A Day in the Park - June 29, 2011

(Northview Optimist Park)

We swung....

(Sam took this pic!!)

Slid.....

Slid some more....

And, dried the slides with our bottoms....

Climbed to great heights....

Pretended we were in jail....

Walked tight ropes....

Re-filled our water jug....

Swung some more....

Then, came home and washed our rides.....

I don't know about the boys....

....but Nannie had a great day!!!

;-)

G-O-S-S-I-P

As you know, I love acrostics....and here's one I came up with for "gossip"....

G - God

O - Opposes

S -  Slandering

S -  Speech

I  - In

P - People

I've read a lot lately about the tongue....and talking too much....and gossip!!!

And....
 I know in my heart
 that God is speaking....
to me!
OUCH!

Happy Thursday, Sweet Reader!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

June 29, 2011

Picture taken last fall....just found it recently!

Worshipful Wednesday!!!

I don't know where I've been....

....but I just heard this song yesterday for the first time....
....and....
I ♥ it!!!

HOPE you do, too!!! 

(don't forget to turn off my Playlist above first)

 So...what's your story....about HIS Glory?

;-)

Happy Wednesday, Sweet Reader!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

June 28, 2011

Remember the Rocky Valley goats 

I showed y'all a few weeks ago?

Look what they've placed on the side of their barn!!

It's so pretty!!!
(although it's not "aligned with the stars")
;-)

Women of the Bible - Dinah

 credit

The Bible is chock full of all kinds of true stories about people from all walks of life....and all sorts of life experiences.  This is one of the tragedies that was a bit disturbing to read about.

Dinah (one who judges) was the daughter of Jacob and Leah.  One day she went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area.  Shechem, a Hivite,  saw her....and raped her....but, then fell in love with her and tried to win her affection with tender words. (he certainly didn't have his priorities in order.) He asked his father, Hamor, to "get me this young girl.  I want to marry her."  Jacob knew about the rape, but did nothing about it....but his sons stepped in and would only allow the marriage if the Hivites would be circumcised.  They told Shechem and Hamor if they would agree, then they would allow intermarriage between the Israelites and the Hivites....that they would "become one people."  Thinking they had made friends with the Israelites, they presented the proposal to the leaders of the Hivites.....and all the men agreed so every male in the town was circumcised.  Simeon and Levi (Leah's brothers) entered the town "three days later, when their wounds were still sore" and killed every male there.  When the rest of Jacob's sons arrived, they took all the animals, looted all the wealth and plundered their homes, taking the little children and wives, leading them away as captives.  Jacob was angry with his sons, but they defended themselves by arguing that what they did was necessary for what was done to their sister.

Conclusions:

(I have several)

1.  Be aware of your surroundings at all times!

Dinah should have never gone out by herself because she knew the reputation of the Hivites!

2.  Don't take matters into your own hand without consulting an authority figure (God).  Jacob should have handled this situation himself, instead of allowing his sons to take over, then getting angry at their actions.

3.  It's very unwise to think we have to give our children everything they ask for!!!

4.  Look before you leap!!!

Often we do things (just like the Hivites did by agreeing to circumcision...OUCH)....for selfish reasons and wind up in a heap-o-trouble!!
(been there....done that!!!)

5.  NEVER try to get revenge on another person thru actions, or words!!!

Also....you know how after surgery, it's said that the third day is the worse for pain?  Did you notice that Simeon and Levi entered the town "three days later"....when they were still very sore!!!

This was a very interesting "woman of the Bible"....although, I felt so sorry for this young lady and all the tragedy she had to endure.

HOPE you have a great Tuesday, Sweet Reader!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

June 27, 2011
Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight!

Picture taken from Jess' front yard last night!

How far is Calvary?

Luke 23:33

And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

It's sometimes hard to believe some of the things that our GRANDsons think about.  A couple of years ago, they happened to be at church with us one SONday morning and there was a baptism.  The oldest one, who was probably only about 3 at the time....became fascinated with baptism....and he and his brother would take turns "baptizing" their Momma in their kiddy pool, or pretending to baptize us in the floor! If the youngest one, who is 3.5 now has a cut and it gets better....he will tell you that "God fixed it".  The oldest of the two boys, who will turn 5 next month....has started asking some very deep questions.  A few weeks ago, as I went thru Wendy's drive-thru, and they were in the back seat....we kept hearing sirens, and he very adamantly told me, "Nannie, quit ordering food and pray".  This past Saturday night, before we ate supper, he asked me if I wanted to say the prayer that he had taught me....and got a bit upset that I couldn't remember.....

(bad Nannie)!!!

The two most profound questions that he has asked have been directed to his Daddy and Momma. The first one was, 

"what if Jesus hadn't died on the cross"?  

I don't know what their answer to him was, but they are great at coming up with the perfect answer.

