Christian Photographers Community

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"Blessings hemmed with praise will not unravel."




 


Morning Devotional...



Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself...Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house.
Psalm 84:3-4


God has given His creatures a built-in instinct.

Birds have a know-how to build nests and often return to the same one year after year.

The Lord's people have a built-in homing instinct as well. They never feel quite at home unless in that special covert with the Lord. Under the shadow of the Almighty is a sweet resting place. After mingling in the marketplace how good to return home to wash away the cobwebs of the mind with the water of the Word and commune with the Lord in prayer.

May we keep our lives sensitized to allow the homing-instinct to draw us into His presence often.
—E. Dyck

Hi everyone.  It looks like I will be the first here this morning.  I am watching the hurricane coverage.  So much pain and suffering and damage.  Poor New Orleans is being flooded again. 

I had a very nice time yesterday morning when we visited the new Best Buy store (and Carol I agree with you in not really liking to deal with the store).  However, this is their biggest store and was very nice.  When we went in the front they had about 15 Volkswagan Beetles, painted with their "Geek Squad" logo on theme.  They send out technicians to help people in their homes with computer and home entertainment setups.  It was quite a site.  I asked and only three of them belong at that store but they had called them all in from the area for the store opening.  We didn't buy anything and they had no give aways.

I am hoping that my friend, with whom I went to Best Buy,  will come over later this afternoon and watch the Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech football game with me.  He is a Virginia Tech graduate and avid fan.  His television is wearing out.  His wife had the news yesterday that had 92 year old mother has a cancerous mass that has metesisized.  Sad news as the poor lady is suffering from dementia.  She is at least here in the area where her daughter can look after her.

Marilyn, know this is an exciting day for you but it sounds like all is ready.  Glad you have been received so well into your new community and if your neighbors have dogs they shouldn't have a tendency to complain about your dogs.

Ruth Ann, glad to see you are looking forward to your trip next week.

Pat, thank you for the fine devotional this morning.

Carol, my test numbers for the PSA are very good.  I will see the urologist on Wednesday so will have more information.

Sue, I take it that you are happy with the additional work for you during the next few days. 

Jane, so sorry to hear of the additional problems with your car.  There is nothing inexpensive related to a car.

JudyB, it sounds like it is getting pretty chilly up your way.  We are still having some pretty hot days here.  Hope John has a good trip next week with his trainee.  It sounds like the Lord is putting his friend in a position to be influenced by John.

Etta Sue, that sounds like a great new camera and hope you really enjoy it.  There is always a learning curve with a new item like the camera.

It sounds like a convention of CP folks in the Gatlinburg, TN, area this weekend.  Hope you all have a very nice time.

Karmat, was this a Mary Kay convention you attended.  How as Zig Zigler.  He has been a motivational speaker for many years.

Pat, any word on Judy McKenze?

Hope everyone has a good day.

Yes Pat I too have been anxious to hear how Judy is doing. Would you please let us know.

I seem to have developed a pretty strong cough over night. It was only slight yesterday. I slept very well last night and I feel very rested today. I didn't expect to sleep so well the night before my big move.

The Brethren will be here about 9am. I am also going to have them pray over my new house before they leave since druggies used to live there I don't want and bad spirits left in the house.

I am so thankful to my Father to giving me such a wonderful place to live, it is more than I expected. I have never had such a nice place that is all brand new inside and out.

I am watching the results of Rita on TV and praying for all those people.

TTYL

Marilyn,

I am sooo excited for you today about your move!  God is so good, he takes such good care of His children.

Just be careful today and don't over do, otherwise you will be too tired to enjoy your first day at the new house.


I've been busy with school, but have been lurking about.  Hope all are doing dandy today!

We have been wanting to take a trip to Pigeon Forge, but the timing has not been right for us, yet!

My husband has been asked to bring the sermon for Sunday night so please remember him tomorrow.  All of his insecurities are starting to come out, and he is about to drive me crazy!

Love the new look, never had the first problem with it.  Thanks Pat for having this site.

