It Is No Secret

                                         There is no night for in His light

You never walk alone.
Always feel at home,
Wherever you may roam.

There is no power can conquer you
While God is on your side.
Take Him at His promise,
Don't run away and hide.

It is no secret what God can do.
What He's done for others, He'll do for you.
With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.
It is no secret what God can do.

Stuart Hamblen

Bird Watching at the Pond

I walked to a nearby pond, and discovered several killdeer nesting in the grass. They would scold me and even pretend to be wounded and flounder around to distract me from their eggs..

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Out of Sight

Oh, what joy
for those whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sins are put out of sight.
Romans 4:7 NLT

Because of the Lord's great love
we are not consumed.
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

When I was in college, my professor gave us elementary education students this advice:

Every year you will have that one child who has behavior issues and can really push your buttons if you let him or her. So, when you and the child have have a rough day, take him aside just before the dismissal bell rings, and assure him that all is forgiven, and that you will start over fresh the next morning. 

I am so glad my Heavenly Father allows me to start fresh every morning!.

Holocaust Remembrance

As Israel observed Holocaust Remembrance this week, I was reminded of the story of Corrie and Betsey ten Boom hiding Jews in Holland in WWII.

When Corrie and Betsey were sent to Ravensbruck Concentration camp, and felt they could not bear the suffering around them, they prayed, "Will You carry this too, Lord Jesus?"

The Lord made it possible for them to have prayer and Bible studies with the women in their barracks. Corrie remembered, "The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God."

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

In all these things, we are more than conquerors 

through Him that loved us. 

Romans 8:35, 39

Psalm 95:7

Don't Come Unraveled

Grandmother would embarrass me when I was a kid. If I was wearing a new dress she had made for me, I could count on her turning up the hem of my dress to show one of her lady friends her neat hand-stitched hem, sometimes even in church!.

Grandmother compared sewing for me - to sewing for a broomstick. (I no longer resemble a broomstick in any way!) So she thought that the bolder the print, and the fuller the skirt, the better I looked. She took pride in telling how many yards of material she had used, and calling attention to her even stitches "so it would not ravel".

Only years later did I appreciate the countless hours Grandmother spent hemming those yards of material. I thought about the loving care and hours of prayer my family prayed for me when I read this quote: "A day hemmed in with prayer is less likely to unravel."

Resting Place

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 

Whose mind is stayed on Thee 

When the shadows come and darkness falls 

He giveth inward peace 

O He is the only perfect resting place 

He giveth perfect peace 

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 

Whose mind is stayed on Thee. 

Vivian Kretz

Praying for all of you, that you will have peaceful sleep.

More Precious Than Earthly Wealth

There is no need to fear when times of trouble come, even though surrounded by enemies! They trust in their wealth and boast about how rich they are, yet not one of them, though rich as kings, can ransom his own brother from the penalty of sin! For God’s forgiveness does not come that way. For a soul is far too precious to be ransomed by mere earthly wealth. There is not enough of it in all the earth to buy eternal life for just one soul, to keep it out of hell. Psalm 49:5-9 

What shall it profit a man, 

if he shall gain the whole world, 

and lose his own soul? 

Mark 8:36

He Arose!

My favorite hymn for Resurrection Sunday!

Up from the grave He arose

With a mighty triumph o'er His foes.

He arose a victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah Christ arose!

Robert Lowry

1890's

My grandmother Estelle was born in 1894. If she were here she would be 123 on April 25.
She remembered the first time she saw an airplane fly over their community, and how the "old folks" were scared to get into an automobile when they were the newest thing.
A little trivia about the 1890's:
Boll weevils destroyed the South's cotton crop.
Ellis Island opened.
Thomas Edison invented silent motion pictures.
The first bottled Coca Cola was sold.
Bayer invented aspirin tablets.
Other items patented in this era were pinking shears and zippers, which Grandmother certain put to good use!

Hidden in My Heart

As I get older, I find that I forget words and names, and misplace things, but one thing I hope I never lose are the Bible verses, stories, and hymns I learned as a child.

Daddy would sit in his chair by the picture window on Saturday evenings, and we would read the Sunday School lesson. He would help me memorize a Bible verse each week. I remember standing in front of him, gazing out at the setting sun, saying verses.

My brother, sister and I learned the 23rd Psalm from the time we were small.  I am thankful to be one of His sheep. May I always listen for His voice.

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

Sunday Best

Sunday morning in 1954 meant scratchy crinolines and frilly socks for me, and shiny leather shoes and a studly bow tie for my big brother. It is funny the things that I distinctly remember from so long ago.

At Easter, my Mother bought me a see-thru plastic purse with hairbrush set and pretend cosmetics inside.

Do you have a favorite gift or item you remember from childhood?

Sunrise Sunset

 From where the sun rises to where it sets,
    You inspire shouts of joy.

Psalm 65:8a NLT 

My first year of teaching school

My first year of teaching school was 1972 in rural north Georgia. The new wing was still under construction when classes started and I had to compete with the sound of hammers and the shouts of workmen. I taught first grade and we had a lot of "nature lessons" outside for those first few weeks!

The school was surrounded by cornfields parching in the late August heat. The sky was filled with the sound of cawing crows.

Many of the children in county were from low-income transient families and there was no preschool or kindergarten. They needed to learn all the basics that kids today know before beginning school. We had no library, art, or music classes, and the teacher sat at the table with the children during lunch and played played ball with them at recess. That was a lot of togetherness!

I can still remember the names of some of the kids (who are now over 50 years old). One boy's mother told me one thing her son remembers about first grade is that we always said the blessing together before lunch. And I remember that our principal began every faculty meeting with a heartfelt prayer for God's blessing and guidance. As a young teacher, I sure needed it!

Beautiful Day

I went for a drive Sunday afternoon, and it seemed every bush, tree, and flower was in full bloom.
I know many are getting snow north of us, and there are storms in the south. Praying everyone is safe.

They sang a hymn and went out

Our ladies Bible study group observed the Lord's Supper this week. We were reading about Jesus and His disciples at Passover the evening just before He was betrayed. Matthew 26:30 tells us that after they had eaten the bread and drank the wine, they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

I wondered what they might have sung. I read that Passover tradition was to sing from the Psalms, closing with Psalm 118.

I thought of Jesus singing these words, knowing that suffering and death on the cross were only hours ahead
.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

the Lord has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes,

The Lord has done it this very day;

let us rejoice today and be glad.

Psalm 118:22-24 NIV