A Different Season

........Each one of us goes through seasons and times of change in our lives. For me right now, I feel like I am entering a new chapter. It is one in which I feel the need to lay my blog aside, at least for now. To all my readers and those who have commented over the past two years I have had my blog, I want to say thank you. I have so enjoyed getting to "know" each one of you. I do want you all to know that this decision has not been easy or quickly made. Blogging has been something that I have enjoyed. However, I do gladly that which I feel led to do by the Lord. This is one of those things. Whether or not I will be back in the future, I do not know. Perhaps I will. Or perhaps this was just a little two year chapter in my life.
........In closing, I would like to leave you with some verses. "How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119: 2 & 97 My this always be our motivation and the cry of each one of our hearts.
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"One Sinner Who Repents"

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........We recently had the joy in our home of having one of my sisters give her heart to the Lord. That very special time was the answer to years of prayer on my part! I know there was much rejoicing in heaven, too, as this verse says: "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." -Luke 15:10
........During this time I have thought back often to the time when I was born again and gave my life to follow after Jesus. I thought I would share my testimony, and hope that it will be an encouragement and light to all who read it.

........Since I was born into a home where the Bible was read and my parents were Christians, I always thought that automatically made me a Christian too. I also thought I didn't have too much sin in my life that I needed to repent of. It wasn't until 2004 when we came into the context of a church and I witnessed baptisms and heard others giving their testimonies, that I realized that the decision to follow Jesus was for every individual to make for themselves, and I knew I hadn't done that.
........The Lord began working in my heart, little by little opening my eyes to see my sin. In September of 2005, I began reading Scriptures, praying, and asking my parents questions. One conversation I remember well was about counting the cost, see Luke 14:26-33. In December 2005 when my older sister gave her heart to the Lord, He again began facing me with the need to make a decision, as I had "set aside" (or rather forced aside) thoughts of the Lord for the time.
........In the beginning months of 2006, I had many long conversations with Father and I read the last several chapters of each gospel. On March 31, 2006, I came before the Lord, at last seeing myself as He did, and repented of my sinful life. I forsook all that I had known before and asked Him to give me a new heart. Praise the Lord, He did, and now I am a new person! "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." -2 Corinthians 5:17
........The Lord's work is continual for all who seek to follow Him, so I don't point back and say, "I gave my life to Him back then", but instead I desire to walk day by day, surrendering all to Him and daily seeking to be conformed to His image.

........I would ask you, my readers, have you yielded your life to Jesus? Have you let Him take complete control? There was a time before I let Jesus have His way in my life that I said "It will be easier later on. I just want to enjoy my life as it is right now. I can get right with God when I am older." Don't quench the Holy Spirit. Don't say "no" to God any longer. There may never be a tomorrow! Remember, a day is coming when all eyes will see Jesus, and we will no longer have the opportunity to set our hearts right with Him. "Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, NOW is the day of salvation." -2 Corinthians 6:2
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From Romans 8

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........At times when the Lord is working something specific in my life I will find a certain book or chapter(s) to be especially meaningful and encouraging. I have been reading through the book of Romans recently, and found this to be the case especially with some verses in chapter 8.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words..." -Romans 8:26

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:35, 37-39
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Have Thine Own Way, Lord!

May this hymn be the prayer of our hearts, always!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

--Adelaide A. Pollard
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Abide With Me

When I saw the first stanza to this hymn, I knew I had to look up the rest. Although I appreciate the whole hymn, I must say that the first stanza remains my favorite. (I have removed several stanzas, the whole hymn may be found here.) The author of this hymn, Henry F. Lyte, penned these words three weeks before he went to be with the Lord. They remain a comfort and solace for many Christians in difficult times. What a beautiful reminder that though all else changes, the Lord is unchanging! In life and death, sorrow and joy, He will still abide with us.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
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Holiness - Now Or Never

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Excerpts from an article by J. C. Ryle (from the 19th century):

