August 6, 2010

January 20, 2010


  • I thought this was an encouraging story.

    Swans are one of my favorite birds.  


    Swans’ Way

    A chance meeting at hospital leads to companionship

    The Humane Society of the United States / The Fund for Animals

    by Julie Hauserman

    • The swans were released in Barnstable Harbor where other mute swans had been seen before.Heather Fone/The HSUS

    • Getting a running start, the swan spreads her wings and takes to the air.Heather Fone/The HSUS

    • The swans were able to swm in this small pool during rehabilitation. Heather Fone/The HSUS

    • Heather Fone/The HSUS

    Most swans mate for life, so the roadside scene in Plymouth, Mass., was especially heartbreaking: An injured female mute swan lay immobile and hurt while her mate frantically flapped his large wings to “defend” her against passing cars.

    Thanks to caring citizens, the pair was rushed by local animal control on Dec. 11 to Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Mass, a Humane Society of the United States facility that provides emergency care and wildlife rehabilitation 365 days a year.

    A Heavy Heart

    Sadly, the female was gravely injured and did not survive a deep perforating wound. The male had a severe joint infection from before he arrived at the hospital that would have left him unable to walk or swim over time.

    He was started on a course of antibiotics, and physically, he began to recover, but the death of his mate left him depressed. He stopped eating, and staffers had to carefully force feed him for a few weeks to ensure his survival.

    As it turns out, the key to his healing turned out to be close by, right there at the wildlife center: A female mute swan who had been hit by a car in late November and was now on the mend.

    Fast Friends

    In high hopes of boosting the male’s spirits, wildlife center staffers put the two swans together. Thankfully, they took to one another right away, and that’s when the real healing began.

    “They both recovered and gained weight,” said Dr. Roberto Aguilar, Cape Wildlife Center’s staff veterinarian. “After introducing the two swans, the staff noted the female following the male around. Eventually, when one was removed for treatment, the other one would call out for the other. We can’t be certain, but we think they have bonded.”  

    On Their Own

    The pair was released Jan. 16 into Barnstable Harbor, a site where other swans have been seen in the past and that remains open all year. With the weight they gained during rehab, Aguilar wasn’t entirely sure they’d be able to fly quite yet. But it turns out he had nothing to worry about.

    After skimming the water, the female took to the air and landed in the water away from the quiet crowd of 60 people on hand to watch. The male vigorously flapped his wings until he finally lifted off and flew over to his partner where they swam for a few minutes before they both flew off.

    “The fact that other swans have been on the Barnstable marsh before is encouraging, and such a large open area with good plant cover seems ideal, Dr. Aguilar said. “The fact that part of the area is in the wildlife sanctuary is even better. Folks will want to bird watch for days, I’m sure.”

    “We’re hoping they are bonded and that they’re able to find a nice pond and establish their territory before spring,” he continued. “But where they go from there, and even if they stay together, will be up to them.”

    The birds were released after a joint program about swans, hosted by the Cape Wildlife Center and Massachusetts Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary. The experts explained the birds’ biology and ecology on the Cape, their role as introduced wildlife and some of the issues associated with their presence.

    Mute Swan Facts

    Mute swans are an introduced species, but very successful, as most invasive species tend to be. They are hardy and aggressive defenders of their territory. Rehabilitation is allowed only if the birds legitimately can be reintroduced to the environment successfully and in a relatively short time.

    At last aerial count, more than 1,000 swans were spotted in Massachusetts, many of those on the Cape. Swans tend to run into trouble more often in winter when they are moving about or searching for food, Aguilar noted. The swans rehabilitated at Cape Wildlife Center have wound up there as a direct or indirect result of conflict with humans.

January 18, 2010

  • Days of Praise

    Prayer and Supplication
    January 18, 2010

     

    “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)

     

    This famous passage has several qualifying factors in the command. The very first qualifier is that we are to be “careful for nothing.” The Greek phrase, meden merimnate, could well be translated “let no man make you worried.” This phrase, it should be noted, is a command, not a suggestion.

