I Pray for America Today

Lord Bless America and bring our hearts back to you. Save the lost. Draw us once more to return to you as a nation. Open the eyes of our children, and grandchildren and speak to them Holy Spirit.  Please help American Christians once more speak the truth from thy Word. Bring us again to our first love, and restore your Power within us.  Bless Us Lord, for we need an awakening. As we bring troops home, please protect them and us from harm. I pray thy blood upon our nation.  I ask that you encapsulate us with the power that is in thy shed blood, and the freedom that is in your ressurrection.  Restore us unto yourself.  Draw the hearts of the people of this nation to a saving knowlege of your grace. Save souls today, and set a fire in the hearts of the saved to seek you for leadership, and help. We need you Lord.

We need God fearing leaders, who are strong in your power. We need your Spirit  in our highest places. In the hearts of the men who govern us. We need leaders who are able to stand up to the fallicies of Satans lies, discerners, and men who understand the true Peace.  We spend so much to seek peace among nations, and we need peace in our own souls.  Grant us the wisdom to seek that peace as individuals who live in this nation. We have chased our own people from the churches, caused them to worship a god who is not of the scriptures.  Many people wonder where is the power of our God, and don't even know that it is within them. Your Spirit indwells us, and we need only heed and believe that you are able to bring this nation to a place where you are our Shepherd and King.  Open our eyes, turn us about. Be our strong rudder. Help us to protect our Sweet Land of Liberty. -Land where My forefathers died, land of my pilgrim saints ancestor's pride. 

Work a miracle in the lives of the friends of my children. Save the lost among them and strengthen their walk with you. Encourage them and give them joy. Help us have joy each day in knowing you. Heal our land. Heal the wounds of souls who once honored you, and have been beaten down. Lift us up. Destroy the works of the deceiver for your name's sake. AMEN 

I have a gift for you. Go to Prinked Ink Scripture pages above and print out the Fourth of July party hat, and use it to serve treats at your party or for your children.   Have a safe holiday weekend.

Sweet Hour of Prayer

The hymn Sweet Hour of Prayer was written by W.W. Walford and Wm. B Bradbury. It is contained in the Broadman Hymnal to which I often refer, from the 1940 edition. Pg. 263

The authors note the following things about prayer in the words to their song:
1. "that calls me from a world of care" (it is a time to step away from the cares)
2. "at my Father's throne, make all my wants and wishes known" (we come before Him at his throne of majesty, to aid our belief that he is great enough)
3. "in stress and grief, my soul has often found relief" (where else can we go to find relief that reaches our soul?)
4. "escaped the tempter's snare" (closeness to God could stop us before we become snagged)
5. "thy wings my petition bear" (the wings of the spirit carries our prayers)
6. " he bids me seek his face" (He wants us to come to him in prayer)
7. "cast on Him my every care" (They remind us to cast away our cares, treat them like they are now at Jesus feet, rather than a heavy weight we bear)

It also asks in the last verse: "may I thy consolation share?" (If we share in our friends burdens, we share in their rejoicing.)

And finally, it makes note that when the day arrives when we view our heavenly home and our soul takes flight - "this robe of flesh I'll drop and rise... and shout while passing through the air, farewell, farewell Sweet Hour of Prayer."

There will be no need to pray after that day. If we could look back would we pray differently today? When with our eyes we see his Throne would we look back and think, if only I had prayed as if I were standing here, at the throne of Grace?

Should we wait til then to see the way we pray,
Or may we look ahead and change the way we pray - today. cw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18MEV0fT1gI

Open the video above and let "Sweet Hour of Prayer" play while you take a moment to pray, about believing that
               -God receives us at his throne,
               -bids us cast our cares his way, and
                 walk away,

aware that He

• wants us there,
• asks us to come, and
• assures us that, if we will just see Him as he is, we will, in the words of the song:

 vs. 2 - "believe His Word and trust His grace."

