The Everyday Word ~ My New Blog

So often I go about my day doing the everyday tasks that must be done

without thinking about how God's Word
relates even to these ordinary, everyday moments.

As I was doing laundry yesterday, I thought about how I could
connect the everyday moments of my life with the Word of God
using photos of these moments and sharing them.

 

 

The Everyday Word does not mean that the Word of God is everyday,

for it is powerful and sovereign, far from everyday.

Nor does The Everyday Word mean that I will post every day,

although I might.

 

The Everyday part means the commonplace, ordinary, or normal things we do,

and the Word part means connecting these things with the Word of God.

I'm not a good photographer and my photos will not be perfect, but that isn't the point here.
My purpose is to point and shoot my little camera as I do the ordinary
and combine it with the extraordinary Word of God.

I'll still be here at Nana's House,
and I hope you will visit me @
The Everyday Word

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:7-12

A 4-Year-Old's Perspective

 

Maya came for a visit the other day, and asked if she could use our camera.
I am always curious as to what she will photograph,

and I take comfort in knowing I can delete the ones that may show me unfavorably!

She snapped this 4-year-old's view of a lamp in our living room,

and I was struck by the perspective as well as the lighting,

almost as if it was done in sepia.

It was perfect for the blog!

So, I share it here and will show it to her when she comes on our day together,

and we will talk about Matthew 5:14-16.
Sometimes a 4-year-old's perspective is best!

 

 

You are the light of the world.

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand,

and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

 

In the same way, let your light shine before others,

that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

 

Nat King Cole ~ Autumn Leaves

 

Autumn Leaves

by Nat King Cole

 

Sit back and enjoy the music and the scenery!

 

A Me-and-Lucy Day

It’s just me and Lucy today.
Yesterday, my sweet little Ben was here, and he and Lucy, our golden retriever,
 kept on eye on each other, Lucy wanting to shower Ben with doggy kisses
and Ben wanting to touch her ears and grab her toys.
There have been lots of wonderful days with our grandchildren lately, and I bask in those days.
But today, it’s just me and Lucy, and I am also basking in this day.
Today, there may be laundry to do, (I am woefully behind…was that the washer bell??)
The ever-present tasks of dishes, cleaning and everyday tasks still call to me,
but for a moment in this quiet morning,
Lucy and I played her version of fetch outside (aka keep-away-from-Laurie),
and I spoiled her with a treat in her Kong,
after which she settled down for a morning nap.

There is something about a day with Lucy that shows me how to take life as it comes.

Lucy teaches me to:
trust that I will be provided for,
keep my eyes on the ball,
take a nap as needed,
be ever-watchful for the opportunity to give and receive love,
and find joy in the simple things.

 In the quiet of the house,
with the soft scent of  a fall candle and a cup of tea,
I sit with the Word of the One who loves me and you.
As I sit here thinking over God’s incredible love,
I am filled with the sense of knowing that my life’s cup is full,
and that is more than enough for me.
Thanks, Lucy, for reminding me.

Thanks, Lord, for loving me.

 

photo

Billy Graham on Life, Marriage, and Freedom

Thank you, Billy Graham, for your everfaithful adherence to the truth.

Throughout your ministry, you've shared the love of God to all who would listen,

and you seldom, if ever, strayed into politics.

But sometimes there is a need to speak out, and that time is now.

 

Recently, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association took out the following ad

in the Wall Street Journal, and it testifies to your strong beliefs

in marriage, life, and our religious freedom.

This issues are crucial.

 

source

 

Thank you, Billy Graham, for pointing Christians back towards God's truths.

May you continue to do so even with your 94th birthday near.

 

Our New Bookshelves

When we downsized to our little cottage, storage and organization became a priority.

We knew we needed bookshelves, a place where we could store our mail sorting baskets,

toys for the Grands, a place for magazines and projects, and books, of course.

After living here for awhile, we began to get a sense of what we needed to meet those needs,

and Lauren got to work on designing this 2-piece bookshelf. We had a friend build it, and

 Lauren added the trim and painted it to match the trim in our bedroom.

 

 

 

 

We use these baskets to sort our mail...

 

 

and the blue and green boxes store magazines and projects.

 

 

 

The 3 large baskets store toys for our grandkids...

 

 

 

 

and we do have a few books on the shelves.

 

We have the bookshelves in our bedroom, where they are easy to access,

and I am so pleased with the look and the functionality they have.

We can tweak the items on the shelves to suit our needs as they occur,

adding decorative items with the seasons or on a whim.

Having good storage is so essential in a smaller place, and these shelves

take the place of 4 areas we had in our old house for some of these items.

We hope to build a similar one for our basement when we finish it,

 but that is a project for another time!

 

Rain! Sleet! Snow!

Rain! Sleet! Snow!

 

We are doing The Happy Dance this morning, so grateful to get the moisture God is bringing to us.

The temps have gone from 80 degrees yesterday to the current 39; and it is a beautiful fall day!

 

Maya is here for the day, so we have been busy with activities.

 

Lauren brought her some pumpkin activity sheets from his office,

and she was delighted.

 

 

Take this picture, Nana!

 

 

And this one!

 

 

It's tea party(apple juice) and pumpkin muffins time!

 

 

 

 Then it was time for a little silliness!

 

 

To balance the tea party girliness,

Maya played sword fighting and did cycling on the Wii;

the ever-faithful Tiger and Lion cheered her on!

 

After such a busy morning, I think it is time for warm bowls of soup for lunch!