Truth for Today #79

Thursday November 30th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

Note: We are traveling today so I might be slow in adding your verses here. I will add them as soon as I can. Thank You!

Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

From Lauren:

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

From Vera:

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭7‬

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

From Maristella:

Psalm 43:3

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

From Nikkipolani:

Mark 16:6-7

And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

From Karen:

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
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My God, I Thank Thee ~ Hymn

My God, I Thank Thee, Who Hast Made

My God, I thank Thee, who hast made
The earth so bright,
So full of splendor and of joy,
Beauty and light;
So many glorious things are here,
Noble and right.

I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast made
Joy to abound;
So many gentle thoughts and deeds
Circling us round,
That in the darkest spot of earth
Some love is found.

I thank Thee more that all our joy
Is touched with pain,
That shadows fall on brightest hours,
That thorns remain;
So that earth’s bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.

For thou who knowest, Lord, how soon
Our weak heart clings,
Hast given us joys, tender and true,
Yet all with wings;
So that we see gleaming on high
Diviner things.

I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept
The best in store;
We have enough, yet not too much
To long for more:
A yearning for a deeper peace
Not known before.

I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls
Though amply blessed,
Can never find, although they seek
A perfect rest;
Nor ever shall, until they lean
On Jesus’ breast.

Words: Adelaide A. Procter, 1858.

God Is Love! His Mercy Brightens ~ Hymn

God Is Love! His Mercy Brightens

God is love! His mercy brightens
All the path in which we rove;
Bliss He wakes, and woe He lightens:
God is wisdom! God is love!

Chance and change are busy ever;
Man decays and ages move;
But His mercy waneth never:
God is wisdom! God is love!

E’en the hour that darkest seemeth
Will His changeless goodness prove;
From the mist His brightness streameth:
God is wisdom! God is love!

He with earthly cares entwineth
Hope and comfort from above;
Everywhere His glory shineth:
God is wisdom! God is love!

Words: John Bowring, 1792-1872.

Truth for Today #78

Thursday November 16th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

Psalm 96:2-6

Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

From Lauren:

Psalm 94:19

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

From Diana:

Psalm 30:11-12

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
That my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent.
O Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

From Vera:

‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭26‬

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

From Maristella:

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12: 17-18.

From Karen:

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Our Father’s World Hodgepodge

Thank you to Joyce for the Wednesday Hodgepodge Questions this week.

1. This week’s Hodgepodge lands on National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. Is yours in need of a cleaning? Will you get that done today? How often do you tackle this particular chore?

I would say in particular the freezer sections are in more need of cleaning than the refrigerator sections. We have two Refrigerators. It won’t be done today. No regular schedule for cleaning this appliance.  The question that comes up when I do tackle it is, ‘Why did I buy that only to let it live in my refrigerator past it’s enjoy by date?!’

2. November 15th is also National Philanthropy Day…tell us about a charity (local or otherwise) you like to support when you’re able.  

Our church just had it’s campaign to fill Shoeboxes in support of Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child. I like to participate in that.

Our local church is generous in it’s support of missionaries world wide and we like to contribute to that effort. Our tithes and offerings to our local church also fund generosity to our local community. Right now in the month of November we have teamed up with Colville Toyota and offered free oil changes to widows and single moms.

3.What in nature inspires you and why? 

So many things I could mention here. We are so grateful to have been able to be out and about in the midst of God’s creation enjoying his handiwork with our oldest son and dear DIL this past September.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”

On our trip and walks about the United Kingdom this past September our daughter in law would quote that regularly.  Laura has ‘eyes to see’ and we get inspired to see when we are with her. Greg and I would want to sing This is my Father’s World.

1 This is my Father’s world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–
His hand the wonders wrought.

2 This is my Father’s world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:
He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

3 This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!

4. What’s something you own that makes you feel cozy? 

Cozy is my happy place! Being in my home with nothing on the agenda makes me feel cozy. Soft comfortable clothing makes me feel cozy. My Ugg slippers make me feel cozy. The older I get the more comfortable clothing I buy. Life is too short for tight underwear!

5. Who did you thank today? Who thanked you? 

My mind went right to ‘Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

I thank my dear hubby in the morning because he graciously makes my coffee for me.

A bloggy friend, Dianna, thanked me on Tuesday with this post.

