Of Holiness and Hummingbirds

"But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, sanctification and redemption." I Corinthians 1:30

I am so glad that my redemption could not come from ME. So often we Christians can, however, think that somehow our righteousness can be kept by us. I read a wonderful quote today:

Sanctification is not imitation, but impartation

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I cannot produce righteousness. HE is my righteousness. Only by walking in the Spirit will it be expressed. We do have to make the decision and take the steps to walk in the Spirit. Our Heavenly father naturally produces the fruit. He IS the fruit! We have put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He IS our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption! I do God a huge injustice not to latch onto this truth and walk in the will of His loving heart and Word. So often I forget that it is the Lord who is conforming me. I am not conforming myself (or anyone else, for that matter)

This was an encouraging verse to me today and I hope that (if you are a child of God) you can be encouraged by it also.

This morning the hibiscus has all four buds open and shining for all to see. Thanks, Sarah, for this beautiful little tree!

Mom and I ate the first cucumber from her vines yesterday and we picked the first summer squash. Those of you in other parts of the country must think we're a little behind here - well, it's because we are! There are LOTS of tomatoes coming but none of them are ripened yet.

I left Ruger with my mom after lunch, so they could go for their walk. She called a couple hours later and said that Ruger "told" her he wanted to come home. Pretty soon I saw them walking down the driveway together. We sat out on the back porch and watched the hummingbirds flitting from these hibiscus to the fuschia and then to the hummingbird feeder. They were busy! Then we saw them down in our jewel weed behind the house. They'd stop at each tiny orange blossom to get nectar. It was fun to watch while we sipped our afternoon coffee.

The morning is wearing on so I should get dressed and off to write a few checks at work. Ruger "told" me that he'd like to go along (he always goes with me to my bookkeeping job), so I guess I'll let him, since he asked nicely. Sturm still will not warm up to Eddie (who comes in for part-time work) so he has been staying home and seems to be content in his kennel -with treats in his ball to keep him busy. I showed Eddie this photo yesterday (it's on my desktop at work) and told him that "Sturm really can be a cuddly puppy, see?"...

...all he said was, "yeah, look at those teeth, I think he's thinking about ME! Grrrr!" Why Sturm won't get used to Eddy, I do not know. We've even tried treats. Oh well, best to leave him home.

Thank you for stopping by today. Hope you have a really special day.

Simply Home Things

We visited a country store a few weekends ago. This little log cabin incense burner reminds me of my childhood. My uncle had one at their house. It is at their home where my family spent many Saturday nights and where we spent almost every first-day-of-hunting. Occasionally Aunt Jean would light the little balsam incense and I would watch the smoke waft from the chimney.  I can smell the balsam scent even now as I think and talk about it. I was happy to find one and rekindle those happy memories from my young life.

This little bear was made by our friend, Hannah. Isn't he so cute? He's made of burdock, which is such fun to work with. Hannah made many animals on Sunday afternoon. I was happy to get this little guy. Of course, I had a few rocks on the counter (after filling my most recent name-rock order, last post), so Bear had to be seated atop them.

A funny story about one other burdock creation...Mom and I made an owl a couple years ago. I had put a picture of it on the blog. It was quite life-sized and was perched in a tree near the road. Here he is:

He looked very real until one day, on our way to church, Mom and I were driving by and spotted Owly hanging upside down from his branch! A bad idea: Reaching up above your head to fix any burdock figure. I made this mistake and flipped Mr Owl upright, forgetting how many little burrs would come down around my neck and into my blouse! I squeezed his feet back onto the limb...then picked tiny prickles from my neck and hair (and stomach!) for the rest of the day.

What could be homier than a couple of cuddling puppies. Mom's been coming down for dinner here lately. Photos from a quiet evening in the cabin.

Sturm and Coco (she's been with us for a week)

This morning our neighbor across the road called. She was warning of a bear that just passed through her back yard. Ruger's been out all morning, with his nose in the air, but thankfully has not strayed further than our driveway.

Well, it's back to painting names on rocks, as I have another order to fill. The simple home things are wonderful, aren't they? It's these little things that make our house a home. Those of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have so much more to look forward to in our Heavenly home. It won't be these simple, earthly pleasures though. It sounds so different, reading this passage from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, as I am so used to reading it from I Corinthians.

"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him." Isaiah 64:4

One day these old "home things" will be gone forever and born again believers will be with our Father in Heaven! -for all of eternity!  Thanks for stopping by our earthly home this morning.

Stranger in our Midst

Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

The Lord blessed me this morning from these promises from Romans 8.

I'm glad you stopped by the hill today, as you can see the lovely hibiscus that has come out on my back porch! The little tree seems to like it out here best. The overmuch rain had caused all its leaves to turn  yellow and fall off. Now there are lots of new leaves and blossoms! Yesterday morning it looked like
this:

you can see all the other flower buds too!

