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| feeding the chickens at our friends' farm "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again — my Savior and My God!" (Psalm 42:5)  Antidotes for the blues:
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". . . God has a surprise for you . . ." (Luke 1:30)
We've planned for weeks . . .
And the day is finally here . . .
Back story:
My favorite and only living Aunt Mary Grace is cleaning out their old home place and decided to sell the baby grand. In the middle of the night, the Lord whispered, "Jill, you need to buy that piano for your grandgirl."
We did and found a terrific piano moving company to transport it from Alabama to Indiana. Our family kept the secret well, and grandgirl's younger brother made the great reveal plan . . .
He sneaked downstairs after school today and started playing . . .
Because there wasn't a piano downstairs when she left for school this morning, she hurried to investigate . . .
Surprise!
"Where did you get it???" she asked.
"It dropped in from heaven," her daddy said.
Thank You, Lord Jesus!!!
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| Grandboys "But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious bodies like His own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which He is putting everything as it should be, under and around Him." (Philippians 3:20-21) Wanna hear some Good News? If you have been made alive in Christ Jesus, although your past and present are amazingly great, the best is yet to come! AMAZING PAST: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins . . . But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1,4-5) "In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." (Ephesians 1:7) God saved us from the penalty of sin! GREAT PRESENT: "And we know that in all things God works for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son . . ." (Romans 8:28-29) "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:14) God is saving us from the power of sin! THE FABULOUS YET TO COME: "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory!" (Colossians 3:4) God will save us from the very presence of sin! Isn't that fabulous news? Have a great day with Jesus, beloved! |
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| Our Dan and Mrs. McClanahan First Baptist Church preschool Pine Bluff, Arkansas 1990 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name." (Exodus 20:7) "Glorify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together." (Psalm 34:3) Once upon a time as a young mom and preschool teacher, I taught my children and students that we are to say capital G "God" only when we talk to Him or about Him but never as a mere expression or byword. Beloved, always exalt God; never disparage Him. Selah. "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart." (Psalm 40:8) |
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| Granddaddy, babygrand, and me |
". . . [God] guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 97:10) Today is babygrand's second birthday. Because hiking through the woods and Paw Patrol are two of his favorite things, Memaw made him a Paw-Patrol-hike-through-the-lollipop-woods birthday cake.  Granddaddy and I would lay down our lives to guard this little fellow from the hand of the wicked. Come to think about it, Jesus already has. Selah. |
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| Grandgirl sketching "This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you . . ." (2 Timothy 1:6) God gave my 13-year-old grandgirl the gift of art. It's fascinating to watch her use it.  Beloved, God gives the gifts, but it's up to us to fan them into flame for His purpose and glory. Are you fanning?  |
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| Grandboy and poodle pup "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to God's will, He hear us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15) What a promise! If we ask anything according to God's will, He hears us, and we have what we ask. So . . . how do we know God's will? Easy peasy. We know and obey God's word. God says: "Be strong in Me and in My mighty power." (Ephesians 6:10) We ask: "Lord make me strong in You and in Your mighty power." God says: "Trust in Me with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Me, and I will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6) We ask: "Lord, help me trust in you with all my heart. Help me submit unto you in all my ways, and please make my paths straight." God's word, beloved, is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path in prayer and in life. The Bible: read it, obey it, pray it, live it! (And what's the connection between today's picture and today's post? Nothing. Just thought you might enjoy two specimens of cuteness.) |
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| Oldest grand and superman Lake Monroe trail "...strengthen your weak knees." (Hebrews 12:12) At Bible study yesterday morning, we studied Hebrews 12:4-13, a passage describing God's discipline for His children. The unknown author emphasized that no discipline is fun while it's happening, but afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living if we're trained by the discipline of the Lord. Therefore take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Last evening, while sitting down, my knee suddenly got sore and stiff for no apparent reason. Hmmm...interesting. In light of the day's lesson, I prayed, "Train me, Lord!" This morning, I read 1 Timothy 6:11-12, "Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith" and Jude 1:20, "Build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit." And my point is? God uses trials to train His children. Therefore, submit to Him in your pain, beloved, and learn from the Master Teacher. |
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| DeSoto State Park campground at dark "For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age." (Ephesians 6:12) In Psalm 55, David cried out for God's help against his enemies. "I am terrified," he said. "I see violence and riots in the city, surrounding it day and night, filling it with crime and trouble. There is destruction everywhere; the streets are full of oppression and fraud." Sound familiar? Paul reminds us in the sixth chapter of the book of Ephesians that our enemies are not people. Our enemies are dark, wicked spiritual powers in the heavenly realm. Election Day is two weeks away, beloved. If you're a Democrat, don't pray against the Republicans. If you're a Republican, don't pray against the Democrats. Pray against the true enemy: the unseen, dark, evil forces attacking our land. Cry out to God for help! "Then the LORD thundered from the sky; and the voice of the Most High was heard. He shot His arrows and scattered His enemies; and with flashes of lightning He sent them running." (Psalm 18:13-14) |
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| Smoky Mountains, Tennessee "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will." (Proverbs 21:1) O Lord God, Father of mercies, please turn our national leaders' hearts' toward you! |
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| Indiana grands (Today's hike at Lake Monroe) For the beauty of the earth For the beauty of the skies For the love Which from our birth Over and around us lies Lord of all to Thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise! 1 1. FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH. Folliott Sandford Pierpoint, 1864. |
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| Troll Bridge |
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| Little River Road Great Smoky Mountains National Park "Through [Jesus] all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:3) A quick post between hiking and biking. |
Because superman had to have minor surgery a few weeks ago, we postponed our September anniversary trip to October.
With that delay came sweatshirts and jeans, splashes of red, yellow, and pumpkin-orange under bright blue skies, and goldenrods and Black-eyed Susans waving in the meadows.
Sometimes, beloved, delay is better than on time. Father God knows best! Trust Him.
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| cross at Hope Haven "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13) "...You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful..." (Nehemiah 9:17) On Wednesday, I told you that the salvation of a soul in his last hour was at the tiptop of my prayer list. Yesterday, just in the nick of time, he called on the name of Jesus! Yesterday, Jesus saved that lost and dying soul! Praise the Father! Praise the Son! Holy Spirit, three in One! Wonderful merciful Savior Precious Redeemer and Friend Who would have thought that a Lamb could Rescue the souls of man Oh You rescue the souls of man, Counselor Comforter Keeper Spirit we long to embrace You offer hope when our heart have Hopelessly lost our way Oh we've hopelessly lost the way. You are the One that we praise You are the One we adore. You give the healing and grace our Hearts always hunger for Oh our hearts always hunger for. Oh mighty infinite Father Faithfully loving Your own Here in our weakness you find us Falling before Your throne Oh we're falling before Your throne.1 1 WONDERFUL MERCIFUL SAVIOR. Eric Wyse and Dawn Rodgers, 1989. |
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