September 5, 2013 · 12:26 pm

Dust if You Must

A good reminder that life is meant for living!

morningstoryanddilbert's avatarMorning Story and Dilbert

I can’t tell you how many countless hours
that I have spent CLEANING!

I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend
making sure things were just perfect – “in case
someone came over”. Then I realized one day
that no one came over; they were all out living
life and having fun!

Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain
the “condition” of my home. They are more in-
terested in hearing about the things I’ve been
doing while I was away living life and having fun.
If you haven’t figured this out yet, please
heed this advice.

Life is short. Enjoy it! Dust if you must, but
wouldn’t it be better to paint a picture or
write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed,
ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,
with rivers to…

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September 5, 2013 · 11:51 am

Magic Forest – Aleksey Mikhailov

I know, I know, we are just barely past Labor Day, but what struck me about this picture is it’s serene beauty, it’s peacefulness. I myself only deeply appreciate snow from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, but could not pass on sharing this gorgeous picture.

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September 4, 2013 · 1:20 am

Must Think First

image“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Jesus said.

What a relief, it is the Master!  Peter thought. Everyone on the boat thought it was a ghost they saw walking towards them on the water, but he knew better.  He knew it could only be Jesus.

“Lord, if that is you tell me to come out to you on the water.”

“Come!” Jesus said.

A chill ran through Peter’s spine.  Jesus was telling him to walk out to him on the water!   Peter was aware of the other disciples shocked silence as he swung his leg over the side of the rocking boat.

No problem!  He thought.  He was sure of all the disciples; he was the one with the deepest connection and the strongest bond!  He would even die for Jesus!

After all, hadn’t it been only his name Jesus had changed from Simon to Peter.  Solid-as-rock-Peter.  And hadn’t he been the one that correctly declared that Jesus was the Messiah, The Son of the Living God; when Jesus asked him who he thought Jesus was? Continue reading →

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September 2, 2013 · 5:32 pm

Why we share

God turns our greatest mistakes into redeeming messages!

dianarasmussen's avatarPrayers and Promises

Why we share

From Pinterest.com

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August 31, 2013 · 1:29 am

Shine on!

imageWhen we look at the bright glistening ball in the sky at night, we forget that the moon is a huge hunk of grey rock that does not have a light of its own.  Its silvery glow comes from the sun’s brilliant rays reaching the face of the moon which then reflect off, giving us a nightlight in the sky.

There are some nights that the moon brightens up the whole landscape around us.  It is especially spectacular when there is snow on the ground.

Sometimes we only see a quarter-moon, a half-moon, a three-quarter moon, or that sliver some call God’s finger nail. Continue reading →

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August 28, 2013 · 7:38 pm

Seriously, Who’s Got the Biggest Problem?

I was not able to write a post yesterday as usual (Tuesday) because I had two days of a migraine. Brutal! Here is my Tuesday post. 🙂

I have friend I will call Sandy. I met her about thirteen years ago when a little dog I was fostering snuck out of my yard. Sandy had recently moved in next door and offered to help me find the dog. We have both long since moved from that neighborhood, but we stay in touch. I consider Sandy a good friend.

Sandy feels bad about herself much too often, even more so when she is depressed. She has dealt with mean criticism and ugly labels throughout her life. She has been ridiculed and called names.

The thing is that because Sandy’s parents were heavy alcohol drinkers, Sandy suffers some of the symptoms of from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

Continue reading →

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August 24, 2013 · 1:37 am

Living in a Warzone

I have never been one to watch too many fantasy movies but was encouraged to by the way “Waking the Dead,” a book by John Eldridge, uses these as analogies to help readers understand the struggle we all live under.

John Eldridge, does not encourage readers to watch fantasy movies. He encourages us to wake up to the understanding that spiritual war is all around us and gravely affects our everyday life.  The last thing the enemy wants from a Christ follower is success or to have anything good we attribute to God.  He wants to keep us in a struggle so that we are not living up to our God-given potential, but instead we are as frustrated, disappointed, depressed and discouraged as possible.

I rented the Hobbit.   Have you ever seen it?

As I watched it, I envisioned the dwarfs as the Israelites and Thorin as King David back in Old Testament times and King Jesus now and in the future.  There are numerous attacks by forces of evil.

The way the forces of evil are depicted in the movie, I can clearly imagine this is what the invisible spiritual warfare is like all around us, but the majority of us remain as unaware to it as Bilbo, though we are indeed deeply affected. Continue reading →

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August 24, 2013 · 12:02 am

A Touching Story- Boy Wants to be Fireman

Very beautiful. Truly a soul stirring and tissue grabbing story!

booklovers1's avatarbooklovers1

In Calgary, Alberta, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia.
ATT2
Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son’s dream to come true.

She took her son’ s hand and asked,
‘Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up?
Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?’

Mommy, ‘I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.’

Mom smiled back and said, ‘Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.’

Later that day she went to her local fire
Department in Calgary, where she met

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August 23, 2013 · 6:18 pm

Heart Support

As I have mentioned before, my former married life was excruciatingly painful. I often felt overwhelmed and badly in need of an emotionally supportive friend at home. God sent that supportive friend in the form of a dog.

Annie and me 1997.

Annie and me 1997.

God knew what He was doing when he made dogs. Annie was the best friend a person could want. It was spring of 1986. My three children then were five and under. As an avid animal lover, I jumped at the chance to get a lapdog when I heard there was a litter of designer-puppies. Free! They turned out to be a Lhasa-apso-terrier-mix. The owner did not want to deal with selling the mixed-breed pups. For over a week I begged my then-husband to give a puppy a try until he finally conceded, but was adamant he didn’t want this dog, he wanted a Doberman.

There was only one female left by the time we got the puppy. She was blonde, very affectionate and cuddly, with a curled, shaggy tail.

The kids and I were exhilarated when we brought her home. Months before we knew of the litter, I told the kids someday I wanted a girl dog named Annie. After that, my two year old son told everyone “My doggy name Annie,” so we named this puppy Annie.

Continue reading →

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August 21, 2013 · 12:19 am

True Love Never Fails

1st Corinthians 13:1-13

The Love Chapter

image

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Continue reading →

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