 Last night Syd told me to look out on the porch. The hibiscus flower was completely unfurled! So pretty!

I only take this one to show, again, how far across it reaches, and the pretty stamen. Sorry it's fuzzy

That was an exciting discovery. When I went to work and was sorting the mail, a man stepped into the lobby and said, "Do you have any coffee?" My co-worker, Dave, and I looked through the PO window and there the man stood. I said, "well, I could make you some". I think that took him by surprise --but then, I was the surprised one - to see that I didn't have any coffee with me. I'd run out a few days prior and had not brought any more from home! Anyway, in the fridge was almost a full cup of STRONG stuff which I'd planned on making iced coffee from. I heated it in the microwave while he told us that he is walking to Pennsylvania! -and has been sleeping outside. Neither Dave nor I got the whole story, but while the coffee was warming, the man asked me, "If you were to die today, would you go to heaven?" I replied (emphaticallly), "YES!" He said that he thought  I said that with alot of confidence and I explained to him that I knew the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior, so, yes, I would go to be with God when I die. He is also a Christian and said that he'd been giving out gospel tracts on his travels and that many people in this part of the country don't give such an affirmative answer. The man, Nick, continued to sip his coffee while we all made some small-talk, then he left.  Of course, after he left, I wished we'd asked him many more questions and that I'd had more food (or candy, or anything) to give him for his trip.

I do not know why God sent Nick along; perhaps so that he would have contact with Christians who would pray for him in his journey, perhaps to be a testimony for Christ to my co-worker, perhaps just as a real encouragement to me (as this truly did "make my day"). Syd and I are now praying for Nick and will be bringing him up for prayer on Wed night at prayer meeting, so that other believers will be praying him on his way.

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2

I pray that you have a blessed day, and THANKS for stopping by Darling Hill!

God's Promises are "Yea"!

Multi-tasking this morning brought me to doing dishes and listening to a precious sermon at the same time, which I try to do often. This morning's message was a special blessing from II Corinthians 1:20.

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 

Put the promises of God in your cart!  As I go down the aisles of Scripture I can know that God gives me His promises. Two things that the speaker said though, were good reminders:

Read the label; is this promise addressed to you (or are you getting someone else's mail?) or (for instance) is it for the nation of Israel? or perhaps addressed to a specific individual? 

(r.e. Haggai 2:23, to Zerubbabel)

Due to the fact that Syd cannot eat certain migraine-causing substances, I am a huge label reader! I also work at the Post office, so these questions stood out to me.

Is the promise conditional? and am I submitting to the condition? Psalm 37:4  It is easy to say, "He shall give thee the desires of thine heart", but am I truly delighting myself in the Lord?

At this time I'm experiencing some changes in my body which seem to affect  me emotionally. Am I faithfully committing every area and instance, where irritating "rubs" come along, to my heavenly Father?  I say to myself, 'If not, I am out of the will of God!'

His Word tells me I cannot just "grin and bear it", gritting my teeth all the way, but 

"...unto all patience and longsuffering, with JOYFULNESS..." Colossians1:11

The most important thing to me right now is that I stay in the Word of God so that I can faithfully do my daily tasks. 

Our heavenly Father is so good to us!  He's given me an opportunity to take orders for "name rocks" (my own I have at my PO window) At 5:30 this morning I was delivering my rocks to the Post Office, as this particular "order" came from one of the girls who works there. Here are a few pictures, which don't show the intricate detail, but gives an idea of what they look like:

Her order was for 10 "sister's" rocks (all her sisters and sister-in-laws) and for all 6 of her grandchildren

these are a little blurry, sorry

All boxed and ready to go out the door

I was able to finish the last three up last night. It was a fun project.
I'm so thankful that you stopped by Darling Hill today.  Come back and visit often!

Summer Buds along the Way

It's a beautiful day on Darling Hill! The clear skies are peeking through the trees and their tips are showing spots of the sun coming up from over the knoll behind me. Mom is already experiencing the full sun on the east side. Yesterday was a HOT one and perhaps today will be the same. Our tomatoes have now decided to put on some height. Mom & Sarah's tomatoes, though not as high, are sturdier and covered with yellow buds!  Buds on the tomatoes, that's SUMMER!

See? my tomatoes have no buds yet, they're reaching for the light. They've done pretty well in this spot during past years, so hopefully they will again. The lettuce is happy!

It's early and these two pics were from this morning. Ruger takes his last few breaths of fresh air before having to come in for the morning while I am at work. Here' he rests beside the zinnias. Don't let that "Keep out" sign fool you...it's not for people, just chickens and dogs (that's the other sign, to the left of it). You're welcome anytime!

I had a hibiscus tree in this garden (potted) that my friend, Sarah, gave me. I have moved it to the back porch where it will get sun but less rain. Poor thing, its leaves were starting to yellow. Now it has beautiful tiny buds all over it!

