A new study

                      It has been so long once again since I posted here on my blog .
Life has been happening and I have been caught up in it. And that is a good thing as I am in the middle do life as we all are. Our daughter graduated from college and celebrating had to happen of course. Our son came home for the festivities and we had a busy time with family.
   We have had all sorts of goings on here at our little homestead with a neighbors rooster coming daily to visit the hens and stirring up trouble. My poor rooster was also attacked by our other neighbors' rooster who has done this in at least one other summer . My rooster is a very able fighter so he won the fight for his ladies . I watched closely so no rooster was injured, not much more than his rooster ego. ;)  
   I was amazed by the way this whole rooster stuff went down. The one rooster showed himself  in an aggressive way and the fight was on . I must say I was proud of my four year old roosters spunk and stamina fighting with this younger rooster . I am not sure of the other roosters age but had heard the you can tell maturity by the spurs on the rooster. If this is in fact truth my rooster is definitely the older guy. Then comes, Henry, the further neighbors rooster. He is totally different in his approach and because of it he was received differently.  This rooster ran like crazy when mine came at him. Oh what a sneak he was though. He came back cautiously and would run again when chased after. All the while every chance he got he would seek out my hens that were not close to my rooster. As I watched this I began, as I so often do, to compare this situation on a parallel to my own life issues.
  I will have temptations come that I beat away with God's word and a hArdy fight . And then ....
There are those temptations that come and I will pray and use some verses and they seem to hover on the sidelines and I am too busy to really do business with them. Or is it like my rooster they seem less threatening to my spiritual health ? As I watched this unfold I could see the error of my roosters being passive in his approach to this intruder.
  This has set me to being more vigilant in my awareness to life's temptations and how I approach them. There is no room for sharing my affections with temptations for they are deceptive and destructive to my spiritual health and well being. I think God had a purpose far more than just two neighboring roosters giving my rooster a few added fights and chases. I love looking at the natural world about me to see what God might want to show me in my spiritual life.
  Call me crazy if you want but I see God at work in the study of the animals about me .
 Lord Jesus,
 I thank you for the simplicity of the life you have provided for me here. I thank you that you can reveal your truth in three roosters interactions that have nothing to do with me in the nature of things. I am so blessed to be your daughter with the great love you have for me. I love you, Jesus . Make me a blessing to others I pray. Amen 

About a Goose :)

                                               Hello!  Once again it has been a while.
Life just continues to be busy for us here. Our daughter will be graduating from college this weekend and it seems there is no end to the things that keep cropping up for us to be busy with. In the midst of this busyness though I continue to take my time apart to seek the wisdom of God. I spend my time most generally in my sunroom.
  The last few months we have had our neighbors goose hanging around in our driveway. This particular goose has been less noisy than the last one and has less attitude as well. The neighbor had come to us and said this female had a thing for the mirror effect of the bumpers of vehicles and would look at herself in them. As the days progressed she began coming to our porch area to hang out.  We have an issue as she leaves remnants of her being there. NO one wants to bring goose droppings in on their shoes. I have to admit there was some inner struggle going on here. After all the neighbor should realize this and do something about his erring goose. My husband began chasing her back to the neighbors barn. The neighbors daughter came a number of times and chased her back. On and on this has been the case. She has a mate and for a little while it seemed they were staying close to the barn and we thought finally it was done. Until a couple weeks ago she once again started her journey back to the drive way. Yesterday as I sat in my sunroom and I heard her honking and moving closer and closer to the porch. I sat up and paid attention to what she was doing. I realized she was admiring the other white goose in front of my porch. What you ask,  "You have two geese? " No we do not have any geese, but what we have is two large windows that we have set for a wall in front of the little porch area. It is here she stands for hours on end gazing at what she apparently thinks is her lover. She turns her head one way , then the other . After a while she walks into my little porch are and she looks within longingly like she is thinking he will be on this side. She even runs her beak on the glass and rubs her neck against the glass. I feel a bit sorry for her. She is deceived by her own reflection in the glass.
    You see, Alice, that is her name, has a gander mate in the barnyard but he is not enough. He does not meet Alice's idea of an ideal gander lover. As I sat watching her I gathered an understanding of this bird who has been getting on both my husbands and my nerves I was aware of her plight. But what about my own plight? Now I don't mean the plight of a goose hanging at my door and leaving nasty droppings that can easily be tracked into my home. And her latest thing hissing and at times heading at me threateningly. I am referring to the plight I have with my own desires for  other things than what God has given me. Do you know what I mean? God has given me many blessings and sometimes I don't see them as a good thing. They lack in my fleshly desires some mirror like brightness. Maybe they seem less glorious than I would want and need. I was taken back as I watched that goose trying to get satisfaction from a window that has no ability to meet her need for a gander mate.
   Where are you going with this you might ask? What I'm saying is  I need to seek satisfaction in no other than my Jesus and his blessings. It doesn't matter what it might be that I think I have need of. I need to seek God and his ways, his will, or I could be like Alice the goose chasing after an image in the  reflection  of a window. Like, Alice, I will never be satisfied and will spend hours needlessly wasting my time when all the while I have what I need right in my own backyard.
2 Corinthians 4:18
So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

