Special "Celebrations" and Blessings

 Good Sunday Morning...the First Sunday in Lent for 2026!  This first part of the post will be a "repost" from years past as a devotional reading for today.  Then I will follow up with some current events...

(This photo was taken in our previous neighborhood several years ago)

Good Morning!  As we continue along in our journey through the Lenten season in preparation for the remembrance of Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross on our behalf, I would like to revisit this post from many years ago.  Praying that it will be a blessing to you today as well...


Original Post 3/11/2011:

I love to sing the old hymns of the faith...and I want to keep them alive for future generations.  This morning in my devotional time with my husband, we focused on this old hymn as a prayer:

"Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,

Jesus, I come, Jesus I come;

Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,

Jesus, I come to Thee;

Out of my sickness into Thy health,

Out of my want and into Thy wealth,

Out of my sin and into Thyself,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss,

Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;

Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,

Jesus, I come to Thee;

Out of earth's sorrows into Thy balm,

Out of life's storms and into Thy calm,

Out of distress to jubilant psalm,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of unrest and arrogant pride,

Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;

Into Thy blessed will to abide,

Jesus, I come to Thee;

Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,

Out of despair into raptures above,

Upward for aye on wings like a dove,

Jesus, I come to Thee.

Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,

Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;

Into the joy and light of my home,

Jesus, I come to Thee;

Out of the depths of ruin untold,

Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,

Ever Thy glorious face to behold,

Jesus, I come to Thee."

Written by William T. Sleeper, 1819-1904

Wow! Doesn't that hymn speak to you?  This is one of those songs that we often would sing as a prayer of commitment and surrender at the close of a church service.  Even though these words were penned by the composer over one hundred years ago, they are still applicable and powerful to me today.

During this Lenten Season, rather than focus on what you are giving up, why not consider what new insights you can glean from God's Word, the faithful messages found in the hymns of our faith, and other devotional writings as God leads you.  Then, share those thoughts with others throughout your day...whether by email, Facebook, notes written in cards, or by word of mouth in your conversations with friends and loved ones. If we could manage to share a word of encouragement and hope with another person each day, what a difference there would be in our world!

Have a glorious day...and give someone a real hug today.  God bless you real good! (((((HUGS)))))

Back to the present, Feburary 22, 2026...I love that picture of Jesus hugging that woman above, don't you? It makes me think of several things...one, how He holds us and cares for us now, during our times of sorrow and grief and pain, and secondly, how He will welcome us into heaven one day, when all of our sorrow and grief and pain will be over.  What a glorious day that will be!  This afternoon we will be celebrating the life of one of our dear friends from our church...(She's the one who made that beautiful shawl for me HERE).  She went to be with Jesus after her 2&1/2 year battle with cancer, and I can well imagine Kim being held in the arms of Jesus just like that as she entered heaven's gates. I am so happy for her, but very sad for her dear husband and parents and family. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

On another happier note, yesterday we had a different kind of celebration...the celebration of my sister Doris' and her hubby Art's 60th wedding anniversary!  We gathered with friends and family at a wonderful restaurant about an hour and half's drive from us, but well worth the trip to be with family and celebrate this happy occasion!  Here's the pictures:

Art and Doris, 60 happy years of wedded "bliss"...

My sister Doris is wearing the antique lavalier necklace that belonged to our maternal grandmother. She also wore this at their wedding as "something old", and so did I and every other bride in our family since my mother inherited it from her mother. It's a "family tradition" that I love. Doris is the "keeper of the lavalier" nowadays, and someday she will pass it down to her daughter to be used in all future generations of brides marrying into our family.

Sisters!!

Family...too busy eating to show their faces! LOL.  I was very neglectful in getting everyone to look  up, and sadly we forgot to get a group photo of the whole family together...we were all too busy enjoying our dinner and time together!

Here's my part of the family...my hubby is appalled at this picture...sorry, honey, I caught you with your mouth full!  Oh, and Scott was unable to attend. He lives a bit too far away to drive this distance from his place and back.

And this is my hubby's brother Billy and his wife Peggy. 

This restaurant, "Cook's Buffet", in Deland, Florida, is well known for it's wonderful salad and vegetable bar and meat buffet, with choices of leg of lamb, roast beef, chicken, ham, etc., that they carve off the bone and serve you.

