Heaven on Earth

 I am sure everyone thinks that the place they live is definitely heaven n earth, but this last week-end was certainly that. If there were ever perfect days it was Saturday and Sunday. Storms and rain was predicted but never came - just balmy wonderful fall weather. We were invited Saturday for a fish fry and music on the patio. The food was amazing - fried fish (perch and croppies), hush puppies, coleslaw, potato salad, crab salad, baked beans, corn, and mac and cheese for the kids. If there was room, a Boston Cream cake was served.  My main interest were the hush puppies - wonderful hostess, Shirley, make the very best hush puppies I ever had. Even the resident dog, Angus, loved them. After we all had eaten more than we should have, 3 talented musicians entertained us - not on the patio, but on the lawn. A wonderful day and early evening, socializing while the weather making it a perfect day. Actually, we started out the day with friends for breakfast ( no kitchen time for me on Saturday ). These folks are there every Saturday morning at Mel's Diner, so we just head on down there once in awhile. No need to call or make plans - just show up. 

                                                          Rufus, looking for more hush puppies

                                                       an amazing buffet - deviled eggs are gone

                                           

                                                         great music provided by these special guys

OK now I have a question. Not a serious one, but one that really has no answer, just an opinion. How is your Kuerig etiquette ? Do you leave your pod in the machine for the next person to throw away or do you throw it away yourself? Also, do you check the water level when you make your cup of coffee to make sure there is enough for the next person? Sort of a unimportant question, but there are different points of view on this. Guess our parents never had this quandary. 

I read a devotional the other morning that really hit home. "Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God, surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world". Philippians 2:14-15. It is so easy to get into the habit of grumbling in daily life. Oh, the checkout lines are so long, why don't they open up more. These light are so long - I want to get home. Why is everyone driving so slow, etc. etc. I fool myself because I see in others grumbling, but to me, I am just offering an opinion. We mistakenly think we have a better way of doing things. (see above paragraph about coffee pods!!!). For the glory of God, we must not grumble. I am going to try to think before I offer an "opinion".

The light of the Lord attracts us. We are called out of the darkness by that light. Have you ever felt that the gates of Hell are against the church? They will not prevail. It will not happen because we are God's people. We are on the winning team. Peter was there when the church was born. He told the people to remember who they were - God's chosen people just as we are. We are set apart for His purposes. In today's world, we are recognized as bring different. We are a royal priesthood, a priesthood of all believers. Because of the crucifixion, we now have direct access to God. We are a holy nation with citizenship in the kingdom of God. We are called to declare what we believe - God is our King. We are not silent witnesses. We are to declare the changes that God has brought into our lives. When we do this, Satan is prepared to go to war and attack us. We need to go to battle for our soul, which is what Satan is after. The bond of sin is broken, but the influence is still there. We need a strategy to do this. Remember who we are -God's people. Remember that our soul is at stake. We need to embrace the fact that it truly is war. Pray without ceasing. Live a distinctive life style. When we do so, people see the uniqueness of how we live. Walk the walk, talk the talk. We get to declare the praises of Him who called us out of the darkness.  

Sweater Weather

BRR - it is now sweater weather, especially in the am's. When the sun come out, it warms up -just perfect for sitting outside and getting some rays.  As we were sitting on the patio one afternoon last week, Fred pointed to my left and sort of sat there with his mouth open. I looked as two deer came racing towards the patio, straight for us. I thought to myself, ok self, if they jump on the patio just sit still and let them jump off again. Luckily, they raced between two trees near the patio and off again to the safety of the woods. Something certainly must have scared them as they were flat out running. What magnificent creatures they are - their feet hardly touched the ground as they seemed to fly along. No time to even take a photo.

Our daughter Chandra, and I went to a craft fair at the fairgrounds in Fayetteville. It was wonderful - full of great things. A person could eat their way through by sampling all of the great things at the food stands - especially the wonderful jalapeno cheese bread I bought at an Amish stand - wonderful fruit pies, some jam at a stand where the seller had 100 different flavors of jam and jelly. Yep - jalapeno again, only this was a blackberry jalapeno jam. As we came to a stand where the seller had some original paintings, we heard soft Christian music playing in the background. She had really neat original paintings and great ideas. I stood in front of a winter scene painted on a 4 pane window - with pine trees and a church scene on it. The window was kept in it's original shape, with places of the paint cracking, etc. It is beautiful.  In the corner were the words from a song I love - "He's a way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, chain breaker, light of the world, my God that is who you are." (Referencing Proverbs 30:5.) All of the words were not there, but I felt so drawn to it. I did wind up purchasing it and found out the name of the ministry was Healing Hearts Ministry - our ministry was Helping Hands Ministry - hmm, coincidence - I think not. Their logo was two hearts very similar to the Caring Hearts logo. What a blessing it was to meet her and her husband and share in their love for God. I have contacted her once already and feel a strong bond there. Perhaps this is a voice from God urging me to follow though and see what He has in store for us.

