Some Funny Pics…

Hubby made a new friend!
(Really hun, Bunny ears? don't you think he'll catch on?)


I’m NOT coming out til you put that camera away!

There was a line at the local Burger King


Good boy Bud, bring me my pants….Hey! come back with my pants!

Emma... Emma!… Has anybody seen Emma?

Gotta git me dat stick!                      Gotta git me dat squirrel!

Mmmm… yumyumyum                      Mmmm...yummymm….

AYE CARUMBA!…How bout a lil help from my friends….Buddy….Sasha?
Awe come on guys I wuz gonna share really I wuz !………...hello?

Man vs. Bird

I saw this story on the news this evening. I usually don't post about news articles and such, but this one I couldn't resist. Here's an excerpt:

WESTLAKE, Ohio (CNN/WJW) -- An Ohio man faces a challenge when he goes out in his yard; attack hawks perched in a nest in his front yard.

The Varvirs had planned to have the tree removed before the birds arrived, but hawks are federally protected so they will have to wait for the eggs to hatch and the birds to leave before they can take any action."

Richard Varvir says, "We'll I'm cutting the grass over there on the riding mover and boom, it hit me."

The "it" Varvir of Westlake is talking about is a hawk. His wife Fran says, "We had a problem with it swooping down on him once before but this particular day it landed square on his head with it's talons, right through his stocking cap." Richard says, "When it hit me I put my hand on my head and I was bleeding,"

All hawks and all raptors are federally protected so it is illegal to disturb their nests or harm the birds in any way.

Whoa, Hold the bus for a moment here! First of all let me say that I love animals, but just where do we draw the line when it comes to risking an elderly couple's lives or well being in favor of protecting eggs, or a bird or any other creature for that matter?..since when has man become the lesser of creatures on this earth? If you watch the full story here : http://www.todaysthv.com/news/article/209545/154/Man-attacked-by-hawks-while-mowing-the-lawn,
 you can see how the bird actually stuck it's talons into the old man's head...Now he has to wear a helmet to go outside.

This story is not funny, I watched a little girl get knocked from her bike by a barn swallow (which is much smaller than a hawk) and break her arm! This poor couple are fearful to leave their house! I have seen nature shows where the conservation officers relocated animals all the time...But what do I know, I'm just a stupid human being.




Last weekend our neighbor came over to alert us that there is an eagle،
 (that's right, a bald eagle) that has been spending a lot of time in the back yard nearby where we let our tiny 16 year old teacup chihuahua Emma out along with our big dogs. So I suppose if Sasha or Buddy were to defend Emma against the bird and harm it we would be in trouble? We would be committing a federal crime. Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that.
My husband once saw an eagle snatch up a rabbit right in front of him, it struck like lightning, so needless to say there wouldn't be much chance to fight back anyway.

EMMA

I understand the importance of protecting the symbol of our country for goodness sakes, but what about the importance of protecting people who are made in the image of God? You know, the One who created all creatures.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
أ

Black and Blue ( berries, bears and... husband?)

Last week I wrote about how I had lost most of my photo files...well Praise the Lord I found the backup disk! (it was in the wrong case). So I am looking forward to once again sharing some photos with everyone.
This morning I was reminded of a funny story about the time when my girls were little and we used to pick blackberries. We used to pick a bunch of blackberries, raspberries, & blueberries which grew in a nearby meadow and then bring them home and wash them to make preserves. well, this one time we had simply picked way too many, and had to refridgerate some berries. My daughter learned all about the fermenting process when we forgot about one of the containers that had slid to the back of the fridge. She found it a couple weeks later and took one sniff after opening the lid and said it smells funny! Well, my father in law just happened to be over at the time, and when she handed him the container, he took a sniff, looked at me and asked if I was making moonshine! Of course my little girl did not know what that meant thank goodness...Thank the lord we now have a lot of berries in the yard; since the last time I was about to walk through that meadow (alone), my dog stopped at the trailhead, sniffed the air and then proceeded to literally drag me full force away from the meadow. (something she has never done before) She did not slow her pace until we were safely back onto the road half way home! The blueberries were in full at the time so I suspect she smelled a blackbear since the only animal she has ever shown fear around is blackbears ~ She once refused to leave the truck at a campsite for the entire weekend after seeing a blackbear~

 

Well, it's been raining and storming most of the day today. My husband has been off work because he had surgery on his arm five weeks ago, today was his first day back to work.

Here is the note I left him on our message board this morning:

His reply reads: We will match because I'll probably be black & blue!

AAW!