I’m working on the Hodgepodge on Tuesday morning. I’ll wait and see if anyone else thanks me today and add that later.

Our granddaughter Addy thanked me for coming to her basketball practice on Tuesday evening.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m very thankful for my hard working husband. He is working most days on completing our master shower renovation. A complete re-do on his own. Demolition, prepping the walls meticulously, cutting when needed and attaching tile on the walls and floor. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning each day after his days work. All of this with the handicap of his left hand still being numb and having no sensory feeling from his stroke a year ago. Soon I’ll be able to share the before and after of this project.

Thank you, Greg, for your perseverance.

Skipton to Knaresborough ~ Day 8

Friday September 22nd was the eighth day of our travels in the UK. Originally we were going to be driving straight to York from Grassington to return our car and take a train to Liverpool. The reason we were traveling to Liverpool was to attend the Liverpool v. West Ham futbol/soccer match which was scheduled for Saturday the 23rd. After we had made reservations for a hotel and flights back to Dublin based on that date the game was switched to Sunday the 24th. We scrambled to make different plans than we had prior to the game change. Instead of spending an extra night in Liverpool we decided to spend Friday night in Knaresborough. On the way to Knaresborough we stopped in Skipton to see the castle.

Before we packed up and checked out of the Devonshire in Grassington we enjoyed breakfast.

Breakfast was very good each of our mornings here.

On the road to Skipton Laura managed to get snaps of all these great road signs. We don’t see Hedgehog area signs on any roads we travel in the USA.

We had reservations for the castle and the castle car park.

Over 900 years old, Skipton Castle is one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in England. If you are interested in the history of this castle follow this link.

The ancient Yew tree in Conduit Court.

Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676)
Born at Skipton Castle, 30th January, 1590, the daughter of George Clifford, she was the last Clifford to own Skipton Castle. She fought equally tenaciously for her rights and for the King’s cause in the Civil War, when Skipton Castle withstood a three years siege.

Lady Anne was also remarkable for the extensive post Civil War restoration work on her Castles. In 1659 she planted the yew tree in the central courtyard to mark the Castle’s repair from its Civil War damage.

The beautiful Conduit Court where a 350-year old Yew tree planted by Lady Anne Clifford still survives today

We enjoyed our time here especially since we were early enough to enjoy the castle mostly on our own.

This door called out to me at Holy Trinity Church in Skipton. Before we left Skipton we popped into the church.

The window of the Ministry and Ascension of Jesus. Centre-Ascension to his Father in Heaven, whilst his disciples watch from the ground as they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Left panel: Jesus the Good Shepherd. Right Panel; Jesus walking on water.

Window by; J.B. Cappronnier of Brussels, 1899.

Love the rest of our journey to Knaresborough. That will be another post.

Back to the Present: Greg is working hard to finish up the redo of our Master Bedroom Shower stall. He is almost there. He needed a break from all the hard work so we did a little drive on Friday to some craft fairs. We had breakfast in Chewelah and then took some roads less traveled to see the beautiful larches in our area. Before we left home I put a roast in the slow cooker so dinner would be taken care of while we were out and about.

Saturday was back to work for Greg and he finished the grouting while I did some shopping. We enjoyed leftovers on this day.

We had a wonderful Sunday at church including our annual business meeting. After church we stopped for Mexican food in town. We were happy to see my cousin and her husband at the restaurant and had a good catch up with them. Hope you all had a good weekend.

One There Is, Above All Others ~ Hymn

One There Is, Above All Others

One there is, above all others,
Well deserves the name of friend;
His is love beyond a brother’s,
Costly, free, and knows no end:
They who once His kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love!

Which of all our friends to save us,
Could or would have shed their blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
Reconciled, in Him to God:
This was boundless love indeed!
Jesus is a friend in need.

Men, when raised to lofty stations,
Often know their friends no more;
Slight and scorn their poor relations
Though they valued them before.
But our Savior always owns
Those whom He redeemed with groans.

When He lived on earth abasèd,
Friend of sinners was His name;
Now, above all glory raisèd,
He rejoices in the same:
Still He calls them brethren, friends,
And to all their wants attends.

Could we bear from one another,
What He daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious friend and brother,
Loves us though we treat Him thus:
Though for good we render ill,
He accounts us brethren still.

