Of Wildflowers and Worry-hours

Verse of the Day:  Psalms 103:15


As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

It's good to let the Bible and nature teach about ourselves...

Matthew 6:30

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Every delicate and intricate detail...

...reminds us how much God cares about us and our lives...

...gently upbraiding our lack of faith in day-to-day matters.

Our lives will soon fade away like the grass of the field. Why spend our time worrying about yesterday, today, or tomorrow? Go outside and pick a few wildflowers...

...take a lesson from them,  and go on and praise God for His provision, and serve Him with your whole heart.



The Hard-packed Road

Came across this poem and I liked it. I added the pics (google img.).

This Earth is All Too Solid


This earth is all too solid and we long to spread our wings
And leave the gravitational for lighter, higher things.
For few men help to lessen loads on highways here below:
Instead they make our labor worse, and thorns and stones they sow.

Our cares would press our tender feet into the rock beneath,
And burdens cramp our aching legs; we grimly set our teeth.
We plod ahead in weariness upon this solid ground,
The sun is hot, or rain is cold - some ill is always found.

We see a few that float along in bubbles of their own,
And envy them - then view ourselves, and shake our heads and moan.
But if we’d look ahead we’d see they have a sudden stop.
For fun and evil have their time, then suddenly they pop.

In Matthew ‘leven thirty, read the words, “My burden’s light”!
Christ’s yoke is easy for the ones who walk into His light.
“Come unto me, all ye that labor - I will give you rest.”
Forsake yourself and turn to Him for truly you’ll be blest.

The weight that presses mankind down is his own crushing sin.
But helpless sinners in despair is who Christ came to win!
“Repent therefore, and be converted - sin is blotted out”
Remove your feet from broad to strait - the Christian’s only route.

My heart is light! But now since Jesus severed Satan’s cord,
I’d rather stay upon the ground to be below my Lord.
The earth is still so solid, but now my eyes can see:
Whatever way God chooses, will be the best for me.
                                                                             
                                                                              Elliott R. Parfitt

Verse of the Day : Jeremiah 33:8 KJB 1611
"And I will clense them from all their iniquitie, whereby they haue sinned against mee: and I will PARDON all their iniquities whereby they haue sinned, and whereby they haue transgressed against me."

I got this in a recent email and wanted to share it with y'all.


The Ultimate Pardon




Scripture: Romans 4:9 "Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven,

whose wrongs are pardoned."



Many pardons have been controversial. President Andrew Johnson

pardoned thousands of former Confederate officials and military

personnel after the American Civil War. President Gerald Ford pardoned

President Nixon for the Watergate Scandal. President Jimmy Carter

granted a full pardon of amnesty to Vietnam-era draft dodgers.



The story is told of a young man caught and found guilty of murder

many decades ago, and sentenced to death. His mother and father

loved him with all their hearts, and they appealed to everyone they

met for leniency for their son. Finally in desperation they appealed

to the Governor of their state for a lesser sentence, but to everyone's

surprise the Governor granted this young man a full pardon.



A pardon is a document that essentially erases a crime, making it as

if it never happened. The pardon was sent to the prison, with instructions

to release him. When the Warden told the young man about the pardon,

he became angry and said, "I'm guilty, I murdered another human

being and I want to die."



"But," the Warden replied, "I have your pardon in my hand!"



No matter how the Warden pleaded, the prisoner kept demanding to

die. Not knowing what to do, the Warden appealed to a prominent

Judge, to help him figure this out.



The Judge said, "A pardon is not a pardon unless it is accepted!"



So, the young man was ultimately executed. He had been completely

forgiven for his sins against humanity. So why did he die?



"Because a pardon is not a pardon unless it is accepted!"



Jesus died in the place of every human being, who by their sins against

God were deserving of the death penalty. Every human being who would

ever live has been granted an unconditional pardon from God. But the

catch is that you must WANT the pardon; you and I must see the need

for the pardon and desire to have it! The pardon from God came when

Jesus Christ — God's Son — died on the cross for our sins.



To accept the pardon means that I must believe that Jesus did this for

me and to accept Him therefore as my Savior and ask Him to be Lord

of my life.



"Almost persuaded to be a Christian is like the man who was almost

pardoned, but he was hanged. A man that is almost saved is damned."

[Charles H. Spurgeon]
 
 
The Question: Have you accepted yours? And to those who have: Are you rejoicing every day?

Verse of the Day:

From the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe of the same: the Lords name is to be praised.

Snapped this on the way to work Monday morning. Just another glimpse of God's glory. Who can deny the existence of a Creator?

I found a full version of one of my favorite songs - This is My Father's World

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.”
This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One, His Only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father’s world, should my heart be ever sad?
The lord is King—let the heavens ring. God reigns—let the earth be glad.
This is my Father’s world. Now closer to Heaven bound,
For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.
No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father’s world. I walk a desert lone.
In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.
This is my Father’s world, a wanderer I may roam
Whate’er my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home.

The Qestion:

Is He your Father? Do you choose the happiness and peace of having your sins washed away in the blood of His Son Jesus Christ? Or would you rather spend eternity in outer darkness? Let the Son rise in your heart today!

Orange Cones & Flagmen

I have heard it said that the four seasons in Upstate New york are:

Almost winter

Winter

Still Winter...

and Road Construction!

It has been a little frustrating, my trip throgh Medina this past week or two.



 Slow traffic, rough roads, and it always looks like the fellows are just standing around (although I'm sure they're all working very hard).



I took a detour around the outside of town the other day, and found this!



 Well, we can always use another lesson on patience, and I'm glad for the men working out in the hot sun so we're not driving down wagon trails!