Got to go, have a blessed day everyone, and Larry don't over do on the football games! (We could spend all day watching football!)

Samantha!

shutting dowsn the computer now and get it ready to load into the car.

Just a really quick visit.  Had company-couple of batches of company--today and they've gone now and then the phone started ringing.

Now, I'm going to proceed to get ready to go into Toronto.  I'm meeting Ruthie and we're going on the subway together to the AC Centre to see the Gaithers.  We both went last year together and had a great time.

I won't be home till maybe midnight or after.

Samantha, will be praying for your husband for tomorrow.

New animation...thought it was cute!  Probably what Ali would like to do when I ignore her when she wants the faucet turned on.   

Karma ~ I am sure you are already gone but yes, they will all have Indiana plates.  And Tony called this morning.  He was in Sevierville at a knife shop...don't know why a knife shop.  But they were waiting on the others to show up. 

JudyB ~ I need to call TBear.  I sent a card to her daughter for her birthday and wonder if she got it okay.

Marilyn ~ I know you are anxious to get everything moved.  It will be before you know it.  I am so happy for you.  Take pictures!  A Veggie Sub sounds great!!

Papa John ~ I just called Tony and they are staying at Jack Huff's Motor Lodge in Gatlinburg, ½ block east of US 441 on Cherokee Orchard Road.  They are there now.

Ruth Ann ~ So glad you took time off from work early.  After being ill, we need to get back into the swing of things gradual.  Do rest.

Jane ~ So sorry to hear of you car problems.  We sure need our cars and running cars are better than ones that decorate our driveway!  God will provide.  He knows our needs.

Sue ~ Don't work too hard.  And thanks again for the animations that all will soon see.

Carol ~ My kind of eating...Mexican and cheap!  I drink water about all the time when eating out.  Can't spend over a $1 for a coke or iced tea. 

Larry ~ I couldn't sleep last night and watched Rita at 3 a.m.  Doesn't look good at all.  So sorry for the Gulf Coast people.  They have been battered enough.  Thanks for commenting about my camera.  I can only learn so much at a time...I get mind-boggled.  Similar to pcs...

Samantha! ~ I will pray for your husband and his sermon tomorrow night.  I am amazed how every Sunday our ministers are right at home at the pulpit. 

Fall is here and I have shut the A/C off for today.  I have a couple of windows open a little.  Feels good.  I love the silence.  I plan to learn more about the camera today and watch for Kaye Don and Barbara to come home.  Hope I sleep better tonight.

Here it is+almost noon and I am all moved in, wading throught the boxes to get it all organized. They forgot my garden hoses and Happys  big tub that is his swimming pool it has all my garden hoses, sparyers andnozzles it it. The are bringing me a 4 prong cord for my dryer and I can't wait to take a shower. I sure need it.

TTYL

Marilyn, welcome home.   It's yours and from your Father.  Now you can do all the things you want to give it your personality.  This makes me feel so glad along with you.

I've watched some news on CBN today that is so great.  They interviewed some of the Christian policemen from New Orleans.  There are so wanting and believing that God is doing something in their town.  Their faith is strong, though they've lost their homes.  Most are living on a cruise ship now.....is cramped rooms.  They have church services onboard.  One said that there are many Christians in New orleans and they are all praying that their town come back not only physically but spiritually too. 

Sunshine here today.  Still cool.  Time for those extra blankets.   nita

Here I am. I have made my bed and semi organized the bedroo, for now set my book case in place visited with  my son, dil and g-daughter, a little at a time, as much as I would love to snap my fingers and even the junk was gone. I ams till waiting for someone to bring me that stuff and my fish tank. Maybe they will just bring it tomorrow.

TTYL

I talked to Marilyn a little while ago, and, guess what?  She standeth in the midst of boxes!  But she's IN.  Now if the dogs will just stay in their yard.

I've got to go in about an hour to an "ice-breaker" meeting/barbeque.  We're going to explore whether the church members in the McKinleyville area want to begin what we call a "Sunny Group."  It's a home felowship that facilitates loving one another by praying for one another, study of God's Word, and application to lives.  May our God bless what He wants to do here.

