Tag Archives: Peace

Peace

It is unusual for us to see a dove at our birdbath. This one looks quite fluffy and stayed around long enough for some photos on Saturday.

On Sunday I was reading a devotional by John MacArthur called Drawing Near and on this day the title of the devotion was The Cushion of Peace.

I’ll share part of what I read and found so encouraging.

…”Christians can experience a cushion of peace in their souls regardless of their troubled surroundings. That’s because they belong to God, who is the source of peace; serve Christ, who is the Prince of Peace; and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who is the agent of peace. Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, [and] peace.” When you become a Christian, God grants you the gift of peace…

God is not only the source of perfect peace, but also its purest example…

God wants everyone to know that kind of peace. He created the world with peace and sent His Son to offer peace. Someday Christ will return to establish His kingdom and reign in peace for eternity…”

My prayer for you is that you have this cushion of peace.

John 14:27

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Truth for Today #9

Thursday March 3rd

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

John 14:27
~
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
~
John 16:33
~
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
~
Philippians 4:4-7
~
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
~
From Vera:
~
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬
~
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
~
From Cheryl:
~
Hebrews 7:25
~
“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” ‭‭
~
From Jan C.
~
Psalm 10:17-18 ESV
~
“O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”
~
From Patricia:
~

Hebrews 6:10

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Truth from A to Z Bible Verse Challenge~ P

This Thursday we are on the letter P. Looking forward to seeing what verses in the Bible you choose to share. As usual I will add your verses as you share them in the comments. Thank you in advance.

The letter P has so many possibilities and options. I might add more later but here is the verse I will begin with. Please note that we are traveling this week and I probably will be late in seeing the verses you post and late in adding them here but I will do it as soon as I am able. Thank you for your understanding.

P is for Poor and Poverty:

2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 

From Vera: P is for PLANS and PURPOSE
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19:21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Linda P. ~ P is for Peace and Power

Romans 15. v. 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and PEACE in believing that you may abound in hope by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.

From Maristella: P is for PRAYER:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
And
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Colossians 4:2

From Gatorandshegator: P is for patience
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.

From Patsystitch: P is for Poverty and Poor

Proverbs 30:7-9 O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

Bethany posted on her blog and her word is Promise! https://raindropsrainbows.blogspot.com/

Click over to read her post!

From Happyone: P is for Pasture.
John 10:9
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and find PASTURE.

Thank you everyone for your contributions this week. What an encouragement to read the verses you have chosen to share.  Our family is having a time away in Arizona so I am a little late in adding all the verses to this post. Thank you for your understanding!

 

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.

Peaceful Hodgepodge

1. What’s something you could do today to feel more peaceful?

Turn off the TV and open my Bible!

2. June 2nd is National Rotisserie Chicken day. Who knew? Are you a fan of rotisserie chicken? You’ve purchased one at your local market for tonite’s dinner. Will you serve as is or make something else using the chicken?

First meal we would eat it as it is with a salad. Then I’d take all the meat left on the carcass and save it for a Chicken Pot Pie, or Chicken Chili, or Chicken Enchiladas, or Chicken Noodle Soup. A Costco Rotisserie Chicken is our favorite and you can’t beat the price.

3. I read a list recently (go here to read more) of 20 of the most beautiful places in America. How many of these have you seen up close and in person? Of the sites on this list that you haven’t seen, which would you most like to see?

Antelope Canyon Arizona, Kenai Fjords Alaska, White Mountains New Hampshire, Crater Lake Oregon, The Palouse Washington and Idaho, Grand Prismatic Spring Wyoming, Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge Oregon, Horsehoe Bend Arizona, Na Pali Coast Kauai Hawaii, Antelope Valley California, Lake Tahoe California, The Berkshires Massachussets, Maroon Bells Colorado, Angel Oak South Carolina, Acadia National Park Maine, Grand Teton National Park Wyoming, Turnip Rock Michigan, Central Park New York City, Niagara Falls New York, and Skagit Valley Tulip Fields Washington

I’ve been to Crater Lake, The Palouse in Washington, Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge, Grand Prismatic Spring Wyoming, Central Park, Niagara Falls, and Skagit Valley Tulip Fields (Photo Above).

I think I’d like to see Acadia National Park in Maine.

4. What’s one pretty spot you’d add to the list in question #3?

I’d choose one of the beaches along the coast of California or Oregon like Laguna Beach in Southern California or Cannon Beach in Northern Oregon.

Are there travel plans of any kind on your calendar right now? Does that make you happy, anxious, excited, sad, or relieved?

I’m sad that we are in the process of cancelling our trip to Great Britain. Things are not loosening up in travel abroad quick enough for our comfort in keeping our plans intact. Airline tickets are purchased already and half of the cost of our lodging has been charged to us, too. So I’ll have to contact the airlines and Airbnb to work on getting our money refunded. I will be relieved when that is taken care of.

5. Tell us one un-COVID related thing you’re looking forward to in the month of June.

We are going to Church on Sunday June 7th in our building not online! That is very exciting!

And yesterday, June 2nd,  I had the wonderful experience of finally having my hair cut and styled! And I have another appointment in 6 weeks.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I looked up peace in my Bible and wanted to share these verses:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1, ESV) 

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility  by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV)

 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7, ESV)

“Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;
 let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.

