August 16, Today’s thought — The Grace of Waiting

the Farmer is putting up a rod to hang bird feeders and a hummingbird bottle.

All done, now to get some red hummingbird food.

Good Morning

Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD:
be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait,
I say,
on the LORD.

We must learn to wait.
When we do not know what to do we must simply do nothing.
Wait till the fog clears away.
Do not force a half-open door;
a closed door may be p;providential.
Ability to hold steady under pressure gives God unlimited sway.
A hurried spirit is always from beneath (and out of breath).
“He that believeth shall not make haste.” Isaiah 28:16

There is grace supplied for the one who waits.
The psalmist knew this secret.
He experienced this grace.
“I wait for the Lord,” he declared in Psalm130:5.
Waiting is a great part of life’s discipline and therefore God often exercises the grace of waiting in the anxious hurrying person.
“Waiting has four purposes,” says Dr. James Vaughan.
“It practices the patience of faith.
It gives time for preparation for the coming gift.
It makes the blessing the sweeter when it arrives.
It shows the sovereignty of God–to give just when and as He pleases.’

Trust God for your day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 16, 2012 at 5:47 am  Leave a Comment  
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Yarn Along – I am a happy Shawl-aholic

On Wednesday’s knitters come to Ginny’s and Tami’s and share all the wonderful projects being worked on, finished, frogged, cried over, and learned from.  they also tell what they are reading and  a little of the storyline or provoking thoughts.  I think it is great. So many books, knitting ideas and hints on how to make knitting more enjoyable.

Shelby’s Mochi Plus ruffled  shawl starts with the ruffle, I have about 30 more short row repeats before I can start on the body (more short rows).

Hope’s Alpaca Sox shawl is working up nicely. A little pink for my taste, hopefully she will think it is wonderful, especially since Grandpa Red bought the yarn.

Babetta’s Yarn and Gifts, my favorite local yarn shop, had a sale.
I had had my eye on this pattern and Babetta had yarn.

Here is the beginnings of Sothia, in plum and composition black grey.

I’m listening to Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs – I like her stories, but the language is annoying.

Published in: on August 15, 2012 at 6:48 am  Comments (4)  
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August 15, Today’s thought — What To Do? Part 2

Good Morning

What Does the Lord Want Me to Do? (Part 2)

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NKJV).

Yesterday(last week) we looked at what the prophet Micah said, and highlighted the first of three comprehensive directives which the Lord has set before each one of us. The first was to do justly. Today we will look at the second.

#2 — LOVE MERCY.
Solomon wrote, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee” (Proverbs 3:3).
Notice that mercy and truth must never be separated from one another. Truth without mercy is harsh; mercy without truth is irresponsible. Together they form the essence of godliness.
Solomon went on to say that mercy and truth working together in our hearts and lives would bring us favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Justice calls for action against that which is wrong;
mercy requires patience in dealing with those who have been wronged. Together they accomplish God’s will in our sphere of influence.
“God works powerfully,” wrote John Newton, “but for the most part He works gently and gradually.”
You and I cannot change the world, but we can do something about what goes on where we live. And if we’ll see to that, the Lord will take care of the rest. After all, the light that shines the farthest, shines brightest at home.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Did you know that how you treat other people is a prayer you are praying, asking the Lord to treat you the same way?
The one sure path you can walk is the Way of Mercy.
What does the Lord want you to do?
He wants you to be a person who does justice, and who loves mercy.  Rylie.

Trust God for your Day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 15, 2012 at 5:23 am  Leave a Comment  
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20 Chore Tuesday, How About 9?

Upon waking this morning I mindfully went over my list of chores, writing this blog was not on the list, until I checked in with Margaret’s blog.

Margaret joined a group that lists chores to be done on Tuesday, called , duh – 20 Chore Tuesday.

Margaret’s list has 20 chores, to be done on Tuesday or sometime this week. Just 20, I think I can handle that. I’m retired. I am through with pressure, I wish.

1. Put away clothes in the  basket. The clothes I washed yesterday with a Raley’s food magazine.

2. Sweep floor.

3. Mop floor, yesterday I also washed the rugs and I like to have a clean floor for clean rugs.

4. Bake zucchini bread for tonight’s veggie stand = 6 large loaves and 9 small loaves. Some plain, some with pecans and some with raisins and pecans.

5. Wash dishes before I go to bed.

6. Water plants on the deck.

7. The BATHROOM, nuff’ said.  1/2 done

8. Frog (rip it, rip it, rip it) a few rows of a shawl, I lost track of which row I was on.

9. Knit.

I can’t come up with 20 chores.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to check off at least ONE of these chores.
Coz’ I have my priorities straight!

So the last shall be first,
and the first last:
for many be called(listed), but few chosen.
Matthew 20:16

Published in: on August 14, 2012 at 10:31 am  Comments (3)  

August 14, Today’s thought — Slow Me Down

The Oak tree I see from the trailer.

Good Morning

Lamenatations 3:25-26
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait
for the salvation of the LORD.

Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amidst the confusion of my day,
the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music of the singing streams
that live in my memory.
Help be to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations. . .
of slowing down to look at a flower,
to chat with a friend,
to pat a dog,
to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise
that I may know that the race is not always to the swift;
that there is more to life than increasing its speed.


Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak
and know that it grew great and strong
because it grew slowly and well.


Slow me know, Lord,
and inspire me to send my roots deep
into the soil of life’s enduring values
that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny,
In Jesus’ name, Amen ——Unknown

Published in: on August 14, 2012 at 5:33 am  Leave a Comment  
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August 13, Today’s thought — Called to be Saints

Saturday’s Veggie Stand

Good Morning

There were two notorious and wicked brothers who terrorized a small town in the Midwest. When one of the brothers died it became the other’s responsibility to make funeral arrangements. However, he could find no pastor in the county who would agree to officiate at the funeral.
It wasn’t because they lacked compassion; it was because of the unusual request made by the surviving brother. He wanted the pastor to say of the deceased, “He was a saint.” Of course, no pastor would agree to do such a dishonest thing.
In desperation, the brother offered $1,000 to any pastor who would say the words during the funeral, and one pastor agreed to do so. He was a prominent pastor of a prestigious church, and the entire community was shocked when they heard of his decision.
When the day of the funeral came, everybody showed up— not because they cared anything for the dead guy, but they wanted to see if the pastor would really compromise himself for a mere thousand dollars.
When the moment arrived, the pastor delivered the epithet without a stutter, “We all know that Charlie here was a wicked man. He was twisted, foul, perverse and full of the devil. But compared to his brother …. he was a saint!”  Rylie

1Corinthians 1:2-3
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

. . . called to be saints. . .

Why were the saints, saints?
It is quite simple.
Because they were “cheerful” when it was difficult to be Cheerful.
Because they were “Patient” when it was difficult to be Patient.
Because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still.
Because they kept silent when they wanted to talk.
Because they were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. Selected.

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 13, 2012 at 5:21 am  Leave a Comment  
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August 12, Sunday Bible Reading, Isaiah 52:7-10

Lily

Good Morning

Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good,
that publisheth salvation;
that saith unto Zion,
Thy God reigneth!
Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice;
with the voice together shall they sing:
for they shall see eye to eye,
when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
Break forth into joy,
sing together,
ye waste places of Jerusalem:
for the LORD hath comforted his people,
he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Amen.

Trust in God for your day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 12, 2012 at 6:09 am  Comments (1)  
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August 11, One Hot Garden

I am joining Ginny at Small Things by sharing our garden.

Hot weather (102-106) this week in Sacramento and it shows in the garden

Saturday Morning’s   —  I am at the curb with VEGGIES FOR SALE!

Wish you could stop by. . .I’d make you a deal!

I’m thankful for the shoppers who come every Saturday.

Today was pretty warm.
I’m thankful for Travis and Margaret’s easy-up for shade,
a cool breeze now and then,
and time to sit and knit and listen to a book
while I wait for veggie loving customers.

Published in: on August 11, 2012 at 4:53 pm  Comments (4)  
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August 11, Today’s thought — God’s Promises

How the Farmer saw the sky.

Good Morning

“We never prize the precious words of promise,” said Mr. Spurgeon, “till we are placed in conditions in which their suitability and sweetness are manifested.”

We all of us value those golden worlds
“When thou walkest through fire thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon thee,” (Isaiah 43:2)
but few, if any of us have read them with the delight of the martyr Binney. To him this passage was a mainstay while he was in prison awaiting burning at the stake. His Bible, still preserved in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, has the passage marked with a pen in the margin.
Doubtless if all were known, every promise in the Bible has borne a special message to some one Christian, and so the whole volume might be scored in the margin with mementos of Christian experience, every one appropriate to the very letter.

The promises of God are certain, but they do not all mature in ninety days. A. J. Gordon

Trust God for your day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 11, 2012 at 5:51 am  Leave a Comment  
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August 10, Today’s thought — Heaven Doesn’t Weep

Consider the lilies (sunflowers) how they grow:
they toil not, they spin not;
and yet I say unto you,
that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luke 12:27

Good Morning

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.
For what is your life?
It is even a vapour,
that appeareth for a little time,
and then vanisheth away.
James 4:14

You, as all God’s children, live one final breath from your own funeral.
Which from God’s perspective, is nothing to grieve.
He responds to these grave facts with this great news:
“The day you die is better than the day you are born”
Ecclesiastes 7:1 NLT
Now there is a twist.
Heaven enjoys a maternity-ward reaction to funerals.
Angels watch body burials the same way grandparents monitor delivery room-room doors.
“He’ll be coming through any minute!”
They can’t wait to see the new arrival.
While we are driving hearses and wearing black,
they’re hanging pink and blue streamers and passing out (candy) cigars.
We don’t grieve when babies enter the world.
The host of heaven don’t weep when we leave it.
Come Thirsty – Max Lucado

Trust God for your Day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 10, 2012 at 6:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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August 9, Today’s thought — Jesus’ Hands

Sunflowers about 20 feet high, reaching for the sky!

