Dribs and Drabs

 ~ cozy mornings ~

Usually, the dogs and I are early morning risers; this morning we left the warmth of our bed at 5 a.m. They go outside, most of the time, as I'm making coffee and readying early morning dog treats, then, we all go into the sun room where the gas logs are lit and I read my Bible. Lately, it's been Job; always welcome and, these days, speaking directly to my heart like an arrow from the sling of the Almighty.

~ Canada geese ~

Almost every day, we see huge flocks of Canada geese, not Canadian geese as that's entirely incorrect. There are times the flock can be counted but, usually, they are too numerous. They have flown so close overhead I can hear the "whomp, whomp, whomp" of their wings and the absolute wildness of it all, stirs my heart and makes me want to jump into the air like a child playing chase. It is that restless longing for true freedom, only to be found in God, for which I long and seek.

As St. Augustine said, "GREAT art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and of Thy wisdom there is no end. And man, being a part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee, man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, even the witness that Thou "resistest the proud,"(2) -- yet man, this part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee. Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee? Lord, teach me to know and understand which of these should be first, to call on Thee, or to praise Thee; and likewise to know Thee, or to call upon Thee. But who is there that calls upon Thee without knowing Thee? For he that knows Thee not may call upon Thee as other than Thou art. Or perhaps we call on Thee that we may know Thee. "But how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? or how shall they believe without a preacher?"(5) And those who seek the Lord shall praise Him. For those who seek shall find Him,(7) and those who find Him shall praise Him. Let me seek Thee, Lord, in calling on Thee, and call on Thee in believing in Thee; for Thou hast been preached unto us. O Lord, my faith calls on Thee,--that faith which Thou hast imparted to me, which Thou hast breathed into me through the incarnation of Thy Son, through the ministry of Thy preacher."

Are you familiar with the browser Mozilla Firefox? In a word, it's fabulous! Dave is the high tech geek around here and he found and installed Firefox for us. I wasn't too thrilled one way or the other, as long as the computer will boot up and take me where I want to go, I'm a happy camper. With Firefox, if the font on a particular page is too small, just click Control and the + sign at the same time. The font will enlarge each time you click! If the font is too large, click on Control and the - sign and the font size decreases. Is that cool or what? Another thing...Firefox has wonderful themes that appear around the edges of your screen. Right now, I'm looking at Aslan, peering rather majestically at me over the top of my g-mail. Okay, it's not really Aslan but he is a majestic lion and, as I love Narnia, I pretend it's Aslan. Does my heart good too, knowing Aslan is right here with me both in spirit and on the screen. 

Is it just me and Sarah Palin or have you noticed grocery store prices are, just about, through the roof? Do you know about the National Inflation Association? It's all about "preparing Americans for hyperinflation" and if you're a person, such as I, who best understands things put rather simply, go read some of the articles. Be sure your shoes are tightly tied as you're about to be frightened out of your socks! Food price projections are strikingly obscene! Forecasts of +$23 for a pound and half loaf of bread or +$45 for a 64 ounce container of orange juice...YIKES! Other forecast include, by the end of this decade which is not so very far in the future, a plain white cotton men's tee shirt costing more than $55 at Wal-Mart. NIA expectations are all retailers will soon substantially raise food prices and at the same time, this "will ensure that this Holiday shopping season will be the worst in recorded American history." I urge everyone to run to the grocery and make purchases now, while we can still afford to buy! Stock up on beans, rice and the basics; learn to cook from scratch, prepare yourselves and your families, as best you can, for what is to come.

"Why," you ask, "is this happening?" Because the Federal Reserve has announced they will implement $600 Billion in additional quantitative easing by end of June 2011. Simply put, they keep printing money and that causes inflation! Quite effectively, it steals from the purchasing power of income and savings of ALL of us! As the NIA puts it, "While Americans are distracted by the mainstream media with daily debates by the Democrats and Republicans about taxes, U.S. taxes have almost no where near the effect on the lives of middle class Americans as does the Federal Reserve's monetary policy and quantitative easing. Instead of millions of Americans attending "tea party" events in Washington with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, they should be marching outside of the Federal Reserve building in New York chanting "End the Fed"."