Lord, help me see prayer as a visit to your throne, where I can in full expectancy cast like trash my cares at your feet, believe that you want me there, even just as I am, in your throne room. But help me remember I do not come alone, not carry my burden to you, for the Holy Spirit does that for me. Let me see myself freed in your presence and help me leave in confidence that you never don't hear my plea. Never do you turn a blind eye, or block out my cry. While I am there, it is me you see, not the worlds great burden or my sin or cares.

Help me see myself as you see me,
set free dear lord----
set FREE  FREE  FREE!!!
AMEN

It is so nice that as the Lord has me share that he ministers also to me.

Answered Prayer

Today is a day of rejoicing for answered prayer in my life.  Not only in mine but in my husband's as well. I think a blog about seeking God's input into my life must also deal with the answered prayer.  Each day he answers my prayers in some way. God has provided in a special way in our lives and I just want to praise him for it. As we began to pray for the Lord to meet our needs, my husband became frustrated with me that I would not pursue having our needs met from his expected sources. And he has pursued with all his might to have our needs met from his expected sources.  But the Lord has told me in my heart not to go looking there, but look only to HIM.  In addition, I felt that I really needed to pray that God would bless my husband so that he might see God's provisions. It isn't that he wasn't trusting God, but that he has never quite rested in those provisions coming from God in any way other than that my husband worked really hard for it.  He loves his job, but it often is not enough. Our bodies are not able to work so hard any more. We need God to fill the gap in a number of areas. It has been a pleasure to watch my husband slowly see one door open and another close - To see God give to him in ways he never invisioned. It is not coming from my spouse striving harder, but from him focusing on following God's path to blessings.
God has chosen not to provide through me, and I have known all along why. He needed to open a few doors for my beloved.  It is God's unexpected means of blessing us, that gives us a clearer view of His hand on our lives.  If the blessing comes from expected sources, we might not attribute the good gifts of a Loving Heavenly Father to the proper source.  So God sometimes puts a lock on our expectations, while he opens the doors that turn our focus on Him.
So today I thank Him.


Lord, I praise you for answering prayer, for giving assurance of your involvement in our lives.  For drawing my husband's attention to who is really providing for us. Not that he didn't know, but he tends to set expexctations, based on what he knows, not on faith sometimes... as we all do. So I delight that he has sought your face, and you have answered in unexpected ways. AMEN
May God answer your prayers today in a very special unexpected way.

   
          Prayer  >

Precious Promises & Provision


 

May God Hug Us

My husband's precious cousin said in a Chat today:
"May God hug us and give us comfort, that the devil himself could not change, for the power of God is greater than the devil himself."

I am posting this with her permission and delighted to see her faith.

It is a blessing to think of God holding us so close that his comforting hug is all we need to not fear the wiles of Satan.

It is a place our Loving Father would have us be.

Amen Shelane! God bless you girl.

Around the World the Message is the Same

In every language, country, or place
From the depths of  the ocean
to dark outer space ~
It is the same God, same Savoir, same grace
That lights the dark in our hearts;
for Sin to erase~
He bids us now - steady, run the race,
He, joyous freedom grants us to
approach his smiling face. 

Lift us Lord, out of our mire,
Walk by me Lord is my desire.
Whisper, please in still small voice,
Remind me Lord to "Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice!"
wca

Please enjoy this video, and pray today for someone far away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC2EK2HXNKo&feature=related

May I share with you this lovey blog, to brighten up your day.

(Ok so I am going overboard with the rhyme. Laugh a little. OK)

http://www.greenteafifi.com/

<Remember to hit the back arrow and come on back here:) <<<<<<<<<

****************

I AM NOT YOUR FATHER!

