Family Time

We were privileged to have two of our sons visit us this summer.  Marc and his family in June and Tim and his family in August.  So, we were able to visit with all the grandkids but three.  Hopefully, we will see the others this year too!  Chloe our Great granddaughter will be TWO YEARS OLD on the 25th of this month.  I can't wait to see her.  I know she's grown so much since I saw her last August.  And OH MY, Kailee has grown-up so fast.  She's going into HIGH SCHOOL this year!

Here are some photos taken during these visits:

Nana and Poppy relaxing at the camp site.

Our oldest son, Tim on the Carousel at Coolidge Park in Chattanooga,TN

Below- the THREE MEN on a bench!

Kailee at the Camp

 

This is a photo of the inlet (a part of Harrison Bay-Tennessee River) that Tim & Terri were camping at. We live less than 4 miles from this park.  And we take long walks here.  It's beautiful, especially early spring and fall.

 

 

 

This is a pic of the fountain area at Coolidge Park and the kids are allowed to play in it.  There are all these zoo animal fountains surrounding the center fountain.  They have a lot of fun during the HOT summer days.  This park is right next to the TN River.  If you look off in the distance you will see one of the four bridges that cross the river into the City of Chattanooga.  WE LOVE IT HERE!

 

I've already posted some of Marc and Shenyle's  Florida Beach Vacation, but I have some more to post and will next time.

Well that is all I have time for this year.  I have more to post and more to write... but it will have to wait until later.

Who's Your GOD?

Again, I refer back to my Sunday School class last week and the lesson for that day.

"Jesus Loves you and wants to be your God"

In teaching the lesson to my young students I was again reminded of what's important from the simple lesson I was teaching.

All week I've been mulling over in my mind the lesson title and realizing that is really all God wants from us, is to be our GOD.  God with a Capital "G".  We have many gods (lower case "g") in our lives.  They can be all encompassing gods or as trivial as a "Starbucks" latte.  It all depends on our attitude. 

Can you "take it or leave it" or is your life "upside down" if you don't have it? or do it? or buy it? or wear it? 

I remember a time many, many years ago, hubby had ben laid off from his job and there wasn't any money coming in.  NONE!  We had two infant sons at that time and didn't have any money to pay the gas bill.  It was disconnected!  Oh me!  I thought the world had come to an end.  I was very young then and pregnant with our third son...  :D   Life changed drastically for me for a few days!  It was winter and cold.  I went into a "pity party" attitude.  We finally got a small electric heater and put it in our bedroom and that was the only warm room in the house.  We lived in that room for several days.  Cooked on a hot plate and ate in the bedroom. 

Needless to say, we survived!  At the time I thought life was awful  :D.  Whew, has my perception of life changed.  After 37 years.... YES, Praise God, it has.  God has a way of giving you a NEW outlook on LIFE. 

Even what we think of as necessities can become "gods" or "idols" in our lives.  Not everyone in this world has the luxury of "flipping the switch".

In spite of all the above... all HE wanted was to be MY GOD through whatever came my way. 

I feel that the United States is spiraling downward quickly and not just in morals, etc. but in the way we live and consume.  I feel that eventually we're going to be covertly "owned" by China.  My son's plant just closed down because of China.  We get everything from China.  Oh my, I won't get on that soap box.

Do I live the simplest life I could?  NO!  Do I still consume? Of course!  But I'm trying to learn not to buy needless junk... stuff I find that once home I never use.  I really NEEDED it didn't I?  I am trying to eat healthy and eat more organic (without additives and hormones added, or genetically grown) foods!  It's hard to change. 

I'm not doing away with change or learning new things or even technology in general... but hey, let's LIVE LIFE and not lead a life fed to us by the MEDIA or Hollywood.  Our individual time span on this earth isn't very long.  Let's make the most of it.

CHOOSE GOD to be your GOD!

A Story from my mind...

The following is a story I've started this morning as it came to mind, it's unfinished and I'm still working on it...

 

The White House Past

The house on the hill glowed white against the stark blackness of the night as if it were painted with moon dust. Chesnee stood at the vine covered entrance gate as memories of the past bombarded every nerve ending she possessed.

Shuddering, she gasped for air. “Oxygen, she needed oxygen.” Inhaling as much as her lungs could hold, and then exhaling slowly, slowly, savoring the release of tension that had her body paralyzed . She slipped through the gate and stood still, listening for the subtle night sounds.

Creeping closer and closer to the white glow she became aware of the shadows flitting from room to room and window to window. “Who were they or what where they?” she whispered to the darkness.

Chesnee remembered being told the house was vacant and had been abandoned many years ago by the legendary Coolidge family. She had become fixated on the previous owners spending hours of her precious time online or in the libraries researching the history of each owner, filling endless notebooks with articles, photos, and even mundane gossip provided by the locals.

She stood up straightening her back bone in an attempt to muster courage to move her feet toward the door. She was finally going to step inside after all these years. Chesnee glanced down at her lifeless feet. It felt as if the past was forbidding her to move forward.

