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.

Will I Let God Change Me?

"But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." II Cor. 3:18

My Sunday school class children and I were talking about the wonderful promises from God's living Word last week, as we have been doing for many weeks now. It is truly as the song in our hymnbook says, Trust and Obey! Simple, step by step obedience. For over a year now we have been talking about "walking"; daily walking in obedience to God's Word.

As we read the living Word daily, may we make the conscious choice to say "yes" to the Spirit's leading on every hand! This is walking in the Spirit; a walk of faith (not of sight).

We make the choices day by day;

The Lord does the changing, from glory to glory!

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

Words cannot express what a wonderful God we serve!

Today's Goal

Goal for the day: to please the Lord and walk in His will, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith.

An illustration I heard this morning: A monument found in the foothills of the Alps was erected for a faithful guide who died while returning to the summit to rescue stranded climbers. The monument read: 

"He died climbing".

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." 

Ephesians 5:15-17

Lord, I want to die climbing

Two Tired, but Happy One-Year-Olds!

We really had a fun gathering last Saturday, celebrating the Grand-nieces first birthday! I guess they slept well that night, hopefully Mommy and Daddy did too. Theme was The Hungry Caterpillar, as you can see:

Everything was festive and bright. Food was delicious; grilled burgers and hot dogs with all the fixings.
We brought a fruit salad. Both Syd and I had fun cutting out flowers and other shapes for garnishing. I had never had star fruit before. All I did was cut through and stick the stars on the plate, etc. Syd said that he and Machias determined that it tastes like "sweet grass"...which I always called "sour grass".

Ready for Lunch!

...Then the ears went on for enjoying cake!

...Lots of great cake!

And don't forget the presents. Madison started helping with gifts, but sleep won out. Katelyn stuck it out for the duration. We all enjoyed the fun gifts. Lots of clothes and plenty of toys too.
Great Grammy (Mom) and the Great Grandpa (on the Mommy's side) did a lot of visiting. Mom actually was happy in this photo, I caught her off guard and didn't notice that she wasn't smiling or I would have taken another picture!

Some of the cousins made it too. Here's Diana with little Titus. Sorry I didn't get more pictures of the guests. I was using my Sweetie's phone camera and kept having to go and retrieve it from the safety of his pocket (knowing me, I may have laid it down somewhere and misplaced it, otherwise).

It was a very fun day with family and friends! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADISON AND KATELYN!

To The Work!

I loved the little excerpt from my morning devotional,

"You are not in heaven yet; get up, get dressed and get to work!"

This lesson from the account of Peter's prison wake up call by the angel of the Lord. It's simply an illustration, but it does make one think!

A prayer request: Bob Nutting is an elderly man who is dying from cancer. As far as we know he is unsaved. We hope to visit him today or this evening. Whether you get this days from now or not, could any of you Christians out there please pray for him? Our church is already doing so, I know. Thank you.

As I was closing in prayer time this morning, the Lord brought two elderly ladies to mind again. He reminded me of them weeks ago and I should've looked them up. Olive and Miriam Kingsbury.
These two ladies used to do after school Bible clubs in the home of a friend of mine. It is where I first heard of the Lord Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for me. I looked them up today and find them listed as still living (87 and 95 years old) in the same hometown, just miles from where I grew up. Through the years when I was a child, they would call my mother on the phone or stop in at our house and ask her to pray with them for a particular person or need.

We never know how the Lord will use our lives to touch another person. Lord, let us get up and get going; working faithfully for You and waiting on YOU for the results until we get to our only "resting place", Heaven.

I share this with you because I love this photo of Pastor and his twin grandchildren. How sweet!

Happenings

This week has been quiet on Darling Hill. My hubby did take two days off to work on the house. Not only do I love having him here, but he spent time getting more siding on our gable ends. We can get a before and after picture soon, awaiting the electric company to come and put a sling on the electrical wires so that Syd can get up into the very peak. We lost electricity (storms in the area) for a few hours on Tuesday, so he even got to take the canoe and get a little fishing in at the nearby pond! an added plus!

I have no pictures to show for it, but we got a quick visit from our niece Loken and the family. We did enjoy it so much but can't believe I didn't take a picture! Little Jaden played hard with Ruger, as did Ethan. When Ahren asked Jaden what the dog's name was, he replied, "Yogurt". What a cutie pie! Megan is a young lady now. They all grow up too fast.

God has blessed through His Word this week...I leave that on the stand alone page above.

Focus, focus, focus (may even be our next series in our Sunday School class):

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in  your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." Hebrews 12:2-4