December 9, Today’s thought – Endure

dec 9 frost, end of garden 005My geraniums don’t like the frosty nights;
come spring they will press their way back. Selah

Good Morning

Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

“Where were you wounded?”
asked the surgeon of a soldier at Lookout Mountain.
“Almost at the top”
he answered.
He forgot even his gaping wound–
he only remembered that he had won the heights.
So let us go forth to higher endeavors for Cjrist
and never rest till we can shout from the very top,
“I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course,
I have keep the faith.”

1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

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

Published in: on December 9, 2013 at 11:28 am  Leave a Comment  
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December 7, Today’s thought – Our Best

nov 22 fallen tree 001This old huge mostly dead oak fell November 21.

Good Morning

1 Chronicles 29:16-18
O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own. I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

God wants our best, He in the far-off ages
Once claimed the firstling of the flock,
the finest of the wheat;
And still He asks His own with gentlest pleading.
To lay their highest hopes
and brightest talents at His feet.
He’ll not forget the feeblest service, humblest love;
He only asks that of our store
we give him the best that we have!
~~Unknown

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

Published in: on December 7, 2013 at 12:59 pm  Leave a Comment  

December 6, Today’s thouht – Kindness

dec 6 fall cleanupthe Farmer busy at fall cleanup

Good Morning

Colossians 3:12-13
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye

“Put on as the elect of God, kindness…”

There is a story of an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhre he went and if he pass through a door that squeaked, he poured a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. And thus he passed through life lubricating all hard places and making it easier for those who came after him.

People called him eccentric queer, and cranky; but the old man went steadily on refilling is can of oil when it became empty, and oiled the hard places he found.

there are many lives that creak and grate harshly as they live day by day. Nothing goes right with them. They need lubricating with the oil of gladness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness.
Have you your own can of oil with you?
Be ready with your oil of helpfulness in the early morning to the one nearest you. It may lubricate the whole day for him. The il of good cheer tot he downhearted one–Oh, how much it may mean! The word of courage to the despairing. Speak it.

Our lives touch others by=ut once, perhaps, on the road of life; and then, mayhap, our ways diverge, never to meet again. The oil of kindness has worn the sharp, hard edges off of many a sin-hardened life and left it soft and pliable and ready for the redeeming grace of the Saviour.

A word spoken pleasantly is a large spot of sunshine on a sad heart. Therefore, “Give others the sunshine, tell Jesus the rest.”

“We cannot know the grief
That men may borrow;
We cannot see the souls
Storm-swept by sorrow;
But love can shine upon the way
Today, tomorrow;
Let s be kind.
Upon the wheel of ain so many weary lies are broken,
We liven in vain who give no tender token.
Let us be kind.”
from Streams in the Desert, Vol 1

Be kind . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on December 6, 2013 at 12:31 pm  Leave a Comment  

December 4, Today’s thought – Generosity

dec 1 violets bounty 001See the little propellers, these are opened seed pods.
We’ll have more violets next year, Yeah!

Good Mornng

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

There’s a principle in life that seems oxymoronic at first glance:
we get what we give.
But a second look show the wisdom of he principle.
Whe we bless others, we are blessed;
when we love , we are loved;
when we give–
even in the midst of our own needs–
we greatly receive.
It is possible to give beyond our resources
and find ourselves burned out and broke.
But over time,
if we’re willing to give,
we’ll receive a lot more in return.

Gratitude unlocks the doors of generosity.
Even if you’re in need,
gratitude helps you give to others sacrificially,
just like the poor widow Jesus praised

Mark 12:41-44
And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Do your own soul a favor
by sharing generously from the abundance of your life.
You’ll be grateful you did!

from–A Daybook of Grace, Mark Gilroy

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

Published in: on December 4, 2013 at 11:10 am  Leave a Comment  

December 2, Today’s thought – Praying

dec 1 violets bounty 003                 dec 1 violets bounty 004
Bounty to us from our family

Good Morning

2 Timothy 1:1-5
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, . . ., To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: . . ., I thank God, . . ., that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; . . . When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

What a wonderful heritage in the faith Timothy had.
Paul considered this young man more than a protege,
He looked at Timothy as a son (1Corinthians 4:17).
But Paul knew that Timothy’s godly heritage began long
before he took him under his wing on missionary journeys.
Timothy had a mother and grandmother
who had prayed for him from his childhood.
Did you grow up in that kind of family?
Even if you didn’t,
there is a good chance someone prayed for you
and was instrumental in your relationship with God.

Even if you can’t answer that question,
it raises an even more important question
for you to consider right now.
For whom are you praying regularly?
Who will say that your prayers gave them
the encouragement they needed in a rough time
to draw closer to God?
Whom might you meet in heaven
because you would not stop praying
for their very soul here on earth?