One day while I was driving and my mind was racing...I have to be here by...I hope I didn't make a mistake in my checkbook...God why do I have to always cut it so short... all these bills to pay, never enough money...
As I approached the stop light to turn left, I heard the still small voice of God, catching me off guard, "I am not your father."
"What?' I thought. "God I know you are not my father."
"I don't give and take away.  I don't make you scared all the time. I am not your father. I am your Heavenly Father. Cynthia, I Love you."
That was about it.  But it was enough to make me want to pull over to think about it.  Seldom does God make profound direct statements to me.  Ususally, he reveals something of our relationship through reading the Word. But every now and then there is this...I almost felt like he Yelled it at me in a loving way.  Like someone shaking you out of a hysteria. A "Snap out of it' kind of thing.

I was riding down the road blaming God for not providing, and putting me in my precarious position with time and money, and talking myself into a fit about it. So He just said: "Don't you dare compare me to your father."

Unlike a lot of people this Father's day morning, who will extol their dads, I can't.  I loved him, but he was not the best father in the world.  In fact, he lacked a lot in the fathering department.  I have always known the difference between a loving heavenly father and a not so loving earthly father.  I had issues as a child in honoring my father, because I was told in Sunday School that honoring your father meant to obey him.  I could see obeying God, but my father told me to do bad things. I had to disobey him - often - to do what my mother and Heavenly Father would have me do.  I was always praying God, I forgive my father for that, but please help me to not hate him for it. I worried a lot about the verse that says to honor your parents so you might live a long life. At the time, I thought it meant I was doomed to die young. LOL

I knew my Father was nothing like God, and I knew that when God called himself Father, the person I knew from a toddler as my Heavenly Father was very different from my dad.  In the beginning, as a tiny little girl, no one held a candle to my Daddy. I chased him around the yard, and wanted to do everything he did. When he came home from work I ran to the car to meet him.  He didn't mind my being right under his feet while he worked.  And he didn't ever spank me. Never!!!!! Only Mama, spanked me. Daddy taught me how to do things. He gave me tools and gently took my hands to help me use them. He helped me hang by my ankles upside down on the a-frame of the swing set. Then he would dare me to pull myself up, when he let go. I thought he was so great to show me things.
But...
This was the beginning of my love my daddy/hate my daddy confusion. I loved that image of my dad helping me do something challenging and wanting me to be strong. I had to get a little older to understand that my father was hanging me up to watch me suffer, to writhe there trying to pull myself up from that awkward upside down position while he WATCHED.  It was when I saw the look on my mother's face when she discovered him doing it, that I began to not want him to hang me up there anymore. Daddy let you hang there past your ability to. Each time he let me hang longer, he began to taunt me, and laugh. At first if you said I can't hang on any more, he would help me up.  And the last time I let him do it, he was mean.  Get yourself up, he said or fall on your head.  You see, it was impossible to pull myself up from the way I was hanging. He was giving me false hope. And Daddy knew it.  If Mama had not intervened that last time, (he had let me hang there until it couldn't hang on anymore,) he was going to let me fall.

My daddy tickled you til it hurt, and when you begged him to stop, it was like you begged him to not stop.  When it hurt is when he did it more.  We would beg Mama to come and intervene. Sometimes I don't think she understood that we really needed her to. But I could see in his eyes that he knew she wouldn't. We learned that if we were playing in the floor, and daddy entered the room, we got up and found something else to do.  It was later we discovered that if she intervened, that he became a monster.

From the time I was "born again," (when I was baptised and my father found out I was "saved,") Daddy turned his back on me.  Never again did he treat me the same. Once when I didn't do what ever bad thing it was he was telling me to do, he opened the window, and hung the brand new doll, he had just given me, upside down out the window. He threatened to drop her on her head.  The image was not lost on me, and he knew it.  I resolved to turn my back on him, no matter what he did to the doll.  He said he better never catch me with my hands on that doll ever again. It was no longer mine. So be it, I thought. I think I asked him to please not be mean, and Please give her back, but I was not going to do the bad thing. He said if I didn't obey, she was going in the trash. Daddy bought the doll to manipulate me.  Later, I found two more of my dolls hanging upside down, soaking wet after a morning rain, on the clothesline. I never knew if I had just left them outside  and mother found them and hung them to dry, or if daddy took them outside and did it deliberately, because I was too scared to ask.

