trip was, but you can only imagine, even five miles would be too far to travel on the back of a donkey when you are nine months pregnant.  And then, to finally arrive in Bethlehem only to discover that all the hotel rooms were taken, and there was no room for them in the Inn, so the only place they could stay was in a smelly, dirty animal stable, with the dirty, smelly animals standing by. Can you imagine how Mary must have felt?  Talk about being rather disheveled and worn and weary...and then to go into labor and actually give birth to your baby right there in that stable with the animals watching?  And there were no midwives or doctors or nurses available to help with the labor and delivery...no medicine to block the pain...no clean bed to lay upon...and only your betrothed there to attend to you...a man whom who truly have not known in that kind of intimate way...

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt...she had no clean, soft blanket or diapers to comfort her newborn babe?  But somehow she found some "swaddling cloths" to wrap around him, and she laid him in the hay in the manger.

If I had been Mary, I wonder if I could have been so cool, calm, and collected at the birth of my first child? Probably not, judging by the way I've been acting this week before Christmas...

But perhaps if the angels had come to tell me about the birth of my baby in the first place...and then if the angels had come to sing praises at His birth...and the shepherds had come to bow down and worship Him

...maybe I would have a different attitude...perhaps I wouldn't be so focused on the peripheral "stuff", but would be truly worshiping and adoring the Child sent to me by God...God's Gift to me...and to the whole world...and I would be singing with the angelic choir..."Gloria in excelsis Deo"...Glory to God in the Highest...and Peace, Goodwill to men...

So, after thinking about this, maybe I just need to pull myself together, get my self organized, and just get out there and "shine"...

Like this Advent Wreath, after  straightening up the candles, pulling the pine boughs back together as well as possible, we read the verses about the Angels announcing Jesus' birth to Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds...and then we lit the candles and let it shine forth in the darkness.

Yes, that's what I need to do. There isn't much time left...but after giving myself this little "pep talk", I think I can go out with a new and brighter attitude...and a song of joy in my heart as I go about my activities of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, our Savior and Lord!!!

"Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the Newborn King!"

First Snow...A Story From the Past Updated

My friend Annie at Cottage By The Sea is doing a "Tuesday Four" questions blog today, entitled "Do You Want To Build A Snowman"  (click on the link to see the questions and her answers...

Well, I didn't exactly do the four questions because we don't live where there is any possibility of snow anymore. However, that hasn't always been the case. For many of our adult years we lived in various parts of the frigid north in the winter, and I have had many wonderful experiences with snow...(and some NOT so wonderful!)  We are thankful to live in Florida now, our home state, and not have to deal with snow and ice and all that goes along with that.  But Annie's questions reminded me of a time when we had first moved up north to Ohio, and our three sons were little, and this was their very first experience with snow.  I originally posted this story here many years ago on one of our "Random Journal Days", as it comes from my own personal journal.  I thought perhaps you might appreciate this little story from our past today.

So here is the original post from 2012:

Little Scotty at Our Big Old Interesting House in Winter

HERE IS MY RANDOM JOURNAL DAY OFFERING FOR THIS WEEK.  The following story is a continuation from last week's post  "Alarms, Sirens, Whistles, Bells and Things that Go Bump in the Night" These stories all come from my personal journals written when my husband was attending seminary in Ohio many long years ago. I hope you will enjoy the:  

"Part IV of the continuing saga of the Steiner Family Giant Leaps of Faith and other crazy moves..."

Proverbs 31:21 "She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet."

I'm not sure what "scarlet" has to do with clothing for the family for winter. Scarlet usually means red or bright red colors. Red denotes warmth, so perhaps that is what is meant. Anyway, I think the idea is to be prepared for winter! Make sure your kids have their mittens, scarves, hats, boots, jackets, snowsuits, etc. all ready before the first snowfall!

