The Window Through Which We Look

 

 A young couple moves into a new neighborhood

The next morning while they are eating breakfast, 

The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows..."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
Depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
                                                    -Unknown

CHOOSE YOUR PATH...

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her 
life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know 
how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She 
was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one 
problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots 
with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second 
she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee 
beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In 
about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished 
the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the 
eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the 
coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you 
see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her 
closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted 
that they had gotten soft. She then asked her to take an 
egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed 
the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.
The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma, and then 
asked, "What's the point, Mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced 
the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted 
differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. 
However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it 
softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its 
thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after 
sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they 
were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity 
knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, 
an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and 
adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes 
with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a 
breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I 
become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, 
but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit 
and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes
the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. 
When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and 
flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you 
get better and change the situation around you. When the 
hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you 
elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity? 
~   ~   ~   ~   

Faith is the certainty that God's will is being carried out, 
even when it doesn't look like it.

In GOD we Trust . . .

Trust . . . mentioned 134 times in the King James Version of the Bible and 147 times in the Revised Standard Version Bible. 

It has been said that the Bible was not written "to" us . . . but "for" us. I believe that to be true.  There is a big difference in "to" and "for" us!!  

The definition of "to" is:
1.  expressing motion in the direction of (a particular       location). "walking  down to the mall"
2.  identifying the person or thing affected.  "you were terribly unkind to her"

The definition of "for" is:

1.  with the object or purpose of: to run for exercise.
2.  intended to belong to,or be used in connection with:
  equipment for the army; a closet for dishes.
3.  suiting the purposes or needs of: medicine for the aged.
4. in order to obtain, gain, or acquire: a suit for alimony; to work for wages.
5. (used to express a wish, as of something to be 
experienced or obtained)

Here are just a few of the verses from the Bible on "Trust" and "Trusting." As you can see trust, trusting, and trustworthy all go hand in hand and make for a much more secure life to live.  We CAN put all of our trust in the One who knows everything about us and the One that cares all about us!  

Enjoy and find strength and courage in these "trustworthy" verses . . .
"For where your treasure is there is your heart. Trust in the lord with all your heart . . . lean not to your own understanding."   - Deuteronomy 1:30-33
The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

2 Samuel 7:28-33

O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

Psalm 9:10

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 13:5

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 25:1-3

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 31:14

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."

Psalm 37:3

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Psalm 37:5-6
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Psalm 40:4

Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Psalm 52:8

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

Psalm 56:3

When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Psalm 56:4

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Psalm 62:8

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah

Psalm 84:12

O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 86:2

Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.

Psalm 91:2

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 111:7

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

Psalm 112:7 

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

Psalm 143:8

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Psalm 118:8

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 11:13

A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 11:28

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

Proverbs 28:25

A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

Proverbs 28:26

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

Isaiah 2:22

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

Isaiah 12:2

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Isaiah 26:4 

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 50:10

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Jeremiah 7:8

But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

Ezekiel 33:13

If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.

Daniel 6:23

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Luke 16:10-12

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

John 14:1

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

Romans 9:33

As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Romans 15:13

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.

1 Corinthians 13:6-7

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Revelation 21:5

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Truly these words WERE written "FOR" us and not merely "TO" us. . .

           . . . IN GOD WE TRUST

Success

Everything I Need to Know About Life, I Learned From Noah's Ark

Ten Things God Can't Do

THE HISTORY OF APRONS

I don't think kids today know what an apron is...
 

The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect 
the dress underneath because she only had a few. It 
was also because it was easier to wash aprons than 
dresses and aprons used less material. But along 
with that, it served as a potholder for removing 
hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and 
on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying 
eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to 
be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding 
places for shy kids...

And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it 
around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, 
bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the 
kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. 
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples 
that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was 
surprising how much furniture that old apron could 
dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the 
porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was 
time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents 
something that will replace that 'old-time apron' 
that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER...

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on 
the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set 
theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how 
many germs were on that apron. I don't think I 
ever caught anything from an apron - but love...

[forwarded by Jerry Lambert]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a bit of "priceless" wisdom filled to the brim 
with an out-pouring of love!

I am a MAMA!!!

A Room Filled With Balloons

BY MARK BURTON

A Room Filled With Balloons

Once a group of 500 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each person a balloon. Each person was then asked to write their name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

The people were then let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written on it within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon.

Then, the speaker asked each person to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker then began, “This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life…the pursuit of happiness.”

~      ~       ~       ~       ~       ~       ~       ~       ~       ~
Mark Burton is the son of a preacher man, born in the U.S., raised in Northern Ireland, with a passion for the Word. A graduate from Point Loma University, he is a former youth director and currently follows his second passion: coaching ultimate frisbee and basketball for the Northwest School in Seattle. You can watch him play Major League Ultimate Frisbee with the Portland Stags. Follow him on Twitter.  

Cherry Cream Danish

CHERRY CREAM DANISH

2 sheets puff pastry dough, thawed
1 large can cherry pie filling
2 (3.25 ounce) vanilla pudding snack cups
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay puff pastry sheets on a clean surface and cut each sheet into nine equal squares. Spread one heaping teaspoon of vanilla pudding in the center of each square, on a diagonal. Top with a small scoop of cherry pie filling. Fold the side corners over the cherries, forming a cannoli shape. Press closed to seal them.  Continue until all 18 are done. You will need to bake these in two batches. If desired, brush the tops of each one with egg wash (egg whisked with water) for a shiny finish. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Add more juice if necessary. Drizzle over each danish and serve.

YUMMY - GOOD!

You Say ... God Says ...

Is Your Problem An Ant Hill Or A Mountain?

Have you ever felt stuck? You want to see your life from a new perspective and move forward, but you just can't put your finger on the right way to get the insight you need? You are looking at things from ground level, going round and round seeing things in the same old way, but never quite getting the perspective you need to really move forward. Have you noticed how things look completely different when you are seeing them from another point of view? Is Your Problem An Ant Hill Or A Mountain? Imagine how an ant hill looks to an ant. To the tiny ant it looms as high as a mountain! He enjoys his job going out finding food for his family, but dreads coming back home and having to climb up a mountain to deliver it! How does that ant hill look to us? We see an ant hill as a small mound of sand. Do your problems feel like a mountain? When you're feeling stuck and your ant hill looks like Mt. Everest, what you need is to see it from a different place. Because it doesn't loom so large and feel so overwhelming, when you see with a new perspective. Maybe it is a completely new outlook on your situation that you need!  Look at it from a different place.  -Harley Storey

RESURRECTION ROLLS - Easter Rolls

There are good, tasty, and easy to make!

Recipe and Instructions for Easter Rolls that tell the true meaning of Easter
which is the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is an inspiring family project that can be done on Easter Morning.

Ingredients needed:
Crescent rolls
Melted butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Give each child one triangle of crescent rolls.
Explain that he crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.
~ Read Matthew 27: 57-61

1. Give each child a marshmallow.
This represents Jesus.

2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter.
This represents the oils of embalming.

3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar.
This represents the spices used to anoint the body.

4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.)  This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.

5. Place all in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.
The oven represents the tomb--while you are waiting for the rolls to bake.
~ Read Matthew 27:62-66

6. Remove rolls from oven and let them cool slightly.
Now the children can then open their rolls (cloths) and discover that Jesus is no longer there! HE IS RISEN!!!!
(The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

~ Now read Matthew 28:1-10

Good Things - Better Things - Best Things!

It has been said that "Attitude" is everything!!  Do you believe that?  It affects our total being - physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Attitude gives us hope in the positive, gives us faith when we are doubting, gives us strength when we are feeble, gives us truth when false is prevailing all around us, and attitude gives us a way of life that looks beyond the here and now. Beyond the obstacles and hard times to "Better Days" ahead!

These are all "Good Things" but what about "Better Things"?  Is that even possible?  I know we are all waiting for "better days".  But the key to better days is in the "waiting".  Maybe you are going through a tough time - job, finances, relationship, sickness, car trouble, family troubles, a death - the list of situations could go on and on. Truth is, hard times come to all of us. But if we can stand firm and exercise our "patience", our waiting, better days WILL come. Just remember "Good Things" come when we believe and "Better Things" come when we are patient and trust in the hope of each new day, each hour, each minute, and each second.

But wait just a minute, "Good" - "Better" - "Best" . . . who doesn't want the "best" of everything?  We all do!  This is the hard part.  The "Best Things" come to those who don't give up!  It's so easy to get discouraged, defeated, when things aren't going well or when we are down and out.  The test is on during these times. It was once said, "when you get to the end of your rope - tie a knot in the end and hold on tight!!"  That is just exactly what we have to do sometimes.  Tie a knot - hold on - believe - be patient - don't give up and last but not least - TRUST GOD!  He wants to give you not just the "Good Things" or the "Better Things". He wants to give you the "Best Things".  

Growing up in my church, I can still recall the words of a dear elderly lady that echoed throughout all of my growing-up years . . . "keep on keeping on!"  I can still hear the sound of her voice, filled with excitement and encouragement, as she testified to the many "Good Things", the "Better Things", and the "Best Things" yet to come . . . if I would just "keep on keeping on!"

So in the days ahead, just "keep on keeping on" believing, being patient and remember . . . never-ever give up.   

What A Lovely Name [Live]

"What a lovely name, this name of Jesus. Reaching higher far than the brightest star. Sweeter than the songs they sing in Heaven. Let the world proclaim, "What a lovely name"!" - Lyrics and Music by Charles B. Wycuff.

.

This has always been one of my all-time-favorite songs . . . especially when sung by Vestal Goodman of the "Happy Goodman Family" Gospel Singers.  She truly lived and experienced the full meaning of this song. She knew "what a lovely name," Jesus was first hand!!

You know there are so many songs with so many messages out there.  They are everywhere - radio, TV, internet, ipods, cd's, tapes, mp3's, videos, concerts, stores, cars, etc.

How many songs do we hear in a day?  I love music so I hear more than I can even count!  Some of them hit home,  some offer words of encouragement and a message, some are cute, clever, and catchy with awesome beats, rhythms and harmony and some of them are just loud noise that I simply tune out and don't even hear!

But this song hit a chord within my heart and soul the first time I heard it years ago and still today touches my heart.  The "Name of Jesus" brings hope, love, cheer, makes clean, redeems, brings wonder and awe, reaches far, gives a "song" . . . "Name above ALL other" - the lovely name of JESUS!!

Do you know and proclaim this Jesus? This Jesus that is "EVERMORE the same yesterday, today, and forever!" 

Verse 1
There's… a name above all others,…… 
Wonderful to hear,… bringing hope and cheer.…… 
It's… the lovely name of Jesus,…… 
Evermore the same,…. what a lovely name.…… 

Chorus….. 
What… a lovely name,… the name of Jesus.…… 
Reaching higher far,…. than the brightest star.…… 
Sweet...er than the songs they sing in heaven.…… 
Let the world proclaim,…. what a lovely name.…… 
Verse 2…..
Thru His name there's wondrous power,…… 
Power to redeem, making sinners clean.…… 
By His pow'r He cleansed the leper,…… 
Opened blinded eyes, caused the dead to rise.…… 
Verse 3….. 
He'll…. return in clouds of glory,…… 
Saints of ev'ry race,…. shall behold His face.…… 
With…. Him enter heaven's city,…… 
Ever to proclaim,…. what a lovely name.…

Chorus:....
Oh what… a lovely name,… this name called... Jesus.…… 
Reaching higher far,…. than the brightest star.…… 
It’s sweeter…. than all the songs they're singing... in heaven.…… 
Let the world proclaim,….Let this world proclaim....
Evermore the same......What a lovely.. name.…… 

What a lovely name…. "JESUS"

Don't Be Such a Skeptic!!

