Two plantings of Corn
Good Morning
Matthew 13:44-46
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Buy it . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
View at the table on the deck.
Good Morning
John 15:1,4,7
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandmanAbide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Fruit comes from living in God.
It is the result of His life flowing in us,
of our yielding to His power;
not of our trying and struggling to be good.
In the Waldensian Valleys in Italy some of the vines are grown on huge wooden crosses–and in September they are a beautiful sight laden, with grapes. The branches are stretched out on the cross, and so get every drop of rain, every ray of sun. I do not suppose these branches are conscious of he cross, as such as they are of the warmth and life, and joy of fruit-bearing, and is not that a parable of the Christian life?
It explains the joy and peace of the early church, even in persecution. They had utterly given themselves to Another; self was crucified with Christ, and joy and fruitfulness were the result, as it will be with us today, if our lives are hid with Christ in God. ~~S. T. Fraser
Unconditional yielding to the Lord brings us into full unity with Christ to abide in Him, and He in us, and causes us to walk humbly with Him among our fellow men. It places us in sweet fellowship with Him and His. While waiting for His glorious return we are privileged to live on His Life, nourished, fed, strengthened, and constantly filled with His Spirit and presence. Our part is just to give ourselves to Him, fully recognizing our own worthlessness, and ever abide in Him. ~~Selected.
Yield to God. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
Good Morning
Recently a good brother in Christ went to his reward; at his memorial service ‘gentle’ was one of the adjectives used to describe him and his life. I found this devotion in Streams in the Desert, telling what it takes to become gentle.
The servant of the Lord must be gentle. 2Timothy 2:24
When God conquers us and takes all the flint out of our nature, and we get deep visions into the Spirit of Jesus, we then see as never before the great rarity of gentleness of spirit in this dark and unheavenly world.
The graces of the Spirit do not settle themselves down upon us by chance, and if we do not discern certain states of grace, and choose them , and in our thoughts nourish them, they never become fastened in our nature or behavior.
Every advance step in grace must be preceded by first apprehending it, and then a prayerful resolve to have it.
So few are willing to undergo the suffering out of which thorough gentleness comes. We must die before we are turned into gentleness, and crucifixion involves suffering; it is a real breaking and crushing of self, which wrings the heart and conquers the mind.
There is a good deal of mere mental and logical sanctification nowadays, which is only a religious fiction. It consists of mentally putting one’s self on the altar, and then mentally saying the altar sanctifies the gift, and then logically concluding therefore one is sanctified; and such an one goes forth with a gay, flippant, theological prattle about the deep things of God.
But the natural heartstrings have not been snapped, and the Adamic flint has not been ground to powder, and the bosom has not throbbed with the lonely, surging sighs of Gethsemane; and not having the real death marks of Calvary, there cannot be that soft, sweet, gentle, floating, victorious, overflowing, triumphant life that flows like a spring morning from an empty tomb. ~~G.D.W.
Choose gentleness . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
“Chats on the Farmhouse Porch” is a group of friends
gathering to visit,
sip their favorite beverages,
nibble delicious treats
and share their likes and dislikes.
Patrice and Wendell have invited me to join the chatting.
Patrice provides the questions,
we answer.
How many times a week do you have a green or veggie salad?
a couple times a week, I don’t take the time to cutting up veggies
Beginnings of this seasons harvest
Do you pray? (You may skip this if you do not wish to answer.)
yes, daily
What season is your birthday? You do not need to give us the date.
Summer – August, my favorite season is fall.
Do you have dinner guests often, every now and then or not at all? Wendell says he can be there for dinner as quick as a wink!
not as often as we use to due to space issues
Could you describe yourself as a DIY- Do It Yourselfer?
I am a do it myself knitter.
Join us by clicking here
No wants
Good Morning
When one of the wealthiest men in history, John D. Rockefeller, died, his accountant was asked, “How much did John D. leave?” His reply? “All of it!” No one takes anything with him. Think about the things you own—all your stuff. Then let me remind you—your stuff isn’t yours. And you know what else? Your stuff isn’t you.
