Thursday, January 30, 2014

Why Men Need a Dog

English Standard Version (ESV)
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
    which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
Proverbs 12:10
English Standard Version (ESV)
10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
    but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Colossians 3:12
English Standard Version (ESV)
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” 
― Mark Twain
I enjoyed watching my husband today play with his dog in a gentle rain.  The creature needed a break from a long car ride.  Maybe they both did.  I'm always of the opinion that a man needs a dog.  My husband, however, didn't know he needed a dog until I found one for him.  For my son and his dog, it was love at first sight.  Sometimes I think they raised each other.  Right now the dogs are home with me while their masters are out helping a friend in need.  It may take a while because the friend, who lives alone, is in terrible pain after a spill on his bike left him with a shattered arm.  It's late but I know they won't be home until he is more comfortably settled.    It further proves to me that you can tell much about a man by the way he treats his dog.  

Matthew West - Do Something

Rend Collective Experiment - Come On (My Soul) OFFICIAL

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

I Don't Know Who Wrote This...

…but it's good.  The authorship is in dispute and maybe it's better that we don't know, because such an unflinching faith is almost impossibly heroic and difficult to maintain.  Still, it's good to try to live as an unashamed follower of Christ.   I am reminded of the Ranger Creed, the official missions statement of the United States Army Rangers: 

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.
Rangers Lead The Way!!!
—Ranger Handbook SH 21-76[2] 

The Battlefield - Isaacs

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Slow but Steady

Psalm 40:1-3
New Century Version (NCV)
Praise and Prayer for Help

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

40 I waited patiently for the Lord.
    He turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of destruction,
    out of the sticky mud.
He stood me on a rock
    and made my feet steady.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many people will see this and worship him.
    Then they will trust the Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
English Standard Version (ESV)

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self[a] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
1 Peter 2:21
English Standard Version (ESV)

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Yes, this is another church lady story, and I still thank God for church ladies.  When I was a teenager, a woman in our church, an experienced hiker, took the youth group girls up into the mountains  on an overnight hike.  We had to pack everything in, a first for me, though I'm sure she carried the heaviest load.  As I struggled up the hill, she came along side me and said, "Just take slow steps, one step at a time."  I did find that, by slowing myself down and measuring my steps, I was able to conquer that climb.  I kept hiking too, into my young adulthood, while I still lived at the front door of a national park.  My legs did get stronger.  Now I am no longer young and my legs are no longer strong.  Age and rheumatoid arthritis have mucked up my walk.  Still the same thing applies, taking slow steps one step at a time, for it's just a different sort of mountain I'm climbing, just a different walk of faith; and it's my Lord who steadies my steps.  
Carry Me Through - Dave Barnes
 

Didn't It Rain - Emily Elbert - The Storm Is Passing Over

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Storm Is Passing Over

Mark 4:39
King James Version (KJV)
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
I've really been enjoying this song, "The Storm Is Passing Over" by Mason Jar Music & Friends tonight.  Charles A. Tindley wrote the original hymn.  I understand Mason Jar's version iis from a benefit album for relief and recovery from Hurricane Sandy.  Here's a link to that site: http://thestormispassingover.com.   There are all kinds of storms in life.  It's good we have a God who calms the waves.

The Storm Is Passing Over by Charles A. Tindley, 1905
The lyrics:
O courage, my soul, and let us journey on,
For tho’ the night is dark, it won’t be very long.
O thanks be to God, the morning light appears,
And the storm is passing over, Hallelujah!

Refrain

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
The storm is passing over,
Hallelujah!

O billows rolling high, and thunder shakes the ground,
The lightnings flash, and tempest all around,
But Jesus walks the sea and calms the angry waves,
And the storm is passing over, Hallelujah!

Refrain

The stars have disappeared, and distant lights are dim,
My soul is filled with fears, the seas are breaking in.
I hear the Master cry, “Be not afraid, ’tis I,”
And the storm is passing over, Hallelujah!

Refrain

Now soon we shall reach the distant shining shore,
Then free from all the storms, we’ll rest forevermore.
And safe within the veil, we’ll furl the riven sail,
And the storm will all be over, Hallelujah!


Refrain

The Storm Is Passing Over - Mason Jar Music & Friends

Saturday, January 25, 2014

My God Who Rolls The Clouds Away



Psalm 139:7-12
The Message (MSG)
7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
    to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
    If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
    to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
    you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
    At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
    night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
My  husband drove me to a far western shore today, the most northwestern town in the lower 48 states; and I found myself recalling the promise of Psalm 139 that I am never out of God's sight.  The fog was thick for much of the drive but the sun came out when we got there.  It is, as the old hymn we sing, just like Jesus to roll the clouds away.
I couldn't find a professional rendering of this hymn on Youtube, but I did find an intrepid church song leader, who may be even better.  It's hard not to love this hymn's chorus.

