A Hundred Year OId Wind Break/Safety in Jesus

One Hundred Year Old Cedar Trees planted for a wind break on the sloping land of a One Room Country Schoolhouse. 

Christ shall Have Dominion

Christ shall have dominion Over land and sea,


Earth’s remotest regions shall His empire be;


They that wilds inhabit shall their worship bring,


Kings shall render tribute, nations serve our King.


Christ shall have dominion, over land and sea,


Earth’s remotest regions shall His empire be.

When the needy seek Him, He will mercy show;


Yea, the weak and helpless shall His pity know;


He will surely save them from oppression’s might,

For their lives are precious in His holy sight.


Christ shall have dominion, over land and sea,


Earth’s remotest regions shall His empire be.

Ever and forever shall His Name endure;


Long as suns continue it shall stand secure;


And in Him forever all men shall be blest,


And all nations hail Him King of kings confessed.


Christ shall have dominion, over land and sea,


Earth’s remotest regions shall His empire be.

Unto God Almighty joyful Zion sings;


He alone is glorious, doing wondrous things.


Evermore, ye people, bless His glorious Name,


His eternal glory through the earth proclaim.


Christ shall have dominion, over land and sea,


Earth’s remotest regions shall His empire be.

--from Psalm 72

*

Being Genuinely Thankful

*

Psalm 30:10-12

“Hear, O Lord, 

and be gracious to me;

O Lord, be my helper.”

You have turned for me 

my mourning into dancing;

You have loosed my sackcloth 

and girded me with gladness,

That my soul may 

sing praise to You 

and not be silent.

O Lord my God,

I will give thanks to You 

forever.

*

His Eye Is on the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches over me
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me (He watches me)
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches
I know He watches
I know He watches me

I sing because I´m happy
I sing because I´m free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me (He watches me)
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me (He watches me)
He watches me
I know
He watches
Me

-Hill & Blount

*

Matthew 6:25-34

"...do not be worried about your life, 

as to what you will eat or what you will drink; 

nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 

Is not life more than food, 

and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, 

nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet 

your heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not worth much more than they?

And who of you by being worried can add a 

single hour to his life?

And why are you worried about clothing? 

Observe how the lilies of the field grow; 

they do not toil nor do they spin, 

yet I say to you that not even Solomon 

in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, 

which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown 

into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? 

You of little faith!

Do not worry then, saying, 

‘What will we eat?’ or 

‘What will we drink?’ or 

‘What will we wear for clothing?’

For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; 

for your heavenly Father knows that you need 

all these things.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; 

for tomorrow will care for itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own."

*

Thankful for the men who kept our Freedom!

Thank you Charles Schulz

Poppies in Remembrance Memorial Day

*

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae

*

Beautiful Painting of unknown artist, seen in storefront, Belle Plaine, Iowa,2019
*

Thank you, 
fallen Veterans and current Military 
in harm's way 
for your choice to keep all of us safe.
*

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy great help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

Oh, that day when freed from sinning
I shall see Thy lovely face
Clothed then in the blood washed linen
How I'll sing Thy wondrous grace
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry
Take my ransomed soul away
Send Thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

-Robert Robinson

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me!

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

2 Corinthians 5

"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house 
is torn down, we have a building from God, 
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed 
with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, 
will not be found naked.

For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, 
because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, 
so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, 
who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing 
that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, 
and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home 
with the Lord. 

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, 
to be pleasing to Him.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 
so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, 
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, 
but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are 
made manifest also in your consciences.

We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you 
an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer 
for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, 
it is for you.

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one 
died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they 
who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him 
who died and rose again on their behalf.

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh;
even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, 
yet now we know Him in this way no longer.

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

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself 
through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, 
that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting 
their trespasses against them, and He has committed 
to us the word of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were 
making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, 
be reconciled to God.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, 
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
*

Thankful for so many things, today and every day

*

Colossians 3:12-17

"So, as those who have been chosen 

of God, holy and beloved, 

put on a heart of compassion, 

kindness, 

humility, 

gentleness and 

patience;

bearing with one another, 

and forgiving each other, 

whoever has a complaint against anyone; 

just as the Lord forgave you, 

so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, 

which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 

to which indeed you were called in one body; 

and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ 

richly dwell within you, 

with all wisdom teaching and

admonishing one another 

with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing with thankfulness 

in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, 

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks through Him 

to God the Father."

*

Thank you Military and Veterans for serving

F-4C Phantom 1976

Real American Patriotism
*

"We can have no '50-50'
allegiance in this country.
Either a man is an American 
and nothing else, or he is not
 an America at all."

-Theodore Roosevelt
*

My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain;
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again;
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me in His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow'r upon my heart.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose ev'ry promise is enough
For ev'ry step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To him who reigns above,
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace,
Whose ev'ry thought is love.
For ev'ry day I have on earth
Is given by the King;
So I will give my life, my all,
To love and follow him.

-K and K Getty
*

Regret, Gratitude, and Loving One Another

"Dead people 
receive more flowers 
than living ones
because 
regret is stronger 
than gratitude."
--Anne Frank
*
1 Corinthians 13
"If I speak with the tongues of men 
and of angels, 
but do not have love, 
I have become a noisy gong 
or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy, 
and know all mysteries 
and all knowledge; 
and if I have all faith, 
so as to remove mountains, 
but do not have love, 
I am nothing.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, 
and if I surrender my body to be burned, 
but do not have love, 
it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, 
love is kind 
and is not jealous; 
love does not brag 
and is not arrogant, 
does not act unbecomingly; 
it does not seek its own, 
is not provoked, 
does not take into account a wrong suffered,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, 
but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, 
believes all things, 
hopes all things, 
endures all things.

