Fall...Virginia style!

Can you guess what I did this weekend? I won't keep you in suspense...(although I've been known to do that on occasion, haven't I?)

It involved these people...

These views...

And ended with these rewards...

Fresh Apple Cider Donuts...mmmmm!

And.....the star of the show!

Thanks~God willing, see ya next Fall!

God spoke: "Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants, every sort of fruit-bearing tree." And there it was.
Genesis 1:11 The Message

Wisdom Wednesday

Recently I heard about a restaurant in North Carolina that posted this sign:

Here's a little video with the owner and some "would have been" diners:

The news story (yeah, this made the news here!) made me think about all the times lately that my lunch or dinner conversations with friends have been interrupted by unhappy children. Is it just my imagination or is it happening more often?

Here's what I think...

We, as a society, eat out a LOT more now than we ever did! When I was growing up, going out to eat was the exception to the rule - saved for special occasions. Although I must say, my Dad usually did treat us to Sunday breakfast out after Church...good times! But I can assure you, we all knew how to act at the table too! We were seated and seated we stayed. We used proper table manners and "inside voices." I don't think my folks expected any other behavior and for the most part, they never got any. However...should one or the other had a...umm...'moment' that a *look* or a quiet word failed to nip in the bud - well, a quick trip to the Men's or Ladies room for a little 'discussion' soon set that to rights!

Nowadays, many meals are on the go. We're sooooo busy!! And whereas "back in the day" you maybe wouldn't take your young children (infants/toddlers) out to a restaurant regularly, now it's the rule rather than the exception.

Babies cry. And toddlers get restless. That's reality.

But those without children want to eat in relative peace and quiet. That's their reality.

So...quite the conundrum, no? Thoughts?

Personally, I do think if your child is being disruptive to others, you should do the right thing and remove your child. I've only had to do it once and it was my own fault. ("Waiter, may we have this 'to go' please?!") But no way would I have remained in that nice restaurant and subjected all the other diners to my screaming infant. (Thanks, Matthew!)

I think what gets me most of all are the parents that choose to purposely ignore the bad behavior of their children that's going on right next to them! Hello...you don't see that your child is rolling around on the floor?? You don't hear them shrieking just for the sake of hearing themselves?? As if ignoring it will make it go away! Attention to those parents: it doesn't work!

As the Mom of three grown children and Grammy of two grandsons, may I be so bold as to say this:

The good Lord entrusted those precious children to you for a reason and for a season.
I know you probably don't believe it now, but the years will pass in the blink of an eye!
You are to guide and teach them, give them boundaries and parameters.
Correct them when they're wrong and praise them when they're right!
It will be from you (hopefully!) that they learn how to be successful and
productive members of our society!
They will have many friends in their lives but only one mother and father.
Please take your responsibility seriously.
And here's the bonus:
After all is said and done and they get to the age
when your "hands on parenting" days are over ~
that relationship is heavenly and a true blessing!!

Don't fail to discipline your children. They won't die if you spank them.
Proverbs 23:13-14 NLT

What's it to ya?

Church. What exactly does that word mean to you? Is it a place you go on Sunday (or maybe twice on Sunday) and possibly once during the week as well? Is it how you refer to a group of people, a "community?" Is it a feeling? What is it exactly, to you?

I was thinking yesterday about "church." And what exactly it means to me. Is it person, place or thing? Noun, verb...or both? And I thought of this song. And I thought of you. And I thought I'd put the two together...so here you have it. *Music Monday* and a question for you!

What is *CHURCH* to you?

This artist was one that my Sweet Hubby and I enjoyed tremendously...an artist uncomfortable with the attention of fans; he just wants to sing for the Lord. And if you've ever listened to his music, you know he thinks deep thoughts!

*Please scroll down and pause player before watching video*

'Cause we are all broken here
We're are all ashamed
I couldn't fool you if I wanted to
Our stories are too much the same

And what about this Jesus?
They say He drank with the poor and the blind and the lame
Do you think He'd like the songs that we sing?
Or would He feel the same as I do?

What if Sunday School was on Saturday night?

What if their heart-breaking cries of pain

Are the first hymns of tomorrow's saints?
Lyrics excerpted from On a Corner in Memphis by Todd Agnew

As an aside, if you've never listened to Todd Agnew's Better Questions CD, I highly recommend it. I plum wore that disc out - not to mention the speakers in my Beetle bug - when it came out. I still think if I were stranded on a desert island and by some miracle could take one CD (and have the means to listen to it!), this would be it! I never get tired of it!!

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT

A most helpful Psalm!

I'll admit it...sometimes I have a bit of trouble praying for those charged with running things.

Are you running a company into the ground...arrrgghhhhh!!! Yes, I struggle with praying for you! Do I feel that you're taking a good thing and undoing it piece by piece? You're making it hard for me!!

Here's another that I wrestle with: our elected officials. Whew. Some I voted for, some I did not. But, man oh man...if you're part of the parade (whether it be on a local, state or national level) taking our country down the path to you-know-where? I just don't seem to be able to find the words that truly convey what I want to say to the Lord about the situation.

Today, I discovered that the words I have been looking for already exist. Right in God's Word. And here they are:

May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.
Psalm 109:8 NIV

Perfect. May your days (in whatever role you're fulfilling) be few and may another come along to replace you. Short, sweet and to the point - why didn't I think of that?!

Many paths

I read it again just the other day...this time on 9/11:

May we all stand together in peace and harmony with all people and nations and know that there is only one Power that we know by so many names - God, Allah, Mohammad, Buddha, Higher Power, Spirit. These are many wells that all tap into the same river of God.