It's Just Like His Great Love
A Friend I Have Called Jesus
Edna Worrell (1903)
A friend I have called Jesus, Whose love is strong and true,
And never fails howe’er ’tis tried, no matter what I do;
I’ve sinned against this love of His, but when I knelt to pray,
Confessing all my guilt to Him, the sin clouds rolled away.
Refrain
It’s just like Jesus to roll the clouds away,
it’s just like Jesus to keep me day by day,
it’s just like Jesus all along the way,
It’s just like His great love.
Sometimes the clouds of trouble bedim the sky above,
I cannot see my Savior’s face, I doubt His wondrous love;
But He, from heaven’s mercy seat, beholding my despair,
In pity bursts the clouds between, and shows me He is there.
Refrain
When sorrow’s clouds o’ertake me, and break upon my head,
When life seems worse than useless, and I were better dead;
I take my grief to Jesus then, nor do I go in vain,
For heavenly hope He gives that cheers like sunshine after rain.
Refrain
O, I could sing forever of Jesus’ love divine,
Of all His care and tenderness for this poor life of mine;
His love is in and over all, and wind and waves obey,
When Jesus whispers “Peace, be still!” and rolls the clouds away.
Refrain

Comforting Church Ladies

Painting by Warner Sallman, Head of Christ, 1941.
2 Corinthians 1:4
New International Version (NIV)
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

What does your Jesus look like?    Many artist have tried to depict Him, but the Bible gives us few clues.  This painting by Warner Sallman of the Head of Christ became my picture of Jesus throughout my childhood.  I was thinking about it today as I filled out new patient medical history forms, after abruptly a finding out I was without a healthcare provider because of Obama care.  This image was given to me as a child about to undergo surgery by the ladies in my church.  It was meant to be a comfort and it was.  I kept it for years, until as a young adult, I thought it too old-fashioned and gave it away.  I wish I hadn't done so; because such a remembrance of the love women held for the child of one of their own and their accompanying prayers has become more significant as the years have passed.  We should all appreciate the church ladies in our lives.  May they be richly blessed.  It's fitting that I add one more picture to this post, one of church dresses hung to dry on a clothes line, as well as a few bulletin notices from church ladies with typewriters:
She sang "I Will Not Pass This Way Again," giving much pleasure to the congregation. 

Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa. 

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale.....It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands. 

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. 


Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow. 


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Ties That Bind

John 13:34
English Standard Version (ESV)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Romans 12:18
English Standard Version (ESV)
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

It is possible to get along with one another!  The Bible tells me so.  I should say that it is possible if I choose to love others as Christ has loved me, even if they don't think like me, don't look like me, or act like me.  It's not too hard to do, either, even though it can feel ever so hard at times.  Just suck it up and love, remembering the One who loved us all the way to the cross.   

Philippians 2:2
New International Version (NIV)
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Sisters (Blessed Be the Tie That Binds) 09-23-11 Northwest Gospel Fest

Matt Papa - The Reward of His Suffering (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

What I'm Reading

Isaiah 55:8-9
New International Version (NIV)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
This has been a good read so far and I expect it will just get better.  In fact, I'm finding it hard to put it down.  I was especially impressed that this young woman held hostage inland by Somalia pirates was able to recall and claim for herself the words her father prayed after learning of his wife's terribly swift death from a severe flu,  "God, I don't understand this.  I don't understand you…but I choose to trust you."  

Carrie Underwood - Jesus, Take The Wheel

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

More Than I Can Handle

Gethsemane by Wassilij Grigorjewitsch Perow, (1833–1882), 1878, Moscu, Gallery Tret'jakov.
Matthew 26:38-39
New International Version (NIV)
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Psalm 22:1
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
22 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
[b]Far from my deliverance are the words of my [c]groaning.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

“I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much.”

― Mother Teresa
Sorry, Mother Teresa, you were wrong.  You were carrying burdens you were never meant to carry.  God can and does give us more than we can handle; for if we were equipped to handle anything and everything, we would not need God.  And, oh, do we need Him, we truly do.  
1 Corinthians 10:13
New International Version (NIV)
13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
We got it wrong when we confused temptation with trouble.  Yes, we are all tempted and that sometimes leads to sin; but 1 Corinthians 10:13 refers to temptation, not overwhelming sorrow, grief, and tragedy.  So when you're looking at that closed door and waiting for that window to open, desperate to escape your trial, stop and rest; just rest, because God has your back.  Yes this life is sometimes terrible, sometimes wonderful, and almost always baffling, yet in all of this we are never separate from the grace of God; and that is enough.