  Lord Jesus,
   I know that I, too, seek what is not real satisfaction . I am in need at all times of your guidance with a strong push away from the things that seem to me to be the better and more desirable answer. Thank you that you will have no other gods before you and that you know that I need you. Thank you  that you are the real deal! Thank you that you can use this goose to make me aware of my own self-seeking ways. Thank you Jesus that you will draw me away from the self serving and self satisfying ways I seek that are not from you. Help me to hear and obey you as you reveal these  things to me. Amen

Behold, The Lord's Hand is not Shortened

          That it cannot save;  Nor His ear heavy that He cannot hear.    Isaiah 59:1
   
       Hello! It has been a while. I have lost track of my blogging. My heart has not been in it.
It seems like all hell has broken loose at times in my life lately. As I type this out I wonder what does it matter if I post here on my blog. This is a place for me to express myself and I hope that it may some how let some one else know they are not alone on their struggles.
   So the verse in Isaiah that I put above is a favorite of mine because it tells me that God is not unable to help me in these places I find myself. I don't know about you but I need this word today , and many days. I wonder as I go over this verse what does it mean nor his ear heavy that he cannot hear?
 Heavy ? How can an ear be heavy one would question ? So I will ponder this for a while and give it a go on trying to understand it. The only thing I can come up with is if some thing heavy it is weighted down , overloaded. So if I think of it this way I can say : God's ear has not been overloaded and weighted down with the cries of others' troubles, the chatter of any given day of millions of people's voices and needs coming to him. He always has his ears listening to my cries whether they are joyful cries or desperate ones. Also his hand is never unable to reach me . He is never too far away so that he can't come get to me. What a peaceful place to be . I am thankful for this truth that God has given me in His Word.
  How about you ? Does this verse comfort you ? Can you see your Heavenly Father as I do? His ear ever listening? His love always surrounding you ?
 Tomorrow is resurrection Sunday and as we prepare for the celebration of our saviors resurrection from the dead we can rejoice that he is always seeking us. That he loves us and holds our future and he cares so very much for us that he went and was crucified for our sins, he who never committed a sin. He took our sins on himself and the punishment we deserved. He took it to the cross and was crucified with them and then after three days he rose up from that grave bringing life eternal for us who believe .
 Lord Jesus,
 I thank you for this verse and the comfort that you are ever near, That you hear me always and you are never unable to reach me and help me. Jesus, thank you for your gift of salvation ! Thank you for your taking of my sins to the cross and taking my deserved punishment on yourself so that I can have forgiveness and cleansing and eternity with you my precious Savior. Thank you for the cross . I love you my Jesus . Amen

Where My Heart Is.

                                     Good morning and thank you for stopping by!
    It has been such a wild journey the last few weeks and I am hoping as I am entering into this beautiful spring season and the upcoming resurrection celebration I will see less wild and more quiet days.
  Today my heart and mind is on my precious son who is already in heaven. I have been doing a lot of reading whenever I can snatch the time and mental quiet it takes for me to focus lately. I borrowed a couple books from my local library about parents grieving the loss of a child and one on suicide. I am really enjoying the book : When The Bough Breaks : Forever After The Death of a Son or Daughter by Ph.D Judith R. Bernstein . I think this book is the closest to right on to what I have experienced as a mom after losing my son.
I am also enjoying some other devotionals and continuing with my online Bible studies with Proverbs 31 Ministries and so enjoy the fellowship provided through this ministry. 
 I was reading Joni and Friends devotional this morning and was so inspired by her words about resurrection . She used this verse and I was so blessed as I thought that my precious boy would be in his resurrected body at the trumpet sound.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17

New King James Version (NKJV)

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.[a]

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
 What a precious day that will be when not only will I see the finish of what God has promised but I meet with my son and can look at him and talk to him again. I don't know about you but I look forward to heaven . I pray you are ready for the great and glorious day that is coming whether by death or His coming in the clouds with the trumpet sound. 
  Lord Jesus,
   We need you so much . All about us many times is stress and trials and we struggle so. We ask for your mighty hand to hold us and bless us and prepare us for your return. Lord, for any that do not know you and have not received the gift of salvation I pray for them to have their eyes of understanding opened and that they would freely receive your precious life eternal gift. In Jesus I pray amen.

