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.