........"Suppose for a moment, that you were allowed to enter heaven without holiness. What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you feel there? To which of the saints would you join yourself--and by whose side would you sit? Their pleasures are not your pleasures, their tastes are not your tastes, and their character is not your character. How could you possibly be happy in heaven--if you had not been holy on earth?...
........People may say, in a vague way--that they "hope to go to heaven after they die". But surely, they do not consider what they say.We must be heavenly-minded and have heavenly tastes, in the present life--or we shall never find ourselves in heaven, in the life to come.
........Are you holy? I do not ask whether you attend church regularly, whether you have been baptized, or whether you are a Christian. Are you yourself holy this very day--or are you not? Why do I ask so straightly and press the question so strongly? I do it because the Scripture says, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord". It is written--it is not my imagination; it is the Bible, not my private opinion; it is the Word of God, not of man: "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14)...
........You may say, "At this rate very few will be saved!" I answer, "I know it. It is precisely what Jesus told us in His Sermon on the Mount--'Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there are who find it!' " Few will be saved, because few will take the trouble to seek salvation--men will not deny themselves the pleasures of sin for a season.
........You may say, "These are hard sayings, the way is narrow!" I know it is. The Lord Jesus said so eighteen hundred years ago. He always said that men must take up the cross daily, and that they must be ready to cut off hand or foot, if they would be His disciples. The religion that costs nothing--is worth nothing!"
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Humility...

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...is not thinking less of myself, but thinking of myself less.
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What Are You Living For?

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Any life that is lived for self is a wasted life.

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." --Luke 9:24

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Faith or Fear?

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........"The fear of man is the absence of faith." Through some other Christians that I have listened to besides my own reading of the Bible, God has been bringing the subject of faith and fear up before me recently. I would like to share several verses about faith here...
........"Do not be afraid any longer; only believe..." -Luke 8:50. This verse is in the context of a very difficult situation. Jarius' only daughter was dying. But when others came from his home and told him not to bother Jesus any longer because his daughter had died, Jesus said these beautiful words! Jarius then had the opportunity to either fear, or have faith in Jesus.
........"In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?" -Psalm 56:11
........"The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted." -Proverbs 29:25
........Unless we are strong in the Lord, all of us struggle with the fear of man even if we don't want to admit it. Some have the fear of rejection and some wonder what others will say about them if they stand up for what is right. But no matter what way our fear shows itself, fear of man is always wrong and unnecessary. When in the middle of situations that may cause us to fear man, we need to fear the Lord no matter what. We need to stand up for what is right and never fear what man can do to us. "I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" -Luke 12:4+5
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A Site I Have Appreciated

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Updated September 10, 2011: It appears that neither of these links are managed by the Fournier family any longer.

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........ Several years ago, our family came across a song album put together by the Fournier family. We appreciated their music and looked them up on the internet. When doing so, we came across this website. I have really enjoyed looking through the back issues of this magazine, and I thought others might be encouraged by it as well. Go to www.thekingsdaughtersmagazine.com and click on "Back Issues" (note: they are in pdf format, so you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view them). You may also enjoy reading a little bit about their family, etc. under the "About Us" link or by going to their family website www.fournierfamilyfarms.com. I hope that you will be just as blessed by this magazine as I was!
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The Great White Throne

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........"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds." -Revelation 20:11+12
........I recently heard a message titled "The Judgment Seat of Christ" by Leonard Ravenhill using this Scripture as the text. It was a powerful reminder of what is coming. We need to be ready! He also mentioned the Scripture at the end of Malachi, "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name." He encouraged his listeners to think about what God wrote in that book of remembrance each day about them.
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Because He Loved Him

