Some Thoughts About Lent and Current Events

 It seems like it was Wednesday just the other day...these weeks are flying by so rapidly. Today is actually Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. 

An interesting tree I found while walking this morning. Can anyone identify it?

 Lent is a good time for some introspection and spiritual cleansing and renewal.  A time to focus on our personal walk with the Lord and how we can draw closer to Him as we invite Him to purify our hearts and minds and restore unto us the "joy of Your salvation".  (Psalm 51:12)

 Hubby and I  took a walk this morning before the rains started...the skies were already looking quite promising of a good "cleansing rain".

And yes, the rains did come and stayed around all day. Actually, this picture below was taken yesterday when it was also raining...I wanted to sit out on our deck and watch the birds, and hubby took this picture of me sitting there...

Yes, I was sitting there in the rain, holding my umbrella and drinking tea and watching the rain and the birds... (I know, if you are on Facebook you have already seen these pictures)

This is what I was watching...this Little Blue Heron was tip toeing by in the rain...

 I love the patterns of the raindrops on Still Waters Pond...

 Hey, who are YOU looking at?

He moseyed on by and I soon had to to back inside as I was beginning to get a little damp

This morning, following our walk,  we stopped by our local Ace Hardware store. I realized that I needed to stock up on some bird seed before my surgery next week so that the bird feeders would stay well supplied for our birds so that I would have plenty of birds to watch while recuperating. (And they happened to have a good 2 bags for the price of one bag of bird seed sale going on.) 

As I was walking around the store I bumped into this cart and was surprised to discover this young chick looking out at me. What a sweet little face...

He/she wasn't alone, and they looked like they really wanted me to take them home with me...

I don't think they like being imprisoned in these cages...but I had to tell them I was sorry that I couldn't take them home with me. This one below looks like he is wearing an interesting hat, and his face just looks like he is really hoping someone will rescue him soon...I do hope they won't have to stay there much longer. They are getting too big for those cages...and they need to be free to roam a bit...

Bye bye little chicky. I do hope you will find a good home soon.

One other thing I was looking for was a bird house for the Bluebird that came by the other day. Thankfully they had one left, and I had a coupon to get 30% off, and so that was a great find!

So we came home and waited for a break in the rain that had already started to fall, and as soon as the sun came out we hurriedly attached the birdhouse to the tree where the Bluebird had been sitting the other day.  Now I just hope he will come back and bring the family!! That would make for some good entertainment while I am recuperating.

In our devotions this morning we read several scriptures that help us to understand the season of Lent. Here are the references for you to consider. I won't reprint all of the verses as they are lengthy, but when you have time you may want to read them for yourself:

Matthew 6:1-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Joel 2:12-18; and Psalm 51:1-19. 

I especially found the book of Joel chapter two to be very interesting. That is one book that we don't read very often and even though it was written for the people of Judah around the time of the "invasion" of a plague of locusts that destroyed everything in its path and impoverished the people, I found it rather prophetic and appropriate for our country today. 

With the concerns over the possible "invasion" of the  Coronavirus, this could well be applied to our nation today.    The subtitle over this section of verses reads: "Only Repentance Can Avert Invasion".    Interesting that our pastor also preached about repentance in his message on Sunday.  Repentance goes hand in hand with this season of Lent leading up to Easter.  Certainly something for each of us to consider personally and pray for our nation to consider as well...

12.  "Now, therefore", says the Lord, "Turn to Me  with all your heart, 

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning...".  

13.  "So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, 

For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; 

and He relents from doing harm...."

I hope that this Lent season will be a time of drawing closer to the Lord for you and for me as well. I am certainly trusting in Him to be with me during this time as I undergo surgery and then spend probably the whole season of Lent recuperating. I pray that I will be back up and around and ready for action by Easter.  But I hope to use this time to truly be restored both physically and spiritually as I rest "Beside the Still Waters"... Seems like God had this all planned, didn't He?  

Have a blessed rest of your week.  

"Zip a Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-a-Dee-ay"

"Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh, my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's "actch'll"
Everything is "satisfactch'll"
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!"

(from Walt Disney's "Song of the South")

Does that happy little song bring back sweet memories of your childhood? It sure does mine...Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit...and singing "Zip a dee doo dah, Zip a dee ay!"

Well today was one of those kind of days...a beautiful sunshiny day...it actually felt like spring again after last week's dip back into winter.  Although I hear we may be getting some more wintry weather later this week...today was just "satisfactch'll"

Mr. Bluebird wasn't exactly on my shoulder, but the truth is, he was on my bird bath and then on my pine tree:

Imagine my amazement as I sat on the back deck just relaxing, and then this bluebird landed on the birdbath right in front of me:

He turned around and said hello to "Bobby" the Squirrel...

