Wilma's Journal Page

Broken Pieces in Our Life

We all know what it feels like sometimes, when we feel our whole world has fallen apart, and nothing is going right. I know there have been times in my life, when I didn’t want to raise my head off my pillow, and times when it seemed the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. What we don’t realize at the time these things are happening in our lives, is there is a blessing after the storm, and joy does come in the morning.

God has our interest at heart, and many times when parts of our lives are broken, we question and ask God why? But I have realized that God is in control, and he knows what he’s doing. God sees the full potential for all our lives, and he wants a loving spiritual relationship with us.

God wants to bring out the best in us, and wants us to experience the fullness of his love, power, strength, wisdom and goodness. He allows us to suffer heart-aches, troubles and trials so that we might grow and become spiritual in mind, body and soul. As Christians, we may suffer from others emotionally, but we have to recognize that God allowed these painful experiences in our lives for some reason.

When were going through battles in this life, we should never wallow in our pain, but trust God and move forward. God will always turn the most worst vile experiences of our lives into something beneficial, productive and positive.

Although many times when were experiencing a lot of broken pieces in our lives, we may think God has forgotten about us, only to realize quickly, his presence has been there all along. He comes just on time, and when we least expect it. We have to remember that God said, “He would never leave or forsake us.” There is no greater security!

When we yield to God’s presence and purpose in our lives, and we begin to experience the blessings that come from broken pieces of our lives, we truly then can say, “Thank God for these trials, but Praise God it’s over.” I know looking back on my life, I am thankful that God put me through some of trials of life he did, because it has made me grown into a better soldier for Christ.

When I was a young teenager, my Mother passed away, I watched her die, and the loss of her was intensely painful for me. I was young though, and couldn’t understand why God would take her, and leave us without a Mother, and I have to be honest and say, “I was angry to say the least.” But looking back, I know God had his reasons, and through lots of prayers, I know her time on earth was not in vain.

God has shown me so many things about myself since my Mother died, and he has taught me things that have made me a much stronger, wiser, and better person, It doesn’t mean that I understand it all, and I may not fully understand until eternity, but God has softened my heart that keeps me from anger, hostility and bitterness. Thank God he didn’t give up on me! I have failed God so many times, but he has never failed me.

Ever couple of months, I will spend a few hours evaluating my life, examining my day to day activities, and seek direction from God, on what he wants me to do in the months ahead. Psalms 24:4 “Shew me thy ways oh Lord; teach me thy paths.” Doing this, keeps me focused and ensures me, that I don’t become too busy or fragmented to maintain my relationship with God. God is not my co-pilot in life, he is the pilot! I am learning to leave total control of my life to him.

Sometimes, I tend to take on too much and work too hard, and I try to cram everything into a 24 hour day. My family and friends are forever telling me to slow down and rest, and that I should just do the important things, and the less important things, let them go. I now try to put myself in the position where I allow God to lead me in the spirit, so that I may recognize when I need a break or need to just let things go. My life is not mine; it’s God’s!

I have come to realize, none of us in this life, are likely to know perfection prior to being with our heavenly father in eternity, but the good news, God always is there to teach us how to grow, and is continually working in our lives. He never gives up on us, no matter what?

So when we have broken pieces in our life, we need to trust God, and know he is putting us through a trial for a reason. If we trust and totally surrender our lives to God, he will turn all of our broken pieces in this life into blessings, and by going through them, we will be renewed, cleansed, strengthened and refined by God.

As always, please pray for our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our Soldiers, their families, and each other!

Until next time!  I love you, and God loves you.

Journal entry:  9-23-2011

Giving God Our Time

So many things occupy our time while we are living on this earth. Family, friends, schedules, work and the list could go one, but one thing we all fall short on, is the time we give to God. Time is a limited commodity and we are running out of it as each day passes by!

Many of us can’t give God our whole lives because we have wasted too many of those years before we come to know Christ. An example, some people may confess their faith at an early age, only to fall by the wayside later. Others may not come to know Christ until later on in life, and years may pass before realizing how much time has been wasted.

God wants our years, days, hours and minutes, but sometimes we are reluctant to give them to him. Psalms 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” While we can’t give God all of our life, because we have squandered too many of them, we can at least make and give him the remaining years, that we have on this earth, no matter what phrase of life your in.

There’s an old saying “Time waits on no one or anything” and there’s a lot of truth in that saying. Time makes changes in all of our lives! However, some folks want to keep things as they are when they were growing up, but that is not realistic. Families change, friends change, nothing ever stays the same! The only thing that will never change is God, and he’s the same yesterday, today and forever.

If you’re like me, sometimes it hard to get everything done you need to get finish in a 24 hour day. Were always checking the clock to make sure we are staying on schedule, but that is how our lives will be until God calls us home. In Heaven, there is no measure of time! In 2 Peter 3:8 it says, “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” There’s a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, a time to lose, a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, a time to sew; A time to keep silence and a time to speak; A time to love, a time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace.”

