GOD'S WORK---JOIN HIM THERE!

GOD'S WILL! ASK

GOD'S PATH! SEE

GOD'S PLAN.........

JOIN HIM THERE!

PRUNING FOR 2026

OUCH! A BIG OUCH!

OUCH FOR A PURPOSE!

Clearing clutter! In our much smaller house we're beginning to look like hoarders. In our minds, we can't hold it all.  

Prune to eliminate superfluous. Think unneeded.

How does one distinguish in the worthy? 

Decluttering means giving not having.

God's Word is worthy! All of God's word is purposeful!

Allow His Word  continue to touch your heart. 

Think purposeful pruning to allow the fruitful to dominate.

........verses of hope

.......so that you may abound in hope;

.......call unto God for answers;

.......first, seek God and His righteousness;

..........Bless the LORD with every part of your being;

Prune fear, control and self centeredness that deters fruitfulness!

Nurture and Embrace Jesus the King of Kings; necessary to allow more fruitfulness!

COMPLAINTS BE GONE!

Camping out in the Psalms has been an ongoing pursuit for me. Relative/friend Bonnie, knows of my predilection for that book of the Bible and recently gave me a large print (YES!) devotional of 100 days of worship w/ word search in the Psalms.

Complaining is not a godly characteristic. Yet, God listens to us in our times of trouble just as He listened to David cry out to Him in Psalm 142!

How grateful I am to be able to vent my frustrations to Him knowing He can change my heart.

From grumpiness to gratitude!

Rid me of my upside down thought life as I give my thoughts to you, O Lord!

Thanks for using a simple writing activity to guide me in a new direction.

Without complaint!

REFRESH OTHERS WITH LOVE!

It's a new month!

May all be done in the LORD'S love to Refresh others!

SNOW DAY COMETH!

WINTER WEATHER ALERTS!

Our news forecast for ice, snow with gusty winds and COLD temps have continued for over two weeks.....but mostly avoided us! 

UNTIL TODAY!

Snow as seen from our side door and outside our great room window.....

......and it continues!

Another season of weather....a bit like season's of life. Up and down!

Be as prepared as you can for seasonal struggles and the "winters" of life. 

Trust God, who is control of all our elements, for the results of all the snow days that cometh! (Psalm 74:17)

FRIDAY JANUARY 30, 2026 6:58 PM CST

Elnora Williams

March 2, 1942--January 30, 2026

A Jesus Lover

Elnora---a part of our family since December 1978!

Elnora in 1980 with our youngest.

Dearly loved by so many for so long. Sorely missed! 

Resting in Peace! (Isaiah 57:2, NCV)

A few fave pix from all my Thursdays with Elnora.

 

 

 

BLURSDAY--THURSDAY!

I don't know if it's plaque on the brain, age-related or the COLD Winter Weather alert for the past week, but I rarely know what time it is or what day it is! Thanks to Renee B. & my squad, I have been receiving pix lately that give me reminders. Grateful for those early morning hints! I pray for my daily folks before I even get out of bed.

Today, I was very late getting to my prayer chair and noticed that my "Word A Day" was still on Monday. I knew it wasn't Monday but after that my memory was a bit hazy! "Word A Day" was a gift from "My" Molly who understands both my memory lapses as well as my "grammarian bent" of love for words and their usage.

Voilà!!

There it was! Who doesn't know what Blursday is!

How grateful I am to be able to laugh at myself and all my maladies!

As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, there is a time for every matter under the sun. Today at my house there was building up, laughing and dancing!

Glad you could join me!

TUESDAY TRAUMA!

WHY?

WHY so many Potential Scams in less than 24 hours?

Why bother to even check the phone when it rings?

Are the elderly targets?

I know Scripture advises us not to lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

I'm weary with fear of being hacked! I'm wanting life the way it once was as I recall my mother saying! Even Ecclesiastes 7:10 advises against doing that.

So.....I repent of my fear and pray for the Lord to forgive me and sustain me with His truth!

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4)

Even if I have to repeat the process again and again---

I am grateful God hears my cries for help.

