Christian Photographers Community

Hi everyone.  We had quite a stormy night last night with quite a bit of rain and an 80% chance of more rain today and it was sprinkling again as I came out of coffee and stopped quickly at the bank.  Yesterday was a good day and I expect today will be the same.  Other than coffee this morning and probably dining out this evening, I expect to be home the rest of the day.  Nothing special planned for today.

Etta Sue, hope your eye soon feels better.  It is hard not to rub somethiing that hurts.  Do you have any soothing eye drops to use?  Enjoy your class reunion today and I do hope you need to use your umbrella as it means you are getting some rain.

Carol, I get disturbed when you denomination passes resolutions that appear to be political but that is certainly not going to impact my own thinking as don't need someone to think for me (at least yet). I see that the Wednesday night services are not going to work for you. When school is out our church dispenses with the Wednesday evening dinner and classes. Sorry Don had such an unpleasant  During July our church is having a combined service each Sunday and has some of the loud  music.  We have missed two of the last services so have yet to be subjected to it this month. 

Judy, you deserve to have a quiet day every once-in-awhile.  Did Pat have her surgery yesterday or is that today?  Any report yet?

Janet, I see we feel about the same on the loud music.  Generally they have their own service, which is fine with me. We have serious issues dividing our denomination and the denomination has lost many of its members over the last several years and it primarily deals with whether the church support the idea of same sex marriage.  Every year they push the envelope a little more and a little more.  Many whole churches are withdrawing and now we have court cases over property, which in the Presbyterian church isn't owned by the local congregations but by the Presbytery. We have talked about leaving but have such wonderful friends and really am not unhappy with our minister, who is trying to hold the church together.  Janet, too bad there can't be some balance between the modern and the old hymns accompanied by piano and/or organ.

Al, I am very thankful to be feeling better and being able to resume the slow pace of my life.  How are you feeling these days? 

Music in church.  I guess I am fortunate to be a young Christian.  All the music is fairly new to me so I love it all!  Now, my little church only has piano and a bass guitar...so it doesn't get LOUD!  But I like a mixture of the jazzy music with the slow, solemn music.  I think my favorite hymn now is 'Ancient Words'.  Love it!  If you click on the words, you will hear Michael W. Smith sing the song.

Now when I was going to Park Chapel they did have a service for the teens and young adults with a full band...piano, drums, guitars, horns, etc. and two or three singers.  They really got loud.  Sometimes so loud it hit my frequency...my ears squealed!!  But it was a great to see everyone standing, holding their arms up and swinging to the music...but I couldn't stand still that much.  That whole service, when a note was struck, everyone stood.  Loved the message and what everyone was doing, just that I couldn't do it because of my aching back. 

God loves a joyful noise!  Not just music but noise!  I guess that covers it all!  BUT if you aren't comfortable in that setting, then seek out and see if you can find some place else to go. 

Today is my class lunch so I best be getting a move on!!

Par's surgery is/was this morning, first of the day.

I had another thought or two ready to post, but i must have hit the wrong key, 'cause I lost it all.  Nevertheless, relative to the "loud, jazzy music" issue I do have some very deep feelings about the matter.  Let me simply ask this:  when it's loud and jazzy, is it music at all?  does it reflect the harmony and beauty God displayed in His creation?  It often seems to me that the loud and jazzy are merely an attempt to "drum up" greater amounts of "feeling."  But is it then appreciative of the holiness and lovliness of God in His Son?  Would Jesus have used it?

Would we not all agree that it is good for the young to mature?  Why not the young people in our churches?  I'm not condoning nothing but a slow, somber beat and long faces, but neither do I see anything wrong in a sober reflection of God's own beautiful nature.  God is the great Artist.  He made the beautiful sounds and sights of tlhe burbling brook flowing through the green flower-strewn meadow.  Now bring in horns, drums, etc., etc., and start being "jazzy."  Has not the harmony been broken?

I agree, Al.  And I do love the choruses, the peppy tunes with words with a message.  Lots of them are straight scriptures.  That's not the "music" I am referring to at all!  And how long one has been a Christian isn't the point, either, it's just that I feel the church should minister to all its members.  Why only have music for the kids?  As Al said, maybe they should think about growing up!  While I agree they can enjoy their kind of music, why can't that be during youth meetings, rather than while the whole church is together?  When it is so loud it causes physical pain and problems for some, it is too loud, period! 

Well, that's my opinion, anyway.  And I was really hurt to hear that a dear lady who for years has played a tambourine, beautifully, was asked to leave it at home.  Said only the ones on the platform could "perform."  I do not come to see a performance, I come to be a participant!

We are home from Garden with all our bits and pieces replaced.  My eyes are burning, think it's time for a little nap!

