Timely Words

The following is an excerpt from -Andrew Murray, Humility. I found this on Beth Beutler's blog, which you can read at http://networkedblogs.com/p14547069


Something about...when trouble comes
By Beth Beutler

In time of trouble say:
First, He brought me here.
It is by His will I am in this place
In that, I will rest.
Next, He will keep me in His love
And give me grace to behave
As His child.
Then, He will make the trial a blessing
Teaching me the lessons he means me to learn
And working in me the grace he intends for me.
Last, in His good time
He can bring me out again
How and when only He knows.
Say: I am here
By God’s appointment
In God’s keeping
Under His training
For his time.
-Andrew Murray, Humility

Blessings to all!

He's Still Beautiful

Our caterpillar is still beautiful, but things are changing. We knew this would happen, but perhaps did not realize just how quickly the process would begin. Yesterday Bob was very active, crawling up, down, and around his living space. He even enjoyed crawling up and down one person's arm with no hint of fear. He seemed so alert, so alive!

Today, from the very beginning, things were different. When touched, he recoiled almost as if in horror; throughout the day he was almost completely inactive. We checked on him frequently, like good nurses checking on a patient in ICU. I gently moved the container once or twice (ever so gently) to make sure he was still alive since we couldn't hook him up to anything to check his vital signs, and he moved ever so slightly, letting me know he was still with us. One of our fears was that by keeping him in captivity, he might die rather than live out the appointed life God gave him in his natural environment.

Throughout the day he almost seemed to be "nesting." Despite his seeming inactivity, he managed to get his leaves situated as they needed to be, and by five o'clock I could see tiny, delicate strands that he apparently produced as part of God's plan for the change that has already begun to take place. I wanted to take a picture of him; however, my camera is really not designed for the type of close up I would need to take. Also, I was afraid of how the flash might affect him.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring; I don't get to babysit him at night. I think we'll see much more of a cocoon - maybe it will be complete or perhaps just partially complete by tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to what tomorrow will bring, though I feel sad at what I perceive as the end of Bob's life. I know that he is really not dying, just moving on to a new stage in his existence.

Bob's story is really a miniature of our own lives as God has ordained them to be. God has created us; and throughout our lives, we will change. If we heed God's call, we will become new creatures while still in our earthly bodies. We will be changed, and some of those changes should be visible to others. As we near the end of our earthly lives (assuming we do not meet an untimely end), we will probably begin to slow down (though it will probably not be an overnight event as it was for the caterpillar), and people may even comment later that they saw signs of our lives drawing to an end, changes in our behavior. And just as the caterpillar will not die but will instead be renewed into a new life, we too will not truly die. We will move from our earthly life in our earthly bodies to a new body that will never die and life eternal with Jesus Christ in Heaven.

Isn't it amazing how God gives us this glimpse of his eternal plan for us in the life of a little caterpillar?

Blessings to all.

Something Beautiful - God's Amazing Creation

I know there is beauty all around us, but we (I) often do not take the time to notice it. The beautiful things of life are sometimes overlooked - sometimes until it is too late.

This week I had the privilege of seeing something that I found to be truly beautiful - breathtaking! I may have walked past it many times without noticing it, or past something very similar to it; however, fortunately, a little boy took the time to make sure that the busy adults took notice of this beautiful creature.

This is what I am talking about -

The coloring is so striking, so fantastic, that the caterpillar doesn't look real.

As you can see, the caterpillar has broad black bands with more narrow pale yellow stripes. Its head, tail (back end) and under parts (feet) are orange. It eats leaves and spends a lot of time crawling around among the leaves and up and down the strong stems/branches that are in the bottle He moves very quickly and has no fear of people.

Here's a close-up with good lighting -

I've always said that the miracle of a baby should be all the proof anyone needs to know that God exists. I think this little caterpillar is further proof that there is a magnificent God who created all living things. No big bang or theory of evolution could have set in motion the beauty and the wonder of life that we have on earth. Yes, we have messed it up; but God's creation was perfect and as we look around us we find glimpses of that beauty, that perfection, to remind of of Him.

Blessings to all!
I hope yo enjoy the pictures; by the way, his name is Bob.

Beautiful Christian Sisters

I received this today from a friend and decided to share it will you. I hope you enjoy it.


BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
By Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say.... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living,'
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say.... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!



Pretty is as Pretty does... But beautiful is just plain beautiful!

TODAY IS BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTERS' DAY- TAG; YOU'RE IT!

