Sunday Evening Meditation

Psalm 25:1-5

1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4 "Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day."

I thought you'd enjoy seeing that we not only have Bluebirds here on Still Waters Pond, but we also have "red-birds", a.k.a. the Northern Cardinal, and in this case, the male Cardinal. His mate is around there somewhere, but she didn't make it into the pictures.  This male just seemed to be waiting and watching and perhaps listening for God's instructions. "On You I wait all the day."  A good lesson for us today from God's Word.  Be patient and wait on the Lord for instruction...follow God's leading and teachings and you will not go astray!

Last evening I thought I would outsmart the Sand Hill Crane couple and go way around the shore of Still Waters Pond to where I could see their nesting place and wait for them to land for the evening.  They usually fly in around sunset and land on this little scrap of marshy floating island, (see below) where they will spend the night and also where they are building their nest for this spring.  

As I stood on the shore...this close to the water's edge! Yes, if I lost my balance I would be in that water!...

I looked around and across to where our house is and our shoreline, and what do I see?  Mr. and Mrs. Sand Hill Crane had landed on our shoreline, and they were enjoying taking their time and finding things to eat in the weeds along the shore!

So I stood there on the other side (I zoomed in for these pictures) and waited patiently for them to get tired of eating there and fly on over to their nest...

They seemed to be enjoying a leisurely stroll along the shore, and they were in no hurry at all to get back to their nest!

Meanwhile, I'm standing over there waiting and it's getting kind of chilly...I had run out of the house without a sweater thinking it was still warm out since it had been quite warm during the afternoon...

But no, they were in no hurry.  I took these next pictures with my cell phone, so I couldn't zoom in as well, but I liked the way the sunlight was changing the colors as it was setting in the west beside me.

I almost think they knew I was over there watching them, and therefore they weren't going to fly over that way as long as a strange human with a camera was there waiting for them!

Finally I gave up and decided to head back to the house before it got dark.

I didn't take another picture, but when I got back around to the house to go in the back door, they saw me and came right up on the shore into our yard and waited for me to go inside and get them some birdseed! Yes! That's what they were waiting for, the stinkers! LOL.  So I threw them out some seed and they were very grateful and stayed there and ate it until it was too dark for me to even think about going back outside to see where they would go next. Besides, it wouldn't have shown up in a photo anyway!  But perhaps I did what I was supposed to do.

Psalm 145:14-19

14 "The Lord upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

And You give them their food in due season.

16 You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works.

18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them."

No, I am not trying to say that I am taking the place of God for these birds. But perhaps I am doing what God wants me to do for them.  Perhaps I am His ambassador here for these creatures of His creation. Or maybe it is simply an example to us of how God cares for us.  When we fall down or are feeling sad or blue or in a difficult situation, we can rely on God to provide for us.  "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him...and He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them."    If God provides food for the creatures of the earth, how much more will He provide for us, His beloved children who are calling upon Him in truth, and who are looking expectantly to Him for help in time of need?  Yes, as surely as we take care of our own, even sometimes in exasperation because our own don't always perform the way we want them to...yet because of love we take care of them...God also cares for us, even when we don't always perform the way He wants us to...because He loves us.   He will "hear their cry and save them."   Amen!

Now just for laughs as I close this out for the night, this afternoon I looked out the window here in my "Room with a View", and saw "Blackie" the neighborhood cat sitting on a little container on the back porch that has an old rug on top of it...just sitting there giving himself a bath and then relaxing and looking around like he owned the place.

I had to chuckle, because everytime I look out on the porch, Blackie has chosen a different place to sit! We have three wicker chairs, and he goes from one to the next and back again, depending upon his mood I guess. I told my hubby he reminds me of Goldilocks, trying out each chair and then the "bed" to find the one that is "just right".  

And speaking of beds that are just right...I guess it's time to say good night!