~God Bless~

A Complete System Re-Boot

Starting over. Have you ever had to start something from scratch?  Let me share a little bit about my techno-drama. (yep, I just invented a new word) Last January/february I was forced to reboot my entire computer system from scratch. After investing in a couple different anti-virus programs and lotsa trial and error (mostly error), things still weren't working properly. By the way, I am a cheap-skate thrifty person, and the thought of spending *Gasp* money on a new computer gave me night sweats...(although that might have just been the perimenopause), anyways...After trying everything I knew to do including about a hundred different updates (data eaters).
So I finally decided to get a new laptop...We bought one for our daughter a few years ago, but I have never owned one for myself. What made me finally decide to shell out the bucks?...Well, I am sitting out here in a public parking lot posting to this and I don't have to pay for the data I'm using!  This free wi-fi stuff is a cheapskate's paradise...the stuff dreams are made of LOL!...Don't worry, I would never resort to sitting in anyone's driveway on the off chance they have an open broadcast or anything...That is stealing. But I might be found in a public parking lot a lot from now on...This should help draw me out of my agoraphobic tendency to hide away at home. Good therapy perhaps?
So, I have been forced to start over. since a major virus corrupted all of my document files on the desk top PC, and a human error caused me to lose most of my photos and other images...I am needing to depend quite heavily on snatching copy- write- free images from the internet; a good site for this is:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=free+christian+images&qpvt=free+christian+images&FORM=IGRE 





So I am wondering, who agrees with me that it sure would be nice to have a boot disc to restart our lives from scratch once we have become so corrupted by our sins and unhealthy, unholy living? Is there a program out there that can erase all that corruption from our hard heart drives? Good news...There is!


                        *The perfect program*

Easy installation instructions:

1. Heavenly Father, I confess that I am a sinner. I   am sorry and I want to be forgiven for my sins.

2. I believe Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins.

3. I believe Jesus rose from death on the third day proving that He is truly your Son!

5. I'm asking for Jesus to live within my heart so that the Holy spirit can work through me, teaching me of you and giving me power to become more like Jesus.
~Amen~
* If you need further 'tech' support, please read the manual that came with this program..(.The Holy Bible) and please feel free to contact this blog author or any other confessing Christian you may trust*







If you are already a christian let me ask you this: has your walk with the lord gotten a little slow and laggy lately?..Do you find more and more distractions popping up diverting your attention away from your prayer and or Bible study time?  Does it take you forever to open the Bible, and once opened does it quickly close again? Trust me, it's not God who's shutting you down. Maybe you have downloaded something that you shouldn't have, maybe it was hiding within another program that you thought was OK to download.  Feeling a little scatter brained? Maybe you just need to run a scan to defrag all those scattered thoughts that have accumulated inside your brain. 
 The Holy Spirit is the best program we have for detecting malicious threats from the enemy, as well as helping us to interpret the Word of God. We are given power through the Holy Spirit to use our God given gifts to accomplish the Lord's will for our lives. We have a network of fellow believers in whom we all fitted together, are the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth.  Jesus is our source code, our redeemer and in every aspect He is our life! 
Most computer programs require an update from time to time...Our relationship with the Lord also requires an update...God is not the one however who needs that update, as He is the same yesterday, today and forever (the Alpha and the Omega), It is we who need to renew our minds daily.




                        

Have you checked your countenance lately?

countenance (n) - Bing Dictionary

coun·te·nance

[ kówntənənss ]

1. face or expression: somebody's face, or the expression on it
2. composure: composure or self-control
3. tolerate or approve something: to tolerate, accept, or give approval to something

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

(Proverbs 15:13)

The joy of the LORD is your strength  (Nehemiah 8)

*(posted last night april 23)

Been going through some tough stuff lately and I've noticed ...it shows.

I won't get into what's been going on suffice to say we are all human, ergo..we suffer in this world.

No, I'm not talking about the kind of suffering that brings blessings (suffering for Jesus), I'm talking about just plain old suffering that every human saved or not must endure in this life. Although as a born again believer, we have access to a hope and a peace that the world can never give nor understand. We have a loving Savior who walks through the fires with us and holds us through the storms ~Amen!

So I've noticed my countenance has well...fallen. Funny, but as an aging woman I have come to just accept stuff falling LOL! But something made me look closer at my face in the mirror as of late; (scary, I know) and what I saw there was not the effects of gravity, but something more sinister and destructive...my joy was gone!..I barely recognized myself.

So, I said to myself..."Where is your light? Where is the life in you?"

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.(Matthew 5:16)

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’(Acts 17:28)

I am once again reminded of an experiment I conducted many years ago; I decided I would smile the most genuine smile at everyone whom I encountered for an entire day, and see what would happen.  The result was I saw a lot of smiles, and even had a couple nice comments made ...even those who wore frowns seemed to change their countenance if only for a moment. 

