Tuesday 4 on Wednesday: Book Worms

 This is this week's Tuesday 4, and I didn't get around to participating until today,  Wednesday. Yesterday was a busy day, and I honestly didn't think I had anything to contribute to this dialogue, so I thought I would just let it pass for this week. However, then the *Library called me and said they had all the books I had ordered online waiting for me to come pick up...and I said to myself, "Self, you may have something to say here afterall...so go ahead and give it a whirl."  Better late than never...So here we go, and thank you to Annie for faithfully coming up with these discussions each week.  Perhaps you are also late to the "party", and maybe you would like to add your thoughts about this topic. The link up is still available at Tuesday 4 if you still want to join...or go visit the others who participated on time, unlike yours truly. LOL.  So here we go:

Book Worms

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we try and challenge you to think , discover and make new friends through blogging.


1. Did any book besides the Bible have an impact on your life or beliefs?  I would be hard pressed to come up with any other book that has had such an impact on my life as the Bible.  It is the book that tells the story of my very existence...and yours too!  It tells us all about our beginning and also our 'end'.    Other books that I appreciated in my life were varied and diverse.  I remember having as required reading in our senior year of high school the book 1984, by George Orwell.  I remember how we all discussed the predictions made in that book,  and this was in 1968...55 years ago.  The book itself was written in 1949, and what is amazing to me to think about now is how George Orwell thought up all the ideas he presented in his book...and even though he may have been off by a few years, I'm thinking we are seeing much of what he wrote about coming true now in this day and time.  What's interesting now to me is what my father's reaction was when I brought home that book to read. He picked it up and looked at it and threw it in the trash because it had some inappropriate language in it and he didn't want his daughter reading that trash!  I had to go fish it back out of the trash to take back to school, explaining to him that the book belonged to the school and I had to make a report on it or I would get a bad grade.  He was very upset about it and said he would talk to my English teacher and ask her why she was requiring us to read such garbage!  Bless his heart, he meant well...but I am thankful that he is not around today to see the garbage that our children and grandchildren are being  exposed to in our schools today.  I have a difficult time with it and if I had kids in school today, I think I might be reacting much like my father did 55 years ago.  Sadly, "Big Brother is watching you" is no longer a fantasy idea...


2. What books influenced you as a young person.?

To be honest, except for the book I just told you about above, I cannot remember what books I read when I was a young person.  I don't recall reading all the usual books that many have mentioned...I do remember reading "Little Women", and also loved the movie version with Katherine Hepburn as Jo.  

One book that my hubby and I used on a regular basis in our early years was "Streams in the Desert", 

a daily devotional book by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman.  It was always so amazing to us to see how the daily devotional always seemed to speak to whatever was going on in our lives at that time, and even when we would read it again the next year, it always seemed to fit our situation.  Here is a link to today's reading.  I was happy to see it hasn't changed.  The copy we have was published in 1950. The Copyright is 1925.    Here is an excerpt from today's reading: (July 19):

"The present circumstance, which presses so hard against you (if surrendered to Christ), is the best shaped tool in the Father's hand to chisel you for eternity. Trust Him, then. Do not push away the instrument lest you lose its work.

Strange and difficult indeed

We may find it,

But the blessing that we need

Is behind it.

The school of suffering graduates rare scholars."

3. Do you continue educating yourself by reading books or listening to podcasts or lectures?

I think it would be safe to say that the majority of my reading today, besides the Bible and a daily devotional, would be primarily for my relaxation and enjoyment.  I do not do well "listening to podcasts or lectures". I am too easily distracted to focus on audio type learning at this point in time. I am a hands-on, let me hold it in my hand and see it up close kind of reader. I do not use a Kindle or other electronic type of reader.  However, that being said, my eyesight is getting to a point where I cannot read for long periods of time anymore, so I have to read in smaller increments than before.  

4. Have you ever sat in a coffee shop/restaurant/cafe reading a book? What is your preferred place to read?

I do not like to sit anywhere in public reading, except while in a waiting room in a Doctor's office or something like that.  My preferred place to read is in my recliner, in the living room, next to my hubby, who is in his recliner usually watching something like sports on TV.  I like to be in the same room with him even though I am not watching what he is watching.  

*Now, on that note, this is what I am currently reading:

Yes, a stack of Amish Fiction books.  I may have read some of these before years ago, but long enough ago that I've forgotten the stories so I am enjoying them once again.  This is the stack I just picked up at the Library.

