March 18, Today’s thought – Perseverance

mar18 001the Farmer’s first step – tilling under the winder’s growth – volunteer sunflowers and weeds

Good Morning

2Corinthians 4:16-18
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

A woman planted a rare rosebush, fussed over it, fertilized it, watered it, and was incredibly disappointed when she saw no reward of her labors. The rose bush simply wouldn’t grow.

Then one day she visited her neighbor and discovered that shoots from this bush had pushed through to the other side of the fence and were blooming in splendid beauty there. She thought to herself of some recent disappointments in her prayer life and realized that faith in God is much like her rose bush. You can’t always see the results of what God is doing in your life, but if you have patience and perseverance, you will discover that He was creating something beautiful in you all along.

Hope requires perseverance. The rewards found inside us and that await us in heaven are worth any struggles we face here on earth.
from – A Daybook of Grace

2 Corinthians 4:16-18   So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.Amplified Bible

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. C. H. Spurgeon

Keep holding on  .   .   .   Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

mar18 002This garden area almost done.
In the upper right corner is the new chicken pen.
The chicken house will be located to the left of the gate.
the Farmer is letting the grass/weeds grow more then we’ll move the chickens to their new home.

Published in: on March 18, 2014 at 11:45 am  Leave a Comment  
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March 17, Today’s thought – In Everything

feb24 025Where ever a seed finds good earth; growth will take place.

Good Morning

1Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

I saw Him in the morning light,
He made the day shine clear and bright;
I saw Him in the noontide hour,
And gained from Him refreshing shower. . .
I saw Him when great losses came,
And found He loved me just the same.
When heavy loads I had to bear
I found He lightened every care. . .
For as each day unfolds its light
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
Life will, indeed, a blessing bring,
If we see God in everything. A. E. Finn

1Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.

With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on March 17, 2014 at 10:44 am  Leave a Comment  
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March 13, Today’s thought – I call you, Friends

mar 6 002Can you see the red?

Good Morning

John 15:14-16
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

I would converse with Thee from day to day,
With heart intent on what Thou hast to say,
And through my pilgrim-walk, whate’er befall,
Consult with Thee, O Lord! about it all.
Since Thou art willing thus to condescend
To be my intimate, familiar friend.
Oh! let me to the great occasion rise,
And count Thy friendship life’s most glorious prize!

In the New Testament the Christian’s relation to Christ
is represented as a personal acquaintance with Him.
This acquaintance ripens into a close and tender friendship.
A friendship such as this is our Lord’s own ideal of discipleship.
He invited men to come to Him.
He asked them to break other ties
and attach themselves personally to Him.
Those invited were to leave all and go with Him.
He must be first in the affections of His followers.
He claimed full allegiance of their hearts and lives.
He must be first in their obedience and in their service.
Christ offered Himself to men,
not only as a helper from without,
not merely as one who would save them
by taking their sins and dying for them
but as one who desired to form with them
a close intimate and indissoluble friendship.
It was not a tie of duty merely,
or of obligation or of doctrine or of cause,
by which He sought to bind His followers to Himself,
but a tie of personal friendship. ~~J. R. Miller

With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on March 13, 2014 at 11:45 am  Comments (2)  
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March 10, Today’s Thought – A Sure Foundation

mar 6 001Red Tulips!

Good Morning

Psalm 125:1-2 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.

During the Great Depression many people
lost hope in the government, their churches, their families,
and even God as the downward spiral of economic disaster
engulfed everything they owned.
People who had previously been considered upper middle class
found them selves standing in soup lines.
Those who had ordered their lives around money
faced dismal futures, and suicides became common.

Sound familiar?
Is it possible that living in a prosperous society
tempts us to put our hope in the wrong things?

The truth is that no earthly thing deserves our trust;
recent economic woes and front page scandals demonstrate
once again that even the most stable
institution, person, or system can fail.
But when we place our hope in God,
we find His protection and renewal
even in the deepest valleys of our lives on earth.
He alone is a worthy foundation
on which to build our lives.
~~A Daybook of Grace

With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on March 10, 2014 at 5:51 am  Leave a Comment  
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March 6, Today’s thought – Sparrows

feb24 016I love the way the green looks blue in this picture.