Isaiah 26:3  NKJV

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Sunday Thoughts

 Today is the first Sunday of November! We didn't make it to church today, due to both still feeling a bit under the weather...coughing especially, (and I don't think anyone wants to hear us coughing in church. I know it always makes me cringe when I hear people coughing in such a close area), and we didn't sleep very well last night either.   Time change always effects me negatively, no matter which way you turn the clocks! It takes about a week to get back into the rhythm of things again.  But we actually woke up early,(according to the time change) had our morning devotions and coffee/tea, and breakfast...(hubby wanted a good breakfast today), so we had sausage links and French Toast. I had purchased a loaf of uncut Italian Bread at Walmart for $1.00...they've been doing that lately, and it's fresh baked from the bakery, and so good...so I cut thick pieces of that and made French Toast.  I don't usually like sweet stuff in the morning, but I must say that was good.  I should've taken a picture!  But then we went back to bed and slept for another hour or so. Oh, I also put a half ham in the oven to cook, so it baked while we slept.  It smelled so good.  When we got up it was getting close to lunch time already.  When the ham was done I cut off pieces of nice hot ham and made hot ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch. That was really good too. Benton and Rose stopped by briefly after church to bring us some milk (I had texted Rose when they got out of church and asked if they would mind doing that...the Dollar General is about a block from our house). I let her cut off a big chunk of the ham to take home with them for their lunch.  If we hadn't have been sick we would've had the kids here for lunch after church, but since that wasn't really reasonable, (thankfully they haven't been sick even after spending all that time with us in the mountains, etc., and we don't want them to catch this bug) it was just better to let them take some ham home for themselves.

So, that's how our morning went!  

We could've watched the church sermon on YouTube, (see below) but didn't get around to it yet. However I did watch the choir singing, "In Christ Alone". You will notice that I'm not in the choir, because they record these songs at choir practice during the week, and I wasn't there.  I hope to make it this week, even though this cold has affected my voice and I really still can't sing, but we are practicing for our Christmas Cantata now and I need to at least hear it and learn it even if I can't sing.

Here are the lyrics to the song, if you'd like to sing along:

"In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand"

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Traditional / Keith Getty / Stuart Townend

In Christ Alone (My Hope Is Found) lyrics © Thankyou Music Ltd., Thankyou Music, Thank You Music Ltd.

This afternoon I went outside and sat in the swing in the Secret/Memorial Garden. It was so pleasant, and it felt good to get outside for a while.  Here's a few pictures while I was sitting in my little outdoor "sanctuary":

I enjoyed a cup of Pumpkin Spice tea while I sat there listening to the birds and soaking in the fresh air and warmth of the sun.

Oh! My Memorial Rose bush has another bud on it! I sure hope it makes it to full opening this time and not fall off like it did last time! You can read more about THAT disappointment HERE.

I will be sure to go check it tomorrow morning, and pray that it is ready to open and enjoy.

I later took a little walkabout the yard just as the sun was setting...look how bright red these holly berries are!  I hope the Cedar Waxwings and Robins will come and enjoy them again like they did a few years ago...

Here's some pretty little wildflowers beside Still Waters Pond:

I was happy to see that my Firespike bush is finally blooming:

I've also been noticing that Phragmites are blooming all around the pond:

Can you see them out there on the island...and notice the sunset in the background!  That's the only photo I got of it tonight, as it kind of fizzled out right after that:

Oh, and these sweet little wild Sky Blue Aster flowers are blooming in our yard too.  I love them...and I understand that the blue aster is the flower for my birthmonth, September.  It may be a little late, but it's nice that it showed up here in my yard!

While I was out wandering around, I went over next door to the new house and checked out its new skirting:

It's looking good!  They still have some more land cleaning up to do, but they are close to putting a for sale sign in the yard to hopefully attract a GOOD NEIGHBOR for us!  Please keep praying!!

A couple more things before we go for the night...if you remember from my last post HERE I posted a picture of this calendar that showed the girl holding a "naked turkey", and I said I didn't think I could stand to look at that all month long...well, I found a solution. I had some stickers with different kinds of teapots on them (a gift from a blogging friend!), and I found one that would cover the naked turkey just fine: 

It may look a bit too big and out of proportion for the girl holding it, but it still looks much better than that naked turkey with its head cut off! LOL.

Oh, look who showed up in the yard yesterday afternoon?...Yes, that's Blackie the neighborhood Cat, who hasn't been hanging around our house much lately, but there he was, hiding behind that little plant, trying to stay out of the sight of the Sand Hill Crane Family.  They weren't fooled...all three of them were in the yard, and they kept a wary eye on Blackie, until he kind of slinked away and got out of harm's way without incident.  

One more thing, I mentioned that the wedding we attended last weekend was serving a Vegan Menu for their reception dinner...the dinner we missed because it started raining and we had to leave early, etc., https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2024/10/vacation-part-two-visiting-friends-and.html (click on that link for the whole story), but here is a copy of the menu . As you can see, it was very interesting and quite detailed, even with codes to explain what categories each item fell into.  I was sorry that I didn't get to taste any of this dinner, but I heard that it was very good.

