John 8:32

The artwork is a collaborative joy-time

between granddaughters Shelby and Ava!

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Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

New Beginning

Photo-art credit goes to a friend who sees natureas God's second book...all to His credit.

Consider the perspective which has been said -

Nothing is predestined:

the obstacles of your past can become the gateways

that lead to new beginnings.

From a natural perspective, there is probably a good vein of truth in the quote; I mean to say that it is like a gold mine.

From a supernatural perspective, the Word of God says in Ephesians 1:5 that He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. From a personal perspective, the obstacles of my past did serve to bump me into an accessible position in front of the adoption gateway, which I then by the grace of God recognized as Jesus Christ. And there was my new beginning - end and enter.

It is not a comfortable gateway from the cocoon

through which the larva emerges a butterfly.

...Jesus declared,

I tell you the truth,

no one can see the kingdom of God

unless he is born again.

-John 3:3 NIV

He said to me:

It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the Beginning and the End.

To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost

from the spring of the water of life.

-Revelation 21:6 NIV

For by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand

so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB

Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Jesus, the Rising One and Only, Seek Him

Photo-art credit goes to a friend who sees natureas God's second book...all to His credit.

And the LORD will be king over all the earth;

in that day the LORD will be the only one,

and His name the only one.

-Zechariah 14:9

And he said unto him,

Why callest thou me good?

there is none good but one, that is, God:"

-Matthew 19:17

I am the good shepherd:

the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

-John 10:11

This country’s problems, I believe,

have been created by leaders

choosing to leave God, i.e. Jesus Christ the Creator,

out of their decision making.

If you see in the East a bright light

and Him coming down out of the heavens

riding on a white horse leading His followers,

you can rest assured

that the problems of this country and this world

are about to be solved.

-S.B.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;

and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

His eyes were as a flame of fire,

and on his head were many crowns;

and he had a name written, that no man knew,

but he himself.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:

and his name is called The Word of God.

And the armies which were in heaven

followed him upon white horses,

clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,

that with it he should smite the nations:

and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:

and he treadeth the winepress

of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

-Revelation 19:11-15

crescendo

Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

He yielded up the love of life...

Have you heard this tale—the best of them all—The tale of the Holy and True,He dies, but His life, in untold soulsLives on in the world anew;His seed prevails, and is filling the earth,As the stars fill the sky above.He taught us to yield up the love of life,For the sake of the life of love.His death is our life, His loss is our gain;The joy for the tear, the peace for the pain.-Unknown Author


Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

His Freshest of Air

Beautiful afternoon, Sunday. We indulged ourselvesin a rambling drive along Deerfield Road.After a few miles,we passed a stretch of greening slopes.I glanced over just in timeto see several clusters of WILD CROCUSES!!Yaaay!I nearly jumped out of the car (wanting to take pictures)but Sam was driving too fastand couldn't stop right away.I was sure we would see more up the road,so I urged him on.
Alas, miles and miles of no crocuses. :-(Beautiful scenery, but no crocuses.
Later, as we were returning(driving a loop known to locals),Sam expressed an interest intaking our walk-of-the-dayalong a forest road popular with both of us.He was about to pull in to park,but we saw someone else already driving the road.I used that as an excuse to not walk there...
- true confession - my real reason was...I was SURE there were no crocuses on this road(having walked it other springswith no satisfaction in the search).
Sensing, however, that Sam really wantedto walk on this particular road(his hopes being to possibly spot an elk herdthe like of which we had sitedseveral times, previously),I became ok with this walk, this place.
He turned in and pulled up to park...and right there, directly in my line of vision— a beautiful clump of crocuses!The late afternoon sun was shining on themand this gave me some very pretty pictures.
At the height of our serene walk,Sam pointed out another pasque flowerwhich led me to yet anotherclump of the fuzzy little beauties.As you can perhaps imagine,the happiest part of it all was...
GOD had provided where I least expected.
Although we didn't see any actual elk this time,we did see plenty of sign of them,including a nice rubwhich Sam wanted to be photographed by,so he could email the fun to a Florida friend.Sam also found a shed (antler),and was thrilled for it.I halfway tripped,in my vain effort to see the shed (building).
We did, too, see a shed of sorts,an old abandoned miner's cabincrumpled up on the ground (second pic).
The Lord blessed both of uswhile filling our lungs with His freshest of air.