But, the latest question he asked was.....

"How far is Calvary?"

Pappy shared this with a lady he works with....and her answer was from your mouth to your heart....meaning if we confess with our mouth and believe with our hearts!!

My answer would be from one nail scarred hand to the other.  
Pappy said from your knees to the floor.

How about you?

What is your answer for 

"how far is Calvary?"

Octavio Ocampo

(click to enlarge to view all the amazing details) 

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

June 26, 2011

Our little super heroes!!!

SONday Morning-My Eyes Have Seen Holy

(don't forget....

....please turn off my PlayList above before listening/viewing)

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

June 25, 2011 

CHRIST-mas 2010.

Me, my Mom.....and baby brother!!!

Jesus paid it all!!!!

All to Him I owe!!!

Sin had left a crimson stain.

He washed it....white as snow!!!

AMEN....and AMEN!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

June 24, 2011

Mamaw, Mom and Jess.

Picture taken around 1989.

I miss Mamaw!

:*(

Fantastic Friday - Edition #23

 

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Welcome, Sweet Readers!! 

Happy Friday to y'all!!!
 HOPE each of you had a great week.

I shared last Friday that we have something big happening in our family.  
Our daughter, Jess....son-in-law, Brant....
....and our GRANDsons are beginning a very special journey.  I can't even begin to explain it like she does, so click here to read their amazing story.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare to bring their child(ren)....
....our GRAND babies...."home"!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!! 

p.s....oh, yeah....don't forget to link up!!!
;-)

June 23, 2011

I've came to the conclusion....that these cute little creatures....have a death wish....

or, why else would they deliberately dart out as you drive by!!!  And....yes....

....I've had one meet it's death underneath the wheels of my car!!

OUCH....and....GROSS!!!

:*(

A broken nail....a phone call....

....dirty glasses....a spider....and not sitting in my usual "devotional chair"!!!

(my $15 thrift store bargain)

You know what all these things have in common? 

Well....they all served as distractions for me during my devotionals the last couple of days!

Most of the time, I can sit down and read and study and keep my mind on what I'm doing....so I'm not sure what's been going on.  The thought had just crossed my mind that I just wasn't "with it" the past few days....wasn't able to concentrate and keep my focus on God and His Word....

....when I started another chapter of 

"The Purpose Driven Life"....

....and read these words by Mr. Rick Warren....

"one day, the gap you feel  between you and God - gone"!!!

I know that old devil is gonna use anything he can to draw my attention away from the task at hand....especially if that task has anything at all to do with our precious Jesus!!!

So....what am I gonna do?

Well....I'm not gonna give up.

I'll keep on keeping on....and give that old devil a run for his money!!!

And, I'm headed back to my comfy chair....

....where there are far less distractions!!!

;-)

I Peter 5:8

Stay alert! 

Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. 

He prowls around like a roaring lion, 

looking for someone to devour.

Happy Thursday, Sweet Reader!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

 June 22, 2011

"Time sometimes flies like a bird,

sometimes crawls like a snail;

but a man (woman) is happiest when he (she) does not even notice whether it passes swiftly, 

