Golden Cottage Happenings

 

Greetings Gail-Friends!

We've been busy bees around Golden Cottage, so I have lots of good news and praises.

Jem and I celebrated nineteen years of happy marriage in May.  I am so thankful for my husband.  I know I go on and on about how wonderful he is, but he really is the best husband in the whole wide world.  I ask him sometimes, "How did I deserve such a good husband?"  He always says, "You said 'yes'!"  I often think how different my life could have been if I'd recognized his amazing qualities  way back when we dated fifty-plus years ago.   

I received a lovely bouquet of flowers that day and, here we are in June, and they are still giving me JOY!

My gift to him was a shopping trip to Ollie's (GOOD STUFF, CHEAP!) to pick out stuff for Golden Cottage Garden.  He found a nice ceramic pot the yellow-ish one with pink flowers and a flamingo wind chime. When we first married, we would buy a wind chime on our anniversary, but we ran out of places to put them (or they fell apart, etc.) So, we're starting a new tradition -- buying something for the garden. The flags were placed there for Flag Day.

 

We went out to an authentic Mexican dinner at a new place in Cocoa Village.  Jem really enjoyed the meal, but it was way to spicy for me, so never again!!! But we enjoyed our time together, and walked around the village shops afterward. We found a new business - an old-timey butcher shop called The Forgotten Block. They have fresh meats, cut to your order, as well canned preserves, salsa, jellies and jams. Jem bought this for his breakfast biskits.  

 We enjoyed our stroll because the weather was perfect that day - warm with a nice breeze off the river. 

 A perfect day in paradise!! 

Another part of our anniversary celebration was our vacation to the Florida Folk Festival and, as always, it was great.  It was really, really hot, but the festival always prepares for that.  Big fans are placed at each venue, and free ice-cold water is available in coolers in each area.  The stages are all covered by tents or shade.   But, this year I decided to be even more prepared for the heat.  We had neck fans!!  Wow - they are amazing!  And they are re-chargeable!

 

 

I also bought some new clothes - all linen or cotton/linen blend.  This makes a remarkable difference.  I had a good time shopping online for the clothes.  Had to return / exchange some, but I discovered a whole new way to shop.  And I love it!!!

Speaking of online shopping, we now order most of our food and supplies using our Walmart+ benefit.  They deliver for FREE if you sign up for the program. You do have to do a minimum order, but that's not hard to do for us.   It really is a help when we have to order heavy stuff like twenty-pound bags of birdseed and Black Cow for the garden.  It's helpful, too, for the heavy kitty litter jugs.  We love it.  

And...we're getting excited because Aldi is coming to our neighborhood in August.  It is much closer than Walmart, so we'll be using it a lot.  I like to order everything I can from them and then order the remainder from Walmart.

  Golden Cottage Garden is doing really well with flowers.  My peace plants are blooming, but again, the weather conditions are affecting them.   Our grass looks bad, but Jem's working on it. We'd bought some stuff that was supposed to help fill in the bare spots, but it only made it worse.  Gardening is hard in Zone 9 of Florida.  We're near the coast, too, so that plays into it.  And our soil is pure sand, so we decided to just do pots.  Jem works so hard in the yard and he amazes me with his strength.  He'll be seventy-nine soon and yet he keeps going like the energizer bunny.  I tell him he's a tough old bird.

 Here are a few pics - Jem had decorated with flags. 

 

The peace plants are doing okay, but not as good as in the past.  The heat is brutal.

 

The zinnias are so pretty.

I bought a package of wild flower seeds, and this is all that came up.  I don't know what it is, but it's so pretty.

 Veggies - not so much.  I picked my first lettuce harvest.  It was enough for a salad. But our other veggies have not produced - peas, squash, zucchini, and peppers did not work out.  I don't know if it was the seeds or the heat or the rain, but the lettuce is the only one that made it. :(

 Jem and I have started a healthy-eating plan and veggies are a big part of it, so we load up with those when we shop.  I feel so good when I stay away from sugar and prepared foods.  We are getting healthier and losing a few pounds at the same time.  

