Gratitude Attitude in a Confusing Scary World

   William Cowper (pronounced Cooper) left us many beautiful, sadly nearly forgotten hymns in his troubled life.

  My favorite Bible study teacher, Dee Brestin, shared in her email list a link to a beautiful video of a song of his i'd never heard of. 

  May you find your celebration of Thanksgiving enhanced by the words and music.

  Links disappeared in the text?  Here they are separately:

Recent Reading, AKA Words on "Wednesday," a day late

Some of my Recent Reading

In the photo, but no particular order:

     

This post is a collection of my Christmas Poem Series from the Christmas season of 2013-2014, with links to each poem in the series.  Some individual posts

Wordless Wednesday:Out and In

This is where our dumpster was.  We're sure the peonies will be back next year, but having a dumpster on them from February to June did a number on them THIS year.

Come to My Church (Be Sure & Listen Close the 1st time. . . .)

  i've generally made it a policy to not mention by name the churches & schools i'm associated with.  Not that there's anything wrong with them, but, in the natural course of events, life does not flow smoothly when humans get together. And, to a certain extent, the heart of blogging is discussing problems.
  My idea in this reticence is

Christmas 2015

JESUS is the Reason for the Season

Mishearing the Messaage: A Fine Robe or a Fine Rope?

The message was Luke 15:11-24, the prodigal son leaves & returns to a warm welcome.
We need to know our Father God.  He's not waiting to punish our wayward ways.

Wordless Wednesday: God's Tree

       

Holiday and Autism Links for You

Just a couple of links today.  Hope you will find them informative, useful,  and interesting!

Huffington Post: The Hardest Part of Autism
Holidays with Autism
 The "Holidays" link is from the Indiana Resource Center for Autism.  If you haven't been there before, you might also want to check out their homepage and other articles, including a series by Temple Grandin!

Saturday Sisters: The Woman in John 8

  She's known as The Woman Caught in Adultery.
 Was she

Saturday Sisters: The Shulamite

  Interestingly, the place Shulam doesn't seem to have been mentioned elsewhere in ancient literature.  However,

Saturday Sisters: Having God in All Things

  The rich young ruler was asked to sell all he owned and give the proceeds to the poor.  Jesus was sorry that the man turned away, but we never know what became of him.
  i have some imaginative ideas, but they must remain in the realm of fiction.
  However, we do know about a woman who gave away AND kept her possessions.

Two Doodles

 The green one is on the program from the mother daughter banquet at my sister's church.

Saturday Sisters: Sharing Our Testimony

  So many of us KNOW what Jesus has done for us but have a hard time sharing.  Yesterday i got in my inbox a link to Liz Curtis Higgs' article, telling how she shared the difficult story of her own past with her children.

They call it Good Friday

". . .we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.."  Luke 24:21a

January 4: The 10th Day of Christmas

Praise Yahweh!

Listen, everyone! Listen, you! Yes, you right there!

The LORD's redemption is here!

See that little baby?

He is our promised Redeemer.

Watch Him.

Everyone, God has given us a Son, a

Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace,

Himself in a Babyform.

      Anna in the Temple

January 3: The Ninth Day of Christmas

PANIC

Who is this old man?

Who is this Babe?

Many fall and rise? Salvation to Gentiles too?

A sword pierce my soul?

What have i gotten into?

Adonai, is it too late to change all this?
i thought we'd come through the rough part!
 

January 2: The Eighth Day of Christmas

ARRIVED

And now

The day You promised has arrived.

I have seen Your salvation with my own eyes.

Please take me home, Lord, as You promised.

This is a special Child you hold here.

People will divide over Him, their thoughts known,

Israel's glory will shine through Him,

And your own soul be pierced. 


        Simeon in the Temple

December 29: The Fourth Day of Christmas

WONDER

From the time Gabriel came

Nothing was the same.

A babe, when i know not a man?

Truly the ways of Adonai

are wonderful, unknowable

. . . even strange.

December 28: The Third Day of Christmas

GOLD

We watch.

Kings we are not,

Though you may call us so.

Watching,

Reading the prophecies

Collected wisdom of the world.

We knew

The time was here,

The time for the Promised One to come.

Balaam told us first to look for a star ~

You doubt? Your science does not know all!

Dan'el showed us where and when to come.

To Jerusalem we journeyed.

A fit place for the King of the Jews.