Friday, October 31, 2008

No Relish Please

These (Hot) Dogs Are Stepping Out in Style
No Relish Please, just a few Doggie "Treats"

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Any Time is Harvest Time


Don't confine the "Harvest" to Fall....
Take your "Harvesting" on into the other seasons.
For
"He who winneth souls is wise...."

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

It's Not Easy to Look This Good


Haven't you ever wondered what others first see when they meet us?

Side Note:
I truly believe that the saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" can only be taken so far - and this definitely has passed the limits of any reasoning. Seeing this creature is like ramping up for Trick or Treat three days early.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A Dear Deer

It's Deer Season in Belmont California

This is the sight my granddaughters, Madi & Cassie, and their mom Barbara saw on their way home from school Monday. Can you believe this buck stationed right behind their house in the hills of Belmont's city limits? Wonder if this guy is looking to be recruited to work for Santa, or maybe he will consider staying around until the holidays so the girls can use him as a Christmas decoration for their yard.

BTW, this guy is the neighborhood buck, and it seems he's always sitting on their back hill - and Monday there were additions, three other deer sitting and walking around. Just tells me Christmas is coming. Well, really Winter but I like the Christmas thing better.

Thanks Barbara for the great pictures.

Monday, October 27, 2008

That's A Mouth Full

When down in the mouth, Remember JONAH.
He came out safe and sound.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

There Is...


There is a river that flows from God above
There is a fountain that is filled with His great love
Come to the water, there is a vast supply
There is a river that never shall run dry

The Fountain shown is located in the Han River, Seoul, and has an off/on switch to elect when to let water spout into the river. Hopefully our spiritual fountain isn't set up that way; and if it is, Sunday is the perfect day to wade out into the water for repair at your local assembly.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Friday, October 24, 2008

Can't See? Believe Anyway

Miracles Begin While It Is Yet Dark

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Multiple Choice Question


Which best fits as the moral to the story of the Tortoise and the Hare?
A. Slow and steady wins the race.
B. Success depends on using your talents, not just having them.
C. Arrogance often leads to failure.
D. All three of the above.
E. None of the above.
F. Finishing the race means we shall receive an eternal reward.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Along for the Ride


Sometimes life takes sudden turns....
....without using its turn signal!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Tale or The Tail?

This takes chicken nuggets to a whole new level.
Notice their "food" is BBQ sauce.
Now I ask, is this the "tale" or the "tail" of the chicken?

Either way, I will have a whole new prospective of McNuggets
the next time I eat them.

Monday, October 20, 2008

"FALL"ing in Love

I Love the Many Faces of Autumn....
....faces of God's handiwork painted on life's canvas.



Yes....I am in LOVE with THE CREATOR

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Peace Be Yours


May Tranquility and Inner Peace Be Yours Today

Photo: Japanese Gardens, Golden Gate Park San Francisco

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Friday, October 17, 2008

Whole Lot of Shaking Going On


Ancient 1000 year-old Olive Trees in Israel

The scripture keeps entering my mind, "Everything that can be shaken, will be shaken". I believe this scripture is God's way of saying, hold on with all your might. It is obvious when looking round and about that I'm being shaken, you're being shaken, most everybody is being shaken. So here's my thoughts in verse, The Shaking of the Olive Tree. (Actually, it was a poem I wrote quite awhile back but seems to fit my thought process today).

Yellows, yellow greens
protrude from natural surroundings.
Unveiling a grove,
a symbol of times past, the Old World.
Its spiked leathery leaves
outline the perimeter of each tree.

Clusters of small, oval bodies
peek from among the branches.
Soon the fruit will be ready,
and then will come the shaking.
Jerking motions
formatted as convulsive shudders.

Each stark movement seems bent
on arresting the ripened beauties.
It's a harvest of great value,
a shaking not being meant without resistance.
For this is the season of
The Shaking of the Olive Tree.

We must trust in the Shaker, our Lord, like never before. We can't let our harvest's offerings be ruined by the shaker of this world, our enemy. Truly, there's a whole lot of shaking going on - but we can overcome by holding strongly to the Tree (the Tree of Life).

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Power or Love?


Most men pray for power, the strength to do things.
Few people pray for love, the quality to be someone. R.D. Foster

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Stand Still!


Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Monday, October 13, 2008

Where's the Pin Cushion?

In Proverbs 31, there is reference to where the “jewel divinely rare” makes fine linen, sells it, and then delivers it to the store. This scripture reminds me of Dorcas, the benevolent seamstress of the Bible. I imagine she could whip up an outfit in no time, and her garments probably looked as good on the inside as on the out. Not many of us can do that but thank the Lord it isn't a requirement to being a child of God. However, I do believe that we should be able to sew on a button. But please, no safety pins unless it is an absolute emergency.
Why did I mention PINS !!??!! Well, there was an occasion when my girls, Kellee and Alisha, were getting ready to go to a senior youth camp. Both had a couple of favorites they wanted to take but were in need of repair. All went well until I got to a certain black skirt. Before I could sew the hem back in, the safety pins had to be removed. Would you believe there were enough pins in that skirt’s hem to fill a whole pin cushion? Plus, there was a ruler's length of scotch tape and a couple of staples to extract too. No wonder every time my daughter wore the skirt, it glistened brightly at the bottom. I still chuckle to this day, and have the hardest time ever using safety pins on anything – emergency or not. LOL

Now I said all that to say this - for us to be usable jewels, we must keep our garment mended. Don’t pin it, scotch tape it, or staple it. Use needle and thread (i.e., prayer and fasting) removed from our pin cushion (i.e., the Bible) to do the job right. In order to please Him, we can’t let our garment unravel or fall apart, and surely not be weighed down with pins (i.e., cares of this life).

....Happy Mending….

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Fill My Cup Lord


It's the Lord's Day
Awake to the Aroma of His Presence

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Friday, October 10, 2008

His Prescription for Us


There are days when we need to look at the world through rose-colored glasses - seeing only the beauty that God has prescribed for our lives.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Check the Territory First

Here's proof that if we elect to venture out on our own without checking the territory first, we could be in trouble.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

He Is


The Lord is My Shepherd

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

One Stone at a Time


"Remove hence to yonder place and it shall move..." Matt 17.20

An old Chinese proverb says, "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." That's a pretty powerful statement because mountains come in many sizes - some tower mightily overhead, some are mid-sized, while others look like ant hills. However, with each mountain comes a challenge - a challenge that each of us face every day.

I can't speak as to when your mountains will be removed. That is up to you. And I don't know when my mountains will either - but everyday I intend to pick up a small pebble of hurt, discouragement, failure, and list goes on, that has lodged in my heart, and place put it in God's wheelbarrow to be carried away. Some days, I will notice a boulder or two has been placed inside the wheelbarrow, not of my doing. It will be the labor of an Unseen Hand who is helping make my load much lighter. Today I will continue my quest, laboring to remove one stone at a time - for in time, one of my mountains will be gone and victory will come. Then I will move to another of my mountains and begin the same process. Will I be defeated? No, I can't be...for when I fail to at least try, I am telling the world that there is no God.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Which Way?


Choose Carefully & Prayerfully

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Dare Ya'



Dare to be
.........Different!

Friday, October 3, 2008

My Favorite Angler

Here's what's happening with my grandson, Preston. He really has a passion for fishing, and seems to be quite at home in the water. Living in Bend Oregon offers him an angler's paradise with the adjacent 100-plus lakes, streams and rivers. In these pictures, he is enjoying the attributes of fishing in the Fall, which many say is better than in any other season (water cools and fish feed before winter sets in).

This is one of the guys Preston was trying to desperately catch but it just sat there and snubbed its nose for a couple of hours. Crazy thing was that although it wouldn't bite at the bait right in front of its nose, when the bugs would land on the water it would jump up and eat them.

Keep on catching 'em Pres, and I'll try to make it up to enjoy a fish fry one of these days. By the way, You Are the Man, and definitely are my favorite fisherman.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Let's Try Listening


"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear"

Why are we always trying to tell God how to handle the situations in our lives? Don't we realize that they would get resolved quicker if we would just present our petitions to Him and then LISTEN for His answers?

Side Note: Strange how we have "ears" to hear everything but His voice. On second thought, it's not strange, it's pitiful!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

No Fast Foods Here

BLESSED are they that
HUNGER

and THIRST

after RIGHTEOUSNESS