Al I pray that the Lord will grant your request to start a Sunny group.

HOWDEE!!  I'm home!  We got here this afternoon around 3 or so.  I had to go check on my Mom, who isn't dong well, or I would have been here earlier.  I have read some of the posts, but not all.  I will do that another day!

We had a WONDERFUL time with Soni and Mike!!  I will tell you more about that later, too.  I'm just stopping in tonight to tell you we are safely back home.

Good to be home, too, and thanks, JudyB, for thinking of me.  I did have a good time, and do feel much more rested.  It's nice to know you are thought of when away!  (((hugs)))

It's 1:30 am and I'm in Toronto at Ruthie's after our big concert and am about to travel home to Guelph but I won't be opening a new NEM.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Good Sunday morning everyone. 

Janet, so glad to see you are home and rested.  Sorry you found your mother not doing well at all.  Glad you had such a great time and I look forward to your report on your meeting with Sonja and Mike.  It was great that you could get together.

Pat, hope you had a good safe trip home.  That sure was late to be on the road but suppose you needed to get back to Gordie and also know that there is no place like home when we are tired.  I look forward to your telling us all about the Gaither concert.  Glad that you and Ruthie were able to attend.

Marilyn, you can now take your time to get settled since you have your things in one place.  Hope you slept well last night.

Al, I never heard of that type of group before.  It sounds like a good idea.

Nita, there are Christians everywhere.  There are so many people who are looking after others rather than dealing with their own needs just as these policemen are in New Orleans.  That is going on all throughout the gulf area.

Etta Sue, I like the illustration of the cat.  It won't be long now before we will have to start heating.  However, the lovely fall days are nice.

Pat and I are going to church this morning and then I am pretty sure we will go out with friends for lunch.  I had a nice afternoon yesterday with my friend who came over and we watched his college team, Virginia Tech, beat Georgia Tech.  We enjoyed the game, some popcorn and some homemade chili.  He got home before dark as he doesn't see well to drive after dark.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

Good Morning, Hey I could not believe how good I slept, I  didn't even wake up once during the night. It isn't as cold in the house like it was in the trailer. What a wonderful day today is going to be. I have to stop at the Hardware store after church to get an adapter for my dryer that is a three prong into a four, as the wall socket is for a 4 prong. As much as I don't like to shop on Sunday I do need to do some laundry.

I am so blessed to have this house. Thank you Lord for giving me more than I asked for.

Wake up Everybody.

TTYL

Hi Larry you were posting at the same time as I was and remeinded me to say a few things to others as well. I think that Al's "Sunny" is derived from the name of his church The Sunny Brae Baptist Church, in Sunny Brae.

Janet so happy that you had the chace to meet Soni and Mike and evenmore glad that you are back home safely. Did you get caught in any pary of the rain up north?


Thank you pat for just adding another day to the thread. I know you must have been very tired when you got  home this morning.

Good morningj, everyone!  (however many "everyone" is)
Don't get lost going to church this morning, Marilyn - I know it's a very long ways!
Our meeting last night turned out well.  We had nine people for a barbeque, plus 7 kids.  We decided to start meeting on Thursday evenings.  Actually, "Sunny" doesn't derive from Sunnybrae, where the church is.  It's an acronym.  I don't remember what the "u" stands for, but the "s" stands for "sharing," and the "y" stands for "yummies" ('cause ya have to have yummies to make the group operate).  One of the "n"s stands for "nurturing."  I will try to find out today what the other letters stand for.  The idea is to have a group that isn't just a Bible study, but also incorporates prayer, fellowship, etc.  It's where the church really ministers to one another the way it's supposed to do.

Ok Al I promise I won't get lost going 10 houses down the street to church this morning.
That sounds like a great group your church is doing. Our church has started a new ministry of helping  others, church members as well as the community eventually. Yesterday I was the first recipient when they moved me. Pastor Danny wants to have a New Testament church where everyone helps everyone else. Next Saturday is a church work day and there will be a meal and fellowship afterwards.

