A Day with Jane

the last of the roses in my garden

It's Soccer Time!

Today was Jack's first soccer game of the season!

His team, made up of first graders, is The Golden Sharks,

and they were so much fun to watch!

The weather was perfect, in the 70s, sunny with a gentle breeze.

Jack's dad, John, was there as assistant coach, as well as his mom, Erin, and brother Eli,

Aunt Sara, Uncle Mark, cousin Maya, Grandpa and Nana rounding out his cheering section.

Some of the photos are a little blurry, but that is no surprise to you if you have seen

 any of my other photos, but we had a lot of fun watching and cheering, and I think Jack had a great time.

Go, Jack and The Golden Sharks!

WFW and Praise the Lord in the Moment~ Hope and Praise

(photos of our grandson taken when he was 4, by photographer Megan Quist)

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and  my God.

Psalm 42:5

Fill your cup with the Word at the Internet Cafe!

You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be

You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be

by Max Lucado

Thomas Nelson Publishers

Max Lucado writes in a style all his own, and I enjoy the way he personalizes the topic he is writing about to our own lives. The title of this book summarizes it well - you can be everything God wants you to be. Not as the world says, that, "you can be anything you want to be," because in all honesty, that isn't really true.  Max writes, "Our Maker gives assignments to people, 'to each according to each one's unique ability'" (Matt. 25:15). He goes on to say, "God endows us with gifts so we can make Him know. Period." He quotes  1 Corinthians 13:7 "Each person is given something to do that shows who God is." (MSG)

This book is promoted as a good gift book for graduates, and this is true, but as a 50-something grandmother, I was encouraged by the Biblical perspective for us each to be the person God created us to be, no matter our age or vocation. Max encourages us to take a good look at where we are in life and what we are doing with a perspective of contentment, not for money or accolades.

It is a short book and an easy read, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to encourage others in their walk of the life created for them by God. They will not be disappointed.

I received this book free from the publisher through the Book Sneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

A Welcomed Rainy Day

I woke up this morning to the sound of thunder and a gentle chorus of rain on the roof of our home.  I smiled with thankfulness for the rainshowers God began yesterday, along with cool, and I mean cool temperatures. The mosaic above is just a quick little view of yesterday's downpour, and it gently rained through the night and continues to rain today. The temperature is in the 50s, and I cannot believe we have gone from capris and tees and temps in the 90s to jeans, long sleeve shirts, and even socks! I'm lovin' it!

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,

and my blessing on your descendants.
Isaiah 44:3

Where do I blog?

I am SO glad that I heard about this blog party when my blogging spot was somewhat neat - much neater then it sometimes is! Even though we have 2 spare bedrooms, they are upstairs, and I prefer to be on the main floor. My blogging corner is behind our sofa in our living room, on a sofa table.

 I love having pictures of my family on the walls nearby, along with...

...Lucy laying on her dog bed, keeping me company!

This table works quite well for using the computer while watching tv, talking with

my husband as he relaxes in his old-and-needs-to-be-replaced recliner,

looking out the window as people walk by our house, and, well, eating...

Yep, this is pretty common, except I had to use a "cookie model" as I had already

eaten the one that was there just before I read about this blog party!

I love this mouse pad that is actually a memo mousepad with paper

to jot things down.. It is from Galison; lots of fun stuff there!

I'm also glad this area was as neat as it gets, because it

often looks like a paper bomb went off.

Especially if the JEMS (grandkids) are here..

They love Nana's computer spot, especially since they can reach the printer:

ON.OFF.ON.OFF.ON.OFF

You get the idea.

So, that's it! Now it's YOUR turn! Where do YOU blog??

There are lots and lots of blog nooks just waiting to show you their stuff!

Come see at Centsational Girl!

Praise the Lord in This Moment - From the Inside Out

Extravagant Grace

Do you enjoy a good challenge? Sometimes that is what it takes to get me going, and today I am joining eLisa @ Extravagant Grace to make a commitment to give thanks and praise God in the moment. So often I go about my day without praising Him for what He is doing in my life at that moment. But there are times when I do thank Him and praise him for even the small, incidental things that occur, and I want to purpose to be more mindful of this.

Will you join eLisa in making a 31-day commitment to intentionally give thanks and praise to the Lord in the moment? In eLisa's words, "We're going to open our ears to hear his voice, and open our eyes to see His work. We going to let Him soften our hearts to respond to His love and grace and mercy, and pass that on to others. And we're going to testify to God's power and sovereign hand in every situation."

If you would like to participate, just click here.

Today, I am participating for the first time, and eLisa invites us to do two things:

1. Search the word PRAISE on Biblegateway.com, and share a verse or

passage that strikes you first or encourages your heart in this moment.

I am sharing Psalm 106:48:

Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, "Amen!"

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 106:48

2. Share a link to a favorite praise song!

We sang this song this morning during

 our time of worship and praise,

and it is a big favorite of mine.

The message of God's everlasting light

shining in His mercy and grace

does indeed cause my heart

to cry out in praise of our Lord!

From the Inside Out (Everlasting) Hillsong United

From the Inside out

A thousand times I've failed

Still your mercy remains

And should I stumble again

Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart and my soul, I give You control

Consume me from the inside out Lord

Let justice and praise, become my embrace

To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains

The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart, my soul, Lord I give you control

Consume me from the inside out Lord

Let justice and praise become my embrace

To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise

From the inside out, O my soul cries out

My Soul cries out to You

My Soul cries out to You

to You, to You

My heart, my soul, Lord I give you control

Consume me from the inside out Lord

Let justice and praise become my embrace

To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise

From the inside out, O my soul cries out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades

Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise

From the inside out, O my soul cries out

From the inside out, O my soul cries out

From the inside out, O my soul cries out.