And I think these cozy Amish stories are having an influence on me.  If you have read any of those kinds of books, you know how they are always baking or cooking something...Shoo Fly pies, Whoopie Pies or noodles and meatballs or something else equally fattening but hearty and delicious.  The women spend a good bit of their time in the kitchen, rising up early to prepare a big breakfast for their hardworking men folk.  This morning I felt like an Amish woman as I rose up early and started baking right away...here's what I made...our favorite Blueberry Bran Muffins:

Click HERE for the recipe.

Here they are, fresh and hot out of the oven, bursting with delicious blueberries that I had put up in the freezer earlier this summer when they were fresh picked from the blueberry farm here in our town:

(I didn't pick them...they had some already picked that were fresh, and saved me the trouble! If I were a true Amish woman, I would have grown them and picked them myself LOL).

This reminded me of passage found in Proverbs 31:

"14 She is like the merchant ships,

She brings her food from afar.

15 She also rises while it is yet night,

And provides food for her household,

And a portion for her maidservants."

I didn't exactly provide a portion for my "maidservants", because I don't have any maidservants. Neither do the Amish women.  They have to work without the benefit of electricity or other modern conveniences.  I do admire them, but not enough to want to be one.  They have hardships we do not fully understand or appreciate, and even though I believe they have a true faith in God and Jesus Christ, they live with rules that I don't believe Christ ever intended for us to have to endure.  However, the way things are going in our world today, we might be wise to take some lessons from the Amish about how to survive without modern conveniences...

Okay, that's all I will say for today. I hope you enjoyed this little visit. I wish you could come and have a cup of tea and a blueberry muffin with me. Just let me know when you are coming and I will put the kettle on!    God bless you all and have a wonderful rest of your day!

A New Beginning

Happy New Year Everyone!  In last night's post, "Out With the Old, In With the New", I revealed my new "One Word" for 2018:  Renew.  I am excited to see just where the Lord will lead me in this New Year as I seek renewal of heart, soul, mind, and body. 

Some of the verses we read in our devotions this morning were from the book of Deuteronomy 11:10 -14.  (From "Streams in the Desert" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, 1950 edition).  And since we woke up to the lovely sound of rain on our tin roof, these verses seem even more appropriate for the start of the New Year:

10.  "For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come,

where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden,

11. but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys,

which drinks water from the rain of heaven,

12.  a land for which the Lord your God cares;

The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it,

from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.

13.  And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today,

to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,

14.  then I will give you the rain for your land in its season,

the early rain and the latter rain,

that you may gather in your grain, your new wine,

and your oil."

Now, I'm not sure just what all of this means for the New Year...except that God is promising to supply rain for the renewal of our land...and as we obey the Lord ...love Him and serve Him with all our heart and all our soul...then He will give us the rain for our land (and in our hearts)...and we will be renewed,  and blessed and we shall flourish.  What better promise than that could we want for the New Year?

Now here is the ritual for the first day of the new year..."Out with the old, and in with the new"....Calendars...

 First, my Teapot calendar...My sister Doris gives me a new one every year for Christmas. (And I give her a different one that she likes)

And then our favorite Country Seasons calendar by the artist John Sloane:
I like how the two people on the front of the 2017 calendar are waving to each other...like "so long to 2017 and hello to 2018"

And then I really love the January picture for the 2018 calendar...beneath the picture of the little white church it says "Guiding Light"...and not only is the church the symbol of the Guiding Light (Jesus), but the skies are lit up with beautiful light as well, heralding in the New Year.

I also love that this little church looks so much like the little church where our son and daughter-in-love were recently married (without the snow, of course)...and we have actually been enjoying the worship and fellowship of that little church recently and hope to continue there in the New Year, Lord willing.  (All a part of that "renewal" that God has planned for me...)

So with that note, I will close for today.  Expecting God to bring about renewal through the early and latter rain this year...as we follow the "Guiding Light" of Jesus every day.

Thankful Thursday: "Our Eyes Are On You"

First of all, on this "Thankful Thursday", I want to say thank you to all of you who read and responded to my post yesterday.  No, I haven't created anything yet with those old spigots found at the dump, but I am definitely getting lots of good ideas from you as well as on Pinterest.  I will keep you posted as I figure out the best use for these vintage finds!

However, the part of yesterday's post that seemed to resonate even more with you and with myself was about how God sees us and uses us for His glory...even "repurposes" us with a new idea or plan during our retirement years.  For many of us, we find ourselves with more time on our hands, and for myself, I don't want to feel like this time or these retirement years are going to waste!  I want to be useful and do something meaningful with the time and talents God has invested in me.

