Relationship vs. Religion

The Pharisees had religion.  Jesus wants a relationship.
The Pharisees were set in their doing, doing, doing to gain favor with God.  They refused to believe that Jesus came to do the "doing" because it was the only thing that would satisfy God's demands.....a blood sacrifice.

We are like them.  We think we have to do something to gain favor with God.  But, He wants a relationship with us; He loves us unconditionally!  He loves us, period.  All He wants is for us to love Him, trust Him and follow Him.  Why is that so hard for us to do?  Lord, help me to love You and trust You and follow You every hour of every day!

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Come Unto Me Lyrics

Hear the blessed Savior calling the oppressed,
“Oh, ye heavy-laden, come to Me and rest;
Come, no longer tarry, I your load will bear,
Bring Me every burden, bring Me every care.”

CHORUS
Come unto Me, I will give you rest;
Take My yoke upon you, hear Me and be blest;
I am meek and lowly, come and trust My might;
Come, My yoke is easy, and My burden’s light.

Are you disappointed, wand’ring here and there,
Dragging chains of doubt and loaded down with care?
Do unholy feelings struggle in your breast?
Bring your case to Jesus—He will give you rest.

Stumbling on the mountains dark with sin and shame,
Stumbling toward the pit of hell’s consuming flame;
By the pow’rs of sin deluded and oppressed,
Hear the tender Shepherd, “Come to Me and rest.”

Have you by temptation often conquered been,
Has a sense of weakness brought distress within?
Christ will sanctify you, if you’ll claim His best;
In the Holy Spirit, He will give you rest.

Today, Tuesday, April 30

My little lap buddy, Asher, knows if I have his blue blanket in my lap that he is welcome to join me.  He will beg with his puppy dog eyes, however,  if my lap is full with the lap desk, computer and/or books. But when I tell him to go lay down, he goes to his "couch" then gives me the sad puppy dog eyes from afar.

His couch sits empty quite often. 

I went out for groceries today and got really nauseous while I was out.  I took Mark his fruit at work and headed home so I could lay down.  I pray after tomorrow I start feeling better since that will be the last of the antibiotic.  I'm glad the pharmacist shorted me 5 capsules, LOL!  Thank You, Lord!

Under His Wings

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband!  I love you!  I thank the Lord for you!

The book of Ruth is one of my all-time favorite books of the Bible!  Not just because it is a wonderful, unexpected love story between a man and a woman, but because it shows the love story of a God and His people.  A love story full of mercy and grace!  A love given to undeserving, wretched, sinful people who seem to delight in disobedience and waywardness.

The story might seem to be full of "coincidences," however, God does not work around the coincidences to make His plan and will.  No!  He controls the happenings that seem like coincidences to you and me.  Nothing takes God by surprise!  I would not want to serve a God who was not in control!  That's what makes serving the true and living God so different from the other gods of the world!  But, I digress.....

I began reading the book of Ruth during my devotion time with the Lord this morning.  And when I read Boaz's comment to Ruth when she asked him why he took notice of her, being a foreigner, and showed favor to her, I was reminded of how the Lord took notice of me, being a sinner, and showed favor to me (Romans 5:8).  ".....a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge," Boaz said.  AH!  What blessings are represented by those 3 words, "a full reward!"  Salvation, forgiveness, hope, ..... and the list goes on and on and on.....!  Thank You, LORD, for taking me under Your wings of refuge from the powerful hold Satan had on my life!

Under His wings Hymn

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

CHORUS
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

CHORUS

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

CHORUS

Ilene called and invited me to come over.  I told her I had some things to do first.  I had some laundry to finish and dishes to get out of the dishwasher and had more to add. I had some other things to put away and by the time I got ready to leave it was almost noon.  So I called to be sure she was still home.  She said,  "want to go eat lunch somewhere? "  Well,  of course!

We went to Randy's,  where you can get the BEST  beef tips! I couldn't eat that, but I got the big portion for Mark's supper and a side order of fried okra and a slice of Texas toast.  I  planned to eat the mac-n-cheese and baked sweet potato.  My stomach was already iffy and by the time I got the potato eaten,  I couldn't handle the mac-n-cheese.  So I added it to the takeout box for Mark.

We had several loads of material delivered to begin working on the driveway and the front yard for more parking when the kids are here.

Mark got the first 3 loads spread out this afternoon  before he left for a T-ball game of Jaxon 's. My stomach was still messed up so I stayed home.  I pray this all ends when the antibiotic is gone! 

My Father's World

Mark leads the singing at church.  Today we sang ONE of my favorite hymns.....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! 

In thinking of the evil in the world, the third verse is a great reminder that God is still in control and is reigning over the earth!  Thank You, Lord!

It was so nice out that we decided to eat lunch on the porch today after we got home from church.

After lunch, Mark and Jaxon went to the woods for some 4-wheeling fun.