This is my favorite lunch these days - turkey, cheese, and pickle wraps with veggies on the side.

Well, Gail-Friends, I'm going to close out 'cause this post is getting long.  I've got more to share - like what we saw and did at the Florida Folk Festival, our grandson's concerts, and what's new with Toonie and Lucy. Oh, and I never did post about our Passover and Shavoat celebrations.  I'll be back soon.

Blessings to you all. 

 

 

Lord Lift Me Up - Part 6

This series by Nancy Campbell has been so encouraging to me and I hope it will bless you, too.  It's from Nancy's weekly e-mail devotional (used with her permission).  You can sign up for the e-mails on her website.  www.aboverubies.org 

 Today, Nancy continues verses that speak of lifting our hands.  One of the practices of Judaism is lifting our hands to bless the children each week.   I wrote about that in this previous post that I think will be interesting to you:  Blessings

PRESSING ON TO HIGHER GROUND

Part 6



  “And one of them some the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear and healed him”

(Luke 22:50,51).

We continue discovering Scriptures about lifting up our hands.

 

e) We lift up our hands in affirmation to truth



Ezra 8:6: “And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And ALL THE PEOPLE answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands . . .”

 

Do you find you like to do this? I love to raise my hands in agreement when someone is speaking the truth, don’t you? Oh yes, we can agree in our hearts and nod our heads, but did you know that you are allowed to raise your hand? It’s biblical. And there’s something about doing some action! Why don’t you try it in church one day? You can even shout Amen as the people in Jerusalem did! You’ll only have a riot or a revival. More likely a revival!

 

f). We lift up our hands to bless others

Leviticus 9:22: “And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people and blessed them.”

“

1 Kings 8:54: “And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD from kneeling of his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying . . .” Read also 2 Samuel 6:7-20.

 

Luke 24:50: “And Jesus led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.”

 

It is a lovely thing to lay your hands on those you pray for and bless in the name of the Lord.

 

g) We lift up our hands to bless our children

Don’t you love this Scripture in Mark 10:16: “And Jesus took them (the little children) up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” The Passion translation says: “Then he embraced (caressed) each child, and laying his hands on them, he lovingly blessed each one.” Read also Luke 18:15, 16.

 

h) We lift up our hands to serve others and help those in need

I love the way God’s Word is so practical and tangible. God writes words to us that get right down into the nitty gritty of how we live. 1 Peter 4:8 says: “And above all things have fervent love among yourselves.” The word fervent in this passage is “ektenes” and means “to stretch out, to extend the hand, intense.”

 

Love is more than a feeling. Love is action. If we have fervent love, we’ll be stretching out our hands. Of course, we do this all day long as mothers, don’t we? We are always reaching out for babies. We nurse them, hold them to us, or wear them in a baby carrier more than we leave them lying on their own. We continually reach out our arms to touch, caress, and hug our children. We cook for them and serve them food. We clean the house. This is love in action.

 

We extend our hands in hospitality. Immediately after reading “fervent love,” we read the admonition to “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” Hospitality doesn’t just happen. You have to cook. You have to prepare a table. Yes, you have to extend your hands. Get them working. But this is fervent love. It is biblical Christianity. It is the lifestyle of the early church. It is part of our “one anothering faith (Romans 1:12).

 

Our God is an hospitable God. He loves to reach forth His hands to bless people, but He is looking for our hands to use here on earth.

 

The virtuous woman “STRETCHES out her hand to the poor; yea she REACHES forth her hands to the needy” (Proverbs 31: 20).

 

When God reveals the picture of the lifestyle of the godly woman, we read that she reaches out her hands to embrace children, practice hospitality, wash the saints’ feet, relieve the afflicted and help those in distress, and continually stretches out her hands to all kinds of good works (1 Timothy 5;10). Nothing happens without reaching out our hands.

 

i)  We lift up our hands to pray for the sick

We reach out our hands in fervent love when we pray for the sick. The word is used in Matthew 8:3 when Jesus touched the leper: “And Jesus put forth (ekteino) his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Jesus was willing to touch the leper.

