Christian Photographers Community

Morning Devotional...


In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. 
John 14:2

This is the second time in the Gospel that the Lord Jesus refers to His Father's house.

The first was in reference to the temple as a place of merchandise--a sad commentary on how man spoils God's gifts.

Now He refers to it and its many dwelling places again; this time as an a n a logy for the blessed future that awaits us. His disciples would have understood the connection without difficulty.

Their minds undoubtedly pictured the better and more enduring dwelling places which He was going to prepare for them and for all those who know and love Him--for us.

What a prospect!
--Drew Craig

I am the first post today, the last day of April.   Hope everyong has a wonderful Friday.   God Bless

Love Ruthie

Before I hit the sack, here is a smile to start your day in the morning!

WHILE I SAT in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man's, he said, "I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too."
--

In Holland is it 11.55 AM  

PAT thank you very much for your devotional but i am sorry to read that you have the flu
i pray for your health.

LARRY in Holland on some places is it flat
but also hilly and in the middle and in the south is it all hilly. A view very high hills they have the name mountain
on one the Holterberg (Holtermountain) is the Canadian war cemetry the American war cemetry is in the south of Holland.

Joyce walking is very good for your osteo
i use only calcium no Actonel then i get pain in my stomach.

Marylin sorry to read that you have balance problems
no then you can not on a bike. But this week i have to the recreation park with Marcel and there it is also hilly
and very small roads there may not come cars. But one one little hill there was a very small bridge. Marcel is going
on his bike about the very small bridge but then have i also problems then i go walk on the bridge so that i not fall in the water.

Today no own is working in Holland it is Queensday she has here birthday and then she she is always going to two places in Holland Every year on other
province this year she is with a lot from the family in the province Groningen where i also live but she is in the city
Groningen. There are a lot people going to the city but we not when i it will seen i also can take a look on TV.
But in every place is something to do.
And on 4 and 5 May we have rememberingsdays on the WW2 this weekend and in the beginning of the next week
then there shall also come a lot Canadian and American
English and Polish soldiers sometimes are there also be very old soldiers in a wheelchair they have been in Holland when it was war. Every year are there rememberings days but once in the 5 years then it is a great happining. That will now be in 2005. But our Qeen Beatrix has here birthday on January 31 but here mother on April 30. But in Janyary it is to cold to go in country
that is the reason that it today is Queensday.

Ephesians 6 : 18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests.

             SHOWERS  OF  GOODNESS

                     Our God delights is
                 puring out His Blessings,
              showering us with goodness every day...
              It pleases God to show us, His beloved,
           the wondrous things that happen when we pray.


Love and prayerfully for you all
Ria                     
                               

Last evening was nice for me. My brother and sister in law serve as operations managers for conferences being held by our denomination all around the US on teaching in Sunday School and other christian service training courses.

The conference is here this weekend, so we had dinner last evening, then drove about 18 miles north of Nashville to a suburb where their daughter, son in law, and grandson (18 months old) live.

What a lovely evening, visiting with family, watching that delightful child exploring ways to communicate. He used every means at his disposal - body language, facial expressions, pointing to body parts in both family members and stuffed animals, and even is trying some words.

A great stress-free way to end the day.

Ruth Ann

Quote from: Janet on April 30, 2004, 12:06:18 AM
"I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too."
--

That's hilarious!  Thanks for sharing

So how are all of you? I'm feeling better; Karma thinks she's getting sick again, and Trav is a highly motivated little boy at all times

Gotta get back to being busy - hope you all have a great day!

Nard

Good morning.  Thanks for the devotional this morning Pat.

Good to see Ruthie, Janet, Ria, and Ruth Ann already today.

Time is going by so fast.  This is the last day of April already.  Just thinking about the passing of time is mind boggling.

Eph 5:15-17
15   Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise,
16   making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
17   Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
(NIV)

Col 4:5-6
5   Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
6   Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.  (KJV)

2 Pet 3:8-9
8   But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9   The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
(NIV)

I hope you all have a good day.



