Category Archives: Christianity

The Good Life illuminations

16 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in Christianity, Fun stuff for kids, joy, peace, success, wisdom and understanding, worry

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   Jeremiah 29:11

But the way that a man thinks in his heart will most likely determine how his day goes.  How do you have a good day when everything seems to be going wrong?  Determine that the moment you think a negative thought about anything or anyone, you will delete it and replace it with a good one.  I’ve found that the quicker I push that delete button in my mind the happier I am.  If you don’t believe it’s possible try this little experiment for a day or a week in your life.  It is found in God’s Word.       Philippians 4:8         “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”     

Think about how a child views life.  He wakes up enthusiastic and can’t wait to begin the day.  He bounces out of bed and begins looking for the next exciting adventure that life may send his way.  He doesn’t worry about the danger or the cost or any of the “what ifs” that older and supposedly wiser people think about.  At night he says his prayers and asks God to take care of him and his love ones and falls soundly asleep in minutes.

The next morning, he wakes up ready to face a brand new day of possibilities. He thinks about what he can achieve. Perhaps he will build a fort or a tree house.   Maybe he will go for a ride on a big tour bus.  Or perhaps he will learn how to pilot a helicopter.   He may even decide to start up a sandbox bakery business.   He doesn’t worry whether he can do it or not or what others will think because he is not afraid of failure.  He is filled with hope and he only dreams about the wonderful amazing things he can and will do.  He hums as he works and his mind is alive with ideas.  His eyes twinkle, his mouth smiles, and he is energized to do great things.

The good life is filled with the energy and renewing power that comes from God.  The word enthusiasm comes from en Theo – full of God.  If you are not sure how to become an enthusiastic person, try praying these two verses for yourself and family  (from the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21) every morning before you begin your day.

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He will strengthen me with power through His Spirit in my inner being so that Christ will dwell in my heart through faith…..and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  

Did you notice that you are praying “to be filled to the measure of fullness of God?”  God wants us to be filled with His power and love so that we can follow His will and discover the wonderful good life that He has planed for each of us.

But if we never take time to talk to God and listen to Him we will never know His plan.  

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”   Jeremiah 33:3   Is this not what Jesus had in mind for each of us when He said we must become like little children?  The unquestioning love and trust of a child is a requirement for living the full life that God intended for us.  But we must also know God and be obedient to His commands in order to live the good life.  Material blessings and wealth can be obtained without knowing God, but His most precious blessings of peace, hope and joy are reserved for His very own children and come from an intimate relationship with Him.

“O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”    Psalm 84:12

Unfailing Love illuminations

09 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in beach sunsets, Christianity, depression, wing like clouds, wisdom and understanding, worry

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“How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.”         Psalm 36:7   

“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”   Psalm 103:2-4

Do you feel like your life is in a pit and you can’t crawl out?  Or maybe you’re just caught in a rut and can’t seem to change your direction to a more satisfying path.  Perhaps you were pushed into the pit by someone else and you’re suffering from a divorce, financial problems or have lost your job.  Or maybe you have been digging your own pit with bad health habits, drugs or alcohol.  Possibly the pit is so deep that you don’t see any way out.  But the good news is that there is a Friend who can help you climb up and out.  

Only Jesus can give you the strength to quit bad habits and forgive those who have wronged you.

Only Jesus can heal you of your diseases and forgive your sins.

Only Jesus will take compassion on you and redeem your life with His love.

Only Jesus can renew your life and give you a fresh beginning.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him my Savior and my God.”  Psalm 43:3

Take hold of His hand and trust Him.  He will help you.  His love never fails.

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”   Luke 18:27

Wisdom and Knowledge illuminations

18 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in Christianity, faith, Fun stuff for kids, sandcastles, wisdom and understanding

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“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!”  Proverbs 16:16

A Tower of Knowledge  Where do you look for knowledge?  What are the blocks you’ve used to build your tower of knowledge?  Where do you look for wisdom?  If I am working on my computer and ask a question of either my son or husband, I usually receive the  answer, “Just Google it.”   So that’s what I do and what a wealth of information I have discovered on Google! 

