Friday Foto Friends - Birds of a Feather and other Wild-life...and Sermon Notes!

Hello Friday Foto Friends! I hope you have had a good week, and that God has blessed you with beauty surrounding you everywhere you look.  Perhaps even some surprises and fun to top it off.

That is what it's been like here...

Let's start out with these "Birds of a feather who flock together"

The Sand Hill Crane Family

Yes this is our same family that we have been watching all year long since mother crane was sitting on the eggs in the nest...and now here they are in my back yard. Not sure who's who, but the "babies"  (colts) are still maybe just a little smaller and don't have as red of a head yet...

 They were all pecking away at the dirt, looking for grubs, worms, bugs...not sure exactly what as that is a rather dry and desolate piece of sandlot...but they seemed to enjoy themselves pecking away at something.

Then I moved over to our neighborhood pond, and saw this beautiful white egret enjoying some morning sunshine...

 Perhaps she was also checking out her reflection in the "mirror" on the water...

The sun was shining very brightly on the water, and this lone water lily was literally glowing in the sunshine. I love how its petals are reflected in the water...

Yes, that is its reflection underneath...pretty awesome, huh?

Now, this is an interesting story.  During the week we paid a visit to my mother-in-law's house, (who passed away in August), which is in the process of being renovated and prepared to be sold eventually.  Everything that belonged to my mother in law personally has been removed from the house, and it is getting a complete makeover. When it is finished I will take pictures and perhaps show some before and after photos.

Anyway, as I walked around her yard I discovered this little cement squirrel tossed over in the bushes. I recognized him at once as the little "squirrel" that "Nanny" had always kept in the center of her birdbath in the back yard, and I believe I recall her calling him "Bobby the Squirrel".  So I picked him up and told my brother in law (who is in charge of this renovation project) that "Bobby the Squirrel" was going home with me.

 He agreed, and so I brought "Bobby the Squirrel" home and placed him in the center of my birdbath, right where I can see him from my bedroom window. which is also a part of The Secret Garden. It is rather comforting to see something that reminds me of "Nanny" when I wake up and open up the curtains and welcome in the morning sun. I know she would be pleased to know that "Bobby the Squirrel" has a new home.

 And yes, in case you are wondering, whenever we do finally sell our house and move, "Bobby the Squirrel" will be going with us, and will find a special place in our new yard, wherever that may be...

Now, switching gears a bit...Hubby and I took a walk this morning, and we saw the funniest sight I think we've ever seen.  For those of you who do not live in the south, you may not know what these critters are, but much to our amazement these two armadillos came hurtling down the road, chasing each other, and literally rolling over and on top of each other...not sure if they were mating or fighting or exactly what was going on. Armadillos are nocturnal creatures, so to see one, and especially two running down the road in the daylight was quite a surprise.  The funny thing was, they seemed totally oblivious to us, and just ran right past us, chasing each other. Can you see the tail of the other going into the bushes in this first picture? Well, then they turned around and headed the other way. The one kind of disappeared into the woods, but the other kept running and almost rolling head over heels to keep up...

 Notice below, his hind legs are up in the air...he almost flipped over completely as he was trying to run so fast...

 This is the best close up I could get. As you can see, the armadillo does not win any beauty contests, but it is certainly a fascinating creature.  And these two sure gave us a good laugh this morning. We literally had to jump out of their way!

And Last but not least, we paid a short visit to our Pastor at the church earlier in the week, and noticed this interesting vehicle in the parking lot.

Turns out that it belongs to the Pastor...a specially built vehicle that he enjoys driving around...

I think I could enjoy riding around in this cool car from the past too...

Pretty neat, huh? I think it is a 1947 Chevrolet (customized a bit).  So this is just a tad bit older than me.

And speaking of the Pastor, I know I didn't get the Sermon Notes written this week. Let me give you a brief synopsis. Our lesson was based on Matthew 10:24-31...and the main thrust of the message was from verses 29-31 

29.  "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?