(1 Peter 3:10-11, ESV)

Thank you to Joyce for posting the questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

The Prince of Peace Is Come ~ Hymn

The Prince of Peace Is Come

The Prince of Peace is come,
Ye nations shout and sing;
Let men and angels join their songs,
To hail this glorious King.

He takes the servant’s form;
He lays His glory by;
His heavenly Father’s bosom leaves,
And throne of majesty.

Light of the world He comes,
The blind receive their sight;
The mind now feels His gladdening ray,
And all within is light.

Physician blest He came,
And well employs His art;
With ease He makes the bruisèd whole,
And heals the broken heart.

His tears, His sighs and pains
Ease to the wounded give;
The kind physician dies to make
The dying patients live.

The great Redeemer comes,
And sounds a jubilee:
He burst the prison doors, and bids
The captive souls go free.

Evangelist divine,
He makes the Gospel known;
The poor the joyful tidings hear,
And their great prophet own.

Whilst gracious God I hear
Thy Gospel’s joyful sound,
May my glad heart, my tongue, my life,
Be all obedience found.

Words: John Needham, 1768.

Perfect Peace ~ Hymn

 

Perfect Peace

In perfect peace, O gracious Lord,
No fears my heart molest,
For Thou, whose voice controls the deep,
Can soothe my care to rest.

Refrain

Thy perfect peace Thou givest me,
My ever present Guide;
Thy perfect peace thou leavest me—
What can I ask beside?

In perfect peace from day to day
I learn Thy righteous will,
And with a love that questions not,
Obey and follow still.

Refrain

In perfect peace the clouds I view,
The gathering storm I see,
For Thou hast taught my soul to know
It shall be well with me.

Refrain

In perfect peace, O gracious Lord,
Till life’s last hour shall close,
I’ll sing Thy goodness o’er and o’er,
And on Thy love repose.

Refrain

Words: Fanny Crosby

Friday’s Fave Five

It’s almost Friday again and time to ponder some favorites from the past week! Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in or to see other Favorites!

 

So on Sunday we flew back to Southern California from Washington. In a lot of ways my daily life in Southern California is easier than when I fly back to my house in Washington.

1. At the very top of my favorites this week, and probably for several weeks more, is the fact that my 911 neighbor, Summer, and her boyfriend are gone for good! I didn’t even realize the stress that their presence had on our quality of life until this week and the amazing difference we have experienced! We have peace. Peace is amazing. Peace with God is the most important thing in life but daily peace in your living conditions is way up there, too. I don’t have to tense up when I hear them come home. I don’t have to hear the yelling and screaming. I don’t have to get jolted out of a deep sleep with loud thumping on the floor and screaming. The photo of the empty deck in my collage is the deck that had their stuff on it before. That emptiness is such a welcome sight. Oh how sweet it is…

2. Starting to walk regularly again with Willow is another favorite. OK, so I put on way more poundage than I imagined and I need to cut back on food and increase my activity. On a more positive note,  it’s great here in Southern California to still see roses blooming and other plants flowering with lots of color. The Yellow rose is a photo from one of Willow and my walks.

3. Dear and I have also started walking together when he gets home from work and before we eat dinner. This has been a good time to talk and check out the neighborhood. The Sunset photo is from one of our late afternoon walks.

4. Meals for two. How easy that is. That’s one of the bonuses of my lifestyle in Southern California. We have actually eaten in for 4 nights in a row. That’s good for us. Don’t worry though, tomorrow we’re headed back to El Tecolote for our meal out!

5. The last favorite is seeing some beautiful sunrises this week. There’s something about the quiet of dawn that is wonderful to experience.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Mother Theresa ~ Peace

 

“But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child – a direct killing of the innocent child – murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love – that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. ”
~ Mother Theresa

Today as a woman I cannot stay silent on this issue. I agree wholeheartedly with Mother Theresa! My choice is to speak up now and stop sticking my head in the sand on this issue. And yes, this one issue is what will determine who I vote for on Tuesday…

911! Good Morning Officer…

***Note: If you are here for the real Blue Monday scroll on down past this post…

Dear and I are a little on the “Blue Side” this morning…

 Last night when Dear and I went to bed the new resident above our condo was having a “row” of some kind. Although the previous residents were noisy walkers we never could hear voices or actual words through the ceiling. Well last night I heard more words and noise than I wanted to hear and the words were not good. It sounded like the young lady was being taken advantage of. We went to sleep and then I woke up at 2:15 A.M. because of a very loud thump and the girl was crying “Help Me, help me, you hurt me”. We heard her say help me a few more times and then heard her moaning and crying.  That was it!!  I got up and called 911. We heard the officers knock loudly on the door but we don’t think the door was opened up to them. One of the officers came to our door to make sure they were at the right condo. We now know the Camarillo Police Dept. can find our condos. Yippee! We crawled back into bed at 3:15 AM. Dear and I were not able to go back to sleep and He gets up at 5:00 am and leaves for work at 6:00 so needless to say we are both dragging. Poor guy has to go do his job and train a contractor. The only thing I absolutely have to do today is go buy some milk.

I’m thankful to God for the peace that I live with day in and day out in my married life…