This is my plate... I had been looking forward to the leg of lamb ever since I knew we were going there. This restaurant used to be called "Holiday House", and there used to be a chain of them in central Florida when I was growing up.  Now there is just this one, but it is owned by the same people who founded it, and the food is all just like it was when I was a child and we used to go there with my grandparents years and years ago!  Here is the website, in case you want to know their history.

(website photo)

It was a very wonderful celebration of two dear people, and we give thanks to the Lord for their life and testimony of God's grace and love.

On our way back home we did a little journey down memory lane and took a little side trip to two places where we had previously lived while serving churches in that area.  I took pictures of the houses, but not the churches...here's the first one:

This is the Parsonage at First Baptist Church of Pierson, Florida, where we lived while serving at that church. That front porch is new since we lived there.

And this was a manufactured home we had "built" and placed on this lot in Whispering Pines, Georgetown, FL., while we served at another church nearby, Beulah Baptist in Fruitland, FL.

These were both homes during special seasons of our life, and we give thanks to God for the blessings He bestowed upon us and for the privilege of serving Him during that time.

Well, it's time to get a move on and get ready for church today. Retired now from the pastoral ministry, but still serving the Lord any way He leads us.

Here's some thoughts from Psalm 139 to consider for today's prayer...

"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.

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."

Amen

"Come and See"... Sermon Notes and a Celebration of Sorts...

I was just looking at the list of posts that I have written over the past 9 years (this blog started in February, 2011), and I just realized that I have now crossed the 1000 posts mark, 1080 to be exact (this will make 1081!)  I suppose I should have had some kind of celebration when I crossed the 1000 "mile marker", but I didn't even realize it had happened.  If I am counting correctly, the 1000th post would have been HERE, April 22, 2019, the day after Easter!  Now that was certainly a time to celebrate! Here is my opening paragraph from that day:

"Happy Easter Monday...can you imagine what a glorious day this was back in Jesus' day?  The day AFTER the Resurrection?  Can you imagine the excitement rippling through the disciples' community network...they didn't have social media back then, but they sure had ways of getting the message around...and look what we have today...God's Word The Bible and the New Testament...we would not have The New Testament if Easter had never happened!  We would not have our churches and Christian schools, ministers, missionaries...we would still be lost in our sins...Oh, my goodness! What a difference Three Days Make!" 

And here are my closing remarks from that same post:

"Again, I think..what would our lives be like without Jesus in our lives? There would be no "church family"...no Easter music...no Christmas...no salvation from our sins...none of the wonderful sacred music that we enjoy so much every week at church and in between...no Christian charity, ministries, hospitals...wow...if Jesus had never come to earth...if Jesus had never died on Calvary...where would we be? Have you ever thought of this?  I supposed we'd all be like the rest of the heathen world...following after false religions and gods...or not knowing any kind of god at all. We'd be lost. Our lives would be dark and sad and filled with sorrows with no hope.
Thanks to Calvary...we have hope of life eternal...we have salvation from our sins...we have life and love and faith to carry us through all of life's trials.
Jesus said to Martha in John 11:25-26
"I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die...."

Hallelujah for this hope that we have in Christ Jesus, all because of Easter!" 

I love this because today's sermon reminded us that we are to be disciples of Christ like the early converts to Christ found in John 1:29-42.  First there was John the Baptist, who testified that Jesus is the "Son of God" (John 1:34), and then again in verse 36: "Behold the Lamb of God!" In verse 37 the two disciples of John heard him speak, and then they followed Jesus. One of those disciples was Andrew, and then he went and found his brother Simon Peter and told him that they had found the "Messiah", and then next came Philip, and then Philip found Nathanael, and the list just kept growing from there...and here we are today!

We were challenged in the message today to remember and think about who it was who led us to Christ...was it a Sunday School teacher, a Pastor, a friend, a parent?  Who has ministered to us in the Name of Jesus?  Who sent you to Jesus? Who gave you a Bible? Who helped you to form a relationship with Christ? We should thank God for those people who had such an influence in our lives.

And then furthermore, is there anyone who thanks God for YOUR witness? Who do YOU represent to the people you meet every day?

Jesus invites us to "Come and See" (verse 39) where He is staying. He invites us into His presence.
Do you know someone who is filled with darkness, bitter, angry?
Jesus can shine in the darkness...God's Word brings light and new life into old dry bones...