And not one of them falls to the ground 

apart from your Father's will.

30.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31.  Do not fear therefore; 

You are of more value than many sparrows."

Notes:

• Most frequent command in the Bible is "Don't be afraid!"  It can be found over 300 times in the Bible.
• This command can be found more frequently than "Be holy, Do good, Love your neighbor, Don't sin, Don't do evil..."
• The "dark enemy" tries to stir things up so we will become discouraged.  But God is with us...God is in control.
• God takes care of the sparrows and knows every hair on our heads, every cell in our bodies.
• God is intimately involved in our lives.
• I John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
• I John 4:19 "We love Him because He first loved us."
• I have not yet been made "perfect in love" BUT I am further than I was...God drives out fear.
• Don't let fear control our lives.
• We are afraid of being "unmasked"..."if people really knew us, no one in their right mind would like us"
• We think that making the right impression is so important...insecurity and fear cause us to give into fear and peer pressure
• Have faith in God who raised Jesus from the dead!
• Perfect love drives out fear.  We need to remind ourselves about the Good News of the Resurrection!
• God is the One Who truly knows us better than we know ourselves.
• Jesus says, "don't be afraid. "  The Father is pleased to give you the kingdom...Why am I so afraid to follow Him?
• God gives us grace rather than waiting for us to get our lives together...
• "Do not be afraid...You are worth more than many sparrows!"
• Step out and trust the love of God...
• And Don't be afraid!!

Okay, that pretty well sums it up, I'd say. I hope your week is filled with good surprises, and that you will think about this message when you are tempted to be afraid...or to think that God couldn't possibly love you...Oh yes! He Does!!! You are worth more than many sparrows, my friend! Or Sand Hill Cranes, or White Herons, or even Armadillos! Maybe even more than "Bobby the Squirrel" and 1947 Chevrolet cars...yep! Much much more.

Let's roll on over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been up to...

Sermon Notes from FUMC, Interlachen, FL., Pastor A.C. Myers, October 14, 2018.

"The Long and Winding Road"

I hope The Beatles will forgive me for linking up their wonderful song with these photos of the deer on my "Long and Winding Road"

Somehow it just seemed to fit. So bear with me!

The Long and Winding Road

The long and winding road

That leads to your door

Will never disappear

I've seen that road before

It always leads me here

Lead me to your door

The wild and windy night

That the rain washed away

Has left a pool of tears

Crying for the day

Why leave me standing here

Let me know the way

Many times I've been alone

And many times I've cried

Any way you'll never know

The many ways I've tried

And still they lead me back

To the long winding road

You left me standing here

A long long time ago

Don't leave me waiting here

Lead me to your door

But still they lead me back

To the long winding road

You left me standing here

A long long time ago

Don't keep me waiting here

Lead me to your door

Songwriters: John Lennon / Paul McCartney

 Somehow, this quote by TobyMac just seems to fit my life right now...

How often do we beg God to open doors for us and to make things happen, but then we just stand in the way holding on to the "door knob" and won't let God take over!

I know I am guilty of this, so I am praying that He will see through my inability to "let go and let God" and just take control.

I know God is in control, but I'm still trying to call the shots and make things happen in 

my time, my way.

Lord, help me to seek Your way first and foremost. 

On this long and winding road of life, please always

Lead me to Your Door!

Amen!

P.S. to my blogging friends...I apologize that I haven't gotten around to visit your posts this week yet...just seems to be one of those weeks. Trying to get caught up. I haven't even written my 'sermon notes' for the week... Yikes! Hang in there with me, friends. I am kind of being pulled in different directions (mostly in my head...) Thank you! I knew you'd understand.

