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Morning Devotional...




The Shepherd


"...our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep..." 
Hebrews 13:20b

Phillip Keller, a shepherd (and also an author), once wrote, "The day I bought my first thirty ewes, my neighbor and I sat on the dusty corral rails that enclosed the sheep pens and admired the choice, strong, well-bred ewes that had become mine.  Turning to me he handed me a large, sharp, killing knife and remarked tersely, 'Well, Phillip, they're yours.  Now you'll have to put your mark on them.'

"I knew exactly what he meant.  Each sheep-man has his own distinctive earmark which he cuts into one or other of the ears of his sheep.  In this way, even at a distance, it is easy to determine to whom the sheep belongs.  It was not the most pleasant procedure to catch each ewe in turn and lay her ear on a wooden block then notch it deeply with the razor-sharp edge of the knife.  There was pain for both of us.  But from our mutual suffering an indelible lifelong mark of ownership was made that could never be erased.  And from then on every sheep that came into my possession would bear my mark."         

As a sheep of the Good Shepherd, you bear His mark, a cross.  It may be painful, but it's your mark of identification with your Shepherd.  Ask yourself:  Do I recognize His right and claim over me?  Do I respond to His authority?  Bear the mark He's given me?  If you do, you can exalt with the psalmist and say, "The Lord is my Shepherd!"

If His mark seems difficult to bear, remember, "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young" (Isaiah 40:11). 

Lord, I remember how You came to earth to give Your life for us -- all we are like sheep who have gone astray.  Thank You for being our Shepherd.  And thank You for laying your life down for Your sheep, You, the Lamb of God.

Blessings,

Joni and Friends

I apologize for the lateness of posting "Thoughts for the Week".  Life for me the past few weeks has been very difficult health-wise.

Thanks for you kind thoughts and prayers on behalf of this.  I appreciate it.

Pat, lovely devotional to dwell on this week.  We are indeed His sheep and bear His mark. 

No apology necessary.  Just because we usually have a new devotional on Sunday, it's not a law that's etched in stone!   

Hi everyone.  It is another beautiful day with zero chance of rain.  It is to get up to 87 degrees this afternoon.  The schedule today is light as we only have our Senior Luncheon at 11:30 this morning and the rest of the day is clear.

Yesterday turned out to be very busy.  I sprayed the insect barrier around the house and then repotted my front porch flowers, which turned out to be quite a big job.  I found two of the containers that came with the house had no holes in the bottoms of them to let excess water drain out.  So I fixed that and put some rocks in the bottom, then potting soil and took the flowers from the containers they came in and planted them.  It doesn't sound like much but it was almost too much for me as couldn't stay upright by the time I finished and was bent over like a little old man.  However, a few minutes rest restored some of my energy and I was able to make it to my meeting on time.  Scott came over about 5 pm last night and helped his mother fix a surf and turf dinner.  We had a small package of frozen shrimp and also finished up the three steaks we had left from the Omaha Steaks we got at Christmas time.  Pat baked some fresh roles and we also had fresh sweet corn.  It was a delicious meal.  It was a nice evening. 

Marilyn, I looked at very nice wedding pictures from the link you posted.  I wish you and Keith many years of happy marriage. 

Pat, thanks for the new Devotional Thoughts for this week.  I certainly hope you are feeling less discouraged by your medical problems.

Jeanne, I agree with your comments about needing no apology.  We must do what is best for us so that we are of some benefit to others. 

Thank you Larry

Did anyone miss me?  I got dropped out of the system again for some reason--or no reason.  Anyway I had a lot of reading to do to catch up in here!

Congratulations, Marilyn!  I hope you and Keith have many happy years together.  Lots of photos from which to choose, if you want to frame some or make a scrapbook!

Pat, I tried calling you, but no answer.  I hope I have the right number for you.  I am so concerned about you, pray you are feeling a lot better now.

I am trying to figure out what to do to regain some energy.  I do NOT like feeling so very weary all the time.  Trying to take proper vitamins and eat really nutritional food, but I am just dragging.  I don't feel bad, just so tired.  Okay, I know, TMI.   

Beth had a good day on Saturday, and the circus was in town, so John took her and they had a really good time.  They still had elephants, which made Beth happy.  She loves elephants!

I will try to stay up to date now.  So good to be back with you all.

Hi everyone on another beautiful day.  I should have a pretty quiet day today with just my usual morning chores of tending my flowers and plants and doing my Internet reading of discussions and the email.  I didn't even have to empty the dishwasher as we ate at the church yesterday for a large noon meal.  We had a delicious quiche made with a grits crust, a cheese feeling topped with the egg mixture and another later of cheese.  We had a nice salad and roll to go with it and a thin slice of mixed berry pie.  It was a large meal.  This evening is our last Wednesday night dinner until the fall and is the traditional hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings with dessert. 