It would have been a perfect day to ride the bike to church, but we would have had to tuck Jaxon into the back trunk!  I don't think he would have appreciated it!  I took this cloud picture on the way to church.  You could see the sun's rays with the naked eye, but not so much in the camera lens.

 I can imagine the Lord returning in clouds just like this.....glowing as he comes through the clouds in His majesty!  Oh, what a day that will be!

What a Day That Will Be Lyrics

There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There’ll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Even so, COME, LORD JESUS!

Progress

Our friend,  Joey, came today and began running electricity to my craft shed. He worked from about 10:30 to about 5, I think.  He plans to finish up next Saturday.

Mark buried the cable while 

Joey cleaned up and stored

supplies in my building.

Meanwhile,  Jaxon played while I sat on the porch and tried to keep him entertained....

more like him entertaining me.

After papaw finished his work, he rode with Jaxon in the woods.  I  went for one round,  but it was too rough for my queasy stomach I've had all day. Blech!

As you can see,  we had a beautiful day!  Praying you have a blessed Lord's day!

House Calls

Boy!  What a night I had!  Very little sleep because I did not take my PMs, which I found out today I could have taken.  But, better safe than sorry! 

We went to bed around 11.  I was feeling sick to my stomach.....nerves, I thought.  At around 3 a.m. my insides erupted!  I threw up for about 2 hours.  Then the diarrhea started with more vomiting!  Finally about 5:30 I was feeling safe enough to go back to bed!  My pajamas were soaking wet with sweat!  I think I slept some between 5:30 and 8:15 when Mark got up.  He took care of the dogs and got his shower and then got me up at 9 to get ready so we could leave the house at 9:45 for the dentist.  I was feeling OK but had a headache.  I wasn't surprised by that!  During the time I was sick I was afraid I was going to have to cancel today's appointment and reschedule.  Thank You, Lord, for making it so I could keep my appointment!  My throat was sore and strained from the vomiting.

I always ask what my BP is when they check it.....123/70!  Cool!  The surgery would involve 5 implants and one tooth removal.  Once they started the anesthesia, the next thing I remember is the doctor stitching up the implant sites and then extracting the tooth.  That was a bit painful.  He had to break the tooth to get it out, which I figured, because half of it was broken off at the gum.

The doctor said the surgery went well and that I was an excellent patient, lol!  I just said, "Good!"  The nurse went to fetch Mark and gave me instructions.....eat things that are soft and cold today, beginning as soon as I get home, so I could take some pain medicine.  There is pain, but it is more soreness than pain.  The main pain is the headache.  I also needed to change the gauze on the extraction area every half an hour, ending the gauze at 3 p.m.  They gave me an antiseptic mouth rinse that I am to begin tomorrow.....using it BEFORE I brush my teeth.  I'm not looking forward to brushing my teeth!  And, the MOST important instruction.....pampering from Mark!  I have to say, and I told the nurse so, that he pretty much pampers me already!  Thank you, sweetie!

On the way home, we stopped at Wendy's for large Frosty's, a large sweet tea and lunch for Mark.  I ate some of the Frosty so I could take a tylenol and a tylenol pm.  At 3, after I removed the last gauze, Mark and I laid down for a nap.  He got up before me.  I stayed down til 5:30.

After I got up, I took some more tylenol and ate some more Frosty.  Sitting in the recliner this afternoon is about all I have felt like I could handle.  I feel pretty rough, mainly because of the headache.  I thought the sweet tea would help, but not so far. Maybe tomorrow when I'm allowed to have warm food that will help the headache.

A Memory Tree

Tim's mom told me yesterday that she had been meaning to tell me that she and Jennifer, Tim's sister, had planted a dogwood tree in memory of Tim.  This year it has blooms on it.  One of the widows at church had the idea of planting a tree in memory of her husband, too.  I never thought about doing something like that.  Planting something like that might have a better chance of survival than the plants I usually plant or try to raise.  I love the dogwood flower, so that would be a nice tree for Mark and I to plant, too!  It could be in memory of his wife, Lanelle, too.

Jeanne and Jenn's Memory Tree

I love the added flag and cross!

Such a pretty flower.

The tree looks nice and healthy!

And now Tim is healthy, too!

Praise the Lord!

Weekend Plans

We have Jaxon for the weekend.  With me not feeling well and Noah not able to spend the weekend, that leaves Mark to spend more time with him than usual when Noah is here.  When Noah is here, they practically live in the kids' den on the Wii and Play Station.

Grandpa and Jaxon playing on the DS toys.

Not sure if the electricity is going to get run to my shed this weekend or not.  I don't think the weather is going to be very cooperative.  We will see.

Well, thank you to those of you who prayed for me today.  Keep praying that the implants heal well.  I have a follow-up appointment on May 6th.  The doctor called me himself this afternoon to see how I was feeling!  I thought that was so nice!  As good as a house call!

Thank You, Lord, that the surgery is over!  Now lay Your healing hand on me that I won't have any set-backs!  Thank You for Your blessings on me!