The Secret Garden Chronicles: Moments of Grace ~ A Benediction - Updated

10/12/2018 Update:  This special sacred place shown below has continued to be in my mind and heart as we contemplate making another move in the (hopefully) near future. (The timing is totally in God's hands, however...whether it be sooner or later...it will be perfectly timed).  As people are little by little learning about our anticipated move, (Click HERE for more about that) some have mentioned that they hope I will have another "Secret Garden" at our new home.  Rest assured, I believe that I will have some type of "Secret Garden" wherever we go, even if I have to plant some trees and flowers to create it!  

Read here what I wrote last year and the year before that about the inspiration for such a place...

2/27/17 Update:  As I sat in the Secret Garden today I kept thinking about this place...the Methodist Youth Camp (now called the Warren W. Willis Camp), where I first learned how important it is to set aside a special time each day to reflect/meditate on God's Word and focus solely on the Lord.  We would start each day at camp at the "silver benches" on the lake shore, and have our morning devotions.  Read on for more about this...especially see the note at the end of this post with the picture of the cross on the lake.  

Here is the original post written on 1/9/2016:

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

When I was a young girl...many moons ago, I spent several weeks each summer and many weekend retreats at the nearby Methodist Youth Camp, now known as the Warren W. Willis Camp, named after the director who served there for so many years. Upon my graduation from high school, I spent the entire summer there as a camp counselor...an experience that I count as the turning point in my life.  It was during that particular summer that I totally recommitted my life to Christ, and made some decisions regarding my future that forever changed the direction in which I was headed. Not long after that I met my husband and God subsequently led us into full time ministry, and the rest is history. (A long story for another time).

What has all of that information to do with the above verses from Numbers Six?  Well, let me tell you. The verses above are also known by Bible scholars as the "Aaronic Benediction", when the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to (in verse 23)

"Speak to Aaron (his brother) and his sons, saying,

'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel."

This "benediction" became a way to bless not only the children of Israel, but countless followers of Christ throughout the ages.  In our youth group, we always closed our gatherings and meetings with this particular benediction, as we crossed our arms and joined hands in a circle with our entire group, so that we were one in our purpose and prayer and blessing.

This little ritual always stuck with me as being a very special moment...

to be blessed by the Lord...

to be kept by the Lord...

to feel His radiant face shining upon me...

to know His Gracious GRACE was being bestowed upon me...

to know the beauty of His Divine countenance beholding my face...

and to be given His PEACE, which passes all understanding.

Wow! What a glorious moment of grace! I didn't fully comprehend how precious that moment was at the time. I just recited the words from memory with the others, not realizing that speaking those words was an actual blessing being spoken upon my own life and purpose. God was literally blessing me with His face, His grace, His Divine Countenance, and His peace. How beautiful...How marvelous...Such amazing GRACE.

Perhaps you are in need of a Benediction of Grace spoken over your life right now. I invite you to speak these words out loud, to yourself, or as you join hands with another who may be in need of a blessing today. Practice praying these words and claim them for yourself.  God intended you to hear them and to allow His radiant face to shine upon you...to feel His grace and peace washing over you...and to be blessed.  Amen.

This lighted cross floats on the lake in front of the Warren W. Willis Camp.
I used to sit on the shore on the
Silver Benches (a place for morning devotions) and pray and read God's Word early every morning and again in the evening.  

New note 2017:  Such a peaceful, restful place. I believe this is where the inspiration for my Secret Garden actually began...now some almost 50 years later the seeds sown then have produced much good fruit in me today.  We never know just how significant something so simple can be in the life of a young person...never underestimate the power of God to perfect that which He has started!



Psalm 138:8 (NKJV)
The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Amen!

Back to the present (2018) Perhaps God may show me a new type of "sanctuary" where I can draw near to Him and hear His voice speaking to my heart at our new home.  I would love to have a place near the waterfront, where we could sit on the benches and spend time with the Lord. This would be a place not just for me alone, but for anyone who needs a place to depart from the world for a little while and find some peace and solace for their souls.  This is not a new idea...Click HERE for a little history on this "dream".  We had hoped to create such a place in our present home, and the Secret Garden was as close as we could get...but still not quite the whole big picture we have dreamed of.