From the beginning of autumn in our new Ohio home we watched for snow everyday! All summer long we had scoured the garage sales for winter clothing for all of us. Little by little we found all of the articles we needed. I found for myself a full-length wool coat with a hood...it was two sizes larger than I normally wore, but for $2.00, it was a great deal! I figured I'd fill up the gaps with lots of sweaters underneath. We had visited some friends from New York State who spent their winters in Florida, and they provided my husband with a wonderful men's black wool overcoat, and gave me a nylon ski parka and some ski boots! The boys were outfitted with ski masks, boots, mittens, and garage sale jackets. We were able to purchase some snowsuits reasonably as well at a great sale. My husband even bought a couple of used snow shovels from a family moving to the south! So we were well prepared when the first snow fell.


Scotty and big brother Benton-first snow!!



Matthew and Benton enjoying their first icicles!

I'll never forget that day! It was November 1st. We woke up to a winter wonderland! Fortunately, it was a Saturday, so we could go out and play all day! The boys made their first snowman, and Scott, our two year old, ate as many hands full of snow as he could get in his mouth! We were all so excited, we hated to go back inside, even though our hands and toes and noses were practically numb.

We were soon faced with the grim reality of winter weather. Upon entering the house, the phone rang. It was one of our church members informing us of the tragic automobile accident of one of our elderly couples early that morning. The man was killed instantly, and his wife suffered from multiple injuries. Someone had skidded on the ice and hit them head-on on a bridge. Suddenly our beautiful winter wonderland looked formidable to us. We hadn't yet tried to drive on it. It's one thing to be physically prepared for winter with all the right clothes, and have the pantry stocked with extra supplies in case you get snowed in, and have plenty of wood for the fire stacked and easily obtainable, but it's quite another thing to be mentally prepared for the realities of what winter can really do to you if you aren't experienced in the art of survival on the roads.

But more than that, the importance of being spiritually prepared to meet our Savior at any time comes more into focus in the wintertime. I have probably prayed more fervently on the roads in the wintertime than at any other time of the year. I've prayed more diligently for my husband and loved ones as they'd travel to and from work or school during a snowstorm or worse yet, freezing rain and sleet. I've had my own close calls several times, and discovered the protective power of God and His angels over me as I narrowly escaped serious accidents.

The way our big old interesting house looked after the first snowfall

The thought occurs to me now as I write this (many years later) that the "scarlet" mentioned in this proverb may not be clothing after all. It may be the covering of the Blood of Jesus Christ over my family. As I pray for them daily, I pray that His shed blood will cover their sins and keep them in His divine care eternally. Therefore, I need not be afraid of snow for my family (or any other problem)…they are covered and clothed with the scarlet blood of Jesus Christ…wherever they go, or whatever they do.

*Thank you, Jesus, for reminding me of this to me today. It is a tremendous comfort to my heart as we are currently in the midst of a kind of storm in our lives. I am so thankful to know that my children, even though now grown and on their own, are still covered by Your precious blood, wherever they go, and whatever they do...no matter what. Amen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note 1/28/2020: *We were in the midst of a storm when I wrote this...one of our precious sons was battling cancer, and he eventually succumbed to it, but he was covered with the Blood of Christ, and I know where he is today...and I will see him again in heaven one day. Praise God for that hope and promise.

Back to the present:  Since we don't still have the "Random Journal Day" group active anymore, that link above may or may not lead to any other entries. If it does, then enjoy what my friends in that group wrote at that time.  If not, well, then just enjoy this one! Have a blessed day wherever you are and whatever you may be experiencing at this time in your life.

Next in the Series: A Chilly Baptism 



Getting My Lamps Trimmed and Ready

I will try to keep touching base with you during the next couple of weeks as I am able.  We are busily packing, packing, packing, preparing for our big move.  Once we actually get moved into our new home I will need to select a new header picture for this blog, "Closed Doors, Open Windows", since the original header will no longer be my view out my kitchen windows...

This will be one of my views at our new home.  I wish this was out my kitchen window, but unfortunately the kitchen is in the front of the house, looking toward the street. And this view is on the back side of the house.  However, I do plan to set up my computer in a special area beside a window looking out to this view...so that is probably what you will be seeing quite often...and we do plan to clear a little of the underbrush out of the way so we have a better view...but first things first...