Reflections on the pond...Sand Hill Cranes...last evening during my walk

As I reflected on these thoughts during my devotional time this morning, I was directed to read this devotional from Streams in The Desert, which was written many years ago and set apart for today's date, July 6th.  This may be a lot of reading for you today, but I want to share the key thoughts from this devotional with you, because it spoke to me so profoundly...and maybe it will to you as well.

The key verse for this reading was a portion of  II Chronicles 20:12 ~

"Neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee."

"A life was lost in Israel because a pair of human hands were laid unbidden upon the ark of God. They were placed upon it with the best intent, to steady it when trembling and shaking as the oxen drew it along the rough way; but they touched God's work presumptuously, and they fell paralyzed and lifeless. (You can read more about that in II Samuel 6:1-7)

Much of the life of faith consists in letting things alone.

If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and He will guard it for us better than we can help Him.  

'Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.' (Psalm 37:7)

Things may seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time.  There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there is nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His sovereign will.":---A.B. Simpson

Wow!  First of all, not only was this message a direct response to what I was expressing outwardly yesterday, but I also couldn't help but notice that it was written by someone who had a direct and positive impact in my early years of service to the Lord,  A.B. Simpson,  the founder of the church and mission society known as The Christian and Missionary Alliance,  which is the church denomination in which my husband and I served in the ministry for many years.  This was like a voice from the past confirming to me what God was already speaking into my heart!  

And notice also that Dr. Simpson quoted another key verse from Psalms 37:7..."Rest in the Lord..."

Remember what my "One Word" for 2017 is?  REST!

Okay, friends...what am I to deduce from these words and thoughts today in light of my "restlessness" expressed in my post yesterday?  Well, I still believe that God may have some thoughts regarding how best to "repurpose" me for His purposes and plans for my life...but I have to "REST in the Lord, and wait patiently on Him..."   He will reveal His plans in His time and in His way...and I may find that it really isn't anything much different than what I am already doing (or not doing), but I just have to trust Him to do what He wants in and through me.  

Meanwhile...I will try not to get too anxious and get my feathers all ruffled while I wait on God.

I'm so thankful for God's Word, and His faithful servants who continue to speak to us down through the ages.  Perhaps we need to realize that what we say and do HERE in this space may also impact future generations for God's Glory.  What could be better than that?

"Thus Far The Lord Has Helped Us" ~ Last Friday Foto Friends for 2016!

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between 

Mizpah and Shen, 

and called its name Ebenezer, saying, 

'Thus far the Lord has helped us.'"  

I Samuel 7:12

As we come to the end of another year, can we look back and say with Samuel, "Thus far the Lord has helped us?"  I don't know what you've been through during the past year...perhaps there has been  sickness, sorrow, disappointment...or maybe you've actually been blessed with good news...happy occasions and times of great joy.  Most likely, if we would be honest with ourselves, we've probably had some of each...the good times, and the bad times.  But can we see the hand of the Lord in the midst of it all?  Have you felt His Presence beside you, undergirding you, giving you strength for the tasks ahead?

The picture below was taken one morning this week as my hubby and I took our early morning walk...in the fog on this particular day.

As I looked to the east I could see the sun trying to break through the fog...but as I looked ahead it appeared that we were walking deeper into the mist...into the unknown...

And it occurred to me that this is where we are on these last days of 2016...walking into the unknown days ahead of 2017.  The current events of the world are enough to cause us to pause and wonder just what truly may lie ahead.  Kind of a "Closed Doors-Open Window" event, huh? 

The Old King James version of I Samuel 7:12 uses the word "hitherto" in place of "thus far".  When we say "hitherto", we most likely think of the past experiences only.  But "hitherto", or "thus far" is not the end.  It merely means that we've come this far...but we are still moving forward.  

In the little daily devotional book, Streams In The Desert, by Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman, it is stated in the reading for December 31st the following:

"For when a man gets up to a certain mark, and writes "hitherto," he is not yet at the end; there are still distances to be traversed.  More trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more toils, more strength; more fights, more victories; and then come sickness, old age, disease, death.

Is it over now? No! There is more yet-awakening in Jesus' likeness, thrones, harps, songs, psalms, white raiment, the face of Jesus, the society of saints, the glory of God, the fullness of eternity, the infinity of bliss.  Oh, be of good courage, believer, and with grateful confidence raise thy "Ebenezer," for,

      "He who hath helped thee hitherto will help thee all thy journey through."

According to this same little devotional, it is stated that

"The Alpine shepherds have a beautiful custom of ending the day by singing to one another an evening farewell.  The air is so crystalline that the song will carry long distances.  As the dusk begins to fall, they gather their flocks and begin to lead them down the mountain paths, singing,

 "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.  Let us praise His name!"

