Tag Archives: Hope

Hello December Hodgepodge

It’s Time My Friends for Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by the lovely Jo From This Side of the Pond!

1. When it comes to gift giving are you more of a ‘create something from scratch’ or a ‘buy something in a shop’ kind of giver? Tell about a favorite homemade gift you’ve given or one you’ve received. 

I am a ‘buy something in a shop’ kind of giver. My favorite homemade gifts these days come from our little grands.

2. Do you have the ‘gift of gab’? Is that a blessing or a curse? 

Simple answer is no, I do not have the gift of gab. There are times when I’m worked up that I can go on and on but usually I can be pretty boring in conversation.  Coming out with one liners is more my style. A blessing would be that I might not say more than I need to say and end up offending.

3. What’s something you have going on that you need/want to ‘wrap up’ this month? 

I need to buy some items for the church kitchen before the end of the year and submit the receipts so the expenditures are taken out of this years budget.

4. A food you love that is ‘wrapped’ in some way?

Blintzes, burritos, tacos…

5. December is upon us…share something here (quote, verse, poem, song lyric, your own thoughts) related to the word hope. 

I’ve been going through a commentary on 1 Peter after reading 1 Peter for a month and this section of Scripture on Hope is where I would focus my meditation.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

And from the commentary on this section of Scripture;

“Peter goes on to declare that regeneration results in believers receiving a living hope. The unbelieving world knows only dying hopes (Job 8:13; Prov. 10:28; Eph. 2:12) but believers have a living, undying hope (Pss.33:18; 39:7; Rom. 5:5; Eph. 4:4; Titus 2:13; Heb. 6:19)  that will come to a  complete, final, and glorious fulfillment (Rom. 5:2; Col. 1:27). It is hope that Peter later described when he wrote, “according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. This hope is what prompted Paul to tell the Philippians, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. At death believers’ hope becomes reality as they enter the glorious presence of God and the full, unhindered, joyous fellowship with the Trinity, the angels, and other saints. (Rom. 5:1-2; Gal. 5:5)

The means of Christians’ appropriating this living hope and eternal inheritance is spiritual birth, and the power for that appropriation was demonstrated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. …Christ rose from the dead, forever securing the believer’s living hope in heaven by finally conquering death.

~The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Peter.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Slowly, slowly the Christmas decorations are being put up here. This week is starting out slow for me physically and mentally. I’m blaming it on the turkey! Welcome December!

Full of Hope Hodgepodge

2016-04-13 pablano soup

Thank you to Jo From This Side of the Pond for the Wednesday Hodgepodge Questions!

1. “Hope springs eternal”…discuss.

I’m taking the quote out of the realm it came from and putting God’s eternal twist on it.

From a mother’s perspective I always hope for our children to progress in their walk with the Lord, to be content, to stay faithful in their marriages and to look forward to their eternity with God.

From a grandmother’s perspective I ask the Lord continually to have mercy on and save our grandchildren and my hope is for their salvation.

This is my same prayer for any friends or family who are not born again.

For me personally, my hope is in eternity with my Lord and Savior.

2. Last time you needed to ‘spring into action’ or ‘spring to someone’s defense’…explain.

These days my springing into action generally happens around our grandchildren quickly diverting them from danger.

3. Tulips or daffodils? baby birds or baby bunnies? The cherry tree or the dogwood tree? Jelly beans or peeps? March madness or spring training? Peas or carrots?

Tulips, Baby birds, Dogwood Tree (see photo at the top of this post), Jelly Beans, Spring Cleaning no madness or training, Carrots.

4. I read an article here on the South’s best cities on the rise. They are-Baton Rouge Louisiana, Fayetteville Arkansas, Greenville South Carolina, Huntsville Alabama, Lexington Kentucky, Norfolk Virginia, Tulsa Oklahoma, Waco Texas, Wilmington North Carolina, and Winston-Salem North Carolina. Of the cities listed how many have you seen in person?

