Sorrows upon Sorrows...and yet I will live for You, O LORD

Romans 8:18

 ..."For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. "...

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Suppertime!

 

Learn the Antidote

"The antidote to indoctrination 

is to tell the truth, 

expose people to the lies that 

would deceive them, 

show them how to refute this lies, 

and prepare them with 

the thinking skills necessary 

to continue resisting falsehoods."

-Understanding the Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews, by Jeff Myers & David A. Noebel, pg. 9

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For this reason...

 ~internet image

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Woman was created from 

    the rib of man.

Not from his head was she

    created to be above him.

Not from his feet

    to be trampled upon.

She was created from his side

    to be equal to him.

From under his arm

    to be protected by him.

From close to his heart

    to be loved by him.

~author unknown

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Genesis 2:15-25

..."Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, 

“From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;

but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil 

you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it 

you will surely die.”

Then the Lord God said, 

“It is not good for the man to be alone; 

I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 

Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 

The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones,


And flesh of my flesh;


She shall be called Woman,


Because she was taken out of Man.”

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

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The Deadly Desert of Life

~internet photo

 *We must be very careful with whom we follow*

Reading is Good :o)

~Charles Schulz 

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Who is John Galt?

~Ayn Rand 

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Proverbs 4

"Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father,
and give attention that you may gain understanding,

For I give you sound teaching;
Do not abandon my instruction.

When I was a son to my father,
tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

 

Then he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
Keep my commandments and live;

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

“Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.

“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

“Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.

“She will place on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Hear, my son, and accept my sayings
and the years of your life will be many.

I have directed you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.

 

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
And if you run, you will not stumble.

Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your life.

Do not enter the path of the wicked
and do not proceed in the way of evil men.

 

Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.

 

For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.

 

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble.

 

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.

 

Do not let them depart from your sight;
Keep them in the midst of your heart.

 

For they are life to those who find them
and health to all their body.

 

Watch over your heart with all diligence,
for from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth
and put devious speech far from you.

 

Let your eyes look directly ahead
and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

 

Watch the path of your feet
and all your ways will be established.

Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
Turn your foot from evil."

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A Reason to Mentor Others

~Otters on Yellowstone FB 

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Colossians 1

"...We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,  since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me."

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Time to Look in the Mirror

 2 Timothy 2

"...be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

It is a trustworthy statement:

-For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

-If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

-If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”

Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.

The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."

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This will be my next project!

 ~just kidding

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OK...See You Later, Alligator; After a while, Crocodile

~Internet joke
 

Spoil the Grandchild

~A Real Pickles 

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According to His Great Mercy

~ Yellowstone FB

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1 Peter 1:3-9

..."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."...

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Ah, yes, my fabric stash is legendary...

~internet Pickles comic for fun

God's Creation!

~Yellowstone FB

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It hasn't been that long....since my senior term paper on Bald Eagles...well...just 50 years ago.  

Even so, Bald Eagles are still my most fascinating birds.

The term paper is long gone, but God's creation continues to evoke wonder and majesty in His world for me.

Glory to the One and Only!

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My Father Would Agree and Laugh :o)

~Pickles

I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream!

Jesus, Friend of a Wounded Heart

~Yellowstone FB 

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Smile, make 'em think you're happy

Lie and say that things are fine

And hide that empty longing that you feel

Don't ever show it, 

just keep your heart concealed

Why are the days so lonely?

I wonder where, where can a heart go free

And who will dry the tears that no one's seen?

There must be someone to share your silent dreams

Caught like a leaf in the wind

Lookin' for a friend, where can you turn?

Whisper the words of a prayer 

and you'll find Him there

Arms open wide, love in His eyes

Jesus, He meets you where you are

Jesus, He heals your secret scars

All the love you're longing for

Is Jesus, the friend of a wounded heart

Joy comes like the morning

And hope deepens as you grow

And peace, beyond the reaches of your soul

Comes blowing through you, 

for love has made you whole

Once like a leaf in the wind

Looking for a friend, where could you turn?

You spoke the words of a prayer 

and you found Him there

Arms open wide, love in His eyes

Jesus, He meets you where you are

Jesus, He heals your secret scars

All the love you're longing for

Is Jesus, the friend of a wounded heart

He meets you where you are

Jesus, He heals your secret scars

All the love you're longing for, 

all the love that you need

Is Jesus, the friend of a wounded heart

~Wayne Watson

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Romans 8:31-39

..."What then shall we say to these things? 

If God is for us, who is against us?

He who did not spare His own Son, 

but delivered Him over for us all, 

how will He not also with Him 

freely give us all things?

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? 

God is the one who justifies; 

who is the one who condemns? 

Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, 

rather who was raised, 

who is at the right hand of God, 

who also intercedes for us.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? 

Will tribulation, 

or distress, 

or persecution, 

or famine, 

or nakedness, 

or peril, 

or sword?

Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death 

all day long;
We were considered as sheep 

to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things 

we overwhelmingly conquer 

through Him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, 

nor life, 

nor angels, 

nor principalities, 

nor things present, 

nor things to come, 

nor powers,

nor height, 

nor depth, 

nor any other created thing, 

will be able to separate us 

from the love of God, 

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

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Glory to God! 