“Come on, MOVE IT!” she told her feet. Lifting her right foot then her left, she inched closer to the path leading to the side door. She wasn’t quite ready to boldly walk through the front door. Besides, if she entered through the side door, maybe her entrance would go unnoticed by the occupants inside. Chesnee wanted time to investigate the rooms of the past before announcing her presence to the INVADERS of the house.

Reaching out tentatively she touched the door knob. NOTHING! Bewildered and unsure of her feelings, she turned the knob inch by inch. Cautiously pushing the door open, Chesnee peered through the crack in the door.

To be continued. . .

Out of the mouths of babes...

Where do I start?  I wish I had been journaling all these amazing things I hear from my Sunday School students!  I could write a book.  Children are wonderful and amazing little people, if you REALLY listen to them.  Hardly a Sunday goes by that I'm not either almost in tears (they can relate some heart-wrenching stories) or chuckling to myself listening to them.

Children are much more aware of what's going on around them than we realize!  They can be as talking, doing some activity with their hands, and even scuffling with their best friend and STILL be aware of what you're saying and what's going on in their presence.  Don't be fooled by that "blank" look they can give you!   :) 

I've been teaching on angels, heaven, salvation, etc. the last few Sundays and this past Sunday I was teaching on heaven, what it's like, how to get there, who'll be there, etc.  And when I gave the illustration of  "in the twinkling of an eye"... and we'll rise to meet Him in the air... and I said "kind of like a balloon when you let it go"... and one little guy said, very earnestly and seriously, " You mean we're going to BLAST off?"  Yes, Robert... one of these days we are going to blast off this ole earth... and we've got to be ready.

Kids do make you think about things... sometimes we just rattle something off to satisfy their persistent curiosity... but they do hear what we say!

This same little guy, who is into all the ACTION heroes of this world... when I was telling about how Jesus could have called 100's, 1000's, and even 10,000 and more of angels to save him from dying on the cross... Robert's little eyes became very thoughtful and he repeated after me, "100's, 1,000's and tens of thousands of angels, WOW, a whole ARMY of Angels".  He was totally in awe that Jesus didn't call his army of angels to save him from dying.  That he chose to die on the cross for our salvation.  It is awesome.  It never ceases to saturate my soul with His love and compassion when I hear this preached or relate this to my students.  It is not an "occurrence" way in the past!  When we come to Jesus for salvation... he has died for each and every one of us.

The ANGELS rejoice when we find Jesus!  How awesome can that be?  My students thought that was neat and proceeded to "rejoice" like they thought the angels do!  (I wish we could let loose and do what they were doing in our worship services, or at least do it more often than we do.) 

He is JOY Unspeakable and FULL of GLORY...

 

(I will try to remember and write what I hear... it's awesome and amazing to listen to these little people.)

Ready, Willing, Waiting...

Judges 4:15-22 (English Standard Version)

15 And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.

17But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid." So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19And he said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty." So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20And he said to her, "Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say, 'No.'" 21But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died. 22And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking." So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

Jael had become tired and disgusted with the injustice in the land. She was not easily intimidated or fearful. She was not a "me" person. Her interest went beyond herself and she observed what was going on around her. She was concerned for "all" involved and how what was happening effected all around her. She was not a "for the moment" person. Jael realized there was more than just her needs and desires. Her interest and concern went beyond her own peace and security! She knew there was MORE! When her time came... she didn't hesitate to drive that peg through his head. She killed the enemy. She took advantage of the opportunity that came her way and accomplished her purpose for that day! How many times have we let the opportunity to "kill" the enemy slip by us?

How often do we wake up feeling... "LORD, what does today hold?" "What is my purpose for today?"

I recently heard... "heavy clouds today, but no rain..." Do you often feel the heaviness of heart (a burden) but don't see any rain? We look up and see the rain clouds, but never feel the rain fall on our cheeks! Could the rain we need to feel on our cheeks be the tears of repentance, submission, and commitment? We must be in a place to receive the rain from above.

Jael was willing to risk her own life so that others could find peace, security, and prosperity. Are we willing to sacrifice so that others can find this truth?

I've been doing a lot of thinking :) lately... and one of my thoughts has been on the question of, "What are the IDOLS in my life?" "What keeps me from praying, reading THE WORD, studying THE WORD, and my total commitment to soul winning?"

Think about what IDOLS you have in your life. Is it something that takes up your time? Is it something that puts you in financial bondage? Is it something that consumes your thoughts? Is it something unbiblical?

Please, don't misunderstand me... We are here in this world and we live "LIFE". I'm not talking about never having any enjoyment in life or even having things we enjoy. But when they consume us and deprive us of an "intimate" relationship with Jesus our Savior... something's not right. Sure, there might be times when we must miss church for work... but not consistently! If we choose (and I know these are hard times financially) to miss church consistently, eventually it will show outwardly because inwardly we are starving and malnourished. We must HEAR the WORD preached and taught.