--- Old Papa John          <)))><<   
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Hi everyone from a cloudy and hopefully soon to be rainy Georgia.

Got up early this morning and left for the gym at 6 am and then to coffee at the senior center by 7:30. 

This afternoon Pat and I are going to take in a concert being given at the large senior center (where our SeniorNet Computer Learning Center is located).  A lady is singing broadway and jazz classics with a man accompanying her from a local music company.  We are looking forward to it.

Ria, hope you enjoy Queensday today.

Hope everyone has a great day and that you are feeling much better today Pat.  Also that Karma is feeling better.

 

Ria ~ Thanks for telling us about the hills in Holland.  I just figured it would be hard walking up and down hills in wooden shoes!      Haha!

Pat ~ From all the tests, my liver is fine.  But the profile test shows elevation so the doctor came to the conclusion, it was my Cholesterol medications that was elevating the liver profile test.  Thus the reason for changing the medication and having another blood draw after a month of taking this new one.

Marilyn ~ I think my total cholesterol a few months back was 216.  It was right on the money at 200 but it did go up some.  Now I am on Crestor...I saw it advertised on TV last night.  I had never heard of it before.

Soni ~ Are Zachary and Troy going back to school with Chandraya?  Just wondering since you said you didn't want to home school anymore.

Larry ~ My bike when I was little was my best friend.  I didn't get it until I was in the 5th grade but I rode it to town and got things for Mom at the store, rode it to 4-H meetings, sometimes to school and, of course, to friend's houses.  Funny, I would leave early in the morning and come back just before dark...Mom and Dad never worried.  Not possible today!!!  We had gravel roads but also had to cross highways....never rode on the highway.

Joyce ~ Thank you for the prayers.  I love walking but I don't do enough of that.  Bike riding sounds like so much fun but not out on my country road.  Those cars are unmoving when they see you on the road.  When I walk on my road and see a car, I get in the side-ditch until they are past me.  I have literally felt the cars inches away from my elbows when they have passed.

Papa John ~ Praise God for your cancer-free report!  I can only imagine your sigh of relief.

June ~ June, I told myself when I retired...Self, it will be a busy day if you do three things you have to do and that includes washing dishes!!!  I try to stick to that!!!!

Jeanne ~ I know the feeling.  I am having Small Groups Bible Study here May 18th so I will be doing some spring cleaning also.  Then I got a call from the couple that is to do some landscaping for me and that just adds to my tension.  I am to find time to go to the home improvement stores to see what I want to use for my landscaping.  Trying to make the mowing and weed eating easier in my old age.

Ria ~ Have a happy Queensday!!!

Ruth Ann ~  I love that age...18 months.  Children can be so delightful and also a pain when they don't behave.

Nards ~ I am praying that Karma isn't getting the flu again.  Trav needs his mommy and you need your wife.

Larry ~ You and Pat enjoy your concert.  Sounds wonderful.

It is raining some today.  I am doing some laundry and then I do believe I will have another zilch day.  I need to go to the home improvement stores to see what is available for landscaping but that is outside and I don't feel like walking around in the rain with an umbrella.  So maybe tomorrow.

<)))><<~~<)))><<~~<)))><<~~<)))><<~~<)))
"Perhaps you know why women over fifty don't have babies:  They would put them down somewhere and forget where they left them."

Good Morning all!  It's another beautiful day here ... sun shining, blue sky, and birds singing ... oh, yeah, the neighbor is weed eating!      Every night the frogs in the pond really serenade me ... loudly!  I love it, but when my daughter was here she was quite surprised. Then, when she was leaving, she said she was going to miss them!   

Today my friend is coming to vacuum for me again.  I told her I thought I could do it now, but she seems to think I still need help.  She tells me there is a party for the volunteers at the Nursing Home at 2 o'clock, and she'll take me if I want to go.  I sing there each month with my friends from the church, so that counts as volunteering.    She goes over there every Thursday and works in the beauty salon for the ladies.  They really enjoy her coming and making them "all pretty" for their visitors (if they have any).

