Bits and Pieces

“I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee; I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.” Psalm 9:1-2

What a wonderful choice to make, daily, moment by moment. Yes, we all have moments throughout the day when we don’t feel good, cheerful, or even the least bit happy. God remembers that we are dust. Aren’t you glad? I guess the best way to look at it is that those “times” should be few and far between and hopefully SHORT! 

I do feel so badly for those who are going through terrible pain, sorrow and are at the point of death. It’s hard to put myself in their shoes, and I can’t say that I know how they feel. I can’t knowledgeably comment on those situations as yet. I do pray for many that are in that way. If you think of it, please pray for “Aunt Jan” (from Aunt Jan’s Corner, formerly on the  blog). She is soon to go on to be with the Lord. I know that she and the family can rejoice that she is going to be with the Lord and that they will see her again someday (some of them will), but I also know that there is much sadness and many tears being shed.

Around Darling Hill, lately:

Mom has somehow twisted her ankle. It was quite swollen last night, no fever. It’s on the same foot that she scraped very badly on Mon. night. We got that all doctored up but now with the swollen ankle she’s limping around. Icing it and elevation. The swelling was down quite nicely this morning. 

I’ve been working at a nearby PO this week and it’s a real old fashioned one. As you know I’ve mentioned that I want to write all about it. This morning is not the morning for it. Here are a few pictures. The first one is driving into town, looking from the backside of the meeting house. 

From the top of the Hill:

Syd likes to say, "it's the time of year that it looks like a painter took his brush and started tapping in the light green colors"

Just this week the maples started to get some leaves!

This photo is taken from the same town the Post Office is in. This is my Grandpa Norman's barn. Sadly, the house has recently been torn down. It's where my father was born (the house, not the barn)

On my way to work I kept noticing ALL these daffodils in this yard. The house is not being lived in, so I stopped and snapped a picture. They are so abundant, and continue way around the other side of the house! I must admit, I picked five of them!

Well, that's all from Darling Hill this week. Sorry I've been so long since posting, just so much going on! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a beautiful day.

Let Me Count the Ways

“Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; 

To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; 

Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky!”

-hymn

"We love Him, because He first loved us." I John 4:19

Today's musings on the Hill are simply on the love of God and my love, or lack of love, for Him. The Scriptures from I Peter 1 and I John.

After reading God's Word today, the kitchen sermon was called, The Many Reasons We Love Jesus (I don't think that was the exact title). One thing I was especially reminded of was that, if God's words are grievous to me, it is because I do not love Him as I should. The Bible simply states that His words are not grievous. 

Much like the stanza of the hymn above, I couldn't begin to express all that is in my heart, some things were simply reminders, some strong rebukes, all of it is there to meditate on and to DO. 

Now to go out and DO God's Word in obedience and by His grace. I hope that your day is a blessing. Thank you for stepping up on Darling Hill today.

A Wonderful Gospel Picture!

I believe Spring has truly sprung here on the Hill! I will admit I heard little ice balls falling onto the grass outside my open window while I slept last night, but it's still a sure sign of Spring! The bird calls are different too. Have you noticed? some of the 'snow birds' have returned from the South? As I drove along Mud Lane yesterday morning, there were the redwing blackbirds who love to hang out at the end of meadow expanses. The little juncos have come in droves, to the feeder at Mom's. Within a couple of weeks we'll be hanging our hummingbird feeder. I was telling someone a few years ago, how the hummers come right around Mother's Day. As we were speaking and hanging the nectar out, here came one! --whizzing around the corner! right on time!

I have yet to see anything green emerging from the ground. Still the only color we have seen are those bright little coltsfoot along the edges of the road. They have the "oomph" to push up through the toughest of ground. Their fuzzy yellow faces and their perseverance (along with healing properties, I'm told) are their only positive points, in my opinion. If they would stay out of my growing space I'd really love them!

What a wonderful picture Paul shared in I Corinthians 15. After giving the clear "gospel"; Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again; all "according to the Scriptures". 