And then he said "Zip- a -dee-doo-day, zip-a-dee-ay" I'm flying out of here...

But curiosity got the better of him, and he came back a few minutes later...not sure if it was "Bobby the Squirrel" he was interested in, or if he wanted to get another look at the crazy lady on the deck with the camera:

Next he flew to the pine tree and sat there for a while, playing peek-a-boo with me.

I'm sure he thought I couldn't see him, so he was safe to sit there and take a peek at me...

 Oops, better turn my head and not let her get a good look at me...

Well, maybe just another little peek...

"I think I'd better fly up to that other tree and get where I'm safely hidden from prying eyes"

And so he flew away, but hopefully he'll be back another day. Now I need to find a bird house and get it fastened out there somewhere so maybe he'll stay and bring his wife and family...

As I watched that clip of that song above with Uncle Remus and the children, I noticed that there were many other critters skipping along with them as they sang. I didn't quite see all of those special creatures today, but I did see a few others that were interesting:

Early this morning the Canadian Geese were getting quite close on our shore, and they were being stalked by a neighborhood cat who just happened to be passing through the yard:

 She kind of crept alongside them for a while....

But then she was off to better hunting grounds and they stood and watched her go...

 I'm sure they were quite relieved...

And then later this afternoon these Suwannee Cooter turtles were sunning themselves on a log in the pond.

 They look quite content and peaceful just relaxing in the sunshiny day...

I noticed there was a little brown dog in the movie clip running alongside the children...and sure enough, this little brown dog came trotting through our yard this afternoon.  Not sure where he came from or where he was going...he paused for a minute and said hello, and I said hello back to him, and he sniffed around and off he went. My son says he has seen him come through the yard before. He seems to be healthy and friendly, so I assume he belongs to someone although I didn't see a collar, but perhaps he just goes on a daily run through the neighborhood. Of course there are leash laws that are supposed to keep that from happening...but sometimes little brown dogs just have to break the rules. I hope he stays safe and gets back home okay.

So now I am singing that little tune and having that "wonderful feeling"...it's a "wonderful day".

I believe the Lord gave me this happy little interlude this afternoon as I am beginning to prepare for my surgery one week from today. Today we went shopping to get some things stocked up here at the house. I am trying to get things organized here at home so it won't be too difficult for hubby to take care of things in my absence (or even when I am back home and still unable to fully participate for a while).

Yesterday at church I was so completely surprised, blessed and thankful that our Pastor called me and another gentleman, who is also going to be having surgery this week, along with our families and anyone else who wanted to come and stand with us and lay hands upon us as he prayed for us. It was such a beautiful and spirit filled time of prayer on our behalf, and I truly felt the Presence of the Lord, and just as Jesus laid His hands on so many throughout His years of ministry and healed them, I believe that Christ is still reaching His hands out to us through His ministers and people of faith and that there is healing in those hands. I thank the Lord for this blessing and gift.

Our pastor's sermon yesterday was entitled "Forgiveness is a Product of Repentance", based on the passage in Luke 15:1-10. One key verse was verse 10:

"I say to you that likewise there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Luke 19:10 says: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

Repentance = "to change one's mind", "to turn away from something", "to make an about-face in your life."
Salvation is Christ's message. He is calling us away from what is destroying our lives toward what will totally change our lives.
"Repentance refers to practice of continual self-examination and turning away from anything that destroys or diminishes our relationship with God."
In Psalm 51, King David  is praying a psalm of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba.  In verse 3 he acknowledges his sin. In verse 4 he recognizes that his sin is against God. Sin has stolen the joy from his life.

• Sin steals the joy from our lives.  David asked for cleansing.  He repented of his great sin and asked God to restore the "joy of Your salvation." (verse 12) 
• Forgiveness is a product of repentance.  We receive forgiveness whenever we repent.  
• Repentance should be a part of our daily communication with God, for we have all sinned. 

In Exodus chapter 32 the people sinned when they made a Golden Calf and worshiped it in place of Almighty God.

• What are the "golden calves" that we have made and worship today? They can be very subtle...
• What keeps me from drawing closer to God? 

Perhaps we need to identify that Golden Calf in our lives and repent and turn back to the Lord.  And the Lord will forgive us and restore the joy of our salvation when we turn from that which is separating us from Him.

