Saturday, May 14, 2016

A Clear Image

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2

We are made in the image of God at birth (meaning we are born with the potential of being like our Creator in terms of being his children, and heirs to his kingdom in heaven), but as we grow closer to him through our relationship with Jesus, we are constantly being shaped into the image of Jesus.
But how does that happen?

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.

Colossians 1:9-15

Seek Him...

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 (emphasis mine)

Draw near to Him...

I recently watched a 'Nature' episode on PBS about orangutans. At the same time I was doing a study on what the word 'image' means to me.
In the program, I noticed how the young orangutans would get in real close to the parent in order to learn how to do the things the parent did, like how to use a stick to get seeds out of a plant. It was actually comical to watch the youngster get within inches of the grown-up so that their focus was intent upon them and nothing else.
And then it struck me...
That is the way we should be with our Lord!
In order to learn of him and imitate the way he does things, we need to get in closer...our focus should be zeroed in on him and him alone.
I honestly need to follow this advice myself...I can sense the Lord speaking into my own spirit as I write out this blog post. In fact, just as I began writing, a friend called asking for advice on choosing a camera. I told her which one I use, and how it has a good zoom capability, but the image stabilizer was something that seemed to take too long for me to be able to get that final shot sometimes.

I haven't written anything on this blog for a couple of months and was struggling with what to write today when I remembered how God used a TV program to teach me something...and when I wasn't quite sure where to begin this essay, The Lord further directed me using a phone call from a friend.
Honestly, what are the chances of getting a random call about photography while creating a post about 'image' ?
This was no mere coincidence, and what it told me was that God is interested in what I'm doing here on this blog; in fact, he is able to use me in this way...but only if I pay close attention.

So what does an image stabilizer do anyway?
The short answer to that question is it is a technology built into many cameras that helps reduce the blur caused by the operator being shaky when trying to hold the camera steady...It does a job similar to what a tripod does.

Now I will attempt to make a comparison to this technology, and what I believe The Lord is trying to teach me concerning learning to watch him in order to be able to imitate his ways...
In order to be able to get a clear picture of who Jesus is...We need to use the Word of God. We need to read his Word closely in order to discover him, who he is, and how he does things.
I believe The Bible is our image stabilizer...and Jesus is the image we are focusing on.
And yes, just like the image stabilizer on my camera takes some time before the image comes into focus...so does studying the Bible take time in order to reveal a clear picture of The Lord to me.

If you Google "Image of Jesus" you will get a million different images..

The Shroud of Turin

Although for the sake of this study, we are not focusing on the physical, bodily image ...but the personality, the attributes of Jesus. Which are so plentiful in scripture that there is no room to list them all here.

The Father Revealed

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

⁷“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
⁸Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
⁹Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. ¹¹Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
John 146-11
Notice in vs. 8 how even though he had known and seen Jesus with his own eyes, Philip wanted to see more.
Even Job in the old testament longed to see God with his own eyes...

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another. Job 19:25-27

So it is understanding that we also long to look upon the face of our Redeemer.
But we Christians have been given the Spirit of God, and not only will we see him, but we will be like him when we enter into eternity.

Until we see Him face to face, we can catch a glimpse of Him in a true Believer, a true Christian right here on planet earth.
(Remember this the next time you are tempted to talk badly about a fellow believer.) *Oh-Oh! :o

Or maybe we can see him when we look in the mirror..

Then one of the elders said to me “Do not weep! See, the LION of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed..
Revelation 5: 5

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
*And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

1 Corinthians 13:12-13
*(I included vs.13 because the subject of LOVE seems to be the main context of the chapter)

So if we LOVE God and others the way Jesus demonstrated in the Bible, then God sees Jesus when he looks at us.

which makes perfect sense because Jesus gave us the command:

³⁶“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
³⁷Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a] ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
This commandment may sound simple, but it is not easy.
In fact, I would be lying if I said I found it easy to truly and always love God, let alone myself or anyone else!
Only through Jesus can we experience that kind of love towards anyone.

