The sun was out this morning, so I went exploring in our own yard. Here are a few pictures of some of the treasures I found.
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Well, the Thankfulness Challenge for week 2 has stretched out to about two weeks or longer. How did you do? Did you enjoy it? This challenge was a blessing to me, although I need to work harder at the memory verse. Did you get it learned? Here it is, just for a reminder, Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” This verse gives four reasons we should praise and thank the Lord. 1. The Lord is my strength 2. The Lord is my shield 3. The Lord can be trusted 4. The Lord is my helper One good way to express our joy and thanks to God is by singing. It was so encouraging to meditate on the many ways in which God is my strength. For a review, here are the ten ways I mentioned in the challenge. 1. My refuge 2. My rock 3. My shelter and satisfaction 4. My shield 5. My security 6. My salvation 7. My Deliverer 8. My confidence and fountain of life 9. My tower 10. My song And I will end the review with these triumphant verses from Psalm 118 “14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: 20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. 21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:14-21) Stay tuned for the next section in the Thankfulness Challenge, which will take a look at “The Lord is my shield.” In the meantime, have a blessed week (or maybe two :-) ). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In other news, yesterday evening was M & M meeting with the ladies from church and also our annual Secret Sister meeting. This year it was a SDRAWKCAB meeting, which was tons of fun. I wore the backward hat I had fixed up. We had a meal -- dessert first, then the main dish, and then the appetizers. After that we played Bible Jeopardy and then the teenagers did a skit. The skit was Goldilocks and The Three Bears, with a twist. The three bears had moved into town but were not very welcomed by the town residents. Goldilocks felt sorry for them, so she invited them over for dinner. She showed them their food at the table, and with loud grunts and growls, they devoured the food. Then she invited them to sit and visit in the living room. They broke her furniture, but she wanted to be a gracious hostess. They said that their house had been fumigated, so she invited them to stay all night. All seemed to be going well until she heard some loud noises in the kitchen. When she went out to investigate, there they were, making a mess and devouring all her food. "What are you doing?" she asked. "We were hungry!" "Well, she said, "Why didn't you just tell me? Look at the mess you are making in my kitchen." They responded, "Then you should not have invited three bears over to your house." Goldilocks began to see why the other residents were somewhat nervous about having the three bears move into the community. She said, "I think I have learned a lesson. Maybe this story has a happy ending after all," whereupon the Three Bears proceeded to eat Goldilocks. After the skit, we had our devotional time. We spent a little time considering how nice it was that God did not design us to have to live life backwards. What if we had to drive backwards? Maybe we would start life out old and get younger as the years went by. We would go to bed by morning and get up at the end of the day. Several other ideas were mentioned. God knew just the right way to make things when He made both us and the order in which we should live. And, the application is that we should get up in the morning and start our day with the Lord and His word, so we can be filled with His sweetness at the beginning of the day. This works so much better than trying to give out sweetness throughout the day and then come to Him for cleansing and filling after the trials of the day have passed. The last thing we did was to put our names on a piece of paper and put them in a basket. From that basket, Mrs. Ogle grew out two names at a time. She called out those names and paired us up. We got together and took each other's info and prayer requests. Now we are supposed to do things to encourage each other throughout the year. We gave each other a coffee mug, and now we are "Mug Buddies" throughout the year. I think this is going to be fun! Now it is Sunday, the beginning of a new week, and the beginning of a new part of January's Thankfulness Challenge. Here is what I will be studying this week. Join me if you like. May it be a blessing to you! Memory Verse: Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” This verse gives four reasons that we can rejoice in the Lord. What are they? 1. _____________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________________________ 4. _____________________________________________________________ According to this verse, what is a good way to express our joy and thanks to God? ________________________________________________________________ This week I am studying only the first phrase of the memory verse. There is so much in just that one phrase. Let's take a look! The Lord is my strength 1. My refuge “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) “18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.” (Hebrews 6:18 – 20a) 2. My rock “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” (Psalm 62:7) 3. My shelter and my satisfaction “1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:1-4) “7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.” (Psalm 36:7,8) 4. My shield “5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;” (Psalm 1:5-9) 5. My security “10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” (Psalm 91:10-12) 6. My salvation “14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16) “2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) 7. My Deliverer “5 I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 6 Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.” (Psalm 145:5-7) 8. My confidence and fountain of life “26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:26,27) “9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. 10 O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.” (Psalm 36:9,10) “13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. 