I am also a terrible speller and how I love the fact that my misspelled words now have a red squiggly line under them that is not marked by some disgruntled teacher who lowers the grade on my paper. No, my computer wizard marks my mistakes and with a right click on my mouse gives me suggestions for the correct spelling, never criticizing my errors.  We’ve come a long way from looking up words in the dictionary and using white out to cover our mistakes.

You are probably familiar with the G.P.S. global positioning system.  Our grandson  named ours Grace and use to ask the question, “But how does Grace know exactly where we are and where we are going?”  He always wanted to trick her when my husband picked him up from school.  They frequently took different routes home, but she always “recalculated” and gave the correct directions to reach their destination.

And have you heard about Siri?  She is a voice-activated “Personal assistant” on the iPhone 4S.  My son has one and we all had a fun time thinking up questions to ask  her at our last family get together.   Her answers about marriage and her likes and dislikes had us in stitches.  She is always very polite and has knowledge about all sorts of subjects or will provide a Google search list if needed.  Recently I read that Apple is providing her with new databases of knowledge which will include being able to make dinner reservations and retrieve sports scores.  Several automakers are planing to integrate  their new cars with a steering wheel mounted button that will enable the driver to use Siri to make hands free and eyes free calls, play music, compose text messages and get map direction.  Sounds like a very smart thing to have.  I’m all for anything safety related!

But accumulated facts are not wisdom.  And what man calls wisdom is not always  safe to follow.  Several times we have followed our G.P.S. directions and ended up on some country road far from our destination.  Worldly advice may be a trap that leads you to take unsafe risks.  Most of the time man’s advice is colored by his own greed and limited knowledge and is not in our best interest.  The only word we can continually trust is God’s Word.  “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”  Proverbs 2:6

The Tower of Babel

The eleventh chapter of Genesis describes how the people became so pride filled  that they wanted to make a name for themselves by building a city with a tower in it that would reach up to heaven.  They wanted to glorify themselves and refused to recognize that only by the grace of God did they have the ability to build a city and tower. “This is the one I esteem:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”   Isaiah 66:2b      At that time all the people in the world   had one language, but God hates pride   and scattered them from there over all the earth  and they stopped building the city.  “That is why it was called Babel – because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world.”   Genesis 11:9

Fun Stuff For Kids:   Building a Tower of Babel  after explaining the Bible story.

Technology today seems to have no limits and is constantly changing.  I love being able to stay in touch with friends and family and even meet new friends around the  world by blogging.  Men have come up with some fantastic devices to enable us to communicate with each other and to almost never get lost, but God has given us something even more amazing.  We do not have to dial a number or hook up to the internet or wait for a menu.  He has enabled  us to have instant communication with Him, our Awesome God never makes us wait. God has promised that when we call to him he will answer us and His wisdom is omniscient, omnipresent and  omnipotent.  “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and  unsearchable things you do not know.”  Jeremiah 33:3

God gave each believer the Holy Spirit to guide him and keep him from losing the way.  “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”  Psalm 32:8 

God not only gives the best way to reach our destination, but he has also designed the best way that personally fits each individual.  His system enables us to follow the only way that will bring us lasting joy and fulfill his purpose for our lives.  Whenever you have a problem or decision to make, the best thing you can do is first pray about it and then look in the Bible for answers.  Don’t make a hasty decision based on what men say or your own knowledge.  Only God can guide you to make the best choices for your life. “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:4   “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”  Proverbs 2:2-5

Father’s Day Tribute

11 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in Christianity, crafts, Father's Day Love, fun stuff for grandparents, Fun stuff for kids, wisdom and understanding

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“Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.”   Proverbs 22:6

Children love to walk in their Father’s shoes if given the opportunity.  This is a  picture of Shepherd our 8th grandchild walking in his grandfather’s shoes.  We constantly set an example for our children and they will be much more likely to follow what we do than what we say.

I believe that a family that prays and plays together has a much better chance of staying together.  I am thankful that both of my daughter’s husbands provide great examples for their children by the lives they lead.  Honesty and loyalty, love and respect and a strong trusting faith in Jesus Christ is continually taught not just by their words but by their actions as well.