 

We should always be ready to touch or lay our hands on those who are sick and pray for them, beginning in the home with our families of course. God loves to “stretches forth His hand to heal (Acts 4:30).

 

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, Please help me to be always ready to reach forth my hands. You want me to reach forth my hands in praise to You. You want me to reach forth my hands to bless and pray for others. You want me get my hands working and reach them forth to serve others. Please anoint my hands to be “reaching forth” and “stretching forth” hands. Amen.”

 

AFFIRMATION:

I am not ashamed to be one who raises my hands to affirm the truth. I know God love us to affirm His truth.

 

Lord Lift Me Up - Part 4

 

Are you comfortable raising your hands in worship?  Did you know that it's Biblical? 

 

I remember the first time I raised my hands in church.  I was scared because my Baptist church looked down on it.  But the day I raised my hands in worship I was set free!  I've done it ever since, even in the church I mentioned.  I'll tell you another story about that at the end of Nancy's devotional.

This series by Nancy Campbell has been so encouraging to me and I hope it will bless you, too.  It's from Nancy's weekly e-mail devotional (used with her permission).  You can sign up for the e-mails on her website.  www.aboverubies.org

PRESSING ON TO HIGHER GROUND

Part 4

 "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees;

and make straight paths for your feet . . . "

(Hebrews 12:12, 13)

6. LIFT UP YOUR HANDS

There are many Christians who don't like to lift up their hands and yet there are so many Scriptures which encourage us to do this. Apart from the exhortation of the Scriptures, I think it is a natural thing to do. When I am reaching out to God in prayer or lifting up my heart to worship Him in song, I find it is inherent within me to reach out my hands to God. When we are longing after God and thirsting after Him in our inner man, we inherently want to do something tangible. As we lift up our hands to Him, we give action to our inner longings and it becomes more powerful and real to us.

Let's look at the Scriptures, shall we? I think you'll be surprised to see how many there are on this subject.

a)  We lift up our hands in prayer and worship

1 Kings 8:22, 23: "And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: And he said, LORD God, of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath . . ." (2 Chronicles 6:12, 13).

Psalm 28:2. "Hear the voice of my supplication when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle." David was speaking of the Holy of Holies which housed the shekinah glory of God. He longed for God's presence in his life. He couldn't contain it only within his heart. He had to lift up his hands toward God.

Psalm 63:1-4: "O God, thou art my God early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee . . . To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live, I will lift up my hands in thy name." How can we thirst and long after God without reaching up our hands to Him?

Psalm 134:2: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD." Do you lift up your hands when worshipping God in the congregation of the believers? This is a biblical admonition. Encourage your children to raise their hands as they worship God. Children are not as inhibited as adults and it's the best time to get them into the habit while they are young. It should be a habit of their lives and something they should never be embarrassed about. 

Psalm 141:1, 2: "LORD, I cry unto thee . . . Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." This Scripture gives us the pattern of coming to God every morning and every evening with the lifting up our hands in prayer. The golden alar of incense, which the priest would light every morning and evening, represented the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8; 8:3-5; and 9:13).

Lamentations 2:19: "Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the LORD: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street." In the Bible, lifting up the palms or hands is a metaphor for prayer. It is paramount with intercession and prayer.

Lamentations 3:41: "Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." If our heart is truly lifted up to the Lord, we will want to lift up our hands to Him too.

I must tell you this funny story about a friend of ours. He had grown up in a very conservative church and came into a church where people were lifting their hands in praise to God. He said in his heart that he would never do such a thing and determinedly kept his hands down. As the worship continued a wasp suddenly stung his elbow and immediately his hand shot up! He realized God was speaking to him and he was never afraid to raise his hands in worship after that!

1 Timothy 2:8: "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

More next week.

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

"Dear Father God, my heart reaches out after You. I need You. I want You more

than anything else in this world. And therefore I reach out my hands to You

too. I cannot help but reach out to You with my whole being. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am not ashamed to reach out my heart and my hands to the One who created

me and also died for me. He is worthy of all my praise and worship.