I have posted this for the BEAUTIFUL WOMEN who will read it; if you share this with other women, you will boost their self esteem, and they will know that you care about them.

Blessings to all!

How Do You Live Your Dash?

I came across this poem a number of years ago and thought it made an excellent point. I think we lean toward those things that speak to us in a special way even if we will not admit what they are saying to us.

I used this poem with students at one point hoping they would give some thought to how they were living their lives before there was too much room for regret. I doubt though that they gave too much thought to it at the time, but perhaps they will remember it at some point through the years.

The poem is written here for your enjoyment and whatever you chose to take from it.

How Do You Live Your Dash?

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
Her referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1930-1999)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who love her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars...the houses...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last awhile.

So, when your eulogy's being read
Your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Author Unknown

I still enjoy reading this poem; I hope you enjoyed it too.

Blessings to all!

Old Barnes

The following is from an email sent to me by a friend (he thought I was old enough to appreciate it). It had beautiful pictures with it; unfortunately, I could not copy them. I did, however, discover how to put my own pictures in this post. I hope you enjoy the message and the old barns.

Old Barns, Old People and Old Friends

A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway.
I told him right off he was crazy.

He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and the way he talked. He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.

Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired.

Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.

That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there,
gazing at that old barn. The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den (what a shame - the barn was beautiful) in a new country home he's building down the road. He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun - only that can produce beautiful barn wood.

It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too... and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap.
But the Good Lord knows what He's doing. And as the years pass, He's busy using the hard weather of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce.

They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house. And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the good Lord has for us on the Great Sky Ranch.

And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons we've been through here... And just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.

May there be peace within you today. May you trust God that you are
exactly where you are meant to be.

And..................I do sincerely Thank God for my wonderful friends and
family who care about me even though I show signs of weathering.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. It is so easy to find beauty in old things; however, we often have trouble seeing beauty in ourselves as we grow old.

Blessings to all!

And the Children Shall Lead them

"Out of the mouth of babes..."

This morning was Youth Sunday, and a number of young people from age four to nineteen participated in the service. They did a lot of the usual things - read Scripture, gave various readings, led praise and worship, prayed, collected the offering, etc. There was a group of the youngest children who did the usual thing. They had a song to sing; and while in practice they sang out lustily, in front of family and friends they barely opened their mouths. Everyone thought this was cute, of course, which it was (except for the teachers who prepared them for their part) - even the singing that could barely be heard was appreciated.

Despite the fact that the youth were participating in and leading the service, the pastor was to bring the message. Shortly before time for the message, a young men named Micah Carey came to the microphone to read a poem entitled God's Laws (I assumed it was a poem he had found somewhere). This is what he read:

God's laws are perfect;
If I obey them, I will be strong.

God's laws are always right;
If I obey them, I will be wise;
I will always know the right thing to do.

God's laws are fair;
If I obey them, I will be happy.

God's laws are better than gold;
They are sweeter than honey.

As I listened, I was touched by the words Micah spoke.

A couple of other items in the program occurred before the pastor took his place for the sermon. When the he stood up to speak, the pastor's first words were a comment on Micah's poem; he said how much the words of the poem had touched him. He went on to say that in seminary he had taken a course which dealt with simple things, simple words spoken that teach us life lessons - words that immediately touch our hearts without need for a lot of explanation or "sermonizing." The pastor then said that he was going to put his intended sermon aside and ask Micah to come back to the microphone to read his poem again in the hope that everyone would give his complete attention to the words of the poem.

The words of this poem are simple but powerful. God's laws are perfect, and they give us strength because if we follow them, we will not be debilitated by guilt and shame. God's laws are always right; a wise person knows this and follows them. Also, since God's laws are right, we don't have to wonder what to do in a situation. We know what is right, and we do it since we are wise. God's laws are fair. We all hunger for fairness in a world that is anything but fair. Since God's laws are fair, we will be happy when we follow them. God's laws are better than gold and sweeter than honey. There are many things that we seek after; but since God's laws are better than gold and sweeter than honey, what could we possibly value more than His laws?

After church I asked Micah about the words he had shared with us, and he told me that his mother Melita had helped him with it based on an article she had read on the Laws of God. I then told them both how much I appreciated their efforts and how important I thought those truths are.


I want my grandchildren to read the poem and to understand the rightness of and importance of following God's laws. If they will live according to the truths of Micah's words, they will be strong - wise - happy - and have the very best.

This was a great morning; I hope your morning was great as well.

Blessings to all.