Janet said, "I do love the choruses, the peppy tunes with words with a message.  Lots of them are straight scriptures.  That's not the "music" I am referring to at all!"  I agree.  Many of the short choruses, etc. are good, but why not also some of the numerous and beautiful hymns of the past, many of which are wonderful interpretations of God's Word.  The kids are NOT incapable of understanding that! The problem is that some of our wise(?) leaders are trying to buy the kid's presence snd sttention.

I guess I "struck a cord" with yesterday's post on music in church.     Actually, I don't mind the music - however, this went on for almost 25 minutes and I do remember going into church services and sitting quietly before everything started where we taught our children to love the quiet time as it was for special prayers.  Don's hearing distortion is what just wiped him out and he had to sit down - I was so concerned that I thought of getting help for him to take him to the car.  He shook his head and just sat there so dizzy and and unfocused - it isn't for us.  There is an answer for us and it is the 7:30 AM service where a trio plays some music but not for long.  It isn't only church services, our entire lives have been turned upside down by the sudden noise that left him so disoriented at loud noises or anyone talking to behind him.  By choosing only quiet gatherings, he gets along really well so we are so grateful for that fact.  My life has changed as well as he wants me for the phone calls and other meetings and to answer the phone or doorbell as he doesn't hear that very well - yes, we have installed the really loud doorbell.  It is just a different way of living but doesn't everyone have adaptations in their lives at some point? 

Hugs to all. 

On another note, a neighbor spotted a bull elk near the area and this is rare indeed.  He would have to cross some heavily traveled roads to get here.  We saw a huge rattlesnake on the road today and did not scream.  Luckily, Don was driving. 

Prayers for Pat to have successful and fast healing surgery.   

Carol, so sorry about the life changes brought about by that cannon boom.    All I can say about the racket music at my church is that you would just have to hear it to understand.  And they play it so loud from the time we walk in the door that you have to practically yell even to greet each other.  I just feel it is totally unnecessary to blast our eardrums.  Okay, off my soapbox now.   

I had a real "J" night again, so have been up since a little after 4.  Sigh...

I am going to TRY to put a picture on my blog.  Curtis sent me a you tube video on how to do it.  Wish me luck!

WOO-HOO!!!  It worked!! Now maybe I can relearn how to post photos on here!

Hey, Janet!  You did it!  Great!!

Our class lunch yesterday was at a pizza/Italian place.  Great food.  We were put in a room all by ourselves.  Wrong thing to do!  We got loud and acted like we were 52 years younger!!  Wow!  We did find out that a couple that we hadn't seen for 4 months are getting a divorce after 35 years of marriage.  You would think that they would have worked things out by that time, hunh?

Today Kitty and I are going somewhere and are going to do something!  We haven't done this for quite some time.  I am sure Hobby Lobby is in it somewhere.  I can't think of a thing that I need but maybe I will find something!  She wanted me to come to their house for pizza at noon but two days in a row of pizza?  That doesn't fit in my diet plan.  One day doesn't, let alone two!!

Now, I know this isn't 'kosher' but I am going to try to insert a photo here and see if it works!  [img][img]

Looks like it didn't.  Shoot. 

[attachimg=1]

Oops!  yes, it did.  Pretty tiny, though.......

(fixed it, Janet)

Janet just click on the little thumbnail and you get the full size picture. You and Darrel are eating  big pretzels and drinking a bear(?)

Yep, Marilyn--big pretzels and a BEAR!  Ha!  I want you to know, that was the very first beer I have ever been served in my life!  And I did taste it, didn't like it.  We were at (in our Program Director's words) a brewery disguised as a monastery!  The monks make most of the beer there in Germany, and this was just beside a huge, historic cathedral.  I have been in quite a few of those enormous churches, and admired all the paintings, statuary, etc., but never understood any of it.  This one--we had a local guide who explained all the symbolism, etc. to us, telling us the story of the church from the beginning to the present, so I enjoyed learning about what I was seeing.

Then we were ushered out into the courtyard to sample the beer.  Darrel likes beer, so he got to drink two!

Marilyn, thanks for telling me how to see it larger.  I'm so happy I have finally posted a photo, after years of not knowing how!

Judy, thanks for the song "Down From His Glory." Oh, how it comforted me today. My dear friend left for Heaven about 1:30 this afternoon. So, I've been remembering the good times, the lunches, dinners, meetings where the 3 of us sat and did our own form of needlework, and just enjoyed our christian friendship.

Well, God will provide for her family and friends, and He will meet my needs as He sees best.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Thanks to the happy elf who fixed my photo!