A new doctor had arrived in town. He could cure anything and anybody. Everyone was amazed with what he could do - everyone except for old Mr. Thompson, the town skeptic. Grumpy old Mr. Thompson went to visit this "miracle doctor" to prove that he wasn't anybody special. When it was time for his appointment he told the doctor, "Hey, doc, I've lost my sense of taste. I can't taste nothin', so what are ya goin' to do?" The doctor scratched his head and mumbled to himself a little, then told Mr. Thompson, "What you need is jar number 47." So the doctor brought the jar out, opened it, and told Mr. Thompson to taste it. He tasted it and immediately spit it out, "This is gross!" he yelled. "Looks like I just restored your sense of taste, Mr. Thompson," said the doctor. So Mr. Thompson went home...very mad. One month later, Mr. Thompson decides to go back to the doctor and try once again to expose him as a fake, by complaining of a new problem. "Doc," he started, "I can't remember anything!" Thinking he had the doctor stumped now, he waited as the doctor scratched his head, mumbled to himself a little, and told Mr. Thompson, "What you need is jar number 47, it's..." But before the doctor could finish his sentence, Mr. Thompson was cured and fled the room!

~    ~    ~    ~   ~   ~  

LOL!! How many times have we set out to prove a point only to find out that what we were trying to prove had a quick cure such as the illustration with the new doctor and his advice??!! There have been times when I was so sure, so certain, unmoved in my stance only to be put in my place over what I thought to be absolute, unfaltering, and unfailing. It is no fun to be backed into a corner as Mr. Thompson was only to have to admit and face up to our wrong ideas, our wrong thinking, our mistakes, our doubt, etc. I've found that it is OK to NOT be "right" all of the time. It is OK to admit I was "wrong", I didn't "understand", I "failed"! It is "freeing" to know that "right or wrong" the "truth" always prevails and frees our inner spirit of many things, including guilt, hostility, hate, neglect, procrastination, anger, carelessness, fear, mistrust, doubt, strife, even envy . . . the list could go on and on.

It is "freeing" to not have to live with the doubt and skepticism that so easily eats away at our very being turning us from the "positive" and forcing us to focus on the "negatives" in life. Free yourself today!  Focus on "truth, trust, and hope" and break free from the skepticism life tries to ensnare us in.

God offers us the answer as we begin to speak the "Truth", trust in God and everything around us will look different.  "Hope" for the best life has to offer each of us knowing God is ultimately in control of all things. "Trust" in God, yourself, and others with an everlasting, eternal hope that will brighten your day, your whole world, and YOUR LIFE!  Let us not become a "Doubting Thomas" but become a "Blessed Believer".

" Jesus saith unto him (Thomas), Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."   (John 20:29)

ONE YEAR AGO - The Grazing Ground: 3-Month Follow-Up to My Brain Surgery

Out of curiosity, I looked back a year ago to see what I had posted on my blog.  I came across the post about my 3-Month Followup to My Brain Surgery.  As I read it and thought back to where and what I was experiencing one year ago, I can truly say I have been extremely blessed in so many ways!!! Looking back . . . I have come such a long way on this journey of mine.  As I reflect on this last year, I sometimes get overwhelmed thinking of each step along the way, the progress, the blessings, the hand of God.  I count it all "joy" for there is "joy in the journey" - sometimes we have to look for it through the "eyes" of hope, trust, and faith but the joy is there!

The Grazing Ground: 3-Month Follow-Up to My Brain Surgery: Well, this month marked three months from my brain surgery removing the two tumors back in December.  In ways it s...

Who isn't Ready for Spring?

The positive news . . . As the cold, wind blows, howls, and whistles across the land spreading it's blanket of soft, white snowflakes - know this (and you can be positive of this!) . . . that way down beneath that icy-cold blanket, below the tall, majestic drifts of snow, lie the cold, still, motionless signs of "life" yet to be!  Life ready and waiting for that "special moment" in time - that exact minute when Spring says, "ARISE - come FORTH - BURST into living - SPROUT your seeds, BLOOM your flowers, GREEN your grasses - WARM the earth and SPREAD the miracle of your ABUNDANT beauty".  LIFE . .  alive with the beauty and the scents of    fragrant flowers spreading "happiness and joy" all around. Hearts once again warmed by      Spring's radiant sunshine - washed clean and fresh from Winter's snow!! Burst forth, Oh,  Spring - WE'RE READY AND WAITING!!!  . . .  but please hurry!!!!  LOL!