I just heard from Sarah. Her son Madison, who is to marry this weekend has been in a motorcyle accident. He is facing possible surgery. Please pray for him, the doctors, and his family also.
I'll keep you posted. I know many of you know sweet Sarah from Old Glory Woolen
Also, My friend Beth, is facing complications with her pregnancy. This is her first. Please lift her up, along with her husband Daniel and their families.

Lord, in every need let me come to You with humble trust saying, "Jesus, help me."
In all my doubts, perplexities, and temptations, Jesus, help me.
In hours of loneliness, weariness, and trials, Jesus, help me.
In the failure of my plans and hopes; in disappointments, troubles, and sorrows, Jesus, help me.
When others fail me and Your grace alone can assist me, help me.
When I throw myself on Your tender love as a father and savior, Jesus, help me.
When my heart is cast down by failure at seeing no good come from my efforts, Jesus, help me.
When I feel impatient and my cross irritates me, Jesus, help me.
When I am ill and my head and hands cannot work and I am lonely, Jesus, help me.
Always, always, in spite of weakness, falls, and shortcomings of every kind, Jesus, help me and never forsake me.
Amen.

Fellowship

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also.

(Linda-l & Delores)

A loss

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(The Book of Common Prayer)

As a daily listener of New Beginning with Greg Laurie, I was heart broken to hear of the sudden loss of his son Christopher...please be in prayer for this family.

Thoughts from my rocker

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6

More thoughts in my message box...thank you kindly for sharing E!

Yesterday I met with a financial advisor, a wonderful Christian man who described his role as that of
assisting me in "wealth management".
I've always gratefully acknowledged that, just by being born in this country, I am abundantly wealthy in comparison with most of the world's population.
Still, I chuckled to myself at his words.
My financial status as a retired teacher/part-time library clerk hardly merits the term "wealth".
But I sought his counsel, so we talked about my goals for the future and my desires for how my estate will be distributed at my death.
He's never met my granddaughter, but after 90 minutes of my unbiased reporting, he is now fully informed of her brilliant mind, thus better qualified to guide me towards one of my goals - establishing a trust fund for her college education.

To my delight, two-year-old Leigha has spent the last two weekends with me.
My entire dwelling and schedule have been converted into "Toddlerville".
These visits have stirred in me a renewed appreciation for mothers of young children and
a relaxed standard of expectations for their personal appearance and hygiene.
When do they ever find time to shower???

I like to rise early and sit in my rocker with a mug of coffee and my Bible.
Most days, Oswald Chambers (deceased, yet still speaking through "My Utmost for His Highest")
or Bob Gass (alive and author of "The Word for You Today") guide me in devotional thoughts, followed by some time reading through the Word.
It's precious, long stretches of uninterrupted time - a gift of this season of my life - and a luxury that most mothers do not have.
I've grown dependent on this time. I crave it.
So each morning, as Leigha slumbered on, I'd tiptoe to my quiet little corner for my daily "fix" before our busy day began.
And each morning, no matter how early I rose or how quietly I moved about, my quiet time was soon interrupted by the padding of little feet seeking me out.
With tousled hair and fists rubbing sleep from her eyes, she'd yawn, "Hold you, Moco".
Setting my Bible aside, I'd pull this precious bundle onto my lap to snuggle and breathe in the
sweet, sweaty smell of her.
Moments later, her second request followed, "Juice, Moco".
Her sippy cup of juice is like my morning mug of coffee, so I recognized the urgency of her request and immediately filled her cup, then we'd head back to the rocker.
A prolonged chug followed by the sound of the suction-seal being broken as she pulled the sippy cup from her lips, and her third comment of the day, "Read Bible, Moco".
I'd pick up my Bible and read - just a few verses that she doesn't even understand - and then her body kicked into high gear and she was off and running, with me following close behind.

On the third morning, just before she found me in my rocker, I was reading in Isaiah, and stumbled over this sweet promise of God:

"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the Lord.
"My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the Lord. Isaiah 59:21

As I reflect on the desires of my heart and what I truly want to leave behind,
I can think of no greater inheritance than the Word of God planted in Leigha's heart.
That's what I call true "wealth management".