Good Morning

And when he had thus spoken,
he shewed them his hands and his feet.
Luke 24:40

In the hands of Jesus there is certainty!
There is providence!
There is majesty!
The hands of Jesus are human hands.
They were once baby hands! Did not the angels from the realms of glory bid the shepherds to hasten to Bethlehem to behold those infant hands For the fulness of time had come. The pagan empires had unknowingly set the stage. This great moment of which the prophets had spoken and the psalmists had sung had arrived! A body had been prepared for Him to permit the Godhead to be veiled in flesh.
In the course of time those tiny hands became toiling hands. He who fashioned the stars toiled in a carpenter’s shed! His workmanship would be thorough.
“We are his workmanship.” cries Paul.
He knew!
Those hands that hewed rough timber into useful objects of beauty and usefulness had transformed him from a despot to a disciple motivated not by law but by love.
The hands of Jesus are generous hands–generous in tender care.
His hands were laid upon the little children in blessing when the stern disciples dared to drive them away.
His hands were generous in cleansing. He laid aside His robes and with His own hands He began to wash His disciples’ feet.
When Peter protested,
He replied, “Except I wash thee, thous hast no part with me.”
Those hands are even today at our disposal when we need cleansing.
The hands of Jesus are saving hands. The Bible describes every type of sin but declares that the Lord delivers from them all. His hands can save only because they are pierced hands.
The only things in heaven that man made are the five wounds which are born in His body. His wounded hands plead at the throne of grace for all who call upon the name of the Lord.
His saving hands are secure hands. Of all who come to Him, He said
“I will give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
They are able to hold secure for time and eternity all that we commit to Him. –from Streams in the Desert 2, Cowman

Trust God for your Day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 9, 2012 at 5:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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August 8, Today’s thought — What To Do? Part 1

Good Morning

What Does the Lord Want Me to Do? (Part 1)

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NKJV).

As I travel and meet with people in a variety of settings, the one question I hear more than any other is,
“What does the Lord want me to do?”
While most people who ask this question are typically looking for some specific answer about some specific issue or decision — the answer God gives tends to be more comprehensive.
The prophet Micah illustrates this better than anyone else.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

In other words — whatever you decide to do with your life, and wherever that decision may take you — be sure it contains these three things.

#1 — DO JUSTLY. This means that we are to see that justice is done, when it is within our power to do so.

Micah was a peasant prophet speaking up to the civil powers that ruled in Jerusalem. It is noteworthy that “the justice issue” is always raised from below, not from above. In other words, those in power never see a need to change anything—they like it the way it is.
The Bible says, “The Lord does what is right and fair for all who are oppressed” (Psalm 03:6).
As followers of Jesus, we will do the same.
What does the Lord want you to do?
He wants you to see that justice is done in situations
where you have a voice to speak, and power to exert.
There may be some things that are in fact beyond your reach,
things you truly can do nothing about.
But for those things that are before you,
and within the scope of your influence —
there the Lord wants you to do what is just, right and fair. Rylie

Trust God for your day . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 8, 2012 at 5:13 am  Leave a Comment  
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August 7, Today’s Thought — Not Alone

Wanted – Sunflowers, Dead and Alive!

Good Morning

. . . for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

Through the wearisome hours of a sorrowful night
I have prayed for the morning to break;
Till there came–not the morn–but this broad beam of light
He knoweth the way that I take.
Hew knoweth the way! and the way is His own,
And I take it with Him–not alone, not alone!

And so, as I journey through darkness and light
Till the valley’s dark shades overtake.
And the city of rest lifts its towers on my sight.
He knoweth the way that I take.
He knoweth the way! and the way is HIs own,
And I take it with Him–not alone, Not alone.!
Mrs. S. M. Walsh, At the Beautiful Gate, 1879

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 7, 2012 at 5:59 am  Leave a Comment  

August 6, Today’s thought — Lessons in the Shadows

Sunflower,    He loves me, He loves me not. . .

Good Morning

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 KJV

It is a great art to learn to walk through the shadowy places.
Do not hurry; there are lessons to be learned in the shadow that can never be learned in the light.
You will discover something about His ministries you never knew before.
His rod and His staff they will comfort you–
the one to guide, the other to protect you,
and the sheep that are nearest will know the most of both.
When we go into the valley of the shadow of death
we come so near Him that we look into His face and say,
not “He is with me”–that is too formal, too far away–
but “Thou are with me.”
The need and the usefulness of Christ is seen best in trials.
W. Y. Fullerton.

Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley
of the shadow of death,
I will fear or dread no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide],
they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 Amplified Bible

Trust God for your day, . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 6, 2012 at 10:59 am  Leave a Comment  
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August 3, Today’s thought — Hold Fast

Looking down at a fence post, full of spider web.

Good Morning

A noiseless, patient spider,
I mark’d, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark’d how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them–ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,–seeking
the spheres, to connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form’d–till the ductile anchor hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.

~ Walt Whitman from “Leaves of Grass”

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;
(for he is faithful that promised;) Hebrews 10:23

Trust God for your day, Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on August 3, 2012 at 5:19 am  Leave a Comment  
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