Below is how the cabin may have appearedin its glory days.This cute thing is along a secondary road.It has a name-sign which reads...
Dear LodgeAs a fitting followup to our adventure,here is an expression by an unknown authorof the generosity of God...
We are profoundly impressed with the unlimited resources of the God of the Bible. He never does anything small, When He makes an ocean He makes it so deep that no man can fathom it. When He makes a mountain he makes it so large that no one can measure or weigh it. When He makes flowers, He scatters multiplied millions of them where there is no one to admire them but Himself. When He makes grace, He makes it without sides or bottom and leaves the top off. Instead of giving salvation with a medicine dropper, He pours it forth like a river.
When God sets out to do a thing for us, He does it with a prodigality of love-prompted abundance that fairly staggers one who reckons things by the coldly calculating standards of earth.
Whatever blessing is in our cup it is sure to run over. With Him the calf is always the fatted calf; the robe is always the best robe; the joy is unspeakable; the peace passeth understanding; the grace is so abundant that the recipient has all-sufficiency for all things, and abounds to every good work.
There is no grudging in God's benevolence; He does not measure out His goodness as the apothecary counts his drops and measures his drams, slowly and exactly, drop by drop. God's way is always characterized by multitudinous and overflowing bounty, like that in nature which is so profuse in beauty and life that every drop of the ocean, every square inch of the forest glade, every molecule of water, teems with marvels and defies the research and investigation of man. Well may we cry with the Apostle,"I have all and abound."
GENESIS 15:5


Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Birds - February 14, 2010

Can you find the birds?

They were so quiet and plentiful;

they looked like leaves which the wind picked up

and moved from one resting place to another in a sudden gust.

Quietly so quietly

the small birds flutter by

and blend right in with background

turned upon a time...

Young lives are like that, flighting,

jumps and starts, some sky,

yet closest staying to background

as if it a watchful eye.

Up! Those with wings of Spirit!

Go with the Wind as high

as breath of Life will take you

above the lowland's light...

(There is a light to darkness,

seen differently at times;

but in the heavens, shined by Grace

soar those whose background...died.

A background, raw, gives comfort less

than when seemed perfect. Light

is dim under bandages.

But unbound a bird takes flight...)

Take flight!...make visible your Hope

to young lives, and old alike.

The Wind blows here, and over there

fluttering hearts and minds.

Young lives are giving treasures, rare

though plentiful, and quiet...

a card, hand-drawn, a smile, a prance...

rare fleeting chance to lift them higher.

Copyright (c) 02.14.10 - Linda L. Brown

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Help Us, God

Help us, God,to breath Your air,to know whensomeone's there,to care, O God,to shareYour giftslike You were there,to lifta chinto see Your sun,Your Son to seeand watch withprayer,to rest,to waitwith silencewith You theretil every thingappears in seasonclear and fairand we are with Youthere,teach us to pray,our Father dearWho art in heav'n...hereand there.Amen
Copyright (c) 11.19.09 - Linda L. Brown

Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

4th of July Relived...

Wild Rose

If the Son shall set you free,

you shall be...

God's creation would be

beautiful beyond measure,

if He Himself was not.

He is, therefore, we worship Him

and admire the splendor

of His imagination spoken.

What good is there to keep

darkness at the heart's center,

hard where He is not.

Like buds in the morning, sunlit,

to Him may we answer,

may we unfold and deeply open...

...free indeed.

Copyright (c) 07.04.09 - Linda L. Brown
Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

On Quiet Time

(click link to read the verse - Ezek. 1:25)

   What is the letting down of the wings? People so often say, “How do you get the voice of the Lord?” Here is the secret. They heard the voice when they stood and let down their wings.

   We have seen a bird with fluttering wings; though standing still, its wings are fluttering. But here we are told they heard the voice when they stood and had let down their wings.

   Do we not sometimes kneel or sit before the Lord and yet feel conscious of a fluttering of our spirits? Not a real stillness in His presence.

   A dear one told me ... of a certain thing she prayed about, “But,” said she, 

“I did not wait until the answer came.”

   She did not get still enough to hear Him speak, but went away and followed her own thought in the matter. And the result proved disastrous and she had to retrace her steps.

   Oh, how much energy is wasted! How much time is lost by not letting down the wings of our spirit and getting very quiet before Him! Oh, the calm, the rest, the peace which come as we wait in His presence until we hear from Him!

- Unknown Author

Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

A Natural Prayer

Copyright (c) 2008-09 - Linda L. Brown

Visit the BIBLE VERSE of the Day; In Touch Daily by Charles Stanley;Today's Reading in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers