That is the question…but the continuation of the question is…happy. To be or not to be happy? This post is in answer to the question often posed to me, “Why are you always smiling?” Enough said. John 15:11 These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. Happy Sunday.
Each of us has as song or songs that stand out for us and we sometimes find ourselves replacing some words for others.
Here is such a song. When listening to, or singing this one, I replace “darling” with Jesus, and “the people” with Jesus. It gives the song a whole new meaning. Try it. Happy Sunday.
The reading in Our Daily Bread magazine for September 16th was about being set free by Jesus, and asks the question, “What has Jesus set you free from? How can you share with others what He’s done for you?”
Over the many years I have lived, He has set me free from smoking, swearing, jealousy, worry, doubt, dread, anxiety, and perhaps some things I am forgetting.
However, there are two things He has not set me free from: procrastination and vanity.
I recently procrastinated my way out of some furniture for my new apartment, and when I finally decided to order it, the price was two hundred dollars higher and the delivery date three months down the road; neither was acceptable to me.
As for vanity…I fell face first down some stairs on September 1st and am still wearing some of the bruises. This has kept me from meeting and mingling with people in the retirement home I recently moved to. I wear my Covid mask even when not needed just to hide my face.
So, what has Jesus set you free from? Or not! Happy Sunday.
Remembering Sept 11, 2001, the day the twin towers fell in New York City at the hands of terrorists flying their planes into the buildings killing over 2700 people, I can’t help remembering that a similar scene is mentioned in the Bible.
“In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill.” Isaiah 30:25 NIV
I can’t explain the ‘flowing streams of water’, but feel there must be some significance.
It never ceases to amaze me how biblical happenings are repeated in our lives today.
It is good to remember this, and that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8. NIV, even when the towers fall.
Happy Sunday
May your day be one of peace and tranquility. May your mind be filled with song and your heart be filled with love and most of all may the good Lord bless and keep you.
Happy Sunday.
A blog a few days ago got me thinking about that word power again.
In itself the word congers up feelings of confidence, helpfulness, caring, independence, and other positive images to help us along life’s path.
The downside is the abuse of power, and we have all experienced that at one time or another.
After all that thinking I came to the conclusion that power is never power until it is used powerfully to help the powerless.
Thanks to Roger Baker-Utah’s blog, Area 52, five days ago that reminded me of my stand on power.
Happy Saturday.
Many of us have lived for well over a year without hugs. Sure, there have been a few precious hugs on occasion…very cautious hugs at that, but definitely not what we were used to.
Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter three, summed it up succinctly:
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Happy Sunday.
The topic of angels fascinates me, and today I’m sharing an edited version of a blog I posted May 24, 2014. Happy Saturday.
NED IS AN ANGEL
My angels are numbered.
Let me tell you how Ned got his number. It began with a book I read, The Messenger. In one chapter, titled ‘The 444’s’, angels were identifying themselves in the guise of number 444 to four different people.
In the book, a woman who professed she could talk to angels, told the main character that his special angel’s number was 4. This triggered a memory for me. Many years ago I had been told that the number 7 was very important to me. Could it be that my special angel was numbered 777? I felt that it was, and named the angel Celeste. Before long I believed that many angels were with me and I looked at numbers in a way I never had before.
Once aware of the angels in my life it was interesting the way they became available to me whenever I called upon them. As soon as that awareness crept into my psyche I noticed triple numbers on license plates, telephone numbers on billboards, or even a particular hymn number on Sunday morning. But back to Ned.
The writer of an angel magazine I was reading one morning described an incident where she was having difficulty with a computer program dealing with finances. She mentally asked for help, and suddenly the name ‘Ned’ came to her. Shaking her head at this imaginative voice, she continued trying to conquer the problem. Once again she found herself thinking, I need some help here, and the name ‘Ned’ popped into her mind again. She searched in a name book and found that Ned was a derivative of Edward, meaning prosperous guardian. With that, she found her thinking had cleared and the problem was solved.
Back to my angels. As yet I wasn’t aware of my prosperity angel and the number 999 suddenly came to mind. I wondered if Ned and 999 were connected and looked for that number on my drive to work.
I was vaguely disappointed as I neared my destination and my prosperity angel had not manifested yet. Due to a traffic tie-up in front of me I took a short cut and turned at the first corner I came to. There, parked at the side of the road to my right was a car with the license plate N E D.
I was astounded!
That afternoon a visiting business colleague who knew my penchant for angels and their numbers casually commented, “Incidentally, on my way over here the car in front of me had 999 on the license plate; thought you might be interested.”
That’s how I know Ned is and angel.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; Psalm 91:11
A recent sermon spoke of the need to love our enemies. Well, not many of us have enemies but there may be those who don’t like us and for whom the feeling may be mutual. However, God did command us to love those who hate us, and because I find that difficult to do, he put this hymn in my head. Because he so freely loves us in spite of ourselves may we not do likewise for him? See Luke 6: 27-36 and Matthew 10:8. Happy Sunday.
I’ve had a love affair with alliteration since childhood. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, and she sells sea shells by the sea shore were my first introduction to this fascinating literary device.
Seeking new outlets to keep my mind active during this Covid thing I came up with a few fun examples of my own yesterday, but first, the definition of alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. So, here goes:
Sonic sounds shattered the still silence.
Her peerless posture presented a perfect pose.
Apples and avocados are added flavors in a salad.
Birds, bees, and butterflies beautify nature’s norms.
The sweet, sticky toffee titillated Tilly’s taste buds.
I’ll leave it at that for today but don’t be surprised if I come back again to have more fun with alliteration. Want to give it a try?
Happy Saturday.
My Precious Life 