Charles Spurgeon Quote

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By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

From 1 Corinthians 15:57-58:  “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Monday Memories: Nocturnal Beauty

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A magnificent oak tree stands center in a park

Waiting with quiet majesty in the solitary dark

 

The blackness of night only adds to the scene

Bringing tranquility and peace, free and clean

 

Trees with fruit blossoms, in full view even at night

Sending forth a fragrance, invigorating and right

 

Tiny green leaves are growing out on the tall trees

Waving from a gentle breath of the wind with ease

 

In the distance, glowing lights enhance a background

Providing a reverent atmosphere without any sound

 

A bit of shining moonlight fashions extra to see

Moving and playful shadows amongst the trees

 

Even at night, God’s creation sparkles all new

Painting for each evening, a breathtaking view

 

The eastern light rises to create the dawn

Crooning birds welcome a newborn fawn

 

The stillness begins to wake-up from its rest

Leaving its nocturnal beauty, always the best!

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Call to Worship

From Psalm 100:1-2:  “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing.”

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Call to worship

From near and far

House of the Lord

Sabbath’s bright star

 

Call to worship

Doors open wide

All are welcome

Spirit shall guide

 

Call to worship

Hearing God’s Word

With reverence

His love transferred

 

Call to worship

Praising through song

Lifting voices

Together strong

 

Call to worship

Praying as one

Communal time

Blessing God’s Son

 

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The inspiration for this poem grew from a morning devotional which featured the hymn, “All Are Welcome.”  If you wish to hear more hymns, look for MaryRuth72’s channel on YouTube.

Charles Swindoll Quote

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To be humble in heart . . . is to be submissive to the core.  It involves being more interested in serving the needs of others than in having one’s own needs met.

From Philippians 2:3-4:  “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.  Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”

Pie Wins Out!

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A late autumn afternoon coaxes Fred and Milt, two of golfing’s diehards, to make one final trip to the golf course before storing their clubs for another season.  The forecast looks a bit ominous, but the hardy duo figure they can handle anything Mother Nature throws at them.

By the time they reach the first tee, a miserable windy, rainy cold front is quickly approaching.  Fred tells Milt, “Maybe the weather will clear.”

The twosome manages to finish the first hole with a pair of pars, and they both feel confident to play the second hole.  Meanwhile, the cold, wind, and rain have arrived. 

Moving along a bit more quickly, Fred and Milt finish the second hole with a pair of bogeys.  Obviously, their thoughts are more concerned with the weather than their golf score.

Hesitating just a bit, Milt asks Fred, “Should we continue to the next hole?”

With the wind beginning to roar, Fred shouts back, “Sure, let’s go for it.”

Milt hits a near-perfect tee shot, but he can barely see the ball in the driving rain.  Before Fred can tee up his ball, the rain is beginning to turn to snow. 

Undeterred, Fred slams into his tee shot with a towering, magnificent drive.  One problem! 

Tiny snowflakes are growing exponentially bigger as Fred’s ball takes off.  Quickly, the ball disappears into a cloud of white.  Milt calls out, “Looks like we can finish this hole next spring.  Let’s get out of here!”

Fred shoots back, “Sounds like a great plan.  Let’s head to my place and see if Marge has any coffee and pie left.”

Reaching the warm and dry kitchen, the haggard golfers are greeted by the aroma of Marge’s fresh baked Dutch apple pie, topped with her mother’s secret recipe of streusel.  As the golfing buddies sit down around the kitchen table with Marge and her sweet pie, Fred remarks, “We both took a ‘snowman’ on our third hole, but Margie’s pie wins out for sure!”

 

Curious Trivial Facts (9/18)

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This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing.  We can all appreciate some of the lesser known facts from around the world.

Assigned to cover the 1933 Indianapolis 500, a Denver journalist called his Colorado newspaper and promised, “. . . will overhead winner,” meaning he would send the name of the winner via the overhead wires (the telegraph).  The editor, however, misunderstood the message and interpreted it to mean that the name of the winner was “Will Overhead.”  As a result, the headline running in the WORLD INDEPENDENT the next morning read, “Overhead wins Indianapolis Race.”

A muskmelon that was brought from Armenia to Italy in the fifteenth century was planted and cultivated in the gardens of the papal estate near Rome.  The estate was Cantaluppi, so the fruit crop that resulted became known as cantaloupe.

These facts have been discovered in I NEVER KNEW THAT by David Hoffman (2009).

Feeling Alone (Elfchen Series #76)

Relentless

Hospitals’

Distress signals

Caseloads now overwhelming

Crushing beleaguered, overworked staff

Burnout

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Overlooked

Crisis

Rural communities

Lacking hospital space

Where will patients go?

Forgotten

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Hope

Nation’s

Stark reality

Tomorrow’s prognosis cloudy

Rolling up sleeves today

Togetherness

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