Good afternoon

Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Not long ago I saw a little bird lying still
and cold on the ground.
I thought to myself,
‘I barely missed seeing God,
for He has just been here to a funeral.’
This was the bird that the Lord used as an illustration
to impress His disciples with the precious lesson of trust.
He told them that there was not a single sparrow
which falls to the ground without being noticed
by God the Father,
and not one of them is forgotten by Him.
Since the Heavenly Father cares so much
for one these little two-ounce sparrows,
is it no wonder that we are of more value
than many sparrows?
Multiply the infinite care
of the Creator of the universe by the word “many”
and you have some idea of His care for you.
Since He feeds them and cloths them
with such warmth and attention,
will He not much more feed and clothe you? ~~~~ M. T.

You are God’s Sparrow . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on March 6, 2014 at 3:20 pm  Leave a Comment  
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March 4, Today’s thought – God’s Presence

mar 4 004California Poppies curl up to sleep after working hard all day spreading sunshine.

Good Morning

1 Samuel 17:32-37
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

It is a source of inspiration and strength
to come in touch with the youthful David, trusting God.
Through faith in God he conquered a lion and a bear,
and after wards to overthrew the mighty Goliath.
When that lion came to despoil that flock,
it came as a wondrous opportunity to David.
If he had failed or faltered
he would have missed God’s opportunity for him
and probably would never have come to be God’s chosen king of Israel.
“And there came a lion.”

One would not think that a lion was a special blessing from God;
one would think that only an occasion of alarm.
The lion was God’s opportunity in disguise.
Every difficulty that presents itself to us,
If we receive it in the right way, is God’s opportunity .
Every temptation that comes is God’s opportunity.

When the “lion” comes,
recognize it as God’s opportunity
no mater how rough the exterior.
The very tabernacle of God was covered
with badgers’ skins and goats’ hair;
one would not think thee would be any glory there.
The Shekinah of God,
(the glory of divine presence,)
was manifest under that kind of covering.
May God open our eyes to see Him,
whether in temptations, trials, dangers, or misfortunes. —C.H.P.

With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on March 4, 2014 at 11:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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March 3, Today’s thought – Pact with God

feb24 020

Our ‘snow’ comes from fallen almond blossoms.

feb24 021 We ‘allow’ the squirrel almond rights.

Good Morning

Scripture reading and a thought from Sunday Morning’s lesson.

2 Chronicles 28:1, 22-24
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father:

22 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

By reading the 28th chapter
I find how far Ahaz went away from God
and leading the people away from God.

Hezekiah made a choice to turn from the evil ways of his father
and follow God’s laws.

2 Chronicles 29:1-3, 10
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.

10 Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

Ahaz closed the doors to the sanctuary,
closed the doors on the law,
closed the doors on all the blessings God had for His people.
Hezekiah opened those same doors,
cleansing the sanctuary,
letting the Spirit of God have His rightful place.
Hezekiah made a pact with God to serve God
and obey His commandments.

Joshua 1:5-9
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

In Joshua I read of God’s pact with me.
This pact hinges on me observing God’s commandments:
God will be faithful, no matter what.
I need to ‘have it in mine heart’ to be obedient
and submissive to His will.

Pact with God – God does everything.
All I can do is give up my filthy rags of sin
and obey prompted by my love for God.

With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

If you would like to hear this lesson click here.

Published in: on March 3, 2014 at 12:13 pm  Leave a Comment  
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March 1, Today’s thought – The Working of Sorrow

feb24 013What a bright spot on overcast days, California Poppies

Good Morning

John 12:27
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty
should not be to ask that they be prevented,
but to ask that God protect me
so that I may remain what He created me to be,
in spite of all my fires of sorrow.
Our Lord received Himself,
accepting His position and realizing His purpose,
in the midst of the fire of sorrow.
He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.

We say that there ought to be no sorrow,
but there is sorrow,
and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires.
If we try to evade sorrow,
refusing to deal with it,
we are foolish.
Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life,
and there is no use in saying it should not be.
Sin, sorrow, and suffering are,
and it is not for us to say
that God has made a mistake in allowing them.

Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness,
but it does not always make that person better.
Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me.
You cannot find or receive yourself through success,
because you lose your head over pride.
And you cannot receive yourself
through the monotony of your daily life,
because you give in to complaining.
The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow.
Why it should be this way is immaterial.
The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures
and in human experience.
You can always recognize
who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself,
and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble
and find that he has plenty of time for you.
But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow,
he is apt to be contemptuous,
having no respect or time for you,
only turning you away.
If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow,
God will make you nourishment for other people.

