Christian Photographers Community

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Welcome to our weekly topic entitled, "Thoughts for the Week"!


Each week we start a new topic which begins with a short devotional and/or a hymn and then we share all week with other, our comings and goings in our daily life.

If you wish to share a scripture verse, tell us about an outing that was special, talk about your problems with your car, or whatever it might be, please feel free to join us.

This week's devotional is entitled, "Five Smooth Stones out of the Brook" by our member over in Scotland, Iain Mackenzie.

See you in the coming week!

• Prayer and Praise     Thanks for visiting this area of our site to share prayer requests and items for praise!

Morning Devotional...

"Five Smooth Stones out of the Brook"

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:40



A couple of thoughts came to mind as I read this wonderful chapter of God's Word. I was struck by David's choice of 5 smooth stones instead of choosing Saul's armour. It was a wise choice as David had not proved Saul's armour, yet as a shepherd of the flock he had proved the usefulness of his sling no doubt on many occasions while caring for his sheep.

My thoughts strayed to the comparison journeys of the stones in the brook and the life of the Christian.

A day arrived when that which was attached to the mass of the world was set free. A rough, jagged stone being carried away from its original state down a straight, fast flowing and deep river.

Once saved by amazing grace the Christian finds himself being carried along in the early stages of this new life of wonder. The way is straight with no real obstacles, and banks of grace and mercy shadowing his every step.

The river will not always keep a straight line. It often widens, becoming shallower with many bends along some stretches. It is a shock to the system when the first collision occurs and the process of smoothing the rock begins. It starts to hit other, larger rocks and boulders, chipping away any sharp edges. The force of the flowing waters helps to maintain the process by smoothing the surface and allowing an onwards journey.

One of the first surprises or obstacles that many young Christians face in their walk is the fact that sin rears its ugly head, especially after a time of wonderful blessing and a real sense of freedom and forgiveness. 'I thought that I would never sin again. I thought I was free from sin forever!' Sooner or later the realisation that we are not perfect in this life hits home. True we know forgiveness of our repented sins, but the real battle begins as we try to conquer sin in our lives and experience.

There will be times of rest where the river becomes so wide and shallow that the stone can sit on the river bed for some time while the flowing waters continue to smooth its edges.

The exercised Christian will know times of rest and times of refreshing where the Word of God not only removes the sharp edges but also enhances the Christian's walk with wisdom.

Trials will come along from time to time, each one seemingly more difficult than the previous one, but it is in and through these different trials that the Christian exercises the gifts that the Lord has given him, such as faith, hope and love. Each of these graces will lay hold on the Word of God, and God will prove His faithfulness to His children in such circumstances by allowing them to lean heavily upon certain promises that He alone can fulfil.

It is the Spirit of God who applies the promise to the needy soul as he reads the Scriptures daily. It is one thing to read a promise, while it is another to accept it as ours and to put it to use in our daily walk.

We may be the type of Christian who feels as though we can sort out our problems in our own strength and ability, but we will soon find out that our strength is drained. We reel and stagger like one drunk and it will not be long before we find ourselves at our wit's end. Then we cry to God for help and He shows us once again the same promise He showed us at the beginning of our trial, but this time we wrap both arms around it and wholeheartedly accept it as a gift from God.

We may come face to face with a giant that blocks our path and darkens our horizon. These enormous trials may come upon us when we least expect them. The trials that come from the hand of God always hit us where they hurt the most.

A normal medical check-up ends in the doctor telling us that we have cancer or a similar life-threatening ailment. It may be a totally unexpected calamity within our family circle.  How many have been struck down suddenly with heart attacks and strokes? Financial problems will seem insurmountable for many. Long-term unemployment can be especially hard to deal with and can place a huge strain on a marriage. Banks put customers under huge pressure to repay loans and debts. It is a horrible situation to be in when the monthly expenses far outweigh the monthly income. There can also be times when it is not just one of the above trials that may be present in our lives at any one time, but many!

Our giants come in all shapes and sizes, yet God measures each one for us, as we shall not be tried above that which we are able to bear. Listen to how David deals with the giant confronting him –'Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,' That is wonderful faith in action, with David banking all his hope for success in the God of Israel.

The stone, after it's long and sometimes painful journey, finally ends up at rest in the place and in the form that the Master desires. It is now fit for purpose, and in the hand of an expert with a sling, it fulfils its task.

It may be many a long day and night before the shards that have been chipped away from us (these sins we have been able to mortify through grace) and the various trials and testing's we have come through, will make us fit for the Masters use. What better way to live our lives than to be willing to be shaped by our God in order that He may use us for His glory.