                   

I think I will keep this on the wall and not just at Christmas time - that is as soon as we find a place to live with a wall!!

On Saturday we stopped at another daughter's home nearby with some items she wanted us to purchase at the craft fair for her. Brenda has an issue with healing on her foot, so please keep her in your prayers. 

Todd made his wonderful homemade chicken soup with a secret ingredient. It was wonderful - perfect for a cool day. Secret ingredient - cheese. Yep - heat up a half bowl of soup to piping hot, add a slice of cheese, and then add the other half of piping hot soup. Let it get happy for a few minutes, then stir. Indescribably delicious. He sent us on our way with a huge bowl - enough for two meals.

We all need the experience of connecting with God. Peter encourages us to to stand on a rock in our belief. we are encouraged to stand with the Lord in today's culture. We have the Rock, a foundation in our Lord. we have been rejected by others, but God takes the rejects to build His church. Jesus was rejected because of who He hung out with because His disciples were common men, and because He also hung out with tax collectors and sinners. He was rejected because He followed the rules of His Father. His own people rejected Him as was foretold in the Old Testament. He was rejected by men but accepted by God. The rejected stone became the saving stone. the cornerstone is most important in the construction of the foundation of a building. Jesus did not fit into the culture of the time but became the cornerstone.  His is the one who can make life fit together, just as the cornerstone made the foundation fit together. Those who trust in Him will never be put to shame. He will become our saving stone. Put your trust in Jesus, He will always be there for you. We also believe that the rejected stone can become a stumbling stone. Why do people stumble in their beliefs? It is because It is because they do not understand grace - that may be God will never accept us. But God will never reject us. Some stumble because of God's high standards. We will never be as perfect as God, but we can be as perfect as we can be. We believe the rejected stone makes us living stones.  

 

                                                

October Chill

 BRR - it's a chilly cool October morning, but has now warmed up to be a beautiful day. So far the weather has been perfect - cool breezes and warm sunshine. It is called Fall for a reason - all of the leaves start to fall off the trees. In England they tend to still call it autumn from the Latin word Autumus, with the root of the word  having connotations regarding the passing of the year - where here in America we call it fall. I tried to catch the shower of leaves falling falling from the trees during a strong breeze, but no luck. 

 So many kids are getting excited about trick or treat coming up at the end of the month. Again, this too, has changed. We were able to hand out homemade popcorn balls, cookies, etc. Now it seems that the parents have to be so careful what their child received or where they go. We as parents, used to dress up in costume (one year I was Snoopy) to hand out goodies, decorate our homes and garages as scary Halloween haunted areas, and, because we were from WI, make the costumes big enough to fit over snowsuits. Guess these are the musings of an older, mature age (notice I steered away from saying old folks). Thank goodness for wonderful memories.

On a positive note, God is good and we trust in Him.

Remember Peter Pan's  Syndrome - "I don't want to grow up"? Guess that is how we feel as we age. Remember back when you were young and could not wait to turn 16 to drive, or to be old enough to wear make-up or begin to date? Or to finish school, get a good job, get marred, have kids? Then waiting for the kids to grow up and leave home, or until you could retire? Time goes by so quickly as a person gets older. We need to be childlike in God, but certainly not childish. When you grow up in salvation there is a different relationship with our Lord. It changes how you interact with others. There are two Greek words for love -  agapi and phillia. Phillia means a brotherly type of love ( Philadelphia, the city of  love), agapi is a commitment type of love, (I will love you forever). If we are grown up in faith, we have both types of love. If we grow up in salvation, we live for what matters in eternity, and not in this world. the things of this world come and go, they tend to alter or thinking and perspective on life. The morality over mortality is what it is all about. We need to figure out what is really important in our lives. All there really is is God and people. We crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word. We should always want to need the truth of the Word - have a healthy attitude for the things of God. If you want to grow up in the Lord, you need to change your thinking. When your imagination and your will come into conflict, your imagination will win. The enemy wants to keep you from the understanding of God's truth. Think about what you think about. We have to capture our imagination and think of it as a gift from God, not letting you feel insecure. The Word had to transform our minds. Get rid of old thoughts that pull you down because of your new birth to crave the Word of God. Forsake the old way of life because of your relationship with God. Break the cycle of self pity because of your new life in God. You are a new creation in Christ. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!

