Sabbath Keeping - Keep It Holy

"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."

~ Exodus 20:8 ~

"Is it not interesting that the one Commandment

 that begins with 'remember' is the one

Commandment mainstream Christianity

has forgotten?"

~ unknown ~

"I first found delight in the Sabbath many years ago, when, as a busy surgeon, I knew that the Sabbath became a day of personal healing. By the end of each week, my hands were sore from repeatedly scrubbing them with soap, water and a bristle brush. I also needed a breather from the burden of a demanding profession." ~ Russell M. Nelson ~ 

"Keeping the Sabbath day holy is 

much more than just physical rest. 

It involves spiritual renewal and worship." 

~ James E. Faust ~ 

"If you keep the Sabbath, you start to see creation as not as something to get away from your ordinary life, but a place to frame attentiveness to your life."
~ Eugene H. Peterson ~

"Anybody can observe the Sabbath, 

but making it holy sure takes the rest of the week. 

~ Alice Walker ~ 

"On Sabbath, the work is never done but we are invited to set it aside for the moment to dwell in the presence of God, to experience the sacred right in the middle of the secular." ~ Terri Lynn Underwood ~

"The Sabbath isn't about resting perfectly;

it's about resting in the One who is perfect."

~ Shelly Miller ~ 

"The Sabbath provides wonderful opportunities to strengthen family ties."
~ Russell M. Nelson ~

"Keeping the Sabbath day holy is a refuge from the storms of this life."
~ Quentin L. Cook ~

"The Sabbath is a weekly cathedral raised up in my dining room, in my family, in my heart." ~ Anita Diament ~

"Sabbath is God's metronome, marking out a weekly rhythm of rest and renewal. It is our reference point for knowing how to plan and live our lives. Without the Sabbath, our lives are a jumbled mess of individual events; with Sabbath, they can be a beautiful balance of labor and rest." ~ Kerri Weems ~ 

"The people who misuse the Sabbath lose the blessings of spiritual food and growth promised to those who keep this commandment."
~ Joseph B. Wirthlin ~

"Who turns down a mini vacation every six days?"

~ Sandra ~

"...But they rested on the Sabbath 

in obedience to the commandment."

~ Luke 23:56 ~

Sabbath Keeping ~ Patience

"For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

it speaks of the end and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

it will certainly come and will not delay."

~ Habakkuk 2:3 ~ 

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer
Always remember, you have within you the strength,
the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars
and change the world."
~ Harriet Tubman ~

"Adopt the pace of nature;

her secret is patience."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

"Patience is not simply the ability to wait

it's how we behave while we wait."

~ Joyce Meyers ~

"The two most powerful weapons in the world are patience and time."
~ Leo Tolstoy ~

"Patience is a form of action." ~ unknown ~

"Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, 

waiting and growing,

practicing patience and

being persistent."

~ Billy Graham ~ 

"Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." ~ Napoleon Hill ~

"Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals." ~ David A. Bednar ~

"Be patient and understanding.

Life is too short to be vengeful or malicious."

~ Phillips Brooks ~

"Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past.
Rather it is a spirit that bears things - with resignations yes, but above all,
with blazing, serene hope."
~ Corazon Aquino ~

"Two things define you: 

your patience when you have nothing 

and your attitude when you have everything."

 ~ unknown ~

"Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

~ Romans 5:2-4 ~

Yesterday, here at Thistle Cove Farm we celebrated 445 collective years of wisdom when we celebrated birthdays: Daddy (90), Mom (84), Minnie (90), Helen (90) and Ruby (91). We also celebrated Mom and Daddy's 67th wedding anniversary and Thistle Cove Farm was dedicated because God has a good plan for this farm and for His glory. The day was perfect, temps were in the mid-70's F, just cloudy enough to keep the sun from being too hot, the food was delicious, the company grand, the prayers heartfelt. God blessed us with beauty, love, mercy, grace. One word describes the day: perfect!

Sabbath Keeping ~ Aliens

"Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst

formed the earth and the world,

even from everlasting to everlasting,

thou art God."

~ Psalm 90:1-2 ~

"We meet aliens every day who have something to give to us. They come in the form of people with different opinions." ~ William Shatner ~

"Let's pray the human race never escapes from earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

"I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest and most precious thing in all thinking." ~ George MacDonald ~

"Perhaps we've never been visited by aliens because they've looked upon Earth and decided there's no sign of intelligent life." ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson ~

"My folks came to the US as immigrants, aliens and became citizens. I was born in Boston, a citizen, and went to Hollywood to become an alien."
~ Leonard Nimoy ~

"Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate

And though I oft have passed them by

A day will come at last when I

Shall take the hidden paths that run

West of the Moon, East of the Sun."