(A beautiful place like this would certainly be amazing...but God knows where it will be..)

We don't know exactly what God has in mind in our next move, but we believe He has some very special surprises waiting for us when we get there. Won't you come along on this journey with us...especially as we pray for God's will and direction for our lives and home? Thank you, dear friends. Wherever we go, we pray it will be a place that will bring glory to God and peace to all who visit there.

Now you know another layer of the hopes and dreams we have in taking this step of faith.

I repeat this "Benediction of Grace" here and now:

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26
Amen.

Friday Foto Friends - Surprise Photos

Today's photos are kind of surprise photos, because I didn't expect to see them exactly the way they happened...

 Esperanza plant growing in my yard...  This bumblebee almost got in my face while I was trying to take this picture. He came out of the inside of one of the flowers...I did not notice him when I started taking the picture, so it was a bit of a surprise

We took a little ride down a forest road in the evening to see what interesting sights we could see. I noticed these unusual "pea pods" growing on this wildflower plant...

  Click on this link for more information:  Crotalaria Retusa...yellow wildflower seed pods and flower seen in the woods alongside the road   I guess they are poisonous...so I'm glad I didn't try to eat them. LOL...It is a lovely yellow wildflower, however!  I've noticed that the October wildflowers are yellow, whereas the September wildflowers were mostly purple! Interesting!

It was a surprise to find this turtle egg floating in the water at our neighborhood pond one evening...Not sure what kind of turtle, and I understand that if it is in the water, it most likely won't live. I am sorry for the turtle.

After our evening ride to try and see some wildlife, (which we didn't find), we came back home and as we turned onto our road we had this surprise in front of our house!

 There were three adults, and they went into the woods, but I kept hearing one of them making noise from inside the bushes, like she was calling someone.

So I went around the corner and saw the two "fawns" running back and forth in this yard, trying to find a way to get out and get back with the parents.  This picture is not very clear as it was dusk, and low light, far away...but I thought it made an interesting surprise picture anyway.  There were two of them, but the other was still hiding  when I took this.  I soon left the area so they could be reunited with their parents.

I am digressing here... back to our ride in the woods...actually we took a ride to this spot earlier in the day and I was surprised to see a large fox squirrel run up this tree.  It became well hidden in the branches before I could get a picture, so that is why we decided to try again in the evening to see if we could see him.  Of course there was no sign of him anywhere, so I took a picture of the tree instead.  Perhaps he is still up there, laughing at me because I can't see him.

This is a little road that goes back into the woods, but we didn't venture any further with our car. It is meant for ATV's or 4 wheel drive vehicles, and we didn't want to get stuck. We may come back another day and take a nice walk on this road. However, we need to be prepared for other kinds of surprises, because while we were out there in the morning we did see a bear run across the road...
(before I could get my camera focused, of course)

Okay, I will leave you pondering that thought for a while as we gaze back up into this beautiful long needle pine tree.  I think I will name the fox squirrel "Waldo"...and we can play that game..."Where's Waldo"...LOL.

After all of the destruction from Hurricane Michael this week it is good to rest our eyes on some natural beauty surrounding us. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have been uprooted from their homes due to this horrific storm. May God speed aide to them quickly and may they soon be able to be restored to their homes.....however, for many, that is going to be a very long, difficult process.

Matthew 8:19-20

19.  "Then a certain scribe came and said to Him,

'Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.'

20.  And Jesus said to him,

'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, 

but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'"

Sometimes the cost of being a follower of Christ is very great, but even in the midst of the storms of life, Jesus is able to calm the storm, restore our lives to peace, and give us great hope.

We just need to keep the faith.

Matthew 8:23-27

"Now when He (Jesus) got into a boat, His disciples followed Him, and suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.

Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"

But He said to them, 

"Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"

Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

So the men marveled, saying,

"Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

Now let us journey over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been doing this week. Hope that you and yours will have a blessed and peaceful week, and that your surprises will only be good ones.