Times are tough all over!

                                                IT has been a tough week here.
 And wait the week is not over yet.
                                                My dad is not well and we have been on the road a lot this week going to the hospital to see him.
                                                I am weary and even now I should be in bed but here I sit.
I was remembered that I have a blog I like to tell my story at and so here I am.
                                                It is so hard to watch your parents age and the is beyond aging in my book. I am sacred in a lot of ways!
                                                I don't like admitting this as it seems to make it worse. But I have done it and will not take it back.
                                                My dad is struggling with not only his physical health but his mental health. I hate the ravaging of age.
                                                 But I know my Redeemer lives and will bring about what my dad needs even when it does not appear that way.
                                                 I know what God's word says and He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. I will choose to seek God and believe even when I cannot see the end from the beginning.
                                                 How about you?
Will you pray for me and my family right now? I thank you ! God bless you!
 



           And call upon Me in the day of Trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.
                             Psalm 50:15



 Lord Jesus,
 I call upon you in this day of trouble and the last number of days of trouble. I pray for deliverance for my dad.I pray for mercy for our family. And Lord for all who are struggling with the things of Life and Death I pray for Your care in the most choicest ways to be pressed down into them and given in an abundance beyond what I can ask or think. In Jesus I ask, Amen. 

Where am I?

Hello!
  It has once again been quite a while since I posted here. I feel out of it . Although, I have thought about writing I just never got to it. I have been busy with health issues and company. I even have been getting out to enjoy the snow we have gotten a couple of times. Life can be so full of things to be done that I forget to think beyond them and enjoy what God has sent me to be thankful for. So to get out and ride the snow machine with my husband into the great woods is a gift I long for even when I want Spring!
 We had a new granddaughter born at the end of February and we are so happy at her arrival. We have yet to meet her in person but we wait expectantly for the day we can. We have many things yet ahead for us, God willing. Our daughter will graduate college in May so a party to plan and prep for. I am not a party planner and not so good at having a lot of people to tend to at one time but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I will need His strength and His wisdom for this.
  I have been having some health issues which are taxing me right now. My blood sugars have been an issue lately and I am not up to the abilities I have normally so I will be relying on the Lord for all of this as well.
I hope you are well and enjoying what life has and that it is good with you.
  I must run already as I have a doctors appointment but I wanted to check in and say hello . I leave you with the first verse I laid eye on this morning.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

– Romans 15:13 NIV

The Storm Arrived!

                                   So here is what I am looking at today after the storm has hit.
   I guess it is not finished and is expected to keep on throughout this day and end some where around eight pm. I know right now we have winds that are really blowing things around. Whew ! I guess winter wants to have a say before it must eventually end. What can one say in answer to that? Nothing. We must take what comes, or we could move to a more agreeable area of the country or the world even. ( Scratching my head here doing some thinking) ...
   So it is interesting weather for sure but I am inside my home here warm and comfy playing at my computer. Earlier though I was watching a video someone shared and I saw people that were clearly homeless and living on the street. I was taken up short at the sight. I felt pangs of heartache for these lonely  people sitting on a street all the while  knowing I don't appreciate, as I should, all I have. I prayed for these nameless, faceless people that are throughout our world sitting in various places of helplessness, with varying reasons for their helpless states. What is it that separates us who have a place and those who do not? Why are they in this situation and I am not? One might say our choices. But I am not so sure that is true of every single person stuck in this place of being without . I used to hear my dad and mom say, " But for the grace of God that could be me/us."
  I must say I agree with that statement they made all those years ago. At any given time I could have chosen a path that could have ended up with me in a place of desperation like this. Or someone else could have made a choice that changed my life and brought me to this. While it is good to give thought and prayer to these lost and homeless people, certainly there must be more than thought and prayers to be done! After all we are the hands and feet of God while here. So I am going to seek out some information and pray for some ways I can somehow make a difference. I did one time some years ago help a homeless lady a number of times but it has been far too long since I did that .

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'     Matthew 25:40              http://biblehub.com/matthew/25-40.htm
  
 Lord Jesus, 
Thank you for making me aware again of others who have greater needs and that  you care deeply about. I ask for your wisdom and follow through  to be a person who does for one of the least of these that you will show me. Thank you for my home and warmth and for the blessings I have. I pray even now for those without who need basic needs met.  Bless them even now. In Jesus I pray amen.