My Utmost ofo His Highest, Oswald Chambers

Accept the refining of sorrow . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on March 1, 2014 at 12:10 pm  Leave a Comment  
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February 25, Today’s thought – What God Has Done

feb24 007Our tulips live in these cans.
Most of the time they rest in the Farmer’s nursery
doing whatever tulips do to prepare to bloom.
When the weather gets warmer
we see the leaves poke out of the dirt
and the Farmer moves them here.
We watch them grow and wait for the blossoms

.
Good Morning

You have been saved by God’s grace
Ephesians 2:5

Read slowly and carefully
Paul’s description of what God has done for you:

“When you were spiritually dead
because of your sins and
because you were not free
from the power of your sinful self,
God made you alive with Christ,
and he forgave all our sins.
He cancelled the debt,
which listed all the rules
we failed to follow.
He took away that record with its rules
and nailed it to the cross.
God stripped the spiritual rulers
and powers of their authority.
With the cross,
he won victory
and showed the world
that they were powerless.”
Colossians 2:13-15 New Century Version

As you look at the words above,
answer this question.
Who is doing the work?
You or God?
Who is active?
You or God?
Who is doing the saving?
You or God?

He Still Moves Stones, Max Lucado

Colossians 2:13-15
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. King James Version

I am thankful for ‘God’s doing’ . . .Today
With my prayers desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on February 25, 2014 at 11:32 am  Leave a Comment  
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February 24, Today’s thought – HE IS

feb24 003A pink primrose among the violets.

Good Afternoon

Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Sunday evening’s service led by the young people
was a blessing to me.

What is God to you? was the theme.

I jotted down these answers:
He is my strength,
He is my defense,
He is my father,
He is faithful,
He is my constant companion,
I need Him every hour,
He is my friend,
He is everything to me,
He is contentment,
He keeps me from making mistakes,
He takes care of all my needs now and in the future,
He helps me have control in my life,
He is always there when no one else seems to be,
and He is my counselor, advising, listening, encouraging.

This morning I remembered the song
I couldn’t remember last night –

Every Need Supplied,
I asked the dear Savior
What He had purchased
For me when on Calvary He died
For all my past and all my problems
He said that he would provide.
He said Every need supplied,
Every need supplied
Cleansing, Healing, Sweet peace inside,
Every Need Supplied.
If I had to name
The greatest blessing
He’s given, how could I decide
For since he saved me,
I just have to say
That every need is supplied

(the best I can remember the words of this my favorite song)

What strength I have for this coming week.

Let God be Everything to you . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on February 24, 2014 at 5:58 pm  Comments (1)  
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February 22, Today’s thought – Carry Away the Song

feb19 004Coffee within arm’s reach of my chair.
Life doesn’t get much better.

Good Morning

Isaiah 30:15
For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel;
In returning and rest shall ye be saved;
in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:

Do you know what Luther said?
“Suffer and be still,
and tell no man thy sorrow;
trust in God–
His help; will not fail thee.”
This is what Scripture calls keeping silent before God
To talk much of one’s sorrow makes one weak,
but to tell one’s sorrows to Him
who heareth in secret,
makes one strong and calm. Tholuck

“The little sharp vexations
And the briars that catch and fret,
Why not take all to the Helper
Who has never failed us yet?
Tell Him about the heartache,
And tell Him the longings, too.

Tell Him the baffled purpose
When we scarce know what to do.
Then, leaving all our weakness
With the One divinely strong,
Forget that we bore the burden
And carry away the song.
Margaret Sangster

Whisper in God’s ears . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on February 22, 2014 at 10:42 am  Leave a Comment  
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February 20, Today’s thought – It is Possible

feb19 007A ‘burn day’ so the Farmer burns brush

Good Morning

Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.

It is possible,
for those who really are willing to reckon on the power of the Lord for keeping and victory, to lead a life in which His promises are taken as they stand and are found to be true.

It is possible
to cast all our care upon Him daily and to enjoy deep peace in doing it.

It is possible
to have the thoughts and imaginations of our hearts purified, in the deepest meaning of the word.

It is possible
by taking complete refuge in Divine power to become strong through and through; and, where previously our greatest weakness lay, to find that things which formerly upset all our resolves to be patient, or pure or humble, furnish today an opportunity–through Him who loved us, and works in us an agreement with His will and a blessed sense of His presence and His power–to make sin powerless over us.

These things are DIVINE POSSIBILITIES, and because they are His work, the true experience of them will always cause us to bow lower at His feet and to learn to thirst and long for more.