When this life is over, it won’t matter how rich or poor you are, you couldn’t buy, or ask for another second from God. We need to put on the full armor of God, press forward, and give him the time he deserves, and above all, don’t ever look back? We need to be the best soldiers we can be, in this mighty army for the Lord! We won’t regret it, and it will be worth our time in the end.

A couple questions and something to think about!  How much time do you give God out of your daily life? How much time daily do you waste on irrelevant things, which could be better spent doing God’s work?

As always, please pray for our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our soldiers, their families and each other.

Until next time!  I love you, and God loves you.

Journal entry 9-7-11

Have you ever wondered?

Have you ever wondered how a $20.00 bill seems like a large amount when you donate it to a church, but it’s such a small amount, when you go shopping?

Have you ever wondered how 2 hours seems so long when you are at church, and how short those hours seem, when you are watching a good movie?

Have you ever wondered, how you can’t find a kind word to say when your praying, but have no trouble thinking, what to talk about with a friend?

Have you ever wondered how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the bible, but how easy it is to read hundreds of pages, of a popular novel?

Have you ever wondered, how we believe everything that the magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the bible?

Have you ever wondered, how everyone wants front row tickets to a concert or a game, but will do whatever possible, to sit in the back row at church?

Have you ever wondered how difficult it is to learn fact about God to share with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, and repeat gossip?

Have you ever wondered how everyone wants a place in Heaven, but how many don’t want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

Have you ever wondered why everyone who doesn’t believe in God, when they get sick or are in trouble, usually the first thing they say is, God please help me?

Note:  This was sent to me, and I thought I would share, because there’s a lot of truth to it! I don’t know who the author was.

Angels

I walked into a book store the other day, and the first thing, that caught my eye, was all the things they had pertaining to angels. I saw paintings, gold pins to pin on your shoulders, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, books, movies, and hosts of other things. This put me to thinking about how the Bible tells us, for the believer nothing happens outside God’s control,  and that his angels continually watches over us, and are all around us. They work in our personal lives each and everyday. Psalms 91:11 (For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways).

I know for me, the first thing I do when I open my eyes of a morning, is to thank God for blessing me to see another day. I know that while I was even sleeping, that God has his angels watching over me. I can feel them spiritually, and know they are encamped all around me in all aspects of my life. Knowing this brings me peace and contentment to my life!

A couple of experiences, that I know angels were watching over my kids, were when our youngest son was about 2 years old, and we were visiting one of my husband’s friends at their house. Not knowing the lay-out of the house, being our first time there, our son opened up a door off from the living room, and immediately fell down a flight of stairs leading to a basement. Needless to say, my heart just about stopped as I watched in horror, as he was tumbling down those stairs, and by the time he reached the bottom of the last step, he landed sitting up. While I was in panic, he looked up at us and said, “Angels stopped me from getting hurt.” I just looked up and praised God, and I to knew angels were surrounding him.

Another time, was when our oldest son hadn’t been driving to long, and was on his way to his part-time job after school. It had been snowing and a lot of ice was on the roads, and right before he got to work, his car slid off the road and was left dangling from a bridge. When he called me, he said, “I slid off the road, and my car was dangling from a bridge, but I am out of the car and safe.” Yes, again I looked up and praised God, because I knew God’s angels were right there with him.

The word “Angel” comes from the Greek word “Aggelos”, which means messenger and the Hebrew word “Mal’ak has the same meaning.  Angels are mentioned at least 108+ times in the Old Testament, and at least 165+ times in the New Testament.

There are many descriptions of angels in the Bible, and one can be found in Matthew (28:3) which said, “His countenance was like lightening, and his raiment white as snow.” We can also entertain angels and be unaware! In the book of Hebrews (13:2) it said, “For thereby, some have entertained angels unaware.”

No one knows whether every angel does the same job, or whether some of them do different things. The Bible does speak about classes of Angelic beings like “Cherubim” (Ezekiel 1), “Seraphim” (Isaiah 6). Two of the most notable names we know are “Michael”, known as the archangel (Daniel 10:13, Jude 9) and “Gabriel” (Daniel 9:21, Luke 1:19, 26).

I do believe that God uses angels in answering prayers of his believers. One example can be found in the book of Daniel, 9:21-22 which said, (Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man “Gabriel”, whom I had seen in a vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. He informed me, talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding).

We read in the Bible about how angels care for the believers at the moment of death. One was the story of “Lazarus” (known as the beggar) Luke 16:22 (And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angles into Abraham’s bosom).