Works for me, ending big government.The Republicans have announced they will attempt to "stop the pork". Now you and I both know, that's not going to happen, not in a million lifetimes but what they, Dems and Republicans, can do is "end the Fed". That's probably not going to happen either but a woman can dream, can't she? I dream of change, real change, and I don't mean chump change either.

~ eye candy ~

These are perilous times and the blessing/curse "may you live in interesting times" is certainly true. In keeping with Rebecca Writes, my heart is grateful that even though I live in interesting times, my times are in God's hands. It is He who holds sway over me and not man. Man may mean it for evil but God is able to work it for His good. Bless His name forever.

Blessings ~ the view from each window ~ Aslan ~ St. Augustine ~ Canada geese ~ cozy fire ~ faith ~ seeking ~

Grace and Peace,
Sandra

Sabbath Keeping

 ~ the island life ~

"Loners who care only for themselves spit on the common good.
Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth.
When wickedness arrives, shame's not far behind; contempt for life is contemptible.
Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from atesian springs.
It's not right to go easy on the guilty, or come down hard on the innocent.
The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him.
Fools are undone by their big mouths; their souls are crushed by their words.
Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?
Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism.
GOD's name is a place of protection--good people can run there and be safe.
The rich think their wealth protects them; they imagine themselves safe behind it.
Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor.
Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.
A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?
Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights."
~ Proverbs 18:1-15, the Message ~
"You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." ~ John Wooden ~






"A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew." 
~ Herb Caen ~

"Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom." 

~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~

"He who devotes sixteen hours a day to hard study may become at sixty as wise as he thought himself at twenty." ~ Mary Wilson Little ~ 
"Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers." ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson ~ 

"Patience is the companion of wisdom." ~ Saint Augustine ~

"Some folks are wise and some are otherwise." ~ Tobias Smollet ~

 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." ~ James 1:5 ~ 

Blessings ~ wisdom ~ Sunday ~  wise men and women ~
 
Dei Gratia,
Sandra

Sabbath Keeping

 ~ Kumbrabow State Forest, WV Appalachian Mountains ~

"Our Father, which art 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." ~ Matthew 6:9-13 ~

 "I have so much to do that I must spend several hours a day in prayer before I am able to do it."

~ John Wesley ~

"Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine."
~ C. S. Lewis ~

"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden."  

~ Corrie ten Boom ~

"God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede."
~ Oswald Chambers ~

 "Pray, and let God worry." ~ Martin Luther ~

"Pray as though everything depended upon God. Work as though everything depended upon you."
~ St. Augustine ~

"I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go."  ~ Abraham Lincoln ~

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; it is the greater work." ~ Oswald Chambers ~

5 Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest you, so begin your prayer by praying for those closest to you as they are the easiest to remember; our parents, spouse, children, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, "a sweet duty". 

2. The next finger is the pointing finger, so pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. Ministers, doctors and teachers need support and wisdom in instructing, leading and guiding others. 

3. The next finger is the tallest finger and reminds us to prayer for our leaders. Pray for those who shape our nation, our President, representatives in Congress, Senate and at the state and local levels. Desperately, they need God's guidance and wisdom.

4. The fourth finger, the ring finger, is the weakest finger and reminds us to pray for those who are the least among us: children, elderly, infirm, those going through times of testing. They need our intercessory prayers.

5. The last finger, our smallest finger, reminds us to pray for ourselves and once we've prayed for all the above, our wants and needs are placed in perspective and we are able to pray accordingly. 

~ as told to me by Mary Crocket Bowen Bricker, Dave's beloved Mother ~

"I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time -waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God, it changes me." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

Blessings ~ prayer ~ the prayers of a righteous people ~ God ~ Christ, our intercessor ~ prayer

Thanks for visiting Thistle Cove Farm,
Sandra