Jesus explained in Luke 12:15 that life isn’t defined by what you have, even when you have a lot. Contentment comes when we can honestly say with the Apostle Paul, “I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have. I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty.” (Philippians 4:11-12).
You have so much! You have a God who hears you, the power of His love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. You have everything you need!
Max Lucado ~~~ Traveling Light
Remember He supplies all our needs . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
On Tuesday’s Carole hosts ‘Ten on Tuesdays’.
She chooses a topic – we list ten items.
10 Times You Felt Grateful Last Week.
My ten ‘thankfuls’ as our family calls them are not in any order of importance.
1. My home and my stash shed on Cozy Acres,
why I call it Cozy Acres.
2. I strolled around our yard last week — I’m thankful for the Farmer’s hard work and the reward of flowers.
Coneflowers
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas
Coneflowers
My picture of red roses only wanted to load sideways,
boo wordpress.
3. the Farmer’s Garden
Corn
Squash with Sunflowers
Cucumbers
a Variety of Peppers
Tomatoes
4.Grapes and Berries
5. A Mother’s day gift that enabled me to get needed clothes (underwear) and yarn I desired for me.
6. The Bible
7. Questions that caused me to search and answers that drew me nearer to God.
8. Grandsons rushing in asking for caramel apple suckers.
9. My dear Friend
10. Sunflowers
More things come to mind, my family, my cats, cooler weather, homemade meatloaf, and an air-conditioned car.
I am so blest.
To enjoy others blessings, click here.
Berries
Good Morning
Matthew 17:1-8
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, here appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
The world, I thought beonged to me–
Goods, gold and people, land and sea–
Where’er I walked beneath God’s sky
In those old days my word was “I”.
Years passed; there flashed my pathway near
The fragment of a vision dear;
My former word no more sufficed,
And what I said was –“I and Christ”.
But, O, the more I looked on Him,
His glory grew, while mine grew dim,
I shrank so small, He towered so high,
All I dared say was –“Christ and I”.
Years more the vision held its place
And looked me steadily in the face;
I speak now in a humbler tone,
And what I say is –“Christ alone”.
~~~Unknown
My heart’s cry…Today…Jesus only
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
The hydrangeas are beautiful again this year.
Good Morning
For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow,
he’s always totally himself. Hebrews 13:8, the Message
When author Lloyd Douglas attended college, he lived in a boardinghouse with a retired music professor who lived on the first floor. Douglas would stick his head in the door and ask, “Well, what’s the good news?” The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of his chair and say, “That’s middle C. It was middle C yesterday; it will be middle C tomorrow; it will be middle C a thousand years from now. The tenor upstairs sings flat. The piano across the hall is out of tune, but, my friend, that is middle C!”
You and I need a middle C. A still point in a turning world. An unchanging Shepherd. A God who can still the storm. A Lord who can declare the meaning of life. And according to David in Psalm 23—you have one. The Lord is your shepherd! He is your middle C!
From Traveling Light, Max Lucado
Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
and to day,
and for ever.
Hebrews 13:8 KJV
Look to the unchanging Shepherd . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
On Wednesday’s knitters go to Ginny’s to 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.
Have you ever seen so many knitted items that say WOW!
Have there ever been so many KAL’s that tempt before resistance?
Raise your hand.
Emily’s Cowl is on its third repeat, one more to go. No new picture
2 KALs are stalled, one I should have added a life line, now I have to rip back the hard way; the other is waiting patiently for me to settle down and work on projects in an orderly fashion.
Wendy Knits Summer Mystery Shawl is swatched.
NEW – Moss Garden in Coffee colored Misti Alpaca
Another friend is having another baby = another Fuss Free Blanket
I love the square center
and then just knit like I’d like around and around and around.
I recently finishd listening to 
the third in the series. I never figure out who did it.
