We are weak and wounded, sick and sore

Come, Ye sinners, Poor and Needy

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore;

Jesus ready stands to save you,

Full of pity, love and pow’r.


I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,

God’s free bounty glorify;

True belief and true repentance,

Every grace that brings you nigh.

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye weary, heavy-laden,

Lost and ruined by the fall;

If you tarry till you’re better,

You will never come at all.

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies;

On the bloody tree behold Him;

Sinner, will this not suffice?

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Lo! th’ incarnate God ascended,

Pleads the merit of His blood:

Venture on Him, venture wholly,

Let no other trust intrude.

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Let not conscience make you linger,

Not of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness He requireth

Is to feel your need of Him.

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

—Joseph Hart

Revelation 22:17
“Come.” And let the one who hears say, 
“Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; 
let the one who wishes 
take the water of life without cost."

God's creation is incredible

Somewhere in Alaska

Praises for Our Firm Foundation!

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted
See Him dying on the tree!
‘Tis the Christ by man rejected
Yes, my soul, ‘tis He, ‘tis He!
‘Tis the long-expected Prophet
David's son, yet David's Lord
By His Son God now has spoken
‘Tis the true and faithful Word

Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning
Was there ever grief like His?
Friends through fear His cause disowning
Foes insulting His distress
Many hands were raised to wound Him
None would interpose to save
But the deepest stroke that pierced Him
Was the stroke that Justice gave

Ye who think of sin but lightly
Nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly
Here its guilt may estimate
Mark the sacrifice appointed
See who bears the awful load
‘Tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed
Son of Man and Son of God

Here we have a firm foundation
Here the refuge of the lost
Christ, the Rock of our salvation
His the name of which we boast
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on Him their hope have built

--Kelly

Unconditional Purrs

ROSE is ROSE

Kindness, Compassion, Safety

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us 
in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who 
are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves 
are comforted by God."

Red Flags, Control, Manipulation, and Abuse

"When one thinks of cults, 
one of the first associations 
is the attempt to drive a wedge 
between parents and children."

-Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Biblical Literacy, pg.430

*

Galatians 5:1,7-10,13-15,16-26

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; 
therefore keep standing firm and do not be 
subject again to a yoke of slavery.

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt 
no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear 
his judgment, whoever he is.

For you were called to freedom, brethren; 
only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, 
but through love serve one another.
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
But if you bite and devour one another, 
take care that you are not consumed by one another.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the 
desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, 
and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition 
to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: 
immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, 
enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, 
dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, 
and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have 
forewarned you, that those who practice such things 
will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, 
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; 
against such things there is no law.

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh 
with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also 
walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging 
one another, envying one another."
*

Sacrificed to Set us Free!

John 4:41-42

Many more believed because of His word;

and they were saying to the woman, 

“It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, 

for we have heard for ourselves 

and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

*

Hallelujah, What a Saviour!

Man of Sorrows, What a Name

P. Bliss

Man of sorrows what a name

for the Son of God, who came

ruined sinners to reclaim:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

in my place condemned he stood,

sealed my pardon with his blood:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Guilty, helpless, lost were we;

blameless Lamb of God was he,

sacrificed to set us free:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

He was lifted up to die;

"It is finished" was his cry;

now in heaven exalted high:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

When he comes, our glorious King,

all his ransomed home to bring,

then anew this song we'll sing:

Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

*

Guard my heart, O God, from the infection of despair

"True hope is not a feeling; 

it is a fact 

firmly rooted in eternal truth."

*

Psalm 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.”

*

January 17, A Spectacle of Glory, 2016

Refuge and Strength

By Joni Eareckson Tada

Always on my lips

1 Peter 5:6-7
"humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, 
that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting 
all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

Philippians 4:6-7
"Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts 
and your minds in Christ Jesus."

James 5:16
"confess your sins to one another, and pray for one 
another so that you may be healed. The effective 
prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Psalm 34:15-18
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
---------------------------------------------------------------

*What a treasure we have to be able to cry out to our great God and King!  

We can talk with Him any time, we can share our deepest hurts along with our most precious joys. 