Purhaps I should say that I don't remember what he asked me to do that was bad specifically at specific times. My mind has blocked some of that stuff, thankfully. But, usually it was something to hurt my Mom. Like: he would have something she was searching for, and he was getting a morbid amount of fun from not telling her he had it hidden.  Then He would want me to throw it away or something, like take it to the trash out at the road without her seeing me. Bizarr, mean kind of bad. Not sexual bad. 

I have spent a lot of years overcoming the trauma having a father like that has caused. As years went by, Daddy only got worse. The episodes of him being a bad father were more frequent, and lasted longer each time. From an hour or two to a couple of days of fearing him at first.  Then, from a couple of days to a week or two. Sometimes it would be months before something would happen again, but then it became months before it would stop. Mom tried to get us help, but in those days there wasn't much help. About the only option was for social services to take us away.  I never understood why they would take us away from her. She was so loving, that she could even still love him, and taught us to do the same, and to keep praying for him. She never stopped loving him, but the years changed her, and her attitude toward men.

At the time of this incident when the Lord said: "I am not your father," I'd had a lot of years to understand the dynamics of staying with someone who abuses you. I had forgiven my father, -and my mother for staying. I had gotten past some of my own issues with my husband, which naturally infected my marriage from not setting my own boundaries -because I didn't have a proper model for doing that.  Yes, I was sure that my Dad was nothing like my Heavenly Father. I even knew for sure that My Heavenly Father was nothing like my Dad. But I had never thought how I might be saying, "God, why are you letting this happen in my life?" as if God would treat me like my Father had.
Suddenly, all those images of how my earthly father had set us up into situations where he would taunt us, cause us to be afraid of our situation, leave us hanging with no help, and in fact hurt us every chance he could... I realized I was seeing myself in life, as if God would treat me the same.  If I felt desparately in need, I would say, "God why aren't you helping me here?"
God had heard enough of my crying to Him, from the stand point of Him being like my earthly Father.  When I realized it, all I could say was, "but it feels like you are leaving me in the same kind of binds that he would. What am I supposed to think?"  I remembered something else I had learned earlier: "What you feel and what is real...are two different things."

The Lord said, "You stopped asking your Father for good things because he didn't give them."  "Don't see me like him. Don't stop asking me to help you up. If I am putting you in a place to teach you, I won't leave you hanging, and if it is impossible for you, I will do it for you. I will never ask you to do something mean. I will not take back what I give you without giving you something better. I Will Not Hurt YOU. I AM NOT YOUR FATHER."

I still have to remind myself all the time, to think about how I am praying. How do I talk to God. Do I see Him as a Loving Giving Heavenly Father, or am I praying to him as if he were my own father, expecting him not to help me, expecting him to take the good out of life, to treat me in a way I don't understand? Am I living out of the memories, or am I talking to God, while seeing Him for who He really is?

The scripture says we remedy that kind of patterns in our thinking by the renewing of our minds. It means to turn our thinking around, and say for instance: "Lord, today I see myself in a mess. Help me to see You helping me get out of my mess."  Every time life gets stressfull, I fall back in to "with daddy there's no way out" mode.  I really wish God would put his foot down more often, and yell at me: "I am Not Your Father."

So today, I celebrate Father's day, knowing I can be released from the emotional bondage any time I need that release. I can forgive my Father, and focus on the good things about him. I can look to the Heavenly Father for a Father to be thankful for.  I can try to help break the image my children have of when we failed as parents to focus on the Heavenly Father or provide them a more loving reflection of Him. I can stop and ask my self, am I being respectful of who God really is when I pray, or have I put him in my little "picture of God" box again - the one that limits my clear view of just how big and good He is?

Comparing God to how my father would do things, or how my children's father would do things, is a disservice to God, to myself and to my children and grandchildren.  I need always to work on comparing God to His Word, on seeing Him as the Real Heavenly Father.

..."be renewed in the spirit of your mind..."

Ephesians 4:23

Be not conformed to this world, but be...transformed by the renewing of your mind....Prove what is the good, ...acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2

Lord, I need to be reminded often that you are not my earthly father.  I would like to find myself remembering it before life gets to the place where I feel I am hanging on and about to fall. I really wish I would remember it before I let the world, circumstances, and life talk me into letting them hang me on the A-frame, lead me to believe I have to keep trying to do the impossible; before I am exhausted from trying just to realize, they have all left me, hoping for rescue.  Before all that, Lord, remind me, that You don't do things that way. Help me to seek You first in all things. AMEN

FOUNDATIONS over Feelings

“The wise man built his house upon a rock…and the house on the rock stood firm."

 (click here for all the words to this song.)

These lines, from a song we taught children, which refer to a Bible parable warning not to build a house on shifting sand, make it seem so easy to do something well. All you have to do is find the solid rock.  Of course, the message is that Jesus is the rock.  So we already have the base for our foundation.  But, the foundation must still be built upon it. For anything the Lord will have us do, He doesn’t throw us in headlong without provision for us to go through a learning process first, in order to have a good foundation. He never promised it would be a good experience.

In my blog, for Christy Eggert’s site, “My Wings Are Made of Faith,” I told of how I was at that infamous turning point when we are obliged to look to new beginnings. There is a strong parallel between the learning process of being thrown into my Mother’s Alzheimer’s disease, and my needing to prepare myself for a dramatic life change. But they stood in striking contrast one to the other, in my response to them.

1. Both were thrown at me at once. I felt Overwhelmed, and I constantly wanted to choose only one, not both. Both were new experiences about which I knew little and had to learn a lot quickly.  Did God Care? ...Yes!
2.  Mother’s illness affected me emotionally in the strongest way.  I was absurdly inclined to respond by reaction out of those strong emotions.  My mind just wanted to shut down and avoid this at all costs or scream. And scream I did sometimes!    While the issue with finding a life-craft was Discouraging, I wanted to dive in and accomplish something monumental, right away.  My mind soared with ideas, which I couldn’t get off the ground. Still it was Exciting. My emotional state, while dealing with Mother, fell on and affected everyone in my family and myself. Since I stayed at level 9 on a scale of 1 – 10, I hit 10 at every turn. It was noticed and feared.   However, my excitement about finally building something new in my own life, fell on unreceptive ears. NO one was hearing my cry, “I must be something else, or die.” I felt Alone. No one saw it as the good balance in my life of turmoil. Was God there? …Yes.
3. Taking care of Mother required patience, but knowing how to take care of her affairs was something I needed to know yesterday. No time for patience there. Every day I was faced with one more person who felt there was something I should have already taken care of. I didn’t even know what they were talking about. Learning it immediately was imperative. I had felt like I had No Choice  in the matter.   But, learning about a new life’s work was strictly my choice, in response to what I felt God wanted me to do; and I had little support from anyone. Everyone around me believed I didn’t need to change from doing what I already knew extremely well how to do. They wanted me to put this thing that was so all-important to me off, ‘til maybe -- never.   In everyone else’s mind it had to make money; in mine, it had to please God.  Was God listening to my heart? …Yes.
4. One, I resisted but had to face.  One, I embraced and would have to go it alone.   What does God say to that?  …One Plus God Is A Majority! 

Is it true? …Yes!

Mother is gone now and I miss her, but if I had to do it again, I would still fear the process as much as doing it once.  There is no way to make that easy.  Especially the part of tearing her away from everything she loved.

      The other, I still embrace, in spite of the fear and discouragement, because God had me build a foundation for it. And there has to be a reason why. 

 I never expected there to be such a correlation between mother’s disease and my future. (Jeremiah 29: 11-13)

My friends, I am hoping your experiences today, are profitable for a future, and knowing that every emotional, patience testing, overwhelming part of our day is probably building a strong foundation for … well, for life! And a future.