     

    If we are to enjoy the peace of God promised by our Lord as a result of our requests, we must first understand that our prayers and supplications are presented before the Lord’s throne without taking thought (Matthew 6:24-25) about how we might solve the problems. That great liberty to present our requests to the Lord, however, does not in any way negate our responsibility to “work out |our| own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

     

    Prayer takes many forms, from the lofty intercession for national leaders (1Timothy 2:1-2) to the unprejudiced pleading on the behalf of another (Job 42:10). The Lord Himself “made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12) “and wondered that there was no intercessor” (Isaiah 59:16). Surely we can be faithful with this great access to the sovereign power of eternity.

     

    Yet how often do we fail with mere personal requests and supplications? Even the “blessing” that most of us offer at meal times is recognized in Scripture as an appropriate “prayer” and “thanksgiving” to the Supplier of all things (1 Timothy 4:4-5). How much more important, then, is our legitimate cry for help as we face the challenges of ministry and spiritual warfare? Knowing that our “warfare” is not a “carnal” one (2 Corinthians 10:4), we should be even more diligent in “praying always with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18). HMM III

    I love Days of Praise Devotions and today’s was most meaningful to me….thought I would share.

December 15, 2009


  • Words from the haphazard blogger….

    If you want to know what we’ve been up to…perhaps reading my daughter’s new site will keep you better informed.     It really is so beautiful and encouraging.   Say hello while you are there. 
    My thoughts are deep but somewhere between my brain and my fingers the words get all jumbled and anything I think to say seems to have little meaning.  Is that called “writer’s block” or “brain freeze.” 


    The season is upon us and quite frankly all I can really think about is how blessed I am to have such a dear family and very good friends, which includes many of you!  It gets awfully lonely when many close friends live far away and you are still trying to find a church to attend that has not gone so crazy and worldly.  But we are so blessed despite it all.  All the trials we’ve been through in recent years I can only thank the Lord for, because I can see now how He has used them to refine us…and boy we really needed refining (and still do of course.)
    In the midst of all the commercialism and the I wants….I pray you will have time for  stillness, among the busy, to soak it all in.

    “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16

December 5, 2009


  • Something to think about…..


    Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.

    The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.  

      4 minutes later:  

    The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.  

     6 minutes: 

    A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 

     10 minutes: 

    A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

    45 minutes:

    The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32. 

    1 hour:

    He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

    No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

    This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

    One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. How many other things are we missing?

    I checked this out on SNOPES and it is a true story….

December 1, 2009

  • My Christmas List

    We have the great privilege of sponsoring a child through Compassion.
    It is exciting to write to him and hear back and to be praying for him and for his family.  This Christmas we have another child who needs sponsoring and we have their information to share privately if any one is interested in sponsoring him.  Just let me know. 
    The link below will take you to the site where you can click the link on the left where you can choose a child to sponsor.  There are so many.

    There are so many children living in poverty that need sponsors to help them to attend school and to clothe them and tend to their physical and spiritual needs. 
    This year…the only thing I want for Christmas is to find sponsors for these dear children. 
    Oh if I could scoop them all up and show them the love of Christ I would!!! 

    Christmas with Compassion

November 28, 2009

  • Thanksgiving: A Traditional American Holiday

    Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor . . . .1

    Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these United States . . . that we then may all unite unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are now blessed. . . .

    And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discretely and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord, to promote the knowledge and practice for the true religion and virtue, and the increase of science2 among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows best.

    Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3rd of October, A.D. 1789.

    —George Washington.3

    Footnotes

    1. For those readers around the world, today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. It was a holiday established by the first president of the United Stated to give thanks to God for all that He has done. This is from his declaration of the holiday in 1789. 
    2. To understand more properly what Mr. Washington meant by science, it is good to understand the definition of the day, which is not the same as the modern definition. See Webster’s 1828 dictionary entry for science here: http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=science&use1828=on 
    3. As quoted in William J. Federer, America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations (Coppell, Texas: Fame Publishing, Inc., 1994), p. 654. 

    Article from Answers In Genesis website….November 26, 2009

November 17, 2009


  • Something a little more upbeat from Nancy Campbell.
    This devotion was a good reminder to me to make sure I get my washing in every day! 
    I hope it encourages you too. 


