Friday Foto Friends...This n That

 Hello Dear Friday Foto Friends! This has been a tough week for our country, with the election on Tuesday and all the negativity of that which just keeps on going and going and going, and then the very horrific shooting in California...such a heartbreaking situation there.  More than ever our nation needs to come together and pray.  It is time to put aside our differences and try to work together in peace and harmony, to make a better future for our children and children's children.


I am writing this on Thursday afternoon...just trying to lighten things up a bit with some photos from in and around my neck of the woods.

I told you about "Bobby the Squirrel" a few weeks ago HERE.  Remember? I found him at my mother-in-law's house, which is currently being renovated and prepared for sale, and I brought him home to live with us.  Well, it appears that one of our backyard squirrels has discovered "Bobby", and is very curious about him.

I watched this little squirrel go up and down that tree several times, and each time he came back to where he could get a closer look at "Bobby".  I believe he was trying to figure out how to jump over to join him in the bird bath, but he was just a little bit afraid.  It really was funny to watch.  I've noticed that the birds don't seem to mind having "Bobby" there. They often come and perch on his head and then jump into the bath to get a drink.  Bobby seems to have found a happy home here.

Speaking of my mother-in-law's house, the work is done, and we will soon be putting a "For Sale" sign in the yard. Here is the finished product:  Front

And back yard:

Some of "Nanny's" roses blooming in the back yard

Her sons, my brother in law and my hubby...kind of a bittersweet moment together, realizing they will probably never be back in this house together again.  It looks a lot different now than it did, as my brother in law has done a complete make-over of the house...floors, kitchen, paint, bathrooms, etc., so it doesn't look much like it did when Nanny lived there.

My favorite thing that was done was putting the kitchen sink under this window. Originally it was facing a wall, which never made sense to me. Now the new owner will be able to enjoy looking out the window at the beautiful back yard while she works.

The new kitchen has many more cabinets and is more functional. Also has a dishwasher, which Nanny never had...and a built in microwave and self-cleaning oven. She never was much for "modern conveniences".  She liked doing things the old-fashioned way.

(This picture was just updated to show different new countertops. The first one was with countertops that were not done to the quality we wanted, so these  are the new ones. Much better!!)

The dining room has a new patio door, new light fixture, and new flooring throughout the whole house.

It is our prayer that whoever buys this little house will love it as much as "Nanny" did. She truly loved her home and was very sad when she couldn't live there any more. Below are just a couple of old pictures of happy days at her house. The first was Easter, and the grand- kids were going to have an Easter egg hunt in the front yard.

And here's a happy picture of Nanny in her house with most of her grandchildren, celebrating her birthday, again this was several years ago...  Nanny is now in her heavenly home, and she's not missing this little house anymore.  But we will always miss her laughter and smile and how she loved us all so much.

Okay, back to the present.  I thought these yellow wildflowers growing along side the pond in my neighborhood were bright and cheerful...

 They just made me smile as they lifted their faces to the morning sun...

And this lily was getting ready to open it's petals to the sun as well...

Speaking of moving right along...I saw this house being moved this week ...

They are doing road construction in the little town that we are planning to move to, and someone decided they wanted to save  this old house rather that have it demolished to make way for the new road.  I don't know where it is headed, but would love to see it when it is relocated to its new "home".*  *Postscript: HERE IS the follow up to that story!*

Speaking of neighborhood and neighbors...remember when I shared with you about the little bear on the fence?(check HERE for that story)  Well, it seems this has become a new event on our fence post...The other day this appeared on the fence...and what fun we have had with Mr. Crabby since then.  My neighbor just thought we might enjoy having this fella, so that is what we've done. Mr. Crabby has shown up in the strangest places inside our house ever since...under pillows, in sock drawers, among the bathroom towels, in a lunch box...you never know when or where Mr. Crabby might show up next!

 And then today I looked out on the fence and discovered this lovely bride and groom...well, they are a little disheveled...apparently they've spent some time in a box of sawdust or something, and her lace veil is a bit worn...but they still look like a lovely couple, don't you think? I've since cleaned them up and who knows where they may end up?

Maybe right here on my kitchen windowsill, next to the newlyweds who will celebrate their 1st anniversary this coming Sunday!!

And last, but not least, some of you may have already seen this photo on my Facebook this past week, but this rather thin looking bear came crossing by this week, checking out our for sale sign:

 I wonder if he was wanting to check into the "Bear Crossing B&B" guest room that I had just set up the night before...

I guess he took this sign seriously that is in our front yard...

Well, even though he didn't come inside, he looks happy anyway!!!