As believers in Christ we should want to tell others about the Good News of Jesus Christ. We just need to share what has transpired in our own lives since we met the "Messiah".

We should pray that God will give us the words to say to that person...whatever their need may be...listen to them, and then allow the Holy Spirit to speak through you and give the comfort and peace they need.
We need to be the ones who get folks to the place where Jesus can be found..."Come and see..."
We should be disciples who make disciples...
Listen to your heart...the hope that you have in Christ...share your faith...
I don't care what the question is...the answer is Jesus!
"The more you give your faith away, the more you share it...the more you have of it."
Jesus is ever calling us.
Your challenge is to introduce someone to that voice....

Okay, so there you have it! I am trying to get back into writing the weekly sermon notes again.
A dear soul in our church anonymously gave me this Sermon Notes journal for Christmas. (I did find out who it was and thanked her).  I took the hint...I needed to get back to doing what I was doing before...

"And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have..." 

2 Corinthians 8:10-11

So this is my way of celebrating passing the 1000 posts mile marker (1081!)  Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with you and looking for ways to share Him with others throughout the week.  Oh, and by the way, in keeping with my One Word for 2020, "Joyful",  I found this cute placemat (see above) the other day in, of all places, the Dollar General store..."Enjoy the little things"... and it gave me joy to see it and I wanted to bring it home with me so that I could continue to enjoy it! We should be looking for the "little things" in life every day that bring joy to our hearts...and also perhaps ways that we can bring joy to other people's lives.  What better way is there than to introduce them to Jesus?

"Come and See!"

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Pastor John Bennett, 1/19/2020

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.

Wonderful Celebration of Life

Dear Blogging Friends:
It appears that I am becoming a "once a week" blogger these days. Seems like we have been staying so busy (in our retired life) that I just don't have the time I used to have to read and write.  Maybe that's a good thing, but then again, I miss my time with you! I do try to get around and read what you've been writing a little at a time, but it seems like I just can't keep up...so please know that I value each and every one of you and look forward to hearing about your events and projects as well...so please don't give up on me!

This past weekend we had the joy and pleasure of traveling north to North Carolina for a family reunion.  This is the second year in a row that we have made this trip to where my brother Clifford and his family lives within a mile or so of each other...and we have had such a great time that it may become an annual event...as long as us "old folks" can keep going!  It was fun to see the younger generation enjoying being together, so we hope they will keep it going even when we are no longer "available".

Here are some highlights from our trip and gathering:

The whole gang gathered together around the firepit (before the fire was lit...that came later...), and here was where we shared a lot of special memories...

A special part of our gathering was to have a "celebration of life" for my older brother Russell, who passed away this past April after battling leukemia for several months. This casual family setting is exactly what Russell wanted us to do. He knew this reunion was planned before he passed away, and he suggested that this would be the time for his memorial rather than some other time. And so we honored his wishes and gathered together to enjoy being family, doing the things that our family loves to do together:  (Warning: Lots of photos to check out!)

Making homemade ice-cream

Some people really get their whole body into the action...

 Everyone has to take a "turn", literally, if you want to eat some of the ice-cream!

We also celebrated my brother Clifford's 75th birthday,

along with a viewing of the old family slide show...a family tradition from way back when...

Where it all began... The Mursch Family circa 1953 (I'm the redhead in front) We were all dressed up in our Easter finery, having dinner with family after church

A Horseshoe Competition:

 Again, this is serious business and strong tradition:

And then a newer addition to the traditional competition is Corn Hole...

Something for all ages...ping-pong competition:

Also hammock "hiding"..

Hello!

Lots of visiting, preparing food, eating the food...

And of course, eating the ice-cream...

Firepit time and s'mores...

And time to let the fire burn down and say good night...

Yes, it was a celebration that my brother would have loved, and we truly missed his presence...but we felt his presence there with us in a way...in the way his children/grandchildren laughed and played...his wife relaxed and enjoyed the time with the extended family...everyone knew it was exactly right. 

Here's a few pictures of my brother enjoying life with us in the past:  Playing corn-hole (with my hubby); (2012)

Cooking the Christmas turkey in his smoker (2012)

And the beautiful boat he was building the last couple of years of his life...it was almost completed, but now Russell is sailing away in the glassy seas of heaven. 

