NEW YORK! NEW YORK!

11/2/11 "Hooray! Hooray!! We're on our way.Our trip to"…. see our new grandbaby…. "starts today!" (That saying is a Liles family tradition.) Will post if and when I can but that’s not exactly top on my list. Can’t wait. So excited!

Meditation from the Heart of a "wannabe" Shepherd

I am grateful for the feeding, love and care which I receive from the one who is the Good Shepherd and who call His own sheep by name. (John 10:3)
May I in some small way begin to unfold the reality of a shepherd's life so that I might model it and touch others with the caring service that this truth teaches.

Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly--not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. (I Peter 5:2, NLV)

Sabbath Snapshots: Way Up North

10/30/11 Baby Marion's grandparents from Massachusetts have had snow since Thursday which has impeded their trek to see their "brand new " grandaughter in Brooklyn. This morning they awakened to 27" more inches. Just had to show how different their Sunday was from those of us who live below the snow belt. And we thought our sunny 52° was cold this morning .

Grandma MJ shows her TRUE feelings!

Grandpa Doug actually broke the snow blower. Note fall foliage on trees in background. If there's this much snow in October, I can't even fathom a real winter storm!!!

Sabbath Snapshot: Memphis & Beyond

10/30/11 Bethesda Word of Life Christian Center---April 28, 2011 was flooded and under 4-5 feet of water for 25 days. Today's service was a coming together, a celebration of rejoicing in a new building.








Friends of the faith joined with old and new members who helped pull it up out of the muddy clay.
















Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

PARKWAY PICTURES IN MEMPHIS: A CANOPY OF COLOR

PUMPKIN "PUNKIN" IN NEW YORK

OCTOBER SKY IN TEXAS

OCTOBER 27, 2011

10/29/11 OCTOBER 27, 2011.....oh what a day! Little

"Lady" Liles entered the world at St. Luke's Roosevelt in Manhattan, (NYC) on her own time 6:25 pm EST (& of course, God's time) so doc did not have to induce!

Marion Lucille Liles
Weight: 6 lbs. 15 oz,
Height: 19 1/4 "
Parents: Megan and Josh Liles (May God grant wisdom and counsel in bringing up this special one. (Proverbs 2:6)
Proud first time "young" grandparents M.J. & Doug Bradley of MA Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, (Proverbs 17:6)
& Dotsy & Larry Liles, not first time, but first grandaughter

"For this child I (& lots of others) prayed"
(as Hannah spoke in I Samuel 1:27)
As a child may she not forget to do what is right and to share. (Hebrews 13:6) As a young lady may she be clothed in humility. (I Peter 5:5) May she follow after righteousness, faith, love and peace all of her days. (2 Timothy 2:22)

Daddy's pic of "Lady Liles" after her 1st bath.

Aunt Soozee's pic of "Sleeping Beauty."

GUEST READER/REPORTER, CAROL N.

10/26/11 Sweet friend, Carol Newman, has been a great one to bounce off of for reading ideas and interpretations as well as leading me to new "worthy" books. I trust her not to lead me astray so I am now in pursuit of The Rest of God, Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath for my "must read pile." She began with a quote from A. Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts, who was quoting the author, Mark Buchanan.

"Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing...Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away."

Carol goes on to say................

This particular book of his, The Rest of God, Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, is also a very special reading experience. When I first read it, I thought of you. He concludes each chapter with a liturgy section. He describes liturgy as "a kind of choreography, a choreography for our dance with things unseen, things ancient and things anticipated, things above and things below." He goes on to say that the liturgy sections are meant to 'try to coax you onto the dance floor...even finding yourself, like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, floating above the hard, cold floor of your workaday life, your feet barely touching." So, you see why it made me think of you. And his liturgy sections are not exactly what I would call liturgy, but application- questions- challenges to approach the next bit of time differently, getting onto the dance floor!

Now, with your retirement, hopefully you can put this on your reading list. It's about true rest of the soul, not just retirement from a job. It draws the dancing parallel that flows through your own writing. And he includes playing with our children (and grands) in the wonderful plan of restoring/refreshing our souls. Of course!!!!

Don't you love it!! I did. Carol should be blogging personal book reviews! I just had to share it with my readers, most of whom are just that---READERS!

DANCING WITH DADDY

10/23/11 Driving home late (for me 9 pm is late) and tired last night, I turned on K-Love and Steven Curtis Chapman was singing these words. I puddled.

But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ooh-oh ooh-oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

A few little tears turned to more and bigger tears and soon I could barely see to drive the familiar road. I miss my first dancing partner, especially on the day when my brothers accepted the white roses in his memory. From the waltz to jitterbug, I miss dancing with Daddy.


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
II Corinthians 1:3-4 is my comfort verse for meditation today.

How grateful I am to have danced with Daddy at my 45th class reunion. This picture and God's word has already begun to comfort me

Sabbath Snapshot-- a favorite hymn

10/23/11 Sabbath Snapshot-- a favorite hymn Click to hear the melody and sing along in your heart. I chose a bell version for for my friend Carolyn.

For continuous melody along with the words, click on the song title below.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

You can probably hear me belting out on the last verse because it is the one that sadly reflects my fickle heart. But God…….O His grace. How grateful I am.

Praying, briefly

10/21/11 No words were listed. “So I prayed to the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 2:4) It’s been noted by scholars as the shortest prayer ever sent to heaven.

We all know such short spontaneous prayers.

Peter prayed, “Lord save me,” when he began sinking as he was walking on the water toward Jesus. Interestingly enough, Peter only began sinking when he took his eyes off of the Lord and looked at his windy circumstances. (Matthew 14:30-32)

“Help me, Lord.”

Praying it scripturally only adds a few words. “Let Thy hand be ready to help me.” (Psalm 119:173) In the psalms we read of many brief accounts of cries unto the Lord. Cried---just another verb for prayed. Poor (afflicted) man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6)

Edges of His Ways, 10/17 entry summed up such short Bible verses. Those “short” Bible verse prayers are what we want on those days when we are tired or hard-pressed…….. Like the touch of the electric light switch---just a touch and the power comes flowing from the powerhouse---the power that turns to light. (Carmichael, p. 192-193)

Praying tonight, though not briefly, for "Bubba's" family and praising the Lord that all four of her girls were with her when she eased into eternity.

PRAYER BRIEF

10/20/11 Brief 2. using few words; concise; succinct: (Dictionary.com) Edges of His Ways, uses the phrase “little prayers.” (Carmichael, p.192) Friend Margie H. calls them breath prayers. Spontaneous prayers. Hardly prayers at all in the “formal” sense.

Prayers evoked by a mere thought and a touch as the woman in Matthew 9:21 who reached to touch the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. “for she was saying to her self, If I only touch His garment, I shall get well.”

Wordless prayers. “Breathe's,” metaphorical lyrics for that close communication with the Lord ….”This is the air I breathe,
This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence living in me….” (Michael W. Smith) In such close communion that the Lord knows your prayerful thoughts.

I call them necessary. Lately mine have been, “Lord, forgive me.”