 

***

I was a member of a very large Baptist Church and on Wednesday nights, the children attended choir classes and then sat down front in the sanctuary during the Bible study time. One night, I was sitting in the balcony looking down on the little five-year old children's choir.  The orchestra began to play an up-beat, toe-tapping song.  A little girl jumped up, clapping, and dancing with with all her heart!  She made it about half-way to the pulpit before a choir teacher grabbed her and led her back to her seat.  It made me so sad.  I thought how wrong it was to dampen her joy in praising the Lord and only wish everyone could feel that free to worship God.

In our synagogue, we raise our hands, sing and dance, wave flags, play tambourines, and even shout for JOY!  I think it's such a blessing.

 

  

**Graphic by MiYah Music - used by permission

Till The Storm Passes By

 

I keep hearing this song in my head.  I remember going through a big storm years ago, sitting in my rocking chair with my precious baby girl, Melissa, in my arms.  The storm was crashing all around, but my heart was at peace as I sang this song:  Till the Storm Passes By. 

America is going through a storm right now -- as we prepare to determine that Trump will be the duly elected president.  Evil forces abound, but God is greater.  The evidence of fraud is overwhelming, but remember, this is a spiritual battle.  The evil one doesn't give up easily.

And just in case you do not follow the news through alternative sources, you may not be aware that the election was:
• Pandemically-rigged with Covid 19
• Constitutionally-rigged by States ignoring Election Laws
• Digitally-rigged with fraction-magic electronic voting
• Conventionally-rigged with ballot-stuffing
• Agency-rigged by three-letter agencies turning a blind eye
• Judicially-rigged by courts turning a blind eye
• Media-rigged by lies and contempt for free speech
• Psychologically-rigged

Here's an important article -- very interesting:  Collection of Evidence on Fraud

We were born for such a time as this to do the following:

•     Pray and do spiritual battle.  See Ephesians 6:10-18
•     Live in obedience to His Holy Word so that our prayers are not hindered.  Remember this verse:  Those who abandon Torah praise the wicked, but those who keep Torah fight them. (Proverbs 28:4)
  
•     Do our duty as American citizens by contacting our members of Congress - both the Senate and the House. Tell them to look at the huge mountain of evidence and then to do their duty to assure a true, fair, and LEGAL election.  And if they respond with a "vague" side-stepping answer, say something like this (borrowed from a friend):
  

" I recently emailed you about my concern over the Nov 3 elections. You responded by saying we need to let the process play out as prescribed by law. 

You are missing the point completely. That process can not be followed when you have justices on the bench who refuse to even hear the cases. This is a miscarriage of justice in itself. I don't care if they don't want to get in the middle of an election, the problem is, there is ample proof in several states, laws were broken and the fair election process was not followed. But there will be no justice when the justices on the bench refuse to do their jobs. 

That is where you should be stepping up and declaring you can not legitimize potential corrupt votes to be allowed through the electoral  process. You really need to see some of the accusations, military ballots with no fold lines, video (manipulated) proves ballots were scanned multiple times, win..dows blocked refusing clear transparency, observers denied access to view ballots meaningfully. 

If it was a fair election, there would be no objections to forensic audits. 

Please step up on Jan 6 and refuse to allow electoral votes to be cast from corrupt state elections." 

~~

** This  post is part of a series to encourage believers and also to defeat the spirit of heaviness.  Singing and dancing is part of spiritual battle that defeats the enemy of our souls...and the soul of America.  See the first post HERE.

In His Presence

 

 
Sunrises and sunsets overwhelm me with the glory of Adonai.  My heart overflows with love and worship.  How can any person not believe in Him when all creation declares His presence ?

I've lost two loved ones in the past two weeks -- my dear friend and sister, Linda, and my sweet Uncle Cecil who passed away on Sunday.  I miss them both so much.  Yes, I know I have the blessed hope of seeing them again one day, but I still feel such an emptiness in my heart.  Praising God always helps me get through times like these.  

My dear uncle was the only remaining sibling on my father's side of the family.  He was so much like Daddy -- it was almost like being with him again.  I treasure the phone conversations and visits we had over the last few years. Please pray for his family, and me, as we go through this dark valley, holding tight to the Good Shepherd's loving hand.