Well, I got home at 3:30 am!

All the west bound lanes of Highway 401 were closed for construction from Don Valley Parkway to way out west and I had to go on city streets to Weston Road and south to the highway there.

I was very drowsy by the time I go to Trafalgar Road so stopped for a coffee at Tim Horton's and then proceeded home.  Geordie was happy to see me but I went right to bed!

The concert ended with singing this lovely hymn last night.  Imagine thousands singing it!

.

Hi, friends,

I am in Atlanta with my children. Isn't God good - He enabled me to both load my gear into the truck and then to unload it in Atlanta by myself. A few weeks ago, I was in bed, unable to even speak, and now, here I am able to thoroughly enjoy my children.

Both granddaughters have been so sweet. The baby has clung to me. My "new name" is AM-ma. And the older one couldn't wait for Grandma to show up. We've played "dorm room" making up the story line as we went along. And, she shared that she "likes" a boy at school. In fifth grade, I think I still hated the other sex. The baby has pushed my wheelchair around (what time she's not sitting on my lap!), and we've all had fun.

If we can figure out an option that will allow me to shower down here, then I'll leave at some unheard-of hour tomorrow morning.

It would be good to get to spend another night with them. What an answer to prayer.

And, they've been so affirming about my weight loss.

Well, there's lots to thank God for today, and one is for family and for friends.

Y'all have a good day in Him.

Ruth Ann

Hello again, dear friends!  We had a great service at church today, and each Sunday we are having new people coming in to the church.  God will grow His church!  Having such a loving and affirming church makes coming home all the sweeter.

Marilyn, I'm so happy you are FINALLY in the home you have been praying and believing for so long.  God is good.

Larry, I would love to meet you and Pat, too!  Who knows, we may be going South one of these days.  It would be the fulfillment of a dream for me to get to meet you and Pat, Ruth Ann and Papa John.  God has a way of giving us the desires of our hearts, so I am just going to believe for that to happen.

Last Tuesday, there wasn't much on our schedule.  They were taking us to a museum, then lunch at a mall food court on our own, then a little tour of Deadwood.  So when Soni called, I told her, and she said Mike was on vacation for the week, but was working some extra hours unloading.  She said she would call him, and if he wanted, when he got off work before noon, they would come to Deadwood and take us to see the Devil's Tower!!  Boy, was I excited!  I really, really wanted to see that!

So, about 11:30, they arrived, picked us up, and we headed out.  We first stopped for lunch at a place they knew there in Deadwood, and we began to get better acquatinted.  They are both such lovely people!  It felt like we had known them for a long time.

We went on our way, and since Mike has delivered for UPS for 17 years in that area, he knows all the roads, lots of the history, and most of the people.  He's a great guide!  Everyone knew him and stopped to chat with him, he is obviously well liked.

When we got to the Devil's Tower, Soni and I walked the path around the base, about a mile and a half, while the guys sat on a bench and visited.  Of course, both of us were stopping every little ways to tke photos!!  (How many would you like to see?)

When we got back to Deadwood, they gave us a little tour, then we met our group, and had a buffet dinner at one of the casinos.  We were so happy Mike and Sonya could stay for that.  We walked back to their vehicle, and stopped to take more photos (Soni showed you one of those.)  Then we drove up into a residential neighborhood where we saw 4 deer stripping someone's hollyhocks right up against their house!   They took us back to our motel, where we reluctantly bid them farewell.  They had to get home to the kids.

We are making plans to return to their area and take our 5th wheel trailer.  Then we can stay longer and see the sights we missed this time around.

We enjoyed our time with Sonja and Mike SOOOO much!  I'm delighted we had the opportunity to meet them, and we had such a fun day!!

More later, this is getting way too long!

Time for a grin.  This is for the cat lovers among us, including Etta Sue, Pat, and ........ME.