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God's Creation up Close and Precious

~internet photo 

We all need a smile...

God's creation is awesome!  :o)

2 Corinthians 5:17

..."Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."...

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Trust in Jesus as your Savior.  :o)

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Jesus Conquered Death for us! He Lives!

In Honor of Rachel

 

Where there is Faith

~Kinsman 

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I believe in faithfulness

I believe in giving of myself for someone else

I believe in peace and love

I believe in honesty and trust but it's not enough

For all that I believe may never change the way it is

Unless I believe Jesus lives

Where there is faith

There is a calling, keep walking

You're not alone in this world

Where there is faith

There is a peace like a child sleeping

Hope everlasting in He who is able to

Bear every Burden, to heal every hurt in my heart

It is a wonderful, powerful place

Where there is faith

There's a man across the sea

Never heard the sound of freedom ring

Only in his dreams

There's a lady dressed in black

In a motorcade of cadillacs

Daddy's not coming back

Our hearts begin to fall

And our stability grows weak

But Jesus meets our needs if only we believe

Where there is faith

There is a calling, keep walking

You're not alone in this world

Where there is faith

There is a peace like a child sleeping

Hope everlasting in He who is able to

Bear every Burden, to heal every hurt in my heart

It is a wonderful, powerful place

Where there is faith

~4 Him

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"God is still God and His faith Shall Not fail us"

 ~Yellowstone FB

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"The dawn is not distant

nor is the night starless; 

love is eternal!

God is still God, 

and His faith shall not fail us:

Christ is eternal!"

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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Secret Sorrows that only the LORD can soften

~Yellowstone FB

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"Every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world knows not, and oftentimes we call a man cold when he’s only sad."

~Cited on the opening of the movie, I Heard the Bells.

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Psalm 3:3-5

..."But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,

My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

I was crying to the Lord with my voice,

And He answered me from His holy mountain. 

I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the Lord sustains me."...

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"Be Still, and Wait; and See"

~Mountain Blue Bird, Yellowstone FB

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She waited for the call that never came;

searched every mail for a letter, 

or a note, 

or card, 

that bore his name;

and on her knees at night, 

and on her feet all day,

she stormed Heaven’s gate in his behalf;

she pled for him in Heaven’s high court.

“Be still, and wait; and see”—

the word God gave; 

then she knew that He would do 

in and 

for and 

with him,

that which she never could.

So doubts ignored

she went about her chores with joy—

knowing, 

though spurned,

His word was true.

The prodigal had not returned, 

but God was God,

and there was work to do. 

-Prodigals and Those Who Love Them, by Ruth Bell Graham.

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Speaking Truth even through Mallard

~Mallard Fillmore 

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Thankful

Grateful

Truthful

Indebted

Appreciated

Valuable

Respected

Valid

Reality

Unmistaken

Authentic

Genuine

Legitimate

Correct

Exact

Accurate

Right

Bona Fide

Trustworthy

Dependable

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The Truth and The Lie

~Yellowstone FB: Owl.

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Our Job as a Saint: Do what is in front of you!

Do it for the LORD and Glorify His Name

2 Timothy 3

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come....."

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We can't wait for the perfect time to do "this or that" for the LORD.  

Live your life TODAY for Him. 

In all you do, do it for Him. 

Change your thinking. 

You don't have to be in a foreign country - your country is already "foreign"!!

Peeling potatoes? do it to glorify God. 

Changing diapers? do it for the LORD.

Any other "ordinary" things? do it for the LORD!

Your life is important in whatever you are doing so get busy and live for the LORD!

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Marcel Marceau Saved Hundreds of Jewish Children From Nazis

The Frenchman who would become known as the world's greatest pantomime artist helped smuggle Jewish children to safety in Switzerland during World War II.

The world-famous mime artist Marcel Marceau worked with the French underground as a teenager and help save many Jewish children from death at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed annually on 27 January (the date the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated in 1945), is an occasion not only for commemorating the millions who died during the Holocaust (1933-1945), but also for acknowledging the heroic efforts of those who helped European Jews escape the clutches of the Third Reich.

One of those acknowledged heroes was the internationally acclaimed pantomime artist Marcel Marceau (1923-2007), whose work as a young man with the French underground was celebrated in a Facebook video posted on 26 January 2018:

The same story is told in this excerpt from an unattributed article widely shared on social media since 2015:

Marcel Marceau’s extraordinary talent for pantomime entertained audiences around the world for over sixty years. It also saved hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust.

Born to a Jewish family in Strasbourg, France in 1923, young Marcel Mangel discovered Charlie Chaplin at age five and became an avid fan. He entertained his friends with Chaplin imitations, and dreamed of starring in silent movies.

When Marcel was 16, the Nazis marched into France, and the Jews of Strasbourg — near the German border — had to flee for their lives. Marcel changed his last name to Marceau to avoid being identified as Jewish, and joined the French resistance movement.