Yet Will I Sing - Audra Lynn

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Sanctity of Life Sunday

Psalm 139:14
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 I will give thanks to You, for [a]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
Amen, brother, amen.

He Reached Down - Iris DeMent

It's Sunday!

Charles Twelvetrees

Pastor has a sermon prepared...

Saturday, January 18, 2014

A Good Read for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

You don't have to be a child, either, to appreciate it, but it helps if you've been one and remember.
Amos 5:24
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
24 “But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Up to the mountain Patty Griffin

Friday, January 17, 2014

Epic Victories!

Hebrews 8:12
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
English Standard Version (ESV)
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
We've got a big football game this weekend.  I confess I'm a fair weather fan, but I'm trying to get into the spirit.  I even wore team colors to work today  along with most of the town.  This afternoon I found on Pinterest a recipe for what I thought would make a great game day snack for my guys, but I failed miserably.  No, it wasn't Cookie Monster cupcakes, just a simple little recipe for cinnamon pretzels, but I'm using this picture because I would be too shamed to post my own fail.  I usually avoid the oven, an old, old Thermador, probably from the 50's, that could double as an incinerator; but this recipe looked simple enough.  Let's just say, I smoked them!  Fortunately I threw open the slider door and got the fan going before the smoke detector started screeching.  Unfortunately, the tell-tell smell still lingers.  And to think that I nearly considered doubling the recipe…sigh.   I've deleted the recipe from my Pinterest board because I won't be going that way again.  Failures and calamities are great object lessons for Jesus, my Teacher, to use in my life.  I'm so glad too that He has a delete button.  Epic fails He remembers no more.  Epic victories He doesn't forget.

Go Hawks!

Sara Groves - I Saw What I Saw

Thursday, January 16, 2014

All Those Who Are Weeping . . .

Psalm 126:3-5
New International Version (NIV)
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our fortunes,[a] Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
…will once again enjoy the mercy of God.  And they will sing.
Psalm 126 (All those who are weeping) - Bifrost Arts


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Neville Peter - Whiter Than Snow.wmv

A Reason to Smile

Isaiah 1:18
New International Version (NIV)
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.
A Reason to Celebrate!


Through It All Andrae Crouch

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Sleeping Like A Lion

Psalm 84:11
English Standard Version (ESV)
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 127:2
English Standard Version (ESV)
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
    and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
    for he gives to his beloved sleep.
I so get these two, because I get some of my best sleep in church.  Between my rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia and the various accompanying medicines, it is ever so easy to be lulled to sleep by the melodic voice of my pastor.  Still, I'd like to think of these ladies as spiritual warriors of the best kind.  They've come dressed and prepared, crowns on and Bibles open.  They mean well, I know they do.  So I'll choose to picture them as brave and fierce soldiers of the Lord; and, if we love them, just like sleeping lions, we'll let them sleep.  
God's Not Dead (Like a Lion) - Newsboys 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Unforced Rhythms of Grace



Matthew 11:28-30
New International Version (NIV)
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
The Message (MSG)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I'm very familiar with the first version of this Scripture passage but not with the second.  Now I find myself pondering the meaning of unforced rhythms of grace.  It sounds so lovely that I do want to learn it.  I need to think more on what this means, but it's late and I'll sleep on it for now.  

  

Near To The Heart of God - Page CXVI

It's Sunday!

We lift our voices and sing!

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Old-School Mom

Proverbs 22:6
King James Version (KJV)

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 31:26-27
English Standard Version (ESV)
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her house hold and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Yes, we learned it from you, Mom.  I well remember the feeling of standing by your side knowing that I would most certainly behave.  The notion of entertaining folly was, if anything, but a fleeting thought, because the certainty of consequences always followed.  Old-school moms had children that could be taken out in public without embarrassment.  They raised their children with a steely-eyed love, these keepers of home and household.  We knew we were children and that children were not in charge; and yes, there was fear but also security in that knowledge.  So it is with me now that I'm an adult accountable to God for my actions.   Thanks, Mom.    

Hymn Medly-The Cathedrals

I Liked This...



Thursday, January 9, 2014

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

This Is Just Beautiful...

Amos 5:8
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 It is the Lord who created the stars,
    the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into morning
    and day into night.
He draws up water from the oceans
    and pours it down as rain on the land.
    The Lord is his name!