 *(posted today, tuesday april 24):

Something un-ordinary happened today, Oh, I'm not surprised really, you see it has been my experience that whenever you decide to refreshen your walk with the Lord or even to kick it up a notch or two, stuff starts to happen.  So after posting yesterday for the first time in a couple of months...(about hope) and starting on this post as well, today my husband ended up being sent to the hospital after a routine doctor visit for a possible blood clot in his leg...everything is alright, but it was no coincidence that I ended up spending half of my day in waiting rooms where I was able to study...not scripture, but people.  I feel like the Lord put me in a classroom today.  I was glad to get home so I could continue this blog post.

I studied the countenance of each person I saw, and realized many wore their anger, sorrow, confidence, contentment, worry, pain, love, joy, disdain, weariness, etc.. clearly on their faces.  As I (discreetly) studied each one I found my own face beginning to mirror theirs!..Just like my last social experiment proved how a smile is contagious, so is any other expression, even if only briefly.

I sure must have made a lot of people frown recently, and here I thought everyone was just a bit grumpy, which made me even more depressed...we are all somehow affected by one another aren't we?

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you,  because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. Y ou became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.  And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. (1Thes.1:4-7)

So, more than ever I am learning the importance of letting my light shine and showing the joy and hope that is within me...showing them Jesus!

~So here I'm leaving you all with a smile to imitate~

 

 

and so do I!

~God Bless~

Lisa

Our Master Gardener...planting new seeds of hope!

"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."  (Romans 15:13)



 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.  ( Hebrews 6:7-8)



 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  (John 15:1-4)

Looking forward to a fruitful summer full of the unwavering peace & blessings of Jesus!  ...Forever remaining in Him.
We are Never Forsaken.

~God Bless~ Lisa



Pathways and Train Tracks

Sometimes the things we allow to take up space in our brains are not only non-conducive to following God’s will for our lives, but they can be downright contrary to that will, and even lead us in a different direction.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5)

I realized recently that I had a certain choice set before me.  I could either wile away the hours reading a fictional story on the Internet, or use that time to research and study the scriptures in order to create a post that might glorify the Lord and maybe even be of help to someone.  I have to admit, my flesh wanted to read that story instead.  Sure, I could have read the story and then do a quick search and study about a topic from the Bible, but I know that God would not be honored by being put in second place, and therefore, although His word never returns void, I would lose the fullness of His blessing.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

The mind is a wonderful thing, but it is very complex. Our thoughts have the ability to form and change our brains. We develop thought patterns, these thought patterns act like pathways. After awhile these pathways can become more like train tracks. The difference between a pathway and a train track is the freedom to change our direction at will.

Now imagine you are walking on a path alongside a train track talking with the Lord. You are enjoying the walk and feel exhilarated at the freedom you have to follow beside the Lord wherever He may lead. You are not worried about where you are going or at what pace you are walking.  Now suddenly a fast train blazes by and you find you are no longer walking the path beside the tracks, but you are a passenger on the train. The trees and the peaceful path are zooming by as you watch out the window. You have no idea where you are headed and panic grips you as you realize you are powerless to change this course.

What happened is that while you were walking with the Lord, the loud train that blazed past you distracted you. Sometimes thoughts (or circumstances) are like that train.

Think about this; God gave us free will. Although the devil will try to use our free will to his own advantage, he hates the fact that we can use that same free will to choose to follow the Lord instead of him.  We need to know that the enemy will try to manipulate and bind that will wherever he can, this usually begins with our thought life.  If we entertain certain thoughts within our brain long enough, the pathways that these thoughts lead us down will become deeper and deeper until they resemble deep tracks or even ruts that no matter how hard we turn the wheel to try to get our tires out of them, it only results in digging us deeper. Before you know it, you are stuck. You can neither move forward nor change direction. It will take direct intervention from God in order to set us back to where we ought to be. Just like the train is bound by the constraints of the track, the ruts formed from thoughts that do not glorify God can bind us along a path that we do not want to follow.  Sometimes this kind of thinking is quite subtle, unlike the distraction of a loud train, these thoughts tend to sneak up on us while we are not paying attention or staying fully focused on the Lord in the first place. The ruts are sometimes created by other people too. We have a choice to follow the way of the world, or the voice of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. AKA Jesus

Your trail map:




In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 (Proverbs 3:6)

In case you still find yourself lost in the dark:

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)

Dear Jesus,

Help us to remain focused on you Lord, help us to not be so distracted by the wrong 'train of thought',  so that we may not lose the joy and peace of your fellowship with us as we walk with you along the pathways of life. 

In thy name~ Amen~

I have good news and bad news...

