September 26, Today’s thought –

new 088A good day for this.

Good Morning

Matthew 4:18-20
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

In the Midst of Regular Work

“It was their regular work.” (Matthew 4:18, The Message).
Here we have two guys minding their own business,
when suddenly, and unexpectedly
they are interrupted by a preacher.
We could finish the story fifty different ways,
but none would be as astounding
as what actually happened after this brief encounter.
For the two guys were Peter and Andrew;
and the preacher passing by was Jesus.
“Follow Me,” He said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
And get this —
“they dropped their nets immediately and followed Him.”

Something is going on here
which does not appear to the naked eye.
Two guys quietly going about their regular work,
day after day, net by net, catching fish after fish —
over and over and over again.
They were no doubt considered successful by their competitors;
their business was doing well.
They’ve got it made; not a care in the world.
At least that’s the surface reading.
But Jesus read their hearts.
He looked past the obvious and saw the actual.
There was a longing in their labor
for something more, something better, something meaningful.
And Jesus tapped into that desire
and opened the door to their future;
and that’s why they responded so immediately to His invitation.

Might He be doing the same for you today?
We were made for something more than regular work.
Our lives are not meant to be relegated
to the usual, the ordinary, and the average.
This is why these things disturb us so
when they seem to become the predicable course for our lives —
our spirit stirs for higher things.
And it is just there,
in the midst of regular work,
you can hear Jesus calling you
to something truly significant and satisfying,
something worth spending your life pursuing.
“Follow Me,” He says,
“and I will transform your labor into a calling —
filled with extraordinary promise and great purpose.” Rylie

May my ‘daily work’ not stand in the way of Jesus’ call . . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 26, 2013 at 11:36 am  Comments (2)  
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Ten on Tuesday – Books

ToT-Button

On Tuesday’s Carole hosts ‘Ten on Tuesdays’.
She chooses a topic – we list ten items.

10 Books On Your To-Read List.

Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle  by Mary J MacLeod  (link)

Free-Spirit Shawls: 20 Eclectic Knits for Every Day by Lisa Shroyer  (link)

Yes, I read knitting books.

Dinner: A Love Story: It all begins at the family table  by Jenny Rosenstrach (link)

The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting by Clara Parkes  (link)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern  (link)

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh  (link)

Seaside Knitters Mystery series  8 books  by Sally Goldenbaum  (link)

Broken (Extrahumans #1) by Susan J. Bigelow  Series (link)

Charlotte Bingham has written many books. (link)
I’d like to read one to see if I like hers.

Rosamunde Pilcher, I love .  (link)
From this link, I find she has written many books I didn’t know about.

Most of these books and authors I’ve gleaned from blogs I’ve read. I don’t know it I’d read them once I held them in my hands and checked them out, but they sounded interesting.

To read others’ lists, click here.

Published in: on September 25, 2013 at 12:03 am  Leave a Comment  
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September 23, Today’s thought – Pop Quiz

new 076Fourth of July Rose

Good Morning

Each day has a pop quiz! And some seasons are like final exams. Brutal, sudden pitfalls of stress, sickness, or sadness. What’s the purpose of the test? James 1:3-4 says, “For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

Test, test, test! This chapter in your life may look like rehab, smell like unemployment, sound like a hospital, but you’re in training. God hasn’t forgotten you, just the opposite. He has chosen to train you. Forget the notion that God doesn’t see your struggle. Quite the contrary. God is fully engaged. He is the Potter, we are the clay. He’s the Shepherd, we’re the sheep. He’s the Teacher, we’re the students. Trust His training. You’ll get through this!

From: You’ll Get Through This – Max Lucado

Through all the test of life – Just Remember

Just get through it . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

(Sorry about the ad)

Published in: on September 23, 2013 at 10:12 am  Comments (2)  
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September 21, Today’s thought – Heavenly Sunlight

Good Morning

This song was on my mind this morning.

Heavenly Sunlight
Henry J.  Zelley

Walking in sunlight all of my journey;
Over the mountains, through the deep vale;
Jesus has said, “I’ll never forsake thee,”
Promise divine that never can fail.

Refrain

Heavenly sunlight, heavenly sunlight,
Flooding my soul with glory divine:
Hallelujah, I am rejoicing,
Singing His praises, Jesus is mine.

Shadows around me, shadows above me,
Never conceal my Savior and Guide;
He is the Light, in Him is no darkness;
Ever I’m walking close to His side.

