Winter is still with us. I'm wishing and waiting for warmth.......Spring. I know it's just around the corner, it has to be, March is just a few days away. Hurry, please.
Yesterday's Upperroom verse was underlined in my Bible. As I read it, I just smiled because it was familiar and so welcoming to read again. Jesus didn't die for a few of us, a small chosen group, He died for all. It continues, we should now live for Him. And in doing so, should we live for ourselves? Let's see, He died for all, maybe we should now be living for all, instead of just ourselves. It makes sense to me, anyway.
I was looking for some fiscal wisdom and guidance in today's reading, as I need to finish up our taxes. Well, what's the topic in the Upperroom today? The daily reading took me right back to the same idea. Today's verse in Galations 3 states, "you are all one in Christ Jesus". Well, I have to pass that along because I don't ignore things when they appear to me more than once.
I think God, through Jesus, made the rules for Christian living so simple. When our needs are met, we are then to consider the needs of those around us. I'm afraid that society doesn't appreciate that concept. The rules of successful living in America admire and elevate those who are materially wealthy and flaunt it. The many Christians and others who live simply and consider their neighbors are all but lost in society's limelight.
I'm as guilty as the next when it comes to selfishness and self centeredness, but I'm trying, that's all any of us can do. Well, I'll get back to my taxes and try to keep warm today and pray for Spring to come soon. You have a great day, today, and stay safe and warm, luv, Susan
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
THE PEACE THAT PASSETH UNDERSTANDING
I hope you had a great weekend. Things went well here in Georgetown. We had a really super Valentine's Day lunch with the kids and also enjoyed watching UK win their game against Arkansas. It's always good to see John Pelphrey.
I really enjoyed church on Sunday. We had one of our youth deliver the sermon as our preacher was out of town. Kyle did a great job, as he always does. He spoke to us about Job and posed the question to us "Why do bad things happen to good people?". He compared our lives to the threads within a quilt. We, within the fabric, are simply not aware of the intricacy of the beautiful work of which we are a part. The finished work can only be seen from a distance and the only one with that viewpoint is the master creator, Himself. Hopefully, when we reach the other side, we will be given a glimpse of the painstaking, glorious pattern that was our life.
Today's Upperroom reading really took me on a ride through my memory of old hymns. Philippians 4:7 reminds me of a song we used to sing when I was little. I remember singing, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart". It continues' "I've got the peace that passeth understanding, down in my heart". I didn't understand that line at all when I used to sing it, I just knew it was quite the tongue twister. Now I know that we get this wonderful peace that transcends all human understanding from Jesus Christ. We can only experience it once we accept his unsurpassing love, confess our sins and accept him as our personal savior. This is the wish that I'm wishing for your life.
I'm looking forward to a beautiful day here in Scott County. I've already enjoyed watching the deer and birds visit their feeding areas outside. You have a great day as well, luv, Susan
I really enjoyed church on Sunday. We had one of our youth deliver the sermon as our preacher was out of town. Kyle did a great job, as he always does. He spoke to us about Job and posed the question to us "Why do bad things happen to good people?". He compared our lives to the threads within a quilt. We, within the fabric, are simply not aware of the intricacy of the beautiful work of which we are a part. The finished work can only be seen from a distance and the only one with that viewpoint is the master creator, Himself. Hopefully, when we reach the other side, we will be given a glimpse of the painstaking, glorious pattern that was our life.
Today's Upperroom reading really took me on a ride through my memory of old hymns. Philippians 4:7 reminds me of a song we used to sing when I was little. I remember singing, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart". It continues' "I've got the peace that passeth understanding, down in my heart". I didn't understand that line at all when I used to sing it, I just knew it was quite the tongue twister. Now I know that we get this wonderful peace that transcends all human understanding from Jesus Christ. We can only experience it once we accept his unsurpassing love, confess our sins and accept him as our personal savior. This is the wish that I'm wishing for your life.
I'm looking forward to a beautiful day here in Scott County. I've already enjoyed watching the deer and birds visit their feeding areas outside. You have a great day as well, luv, Susan
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I SAY IT'S LOVE
RUPP ARENA, RUPP, RUPP, ARENA......RUPP ARENA, RUPP, RUPP, ARENA!!!
I'm sorry, I'm still a little carried away after last night's UK game against Florida. Two things keep running through my head, one is the above chant. It's what the high school basketball fans chant when their team is headed to the state tournament at Rupp Arena......it's a joyful chant to hear, if you get the opportunity. We love our hometown teams!!!
The second thing running over and over in my head is the song I mentioned several blogs ago by Sugarland. It was, coincidentally, performed at Rupp Arena for the video. I like coincidences. Anyway, I mentioned in the blog how I wished I remembered the Bible verse that mentions faith, hope and love. I actually thumbed through the new testament looking for it, but didn't find it. Several days later, while listening to country radio, I heard Allen Jackson's "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning". He mentions that same verse's sentiment in the song. Well, I wondered if I had just been thinking of those lyrics, and still didn't know the actual verse.
I am always busy when I am at church. I like to greet people between Sunday School and Church, and I also get to update the attendance board up front each week. I'm often distracted, to say the least, and often miss things during that time. I was at home one afternoon and noticed the church bulletin that had been in my Bible, brought home from church the previous Sunday. I took a glance at it, then another. There it was on the front of the bulletin, as big as you please, "And now these three remain: FAITH, HOPE and LOVE. But the greatest of these is LOVE." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV ) Well, I glanced upward and said, "thank you".
As I was saying, Sugarland performed this song at their recent concert at Rupp Arena. I love the words. It's all about love and how we define love. Jennifer asks, "Is it the face of a child?". Christian sings," Is it a man on a cross?". I know they're both right, and the answer is Jesus, the answer, is love.