We read of other tasks that angels did in the Bible like how the angles gave instructions to Joseph about the birth of Jesus (Matthew1-2), how they protect us like in the case of Daniel in the lions den (Daniel 3), how they delivered the apostles from prison (Acts 5), how they encourage the apostles to keep preaching (Acts 5-19-20) how they told Paul that everyone on his ship would survive the shipwreck (Acts 27:23-25). God has used his angels to provide needs such as food for Hagar (Genesis 21:17-20, and Elijah (1 Kings; 19:6).

Angels also encouraged Joseph to return to Israel with him family (Matthew 2:19), they ministered to Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:11), they warned Joseph to flee from Herod’s plan to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:13), they foretold to Zacharias the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-20), told Mary that she would bear the Christ (Luke 1:26-38), they announced Jesus’ birth to shepherds near Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-15), they appeared to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to give him strength (Luke 22:43), told the women at the empty tomb, that Jesus was alive (Matthew 28:2-6), They promised the crowd who were observing Jesus’ ascension, that he would return in like matter (Acts 1:10-11), they released Peter from prison (Acts 12:7), they struck down Herod for not giving glory to God (Acts 12:23), and these are just some of verses in the Bible of what the angels did. Angels serve as messengers to communicate God’s will to us all, if we only believe. They are also known for worship and praise which is an activity that is portrayed in Heaven. (Isaiah 6:1-3).

We don’t worship or pray to angels, just God. Revelation 22; 9 (Angels were created by God, and our creator is the only one worthy of our prayers). Matthew 4:10 (Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve).

Angels do exist; they are created and spiritual beings. Angel’s primary job is to be servants to God and to minister to human beings. They deliver God’s messages and bring peace, comfort and protection to God’s people!

None of us know what each day may hold, but we need to make everyday count, and not put anything before God. We have to let go of yesterday, live fully for today and look with excitement for tomorrow. We need to take each day, every hour, and each moment to be thankful for what God has, and is doing in our lives, and to always know, that we have angels watching and looking out for us. Thank you God!

Let’s all thank God for his angels, and let’s all be rooted in love! In Paul’s prayer Ephesians 3:17 (That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and that ye, being rooted and grounded in love).  Remember, God who created all things is still in charge!

As always, let us not forget our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our Soldiers, their families and each other in prayer.

Until next time!  I love you and God loves you.

7-20-2011

The blessings of being a Mother:

One of the greatest blessings God ever gave me was my children, Shawn and Chris. He sent them from Heaven, and entrusted them in my care. They were indeed a gift from God. Both touched my soul deeply when they were borne. There’s an old saying that talks about when a Mother looks at her new born baby that says, “I never appreciated my life until I gave you yours”. They have filled my life with so much love and joy. One of the first things their Father and I did, was dedicated them to God, and asked for His guidance as they grew.

In the beginning, you fret over the least little things, and your mind wonders in many different directions, because you want things to be as perfect as they can be. Well raising children is a trial by error situation. Some things you will do right and some things not so good. You mainly have to rely on your instincts and God, no matter how many books you read, or what other people tell you.

The dreams you have for them seem so far away when they are little, but oh my, how time and the years go swiftly by, and before you know it, they are grown and out on their own.

One thing I did know for sure is that I wanted them raised in a good Bible believing church. I wanted them to know of God’s love, and how he will always be there for them during their life. Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Each night as my sons were growing up, we always read Bible stories to them, and said prayers with them when they went to bed. To this day, I still remember their little voices lifting up their prayers.

Chris told me a cute story about Lexiana (his and Stacey’s little girl, our grand-daughter), how he and Stacey were teaching Lexiana her prayers, and the other day, Stacey was going through the check-out line at the grocery store, and Lexiana looked up and said, “Jesus, prayers.” Stacey had to stop, fold her hands and pray with her. How cute is that? These are memories that Chris and Stacey will hold dear and remember, even after Lexiana is grown, and will be told for generations to come.

I remember clearly the first time each one of my sons, as babies first looked up and said, “Mommy.” I cried then, and it still brings tears to my eyes when I remember it today. Now I know, I wasn’t perfect, which none of us are, but I tried to be the best I could be.

I’m sure I made many mistakes along the way, but its just part of the learning process when you’re raising your children. Life won’t be perfect, because there’s a lot of bumps and curves in the road of life, but believe me, the best time of your life, is when you are raising your children. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything!

I have watched with pride, how the boys have grown up through the years, to become great loving, kind and caring fine young Christian men. No credit to their Dad or me, because all the glory and honor belongs to God. I love them very much. Now we’re abundantly blessed with the most precious daughter-in-law, anyone could have, Stacey.  She is a daughter, not a daughter-in-law in our eyes, and I know she and Chris will be the best parents to Lexiana that they can be, and she will be raised in a loving Christian home.

But at the same time, I know I am no different than any other Mother out there, who once their children are grown, always looks back and wonder, if they should have, or could have done more. The following poem you can find in a lot of book stores, but I don’t know who wrote it! The ones I have seen say, “Author Unknown”. It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. I hope it’s a blessing to all you Mothers out there as well.