Janet, of course we missed you and glad you made it back. Sorry that you are feeling so tired but maybe that is God's way of saying Janet you need to rest and slow down for awhile.  How wonderful that Beth and John were able to take in the circus.  It must be at least 40 years or more since I went to a circus but it was a fun experience. 

Lovely morning here, but night temperatures were down in the 40s and I had a surprise, hearing the furnace start.   

Janet do you take B12, It sounds as if that is what your body needs right now. Thank you and I am trying to go through the pictures so as not to duplicate the ones for the photo album. I might do some editing  or maybe not but will create a folder with the ones I like and burn them  to a disk  before taking them to be developed. I could print them but  I think it would probably use up all my printer ink that I just bought..

Yes, Marilyn, I do take B12, along with several other vitamins.  I am now taking Patriot Power Greens too.  They are supposed to give a person energy and stamina, and have several probiotics in them.  I sure hope they work!  It's a powder you mix in water, and tastes pretty good, too.

I spent an hour this morning and two hours this afternoon going through my closet.  It was so stuffed it was hard to find things.  I needed to go through my clothes and get rid of things that have been too big for me since losing that 30# about three years ago.  I took out a huge garbage bag full, and two other big bags, and the closet still looks full.  I am blessed!  Now I hope those clothes, some still new with tags attached will bless someone else.  I will take them to our Senior Center for their garage sale.  They have one about once a month.

After all that, my upper back is hurting.  I went to my chiropractor this morning, he adjusted me and said to ice my upper back tonight.  So I will do that.....soon!

I wish you all a very pleasant evening!

 :)Well Don't fall of your seat's life has been very busy and I don;t know where the time goes.  Pat thank you for the good devotional it was so good.  I do hope that you are feeling a bit better Sis.

Larry I do hope that you and Pat are good it has been a long time since I have been here and do apoligize that I have not been here.  God's richest blessing's

To all others on C. P. i  do hope that you all are well and may the Lord richly bless you.

Noreen and I are doing well but Noreen had a bit of trouble with her back again but it seems to have started to not be so bad. Could you please pray for her that the Lord would continue to give her strength in her back.  All our Love to you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.   

Hi everyone.  It is a bit warmer already this morning than the last few days and we are likely to get to 89 degrees before the day is over.  We had an enjoyable picnic sort of meal last night at the Wednesday night dinner at church.  The hamburgers and hot dogs that had been grilled outside were delicious and the meal was topped off with an old fashioned ice cream sundae with all the toppings you can imagine, including marshmallow cream.  We then enjoyed a nice quiet evening with Scott here for a couple of hours.  Today I will go to coffee and then go to the Church for the Wisdom class.  The rest of the day I will be quiet and restful.   

Jeanne, surely your furnace days will be past before long as we approach summer in just a little over three weeks.  We sure don't need the furnace down here.

Marilyn, I expect taking your photos to be printed for you would be less expensive than doing them yourself due to the high price of printer ink. 

Janet, it seems our closets are never big enough.  So far we are doing pretty well in not over stuffing our closets.  However, it seems it doesn't take long for them to fill up again. Sorry you are experiencing back pain to go with your general tiredness. 

Gord, good to see a posting from you.  Sorry that Noreen is now experiencing back pain and hope it will soon be better.  Pat and I are doing OK and I hope you are doing OK as well. 

God is good, all the time!  And all the time, God is good!    I did feel better yesterday, less tired so I feel blessed.  I believe those Patriot Power Green are helping!

Also, we have had tornado warnings here several times in the past two weeks.  Garden City and Dodge City and Ensign, all neighboring towns (50 to 60 miles from us) were hit, and also had hail, some up to volleyball size!     We have suffered wind damage, but God has protected us from the devastation others have suffered, so we are thankful.  I pray the terrible storms will stop!

Gord, good to see you pop in again.  Life has a way of keeping all of us busy, it seems.

Larry, your activities are all so wholesome, and you have such a great attitude, you are an inspiration!

Ruth Ann, sorry about your leg.    I hope the bone heals supernaturally fast, and that you enjoy being with your kids during this time.

Jeanne, we don't need heat, but sure do need jackets, still!  I'm sitting here shivering, and will go get a light jacket soon!  It is overcast and looks like we could get rain any minute!

I wish you all a blessed day!

We went to the store for provisions as two grands are coming to stay over - play cribbage and cook, etc. with us over the weekend.  Daughter is coming as well and we are all going out for one breakfast.  I hope the weather cooperates - small hail and wind this afternoon. 

I have looked over everything for days and had given up but a purple colored flash drive turned up at the bottom of my lime green bag of cords.  It was hidden too well.  We heard great news that cousin's husband (the one who landed hard with broken bones from a frisky horse) is released and cannot walk for at least a couple of months.  They will need help with the animals. 

