Lily

This is my Father's world.

The birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white

Declare their Maker's praise.

Maltbie Babcock

I've found a friend in Jesus,

He's everything to me.

He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

The lily of the valley

In Him alone I see

All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.

In sorrow He's my comfort

In trouble He's my stay.

He tells me every care on Him to roll.

He's the lily of the valley,

The bright and morning star.

He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

Charles W. Fry

So cheer up! Take courage 

if you are depending on the Lord.

Psalm 31:24 Living Bible

If we must keep trusting God 

for something that hasn't happened yet.

it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.

Romans 8:25

The Month of March

In March, 

we've had floods and snows, 

and highs and lows, 

kite-flying weather, 

and birds of a feather.

Thunder and lightning,

and funnel clouds frightening.

 But April is near us

With color to cheer us.

Karen

God Knows Your Name

Do not fear.

I have redeemed you.

I have summoned you by name.

You are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

The Best Is Yet To Be

A family at church was planning the funeral of their grandmother. They shared the story with the pastor that when they were kids, the large family would gather at Granny's for Sunday dinner. Granny had just enough silverware for the number of relatives, and she would always remind them: "Clear those dinner plates, but hold onto your fork!"

Before she served them a slice of her homemade cake, she would have them hold up their fork and say, "The best is yet to be!"


In his remarks at the funeral, the Pastor paid tribute to a life filled with hope and love, and reminded them, "The best is yet to be!"

"With Jesus, even in our darkest moments,

 the best remains and the very best is yet to be."

Corrie ten Boom

Refiner's Fire

He [Messiah] will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. Malachi 3:3

A woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She wanted to know more about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that he needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God sometimes holding us in 'the hot seat'. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

"Yes, I have to keep my full attention on the silver. If the silver is left a moment too long in the flames, it will be destroyed."

She then asked, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

If today we are feeling the heat of the refiner's fire, we can remember that God has his eye on us and will keep watching lovingly until He sees His image in us.

And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him—and all along he knew who would—should become like his Son, so that his Son would be the First, with many brothers. Romans 8:28-29

Garden in Early Spring

I am overwhelmed with joy 

in the Lord my God!
    For he has dressed me 

with the clothing of salvation
    and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
    or a bride with her jewels.
The Sovereign Lord will show his justice 

to the nations of the world.
    Everyone will praise him!
His righteousness 

will be like a garden in early spring,
    with plants springing up everywhere.

Isaiah 61:10-11 NLT

His Appointments

"Finding meaning in our difficulties

 is necessary for survival. 

It's far more important than skills, talents,

 intelligence, or change of circumstances. 

In God's kingdom,
meaning can always be found in suffering. 

It is meaning that sustains us
through deep disappointments 

and allows us to perceive HIS-appointments."

from Angel Behind the Rocking Chair

by Pam Vredevelt, 

an inspiring book about her son with 

Down syndrome.

Praise

My sister and I sang this when we were kids

The birds up in the treetop sing their song.

The angels chant their chorus all day long.

The flowers in the garden blend their hues.

So why shouldn't I?

Why shouldn't you?

Praise Him, too.

Nice to hear the birds sing as the sun rises.

Kingdom of Light

As you live this new life, we pray that you will be strengthened from God’s boundless resources, so that you will find yourselves able to pass through any experience and endure it with courage.

You will even be able to thank God in the midst of pain and distress because you are privileged to share the lot of those who are living in the light.

For we must never forget that he rescued us from the power of darkness, and re-established us in the kingdom of his beloved Son, that is, in the kingdom of light.

For it is by his Son alone that we have been redeemed and have had our sins forgiven.

Colossians 1:11-14 J.B. Phillips New Testament

"Caller I.D". in the Fifties

Boys would call up girls and ask,
"Guess who this is??"

Just thinking of all the phrases we used to use. We used to "sit for hours by the phone" waiting for our boyfriends to call. If we couldn't answer right away, it would seem like the phone was 'ringing off the hook." I got all tangled up in the cord of the kitchen phone.We couldn't "tie up the phone" because we were on a party line. I was in BIG trouble with Dad if I made a "long distance" call to Atlanta. If my boyfriend insulted me, I could "hang up in his ear". And remember dialing the Operator? She couldn't understand my southern accent and told me to quit playing with the phone!
How did I make it for most of my life without a cell phone?.

Can You Spare a Quarter?

My son, Cameron, will soon be 32. I am able to view him live online at his church in New Jersey as he leads worship. Sometimes I look at him and it doesn't seem possible that this is the kid I used to wrestle into his infant car seat. Before I could start the car, he had unbuckled himself and climbed over the front seat wanting to drive!

He was fascinated by those machines they used to have at Kmart: bucking broncos, miniature merry-go-rounds, and bubble gum machines. He always seemed to have more energy than I had quarters!

I saw this cartoon and it gave me a chuckle.

NO FISHING ALLOWED

Down in the depths of the deepest sea

Lie all the sins once charged to me

Buried for time and eternity

Down in the deepest sea.

I like to picture my sins buried in the deepest part of the ocean. The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in Earth's oceans, almost 7 miles below sea level.

The Lord has been dealing with me (again) about forgiving others - not just big offenses from years ago - but little hurtful comments from a neighbor that I let irritate me and ruin my day. 

I am so thankful that God forgives.
I would not want anyone to go fishing 
for my past sins. 
Help me, Lord, to forgive 
as I have been forgiven.

I have a Friend whose faithful love
Is more than all the world to me;
It's higher than the heights above,
And deeper than the boundless sea.
(anonymous)

High as the Heavens

As high as heaven is over the earth,

so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.

Psalm 103:12 

Puddles in the Path

Live a life, filled with love,
following the example of Christ.

He loved us
and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us,

a pleasing aroma to God.

Ephesians 5:2 NLT

A Mom and her young twin daughters were out for a walk after having been cooped up in the house during bad weather for several days. The sun was out, but there were pools of icy slush along the path. She cautioned the girls not to step in the puddles.

Skipping along and happy to be out in the sunshine, one little girl stepped right into a deep puddle, filling her shoes and soaking her socks.

Mom was just about to scold her, when her sister gently directed her to sit down on a park bench. She removed her twin's wet footwear, and replaced it with her own dry socks and shoes. Reminding her to watch for future puddles, she slipped her own feet into the wet shoes, took her sister's hand, and they continued on their way.

Growing and Learning

Kaedyn and I love to walk to the creek when she visits. She was amazed to see the rushing water during our flood last week.

 She has grown a lot in the five years since this pic was taken.
She is eight now and in second grade.

The verse she memorized this week is Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you

wherever you go.

Light Up the Night

Years ago, we hosted a party for families from our church who also had young children. After supper, the kids went upstairs to play games, while we gathered in the living room to chat. 

A sudden storm blew in with a big flash of lightning as the lights went out on our street. The kids came thundering down the stairs into their parents' waiting arms. Soon the storm blew over, and we walked out on the porch to see hundreds of fireflies lighting up the yard. We all had to smile at God's emergency back-up lighting!

The Psalmist may have written this on a dark stormy night:

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Psalm 139:11-12

Walk Around the Pond

This has been a gorgeous day. I liked the reflections of the trees on the pond. There were several geese, and a variety of song birds. I could see tiny green leaves on the shrubs and a few buds trying to blossom.

SMILE! Only 17 days until Spring.

More

"Looking back over my life, I would spend more time in spiritual nurture, seeking to grow closer to God so I could become more like Christ. I would spend more time in prayer, not just for myself but for others. I would spend more time studying the Bible and meditating on its truth."  - Billy Graham