Author Archives: Patricia Ann

The Plank in My Eye

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Recently I came face to face with the plank in my eye. In trying to convince someone to see the error of their ways, I was forced to see the error of some of my own ways. “Aha!” said I to myself. “So that’s what that verse means!” I love it when I get convicted of my own convictions…another of life’s lessons learned!

New International Version
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5

This is just one of the commands of Jesus in his famous Sermon on the Mount which starts at Matthew 5:1 and ends at Matthew 7:27. The sermon is chock-full of life lessons and well worth reading many times.

I can see clearly now.

Recent Random Quotes

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These random quotes have come my way over the past couple of days. One of them popped into my mind while conversing with a fellow blogger and it is this: Self awareness is the first step to self improvement. If someone has seen this somewhere before please let me know. I really like it and have already learned something from it.

Live in harmony with the still, small voice within you. Stephen Covey

In the realm of openness lies the miracle of the unconscious, the part of our minds that lives beneath our awareness.

We are never presented with lessons until we are ready to learn them. 

Awareness equals second attention.

Life is more than just existence.

All hell breaks loose when God lets humans have their own way.

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. Scott Hamilton, Skater

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. -Richard Bach

Do you think the caterpillar knew it was destined to be a butterfly?

 

 

 

 

Another Life Lesson

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I posted this on Facebook a couple of days ago and may or may not have blogged it in the past but it is a life lesson worth repeating. It comes from a book written by Agnes Sanford, The Healing Light.

Anger tends to destroy the body. It also tends to destroy the soul. The anger that solidifies into hate, resentment, or hurt feelings deposits a continual sediment of poison in nerves, arteries, bones and mind, and prepares the body for death.

Why would we do that to ourselves?

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31 NIV

A Tribute to Billy Graham

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The world has just said good-bye to one of God’s finest recruiter of souls. With the exception of Jesus himself, I doubt there has ever lived such a one whose magnetic sincerity drew people to the One who once said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19 NIV) This was Jesus talking to two fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew who immediately dropped their nets to follow him. And many of us are still following him to this day. Was Billy Graham one of the best “fishermen” ever? I like to think so.

And here is the hymn that was instrumental in leading us followers forward…it still touches my heart and causes me to raise hands to the One who is ever ready to receive those who heed His call.

To all who have not yet made that commitment, I invite you to come, just as you are, and receive one of life’s greatest blessings.

If we had to guess Billy Graham’s final words to his Creator, we may be sure they were, “Oh, Lamb of God, I come.” Rest in peace good and faithful servant.

The Woman and the Silversmith

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Last week I received the following email from my sister. I think it is worth sharing…what do you think?

Malachi 3:3 says:

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

   This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

   One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

   That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

   As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

   The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:  “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

   The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

   The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”

   If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

 This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they’re going through, they’ll be a better person in the end.

Pass the polishing cloth, please.

   

 

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It’s Supernatural

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So what does supernatural mean? Here’s one on-line dictionary’s explanation:

su·per·nat·u·ral
  1. 1.
    (of a manifestation or event) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.
    “a supernatural being”

Today I read this in one of my spiritual journals: Faith – the supernatural ability to trust God. 

In his book, Twelve Gifts from God, William Warch wrote: Everyone has the gift of faith but not everyone has an active faith.

So then I looked up the word activate, simply put by Wikipedia …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activate

Activate is a verb meaning to make operative or active.

Makes sense, right? We have the gift of speech (or most of us do) but we can’t use it until we activate it by opening our mouths and putting our tongue, lips, and vocal cords to work. So with faith…we must activate our mind, heart, intellect, and whatever it takes to lay hold of this gift and put it to phenomenal use.
I’m not going to be so brash as to try to tell anyone how to activate their gift of faith. When one feels the need, one seeks the deed. That in itself is supernatural.
Happy Sunday

 

“Good For You”

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An item in this morning’s CBC news broadcast made me say aloud, “Good for you!” It was reported that Chairman and CEO, Edward Stack, said in part, the following on Good Morning America:

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., one of the largest retailers of its kind in the United States, is taking new steps to curtail the sale of firearms, including ending sales of assault-style rifles and banning the sale of guns to people younger than 21, the company announced this morning.

This after that terrible shooting in a Parkland, Florida school that killed seventeen people. I hope this man will be the first of many to do the right thing.

And I say once again, Good For You!

 

 

Remembering a Pet

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Awhile back I posted a poem written by my sister about the passing of her pet dog, Farleigh. Today I’d like to share her poem to Jesse, another pet she said goodbye to.

In Remembrance of Jessie
November 16, 1989 – April 24, 2001
When you flashed me a look from your smiling Jessie eyes
I knew you were telling me your last goodbyes
You were telling me not to grieve
Now that the time had come for you to leave
When you flashed me a look from your sweet smiling eyes
The time we spent together went by fast
I can see you again as I look back over the past
The games of ball we used to play
You kept me playing night and day
You never seemed to tire
We walked the lake on days both hot and cold
We both walked slower as we grew old
We ate ice cream cones all year long
You listened while I played a song
On an accordion no longer new
You served humanity in a very special way
You birthed twenty-one puppies and gave them all away
To CVC to do their best
I hope that most passed the test
And became the best dog guides that they could be
Now that God has called you home
I walk the lake alone
I still think of you
And the things we used to do
And I’ll always remember your smiling Jessie eyes
 ©Mary Frances Martin