March On

All God's people have bad days from time to time. Even my Friendly Shade does not always offer a shade with the cool breeze I so desire.  Yet, we know who holds the future.  We know that God goes before us, and that is why we can claim His promise given in Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  In claiming God's promises we can endure, we can get past our bad days, and we can march on to victory. 

Marching On

Marching On – I’m marching on

Till Dusk and before the Dawn!

There is no mountain too high to climb

With my God beside me all the time-

Though steep and troublesome,

His promises help me not succumb.

There is no burden too great to carry;

 God picks me up when I grow weary-

No matter how heavy the task,

He strengthens me whenever I ask. 

Marching On- I’m marching on

Till all my hours are gone!

 There is no storm too big to weather;

God pulls it all together-

Though the winds of trouble swirl about my feet,

He is the One that keeps me complete.

There is no seed I cannot plant;

His power He will grant-

God can get it done

Even if I’ve just begun.

Marching on –I’m marching on;

I’m in the race till it is won!

                                                                        Mary Nell Jameson- 2/25/2012

Procrastation

     It’s a Holiday!  and I have plans to get so much done outside.  I have already dressed for outside
work, but when I checked the temperature it registered below 40 degrees, much colder here in my Friendly Shade than I expected, or enjoy, when I am doing outside work.  However, the sun is shining and my rationale would be to put off the work until this afternoon when things warm up a bit.  Sounds logical to me, but it is also procrastinating, and my list to things to do will not get completed. 
     We all like to procrastinate.  We allow distractions to prevent us from accomplishing goals and plans.  If I think about and avoid any excuses, all I really need to do to complete my projects today is put on a coat.  There are all kinds of options available to overcome distractions so we can accomplish more for ourselves and for the Lord.  
      David did not allow the massive size of Goliath to distract him from winning a victory.  On the other hand, the Israelites allowed the giants in the promised land to distract them.  Because of their fear and lack of faith they wandered for forty years.   We can always overcome distractions by putting on the cloak of confidence and faith.  In other words, dress for the occasion knowing that God goes before us.  Do not be found saying, “I’ll do that when….”
     This all being said, I am about to put on a coat and get to work, hoping that I will warm up quickly and need a "Friendly Shade" soon. 

The Prescription Plan

     I recently had a prescription refilled and the dosage or milligrams per pill was increased.  I have the choice to take the whole unit or split it, depending on how strong I prefer my medication.

     With God, He gives us just the right dosage in blessings and in trials, and as the Doctor, He is always there to substance us.  As I thought more on this, I wondered if everyone understands the pros and cons of their prescription so I decided to review mine as follows:

P –romise- that is what God gives; He promises to always be with us

R- est –God wants us to rest upon His promises; he established a day of rest to allow us to re-energize  

E-verlasting Life- Jesus went to prepare an eternal home for His children and He continues to intercede for our sins daily
S-aving Grace-Jesus died for us and He took our sins upon Himself; through his death we are healed and saved by faith through grace.
C- ountless blessing are heaped upon us every day. Some days we may have to look for them, but they are there.  He is our C-onstant  source of peace and joy
R- eassurance – is given by His promises, and by knowing that He lives within the heart and soul of believers
I – Am – He is the great I AM.  He knows every hair, every thought, and every need.  He stands ready to listen and guide us to complete healing
P- ower – God provides power if we will take our medicine and have complete faith. He is ever Present
T- emptations, trials, and troubles  entrap us all, but God is the Doctor that will guide us over the cliffs of the mountains and the storms of life
I – n quietness and prayer is where we can listen and hear the quiet, small voice that gives us healing and strength.  In quietness we can show our faith and receive the hope He has promised
O- nly God- He is the Omnipotent; the Only One who holds the power over all things- the earth, the heavens, and all things therein.  Only He can provide eternal healing.
N-o man – has to go through sickness alone- No man has to ever walk alone.
     
  It is my prayer that everyone will look to the Great Healer for the best prescription to good health and life. 

The Right Mix

     After sitting inside for several weekends I decided, regardless of the cold, I just had to get outside and absorb some sun.  After digging around transplanting some daffodils, I headed to my garden of straggly turnip greens with intensions of pulling up what few small turnips I had.  To my amazement I had some rather large turnips, larger than I had ever grown.  That was probably due, in part, to my adding compost and additional topsoil this past fall.  I may have finally gotten just the right mix to grow vegetables. 