 :)Well here I am finally again.    Again we are always thankful for our family here on C.P. and we value all your prayers.   Noreen has had  hard days since I last was here and still a lot of painand the surgeon thinks that all is going well but our family doctor was not so happy when he saw her last week as her leg is very warm and I think that he is worried that there may still be infection inside so he ordered her to get an x ray which we did right away.  So we hope that we will here something soon because if there is an infection she will have to have an  I.V. put in and have  a nurse come into the house all week so I will try to let you all know.

It sounds like you all have been very busy and some of you are having the hot weather. Well I must go for now or my sis Judy B, will be telling me off for be awake so late.  So please continue to pray and we continue to thank you.   God's richest blessings on all of you on C.P.   Gordon and Noreen.

What a wonderful analogy Iain has provided, comparing the polishing of a stone with the circumstances of our walk with Jesus!  Thank you, Iain and thank you Pat for sharing it with us.

Gord, I am so sorry to find that Noreen is still in such pain, and that she may be facing even further problems.  My prayers continue for her, and for you as you care for her.  May the Lord give the doctors wisdom and direct them in His will.

I would love to share that analogy on  FB.  There are some baby Christians who should hear this. 

Gord thank you for the update, I will copy it to the link Pray For Noreen.  Also ICE, ICE, ICE Even if there is infection the icing will ease the pain.

I finished weeding and we have lost a lot of beans to the deer.  We are going to replant for a later crop, peas are scant as well.  So we are replanting them as well.  The deer ate all my zucchini. I have seed to put in for zucchini,I can do that myself.  How many remember Lee Kirkwood?  His wife has given me a recipe to spray on the garden to repel the deer.  I will spray after I have put the zucchini in. My hands ache with all the pulling of weeds. Several years ago John planted buckwheat on the advice of some farmer.  That is the toughest thing to get rid of. the stalks are tough and hard to pull out.

John left with a "Heated" battery.  He could smell sulfur, and checked the batteries.  They have four to the one a car runs on.  One of the batteries were hot and bulging at the sides. So this morning her is waiting for a new battery to be installed then he will be on his way. Heading to Sudbury first then to the town of "Who Knows Where"!!

Well I am off, will be back later!  Any favourite hymns?

Hi everyone on another overcast day.  We had a nice visit with Stacey yesterday and a nice homemade meal that Pat had made and we all enjoyed it as well as sitting and visiting in the day room of her apartment building.  We found Stacey looking the best she has looked for a long time and think it may be due to the Boost the doctor wants her to drink at least once and preferably twice a day.  We did drive through light rain all the way home until we got close to home and it was dry. Today will be taken up with my EECP treatment and then a meeting tonight.  Seem to be feeling weary today but nothing to worry about.

Judy, thanks for the anniversary mention.  I would be grumpy also if I had to pull weeds, which I couldn't physically do anymore.

Janet, family reunions are a lot of fun but something I have seldom been able to enjoy. 

Carol, I don't mind Windows 8.  I am going to get Pat another laptop to replace the desktop she has in her office and expect it will have XP.  We think it will be more serviceable and she can still be connected to her large monitor and printer and keyboard. 

Pat, thanks for the new devotional for this week.  I look forward to reading it later today or tomorrow when I have more time.

Gord, sorry to read that Noreen hasn't been doing well.  Hope she doesn't have more infection.  Several years ago Stacey had to have at home IV's for 30 days but was taught to do it herself.  Not a fun thing but it solved her infection problem and she didn't have to be in the hospital. 

Hi Jeanne.  Hope your weather has improved.

Judy, do you have your garden fenced or do the deer just jump over the fence? 

Larry no fence on the garden, it would cost too much. I haven't seen the deer, however I see the hoof prints.  I suspect they come early in the morning!

 Carol, I tried to find the answer to your question, but All I was able to find was:  How many fish does it take to make a mess?  And the answer was: three.  There was a lot about fish mesh, but not why we say "a mess of fish."  I agree, having enough fresh fish to make a meal is nice.  We will eat the ones I brought home for supper tonight.

Gord, sorry to read that Noreen is still having problems, but glad you are getting that leg checked out.  Having a fever is a signal that something is wrong, for sure!  Prayers continue.

Larry, so nice to read that you three had a nice day together, and that the drive wasn't difficult because of rain.  Glad Stacey was doing well--good for you and Pat to see her in a much better state!  Hope your treatment goes well today.