Okay, I guess that's enough for this week's Friday Foto Friends.  I want to stop and count my blessings for the week...
1.  Our health...never want to take it for granted. Hubby has been having a few little tests here lately, and so far so good, and we just want to praise the Lord for our continued good health.
2.  Our family...we are so blessed to have a very loving family...even when we all don't agree on everything politically, we can discuss without resorting to hurting one another's feelings...and still come out of our discussions knowing that our bond of family love is much stronger than any political agenda or issue.
3.  Our church...Precious people who are becoming more like family to us every week as we get better acquainted.  So thankful for the loving affirmations we are receiving from people who seem genuinely happy that we are there worshiping with them. What a blessing this has been for us.
4.  Also thankful for how our church has encouraged our "kids" while our daughter in law is recuperating from her surgery...they continue to bring meals and show love to them in so many ways. This has been such a marvelous gift of love.

Okay folks. Let's cross over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and check up on our other friends to see what they've been seeing this week through the lens of the camera!!  Have a blessed a glorious week.  And please pray for our nation, our President, and all our newly elected congressmen and Senators, Governors, etc.  Our Gubernatorial and Senator race here in Florida is still up in the air and there will be a recount apparently. Please pray that this will be done fairly and without incident.

Sermon Notes: Soaring with the Eagles

Today our message came from the book of Isaiah 40:21-31.

I will not print the whole passage for you here, but commend it to your reading.

The key verses are the most recognized:

"29.  He gives power to the weak,

and to those who have no might He increases strength.

30.  even the youths shall faint and be weary,

and the young men shall utterly fail,

31.  But those who wait on the Lord

shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint."

 (These eagle photos were from this time last year)

Here are some key thoughts from today's message:

• Learning how to live...how to trust in God...how to soar like the eagles...look at verse 31 (above)
• Pastor told the story of a young woman who was ready to give it all up...ready to die...and she didn't believe that God really cared about her or knew her at all, and she really didn't know Him. But somehow she received this message in a note..."Never give up...never give in..." and it spoke to her heart at just the critical moment in her life...Could it have been a  message from God, she wondered?
• Have you ever had a message from God?
• Has there ever been a time when you questioned God...Does He love me?
• Am I just too sinful, too flawed, too weighed down with guilt and shame?
• God is saying to us:
• "I know you...I died for you...Stop being so hard on yourself...Trust ME...I LOVE you just the way you are.  I have great plans for your life.
• God loves us...Hope and peace are found only in trusting in God.
• God is with us...God loves us...

In the book of Isaiah the people of Israel were in exile. They were faint, powerless...they thought God had forgotten them. They were hopeless, insecure...God wasn't hearing or answering their prayers (they thought)

Listen to what God is saying to the children of Israel through the Prophet Isaiah in verses 25-28:

"25.  To whom then will you liken Me (God),

Or to whom shall I be equal?, 

says the Holy One.

26.  Lift up your eyes on high, 

and see who has created these things,

Who brings out their host by number;

He calls them all by name,

By the greatness of His might 

and the strength of His power;

Not one is missing.

27.  Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel;

"My way is hidden from the Lord,

and my just claim is passed over by my God."?

28.  Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable."

• God loves us no matter what...God is with us always...
• God created the heavens...the stars, and called them all by name (vs. 26, and see also Psalm 147:4)
• God has promised us..."have hope, God will renew our strength.."

Are you feeling discouraged, beaten down with life...our calendars are filled with something...doctor appointments...and we get tired of going to the doctor and not getting any better...

• I wonder about the obstacles that keep me from imagining the wonders that God has promised.
• I need to pray for true healing to change my life.

Are you feeling alone, powerless..."How could God love me?"  "Does God even see me?" "How could God love me?" (see verses 27-28)

It's easy to forget God's attentiveness for each and every one of us...but God loves us, He cares for us...He has promised to care for us, and has told us to not be afraid...

Jesus is there to remind us that God loves us, when we feel lost, alone, unloved.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The pastor told the story of a Christian school in tornado alley, where a tornado was coming. And the little children were afraid as they gathered together in the hallway. As the storm was passing over their building and actually destroying much of the building, the children were praying. Afterwards, one little girl told the story of how they were saved. She said she saw angels come and hold up the ceiling of their hallway, and when things started getting really difficult for them, the angels called for more help, and many more angels came and held up that ceiling and the children were all safe and sound even though the rest of the building was destroyed.

God can be depended on. God never gives up on us. If we wait and trust in God...He is there and He will hear our prayers and be there to hold us up.

\Jesus told His disciples in 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."

Don't give up and don't give in! God is in control...and He will not fail you!

Our choir sang this beautiful anthem before Communion:

Come, Come to the Table

by Joshua Metzger

Please listen and worship the Lord with me...

I pray you have a week of blessing and renewal in the Lord. And if you are feeling weak and alone, remember that God is there to give you strength...and to carry you with wings like eagles as you soar with Jesus.  

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: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Pastor A.C. Myers, November 4, 2018

Walking In the Light of His Countenance - Revisited

This is a repost from 11/2/2016, but it just seemed to be a good message for today. May your SONday be filled with praise, as well as prayer for our nation and those that we love.  Have a blessed day, dear friends!

Original Post 11/2/16:

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before Your face. 

Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

 They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

In Your Name they rejoice all day long.

 And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

For You are the glory of their strength,

 and in Your favor our horn is exalted.

For our shield belongs to the Lord,

and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 89:14-18

 "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; 

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

 For the Lord is the great God,

and the great King above all gods.

In His hands are the deep places of the earth;

the heights of the hills are His also.

 The sea is His, for He made it;

and His hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 95:1-5

"This is the message which we have heard from Him (Jesus) 

and declare to you,

That God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

I John 1:5-7

"Therefore He says:

Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light."

Ephesians 5:14

Dear Friends, 

Our world is increasingly becoming encased in darkness, but Jesus Christ gives us light to enlighten our way and keep us on the path to righteousness and truth. There are so many voices out there clamoring for our attention, and it is easy to become confused and frightened with so much darkness invading our world. But listen to the truth found in God's Word, particularly in the Gospel of John 1:3-5

"All things were made through Him (Jesus, the Word of God),

and without Him, nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,

And the light shines in the darkness, 

and the darkness did not comprehend it."

Come to the Light, Jesus Christ, and He will show you the way of life.  

I hope you enjoyed these pictures today. They were taken 11/1/2016,  at the lovely lakefront home of some new friends on Lake George, Florida. Have a blessed day, my friends...and "Walk in the Light of His Countenance!"

Friday Foto Friends - Another Golden Morning

Good Morning Dear Friday Foto Friends!  It's another "golden morning" here...so much beauty to enjoy.  Can you believe it is November already?  I am in disbelief...where has this year gone? Where has this week gone?  For some reason it has just buzzed right past me and I haven't really caught my breath yet from last week! Hoping to get caught up on my visits to you all out there in "blogland".  I am sorry to be so far behind.

Speaking again of a "golden morning"....Look at these patches of goldenrod pointing the way as we walk down the road...

 I always think of them as pointing fingers...saying "Go that way!"  or, perhaps they are telling us that "they went thataway"   Whichever, they make me smile.  It's fun to see wildflowers with some real "personality".

Speaking of "they went thataway":  What a wonderful surprise to step around the bend and find this deer family out for their morning stroll together...

 As they spotted me they started all moving down around the fences, along the waterfront,

 Well, they were waiting for some others to come get caught up with them...either that, or they heard the neighbor's rooster crowing over that direction...

 Off they go...

As they made the loop around the houses along the lake front, they eventually made it back to the road where they cross over back into the woods...one at a time until they were all gathered back together...

I know this is out of focus, but I love how you can see them ALL looking at me with their ears perked  up...

They were still waiting for one more straggler...

Here she comes...and once she joined the family they all quickly kicked up their heels and disappeared back into the woods.

I love watching them together...they are very entertaining.  I was going to try and capture a video of them as they leaped across the road in front of me, but they were coming along too quickly and I decided the still photos would be better.  I do hope that wherever we move to there will still be families of deer to brighten our day. But I will leave that up to the Lord...He knows what is best for us. We still haven't even had any "lookers" at our house, so our move may take a bit longer than we originally expected.  I guess I'll have to get out the Thanksgiving decorations...the pilgrims and turkeys and garlands of fall leaves and get my heart in the right frame of mind to be Thankful!  We certainly do have much for which to be thankful. Perhaps that will be the theme for posts for this month.

I will start with being thankful for our family. Today we enjoyed the company of our sweet son and daughter in law. They came over for lunch. They will soon be celebrating their first anniversary!!
(picture from their wedding Nov. 11, 2107)

Sweet DIL is still recuperating from the surgery on her heel (achilles tendon) and has to stay off her foot for at least another month. So very thankful that people from our little church have stepped up to bring them meals throughout the week and to show them some love.  What a blessing for them!  So thankful for our church family, and also for this wonderful gift of our daughter in law.

Thankful also for answered prayers for my brother Russell, who continues to do well with his treatments, etc., for leukemia. Praise God!
(picture taken last year at the wedding...my brother with his lovely wife Anne)








Thankful for our friend Sharon, who is still battling lung cancer, and they have started a new round of chemo, which hopefully will help relieve the coughing and restore her strength. Please keep praying for her.  It has been almost exactly one year since she was diagnosed.
Picture below was taken at the wedding last year as well...Sharon was presenting the newlyweds with a gift that she had made. Today our kids have taken over this business that Sharon started and they create and sell these shelves online.  https://www.etsy.com/shop/BRCoastalRusticDecor  Another blessing...God is blessing their business and it has helped so much especially while DIL is on leave from her work.

Yes, this is a wonderful time to count our blessings...but we should count them all year long as well. I do...but I will try to be more consistent in giving glory to God each day.

Now let us go over and visit with our other Friday Foto Friends at Deb's place, Breathing in Grace.  I pray that you will have some "golden mornings" and that God will also point the way for you today!
Let us especially pray for our nation as we cast our votes next week. May God help us to select the leaders who will keep our country on the right path!