I am also so blessed that my husband is a man who cares deeply about his family and shows it.  Our children and grandchildren know that they can count on him to find time to be there when they need him, to listen to them, understand them and play with them because he loves them with all his heart. 

If one of our children was in a ball game, a recital or school program, he always managed to leave work early to come to it.  Weekends were spent at home playing with the kids and our vacations were some of the best family times of all.  Following you will find a list of wonderful memories with Dad that one of our daughters made a few years ago.  This list was written before she had children of her own and I know that it would be much longer now.

  • roses every Valentines Day  
  • Teaching me to drive
  • Basketball in the driveway
  • building a clubhouse
  • leaving work early to come to my basketball games
  • me and Dad verses Jim in basketball
  • teaching me to play golf
  • buying 5 notebooks even if I needed only 1 (always doing above and beyond no matter what)
  • wedding day – walking down the aisle with him  
  • watching Celtics games together on T.V,
  • watching U.K. games together
  • staying up until I came in at night
  • always glad to hear my voice on the phone
  • Chauffeur when needed
  • going to piano lessons in old car
  • restoring old 39 Ford together and winning prize  
  • letting me play in Cub Scouts car race/camp out and cookout
  • wonderful vacations
  • building all those fences for the dogs
  • building a doghouse for Snoopy with me
  • all his jokes
  • all his laughter
  • always so patient and loving with Mother and us
  • wonderful example and my #1 cheerleader

Two dozen reasons that mean so much and I know that if our other children and now the grandchildren made lists, they too would be able to think of countless reasons why their Dad (Daddo) always makes them feel loved.  And we want you to know that we love you more than you can ever imagine!  Thanks and Happy Father’s Day!

Father’s Day present craft

Remembrance rock paperweight

  • rock for paperweight ( if your child goes fishing with Dad or plays at a nearby  stream let him choose a rock about 4″ by 4″ with a smooth top for this project) or a small tile for a “surprise project” bought at Home Depot on a trip with Dad would also work
  • Elmer’s glue
  • hot glue gun
  • Mod Podge clear drying sealer and clean brush
  • small photograph of child or child and Dad. VERY IMPORTANT TO USE A STORE MADE PHOTOGRAPH, I tried printing photos on photo paper with my inkjet printer 3 times and even allowed it to dry overnight.  The photo looked great, but the Mod Podge lifted ink off paper.
  • thin piece of cardboard large enough to mount picture on
  • felt large enough to cover bottom of rock

If using a creek stone be sure to wash and dry the rock thoroughly before beginning  this project.  Check to be sure that picture will fit top of rock or cut to fit.  Mount picture on the thin piece of cardboard with Elmer’s glue and let dry.  Use hot glue gun to secure picture to top of rock. Lightly brush several thin coats of Mod Podge over picture and top of rock allowing each to dry thoroughly before adding another.  When finished glue a piece of felt to bottom of rock so it will not scratch your furniture.

Let your child wrap up his remembrance rock in pretty paper and delight Dad with the gift he made him.

Any Father’s Day tribute would not be complete without mentioning my own   wonderful Dad.  He loved God, worked hard, took us to Sunday school and church every Sunday and inspired me to always try to do my best.  I have  many wonderful memories of evenings together with him.  Summertime was such a special time and  I use to love to sit and talk with him while he grilled burgers in the backyard.  Occasionally for a real treat, we made homemade strawberry or peach ice cream with a hand crank freezer.  

Daddy had an on going battle with the squirrels that would raid our bird feeder.   He was always trying to come up with some hilarious invention to stop them and of course the inventions never worked, but provided many laughs when we would watch the squirrels succeed in getting up, over or around the latest contraption.  I wish I could show him the bird-feeder we have now that takes squirrels for a little merry-go-round ride when they try to raid the feeder.  So  far the squirrels have not outsmarted this new design as long as we remember to keep it charged up.  Daddy would have loved it!

When I was little he made a wonderful log cabin playhouse for my sister and me in the woods behind our house.  I usually imagined that it was my bakery and spent hours and hours of fun fixing delicious treats and decorating them with honeysuckle berries.

