TIMELY GIFT

2/14/13 FaceTime with Lucy---a perfect way to begin Valentine's Day. As she "read aloud" to me one of her favorite books, I knew I had 2 perfect examples of my upcoming "Children 's Literature" presentation. Choose books that are meaningful or enjoyable to both the parent and the child. That supports my premise that there is no such thing as a good book written just for children. If it's well written, it will appeal to everyone. 

The second point is the importance of rhythmic language in those beginning picture books. Lucy is a little over 15 months old, but she had the language of "llama, llama, red pajama" down pat. A few llama and mama words were recognizable but the semblance of all the other words were there AND in rhythm. Her intonations even changed when she turned to the page that followed RUN, RUN, RUN!

The perfect timely gift---don't you think!! It warms this old librarian's heart.

Refreshing Recalculation (3x)

2/13/12 This morning I prayed that the Lord would “refresh” me for teaching the Ecclesiastes “GPS” message again tonight.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bodily “refresh” button right at our fingertips---just like the one on our computers. But God….was my refresh button today. Opening the morning paper I saw the Zits cartoon equating a “recalculating” voice as coming from his mother.

Then, when I opened my email, I belatedly opened yesterday’s God Tube on-line devotional. “Recalculating Relationships.” The very first example was about GPS: Recalculating.

Next, as I began my Bible Study Fellowship lesson, I saw on page 4 of the notes, I found a “God: Our Guide” list of verses. 

Perfect for citations for my God’s Perspective Shown list of God’s leading and guiding. Leading and guiding. To me those 2 biblical words are God speak for “recalculating,” reminding us to turn back to Him.

Don’t you just love it when things come in threes. That’s the real “HEADS UP, Dots” for me---when God so clearly shows me His answers---not once, not twice, but three times!

Navigating Life: GPS: Mine or Thine

2/12/13 GPS....God's Perspective Shown! Click here for message or under the picture.
Though it will say Limitations of Justice---I changed the title. Just click the play arrow.

Navigating Life Week 4

Posting my message on  Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16 from this morning for my Ukrainian girls (and others who would like to hear it---I did misquote the "Fear God" verse. It is found in Ecclesiastes 12:13. Pray for God to speak to you and then open your Bible to the passage and follow along because I'm sure it can be hard to follow my voice without the aid of my slides---though I tried to remember to mention the verses I was reading.
God Bless. Бог благословить

DRAWING NEAR

2/11/13 Drawing near to God. 

That’s what Meditation Mondays are all about! It’s the pre-requisite of gaining understanding from passages of scripture. Drawing near prompts praise. That praise is carried into our time of meditation with Him and our hearts seem to open to the truths that he has for us. That prompts prayer. That draws us even nearer. It’s a great cycle. In the midst of all of that, is access to God through our hope in Christ, who ever lives to intercede for us. A perfect cycle! Complete.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse (James 4:8)

Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen... (Ecclesiastes 5:1)

(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7:19)

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

Yesterdays’ Allen Bible Church message series title, “Let us Draw Near” was so-o-o “spot on” ---a great intro to direct one's meditation on Hebrews, chapter 7, a difficult passage. 

Drawing near---approaching God’s throne of grace in our time of need. A need for understanding His Word and applying it to our lives. 

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS

2/10/13 Temperatures have been fluctuating daily for our family this last week. Our Memphis grandson had rain. In New York, our grandaughter had "freezing" temps and snow while  this weekend in Texas our grandsons had  67° temps today! 

"Coach" Dad and son (0) "sweat" out the free throw attempt. 

Bundled up for Brooklyn snow and c-o-l-d temps.

Lucy and Mommy bundle up to face the chill---and have fun!

Check out MA relatives "blowing" 2 feet of snow!

Lucy's Aunt Maeve

Questions and Answers: Fear & Insecurity

2/7/13 Friends and blog readers, concerned about our home break-in/burglary have inquired, "How are you doing?' One that I loved was, "Are you back to sharpening pencils? 

Yes, is the answer. I returned to pencil sharpening.
Hubby provided me with a "handy-dandy" hand held pencil sharpener to use on the go. No electricity needed. Though I do LOVE my oft-used electric one (I'm surprised it still works), it's not always convenient.

During this go-round of battling anxiety, I even included tidying up my tea cabinet---a helpful mindless activity. Like alphabetizing Claudia's pasta. 

Funny how one wants to "do" or "fix" something when life situations are so "disturbing" and totally out of one's control. Mind-numbing activities like pencil sharpening and tea tidying can work for me.....when I am "haunted by apprehension"....until God gets me back in His grip. Why do I ever pull away?

As Oswald Chambers states (My Utmost for His Highest, 11/13) "fear comes from not nourishing ourselves in our faith."

So...after days of anxious thoughts and nights of not night sleeping well:

• Faith nourishing began.....I'm grateful for time at His feet to read and reflect on His Word. (Jeremiah 15:16)
• I'm grateful also to remember that God is not sleeping so I can rest well. (Psalm 121:3)

Thanks for asking.

Dalton Ghetti has taken pencil sharpening to a new level.

Prayer Help

2/4/13 Scripture teaches much about prayer:

...it's effective (James 5:16)

...needs to be continual (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

...all kinds of prayer (Ephesians 6:18)

...include thanksgiving when you pray (Philippians 4:6)

We're even given examples of prayers from the Bible but.....sometimes words don't seem to come. What then? I've often heard to pray til you feel like praying. Sometimes I've felt like praying but words don't seem to be adequate to express the yearnings of my heart. Then what?

This quote, often ascribed to John Bunyan and sometimes to Gandhi, has helped me.

In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.

And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say; (Romans 8:26, BBE--Bible in Basic English) 

A great verse to meditate on for God's answer to "prayer help."

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Inside & Out

A week of water and sunshine picked up the "pick-me-up."

Even cold outside temps add beauty to our surrounds 

"Elixir of Love" a heartwarming comic opera set in Old West

Great ending for a chilly Saturday night---a hootenanny led by the Side Street Steppers with Vera dancing a NC jig that certainly warmed things up considerably.
Daughter Molly is their photographer.

Quest continues ...emotionally, part 2

2/1/13 The verse I closed with last night, because I was too tired to continue the blog, reminded me that fear is not from Him.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Looking back on the week, (after my home invasion) I saw that fear, which is from the pit,  robbed me of that sound mind that comes from His hand. I had spent a week in limbo---that fear permeated so many of my thoughts that everything seemed to be LARGER than life.

The limbo of waiting exacerbated by fear:

• Waiting for the police to arrive
• Waiting for peace of mind to return
• Waiting for a coherent thought to take shape
• Waiting for "walking" weather so I could walk---not only to clear my head but to continue "training" for upcoming rigorous trip to Disney World
• Waiting for blood work from lab that had to be "redone"
• Waiting in 2 doctor's offices for "scary/unknown" procedures 
• Waiting for physical therapy on leg/hip pain to diminish pain
• Waiting for biopsy report---on a place above my eyebrow I had never even noticed

But God, on the anniversary of THE event.....sent a late afternoon message that face biopsy was negative.

But God.......in His love and mercy sent a blog comment of encouragement from a long ago student, Nancy E.

But God.....in His goodness had me open a email this morning (though sent yesterday from Australia) from Jesus Calling author, Sarah Young, who has also experienced the violation of a break-in. She is praying.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him. (Psalm 40:1-3)

Quest ends where it should have begun...with the Lord.

The Quest continues.....

1/31/13 The physical quest. The spiritual quest. What about those on a quest for emotional healing?

Considering that question one week after THE event.