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........The other day I was reading in John chapter 11. When I came to verses 5 and 6, I found something very interesting.
........"Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha...So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, 'Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.' But when Jesus heard this, He said, 'This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.' Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was." -John 11:1, 3-6
........It says that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, so He stayed two days longer where He was. Thinking about it, that seems strange. If He loved them, He would go and heal Lazarus, wouldn't He? But He knew what was best for them and everyone around them and He knew that it was the loving thing to do to stay where He was.
........The evening of the day I read this passage, our family got the news that some friends of a family we know where going through some challenging times. The mother was very seriously ill and in the hospital. She had also recently given birth. They had four young children at home besides the new baby. The mother had been born again but the father hadn't. We may not understand why things like this happen, but I thought about it for a while and thought perhaps this would be God's way of bringing the father to the cleansing blood of Jesus.
........Many things that we do not like or understand will come to us in life. We can trust in knowing that the Lord only does what is best for us. Sometimes the things that may seem hardest are God's way of doing something better in our lives or the lives of those around us. If we trust in Him, we will never be disappointed.
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Some Thoughts on Listening

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From Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest (updated edition)
Excerpts from February 12, 13, and 14

"We don't consciously and deliberately disobey God, we simply don't listen to Him. God has given his commands to us but we pay no attention to them, not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him.'If you love Me, keep My commandments' (John 14:15)."

"Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says...Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord's this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don't even hear Him."

"Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood, darkness is the time to listen. Don't talk to other people about it...If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying."
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None of Self and All of Thee

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........This is a poem that my sister had on her desk and it really touched my heart when I read it. I thought others might appreciate it, as well, even if you have heard it before.

Oh, the bitter pain and sorrow
That a time could ever be,
When I proudly said to Jesus,
"All of self, and none of Thee."

Yet He found me; I beheld Him
Bleeding on th' accursed tree,
And my wistful heart said faintly,
"Some of self, and some of Thee."

Day by day His tender mercy
Healing, helping, full and free
Brought me lower while I whispered,
"Less of self, and more of Thee."

Higher than the highest heaven,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord Thy love at last has conquered;
"None of self, and all of Thee."

- Theodore Monod
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Getting Organized

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I have been wanting to organize our family recipe notebook for quite a while now and was finally motivated to actually do so by a blogging friend this past week! So one evening when all was quiet I took the note book out and pulled everything out of the front and back pockets and all the plastic sleeves.


The next thing I did was organize everything into four piles - yeast breads, muffins/quickbreads, main dishes, and desserts.

Then came the big job of putting everything back in. I tried to organize it by the things we used the most in front, etc.

In doing this I found several recipes that we had been given and never tried, so I picked one out to make that evening. It quickly became a family favorite, so I thought I would share it here.

No Bake Granola Bars

Put 1 cup honey and 1 cup peanut butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let melt and then cook until slightly bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in: 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups quick oats, 1 1/2 cups rice cereal, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup coconut, and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds. Flatten into pan and let cool before serving.

(This type of recipe does pretty well with variations, and I made some myself! Because we are running low on honey, I used half a cup of honey and half a cup molasses. Next time I am going to try it with all molasses. The friend we got this recipe from used Kashi for the rice cereal, but I used Crispy Rice cereal, which gave it a nice crunch. Try your own variations, and let me know how it goes!:)

Seeking The Lord

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. ........Our family listened to a message this morning titled "Seek My Face" by Richard Owen Roberts. Many aspects of it were a challenge to me in my walk with the Lord and I would like to share several excerpts with you.

"True Christianity is not a good beginning, it is a glorious ending. Don't hang onto something in the past, you must live an ongoing repentence. The faith that saves is right now."
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"God dwells in two places. The high and holy place and the heart and spirit of the contrite and humble. ("For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." -Isaiah 57:15)"
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"If there is any pride in your life, you do not yet have a proper view of God because if you did, you would be humble."
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The River

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........It seems like I forget the camera every time I take a walk to the river behind our house, but I did remember it today! It was quite beautiful about a week ago after a light snow shower with the snow clinging to the evergreen trees. Unfortunately because I've been slow about getting pictures, we had some rain and wind the other day and it doesn't look quite the same anymore!

