The Thanksgiving that almost Wasn't

We enjoy watching this cartoon every Thanksgiving. Search for it and try watching it this year. They pray and even thank God for providing the food!

Hope in the Lord

   Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

 I find this passage very comforting. Through this passage I know I don't have to rely on my own fleeting strength. God will renew my strength. That's a comfort because I am not very strong. But as often as this verse is quoted, I rarely see the previous verses quoted with it. I have quoted the entire chapter below. I know it's long, but it is God talking to us, comforting us. These are tough times, even scary to some. But God has not forgotten us. He will see us through and give us the strength we need to walk through this portion of history. God is good and loves us more than we can comprehend. Let's trust and hope in Him together, uplifting one another in brotherly love.

Isaiah 40:6-31

 ¹ Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

 ² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
       that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for,
       that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

 ³ A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
       make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

 ⁴ Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
       the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.

 ⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.
       For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

 ⁶ A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass,
       and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

 ⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on       them. Surely the people are grass.

 ⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

 ⁹ You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain.
       You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout,
       lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah,
       "Here is your God!"

 ¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him.
       See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

 ¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms
       and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

 ¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
       or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

 ¹³ Who has understood the mind  of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?

 ¹⁴ Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?
       Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?

 ¹⁵ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

 ¹⁶ Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.

 ¹⁷ Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless
       and less than nothing.

 ¹⁸ To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?

 ¹⁹ As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
       and fashions silver chains for it.

 ²⁰ A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot.
       He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.

 ²¹ Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

 ²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
       and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

 ²³ He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

 ²⁴ No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
       no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

 ²⁵ "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

 ²⁶ Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?
       He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.
       Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

 ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel,
       "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?

 ²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.

 ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

 ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

 ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

BOOK REVIEW: GREEN By Tedd Dekker

BOOK REVIEW: GREEN
By: Tedd Dekker



Green is a science fiction fantasy about a man named Thomas Hunter who could time travel between two worlds. Well, actually between two times. Our world in the "present" and our world several thousand years into the future. What happened in one reality effected the other. It could be confusing at times and riveting at other times. The evil represented in the book was truly evil and gross. If you are squeamish I wouldn't recommend this book. I would not say that he was gross just to be gross, but to depict evil as it really is in all of it's gross darkness. The good represented in the book was as bright and pure as the evil was dark and stinky. Jesus was the ultimate hero in the book who was never in danger of loosing to the evil forces. He was in control all the time and Elyon's will (God's will) prevailed at all times.

I enjoyed the book, but as I finished it I was left less than satisfied because of the circular nature of the series. Green is book zero in Tedd Dekker's circle series. It is really unusual because it is truly written in circular form. I have never read a Dekker book before, and the author suggests that because this is written as a circle, a reader can start with any book and end with any book. I must admit that it took me quite a while to "get into" the book because I had never read the others in the series, but I was indeed able to understand the book and read it "out of sequence" so to speak. I am interested in reading the others now to see if I would have enjoyed it more if I read it in the order in which they were written.It never "ended" in the traditional sense, but led into the next book "Black." But I did enjoy reading the book and look forward to reading the others in the series.

Don't worry...be happy!

"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."

                                    ~Proverbs 12:25

My hubby works for UGA, and recently the state decided that their employees must take 6 days off without pay to offset their lack of funds. Since I do not bring in any money, we live very simply. We can pay our bills and grocery shop, and we take the kids to Burger King every once in a while. But we never have any money left over to save for future needs. We are OK with that, God has always provided. But with this new pay cut our budget is slashed by a whole $150.00 for the next 7 months. That's a lot for us. I was the epitome of the scripture quoted above. I couldn't sleep, as my brain wouldn't rest. I kept thinking of ways to save money to deal with this budget cut. I know God provides but I also know I have to do my "job" and manage what He gives us well.  So needless to say I was weighed down for quite a while.

But then one day kind words cheered me up just like the scripture says. I had kind words from friends - even friends that had no job for quite a while! They could have told me that I need to buck up and get a hold of myself, that having no job was far worse. but they did not. They empathized and offered me kind words of encouragement. What a comfort that was!

Then God provided free dog food from a friend. That was the first sign from God to tell me that HE sees our situation and provides. We went grocery shopping and got far more for the slashed budget than I would have dreamed! Another friend just passed clothes to us for the boys. Another provision from God! I can't wait to see what God continues to do, but one thing I know - HE WILL PROVIDE!

John 3:16

This is so beautiful!
John 3:16

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold.

The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said, 'Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you?

You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight.

Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay.'

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, 'You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in.'

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked up and said, 'John 3:16 .' The lady said, 'Come on in, Son.'

She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off.. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16 ...I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.

Later she came back and asked him 'Are you hungry? ' He said, 'Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food,'

The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself:
John 3:16 ....Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16 ... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean... You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.
The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16 .....I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible.

She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. Do you understand John 3:16? ' she asked gently.
He replied, 'No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it,'
She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and d ie. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end.  I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life....

If you aren't ashamed to do this, please follow the directions.

Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father.' Pass this on only if you mean it.

I do Love God . He is my source of existence..... He keeps me functioning each and every day. Phil 4:13 If you love God and are not ashamed of all the marvellous things he has done for you, send this on.

Take 60 seconds & give this a shot!
Let's just see if Satan stops this one.

All you do is:

1) Simply say a small prayer for the person who sent you this, 'Father, God bless this person in whatever it is that You know he or she may be needing this day   In Jesus Name  
Amen ! '

2) Then send it on to ten other people.
Within hours ten people have prayed for you, and you caused a multitude of people to pray to God for other people. Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life for doing the thing that you know He loves

Moving On

" ...But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."  Philippians 3:13-16 (NIV)

It is the mature thing to move on. That's what Paul is saying in this scripture. If we are mature we should be able to forgive and forget. I was thinking about that and trying to come up with why it is so hard for some people to forgive, let alone forget. We probably all have trouble with this to some extent to be sure. Perhaps sometimes we think we are protecting ourselves from further hurt. But the second part of what Paul says he is doing is pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God called him heavenward in Christ Jesus. How can we press on if we won't get out of the past and forget what is behind?  


This says to me that our focus is on ourselves when we can't forgive and move on. I have been there and it can become downright obsessive. I would brood and brood, think and think about what that person did. I would replay scenarios in my mind, acting out what should have happened, or acting out that person apologizing and changing. I couldn't go on with what God had for me to do while I was obsessing about my hurt feelings. 


We can't afford to be unforgiving. Not only does it render us useless for the Kingdom, but God can't forgive us our sins while we harbor unforgiveness!

Matthew 6:14 - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Mark 11:25 - And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.




We can't afford to live in the past so let's move on and allow Father God to heal us and restore us so that He can use us to our full potential for His Will!

House Hunting for Mom and Dad

The first 8 pictures arethe nicer house, the rest are that first house with the smaller rooms.

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