We cannot possibly be satisfied with anything less–each day, each hour, each moment, in Christ, through the power of this Holy Spirit–than to WALK WITH GOD. McLaren

Believe in Possibilities . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on February 20, 2014 at 5:46 am  Leave a Comment  
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February 19, Today’s thought – Simple Gratitude

feb19 002A note to myself.

Good Morning

As I read this devotion, I thought:
“It is not always simple or easy to be grateful,
but it is best to be grateful.”

Psalm 100:4-5
. . . be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Being grateful is no Pollyanna-like response
to anxious times.
For most of us,
the daily practice of gratitude begins at mealtimes.
for many households,
it is not necessarily the calmest,
most serene time of day.
Frazzled from working all day,
Mom has to come up with a healthy,
nutritious meal in less than thirty minutes.
Dad isn’t in such great shape himself;
after the stress of the office
he tries to maintain order among fussy, hungry kids.
When everyone finally sits down to supper,
Sis is sulky,
the baby;s bawling,,
and brother is trying to tell everybody
about his day at school,
two decibels above his baby sister.
“Let us now be thankful . . . .”
Right.

But that’s where real gratitude begins.
Not when life is peaceful and serene
but when everything’s falling apart
and the resulting anxiety is enough
to drive you right through your eyeballs.
For anxious people,
being grateful to God is a miracle.
Simple gratitude helps us experience God
at work in every moment of every day.

A Place Called Home – Harriet Crosby

Try to be grateful . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on February 19, 2014 at 11:36 am  Comments (6)  
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February 18 – Today’s thought – God’s Idea

Good Afternoon

Jeremiah 1:4-5
Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

God planned and packed you on purpose for his purpose.
Heaven’s custom design.
At a moment before moments existed,
the sovereign Star Maker resolved,
“I will make ________________>”
Your name goes in the blank.
The he continued with,
“And I will make him/her ______________,
____________ and _______________ and
_______________and ______________.”
Fill those blanks with your characteristics.
Insightful
Clever
Detail oriented
Restless
And since you are God’s idea,
you are a good idea.
What God said about Jeremiah,
he said about you-
“Before I made you in your mother’s womb,
I chose you.
Before you were born,
I set you apart for a special work.”
Set apart for a special work.

Care for the Common Life, Max Lucado

Accept God’s idea . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on February 18, 2014 at 1:20 pm  Leave a Comment  
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February 13, Today’s thought – Have you heard?

feb13A bit of spring sunshine in our kitchen,
thanks to the Farmer.

Good Afternoon

Heard From God Lately?

Job’s friend told him that, “God does speak; now one way, now another; though man may not perceive it.” (Job 33:14, NIV)

Job 33:14-16
For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,

This scripture both fascinates and encourages me,
for it shows how eager God is to speak to those of us
who are more likely not to hear what He is saying.
That doesn’t stop Him.
In fact, He speaks now one way, now another —
in whatever way necessary in order
to reach my dull and indifferent heart.
God knows me, and He knows my language.
He also knows how to bypass all the barriers
I have set up against His approaching love — fool that I am.
God speaks “now one way, now another.”
How delightful is God’s diversity.
His vocabulary is vast,
His understanding is unsearchable,
His love is unfailing,
and His resolve to reach my heart
with His Word is unrelenting.
He will speak in whatever way suits
His purpose to redeem my life.

In church; outside of church —
it matters not.
God speaks through the Bible,
through nature,
through circumstances,
through other people,
through dreams and visions,
and even sometimes even by supernatural means.

Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“In the field we have a study hung round with texts for thought.
From the cedar to the hyssop,
from the soaring eagle down to the chirping grasshopper,
from the blue expanse of heaven to a drop of dew,
all things are full of teaching,
and when the eye is divinely opened,
that teaching flashes upon the mind far more vividly
than from written books.
Our little rooms are neither so healthy,
so suggestive,
so agreeable,
or so inspiring as the fields.
Let us count nothing common or unclean,
but feel that all created things point to their Maker,
and the field will at once be hallowed.”

Notice, finally, that the verse adds this hopeful phrase,
“though man may not perceive Him.”
It does not say that man cannot perceive Him;
rather, its says he may not.
That means, on the other hand,
that he also may perceive what God is saying and doing.
And therein is hope for each one of us.
It is possible that I may indeed hear God’s voice today!
How about you? Heard from God lately? Ryle

Listening . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on February 13, 2014 at 2:46 pm  Leave a Comment  
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