My Grown Up Son

My hands were busy through the day,
I didn't have much time to play
The little games you asked me to.

I'd wash the clothes, I'd clean and cook,
But when you'd bring a picture book
And ask me please to share your fun,
I'd say a little later, son.

I'd tuck you in all safe at night,
Hear your prayers, turn out the light.
Then tip-toe softly to the door...
I wish I'd stayed a minute more.

For life is short, the years rush past,
A little boy grows up so fast.
No longer is he at my side,
No precious secrets to confide.

The picture books are put away,
There are no longer games to play.
No good-night kiss, no prayers to hear.
That all belongs to yester-year.

My hands once busy, now are still,
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do,
The little things you asked me to.

Author Unknown

Remember, Mothers and Fathers alike, soak in every moment with your kids you can as they are growing up, because before you know it, they will be grown, and moving their lives forward, as it should be! In the meantime, make as many memories with them as you can!

Continue to remember our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our Soldiers, their families and each other in prayer.

God Will Deliver

While reading my Bible the other day, I couldn’t help but think about how God delivers us from whatever trouble and trials we go through in life. Just a few examples, Job was a Godly man, but knew sorrow, and had a great deal of pain in his life. God heard his cries and delivered him out of the misery he was going through.

Now what faith David had when he face the giant Goliath? Most of us would have just backed away, but he knew God was on his side, and he would claim victory in the name of the Lord.

When Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s Den, he never gave up on God. He prayed every morning, noon and night. God heard his prayers and delivered him out. Paul and Silas were thrown in jail, and sang praises to God all night long, because they knew God would hear and deliver them from their jail cell, and he did.

Then there were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were cast into the fiery furnace, and God brought them out. They all knew they would come out victorious and would not be defeated by their enemies.

In life, we all will have pain and loss as we traveled down this road of life, but just like the people in the Bible, God will be our deliverer.  We’ll have storms of life, but there is joy. Nehemiah 8:10 said, “For the joy of the Lord is your strength”.

We are all just vessels for the Lord, and he is the Master Potter. If we put our faith and trust in him, he will mold, cleanse, polish, redeem, make us one of a kind, and we’ll shine in his image. 

When life gets me down for what ever reason, I know I can call on him anytime day or night, and he will be there to deliver me out of any trials, hurt or pain I might be enduring. God is my comforter and guide. The Bible is my refuge! When I read his word, tears fall like a river sometimes, because he loves us so much.

No matter what you have done in your life, or how unworthy you may feel, God is standing by with out-stretched arms, wanting to deliver you out of your hurt. You just have to accept the invitation! The Bible said, “Come unto him, and he would make your burdens light”.

There’s a wonderful saying about the Bible, that I read once which said, “It’s like an artist brush, it will hold many colors. If the colors aren’t applied to the canvas of life to create a masterpiece, then it will never bring forth life”. Something to think about!

Remember, when things look hopeless, and you see no way out, God will deliver!

Still remember our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our soldiers, their families and each other in prayer.

Until next time!  I love you, and God loves you.

6-10-2011

To say the month of May for the Shannons has been a little trying or stressful, would be putting it mildly. First it started with Lexiana being sick, Shawn being sick, Stacey having surgery, and me winding up in the hospital for a few days. But through it all, God brought us through everything, and we all are on the mend. James and Chris so far, have avoided any health problems.

When there is sickness I often think about the verse in the Bible, James 5:15 which says, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for us. Thanks to all who called, sent flowers, cards, emails, and etc. Your kindness is appreciated very much.

While I was lying in the hospital, a lot of things went through my mind. My mind wandered back to a dear christian lady named Gwendolyn. She is a very spiritual person, and seems no matter what you are going through; she is the first to be on her knees praying.

I remember a few years ago, going through some battles, and she wrote me a letter. She told me to just remember how much God loves and is with me. She told me how she found comfort in repeating the 23^rd. Psalms to herself when she was ill, or going through a trial. To this day, I do that, and it has brought me much peace. What a wonderful lady she is? Thank you Gwendolyn for being a light to me in my life!

To say I am blessed, is not a stretch. While I was in the hospital, my family hardly ever left my side. Our two sons were such a comfort to me. I remember looking at them, and thinking how blessed I truly was, to have them by my side. I love them so much. Their love, prayers and sense of humor kept me going, and kept me from thinking about how sick I really was at the time.

To all the ministers who came and prayed with me, I felt your concern, and thank you. My friends were wonderful to me, and to the ones who visited, or called me, I love you for that. You all are truly a blessing in my life.