"And at last with a sweet courtesy, they sing to one another the friendly farewell: 'Goodnight! Goodnight!'  The words are taken up by the echoes, and from side to side the song goes reverberating sweetly and softly until the music dies away in the distance." 

Beautiful Sunset on Christmas Day

As we approach the final hours of 2016, can we sing and echo across the miles to one another:

"Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. 

Let us praise His name!" 

"Goodnight! Goodnight!"

And may our song reverberate around the world and into the New Year...encouraging us as we face the unknown future ahead of us...and give us 

Hope ornament from my Christmas tree

Let us now mark this moment in time with our "Ebenezer", a stone of remembrance commemorating that "Thus far the Lord has helped us", and look forward with great hope...that as surely as God was with us in the past, He will go forward with us into our future.

Happy New Year!! 

Linking up today with Deb and our friends for Friday Foto Friends.  Click HERE to visit with others to see what special fotos  and messages they may be sharing today. 

More Advent Delight!

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, 

and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4

As we fully enter into the Christmas season we look forward to more ways to celebrate Christ's birth and share His good news of love and salvation to others.  One way of doing that is to encourage our fellow sisters (and/or brothers) in the Lord as many have issues that can easily detract from the joy and weigh us down with anxieties, fears and sorrows.  Many people are carrying burdens that are extremely difficult to bear, and adding to that the stresses of the holiday can often exacerbate an already overwhelming situation.

Our Lovely Ladies of the Lord meeting for prayer and
study from the Bible

So, today our "Lovely Ladies of the Lord" prayer group met for our monthly time of prayer and fellowship.  I consider this monthly gathering to be one of the ways that God gives me the desire of my heart... as we come together we are all delighting in the Lord, by sharing His Word and lifting each other up in prayer. 

Today's message came from a devotional reading for December 7th found in "Streams of the Desert"...and it was a blessing to each of us in a powerful way.  The verses shared were from 2 Kings 3:17-18 KJV,  which says:

"For thus says the Lord: 

Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain;

yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink,

both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 

And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord;

He will deliver the Moabites also into your hands."

Now, you may not grasp the powerful message of this little passage, but to a group of ladies who each have their own personal and family issues that appear to be overwhelming and impossible on the surface, the little phrase encased in this passage, 

"And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord" 

offers great hope and encouragement, bolstering our faith in ways beyond what the naked eye can see.  

The devotional reading for this passage goes on to say:

"To human thinking it was simply impossible, but nothing is hard for God."

Where have we heard that before?  How about in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, when the  angel Gabriel is explaining to a virgin maiden how she was chosen to become the mother of the Son of God...and Mary asks the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" (verse 34), and Gabriel tells her that 

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (verse 35) 

and in verse 37 he says:

"For with God nothing will be impossible!"

Think about the message of hope that the Christmas story offers...Jesus, born to a virgin maiden, the very Son of God, came to bring salvation and hope and eternal life to a world lost in sin. He offers comfort and help and strength to us when we are feeling alone, fearful and weak. He tells us in the Gospel of Matthew 11:28-30 ...

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Ah, yes! That IS the Christmas message, is it not?  The prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah found in the book of Isaiah 40:11 says:

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

and carry them in His bosom,

and gently lead those who are with young."

He will carry His lambs in His bosom...He will take our burdens and give us rest...He will comfort us and gently lead us. 

Dear friends, if you are feeling the effects of "too much" during this Christmas season...or at any time...I hope you will cast your burdens on the Lord, and let Him carry them for you.  If you are weary or sick, or if you have loved ones who are suffering and you feel helpless to be able to render them aid, if you are lonely and heartbroken, or just feeling down because you can't make ends meet one way or the other...please look to Jesus.  Put your trust in Him. Let Him carry your burdens...better yet, let Him carry YOU.  Have faith in God.  Why?  Because...

"This is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord"   and...

"For with God nothing will be impossible!"

Enough Said! I hope you will take this message 

to heart and be blessed today.

Now, after our ladies met at one of our local churches for our time of prayer and Bible study, we moved on to the local diner for lunch and fellowship and more delight:

It appears that I am always talking...and we had a special "guest" at the next table, one of our wonderful local officers of the Sheriff's Department. We all thanked him for his service and care for our community.

And here's another special "guest":

Jolly Old St. Nicholaus was there to greet customers as they entered...Ho! Ho! Ho!  A jolly good time was had by all!  

Merry Christmas my friends!  

I hope you will be delighted in the Lord today!!!