Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

Here it is, Thursday evening already, October 3rd!  My, how this year has flown by! It is very hard for me to believe we are already into October, but I am glad of it. 

 

A few years ago I wrote a special post about Anne of Green Gables, as she paid a "visit" to "Pamela's Victorian Cottage".  I thought I would include this section of that post here, as "Anne" is exclaiming about the beauties of October, and finishes with one of her most well-remembered quotes about October... (Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery)

"October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry-trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.

Anne revelled in the world of colour about her.  "Oh, Marilla," she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, 

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.  It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? " 

 

(Painting by John Sloane, from one of his previous Country Season's Calendars)

You can read the rest of that special post HERE.

I feel pretty much the same as Anne did about October, even though the colors here in Florida are not quite a vibrant and glorious as they were at her beloved Prince Edward Island, still, there's just something special about October everywhere I think!

Last night I was enjoying watching the sunset here on Still Waters Pond, and it wasn't the most colorful of sunsets, but it was still amazing in its own way. Have you ever noticed that it is actually the clouds that make each sunset so interesting?  If there were no clouds in the skies, there would be nothing all that spectacular for the sun to reflect on and around.  I find it interesting in that God often uses the "clouds" in our lives to make our lives more spectacular and unique.  It's the challenges and trials and cloudy, hazy days of having to lean more on God for direction in our lives that help to shape and mold us into the strong characters He intends us to be.  Just some food for thought as you think about sunsets in a new way.    

Here's the sunset from last night, along with the verses from the 64th Psalm that kind of struck me as I was looking back at these pictures of the clouds and designs in the skies.  I wonder if you will notice some of the things that I noticed:

Psalm 64 NKJV

Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

"1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;

Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,

From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,

3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,

And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,

4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;

Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;

They talk of laying snares secretly;

They say, “Who will see them?”

6 They devise iniquities:

“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”

Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;'

Suddenly they shall be wounded.

8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;

All who see them shall flee away.

9 All men shall fear,

And shall declare the work of God;

For they shall wisely consider His doing."

10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.

And all the upright in heart shall glory."

Amen.

I hope you enjoyed those pictures along with that Psalm. Could you see the battle of the swords and arrows in the skies? Makes me think about the battles that are going on all around us in the spiritual realm, as well as the battles that are going on in real time around the world right now. It is so important that we keep our Spiritual Armor of God on at all times...(Ephesians 6:10-18)

I am thankful that we have had a relatively peaceful week here in our area. But of course we know there are still so many suffering without electricity, water, good shelter and even food. Last week's storm wreaked havoc on the lives of so many, and we need to continue to pray for them, and do whatever we can to help. If you aren't sure where to send donations, Samaritan's Purse is a strong and true organization directed by Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham. Also most church denominations have Disaster Relief programs that are hard at work in the hard hit areas. You can usually donate through your church to a disaster relief program.  

I am thankful also that my hubby had a successful medical procedure done yesterday. We made it there in plenty of time and all went well. He will get the results of the test in a couple of weeks, but it is basically a follow up to some work he had done a year ago, to make sure that everything is still "good".  We are trusting God that it is, however prayers are always welcome.  

I've been wanting to show you something very special for a few days now. Frankly, I was so overcome by this gift, that I had to give myself some time to process it.  Remember in my Monday Post that I showed you a picture of a dear friend (see her below), who has been battling Stage 4 cancer for the past year +, and she is now doing so much better?

Well, this dear lady mentioned to me on Sunday that she had a birthday gift for me, and that she wanted to drop it off at my house this week.  I never expected that, and was really surprised that she would want to give me a gift.  But indeed, it was not just any gift, it was something truly truly special, and I wish I had had my hubby take our picture together when she brought it over, but I was too overwhelmed by the magnitude of this gift that I never thought of it until she had already left.  So, I had hubby take some pictures of me with this gift this morning so you can see it, and you will understand why I was so totally humbled and flabbergasted by this very special gift:

This dear lady literally crocheted this beautiful shawl for me while she was having chemo treatments! How do I respond to that???? With tears, for one thing. And with much gratitude and humility. 

Isn't it beautiful? It is a Civil War Era pattern, and it is absolutely gorgeous. 

What I love is that it will go with so many colors...and hubby said this outfit needed a hat...LOL

I am just overwhelmed with this lovely gift, and am so amazed that this precious lady would create this especially for me...I am already thinking about all the ways I hope to be able to wear it in the near future. 