During this time, we have had to re-schedule some of our bookings for May to a later date, but we should be back on schedule starting with the June’s bookings. For a complete list of bookings, just contact us by phone or email, since we do not list a lot of the churches on our tour page until a couple weeks prior on the website, we will be happy to email or mail you out a complete list for the remaining year.

Please remember our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our soldiers, their families and each other in prayer.

Until next time! I love you and God loves you.

5-21-2011

Stand Your Ground:

Recently a good friend of mine, called me and she was in tears, because a so-called friend of hers had said some negative things about her, which wasn’t true, and it hurt her real bad. My advice to her was to just ignore it, and don’t waste her time worrying, or getting upset about it.

As I told her, no matter what you do, or how good a person you are, as long as we live on this earth, there will be people who will find fault and be critical of any, and everything you do.  We will always have negative people who will come into all of our lives, so why fret it? All we can do is pray for them! Luke 6:27-28 “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”

I learned a long time ago; not to waste energy on the nay-sayers of the world. There are people who will always gossip and try to make you look bad, no matter what?  Life is too short, so don’t get drawn into those types of battles? Rise above it! Focus on the positive, not the negative in your life!

Don’t let these types of people steal your joy? You can’t please everyone, so don’t even try? When you bow down and try to fit into these people’s mold, then you loose your power! People like this, have problems of their own, and the only way, they have any joy, is when they are putting someone else down.

I believe God will surround you with true friends to cheer you on in life, and who will stand by you through the good times and the bad times. They will not try to destroy you! Friendship isn’t about who you have known the longest, it’s about those who came, and never left your side.” One of the best gifts on earth we can receive is the love of friends in our lives. True and caring friends are treasures and precious indeed!

If you have friends who are constantly being critical, jealous, gossiping, and can’t say anything positive about you, then they are not your friends. Don’t waste your time on small-minded people. Shake the dust off your feet, move on, and rise above it!

When people like this come against you, just ignore them, pray for them, and keep running your race, because God will be there cheering you on. God is on your side, and will fight those battles for you. He sees and hears all! You can’t prove to people, you’re a good person, because some people are going to find fault with anything you say or do. Remember, these types of people do not control your destiny!

I try to be selective, as to what I give my time and attention to. Personally, I don’t have time to dwell and worry whether or not, people like me, or what they say or do? I want everyone to like me, as I told my friend when she called me, but if they don’t, I refuse to waste my precious time, that God has so graciously given me on earth, worrying about it. I believe everyday is a gift from God, and that’s where my focus is. I want to be all that I can be, and anything that other people might say, I know God is right there to fight my battles, and I don’t have to.

There were many in the bible that had nay-sayers rise up against them, no matter how much good they were trying to do. Jesus, for example, was criticized, mocked, scorned, and etc., but he never let it bother him. He stayed focused on the positive, ignoring the nay-sayers.  Noah was gossiped about and made fun of, when he was building the Ark, but he kept pressing forward, and he to ignored the nay-sayers. Nehemiah, Saul, and many others in the bible were talked about as well, for the things they were trying to accomplish, and the list could go on.

In life, we have to remember, don’t look to the right, or to the left, but keep looking straight ahead. Stand your ground, ignore the nay-sayers, and don’t waste energy on negative people, who are truly not, nor ever have been your friends.

Timothy 11-13 “Follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith; profess a good profession before many witnesses

We need to live the best we can, and don’t sweat the nonsense of life? God wants us all to succeed, be the best we can be, and to put our trust in him. Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord our God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

After talking to my friend, I thought I would share a little of the conversation with you, and if it shines a little bit of light to just one person, then it’s been worth sharing. Thank you God, for my true friends, which their friendships will remain forever unbroken!

Let’s continue to remember our Nation, our Nations’ leaders, our soldiers, their families, and each other in prayer.

Until next time, I love you, and God loves you.

4-17-2011

Planting Your Garden by the Signs of the Moon:

Growing up, my Dad and Mom planted their garden by the signs of the moon, yes, the signs of the moon. Some of the old timey farmers called it planting by the signs of the moon and they would swear by it. They would start their planning of gardening in the winter, even while the snow was still on the ground. I remember everyone in our community went by the signs of the calendar and almanac!

As a young kid, I didn’t pay a whole of attention to this and wondered how the moon could have an effect on my vegetables. As time goes by, I realize there is something to this saying, and I have personally tested it out and have become a fan of lunar gardening’.

What I have learned is, we know the moon affects the tides of the ocean, and many professionals who work with the public, and they will tell you, that the full moon does have an effect on people.

How does all this work you say? Well history of planting by the moon says the waxing of the moon, which is, new moon to full moon, that’s the time to plant all your plants that bare their fruit above ground, like beans, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and etc. Farmers call this the light of the moon

The waning of the moon, which is full moon to new moon, that’s the time to plant all your root crops like, potatoes, radishes, turnips, carrots, peanuts and etc. farmers called this the dark of the moon.

