Ode of Remembrance

(Monument - Friendship Cemetery)

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them

~ Excerpt from For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon - 1914~

Our God, the Creator of the universe, is also God of the little details.
He grows the mighty oak tree . . . but the tiniest blooms are His handiwork, too.
It's just that our eyes don't always see the almost-hidden beauty all around us.

I'm thankful His eyes and ears and big heart never miss any detail in our lives.
He's concerned about the big, overwhelming problems,
but the little things matter to Him, too.

And He never fails to see the "little things" we do . . . those acts of kindness that no one else knows about . . . the prayers we pray . . . the behind-the-scenes
service to others. In fact, I think these are the very things He sees as most beautiful in our lives.

I agree with the songwriter: Little is much if God is in it!
And if God is in it, He'll make something beautiful of it!
That's the way His amazing one-size-fits-all Love works!

Refreshing!!

If you've ever stepped into the cold, clear water of a creek like the one above, you know just how refreshing it feels. If you haven't . . . you've missed a simple country pleasure!

If you've ever felt the Living Water seep into your dry soul and wash over your weary body and mind, you know how refreshing it feels. If you haven't . . . you've missed a free, life-changing gift! A gift that ANYONE can accept!

In shady green pastures so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along.
Where the water's cool flow bathes the weary one's feet,
God leads His dear children along.
~Lyrics by G.A. Young~

Life Songs

(Three generations)

In our daily living, we sing our own songs of kindness and faith.
Then, touched by those songs, others will whistle kindness and faith
in their own lives. If that's the case, then all our remembering
is not about aging or nostalgia. Instead, it's about being part of a great procession
stretched across the years.
~Michael - via Holiness Today Facebook~

New Heights

We have to be braver than we think we can be,
because God is constantly calling us
to be more than we are.
~Madeline L'Engle~

I don't like heights!
Especially heights over water!
And especially a looonnnnggg, high cable-stayed bridge like this one in Georgia!

But to reach our destination, it was our only route.
So, trusting that the cables would hold - and that the architects and engineers knew what they were doing - we drove onto the arching span, going higher and higher before beginning the descent. It surely was comforting to see land on the other side!

I think our journey as Christians is like that. God is always calling us to greater heights . . . in our relationship with Him and others. He calls us to new heights in our commitment . . . in trusting Him . . . in sacrificial service . . . in growing more like Him.

And it's often scary because the heights take us out of our comfort zones. But He never calls us anywhere that He doesn't go with us. We just forget that in the midst of the climb sometimes. And then He reminds us to be strong and courageous and to trust Him, the Architect and Engineer of our lives. Bravery isn't the absence of fear; it's obeying and moving on in spite of it. It's trusting that the cables will hold!

Growing . . . reaching new heights . . . it's the only route to victorious living. Staying on course with our focus on our Guide will eventually lead us to a place that's out of this world!

And it'll surely be comforting to see the other side!

Lord, lift me up and let me stand
By faith on Heaven's table land.
A higher plane than I have found -
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
~Johnson Oatman, Jr.~

Added note: The quote is by Art Urban . . . thought I had that on the pic!

Shaken but Not Moved

Storm descends.
Thunder rumbles.
Lightning explodes.
Rain floods.
Wind topples.
Shelter shakes.
Fear grips.
Faith clings.

Anchor holds!

(Note: From earlier posts you know that this big oak tree, among others, was splintered and blown down on a storage shed. The next morning it was amazing to find these two bird feeders firmly in place amidst all the storm damage.)

A Work in Progress

This pic, which I snapped from my front porch, says so much about the activity here (in Louisiana, Ginny). Workers from several states are in our area trying to get power on for so many of us. We still don't have power, but we are OK. Slowly, progress is being made, and many homes do now have electricity.

We are continuing to work in our yard, and John David was able to replace the shingles that were blown off. It will take quite a while to clean up everything, but that's OK! We're alive and our house is standing. No lives were lost; we've not heard of any injuries! AMAZING . . . when you see mangled trees strewn across yards, the woods, and across many roads.

I want to thank all of my blogger friends for your kind and caring words - and for your prayers. I won't be able to thank each of you personally, but I really appreciate every comment. Please continue to pray for those in Alabama who've lost so much.