Katie and I drove to Airlie Gardens in Wilmington North Carolina when our Son-in-law was stationed at Camp LeJeune.

Which one on the list would you most like to see?

Waco Texas because of the Fixer Upper phenomena. Would be fun to visit Magnolia.

Have you spent much time in the southern states (USA)?

We’ve spent more time in the Southwest vs. Southeast being born and raised in Southern California. We’ve spent time in Arizona and New Mexico. We’ve visited family in Dallas, Texas. We’ve been to San Antonio (for a conference).We’ve spent time in North Carolina when our Andrew and Katie lived there during his Marine days. Katie and I traveled to Beaufort, S.C. for Andrew’s Marine Corps graduation. Dear and I spent a few days in Florida for a medical conference he attended. We’ve been to Atlanta, Georgia for another conference. On a road trip from Seattle to Jacksonville, North Carolina, Katie and I spent nights in Tennessee, Asheville N.C., Raleigh Durham.

Any spring road trips on your calendar?

Only a short one across the mountains to our kids home after Easter.

We are making plans for a longer road trip to North Carolina for a wedding in October. On the way we do plan a stop in Lexington, Kentucky after we visit The Ark. Our route home from North Carolina will take us through Dallas to visit my brother’s family. Looks like we could hit a few of those cities on the way to Dallas from North Carolina if we wanted to.

5. Tell us how your outdoor space needs sprucing up this spring?

We still have a lot of grassy bushes that need some work, pulling out the old to get ready for the new growth. Now our front acreage has a million small pine cones that the trees have shed. Those are a bear to clear.

Which do you enjoy more (or hate the least-ha!) yard work or house work?

I enjoy riding my lawn mower to cut the grass. Not a big fan of pulling weeds and less of a fan these days since it makes my back sore. The housework that I’m the least happy to do these days is to clean our shower. I’d love to have the unit replaced. There is calcium deposits that are impossible to remove that look like dirt. We are on well water here. So all that to say there are parts of outdoor work that I like and parts of indoor work that I like. Other parts are not pleasant both indoors and outdoors.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We are catching our breath after a celebration filled weekend with our kids from the ‘Coast’ here. A belated birthday dinner for me on Friday and then our granddaughter’s 4th birthday on Saturday. We were all in church together on Sunday morning. We had all our meals together from Friday dinner to Monday lunch except for Sunday morning. The ‘coast’ kids flew home on Monday evening.

Truth from A to Z ~ H is for…

The last Thursday of October and we are on the letter H for our Truth from A to Z Bible Verse Challenge. Choose a verse or verses from the Bible with words beginning with H. Share your choices in the comments and I will add them to this post. Thank you in advance.

Psalm 121 (ESV): H is for Hills, Help, Heaven, Hand, He

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

Looking forward to seeing your verses!

From Aguene7:

Isaiah 52:7 

7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

From Cheryl:

Hebrews 13:14 

“For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”

From Maristella:

H is for HOPE :
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15

From Barbara:

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

From Patricia:

Isaiah 49:15-16

…I will not forget you. I have written your name on the palms of my hands…

From Vera:

H is for he, his, hand, heir, high and having

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:1-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Bethany: H is for Hope

but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Click over to Bethany’s Blog, Raindrops and Rainbows to read her post.
~
From Martha Ellen: H is for Heart
*
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding ”
Proverbs 3:5
From Willow: H is for Heart
*
And you shall love the LORD your God with all your HEART, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
Mark 12:30

August Challenge~Days 1-3

Anyone want to join me in a challenge for the month of August even though we are almost 3 days in?

 

I put a word prompt up for each day of the month and our challenge is to post a Bible Verse or a section of scripture that has that word in it.  Easy peasy. Since tomorrow is the the third of August already, I’m posting all three days of prompts here. You can copy the list to your blog if you want. Let me know if you’ll be joining in on the challenge or if you post a verse along the way. If you would like to share a verse of your choice in comments instead, please do. I’ll add them to my post. I’ll be trying to post a photo a day, too.