Masquerading as a boy scout, Marcel evacuated a Jewish orphanage in eastern France. He told the children he was taking them on a vacation in the Alps, and led them to safety in Switzerland. Marcel made the perilous journey three times, saving hundreds of Jewish orphans.

He was able to avoid detection by entertaining the children with silent pantomime.

Documentary filmmaker Phillipe Mora, whose father fought alongside Marcel in the French resistance, said, ”Marceau started miming to keep children quiet as they were escaping. It had nothing to do with show business. He was miming for his life.’’

Marcel’s father perished at Auschwitz. Marcel later said, “The people who came back from the camps were never able to talk about it. My name is Mangel. I am Jewish. Perhaps that, unconsciously, contributed towards my choice of silence.”

While fighting with the French resistance, Marcel ran into a unit of German soldiers. Thinking fast, he mimicked the advance of a large French force, and the German soldiers retreated.

Much of the above was confirmed by Marceau himself in his acceptance speech when he was awarded the Raoul Wallenberg Medal for humanitarianism in 2001. 

“I don’t like to speak about myself,” he said, “because what I did humbly during the war was only a small part of what happened to heroes who died through their deeds in times of danger.” He continued:
I will speak only briefly about my own deeds. It is true that I saved children, bringing them to the border in Switzerland. I forged identity cards with my brother when it was very dangerous because you could be arrested if you were in the underground. I also forged papers, not to save only Jews, and children, but to save Gentiles and Jews, especially Gentiles because there was a law in Vichy-occupied France — to send the young French men, who were eighteen, nineteen years old, to factories in Germany to work for the German Army. And then I had an idea to bribe the officials, and make people look much younger in their photos. I was born in Strasbourg on the Rhine and when the war was declared in September 1939 all Strasbourg had to be emptied by the French government to save the people because we were on the border between Germany and France. Then we were sent to Perigord in the south of France. I was sixteen years old.

As the speech went on, Marceau also paid homage to his father Charles, a kosher butcher in Strasbourg who was deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz (never to return), and his cousin Georges Loinger, a Resistance fighter who would later confirm some of Marceau’s wartime exploits. When Marceau died in 2007, Loinger’s remembrances were quoted in an obituary published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:

When the French Jewish Resistance decided in 1944 to evacuate Jewish children hidden in an orphanage west of Paris, Resistance commander George Loinger called on Marcel Mangel.

Mangel, Loinger’s younger cousin, helped sneak the kids out of the Parisian suburb of Sevres to Annemasse, on the Swiss border.

The episode represented one of Mangel’s finest hours, but it was not what would make him world famous. After the war, Mangel changed his name to Marcel Marceau — after a general in Napolean’s army who hailed from the Alsace region — and became a world-renowned mime artist.

Marceau died in Paris on Saturday at the age of 84.

“The kids loved Marcel and felt safe with him,” said Loinger, now 97. “He had already begun doing performances in the orphanage, where he had met a mime instructor earlier on. The kids had to appear like they were simply going on vacation to a home near the Swiss border, and Marcel really put them at ease.”

The anecdote about Marceau persuading a unit of German soldiers to surrender by “miming” the imminent arrival of French forces appears to have been mythologized a bit in the telling. For instance, Loinger didn’t mention Marceau’s using pantomime to subdue the Germans in his 2007 account of the incident:

“He and several other French soldiers were in the field in Germany, though I don’t remember  where,” when a group of 30 German soldiers led by an officer surrendered to him,” Loinger recalls. “He brought them all back to his base as prisoners. Marcel always said that was his greatest exploit as a soldier.”

Marceau’s own version of the story (as related to American historian Timothy Ryback in 1997) confirms that role-playing was integral to the event, but it does not imply that Marceau played a non-speaking part in that instance:

He claimed he had learned the power of illusion on a sun drenched afternoon toward the end of World War II while fighting with the French Resistance. He and a companion had entered a clearing and suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a unit of German soldiers. Startled, Marceau acted as if he was the advance guard of a larger French force and demanded the German surrender.

As Marcel related the incident, he suddenly sprang to his feet and struck a predatory pose. The night air filled with menace and, an instant later, triumph. Though it was well past midnight, I still see the helmets of the surrendering Germans glinting in that sunlight meadow.

Marceau confirmed that his first public performance as a mime was on a stage in front of 3,000 U.S. troops in Frankfurt, Germany after the war’s end. “I played for the G.I.s and two days later I had my first review in the Stars and Stripes,” he said in his Wallenberg Medal acceptance speech.

Observers sometimes remarked that part of the great mime’s allure was a deep sadness that lurked at the heart of his performances. “You see the pain and the sadness in his mime skits,” Georges Loinger said after his cousin’s passing. “The origin of that pain was his father’s deportation.”

Fittingly, Marceau is honored as both a victim and a hero of the Holocaust, the event that more than any other shaped the course of his life.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/marcel-marceau-saved-children-nazis/

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No matter who you are, where you are, each of us can choose to live for the LORD in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.

Romans 12:1-2

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."...

1 Peter 1:13-16

..."Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Isaiah 41:10

" ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; 

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ "

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