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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

  • I think I know where I got part of my love of cats. . .


    My Grandma on the farm back when she was about 16 or so--way back in the 1930's!


    (We've been going through old photos, letters, and memorabilia recently--oh, it's been so neat!   I will share more photos from "back when" later.)

Monday, July 14, 2008

  • A Few Videos!

    When I went to Youtube to upload a couple of my videos, this was featured and I thought it was very cute.  





    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    This is a really cute video that I managed to get just as a guinea was hatching.  What's incredible is how strenuous his efforts are as he breaks free of the shell! 



    I was photographing cucumber blossoms last week when a bumble bee, disturbed from his flower by my messing around, landed on my knee!  First I was worried that he would sting me, but I was enjoying looking at him close up anyway.  As he showed no desire to leave, and even began to perform his "ablutions" (washing his face, legs, etc.) I switched to video mode and got the following 3 videos (the third is a little bit jumpy--my back was starting to hurt from my awkward position!). 







Sunday, July 13, 2008

  • I lift my hands and my heart in worship. . . .


    He has turned the sorrow into joy,
    The weeping into singing, giving me beauty for ashes;
    He will hold me close as I continually give up my sorrow into His keeping,
     and accept the joy He asks me to claim;
    He is Everything, and I love Him!

    It is not that the cause has changed;
    it is that my response to it has changed.
    I have started down the path of joy,
    and I will not turn back.
    I have asked for joy;
    shall I complain when it comes in the guise of pain?
    The Joy-giver knows what He is doing.
    I will sing e'en when I have no voice,
    I will smile e'en when the tears are flowing,
    I will look up to the Heavenly Places,
    And joy and utter content will flood my heart
    As I gaze upon His face.

    Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
    Tune my heart. . .
    tighten the strings, pull until the pain
    causes me to sound in harmony with Your will.
    Teach me a song that e'en the flames of pain and jealousy cannot halt. . .
    Teach me a song that will cause all self-ness to burn itself out,
    Teach me a song that will carry to others the lovely melody of Your love.

    Teach me to rename the loss that You ordain, "gain";
    Teach me to let the shadow go,
    Teach me to wait expectantly for the Reality.
    ("How really can I say I have not enough of love,
    When I have the One who is LOVE?")


    For You do all things well, and my heart overflows in adoration.
    -----------------------------------
    Through this, and this, and this. . .You bring me here. . .


Monday, June 30, 2008


  •  Despite having too many plants, which resulted in extremely late planting,
     my morning glories are starting to take off!













     





    (There's often an odd morning glory!)



    In the midst of all the beauty, there are always these buggies. . .(ugh!)



    And there's plenty of new life hatching out!



     (All pictures taken this morning with the exception of the last.)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

  • "What is my pain is others' joy. 
    Cannot I rejoice that at least only I bear the pain, and not they as well?. . . .

     If one seeks for a rejoicing heart, one will find--although you cannot seek with conditions,
     such as "I will rejoice if this dream is fulfilled,"
    "I will rejoice if I gain this I desire," or "I will rejoice as long as that does not happen." 
    It is a command to "rejoice in all things." 
    And it is a command, lovingly & tenderly given, to "rejoice with those who rejoice." 
    This is not easy--indeed really not even possible, without the joy-supply of God. . . .
    When God gives a rejoicing heart, we feel ourselves impelled to look for the joy in everything, even in the dark hidden places.  And when it can be found in no corner on earth, it can always be found in the expanse of the heavens--in the LORD whose Throne it is.  . . .

    In the pattern of the Love that endured shame and anguish to gain the joy set as the goal--the joy of redeeming others by one's sacrifice-- He enables  us to endure our own pain to give to others, joy.   . .

    More than my consciousness of myself, must be my feeling for-- my fellowship with--my Lord. 
    And more than my personal sorrows or joys, must be the sufferings or rejoicings of the Body. 
    So, because HE is more to me than life itself, e'en than heaven itself,
     must I love His Bride, and her perfection, more than myself--
    also knowing that by this sacrificing love, I in a beautiful and amazing way reap love and joy for myself.  For the gift blesses the one who receives, yea, but it blesses the one who gives the most. "

    Romans 12:15, 1 Cor. 12:26, 2 Cor. 13:9, Psalm 31:7



Wednesday, June 18, 2008

  • "Rejoice In the Lord"

    "Rejoice in the Lord" by Ron Hamilton.

