My Heart's Home

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Hello...I am still alive and well!

I've only been online for a short while now and already I am addicted to YouTube.

I've been hearing an awful lot about an impending WW3, and other disturbing things...So I have decided to put my trust in The Lord, and not worry about this. Some might think that is foolish, but as my daughter says, "Don't let the devil steal your joy today with fears about tomorrow."

Jesus said the same thing:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33,34

So here is my offering to any who are weary from listening to the news..Some of God's little reminders of his power and Majesty over his creation..and his love for his children through Christ our Lord..

I took this photo at a very remote and difficult to access
area in Michigan's Upper Peninsula..I managed to frame the lighthouse
by leaving the designated pathway and laying down in the sand behind the driftwood.
This photo reminds me to always keep my
focus on Jesus, my Lord..He will never be moved,
but there are times when I will need to move away
from the path that I am on in order to stay focused.

Although this is not one of my better photos, I am
including it on here in order to illustrate a point..
Even through the storms of life..We can clearly
see and remember God's promises.

I want to apologize to friends who have contacted me worried because of my long absence and silence online.

We do have home internet now, thank The Lord, and it is pretty amazing!

As soon as we got our cable upgrade, we were blessed by a week long visit from our oldest granddaughter..She and I had a total blast!

We are so much alike, and I think she was really surprised that her grandma really is such a kid at heart! I know her mom is probably confused about what ever happened to the strict disciplinarian that raised her, lol! I am retired from all that now, so it's time for some fun, fun, fun with the grands!

Alyssa taking a picture of me taking a picture of her

At the close of summer Jeff finally got some time off from work and we were finally able to take the camper out for some exploration!

We also visited our daughter in Indiana for a few days at the beginning of October, and had some fun at Indiana's annual

'Feast of the Harvest Moon' festival where we walked around eating turkey legs and sipping hot apple cider among many people, some of which were in period dress circa mid 1700's...

Here is Jeff and daughters aboard two ship museums on the coast of Lake Michigan

This is the largest of the two, the
S.S. City of Milwaukee.(otherwise known as Manistee's Ghost Ship)
because they open it up as a haunted house tour in October..We toured it in August.

And here is a photo someone took of an alleged ghost ship on Lake Superior the same weekend we were there!
This got the attention of our local media and is now all over the internet.

And here is a photo I took myself of a real ship as we drove over the Mighty Mackinaw later that same week

This photo was taken early morning on the shore of Lake Michigan
The land you see is called Hog Island.
We parked our camper on a ledge overlooking the water..
In fact the next photo shows the rocky shoreline
where our campsite is hidden.

The camper is perched on a cliff at the right of this photo.

At sunset

And here are some neat passers-by that we encountered during our camping trip...

This eagle was perched on a rock way out by the island..He was hunting seagulls. We know this because a friend who camped there before witnessed eagles taking down seagulls who migrate to the tiny island each spring to lay their eggs. We were there last May and seen the island full of them..(This last camping trip was earlier this October.)

These two made us laugh as they were navigating the waves trying to get in for a closer look at us!

Only two days after returning home, our Son In Law shattered his hip in three places..He is a disabled veteran, only 30 yrs. old, and he is having a very difficult time of it. He initially stayed in the hospital for five days after surgery, but we had to take him back for an additional five days because of severe pain and swelling. We would sure appreciate your prayers for his recovery. He is at home now...

Thank you, and God bless!

~Blessings & Love~

and remember,

we are...

~NEVER FORSAKEN~

Just one more photo...

Taken after I completed this post..

Yes, that is snow on that pine branch!

(sorry about the reflection in the window)

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~}