I'm continuing my series of music to praise Adonai, to do battle in the spirit -- and to lift the heaviness I feel.  I pray this song will bless you as it does me.  In Your Presence by Paul Wilbur with lyrics

I've shared this song before, but it perfectly describes the joys of His presence.  I pray you will be still, look around you at the beauty of His creations -- the skies, birds, flowers -- and praise Him.  Your heart will lift, and you will find sweet rest in His presence.

 

He's Been Faithful To Me!

 

Today's song is He's Been Faithful to Me by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir - please listen to the words and remember all the times He's been faithful to you and Praise HIM!!!

This song always makes me cry. as I remember all the times God has been faithful to me.  I have many of them recorded in my prayer journal.  I write them down because when troubles come along, it's easy to forget all the things He's done over the seventy years of my life.

This is a good thing to do daily - make a list of all the things God has done for you.  A good start is:

He covered me in my mother's womb
He gave me LIFE!!
I can see
I can walk
I can talk
I can hear
I have strength
Food on the table
A roof over my head

You get the idea, right?

It's a good practice to list at least three things you're thankful for every day.  I have a little green notebook by my bed, and I make my list before I go to sleep.  It's good to count your blessings as you lie down, and when you wake during the night, too.  Those things are part of His faithfulness to us.  Everything comes by His loving hand.

I believe the next two weeks are critical to the future of America.  Evil forces are working to steal the election from President Trump.  We who believe in Adonai as the Almighty One Who Works Wonders and Miracles are doing battle with those evil forces through prayer, praise, and doing our duty as citizens of our beloved country.  

As a part of this battle, I'm going to posting updates about this battle along with prayers and praise songs.  The enemy of our souls hates praise.  He has to flee when we resist him with God's Word and words of praise to Adonai and Yeshua. 

Have a JOY-filled Christmas!

 

Lots of people on my heart - those who are sick, those who have lost loved ones, those who are going through lock-downs because of Covid... and the attack on my beloved country through the election. If not for GOD, I would despair. But because HE lives, I can face tomorrow...and look forward in JOY.  Nothing that happens takes Him unaware.  He is in control.

 

Even though my heart aches, it's Christmas -- and I believe this Scripture from Isiah 61: 1-3:

    He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,  to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor  and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn  to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,     the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,  that they might be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Adonai, that He may be glorified.  (TLV)

So, dear Gail-Friends, let's put on the garment of praise to defeat that spirit of heaviness. It works. 

I'm going to be posting my favorite praise videos over the next few days. Let's give HIM the gift of our praise...please post your favs, too,in the comments below so I can praise with you.  And if you have any prayer requests, let me know so I can pray with you.

 

I love this song so much:  I Have Seen The Light with lyrics so we can all sing along.

 https://youtu.be/LdPSxqa9TLU

 

Let's just praise the Lord -- lifting holy hands with grateful hearts for the gift of His Son, Yeshua our Messiah and Savior.  Have a WORSHIP-FULL and JOY-FULL Christmas, Gail-Friends. 

30 Days of Praise - Day 30 - America and Our President

Father, I praise You for the United States of America.  You have abundantly "shed Your grace on us" as the song says.  We have been blessed beyond measure and much more than any other country in history.  I believe the Biblical principles on which we were founded have been our saving grace.

When we began as a country, the Bible was used as a basis for our laws.  Those cornerstones made a solid foundation that has endured until recently.  We have strayed from those guidelines.  No, we have thrown Your laws behind our backs as a country.  It happened gradually for a while, but over the last twenty years, we have been sliding with lightning speed into a great abyss.  You are our only hope now.  Unless we repent individually, and as a nation, we are doomed.

I have searched my heart and repented of all known sins and thank You for your loving forgiveness through Yeshua, our Messiah.  Now, I'm walking in Your commandments so that my prayers will not be hindered.  I'm interceding for my beloved country.  I'm praying for a revival of righteousness and justice.  I pray for people to return to obedience to Your laws and Your ways (Torah).  I beg Your mercy for the United States of America, but I know it will only happen as we are humbled through a holy fear of You, repentance for our sins, and obedience to Your Word.