God is good . . . in the good times and in the bad times . . . when things are calm and everything is in its place . . . and when "normal" is suddenly swept away. It's comforting to know that His eyes never leave us . . . and our Rock never moves!

The Lord's our Rock; in Him we hide -
A shelter in the time of storm.
Secure whatever ill betide,
A shelter in the time of storm.

The raging storms may round us beat -
A shelter in the time of storm.
We'll never leave our safe retreat,
A shelter in the time of storm.
~Lyrics by Ira Sankey~

"Stuff" is so temporary . . .

You've seen my roses, which we planted in front of a portable storage shed.

At one end of the bed, I placed potted plants around an old well to hide its ugliness. I was enjoying the beauty of it all . . .
Until this happened early Wednesday morning about 1:00 . . .
A tornado hasn't been confirmed here, but I'm sure that's what we experienced. It was so very scary! We hovered in a tiny closet and prayed . . . I prayed right out loud as unbelievable winds roared and things hit the house. But God was with us in a miraculous way. John David and I are safe, and the only damage to our house is missing shingles. The portable buildings didn't fare so well, as you can see. My crushed rose bushes are now under the mangled aluminum building, and trees and limbs and debris cover most of our yard. Of course, we lost power, which won't be recovered for some time.

We are so thankful for family and friends who came to our rescue in many ways. Progress is slow, but as you can see below, things are looking better. I know losing the big old oak is trivial compared to what's happened in Alabama - I DO realize that - but it's kinda' like losing an old friend. And it was the only shade on that side of the house. It stood tall just a few feet from our back door, so it was a miracle that it fell away from our house.

My heart goes out to those in Alabama - and other places - who've lost loved ones and all their earthly possessions. Aren't you glad that if we know Him, we can have hope in the midst of unspeakable tragedy?

I realize more than ever that "stuff" is so temporary and can be destroyed in the blink of an eye. I don't want to be too attached to my "stuff"! With God's help I want to keep my focus on the goal . . . on things that are eternal.

Morning Comes

(Photo taken in 2010)

Our Easter morning began early - 5:00 to be exact. We had coffee and drove a few miles down the road to a hilltop farm/ranch where I spent many happy hours growing up. Uncle Younger and Aunt Rena Mae were like second parents to me, and I miss them. If they were looking down on us yesterday, I'm sure they were pleased at what they saw and heard.

Arriving in the dark moments before morning, we carried our lawn chairs into the pasture and joined others who had come to celebrate His resurrection. Our chairs facing the eastern skies, we prayed, we sang, and we remembered that first Easter morning - when morning came and mourning departed. Then Came the Morning, a song that means so very much to me, played on a battery-operated boom box and we sang along . . . and we watched as morning light replaced the darkness. A tinge of pink began to color the eastern sky. A cool breeze blew across the pasture, and the presence of our Risen Saviour swept across our hearts . . . the perfect beginning for an Easter morning!

That was enough encouragement and promise and hope, but God, who knows exactly where we are, added more assurance. It was an amazing "God moment"! As we pulled onto the highway, I turned up the radio - which I always have tuned to XM Enlighten. You wanna' guess what song was playing? You got it . . . and I GOT it:

Then came the morning; night turned into day.
The stone was rolled away; hope rose with the dawn.
Then came the morning; shadows vanished before the sun.
Death had lost and Life had won, for morning had come.

It is a morning I'll always remember and revisit when I'm tempted to give up in the dark times. Morning always follows the night, no matter how long that night may seem. The Risen Jesus is a God of mornings! He's not a God of coincidences, so it didn't "just happen" that I read these words from Our Daily Bread this morning:

"If you believe that the Son of God died and rose again," writes George MacDonald, "your whole future is full of the dawn of eternal morning, coming up beyond the hills of life, and full of such hope as the highest imagination for the poet has not a glimmer yet." . . . Since we have this life and the next, we don't have to "have it all" now. We can live in broken and ruined bodies for a time; we can endure poverty and hardship for a while; we can face loneliness , heartache and pain for a season. Why? There is a second birth -- life in heaven forever.

~David Roper~

Bed of Roses

Life is like a rose garden.