    SMELLING GOOD OR BAD?

    Ephesians 5:26, “Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

    Back many years ago when folks did not have the plumbing in their homes that we enjoy today, most families took a bath once a week. Even when I was a child we bathed once a week, usually Saturday evening, to prepare for Sunday. But, we were challenged to have a Quiet Time every day where we read the Word of God to cleanse our inward lives.

    Today, times have changed. Now that we have showers, everyone enjoys a shower every day to cleanse their bodies, but many only have a spiritual shower once a week, often a little face wash which they let the pastor give them as they listen to his sermon! They don’t even wash themselves!

    We could not imagine going around dirty without washing our bodies, and yet we have no compunction about leaving our souls dirty. Just as we like to have a daily shower, it is even more important to daily wash the inward man. Often the inward man gets dirtier than the outward man. Each one of us faces daily challenges in life where we are tempted to be angry, bitter, hurt, upset, cantankerous, grouchy, complaining, proud and rebellious–and so the list goes on. Oh what a filthy inside! We really cannot survive without a daily bath of the inward man, can we? Otherwise our sins and the contaminations build up and we become a “bad smell” in our own home!

    Do you remember the words that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees? Cleanse FIRST that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:26) Read also Hebrews 10:22.

    The Word of God is the water that washes us. The word ‘washing’ in this Scripture is the Greek word, loutron (the verb is louo) and it means, “to take a bath, to wash the whole body and not just a part of it.” It speaks metaphorically of washing every part of the inward man–our heart, soul, spirit, mind and emotions. It’s a whole bath, not just a face wash.

    I find that if I do not personally read God’s Word each day that sin can build up in my life and I am not even aware of it. But when I read the Word, the Holy Spirit reveals the things that grieve Him and which pollute my soul. I am convicted to repent and cast them from my life so I can keep my inward man clean. 2 Corinthians 7:1 says, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

    I love the adage, “Sin will keep you from the Word of God, or the Word of God will keep you from sin.” This is a good one to teach our children, isn’t it? I grew up on this. As soon as your children can read well, encourage them to have a daily Quiet Time. Show them where to read and teach them how to hear the Holy Spirit speak to them as they read. Teach them that it is as important to wash their inward man each day as it is to wash their body. I remember reading about a dear Chinese Christian who confessed, “No Bible; no breakfast.” He would never nourish his physical body until he had nourished his soul.

    Perhaps you are young mom with lots of little children around you. How do you get time to read the Word? I know it is not easy. I remember when I had three children under 17 months, and then four children under four! Help! How could I find time to read the Word? I did it by putting my Bible on my windowsill, usually open to Psalms or Proverbs. I could look up from doing dishes and preparing vegetables to read a Scripture. You may like to have a Bible in the toilet or bathroom. Keep a Bible in the spot where you like to nurse your baby. Read a few Scriptures to your children at breakfast time and then again at your evening meal. Keep their souls as well as their bodies clean, too.

    Which do you wash the most? Your physical body or your inward man?

    Jesus said, “Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3)

    Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, Above Rubies

    PRAYER:
    Wash me and take this mess
    As far as the east is from the west,
    Wash me and take this sin,
    Only You can make me pure again,
    I’m inviting you to come on in and
    Wash me!





November 16, 2009


  • This post I link below, “If You Support Obama Care”,  had such an impact on me  I just had to make it known to you all.

    I have such a huge respect for this gal and many times I wish I had the eloquence to write as she does and present the facts as she does….so instead of trying to reinvent the wheel I am sending you to her post.  I could not agree with her more.
    The link to ShamelesslyRed

    PS…The book we are reading at home mentioned in my last post and again above, is a must read.  It is completely unbiased and allows you to come to your own conclusions…and you certainly will.  I urge you to read it and let me know what you thought.  Elisabeth (my daughter) will be posting a book review soon on her blogger site…..

November 13, 2009

  • FYI…
    Not like you don’t already know this…but here is a rude reminder.
    I live in a nation that use to be a Christian nation and was founded on the basis of God’s holy word.
    No matter what any one says to the contrary….God is THE Most High God and he reigns over all.
    I am clinging to the cross, are you going to join me?


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