I praise You for giving us a very unique president.  Donald J. Trump is a  man of principle,  a man who loves this country, and a man who is a relentless, mighty warrior.  He has worked tirelessly for the past four years to turn America around.  He's not perfect just as we all are not perfect.  But, he confesses openly his faith in You and is guiding us back to Your principles.  Because he is taking such a strong stand, he is being attacked viciously by the evil one.

We are in a spiritual war right now. A big, noisy battle is going on in our country and a silent war is going on in the spiritual realm.  We've been reminded many times by people in the know about this and told to put on our spiritual armor and to use our weapons of warfare*.


President Trump is fighting and we are fighting with him.  Every day, I pray for his safety and for him to be led in the path of righteousness and justice. Thank You for answering those prayers.   I believe he was born for such a time as this.  You are using him in many ways to save our country and our religious freedom in America, and I thank You for guiding him.

But, ultimately, our faith and our victory come from You, Father.  You deserve all the glory for what is happening and for the coming revival.  I praise You for the souls who will be saved and for the advancement of Your Kingdom.

* 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV)

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)
⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

 Ephesians 6:11-18 (KJV)
  
 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
  ¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

I  hope you'll leave a word of praise for our Heavenly Father in the comments below - even if it's just one word - Haleluyah!  Let's praise Him together every day during April.  
 Be sure to visit Day 1 to learn about my giveaway on May 1.   

30 Days of Praise Day 29 - Hope

*

Father, I praise You for hope.  You've been faithful to me since I was a little girl.  I often wonder how people function without knowing You and trusting You to work things out.

My trials and troubles have been many, and only one time did I lose hope.  I felt like You'd abandoned me because things didn't work out the way I wanted.  So, I decided not to talk to You anymore.  I will never forget the feeling I had when I didn't hear Your voice speaking to my heart.  It was horrible.  I felt lost and empty.

As I lay on my bed that night, I prayed for forgiveness and told You I never, ever wanted to go through not hearing Your voice again.

That night, You renewed my hope.  As time went on, things worked out much better than I ever dreamed they could.

I came out of that trial with a new perspective and the rock-solid belief that You will always work everything out for my good.  And You have ever since.  It's been twenty-five years and my hope is still in You.

Thank You for this comforting verse that I memorized over forty years ago:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, 

to them who are the called according to his purpose.

(Romans 8:28  KJV)

~~~

I  hope you'll leave a word of praise for our Heavenly Father in the comments below - even if it's just one word - Haleluyah!  Let's praise Him together every day during April.  
 Be sure to visit Day 1 to learn about my giveaway on May 1.   

 I sometimes share my posts with these friends:

 
  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays

 Hearth and Soul Link Party
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday  Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

Party In Your PJs

30Days of Praise Day 28 - Smiles

Father, I praise You for smiling faces.  I don't see as many now with people wearing masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed seeing the expressions on faces when out and about.

I smile at people, but they don't smile back -- because they can't tell I'm smiling!!

So, thank You for these ideas You gave me today. I can raise my eyebrows, or wave, or just nod and say hello.  I can even paint or stitch a smile on my mask.  But the main thing is to connect!  Help me to reach out to the sad eyes until this pandemic ends.

I  hope you'll leave a word of praise for our Heavenly Father in the comments below - even if it's just one word - Haleluyah!  Let's praise Him together every day during April.  
 Be sure to visit Day 1 to learn about my giveaway on May 1.   

 I sometimes share my posts with these friends:

 
  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays

 Hearth and Soul Link Party
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday  Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

Party In Your PJs

30 Days of Praise Day 27 - His Strength

Father, I praise You today for Your strength.  I know there are many who feel like they just can't make it through this quarantine.  People have lost jobs, some have experienced sicknes,s and even death, in their families.  The future looks grim when we hear the news talking about another long stay-at-home period.  Help us all to be patient and trust our president, and most of all, You.

Thank You for the lesson You taught me about how to turn to You when I feel like I can't go on.  That day taught me something no one can ever take away from me, and I praise You with my whole heart for your goodness and mercy and patience with me as I've learned this and many more wonderful things about You that no one can ever take away from me.