John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 3:16- This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

I don't think its by accident that both of these verses are located in separate books of the Bible, yet are numbered exactly the same verse and chapter. They sure do seem to connect one to the other!
We ought to be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ...I believe this means not only our mortal life, but also to lay aside time and energy for one another.
*This is just my opinion, not to imply this as the meaning of what Jesus is saying here

I hope this essay has in some way helped you to want to get to know God better...The Bible tells us that the only way to get to the Father is through his son, Jesus Christ.
So please understand that all you need to do is to read of him in scripture, and to fully understand his Word is to know the person himself who is called 'The Word'.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

How can I really get to know Jesus?
If you repent of your sins, ask Jesus into your heart today, believing that he died for your sins so that you will live with him in eternity instead of going to hell as a payment for your own sin...You will receive the Holy Spirit who will reside within you, which will guide you into understanding scripture, and that will enable you to change into a new creation in Christ..
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,.. Ephesians 3:16

~Blessings & Love~
and always remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

THANKING THE CUP

I recently watched a 'God-tube' video that had been recommended to me...I was told that I would "be amazed at this person's testimony."...

So while I was visiting my daughter I decided to watch it with her. I loaded up the video while she poured us two cups of coffee, and we began to watch. It was a popular tv show in which celebrities judged contestants, and then they would beg for the contestant (if they were any good) to choose them to form a team. So we watched while this young woman beautifully sang an old song, and after her performance we watched as one of the celebrity judges literally threw herself down and bowed before the contestant...I thought to myself...This must be where she will say something about Jesus giving her the talent and to thank him and give him all the glory...But no, that did not happen. Instead the young woman only giggled as the celebrity bowed before her. So, okay...I thought...I'm sure she's just a bit nervous, and didn't know what to say...but I'm waiting to hear what she does say.

So then the contestant begins to tell her story about overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, and I thought for sure this is where she will tell of the mercy and strength of Jesus to get her through it, but instead she credits being a Mom and wife instead of persuing an acting career for keeping her sober; to which the same celebrity who bowed speaks up about how being a Mom is the hardest job, and then she talks about the young woman's hope...and I thought: Oh wow, maybe the testimony will start now, and perhaps it will start with an unlikely source- through this celebrity who is by this time really kissing up to the young talent in hopes that she will chose her group. And then we watched as the video was nearing the end, and when the contestant spoke, I was so hopeful that she was finally going to talk about her Christian faith.

And then this came as a response to the statement made about her hope, she said:

"Well, the Universe had a plan for me!"

{What? THIS was what we were waiting for? I asked my daughter.}

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Romans 1:21-25

After hearing this "amazing testimony" I promptly picked up the cup of coffee my daughter had just made for me, and said "Thank you to the cup that holds my coffee..." My daughter laughed and then I explained to her that thanking or giving credit to the Universe for our blessings is as silly as thanking the cup that holds the coffee instead of the hands that prepared and served it.

In other words, instead of giving our gratitude and glory to the Creator of this universe and all therein, many people will give all credit and praise to the vessel that contains all His blessings...The universe is just the cup that contains us, and it is in fact, just a fellow creation. That's right, God Created this vast universe and all that is in it.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. Jhn 1:1-4

Oh, and as an end note...the contestant did chose the celebrity that bowed to her. I'm not surprised.

For [in the last days] men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,..2Ti 3:2

　*By the way, I want to thank my dearest friend, {Deb} for the pretty teacup pictured at the beginning of this post...I love you, my big Sis!
(In case I can't get back on here this weekend)...

Happy Resurrection Sunday to everyone!

~BLESSINGS & LOVE~
and always remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN!~　

　
　

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Eagle Strong!

What a beautiful and powerful bird to see in action!

I once witnessed an eagle disembowel a small deer right in front of me...It used only its talons to do so.

Parent and young eagle together...the crows flying overhead are a good reference to the size of these birds! When the parent left the carcass to fly closer to the youngster, we knew we had overstayed our welcome and promptly left.

Juvenile ...It takes five years for him to develop the white head and tail.
This one hung comically in the air just a few feet over the road as if caught in a wind shear before he joined his parent in the field where she had either found or took down an animal.

