Another Day to Praise!

We gathered together again this week in Frank and Judy's log cabin overlooking the Nisqually River to worship , fellowship, and share a meal. Pictures cannot do this beautiful home justice, especially since Frank and Judy rearrange everything to accomodate and welcome us into their home. Thank-you Frank and Judy. Judy is busy in her lovely and homey kitchen checking the pots of yummy food on the stove, preparing the plates, platters and bowls of great variety for us to line up , filter through her kitchen and load up our plates...and we make sure to partake of the bread and the wine along with our meal as we break bread and drink the wine in rememberance of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus.

Another view of Judy and Frank's kitchen...with a little clean-up after our meal.

The children usually join in with the adults for reading, singing, listening...but the little ones seek laps. Here, our grandson Little J., is not sure what to make of HIS Mommy holding another baby in her lap! And of course, we love to make a joyful noise with Patrick and Steve on guitar and Frank playing his saxophone.....bliss! "Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the assembly of the Saints." Psalm 149:1 "Whether it is a financial crunch, a sudden illness, or a personal defeat, if you fix your heart on praise to God, then you have offered a sacrifice. If you have ever cried during those heartbreaking difficulties,"Lord, I will hope in You and praise You more and more," then you know you have offered words that have cost you plenty. Praise in those circumstances is painful." "Please remember this:Most of the verses written about praise in God's word were voiced by people faced with crushing heartaches, injustice, treachery, slander,and scores of other difficult situations. They knew that the sacrifice of praise was a key to victory on their spiritual journey." Joni Eareckson Tada

"Praise the Lord all ye people..." Psalm 100:1

Spot on The Shepherd

~"Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ ?Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body: for we all partake of the one bread." I Corinthians 10:16,17 ~We had our gathering in our home tonight. A shared meal, and shared blessings, burdens, prayer, and praises to God. A time of renewal and rejoicing....and remembering. ~I am a lousy shepherdess, and my sheep suffer for it. I do my best, but I am human and no matter how much time and money and experience I lavish on my sheep, I WILL fail them inevitably...because I am a flawed human. Just as those people we trust to shepherd us are human , and flawed, and sometimes even harmful to us...God's sheep.There is a shepherd who will NOT fail us."The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Ps. 23 ~Hubby installed our electric fence today, and I just checked on my flock. They are all spread out in their pen, chewing their cuds with no sign of worry...so I think for the rest of this early morning they are fine. I will go to bed and my Hubby will take my place and check the sheep every so often until the sun breaks. ~ I have been reading a small book by Max Lucado, Safe In The Shepherd's Arms. It is a slim volume and I finished it , but there are a few lines I would like to post here. ~" Have you ever wondered why God gives us so much? We could exist on far less. He could have left the world flat and gray, we wouldn't have known the difference. But He didn't .

He splashed orange in the sunrise And cast the sky in blue. And if you love to see geese as they gather, chances are you'll see that too. Did He have to make squirrel's tails furry? Was He obliged to make the birds sing? And the funny way that chickens scurry, or the majesty of thunder when it rings? Why give a flower fragrance ? Why give food its taste? Could it be He loves to see that look up on your face?

~If we give gifts to show our love, how much more would He? If we -speckled with foibles and greed-love to give gifts, how much more does God, pure and perfect God, enjoy giving gifts to us? He chose the nails" Blessings: brothers and sisters in Christ,fellowship, electric fencing and Hubby installing it

Blessed Sunday to You!

~"And as they were eating , Jesus took the bread , and blessed it, and broke it, and said,"take , eat; this is my body. " And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,"Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:26-28