And so, I think I will close on that note, but here are some pictures of our sunset from last night, which was very beautiful:

(first verse to "In Christ Alone")

"In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand"

(verses 2-3 of "In Christ Alone")

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

(last verse of "In Christ Alone")

"No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand"

Amen.

Sunday Morning Thoughts

Today is Sunday, August 4, 2024.  Here in the state of Florida we are anticipating a tropical storm and/or Hurricane "Debby" to arrive later today.  Where we live we will most likely get a good bit of rain, but I don't think this storm is expected to have very high winds. There is always the threat of tornadoes, however, so we must be on guard and prepared for anything.  We are as ready as we can be. 

I am thankful for this beautiful gift from God, sent to us the other evening after a quick rainstorm...this beautiful rainbow...to remind us of God's promise to us that He would never again destroy all flesh on the earth with a flood.  Yes, there may be floods in various places, and some people here in Florida along the coast may experience some storm surge and high waters that bring floods to their neighborhoods and perhaps even their own homes. I hope and pray not, but it is a real possibility.  But God has promised us that He will not destroy all flesh with floods ever again.

Genesis 9:13-17 New King James Version

13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

We are so very thankful for God's promises to us, and for this beautiful reminder that He is with us through all of the storms of our lives.

The other morning we took a walk in our usual walking place, and this lovely Red Spotted Purple butterfly came flitting all around me. Yes, I know it looks blue to me too, certainly not purple, but that's its name none the less.  It was so lovely, and as it flew from plant to plant, I asked it sweetly if it would please be still for a few moments so I could take some pictures.  

And apparently he heard me and did exactly that! I thanked him, and I also thanked God, who is the Creator of all creatures big and small, and He sent this little beauty to me to bless me at that moment.

We know that butterflies are creatures who have gone through an amazing transformation before they become these beautifully colored butterflies that we enjoy watching.  God's Word tells us that we too will all be changed one day as well..."in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye..."  

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 New King James Version

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

Did you know that a butterfly, once it reaches this state of the life cycle, will most likely only live about 2-4 weeks? Some may live longer, but seriously, they don't have a very long life span once they reach maturity.  So they must live life to the fullest while they can...

And so must we as humans! None of us knows how long our life span may be. Some may reach the ripe old age of living into their 90's or even a few may reach 100.  However the majority of us may find it a stretch to make it past our 80's.  Sadly, there are many who never make it very far into adulthood before they are called home to heaven.

What we do with this life we've been given is for us to decide...but perhaps God has other plans for us that He is calling us to do, if we will just listen and heed His call.

Our choir sang a song about this a few months ago..."Jesus Calls Us"

(recording was actually from March, 2024, hence the long sleeves!)

Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea;

Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, Saying, “Christian, follow Me.”

Jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world’s golden store

From each idol that would keep us, Saying “Christian, love Me more.”

In our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease,

Still He calls, in cares and pleasures, “Christian, love Me more than these.”

Jesus calls us by Thy mercies, Savior, may we hear Thy call

Give our hearts to Thine obedience, serve and love Thee best of all.

Today, being a Sunday, might be a good day to ask ourselves if we are listening for God's call and then if we are giving our "hearts to Thine obedience," and "serve(ing) and lov(ing) Thee best of all."

I actually am at home this morning instead of being at church, so perhaps this message is my little sermonette to take the place of being in church. I am not feeling well in my tummy and it would not be wise for me to be in a public meeting house under these conditions. Enough said.  But still, I am here listening for God's voice as He calls me o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea.  I still want to follow Christ and love Him more than all of these things in the world.  And I want to be ready when He calls me to come home to heaven. That could be at any moment..."in a twinkling of an eye".  I believe I am ready.  I hope all of my friends/family are ready as well.

Meanwhile, a little silly photo from this week that I posted on Facebook. I found these toadstools out in the yard, all kind of lined up together in a group.  I asked if this is how the toads play leapfrog? Hopping from toadstool to toadstool?   Perhaps they do...I mean, what else are toadstools for anyway? One of my friends said she used to think that the fairies lived under the toadstools.  I asked her back, "You mean they don't???"  LOL.   

Nah, the fairies don't live under the toadstools...they live right here inside, and they are having a tea party right now:

And with that little bit of frivolity I will close this post.  I do pray that you and yours are safe from whatever kind of storms may be coming your way.  May you know that God is with you in all of life's trials and storms, and He will never leave us or forsake us.  But He does want to have fellowship and communion with us on a daily basis. That's the key to living in peace no matter what storms befall us.

May God be with you and yours.