"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die; and that which thou sowest , thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain; it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain; but God giveth it a body as it has pleased Him, and to every seed his own body." 

I Corinthians 15:35-38

What a picture of the gospel we have, every season! We get to witness a cycle of the seed dying, being sown into the ground, buried, and then rising up again in the Spring! How perfect our Creator is in really giving us all things to enjoy and all things that pertain unto life and godliness.

I hope you have a beautiful Spring day. It appears that ours will be a rainy one. Today is the last day of April - these showers are sure to replenish our wells and water those seedlings that are ready to emerge and blossom! Take care, all.

A Settled Peace

Opportunities

The Lord has an amazing way of meshing things together, teaching lessons along a particular vein throughout the day. As I was washing dishes this morning I was tuned in to WMUU Radio and listening to a Chapel Hour sermon from Galatians 6. Two things that stood out to me are:
We can be deceived into thinking that we are something when we are nothing (vs. 3), and that we can be deceived into thinking that we can mock God and get away with it (vs 7). HE sees when we either sow to the flesh, OR to the Spirit! It is a great comfort to know that God knows all about me. All around me, every day, there are opportunities for sowing to the Spirit.

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10

As I meditated upon these truths, finishing the dishes, I then sat down to open God's Word. The first thing that I usually do is look into the devotional booklet called The Feature. Two lines from today's writing said, "Who we ARE is not what people see, but what God sees." "He observes everything and keeps record of it." This was taken from Psalm 34 concerning the Fear of the Lord.

"Come ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." Ps 34:11 

These two portions of Scripture (Galatians 6 and Psalm 34) prepared me for going out into the world today.

One thing that I do love about getting out among people is to get to know the needs of others all around me. We have opportunities at almost every turn to meet a need. Sometimes it is by an act, but often just by a warm smile or a word of encouragement, very often with God's Word. When I stay home for days at a time I do find myself getting very self-centered. I know this can never happen to you ladies who are home with children. You never get a chance to think of yourself much at all throughout any day! It can happen with those of us who spend too much time alone though; it doesn't have to, of course. The Lord gives each of us a different path. At this time He has me getting out at least 4 days per week to work in a "secular job", which I view as "sacred", as everything should be for a Christian.

I am thankful that he "geared me up" this morning with truths from His Word, to go out there and take the opportunities that are around me. When I sow to the Spirit it will be seen by God (and perhaps ONLY God). When I sow to the flesh, that will also be seen by God.

Lord, help me to see vertically before seeing horizontally; but may I SEE horizontally and only 
'do good'. 

"And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Gal 6:9

These new, freshly-sprung fiddleheads (no they're not growing in our yard yet) remind me that God's mercies are new every morning!

More Lessons from the Lord and Mom

Being With Jesus

This morning I tuned in to WMUU.com (the music has changed from what it formerly was, but I went to the "sermons" section). Today's kitchen sermon was entitled "Spiritual Amnesia", Phil Gerard, Bob Jones University. It was taken from Deuteronomy 8. One key verse was, "Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God...lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein...and thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God...", these are from verses 11 through the end of the chapter.

I only want to say that it was a blessed reminder, using the nation of Israel as example, of God's rich blessings that I experience every day and the warning to not take these for granted and to forget that it is He who even allows us to wake up each morning! It was all that, and much more. Adding the Word of God ('extra-cirricular' (if you will) to that of spending our quiet time in prayer and Bible reading) has been a rich blessing to me. Don't let anyone or anything deter you from spending whatever time God allows, over and above hearing the Word in our church services and Bible reading (both of which are utterly vital). As long as we are not entertaining heresy or simply looking for someone to 'tickle our ears', the Word of God can and should permeate the child of God. Soak it in like a sponge, but then let it flow out into the lives and ears of everyone around us. We want to have God USE these things in our lives, that God will be glorified and that others will know that we have "been with Jesus".

It's a beautiful Spring day! Thank you for stopping by!