There are two large oak trees out front that I will be able to see from the kitchen window...Hubby was talking to our realtor (below) while I was busy taking pictures of the scenery.  I did make one unpleasant discovery the other day when we were there...apparently there is a yellow jacket nest in the ground up close to the house.  I unknowingly stepped right into it, and many angry bees came swirling up to chase me away...and one actually zapped me on my ring finger. I had to take off my wedding rings quickly before my finger swelled up too much.  I was not a happy camper!  When we got back to the realtor's office we found a tea bag and wet it and put it on there to draw out the pain from the sting rather quickly.  Good secret to know! Wet chewing tobacco works as well...but no one that we knew was chewing any...LOL.  Anyway...that is one thing on the list to be sure gets taken care of before we move into the house. I don't want anyone else to go through that pain. Some people are very allergic and it could be a bad thing. 

Just so you know, the house we are buying is actually a manufactured home...a double wide. That is what is most affordable and available in this community, and the one we found is newer than most of the others we looked at...and is beside that pond...which made it very desirable property for me.  Yesterday morning hubby and I were having a little bit of a "buyer's/seller's remorse" moment...kind of a panic attack about all the details we are having to deal with, and we needed some reassurance that we are doing the right thing.  First we called one of our friends from our church there and bounced some things off of him, and he gave us some wise advice. Then we called a company that does repairs on manufactured homes and asked some questions that we have about some repairs that need to be made, and he gave us some comforting answers, which relieved our fears and helped us to realize that we are still on the right track and it's going to be okay. 

Then to top it off, our friend that we spoke with earlier and his wife brought some other people from our church down to our current little town and we met them all for supper at a local restaurant in the middle of a major thunderstorm. We had such a marvelous time of fellowship...and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are doing the right thing in making this move. It's not about houses or land or ponds. It's about the people God is leading us to. That's what it is really all about.  God is so good. 

A funny little side note that I don't think our friends noticed (at least I hope not), when we were finished with our meal I got up to go to the restroom. When I came out, our group was already outside waiting for the rain to let up enough to run to their cars.  The restaurant has a front porch where people sit and wait for a table to become available, and it was quite packed.  We said good bye to our friends and then turned to walk across the porch to the parking lot on the other side where our car was parked.  I noticed that all the people sitting on the porch were smiling at me and seemed really friendly, although there wasn't anyone there that I knew.  As I hurried ahead of my hubby to get out of the rain, he called me and caught up with me and said, "You have TP hanging from the back of your clothes..."   Now please don't tell me that that has never happened to you before... and I won't tell you how many times that has happened to me before...but now I know why all those strangers on the porch were smiling so big at me as I paraded by.  All I can say is, my mama taught me to always put TP on the seat in a public restroom...and on a particularly humid evening it might have been wise to take a second look before leaving the room...but I don't plan to go back there again before we move and those people had a good laugh...so all's well that "ends" well! LOL.


Now, on to other more interesting things since you've had your laugh...

Today I decided to prepare our Hurricane Lamps for packing and moving. You may just call yours "oil lamps", but here in Florida we call them Hurricane lamps, because that is usually when we use them the most.  I have several oil lamps, and most of them still had some oil in them, which needed to be emptied. 

 The wicks needed to be trimmed and the burners cleaned and stored safely,

The  chimneys and fuel reservoirs also needed to be carefully washed

I love this dish soap wand for washing glasses and it certainly works well on the chimneys.  Don't ever try to wash the inside of a glass chimney with your bare hand.  It could easily break and cut your hand very badly...

I also have these candle sconces  that needed to be cleaned and packed. 

You may think these are out of style now and why do I still have these old fashioned things on my wall.  Well...turn the wooden sconce over and read what is written and you will understand why these are very special to me.  My Daddy actually made these sconces for me for my birthday many moons ago...

Some things just never go out of style in my book...

Washing and packing these oil lamps made me think about being prepared.  We are certainly getting prepared for our big move from our current home in a couple of weeks.  We are packing carefully because our things will actually have to be stored during the interim time between moves, and then moved again a few weeks later to our  new house.  I am not too excited about that fact and would much prefer to make one big move from here to there, but it just didn't quite work out that way. We are very thankful that our church is allowing us to stay in the empty parsonage during that time, which will be a huge help to us as we will be able to store our things with us there.