Yes, it was a wonderful celebration of life. I found myself rather tongue-tied when it came time to share special memories, and I only told one silly story from childhood.  But in reality, I truly appreciated the man my brother became. He was a person who truly enjoyed life and accomplished many wonderful things. He was a man of integrity and what I'd call a man with "true grit".  He is truly missed by all who knew and loved him.  I look forward to seeing him again someday on heaven's shores.

I guess that is all for tonight. We've had some other special things happen this week, but I think I will save that for another post...maybe I'll actually write more than once this week!! Thank you for hanging in there with me in this very family photo'd post.   As you can see, it was a special time, and we are so thankful to have such a loving family. We don't always agree on everything...does any family? But when we come together, we know how to laugh, love and live like families should. I give all the credit to our godly parents, who set a very strong example of Christ-likeness in how they taught us and raised us.  They would be proud to see that we honor them in this way as well.

Good-night...and go hug your family while you can...

Such A Perfect Beginning...

I know many of you are waiting to see some pictures from our son's wedding yesterday.  I couldn't wait to see them myself!  Here is just a sampling of some of my favorite moments from the last couple of days:

I'll start with the picture you've been waiting for the most:  May we present to you Mr. and Mrs. Steiner:

Now I'll go back a couple of days and show some other favorite moments:

Here is our handsome, TALL 6'4" grandson and his sweet mama arriving the day before in their fancy rental car. They look like a couple of celebrities...which they are to us.  They flew in from Maine for this special occasion:

After their arrival, we had to get our grandson fitted into his outfit for the wedding. Here Grandpa is helping with his necktie. We had an anxious moment when we discovered that he had already grown out of the pants we had purchased for him to wear (per earlier measurements), and so some last minute changes had to be made in a big hurry.  We were glad that we had made a decision early on not to try and fit him with a suit for the occasion, because it would not have fit...

 Proud Grandson and Grandpa...I never thought one of our grandchildren would get taller than my hubby, who was 6'3" in his prime, but this young man has reached heights we never dreamed of!  And at age 18 we are not sure that he has finished his growing streak...

So later that evening our two lovebirds came together for the rehearsal of their nuptuals:

The bride's father and other family members arrived safely from Minnesota earlier in the week for the big occasion. Here below the bride "Rose" is with her dad, practicing that long walk down the aisle.  I like this picture not only for the two people in it, but also the sign behind them which reads:

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you..." Matthew 6:33

A fitting verse for the way God has brought our son and his bride together...and a wonderful verse upon which to build their marriage.

 And here is the bride and groom, on their wedding day, listening to the pastor exhorting them to live holy lives before the Lord...I love the way the bride is "glowing" in this picture...

"You may kiss the bride:"

Here is our family together after the service, our daughter in law and grandson from Maine, the Groom and Bride, yours truly, my hubby, and our youngest son

 Now this was a very sweet and perfect moment...our grandson, the Best Man, was offering a toast to the Bride and Groom...off the cuff, not rehearsed, and extremely well done. We were all amazed and pleased at the gracious words that he offered in his toast to his Uncle and new Aunt.  I am still hoping that someone was recording it and will share it with us, because I neglected to do so...

By the way, the cupcake wedding cake you see behind them was a joint effort of the bride and groom.  The groom built the tiered tower for the cupcakes in his workshop, and the bride baked and decorated all the cupcakes herself.  It was really beautifully done.

So here they are cutting the cake...

And here they are so sweetly feeding each other...

And sharing a sweet cake filled kiss

There were so many happy moments throughout the day, but I won't bore you with everything. This next picture is one of my favorites;;;I think my son is singing "I'm forever blowing bubbles"  as they make their escape for their honeymoon...

My sister captured these next two pictures of me hugging first the Groom, and then his Bride. We were pretending to cry as we said good-bye, but it was truly a happy, happy moment...(and a little funny too, as I "cried", "Oh, my baby, my baby!!! Good bye to my baby!" and his bride was getting a good laugh at us...

So happy to embrace our new "daughter in love"...

And away they go!!!

See? I really was smiling...

My sister Doris had picked these two beautiful roses in her garden before they left to come to the wedding. She intended to give them to "Rose", the bride, but forgot...and so she gave them to me after the newlyweds left for their honeymoon.  I brought them home and put them on the kitchen windowsill to remind me to pray for them each new day of their lives...

 And so, this is the end of a perfect beginning...This story it to be continued....