For more projects and books click here.
“Chats on the Farmhouse Porch” is a group of friends
gathering to visit,
sip their favorite beverages,
nibble delicious treats
and share their likes and dislikes.
Patrice and Wendell have invited me to join the chatting.
Patrice provides the questions,
we answer.
When it comes to vegetables, which do you use more often- canned frozen, or fresh?
We use a lot of fresh vegetables, think Wholefoods. In summertime, the Farmer’s garden, Love the fresh tomatoes!
There are certain brands of canned veggies I buy, I don’t buy the cheapest canned, ugh.
Do you sew?
Yes, I’ve been sewing since high school. I’ve made clothes for the whole family and quilts for just about everyone.. All the children, boys and girls, could use a sewing machine. The Girls are using their skills for income these days.You can see Emily’s site here and Margaret’s here . Mary is more into spinning and knitting than sewing, her blog reflects those talents. Nope, not proud at all.
Do you have a common fear, such as the fear of heights, spiders, snakes, small spaces, flying, etc?
Just riding with someone else driving, I talked about this before.
Is there anything you recommend for cutting the grocery bill?
Shop the perimeter of the store, cheaper and healthier.
Tell me about something that made you happy over the past week.
Seeing a picture our 7 year old grandson, Anthony, painted with water colors, I couldn’t believe he had done it.
It is beautiful.His mother was asked, ” Are you sure that his teacher did not paint this?” She answered “That was my first thought (chuckle) but it was him. His teacher had a picture on the board and told the class to do “such and such stroke” with “such and such color”. The rest was Anthony”
Do you want to easedrop? click here
On Tuesday’s Carole hosts ‘Ten on Tuesdays’.
She chooses a topic – we list ten items.
Ten Favorite Toppings
This is so easy because I have only TWO!
Hershey’s Chocolate sauce and cherries
I’m just not into a lot of stuff in my ice cream or on the top.
You can see what others like here.
the Farmer’s father, Howard Crain, used rock for borders in Redding, CA.
Good Afternoon
He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” Hebrews 13-5
What line of thinking do my thoughts take?
Do I turn to what God says or to my own fears?
Am I simply repeating what God says, or am I learning to truly hear Him and then to respond after I have heard what He says?
“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'” Hebrews 13:5-6
“I will never . . forsake you.” –not for any reason; not my sin, selfishness, stubbornness, nor waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never leave me? If I have not truly heard this assurance of God, then let me listen again.
“I will never . . forsake you.” Sometimes it is not the difficulty of life, but the drudgery of it that makes me think God will forsake me. When there is no major difficulty to overcome, no vision from God, nothing wonderful or beautiful–just the everyday activities of life–do I hear God’s assurance even in these?
We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing–that He is preparing and equipping us for some extraordinary work in the future. But as we grow in His grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, at this very moment. If we have God’s assurance behind us the most amazing strength becomes ours, and we learn to sing, glorifying Him even in the ordinary days and ways of life.~~from My Utmost fo His Highest, Oswald Chambers.
Trust what God says. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
River rock borders define the flower beds,
the Farmer’s work/joy.
Good Morning
Bring them hither to me. Matthew 14:18
Are you encompassed with needs at this very moment, and almost over whelmed with difficulties, trials, and emergencies? These are all divinely provided vessels for the Holy Spirit to fill, and if you but rightly understood their meaning, they would become opportunities for receiving new blessings and deliverances which you can get in no other way.
Bring these vessels to God. Hold them steadily before Him in faith and prayer. Keep still, and stop your own restless working until He begins to work. Do nothing that He does not Himself command you to do. Give Him a chance to work, and He will surely do so; and the very trials that threatened to overcome you with discouragement and disaster, will become God’s opportunity for the revelation of His grace and glory in your life, as you have never know Him before. “Bring them (all needs) to me.” A. B. Simpson
“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Hold up your vessel. . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie
Thoughts of Grace 