TRUST GRAMMATICALLY!

Today, we go to sign our wills AGAIN! A redo of our wills for at least the 3rd time. We had hoped to set up a "trust" but in this itty bitty town that can't happed.

However, I am more focused on trust as a verb. 

A verb that emphasizes faith in action!

Trust God in all times and in all ways. Acknowledge Him daily to guide your paths. Trust leads to straight paths.

Continuous Action = grammatically correct trust.

SATURDAY SHORT: RHYMING!

STAY FAITHFUL AND GRATEFUL TO HIM!

If rhyming helps to remember---use it!

F-F-FRIDAY F-F-FRIGHT!

Severe Winter Weather Alert!!

A friend's prediction......

SURELY NOT!!

A Friday Funny, maybe!

Hoping it'a time to laugh....not a time to weep! (Ecclesiastes 3:4a)

DANCE TO THE MUSIC!

Listen to the Music!

Dance to the Music. 

Take a Rest! Repeat!

A musical rest is part of emphasizing the music melody. Even in the melody of life, rests are important.

He (God) brings a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives, (L.B. Cowman, p. 44)

God has THE plan for the music of our lives!"Our part is to learn the tune and not be discouraged during the rests." (John Ruskin, paraphrased, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1207851-there-is-no-music-in-a-rest-but-there-is)

Don't avoid the rest; it's an important part of making the music!

True for a pianist. True for an orchestra and true for all of life's songs and melodious hymns!

SEARCHING FOR THE SACRED

Many understand how difficult it can be to move away from the home, street, town, state, and church called home for 46+ years. 

Familiarity is a thing of the past.

But God in His love and mercy has been easing me into this new place of grace allowing me to sense His Presence anew. It has become a place of grace with new joys at every turn.

Today, unloading more books, I came across a devotional book, autographed, no less! 

As I started thumbing through it, I became aware of its emphasis on seeing everything as special. 

Think God-filled. Not ordinary! 

Sacred!

Scripture is interwoven with creation's unlimited beauty, prayer and relationships---sounds like a hope-filled life to me. 

PRAYER BRIDGE!

PRAYER IS THE BRIDGE BETWEEN PANIC AND PEACE! (MUFHH, marginalia)

I found that bridge recently at Juney Whank Falls in Deep Creek!

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow."

PRAYER BRIDGE, A peaceful place. A place to pray. 

A place of refuge.

Waterfalls above and rushing water below!

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3) 

An unusual place to find rest and peace but it was there!

Peace was there and rest came....because God was there!

Let us exalt the LORD on bended knee---at a "bridge that removes panic and restores peace!"

SUNRISE--SUNSET!

Thank you Lord for keeping me from being plagued by persistent problems, especially ones of fear and varying medical conditions of both self and hubby! May I praise you regardless!

A praise song kept coming to mind yesterday!

"10,000 Reasons" a praise song I first heard in Kompass Park, Ukraine on my 2012 mission trip there.

I looked east out the kitchen window @1/16/2026--7:32 am.....

"… The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again."

Thank you Lord for a "beautiful reminder" tp start my day.

Creator God did not stop there! His hand was clearly shown out eastern window of our great room at sunset @ 1/16/2026--5:52 pm...

"Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes"

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised! (Psalm 113:3)

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name (emphasis mine)

From sunrise to sunset!!

FRIDAY FOCUS: LESSONS FROM A GRANDSON!

What can bless a grandmother's heart?

A return text to answer me, even when I later noticed his phone had been on silent mode.

The picture said it all.

His Friday focus began with the Lord! 

His way of starting a "Serene Sabbath" weekend!

A Faith Focus is the best way to start everyday!

A great lesson from the young to remind the "old" (with emphasis)--- each day starts with the Lord! (Psalm 118:24)

HIGHER PATH!

The obituary of Cecile T., a dear friend, had me remembering notes, cards, newspaper articles, devotionals, travel books and even her Florida abodes which she shared with me and mine! 

She walked with the LORD! A friend in the faith who loved at all times.

She chose the right paths putting the LORD, family (Think 5 children with spouses, 23 grandchildren, 53 great grands with 2 more on the way) and many friends. 

Above newspaper clipping shows that on Evangelical Christian School's Grandparents Day in October 1997 she won the award for MOST GRANDCHILDREN attending! Yiayia was often present for most events,

She walked the "higher" path! What an example for all to follow!

WARBLING WEDNESDAY!

Following yesterday's focus on listen and silent as important in one's spiritual life, I started my day humming a tune found in my very old Cokesbury Hymnal. 

Think early 20th Century.......copyright 1923---cost 30¢.

I'm assuming it was originally Gena and Pap's, my Adams connection, who went to the Methodist Church in KY as did my parents. I can't read music but I remember those tunes.

The one i've been humming throughout my day is "Open My Eyes, That I May See." Why? "Open my ears that I may hear." (v.2) Think actively listen in order to hear and heed truth. 

The chorus' 1st line for all 3 verses mentions 

Silently, now I wait for Thee, Ready my God, Thy will to see; 

v.1     Open my eyes, illumine me,  Spirit Divine!

v.2     Open my ears, illumine me,   Spirit Divine!

v.3     Open my heart, illumine me,  Spirit Divine!

If you want to hum along, Click Below on hymn title!

Open My Eyes, That I May See

ANAGRAM THAT SAYS IT ALL!!

HOW  DOES ONE HEAR FROM THE LORD?

Obviously......learn to listen!

What must one do to listen to the Lord?

Get out your Scrabble Board to find the answer!

Look for the 6 word anagram for listen!!

Do you see it?

Being silent before the Lord is key for one to listen so as to truly hear.

Be still. Silent and still enables one to know that He is LORD! (Psalm 46:10)

WEARY ONE!

Running, as seen below is no longer in my vocab. Those days are long gone. 

Sometimes even walking, without my cane, can become falling.

Reading Isaiah 40:31 was making me feel "less than" and weary.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.     

But God, has shown me there are ways to "run" other than physically. I can go to my prayer chair for others. I can "run on" with encouraging words in a text, an email or a card. Hopefully acts of kindness or a relatable blog entry can make others soar as an eagle.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26, ESV)

Thanks be to God who allows me to "run" alongside Him even as I sit in my prayer chair.

"LIT UP" FOR GOD'S PATH!

Light for me brings assurance. I like being able to physically see where I am gong.....and even where I have been. Maybe the need for security is why I leave the porch light on so often. Flashlights are in every room.

What's the best way to have true light in our lives? Pick up your Bible. Know God's Word. Truth from Scripture is our lamp!

May His Word be a light for me and all who read this today as we seek the path that He has for each of us!

Such info will probably light up our faces! Think "All Lit up!"

FRIDAY FELLOWSHIP FRIENDS!

True friends from afar....are never far!

Faithful friends.

They are God's servants who accompany Him to serve me when I am going through Deep Waters. (Isaiah 43:2)

Mightier than the waves of the sea 

is His love for you. (Psalm 93:4)

Friends in fellowship keep in touch with prayers and notes.....many days, not just Friday.

APOSTROPHE LINGO?

Why are many words in my vocabulary "clipped"?

I'm 'bout to leave. You goin' with me?

Maybe that's why this smooth rock beckoned me on the Deep Creek path.

Actually, it looks a bit like a worry stone. Worry stones are created by polishing gems. This gem is from the Lord who created it. It has been polished by the water that has rushed over it for no-tellin' how long.

Today, it has been used by me to focus on its beauty and smoothness by  the One who created it. I started my walk worrying about my lingo. 

It seems as God has given me permission to "take that off my worry list"---as hubby reminds me many times daily.

Be anxious for nothing! (nutin') (Philippians 4:6)

Allow who you are, even your locale pronunciations, to be acceptable to yourself......and take it off your worry list. 

Even rub the thumb-sized indention of your apostrophe-shaped rock to relieve stress if that helps.....and thank God.