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Pastor John Bennett, 02/23/2020

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.

There is such joy when we know we are forgiven of our sins...and then we can sing along with the song above "Zip a dee doo dah, zip a dee ay!! Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!!  I hope you have this great joy in your heart too!

Sermon Notes: Jonah & The God Who Won't Give Up

Before we get into the sermon notes, I just wanted to share these verses with some pictures from my evening walk today.  I sat a long time on the dock and listened for the voice of the Lord upon the waters...and He met me there and encouraged me to get back to the job at hand...sharing God's message with any who will listen...

Genesis 1:2

"The earth was without form and void;

  and darkness was on the face of the deep. 

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Psalm 29:1-3

"Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,

Give unto the Lord glory and strength.

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

The God of glory thunders;

The Lord is over many waters."

Thank You, Lord, for meeting me here.

 Sermon Notes from Sunday, May 5, 2019:

Our message was taken from the book of Jonah...you most likely know the story already...but just in case you aren't familiar, please read the story of Jonah...chapters 1-4.  It's not a very long book...but filled with an amazing picture of human nature...perhaps you will even catch a glimpse of yourself here...I did...

So, now that you've read the story, here's the message for us:

As Christians we've been given a burden to carry...but are we carrying it?  Jonah hopped into a boat and ran away from what God had given him to carry.  He tried to get as far away possible.
But you can't get away from the Lord. He will find you.
How often do we as Christians decide to head in the opposite direction from what God has called us to do?

"I'm retired...I'm not going to do anything..."

Sometimes we want to run from God.  He may send us someplace out of the way...to someplace like "Interlachen".

God will not send us to what He has not prepared us to do...

Jonah was running from the Lord.  A storm came up...and he told the ship's crew to throw him overboard.
Can you imagine what they were thinking?  (see Jonah 1:12-16)
But when they threw him overboard, a "great fish" came and swallowed Jonah.  For three days and nights Jonah was in the belly of that great fish. (vs. 17)
Finally Jonah prayed (2:1) to God from the fish's belly.    How hard headed do you have to be to wait three days to pray??
So now we come to chapter 3:1-2, and God gave Jonah a clear message:

"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."

So Jonah obeyed God, but not very enthusiastically.  He did not want to go to Nineveh..they were enemies of his people.  He was trying to avoid God's will...

Are we so set in our ways that we think they shouldn't be saved???
Do we want to pick and choose who should come into the Kingdom of God?
God is concerned about ALL people...not just "the Israelites"...(or people like us...)
In Jonah's mind the Ninevites were terrorists...He really didn't want God to save them...
But Jonah heard God's call once again.

And here is the sermon he preached...eight words only...

"Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"  (Jonah 3:4)

Hey, don't say you can't preach a sermon of 8 words!!!  But these words caused the people to stop what they were doing, from the King all the way down to the beasts of the field...

The essence of this message was this:  (for Jonah as well as the Ninevites, and for you and me today)

1.  Repent...Change direction...change your priorities
2.  Believe...Trust in the hand of God.  Take a leap of faith...no turning back

God is with us to the very end...Are you answering the call of Christ on your life?

Jonah was angry with God. (Read chapter 4)  But look at what God told Jonah in verse 11:

"And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left...and much livestock?"

Jesus has given us a mission and a "burden" to carry the gospel message to the world.  See what He told His 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." Amen. 

Just as Jesus called His disciples from what they were doing...fishing, tax collectors, ordinary people, He is calling us and giving us a mission and a message to give to the nations. But He promised to be with us to the very end of the ages...He will never leave us nor forsake us.

The power of the Gospel changes people.  We have a tendency to resist change.  

Jesus promised in Revelation 21:5  "Behold, I make all things new."

So the question to us today...what are we doing with the "burden" we've been given to spread the Gospel to a lost and dying world?  Where is our "Nineveh"?  And where is our heart?  

Some things to think about. I know this certainly made me reevaluate where I am and what I'm doing...I've been about ready to give up on ever going anywhere or doing anything else...but God has revived my heart and made me want to get back into action...What about you?

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Pastor A.C. Myers, 5/5/2019

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.