First the good news:  Jesus is coming back soon!

Now the bad news:   Jesus is coming back soon!

 ~Please read on~

 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(1 John 2:15)



For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1John 2:16-17)







The earth is NOT the Kingdom of God...It is the domain of the devil and his angels.

"And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled  but it did not prevail, neither was a place found for them any longer in heaven. So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him."

Revelation 12:7-9

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36

Who is THE Antichrist? Who are antichrists?

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. (1John 2:18-25)



According to the above verse THE Antichrist is one who is a liar (deceiver) who denies the Son (Jesus) and the Father. I believe this refers to Satan himself.  Satan knows Jesus is the Son of God the Father, but his mission is to send his dark angels around the whole earth and deceive the people into denying this truth.
People who falsley confess themselves to be a Christian, but whose only mission is to cause trouble in the church, to try and discredit the Lord's people and cause some to fall away from their faith and follow after a lie instead (false doctrines of devils) are also called antichrists.  They take their orders from Satan and are possessed by the spirit of the antichrist.


 When Jesus came to earth the first time it was good news for sinners!...





The Next time Christ comes to earth it will be bad news for sinners...


"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
"The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of LIfe was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:11-15


But it will be good news for believers...


There awaits a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH for those who put their faith in JESUS CHRIST!

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Revelation 21:11

Choose Your Path

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)

When we are young we find ourselves at many crossroads. When we are older, we find ourselves at fewer crossroads, but now we are able to look back on our journey and know which paths led us astray and which paths led us towards our goals. The problem with doing this however is that it is too late once you have walked the wrong path, you can not go back and choose differently, you can not live your life over again now that you know the right way!
You must decide to start a brand new journey from right where you are now.
This time do not embark on this journey alone..That didn't work before did it?



Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

(John 14:6)


 

 Jesus knows the way you must go, but it is not an easy path. You will need to follow Him very closely.


Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
(Matthew 7:14) .. words of Jesus Christ


Jesus will lead the way...

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

He maketh me to lie down in green  pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

He restoreth my soul:

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest  my head with oil;

 my cup runneth over. 

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

(Psalm 23)

Luke 9:62. But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Lot's wife looking back
James E. McConnel
(1903-1995)

Whenever God tells us not to look back, we should trust that He means it!

... but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
( Philippians 3:13 )

  Keep moving forward, don't let anything block your way...Listen to your shephard when he warns you of a stumbling block on the path ahead. Don't stop to listen to any other voice telling you to stop or turn around.
Sometimes the stumbling blocks become our stepping stones.





So if the Devil is whispering into your ear telling you how unworthy you are to follow this new path,  perhaps reminding you of a past sin, ..just tell him what Jesus told him:

Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23)

When you do this you will be leaving the devil behind you; Jesus will lead you on the right path. Don't look behind you. The cares of this world will only cast a shadow upon your path with Christ... Don't worry, a shadow can not hurt you
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalms 27:1)
unless you turn away from the light of Jesus and try to walk alone through the darkness.






 It's your choice...

 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
(John 3:18)

 “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
(Words spoken by Jesus Christ)




Journeying on...

Cleaning House

Just to let people know, I am cleaning up My Heart's Home, hoping to make it a bit more stream- lined. I am revisiting the core reason for beginning this blog in the first place...To glorify Jesus, edify and encourage fellow Christians, and to warn the unsaved of God's coming judgment of mankind.
Less is more and I am simplifying.    using more of God's Word and less of my own.

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
 (Proverbs 10:19)

Please do not be offended if you find some posts along with your comments gone. I encourage your comments, but ask for your understanding.

 My only hope is to glorify Jesus more at My Heart's Home!

*Note:
I am making my email address available now in case you need to contact me for prayer.

~God Bless~

My Yes Card

I have to do the grocery shopping today. We don't need very much, so I will shop at our local market.  This store is usually pretty high priced on many items, but there are sometimes decent sales. If you use your Yes Card you can accumulate enough points over time to redeem them for a free item.  This just reminded me today of how Jesus redeems our soul and gives us the free gift of eternal life when we say "Yes" to Him!
Do you have your Yes Card?



 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 3:13
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Galatians 4:5
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9:12

Google image

 

גאול (ga'ul) means redeemed

The Hebrew verb "gā’al" has a central meaning in "to regain possession of by payment" or "buy back something that was lost." In the Old Testament, the verb "gā’al" has been translated as "to redeem", "ransom", and "do the part of a kinsman".

The Hebrew verb "gā’al" has another meaning of "to avenge bloodshed" or "to require blood", and has been translated as "avenge" or "revenge"

Like the above store icon says...

Say YES to savings today!