Refrain

In the bright sunlight, ever rejoicing,
Pressing my way to mansions above;
Singing His praises gladly I’m walking,
Walking in sunlight, sunlight of love.

Refrain

Do you want to hear this song? Click here

Close to His side . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 21, 2013 at 11:22 am  Comments (2)  
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September 20, Today’s thought – Two Grand Links

482012 001God’s Word reveals to me His Love.

Good Morning

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38  This is the first and great commandment.
39  And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 22:40

On these two – hang all the law and the prophets
– They are like the first and last links of a chain,
all the intermediate ones depend on them.
True religion begins and ends in love to God and man.
These are the two grand links that unite God to man,
man to his fellows,
and men again to God.

Love is the fulfilling of the law, says St. Paul,
Romans 13:10; for he who has the love of God in him
delights to obey the Divine precepts,
and to do all manner of kindness to men for God’s sake.

from Clarke’s Commentary

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Romans 13:10 KJV

Thankful for God showing me His love . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 20, 2013 at 5:51 am  Comments (2)  

September 19, Today’s thought – Love thy Neighbour

june1012 009One of my waiting pastimes

Good Morning

Matthew 22:39

Thou shalt love thy neighbor –

The love of our neighbor
springs from the love of God as its source;
is found in the love of God
as its principle, pattern, and end;
and the love of God is found in the love of our neighbor,
as its effect, representation, and infallible mark.
This love of our neighbor is a love of
equity, charity, succor, and benevolence.
We owe to our neighbor
what we have a right to expect from him –
“Do unto all men as ye would they should do unto you,”
is a positive command of our blessed Savior.
By this rule, therefore,
we should speak, think, and write,
concerning every soul of man: –
put the best construction upon all the words and actions
of our neighbor that they can possibly bear.
By this rule we are taught
to bear with,
love, and forgive him;
to rejoice in his felicity,
mourn in his adversity,
desire and delight in his prosperity,
and promote it to the utmost of our power:
instruct his ignorance,
help him in his weakness,
and risk even our life for his sake,
and for the public good.
In a word, we must do every thing in our power,
through all the possible varieties of circumstances,
for our neighbors,
which we would wish them to do for us,
were our situations reversed.
This is the religion of Jesus!

Do we as the lawyer ask in Luke 10:?
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus,
And who is my neighbour?
Christ related the parable of the good Samaritan,
and asked the lawyer:
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour
unto him that fell among the thieves?
The lawyer answered:
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him.
Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

That one who needs a smile, a hand, a prayer is my neighbour.
Remember how many times we needed just that little bit of caring.

Love thy neighbour. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 19, 2013 at 11:45 am  Leave a Comment  
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September 18, Today’s thought – The First and Great Commandment

Good Morning

Mat 22:37-40
Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 22:38, from Clarke’s Commentary

This is the first and great commandment –
It is so,

1. In its antiquity, being as old as the world, and engraven originally on our very nature.

2. In dignity; as directly and immediately proceeding front and referring to God.

3. In excellence; being the commandment of the new covenant, and the very spirit of the Divine adoption.

4. In justice; because it alone renders to God his due, prefers him before all things, and secures to him his proper rank in relation to them.

5. In sufficiency; being in itself capable of making men holy in this life, and happy in the other.

6. In fruitfulness; because it is the root of all commandments, and the fulfilling of the law.

7. In virtue and efficacy; because by this alone God reigns in the heart of man, and man is united to God.

8. In extent; leaving nothing to the creature, which it does not refer to the Creator.

9. In necessity; being absolutely indispensable.

10. In duration; being ever to be continued on earth, and never to be discontinued in heaven.

Every need of proof, every reason of proof supplied.
God’s Word is steadfast and sure.

Psalms 18:30
As for God, his way is perfect:
the word of the LORD is tried:
he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

from Clarke’s
God, his way is perfect –
His conduct is like his nature, absolutely pure.
The word of the Lord is tried –
Literally tried in the fire.
It has stood all tests;
and has never failed those who pleaded it before its author.
He is a buckler –
A sure protection to every simple believing soul.
We cannot believe his word too implicity;
nor trust too confidently in him.

Trusting in the perfect way of God . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 18, 2013 at 5:02 am  Leave a Comment  
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Chatting on the Porch – Potluck

chatsonthefarmhouseporch

“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.

What’s the one thing you feel is the biggest waste of your time during an average week?

Yep, the internet, I have cut back, but still find time has flown while surfing.
cats and compter 001Maybe I should let Grissabel sleep longer.