But most of all, I am thinking about how very dear and special this woman is.  She is such an example of God's strength under fire.  When she was given the diagnosis and prognosis of her disease, she was determined to fight back. She did not give in to fear or anxiety, although she did have some of that for certain...but she would not let it take over. She stayed busy, even when the side effects of the treatments threatened to overwhelm her...she would not give up. Yes, I know there were days that she could not do a thing, but as soon as she was able, she kept moving forward. The fact that she would take yarn and crochet needles with her to chemo treatments and work on this beautiful gift for me is just so amazing to me that I cannot even fathom it. I do not even understand why for me? But God knows, and He knew how much this gift would bless me, and also I believe it was a gift for her to be able to do something for others in the midst of her own struggles. God does work in mysterious ways, and He weaves into the tapestry of our lives lessons of love, grace, and comfort. And the end result is a picture that is so beautiful to behold that we cannot always fathom the depth of it at first glance. It may take days, or it may take a lifetime...but I know that I am very very thankful to God for taking the extra steps to show us these things...

And so, with these thoughts in mind, I will close for tonight.  Wondering if there was ever a time in your life that you were overwhelmed with a special gift that you felt unworthy of?  Perhaps that is a picture of God's grace again...He sent Jesus to die for our sins, not because we did anything to deserve that gift, but because He loves us...

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Something to think about... 

Good Night dear friends.

Wednesday Treasures for Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday

 Valentine's Day Love Is...building a new nest...

Yes, that is our same Mr. and Mrs. Sand Hill Crane building a new nest out on that little scrap of a marshy island early this morning...and they are working at it diligently morning and night...so it must be time for a new baby crane "colt" egg to make an appearance any time now.  Last year the first egg appeared on Valentine's Day, and another one right after that.  

These pictures are rather grainy due to it being right before sunset tonight, but they were both right back at it tonight, working away, pulling up lily pad stems from the pond and tossing them into a pile to create the nest.  They took the day off to go feed somewhere else, but came back this afternoon to get back to work. 

They were making quite a lot of noise for a while this evening, and I thought maybe she had already laid the egg...but it's too hard to tell from these pictures.  Hopefully I will be able to see them better in the morning.

Meanwhile, during the bright afternoon sun today, Mr. Turtle was enjoying sunning himself on top of their newly constructed nest.  I have a feeling Mr. and Mrs. Crane will be standing guard over their nest once the egg appears and Mr. Turtle will have to go sun himself elsewhere!

Today was a rather conflicting day...it was Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate the love of friends and loved ones, and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, when we remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us and we realize just how unworthy of His great love we really are, and yet He chose to love us and die for us anyway.  So maybe it isn't such a conflicting day after all?  It really is all about LOVE.  I guess the conflict comes in wanting to celebrate at the same time as feeling a sense of needing to make some sacrifices in order to draw even closer to the One who loves us so much.  

John 15:13 NKJV 

"Greater love has no one than this, 

than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

1 John 4:10  King James Version

"10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, 

in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Rather than write a new post regarding the practice of Lent, HERE is a link to a previous post that I wrote originally a few years ago about what I believe about Lent.  You may find it interesting.

Meanwhile, since today was also Valentine's Day, there were other things happening as well.  Our Women in Faith group met for their monthly gathering.  I went with full intention of staying for the luncheon at the end, but I really wasn't feeling up to par and decided to head back home instead where I could have a bowl of soup and take a long nap. I was just very tired and my tummy wasn't feeling great, so that was the best option for me today.  But I was there long enough to get this fun little Valentine game that one of the ladies brought for each of us to enjoy.

It was one of those papers that you have to fold all different ways and make a little hand game. I never did get it right, so here is what it looked like originally:

I thought the questions were cute and fun, and maybe we should try to answer them as a Valentine's Day quiz.

1.  What food do you dislike most?   I like most foods, but probably nothing too overly spicy. I don't eat Sushi or stinky cheeses like Bleu Cheese or Limburger. (Does anyone really eat Limburger Cheese?)

2.  What's your hidden talent?   Not sure...it must still be hiding...I used to be quite artistic, but not so much anymore. Most of my talents aren't really hidden as I try to use them so I don't lose them...I love to sing, take pictures, and write this blog.