    The right mix- that is exactly what we need for America.  We need a mix of people who love God and are willing to take a stand.  We need a mix of people who want to develop respect and good character; those who are willing to study hard, to learn, to work, and to love America and the God who created it.  We need a mix of people who have a passion to keep America strong, to keep America clean from pollution and liter, to keep America productive by developing businesses and their own oil production, a mix of people and governmental agencies who unite to support American schools and the English language and to allow the teachers to teach more than just passing a test.  We need a mix of governmental people who will unite as one unit to do what America needs to make it “one nation under God”  with American values.  We need a mix of people who are willing to bend the knee to find answers, strength, and courage to accept and carry out the direction provided.
     The right mix will make America the nation it once was. 
    

    

    

Defeating Your Giants

     My friendly shade is located on a dead-end road surrounded by forest and trees.  This, often, allows me to observe wildlife, and especially deer as they ease through the back side of my property.  This morning there was one lonely doe.  She was crippled.  Actually she was limping through the trees on three legs; the back leg, which was away from my viewing range, dangled  loosely and was unable to touch the ground.  More than likely, this was the result of a shot, gone wrong, during hunting season. 
     I do hunt from time to time and am not opposed to it, but this poor limping deer did leave me sad and feeling sorry for her and her future as she strives to survive nature.    
     I was pondering on how a human’s aim, as he missed his target, had caused the injury which was going to leave this doe crippled when it dawned on me about how our words and deeds can  leave those we come in contact with crippled, as well.
     When David’s brother admonished him and told him he was just a little boy trying to show out, and that he was no one to think he could defeat Goliath, David ignored him.  David had enough faith in his God that he went ahead and did what he proposed in his heart to accomplish.  Yet, there are those who are weaker in their faith than David was.  They let what others think about them interfere with what they really want to do in life.  Those same words from David’s brother could have been what it took to make him turn away and not follow God’s calling.  Our words do affect people.  Our words can build up or they can tear down; they can leave a person crippled.  In Proverbs 18 it says, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” 
     To those who speak too quickly, watch your words and build up your friend.  Encourage them face their giants. 
     To those who listen and try to please, remember it is your life, and scripture tells us to “Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.”   The wise have God’s word in their hearts, and they have the strength and courage to follow their hearts.   You will defeat your giants.

"The Beginning" Canvas

     As I sat in my Friendly Shade, which, by the way, was cloudy and cool I thought of the beauty of God's earth.  Even in the dead of winter with no leaves on the trees and no sunshine His world is still beautiful.  He painted a beautiful picture for us during all the seasons of our life.  What a wonderful artist and Master He is! 

The Beginning

The canvas was blank, void of any light,

Then the artist covered it with a frosting of white.

He added colors; some orange, green, and blue;

From there, the picture grew.

Behold! The division between earth and sky-

It was going to be a masterpiece for the human eye.

There were lakes, rivers, even the ocean,

And the waves rose up in motion.

The earth was filled with grass and trees;

All as beautiful as the great blue seas.

The canvas was splashed in colors of every hue;

There was day and night, yet He wasn't through.

He stroked in the stars, the moon, and the sun,

But still He was not done.

The artist's hands added life of every form;

There were seasons, both cold and warm.

In His touch beauty sprang forth

From the east, west, south and the north.

This was a picture interwoven from His heart and soul.

Nothing was He going to withhold.

He painted sunrays, moonbeams, and stars shining bright.

He painted and stroked to make it just right;

This masterpiece He was painting with love-

Giving all that life would be unworthy of.

A piece of art created by the Master's hand;

A canvas covered with all that He had planned.

                                   Mary Crisp Jameson

Facing Giants

      Facing the Giants in our lives was talked about today by my co-author in his blog Humor 4 A Purpose.  He is so right.  We do face giants of fear, financial problems, temptations, and many others, and, like he said, we cannot be victorious without God in our lives. 

     To enhance on his blog, I would like to say that we all, also, face emotional feelings of loneliness at times.  Those without God in their lives will always have an empty space in their hearts where God belongs.   As Christians, we have lonely times; it does not matter if we have loving people around us, there will times when we are not feeling joyful and do not even know the reason.  Yet, Christians  have hope; we have the Spirit of Jesus living within our hearts to help remove this giant of loneliness.  We have a church family and a Christian fellowship; we have the word of God and a living God within us.  We have the promises of God.  In Hebrews 13:5 we are told that He will never leave or forsake us.  We can choose to reach out to others and to reach out and study God's word.  We can choose to talk with God about our problems.  There are ways to defeat the giant of loneliness.  We will continue to have giants in our lives.  We just have to have the faith and courage David had in God when he picked up a small stone to slay the great giant who was placing fear into the heart of the king's army.