Nerves Of Steal.....

.....or not!  Since I was so sick after I had those 2 teeth pulled on January 10th, I'm pretty nervous about the implant surgery tomorrow!  I've prayed, Mark has prayed, people at church have prayed, friends and family have/will be praying, but because of the past experience I'm still nervous.  I know the Lord will be with me before, during and after.  Add to the anticipation the fact that I cannot take my Tylenol PMs because I'm going to have anesthesia during the surgery tomorrow.  So, I will not be sleeping tonight, probably!

OK, time to change the subject!  Thank you for your prayers regarding my surgery!  Keep praying!

I picked up Ilene today and we went to Olive Garden for lunch.  Sharon Russell gave me a $2 coupon from the newspaper.  Thanks, Sharon!  We enjoyed unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks!

When Mark got home we went to get a tile for the new driveway we are going to run down the side of the property.

Since Mark was going to be dealing with the tile, he had to wear protective gear.

Letting the tail gate down on the trailer.

Coming with the 8 ft. tile.

Putting it on the trailer

Putting the tile on the trailer made the truck bounce around!

While Mark worked on the driveway tiles (we already had three 4 ft. tiles) I sat on the porch and read and captured some bird pictures.

I was happy to see the bluebird!

Chippy, the chipper sparrow

Asher enjoying time on the porch, too.

A chickadee that didn't leave his head up long enough for me

to get a good shot of him.

Mr. Cardinal

Mrs. Cardinal

The hummer flew to the nectar once, saw me and flew away.  We had a couple of light showers while I sat on the porch, so I don't know if that is what kept the birds away or not.

Someone told us that kiwi before bed helps you sleep, so I will be trying that tonight!  Mark took the day off tomorrow since I need someone to drive.  Have a great Friday!

Birds Of A Feather

Another busy day.  Left this morning for High Point.  First stop was Hardee's for some biscuit and gravy.  However, when I parked and looked in my purse for my wallet.....no wallet!  RATS!  Back to the house I went!  Just barely made it back in time to be able to order breakfast.

Next I went to Walmart to see about getting some bamboo shades for the porch.  However, they don't have them in the store.  You have to order them on line.  RATS!  Well, I decided to look around the garden area and bought a deep purple clematis to plant in the front by my welcome sign.

Next I went to a Goodwill and found some things.  Then I went to Food Lion for some groceries.  I dropped some of the drinks off to Mark at work.  Then I went to CVS to get the amoxicillin prescribed to me for the inplant surgery I am having on Friday.

I got home around 2:45.  I texted Mark to see if he planned to eat as soon as he got home at 3:30.  Since he was, I cooked some chicken for our salads.  It was so nice outside that we ate on the porch.  After eating he worked on the trench, washed some of the mud from the 4-wheelers, cut a board for me for my shed, swept up Piper's area in the basement.  I cleaned up the kitchen, installed the board in the shed, planted the clematis, carried some things to the shed that I bought today. 

After his shower we both sat on the porch to relax and enjoy the beautiful evening.  I took bird pictures while he looked at a magazine and read his Bible.

Eating supper on the porch.

Here are the 2 sets of drawers I needed a top for that Mark cut for me.

Here's the top installed!  Looks GREAT!

I put my Sizzix machines and dies on it.

I bought this pedestal for the birdbath.  I plan to do some paint pouring on it.

I added some lights to the ceiling of the porch so we could enjoy sitting out in the evening.

It wasn't quite dark yet, but the lights brightened things up pretty well!

Now for the bird pictures!  I finally got the bird feeders up this weekend.  Not too many feathered friends have found them yet, but I'm so glad to be able to do some bird watching again!

I'm not sure if this one is a Ruby-throated hummer or not.

Chipping sparrow.

I cannot tell if this is the same bird as above or not.

The colors in the feathers seem to be a bit darker.

Mrs. Cardinal

Mr. Cardinal

House finch joined Mr. Cardinal

House finch.

Mrs. Cardinal

A furry friend instead of a feathered friend!

Ruby-throated hummingbird.

Silhouette of the hummingbird with the sunset sky in the background.

And so, another day comes to a close.

Title:	To You Before the Close of Day
Author (st. 4):	James Waring McCrady
Author:	John Mason Neale
Meter:	8.8.8.8
Source:	Latin, 6th cent.; Hymnal 1982,ver.
Copyright:	St. 1-3 © The Church Pension Fund.; St. 4 © 1982, James Waring McCrady

To you before the close of day,
Creator of all things, we pray
that, in your saving constancy,
our guard and keeper you would be.

Save us from troubled, restless sleep;
from all ill dreams your children keep.
So calm our minds that fears may cease
and rested bodies wake in peace.

A healthy life we ask of you:
the fire of love in us renew,
and when the dawn new light will bring,
your praise and glory we shall sing.

Almighty Father, hear our cry
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, most high,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
forever and for evermore.

Amen