14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 13:13,14) “…the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” (See Jeremiah 17:13) “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3) 9. My tower “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10) 10. My song “1 And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” (Isaiah 12 “The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2) “14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. 17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: 20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. 21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:14-21) Notes for personal application: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ It has been a hard week in some ways, but it has been a great week as well. Did you join me in the study of Thankfulness from Nehemiah chapters 7 through 12 this week? Did you enjoy it? It surely was a blessing to me. It has been a very interesting study. When the Scripture was read to the people, they gave thanks, had a great feast, and made great mirth because they understood the words of the Scripture. Then they confessed their sins. After that, they gave willingly of themselves and all their substance. They appointed people for various positions of service for the Lord. Some people were specifically appointed to give thanks. The neat thing is that God allowed them to return to their lands and to their possessions and restored these things to them. He also gave them a representative to the king. When they got the wall rebuilt and dedicated it, they did so with thanksgiving, gladness, and singing. “Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.” (Nehemiah 12:43) It has been a very exciting study! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this would happen in our home? In our community? In our nation? Brrrrr! In every day life this week, we have had some really cold weather (for this area, anyway). On Thursday morning it was 10 degrees outside. Christy was able to sleep in a bit. Her work place operated on a 2 hour delay because of the cold. There was a lot of ice on the windows and on the front door, and it made some pretty patterns. There was also a "visitor" in the bathroom. We don't usually see these in the winter. It must have been trying to find a warm place. In fun things, I finished up the "yummy" chocolate cupcake hat.
Sunrise this morning was so beautiful! I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. Here are a couple of them. While this morning was beautiful, tonight it gets cold. Our forecast for tonight is for a low of 11 degrees with winds at 15 mph and gusts up to 30 mph. Windchill is expected to be from 0 to -5. We covered our back door with plastic, put draft stoppers down in front of it and will be leaving some faucets dripping tonight. We try to leave both cold and hot dripping to prevent water pipes from freezing. After two days of chilly weather, it is supposed to be back up into the 40s again. ☼ Have a happy Wednesday, everyone! Cultivating a Thankful Heart The title I have chosen for January's challenge is "Cultivating a Thankful Heart." And here is the study and challenge I am working on for this week: What is Thanks? Definition of “thanks” __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Definition of “gratitude” __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Memory verse for week 1 I Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Scriptures to study – Nehemiah chapters 7 through 12. Who were the people that gave thanks? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ What kind of positions did they hold? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Did thanksgiving and praise seem to be an important part of a relationship to God? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Was this thanksgiving only at home or with a few friends or relatives? Or was it public? (See Nehemiah 12:43) ________________________________________________________________________ Notes: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ I hope you are encourage by this study, and God bless! Happy New Year, one and all!
Thank God for His goodness! “11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. 12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.” (Psalm 65:11-13) Last year our theme verses were “20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20,21) The main idea or goal was to allow the Lord to change me through 2014, trusting that “…He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) This year the theme verse is Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The main idea or goal will be to search the Scripture and find the practical ways that the Lord shows that we can seek first His kingdom and to put these things into practice in my life. One main goal and focus of the year will be Thankfulness, and thankfulness will be the first area of Bible study. Here are ideas I have found so far. (If you want to join me in Seeking God’s Kingdom in 2015, I would love to have you go along with me. And, any thoughts and ideas you have would be welcome!) Study Goals: Challenge for January: Thankfulness Challenge for February: Managing your mouth Challenge for March: Being a virtuous woman (Proverbs 31) Challenge for April: Kindness Challenge for May: Finding joy in all things Challenge for June: Study the Ten Commandments Challenge for July -- Study the fruit of the Spirit - What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in one’s life? I have only gotten ideas down through July so far and will trust the Lord to lead me in what to study the rest of the year as time goes by. Thanks for reading! I hope to see you come along with me in Seeking God’s Kingdom in 2015! God bless! He leads us on by paths we do not know; Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow, Though oft we faint and falter on the way, Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day; Yet when the clouds are gone, We know He leads us on. He leads us on through all the unquiet years; Past all our dreamland hopes and doubts and fears, He guides our steps through all the tangled maze Of losses, sorrows, and o’er clouded days; We know His will is done; And still He leads us on. ~N. L. Zinzendorf |
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