WFW - Joel 2:23

A beautiful fall day today; temperatures in the 60s and the scent

of a gentle rain brings me to the window.

Many years ago, while visiting our daughter in Minnesota at her college,

I picked up a leaf from a sugar maple tree,

framed it and wrote this verse with it.

God's promise's never fail.

photo source

Be glad, O people of Zion,

rejoice in the LORD your God,

for he has given you

the autumn rains in righteousness.

He sends you abundant showers,

both autumn and spring rains, as before.

Joel 2:23

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Sofa Love & Nutella

I found this photo of this sofa on Houzz this weekend...

(eclectic living room design by new york showroom Donna Pochaski - houzz)

I think it looks so comfy and cozy and girly and whimsical.

It's perfect for when you have a nasty cold,

and need some tea, chicken noodle soup and

an old, romantic movie, and maybe a piece of this...

(Nutella marble cake  photo by Tennant Lim)

Yes, definitely a piece of this. Yum!

P.S. I found a recipe for this cake by Lauren Chapman. 

P. P. S. I hate the rug.

My Heart - God's House

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

 

 

 

Hello, October

The calendar says it is October...the thermometer says it is August or

 early September, with temps in the 80s.

I was in the middle of complaining that it is going to be quite warm again today,

as I prefer crisp and cool fall days,

when I stopped...

did a U-turn...

and thanked God that our streets are not slippery from ice and snow,

that I am able to see the beauty of the fall leaves,

that I can hear the crunch of the leaves as someone walks by our house,

that  we had a great time on Sunday as our JEMS picked Jack-Be-Little Pumpkins from our garden,

that our windows are open to the breeze and sunshine,

that I see and hear the squirrels gathering nuts for winter right outside my window,

that it doesn't matter if there are weeds in the gardens anymore,

that October brings...

pumpkin bread,

apples for cider and pie,

cool nights,

soccer,

sweaters,

the leaves true colors,

ducks and geese flying south...

.

.

.

you get the idea.

October is here, and I am so thankful, Lord!

We really did have a good time collecting the pumpkins; Maya is just trying not to smile!

(last 3 photos from My Heart's Home and Garden)

Outlive Your Life



Outlive Your Life

by Max Lucado

Thomas Nelson Publishers

Once I began reading, "Outlive Your Life," I had a hard time putting it down, not only because of Max Lucado's writing style, but also because this was a challenge for me to act, to do something, as he puts it, that will "outlive my life."

In his comfortable way of writing as if he is speaking to his readers, Max Lucado brings us up close to the world of the broken and hurting as Jesus saw them when He walked upon the earth and how He sees them now. He reminds us to "look at the hurting until we hurt with them. No hurrying past, turning away, or shifting of eyes. No pretending or glossing over. Let's look at the face until we see the person." (Chapter 7)

 We are challenged to look at people as Christ sees them; not to label them but to love them, to see them as we are, unfinished and redeemable. He's not looking for superman; He's looking for ordinary people to live our lives with meaning and purpose to make a difference in this world and to "outlive our lives." 

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

God Puts the Puzzle Pieces Together

Sometimes things in our lives seem like a giant puzzle that we lost the boxtop from that goes with it, so that it is hard to figure out the puzzle. This is the analogy Pastor David Jeremiah uses in his book, "Captured by Grace." This is not a book review; it is a sharing of something that helped me today, and I hope it will help you.

The picture above is a puzzle of Romans 8:28, and the pieces are not quite all put

 together and some seem to be missing. I was struggling with

the words "in all things God works for the good"  - ALL things?

EVEN...

hurtful words?

broken promises?

a lost job?

an ill child?

a struggling marriage?

bad finances?

terrible accidents?

death of a loved one?

chronic health problems?

You no doubt have your own list of bad things that

happen in your life or the lives of loved ones.

There is, of course, a GOOD list, but

my struggle is with the BAD stuff.

Dr. Jeremiah goes on to remind me that:

"God is, after all, sovereign...

He is God of ALL things...

and ALL things are usable within His plan."

When I think of the bad things that have happened in my life,

I eventually am able to see how God has used these things (the puzzle pieces finally fit together)

to make me a person who is stronger in my faith in Him, if I let Him.

I have a choice: I can continue to struggle with the bad stuff in my life,

or I can give them over to God and watch what He will do

in my life because of what I have been through.

And God, being the great I AM, will take the pieces of my life's puzzle

and put them together, and

"in the final picture, they will play a part that brings glory to God

and works for the good of the believer."

Sometimes "bad things remain bad things, but God remains good,

and He is the Lord of those bad things. He is fully capable of using those things

in ways that will shine with a beauty we will one day, either in this life or the next."

(The words in quotes are from Captured by Grace.)

The First Day of Autumn

The First Day of Autumn

It was the first day of autumn and much to my amaze

Were tree tops glistening in a vibrant glaze

Clad in rich scarlet, orange,and golden hues

As I stood at my window marveling this view

The crisp autumn air was perfumed to my delight

With the fruitful fragerance of orange citrus and spice

I thought to myself what a beautiful day

As the indian summer breeze made my curtains sway

So I rushed to get dressed in a sweater and jeans

And went for a walk to enjoy this autumn scene

Children were laughing as they played in leaves

with delight

I stopped and smiled at such a precious sight

The houses were decked with golden gourds on their lawn

And In the woods I spotted a mother deer with her fawn

The farmers they were reaping crops of wheat, barley, and maize

As their cows lazily stood in the pasture and grazed

Chipmunks and squirrels dashed up and down the trees

All the creatures were busy, yes even the bees

Together they worked to prepare for a long winters slumber

While the boys could be found in the wood chopping lumber

Geese were assembling in a v-shape line

To fly south for the winter toward a lucent sunshine

And the lucious red apples clinging to trees I passed by

Were waiting to be picked and made into pie

Pumpkins lying in patches glowed in an orange gleam

Would soon become Jack O' Lanterns as it neared Halloween

I soon found the day had turned into eve

So I headed back home and I turned to leave

This beautiful day had been so fleeting

It was poetic enough,to have been an autumn greeting

As I stood on my steps the autumn chill started to bite

I whispered happy harvest to all and a blessed fall night.

Read more: http://www.inspirational-poems.net/autumn-poems/121-the-first-day-of-autumn#ixzz10JjTeGv1