~ J. R. R. Tolkien ~ 

"Our Constitution protects aliens, drunks and US Senators."

~ Will Rogers ~

"Those who belong to God are aliens in this world.

Those who belong to this world are alienated from God."

~ Ephesians 2:12 ~

Peaches died today; she's been a faithful friend, loved by everyone who met her. She's gone to meet Lightly, her first foal, Abigail, Gracie, Shadow and all other Thistle Cove Farm inhabitants who loved her. I'm quite confident Dave met her at the pearly gates. 

Sabbath Keeping ~ God calling

"Before they call

I will answer.

While they are still speaking

I will hear."

~ Isaiah 65:24 ~

"The place God calls you to is the place where

your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

~ Frederick Buechner ~

"When Christ calls a man 

He bids him come and die."

~ Deitrich Bonhoeffer ~ 

"God did not direct His call to Isaiah - Isaiah overheard God saying, "...who will go for Us?" the call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God's call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude." ~ Oswald Chambers ~

"Do we enjoy our work, love our work, virtually worship our work so that our devotion to Jesus is off-center? Do we put our emphasis on service, usefulness, or being productive in working for God-at His expense? Do we strive to prove our own significance? To make a difference in the world? To carve our names in marble on the monuments of time? The call of God blocks the path of all such deeply human tendencies. We are not primarily called to do something or go somewhere; we are called to Someone. We are not called to special work but to God. The key to answering the call is to be devoted to no one and to nothing above God himself." ~ Os Guinness ~

"Beware of anything that competes with loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for Him. ... The one aim of the call of God is the satisfaction of God, not a call to do something for Him. ... the men and women our Lord sends out on His enterprises are the ordinary human stuff, plus dominating devotion to Himself wrought by the Holy Spirit. Be absolutely His." ~ Oswald Chambers ~

"Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks-we will also find our path of authentic service in the world." ~ Parker Palmer ~

"Today, in principle, the call of the Lord Jesus has not changed. He still says, "Follow me," and adds, "whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." In practice, however, this does not mean for the majority of Christians a physical departure from their home or their job. It implies rather an inner surrender of both, and a refusal to allow either family or ambition to occupy the first place in our lives." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

"The man who is called by God is a man who realizes what he is called to do, and he so realizes the awfulness of the task that he shrinks from it."
~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones ~

"You yourselves say, "we won't come," God says, "You shall come." Yes! There are some here who are laughing at salvation, who can scoff at Christ, and mock at the gospel; but I tell you some of you shall come yet. "What!" you say, "can God make me become a Christian?" I tell you yes, for herein rests the power of the gospel. It does not ask your consent; but it gets it. It does not say, will you have it? But it makes you willing in the day of God's power."
~ C. H. Spurgeon ~

"When you receive a call from God, 

you don't hang up."

~ Billy Graham ~ 

"The one who calls you is faithful

and He will do it."

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Ronnie (his wife passed away) ~ Steve (traveling safety) ~ Paul (health) ~ Ruby (health) ~ Helen (health) ~ 

Sabbath Keeping - Good Shepherd

"The LORD is my shepherd,

I lack nothing."

~ Psalm 23:1 ~

"God has entrusted us with His most important possession...His people. He asks us to shepherd and mold them into strong disciples, with brave faith and good character." ~ John Ortberg ~

"The seaman tells stories of winds,

the ploughman of bulls

the soldier details his wounds,

the shepherd his sheep."

~ Laurence J. Peter ~

"Careless shepherd makes excellent dinner for wolf."
~ Earl Derr Biggers ~

"I am like the sick sheep that strays from the rest of the flock. Unless the Good Shepherd takes me on His shoulders and carries me back to His fold, my steps will falter, and in the very effort of rising, my feet will give way."
~ Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (Jerome) ~

"Bible study without Bible experience is pointless. Knowing Psalm 23 is different from knowing the shepherd." ~ Kingsley Opuwari Manuel ~

"It is the duty of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not skin them."

~ Tiberius ~

"I (Jesus) am the good shepherd. 

I know my own and my own know me,

just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;

and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.

I must bring them also,

and they will listen to my voice.

so there will be one flock, one shepherd."

~ John 10:1-16 ~

Please pray for ~ Mr. Williams and family (my nephew's grandfather has cancer and hospice is now serving him) ~ 

Sabbath Keeping - Gaelic Blessing

"The Lord gives strength to His people,

He blesses His people with peace."

~ Psalm 29:11 ~

"Peace is not the absence of conflict,

it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means."

~ Ronald Reagan ~

"Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness

but because you deserve peace."

"Sometimes peace is better than being right."