or slowly."

~~~Ivan Turgenev~~~

Word Filled Wednesday

There is only One Father and that's the Heavenly Father.

There is only one race and that's the human race.

And....never take the last piece of bread 

because somebody might come along who is hungry.

(quoted by Helen and Ellen of The Love Kitchen - Knoxville, TN)

I Samuel 16:7b

The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. 

People judge by outward appearance, 

but the Lord looks at the heart.

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!

 

June 21, 2011

Notice hubby's ball cap on the fence post.  
He had taken it off to put his "sweat rag" on!
(that's what he and the boys call their bandanas!!!)

We had to walk back....a long way....to retrieve it!!! 

;-)

Women of the Bible-Moses' Ethiopian Wife

Jacob Jordaens

(1593-1678)

 According to Numbers 12....Moses married a woman from Ethiopia.  Because of this, his brother, Aaron, and sister, Miriam, criticized him.  I really like how the New Living Translation describes Moses....
"Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth"

From that statement, I took that Moses didn't try to defend himself to his siblings for his choice of a wife....nor did he see anything at all wrong with choosing this woman to marry.  

But....because of Aaron and Miriam's criticism of Moses....

....God intervened and came to Moses' defense.  

(Don't you love it when God shows up and defends our honor?!?)

The Lord called to Moses and Aaron and Miriam and instructed them to go to the Tabernacle where He descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tabernacle.  He called for Aaron and Miriam to step forward and He reprimanded them for speaking against Moses.  God told them that He trusted Moses and spoke to him face to face, not in riddles....and asked them were they not afraid to criticize their brother.  God was very angry with them, and as He departed, Miriam's skin became white with leprosy.  Moses....in his kindness....cried out to the Lord to heal his sister.  Miriam was required to stay outside the camp for seven days, then was healed and allowed back inside.
(hopefully taught her lesson....;-)

Conclusions:

I so appreciated that the Lord not only defended his servant, Moses....but his choice of a black woman for his wife.  This is proof that God is certainly no "respecter of persons": 

Acts 10:34b

I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 

I can also relate to how Moses didn't try to take the matter into his own hands....but allowed the Lord to handle the situation!!! 

Ain't God good?

Oh, yes He is!!!

And....I'm so glad that God doesn't strike me with leprosy every time I sin....
I wouldn't even get thru the seven days of recovery!!!
;-) Thank you, Lord!!!

HOPE you have a terrific Tuesday, Sweet Reader.

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

***Edited to add***

Thanks to my sweet friend, 

Ms. Norma....

....this is called "Indian Paint Brush"!!

June 20, 2011

Flowers blooming along the road at 

Seven Islands Game Refuge.

Does anybody know what they're called?

Engage brain....

....before opening mouth!

When Paul wrote this verse of scripture, he was referring to himself....but I'm pretty sure that God had me in mind, too.....

Romans 7:19 

“I want to do what is good, but I don’t.

I don’t want to do what is wrong, 

but I do it anyway.” 

God has been dealing with me about 
"the tongue"....okay....He's dealing with me about my tongue….because, after all....I only have to answer for myself, no one else!!!  But, if any of my Sweet Readers has felt God speaking to you about something similar....well, maybe my little bit of research will be helpful to you, too.  Some of these are Bible verses....some are quotes....some are kinda funny....some very serious....but they all are saying pretty much the same thing....

"if you don't have something nice to say....

....then, don't say anything at all"!!!

“You can draw more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.”

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” 

~~~Mark Twain~~~

“A word from the mouth is like a stone from a sling.”

~~~Spanish Proverb~~~

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” 

~~~Epictetus~~~

“Before the tongue can speak, it must have lost the power to wound.”

~~~Peace Pilgrim~~~

Proverbs 21:23

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, 
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 15:1 

A soft answer turns away wrath, 
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 17:9 
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, 
but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

  “One reason a dog is such a lovable creature is his tail wags instead of his tongue”

Psalm 141:3 

Take control of what I say, O Lord, 
and guard my lips.

This one was probably my favorite....or least favorite, considering it really spoke to me personally....

“The best time for you to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust” 

~~~Josh Billings~~~

OUCH, Lord....that hurt!!! 

;-)

The good Lord surely knew that I was gonna have a lot of trouble "holding my tongue"....
....or He wouldn't have inspired so much scripture about it!!

 Well....once again, it's been a post of "true confessions"!!!  These kinds of posts are hard to write....because I really don't want to have to expose my shortcomings to you,
Sweet Reader.  
But....if that's what it takes to help rid me of me....
and fill me with more of Him....then....you're gonna get to see me for who I really am....
....a sinner saved by HIS most precious grace!!!

HOPE you have a marvelous Monday, Sweet Reader....
....and a week full of blessings!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

 June 19, 2011

Barns with flags at Seven Islands Game Refuge

(pics taken Memorial Day - 5/30/11)

Happy Father's Day!

 I read a story @ A Pause on the Path that Shanda wrote about a situation when she was younger that made her Daddy cry. It brought memories of my own Daddy flooding back into my mind and brought tears to my own eyes.  I saw my Daddy cry very few times.  Don't you agree with me....that to see a man cry....just makes him more of a man?!?!  Pappy and I got married on Friday night and when we returned on Sunday afternoon, we went back to my house to get my clothes.  As we left, my Daddy stood on the porch and cried.  I can still see him standing there and it makes my heart ache.  I was being torn between the two earthly men that I loved more than anything.  Of course....I knew God had brought Pappy and me together....but it was very difficult to leave my Daddy and Momma!!!

To my precious Daddy....

I was so very blessed to have you as my Daddy.  
I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt how you felt about me and never once did I feel unloved!  
You worked so hard and provided and protected.

Like I've mentioned before....

"as old as I am, I still miss my Daddy sometimes"!!!

And....Happy Father's Day to my sweet hubby!!!

Pappy....although we tell each other many times a day thru phone calls and text messages and face to face....I can't say it enough....

I ♥ you with all my ♥!!!
You are my rock!!!

My Daddy loved the old time, Southern gospel songs.

I can remember as a little girl listening to him play the old LP's of The Statesmen.  And, since they say that most girls marry men like their Daddy's....

it's no wonder how much Pappy LOVES music, too!!!

This is one of my favorite old gospel hymns.  

I can't help but wonder what kind of grand and glorious music my Daddy must be listening to in heaven!!!

I dedicate this to my Daddy and Pappy!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!