I cried - out of frustration and sadness. So many are lost on what they consider the "Path of Enlightenment." The one thing I know for certain in this life is that all paths do NOT lead to God. Many of these paths lead straight to destruction and damnation. For eternity. So many lost souls...How many are friends of mine? Of yours? That's why I cry. And pray. And continue to talk to them about the One True Way.

Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV) He didn't say, "Pick a road - any road...they all lead to the Father." He said HE is the ONLY WAY. And that NO ONE gets to the Father that doesn't go through Him FIRST.

This morning in my Bible study, I read this:

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
Let God's curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
Galations 1:3-9 NLT

I know we are living in a culture (especially in this country) of acceptance, "political correctness" and live and let live...and I personally believe that Oprah is responsible for leading more people - especially women - astray with her promotion of so much New Age...*stuff* - for lack of a better word!

*Please scroll down and pause my player before watching video*

Oh how I wish Oprah (and the many others like her) would spend as much time in God's Word as they do in the hundreds of New Age books that are out there...I guarantee they'd find the answers to all their many questions. Every. Single. One.

How do you handle this in your life? I'm certainly open to suggestions!

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12 NIV

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 NLT

A Psalm for 9/12

This was my Psalm reading for today. I felt it very fitting for the day after 9/11...

O God, have mercy on me,
for people are hounding me.
My foes attack me all day long.
I am constantly hounded by those
who slander me,
and many are boldly attacking me.
But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
I praise God for what he has
promised.
I trust in God, so why should
I be afraid?
What can mere mortals
do to me?

They are always twisting what I say;
they spend their days plotting to
harm me.
They come together to spy
on me--
watching my every step, eager
to kill me.
Don't let them get away with their
wickedness;
in your anger, O God, bring
them down.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in
your bottle.
You have recorded each one in
your book.

My enemies will retreat when I call
to you for help.
This I know: God is on my side!
I praise God for what he has
promised;
yes, I praise the LORD for what
he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be
afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

I will fulfill my vows to you,
O God,
and will offer a sacrifice of thanks
for your help.
For you have rescued me from
death;
you have kept my feet from
slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence,
O God,
in your life-giving light.
Psalm 56:1-13 NLT


Lord, our Nation needs you like never before. I pray for Revival, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Remembering...

9/11/01.............................9/11/10

Remembering......praying

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Psalm 91:4-6 NLT

Yes please...

*Please scroll down and pause my player before viewing*

You can have all this world...just give me Jesus.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 NIV

The Waiting Room

Have you ever heard a song and had it immediately transport you to another place, another time? Yeah, me too. It happened just the other day, in fact, with this song...

*Please scroll down and pause my player before viewing*

In an instant, I was taken back - a little over two years ago now - to the waiting room where I sat while they performed My Sweet Hubby's liver biopsy. He was the last case of the day and the department was deserted, the room was dark and I was alone. Boy, did I feel all alone! And then my friend JJ called asking what she could do...I remember asking her to "just pray."

Waiting rooms can be filled to the brim or absolutely empty - like the one I was in that day - but every person there is still alone with their thoughts...will their loved one be okay?

Maybe your "waiting room" isn't literal...but you're waiting all the same.

It would be my honor to pray for you. Please let me know how...either by comment or by email through my profile.

I don't know what answer the Lord has for you and I don't know if that answer will come today, tomorrow or next year. But I'll stand with you in prayer while you wait.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Matthew 18:19-20 NIV

Journaling

I'm getting ready to start a new prayer journal and it got me to thinking...

How many of you keep a prayer journal?

Do you have a particular style or do you just make random notations as thoughts strike or you are presented with requests and petitions (my general style)?

Thanks for sharing!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 NIV

Sixty-two

Were he still here, we would be celebrating my Sweet Hubby's 62nd birthday today. Hard to believe two years have passed since this:

and this

and especially this...we were all wishing for the very same thing...

So even though I know there are no birthday celebrations needed in Heaven (why bother when you have all of Eternity with your Savior?!), today I will be remembering birthdays past with a grateful heart. And yes, I'll be singing Happy Birthday...because I know he hears me and it'll make me feel better.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart....I love you and I miss you. Oh so very much...

It's Alive!!

I love when life and Scripture align, don't you? It just makes God's Word feel even more alive - if that's possible!

Here was my Psalm reading for today:

God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times
of trouble.
So we will not fear when
earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble
into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble
as the waters surge! Interlude

A river brings joy to the city
of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
God dwells in that city; it cannot
be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God
will protect it.
The nations are in chaos,
and their kingdoms crumble!
God's voice thunders,
and the earth melts!
The LORD of Heaven's Armies is
here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude

Come, see the glorious works
of the LORD:
See how he brings destruction
upon the world.
He causes wars to end throughout
the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps
the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world."

The LORD of Heaven's Armies
is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude
Psalm 46:1-11 NLT

And even though Hurricane Earl's not near our shores yet (predicted for late today/tonight/early tomorrow), our beaches are feeling his effects. But all is according to His plan and though the oceans roar and foam, He is our refuge and our strength and we are to be still before Him. Amen!! Thank you, Father, for your Living Word!

Choices

How about a little more from the book Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would? by Pete Wilson...


Yep, I'm still reading this fabulous book and am still absolutely enthralled by what I am learning. I can't recommend this one enough. Really.

Here's what I read this morning:

I've noticed before that people often don't feel like they have any choices when they're going through a Plan B. They feel as if all of their options have been taken away. And that's true to a certain extent -- but only to a certain extent.

You may not have had a choice on whether you could have kids or whether your loved one passed away or whether you got fired or your husband had an affair.

But you do get to choose how you respond.

And in that choice lies an amazing amount of hope.

That choice is what makes the journey of transformation possible.

Don't you just love the word HOPE? I know I do...

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:5 NIV