Be sure to take lots of pictures with your children having fun times with your  parents.  I wish I had more pictures of my Dad, but he was always the one behind the camera.  He loved making things for my children  and once made a car and a boat for them to play in when we were coming to visit.  He also made wooden boats for them to sail down our creek and planted wildflowers in our woods for me to enjoy.  It is such a blessing to have a caring,  thoughtful, loving father, and I just wish my Dad  was still around so I could hug him and tell him just how much I love him.

GARDEN JOY illuminations

04 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in beauty, Christianity, favorite songs, flower gardens, health, Hearts Filled With Joy, music, roses, spring flowers, wisdom and understanding, worry

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“By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.”   Psalm 42:8  

Are weeds of worry and care choking the joy of your spirit?  A beautiful spirit must  be regularly watered with trust and faith.

“IN THE GARDEN”  by C. Austin Miles  

“I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear falling on my ear;
the Son of God discloses.

And he walks with me and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own.
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.   He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet
the birds hush their singing.  
And the melody that He gave to me
within my heart is ringing.

And he walks with me and He talks with me,
And he tells me I am His own.   And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.”

The only way to be renewed in your spirit is through Divine Companionship.  Walking and talking with the LORD, resting and thinking of Him, loving and praising Him.  Find your joy in Him!  

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far out weighs them all.”          II Corinthians 4:16, 17

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”     II Corinthians 4:18

Racing Horses and Kentucky Derby illuminations

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in beauty, Christianity, crafts, Fun stuff for kids, horses, Keeneland, Kentucky Derby, recipes, wisdom and understanding

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“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”  Psalm 147:10,11

Springtime in Kentucky brings thoughts of beauty, Red-buds and Dogwoods in bloom, tulips and daffodils, and the woods filled with wildflowers.  Basketball and ‘March Madness,’ take priority over all other sports and events at this time of year.  And just in case you haven’t heard, our fantastic Lexington team the Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Division 1 basketball championship this year, YEA WILDCATS!

When April arrives and the new foals are put out to pasture many a Kentucky heart turns to racing horses.  Lexington, Kentucky has been named the Horse Capital of the World.  Kentucky is the leader in the United States in the dollar value of its horses.  They have $1.75 billion worth of horses and other equines that are bought and sold each year.  The Kentucky Horse Park has visitors from around the globe come to the many international events that are held there every year.  In 2010 the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games were hosted by the Kentucky Horse Park.  This was the first time the games had ever been held outside of Europe.

This year, for the first time I went to Keeneland.  The Keeneland Racetrack is a  National Historic Landmark and is considered one of America’s most beautiful race tracks.  The annual horse sales at Keeneland are also world-renowned and literally attract the “crowned heads of Europe.”  I had heard for years what a beautiful place it was and I was not disappointed.  The day that we went was one of those perfect spring days with blue sky and white puffy clouds and temperature in the 70s.  If we had arrived early in the morning we could have attended the popular breakfast with the Works, a Southern style breakfast buffet that is held during the jockeys early morning workouts.

The first thing we decided to do when we arrived was to head over to the  Equestrian  Restaurant at the clubhouse and enjoy a cup of their delicious Kentucky Burgoo  out on the patio.  I was surprised that everyone at the other tables hardly seemed to taste their meal or notice what a beautiful day it was because they all had their noses buried in their racing forms.  I for one, loved every moment of the day and I especially enjoyed watching the parade of fashions that hurried past us on their way to the betting windows.

Recipe: Kentucky Burgoo                                                                                                                              I found this recipe for Kentucky Burgoo in my Bluegrass Winners Cookbook and I have made it several times with some adjustments depending on what I have on hand.  This cookbook not only has great recipes but also contains pictures and a little history about many of the famous horse farms around the Bluegrass.

