Reminder
I didn’t write “See
a squirrel run across an
electrical wire outside
your second story window
so you can catch your
breath in awe
on my list of to-do’s
I was much more practical
“See art”
“Explore sites”
“photograph memories”
rather than
“be in wonder
of what shows up”
It took a
childhood unconditional
companion to remind me
–Julie Jordan Scott, © 2010
A door shut in my life that I never thought would shut. I never dreamed it would shut like it did. I was in shock, I wondered why, I laid the door at Jesus’ feet. He picked up the door and carried it away. He opened a new door to a garden. What a Mighty God I serve!
God is His own equivalent, and God needs nothing but Himself to achieve the great purposes on which He has set His heart.
I AM THAT I AM Exodus 3:14
Whatever life may bring to you,
“God” will ring true to you;
Star in your sky—
Food in your store—
Staff in your hand—
Friend by your side—
Light on your path—
Joy in your heart—
In your ears music—
In your mouth songs.
Yes, rapid as your race may run,
And scorching as may shine your sun,
And bitter as may blow your blast,
And lonely as your lot be cast—
Whatever life may bring to you,
“God” will aye ring true to you.
Charles. Herbert
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23
As Job had grace, God has been flooding me with grace and it seems a very special peace, and carrying about our futures.
Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
Job 1:22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Job 1:21
Naked came I out of my mother’s womb – I had no earthly possessions when I came into the world; I cannot have less going out of it. What I have the Lord gave: as it was his free gift, he has a right to resume it when he pleases; and I owe him gratitude for the time he has permitted me to enjoy this gift.
Naked shall I return thither – Whither? Not to his mother’s womb surely; nor does he call the earth his mother in this place. In the first clause of the verse he speaks without a metaphor, and in the latter he speaks in reference to the ground on which he was about to fall. As I came out of my mother’s womb destitute of the earthly possessions, so shall I return. There; i.e., to the earth on which he was now falling. That mother earth was a common expression in different nations, I allow; but I believe no such metaphor was now in the mind of Job.
The Lord gave – The Chaldee has, “The Word of the Lord, gave; and the Word of the Lord and the house of his judgment, have taken away!” Word is used here personally, as in many other places of all the Targums.
Blessed be the name of the Lord – The following is a fine paraphrase on the sentiment in this verse: –
“Good when he gives, supremely good;
Nor less when he denies;
Afflictions from his sovereign hand,
Are blessings in disguise.”
Seeing I have lost my temporal goods, and all my domestic comforts, may God alone be all my portion! The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Coverdale, add, The Lord hath done as he pleased.
Job 1:22
In all this Job sinned not – He did not give way to any action, passion, or expression, offensive to his Maker. He did not charge God with acting unkindly towards him, but felt as perfectly satisfied with the privation which the hand of God had occasioned, as he was with the affluence and health which that hand had bestowed. This is the transaction that gave the strong and vivid colouring to the character of Job; in this, and in this alone, he was a pattern of patience and resignation. In this Satan was utterly disappointed; he found a man who loved his God more than his earthly portion. This was a rare case, even in the experience of the devil. He had seen multitudes who bartered their God for money, and their hopes of blessedness in the world to come for secular possessions in the present. He had been so often successful in this kind of temptation, that he made no doubt he should succeed again. He saw many who, when riches increased, set their hearts on them, and forgot God. He saw many also who, when deprived of earthly comforts, blasphemed their Maker. He therefore inferred that Job, in similar circumstances, would act like the others; he was disappointed. Reader, has he, by riches or poverty, succeeded with thee? Art thou pious when affluent, and patient and contented when in poverty? Clark’sCommentary edited
Our words reveal our thoughts;
Our manners mirror our self-esteem;
Our actions reflect our character;
Our habits predict the future. W.A. Ward
For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Luk 6:43-45
What is impossible with you is perfectly possible with Him who is Almighty.
A little child at mothers’ knee
Plies woolen strands and needles bright.
Small, eager hands strive earnestly
To fasten every stitch aright.
But soon perplexing knots appear
Which vex and hinder progress’ flow;
Impatient fingers pull and tear,
While ever worse the tangles grow.
How surely then in wiser hands
The roughest places are made plain!
How easy now the task’s demands,
How wonderful the lesson’s gain!
Thus, God, we bring our snarls to thee;
Though human sense and stubborn will
Oft clamor loud for mastery,
We hear alone Thy “Peace , be still.”
Edith Shaw Brown
Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
When most people talk about their Valentine, they’re usually talking about a person. Well, one of my Valentines this year is going to be to my knitting! I love it so much, let me count the ways:
1. It fills my life with color.
2. It encourages my creativity.
3. It keeps my hands busy.
4. It introduces me to new people who share my love for the craft.
5. It loves to travel.
6. It likes the same audio books that I like.
7. It keeps the same schedule as I do; if I want to knit in the middle of the night, it’s there for me.
8. It likes to change bags as much as I do!
9. It challenges me.
10. It keeps me company, even when I’m cranky.
borrowed and edited from knitting daily editor, Kathleen Cubley
I thoroughly enjoy knitting, every part of it, from the mindless back and forth of garter stitching to the ‘sit down in a straight backed chair keep your eyes on the chart’ knitting. I even love to frog it, to make my knitting the best it can be.
Random thought from the message this morning: empty nest.
I still have children in my home. They are adults. I don’t care for them, instruct them, guide them as I did in years past.
My place in the home has changed. My focus, I wrote has changed, but really, I don’t have a focus, and I think I’m feeling the ’empty nest ‘ – what do I do now – unsettledness. Is that a word?
Time to ponder – empty nest . . . where do I go from here and who am I now?
“There was a secret hidden in the heavens, far away from the sight of man. It was a gift of hope, laid up in heaven for us by the Lord. At the perfect moment, in the fullness of time, the Lord remembered the gift and brought it forth for us to have and to behold. Because of this His name is now renowned throughout the whole earth. His life has now been made manifest in and through us, making us useful unto every good word and work, and lifting us far above the power of sin and death. He is the mighty God, who works wonders of love by His great power.” James Ryle
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
from: life lessons, Elizabeth Berg, January 2010, Real Simple
…..I know now that the dictionary definition of ragout is “a richly seasoned stew of meat and vegetables.” For me, it will always suggest another kind of mix: a warm kitchen on a winter’s day, an old friend’s condor and absolute trust, and a new friend’s generosity in giving me a recipe, which is always about more than it seems. That’s because sharing the things that nourish us helps to fill an empty place. Sometimes that place is the stomach. Sometimes it’s the heart. And sometimes, the best times, it’s both.
So thankful for friends and family, especially the person who will tell me what I need to hear, even when it hurts.
What is it thou wouldst have done, that He cannot do if He think it fit?
And if He think it not fit, if thou art one of His children, thou wilt think with Him; thou wilt reverence His wisdom, and rest satisfied with His will.
This is believing indeed; the rolling all our desires and burdens over upon an almighty God; and where this is, it cannot choose but establish the heart in the midst of troubles, and give it a calm within in the midst of the greatest storms. Robert Leighton
Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
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Thoughts of Grace 