Flowers and Friends

FLOWERS AND FRIENDS

    On our way back from NC in June, we stopped in the charming historical town of Edenton.  This beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas sat in the hallway of the Barker House and I wanted to share their beauty with you.  In 1774, the home's owner, Penelope Barker, led 50 other women in an act of protest against the British government and the unfair Tea Tax forced upon the American colonies by King George.  It must have been a real act of patriotism by these ladies to forego their beloved cups of tea!  I'm not sure this "Barker" would have been able to toe the line -- I do like my morning cuppa!

     These lovely Mimosa blossoms grow in my son Nathan's yard in NC.  The delicate, silky flowers and elegant dark green leaves have such an exotic look to them -- I just love it!  They are originally from China and the Middle East, and have been called the Tree of Happiness by some people.  It always makes me happy to see them fluttering in the breeze.

    Yet another flower from NC, this time at the Asheboro Zoo.  This interesting flower is a Red Hot Poker in the lily family, native to Africa.  Guess that's why we saw it growing in the elephant enclosure at the zoo.  My mother loved these flowers and every time I see one, I immediately think of her and imagine how pleased she would be to see it.  I wouldn't be surprised if she's included a whole section of Red Hot Pokers in her heavenly garden in the sky.

    A dear friend of ours from church, C.H. Powers, wrote a poem about Flowers and Friends some years ago and he gave it to us.  C.H. is now up in heaven too -- enjoying the many things he missed out on when he was here on earth.  Here's what he wrote,

  For friends are flowers, of the Garden of Life,

  And some flowers grow, on a long narrow sod;

  There's red ones and yellow ones, and many other colors,

  But greatest of all, they were created by God.

  Now some flowers bloom, only in their own season,

  And true friends bloom, and stay in season all year long;

  Just as the flowers, we also need the Sunshine,

  And the Son shines in our hearts, and gives a glad song.

    This is not usually considered a particularly beautiful flower, but I think the contrast of the prickly tough green leaf with the delicate yellow bloom is quite interesting -- and even a bit courageous.  I give the cactus flower points for its fluffy beauty atop an inhospitable base and usually found in the desert.  This plant resides along the edge of the baboon enclosure at the Asheboro Zoo.  "The desert shall rejoice and blossom...it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice," Isaiah 35:1-2.

   God "has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also He has put eternity in their hearts..." Ecclesiastes 3:11.

    Hope you enjoyed a bouquet of varied blossoms from God's amazing creation!

Book Review - Jesus Calling

Book Review -- Jesus Calling

 
I began using Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, as a morning devotional back in 2010.  I've continued to use it over and over again every year except for one.  The Christmas of 2017, my daughter Sara gave me the daily devotional, New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp, which was a blessing as I read it throughout 2018.  But the next year, back to Jesus Calling, which has never grown stale for me.  

The writer, Sarah Young, is a seeker of God.  When she sought to hear from Him, He began speaking to her heart and she began writing down His messages.  She said, "God...guides our minds as we think things out in His presence."  In this book, Sarah shares God's Words as if they were written to each of us personally.  

One of the things I like in this particular edition is the space on the lower half of the page where I can write my own feelings about that particular message from Jesus.  It's interesting to see the difference in my attitude from year to year, or in some cases, how there has been little change.

Each day's entry answers a need, offers a challenge and/or gives encouragement.  Sometimes, we're shown something we never thought about in that light.  It's actually amazing how God seems to tailor each day's devotion to the needs of that day.

Here are a few of my favorite lines, to be read as if Jesus is speaking them to you:  

---"You are My beloved child, I chose you before the foundation of the world, to walk with Me along paths designed uniquely for you."

---"You need a buffer zone of silence around you in order to focus on things that are unseen...The curse of this age is overstimulation of the senses, which blocks out awareness of the unseen world."

---"I am all around you, like a cocoon of Light. My Presence with you is a promise, independent of your awareness of Me."

This book has been a great blessing to me and I highly recommend it to you!

Book Review -- Heaven

BOOK REVIEW - HEAVEN BOOKS, by Randy Alcorn

     My previous blog post on "Books" was a nice introduction for a series of book reviews I'm doing.  My first review features three books by Randy Alcorn.  Each of these books have been a huge blessing in my life and I encourage you to read them.  They will change your outlook on Heaven -- for the better!

     The book pictured above was given to my husband and I by a dear brother in Christ in our church (thank you, my friend!).  I had previously recommended to him another book by Randy Alcorn, entitled, "In Light of Eternity."  When he read it, he was deeply impressed by the amazing truths in that book and he promptly purchased this other book by that author and then shared it with us.  We've all been so blessed by these two books and I want to encourage you to read them as well.

