Thanksgiving Greetings

 

All blessings past, now and to come,

We thank Thee, dear Lord,

For every one.

I hope that you have a wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving Day!!
~~~~~

“Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom,
O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”

                                                                                                                     1 Chronicles 29:11-13

Adversity 101

Here’s a timely verse that came to my attention that I want to share, but first, the backstory.  You may know, I just had surgery.  Let me tell you a little secret: I am SERIOUSLY not brave when it comes to any kind of medical anything!  My fear was so ENORMOUS that I don’t believe the Grand Canyon could contain it!

But God is bigger, and so is His love for us!

As I recently read the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, the simple truth of this verse rang:

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 

A beloved friend suggested that I email her mom because her mom had the same surgery years ago.  So I did.  Her mom answered any questions I had, and went a long way in helping me make a decision that needed to be made about my surgery. 

But what was more, her mom set out on a mission to fortify me with encouragement.  She calmed me.  She reminded me to keep my focus centered on the Lord, not the surgery. 

Each day, she sent me scripture.  Each day, she sent me support.  She hardly knows me, but yet, she poured herself out for me!

My friend’s mom is not just someone that has been through the same surgery, but someone that is GIVEN to the Lord. 

Straight away, I could see that she knows God’s comfort.  That her heart is finely attuned with the Lord’s.  That she daily seeks wisdom through His Word. 

As a result - just as the verse says - she is able to comfort them which are in trouble, by the comfort that she has experienced from God.

He chose one of His beloved children, a faithful one, to hold me up when I struggled to stand.

As I made a feeble attempt to tell her how grateful that I am, she writes back that not just the surgery, but

“…other sorts of trials I've faced over the years, have all helped me to get to know God better and to trust Him more.” 

Just like the verse says, her trials, have helped her to get to know God better. 

Her trials have helped her to trust Him more. 

Her trials, not the easy times.

Yep, Adversity 101.  We’re all familiar with that class.  The scope and sequence of His adversity course includes not only helping us to draw near to Him and realize at a deeper level His love for us and His trustworthiness, but also to prepare us so that we can comfort others.  And let me tell you from firsthand experience, she was prepared.  

Well, no doubt about it, I don’t much care for Adversity 101, and I might would skip class if I could get away with it.  I’m not so sure that I pass His course with flying colors either, because I seem to have to repeat it.  But, if that’s what it takes to be all that God wants me to be, then so be it.  After all, I just saw firsthand what good it might do for others, as my friend’s mom so willingly did for me.  Through her, God showed His love and faithfulness.  WOW!  I hope that He will use me that way too.  Maybe I won’t try to skip class after all.

On the Mend

This is just a post to let you know that I’m back home and recuperating.  I’m so glad that the surgery is now behind me!  Thank you so much for lifting me up in prayer!! 

This little Holly Pond Hill picture depicts this cloudy, cozy Sunday afternoon as I rest in bed with a good book, Hallmark Christmas movies, and the sounds of my family fluttering about.  I’ll be glad to get back to the busyness of life, but in the meantime, I relish these moments too.  

I hope that each of you have a blessed week! 

“ Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” 
                                                                                                                   Jer. 17:14

Thankfulness In Pictures This Week

Inspired by my sweet friend over at Life on a Back Road, my post today is about things this week that I am thankful for.  I hope you’ll visit her as she attempts to post each day this month.

On bed rest, waiting for surgery next week, to say that I am anxious would be an understatement.  Fearful, is more like it.  I am so thankful that the Lord is addressing my fear.  Verses leap off the page as I spend my morning time with Him.

 

 

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”  
                                                                                                        Isaiah 41:10, 13

His “text message” is that He’s going to hold my hand through this!  Wow!  That makes me feel seriously better!

I’m thankful for the surety of the changing seasons that God gave us.  Autumn being my favorite, I get a thrill over even the tiniest of fall things, down to seeing the backside of a fall wreath hanging on our side porch door.

I’m thankful for my hubby’s servants heart and hard working hands, who is pulling more than his fair share.  And I must add, I’m thankful for his fried okra!  He makes the best!

