May the Words of My Mouth...

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord.
Some of you asked to hear my son Cameron singing at the Eastern Gate House of Prayer at his church in New Jersey.
https://youtu.be/vqoNesJGfxg?t=1h58m37s

River

There is a river, and it flows from deep within
There is a fountain, that frees the soul from sin
Come to this water; there is a vast supply
There is a river, that never shall run dry

Max and David Sapp

Lord, Lighten My Load

We had purchased every item on the teacher's list. My 7 year-old son packed his backpack for the first day of school. Poor guy thought he had to carry all of it to school on the first day. He put it on, only to tumble backwards from the weight of it!

I remembered that long ago scene as I read the Bible this morning, realizing that Jesus longs to lighten our loads. He bears our burdens DAILY...if we will let him.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30\

There have been times when God has removed me from a situation because He had something better just ahead. And He assured me: If it is His will for me, it will be a blessing to those I love also.

Song: Come to me you weary one and I will give you rest, sung by Jessie Rogers
https://youtu.be/x35kWEK56KQ

NINE

Kaedyn doesn't like cake, so we had candles on a watermelon to celebrate her birthday when she visited me today. She will be having a party with her school friends next week.

She will be reading aloud to some preschool children on Mondays. We had fun remembering her favorite books at that age. She always loved books with rhyming verse.

Back to School

Grandkids back in school already. They were excited to go and see their friends. I know they are growing up fast, but I pray they will always come to visit me often. I am very proud of them.

I Have a Hope

I have a hope, I have a future
I have a destiny that is yet awaiting me
My life’s not over, a new beginning’s just begun
I have a hope, I have this hope

God has a plan, it’s not to harm me
But it’s to prosper me and to hear me when I call
He intercedes for me,
working all things for my good
Though trials may come I have this hope

I will yet praise Him, my great Redeemer
I will yet stand up and give Him glory with my life
He takes my darkness and He turns it into light
I will yet praise Him, my Lord my God

My God is for me, He’s not against me
So tell me whom then,
tell me whom then shall I fear
He has prepared for me
Great works He’ll help me to complete
I have a hope, I have this hope

Goodness and mercy, they’re gonna follow me
And I’ll forever dwell in the house of my great King
No eye has ever seen
all He’s preparing there for me
Though trials may come, I have this hope

There's still hope for me today
'Cause the God of heaven loves me.
 -Tommy Walker

The earth will be filled 

with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord 

as waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:14

To the Rock Let Me Fly

Be to me a rock of refuge in which to dwell,

and a sheltering stronghold

to which I may continually resort,

which You have appointed to save me,

for You are my Rock and my Fortress.

For You are my Hope

Psalm 71:3,5a Amplified

I have received several prayer requests this week from ladies about my age that are going though heartaches, illnesses, grief, downsizing, and terminal diagnoses. Does it often seem that troubles flood in all at once!

When I read the verse today about a rock of refuge, I remembered a story about Laura Ingalls who once climbed up on a large rock that she was surprised to see on the prairie, just in time to escape a stampeding herd of cattle. After the noise and clouds of dust had died down, she realized she had been safe on the rock.

O sometimes the shadows are deep

And rough seems the path to the goal.

And sorrows sometimes how they sweep

Like tempests down over my soul.

O then to the Rock let me fly.

To the Rock that is higher than I.

Erastus Johnson

Dwell in Safety

 

The eternal God is you refuge

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deut. 33:27

“The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him,

Who shelters him all the day long;

And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”

Deuteronomy 33:12

Lantana

My sister Mildred sent me beautiful photos from her yard. 

Shrub lantana grows up to 4 feet tall with a spread of 1 to 3 feet. Both types perform best in full sun 

.

May you have the power to understand, 

as all God’s people should,

 how wide, how long, how high, and how deep 

His love is. 

Ephesians 3:18

I have been watching some of the TV series based on the book Christy by Catherine Marshall. The setting was the Great Smoky Mountains.

My first year of teaching in public school was in a rural county in north Georgia, We could see the foothills of the mountains in the distance. The series brings back fond memories of those children, who called me "Teacher".

Blotted Out

I made your rebellious acts disappear 
like a thick cloud
    and your sins like the morning mist.
    Come back to me, 
because I have reclaimed you.

Isaiah 44:22 God's Word 

We have crazy weather in the Ohio Valley that can quickly change from sunny to gray. During one sudden storm, the Lord reminded me that His mercy has blotted out my sin like the clouds blot out the blue sky. I hope that I will remember this next time I see dark clouds roll in.

Come now, and let us reason together,” saith the Lord. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18 KJV

Teach Me Your Path

When I was a child, it was a thrill to get to ride in the back of Papa's truck out the country road to his farm. Along the way, we passed trees loaded with green apples, thickets of ripe blackberries, and morning glory vines clinging to the barbed wire fences.

Papa raised big strong mules to pull plows. Papa said the secret was just to get a mule moving! He would worry about heading him in the right direction after that.

Sometimes the Lord must feel that way about us. Our Bible Study lesson this morning was about God trying to convince Moses to obey and head back to Egypt. The miracles would be up to God.
Exodus 4:10-13

Show me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Psalm 25:4

Flowers and Fountains

Looking back through photos I took when I lived in Kansas City. 

There were lovely parks, gardens and KC is famous for its many fountains.

On a hot day, I loved to sit close to the fountain and feel the mist on the breeze.

I'm still enjoying my Bible Verse coloring book.

God Bless Our Teachers

I know that the experiences of our lives,

when we let God use them,

become the mysterious and perfect

preparation for the work 

He will give us to do.

Corrie ten Boom

I am praying for all the teachers who are getting ready for school. My grandkids start back to school two weeks from now! I still remember wanting to be a missionary, but God redirecting me to teaching young children with special needs. Now my oldest grandchild is a junior in college preparing to be a teacher.

Unfailing Love

Grandmother's Heart

My grandma likes to play with God.

They have a kind of game.

She plants the garden full of seeds.

He sends the sun and rain.

She likes to sit and talk with God.

And knows He is right there.

She prays about the whole wide world,

And leaves us in His care.

By Ann Johnson, age 8

This poem is from the book

Stories to Warm a Grandmother's Heart

Coloring Sheets

That my soul may sing praise to You
 and not be silent.

O Lord, my God,

I will give thanks to You forever.

Psalm 10:12 NASB

A neighbor gave me a coloring book with Bible verses and her timing couldn't have been better.

With heat index at 107 in the afternoons it is almost like being shut in by an ice storm! Hope everyone is staying cool!

Beloved

I am your beloved,

Your creation,

And You love me as I am.

You've called me chosen

For Your kingdom.

Unashamed to call me your own-

I am your beloved.

https://youtu.be/7p6MMeUpV8o

 This is how God showed his love among us: 
He sent his one and only Son into the world 
that we might live through him.
 This is love: not that we loved God, 
but that he loved us and sent his Son 
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10

Word of God Speak

Word of God speak

Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That you're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In your holiness
Word of God speak

Bart Millard
https://youtu.be/SbN_r_6aNq0?t=2m55s