    God never moves without purpose or plan
    When trying His servant and molding a man.
    Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
    In darkness He giveth a song.

    I could not see through the shadows ahead;
    So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.
    I bowed to the will of the Master that day;
    Then peace came, and tears fled away.

    Now I can see testing comes from above;
    God strengthens His children and purges in love.
    My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;
    Through purging more fruit I will bear.


    O rejoice in the LORD
    He makes no mistake,
    He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
    For when I am tried
    And purified,
    I shall come forth as gold.




Monday, June 16, 2008

  • "Holy Is He"
     
    (from the Wilds, song author unknown to me)

    Holy is He, and great is His glory;
    Holy is He, and worthy of our praise!
    I stand in His presence amazed,
    and crown him with worship and praise;
    Holy is He, holy is He, holy is He!

    Who pardons my iniquities,
    who heals me from within;
    who lifts my fallen life and sets me on my feet again;
    who leads me like a shepherd when I've gone astray--
    my Lord, my God, my Jesus
    the One I praise today!

    Holy is He, and great is His glory;
    Holy is He, and worthy of our praise!
    I stand in His presence amazed,
    and crown him with worship and praise;
    Holy is He, holy is He, holy is He!


    Who hears me in my loneliness,
    Who finds me where I hide;
    Who knocks outside my broken heart till I let Him inside;
    Whose life deserves the honor laid before His throne--
    My Lord, my God, my Jesus!  My Savior and my God!

    Holy is He, and great is His glory;
    Holy is He, and worthy of our praise!
    I stand in His presence amazed,
    and crown him with worship and praise;
    Holy is He, holy is He, holy is He!

        



    My hands and my heart are open to you, my Lord.
    Teach my ears to listen, my feet to obey.
    Wherever you take me--
    whether be it a long road I traverse alone,
    or a joysome way I share with a like-heart--
    let me never forget that it is worth it all.
    All the pain, all the loneliness, all the sorrow,
    All the self-sacrifice, all the turmoils--
    worth it all when I see You,
     and know that from my humble life,
     glory has flowed to Your name,
    and love has journeyed to Your children.





    Your dreams are greater than mine, O God.
    Let me continue to learn to take each day as from a tender Father's hand.
    Give me beauty for ashes,
    beauty not to clutch for myself,
    but beauty to share freely with others.
    Let me be Your vessel,
    cracked,
    frail,
    but filled with You.


    Let my heart find in Your will its unshakeable joy;
    Teach me not to attach my mooring to the life around me,
    but to remember I'm only a poor wayfaring stranger,
    just a' goin' over Home.
    Give to me pain, let the others have pleasure;
    give to me loss, let the others have fulfillment--
    but oh, only give me Yourself,
    and even in unhappiness shall I rejoice!
    Bless those others of Your children,
    Give to me the suffering that would overly burden them,
    Let my shoulders stoop and my heart writhe
    That they may walk triumphantly.
    For You have set an example for me,
    and I long to follow in Your steps.
    Love is worth it all,
    and it will endure when even faith and hope pass away.


    To Your disposement I trustingly leave my life,
    My health, my heart,
    My present and my future.
    And in Your wise and infinitely loving will,
    cause me to suffer with You that I may share in Your radiance above.


       
  • Monday Fundae!

    "The Mystery of the Headless Duck"
    or,
    "I like to die. . .er, I mean, dive!"