But back to the oil lamps and being prepared...I'm sure you've read the story about the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (see Matthew 25:1-13 for the complete story).  There were five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps, and were prepared and ready when the bridegroom came to call them to the wedding feast.  The foolish took their lamps but didn't take any oil with them. 

In verse 6 it says:

"And at midnight a cry was heard: 

"Behold, the bridegroom is coming; Go out to meet him!"

And as we read the rest of the story, we see that the foolish virgins tried to talk the wise virgins into sharing their oil with them, but they said they could not as there would not be enough for all of them. The wise virgins went on to the wedding, but the foolish went out to try and buy some oil, and they missed their opportunity to go into the wedding. Verse 10 says, "and the door was shut."  When they came and knocked on the door, the bridegroom said "I do not know you." (verse 12).  The moral of the story is in verse 13:

"Watch therefore, for you do not know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

We must always be prepared for the return of the Lord...we do not know when He is coming...could be today, tomorrow or next week.  Or our lives could be cut short by disease, accident, or disaster. No one knows, so we must be ready to meet the Lord at any time.  Have your lamps trimmed and burning bright...

Luke 12:35 says "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning." (New International Version)

So we are getting ready...ready for whatever the Lord has ahead for us. Stay tuned for more adventures!!

Sermon Notes: Being Led By The Spirit

Today we welcomed our Pastor back to church after his being out, as he called it, "having technical difficulties".  We thank the Lord for continuing the healing process in his body, and trust that soon he will be back to 100% again.  Thank you again for your prayers during this time.

So beautiful this new wooden cross on the altar, built  by special request especially for the church by my son.
So proud and thankful for the work he does.

Our scripture lesson today was from Luke 4:1-13, better known to us as "The Temptation of Jesus".
Immediately following Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, "Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness."  (Luke 4:1)
And if you know the story, you know that Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days.  During that time Jesus ate nothing, and when the 40 days was ended, He was hungry. (verse 2)

So this was when the devil came to Jesus and began the temptation. You can read the "conversation" between Satan and Jesus in verses 3-12.  With every single temptation that the devil threw at Jesus, Jesus had an answer ready, based on the accurate understanding of the holy scriptures.  Satan tried his best to twist the words of the scriptures to use them for his own advantage against Jesus, but Jesus knew better and each and every time He put Satan back in his place.

Finally, in verse 13, the scriptures say, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."   Notice it doesn't say that the devil left Jesus alone for good, but only until he could come up with another more opportune time to try and trip Him up.

This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the 40 day period of fasting and following the Lord "in the wilderness" so to speak, leading up to Easter Sunday. (The 40 days of Lent do not include the Sundays during that period).

The 40 days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness was actually the preparation time for Jesus to begin His full ministry.  Notice Jesus was LED by the Spirit.  Why did He go into the wilderness?
Most of us would not intentionally get ourselves into a situation that would be so obviously dangerous.  Yet, in this period of Lent, we are asked to do this for 40 days, just as Jesus did.

So what is Lent? Is it just the giving up of something?  In the Old English, the word Lent meant "Spring"...the season of Spring.
In this regard, Lent could be considered a kind of "spring cleaning" for our souls.  It is a time for followers of Jesus Christ to fully rely on God and God alone during a time of soul cleansing.

It's not about giving up something, but it should be instead a time to make room for more of Jesus in our lives....More quantity and quality of time with the Lord.
It is a time to be more dependent on God and not on things.
Some ways to do this:

• Read Bible
• Pray more
• Focus on Forgiveness...who do we need to forgive?
• Be led by the Holy Spirit as we seek forgiveness and to forgive those who may have hurt us.
• Be more self-giving instead of selfish

Remember: God never leaves us alone.  He is always there to give us life more abundantly as we are following Christ, being led by the Holy Spirit.

The devil wanted Jesus to break His fast, and he promised to give Him power for selfish reasons...

(see Luke 4:6-7)

If Jesus had done what Satan tempted Him to do He would have been saying NO to God and the Resurrection that was coming.  Then where would we be?

How about us?  Without obedience to Christ we would be left completely alone.  Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, not by His flesh.