When was the last time you baked a pie?

I can’t remember. I did bake a cobbler in August, it didn’t turn out very good.

What do you want to spend time doing that you aren’t right now?

My next chores are dicing green peppers to freeze and folding a putting away laundry – I rather knit.

What do you do with old clothes?

Donate or toss. I hadn’t heard of fabric recycling.

If we were having lunch on the porch today, what would you bring for the potluck styled lunch?

Oh, my, with quiche and apple pie; I’d bring sour cream peach scones with fresh sliced peaches and mock devonshire cream, and fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden. What time do we arrive?

Join us for a pretend potluck here.

Published in: on September 17, 2013 at 12:10 pm  Comments (14)  

September 17, Today’s thought-With All my Mind

sept 10 seedling 004

Good Morning

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 22:37

Thou shalt love the Lord –
This is a subject of the greatest importance,
and should be well understood,
as our Lord shows that the whole of true religion
is comprised in thus loving God and our neighbor

4. He loves God with all his mind (intellect – διανοια)
who applies himself only to know God, and his holy will:
– who receives with submission, gratitude, and pleasure,
the sacred truths which God has revealed to man:
– who studies no art nor science
but as far as it is necessary for the service of God,
and uses it at all times to promote his glory
– who forms no projects nor designs
but in reference to God and the interests of mankind:
– who banishes from his understanding and memory
every useless, foolish, and dangerous thought,
together with every idea which has any tendency to defile his soul,
or turn it for a moment from the center of eternal repose.
In a word, he who sees God in all things
– thinks of him at all times
– having his mind continually fixed upon God,
acknowledging him in all his ways
– who begins, continues, and ends
all his thoughts, words, and works, to the glory of his name:
– this is the person who loves God
with all his heart, life, strength, and intellect.
He is crucified to the world,
and the world to him:
he lives, yet not he,
but Christ lives in him.
He beholds as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
and is changed into the same image from glory to glory.
Simply and constantly looking unto Jesus,
the author and perfecter of his faith,
he receives continual supplies
of enlightening and sanctifying grace,
and is thus fitted for every good word and work.

And to think God loves me the way I am to love Him.
It is beyond understanding.
All I can pray –
Lord, help be draw evermore nigh unto thee.
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 17, 2013 at 10:01 am  Leave a Comment  
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September 16, Today’s thought – Love With All My Strength

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 22:37

Thou shalt love the Lord –
This is a subject of the greatest importance,
and should be well understood,
as our Lord shows that the whole of true religion
is comprised in thus loving God and our neighbor

3. He loves God with all his strength
(Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27)
who exerts all the powers of his body and soul in the service of God:
– who, for the glory of his Maker,
spares neither labor nor cost –
who sacrifices his time, body, health, ease,
for the honor of God his Divine Master: –
who employs in his service all his goods,
his talents, his power, credit, authority, and influence.

Let your love be strong for the Lord . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Today is Mary’s birthday, born 9 weeks early, in 1968,
weighing in at 3 pounds 6 ounces and 16 inches long.
God spared her life even when I was told
“This one isn’t going to make it”
2010 0227 (48)
Mary has been a joy and comfort to me.

Published in: on September 16, 2013 at 10:25 am  Leave a Comment  
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Sunday Bible Reading – Psalm 68:1-9

sept 9 008Chinese Lanterns

Good Morning

Psalm 68:1-9

Let God arise,
let his enemies be scattered:
let them also that hate him flee before him.

2 As smoke is driven away,
so drive them away:
as wax melteth before the fire,
so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

3 But let the righteous be glad;
let them rejoice before God:
yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

4 Sing unto God,
sing praises to his name:
extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah,
and rejoice before him.

5 A father of the fatherless,
and a judge of the widows,
is God in his holy habitation.

6 God setteth the solitary in families:
he bringeth out those which are bound with chains:
but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

8 The earth shook,
the heavens also dropped at the presence of God:
even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,
whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance,
when it was weary.

confirm – assure

Being assured by the showers of blessings . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 15, 2013 at 9:35 am  Leave a Comment  
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September 13, Today’s thought – With All My Life

sept 9 005Little white Chrysanthemums, Black-Eyed Susans,
and Golden Rod transplanted from Grandma Crain’s .

Good Morning

For several weeks now I have been reading and re-reading,
pondering and re-pondering: Matthew 22:37-40

40Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I wanted to know what it meant to really love God.
I wanted to know if I really loved God
with all my heart, soul and mind.
I referred to Clarke’s Concordance.