Watch for the thorns and keep the pest dust handy.

~copied~

(This pic shows my roses with their first blooms this year.)

Lest I forget . . .

Something to think about . . . from the pen of Max Lucado:

When God entered time and became a man, he who was boundless became bound. Imprisoned in flesh. Restricted by weary-prone muscles and eyelids. For more than three decades, his once limitless reach would be limited to the stretch of an arm, his speed checked to the pace of human feet. . .

Stop and think about this. Not once did Christ use his supernatural powers for personal comfort. With one word he could’ve transformed the hard earth into a soft bed, but he didn’t. With a wave of his hand, he could’ve boomeranged the spit of his accusers back into their faces, but he didn’t. With an arch of his brow, he could’ve paralyzed the hand of the soldier as he braided the crown of thorns. But he didn’t. . .

Want to know the coolest thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns?

He did it for you. Just for you.

~Excerpt from Max Lucado in his book His Name Is Jesus~


King of my life, I crown Thee now;
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.
Lest I forget Gethsemane; lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
~Lead Me to Calvary - Jennie Evelyn Hussey 1874-1958~

Imperfection is not synonymous with ugliness . . . nor does it imply worthlessness.
Not in God's eyes. I like the words Paul penned in II Corinthians 4, as found in The Message:

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness.
We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us.
As it is, there's not much chance of that.
You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at.
We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized;
we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do;
we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side;
we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken.

Even if our pots are cracked, His light can shine through those imperfections, and His beauty can be seen in our ordinary lives.

Unfolding Grace

. . . not a day goes by without his unfolding grace . . .
~II Cor. 4:16 The Message~

. . . and it's a beautiful thing!

Life Goes On

This is a purple finch resting atop a bird box . . .

that was meant for the bluebird family . . .

but was seized and claimed by this feisty chickadee and mate.

Sometimes things aren't what they appear to be . . .
or what they are supposed to be . . .

But life goes on!

For the child of God, everything will turn out just fine in the end.
And life will go on forever . . . . . . . . . . . . . and ever!
Just sayin' . . .



Farther along we'll know all about it;
Farther along we'll understand why.
Cheer up, my brother; live in the sunshine.
We'll understand it all bye and bye.
~Lyrics - Farther Along by J.R. Baxter~

Out on a Limb

Sometimes . . .

you have to . . .

go out on a limb.

Scary?
Sometimes.

But it helps to remember that
underneath
are the everlasting arms.

And it helps to remember that
our Perfect Example
went

out on a limb . . .

way out on a limb. . .
and hung there
and died.

For me.
For you.

Heavenly Sunlight

Our plum tree is loaded with small plums like the one you see above. I took this pic just as the sun was going down, and it was breathtaking . . . heavenly! Slowly sinking out of sight behind the trees, its glowing orange color was extraordinary. I placed myself and the camera in a rather uncomfortable position in an attempt to capture the plum in the center of the sun. Not exactly dead center, but I like the way it turned out!

Just as the plum tree needs the sun to produce its fruit, so do I need the Son to produce fruits of righteousness in my life . . . love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self -control. I can't do it own my own no matter how hard I try; I must place myself in His Light - dead center - letting Him shine down in my heart daily and cleanse that which would produce bad fruit. And I can tell you for sure . . . He's still working on me - and will do so until I stand in His presence! I'm so thankful He doesn't just sever me from the Vine because my patience fruit hasn't matured as it should!

And, oh yes . . . I must accept the painful pruning process, too! But the gentle Gardener knows exactly what I need to grow and mature - even when the pruning seems so harsh to me, and I groan with each touch of the pruning tool. He'll do whatever it takes to keep me in the center of His will so that I can reflect His light.

I like this verse of the old hymn Heavenly Sunlight, which expresses where I want to be:

Shadows around me, shadows above me,
Never conceal my Savior and Guide;
He is the Light; in Him is no darkness.
Ever I'm walking close to His side.

~Henry J. Zelley~

Yesterday's sunset . . . no words nor edits needed . . .

Plunge right in . . .

He [Abraham] plunged into the promise and came up strong,
ready for God, sure that God would make good on what He had said.
That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us!
The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.
The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.
~Romans 4:19 The Message~

What promise have you "plunged into and came up strong"?