God has given us that same Holy Spirit to guide us and keep us going in the right direction.

In II Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul says, 

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Now let us look at Luke 4:14-15, following His temptation and fasting in the wilderness, 

"Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all."

Note that He went in "the power of the Spirit"...God was with Him...

• God is there for us...we can depend on Him at ALL times.
• We can TRUST that God will be with us always

We need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us through this time of preparation...

The more we depend on God, the stronger we become...

It is God and God alone Who sustains us.

So, during this time of preparation, let us be LED by the Holy Spirit while we prepare our hearts for the ministry He has for each one of us.

Our choir sang this beautiful old hymn during our time of communion. Such depth of meaning in these words. I hope you will sing along with me as we continue our time of remembrance of the Lord's Crucifixion and Resurrection.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Pastor A.C. Myers, 3/10/2019

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.

Note to Readers: I took the comment moderation off temporarily to see how things go. If I continue to get spam messages, I will have to put it back on.  I look forward to seeing your comments!  Have a blessed day.

Friday Foto Friends: Sing to The Lord A New Song -Again!

I actually wrote this last year at the beginning of Advent, but as I re-read it again this morning, I again found such peace and comfort as I quieted myself before the Lord and allowed His Presence to wash over me. There is such tranquility in the midst of the noise of the earth as I come before the Lord in reverence and awe, and enjoy again the beauties of His world surrounding me.

Today is Friday Foto Friends day, and I really didn't have anything new to share that I haven't already shared during the week...but these photos from last year have blessed me again this morning, so I hope you will relax and take time to prepare your heart for the Advent of our Lord.

Original Post 11/26/2016:

As I gathered together the fresh pine boughs and holly branches filled with bright red berries, and placed the cedar candle stands in the center of the wreath that will hold the candles for our advent services throughout these next four weeks prior to Christmas, my heart began to sing to the Lord "a new song"

"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless His name;

Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

Declare His glory among the nations,

His wonders among all peoples.

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;

He is to be feared above all gods."

Psalm 96:1-4

I sat down in the garden and allowed myself a few moments of rest and relaxation after the hectic pace of this past week...and reveled in the peace and tranquility of this beautiful space...

This is our memorial garden, dedicated to the memory of our son Matthew, who left this world far too soon at the age of 41 just a couple of years ago.  I turned on the fountain and let the rippling sound of the water soothe my soul...and watched and listened as the birds began to sing and flit to and fro,

gathering their afternoon seeds and catching a quick drink from the fountain and the bird bath. They, too, seemed at peace and yet excited to sing to the Lord a new song...

"Give to the Lord the glory due His name;

Bring and offering, and come into His courts.

Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

Tremble before Him, all the earth."

Psalm 96:8-9

As the Lord ministered to me today in the garden, He reminded me again of the true meaning of Christmas...and why we should prepare our hearts for the Advent of the Lord as we proclaim Christ's birth and purpose for coming to the earth...

"For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace 

there will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

to order it and establish it with judgment and justice

from that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

Isaiah 9:6-7

What a precious time this was today...the Lord knew what I needed.  I needed a sit down in a quiet place and allow my soul to be bathed in His peace and comfort.  I needed to prepare my heart for the coming of the Lord....Christmas! I needed to make room for Him to enter into my heart and home and life again...and not just go through the motions of putting up all the decorations and shopping for gifts and baking and working and wearing myself out without enjoying the wonder and beauty of this most glorious season...

"Let the heavens rejoice,

and let the earth be glad;

Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;

Let the field be joyful,

and all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord,

For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with righteousness,

and the peoples with His truth."

Psalm 96:11-13

I would like to close this post with this song of worship and meditation on the Lord...please click on the link "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" below, and worship along with me as we prepare our hearts for the Advent of our Lord... (be sure to turn on your sound and sing along for a true worship experience).

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing is His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, Yet born of Mary,
As of old earth He stood,
Lord of lords, In human vesture, 
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful.
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
As Light of light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim, With sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to His presence
as with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Lord Most High!

Now let's all gather over at Deb's place, "Breathing in Grace", and join our other friends for Friday Foto Friends Day!  Have a blessed and beautiful day!!