    Photo taken 6-11-08 of one of my Gray Call ducks.  If you look closely, you can see his head and neck underwater.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

  • I happily received a new --and old-- treasure in the mail today.  (New to me, but old in years--written in 1856). 
    Little Susy's Little Servants
    by Elizabeth Prentiss


    Elizabeth Prentiss is one of only two authors whose books I actually "collect"--that is, try to buy as many of their different books as I can.  Such gentle teaching, a sweet grasp of God's love & mercy, and a wonder at His marvelous works pervade her books.  The quote below is from the book I got today; it was written for little children, up to perhaps 6 years old.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "There was once a dear little boy not much more than two years old, who became very ill.  His head ached so that he did not love to play or run about.  He liked to have his papa or mamma carry him round the room, and then when his poor head did not ache too hard, they would talk to him and tell him stories.

     One day his papa said to his mamma: 'I do not believe our little Charlie will ever get well.  I think that Jesus will soon take him up to heaven.  And I mean to talk to him a great deal about Jesus, so that the moment he gets to heaven will be happy to be near such a dear, kind Friend.'  So Charlie's papa often took his poor little boy in his arms, and let him lay his head on his shoulder, while he walked gently up and down talking about Christ.  He told him all those sweet stories from the Bible, how Jesus pitied sick people, and how He cured them, and how many lame men He made to walk, and how many blind to see. 

    So one day after he had been talking so, he had to give Charlie to his nurse while he went out for a while, and Charlie lay with his head on her shoulder just as he had done on his papa's, till all at once he lifted it up, and said: "Mary, did you know that Jesus hadn't any eyes?" 

    "Oh! yes, Jesus had eyes," said Mary.  "He had some once, but He gave them to a poor blind man," said Charlie.

    You see Charlie was such a little boy that he thought when his papa told him that Jesus gave eyes to a blind man, that He had to give him His own.

    Little Charlie is in heaven now and has been there a great many years.  And he has long known more about the goodness of God than anybody who still lives in this world.  And if he could speak to you, he would tell you that it is better to be without eyes and hands and feet, than not to love Him who was willing rather to die than that you should not know and love Him."

Monday, June 09, 2008

  • Refreshing treats & tips

    What do you do when the temperatures are in the high 90's (feeling like 100 or more!) outside, and you possess a bag of limes?

    You take these limes plus. . .



    These two ingredients. . .



    And utilize this. . .




    Voila!  Limeade!

    (For the record, I used the juice of 2 medium limes [about 2/3 cup], 4 cups water, and 2/3 cup sugar.  A little lime zest improves the color and flavor also.)


    Plus, for a more nourishing cool treat, try this:

    1 cup yogurt (whole milk yogurt with the cream tastes the best!)
    1 teaspoon lime juice
    1 teaspoon sugar
    Lime zest

    You can always use less or more lime juice if you want a different flavor intensity (the limeade is medium, I'd say the yogurt is light).

    -----------------------------------------------
    While staying out of the heat as much as you can, listen to some refreshing music from several sources:

    Abiding Radio
     --instrumental sacred music & more (thanks to my friend Emily for promoting this one!)

    Shiloh Stream   
    (
    all instrumental, very restful)

    Fresh Hymns
    (also all instrumental--hymns played with a contemplative and reviving style)

    And, last but not least, check out the amazing site of one of my subscribers, Mr. Eric P .  He's very gifted and I really enjoy his unique blend of new & reborn melodies!

aheartforhome

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    • Name: JoAnna
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About Me

  • I'm an old-fashioned country-gal-at-heart who loves Jesus. He's my LIFE & I want to serve Him all my days--& through eternity! (Deut. 30:20) I'm an almost-graduated homeschooler, serving my family at home. God has given me first of all, a heart for HOME--a born-again, saved-by-His-precious- sovereign-grace-and-mercy heart, a heart that longs to be with Him in its eternal HOME, Heaven! And He has given me a desire to embrace His precious design for women as revealed in the Bible. I desire to one day be a faithful wife & mother, a keeper-at-home and husband-heart-trust*, if this is God's will. But if not, I will serve Him faithfully as a single woman [1 Cor. 7]. However He leads me, I have a heart for home--to see men & women embracing God's design for life, for marriage, for child-raising-- and to do my part to shed His light and love in my home and in my interactions with others. I pray my blog will be an encouragement to readers to seek God in all circumstances. *See Proverbs 31:11

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