"When the power of love

overcomes the love of power,

then we will have peace."

~ Jimi Hendrix ~

"Peace is our gift to each other." ~ Elie Wiesel ~

"If you're at war with others, 

you're not at peace with yourself."

"What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children...not merely peace in our time but peace for all time." ~ J. F. Kennedy ~

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." 

~ Thomas Jefferson ~ 

"If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another."
~ Winston Churchill ~

"Deep peace of the running wave to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the shining stars to you.

Deep peace of the gentle night to you.

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.

Deep peace of Christ, the Light of the world, to you.

Deep peace of Christ."

~ Gaelic Blessing ~

"Peace I leave with you

My peace I give you

Not as the world gives do I give to you

Let not your heart be troubled

Neither let it be afraid."

~ John 14:27 ~

Please pray for ~ Gina ~ Tim ~ me ~ and don't forget to tuck yourself in prayer ~ new school year, teachers, students, staff , bus drivers ~ 

Sabbath Keeping ~ Grief

"Precious in the sight of the Lord 

is the death of His saints."

~ Psalm 116:15 ~

"Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness.

It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity,

the price you pay for love.

The only cure for grief is to grieve."

~ Earl Grollman ~

"The death of a beloved is an amputation." 

~ C. S. Lewis ~

"Those who have suffered 

understand suffering and

therefore extend their hand."

~ Patti Smith ~ 

"Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone."

~ Fred Rogers ~ 

"Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them." ~ Leo Tolstoy ~

"We rejoice in spite of our grief,

not in place of it."

~ Woodrow Kroll ~

"Deep grief sometimes is almost like a specific location, a coordinate on a map of time. When you are standing in that forest of sorrow, you cannot imagine that you could ever find your way to a better place. But if someone can assure you that they themselves have stood in that same place, and now have moved on, sometimes this will bring hope." ~  Elizabeth Gilbert ~ 

"She was no longer wrestling with the grief, but could sit down with it as a lasting companion and make it a sharer in her thoughts." ~ George Eliot ~

"Joy is best sown in broken ground."

~ Jack Wellman ~

"The cross is a one time, visual representation, of God's grief over sin."

"Blessed are they that mourn 

for they shall be comforted."

~ Matthew 5:4 ~

Please continue to pray for Max's family and friends as we journey through the shadow lands ~ 

Sabbath Keeping - storms

"He calmed the storm to a whisper 

and the waves of the sea were hushed."

~ Psalm 207:29 ~

"My boy, one small breeze doesn't make a wind storm."

 ~ John McGraw ~

"A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor."

"God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream  and something else - something it never entered your head to conceive - comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we have really chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side, God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

"We men and women are all in the same boat, upon a stormy sea. We owe to each other a terrible and tragic loyalty." ~ G. K. Chesterton ~

"You feel pain because inside you are transforming." ~ S. Ajna ~ 

"Doubt swells and surges, with swelling doubt behind!

My soul in storm is but a tattered sail,

Streaming its ribbons on the torrent gale;

In calm, 'tis but a limp and flapping thing:

Oh! swell it with thy breath; make it a wing,

To sweep through thee the ocean, with thee the wind

Nor rest until in thee its haven it shall find.

Roses are scentless, hopeless are the morns,

Rest is but weakness, laughter crackling thorns.

But love is life, to die of love is then

The only pass to higher life than this.

All love is death to loving, living men;

All deaths are leaps across clefts to the abyss.

Weakness needs pity, sometimes love's rebuke;

Strength only sympathy deserves and draws -

And grows by every faithful loving look.

Ripeness must always come with loss of might."

~ George MacDonald, The Diary of an Old Soul ~ 

"I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship." ~ Louisa May Alcott ~

"All who sail the sea of faith find out before too long

How quickly blue skies can grow dark and gentle winds grow strong

Suddenly fear is like white water pounding on your soul

But still we sail on knowing that our Lord is in control

Sometimes He calms the storm with a whispered 'Peace be still' 

He can settle any sea but it doesn't mean He will

Sometimes He holds us close 

lets the wind and waves go wild

Sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child.

He has a reason for each trial that we pass through in life

And though we're shaken we cannot be pulled apart from Christ

No matter how the driving rain beats down on those who hold to faith

A heart of trust will always be a quiet peaceful place.

"Sometimes He calms the storm with a whispered peace be still

He can settle any sea but it doesn't mean He will

Sometimes He holds us close lets the wind and waves go wild

Sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child. ..."

~ Scott Krippayne ~ 

"The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer but why some do not."
~ C. S. Lewis ~

"Heaven is full of answers to prayer for which no one ever bothered to ask."  ~ Billy Graham ~

"No one tells you when you get born here how much you'll come to love it
and how you'll never belong here." ~ Rich Mullins  and here (a wonderful monologue)

"That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, "let us go over to the other side." 

Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. 

The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" 

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" 

Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 

They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!"

~ Mark 4:35-41 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Maxine who is drawing close to going Home; her family, especially her Dad; her friends, neighbors ~

Sabbath Keeping

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.

Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the

floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room

enough to store it."

~ Malachi 3:10 ~ 

"One is not born into the world to do everything

but to do something."

~ Thoreau ~ 

"Go the extra mile. It's not crowded."

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead." ~ Nelson Mandela ~

"Money often costs too much." ~ Emerson ~

"Scientists have discovered that the small, brave act of cooperating with another person, of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness, makes the brain light up with quiet joy."
~ Natalie Angier ~

"Let Christ be your example in your giving. In heaven He possessed everything, and yet He sacrificed it all - even His life - so we could be saved." ~ Billy Graham ~

"When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous."
~ Wayne Dyer ~

"I am only one,

but I am one.

I cannot do everything,

but I can do something.

And I will not let what I cannot do

interfere with what I can do."

~ Edward Everett Hale ~ 

"Help one another; there's no time like the present and no present like the time."

~ James Durst ~

"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little." ~ C. S. Lewis ~ 

"You are blessed to be a blessing."

"Forgiveness is the giving and so the receiving of life." 

~ George MacDonald ~

"But my God shall supply all your need 

according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

~ Philippians 4:19 ~

Please continue praying for Maxine as the situation worsens ~ please put me on your prayer list ~

Sabbath Keeping...and a little bit more ~

"I said, I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin,

I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked."

~ Psalm 39:1 ~ 

"A smart person knows how to talk.

A wise person knows when to be silent."

~ Roy T. Bennett ~

"Live your truth.

Express your love.

Share your enthusiasm.

Take action towards your dreams.

Walk your talk.

Dance and sing to your music.

Embrace your blessings.

Make today worth remembering."

~ Steve Maraboli ~

"I love to talk about nothing. It's the only thing I know anything about." ~ Oscar Wilde ~

"Many people are good at talking about what they are doing, but in fact, do little. Others do a lot but don't talk about it; they are the ones who make a community live." ~ Jean Vanier ~

"Great minds discuss ideas;

average minds discuss events;

small minds discuss people."

~ attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt ~

"Many men talk like philosophers and live like fools." ~ Philip K. Dick ~

"One ought, every day at least to hear a little song, 

read a good poem, 

see a fine picture, and, 

if it were possible, 

to speak a few reasonable words."

~ Goethe ~

"Remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now,  you would strongly be tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

"I would never speak about faith, but speak about the Lord himself - not theologically, as to the why and wherefore of his death - but as he showed himself in his life on earth, full of grace, love, beauty, tenderness and truth. Then the needy heart cannot help hoping and trusting in him, and having faith, without ever thinking about faith. How a human heart with human feelings and necessities is ever to put confidence in the theological phantom which is commonly called Christ in our pulpits, I do not know. It is commonly a miserable representation of him who spent thirty-three years on our Earth, living himself into the hearts and souls of men, and thus manifesting God to them."
~ George MacDonald ~

"Quit playing, start praying.

Quit feasting, start fasting. 

Talk less with men, talk more with God.

Listen less to men, listen to the words of God.

Skip travel, start travail."

~ Leonard Ravenhill~ 

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray (talk) to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This then, is how you should pray (talk to God):

"Our Father, who are in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen."

~ Matthew 6: 5-14 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Maxine's family. Max has been given six months; at this point in time, she's being kept as comfortable as possible. Please pray for her sister as she oversees caregivers for Max as well as their Mother who has been in nursing home care for years. Please pray for Arial, the primary CNA (who is studying for her nurse's exam), and other caregivers, family, friends, neighbors. Max and I have been friends for 47 years but last week, she didn't appear to know me and she has totally stopped talking to everyone. 

If you've read my blog for the past few years, you know Dave's story and my story. You know I've said I'm only smart enough to know God has good plans for our lives and for His glory.  His purpose and design are mysteries but I do know He can be trusted. This brief life is over so quickly and I firmly believe each and every thought, word and deed here has enormous ramifications in eternity.  God, who created Creation, has designs, plans and purposes for all eternity and we cannot begin to comprehend this side of the veil. He loves US so much He sent Jesus to bring us back into the fold, but we must accept Jesus and, through Jesus, make our peace with God. You may rant and rail all you like. You may choose not to believe. The fact remains: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and NO one goes to heaven unless they say 'yes' to Him and accept God's free gift:

"Lord Jesus, I'm sorry for my sins and want to spend eternity in heaven with you and God." 