Have  a wonderful, blessed week and never regret growing up and in Christ. 

 

 

October Haunting

 October reminds me of  the sound and smell of dry leaves on the ground, warm days and cool evenings,  pumpkins, fall festivals, Halloween excitement, and the promise of winter to come. Today, as we are still with our daughter, (please continue to pray as we search for a home to call our own -as housing in this area is at a premium), I picked a few jalapenos from her garden which is still producing peppers and tomatoes - the basil and chives are expanding yet, too. I had picked red hot peppers and strung them up to dry for grinding later on. Fall harvest time is so satisfying - the fruits of the labor. Fall decorations are everywhere, even in the yard as a Zombie pumpkin appeared, guarding the garden from critters. Our great granddaughter Brielle, and great grandson, Jaylen, love him as you can tell from these pictures. Brielle and Jaylen were here for the week-end and  believe they learned more than any school could teach them. They watched the racoon and opossum feed in the evening right outside the front door) one racoon actually stood up by the glass front door and looked in!), studied a praying mantis up close, helped load and unload firewood, made smores by the evening fire, listened to the sounds of the night woods, helped pick vegetables from the garden, and spent much of the 2 days outdoors, enjoying nature

                                                                         

Jaylen does not like his picture taken

                                                           while Brielle is a big star model

Our home church is again sponsoring the Angle Tree - the names of 25 children whose parents are incarcerated are put on a tree where a person can pick a name and buy specific gifts or them. I have volunteered to be a part of this ministry calling the caretakers of these children to find out sizes, gift wishes, etc. and coordinate this with the folks who chose to pick a name. We have been a part of this type on ministry in the past, and I have seen the wonderful effect of it on the kids. The best part is that the committee will wrap the gifts and distribute them, so the actual  work involved for the folks is just the purchasing of the items. We both want to be more involved in ministry work here in NW Arkansas, so I am thrilled to begin in a small but important level.

Pastor Vance Eubanks preached on Sunday despite the fact that his mother had passed away the day before. Please keep him in and the family in your prayers this week. When we face death and are followers of Jesus Christ, we need to lean on God even more. Continuing in the Book of Peter, we learn that the Christians were strangers in their time and place. The definition of a stranger is a pilgrim - that is what we are as believers in Jesus Christ. we live temporarily in an alien environment. We are living in this world and heading to our  permanent home with Jesus. We have a living hope and look forward to an eternal life in heaven. We have an inheritance  that will never perish, spoil,, or fade. How do you  live your life as a follower of Jesus Christ?  Peter tells us what to do with the Good News of Jesus Christ. You have to live a different way than others. Have you had a transformation life - have you made a changeover in your life? Set your hope fully on God's grace. You need to prepare your mind - get rid of stinking thinking.  Don't be lazy minded by the things of this world. Be intentional about what you allow to come into your mind. You can become a disciple by the voices you listen to the most. You need to think more than the world around you -do not imitate. Be self-controlled because a person who is not self-controlled will be influenced by the enemy around them. Being self-controlled is being filled by the Holy Spirit. Chart a vision. Because of grace we all look forward to the coming of Christ. Because of grace we have the ability to be the most helpful people. Because of grace you have an optimistic future - you will be united with Christ. You need to take actin. You need to be obedient children and live for Christ. Listen with a good attitude, It may not be easier or make your life easier but the goal is eternal life. Set yourself apart. Maintain separation from the world. Be holy - which actually means set apart. God want you to be set apart and unique for your purpose here in earth. Be in the world but not of the world. Maintain distinction - it makes you different from the world. What is normal in our culture today is not working so that makes us all weird, but attractive because we have hope. Maintain your motivation. Things were just as difficult in Peter's time.  Have a healthy fear of GOs. There is a reward for how you live your lives. The price and plan of your salvation is because you have Jesus Christ. It was not because of perishable things that you are redeemed but through the grace of God. 

Enoy this beautiful season - take in the sights, smells, and sounds of fall.