St. Lola In The Fields - Don't Say [Official Music Video]

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23
New Living Translation (NLT)
Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.
Keep me from worry, Lord.  You are my shepherd and I truly have all I need.  

I Shall Not Want - Audrey Assad

Monday, January 6, 2014

Love Tender and Pure

James 1:27
English Standard Version (ESV)
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
"Love Me Tender" - Beth Nielsen Chapman

Carolina Chocolate Drops :: Lights in the Valley

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Would You Like To...

…swing on a star? Carry moonbeams home in a jar?  Yes, yes I would!
Daniel 1:17
English Standard Version (ESV)

17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

I've loved "Swinging on a Star" since I was a little girl.  Probably because the chorus really caught my attention, I didn't realize until last night that it was about the value of an education.  The children are returning to school tomorrow after their winter-what I like to call Christmas-break.  Pray for them as well as their teachers.  No child should ever be separated from his dreams.  Not a one would rather be a mule.
"Swinging On a Star" - Bing Crosby

It's Sunday!

Hebrews 10:25
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
25 Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return.
Someone has worked hard to prepare a lesson for you.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

God's New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
17 Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!
Jeremiah 29:11
New Living Translation (NLT)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Lamentations 3:22-24
New Living Translation (NLT)
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![a]
    His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
New Living Translation (NLT)

11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

We've now lived an entire year in this house of the level path and I remain grateful. I don't know what 2014 will bring, I don't know what tomorrow will bring, for that matter: but I do know my God of yesterday and today is the same God of tomorrow.  Sometimes not knowing the future is liberating but it can also be scary.  I have to remind myself that God can be trusted with all that I am and all that I hold dear, and I pray that I will be as brave as God asks me to be. 

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow ~ Susan Cox & Alison Krauss ~ Lyrics

Give me Jesus - (AirTran Airways Flight) Original

I Have Found This...

…to be true.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

God's Shoebox

2 Timothy 2:15
English Standard Version (ESV)
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[a] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Isaiah 50:4
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
4 The Lord and King has taught me what to say.
    He has taught me how to help those who are tired.
He wakes me up every morning.
    He makes me want to listen like a good student.
On New Year's day my mother gave me my own shoebox of papers she had saved from my childhood.  I felt loved and a little surprised.  I didn't know she had kept anything from my childhood, beyond my beloved "Black Beauty" book and an early zipper-closed Bible.  I wasn't her first nor her last child, coming along at a time when she already had delivered her quiver full.  So the shoe box was a wonder!  I found birth announcements which should prove once and for all, in spite of what my brother said, I wasn't adopted.  There was my infant dedication certificate along with Sunday School promotion slips and early report cards from when I was young enough that letter grades weren't given.  I learned that some things never change.  What I struggled with in Kindergarten, I still struggle with now: I'm shy and have terrible handwriting.  I still like to read and am okay with math.  (I do feel, however, that it was generous to grade me Satisfactory in music skills.)  I respond well to encouragement and am a good worker.  (Did my teacher know then how easily I would slip into laziness without encouragement?)  As my God continues to teach me, I pray that I will continue to listen as a good student should.  I'd like to think He's keeping a shoebox for me too.
.
  As I write I'm wondering just how much stuff Mom kept for my other siblings.  Are their boxes bigger than mine?  Sigh.  It's probably better that she handed me my box when I was alone with her.  Yes, some things never change.



Wednesday, January 1, 2014

The King's Goodness

Psalm 65:11
New International Version (NIV)
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
    and your carts overflow with abundance.
I don't know about you, but I think my Jesus, who bore the terrible crown of thorns, deserves all the glorious crowns that can be bestowed upon Him.  He is good.  He is good indeed.  May you enjoy another year crowned with His goodness.  
"Crown Him With Many Crowns" - Tenore

Christ With Thorns - Carl Bloch

Colton Dixon - You Are (Lyrics)

How Far and How Deep

Psalm 103:12
New International Version (NIV)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Hebrews 8:12
New International Version (NIV)
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”[a]
Micah 7:19
New International Version (NIV)
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Revelation 21:5
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
Philippians 3:13-14
New International Version (NIV)
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
It's a New Year!  The old is gone and the new is come; unless, of course, we persist in dragging along with us our old stuff and junk.  Most of us will.  I know I do.  I'll dig up what Jesus has already buried and forgotten, not trusting in His finished work on the cross.  It makes for slow going, and I'm afraid Heaven will come before I've let go of this heavy load.  I'd truly like to get there with arms free to throw around the neck of my Savior.  If I carry anything into Heaven, may it be grace.

Casting Crowns - East To West - (Live)