Psalm 103:5
Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Isaiah 40:31
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

These photos were taken on a Sunday drive...just moments before, I had told Jeff that for the first time in more than two years, I was finally feeling strong and healthy again!

Knowing that the enemy would likely try and persuade me otherwise, I almost didn't say it out loud...But, my God is greater than the enemy...and He brought me through it all in order that I would have life...not death.

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Here's a really neat thing I want to share with you...At times in my life God has sent me eagles and sometimes other animals, and although some would disagree, I believe they are messengers...Two different Birthdays...once while I was boating and another time while fishing. And recently when I was overly anxious about going someplace on my own, and felt like turning back, an eagle flew just over my van nearly the whole way down the road, and so close I could see her looking side to side as she soared just above me!
The day of my mother's memorial service, as we were heading out to leave, there were two young raccoons in the yard with their mother nearby...I sat down on the ground (in my good clothes), and fed the babies from my hand...They gently took each morsel of cat food from my palm using their tiny fingers while the mama stayed back a few feet watching.
So, the sight of the young eagle with its parent providing for it and protecting it with its close presence is, to me, a sign from my heavenly Father that He will keep me in health for such a time as this...It is not time for me to leave yet. There's still work to be done. But my Abba Father will go before me and behind me... Just like that parent eagle, He never takes His eyes off His child. When danger comes near...He hems me in.

Psalm 139

¹You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
²You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹²even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²²I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
²³Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

~Blessings & Love~
and always remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

Friday, February 12, 2016

Lazy Days with Dogs, Bad Weather, and Good Books

The wind is blowing and the temperatures are in the single digits this week!
Me and the dogs are staying warm inside. Bible study has been cancelled until March 10th...or until the weather warms up a bit. I am fine with that, I prefer to stay home anyway.
I have finished reading 'Room' by Emma Donahue...it is a movie now too. You can Google it and watch the trailer...It's a very good read.
I will be offline for awhile starting at the end of this month. We are cancelling our internet account in order to save money for camping this year. Jeff was able to buy a very nice truck that should do a good job of pulling the camper wherever we want...For me, that is a bit of a challenge to leave home for too long, but the camper is my home away from home, so it is doable.
I'll be sure to check in with everyone whenever I'm near a WiFi spot with my phone.

~Blessings & Love~
and always remember, we are...
~NEVER FORSAKEN~

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Laugh Over Me

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.

It's been quite awhile since I've posted and it looks like I've lost a few of you, but that's OK, it happens, I'll miss you and you are welcome to return if you like someday.
Besides the busyness of the Holidays, I have had a host of internet and computer issues which made it very difficult if not impossible to be able to update my blogs. I actually forgot that I have more than just this one blog until today...I can blame that on chemo-brain. I am having a bit of trouble with short term memory after all, and must write everything down nowadays.

Here are a couple of good examples of what chemo-brain actually looks like:

You watch a good movie or program on TV, only to forget the whole thing by the next morning...You may remember that you liked something that you watched on television...was it last night, or sometime last week? Well anyway, you know you liked it...what was it called again? That's okay, but what was it that you liked about it? (insert crickets chirping here...for effect)
or...
You wake up in the morning and go through your usual morning routine, and within five minutes of putting your deodorant on, you are checking to see if you put your deodorant on while brushing your teeth...AGAIN!

There are many more examples...I just can't think of any more at the moment...but since they re-occur pretty much daily, maybe I will write them down so I can remember them for a future post.

Aah well, when stuff happens, sometimes all you can do is laugh about it like Sarah did.

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”
Gen. 21:6
...So please laugh over and with me, my friends, whenever I share my journey through the fog with you...I can do little about it, so I might as well delight in the humor it adds to my life!

*Edit*
I've given up on trying to update the other blogs...my internet connection is just too unpredictable...Sorry :(

Oh, and by the way.....