I will be hosting a meeting at my home on Saturday evening, that's why my friend offered to help me get things cleaned up--or at least vacuumed, I can do the rest (I think!)

Well, I guess I best get to gettin' and see what I can get involved in today.  I sure pray for all who are experiencing illness today...It's sure no fun being "under the weather."  [unless, of course, you love the rain and live in Oregon!]   

Happy Friday!  Get well quick wishes to Pat and Karma--we don't like any of our members being sick.

Praise God for Papa John's great report from the doctor!

Larry, enjoy the concert!  We really enjoy things like that, too.

I stayed up too late last night, then slept in a little this morning, so my schedule is sort of off.  I went swimming about 30 minutes later than usual.....but, hey!  I don't have to punch anyone's time clock anyway.

Ria, I would love to visit your country.  Well, maybe during the Millinial Reign!  We will have 1000 years then!

I hope Darrel and Jeff have safely arrived in Las Vegas by now.  They will have a busy couple of days.

Hi, Nards!  Are you working too hard??? 

Good Morning everyone.

I have been for my blood draw this morning early by 8 am. Will get the results next week thursday.

I stayed up too late last night watching TV and then I didn't sleep well, woke up with a slight headache.

I think the kids are going to take that house we saw the other day in Blue Lake. I will miss them being next door to me.

Pat I am so sorry to hear that you are not feeling well, you get well soon you hear.

Well I have some reading to catch up on here so I will go now.

TTYL

Good morning, all!  Are all of you (Pat, Karma, ...) feeling better today?

I have a gripe about people in Ontario - they need to learn that we are 3 hours behind here in BC.  We've had a number of calls now between 5 and 6 am, cheerful Ontarians that wake us up way before we should be waking up

Anyway.  That's my gripe for today. 

Take care all!

Hey, I have three stars now!!!!!  YES!

Nice picture Jane!

Yes, Etta Sue.  I will be homeschooling the boys.  I meant I didn't want to go the route of schooling them all they way through school.  I hope I can be patient with the teachers.

Chandraya went to the screening and passed with a perfect score.  Her hearing and eyes are all fine.  I met her teacher and she is really nice.  She said Chandraya is a very sweet little girl and will enjoy her in her class.  She also was impressed by her drawing that she had to draw of a stick figure.  They are only expect kids her age to draw a stick figure with 5 parts.  she drew one with the head, neck, arms, body, dress, legs, feet, hair, eyes, nose and mouth.  heheheee...that's me little artist.    She does that in Sundays school too. 

The boys bought another turtle yesterday.  He is called a false map turtle.  Now they have 2 turtles, 2 pacman frogs (very funny frog with big head) and a dog.  I should open up a petting zoo. 

I better get busy.  I am running way behind today.

Janet, that was very funny!  Thanks for sharing that.

Talk with you all later.
Soni

The Strange Casket


If you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a
mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance (James 1:23, NLT).


Dear friends:

There is an interesting story I was told about concerning a small-town
church and its new pastor.  I do not know whether or not the story is
true or just a parable, but consider its lesson.  The author of this
story is unknown.

A new pastor came to town and spent the first few long days calling on
the inactive membership, one by one, family by family, begging them to
come to his first service. 

Sadly, however, all his effort was in vain.  None of them showed up on Sunday morning.

On Monday morning, he placed a prominent notice in the local newspaper.
The notice proclaimed that the church was dead and, because of that, it
was his duty as a pastor to give it a decent Christian burial. The
funeral was announced to be held the following Sunday afternoon.

Morbidly curious, of course, the whole town turned out.  Inside the
church for everyone to clearly see as they entered the sanctuary, there
was a large coffin, prominently placed high in front of the pulpit,
smothered in flowers.

Everyone was seated, and anticipation was in the air.  The service
began.  The pastor said an opening prayer, led in a quiet hymn, then
solemnly read the church's obituary and delivered a touching and
eloquent eulogy. 

