i had the best of days today ...it was a lovely fall day weather wise ... 15C or 60F ... perfect for walking to town and doing some shopping (i found some bargains so cheap, it felt like a gift!) ... paying bills ... plus cashing my first pay cheque of the season ... *smile*
i finished cleaning out my flower beds ... it was so warm by the side of the house, i think i could have suntanned!
AND i got to go for a bike ride!!! that's an extremely rare event these days since it has cooled down considerably ... the picture i posted is from my usual biking route ...
i was in and out of the house ... but even so, i did manage to do the laundry and usual housework ... plus chat with leo and play with scooter ...
i mean it was a really lovely, normal type day ... which i am so thankful for ...
written down my day sounds as exciting as watching paint dry ... *grinning* ... but there is something to be said for paint drying - it refreshes everything ...
just sharing the sweetness ...
Labels: sharing
¶ 9:27 PM 11 comments
this mornings daily bread just spoke to my heart ... about our attitude ... about faith ... about how we perceive our problems ... just had to share with you guys ... blessings on your mid week!READING: Isaiah 40:12-13,25-31
He . . . sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. —Isaiah 40:22Question: When is a bird bigger than a mountain? Answer: When the bird is closer than the mountain.
In reality, the bird is not bigger than the mountain, but it sure looks that way when the feathery fellow is perched on my window ledge and the mountain is far away in the distance.
Sometimes we perceive God this way in relationship to our problems. The troubles facing us seem huge because they are so close—like a big black bird with beady eyes and a sharp beak waiting for a smaller animal’s weariness to turn into helplessness so it can devour it. At such times, God seems as far away as a distant mountain, and we perceive Him as being small and unreachable.
The prophet Isaiah changes our perspective by asking these rhetorical questions: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (40:12). The Lord “gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (v.29).
Just as a bird is never bigger than a mountain, no problem is ever bigger than God. It’s all a matter of changing our perspective. — Julie Ackerman Link
The problems that we face each day
Can seem too much to bear
Until we turn our eyes to Christ
And trust His tender care. —Sper
We worship a God who is greater than our greatest problem.
Labels: devotional
¶ 10:33 AM 10 comments
"The brightest souls which glory ever knewLabels: comfort
¶ 9:14 AM 8 comments
this pic reminded me of a chorus we used to sing ... way back ... do you remember it too?O here comes Jesus
see Him walking on the water
He'll lift you up
and help you to stand ...
O here comes Jesus
He's the Master of the waves that roll
O here comes Jesus
He'll save your soul ...
Jesus is the way-maker
Jesus is the way-maker
Jesus is the way-maker
He made way for me ...
Once the sun refused to shine
in this sinful heart of mine,
Jesus, He made a way for me ...
Labels: comfort
¶ 9:33 AM 2 comments
cat in a bag ... scooter loves to play with household items, rather than fancy store bought toys ...
he is really a wild boy tho! he just goes crazy when we play with him ... we have to be careful to quit while we're ahead - ahead of his bites that is!
then he pretends that he is "the sweetest cat ever", by cuddling with leo during morning devotions ...this morning, scooter jumped on the kitchen counter, knocking a plate to the floor - breaking it ...
sigh ...
what did we get into? again!
I have noticed that what cats most appreciate in a human being is not the ability to produce food which they take for granted--but his or her entertainment value. - Geoffrey Household
Labels: family
¶ 5:30 PM 14 comments
park near our condo, pic taken today
it's a long weekend here in canada! our thanksgiving, long weekend ... and i choose to be thankful! being thankful makes one happier ... feel less stressful ... and it is the only thing that can part the clouds on darker days ... a thankful heart ...
God has done so much for me ... Thank you Lord!!!!!!
Labels: blessing
¶ 10:26 AM 11 comments
i was pleasantly surprised to learn this morning that a former finnish president, martti ahtisaari, won the nobel peace prize! i know the prize has a checkered history - but there are some past winners who are truly admirable ...
finland is small in populatuion (around 5 mil) and peace loving in nature ... i see this prize as a good fit for the land of my birth ... and though peace loving, they are realists about conflict ... case in point, they share a border with russia - a country that tried to take them over during WWII - they fought russia (much like david & goliath!) and DID manage to keep communism out ... at a very heavy cost to the nation in lives and money ...
all finnish men have to spend some months in the army ... if the call to arms did come, they would be ready to roll ... yet they are still a peaceful, democratic country who desires to resolve conflict through dialogue ... IF at all possible.
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2008
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to Martti Ahtisaari for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts. These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to "fraternity between nations" in Alfred Nobel’s spirit.
Throughout all his adult life, whether as a senior Finnish public servant and President or in an international capacity, often connected to the United Nations, Ahtisaari has worked for peace and reconciliation. For the past twenty years, he has figured prominently in endeavours to resolve several serious and long-lasting conflicts. In 1989-90 he played a significant part in the establishment of Namibia’s independence; in 2005 he and his organization Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) were central to the solution of the complicated Aceh question in Indonesia. In 1999 and again in 2005-07, he sought under especially difficult circumstances to find a solution to the conflict in Kosovo. In 2008, through the CMI and in cooperation with other institutions, Ahtisaari has tried to help find a peaceful conclusion to the problems in Iraq. He has also made constructive contributions to the resolution of conflicts in Northern Ireland, in Central Asia, and on the Horn of Africa.
Although the parties themselves have the main responsibility for avoiding war and conflict, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has on several occasions awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to mediators in international politics. Today Ahtisaari is an outstanding international mediator. Through his untiring efforts and good results, he has shown what role mediation of various kinds can play in the resolution of international conflicts. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to express the hope that others may be inspired by his efforts and his achievements.
Oslo, 10 October 2008
Labels: sharing
¶ 9:00 AM 9 comments
are you feeling some bits of fear trying to settle in the pit of your stomach?the uncertainty of tomorrow?
the world we once trusted in - turned upside down? ...
these are the times when faith grows -
because what we can physically see and touch, has let us down ...
these are the times when our faith looks up -
because these are the times when our faith is all we have ...
YET ... faith is all we NEED ...
isn't that the truth of it?
when all is stripped away - it's our faith that will hold everything together ...
BE BLESSED ...
Labels: comfort
¶ 10:54 AM 7 comments
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We climbed the height by the zigzag path
And wondered why - until
We understood it was made zigzag
To break the force of the hill.
A road straight up would prove too steep
For the traveler's feet to tread;
The thought was kind in its wise design
of a zigzag path instead.
It is often so in our daily life;
We fail to understand
That the twisting way our feet must tread
by love alone was planned.
Then murmur not at the winding way,
It is our Father's will
To lead us Home by the zigzag path,
To break the force of the hill.
- anon
Simply following God is the true philosophy of life.
Labels: devotional
¶ 11:01 AM 11 comments
while the U.S. vice presidential debate was on last night, we had our own debate on tv, here in canada ... the candidates for prime minister ... all 5 of them (4 men and one woman ... and just an FYI, we have already had a woman prime minister about 15 years ago) ... it was a round table format ... i checked out both debates ...to be honest - i don't care for debates ... i guess because i don't like arguments ... i like discussions ...
then there are the spin masters afterwards ... twisting whatever was said to represent the view they want the masses (us) to believe ...
there really are no unbiased reporters out there ... lets face it, we ALL have our opinions ... which make it difficult to see clearly ... or report accurately ...
i will be so glad when our elections (14th) and our neighbours elections are done, then hopefully the solutions for pressing problems will be the #1 concern for our elected members ...
Labels: thoughts
¶ 10:40 AM 11 comments