Judy, your garden sounds like SO much work!  But you will enjoy the results of it when you begin picking and using the produce of it.


We have been to the gym for our workout, and it was a good one.  Lots of work with the medicine ball today, after the treadmill work.

Jeanne, How are you today? 

Pat, does Iain still stay in touch with you?  If so, how is he doing?  It would be lovely if those who used to post would come back!  I miss so many of them.  When will you be back in Guelph?

I have a 2:00 appointment to do another interview, and need to visit Beth after lunch as well.  And I am getting inspired to start cleaning out and discarding stuff around here.  Storage is getting too full!!

May God bless each of you with a wonderful and happy day!
Janet

Janet, I hear from Iain from time to time and he sent this devotional to me for this week's "Thoughts for the Week".

I think he'd like to know how much folks enjoyed reading it (as I did) and also he'd be happy to know that we'd all like to have him back here posting.  I think he'll be posting today. 

I'll be back in Guelph probably on Wed. night late.  We'll go in two cars.

  Good afternoon.  It is very warm and humid but will never complain as the winter comes to soon.  Thank you all for your encouragement and praise his  name for all his goodness.  Check in later.  Gordon and Noreen.

Hi, friends,

My primary activity today was purchasing some groceries. And, of course, that brought about the necessary activity to put those same groceries away.

Just after I returned home, there was a large dark mass of clouds hovering overhead. So, downtown Nashville got a good shower while everyone around us was celebrating a rest from the rains that brought 5 inches of rain over the weekend.

The devotional from Ian was so good. Yes, we are turned and twisted and tried, with each difficulty smoothing us a tiny bit along our spiritual way.

Now, it's off to watch the news.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Iain, if you pop in here, I want to tell you that I really did enjoy the devotional.  Very fitting analogy of the rough rocks and us as rough-hewn (in the beginning) Christians.  I hope life is treating you kindly and that we will have the pleasure of seeing your posts again from time to time, at least!

Iain, I also want to thank you for this morning's devotional.  And I want you to know you have been missed around here.  I hope you'll be back with us now, and posting again. 

   HI IAN IT IS SO NICE TO HERE ABOUT YOU AND TO ENJOY YOUR DEVOTIONAL I DID NOT KNOW THAT YOU  ARE A fELLOW SCOT  .  GOD BLESS TO ALL AND YES I KNOW I DID THIS IN CAPITALS BUT THAT IS O.K.  GOOD NIGHT.  GORDON AND NOREEN

Hi everyone.  We actually had a sunny and blue sky day yesterday and hardly knew how to react.  It looks like we may see the sun again today and not be too hot.  Nothing on my schedule today but my treatment.  My good friend Rod may ride over and back with me today and that will be enjoyable but probably a boring way to spend the afternoon sitting in the doctor's office.  Today is Pat's birthday and her good friend and she are going to a quilting shop to get scissors sharpened and then her friend is taking her out to lunch.  So I doubt that she will want to go out this evening but we will see. 

Judy, too bad the deer are eating so much of your garden.  Hope they are leaving some for you and that the preparation you are preparing will repel them and avoid future damage.

Janet, is Darrel doing better from his ailment of a few days ago?  Does Darrel go to the gym with you?

Ian, thanks for sharing your writings with us for our devotional thoughts for this week.  It sure would be nice to see you posting here when you have time. 

I had to come back and share this story.  I am sure I have read it before and you probably have as well but it is a good reminder of who we really are.


We never  know
   what one kind word can do for another  person. God
   Bless...




A seminary professor  was vacationing with
   his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. 

One morning, they were
   eating  breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to 
   enjoy a quiet, family meal.

While  they
   were waiting for their food,  they noticed a distinguished looking,  white-haired man moving
   from table to table,  visiting with the guests.

The
   professor  leaned over & whispered to his  wife:
"I hope  he doesn't come over here"
   but sure  enough, the man did come over to
   their  table.

"Where are you folks from?" he  asked in a
   friendly voice. "Oklahoma,"  they answered.


"Great to  have you here in Tennessee," the
   stranger  said..."What do you do for a 
   living?"

"I teach at a seminary,"  he replied.


"Oh, so you teach  preachers how to preach, do you? Well,
   I've got  a really great story for
   you." 

And with that, the gentleman pulled up a  chair
   & sat down at the table  with the couple.


The professor  groaned & thought to
   himself: "Great... Just  what we need...Another preacher 
   story!"