You have the power to make a difference
in the kingdom of God
simply by praying for those close to you.
Don’t miss out on seeing blessings in their lives.
from a Daybook of Grace,  Mark Gilroy

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

Published in: on December 2, 2013 at 11:21 am  Leave a Comment  

November 28, Today’s Thought – Thanksgiving

tree nove 18Our beautiful fall tree

Good Morning

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God:
it is he that hath made us,
and not we ourselves;
we are his people,
and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Lord, so oftentimes, as any other day, when we sit down to our meal and pray we hurry along and make fast the blessing–“Thanks, Amen, Now please pass the dressing.”
We are slaves to the olfactory overload. We must rush our prayer before the good gets cold. But Lord, I’d like to take a few minutes more to really give thanks for what I’m thankful for.

For my family, my health, a nice soft bed, my friends, my freedom, a roof over my head. I’m thankful right now to be surrounded by those whose lives touch me more than they will ever possibly know.
Thankful, Lord, that You’ve blessed me beyond measure, thankful that in my heat lives life’s greatest treasure, that You, dear Jesus, rside in that place and I’m ever so grateful for Your undending grace.
So please,heavenly Father, bless this food You’ve provided and bless each and every person invited. Amen!
~~~Scott Wesemann /blockquote>

I’m thankful. . . Todau
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

42812 001Our Home at Cozy Acres

Published in: on November 28, 2013 at 5:05 am  Leave a Comment  

November 27, Today’s thought – God’s Goodness

thanksgiving 2011 019Yellow snow! my favorite kind

Good Morning

1 Peter 2:9-10
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

A Classic Devotional from Adam Clarke

As there is no end to the merits of Christ incarnated and crucified;
no bounds to the mercy and love of God;
no hindrance to the almighty energy
and sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit;
no limits to the improvability of the human condition;
so there can be no bounds to the saving influence
which God will dispense to the heart of every genuine believer.

We may ask and receive,
and your joy shall be full!
Well may we bless and praise God,
“who called us into such a state of salvation;”
a state in which we may be thus saved; and,
by the grace of that state
continue in the same to the end our lives.

Being thankful for God’s Goodness . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 27, 2013 at 9:34 am  Leave a Comment  

November 26, Today’s thouhts – Hard Things

nove 22 rain 001All picked up before the lawn is mowed.

Good Morning

Psalm 60:3
Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

I have always been glad that the Psalmist said to God
that some things were hard.
There is no mistake about it:
there are hard things in life.
Some beautiful pink flowers were given me this summer,
as as I took them I said,
“What are they?”
And the answer came, “They are rock flowers:
they grow and bloom only on rocks
where you can see no soil.”
Then I thought of God’s flowers growing in hard places;
and I feel, somehow,
that He may have a peculiar tenderness for His “rock flowers”
that He may not have for His lilies and roses.
~~Margaret Bottome.

God knows about the hard things . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 26, 2013 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

November 22, Today’s thoughts – Rain

nove 22 rain 004Rain ruts

Good Morning

I love the rain, even the blowy rain. I love to listen to it pound on the roof of our RV. I love to hear the chimes at Brother Bob’s during a rain storm.  I love to watch the clouds grown large and dark and then see them blow wispy away.  I love the earth  and plants washed clean.  And the smells of the rain, I love the smells.

petrichor (PET-ri-kuhr) noun

The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.

[From petro- (rock), from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that is supposed to flow in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas.]

“Petrichor, the name for the smell of rain on dry ground, is from oils given off by vegetation, absorbed onto neighboring surfaces, and released into the air after a first rain.”
Matthew Bettelheim; Nature’s Laboratory; Shasta Parent (Mt Shasta, California); Jan 2002.
— But the true lover of rain…. has a deep inner enjoyment of the rain, as rain, and his sense of its beauty drinks it in as thirstily as does the drinking earth. It refreshes and cools his heart and brain; he longs to go forth into the fields, to feel its steady stream, to scent its fragrance; to stand under some heavy-foliaged chestnut-tree, and hear the rushing music on the crowded leaves.
 ~John Richard Vernon, “The Beauty of Rain,” 1863

Matthew 5:43-45
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

I’m enjoying the clean after the rain . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 22, 2013 at 11:11 am  Leave a Comment  
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November 19, Today’s thought – Faith

nove 15 bathtimeLet the bathing begin!

Good Morning

For every child of God overcomes the world; and the victorious principle which has overcome the world is our faith. 1 John 5:4 Weymouth

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4 KJV

At every turn in the road one can find something
that will rob him of his victory and peace of mind,
if he permits it.
Satan is a long way from having retired from
the business of deluding and ruining God’s children if he can.
At every milestone it is well to look carefully
to the thermometer of one’s experience to see whether
the temperature is well up

Sometimes a person can,
if he will,
actually snatch Victor from the very jaws of defeat,
if he will resolutely put his faith up
at just the right moment.

Faith can change any situation.
No matter how dark it is,
no matter what the trouble may be,
a quick lifting of the heart to God
in a moment of real, actual faith in Him,
will alter the situation in a moment.

God is still on His throne,
and He can turn defeat into victory
in a second of time,
if we really trust Him.

“God is mighty! He is able to deliver;
Faith can victor be in every trying hour;
Fear and care and sin and sorrow be defeated