~HAPPY 2016!~

My word for this year is:

~ TRUST~

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
Psalm 9:10

~Blessings & Love~
and always remember,
we are...
~NEVER FORSAKEN~

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Jesus...Our light in the storm

I love lighthouses.
In fact, this is the second post in a row with a photo of one.
I have even transferred this picture into a painting to hang on the wall in my Sims 2 game and packaged it up and shared it with other players... I have so much fun doing that!
(Combining two hobbies, photography and playing the Sims)

What is it about a lighthouse that seems to draw me?
I think its the way that Jesus is seen as a type of lighthouse to us, a promise of light through the darkness to guide us through the storm. During the daytime I'll look at these structures as they stand majestically out in the water, or close by the shore, and I feel a sense of awe...But, I have never seen one during a dark stormy night, not in real life anyway. It makes me think about how I think many people view Jesus. They have a sense of awe and a certain feeling of security knowing that he is out there somewhere standing watch over us ready to guide us with his Holy Spirit...just in case the waters get a bit too rough...But...
it isn't until we find ourselves deep into the storm in the black of night hanging on for dear life as the waves toss us in every direction, threatening to overturn our vessel at any minute...We are truly powerless to control any of it! It is then that we get to see his true light...get to feel his security, to witness his wonderful strength!
Even if the storm take us down...It is then that He will wrap his arms around us and hold us still...calming our spirit until he carries us safely through to the other side.
What if there were no storms in life or on earth?
There would be no need for a lighthouse...
There would be no wonderful witness to the way this earth and sea have always been magnificent and yes, dangerous if we are caught in the middle of it...But...
There would be no need of something bigger than us, something stronger than the natural world...something that can subdue the sea at will...No need for God's help.
How boring would that be?
I am thankful for Jesus, the light of this world, my help in troubled waters, and the one who holds me through each storm...the hope of shelter and salvation, the rock I cling to, but I am also thankful for the storm, because of it I have seen his light in action, shining brighter because of the darkness...unmoved by the crashing waves!
I can know that no matter what, I will survive...and so will you.

"I am the light of the world. The one following Me shall not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

^{~Blessings & Love~}
^{and always remember.. no matter how big the storm or dark the night, we are...}
^{~NEVER FORSAKEN~}

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

I Am Thankful...

Because God gave us...

JESUS!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

More grace...

You adulterous people,don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? ⁶But he gives us more grace.
James 4:6

Strength & Victory　

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn." Psalm 18:32-36

Provision

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Peace

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14.27

The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace." Psalm 29:11

"And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful." Colossians 3:15

The Holy Spirit

15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13

Power, Love, Self-discipline

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

Rest

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29

Great Promises　

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:4

A Future & Hope

For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

A Home in Heaven

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14

~Thank you, LORD!~

~HAPPY THANKSGIVING!~

~Blessings & Love~
and always remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Forty Years Ago Tonight

Whitefish Point, (Lake Superior) Michigan

*Posted at 7pm, November 10th* (to commemorate the time when she sank)

http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/edmund-fitzgerald-36/

Edmund Fitzgerald

Edmund Fitzgerald, St. Mary's River, 1975. Photo by Bob Campbell

The legend of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains the most mysterious and controversial of all shipwreck tales heard around the Great Lakes. Her story is surpassed in books, film and media only by that of the Titanic. Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot inspired popular interest in this vessel with his 1976 ballad, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
The Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake Superior November 10, 1975, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. Whitefish Point is the site of the Whitefish Point Light Station and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) has conducted three underwater expeditions to the wreck, 1989, 1994, and 1995.
At the request of family members surviving her crew, Fitzgerald's 200 lb. bronze bell was recovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society on July 4, 1995. This expedition was conducted jointly with the National Geographic Society, Canadian Navy, Sony Corporation, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The bell is now on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum as a memorial to her lost crew.

Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Lyrics

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called 'gitche gumee'
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T'was the witch of November come stealin'
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin'
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'
Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya
At seven pm a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, it's been good t'know ya
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searches all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the maritime sailors' cathedral
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call 'gitche gumee'
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early

This is an awesome tribute and also plays the song...
Watch video here!