Awesome Fall Evenings

This is my perfect autumn evening - and I am blessed enough to experience it.  The days are still warm but the evenings have a slight chill to it. These days are my very favorite time of the year, as I sure I have said 100's of times. A quiet evening with the crickets and and occasional bird song, a cup of coffee, and  wamring fire.

                                                  See this is what I am talking about 

 A friend of mine posted the following picture as a throwback to 1960. This was taken sitting on a water bubbler (fountain) in a small Wisconsin town after the annual Senior FHA Tea. (For those of you who do not know - FHA stands for Future Homemakers of America when Home Ec was taught in school). The organization was really a big deal, as if you were lucky enough you got to go to the convention (which I was privileged to do), be a officer of the organization, as I was, and try for and get the Betty Crocker Award, as I did. I am sorry if  it sounds like  am bragging on my accomplishments, but then it was really a big deal!!!! The Senior Tea was held at the Country Club (yes, there was one there) and all who attended had to wear the required hat and white gloves, and wear red and white. Boy, did we feel grown up! It was truly a special day. From the left Barb, me in front with the glasses and Karen behind me - we were the three musketeers as we always seemed to be together. Then next to me was Darla, considered to be the prettiest girl in our class, next to her was another dear friend, Louise, next to Louise was her cousin Karen, and behind her on the right was Gerri. These were the gals we were usually with. Friend Karen had her boyfriend's 1960 blue Ford convertible which she brought to school and we all piled into it and drove to the next small town, 9 miles away, for an ice cream cone or a frozen banana on a stick. The fun and carefree days. Notice that Karen and  have cat eye and rhinestone glasses!!!The funniest part of it was when I related this to my mother years later, she was shocked that the school allowed us to be free at noon times and let us "roam the countryside" in her words. She and my Dad owned a restaurant and wondered why I did not being them there at noon - hmmm, would you do that? Karen posted this in honor of our class's 61 reunion. One of girls here has passed away, as well as 3 husbands. 

                    We thought we were pretty cool - little did we know what life would bring 

Vance started another sermon series for us this last Sunday based on the Peter. We have stood fast in the grace of God. Peter's letter was a general epistle sent to all of the churches as well as a circular letter, meant to be passed around to the churches after being read to the others. Peter wrote to bring hope to those who were being persecuted for their belief in Christ. In 64AD, a great fire broke out in Rome. The rumor was that the head of the Roman Empire, Nero, started the fire, on order to rebuild Rome as he wanted it to be. He blamed the Christians for the fire,  Most of the Romans believed this- therefore Christianity was no longer welcome in Rome. Christians we persecuted but God had chosen them to be right there where the were at that time. They were considered strangers in Rome. We are strangers today as we were not meant for this world but for another world. Peter was was an apostle and very close to Jesus physically, as he was with Him most of the time. His name is mentioned in the 4 gospels more than any other apostle. He spoke to Jesus personally more than any other apostle. He started the church so that is why we are a church today. He was always put down but always managed to get back up. We  as Christians want to be that kind of people. We have hope because our future is incredibly hopeful kept in heaven because of the power of the resurrection. We have an inheritance in Jesus Christ. Our present is positively purposeful because of having Christ in out life. Keep trusting in the Lord, even though He is giving us trials in this life to use for His glory. He  allows us to go through trials to become stronger in our faith. Our testing is made to  make us stronger. Our past has been perfectly planned. God has always had a plan - we believe in a God who is in charge of  history. This will help us to have a firm foundation. God is in charge - He will fulfill His purposes. We have to retain hope in our deepest struggles. God is at work in you - stand fast in the grace of God.     

                 

September Lazy Days

It seems like that when September rolls around, we all tend to sit back and relax and enjoy the days before winter sets in. Lots of craft sales, yard sales, the tail ends of farmer's markets, cool evenings around a fire - all the wonderful things before settling in for colder weather, heavier jackets, and early evenings. 