By our faith in God’s almighty, conquering power.

Have faith in God, the sun will shine,
Though dark the clouds may be today
His heart has planned your path and mine,
Have faith in God, have faith alway.”

from Steams in the Desert, Vol 1, Cowman

Hold Up the Shield of Faith. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 19, 2013 at 12:07 pm  Comments (2)  
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November 16, Today’s thought – Good Soil

dec8 clif's 005
In the backyard at my brother’s home,
a Manzanita tree growing out of a huge rock near Coarsegold, CA.
dec8 clif's 003

dec8 clif's 004
Good Morning

Colossians 3: 15-16
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
to the which also ye are called in one body;
and be ye thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

A colloquial story is told of a man who found the barn
where Satan stores the seeds he sows in the human heart;
envy, greed, anger, hatred, lust, and so on.
The man noticed that Satan had more seeds of discouragement than any other kind,
and he learned that those seeds were hardy and fruitful
and could be made to grow almost anywhere.
But when Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted
that there was one place in which he could not get them to grow.
“Where is that?” asked the man.
Satan replied, “In the heart of a thankful man.”

When we choose a thankful attitude,
our spirits resist the cynicism, discouragement,
and pessimism that weigh life down.
We’re better able to thrive and survive
no matter what life throws at us.
And our love for God blooms.

Chose to be thankful. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 16, 2013 at 5:02 am  Comments (1)  

November 12, Today’s thought – God Knows

clean up camera 32812 004Fall clean-up time.
The Farmer uses his ‘toys’ to shred
leaves, grass clippings and garden leftovers . . .
clean up camera 32812 005to make huge piles of mulch.
This mulch gets spread over the garden area
and roto-tilled in to feed the soil.

Good Morning

1Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God knows that you can stand that trial;
He would not give it to you if you could not.
It is His trust in you that explains the trials of life,
however bitter they may be.
God knows our strength and He measures it to the last inch;
and a trial was never given any may
that was greater than that man’s strength,
through God, to bear it.
~~Streams in the Desert, Vol 1, Cowman

Job 2:10
. . . What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Trust God’s measure . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 12, 2013 at 11:29 am  Comments (4)  

November 11, Today’s thought – For Me

june30-july1.12 monterey 016The ending of a perfect day with my girls,
watching the sunset at San Fransisco.

Good Morning

Genesis 1:1, 31
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And God saw every thing that he had made,
and, behold, it was very good.
And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

I’m about to tell you something you may find hard to believe.
You don’t have to agree with me,
but I’d like you to consider it with me.
Here it is.
If you were the only person on earth,
the earth would look exactly the same.
The Himalayas would still have their drama
and the Caribbean its charm.
The sun would still nestle behind the Rockies in the evenings
and spray light on the desert in the mornings.
If you were the sole pilgrim on this globe,
God would not diminish its beauty one degree.

Because He did it all for you.
And He’s waiting for you to discover His gift,
for your eyes to pop,
your heart to stop.
He’s waiting for the moment
between the dropping of the jaw and the leap of the heart.
For in that silence He whispers,
I did it just for you.

from Lucado Inspirational Reader, Max Lucado

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

I’m thankful . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 11, 2013 at 11:47 am  Leave a Comment  

November 9, Today’s thought – “I Know Him”

2009 1226 (91)aHaving lunch with my kids and their kids today.
I love my children.

Good Morning

Genesis 18:17-19
And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

God wants people that He can depend upon. He could say of Abraham, “I know him, that he will command his children . . . that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” God can be depended upon; He wants us to be just as decided, as reliable, as stable. This is just what faith means.

God is looking for men on whom He can put the weight of His love and power and faithful promises. God’s engines are strong enough to draw any weight we attach to them.Unfortunately the cable which we fasten to the engine is often to weak to hold the weight of our prayer; therefore God is drilling us, disciplining us to stability and certainty in the life of faith.

Let us learn our lessons and stand fast. “A. B. Simpson

Genesis 18:19 is one of my favorite scriptures. I earnestly desire that God can say the same about me, ‘I know her’.
Learn . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 9, 2013 at 11:06 am  Comments (2)  

November 6, Today’s thought – Yet I Will Rejoice

oct 28 021Still picking Raspberries!

Good Morning

Habakkuk 3:17-18
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk shouted God’s praises when he beheld the vines without fruit, the fields burned and bare, the stalls without herds. He rejoiced because he had faith in God. It was his audacious certitude of faith that made him the prophet of the ages.

Abraham believed God when everything witnessed to the contrary, and “under hopeless circumstances, hopefully believed.” And we are called to set our feet in the footprints of the giants of faith, and follow them as they followed their Lord.

A staunch soldier of the cross said that he loved to sit at the feet of the old heroes of faith in Hebrews the eleventh chapter, hear them relate their experiences, tell of the darkness of their night, the humanly impossible extremities and situations in which they so often found themselves. It was in those dark places that they were taught the strength of omnipotence.

Romans 4:18-22
Who (Abraham) against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Learn the strength of omnipotence . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 6, 2013 at 11:12 am  Comments (2)  
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