  1. HOPE: Psalm 119:81 ~ My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.
  2. PEACE: 1 Corinthians 14:33 ~ For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
  3. JOY: James 1:2-3 ~ Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Laurel Wood posted a verse on “Joy” today on her blog. Click over to read it.

Happy One has posted verses for hope, peace, and joy on her blog today, click over to read them.

On the Go…

Soon we’ll be in Huntington Beach again gathering for my BIL’s services and funeral. As we age we face the reality that family gatherings contrast dramatically between joy and sorrow. The last time I was in Southern California my time was divided between the Critical Care hospital waiting room and a beautiful setting at a joyful baby shower for a much anticipated arrival come January, a new grand niece.

I will do a full post on the lovely baby shower in the future.

This time when we head to Southern California more of us will gather around my sister and her kids as we lay Nick to rest at the Riverside National Cemetery. We don’t grieve as those who have no hope. We have hope and confidence that God has prepared a place for Nick. We will hug old friends and the Russians among us will welcome each other with a kiss.

When I was spending time in the waiting room at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills my eyes were opened to other families in the waiting room and how similar different cultures are at these critical times. Our first night at Cedar’s there was a Hispanic extended family taking up every chair and some on the floor of the waiting area. At least 20 or more. They vacated some chairs so my sister and I could sit down, too. As some of them left to go home they went around to each of their friends and family and gave them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They even turned to us and gave us a kind farewell. The longer we sat together the more connected we became. The matriarch of the family offered us some food. She also shushed any of the younger folk who’s chatter got to loud. When we left we said goodbye and God Bless you. Their eyes lit up and they smiled and said God bless you, too.

We were glad the waiting room had large windows that made the space feel lighter.

We all find ourselves in a variety of waiting rooms throughout our lives. What are you waiting for? What is your hope?

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. Galatians 5:5

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:10

O Mystery Tree, O Mystery Tree…

Mystery Tree 2013 001

Our Mystery Tree tradition is continuing this year. On Sunday we put the back seat down in the jeep and headed to the Home Depot to pick out our tree. Our round trip from home to the store and back again took a little under 45 minutes total! We arrive, we spy out the trunks of the trees in our height range in the piles where the trees are still all tied up, we pick one, buy it, throw it into the back of the jeep and head home where the stand is ready and waiting. Dear cuts off a portion of the trunk and gives it a good thrust into the stand. Tighten the screws on the trunk and get ready for the reveal…

2013-12-10 Mystery Tree 20131

It’s so much fun to stand back and watch as Dear cuts the string off the branches.

2013-12-10 Mystery Tree 2013

Tah Dah!

Mystery Tree 2013 010

2013-12-10 Mystery Tree 20132

When I got home late last night Dear had put the lights on the tree so I can now finish decorating it. We’ll see what gets done today.

2013-12-10 Mystery Tree 20133

Little by little it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around this old house.

Life continues to keep us on our knees in the midst of this joyful time of Advent and more and more we look to the Hope we have in Christ. We had one of those 3 A.M. phone calls where you know the news can’t be good. A Brother in law had a heart attack that was caught in time and arteries were cleared. He’ll be home soon. We know the reality of how fragile life can be. We always wait for good news from Afghanistan. “Made it back from the Mission, I’m O.K., going to bed now, talk more later.” We rally around each other supporting each other in whatever life throws our way.

Faith

I will have faith,
However dreams are shattered;
I will have faith that righteousness can live;
I will have faith e’en when my heart is breaking,
To work and pray and give!

I will have faith
When troubled is life’s ocean,
When low-blown clouds the Pilot’s face shall hide;
I will have faith when my fair ship is battered;
I will await the turning of the tide!

I will have faith
That God is still in Heaven;
I will have faith that He is by my side;
I will have faith though every star is darkened,
That He and truth abide!