Ruth Ann, I am sorry your dear friend went across the Jordan ahead of you.  It seems the more of our family and friends who cross over, the sweeter heaven becomes for us.  I have been thinking a lot about the two of my friends who went home while I was away.  As David said, they shall not return, but we will go where they are, when it is time.  ((((hugs to you.))))

I'm having another sleepless night, but think I will go back and try to get a few winks now.

Janet doesn't that elf do good work!  I have appreciated her help as well.

Yesterday was a loooong day. I have been looking for ancient family pictures of grand-parents, and other family pictures.  After a trip to Toronto I have finally after making a lot of contacts found found a source of all but one of the pictures I am looking for.  I am creating a wall of family tree pictures, it is a lot of fun but also enormous work.

I have a scanner.  I finally installed it onto my laptop, only to find out there is a hardware problem.  Everything scans blue, with darker blue stripes down the center.  It is old enough that the warranty is done and I just found out about this because I couldn't get it installed any sooner.  Oh well thems the breaks!

We left so early yesterday that I didn't get the hymn of the day posted. However I did post double earlier in the week lol.

The sunshine has finally returned to the island and endless rain has ended.  Hopefully the temp will not copy what is happening in other areas.  Tho' Misty (cat) has had her Lioncut and is prepared!

Rarely post these days but do come to read.  This place is like a clean breath of air after all the Media on TV.  Have noticed the steady increase in negative comments towards Christians and lack of belief that continues to escalate on the internet and pretty much everywhere now.  I  read a very good comment about Atheism that thought might appeal to Al.

Atheism:  The belief that nothing happened to nothing, causing nothing to explode and become everything.  Makes perfect sense.

Think that pretty much covers the subject!

God Bless.

Hi everyone.  We had another heavy rain last night with lots of lightning and thunder.  I understand it was about 2 inches so we have received probably 4 to 5 inches over the last few days and things are looking very green again.  Our housekeepers are here today, since we won't be here on the regular day next Monday, and one of their houses was hit by lightning last evening.  Fortunately, the house seems to be OK and the people are ok.  The extent of the damage is still to be determined.  I discovered this morning when I went to put gas in my car that I had left my credit card at Macaroni Grill yesterday.  I have called and they had the card so I picked it up after they opened.  I then went to Aldi's for a few grocery items (but everyone and their brother was there as well and it was very crowded.  I then stopped and filled the car with gas and then stopped at the car wash place has had a coupon worth $12 so had the car washed and cleaned inside.

Pat heard from her doctor's office yesterday that the surgery will go on as scheduled at 9 am on Monday so we will be hitting the road early Monday morning as she needs to be at the hospital by 7 am.

I am ready for a quiet afternoon and evening.

Etta Sue, I guess they could see they were going to have a noisy group and that is why they put you in a separate room.    Glad you had a good time and good food.

Good work on the photo posting.  That was a big pretzel and I don't one beer is going to do you any harm.    I am sort of like you in that I have never drunk very much and have to say I would much prefer a Cola.

Ruth Ann, now is the time to remember the good times of a passed friend

Judy, glad your quest for relative's photos has been successful.  Have you checked with the scanner company to see if there is updated software for the version of Windows you have on you laptop?  I think we ran into that problem with the last stand alone scanner that Pat had and there was no software update to a new Windows version. 

Liz, a nice surprise to see you posting today.  Isn't it saddening to see this bombardment of Christians that now seems to be happening.  I notice the same thing as you in the media.

Yes Larry I did check with HP, and they said it was a hardware problem not a software one, their answer was to take it back to Staples for repair. I checked with my nephew and he agreed that it was hardware.  The warranty has run out so I have scraped it, and a new one will be my birthday present from John.

It is HOT.  I have never complained about the heat, I am today.  Son in law said that the reason for the heat, according to a site he is on, is because we are closer to the sun than in other years and in time (years) this will correct itself.  Who knows, that could be true!

Bye for now.

Hi, friends, I trust this has been a good day for y'all.

Yes, I've thought often about my friend, and her sweet nature and generosity, as well as her love for our Lord and others. AND, her needlework passion was legendary, with the work being extraordinarily beautiful.

Some of us are experiencing pain, and others sadness, while others are rejoicing in the joy of our Lord.

Larry, I'll be praying for y'all this weekend as your wife prepares for the surgery. Please tell her I'm SO glad I had the knee replacement, but be prepared to be supportive as she struggles with intense bone pain at first. After intensive therapy, I have almost normal flexibility and strength in that leg. I marvel at the knowledge and intelligence (as well as compassion) those who develop these treatments possess. Our Master has certainly gifted them with a much needed talent.

Much love to all who come here.

Ruth Ann

Time to start a new "Thoughts for the Week"!


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