An example of this would be tomato plants planted in the dark of the moon wouldn’t bear as much fruit as the tomato plants that were planted in the light of the moon. I have tested this theory out, and I am a true believer. I planted tomato plants both from the same batch of plants on the light of the moon and dark of the moon. The tomato plants planted on the dark of the moon had smaller tomatoes than the ones I planted on the light of the moon, which produced good size tomatoes.

At one time, I shrugged my shoulders at these things, but now I truly believe those old timers knew what they were talking about, because before the gadgets we have today, they lived in nature and went by the signs of the moon, sun, stars and seasons. Old timey farmers most always reaped great harvests’.

Back in the south where I grew up, our gardens was our lively hoods. We enjoyed all the goodness of the vegetables in the summer, and during the season, our parents would can as much as they could, filling gallon, half-gallon, quart and pint jars of vegetables.

Not only did we can the vegetables, but many different kinds of fruits as well, as they become into season. We dried different types of plants like, spearmint, peppermint and etc. to make tea with in the winter. I am not a tea drinker, but many in my family were.

As I have stated before, canning was not one of my favorite things as a kid growing up, but we all had to take part in it whether we liked it or not. Of course, in the winter when the snow, rain and cold winds came, we were grateful for all the wonderful dishes of food our Mom would make, and somehow, it would all be worth it when we gathered around the kitchen table to eat. Come spring it would start all over again!

So I hope as we began this spring season, that those of you who can, will plant a garden, whether it be large or small, and just watch God’s hand at work. The rewards will out number any work you put into it!

As always, let us continue to pray for our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our soldiers, their families and each other!

Until next time!  I love you, and God loves you.

The other day, I was thinking about the bible and how it has been so instrumental in my life!

Growing up, Mom always had a bible on the shelf or table, and would read it practically every day. As the years went by, the pages became worn, torn and tear-stained, but the message was still there. Mom always said, “Let God be your guide in life, and the bible your roadmap.”

The bible is the most selling book in history, and has been translated into many languages. The stories and messages it contains are enormous. Many topics from the bible have been made into movies and documentaries, and I am sure it will be the topic of discussion until the end of time! Pro and con’s!

One of the stories in the bible is, on how to become a Christian? What does that mean? One of the phrases many ministers use is “Born again”. Have you ever wonder just what that means? Jesus used the phrase in a conversation with a man named Nicodemus. John 3:3 “Verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To believe in Jesus is to be born again!

Being born again, simply means, that a person admits to God that he or she is a sinner, repents of their sins and believes in Christ. The Holy Spirit will convict us when we have done wrong. Because of sin we are spiritually dead, according to the Bible.

The bible said, “All persons are sinners!” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  By praying and asking God to forgive us for our sins, we then have a new spiritual birth. Acts 2:21 “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, will be saved.” or as many would use the phrase “Born again.” Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We should all show the world, we as Christians, walk by faith, believe in God, and let our light and lives shine no matter where we are. We should never be ashamed to lift our hands up and praise God, and thank him for all he does for us. We serve a loving, wonderful and powerful God!

I remember when I was a child all our family and friends always had bibles in their homes, and out in plain view. There were no dust on them, because believe me, they were read regularly. I grew up in the country, and on a still night where our family lived, it wasn’t anything unusual to hear your distant neighbors praying, and on a Sunday morning to hear the church bells ringing.  It would all start after supper with the family reading stories from the bible, praying and sitting on the front porch singing those wonderful old hymns, and just praising God. What glorious and special memories for me? It’s still special to me today!

One memory that I hold very dear to my heart about the bible was, when I was growing up and in school, we had two missionaries who came to our little country school once a month, and they would tell bible stories. In one of their visits, they told us if we would read the first four books of the New Testament, that we would get a new bible on their next visit. I read mine right away, and sure enough, when they came back I got a new bible along with others in the school. I remember, I couldn’t wait to go home, and show Mom and Dad my new bible.  Believe it or not, I still have that bible. Yeah, I know it’s not allowed in schools today, but thank God, it was as I was growing up! My own opinion!

I am glad today to see that many churches and organizations still hand out bibles to people. Who knows who lives will be touched by it, in the present and in the future? I am so thankful today, for the bible being in our home when I grew up, and I still carry on that tradition today, with several being in my home. I pray that my children and grandchildren will always use the bible as their roadmap, and God as their guide, just like I was taught when I was little.

As always, let us continue to pray for our Leaders, our Nation’s Leaders, our Soldiers, their families and each other.

Until next time!  I love you, and God loves you.

Anyone who knows me, know I like to hear and talk about the history of songs. While in concert in Michigan recently, I met a man and his wife (Ken and Cheryl) from Iowa, who were visiting friends in Michigan.  As we started talking, I had no idea where they were from!