He then invited the congregation to step forward and pay their final
respects to the dearly beloved who had departed.

Everyone got up from their seats and formed a line, which slowly filed
by the casket. Each mourner peeped inside -- and then turned away in
shock, with a guilty, sheepish look, some in tears.  Their faces became
ashen. 

This is what they saw:  Inside the coffin, tilted at the correct angle,
was a large mirror. 

Everyone saw himself!

Dear friends, this is a dramatic example that the church is us.  We are
the body of Christ.  It is just as much you and me personally as it is
the next person.  Let us heed the Lord's exhortation, and "not give up
meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day
approaching" (Hebrews 10:25 NIV).

Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission
each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

HUH?

NEVER-ENDING ANSWER
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: I would not live forever, because we should not live forever,
because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live
forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live
forever.  -- Contestant in the 1994 Miss USA contest.

We did attend the concert this afternoon at the senior center and really enjoyed it. 

The lady who sang, Hani, was accompanied on a very large Lowrey organ that sounded like a full orchestra and could create any instrument.  I think it was this model.



While it was very nice this lady has a beautiful voice and doesn't really need an orchestra.  If you would like to hear her just click on this link http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hanistempler and you can listen to two minute of each of the songs.  They play continuously and I really enjoy this accompaniment more than the organ that accompanied her today.

Etta Sue, your little quip today gave me a chuckle and I will share it with my wife.

Here are a three more of the Christian One Liners:

QuoteWhen you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

People are funny, they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation leans on the bell.

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Yes, Janet, indeed I am working too hard.  I barely know how to relax any more, and when I get the chance to try, Travis immediately tells me to do something else

By the way, did someone ask "what is a blog" the other day?  If so - it's a contraction of "weblog" which is the modern version of a "journal" or a "very public diary".  Blogging is a form of online publishing that is open to the "masses" and is rather a neat concept.  Further questions welcome; I won't bore you if no one is interested.

Larry, my mom thinks organ music is just wonderful.  My opinion is somewhat different - I agree that it is beautiful, but I simply cannot tolerate it for more than about one song.

Hey Nards, I have a blog.    I love it.

Glad you are feeling better.

Janet - Bill Bright's story about the coffin with the mirror is great!  I don't think I'd have the inards to do a thing like that, but I won't say I've never wanted to!  There's almost nothing more discouraging and frustrating than for a pastor to do a lot of calling, then have no new people show up.

My goodness, it's slow in here today.

Look what I found on SeniorNet...

Half of my windows are done.  Kitchen, dining room and living room now show how dirty the walls are, expecially with all the windows wide open.     Still to go, the bedrooms and the office.  Then it'll be time to tackle those walls.     We hit 80 degrees again today and should get close tomorrow and early Sunday.  But then late Sunday will come the thunderstorms and a drop in temperature.  But only to the upper 50's or so - nothing like what we had in January! 

Tomorrow the house cleaning will have to take a back seat.  I have to go shopping and get  everything set up for Communion.  The summer hours schedule for Town Hall needs to be put on the web site - we'll be working from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with Friday afternoon off.  And I found out yesterday we'll be having a special meeting of the Village Planning Board which means some notices have to be sent to the papers and the people involved.

HEY!  I'm supposed to be retired! 

Pat, that's a wonderful picture of Nita and Jane.

I still have a slight headache ever since this morning. I have already done my laundry, not waiting for tomorrow to do that. I did some of the vacuuming yesterday and will do the rest tomorrow, as well as clean the bathroom and kitchen.

The main thing I want to get done  is clean out my refrigerator.  Also want to go by the Farmers Market in arcata. So I don't know how much of the house will get done. It's not like it is so urgent to get it done.

I found a good web site for buying discount vitamins, www.doctorstrust.com There are really good prices there. I ordered some Flax Seed oil Softgels and some Calcium Citratew/vitD. Check them out.

I sure hope I sleep better tonight than I did last night.

TTYL

Time to lock the door again!

Tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF MAY!!!

WHERE does the time fly??

CLICK HERE