  • 2 pounds beef, cubed    
  • soup bone
  • 1/2pound lamb
  • 1 frying chicken, cut up
  • 4 quarts water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Red pepper to taste
  • 2 cups diced potatoes
  • 3 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups lima beans
  • 4 carrots diced
  • 2 green peppers, diced
  • 3 cups corn (fresh, if possible)
  • 2 cups okra, diced
  • 6 cups tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic
  • 1 cup minced parsley

Put the beef, soup bone, lamb, chicken, water, salt, pepper, and red pepper in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Bring to a boil then simmer, covered for two hours.  Remove the chicken skin and bones and cut meat into bite-size pieces.  Return meat to pot.  Add potatoes, onions, lima beans, carrots, green peppers and corn.  Simmer two hours.  Mixture will be thick but should not stick.  Add water sparingly, if necessary.  Add okra, tomatoes, and garlic and simmer 1 1/2 hours longer.  Add parsley and remove from stove.  This soup will keep in refrigerator for a long time.  The flavor improves with standing.  Makes 10 servings.

After we finished our early lunch we wandered over to the paddock and were treated to a parade of horses that would be running in the first race.  I was amazed by the size and beauty of each horse up close.  A couple of them were so anxious to run that it took two handlers to hold them.  This was followed by getting to watch the jockeys mount their horses and head for the gate.  Following that we got caught up in the crowd hurrying to watch the first race.  We found a place at the rail and I  loved feeling the excitement and hearing the crowd roar as the horses came pounding down the final stretch nearing the finish line.  I am afraid if I were to pick a winner it would be for all the wrong reasons so it is a very good thing I don’t place my hope in a horse and gamble.

One of the fun things I did that day was to find the perfect Derby hat at one of the  beautiful shops.  However when I discovered that the cost was $70 dollars, I decided I could do just as well without it especially since I had no plans to go to the Derby this year.  Instead I decided to do a girly project with my granddaughters at the next cousin’s night and make Derby hats.

Fun Stuff for Kids 

Craft illuminations:  Kentucky Derby Hats

This was one of the most fun projects we’ve ever done and the large brim straw hats cost only $3.99 at Michael’s Crafts store.

I gathered up a bunch of assorted ribbons and lace along with a couple of bunches of artificial flowers and even some curly ribbon bows to  decorate the hats.  We hot glued and stapled the flowers, ribbons and lace on each hat and then took pictures of each winner wearing her hat and holding a bouquet of red roses. 

Recipe:  Kentucky Chocolate Pie (often called Derby Pie, or Chocolate Pecan  Pie.)  This is definitely a man pleaser, but I think you gals will love it too.  This recipe also came from my Bluegrass Winners cookbook.

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup margarine, melted 
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 11/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 unbaked 9″ pastry shell
  • 1 cup cream whipped

Combine sugar and flour; add remaining ingredients, except cream, and pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla Ice cream.

If you go to Keeneland you may want to try the buffet in the Kentucky Room.  It sounds wonderful and if I go back next year, I am going to try it.  If I had only known sooner it would have been near the top of my list for must dos at Keeneland.  On the buffet is Carved Roast Top Round of Beef, Au Jus, Roasted Turkey, Baked Ham, Pasta Marinara, Fresh Vegetable Du Jour, Potatoes, a variety of Fresh Homemade Salads, Bakery Rolls, New York Cheesecake and Pecan Pie.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Kentucky Derby illuminations:                                                                            I have only been to the Kentucky Derby once many years ago but I love to watch it on T.V.  It is fun to pick a winner and I always choose the horse that has the name I like best.  My favorite thing about the Kentucky Derby race is the fact that the winner receives an armful of red roses and the horse gets a blanket of red roses.  My what a prize! 

And the prize we will receive at the end of life will be even far greater than an arm full of roses!

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:14

Wise and Foolish illuminations

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in beach sunsets, beauty, Christianity, Fun stuff for kids, Hearts Filled With Joy, lakes, mountains, streams, wisdom and understanding

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“Where then does wisdom come from?

Where does understanding dwell?”  Job 28:20 

“God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.”  Job 28:23 

“But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.”  Job 32:8  ‘”Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?”  declares the LORD.’  Isaiah 66:2a 

“This is the one I esteem:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”  Isaiah 66:2b

“But every one who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”  Matthew 7:26

“The rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  Matthew 7:27

“And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'”  Job 28:28