3.  Who do you like?  Gosh! Where do I begin? I like all of YOU!!

4.  What's your favorite candy?  Payday candy bar.  (the Original one...not the chocolate one).

5.  What's your biggest fear?  I really can't say that I have any big fears because I know God is in control and He is handling everything perfectly. However, I must say that I really would not want to live alone. I've never had to live alone in my whole life, and I have a hard time imagining that I would adapt to a solitary life very well.  I know God is always with me no matter what, but still, the thought of living without anyone around to talk to or just be close to is something that I hope I never have to do.

6.  What's your favorite animal? I am more of a dog person I think, but I love horses and little kitties are so sweet.

7.  Who's your favorite TV star? As a child I would have said Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy). Now, I really can't think of any one favorite TV star as I really don't watch much TV.  I like old movies, but those would be movie stars.

8.  What's your go-to dance move? I have no clue. Slow dancing with my hubby. What could be better than that?

Now it's YOUR turn! I would love to hear what you have to say about these little questions. Feel free to copy them and answer them on your blog if you wish.

It's getting late, and so I guess I will close this with a few pictures of tonight's sunset on Still Waters Pond. It really was magnificent...another of God's masterpieces...a Love gift for Valentine's Day from God!

Here's the beginning, just as the sun was dipping down below the trees...

The skies became all golden and glorious...

This reminds me of a hymn that I remember singing often growing up: "For the Beauty of the Earth". You can listen to it here and sing along with my pictures if you wish...

1 For the beauty of the earth,

for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth

over and around us lies.

Refrain:

Lord of All to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

2 For the wonder of each hour

of the day and of the night,

hill and vale and tree and flower,

sun and moon and stars of light, 

Refrain:

Lord of All to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

And then the skies turned to this lovely shade of pinkish-orange-blueish.  Or "sky blue pink".

3 For the joy of human love,

brother, sister, parent, child,

friends on earth, and friends above,

for all gentle thoughts and mild, 

Refrain:

Lord of All to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

It was about this time that Mr. and Mrs. Crane were making lots of noise out there on their little island while building their nest.  You can't see them, but they were singing praises to their Creator for the beauty of the skies around them while they work against time to get their little nest ready for their new eggs to be developed and lovingly cared for until the babies are born...and then they really get busy!

4 For Thyself, best gift divine,

to our race so freely given,

For that great great love of Thine,

peace on earth and joy in heaven. 

[Refrain]

Lord of All, to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

Amen.

May you have a blessed season of Lent as we prepare our hearts for the remembrance of the Passion of our Savior Jesus Christ..."Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise!"

"I Was In His Mind"

I was thinking about this song from back in the 70's or 80's, anyway, a long time ago. I remember singing it as a solo in church way back when:

"I was in His mind before the worlds were made,

I was in His mind before earth's frame was laid,

because He knew me, because He loved me!

I was in His thoughts the night He prayed for me,

I was in His thoughts before Gethsemane,

because He saw me,

because He loved me!

I was in His heart when Calv'ry's hill He climbed,

I was in His heart when he died for all mankind,

because He sought me, because He loved me!

I am in His mind, and soon He'll come for me,

I am in His mind with Him in heav'n to be,

because He wants me, because He loves me,

because He loves me!"

(written by Jane LaRowe, copyright 1970)

Did you ever think about God knowing you way back before the worlds were made, even before earth's frame was laid? Wow! Can that be?  And then to think that I was in His thoughts when He was praying in the garden of Gethsemane...and in His heart when He died on Calvary...but it gets even better yet...I am still in His mind, and one day He is coming back to take me to be with Him forever in heaven! And not just me...but you too, and everyone who believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord!

Psalm 139 says:

"1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!

Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20 For they speak against You wickedly;

Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting."

I find this very comforting during these days of Lent and preparing our hearts for the celebration of Easter once again, which will be here before we know it. Jesus knew me when He went to Calvary to die for me and for you. He knew you, and He loved us enough to die for us. 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me! It is high, I cannot attain it!"

This week we have had several examples of God's love displayed for us. I can't go into the details, but I can only say that we are very very thankful for His provision and also for His protection in regards to members of our family. I can only say, "Our God is an awesome God!" and we are most grateful.

Amen.

Friday Foto Friends are over at The Adventures of Lily Grace today.  Won't you come join us?

Sermon Notes: Share Your Oxygen Mask...

Sermon Notes June 10, 2018

Praise the Lord! Our Pastor was back in the pulpit Sunday! That is an answer to many prayers and a miracle of God...Thank you for your prayers over the past several weeks on his behalf. He truly was very close to heaven during this time...but I believe he heard the Lord saying, "Not just yet! I've still got more work for you to do!"