He said he came to give us an abundant life.  It’s a promise worth focusing on, especially when building a new foundation.

Lord, whether bound in a battle with patience and doing the things I fear,

OR drawn to a pathway, awkwardly following something inside, that has You pulling me along, to places no one else seems to think I should go…. PLEASE, make your presence known.  Allow me to see YOU every step of the way. AMEN.

St John 10:10 KJV …I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

So Glad Jesus Comes Looking

An Old hymn called - "I Will Sing the Wondersous Story", in its second verse, says: "I was lost but Jesus found me, found the sheep that went astray, Threw His loving arms around me, drew me back into His way."

The picture Christ elaborated upon, of the 23rd Psalm, in which we are the Sheep and our "Savoir" is the Shepherd is one Christ knew we would need if we found ourselves in a mess far from God's best path for our lives. I am so glad he comes looking for us. And I am so glad that he never rejects us for having strayed.  A shepherd sees his sheep valuable no matter what. No matter the condition of where he finds us, or the distance we've strayed from the path we started on with Him. He just throws his loving arms around us, and draws us back into his care. 
In this scenario, Satan is the ravaging animal who hopes that we wander into sin, so he can eventually devour us.  It is never so bad that we wander away, as that Satan gets his claws in us.  Not because Christ deserts us because of our sinfulness, but that we just keep exposing ourselves to an ever waiting predator.   Even at that, the most he can do is devour a sheep that belongs to God.  Even if we wander out into our own demise...we still are the precious property of the Shepherd....always ready to throw His loving arms around us and carry us home. Satan will never own the soul that the shepherd paid for with His own blood.

It may not always be as much fun hanging with the sheep as adventuring beyond the fold, but at least there is a mighty hunter as our guide, who protects us from anything higher on the food chain waiting to destroy our lives.                                                

Words for the  song “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story,” are from the Broadman Hymnal, copyrighted in 1940 by Broadman Press of Nashville, TN.  Written by FH Rowley and Peter P. Bilhorn, this song was originally copyrighted in 1914, and owned by the Nazarene Publishing House. 

“Yes, I’ll Sing the Wonderous Story.  Of the Christ Who Died for ME,”  (from the chorus) pg. 377.

Jesus is in the Business of Making sure we are safe from our sin.  See more

on the subject at

My Wings Are Made Of Faith.

Thank you Lord for continually looking for me when I stray, and for helping me clean and decorate my Heart House. Help anyone who fears that once they've faltered into sin -  whether they are far from the fold, or they just have a house needing renewal - help them know without a doubt that they still were bought with a price, and the shepherd isn't selling. Help them feel the total security of knowing you are the one keeping us. We are absoulutely not able to escape sin without your help.

Help people put sin in the box where it belongs.  Under the veil of the blood. AMEN

If we've asked Him ~

We Belong To Him,  He Lives within US.

Nothing can change that!

Cast Thy Bread Upon the Waters

As a child I thought casting bread on the water was the silliest scripture. (Ecclesiates 11:1) I simply could not imagine any reasonable spiritual application from such a silly saying.  On My Wings Are Made of Faith, Friday of this week, my blog speaks of how having a voice, no matter how small in our eyes, is a voice nonetheless. Speaking in meekness is not weak. When it has the power of God behind it, we can't imagine what miracle God is able to do with it. 

Jesus' parables of The Sowing of the Mustard Seed & the Lord of the Harvest, were examples of how if we plant a small idea, share a verse, speak softly when someone is hurting...so many little tiny things we can do or say that will be someone's first contact with the Love of God.  Scripture itself says it will not return void, so if we put it out there, it is going to do it's job, be planted in someone's heart or mind.