~~~

Dear Gail-Friends, I want to share this story with a prayer that it will help You if You don't already know this wonderful truth about our Heavenly Father.

Have you ever been so weary that you couldn't take another step?  Maybe you feel that way right now.  Take heart, dear one.  You will get through, and He will give you His strength to press on.  All you have to do is ask Him.  Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

If you're bone-tired and spirit weary, I hope this song will minister to you, as it has me, many, many times. His Strength Is Perfect by Michael W. Smith

The song was introduced to me about five years ago.  My oldest daughter was in the hospital emergency room in critical condition.  I hadn't slept in almost twenty-four hours. While her husband arranged for her admittance,  I sat with my head back against the wall, wondering how I'd be able to hold my head up one minute longer.  All I could pray was, "God, help me hold on."

A security guard walked into the room and sat a radio on the small desk near my chair.  He turned it on and walked away. The song played softly, and it was as if my Heavenly Father wrapped His arms around me in a gentle hug.  As I listened to the words, I felt His strength flow into my tired body and exhausted spirit.  I was renewed, and able to continue for several more hours until my daughter was admitted.

I learned a valuable lesson through that hard experience.  I learned about His enabling strength.  It is great, and it's available when we ask Him.  I'm so thankful He taught me this.  As with every hard thing I've gone through in life, I know something about HIM that no one can ever take away from me.

Please let me know if you need prayer right now for anything.  I'll be blessed to pray for you, Gail-Friends.

I  hope you'll leave a word of praise for our Heavenly Father in the comments below - even if it's just one word - Haleluyah!  Let's praise Him together every day during April.  
 Be sure to visit Day 1 to learn about my giveaway on May 1.   

 I sometimes share my posts with these friends:

 
  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays

 Hearth and Soul Link Party
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday  Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

Party In Your PJs

30 Days of Praise Day 26 - Birds

I praise You, Father, for birds  - for their beauty, their songs, and for the spiritual lessons they've taught me.  And I thank You for the new bird that visited the backyard feeder this week.  When I saw that flash of bright red, I knew I'd never seen it before, so I ran for my camera.  I was able to get several shots over the next few days, and I identified it as a male rose-breasted grosbeak.  They migrate to the tropics from Canada and the northern states during the winter.  I guess this one was headed back home.

Over the week, I watched the new bird fight for turf with the local woodpecker.  The redhead told the grosbeak, "This is MY favorite spot, so get outta here!"  The new guy would have none of it and fought back.  The woodpecker finally gave up.  It was interesting!

When I enlarged the photos, I noticed a definite pattern on the back of the grosbeak.  I've noticed this in many birds and know that it is for protection. I looked closely and saw what looks like a mask or the face of a black and white cat.  Father, it amazes me how You care for the birds enough to design them with protection in their feathers. 

It made me think of how You protect us, Your children.  You created us with protection, too.  We have an immune system that protects us from sickness.  Fevers burn to destroy the infection.  Our skin protects us, too.  I'm thinking of how our skin is different in different parts of our bodies.  Around our eyes, it is very thin, while on our feet it is very thick.  Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made, and I praise You for that, and I thank You for protecting us from the current plague -  the coronavirus.

You said to "consider the birds", and I thank You for my new feathered friend, and for giving this bird nerd another "bird blessing".

~~~
Dear Gail-Friends, I have a treat for you.  Here's a video of a male rose-breasted grosbeak for your enjoyment.  If you love birds like I do, you'll want to bookmark this website:  www.allaboutbirds.org

~~~~

 I hope you'll leave a word of praise for our Heavenly Father in the comments below - even if it's just one word - Haleluyah!  Let's praise Him together every day during April.  
 Be sure to visit Day 1 to learn about my giveaway on May 1.   

 I sometimes share my posts with these friends: 

 
  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays

 Hearth and Soul Link Party
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday  Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

Party In Your PJs