Find a Bible believing body of believers; go to church to seek and worship God, read the Bible every day and, if possible, be baptized. As importantly, keep your eyes off other people and keep them on God.

A little bit more...it's hard to believe on July 31, it'll be a year since I signed the papers and bought this new to me farm. Someone told me it would take me a year to unpack and, as it turns out, they are correct. There are still dozens of boxes to unpack, things still have to be hung on walls, Dad's garden is coming in which means food to can and freeze and my raised beds are coming along nicely.

Before I could hook up the trailer and pick up, Ronnie delivered fifty sacks of top soil and each of the three raised beds received twelve sacks. The other sacks were used for flower beds and pots. My little patch has tomatoes, herbs (lavender, rosemary, basil) and flowers to attract bees and birds. I must admit, it takes more strength and energy to dump the dirt and, as well, takes more time to recover. Gosh, I hate to admit that!

If I'm on the farm, I usually have a shotgun and handgun close by; there are critters who aren't welcome here...snakes, muskrats and a few miles up the road, Ronnie's employees' horse was attacked and killed...possibly by a mountain lion or, some call it panther, cougar or puma. Whatever it's called, the horse was violently attacked and subsequently died so I'm not taking chances; guns are always at hand, just in case.

Another reason to be safe...one of the Inkspots, reclining his bad self as he watches me work.

Awww, you know I've always run a loose household! When the dining room furniture was delivered (after the Epic Mess of 2017), I turned to answer the phone (or some such foolishness) and when I came back to the job, Gypsy Rose Lee was overseeing.

As we ease into July, it's hotter than you know what and yet another reason to spend eternity in Heaven! I try and finish outside work by 10:00 (sun time and not that dratted DST!), come inside to work or take lunch to Dad and visit with him a spell. My attitude regarding work is, it'll always be here so no need to try and set records. I've come to terms with being behind but every now and again have a good telephone visit with folks.

I'm still working toward a new blog...I want to do a "brain dump" while I've still got a brain and a memory and there's a ton of stuff I know that might be useful to folks. The learning curve is tremendously steep and I've only put up the beginning of "The Story", here, which might be of interest. If nothing else, it'll make you chuckle!

Take care, be safe and remember what's important, truly important, in life. It's over ever so quickly; please know as God brings you to my mind, you're tucked in prayer. Some of you I know how to pray while others I simply say, "Please, God, bless ____." He knows and that's enough.

Sabbath Keeping

"For He will command His angels

to protect you in all your ways."

~ Psalms 91:11 ~

"They talk like angels but they live like men." ~ Jerome ~

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." ~ Michelangelo ~

"It was pride that changed angels into devils

it is humility that makes men as angels."

~ Augustine of Hippo ~

"Angels have a much more important place in the Bible than the devil and his demons."
~ Billy Graham ~

"If a man expects a woman to be an angel in his life, he must first create heaven for her.
Angels don't live in hell." ~ unknown ~

"Angels descending, 

bring from above,

echos of mercy,

whispers of love."

~ Frannie Crosby~

"Choosing to suffer means that there must be something wrong with you, but choosing God's will- even if it means you will suffer- is something very different. No normal, healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he simply chooses God's will, just as Jesus did, whether it means suffering or not. And no saint should ever dare to interfere with the lesson of suffering being taught in another saint's life.
The saint who satisfies the heart of Jesus will make other saints strong and mature for God. But the people used to strengthen us are never those who sympathize with us; in fact, we are hindered by those who give us their sympathy, because sympathy only serves to weaken us. No one better understands a saint than the saint who is as close and as intimate with Jesus as possible. If we accept the sympathy of another saint, our spontaneous feeling is, "God is dealing too harshly with me and making my life too difficult." That is why Jesus said that self-pity was of the devil (see Matthew 16:21-23). We must be merciful to God's reputation. It is easy for us to tarnish God's character because He never argues back; He never tries to defend or vindicate Himself. Beware of thinking that Jesus needed sympathy during His life on earth. He refused the sympathy of people because in His great wisdom He knew that no one on earth understood His purpose (see Matthew 16:23). He accepted only the sympathy of His Father and the angels (see Luke 15:10)."
~ Oswald Chambers ~

"I have God, Jesus and two thirds of the angels on my side, what do you think I am going to do? Sit down and cry?" ~ Leonard Ravenhill ~

"The sermon which does not lead to Christ, or of which Jesus Christ is not the to and bottom, is a sort of sermon that will make the devils in hell laugh, but make the angels of God weep."
~ C. H. Spurgeon ~

"Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe have no power over me." ~ Martin Luther ~

"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve

those who will inherit salvation?"