I’m thankful for my relationship with my children. I couldn’t have dreamed up such incredible kids! But God did, and oh how He has blessed me with all three of them!

Here I’m pictured with my oldest daughter, who is my middle child.  She and I frequently are told that we look like twins. ‘Tis rather amusing that her computer’s facial recognition signs me in as her - hee hee - she’d better behave herself!  She does, actually, and polishes her halo twice a day (…and her room, and anything else that my little clean gal can put a shine on!) :D

I’m thankful for the cozy crackling sounds and warm glow as we lit our first fire of the season on Sunday.  

For that matter, I’m thankful for the “lightered stumps” (Huh… I wonder, is that just a southern phrase?) that make for excellent kindling. 

It just occurred to me that lightered stump is quite possibly an unusual thing to put in a thankfulness post, but I am thankful for it, nonetheless. :)

So my next thankfulness subject amused me as I realized the irony of my fire/kindling subject.

I needed a distraction from dreading surgery.  So yesterday my Boy Genius and I set out on a quest to choose a new tablet that would suit me. 

Android?  iOS?  Fire OS (Kindle)?  7 inch?  8?  9?  Oh the choices!  He spent the day with me showing me youtube reviews, he told me techy things that flew right over my head, he patiently repeated and explained further… 

We decided to go for the new Kindle Fire that was released today.  (No affiliation at this point in blogging, just telling you about it.) So I’m thankful for this distraction, and something to look forward to and fiddle with as I recover. 

I’m thankful for a new Victorian chair too, that I am excited about.  I found it at a church rummage sale, but it was already on hold.  I was third on the list of prospective buyers – the first being a lady that owns a bed and breakfast, the second being a church member, and then me.  That didn’t sound too promising.  But the next morning, my hubby was bringing it inside, asking me where do I want to put it!

As I type, I keep getting attention from a certain little someone, so I must add her to my thankful list.  She keeps getting so close as she piles up in bed with me, that I’m having a time capturing any picture here worth posting, but I’ll just post it anyway. :)  

This kind of post is difficult to stop on, because God is infinitely filling our lives with so many reasons to be thankful.  But let me end here by saying, I’m thankful for you, and your visit today!  

If Only I…

 

“If only I looked like that!” 
                                   
                                    “If only I had her position in life!”

                                                                                  “If only I had her skills, her talents…”

Sound familiar?

If you were to be like her, who would be like you?   

God designed you uniquely, and NO ONE CAN TAKE YOUR PLACE.  No one.

God never meant for you to be like anyone else.  So why compare yourself?  He has fashioned you to fulfill His purpose and plans in a way that none other will or can do.

Do you not know how God sees you?

He sees you as His masterpiece. 

He sees you as having immense worth and promise!
 
If someone has made you feel insignificant, well, let me just say, they’ve got problems.  You are of great value to the Lord.  He has plans for you, today, tomorrow, and in the future. 

You are God’s workmanship.  Every trial, every victory, every tear, every joy, has a purpose in your life.  Allow Him to mold and shape you into just what He designed you to be.  

Almighty God, Creator of all, treasures you!  Don’t you think it is about time that you treasure you too?

Special Occasion Ranch Crackers and Pimento & Cheese Tea Sandwiches

On my last post, I told about my dad’s birthday party.  On this post, I would like to share with you a couple of things that I made for the heavy hors d’oeuvres that we served.

First up, tea sandwiches, southern style, with pimento and cheese.

Pimento and Cheese

2 cups medium cheddar cheese, coarsely grated. (Do not use store bought pre-grated cheese as it is coated to prevent sticking together and won’t make for a good texture of pimento and cheese.)
2 TBS pimento
1 TBS kosher dill pickle juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 – 4 TBS mayonnaise

Combine all, adding mayo 1 TBS at a time to control how creamy you want it to be.  Consistency matters, so pay close attention to how much you stir so that you won’t over mix, as well.

For the bread, I cut each piece with a cookie cutter.  Begin with frozen bread. 
1.  Press cutter firmly onto center of bread slice. 
2.  Keep cutter in place and pull edges of bread away from cutter.
3.  Gently push shaped bread out of the cutter.
4.  Immediately cover each piece as you go.

Once sandwiches are made, cover with a layer of slightly damp paper towels and seal well with plastic wrap.  This will keep bread soft until ready to serve. 
(For the party, I didn’t serve the sandwiches open faced, but pictured it that way so you can see the pimento and cheese.)

These Ranch crackers are addictive munchies and work nicely for a special occasion.  They don’t need a thing, but would be good with dip, cheese, or even with pimento and cheese.

 

Ranch Crackers

1/2 box saltine crackers
1 envelope of dry ranch salad dressing mix
3 tsp. ground red pepper (3 tsp. gives a slight kick, but use more or less if desired.)
1 cup oil

In a bowl, stir together dry salad dressing mix, red pepper, and oil.  Pour mixture into a 1 gallon size storage bag.  Add crackers and seal bag.  Gently coat crackers well.  Lay out in a single layer (semi-single works ok), and allow crackers to dry out before serving.  (I let them dry for an hour or two.) 


I’m glad that you came by today.  I hope that you will stay a while and browse around! 

Linking up today at: Miz. Helen’s Country Cottage
                             Joyful Homemaking
                             Saving for Six
                             What’s Cooking Love
                              Six Sisters’ Stuff

A Special Day!

It certainly was a day to celebrate – my dad’s 90th birthday! 

  
He’s a veteran of World War II with a purple heart (that’s him in the middle there),

and as charismatic now as he was back in the day!

As I’ve mentioned here before, he favors the character Rhett Butler from “Gone with the Wind,” 

And he married Scarlett,

of course,

which happens to be my mom… ;)

Their lives would make for an epic novel, no doubt about it!

 
Well, all of these aren’t “Rhett,” in character, so to speak, but here’s some pictures of Clark Gable…

 

And my dad…

 

My parents do resemble the actors a bit,

but what’s more, they remind us of Rhett and Scarlett!  :D 

He’s an amazing guy, my dad.  

He has a way about him – a classic southern gentleman to be sure.

He exudes charisma & could charm the birds from the trees!

 

He never meets a stranger, and with his quick wit, he manages to get a grin out of just about anyone, even if they’re the most dedicated sourpuss.  

He and I share a number of interests like history, collecting old recipes, a love for cameras and preserving memories , a love of nature and God’s creatures… 

This little puppy’s name was “Pandora” and he is bottle feeding her.

Now my dad doesn’t always think inside the box, “Pandora’s box” I’ll say, when it comes to his pets…

Where typically most people think dogs or cats with pet ownership, he does too, but not quite like you would imagine.

This is his idea of a house cat…

 

His “house cat” was an ocelot named “Savage.”  Savage liked girls.  My dad tells me that Savage would crawl up next to them and go to sleep like a kitten.  On the other hand, he didn’t much care for men, but he respected my dad.  My dad did a lot of traveling across the country, and Savage went too.  What a sight it must have been to see Savage sitting up in the back dashboard of my dad’s car!  

Other unusual animals that I remember my dad having are peacocks and a variety of exotic birds in his backyard by the lake, and llamas across from his house, which were really cute!

I love my dad’s zest for life, and there is a lot to be learned by it.  He doesn’t let challenges get the best of him, and his attitude reflects that there is too much to enjoy in life than to focus on the negative.  Optimism is his forte! 

Daddy and I both live 20-25 miles outside of town, in opposite directions.  So we typically meet each other in town for lunch when we can. 

After 3 course lunches, he with his iced tea and then coffee, and I with my iced tea and lots more iced tea, we linger a while.  Then we usually sit in his car and visit some more.  He always has interesting things to show me and tell me about.

 

All that to say, I’m so blessed to be able to celebrate this 90th birthday with him and it is with great joy!  A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s a picture of him on that special day!  

With much love I celebrate my dad, who is so dear to my heart!

From Doubting to Believing

“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”  Mark 9:24

This man believed.  He had doubts too.

Do you ever feel that way? 

Faith is necessary for salvation. 

Faith in the blood of Jesus – yes – that is just what is needed.  In Romans, scripture tells us that faith will count as righteousness.    

“…the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe…  Romans 3:22

Unto all, and upon all, that believe.  That means me.  That means you.  

God did not turn his back on this desperate father that we read about in the Gospel of Mark who believed, yet struggled with doubts.  Crying out, this man asked for help not only for his possessed son, but also with his own unbelief, & Jesus did just that as He changed this family’s lives that day.

I needed faith, & God changed my life too.  I was young, & not very armed with God’s truth, but my salvation began with a choice.

I chose to believe.

Limited in knowledge & understanding, with inborn & life given fears mixed with a dash of cynicism, I decided to follow Jesus.   

Before too long, I found myself asking Him to help me with doubts and unbelief that cropped up, as Satan enjoyed toying with my frailties.    

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”  Matt. 7:7

In time, many an experience would increase my faith in the Savior whom I know is trustworthy.

Here are a few things that I’m hoping will help to increase your confidence in Christ, or help you to be armed when you come across someone that is struggling with fears & doubts about trusting Jesus as their Savior.  

1.  Obviously, Jesus is a historical fact.  For the Bible skeptic, there is other historical documentation that tells of Jesus’ healings, followers, death, & resurrection.  An example is this excerpt from The Antiquities of the Jews/Book XVIII by Flavius Josephus:

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.” 

                                        
Seeing that even some secular history testifies to Jesus can be helpful. 

However, God’s Word is our most reliable source.
 
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.”  1 John 5:9 
                                                                              
 
2.  The old testament is full of prophecy that gave Israel the ability to rule out any imposters & validate the genuine credentials of the Messiah.   

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14  (See also Isaiah 9:6; 45:21-22; and 53, just to name a few…)

These scriptures were written hundreds of years prior to the birth of Christ!  The prophecies of the Old Testament confirm with certainty the identity of Jesus Christ.  The odds of someone matching up to these prophecies were astronomical, yet He was a perfect match.  

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,” Gal. 4:4

The fullness of time did come, and God loves us so much that He sent forth His Son.  Not just a prophet, not just a teacher, not just a man of God.  The Son of God.  The Savior of the world… 

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9

3.  When we get down to it, skepticism is doubting the truthfulness of God. 
 
“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.”  1 John 5:10

God does not deceive.  He tells us in His Word that His Son Jesus is the only way to eternal life. 

4.  I’ll set the scene here on my fourth and favorite point.  The disciples were terrified.  Their intimate friend, the one that called them to be fishers of men,

the one that they saw heal the sick, that turned little into plenty, that walked on water…had been apprehended and was to be crucified.


Imagine the panic they must have felt!  They deserted Him… 

Cowards!  …? 

(Did I grab your attention?  Truth is, had I been in their sandals, I may’ve done the same, but I really don’t want you to miss this point…)

They deserted Jesus.  Why do you suppose they did?  Out of fear?  Doubts?    

But they were anything but cowardly after the resurrection… Why do you think that is…?  

These same men BOLDLY preached Christ, in spite of knowing that they too would likely suffer death for doing so…(And all did with the exception of John).  Yet they courageously preached the gospel!

There is only one logical conclusion.  All doubt was erased and fear paled as these men saw with their own eyes that Jesus was alive.  

In the words of John: 

“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” 
1 John 4: 14-15        

5.  The disciples weren’t the only ones that would risk life & limb to spread the gospel. 

Because of his Roman citizenship, mixed with his background of a Jewish education, Paul was afforded a life full of opportunity & worldly comforts.  Yet once he experienced Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul traded in living the good life for spreading the gospel, which resulted in being chased, shipwrecked, stoned, beaten, & imprisoned.  Yet that was okay by him.  He was a man on a mission!

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” he writes, in Phil. 1:21.

Within weeks of the resurrection, thousands more abandoned their religious & social practices, becoming convinced that Jesus is the Son of God, in spite of facing the possibility of brutal Roman persecution.  

Ah, my friend, these few evidences that I’ve mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg.  There is so much to say on this subject that I could fill a book!  But I won’t.  God did that already.