We begin to talk about old hymnal songs, and as fate would have it, I brought up the old song “Little Brown Church in the Vale, also know as, “Church in the Wildwood”.  They just smiled and begin telling me a little about the history of the song, and have since, sent me some literature on it. I thought I would share a little of it with you!

The song was written by New York native named William S. Pitts in 1857. When he was about 27 years old, he took a stagecoach from his home where he resided in Wisconsin to Fredericksburg, Iowa. The stagecoach made a stop in Bradford. Mr. Pitts was strolling around and he was so impressed by the hills, and how they seemed to form into a small valley, with the Cedar River flowing so peacefully among the beautiful trees and wildflowers.

When Mr. Pitts returned home, he couldn’t get the imagine of the beautiful setting he had seen out of his mind, and he composed the words and music to the “Little Brown Church in the Vale.” He just put it away and did nothing with it.

Approximately 5 years later, Mr. Pitts, now married, moved to Iowa to be near his elderly in-laws. He took a job teaching music at the Bradford Academy. Since his trip 5 years earlier, a church had been built in the spot, he had become so found of on his previous trip.

The Civil War was still going on, and Christians in the community were growing weary having to meet in abandoned store buildings. In 1862 the building was up, and since the economy was hard, the people painted the church with the cheapest paint they could afford, which was brown.

Once Mr. Pitts saw the church, he retrieved the song he had written years earlier and sang it at the Church’s dedication in 1864. He later sold the song to a publisher in Chicago for $25.00, which was a lot of money back then. He used the money to attend Rush Medical College. He spent the remaining years of his life as the town’s physician in Fredericksburg, Iowa, about fourteen miles from Bradford.

The Church is a tourist location for thousands of people each year. It’s located in Nashua, Iowa, and is famously known for hundreds of weddings, baptism’s, and etc., that’s held in the church each year. Its membership is near or about 100 people.

This song is known throughout the world, and some people who have recorded it are: The Chuck Wagon Gang, Jim Ed Brown and the Browns, Carter Family and many, many others, which are to numerous to mention. It is such a peaceful song!

To learn more about the Church, click on the link under the picture below!

http://www.littlebrownchurch.org/song.cfm

Please remember our Nation, our Nation leaders, our soldiers, their families and each other in prayer.

Until next time!  I love you, and GOD loves you….

The Trail of Tears we all have:

Have you ever wondered how many different types of tears we shed during our life time, and what they mean? I for one, cry more than I would like to admit. I don’t look at it as a weakness, but as a way of letting my feelings out, how I feel in my heart at the time.

I was listening to the radio the other night, and I heard a song called, “Trail of Tears”. I couldn’t get those words out of my head, so I started thinking about the many different types of tears we shed during our life time. I started thinking about the people in the Bible who cried tears of joy, of love and sorrow just as we do today!

How many of us heard as we were growing up, now don’t cry, be a big girl or boy.  I remember in school many who let their feelings show, were teased by the other kids and called, “Cry Babies”. As we grow up though, we realize that in many situations, tears are warranted language.

In Sunday school class growing up, we learned about the tears of Hezekiah, who was sick and about to die, how he turned his face toward the wall weeping and praying unto the Lord. God saw those tears, and in Isaiah 38:5 God said, “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years”. God does see our tears, and is not unmindful of them. He sees them through compassion.

Jesus even shed tears of sorrow while standing at the grave of Lazarus. The shortest verse in the bible is John 11:35 said, “Jesus Wept”.

I guess one of the first things that come to my mind about tears, is when the sinner woman stood weeping, and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.  Luke 7:38 said, “and stood at his feet behind him “weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head”.

Many heroes of the Bible wept tears. Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet”, David who said, “My tears have been my food day and night”, and Paul who said, “I serve the Lord with great humility and with tears and the list goes on.

We will endure different emotions of tears in our lives, but one thing we have to remember, is God will wipe them all away one day. God promises us that there will be no tears in Heaven, no sorrow and no pain, but only peace, joy and love. Thank you, God.

One of the hardest things to me is to watch someone you love, go through some of these battles. Even people you don’t know, when you hear about the situations they are going through, will definitely bring a tear to your eye, and in this day and time, we are living in peerless times.

I have found God’s comfort many times through my tears no matter the circumstances. So many times, tears have fallen upon the pillow where I laid at night, but through it all, I could feel God’s hand reaching down to help me in my time of despair.

One memory of tears comes to mind as I write this, and that’s as a kid growing up, I remember my Mother many times reading the Bible, and I would see tears falling from her eyes. I knew as a child, this book she was reading, was a very important book.

One of the stories in the Bible that brings tears to my eyes every time is John 3:16 which said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoeverbelieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.  The fact that God send his only son to die on an old rugged cross for your sins and mine, is enough to bring tears to our eyes forever. Such boundless love he had for us all!