~ Hebrews 1:14 ~ 

Please pray ~ Max (a friend of 47 years who has cancer. Recently, I visited her but she didn't appear to know me) ~ Mom (continues to improve but fell today, no broken bones - thank God!) ~ RB ~ RA ~

Sabbath Keeping ~ Contentedness

"Better a little with righteousness

than much gain with injustice."

~ Proverbs 16:8 ~

"Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived." 

~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~ 

"Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness."
~ Pearl S. Buck ~ 

"For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain." ~ Longfellow ~

"Someone is happy with less than what you have." 

"Comparison makes find contentment difficult if not impossible." ~ Sandra ~

"Fortify yourself with contentment,

for this is an impregnable fortress."

~ Epictetus ~ 

"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is
easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then, rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor--such is my idea of happiness." ~ Tolstoy ~

"I am content; that is a blessing greater than riches; 

and he to whom that is given need ask no more." 

~ Henry Fielding ~ 

"We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without."
~ Immanuel Kant ~

" Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others.

Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval.

Because one accepts oneself; the whole world accepts him or her."

~ Lao Tzu ~ 

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contended with what he would like to have."  ~ Socrates ~

"Contentment makes poor men rich,

discontent makes rich men poor."

~ Benjamin Franklin ~

"What little thing last stole your happiness?"

"The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures, is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water."
~ C. S. Lewis ~

"I know what it is to be in need, 

and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content 

in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,

whether living in plenty or in want."

~ Philippians 4:12 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Maxine (who is home with hospice care) ~ Mom (who is greatly improved and able to get in/out of bed, go to lavatory and activities without assistance) ~ Anita ~ Jaqueline ~ 

Sabbath Keeping - Mother's Day

~ Mom, Sister and Great Grandson ~ 

"Honor your father and your mother,

so that you may live long in the land

the Lord your God is giving you.":

~ Exodus 20:12 ~ 

"Next to God,

thy parents."

~ William Penn ~ 

"Appreciate your parents. You never know what sacrifices they went through for you."
~ unknown ~

"Love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we often forget they are also growing old."
~ unknown ~

"Don't use the sharpness of your tongue on the mother who taught you to speak."
~ Ali Ibn Abi Talib ~

"It takes courage to be a mother."

~ Sandra ~ 

"But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin." ~ Mitch Albom ~

"If you can't go back to your mother's womb, 

you'd better learn to be a good fighter."

~ Anchee Min ~ 

"But kids don't stay with you if you do it right. It's the one job where, the better you are, the more surely you won't be needed in the long run." ~ Barbara Kingsolver ~ 

"Forgiveness does not mean excusing." 

~ C. S. Lewis ~

For a lot of people, mother's day (or father's day) is indescribably difficult. So many haven't had a Godly parent or had a "godly" parent who was abusive (especially behind closed doors). Some were given into foster care or adoption, others abandoned outright, others abused physically, emotionally, verbally. When God say "honor your father and mother" He doesn't ask us to give up ourselves; as  Lewis says, "Forgiveness does not mean excusing". Some people are meant to be loved from a great distance, others with no contact at all. If this day has been difficult, God knows and understands; give it to Him, let the bitterness, anger, resentment fade. Only He is able to heal your hurts, be a balm in Gilead, restore you to wholeness. Let Him.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise -

so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

~ Ephesians 6:1-3 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Maxine ~ Gladys ~ yourself ~

Sabbath Keeping - God Time

"For you, 

a thousand years are as a passing day,

as brief as a few night hours."

~ Psalm 90:4 ~ 

"Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life. 

Don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people's thinking. 

Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. 

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

~ Steve Jobs ~

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. 

The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

~ Thomas Edison ~ 

"Let us never know what old age is.

Let us know the happiness time brings, 

not count the years."

~ Ausonius ~

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," sand Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times.
But that is not for them to decide.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
~ J. R. R. Tolkien ~

Someone said, "Time heals all wounds." 

While I that may be true, I prefer to think time wounds all heels.

~ Sandra ~

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, only this time more intelligently."
~ Henry Ford ~

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
~ Warren Buffet ~

"Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity."
~ Jean de La Bruyere ~

"Never cut down a tree in the wintertime.

Never make a decision in the low time.

Never make your most important decision when you are in your worst moods.

Wait.

Be patient.

The storm will pass.

The spring will come."

~ Robert Schuller ~ 

"The time is always right to do what is right." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. ~

"How did it get so late so soon?" ~ Dr. Seuss ~ 

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: 

With the Lord a day is like a thousand ears,

and a thousand years are like a day."