Friday Foto Friends: Pamela's Victorian Cottage Fixer Upper Update

Hello Friday Foto Friends out there in "Blogland"!  So glad you could join us today for another episode of "Pamela's Victorian Cottage Fixer Upper"!  I'm sorry that it's been over a week since our last episode, (which you can visit HERE), but I've been a bit under the weather and haven't felt like working on a full blown production of this popular show for a few days...so please forgive me for keeping you in suspense!  Not a lot has been happening, but then again, a few things have been added that you might enjoy! So here we go:

One thing that has been on my mind that this sweet little mother of five girls and one little boy might need is a sewing machine!  I mean, can you imagine trying to keep up with all of the girls' dresses and the little boy's patches on his knees (because he's always praying by his bedside! Click here for pictures of the children at play)

So last week I was scrolling through some pictures online and found  this picture, which I fell in love with:(In the Garden of Faith, Hope and Love, on Facebook)

And I thought that would be a perfect sewing machine for my little mother to use in her house, so I printed the picture out and then cut out the sewing machine and glued it to the wall. And now the family also has a cat!!!

This little mother reminds me a lot of my husband's grandmother, "Nanny Martin", who had four daughters to sew for...and she also made lots and lots of quilts, which she sold to make money to put my mother in law through beauty school!!!  "Nanny Martin" looked a lot like this little lady above, with her white hair pulled up into a bun on the back of her head. My first thought about this little house and family was that it was kind of like the story of "Little Women", but the more I think about it, it's more like Nanny Martin and family, except they didn't have a little brother...Oh well...some things have to be imagined..

For more about "Nanny Martin's" story you can click HERE. And HERE.  We may include more episodes about her life and family here in the future.

For now, I want to move on to a few more additions to the family homestead:

It seems as though every woman's dream these days is to have a "she-shed" or a garden shed of some kind...and our little family definitely needs a garden shed because they obviously will need to grow a big garden to keep everyone well fed:

The garden shed itself was originally built by my son, a.k.a. "Ben's Country Woodshop", as a gift for his grandmother, my mother in law,  "Nanny Steiner" (yes, one of the daughters of "Nanny Martin", mentioned above).  It is a bird house, but too nice to be put outside where it will get ruined. So Nanny Steiner kept it safe in her house, and when she passed on last year, this little bird house came home to live with me.

 I found this cute little farm boy and girl and some of the other accessories at the Dollar General...

 Some of the other things I already had in my "craft supplies" .  I love the little rustic table and bench above, which has a little teapot and cups set out and ready for tea time in the garden. (Do you see a doggie in the background? I think he is one of the farm dogs that helps keep the animals herded...)

Maybe it is time for another tea party!  The little boy and girl invited the sweet little fairy from the garden at the big house to join them. They are each holding a special little friend:  The little fairy is holding a baby fawn, the little girl is holding a gray squirrel, and the little boy is holding a brown squirrel. That along with the birds and butterflies should make for a lovely little tea party in the garden.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this latest episode of Pamela's Victorian Cottage Fixer Upper.
There are still a few more things that I hope to "fix up" in the big house soon, so I will let you know when that happens.

In the meantime, here are some thoughts for us to consider from the book of Joel, chapter 2:

21.  "Fear not, O land;

Be glad and rejoice,

For the Lord has done marvelous things!

22.  Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;

 (Yes, the deer are back in our yard! Picture taken Thursday evening as they ran away from me when I appeared in the yard, then turned back to look at me)

For the open pastures are springing up,

and the tree bears its fruit;

This young pine tree is sending out new shoots as it grows and prospers. I thought they looked unusually interesting as they reach out every which way.

The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

23.  Be glad then, you children of Zion,

And rejoice in the Lord your God;

For He has given you the former rain faithfully,

And He will cause the rain to come down for you...

The former rain,

and the latter rain in the first month.

24.  The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,

and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25.  So I will restore to you the years 
that the swarming locust has eaten,

the crawling locust,

the consuming locust,

My great army which I sent among you.

26.  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

 (those same deer in our yard, before I accidentally scared them away...)

and praise the name of the Lord your God,

Who has dealt wondrously with you;

And My people shall never be put to shame.

27.  Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel;

I am the Lord your God

and there is no other.

My people shall never be put to shame."

These verses were spoken from Jehovah God through the prophet Joel to His people Israel, in which deliverance was being promised to Israel if they would repent...
I believe God is also speaking to us today here in our land...if we will repent and stay faithful to God, He will not allow us, His believing children, to be put to shame.  This is also reminiscent of
II Chronicles 7:14, which says:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

As we approach Easter, may we pray more and more for repentance in our nation, and may God forgive our sin, and heal our land.

Amen.

Now, let us go over and visit with our other Friday Foto Friends, who are gathering at Deb's Place at Breathing In Grace, and see what beautiful things they are sharing today!! Have a blessed and wonderful weekend!!