The Residence, Denver

If It’s Tuesday…

…this must be Belgium Chilliwack! Do any of you remember that film from the 60’s? Anyhoo my life seems to be on a whirlwind tour right now so I thought this title appropriate. Today Katie and I are on our way to Chilliwack, B.C. (not Belgium)  to pick up a little gift I ordered for my niece’s upcoming bridal shower from Wink’s .  We are meeting up with some special residents of Chilliwack for lunch while we are there!

These next photos have nothing to do with our trip North across the line. These are random shots, one from the past and new photos from what is springing up around this old house.

It seems I have always wondered what to do with my hands when someone is taking a photo of me. This is a photo from the 50’s in front of our home on Oak Street in Pico Rivera, California.

What a fun surprise to see these on Monday morning. I sort of remember replanting them from containers I had inside last Spring. Are they Narcissus?

My Lenten Rose never ceases to delight! What an appropriate name as it always blooms during Lent!

Such a humble plant with it’s face looking down. I have to get on my knees to take photos…another appropriate stance for this season and always!

More than usual this season of Lent has brought some significant sorrow to the door of friends and to us. We stand with them in hope for better days ahead and ultimately for the Hope we have as believers for what Christ has done for us and what He promises us.

My dear sister-in-law Nina who passed away in 1993 from complications due to Cystic Fibrosis had these verses highlighted in her personal journal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Praying for God’s light to shine through his presence in us to the world around us.

Hoping your week is going well and that you have hope for your future…

Signs of Spring…

On Monday when I stepped outside I had a nice surprise in our front planter. My Lenten Rose is showing promise of blooming just in time.

Such a nice day to be out in the yard. I was able to do some long overdue raking of leaves and cleaning out some of the planters. It was wonderful to see little evidences of new growth here and there. After filling our yard waste bin my only regret was that I did the work outside after my shower instead of before. Oh well, at least I looked more presentable as I labored in the yard!

Where man sees but withered leaves,
God sees sweet flowers growing.
~Albert Laighton

Hope your week is starting well. I’m preparing for a trip to see Mr. Taxman tomorrow. Blessings!

Winter in His Heart of Gloom ~ Hymn

Winter in His Heart of Gloom

Winter in his heart of gloom
Sings the song of coming bloom:
So over death our souls shall sing
’Lays of the eternal spring.

Then decay shall be no more,
And, the weary seed time o’er,
All the dead in Christ shall rise
For the harvest of the skies.

Wheresoe’er the faithful sleep
Angels shall go forth to reap,
From the dust and ’neath the foam
They shall bring the harvest home.

Bodies of the saints, whose bones
Rest beneath sepulchral stones,
Or are lost on every wind,
All, those messengers shall find.

All from earth to Heaven shall soar
In that flesh which once they wore,
Deathless now and glorified,
Like their Lord and at His side.

This is life’s eternal spring!
This the coming joy we sing!
Look we ever toward this day,
Be it near or far away!

’Mid the sorrow and the strife
’Tis the music of our life,
And the song hath this refrain—
Our Redeemer comes again!

Words: Samuel J. Stone, 1866.

Advent Begins ~ O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

 

The first candle (purple) “CANDLE OF HOPE” means His promise and hope. We can have hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises He made to us. Our hope comes from God. (Romans 15:12-13)

The lyrics echo se­ver­al pro­phet­ic themes. The ti­tle comes from the well known Isai­ah 7:14: Be­hold, a vir­gin shall con­ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im­man­u­el. Im­man­u­el is He­brew for God with us. The Rod of Jesse refers to Isai­ah 11:1: There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jes­se; Jesse was the fa­ther of Da­vid, se­cond king of Is­ra­el. Day-Spring comes from Za­cha­ri­as, fa­ther of John the Bap­tist, in Luke 1:78: The day­spring from on high has vis­it­ed us. Thou Key of Da­vid is in Isai­ah 22:22: The key of the house of Da­vid will I lay up­on his shoul­der, which in turn re­fers to Isai­ah 9:6: The gov­ern­ment shall be up­on His shoul­der.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Refrain

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain