Let

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:15, 16

In our Sunday School class a few years ago I had a series with the children which was entitled: "Know", "Let" and "Do".

These were obviously taken from the books of the Epistles. A sister in Christ, Hannah, are attempting to memorize chapters from the Epistles right now. It's been a challenge and a blessing. The above verses were in the chapter we learned last week. They were in the "kitchen sermon" I heard while washing dishes this morning too.

Everything comes back to God's Word and to Jesus Christ, our Cornerstone!

We are the ones who have to obediently "let"

I'm so glad for that!

I hope today is a blessing for you. Thanks for stopping by Darling Hill!

Jesus Christ, My First Love

“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means; the Lord be with you all.”

II Thessalonians 3:16

May the Christian's life show the presence of God daily. God is the one who is the master of peace. He could turn my peace to "off" in an instant. Lord, as I go about my daily duties, let it be done with my "first love" never left out (Revelation 2:4). 

Jesus Christ, the Presence of God; may HE be seen, not me!

Please pray for a man from our town, named Rick. I talked with him at my post office window yesterday. He has a lot of ungodly thoughts of our very church, from almost 30 years ago, prior to our pastor being in the pulpit. How sad. He grew up in the church but never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. I pray that he saw the presence of God yesterday. Syd and I are praying for his salvation, as many of our church family have been for many years.

An Evening Follow-Up

One of the messages my hubby chose last night was the SAME ONE that God used in my heart (the Kitchen Sermon from that morning) from Philippians 4! I did not bother to tell Syd that I'd already listened to it, that very day! I just praised God that He knew that I needed to hear it again.

What a personal God we have! If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, He certainly is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

I truly pray that if you do not know this personal Savior, that you will realize that He died for YOUR sin (YOURS). He wants you to place your faith in that fact. It is Jesus Christ who "reconciles" us to God. He takes your hand and places it into the Hand of God, bringing us back into a peaceful relationship with the Father; a relationship that was shattered because of the sin of mankind.

I hope that you have a blessed day!

What Am I Thinking?

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

This was part of the scripture passage that Hannah and I have been memorizing last week and for the upcoming week.

As I obediently put these things into practice, I wonder how many thoughts and words will be cut out of my mind and mouth. It will change the way I think and speak! Praise the Lord for this!

Satan wants the Christian’s mind.

It is the Lord’s will that we stop thinking on and pointing out all the wrong in everyone’s life. If not, we’ll never make it in the battle of the mind. I am praising God for the messages from God's Word that our Pastor brought this Lord's Day. These, followed up by a kitchen sermon this morning, from Philippians 4.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family. Our Thanksgiving week was such a blessing.

Please pray for a particular lady in our town. As far as I know she has not received the Lord Jesus as her personal savior yet. We, as women, have great opportunities to minister to ladies and young ladies. I am praying for the Lord to open the right opportunities this week, as she and her family are going through tremendous hardships. Her husband has recently confessed that he has accepted Jesus' shed blood and resurrection to secure his salvation. The physical troubles that have hit this family are hard to grasp. The Lord knows just what to bring into someone's life to draw them to Himself. Thanks to all of you Christians who will be praying.

He's Roaring; He's Defeated

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 

I Peter 5:8

What a reminder this morning. Satan would love to destroy:

my zeal,

my testimony,

and my family

It is amazing, though Satan is "roaring", we still fall pray to him at times.

I am thankful for the pastors and Christians who warn against this enemy.

I pray for Christians who are not warned regularly, or who just do not choose to heed the warnings and the "roaring". How our churches need ears to hear and hearts to heed.

For the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, Satan is already a defeated foe!

In The Inward Parts

It's chilly this morning! Early yesterday I had to take a brisk walk to the neighbors, to retrieve our Retriever from their compost pile! again! Ruger then got hooked outside, he knows "the drill", but his god is his belly.

This morning when we were heading inside (from our morning constitutional) I went to hook Ruger out, got inside and realized just how much WARMER it is in here. I couldn't leave him out there, so he's in, enjoying the warmth of the house (though he'd rather be running loose in the chill of the hill; not for a couple more days). Will he ever learn (to "just STAY HOME")? It takes us time to learn and to grow, doesn't it? Sadly, we can be so controlled by our "appetites".

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12

"truth in the inward parts..."

" worship Him in spirit and in truth..."

"...holy, acceptable unto God..."

a critical spirit; honesty about my sin; wrong or right motives; bitterness or an unforgiving spirit; 

pride in discernment...all things that only God sees within me...

...things that the Lord has me musing upon as I go into today. 

The action of every moment is a choice.

Those of you who do not yet know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior; When you believe (accepting) the finished work of His death and His blood shed upon the cross (taking your sin and the death that you would have had to die) and His resurrection to life; God will then take you out of darkness and into His marvelous light; the light of eternal salvation!

An exercise for this week: Thanks, Hannah, for the great idea of memorizing Scripture together! Galatians chapter 1 this week. I've had it written down and hang it or prop it in front of me as I work throughout the day. 

I praise the Lord for children and teens whom we can not only teach, but who (even into years later) encourage us to continue on with the Lord!

one of the feeding-station mats I paint; depicts Ruger well!

I hope you all have a good day.

Reminders

God gave me a reminder about unity this morning.

Syd and I praise God for a pastor who stands firm upon the Word of God! He always encourages us to pray fervently for people to come and hear the gospel and be saved and has encouraged us to get out there to spread the gospel by word and through the handing out of tracts. I am glad that the Lord called us to this place, a place where the pastor and his family have stood faithful for over 25 years. It is a blessing to drive along the road(s) in our town and pray for each of the families or individuals as we pass in front of their house, in our own town, most or all of whom we do know by name. By God's grace, tracts have been handed out to acquaintances and strangers, leaving the results up to God.

We have prayed for great revival among the Church, universal, "and let it begin in me", as the hymn writer penned it.  I am glad that it is God who begins and finishes His work in me and that He does not give up!

...only by faith, and believing that God will bring the increase! As the Word of God says, when the Lord returns, "will He find faith upon the earth?" Am I willing to have faith, be faithful and believe in His promises? Do I come boldly, or am I so "humble" that I don't dare ask? The Lord has reminded me this week,"Ye have not because ye ask not."

We are not George Mueller, but we pray to George Mueller's God! 

(another reminder God gave me this week)

A blessing today: a sermon through sermonaudio by A. W. Tozer, Unity That Brings Revival, focused upon the unity among believers before revival comes; united in prayer and in work. Please, I do not know a lot about A. W. Tozer (this is not an endorsement) though I have read many of his books through the years. They have brought great blessing to my own heart.

Keeping Out the Chill

I don't know what prompts me to take a picture of the first snow that "sticks". We have had flurries before yesterday and last night, but it was practically gone by morning. This morning is chilly, chilly cold, so the snow will stay around till the next warm up.

The firebox to our barrel stove lies there in the foreground of the picture. Syd works on that more today. He's fired it up already, preparing it for rip-roaring fires in the future, piping heat into the house!

This morning the kitchen quilted panels were hung. I still have to get the rings sewn on near the bottom corners, so they can be flipped up during the day. Between these, the barrel furnace and the other quilted curtains (not pictured), the house should be warmer this year! Praise the Lord!

The valances were already there, so I left them for the color & hung the panels underneath

Panels made from an antique tablecloth that we picked up at a thrift store; quilted with a blanket.

Thanks for stopping by on this chilly day. It's a good one for hugging the wood stove. I've been in the little room, hovering over ours some this morning. Take care!

Meditations

“That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to keep His commandments, as at this day.” 

I Kings 8:60, 61

As the election results come in it makes me think about how much we complain about the sad state of our United States of America. It is so easy to blame the politicians. This morning I am reminded that the Church is to have an IMPACT on the world around us. How much do I PRAY, earnestly pray and share the gospel with needy souls?

So many things there are to meditate upon throughout this day. God has us meditate upon them so that we'll be DOING them daily. I am thankful that He knows that there is a battle going on within us each day. So thankful that He forgives sin when we come to Him and confess it. "Keep short accounts" does not give us freedom to sin. I'm glad that He remembers that we are dust and only wants complete honesty before Him as I walk through each day. Without this I would live a life of constant defeat and guilt, wouldn't you? 

He does expect me to live perfectly before Him. He is the REAL God, before whom I can come honestly and confess my sin. The world needs to see that our God is THE God, not just A god.

We do God's Word not only to please Him but that the people of the earth may KNOW that our God is the ONLY God!

One Saved!

“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” Luke 15:7

We were blessed this past Lord's Day to hear the testimony of one of our young people who has believed on and confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior from sin!

The harvest is still plenteous! All of us in the church have had part in watering the seed that was sown in little David's heart. It is impossible to know how many times a person hears the gospel of Jesus Christ before he takes it to heart and places his trust in the Lord's finished work. It was another young person, a friend, who shared the way of salvation with David on Saturday, when he prayed and asked Jesus to come and live in his heart. 

In meditating on that today the Lord has been using verses from Scripture to stir me up to be giving out the gospel of Jesus Christ all the time! My hubby has been working on a tract to be handed out on Veterans Day, and of course into the future. As I typed it up last night, the Lord convicted me of my lack of faithfulness in this area. One of the verses was

I Corinthians 16:34 "...for some have not the knowledge of God; I speak this to your shame."

He was speaking to the Corinthian church, yes, but there are people all around me who have not the knowledge of God. What a shame.

Ours is such a personal God! I am thankful that He just keeps reminding and stirring me to new heights of service for Him. Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!

God Notices

“Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.” 

Matthew 26:13

Such a blessing for believers!

It does not matter what people think of your service for the Lord, large or small; whether it receives rebukes from other believers or by those who do not know our God. 

It only matters what the Lord sees. True service never goes unnoticed by Him. 

That was a blessing that God spoke to my heart about this morning. I hope you have a wonderful day.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 

Romans 10:9,10

Dear readers,

Do you personally know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? He took your debt of sin, the sin you will have to pay for at the Great White Throne. The Spotless Lamb of God hung on the cross and shed His blood in your place.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31

Believing involves a recognition that He is the true Son of God who paid for sin by His blood. He took that sin-debt in our place!

Autumn Pleasures

I saw a lovely cow Moose on the way to work this morning. Thank you, Lord, that you had me leave a few minutes early! I learned that I need to know my cell phone a little better...couldn't even figure out how to take her picture, sad! She stood there and let me watch her and talk to her. A ways down the road were some joggers heading up. They were happy when I told them that they would see a lovely moose beside the brook. I hope they did.

Such beautiful sunrises from Mom's

 These are some old favorites from years gone by:

2011

It has to be a squirrel down there!

"Uncle Frank's cabin", next door

Sweet Ranger

Sending Happy Birthday wishes to our buddy, Mike, today!!

Disturb Me

My goal is God Himself Author: Frederick. Brook My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace, Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God; ’Tis His to lead me there—not mine, but His— At any cost, dear Lord, by any road. So faith bounds forward to its goal in God, And love can trust her Lord to lead her there; Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer. No matter if the way be sometimes dark, No matter though the cost be oft-times great, He knoweth how I best shall reach the mark, The way that leads to Him must needs be strait. One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay; One thing I do, I press towards my Lord; My God my glory here, from day to day, And in the glory there my great Reward.

God reminded me this week that I was created for HIS PLEASURE not for my fulfillment or for receiving blessings all the time.  Sometimes I leave my house in the morning with a heart that wants to explode, rejoicing in how "happy" my life is. He does give blessings, over and over, often and often! But whether He does or not, I am created for HIM, not Him for me.

...just another reminder that I need Jesus' mind in me; that He'll stir me up - "disturb" my status-quo Christian life; that I'll step out, in step with Him. If I'm not growing, it cannot be blamed on "the times we're living in". God has not changed. Lord, please give me more faith!

...only by God's grace...

"If we're going to change the future we must disturb the present" -unknown

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11

A prayer request that has laid heavy on my heart for several days. I pray for Brittany Maynard, the girl from Portland, Oregon (I have read of her in the news) who is planning to end her life on November 1st because she has been diagnosed with cancer. I keep praying that a strong Christian will go to her and witness to her, many Christians! It has even caused me to think about getting back onto Facebook, simply to be able to go to her page and plead with her to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior. I will wait on Syd to make that decision. Please pray for her.

Reminders

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him..." II Chronicles 16:9

We have experienced a wonderful weekend and Lord's Day! I hope you have too. I praise the Lord for a pastor who teaches from the Word of God!

This morning is cold and Fallish, plenty of frost on the pumpkin! Today's post is quick and written with joy, while I rejoice in reading from Psalm 139 and listening to a Bible sermon on having a perfect heart - which I pray to have, don't you?

Many months ago Syd and I joined with a friend, Mike, to pray for true revival in our hearts and in the Church, universal. Of course this will bring revival among our local churches too. "Lord, let it begin in me!" I know that in my own heart I had been seeing a repeated critical spirit, grumbling inwardly (while "blessing" outwardly! what a hypocrite). Am I spiritual because I read the Bible and have a lot of head knowledge? No.

I am glad that the Lord doesn't give up on us! It is not how good we look on the outside, but what direction our heart is headed. He just keeps bringing reminders, reminders, reminders through His Word.

One huge help has been in teaching Sunday School. We have been reading verses on "walking, step by step". What a challenge these lessons have been in my own heart as I teach the children!

It's time to go OUT into this day. I pray that you have a blessed day. Thanks so much for stopping by.
I leave you with great pictures of the many hats of Mom! One day I may do a post on that. She wears many hats!

P.S. I didn't ask her to put any of these hats on, she just keeps wearing a different one down now and then. Such a sweet lady!

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. "  John 4:23

A Morning Web

It is sad that the Autumn season seems so short. I guess it only appears that way because from the time the leaves change till they fall off is such a brief few weeks. This has been the most beautiful one we've had in years! Soon will come the time to put the chairs away, clean out the flower gardens...always sad to say goodbye to the, zinnias and marigolds (who are happily thriving in this cool weather, for now).

This morning was a mild 50 degrees. Here is a really neat web that I found in the watering can the other morning. It was like an "orb"; can you see that it is like a ball in there? it's not flat. Does anyone know, is this from an "orb spider"? I don't know the difference between many spiders- yuck. This web was just BEAUTIFUL; fine and delicate!

What a blessing to be able to see beautiful things. They are truly all around us and I'm sure that we miss so much.

We have a special prayer request for Linda, the mother of a Pastor-friend of ours. She is in need of salvation and also very sick. Please pray that God will use His Word and letters of encouragement and witness that have been sent by many believers this week (watering the precious seed that has been already planted) to bring her to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, and thanks for stopping by the Hill on this beautiful day.

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12

Every Word

I am thankful for a Pastor who holds to the Authorized King James Bible. The translators had so much respect for God's Word that they painstakingly followed, letter by letter, jot and tittle, the Greek and Hebrew texts We are privileged to hold in our hands the Word of God.

"...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that  proceedeth out of the mouth of God."  

Matthew 4:4

I want an EVERY-WORD Bible!

Praise God that we hold the Word of God and not something 'translated' by dynamic equivalency!

I know many of you live in a place where Autumn is exploding with color. Here are a few shots that we have gotten this beautiful season:

These are from the top of Darling Hill

From the field across from our house

The beautiful lake in a nearby town

My Grandpa's barn

This photo taken from the only spot that Mom can see the road from her house. That's her house.

On our way home. It's one of my favorite fields in Autumn!

Only One Life

"...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12, 13

Praise the Lord that it is GOD that prods and empowers us to work out that salvation! He wants my WILLing heart, mouth, feet and hands.  It's by His power, purpose and for His pleasure. It's amazing that He would even use ME.  I was created by God for His pleasure.

Lord, as I step out of my house today, lead me to those who's lives you wish for me to touch. 

Lord, please use me or take me home.

I listened to the entire poem today:

Only one life, twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last. 

...And when I'm dying, how happy I'll be if the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.     

~C.T. Stud

Keeping

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

So often I’ve read it as a stand-alone thought but the context is so key…

put away a froward  mouth,

put away perverse lips (FAR away)

Eyes, look right on - straight before thee,

Ponder path of my feet, ways be established, remove my foot from evil.

It was a reminder that complaining, murmurings and disputings (that froward mouth) can cause me to lose my heart in that area. It is a sin against God.

I am glad that God reminds, again and again and doesn’t give up on me! aren’t you?

Maintaining Right Priorities

A question that came up in today's kitchen sermon:

How much do I do on a daily basis to maintain the priority of guarding my heart?

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

There were many good reminders concerning the heart:

Keep short accounts.
Don't get good at living a double life.
God's eyes are fixed upon my heart. 

"God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." 
John 4:24

The Romans Road

Dear readers, You who do not yet personally KNOW the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior; my prayer is that, after you leave Darling Hill today, you would please take a walk 

on the “Romans Road” by reading 

Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23 and Romans 10:9,10

…these verses are only a few of God’s riches!

I pray that your visit to the hill has left you with the Word of God and that His Word and God's Spirit will do the convicting work in your heart, leading you into a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Gross Post

If you really HATE spiders, don't scroll down too far. 

I am serious...this is a serious spider!

and I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to look.

There is a story that goes along with it. Last Friday evening we had eaten down at our house and I was taking Mom up to her place so that we could go to bed. Lately we have had a very LOUD exhaust on our vehicle because, though much work was done on the car, the exhaust was the least of its problems. Due to this, I have been parking out at the end of Mom's driveway so that I do not wake her early in the morning if I have to leave before she gets up. I say all this to express how THANKFUL I am that the Lord put it in my mind to drive Mom up to the house, then I would park at end of driveway and walk in (as she and I usually do). That particular evening Mom was having a sore knee, thus I was to drive her to the door... When we got there, the lights shining on the doorway, she started toward it and said, "What is THAT?!" On the threshold was the hugest spider I've ever seen in 53 years - my whole life! I did not dare just let it disappear into the grass, as I had to know what kind it was! Running to the back door, praying as I want, I got to the kitchen and grabbed a rubbermaid tub and the dustpan. With goosebumps, and Mom holding the flashlight, he eventually ended up in the container, which we pierced holes in AND taped shut! Needless to say, he spent the night out on the back porch. In the morning I could get on our computer and look him up. So, my PRAISE was that the Lord did not have Mom and I walk the driveway, as we may not have seen this guy and he could have easily slipped in through the doorway when we entered! As most of you already know (if you peeked) he is a WOLF SPIDER. Scroll down if you really want to see...

Just in case you don't, I will also tell you that I took him to the Post Office, where I work on Saturday mornings, covered the container with a napkin and let people know that they could look if they'd like. Most people did. I learned many stories about wolf spiders from my morning customers. One of them even caught a small spider from outside the PO entryway, which we dropped in for Wolfy, in case he was hungry. They did squabble a little but he did not eat him. Two of the customers relayed stories of their apartment building being infested with these spiders (same apt. building) and one of the ladies had reached into a nest and been bitten several times, ending up in an extended stay at the hospital, where she nearly died (she may have been allergic). The internet did say that their venom is not deadly but can cause much site pain and swelling of lymph nodes, worse if you are allergic.

wolf spider's bodies can measure anywhere from 1" to 3". This one was about 1.75 inches long.

 This next one's perspective is a little off, as the ruler being in foreground doesn't really show his true measurements. I wish I'd taken one from the front view. He was WIDE also.

A fuzzy picture, for a fuzzy spider...yes, they have hair!

We let him go in a field FAR AWAY, down the road.

So, that's your gross post for the day! Thanks for stopping by Darling Hill. I HOPE this won't keep you from visiting often!

Love and Thankfulness

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men...he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8

The sermon I just listened to leaves me almost breathless as the speaker, the pastor from Victory Baptist in Simpsonville, SC attempted to explain in a human, limited degree, what it must have meant for Jesus to do this. He gave illustration after illustration of missionaries who left everything to serve the Lord, unto death. I cannot express exactly how it convicted me of what I have not left for Him. This speaker is correct, as is our Pastor, when they say that we, Christians in America, have no concept of what it means to leave all and follow Him. I pray that the Holy Spirit keeps bringing this up to me and that I will learn the lessons, dwell upon Christ Jesus' mind and, in love and thankfulness, go out and serve Him more fervently. Please, revive my heart, O Lord!

Fair Time! and a Prayer Request

It's hard to believe it's time for the World's Fair already! Though we can tell by the temperatures that it's getting toward frosts at night. This is what I've been working on for an entry. I have not heard back from the "fair people" as to whether it can be entered, as it measures 28" X 50".

I was driving along the road one day and, sitting out against a guardrail was this HUGE frame with a print in it, one of those nondescript fruit prints. Right away I got a vision of a huge painting; turned the car around, parked and threw the print in the back seat. This is what developed. We've titled it "American Cabin". Obviously in folk art style, it shows Syd (with beard and favorite haircut), his fishing vest on and pole in hand. Sturm and Ruger are there in the foreground and our last dear dog, Ranger, in the background (as he so often was; silent and watching).

This photo is somewhat dark, so it's hard to see little Sturm peering through the grass in front of me. There is only ONE place in our house that this will fit. Once the wall going up the stairs is painted, that is where it will hang, at the top of our stair landing. It's fun doing folk style, as there's plenty of margin for "error" - and you could just call it "artist license"!

I'll take a picture of Mom's entry as soon as we are sure of what it is. She has a LOT of pieces to choose from, as she created such lovely things all of her life.

I wish all you "pray-ers" would please pray for Syd. He went to work today, for one hour, then drove himself to the hospital, as he'd talked with his doctor last night and was encouraged to get to the office today and they'd try to work him in. He has a 10:00 appt. but if any openings come up they'll get him in earlier. His kidney started squeezing late yesterday afternoon. No vomiting or fever, so not an infection yet, but they need to get an ultrasound to determine what's causing this. It could be the large kidney stone, which has been laying dormant for a few years in there. Last they looked, it was too large to simply pass and we've known that an operation or another blasting could be the answer. Thank you for praying and I'll let you know how he's doing.

Thanks for stopping by the Hill. I hope you have a beautiful day!

The Harvest Moon

"And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;" Genesis 1:14

The internet said that the sun would set at 7:16 p.m. last night, so I called Mom to see if she saw a hint of Harvest Moon rising on her side of the hill, nothing yet. Hurrying through my supper, and watching the horizon through our west facing trees, I grabbed the camera at 7:08 and hopped in the car. Guess who I met half way up Darling Hill? yes, Mom. She was walking down to meet me, thinking I'd be on foot. With not a minute to spare we rode up, just in time to catch the moon escaping from behind this cloud!

...and these, from a slightly different angle, as I was getting into the car. Of course, on camera I just couldn't share with you the night-sounds; that of the nearby owl and dogs howling from the house below. It was a BEAUTIFUL moonrise. 2014 Harvest Moon.

Making Orange Juice Without an Orange?