WHEN MY FAMILY and I travel with our cat, Marilyn, we usually stay at hotels that allow pets. But late one night on a recent road trip, we found ourselves at an establishment that forbade animals. Sneaking Marilyn past the front desk was no problem. However, the next morning when my husband, Murray, put her in a cardboard box and closed the flaps, Marilyn began to meow.
     On a crowded elevator, Murray coughed loudly to cover the sound of the cat. Everyone politely ignored the meows coming from the box. When the elevator doors opened before the busy front desk, Murray bravely marched out, praying that the cat would shut up. He needn't have worried. His fellow passengers marched with him, coughing loudly all the way through the lobby and out the door.

--Contributed to "Life In These United States" by C. E. Munro

Well we had a nice visit with Beth and James.  We drove over here to Pigeon Forge yesterday afternoon.

This morning Beth and James drove over here and we went to church together.  After church we went to a seafood restaurant for a delicious meal.  This afternoon James and I went down to the pool and Cornelia and Beth went over to some factory outlets to do some shopping.  They left to go back to Knoxville while ago.

I am just now getting out the computer and got it set up for phone line aol connection.  Martha and I have a limited phone line connection to aol so I will have to watch my time.

Pat, I don't like your coming home at 3:30 in the morning.  You need to get your sleep.  Slow down please.

Ruth Ann it is good to hear you are doing better.  Sounds like you enjoyed your Atlanta trip.  We well be here in Pigeon Forge until Saturday.

Marilyn, I'm you are at home in your new house.  It is nice to be close to your church.  Also I'm glad you got a good night's sleep there.  How are the dogs?

Janet, I hope you do get to come this way some day.  We have met Ruth Ann several times and we also met Larry and Pat some years ago in Atlanta.  We would give you some good Southern hospitality in Nashville.

Eph 2:1-5
1   And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2   Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3   Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4   But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5   Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved  (KJV)
Papa John          <)))><<   

I hit the wrong key and deleted my message. 

Pat:  You must be very tired today along with the rest of us that went to the Gaither concert.  We Mel, myself & Sue arrived at our house at 1:15 and Sue had another 1/2 hr drive to her home.  We had trouble staying awake waiting for her to call and let us know she had arrived home.     Pat were your seats down on the main floor ours were about half way up. Mel did have a short visit with Judy & John, Sue & I had met another friend so we missed them.

Marilyn:  Welcome to your new home.


Phone is ringing - will return later

Ruth

No,  Ruthie got the tickets without knowing exactly where they were located so we were way up high.  I didn't mind though.

It was a terrific night.

I have been working at getting unpacked, I am at a standstill int he kitchen I need to get a cabinet to use as a pantry.  Too few cupboards. I already have one huge box packed with stuff that will go to St. Vincent De Paul and another 1/2 packed they are heavy too, dishes etc that I will never use and have no room for here.

As soon as the news is over  I am going outside to water the flower bed and hose down my car I brought the dirt with me. haha.

Ruth I sure got a kick out of the message you sent about the money.

Janet when I first started to read the funny I only saw my name  and thought the message was for me. haha

TTYL

Well, today is the anniversary of my daughter Jean's birthday.  She would have been 52. God knew what was ahead for her if she had lived.  I am so grateful that He knows best and does all things well!

I'm happy for you Marilyn!  I know you will really be contented and blessed in your new home. 

My car should be ready late Tuesday.  I will be happy to get it out of hock.  It will cost me about $1400.  I know God is my all sufficient supply and I have no concerns.  He is in control and all I have to do is let go and let Him do what He does best -- take care of me!

It has been cold here in my house today, but I still have not made a fire nor turned on the electric heat.  I just have to think things will be better soon and I will be able to rise above these bills and concerns.  There are several things that need taking care of around here, but that I will also have to wait upon the Lord.

Ruth Ann~Isn't it fun to have grandkids?  I love them and I'm sure God arranged it so that we could enjoy them and then leave them for their parents to take care of once we become satiated!   

I'm trying to get some things done here before bedtime, so I'll leave all y'all for now....

Jane