The River
View from the edge of the woods back up the hill
(that is the shed and garage that you see at the top)

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Every Word

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"The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." -Matthew 12:35-37
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Encouragement From Matthew

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........I have been reading through the gospel of Matthew and this morning a few verses really encouraged me and gave some interesting insights.
........The story of the centurion and his sick servant in chapter 8 was one of those. The faith of the centurion was greater than any Jesus had seen in Israel. And then after that to hear Jesus say, "Go your way; and as you have believed so let it be done for you" must have made him so glad!
........In chapter 10 verse 23, Jesus tells his disciples, "...for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes." I found that very interesting that even when Jesus returns there will be cities in Israel that have not heard about Jesus, or at least have not received the message from Christians.
.......And the verse I found the most encouraging is chapter 10 verse 22. There Jesus gives this special promise, "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."
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Forgivness and Pardon

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........As we have been studying Matthew 5:7 and mercy, our family has also been looking at forgiveness and pardon. Those are both ways of showing mercy. Before we started this study, I did not really think about the difference between the words forgiveness and pardon, and if asked, I would have said they were the same. In fact, there is quite a difference between the two!
........Forgiveness is releasing the person or party that wronged you from bitterness or hatred in your own heart. It is coming to a place of letting go anything that you might hold against them personally. Forgiveness can be given in any and every circumstance. Pardon, on the other hand, is physically freeing the person from their debt, either money or otherwise. Pardon can only be granted by those in authority.
........For example, if someone stole $5,000 from you, you could forgive them but you could not pardon them, at least not without going through the authorities. They are responsible to the state, not you. You could, however, go to court with them and talk to the judge and request to pay part or all of the debt.
........Another interesting thing we discussed was that pardon can be given without forgiveness, and forgiveness can be extended without pardon. It is much easier, however, to pardon if you have forgiven. Pardon is for those in authority, but God says we must forgive others whenever they wrong us. If we do not, God will not forgive us.
........Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. --Ephesians 4:32
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Bible Cover

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Thanks to a blogging friend, I have begun working on a Bible cover. I have wanted to make one for a long time, but since I did not have a pattern or anything else to go on, I just hadn't. Thank you for the inspiration, Sarah, now it's finally underway!

The two pieces all ready to put together

And the finished product!!

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God's Great Mercy

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........Our family has been doing a study on mercy based on Matthew 5:7. Another passage we have looked at a lot is the parable in Matthew 18:23-35 in answer to Peter's question in verse 21: "Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.' " Peter thought that seven times was a lot, but Jesus basically said, "You must forgive whenever it is needed."
....... The parable that follows paints a scene of beautiful love and extreme hatred. .In this parable, the King can be compared to God and the slaves to us humans. Let us picture that we are the first slave, the one that was forgiven by the King, and the second slave is a fellow man that has done something against us. The first slave's debt was so great that he never would have been able to repay it. Now can you imagine, he was just forgiven something he would NEVER have been able to pay, and he went out to another human and threw him in prison because he owed him just a little thing!
........We are just the same, yet we often fail to realize it. We say, "Well, at least I didn't throw someone in prison because he owed me something." No, we may not have literally, but many of us have without knowing it by our words or actions. God has forgiven us an enormous debt, we must be willing and ready to forgive everyone who has harmed us, spoken badly about us, or in another way done something that we do not like.
........These thoughts of God's great and loving mercy ought to humble us. Let us say with Peter, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
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Winter in Vermont

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Winter is a quiet, enjoyable season. Though in Vermont, it means a lot of snow, which we have certainly had! It has been snowing almost constantly for the past week, and we have spent a large amount of time out shoveling the driveway. We have about 3 feet of snow now, and there is more in the forecast.

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. --Psalm 51:7.........................................

2010...

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I hope the first few days of 2010 have been ones full of experiencing the goodness of the Lord for you. I know He has been blessing me, and I look forward to seeing where the Lord will lead me and each of you through this year.

The following verses are some that I had read not too long ago and have been thinking about. Let us, too, confess that Jesus is the Christ of God!

"And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, 'Who do the people say that I am?' They answered and said, 'John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again'. And He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Peter answered and said, 'The Christ of God.' "
--Luke 9:18-20

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