May

May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

MAY THE MIND OF CHRIST, MY SAVIOR - Kate B. Wilkinson

to hear the music : Hymn: May the Mind of Christ, My Savior

Grateful??

"A grateful child of God  

can't help

 but be a

joyful, peaceful, radiant

person."

~Nancy Leigh DeMoss

 

Really makes me think.... am I grateful?? 

 

~~Praising Him today for what He has done. Seeking to radiate His Light...

 

Source: Uploaded by user via Penni on Pinterest

A Marriage Carol

  A Marriage Carol

 

WOW... what a great book! 

Well written with just enough twists to keep you hanging on until the end. Seriously, I didn't want to put it down till it was finished.

I appreciate how at the end of the book, the author shares a few personal words...they give a bit of hope, and sincerity to the story.

 

Now onto the story:

 It is Christmas Eve and a couple are headed to their attorney to get a no-fault divorce. There is a bad snowstorm, they take a "shortcut" and what happens changes their lives...   

I don't want to spoil any of the plot for you, so instead of rambling on with a lengthy review of the book, I invite you to watch the trailer:

 

   

(sidenote: I got this free in mid-December -it was one of Amazon's free kindle books of the day... it is good to keep a watch on those deals. It is a great way to get good books, free.)

Getting It Together - book review

Getting It Together by Kayse Pratt

Kaysepratt

This book leads you step by step on how to set up a Home Manager's Notebook. It has lots of pictures and tips to lead you along the way and is loaded with printables! 

It would be a GREAT asset for anyone new to the idea of a home manager's notebook, homemaking journal, etc. 

There are charts for planning meals, keeping track of birthdays, an exercise log, budget and financial planning charts.  My favorite is the "Blogging Calendar". 
There are over 30 charts in all!

My favorite quote from the book:

"Being organized won't accomplish world peace. It won't make you love cleaning.... But it will bring a little more peace to your home."

This book is encouraging, practical, and straight to the point. Set-up like a tutorial with plenty of photos, if you are looking to start a home management notebook, this would be a great help.

Ideas...

Playing around with ideas for the blog name, design and purpose.... Haven't settle on anything permanent yet...

A Stubborn Lump

Source: meggielynne.tumblr.com via Haleigh on Pinterest

"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Isaiah 64:8

I love the word picture this creates....

I am a lump of clay and God is the Potter molding me.

Lately it seems He has been working a bit extra on me--  pressing, pinching, forming, remolding, and removing excess clay. 

It sure has been painful at times. 

You see...

 I am a stubborn lump. 

At times I get dried and hard, pretty much refusing to let Him to do any work at all. 

Countless other times I do not give in easily to how He wants to mold me. 

I have this vision of what I want to look like and sometimes I am pretty bent on getting there...

MY way, 

what I think is the easy way. 

Yet, He already knows what I am to look like and if I would just soften to His touch and trust Him, then He could do His work on me. 

While I am busy striving, He is gently but firmly molding me...

Source: theyardpdx.tumblr.com via Pattie on Pinterest

As I have resisted and fought against His touch, I nearly missed out on an important truth.

Look at the potter in the picture above, busy spinning and molding a lump of clay. Pressing his fingers into the clay to make interesting grooves. Scraping away the excess. Wetting the clay when it dries, etc.

We can't see his face, but I bet if we looked deeply into his eyes we would see a deep sense of pleasure there...

Here is the awesome part (~smile) :

All the while the potter is working away on this stubborn lump, he is enjoying the process. And what's more, 

 he is happy working with the clay - it is what he likes to do.

As I wrestle with the knowledge that God has done so much work on me and still has so much work left to do... 

 and as I struggle with the thought of the pain that may create... 

What a joy it is to remember that He loves me!

 He is molding me with gentle, loving hands.

And the work He is doing is for my good.

So in the end... 

I can be a vessel He can use. 

Source: bohemianhomes.tumblr.com via Domenica on Pinterest

Won't you join me for a walk in the woods?

I so enjoy walking in my little woods. Each time I go, I am blessed.

And since it is always fun to walk with a friend,

won't you join me today as I take a walk around my little woods?

Put on your comfy shoes and come along...

The first thing you will notice as we step into the woods is the smell. It is impossible for a picture to capture it, so just imagine a sweet fragrance, similar to that of crisp, fresh apples.

Next you will notice the simple beauty of the woods... 
just plain old trees and weeds, but when the sun comes dappling through the branches, the brightness and variety of colors will leave you in awe. 

(Please pardon my pictures. My photography skills are limited and don't do justice to how this spot truly looks.)

As we walk, you will notice that the path at our feet is a velvety green carpeting of moss,
 so soft, cushioning each step.

All along the path are thousands of wood ferns. Their leaves so green...

 and their tips all rusty as their season begins to come to an end.

 As we turn a corner, we see a small maple tree, only about about 3 feet tall, yet covered with leaves of the deepest brown and burgundy.

Across the path is another small tree with leaves that remind us of the Christmas season yet to come..

We walk on...  

along the way we encounter a number of fascinating creatures, (of which we get no good pictures)...  several tiny frogs, butterflies, bees, and a caterpillar so big - at least 3 inches long, so plump, so green, so intent on his journey that our stopping to look at him as he crosses our path, doesn't phase him in the least. 

We walk slowly, enjoying the warmth of the sun on our backs. 

All too soon, we reach the end of our walk. Here, we see an ancient rock wall covered in moss. We are tempted to climb up on it and follow it.. but we know our time together is growing short.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you enjoyed our time together as much as I did. 

God has given us such beauty! What a joy it is to get out and spend time in His creation!