He hears us. He is with us. He cares for us. He loves us. 

When we feel like He is not listening to us, we are the ones who are wrong in our thinking. Our feelings should never be our barometer. God's Word is our Barometer. We need to find His truth in His Word not in our feelings. 

He loves us so. He loved us so much that His only Son gave His life so that we may live and live eternally!

As His child choose to talk with Him often. Don't wait for a crisis. Talk with Him through each day while things are good and praise His Name for your day, your life, His goodness...

When you are use to talking with Him through each day it will be natural to turn to Him at every instant. 

How very blessed are the children of God!

Praise the LORD! Glory to His Name! May we be found faithful!

Little Bits are always in the kitchen

                                                                                 

Apples of gold in a setting of silver

A Word Fitly Spoken
By Joni Eareckson Tada

Proverbs 20:15
There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.

Have you ever received a note or card at just the right time with just the right word of encouragement? 

It’s like getting a message straight from heaven, isn’t it? 

In Proverbs, Solomon writes, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11, ESV). 

We may minimize the words we speak or the efforts we make to lift someone’s heart or brighten someone’s day, but in God’s hands, those few words can make a world of difference. 

Just as careless, sarcastic, or dismissive words have the capacity to damage, warp, and kill, so a word of kindness—“a word fitly spoken”—can change the course of a day… or a life. 

Knowing this, why don’t we practice it even more? 

A notecard in the mail, a well-timed affirmation, or even a thoughtful email to a struggling soul may be among the most significant things you will accomplish—today or ever.

Thank You, Father, for those who have written timely notes or spoken words of hope and life to me through the years. Holy Spirit, show me where and how and when I can do this for others—both Your sons and daughters and those who are (for now) outside Your family. I don’t want to “just talk”; I want to speak words that You can use.

January 15, A Spectacle of Glory, 2016.
------------

**Thank you to Joni Tada, for all the encouragements through all the years.

Waking up to Snow in the Mid-West

This is what tame wolverines do:

ROSE is ROSE

New Blue Shoes

A very sweet story with a mother and daughter 

off to get new pair of shoes.

Young people think they invented Wind Power

The LORD's Awesome Creation!

Flock of Mountain Blue Birds. Incredible! What joy!
-found on the internet today.

The LORD replaces our fears with joy!

Charles Schulz

Psalm 94:19
When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.

The LORD replaces our fears and anxiety with joy and delight!

Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, 
I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;


*many thanks, Charlotte!

Everybody purring

Treasures of the Heart

Happy today as you choose to make it for the LORD. I will try to do so also.  I know it is a new year, but we have never really celebrated it the traditional way as normal people do.  It has just been another day for us.

It has been cold, sometimes rainy, snowy, icy, then back to sun-shiny and warmish. The weather seems not to know what to do. I have to admit that in my whole life I have loved wintertime and have never desired it too hurry along, but I am already weary of this on-again, off-again dreary season. Spring is already on my mind, which is setting me up for a fall. I have a long time to wait.

The other day we received a new catalog for Spring.  It was the very first one. I had time today so I looked through it. It is full of items with flowers, birds, and rabbits.  Everything in it is lovely. I was reminded of my precious mother who would have loved everything in this catalog!

I was born on Easter, and because of this she always made my birthday special with some sort of little bunny all the years of my life up until she went to be with the LORD.  I still have that very first bunny, with practically all its faux fur loved off and a new homemade face sewn on. 

What a special treasure from her!

Later, my father told me the story of that birthday Easter morning.  She had not told him she was in labor. She had wanted to attend the worship service, so she got my toddler brothers all ready, and they went off to church making it about half way through the service.  When she grabbed his leg, he knew she needed to go to the hospital right then. I was born soon after. He then explained to me that storms developed quickly and they produced tornadoes which roared through western Ohio late in the afternoon. My father was great at telling a story. 

Another special treasure to know this story from him!

Everything in this spring catalog was beautiful and lovely, and probably well worth what each item cost, but none of these things are as special as the memories I hold as precious treasures of my parents, my beloved husband, and my own cherished children as they grew.

What treasures the LORD has given me in my heart!