Gord:  Great seeing your note & so nice to hear that Noreen is doing well except for her back pain.  sorry about that. 

Hailstorms keep teasing this area but nothing like Janet's home.  We have had big insurance rates with putting in two new roofs within three years time.  A petition has been sent out asking this governor to stop the flood of newcomers.  Facilities are overloaded & what used to be a 20 minute drive is now over an hour.  It is a nightmare.  Nothing will be done & we expect it to get worse.  Homeless and pot smokers lounging all over the place - begging and sure there is theft. 

Hi everyone.  We are expecting another dry day with the temperature getting up to around 87 degrees this afternoon.  I have a quiet day at home planned for today but may make a quick trip to Walmart to pick up a prescription for Pat. 

Just this morning I watched a very touching video called "Soaring Valor" which deals with WWII Veterans and the work of Gary Sinise and other to honor our WW Veterans.  Here is the link and I found it very worthwhile to view:  Just this morning I watched a very touching video called "Soaring Valor" which deals with WWII Veterans and the work of Gary Sinise and other to honor our WW Veterans.  Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/l3P15s4zWNQ

Janet, glad you are feeling better and hope today finds additional improvement.  How could anything survive volleyball size hail.  I have never heard of such large hail stones.  Glad your immediate area has been spared but just looked at some weather reports and it appears you all have more opportunities for a lot of rain and bad weather. 

Carol, hope you have a great couple of days with your grandsons and your daughter visiting and playing cribbage. 

It sounds like Denver is becoming a much less desirable place to live.  It is hard to get the camel out of the tent once it gets its head in there.  The social problems had to have been anticipated but the almighty dollar seems to will out.  It is sad and so destructive to our society. 

Good Day.  I looked to the east this morning and the view looked like a mountain range - not so, it was only clouds bringing more wind, hail and rain to the midwest.  We have heavy rain predicted here and can still see our snow - it did snow yesterday at altitude over 8,000. 

Larry:  Spot on with your message "it is hard to get the camel out of the tent once it is inside". We sure can feel the pressure of such a fast migration here and wish people would have a job lined up before bringing their entire family along.  This is much like when we lived in Fort Collins and volunteering with homeless.  We met many many families who thought there were lots of jobs in this state & brought their entire family with them.  Where did they get that idea?  It is like the old Gold Rush days - a Boom and Bust state.  We always try to watch the special memorial shows.  Thanks.

All, have a safe and good Memorial weekend. 

Two of the grands arrive tonight and I have a coleslaw salad chilling then will make a cheeseburger casserole for Don's low-carb diet.  We had a mess of bird seed to clean on the deck because a squirrel must have flipped the bird feeder.  Also, so wet from this wind and rain - now to clean the vacuum when that dries.  Sometimes, things go on and on. 

Hi everyone.  It is a clear sky and only to get to 83 degrees this afternoon, a bit cooler than yesterday.  Yesterday was a nice quiet day and I expect today will be the same here at home.  I will just work on a couple of projects here at my desk.  I plan on watching some of the golf tourney later this afternoon. 

Carol, your cheeseburger casserole sounds good.  Hope the weather hasn't been too bad for you yesterday and that it is better today.  There is a tropical storm approaching the Eastern shores of the US and as of last night it looked like South Carolina will be right in the middle of it but it looks like our part of the State will be spared as there is a low chance of even having rain during this holiday weekend. 

Hello!  I am praising God today, because today marks one year since our terrible car wreck!  We are so happy to still be here, and able to do things, and to still be together!  We often talk about the many ways things could have been different, had God not been protecting us.  And I'm thankful to have been here this past year for so many blessings--notably, Beth's beautiful wedding!    Oh, God is good!

We escaped all the Kansas storms again last night, got a very light sprinkling of rain, is all. 

Darrel got a shot Thursday in his hip and could barely walk all day yesterday.  It is some better today, thank God.

We are so thankful for all the Veterans, past and present, who have given their time, energy, talent and even some of them, their lives for the protection of our country so we can live in freedom.  I salute and honor each one this Memorial season.  But I am so saddened by the many in government who seem hell-bent on the destruction of this, the greatest nation ever established on earth!

Looks like it's time to rustle up some lunch!

Yesterday I had my 2nd Mammogram and an Ultra sound, Everything was clean nothing to worry about and I wasn't worried to begin with.

Today Freckles and I along with the other furry friends and handlers walkesd in the Memorial Day parade in honor of the War Dogs and their handlers. I can sure feel it i b my hips now though. This too shall pass.

   Good evening to all.  Had a very busy day as an other funeral thenjust running around doing chores.   Then to go to our grandaughters recitals for dance and it was just so beautiful to see them up on that big platform.  They are so precious and we love them so much.    May the Lord richly bless you all and give you a wonderful day tomorrow.   Gordon and Noreen.

Time to start a new week HERE