Last December one of our daughters decided to train to run for a 5K (no reason, just set herself a goal). A co-worker , whom she did not know ran, heard her comment, and said he would train her. She has been working hard and finally ran on Saturday. Her greatest fear was that she would come in last as we tried t convince her that all she had to do was finish. We were there on Saturday (even her husband's cousin and wife came from WI to watch her run!). She was nervous as the race started - we stood at the finish line in order to celebrate her victory with her. She made it - and not in the least last!!! At first she said that it would be her one and only race - now she is considering running more of them. She is 51 years old, never an before, but her determination got her there. Guess we all should take a lesson from her grit in al things we do in life, from our life in the world as well as our spiritual world. Make a plan stick to it and yes, you will achieve it. Want to read through the Bible - make a plan for every day, a time and place, and you will accomplish it. Want to memorize Bible verses - do it. Chose someone to be accountable to (in addition to the the Lord) and let them hold you accountable. You are never too old. The word American says contains the words I Can.

                                                There she is in purple - and they're off

                                                                  so close to the end 

                                                                and across the finish line

                 Christine and her wonderful trainer, Larry, who ran the course with her, even though he                                                              probably would have been in the top ten finishers. 

We had a very inspirational speaker Sunday morning - a gentleman who was president of  Ozark Christian college when Pastor Vance attended there years ago. He instructed us on how to become  maximum impact church in today's world. How do you get  people to change for the better? People don't change simply because just don't have the desire. They don't change by being bullied into to or preached to. People grow best by community. Our peer group will bring out the best or the worst in us. Not attending a church is accepting God on your terms and not on His. Most people say that they don't have time for church or  that the church is full if hypocrites, or that it does not meet their standards. A church community is broken down because of a person's "wish dream and not reality. Why is the church indispensable to you. God is the inventor of life changes through community. the early Christian met as a "church" to hear the apostles preach. Today there are no apostles alive. We submit to the apostles' aunhority be learning the teaching of the Bible. The Bible is the milk bread and meat and honey on our spiritual learning. We also need to to be caring and serving together. God's people give their generosity to others - especially those in need. If you are not in  church, you are not learning or caring together. We need to keep worshipping together. Older adults tend to like more a traditional type of worship, and younger folks tend to like the contemporary service. We have to worship in humility - now matter the type of service, as well as witnessing together. The early churches were engaged in bringing others to Jesus Christ in repentance. Together we are related to the apostles - related in all ways. Being in the of a church will impact your life.

If you cannot go to His house on earth, how can you expect to live in His mansion in heaven? 

I'm Late

 "I'm  late, I'm late for  very important date, no time to say hello good-bye,  I'm  late, I'm late, I'm  late" said the white rabbit as he hurried to the Mad Hatter's Tea party. Yes, I am late this week - I was under the weather with an sinus infection and allergies (the ragweed is blooming).  I was supposed to help out at church on Sunday at the information booth, but because of the coughing I was doing, I thought it was best no to scare people. I am much better now.

We have been moving one daughter to about 35 miles away. She found a cute apartment on top of a mountain with a beautiful view closer to her work. A very quiet, secluded area which suits her well.

Our 9th great grandchild, Connor James, was born last Saturday. His mother Katie, bless her heart, had a rough time of it, but being the trooper she is, did a great job. Mom and baby are doing fine, Dad is a bit nervous yet (first child) but all is well. 

As we sat and watched the deer one morning, a doe and her twins came on the lawn, eating the sweet grass. We sat still as they munched closer, when a twin saw us, stood still, then stomped his foot - once, twice, and a few more time, just like a kid having a tantrum, trying to act grown up. We laughed at him ( yes, it probably was a buck) as he calmed own and continued eating, keeping an eye on us. The fawns are teenagers now, as they are losing their spots and are almost as tall as their mama.

So proud of our youngest daughter - she lost 75+ # and has been training for a marathon (at 51 yrs. old)! She races Saturday - we will be there to cheer her on. She does not want to set any speed records. Her goal is to just finish. 

Hebrews 10 is another book about encouragement. It is what we need to be able to come together. Although we we do not know the author of Hebrews, it was written for Jewish Christians who were considering going back the the old way as it was too difficult to be a Christian. The letter encourages the not to go back, to hang on to their Christianity. The author tells them of the dangers of turning back and facing and facing a fearful expectation of judgement and raging fire. Jesus has done everything we need to keep our relationship with His Father. He opened the way through His blood. We might feel distant from God if we have a guilty conscience. We need to confess our sin. Satan loves to convince us that God does not care about us. If you walk with sin in your life you will shrink back from the relationship with Him, so you can walk in confidence and not fear Him if you confess. "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful".  Hebrews 10:23. Let us learn to profess - to speak about the hope we profess to have. When you feel we alone and weak, come along beside each other to encourage each other. Find ways to encourage each other - we all need encouragement.