And so yesterday was a time of rejoicing for our little congregation and for our Pastor and his wife.

They were very thankful to be back "home" with their church family.

I heard the Pastor say several times, "I missed my family"...meaning this church family...

and I can see why...they truly love him and one another,

and they definitely love the Lord.

And that is how it should be.

Scripture Passage:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV)

1.  "To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

2.  A time to be born,

and a time to die;

A time to plant,

and a time to pluck what is planted;

3.  A time to kill, 

and a time to heal;

A time to break down,

and a time to build up;

4.  A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

and a time to dance;

5.  A time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace;

and a time to refrain from embracing;

6.  A time to gain,

and a time to lose;

A time to keep,

and a time to throw away;

7.  A time to tear,

and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

and a time speak;

8.  A time to love,

and a time to hate;

A time of war,

and a time of peace."

"Lord...may Your people see through me and see You..."

Some things to think about...
Have you ever been on a trip on an airplane?  Think about everything that is going on as you get ready for departure...you put your bag up in the overhead and settle down in your seat, and then the flight attendant starts giving instructions...and oftentimes we are so busy settling ourselves in that we really don't listen much to what the attendant is saying...

But think for a minute about the instructions for what to do if the plane should start to lose pressure...the oxygen mask drops down from above your seat...and what does the flight attendant tell you to do?  You know the drill:  Put your mask on first and then help someone next to you who may need assistance...

Internet Photo

That oxygen mask is like salvation...We hear the gospel...we accept God's free gift of salvation for ourselves...and then we are supposed to pass it on to someone next to us...our family, our children, our neighbor, our co-workers...but we get so busy...and we aren't really paying attention to the instructions...

However, if you're on that airplane and that oxygen mask drops down you stop everything and put that mask on and then help your neighbor...because you know it could mean life or death for you or them...

In life we get too comfortable to do what we are supposed to be doing...."Go, make disciples..."
We've been blessed to receive that gift...but we're too comfortable to get up and reach out to our neighbor...we may not even know our neighbor...

Now, don't just bust out and do it once and then get comfortable again..."That was a season in time" (like in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)..."and now I don't need to do it again..."

We need to set aside time to pray for our neighbor, nation, community, family...

God will use us in one way or another...or He'll interrupt our lives...wake us up...perhaps give us an opportunity to speak to people we would never have had before...(Pastor gave personal examples of being in the hospital and all the new opportunities he had to talk to many people)

God will find a way to interrupt our lifestyle...the situation is urgent...everyone needs this oxygen mask of salvation...

The flight attendant gave the instructions...God's Word has given us instructions...we need to listen...we need to share and help others with their oxygen mask of salvation...

People may ask you when you are sharing this good news with them..."Isn't it hard to become a Christian?"  No...it's a free gift...we didn't have to do anything to earn this...

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, 

in that while we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us..." 

Romans 5:8

And this is how simple it is:  

"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Romans 10:13

"And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Acts 2:21 and Joel 2:32

And for us who already have on our "oxygen mask" of salvation, and to not help our neighbor with theirs...we are like the one mentioned in James 4:17 ~

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, 

to him it is sin."

And the way for this "oxygen mask" to have a lasting, positive effect is to...

• grab onto the Gospel of Jesus Christ ourselves first...(His Oxygen Mask of Salvation)
• share His free gift of salvation with others creatively...Jesus Christ died for us...
• listen to Him...take the gospel out into the world...
• There is always an opportunity--always a chance to share the love we have for Jesus Christ
• Don't wait for God to "interrupt your lifestyle" to do this...

I challenge you to share the Gospel with someone this week...maybe they need some encouragement to fully understand the grace of Jesus Christ...

Share your oxygen mask of salvation through Jesus Christ with another person this week...

Lord, empower us to have boldness to take the Name of Jesus with us...Amen.

Internet Photo

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.

Sermon notes from FUMC, Interlachen, FL, 6/10/2018, Pastor A.C. Myers

Postscript:  Personal Note:  Later this week we will be flying on an airplane to Maine to see our grandson graduate! You can bet I'll be paying attention to the flight attendant talking about the oxygen mask on this trip. I HOPE we don't have to use it...but I'll be thinking about this message and praying for ways to share this "oxygen mask" with others.  Have a blessed week, my friends.  I may not get back on here for a few days since we are busy getting ready to travel, etc....