~ 2 Peter 3:8 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Maxine (five hour surgery to remove cancerous brain tumor, couldn't get it all so she'll have to have chemo and radiation) ~ Mom (in rehab for fractured hip, pelvis and chipped right ankle from being T-boned in car accident) ~ 

Sabbath Keeping ~ HE IS RISEN!

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet He did not open His mouth."

~ Isaiah 53:6-7 ~

"The cross is the lightening rod of grace

that short circuits God's wrath to Christ

so that only the light of His love 

remains for believers."

~ A. W. Tozer ~

"Our old history ends with the cross;

our new history begins with the resurrection."

~ Watchman Nee ~

We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine." 
~ D. L. Moody ~ 

"The great gift of Easter is hope." 

~ Basil C. Hume ~ 

"God loves each of us as if there were only one of us." ~ Augustine of Hippo ~ 

"God proves His love on the cross. 

When Christ hung, and bled, and died, 

it was God saying to the world,

'I love you.'"

~ Billy Graham ~ 

"Jesus Christ did not come into this world to make bad people good;

He came into this world to make dead people live."

~ Lee Strobel ~

"God has defeated Satan through the death and resurrection of of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this overwhelming victory, God has also empowered you to overcome any temptation to sin and has provided sufficient resources for you to respond Biblically to any problem of life. By relying on God's power and being obedient to His word, you can be an overcomer in any situation." ~ John C. Broger ~

"Today we celebrate the gift of victory

 over every fall we have ever experienced."

~ Jeffrey R. Holland ~ 

"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection not in books alone but with every leaf of springtime."  ~ Martin Luther ~

"Death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity."

~ William Penn ~ 

"HE IS RISEN."

~ Matthew 28:6 ~ 

Please tuck in prayer ~ Vicki and Dave ~ Debby ~ Dormouse ~ Pam ~ Darcie ~

Sabbath Keeping - God Math

"So teach us to number our days

that we may apply our hearts

unto wisdom."

~ Psalm 90:12 ~

"Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe." ~ Galileo ~

"Geometry is one and eternal shining in the mind of God. That men share in it is among the reasons that Man is the image of God." ~ Johannes Kepler ~

   1 cross

+ 3 nails

= 4-given

"God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world." ~ Paul Dirac ~

"I was good at math until they decided to mix the alphabet into it." ~ 

"If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is." ~ John von Neumann ~ 

"People have managed to marry without arithmetic." ~ Chaucer ~

"The laws of Nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God." ~ Euclid ~

"God created everything by number, weight and measure." ~ Isaac Newton ~

"I am an expert in higher level math: You + God = Enough" ~ Zig Ziglar ~

"Before creation, God did just pure mathematics. Then He thought it would be a pleasant change to do some applied." ~ John Edensor Littlewood ~

"It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less than an acquaintance with the mind of God therein expressed." ~ Joule ~

Math of Life

ADD Jesus to your life (Romans 10:9-10)

MULTIPLY your good deeds (2 Corinthians 10:8)

DIVIDE your blessings with others (2 Corinthians 9:11) and

SUBTRACT all your fears (1 Peter 5:7)

EQUALS a wonderful life (Psalm 16:11)

"In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence."
~ Isaac Newton ~

"If I believe in God and life after death and you do not, and if there is no God, we both lose when we die. However, if there is a God, you still lose, and I gain everything." ~ Pascal ~

"Friends are like math...if they're not adding to your life, they're subtracting from it."
~ Dwayne Savaya ~

"The first gulp from the glass of natural science 

will turn you into an atheist, 

but at the bottom of the glass, 

God is waiting for you." ~ Werner Heisenburg ~ 

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.

Whoever lives in love,

lives in God

and God in them."

~ 1 John 4:16 ~

Please pray for ~ Gladys ~ Jim ~ Dormouse ~ Lisa ~ 

Sabbath Keeping - I bless you

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord life up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace."

~ Numbers 6:24-26 ~

"When I started counting my blessings,

my whole life turned around."

~ Willie Nelson ~

"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." ~ Thoreau ~

"A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal and strengthen."
~ John O'Donohue ~

"Get up every morning knowing 

God gave you everything you need 

to fulfill your destiny." 

"You must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing." ~ Andrew Jackson ~

"Almost everyone has experienced some sort of loss, perhaps the greatest is the life of a family member. There is a truth to this; you never get over it. Time wounds some of it but not all of it, so the scars will remain, but interestingly, scars are tougher than the previous skin that was there. The skin where a scar is at can take a greater force without tearing. In a similar manner, what we lose in life and what pains we suffer can be used for good. They can help us come alongside someone who's hurting from the same thing we did. Our pain can help others. God never wastes suffering. What seems a great loss at the time can be great gain later." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

We are unable to count the blessings God pours upon us 

and we've not even asked.