Some Thankful Musings

First of all, let me say that we are praying for folks everywhere in the path of Hurricane Michael. It is still in progress as I write, wreaking havoc on the northern panhandle/Gulf coast of Florida and beyond. Thankfully, our home is situated pretty far south and east of this storm, but even so we have had a few wind gusts and spotty rain showers. Our county is under a tornado watch now, but all in all we are very thankful that we are safely away from the "eye of the storm".  May God spare those who remain in this storm and keep them safe from harm.

 This Red Shouldered Hawk was keeping a Hawk's eye on the eye of the storm...

 Next, I would like to thank all those who prayed for our daughter in law Rose, who had some serious surgery on her foot yesterday.  I may not have mentioned it here in the blog, but did share with our Facebook friends.  She came through the surgery just fine, and is resting and recuperating at home. She will have to be totally off her foot for at least six weeks, which will be challenging for this active young lady. But thankfully, our son works from home and is able to be there to help her.

More good news! I heard today that my brother Russell is in remission from his leukemia, and that he may be looking toward a bone marrow transplant in the future if things continue to do so well.  Each of us siblings were tested to see who would be a good match for him, and my other brother Clifford happens to be a perfect match! So we praise God for this news, and are thankful for the hope that should a bone marrow transplant be needed, a match has already been provided! God is so good. By the way, my brother Russell just celebrated his 75th birthday this past weekend, and my brother Cliff is celebrating his 74th birthday today!!

This picture was taken about 4 years ago, my siblings left to right: Russell, Cliff, Doris, and me. Isn't it funny that the guys are dressed in similar colors, and my sister and I are also dressed in the same color? We didn't plan that, I promise you...I guess that is why it was so easy for them to find a "perfect match" for my brother's bone marrow!

On another note, I told you HERE last week that we had listed our house for sale...well, I wish I could say we've already had lots of people looking and interested...but no one at all so far...however, hubby and I found it interesting that since we have put this sign in our yard...

several people in our neighborhood have stopped to ask us where we are going who have never spoken to us the whole time we've been here...total strangers have stopped their car alongside us as we walked to ask us where we're moving to, and to say that they'll miss us!  We just had to laugh! We've lived here seven years, and mostly we've had to dodge these people in their cars as they drive down the road to keep from getting run over (or choked to death in the road dust)...and have never seen their faces outside of their cars, and now they notice we are moving and say they will miss us! Maybe they will miss us being an obstacle in the road for them to maneuver around?  Not sure...but even though we have always tried to be friendly and courteous and waved at people as they flew by, we've never had the chance to find out just who these people are!  Our house is the first one that everyone passes on their way to their homes. There is not another house on our road for over two miles...just woods and lots of curves and a long, dusty, wildlife- filled - road. So these people are not exactly "neighbors"...they live about 2 miles away...but pass our house every day.

Well, it's nice to know that we'll be missed...but it would have been nice to know who they were and to have maybe even been friends!   However, I will say that when we've had bad storms in the past and trees were blown down in the road near our house, many of the neighbors from down the road came with chain saws to cut up the trees and get them out of the way.  We had brief encounters as we helped clear the road together, so that they could get in and out and on their way to work or home again.  We are hoping that in our next neighborhood we will actually get to know a few more people. I know it takes an effort on our part to do that, and so we will perhaps have to try a little harder.

Here's some thoughts from God's Word on this subject:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

"Two are better than one,

because they have a good reward for their labor.

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls,

for he has no one to help him up."

Proverbs 17:17

"A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity."

John 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this,

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

(This wind spinner was blowing fiercely in the wind during the passing of the hurricane...

it was a gift given to me by my sister Doris in memory of our son Matthew after he passed away in 2014)

Again, we pray for those who may be still in the path of Hurricane Michael. May God watch over you and yours, 

and may we always be able to give thanks to the Lord, even in the midst of the storms of life.