   The man  started:
   "See that mountain over there?" he  said, pointing out the restaurant
   window. "Not  far from the base of that mountain, there was a  boy
   born to an unwed mother."

"He had a  hard time growing up,
   because every place he  went, he was always asked the same
   question:  "Hey boy, who's your daddy?"

"Whether he  was
   at school, in the grocery store or drug  store, people would ask the
   same question:  "Who's your daddy?"

"He would hide at 
   recess & lunch time from other students. He  would avoid going in
   to stores because that  question hurt him so bad."

"When he
   was  about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his  church. He
   would always go in late & slip  out early to avoid hearing the
   question: "Who's  your daddy?"

"But one day, the new 
   preacher said the benediction so fast that he  got caught & had to
   walk out with the crowd.  Just about the time he got to the back door,
   the  new preacher, not knowing anything about him,  put his hand
   on his shoulder & asked him:  "Son, who's Your daddy?"

"The
   whole  church got deathly quiet. He could feel every  eye in the
   church was looking at him. Now  everyone would finally know the answer
   to the  question: "Who's your daddy?"

"This new  preacher,
   though, sensed the situation around  him & using discernment that
   only the Holy  Spirit could give, said the following to that 
   scared little boy. "Wait a minute! I know who  you are! I see the
   family resemblance now. You  are a child of God."

"With that he
   patted  the boy on his shoulder & said: "Boy, you've  got a
   great inheritance. Go & claim  it."

"The boy smiled for the
   first time  in a long time & walked out the door a  changed
   person. He was never the same again.  Whenever anybody asked him:
   "Who's your Daddy?",  he'd just tell them: "I'm a Child of 
   God.''

The distinguished gentleman got up  from the table &
   said: "Isn't that a great  story?"

The professor responded that
   it  really was a great story!

As the man  turned to leave,
   he said: "You know, if that new  preacher hadn't told me that I was one
   of God's  children, I probably never would have amounted  to
   anything!" And he walked away.

The  seminary professor & his
   wife were stunned.  He called the waitress over & asked her:
   "Do  you know who that man was that just left that  was sitting at
   our
   table?"


   The  waitress
   grinned & said: "Of course.  Everybody here knows him. That's Ben
   Hooper.  He's governor of Tennessee!"

Someone in  your life
   today could use a reminder that  they're one of God's
   Children!


   "The grass 
   withers and the flowers fall, but the word of  God stands forever."
   ~~Isaiah 40:8

YOU'RE  ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN!!! HAVE A
   GREAT  DAY!



Keep this going.  You have no idea which
   one of your email buddies  could use a little hope today.

John
   3:16:  "For God so loved the world that he gave his  only son,
   that whoever believed in him would not  perish, but have
   everlasting  life."

Thank you Larry for that!  It is a wonderful reminder that we are children of God!


The Happy Goodmans Child of the King

Lovely story, Larry.  And you may notice what I've had under my avatar for years.... 

There is the song if any one wants to sing!

Larry, thank you for asking about Darrel.  He is feeling much better, still on the antibiotic.  And yes, he does go to the gym with me.  He is the main reason I started going again (otherwise I was just walking every day outdoors).  But he was sitting here in his chair all day, day after day, and I know that is so bad for his health!  So I talked him into going back to the gym with me, and it is going well.   

I need to type up the story of the lady I interviewed yesterday.  I had taken along some small plates my granddaughter-in-law had been given by her grandma.  She bought them at a garage sale, I think.  Anyway, they had on them "Gray and Rosel, Moscow, Kansas.  That was the name of the store May's grandparents had started many years ago; then when her parents married, they went into the store as well. Then they decided to move to Ulysses, and continued the store here until 2006.  Anyway, I thought she would enjoy seeing those reminders of her past, and she did!  I told that long story to say that in taking those, I forgot to take along my camera, so now I need to go back to take a picture of May.    Oh, well.

We go pick up John on Thursday evening.  Beth can hardly wait!    I spent quite a while with her yesterday, reading to her.

I need to go change out of my gym clothes and shower off today's sweat!  See you later.

Hi folks

And greetings from sunny Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. It's a stunning day here today. 22 degrees, blue skies and wall to wall sunshine. I cannot remember when we last had a wekk like this the weather has been so topsy turvy. Seems to me like the "old faces" are getting younger looking and I am always happy to drop bye from time to time. I would like to post more regularly but I just do not know where the time goes. Many thanks indeed for your kind comments, my soul is in need of all the encouragement it can get at present.
Excellent story Larry.