GOSPELICIOUS---ANOTHER TASTE

Gospelicious 

Taste and See the Lord is good!

How does one heightened their taste buds for the gospel message?

Opening her/his Bible might be first step! One word. One verse. One chapter. Whet your appetite for truth. 

For example, entering a candy shop for the first time, one might be overwhelmed at all the choices and appreciate the opportunity to have a taste before deciding what to choose.

For me, I started today in Psalm 34:1. I was "all in" with the very first verse.

It's important to bless the LORD at all times. The whole number of nouns.  Circumstances. (New job or laid off)  Events. (Births to funerals) Healthy or sick. Weary or energized. 

At least each truth has merit for understanding the Christian life.

(v. 4) The LORD delivers from all my fear.

A meager beginning---think small taste---but I already see that God is good! (v.8) 

A delicious taste of truth! Gospelicious!

NEIGHBORLYNESS!

Neighborhoods are less about zip codes and more about being a part of  each others' lives! (Rev. Kenny Chapman)

For believers, think fellowship! Those walking with God leave their zip codes (of holy ground) often to go to serve others. With a quiet word. A gift of being there to encourage during physical needs or grief. 

Faith bearers serve others in the neighborhood and beyond.

Strength in one's inner being allows Christ to dwell in one's heart through faith and follow the call to serve others.

Serving others honors them. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10,ESV))

Out do one another in showing love says it well, neighbor!

MAGNIFY THE LORD!

"Oh magnify the LORD with me and let us exalt His name together." (Psalm 34:3)

How does one magnify the LORD? 

It helps NOT to magnify one's problems. 

Think less grumpiness and more gratitude. Think trust!

We can pour out our complaints before Him as David did in Psalm 142:2 knowing that we can leave the outcomes, good and bad, at His feet for HIs glory and our good. 

Thank you LORD for dealing bountifully with us. (v.7) 

Turn to God's Word daily to magnify the Lord!

TRUST = MY ONE WORD 2026!

My One Word  has been a yearly focus for me since friend Angie G. gave Lisa D., Margie H., and me the book in 2017!

The same word---a daily focus as well as a yearly one! 

Verses may vary but the word won't!

A daily THRUST!

That's it...........

A Thrust of TRUST!

It (love).......always trusts,....(1 Corinthians 13:7)

❓？⁇ ᥅ ⸮︖ ❓

12/2/2026 

What is "THE" question for 2026?

I'm still in the "consideration" mode?

What "one" word will be a "lamp unto my feet and a LIGHT unto my path? (Psalm 119:105, emphasis mine) What "one" word will guide me to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God? (Matthew 4:4)

His word is truth! (John 17:7) Breathed out by God. (2 Timothy 3:16) 

The question remains.....What Is My One Word ❓？⁇ ᥅ ⸮︖ ❓

NEW YEAR'S DAY 2026

I AM ALIVE!

I'm vertical! I'm grateful!

I'm hungry to start the day with our culinary traditions---country ham and biscuits as we once had back in the day at Mom and Pop's on Lakeshore Dr. in Raleigh. Phone number EV 60634. Prior to that we always had black-eyed peas at Adams' 2211 South Virginia St. in Hoptown. To NOT have those peas would be a breach of tradition. We always had leafy greens as well and cornbread cooked in a black-iron skillet.Some people see it as "luck" others see it as a blessing that comes from sharing meals with family and others.

Today we will have Hoppin' John---a tradition started with my long recipe from Blackberry Farm. Nowadays, I'm grateful for the Margaret Holmes "Southern" canned variety which is delish! Think...easy for the aged.

The day will include Rose Parade, football and snackin' and a nap in the lounge chair or on the couch. 

Roses on the 137th Rose Parade floats getting plenty of rain and the Cal Poly float won the Sweepstakes Award again! Smiles through raindrops!

New Year's traditions can continue in our new "place of grace" today and every day to follow in 2026.

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31, NASB--emphasis mine)

Regardless of the biblical version, even the Tyndale Bible of 1526, the focus of a Christians daily life is to glorify and honor God.