As I continue to read, searching myself,
asking God to search me.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

To love God is becoming more clear.
Then it dawned on me one morning:
This is how God loves me!
I felt so utterly unworthy of that kind of love, God’s love.

For the next few days I’ll share with you what Clarke wrote;
any scriptures or comments I add will be in a different color ink.
I hope you will take a little time to read the thoughts slowly,
let the wonder of it sink into your heart,
begin to catch a glimpse of real love,
then draw nigh to God, as He draws nigh to you. (James 4:8)

from Clarke’s Commentary:

Matthew 22:37

Thou shalt love the Lord

But what is implied in loving God
with all the heart, soul, mind, strength, etc.,
and when may a man be said to do this?

2. He loves God with all his soul,
or rather, εν ολη τη ψυχη, with all his life,
who is ready to give up life for his sake –
to endure all sorts of torments,
and to be deprived of all kinds of comforts,
rather than dishonor God:
– who employs life with all its comforts,
and conveniences, to glorify God in, by, and through all:
– to whom life and death are nothing,
but as they come from and lead to God,
From this Divine principle sprang the blood of the martyrs,
which became the seed of the Church.
They overcame through the blood of the Lamb,
and loved not their lives unto the death.
See Revelation 12:11.

Am I ready. . . Today?
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 13, 2013 at 9:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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September 11, Today’s thought – Who Loves Nothing in Comparison

sept 9 006The California Poppies are spreading,
transplanted this spring from Grandma Crain’s.

Good Morning

Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38  This is the first and great commandment.
39  And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

from Clarke’s Commentary
Matthew 22:37

Thou shalt love the Lord

But what is implied in loving God
with all the heart, soul, mind, strength, etc.,
and when may a man be said to do this?

1. He loves God with all his heart,
who loves nothing in comparison of him,
and nothing but in reference to him:
– who is ready to give up, do,
or suffer any thing in order to please and glorify him:
– who has in his heart neither love nor hatred,
hope nor fear,
inclination, nor aversion,
desire, nor delight,
but as they relate to God,
and are regulated by him.

I love the part ‘who loves nothing in comparison of him.’
God is not just first in a list of people/things we love;
but our love for Him far exceeds anything else on our list.

Let the definition of love sink into my understanding . . . today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on September 11, 2013 at 5:29 am  Comments (1)  
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Chatting on the Deck- about Lessons, Eating, Changes, Gazing & Shopping

chatsonthefarmhouseporch
“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.

Did you ever take piano lessons, as a child or adult?

Yes, during high school, I remember practicing every afternoon after school 5 days a week . I can just pick out a little with my right hand.

How many times do you eat out each month?

More times than I want to admit.

If you could snap you fingers and change on thing about your appearance, what would that be? (Temporary or permanent)

Oh, to never have to think about my weight again.

Do you like looking at art or photography? Do you go to any place that displays them?

I love looking at all the wonderful photographs I find on many blogs.

6a00d8341c7a9f53ef014e6026440e970c-500wiThis one of my favorite pictures found on a blog.

Do you have new things for your fall/ winter wardrobe?

Looking for new shoes, so hard to find. My feet are tired so I have to pamper them.

Chat with us here.

Published in: on September 10, 2013 at 11:55 am  Comments (14)  

Ten on Tuesday – Missing things?

ToT-Button

On Tuesday’s Carole hosts ‘Ten on Tuesdays’.
She chooses a topic – we list ten items.

10 Things You Miss About Your Own House When You Go Away.

1. My bed

2. My cats

3. Attending worship services

jan 13 cozy hair ballA cozy hair ball

That’s all I can think of.

When we go away for just a couple days, I take with me all I need, my  Bible, pleasure reading, enough knitting for 3 weeks, use of the Farmer’s computer, food, fun dishes, my pillows, clothes, chair, footstool. . . We have a Suburban so everything fits.

When we go away in the RV, it is packed with all my toys and necessities. We even move our bed into the RV. I always make plans to stop at a new or old friend yarn shop/quilt shop, so if I find I do need something, I’m okay.

I’m never allowed to take the cats.

My needs and wants are simple.

To see what others miss, click here.

PS After reading a few lists; perhaps an explanation is due.
Since we have downsized and moved into a trailer,
I’ve become disconnected with rooms and more like a snail,
carrying my stuff with me.
I’m not a minimalist, just learning to live with less.

Published in: on September 10, 2013 at 10:38 am  Comments (6)  
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