Hi everyone.  It is another muggy, overcast day in our area and heavy rains are predicted by mid-afternoon.  Our ground is so soaked around here that they are saying the snakes are being driven above ground and many trees are falling into homes and onto cars.  I think I have finally mastered how to get to my treatments and back by learning the right way to go on a connector highway around Athens.  This is going to make my drive much less stressful for my daily treatments.  My treatment will be my activity for today.  Pat left a little bit ago to get some groceries.

Janet, glad Darrel is doing better and you are right about the benefits of walking and going to the gym. 

Iain, so good to see your posting.  Happy to read you are having such nice weather.  We have had an extremely wet summer here in the eastern part of the USA. 

Seems we were out for a while - at least I couldn't get in for about an hour and a half.  Glad to be here now!

Cloudy, threatening rain and very damp feeling, even though the temperature is down.  We haven't had an undue amount of rain the last week or so, but just a short way south of us they are having major flooding problems.

Iain, it so good to see your avatar and a post from you.   

Larry, finding a less stressful route to get to and from your appointments is bound to help with the success of the treatments. 

How delightful to see a post from Iain again. Love the devotional Iain

Just topping by to let y'all know I am still alive and kicking, work is going well, we've had some very busy days and some lite days. Love the lite days.

I tried to post this morning, but there was some sort of problem.

So good to have a post from Iain!  Welcome back!

Larry, so glad you may have a less stressful drive now for your treatments.  God bless you.

Hello, Jeanne, and Marilyn!

Larry, I hope your wife's birthday went well, and that she sees steady improvement, even if it does seem a bit slow in coming. And, I praise God for the treatments you're receiving.

I DVR'd a very inspirational program a few days ago. Tonight, with seemingly insurmountable physical challenges ahead for the next week, I took the time to watch that recorded program. It reassured me as if our Lord Himself was sitting talking with me.

Some maintenance work is to be done in the apartment, so I'll be challenged to handle almost everything in my apartment.  Furniture will be moved away from the walls, so every bookcase is to be emptied, couch and chair moved from current places, etc. Please help me pray for strength for the tasks ahead.

Thank you so much,
Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  It is the same old, same old today weather-wise and what I will be doing today.  I did experience some heart pain yesterday while in the final 30 minutes of my treatment but managed to make it through without having to stop the procedure.  It left me pretty tired and while I had a good nights sleep still feel weary this morning. 

Jeanne, I experiences problems trying to get my posting to go through and wasn't sure it had.  However, I see it did make it. 

Marilyn, don't overwork now. 

Janet, ashamed to admit it but going yesterday I managed to miss the turn off and realized it when the business district appeared.  So I turned on the GPS and had it direct me there  and made it with a lot of time to spare.  There was another tech relearning the EECP equipment and procedures, which was pretty slow but eventually got done and home.

Ruth Ann, my wife did seem to enjoy her birthday activities.  It is so nice seeing her want to begin to do things again.  She is going to rejoin the quilt guild here that meets one evening a month.  Can you get your son or new DIL to come and help you with all that removal and moving.  I can't even wrap my mind around having to do that here.  I would certainly have to hire someone to come and help us. 

Grrr!  I am trying to copy and past my new article into an email so I can send it to the paper, and can't get it to work.  I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, guess I will just shut down and try again later.

Larry, sorry you missed your turn, that happens to me a lot.  Glad your GPS helped you make it with time to spare, and glad you made it through the treatment.  I hope your strength returns and you will feel better soon.

Ruth Ann, how I wish I lived near you.  I would be so happy to come do that work for you!  And it would bless me to be able to bless you.  Prayers for strength and energy for you, but please try not to overdo.

I am reading and meditating on God's favor.  How blessed we are to have His love surrounding us!   I pray I can walk in His favor and grace today, and that I will be a blessing everywhere I go. 

Good day folks I see I missed posting yesterday.  I tried when the site was down then got preoccupied with other things.

I have had a rough voice for a week now.  Apparently I sound like I'm crying. I'm not.  I don't know what is wrong my throat is just dry.  I'm ok though

John may be home today, a day early.  That is going to be nice.  He has been putting in/extending a bathroom where I can have my washer and drier together.  Till that is done my washer is upstairs and the drier is in the basement, with stairs that are deadly.  I don't trust them so laundry is done over the weekend when John can do the running up and down the stairs.

I tried to clean an area rug.  Yea that was a good idea!  would have been better if it had worked! I am going for the bleach and see what that does!  Thankfully it is a white rug!!!

God be with you all this day and bless each of you!