Friday Foto Friends-The Calm Before the Storm

Psalm 46

  God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

2 

Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried 

into the midst of the sea;

3 

Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 

Beauty Berries

There is a river whose streams shall make glad 

the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 

(This birdbath was a gift from our neighbor just this week. I can see it from my bedroom window and the sunporch. Very peaceful and calming.)

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 

Come, behold the works of the Lord,

Who has made desolations in the earth.

9 

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

11 

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

I could stop right there and not say another word...This is my "calm before the storm".  As I am sure you all are aware, right now the State of Florida is preparing for a very huge Category 5 Hurricane Irma to descend upon our land in a couple of days.  People are evacuating the state as quickly as possible...which isn't very quick if you look at the highways headed north out of Florida.  We are thankful that we live in a more inland and north central location not prone to flooding, so we are not in the mandatory evacuation zone.  However, we do live in the middle of a national forest, and there are many trees that most likely will create chaos with our  power lines and possible damage to property, roofs, etc.  So that is our main concern...the loss of electricity could last for many days and even weeks in this area.  And since most people in this area also get their water from a well, without power there is no water! Therefore we have been preparing as best we can.  My pictures today will reflect some of the calm before the storm as well as our preparations:

 Our home before the storm. Praying it will still look like this after the storm.

 My oil lamps are trimmed and filled with oil...and we have many candles ready for us as well as flashlights and batteries.

 We splurged and bought a Coleman camp stove so I can boil water, make coffee and tea!! (and cook meals!)

 The red buckets are for the bathrooms...to pour water into toilets for flushing. The water for this will come from rain water.  The charcoal is for cooking if needed. (If we run out of other fuel).

 We have bottled water for drinking, plus I have been filling our own tap water into bottles and freezing, as well as making lots of ice and storing it in the freezer.

And the biggest surprise and miracle "gift" was the purchase of this generator.

After last year's brush with Hurricane Matthew (click HERE for THAT story) we learned what it was like to be without power for quite a few hours, and we said we would not do that again! But generators are expensive...and hard to find when there is a storm brewing. 

So last week when we first heard about the possibility of Hurricane Irma coming our way, we decided to start looking for a good deal on a generator.  We checked a couple of places, and didn't see anything we could afford.  But then someone told us about the new store "Ollies"... a discount bargain store...and we heard they might have generators.  Well, as we explored the store, there weren't any generators in plain view, but upon further exploration of a stack of boxes of something in the middle of the store, we discovered a box with a generator buried on the bottom of the stack.  So we called a clerk (Assistant Manager) over to ask about the price, and she examined the box and quoted us a price that seemed way too good to be true.  So we had her look at it again, and she reaffirmed that the price she had quoted us was the price.  Well...I won't tell you just how good the price was...but let me tell you it was so good that we said "We'll take it!"

As she arranged for someone to come help us get it into our vehicle, I went up to the front to pay for the generator.  When the check out clerk pulled up the sku number in the cash register, the price was considerably higher than what the we had been quoted. The Assistant Manager was called over and asked to double check the price. When she looked at what the price was in the computer, she realized she must have made a mistake somehow, but she said, "Well, I have quoted the customer this price, and we will let them have it at that price!" And she signed a note in the computer giving us the discount that she had given us!

Let me just say that it was miraculous. It was so miraculous, that I felt guilty accepting this "gift"...but we have prayed and asked the Lord to bless this woman for her kindness, and also prayed that she wouldn't suffer any reprisals from her supervisors...and we came home with this "gift" from the Lord  (and from Ollies).  

So now we are ready and waiting, and praying that even though we feel well prepared, we wouldn't be the least bit unhappy if Hurricane Irma decided to just go out to sea.  Right now the forecast is so bad for our state...and especially for those in the coastal regions...we really need a miracle.

I looked back over what happened last year with Hurricane Matthew...and what a miracle that was...and I can't help but believe that God is still in the miracle business today...

Won't you pray with me today?

Peace Be Still 

by the Gaithers.

I will be back after the storm.

Thank you for your prayers.

Now go on over the Breathing in Grace to see what others are sharing for Friday Foto Friends today.