The importers, Smallvolume.com, offer a cute little basketry item that is the very image of what we should think of when we think “meek Sheep.”  It has long curly horns. LOL   When i put Meek Sheep into Google search, this is what I got. So cute!!!

http://www.smallvolume.com/product.php?productid=61113 

A very practical example of how one small voice is heard is in our democratic voting.  If, not one person casts their very small vote, there cannot be a million persons who speak in a very loud voice. The command of Christ to go into all the world to share the gospel was a one person speaking in a small voice kind of command to grow.  If each one wins one, then the growth is exponential.

Many of the Bible's parables portray examples of the law of increase. Early in the Book of Genesis God says to be fruitful and multiply. Jesus told stories to explain that if a seed is planted, after a nurturing amount of time, it will prosper within the cycle of rebirth, or renewal. It is important to add time to the mix. Waiting is another precept; time is an element of getting a harvest or making a profit. It just is.

In my story in "Wings", I hoped to illustrate an example, how as a young person, God taught me that He has ways of confirming to us, even years later, that our very meek offering to the "bread upon the waters" venture  will  pay off someday. The return may in fact not benefit us directly.  But the joy, encouragement, and satisfaction I got from just knowing, that "casting my bread upon the waters" was fruitful, was a memory that was valuable beyond gold. I learned something about God. His existence and reality was affirmed. To know God is working in your life and have affirmation is about my relationship with Him.  It is Him saying: "I love you, and I will bless your endeavors." It feels like a big HUGG from the loving Heavenly Father that He is.

Lord, I really have to have faith that writing these posts is a casting bread on the waters kind of endeavor. I hoped that one day my children would benefit from reading something from their mother's heart. I will leave it up to You to share it to the heart who needs encouragement. There is someone out there in cyberspace who casts their bread upon the waters, in faith with prayer, who longs to see your blessing.  Give them a peek Lord. Let them see you in what they are doing. "Hugg" them a little in Jesus name.  AMEN

  

Click on Hugg above to download a copy of or play The Gaither Vocal Band's song "BREAD UPON THE WATER" which reminds us to keep on casting our bread upon the water. Enjoy.

Joy to all,
and remember to:

"

"Cast your bread upon the waters:

for thou shalt find it after many days." 

Ecclesiastes 11:1

Other great resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Mustard_Seed

Maze of the parable of the mustard seed for kids.

http://www.maxipraise.com/mpkids/maze_mp.htm

http://www.maxipraise.com/mpkids/MAZES/SMust.html



Pilgrim Saints

As I have said before, I love cemeteries.  It isn’t macabre, its interesting because I am a genealogist, researcher.  But I have always loved the architectural nature of the stones, and the testimonies of the saints on them.  Upon finding their stones, and then looking up more history, I am amazed how often I find preachers and ministers among my ancestors. But it is the simplest poem sometimes that leaves the most profound testimony of the person.  An example would be Nannie Tucker, of the mid century 1800s. She lived in south Georgia and her stone has this message:

“NOT LOST BLEST THOUGHT,

BUT GONE BEFORE,

WHERE WE SHALL MEET

TO PART NO MORE.”

Age – 42

This appears on a classic arched topped carved stone. It has however broken at the base. As time goes on, that stone will become buried in the dirt and Nannie’s testimony will be lost to those who visit those grounds.  But by recording this, I hope her testimony will live on. 

Thank you Nannie Tucker for your lovely poem.  I didn’t see it on other stones in the area, so you  or someone in your family chose it especially for you.  It is a blessed thing -  your message.  And I hope to meet you some day, when I too have “gone before.”

Lord, thank you for the assurance we have of a spiritual realm to enter in, where we have a hope of a future where we shall never part.  Thank you for pilgrim saints who were pilgrims on this earth and left us their testimonies in stone.

St. John 14: 2 - 4

In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

For translations of this scripture other than the King James Version, check out Bible Gateway on the side bar.  Feel free to comment on the version you like best! And please share Nannie's testimony with someone today.

Cynthia...

Flowers for My Prayer Garden

Now abideth faith, hope, love (charity), these three -
but the greatest of these is love.
                              I Corinthians 13:13