The place in the photo is of Whitefish Point, my favorite place in the world, but also where the ship went down.
Although we've been experiencing warmer than normal weather, in a couple days we are expecting some weather similar to that November day forty years ago.

Hope you enjoyed a piece of Michigan history!

~BLESSINGS & LOVE~
and always remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

Re-cluttered


This photo has nothing to do with this post	,	Its the first haircut since my hair grew back after chemo.

*NOTE*
I have hidden three words within this text, these words are from three other blogs that I enjoy reading...Can you find them, and recognize if they are from your own blog post, or a blog post you have read recently?

Life is ever changing.
Once again I am laughing at myself!
It's Ok...I'm actually laughing with me, not at me, lol!
I did an earlier post where I was very excited about the idea of de-cluttering my home, but once again I had forgotten that I am not the only inhabitant of this home, and the sparser environment is not necessarily favored by the other.
Having said that, I will now attempt to explain why I think we humans tend to want to change our environs from time to time...
We may feel the lack of control over things that are happening in our lives. I have noticed in my own life when things are not going as planned or I am at a low point, I want to take action, some action, ANY action in order to feel like I have some control over SOMETHING.
So, I start rearranging the tangible things in my home...the things I can put my hands on. The truth is, the things that I constantly rearrange, are not what is bothering me. The fact that I have two, three, or five throw pillows on the sofa is not the issue...The problem is that I sense there needs to be some change in my life, but I am not trusting God to take care of the details. I am not willing to patiently wait for the answers, or to accept that sometimes I may never know what the answer is to why things are the way they are.
So, I turn to the one thing I THINK I can accomplish on my own...CHANGE the furniture, the décor!
Well, I'm not saying that is wrong in and of itself, not if we are doing this in order to clean things up, or make room for something new, but if it becomes a nearly daily thing...Well, then something is not right! And that is where I am now. I have literally worn myself out, and worn out my poor husband's patience in the process!
The truth of the matter is, I cannot affect the change that I want, that I am seeking, by changing my exterior world...I must decide that only God has any real control in my life, and I must be patient and willing to listen and hear from the Holy Spirit on what gives my life meaning, and what I must work at in order to "accomplish" anything worthwhile....And...
I mustn't stay busy tinkering around with unnecessary distractions all the time, I MUST get busy with the things that the Lord is putting on my heart; things like Bible study, listening to the Word, and to good Christian music, listening to the elder Christians who are wiser...gleaning from their godly counsel the things The Lord wants me to learn....I must learn prudence!
Looking around on the internet, I see clearly that it's not just me. It's actually quite a trend lately...Just Google the word 'De-clutter' and you will see many websites and many books or items being sold on the subject. Another key word is 'minimalism'...The idea is that by emptying our environment of clutter, the clearer our minds become...only this can be taken to the extreme when the goal is to rid your house of most of your possessions, many of which are actually necessary items, items like furniture...a bed for instance. Well, I suppose some people don't need a bed, but most of us do. The point I'm trying to make is that there are folks out there making money by trying to sell us an idea that living in a bare room somehow makes us mentally or spiritually healthy. This is just another way of replacing a relationship with Jesus with some type of religion or spirituality. The scary thing is...I have seen this in some Christians, myself included!
The Lord doesn't want me to abandon my domestic responsibilities, but He is showing me that I must learn contentment, and temperance when it comes to my home and that begins within my spirit...not on the outside environment. It is within that He wants to change and rearrange in order to make me more mentally and spiritually healthy.
My body has grown weak, too weak to rearrange the furniture, but I am growing stronger spiritually in Jesus...for He alone is my strength.
So whether my home is cluttered, or bare...My mind is full of treasure from the Lord, and my heart is content to be under His control

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.…
Phil.4:11-13

*The words are: "tinkering" from 'Sharon Sharing God', "strength" from 'Lighthouse Vision" and "prudence" from 'Crown of Beauty'!
Thank you, ladies for your inspiring posts this week!
(All of these gorgeous blogs can be found on my blog roll below)

~Blessings & Love~
and always remember, we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

My Heart's Home