Dew Drops

Strong March winds and lack of rain dry out young growth,
sucking the moisture right out of the leaves and the soil.
Then the morning dew falls
and gently refreshes every leaf it touches.
Each droplet is like a tiny jewel sparkling in the Spring sunlight,
making the rose bushes look like they've been sprinkled with diamonds.

If God so faithfully cares for the rose bushes,
how much more will he refresh the souls of His children?
When the winds of life bring dryness
and the swirling grit gets in our eyes and clouds our vision,
He hears our weak cries
and sends the dew.
Just in time it falls.
Refreshing, moisturizing mercy drops . . .
More precious than jewels . . .
Bringing healing and renewal and life!



And if that isn't love,
then the ocean is dry.
There's no stars in the sky
and the sparrow can't fly.
If that isn't love,
then heaven's a myth.
There's no feeling like this -
If that isn't love.
~If That Isn't Love lyrics - Dottie Rambo~

Sheltered

Thou art my hiding place . . .
Psalm 32:7

Thou hast been a shelter for me . . .
Psalm 61:3

I'm thankful for His shelter . . . His umbrella of love and grace . . . in every storm.

A long time ago we sang this little song:
Safe am I; safe am I,
In the shelter of His arms.
Sheltered o'er; sheltered o'er,
With His love forevermore.

The little statue pictured above sits in a little nook of our house in a sheltered, green spot. I took the pic looking through this azalea bush bursting with the color of Spring.

Bubbles and Wheelbarrows

Given the opportunity, kids still enjoy simple, outdoor activities.
At least our grandchildren do!

I must admit I enjoyed watching the bubbles of all sizes float in the breeze -
as well as watching Isaac and Abby chasing them.

Creating their own fun isn't a lost art, and it doesn't take much to make them smile.

Might be a little scary with your brother driving . . . but fun nevertheless!

I'm so thankful for all four of our grandchildren who brighten our days
and give us a fresh look at the world around us!

Thank God for kids; there's magic in a smile . . .

Living Sanctuary

True worship
allows The Light to search
our open, obedient hearts,
so that His likeness can bloom there
and His Light can shine
through these earthen sanctuaries.

"Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy, tried and true;
with thanksgiving, I'll be a living
sanctuary for You."
~Lyrics by John Thompson and Randy Scruggs~

Expectancy

The soft, sweet summer was warm and glowing;
Bright were the blooms on every bough.
I trusted Him when the roses were blooming;

I'll trust Him now . . .

~From "The Song of a Bird in a Winter Storm"~

Hind Feet

Psalm 18:33 (NIV): He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

Surefooted and confident, the hind (KJV) or female red deer scales the rugged mountains. Without error, she jumps from rock to rock
until she reaches her destination.

I don't know about you, but I need that analogy as I stand at the bottom of a looming mountain from time to time. I need to know that He will keep my feet from slipping and that reaching the top is possible in spite of all obstacles and uncertainties.

I like the word picture created by the last line . . . standing on the heights.
But I can never get there on my own. I need His enabling grace.
Grace . . . His amazing grace . . . is my security!


His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His power has no boundary known unto to men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
~Annie Johnson Flint - He Giveth More Grace~

Click on pics to enlarge.

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul
by a flower in spring bloom,
maybe your soul has never been in bloom.
~Terri Guillemets~

(The blooms are peach, redbud, Japanese magnolia, and plum - in our yard.)

We Bow Down

We bow down and we worship You, Lord . . .
Lord of all Lords You will be.
We bow down and we crown You the King . . .
King of all Kings You will be.
~Twila Paris~

I bow before You, Lord, bringing my praise . . . and my cares.
You want to hear both.
You use both to draw me close to You - which is where I want to be.

Sprigs of Hope

Tender, green shoots push through the cold, hard sod
Where the bulbs have been buried all winter.
Spring can't be too far away!

Easter lilies . . . bursting through the clutches of winter -
Remind us of The Source of rebirth and all things new.
The Giver of hope and life is never too far away!

A tender sprig of hope pushes through the cold, barren soul
Where it's been buried beneath the rubble of a shattered life.
Wholeness and healing can't be too far away!