O for grace our hearts to soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love;
We, alas! forget too often,
What a friend we have above:
But when home our souls are brought,
We will love Thee as we ought.

Words: John Newton, 1779.

Truth for Today #77

Thursday November 9th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

John 3:31-36

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets a seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

From Dianna:

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

From Vera:

Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28‬-‭31‬

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

From Kathy:

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.

From Karen:

Matthew 6:33

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

From Maristella:

Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart ; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
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Not For Granted Hodgepodge

Speaking of gratitude, thank you Jo From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Are you too hard on yourself or not hard enough? Elaborate. 

It really depends on where I failed. If I hurt someone else I’ll be harder on myself. I can really give myself a lot of slack in other areas.

2. What’s the role of gratitude in your life? 

Gratitude plays a central role in my life. Everything I have comes from the goodness of God and the more I’m conscious of that, the more grateful and content I am. God is holy, I am not. Peace with God comes from belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin. Turning from that sin and believing in Jesus leads to the forgiveness I need and a lot of peace and generosity in my life. I am grateful for Jesus Christ who is my greatest treasure.

3. Where do you get your news these days? How much attention are you giving it currently? 

We’ve gravitated away from watching daily news. We’ll get some news on the internet. We don’t listen to the major networks. We might tune into Newsmax or Fox News when something major happens but not day to day. Generally it seems we get a little news with lots and lots of opinions. We get family news via texts unless it is something major and deserves a phone call. I have a What’s App group that I get daily friendship news from, too. Keeping up with bloggers and what is going on in their lives through their posts is another kind of news gathering I appreciate.

4. Do you like potatoes? Last time you prepared potatoes in some way? Which of the following is your favorite…baked potato, mashed potato, french fried potato, sweet potato, hash brown potatoes, roasted potatoes, or potato salad? 

I like potatoes in all these ways. The last potatoes we had were diced new potatoes in homemade chicken pot pie.

5. Are you a veteran? Are there any veterans in your family? Will you do anything special to honor them on Veteran’s Day/Remembrance Day this year? 

Our son-in-law Andrew is a Veteran and the only one in our little family. Greg’s father served in WWII but he was called up to heaven in 1985. We will give Andrew a shout out and thank him on Veteran’s day but we won’t be seeing him in person until Thanksgiving. Thank you for your service in the Marines, Andrew. We love and appreciate you and are grateful for all you have done for our country. We are sorry for all the aches and pains you continue to endure because of that service.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m always impressed with how the United Kingdom honors their veterans and all they do for Remembrance Day. We’ve seen tributes in many if not all of the towns and villages we’ve visited in the United Kingdom.

Speaking of remembering, November 5th marked the one year anniversary of Greg’s stroke. We are so grateful to God that Greg is alive and well and that we could celebrate the anniversary with him on this earth. Grateful for all the days God gives us.

One is Kind Above All Others ~ Hymn

 

One is Kind Above All Others

One is kind above all others,
O how He loves!
His is love beyond a brother’s;
O how He loves!
Earthly friends may fall and leave thee,
One day kind, the next day grieve thee;
But this friend will ne’er deceive thee;
O how He loves!

’Tis eternal life to know Him,
O how He loves!
Think, oh think, how much we owe Him,
O how He loves!
With His precious blood He bought us,
In the wilderness He sought us
To His fold He safely brought us,
O how He loves!

Blessèd Jesus! wouldst thou know Him?
O how He loves!
Give thine heart, thine all unto Him;
O how He loves!
Is it sin that pains or grieves thee,
Unbelief or trials seize thee?
Jesus can from all release thee;
O how He loves!

Love this friend: He longs to save thee;
O how He loves!
All through life He will not leave thee;
O how He loves!
Think no more of friendships hollow;
Take His easy yoke and follow;
Jesus carries all thy sorrow;
O how He loves!

All thy sins shall be forgiven;
O how He loves!
Backward shall thy foes be driven;
O how He loves!
Best of blessings He’ll provide thee;
Naught but good shall e’er betide thee;
Safe to glory He will guide thee;
O how He loves!

Words: Maryanne Nunn, she wrote these words to adapt John Newton’s Hymn, One There Is Above All Others. I’ll share that hymn next Sunday.