I just wanted to document my little mystery solved about 1 Corinthians 13:13. It's gonna be a windy day today. We have a lot of dangling limbs outside. I'll definitely be careful when venturing out with the doggies.
You have a great day and stay safe, luv, Susan
I'm sorry, I'm still a little carried away after last night's UK game against Florida. Two things keep running through my head, one is the above chant. It's what the high school basketball fans chant when their team is headed to the state tournament at Rupp Arena......it's a joyful chant to hear, if you get the opportunity. We love our hometown teams!!!
The second thing running over and over in my head is the song I mentioned several blogs ago by Sugarland. It was, coincidentally, performed at Rupp Arena for the video. I like coincidences. Anyway, I mentioned in the blog how I wished I remembered the Bible verse that mentions faith, hope and love. I actually thumbed through the new testament looking for it, but didn't find it. Several days later, while listening to country radio, I heard Allen Jackson's "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning". He mentions that same verse's sentiment in the song. Well, I wondered if I had just been thinking of those lyrics, and still didn't know the actual verse.
I am always busy when I am at church. I like to greet people between Sunday School and Church, and I also get to update the attendance board up front each week. I'm often distracted, to say the least, and often miss things during that time. I was at home one afternoon and noticed the church bulletin that had been in my Bible, brought home from church the previous Sunday. I took a glance at it, then another. There it was on the front of the bulletin, as big as you please, "And now these three remain: FAITH, HOPE and LOVE. But the greatest of these is LOVE." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV ) Well, I glanced upward and said, "thank you".
As I was saying, Sugarland performed this song at their recent concert at Rupp Arena. I love the words. It's all about love and how we define love. Jennifer asks, "Is it the face of a child?". Christian sings," Is it a man on a cross?". I know they're both right, and the answer is Jesus, the answer, is love.
I just wanted to document my little mystery solved about 1 Corinthians 13:13. It's gonna be a windy day today. We have a lot of dangling limbs outside. I'll definitely be careful when venturing out with the doggies.
You have a great day and stay safe, luv, Susan
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Iced Over in Scott County
You may have heard, we had some rough weather here in our area. We got snow, then ice, then more snow. I believe it was iced over branches that brought down electric and phone lines. We were without both for a good five days. Fortunately, Mark was able to purchase a small generator and that got us limited power for the latter part of the outage. Iced over trees are beautiful, and it was a blessing to be surrounded by such beauty, but it has been really cold. I hope everyone has managed to stay safe throughout this time of frigid temperatures and icy conditions.
I finished a book by Anne Rice. She is well known for her many books about vampires. They made one of them into a movie with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt called, "Interview with a Vampire". I had previously seen just a few scenes from it when it was on TV. I don't recommend it at all. It actually turned my stomach, which isn't that hard to do. It just wasn't a movie I could watch. I definitely wasn't going to read any of her books. That is, until I saw that she has completely turned her life around. She had been missing something in her life, and she finally realized that was Jesus Christ. When she realized that, she devoted her talents as a researcher and writer to Him and began her life again.
I really enjoyed her first book about Jesus. She writes in first person when He is seven years old. What a challenge to try to imagine what this special child is thinking about himself and the world around him. This book ends just after the time in his life when he had been separated from his family and was found at the Temple. The second book is already available and I'll be buying it as soon as I can get to Lexington.
I continue to read my daily Upperroom devotion. Today I'm reminded of the words Jesus told Peter, "Feed my sheep", in John 21. The actual verse in the daily Upperroom reading is from Matthew 25:31-46. We familiarly refer to this as the sheep and the goats. Jesus tells us that when we don't meet the needs of others, we ultimately are not loving and serving Him. We can go to hell for ignoring the needs of others. This is a sobering message for us. With the need so great in our world, it is not at all difficult to heed the call to feed God's sheep.
I don't know about you, but watching UK last night was quite the struggle. No matter how bad a game in Rupp Arena is, I never expect to hear boos shower down on our team. These young men don't deserve that from fans, even it was a small percentage of them. I hope and pray positive things for the coach, players, and fans in future games.
Please keep warm and safe the remainder of this week. luv, Susan
I finished a book by Anne Rice. She is well known for her many books about vampires. They made one of them into a movie with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt called, "Interview with a Vampire". I had previously seen just a few scenes from it when it was on TV. I don't recommend it at all. It actually turned my stomach, which isn't that hard to do. It just wasn't a movie I could watch. I definitely wasn't going to read any of her books. That is, until I saw that she has completely turned her life around. She had been missing something in her life, and she finally realized that was Jesus Christ. When she realized that, she devoted her talents as a researcher and writer to Him and began her life again.
I really enjoyed her first book about Jesus. She writes in first person when He is seven years old. What a challenge to try to imagine what this special child is thinking about himself and the world around him. This book ends just after the time in his life when he had been separated from his family and was found at the Temple. The second book is already available and I'll be buying it as soon as I can get to Lexington.
I continue to read my daily Upperroom devotion. Today I'm reminded of the words Jesus told Peter, "Feed my sheep", in John 21. The actual verse in the daily Upperroom reading is from Matthew 25:31-46. We familiarly refer to this as the sheep and the goats. Jesus tells us that when we don't meet the needs of others, we ultimately are not loving and serving Him. We can go to hell for ignoring the needs of others. This is a sobering message for us. With the need so great in our world, it is not at all difficult to heed the call to feed God's sheep.
I don't know about you, but watching UK last night was quite the struggle. No matter how bad a game in Rupp Arena is, I never expect to hear boos shower down on our team. These young men don't deserve that from fans, even it was a small percentage of them. I hope and pray positive things for the coach, players, and fans in future games.
Please keep warm and safe the remainder of this week. luv, Susan
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