Happy Birthday Jesse Ray

Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

We celebrated J's birthday, which was Saturday, at Justin's restaurant. They have good food, and a huge game room. It was a delightful day. I am thankful for my two boys. God has surely blessed my life...

May today there be peace within. May you trust God
that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the
infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts
that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence
settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance,
praise and love. It is there for each and every one. -St. Theresa

Seasons

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1


Thank you Jennifer for reminding me of this tremendously valuable song...

Each season is glorious. The glory of summer is different from the glory of fall. And the splendor of winter is different from spring.

God takes us through different seasons in our lives: seasons of rejoicing, mourning, saying hello and goodbye, building up and tearing down. The glory of the season of rejoicing is laughter, refreshment, and revitalization. The gift of the season of mourning can be profound intimacy with the Lord.

Whatever our current season, it will not last. We can no more remain in one season of life than one kind of weather can last throughout the year. Life brings seasons of both mourning and dancing, times of embracing and times to refrain from embracing.

The key, of course, is to remember that God is at work within us in each season. We are not always aware of what God is doing; often each season brings about change and growth. God begins the good work, sustains it, and will bring it to completion.
Matt Rusten

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ --Phil. 1:6

Thank you, God, for the glory of each season. May we fulfill your purposes throughout our lives. Amen.

Below are pictures of Cody and Jesse Ray on their bike trek through the Creeper Trail in Damascus Virginia this past Monday.

Thank you Kim. You bring a smile to my heart, and inspire me to keep going:)

God calls out in every difficult moment...offering peace

Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
-John 20:28 -29

Late in 1992 my father lay in the hospital, dying of cancer. One day as my wife and I drove to the hospital to visit him, I was extremely emotional. My father's illness had affected me deeply.

Entering his ward and seeing him lying there with all the tubes protruding from his body, I began to sob uncontrollably. My wife, mother, and sister tried to comfort me, to no avail. I left the room and sat alone for a while, praying to God to give me peace. I had not prayed in quite a while, but all of a sudden I felt absolute calm come over me. I stopped crying and went back to my father's room. I thanked him for everything he had done for the family and me, and I told him I loved him. I left my father not knowing this was the last time I would see him alive. As I walked out, I started crying again. Was that tranquil moment in between just a coincidence? No. God gave me peace to make that last moment with my father joyous.

This was to be the start of my journey with God. In March, 1993, I gave my life to God, and through faith my life has changed forever.
Shaun McHardy (South Africa)

Thank you, God, for being with us through good and bad times and for always loving us.

Of much importance...

Today, I couldn't resist sharing this importance with you...a tear of joy for the thoughts of ugly/beautiful things...Seeing Past by Ann Voskamp

Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
-Matthew 12:34

HARSH words had cascaded from my mouth with the force of rushing water. Ouch! I immediately wanted to take back the hurtful remark. However, just like rushing water, the words could not be stopped nor their force negated. I had scolded my small daughter. It wasn't that the words weren't true - or even justified. They were just more harsh than the situation required. However, like raging water, the words moved on - unable to be called back.

Our words reflect what is in our hearts. As Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Therefore, when my heart is brimming with an emotion, that feeling will leak or perhaps even spout out of my mouth. If I have unresolved sin or guilt in my heart, at some point my mouth will reveal it.

I used to pray to say the right things or not to say the wrong things. That prayer, however, did not seem to be answered. Negative words still cascaded from my mouth. Now I realize that the problem goes deeper than my words. I need to ask Christ to move in my heart to correct my wrong attitudes. If my heart is filled with love, that opens the way for kind and appropriate words to flow from my mouth.
Leigh W. Young

Heavenly Father, cleanse our hearts so that our words reflect your love. In Christ's name. Amen.

In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith . . . may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

-1 Peter 1:6-7

I would just like to share that Mark is on vacation this week...I am enjoying being "just the four of us" for now, and will return on Monday. Until then, know that I'm thinking of each of you, and thanking my God for being so gracious to me...



O God, you know the difficulties in our lives. Let your Spirit be so strong in us that we can overcome all things. Amen
Rita Hardiman