I am Thankful!

I am Grateful For

The Summer rain...even if it DID fall on a family wedding today.

We are supposedly in a drought, so, whatever. I am grateful.

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Navigating Rough Waters

May 26, 2017

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. 1 Chronicles 28:20

I was enjoying the start of my first whitewater rafting experience—until I heard the roar of the rapids up ahead. My emotions were flooded with feelings of uncertainty, fear, and insecurity at the same time. Riding through the whitewater was a first-rate, white-knuckle experience! And then, suddenly, it was over. The guide in the back of the raft had navigated us through. I was safe—at least until the next set of rapids.

Transitions in our lives can be like whitewater experiences. The inevitable leaps from one season of life to the next—college to career, changing jobs, living with parents to living alone or with a spouse, career to retirement, youth to old age—are all marked by uncertainty and insecurity.

In one of the most significant transitions recorded in Old Testament history, Solomon assumed the throne from his father David. I’m sure he was filled with uncertainty about the future. His father’s advice? “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. . . . For the Lord God, my God, is with you” (1 Chron. 28:20).

We’ll have our fair share of tough transitions in life. But with God in our raft we’re not alone. Keeping our eyes on the One who is navigating the rapids brings joy and security. He’s taken lots of others through before.

God guides us through the rapids of change.

INSIGHT:

King David had desired to build God’s temple (1 Chron. 17:1), but God told him he could not because of the blood he had shed as a warrior (28:3). Instead, the privilege and responsibility for this project would fall upon the shoulders of David’s son Solomon. It is understandable that Solomon would be apprehensive about assuming this role. But his father admonished him to trust in God and do the work. Indeed, God was faithful as Solomon built the temple and took his father’s place as king.

Are you facing a transition? Reflect on God’s faithfulness and ask Him for strength to carry you through.

Good Afternoon To Amy's Place
Freedom Isn't Free

We Wear Red On Friday To Support Our Troops

I Wish You A Good Memorial Day Weekend

Red Friday, at Amy's Place
to support our troops!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

*=*=*=*=*=**=*=*=*=*=*

Beautiful, MEG!

Happy Friday!

On This Memorial Day Weekend, Remember. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

(((HUGS))))

ML/LTOS

Gregg Karukas~Girl In The Red Dress

God Bless Our Troops!
God Bless America!

At The Beach

Many have trod
this sandy beach
seeking for shells.

Along the shore
their footprints merge
in shifting sands.

Rising and falling
the ocean sighs
and washes all.

I stand alone
at water's edge.
I have no shells.

Looking back
I cannot tell
the way I came.

Rory Hudson

Happy Caturday, Dogurday and Bunnyday, everyone!

Over the top

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Dysfunctional

May 27, 2017

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

The word dysfunctional is often used to describe individuals, families, relationships, organizations, and even governments. While functional means it’s in proper working order, dysfunctional is the opposite—it’s broken, not working properly, unable to do what it was designed to do.

In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul begins by describing a spiritually dysfunctional humanity (1:18–32). We are all part of that rebellious company: “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. . . . For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:12, 23).

The good news is that “all are justified freely by [God’s] grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus . . . to be received by faith” (vv. 24–25). When we invite Christ into our lives and accept God’s offer of forgiveness and new life, we are on the path to becoming the person He created us to be. We don’t immediately become perfect, but we no longer have to remain broken and dysfunctional.

Through the Holy Spirit we receive daily strength to honor God in what we say and do and to “put off [our] old self . . . to be made new in the attitude of [our] minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:22–24).

Lord, in our dysfunctional lives we turn to You for restoration and strength. Thank You for Your amazing grace and love!

Drawing close to Christ helps us to live as He designed us.

INSIGHT:

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the fruit the Spirit grows in our lives because we “belong to Christ Jesus” (Gal. 5:22–24). In what area can you ask the Spirit to help you grow?

Happy Saturday

It's been raining cats and dogs all week, but today is nice!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

Beautiful!

No...it's not raining here
...but a gal can dream, can't she? :)
We're hot and dry. Ugh!
Happy Dreamy Caturday!

Not much happening right now:

https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/southplains_loop.php

My back is having a tantrum...I am staying mostly off the computer
to try to calm the uproar.
~Happy Relaxin' Caturday Everyone~

Lovely, trish.

Nothing but heat. It’s 93 but feels like 88 because of our low humidity. I’ll take their word for it. I’m staying in today...the AC is running. Cha-Ching! LOL!

Remember The Fallen:

52 Years Later Navy Pilot Returns From Vietnam. His Jet Was Located At The Bottom Of A Pond.

Photo: Deborah Crosby, right, walks away from her father’s casket after its arrival in San Diego on Friday, May 26, 2017. Her brothers, Douglas Crosby, left, John Crosby, second from left, and Steven Crosby look on. The aviator’s elderly sister, Sharon, and brother, David, were also present.

AP: A year ago, military investigators found the remains of a naval aviator shot down in what was then North Vietnam in 1965. On Friday, his children received their father's casket and Sunday, Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Crosby will be buried with full military honors and a Navy flyover.
Deborah Crosby, now 58, was only six when she was sent home from the first grade to learn her father was presumed dead, though his body had not been found. Her mother could never talk about that day, but she gave Crosby and her brothers a binder with articles about her father’s plane zooming low through the clouds on a bomb damage assessment mission before it was gunned down by North Vietnamese ground forces in 1965. The 31-year-old pilot was armed only with cameras, his daughter said.
A year ago, military investigators found his remains in a fish pond in north Vietnam. Deborah Crosby never doubted the fact that her father was killed. But her grief seemed to linger in a deep space inside her until she received news that his remains had been recovered, finally giving her closure.
Decades passed and her mother and grandmother both died before investigators got a breakthrough on their third trip to the area when they met Pham Van Truong, a lifelong resident of Nam Ngan ward in Thanh Hoa City.
According to a 50-page report given to Deborah Crosby, the 89-year-old man told investigators he couldn’t recall the month or year, but he remembered during the war that he was cooking limestone to reinforce his house when he heard gunfire and ran to the nearby levee to investigate. He saw two planes headed toward his house, and one was on fire as it glided toward the levee. He said he could see its wing and tail surfaces were missing.
The aircraft rolled as it hit the fish pond in front of his house, splashing Van Truong with water and mud. The other aircraft kept flying toward the sea.
Based on the new information, U.S. military investigators decided to comb the bottom of the pond in 2015. “It’s nice to be able to let out the tears and to have some relief in our hearts,” Crosby said.
“And now we’re able to talk about it. Before we didn’t talk much about this and now we can talk proudly and we have you know a happier ending and we can visit my dad’s gravesite.”

Crosby's brothers received the remaining fabric from his uniform, his cigarette lighter and wedding band.
She wanted the flag draped over his coffin to be able to “hold it close to my heart.”

🇺🇸 NEVER FORGET!! 🇺🇸

Thank goodness God gave us air conditioning. :)