~~~~~ Prior Threads ~~~~~ July, 2005, Closing Thread

2008 February, 2008 March, 2008 April, 2008 May, 2008 June, 2008 July, 2008 August, 2008 September, 2008 (Sept 26, 2008) October, 2008 November, 2008 December, 2008	2009 January, 2009 February, 2009 March, 2009 April, 2009 May, 2009 June, 2009 July, 2009 August, 2009 September, 2009 October, 2009 November, 2009 December, 2009	2010 January, 2010 February, 2010 March, 2010 April, 2010 May, 2010 June, 2010 July, 2010 August, 2010 September, 2010 October, 2010 November, 2010 December, 2010	2011 January, 2011 February, 2011 March, 2011 April, 2011 May, 2011 June, 2011 July, 2011 August, 2011 September, 2011 October, 2011 November, 2011 December, 2011	2012 January, 2012 February, 2012 March, 2012 April, 2012 May, 2012 June, 2012 July, 2012 August/September, 2012 October, 2012 November, 2012 December, 2012	2013 January, 2013 February, 2013 March, 2013 April, 2013 May, 2013 June & July, 2013 August & September, 2013 October, 2013 November, 2013 December, 2013
2014 Jan. & Feb. March April May June - Sept Oct - Dec	2015 Jan - Mar April - June July - Sept Oct - Dec	2016 Jan - Mar Apr - June July - Sep Oct - Dec	2017 Jan - Mar Apr - Jun Jul - Sept Oct - Dec	2018 Jan - Mar Apr - June July - Sept Oct - Dec

Existential Rhythms

The question first occurred to me when I was maybe four,
playing toy Injuns on our Diné hogan floor. tomahawk

"Momma, how did we get here? I don't understand."
She said to talk to Wolf-eye Joe, the village med'cine man.

But Wolf-eye's stories cannot be:
I laughed until I cried.

In later years I wandered off to Flagstaff on a whim,
and asked a pale-face friend named Bob what tales were told to him.
The white man's magic litany of woe and ancient grace
looked a lot like wishful thought, I told Bob to his face.

And he took up my search with me:
We laughed, we thought we'd die.

So Bob and I made steep ascent up yonder distant slope,
and happened by the real old guy who works the telescope.
He let us look eons away, to every time and whence.
"That's what you be," says he and we've been scared stiff ever since.

But there's no going back, you see:
We laughed until we pried.

Happy New Year !!!

Love it, thank you for sharing, sparklite2.

Happy New Year!

My pleasure. Happy New Year to you, too.

Happy new year!

Amy!

Friends like the sky above are always there.

Happy New Years

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New Year, New Priorities

January 1, 2019

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10

I’ve always wanted to learn how to play the cello. But I’ve never found the time to enroll in a class. Or, perhaps more accurately, I haven’t made the time for it. I had thought that in heaven I could probably master that instrument. In the meantime, I wanted to focus on using my time in the particular ways God has called me to serve Him now.

Life is short, and we often feel the pressure to make the most of our time on Earth before it slips away. But what does that really mean?

As King Solomon contemplated the meaning of life, he offered two recommendations. First, we’re to live in the most meaningful way we can, which includes fully enjoying the good things God allows us to experience in life, such as food and drink (Ecclesiastes 9:7), clothing and perfume (v. 8 nlt), marriage (v. 9), and all of God’s good gifts—which might include learning how to play the cello!

His second recommendation was diligent work (v. 10). Life is full of opportunities, and there is always more work to be done. We’re to take advantage of the opportunities God gives us, seeking His wisdom on how to prioritize work and play in a way that uses our gifting to serve Him.

Life is a wonderful gift from the Lord. We honor Him when we take pleasure both in His daily blessings and in meaningful service.

Father, thank You for this life You’ve given me. Help me to live this new year for You, enjoying Your blessings and fulfilling Your purposes.

We can both enjoy God’s blessings and be a blessing to others.

INSIGHT

Ecclesiastes is a book about despair over the futility of life in a broken world. This idea is captured in Solomon’s repeated phrase, “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (1:2). But Ecclesiastes also offers hope in the midst of that futility. In chapter 3, Solomon says that God has put eternity in our hearts (v. 11). While fully engaging in the world and the times in which we live, followers of Christ can also look ahead to eternity with God.

....To Amy's Place!!!

Groove Armada~Hands Of Time

May 2019 be the best ever!
God bless our troops!

Thank you for this Beautiful New Thread, Dear Amy.
(((((Hugs to Everyone, and God Bless)))))

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It’s Good to Ask

January 2, 2019

Show me the way I should go. Psalm 143:8

My father has always had a directional sense I’ve envied. He’s just instinctively known where north, south, east, and west are. It’s like he was born with that sense. And he’s always been right. Until the night he wasn’t.

That was the night my father got lost. He and my mother attended an event in an unfamiliar town and left after dark. He was convinced he knew the way back to the highway, but he didn’t. He got turned around, then confused, and ultimately frustrated. My mother reassured him, “I know it’s hard, but ask your phone for directions. It’s okay.”

For the first time in his life that I’m aware of, my seventy-six-year-old father asked for directions. From his phone.

The psalmist was a man with a wealth of life experience. But the psalms reveal moments when it appears David felt lost spiritually and emotionally. Psalm 143 contains one of those times. The great king’s heart was dismayed (v. 4). He was in trouble (v. 11). So he paused and prayed, “Show me the way I should go” (v. 8). And far from counting on a phone, the psalmist cried out to the Lord, “for to you I entrust my life” (v. 8).

If the “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) felt lost from time to time, it’s a given we too will need to turn to God for His direction.

What has caused you to feel turned around, possibly confused, maybe even frustrated these days? Why might you be resisting asking God and others for help?

Asking God for direction is more than okay—it’s best.

INSIGHT

The word spirit is used several times in Psalm 143. Twice David refers to the weakness of his own spirit (vv. 4, 7), and once he asks the Spirit of the Lord for guidance (v. 10). Was David referring to the Holy Spirit in his request for guidance? Having both the Old and New Testaments at their disposal, Christians have a more comprehensive understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit than ancient Israelites who lacked full revelation. Most of the time when the Spirit of God is referred to in the Old Testament, the author isn’t thinking of the Holy Spirit as a person, even though we understand that’s who was at work. Instead the writers were referring to God’s power, the “breath” of God that empowered and moved people. So when David asks the Spirit to “lead me on level ground” (v. 10), he’s asking for God’s empowering presence to go with him.

I got LOTS of warm and fuzzy!
Happy Warm and Fuzzy
Wednesday!

Happy Warm Fuzzy Wednesday to everyone!
We have a few inches of pretty snow here in Wisconsin.
Enjoying the birds who are mobbing my feeders.
Love the red cardinals, and the less red females are beautiful in their subdued colors.

Cheers to the New Year

Happy Warm & Fuzzy Wednesday

The First W&FW in 2019!

((((HUGS))))

ML/LTOS

Awesome that you get all those beautiful birds at your feeder. About all we get are trash birds...grackles, doves and sparrows. booooor-ing! LOL!

Have a lovely day with the snow outside and you inside!

Party Animals! :)

Party Animals! :)

LOL! :-)