Future Sunday School lessons (here, very abbreviated)

Lessons From the Epistles~

I value the things that were repeatedly and patiently taught me while I was a baby Christian. These early lessons were just the beginning of a lifetime of lessons. Our church is filled with children. These young people are on their way to Christlikeness! During this past year our lessons have been on walking, step by step. Today's thoughts were scribbled down while reading Ephesians 5. Simply, lessons from the Epistles. Sadly, even a Christian can try to walk the walk without relying on the Holy Spirit.

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." 5:18

...speaking to yourselves, singing with grace in your hearts, giving thanks always, submitting one to another...

all impossible in our own strength.

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

An interesting observation, I thought:
Don't keep trying to make a byproduct without the Source!

This will lead to a Christian life of frustration, disappointment and defeat.

You can't make orange juice without an ORANGE!



Out my window today:

While I was making lunch I kept hearing Mom talking outside. When I went to the window both times, these are the things I saw. Sturm seemed to be listening intently; Ruger too, as Grammy pointed something out to him.

Labor Day Labors

Today was a good one for just getting a few things done around the house...things I see as I'm already almost out the door, saying, "I'd better get to that one of these days soon". Syd is fighting a kidney stone with possible bladder infection too, but we're treating it as best we can till he can see the doc. He coated the inside of the bed of the truck first thing today and is now up and down the ladder doing a very special job ("before and after" at the end of this post).
hint:

As I was outside taking a few pictures I noticed that we're getting closed in by jewel weed (spotted touch-me-not). I hate to whack it all down because the hummingbirds just go from one tiny flower to the other. We really enjoy seeing them busily collecting their nectar this time of year.

There are all kinds of excuses for not doing some jobs! I was washing a few windows this morning and decided to just wait on the outside of this one. Check out the intricacy of this busy spider's webs! It's no wonder we have not had any moths in the house for weeks! These webs are just outside our front stoop. I'll admit, I check quite carefully at 5:00 a.m. when I go out with the dogs. I'd rather not run into this guy face-to-face!

I bought a broken hay rake at a local farm-yard sale a couple weeks ago. I wanted it for this corner and got it hung today.  The weathervane arrow had just been kicking around. I like it here.

My Sweetie and I could hear "snap...snap...snap" while we were sipping coffee outside during late morning. The dogs indicated that it was a near-neighbor. Sure enough, it was Mom, making her way down through the woods, picking up sticks and stacking them neatly in little piles (you'll see them ALL through her woods). She came down for coffee and then we had some chicken salad sandwiches and fresh tomato from the garden.

After we ate, Mom went on her way through the woods, snapping and piling all along the paths. A bit later the dogs and I went looking for her. See how neat and orderly these woods' paths are? it's like walking through a park. Sorry, some of the photos shaky because I had a little dog often pulling at my camera arm.

piles, piles, everywhere...

Then we found Mom, not in the woods, but taking a coffee break at her house!

She decided to walk back down with us. Here she is beside one of her piles. No, she didn't just put that HUGE stick on there! though it looks it in this picture.

this mushroom totally took over the top of the stump.

The blackberries are really coming along. Below is Sturm's first taste of a blackberry. Ruger eats them off the bushes. Sturm kept taking it into his mouth and then spitting it out and trying it again. He finally did eat it; after all, it's something to EAT!

Our apples are SO much more plentiful this year, but not as good as in past years.

When we reached the house Syd was JUST cutting the last piece to his project. One of these days I'll relate the "Syd loves Cyndy" stories.

He said that he decided to place it "right here"...no, he was just getting the nails started actually.

See those orange leaves up there? hmm!

BEFORE:

the Tyvek had really taken a beating, hadn't it!?

AFTER:

And don't we look pleased?! We are! very pleased, and THANKFUL for the Lord's provision!

connecting and finishing this wrap around deck/porch is the next project

We hope that you all had a nice Labor Day. Ours on the Hill was a blessing.