God's choice to use Jael was because she was willing, obedient (the opposite of obedient is rebellious), and had a yielded heart. She was READY to be used. She was WAITING to be used. She ANTICPATED being used, and GOD used her.

Are we WILLING, READY, OBEDIENT and WAITING in ANTICIPATION for God to use us?

Just a few thoughts on my heart... God's blessings on all.

A Good Report...

God is good all the time, all the time God is good...

Even as we journey through trials and hard places in life... Yes, God is STILL good! He's still in charge and still is Master of our lives.

This has been a tumultuous week for me. Again, I had to endure the process of "cancer or cancer free".

Thursday I was scheduled for my quarterly Cystoscopy and biopsies. Always, with the negative thought trying to invade my mind, "will they find invasive cancer this time?"

• 5:25 am Up and getting Bud (husband) ready and off to work.
• 6:25 am Good Bye Kiss, Bud tells me, "I love you and you know I've been praying for you and will be thinking about you today." I observe the "worried" look behind his expression. He's going to work this morning and will be back around 11:30 am to take me to the hospital.
• 6:30 am I sit in my recliner reading and trying to calm my mind. Jesus and I have a wonderful conversation. I am assured that all is in HIS HANDS and nothing is going to happen to me that is not His Will. We will go through this together, Hand in Hand!
• 8:00am The craving for my morning coffee (I can do without the FOOD... just give me my coffee!!!) is strong... I have to get up and DO something to avoid the Caffeine URGE!
• 9:00 am The URGE passes...
• 10:45 am Start to get my things ready... pack my little black bag.
• 11:00 am Shower, fix hair... and I'm ready to go when Bud gets here.
• 11:30 am Bud's home and changes clothes, grabs his Bible and a book.
• 12:15 pm Dad, Mom, Bud and I have prayer and we're off for the hospital's Same Day Surgery Department.
• 12:45 pm Nurse calls and says can I come in NOW... he's got an early opening. YES, I want this over with... "I'm in the parking lot now... will be up in 10 minutes."

And thus the day goes on... I was back in the preliminary surgery area and the man next to me was having a complete Cystectomy done and the bed across from me was have a Nephrectomy. I am lying there calmly, basking in the love of Jesus and feeling his peace enfolding me with the comfort I need for this circumstance of life!

I hate to be anesthetized! I don't like NOT being in control of my person! But once the injection... I quickly fall asleep.

• 3:30 pm I peek out from under my heavy eyelids... "Yes!!! ...I'm still among the living."

When I'm finally able to answer questions, the nurse asked... "Do you want something to drink?" "YES...strong black coffee!" And she brings it to me, "Freshly brewed." Ummm, so good! Could this be a sin? :) I sincerely hope not!

Finally, I'm back in the room and they are getting me ready to leave in an hour or so. I'm not nauseated this time... wonderful! I feel pretty good... Actually, I feel wonderful! It's GOOD NEWS... the surgeon did find a small spot... feels he got it all and took the usual biopsies of different areas of the bladder. Told Bud he felt all is well... and nothing to worry about!

• 5:45 pm HOME... home never looked so good to me! Bud fixed a wonderful dinner of yellow squash, corn on the cob, carrots, peppers, cabbage, candied sweet potatoes, and Italian meatballs. It really is a pleasing combination... :D

Yes, God is good all the time. Even had I received a BAD report... God would still have been there... and He still would have been GOOD! He is ever present with us!

PS ~ A bit of humor: While getting ready for surgery... the nurse told me that I would have to take off my hairpiece! :D Bud quickly told her that was NOT a hairpiece. You could see the look of disbelief in her eyes. So, I took out the two clips holding my hair up and down it fell... she said... "Oh my gawd...that really is all yours." :D

Tuesday's Muse...

I Woke up this morning feeling fine... I woke up with heaven on my mind...

This morning was beautiful.  Had I time, I would have sat on the porch for a while savoring the smell and taste of the soothing liquid in my "mug" and enjoyed the morning coolness, listened to the song birds, and resting my eyes upon the myriad of colors of the flowers.  Yes, today was a GOOD DAY to be living for Jesus!

  This is a photo of one of the birds enjoying our offering. Aren't the yellow gladiolas beautiful? 

 

 

The photo is of our Day Lilies.  They are a vibrant burnt orange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is part of our front porch.  We enjoy our flowers and front porch.  The glider came from hubbies parents and several generations have enjoyed it.  The Triple planter stand came from his parents also.  I'm rather sentimental and these items were always on their front porch.  I wanted it on ours too.  So, we now have them! 

 

 

This is Bud's grapevine and some mums that our youngest son left with us for taking care of their puppy while they vacationed in Florida. 

 

         This is "Teddy".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our tomatoes are coming along nicely and we've already picked a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bud enjoying the glider and the fruit of his labor. We love plants and gardening.

 

 

 

 

Our sons and grandsons still enjoy the glider which is probably over 40+ years old.  That's my dad and his dog and Marc our youngest son and his son, our grandson, Micah.  I've more photos of family that I'll post at a later date.

 

Just thought I'd share a bit with you this evening.