Category Archives: Bible

Limited Edition!

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a beautiful limited edition Bible published by Allan Publishers who were based in Glasgow, Scotland, and have since moved to Southwest London. Here’s what they say about their Bibles.

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For 150 years – since 1863 – we have been producing and selling our own exclusive Allan range of high quality, hand-finished Bibles which are both beautiful and durable. They are probably the finest leather-bound Bibles you can buy.

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My Bible’s font is 10 pt which means I can read it easily even though my eyes aren’t working as they used to.

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This will be my last personal Bible. I’ve decided to transfer my notes from my other Bibles to this Bible. Who knows how long that will take. We ordered a special pen to do that with, too, that’s recommended for fine paper and has archival qualities.

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Whatever book of the Bible you open to this Bible lays flat and doesn’t try to close up on you…very cool feature. The highland goatskin leather smells real good.

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The copy I own is 113 of 150 total published.

The first paragraph of the Preface supports the extravagant purchase of my new Bible.

“This book is the most valuable thing that the world affords. Here is Wisdom: this is the royal law; these are the lively oracles of God.” With these words the moderator of the Church of Scotland hands a Bible to the new monarch in Britain’s coronation service. These words echo the King James Bible translators, who wrote in 1611: “God’s sacred Word…is that inestimable treasure that excelleth all the riches of the earth.” This assessment of the Bible is the motivating force behind the publication of the English Standard Version. “

My plan for this year is to read five Psalms a day and one Proverb a day which means by the end of the year I would have read the Psalms and Proverbs 12 times. There’s a Russian saying that says that “repetition is the mother of learning”. The verses that I’ve chosen to concentrate on meditating on this year are Romans 12: 1-2.

Do you choose a Bible reading plan or a key verse for the new year?

Two Days Filled With Love…

Celebrating a new beautiful beginning and celebrating a lifelong time of loving and caring pretty much sums up our whirlwind trip to Southern California.

My heart is full and my heart is heavy…

MomAfter the beautiful wedding on Saturday we packed up and headed to my mom and pop’s apartment for a short visit before our flight home. We had a wonderful time around my mom’s hospital bed where she shared her favorite verses from the Bible with us with some added words of counsel. She was able to walk into the living area for a while to eat and watch the video of the wedding of grandson Caleb and sweet Marie that was recorded with my sister’s IPad during the wedding ceremony.  By this point she had to go back to her bed and rest. Dear, Josh, Laura, Katie and I said our goodbyes knowing this would be the last time we would see her alive.  Heavy…

Life…just like this post is always mixed with Joy and Sorrow…isn’t it?

Now that I am home I will be able to go through all the photos from the weekend and share with you in depth the beautiful wedding we were able to enjoy.  Here’s a little tease…

IMGP0831Before I go here is one of passages my mom shared with us when we were around her bed yesterday…

Jude 20, 21 (NASB)

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Jude 1:20 (The Message)

20-21 But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!

It was so good to walk into our home last night to the smell of new floors. I’m looking forward to catching up on what you have been up to here in bloggy land.

Days and Moments Quickly Flying ~ Hymn

Days and Moments Quickly Flying

Days and moments quickly flying
Blend the living with the dead;
Soon our bodies will be lying
Each within its narrow bed.

Soon our souls to God who gave them
Will have sped their rapid flight:
Able now by grace to save them,
O that, while we can, we might!

Jesus, infinite Redeemer,
Maker of this mighty frame,
Teach, O teach us to remember
What we are, and whence we came.

Whence we came and whither wending,
Soon we must through darkness go,
To inherit bliss unending,
Or eternity of woe.

Jesus, merciful Redeemer,
Rouse dead souls to hear Thy voice;
Wake, O wake each idle dreamer
Now to make the eternal choice.

As a shadow, life is fleeting;
As a vapor so it flies;
For the old year now retreating
Pardon grant, and make us wise;

Wise that we our days may number,
Strive and wrestle with our sin,
Say not in our work, nor slumber
Till Thy glorious rest we win.

Soon before the Judge all glorious
We with all the dead shall stand:
Savior, over death victorious,
Place us then on Thy right hand.

Words: Edward Caswall, 1858.

A Mist…

This is not a complaining post but an observing post. It’s been interesting for me to observe things that happen when my house is upside down and everything is in a different place. When you add the reality that my mom is living out her last days on this earth to the upside down house I can see why I’ve lost my daily rhythm. Things that were such simple tasks that I didn’t even need to think about have to be written down on a list of things that I need to do. At the end of each day I have a nagging feeling that I forgot something.  I know that things will fall back to a comfortable everyday new normal again in the future. I know I will enjoy the results of all our hard work and looking at my new fresh floors. I know what the future holds for my mom even though the timing on earth is well out of my hands. “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I’ve committed, unto Him against that day”. One of the things that doesn’t change is my slipping into speaking in song lyrics, and I’m glad about that because I enjoy it.

Do you ever find yourself speaking or answering someone with a phrase from a song?

Shine!

Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.

~ Isaiah 60: 1-2 (NKJV)

Be On the Alert!

1 Peter 5:6-10 (English Standard Version)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

I took these photos at the Dallas Zoo this past Friday. I was happy they were in an enclosed area. They look docile in these photos but we all know we would be their prey in the wilderness.

Hope your Tuesday is starting off well. As usual I’m trying to get my bearings re-established after being away…

Time and Time Again…

…God has shown His goodness to me and my family.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 (English Standard Version)

A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

Lessons in Rain and Dew…

Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (NLT)

“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak!
Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
Let my teaching fall on you like rain;
let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
like gentle showers on young plants.
I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
how glorious is our God!
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
how just and upright he is”

We are going back and forth this week from wet days to dry days. Yesterday was dry today is wet again. It’s nice that I don’t have to water any of my plants for now.  Hope your week is going well and you are being encouraged.

National Day of Prayer ~ Psalm 19:14

 

I want to take some time to pray today for our Nation, the World, my community, and all the churches we’ve visited in the last couple of months.

Ephesians 3: 20-21

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

II Thessalonians 2: 16-17

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Hebrews 13: 20-21

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,  equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Jude 24-25

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Tablescape Thursday ~ Apple Blossoms!

If it’s Wednesday that means it’s time to get ready for Thursday and the world of Tablescapes. Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is the hostess with the mostess for this event. Click on over to see a lovely array of styles, shapes, and colors!

This week I brought my Apple Blossoms inside as the inspiration for my table.

When I was at Goodwill earlier this week I found these great apple and apple blossom napkins, 10 for $4.99. I don’t think they’ve been used at all. The napkin rings are part of an apple with the stem and leaves.

I only have 4 of the apple blossom dessert plates so I set the table for 4. The plates are “Blossom Time”, Made in Staffordshire, England with a 22KT. Gold Decoration. I bought the goblets from Goodwill last year and they have a gold/yellow tint to them. The pink depression glass items are from Dear’s Great, great aunt.

I started with one of the napkins on the center of the table but thought again and took it off.

Thank you so much for stopping by to see my Apple Blossom Table.

Psalm 17:8 ~ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Proverbs 7:2 ~ Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

Proverbs 25:11 ~ A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Enjoy your day!