Tears are just a part of being human, and it’s more than O.K. to let your feelings out sometimes, instead of keeping them all bottled up inside. Psalms 125:5 said, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy”. Sometimes when we cry, it allows others to see our heart and allows God to see our sincerity!

I think there is a time for everything in our lives including tears. Ecclesiastes 3:4 said, “A time to weep, a time to laugh, and a time to mourn”.

Every one of us has a cross to bear in life, and even though our crosses are different, we should always be there for each other to lend a hand, or a shoulder to cry on. We are all part of that wonderful family of God.

Let’s continue to remember our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our soldiers, their families and each other in prayer.

Until next time!  I love you and God loves you…

I was thinking the other day, about the many roads we walk as we journey through this life; the roads we travel take many directions. First and foremost, we can’t walk it alone. We may think we can, but soon we find that so many twists and turns of life, we are unable to find our way.

We all will encounter shattered dreams, tears, pain, illnesses, failures, heartaches, toils, trials, mountains too steep to climb, valley’s really low and etc., but God is always there when we call on him. He will give us strength and faith to get us through wherever the road may lead us.

Sometimes all the frustrations of life may overwhelm us and our confidence is nearly gone, but if we just look up, we can feel God’s love inside us, and feel him holding our hand. It’s then that we know, he’s walking right there beside us. When we stumble and fall, he will lift us up, and put us on the right path.

Psalms 143:8 said, “Make the way known to me wherein I should walk, for I have lifted up my soul to thee”. The best road I took in this life, was when I chose to travel the road that would lead to God, and I don’t regret a mile that I have walked for the Lord.

I have found in life that the narrow roads we take, somehow eventually turns into one, if we don’t waver and loose our way. The roads may become rocky, but God will make our pathways smooth again if we just trust in him and let him walk beside us.

Now many times we feel like there is no hope and life get seemingly hard, but through all those dark and dreary days, a light will somehow shine through. Each portion of our lives is going to be filled with trials and blessings, but God is right there to strengthen us and give us hope. Psalms 116:8 said, “For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling”.

When life’s burdens start getting me down and I don’t know which way to turn, I just remember Isaiah 41:10 which said, “Fear not, for I am with you.. I will strengthen you.. I will help you”. I just remember with the help of God, all things will fall into place!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”. The roads we go down and have to endure is just seasons of our life. Psalms 126:5 said, “They who sow in tears shall reap in joy”. The way I like to look at life is, our life has many pictures and all of them are like a piece of art work. It will all come together in the end.

God sends us many blessings everyday and so often we may over look some of them. We tend to dwell on the bad instead all of the good. We just have to remember, that there wouldn’t be any rainbows if it wasn’t for the rain! We need to count our blessings one by one as we travel through this journey of life, and we’ll find out that we are blessed more than what we think!

I just hope and pray when my life is over, if I’ve left but one person on this earth, whose life was touched by mine, by something I said or done, then it would have been worth it all! Romans 8:18 said, “For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us”.

Let’s keep our lamps burning and the love of God in our hearts, so the world can see Jesus in us as we travel together on this journey through life. GOD’S LOVE IS MAGNIFICENCE!

Keep praying for our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our soldiers, their families and each other.

Until next time!  I love you and God loves you….

Exodus 20: Verse 12 in the Bible said, “Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

I was very blessed to have a loving and devoted father on this earth, who cared deeply about his family and God.

My father farmed and worked in a Saw Mill to support his family. He never had the finer things in life, but he worked hard to put food on the table, clothes on our backs, and shoes on our feet to the best of his ability. We never went hungry although at times the pantry got very low. God always seemed to know exactly when and what we needed! 

Now that I am grown up, I look back and see all the sacrifices my Dad made for our family. I look through old photographs, and realize all the gratitude, respect, love and admiration that I had for him.

Yes, Dad was always on our family’s side through the good times and the bad. He could take any situation and see something good in it! He taught us to always think positive about life.

After my Mother passed away, my Dad had his hands full finishing raising all us kids, but there’s not enough words to express how grateful we all are to him for what he did. He devoted the remainder of his live after we all grew up to just loving and enjoying his children and grandchildren. He was definitely a winner as a father!

No, life was not always easy growing up, but I have learned down through the years that many times when we want sunshine, God sends us the rain, and many times when we are looking for a mountain, valleys are all we see, but that’s when we have to have faith in God. He knows what’s best for us, and he will supply our needs, not our wants, but our needs!

Happy Father’s Day in Heaven Dad, and thanks for being there for us kids. We loved you dearly and your memories will live on forever through our families.

So, as we celebrate Father’s Day, let’s not forget to celebrate our Heavenly Father, who makes all things possible. He is our greatest Father of all!

Continue to pray for our Nation, our Nation’s leaders, our Soldiers’, their families and each other!

Until next time!  I love you, and God loves you.