---"50 Days of Heaven," contains 50 daily devotionals about Heaven that will introduce new ways of looking at Heaven -- all completely Biblical.  Here's a blurb from the book, "If you've always thought of Heaven as a realm of clouds, disembodied spirits, and eternal harp strumming, you're in for a wonderful surprise.  These thought-provoking meditations will forever change the way you think about the spectacular new universe that awaits us: new heavens and a New Earth, where Jesus will be the cosmic center, and joy will be the air we breathe."  

          Just this morning, I read Day 14 and was blown away by the wonder of Heaven.  Here's the note I wrote on the page, "I am overwhelmed by the beauty and truth in this chapter.  I weep as this truth resonates deep within my soul!"

---"In Light of Eternity."  You might think these books would be repetitious of one another, but they are very different in their thrust, even though Heaven is always seen in a similarly wonderful light.  This book focuses on how we should be living in the world today to be ready for our eternity in Heaven.  We've all read in scripture that God will be giving out rewards in Heaven and how we need to lay up "treasures in Heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt."  But, how seriously are we living in that light?  This book will explain, challenge and encourage you in your walk here on earth.  

        Here's what Randy wrote, "The greatest weakness of the western church today is arguably our failure to think of the long tomorrow - to take seriously the reality that heaven is our home.  Out of this springs our love affair with this world and our failure to live now in light of eternity.  To derail us, all Satan needs to do is minimize our passion for two things - the person of God and the place of God."

       Randy writes, "Our lives on earth are a training course to get us ready for heaven.  It's not just that God is preparing a place for us.  It's that he's preparing us for that place."  After reading this book, I do see eternity in a different light and I realize how important our preparation here on earth is -- after all, I believe that's one of the reasons He leaves us here after we're saved.

----"Heaven" - a workbook:  This book was published in 2006 and I have done the study twice.  I believe this book is out of print, but I've been able to purchase several of them on thriftbooks.com.  I just checked and thriftbooks had 10 copies for $5.79 each -- a bargain.  This is a fantastic book that you can read without even filling in the few questions in each chapter.  Here's what Randy writes in the introduction, "In this book we'll see an exciting yet strangely neglected truth -- that God never gave up on His original plan for human beings to dwell on earth.  In fact, the climax of history will be the creation of New Heavens and a New Earth."  He goes on to write, "I want us to be so excited about Heaven that we will have maximum effectiveness in this present world."

      I cannot stress enough the great value this book will have on your life!  It's my very favorite book on Heaven!  Read it and find truth and hope that you never imagined.  It's that good!!

There are some great songs about Heaven.  A recent song by Big Daddy Weave is called, "Heaven Changes Everything," and indeed it truly does.  Here are a few lines from that song:

These tears would just be tears fallin' down my face

And this hurt would just be hurt with no healing on the way

Thank you, Jesus, Heaven changes everything.

A goodbye would be goodbye with no "I'll see you again,"

And when a life is over, that would simply be the end;

Thank you, Jesus, Heaven changes everything.

I can live for the day when my eyes will finally see

Every piece that was broken, restored and redeemed

Thank you, Jesus, Heaven changes everything.

Let's rejoice in the wonderful promise from God and His Son Jesus who has gone to prepare an amazing place for us to live with Him forever.  A place where those who have trusted Christ as Savior will live their fullest life in a beautiful world without end!

 

Books

BOOKS

Books!  Reading them and Writing them -- both rich activities.  The shelf of books pictured above was on display in the Colonial Williamsburg book bindery building when we visited last year.  These beautiful books are hand-bound in fine leather -- something few of us can afford.  All the books I own are either soft or hard-bound in paper and cardboard, or electronically stored on my Kindle.

I prefer reading fiction on my Kindle and non-fiction in print copy.  When I read non-fiction, I like to underline or put brackets around information that is most important to me, that way I can go back and easily spot something I've made note of.  What is your preferred way to read?  Do you prefer to read fiction or non-fiction, or like me, a bit of both?

As most of you know, I also like to write books.  People might wonder, why?  Well, it's a passion within me which leads me to believe that God must have put it there.  When I don't write for a few weeks, I feel restless.  I have a need to write.  The writer Leo Buscaglia said, "Your talent is God's gift to you.  What you do with it is your gift back to God," which goes along with the words of  author Valerie Fay, "The gift God has given you is not separate from His purpose for our life."  

Famous poet William Wordsworth wrote, "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart..."  This is something I have done over and over again, hoping that what is in my heart will touch a chord in another heart and be meaningful and helpful in some way -- that it can be used by God for His good will.

We all need to fulfill the purpose God created us for.  Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr., wrote, "Many people die with their music still in them.  Why is this so?  Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live.  Before they know it, time runs out."  That quote goes along with a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, that begins, "The song that I came to sing remains unsung to this day.  I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument."  

We don't want the song God put inside our hearts to remain unsung.  Find your voice and use it for your Holy Father -- in whatever form He has gifted you.  I like what Erma Bombeck wrote, "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, 'I used everything You gave me.'"  

"Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.  Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.  For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised..." 1 Chronicles 16:23-24.