The Ultimate Use of a Tree

Before I ever started this blog - I was really not into writing but I heard something on the radio that happened on Earth Day and I really felt like I needed to write something about my feelings on the subject. So I wrote what is below and I posted it on Facebook. The next year - on Earth day my friend, Susan, posted this as her status on Facebook :"while celebrating Earth day, don't forget to celebrate the creator, not just the creation." So very true, couldn't have said it better myself.

So now I make a point to post this every year because I think it is a very important reminder. Have a great day! :O)
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Last year on Earth Day I heard on the radio how there was a group of people that went out to some Forrest and cried and yelled for the trees that have been cut down- they even said "I love you" to the trees.

As I thought about this, I realized that what was truly sad was that these people did not realize that in the Bible it is clear that God created the world and all that is in it for us. There are several examples that I can think of right of hand where trees were used in the Bible. Trees were used to build the Ark. Trees were used to build some of the furniture in the Tabernacle(then overlaid in gold.) And we must not forget trees were also used for the cross that our Jesus was crucified on.

I think we have lost our focus when we cry out publicly for the things in which God created, instead of for our Creator. Our focus has truly been lost because the ultimate gift was in the death of Jesus upon that wooden cross. And because of His death we have the gift of salvation. Will we accept it?

Always Changing

I used to be so resistant to changes. Now changes are not always my favorite thing but I am learning to try to see the good in the changes and not just automatically assume that the change is for the negative.

This morning I was reading a blog that I have read for years and as I was reading I was thinking about how much this person had changed and then as I was thinking I thought, maybe it is not them that has changed - maybe it is me that has changed and I am just not as inspired by this blogger as I once was. It really does not matter who changed -she or I. I realized from this line of thought how we do change - no matter how much we try to hold on.

Whether we like it or not WE are always changing. And those changes depend on the choices that we make. Are we making choices that will in turn bring us into a closer relationship with Him or are those choices taking us further away from Him? Those are very important questions to think about. These are questions I will keep in mind when I have choices to make. God bless each and every one of you and I hope you have a great week end! :o)

Another thing I really like about blogging

I have only been blogging for about six months now. This morning I was thinking how it is kind of funny that there are a lot of times that I share more of what is on my heart on this blog than I do on a one and one basis. Maybe many of you have found that to be true. So I started thinking why is that? Well I think for me one of the best things about blogging is that you can blog about what ever you want to and get it off your chest/shoulders/ back -where ever you have been carrying your feelings. lol Anyway what I have found in my own life is that not everyone wants to hear what you have to say. So as you share your thoughts they interrupt and move on to another subject before you have a chance to even really share your thoughts. And that is fine - I know that there are times other people have been telling me things and I am not interested in what it is they are saying. So I can understand that not everyone will be interested in what I have to say. So that leads me to this blog - I love the fact that I can share what is on my heart or what I feel God is leading me to share - and you the reader have the right to come and read if you are interested and if not then move along to some other blog where there is something of interest to you. No ones feelings are hurt and no one has wasted any time doing what they really don't want to do. Anyway - that is what I think is so great about blogs. I mean seriously - there are millions of blogs out there and SO many great bloggers that have so many talents to share. I don't feel like I fit under that heading at all but I am so grateful that I have the chance to come and to share and if it helps someone else or brightens your day or makes you think - then that is wonderful!

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Ok - So I hope you all are having a fantastic Labor Day week end! We really have. I have been having like a headache the last couple of days - don't know what has been causing it. I am hoping it will go away soon. We have been getting odds and end type jobs done around here - not as many and I would really like but sometimes you just need some down time. Hope you all have had a great week end! :O)

I Love Old Photos

When my husband's Granddad passed away, the family was trying to get things moved out of the house. And we were lucky to get a couple of small boxes of photo's. We have had lots of fun going through them. What is so sad is that we have NO idea of who half of the people are. So if you have photo's it would be doing your family and future generations a big favor to write names of people and also dates. I say dates because that makes the photo even that much more interesting. Below is a really cool photo that I just love. Of course, the fact that I love Chickens really adds a lot of importance to this photos.

Now this photo below intrigues me because it is so neat to see the way people dressed and all a long time ago. Here is another example of a photo that I would love to know the year it was taken. And even a story behind the photo would be great.

Anyway I hope you have enjoyed a few of the older photos that I love.

I need to get off of here - the weather has calmed down and I really need to try to get to the store to get some groceries. I was going to go earlier but we had some storms and heavy rain come through and I just don't really enjoy pushing a cart full of groceries out to the car and loading the car with them - in the rain. Not fun. Hoping I have bypassed the worst of it.

A Reveal.. and a Complex - maybe

Today has been a very nice day so far. Earlier today I went to the Secret Sister reveal at my church. I got a $25.00 certificate for my favorite Quilt Shop!! And a 5 oz bag of M&M's - Mmmm chocolate. The secret sister I had this year has been a wonderful encourager. Letting me know how much God loves me and how special I am to Him. This was something that I really needed this year - so it was truly a blessing to have her as my secret sister.

My secret sister was not going to be able to come to the Reveal so last night at a program at our church I gave her - her gift. When I first picked our my Secret Sister many months ago - I opened up the envelope to find a paper telling me who she was and what she liked. On this page it was stated that she liked Pink and Brown. The minute that I read it I knew that I had to give her this quilt:

I gave it to her last night and she loved it. I think that my Pink and Brown Quilt found the perfect home for itself! It will be well loved.

After I got home, My Mom came by and wanted to go for a walk. Well there is a nice park near my home and it has a pretty nice walking trail in the shape of a figure 8 - one side of it is a lot more challenging than the bottom half so you get to choose what you are up to - or maybe not up to doing that day. Well my Mom is afraid of dogs so she really does not like to go to this park to walk - so we go walking at another place in our area. And today I noticed a sign that could very well give a person a complex. What do you think?

It says" Drive with Caution Senior Citizen Pedestrians." The reason it says it is that we walk around a big drive that goes around a retirement home, nursing home and some retirement duplexes. So there are often times Senior Citizens out walking. It was just so funny to me today to notice the sign. At least they have a lot of pretty flowers right there to the left of the sign. I could not see what was on my phone - and what was going to be in the photo - or I would have tried to get more of the flowers in the photos. Maybe next time I will be able to get a better photo of it.

Well I am fixing to get off of here and get out in the back yard and get some work done. I need to weed my garden and on a post soon I will tell about another remodel job we have going on - a sun room! Yay!!!

He that doeth righteousness...

My Bible Lesson had me read 1 John 3:7 today.

"Little children, let no man deceive you:* he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

The cross reference section of my Bible sent me over to Ezekiel 18:5-9 to understand what "he that doeth righteousness" does. All of these verses are great so please take the time to read through them all. But this post is about verse 8 and it say, "He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase..." I did not know what usury meant so I decided to look in my "The New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary of the English Language" ( I bought this for $2.00 this week from the Goodwill - oh it's copyright date is 1989.)

Here is what it says about Usury= the practice of lending money at interest, especially at an exorbitant or illegal rate of interest. I thought that was awesome that the Bible would mention that. Clearly stating that it is wrong to take advantage of people by charging too much interest.

Then this afternoon my husband and I were talking about the money that we owe to Lowes on their credit card and how I was so irritated about the fact that their credit card along with Home Depot - charges like 18 - 24% interest or something like that. Can you believe it? Then I started to think of how in the Bible God says to pay a tithe of 10%. Then I thought how can these companies think that they deserve an amount more than what God asks for. You know everything we have is God's and he just lends it to us - this is how I have heard it explained anyways.