Love never fails; 
but if there are gifts of prophecy, 
they will be done away; 
if there are tongues, 
they will cease; 
if there is knowledge, 
it will be done away.

For we know in part 
and we prophesy in part;
but when the perfect comes, 
the partial will be done away.

When I was a child, 
I used to speak like a child, 
think like a child, 
reason like a child; 
when I became a man, 
I did away with childish things.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, 
but then face to face;
now I know in part, 
but then I will know fully 
just as I also have been fully known.
But now faith, 
hope, 
love,
abide these three;
but the greatest of these is love."
*

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!

Stop Suppressing the Truth!

Romans12 

"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.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among 
you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; 
but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to 
each a measure of faith.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the 
members do not have the same function, 

so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually 
members one of another.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, 

each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, 

according to the proportion of his faith; 

if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 

he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, 
with cheerfulness.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; 
cling to what is good. 

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; 
give preference to one another in honor;

not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty 
in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own 
estimation.

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right 
in the sight of all men. 

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the 
wrath of God, for it is written, 
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, 
and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; 
for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

                                                        *

Grief waits in ambush

like a rogue current
washing out of nowhere
grief lurks in the
background veiled by
the comfort of friends
the company of loved ones
and the vision of Life Beyond
where every sorrow is
left behind and Mom is
breathing pure joy
surrounded by her cohort
of loved ones, found,
all crowned with
the welcome love their
Master
and healing that lasts forever
their worship salted with
laughter
exulting in resolution of
sufferings, cripplings, and
losses.
but I am still here waiting
for the ultimate
sweet reunion
and that empty space
she once filled with such grace
is where grief lies
waiting in ambush

L. Boese 

First this and then that: Praise God!

Yes, True Freedom comes with a great price:

 "For you have been bought with a price: 

therefore glorify God in your body"

1 Corinthians 6:20

*

Freedom comes with a price

Thankfulness in a world gone crazy

ROSE is ROSE

God's grace is not flippant!

A grateful thank you to Ralph M. Peterson at Hymns that Preach for this excellent post:

WONDERFUL GRACE OF JESUS

"Last week I was irritated by a post, on a Christian internet site, from a guy who was arrogant and boastful in his sin.  I don’t have time to read it all but here are a few brief excerpts:

“I am a very unconventional, yet very classical and traditional, Christian. What I don't understand is how the Church can be so legalistic.  …The gospel is free grace, extended to sinners.  (Our) righteousness comes from Jesus… with (His) invitation to ‘Come as you are!’

“I do not live by a strict set of rules…and you may find me cussing, smoking cigarettes, and laughing at cruel (or dirty) jokes.  I live with my pregnant girlfriend, unmarried, and I stumble in how I walk with the Lord.  I also live by faith in Jesus Christ and trust that His promises will be fulfilled in my life.

“The Father loves us unconditionally; because Christ fulfilled all the requirements to be satisfied on my behalf.  His free grace covers and cleanses me from all unrighteousness.”

That young man is confused as to the nature of the gospel.  He holds to a common and dangerous heresy called Free Grace.  He claims to have received the free, gift of God’s grace, yet he shows no remorse for his sin, nor a need to repent.  He acts like, just because he once “accepted Jesus,” God is okay with it. 

Well, guess what?   God is NOT okay with it.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul asked a rhetorical question, “Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his WONDERFUL GRACE?  

And then he answers with the obvious- OF COURSE NOT!  Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?”

And later he leaves them with a command, “Do NOT let sin control the way you live; do NOT give in to sinful desires.”    (Rom. 6:1,2,12)

It is true that God’s grace is freely bestowed on all those He saves but grace isn’t something trivial.  In fact, in most of our hymns about God’s grace, it is almost always described with superlative adjectives like Amazing, Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless, Magnificent, and Wonderful.  That kind of grace is not cheap; it comes at a great cost.  If we’ve never been grieved or tormented by the magnitude and consequences of our sin against God, then we can’t understand just how great His grace really is.

The Song, WONDERFUL GRACE OF JESUS, might seem like a fun, frolicking little praise song but the author, Haldor Lillenas, captured the awesome greatness of God’s grace with phrases like "broader than the scope of my transgressions,” and "greater far than all my sin and shame."

That’s the kind of Grace we need; not just some flippant sort of favor from a warm and fluffy god who, with a wink and a nod, accepts us the way we are.  God’s grace is effective; when He saves us, He begins to clean us up.

*That kind of grace is inexhaustible; it reaches to “all the lost.”  And it’s “all-sufficient;” it’s enough for all our needs.  

*It is even sufficient for “the most defiled,” and, in the words of the songwriter, it is sufficient for even me, and believe me, I am especially thankful for that because my sin was so great that the Son of God suffered and died on the cross so that I could be pardoned.   

*He took the burden and the penalty of my sin on Himself and He covered me in His righteousness.  That is the WONDERFUL GRACE OF JESUS.

*

Praise the LORD!

His grace is matchless!

Indescribable!

It is deeper!

Higher!

All sufficient!

Sparkling!

Broader than any sin!

Greater than any shame!

Let us magnify the precious name of Jesus!

PRAISE HIS NAME!

*