"And God is able to bless you abundantly,

so that in all things at all times, 

having all that you need

you will abound in every good work."

~ 2 Corinthians 9:8 ~

Please pray for ~ Gladys and Jim ~ Marti and Ray ~ Dan and Leigh ~

We've had late March snows and are expecting more mid-week but today was wonderfully sunny, warm and absolutely perfect. Earlier this week I moved 70 bales of orchard grass hay, twice, and have paid for it ever since. Apparently, I've developed hay allergy and it's been brutal. So brutal, I have laryngitis, swollen eyes and a terrible lethargic feeling that's been a constant companion. Today, after church, I came home and took a long nap...felt wonderful and I was able to shake the slight fever I've had for a few days. If someone had offered me a nickle, I would have laid down in the pew and napped, that's how rotten I was feeling. To my right, the sun streamed through the window and my poor eyes took a beating until I just gave up and kept them downcast.

Pastor Mat's sermon was terrific and I always take notes; he's continuing his talk on hero's and today was quite inspirational. He asked, "What is Your Superpower?" and gave the following:

1. Spoken word - Prov 18:21, Ps 33:6 (Do we speak blessings or curses over ourselves and others? For example, do we say, "You're an idiot" or "That was a idiotic thing to do?" It makes a HUGE difference in the way we perceive ourselves or others. As Pastor Mat said, "Say it and the ears hear it and the heart believes it."  We all do stupid things but we are not stupid. How do you talk to yourself, your spouse, your children, your friends, etc.?)

2. Praise - Ps 22:3 (Shake yourself out of a bad day...good music, uplifting talk with a good friend, read Psalms and, my favorite, I talk to the Good Lord and, yes, He answers me.)

3. Say the name of Jesus - Acts 3:6 (There's power in the name of Jesus! I like to sing Jesus Loves Me or a little song I made up, Thank you, thank you Jesus.)

4. Live a righteous life - Job 17:9 (Live a right life before God.)

5. Be kind - Prov 16:24 (Kindness is SO lacking in this cold, mean world!)

6. Pray - James 5:16 (Trust me, if God doesn't get tired of hearing me, you're quite safe!)

7. Have Faith - Heb 11:32 (This, the "Faith Chapter" of the Bible is a good reminder of why we should remember. Knowing others have walked similar paths, bolsters our faith and gives us strength to carry on.)

8. LOVE - John 3:16 (God loved us so much, He sent Jesus, the Light of the World to show us the way Home.)

9. Live in Truth - 2 Cor 10:3-4 (The truth, Jesus, sets us free!)

Lately, I've gotten so lax about updating this blog; actually, I'm lax about all social media, e-mailing, snail mailing, telephoning...some of it has to do with so many boxes still to be unpacked. In a box, somewhere, is my address book and when I first moved, Century Link (my telephone company) told me the problem was with my telephone and I had to buy a new one. So I did, only to find out, two months later, the problem was with Century Link but they graciously gave me a $30 credit for not being able to telephone for those two months. My old telephone system had my contacts and phone numbers but without the address book or that phone system, I've been at loose ends. The only numbers my head contains are those of siblings and parents. I've missed talking with old friends and only wish they felt the same; I've not heard from them since I've moved...wonder what's going on there? It certainly can't be something I've said...chortle!

Finally found my pots and pans; I've been making do with one smallish pot and a soup pot. Some years back I bought a convection oven and that gets a lot of use. The box containing kitchen knives turned up as well so I'm moving closer to having an actual, usable kitchen! There's a good chance my furniture will be delivered this coming weekend; yes, the restored furniture of the Epic Mess of January 2017!

I'm helping with family and moving closer means I'm able to help with medical appointments. Since Mom has been home from hospital, I've been making and delivering meals with Beloved Siblings and their spouses doing their bit; it's been a family affair.

The animals are doing well, thank God, as am I (except for the hay allergy) and life is good. As a treat, I've bought Acorn TV and have enjoyed a lot of Agatha Christie and other such that I enjoy greatly. (By the way, Acorn has a special...$49 for the year...and it's been lovely!) If those blog 'bots don't stop giving stupid comments, I'm going to go to comment approval (or whatever it's called).

Sadie just told me it's well past her bedtime and as I look at the clock, I see it's dangerously approaching tomorrow. This is one reason I'm slow to update, it's because it takes me so long to post. I've been on the computer for hours. So, I'll leave you with a blessing...

May God bless you, yours and the work of your hands and heart. 

May His blessings overflow in your life 

and into the lives of those you love and like.