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5

This verse, the entire chapter 37, was a blessing to me this morning and it is the one that I'll have printed out and sitting on my desk at the Post office today.  How we need our "way" committed to Him every moment, don't we? I am so glad that He is the God of the Christian's "way"! - every footfall must be committed to Him.

I hope that you have a blessed way today. Thanks for stopping by the hill this morning.

Fighting and Victory

I watch two beautiful male hummingbirds fight over the feeder and wonder - what are they fighting for? Perhaps it is for mating rights or possibly just for the right to that nectar! One thing is for sure, they are fierce and often fight to the death.

This made me think of II Timothy 4:7, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." I am so glad that God has left us with the Bible; our guidebook for the Christian life. The example of Jesus Christ Himself, the apostle Paul and heroes of the faith are there for us to follow. Their lives are those of victory, not defeat.

I read a quote this morning: "He (Paul) spent his life fighting for something that would outlast him",

and wondered, what am I fighting for? Am I fighting with eternity's values in view? The Bible gives one passage (and there may be more) that illustrates the self-introspective, often conflicting and confusing struggle between the flesh and Spirit. The more Paul struggled with it and yielded to the flesh, the more he used the word "I". His life shows, obviously that he didn't yield to his flesh regularly, but claimed the promises of God on a daily basis. Praise the Lord that we can do this and these Biblical examples prove that a Christian can live all of life this way!

Lord, please keep me from groveling in so much self-introspection that I never get to see your promises and to claim them daily, for victory this life.  When I claim them, help me DO what your Word says; and not make excuses like, 'I'm waiting for the Spirit to move me' (though I want to be led only by your Spirit). With eternity's values in view, Lord!

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." I John 5:4

I hope you have a really blessed day. I suppose these are the dog-days of early Summer. We've been getting some pretty heavy thunderstorms in the afternoons. Right now the mist is hanging heavily. This picture doesn't show it justly. It's truly beautiful and still.

We found six shutters, free, on the side of the road the other night! I have wanted a little potting corner or shed for quite some time. Here is my makeshift one, at the end of our porch for now.

I see the victorious humming bird, back to drink from his feeder. Take care, and thank you for stopping by Darling Hill!

The Peak of Summer

The skies have been blue and partly cloudy with the most wonderful cloud formations lately! What a beautiful place to live, this side of Heaven! I hope you're enjoying your beginning of Summer as much as we are here on Darling Hill.

Syd's Mom and husband, Bob, were up camping nearby last weekend and we got a chance to go see them at their campsite. 

Syd & Bob went on their long-awaited golf day.

golfing is new to Syd; though he used to caddy for his grandfather and did some golfing as a teen

Bob got Syd some clubs, so now it's time to test them out!

Syd's time is demanded upon more than almost any man I know, though he would not complain or say so (I am excluding you fathers out there who are CONSTANTLY called upon for everything imaginable!). I won't go into the particulars (and I'm one of the chief "hounders"). Because of this I just encourage him to get away by himself once in a while, whether it be in the canoe or on the driving range. In 32 years, this is the first time he's actually taken my advice on this matter! yay!

I was challenged by a message my hubby preached Sunday night. It was on prayer..."It's time to pray"; that is the statement God used and is still using to prick my heart. Today I was reading from Job 42. "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends..." (verse10). The prayer emphasis on Sunday night was not so that I will get something from God, of course, but because prayer is a commandment and needed immediately and without ceasing. In our children's Sunday School class we've been studying about the greatest commandment, the one on which hangs all the law and prophets; LOVE. How can I love properly without constant prayer?  I read the following verses from Galatians this morning also:

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." 

Galatians 5:13-15

Isn't it funny that verse 15 is in there? It just hit me today. Christians can bite and devour one another, and obviously can consume one another! What a shame. Coupled with these verses on not being in the flesh, but having true love for one another, it makes a perfect contrast. If we're not loving we may be "consuming". WOW!

stop pouting - start praying; stop complaining - start praying; stop biting - start praying; 

stop demanding - start praying.

Meanwhile, back to Saturday:

my Moms

The mothers and I decided to head out for a flea market and some ice cream. It was a really enjoyable time. We finished up with a dinner under the canopy.

here we are, all blinded by the late afternoon sun - SMILE everyone!

"Bye Mom & Bob, till next time"

For Father's Day, Syd got Bob the cutest coffee mug. I wish I'd taken a picture of what it said. Something like..."Happy Father's Day, Dad. I know, of all your kids,  I'm you're favorite!"...the other side said "Sorry the others can't be as awesome as ME!". Bob got a kick out of it, and can't wait to show it to his real daughters! (of course we know they won't be offended, as we know the girls already. They'll get a good laugh over it).

Enjoy your summer day. Tomorrow is the longest one of the year! Thanks for stopping by the Hill.