In God, Not Out Of Trouble

In God, Not Out of Trouble
"And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest" (Jer. 45:5). A promise given for hard places, and a promise of safety and life in the midst of tremendous pressure, a life "for a prey." It may well adjust itself to our own times, which are growing harder as we near the end of the age, and the Tribulation times.
What is the meaning of "a life for a prey"? It means a life snatched out of the jaws of the destroyer, as David snatched the lamb from the lion. It means not removal from the noise of the battle and the presence of our foes; but it means a table in the midst of our enemies, a shelter from the storm, a fortress amid the foe, a life preserved in the face of continual pressure: Paul's healing when pressed out of measure so that he despaired of life; Paul's Divine help when the thorn remained, but the power of Christ rested upon him and the grace of Christ was sufficient. Lord, give me my life for a prey, and in the hardest places help me today to be victorious. --Days of Heaven upon Earth
We often pray to be delivered from calamities; we even trust that we shall be; but we do not pray to be made what we should be, in the very presence of the calamities; to live amid them, as long as they last, in the consciousness that we are, held and sheltered by the Lord, and can therefore remain in the midst of them, so long as they continue, without any hurt. For forty days and nights, the Saviour was kept in the presence of Satan in the wilderness, and that, under circumstances of special trial, His human nature being weakened by want of food and rest. The furnace was heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated, but the three Hebrew children were kept a season amid its flames as calm and composed in the presence of the tyrant's last appliances of torture, as they were in the presence of himself before their time of deliverance came. And the livelong night did Daniel sit among the lions, and when he was taken up out of the den, "no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in God." They dwelt in the presence of the enemy, because they dwelt in the presence of God.

The above is quoted from the Devotional "Streams In The Desert" - compiled by Mrs. Mary McCowen. It is so true, that amidst our most troubling times when to Jesus Christ we look, keeping our focus and our trust in Him, It will be well with our soul.

Grace and Peace to you.

Birthday Fun

Food and flowers, family and fun, gifts of true thought, conversation, laughter. Small kids, big kids. All celebrating together the passage of time and landmarks of note. I am so thankful for the family we have. For relatives and friends who stopped by.

Thank you so much for the wonderful weekend .

Much love to all

Julie

Memorial Day Parade

"Lest We Forget" The 2008 Essex Junction Memorial Day parade was fabulous! Many honored vetrans were present in the parade and the crowd was enthusiastic and warm in applause as they passed by. Jack and I wept at times, tears of gratitude and pride in our "heros" and our country. It is an honor to stand and place my hand over my heart as the American flag passes by. It is an honor and great priviledge to live in a free country. Even with America's short comings this is still the best place on earth to live.

Fire trucks, bands, local and state dignitaries, politicians, kids on decorated bicycles with parents peddling along side, dancers and kickers and Monty and Champ, it was patriotic and fun. I watched our grandkids all sit together glued to their spots as the parade passed by. Anticipation over whats next to come was high. Candy, leaflets, balloons and flags were all abundantly distributed to those on the sidelines. What a thrill for the kids!

Well, I have tried to post pictures in the middle of this text, but...as you see, rather saw..they went to the top. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh.michelle!

Michelle's parents are home in Vermont from wintering over in Florida. Welcome home Ray and Elaine!

Guess that's it for now, a nice sunny day for a parade.... followed by a special party for me, more on that later.

How grateful I am for my country and those who over the years have served to protect and defend her. Thank You.

Spring Blooms

Can anything be sweeter or more magnificent than flowering trees, shrubs and bushes in spring? God's creation bursting forth new life, vibrant color, and aromas that please and soothe away the cares of the day.

Such bliss, truly. These pictures are from my bedroom window. Lilacs and flowering crab apple in full bloom. Not only is it a wonderful site to see any time I look out the window, but the fragrance of these flowers waffs in through all our "front side" windows as well. Kitchen, dining, living room and bedrooms are filled with the color and fragrance of spring. I love it! Our bird feeders are nestled in among all the blossoms and the birds are still coming. The Gold finches and cardinals add their own touch of special color, I haven't been quick enough to catch them on camera, but will continue to try. Across the street our neighbors' yard is in full bloom as well. Tulips and daffodils, and other shrubbery and flowers. God does paint most wonderfully!

Grace and peace.

Grammie Betimes

Winter's End...At Last!

Coming out of the long winter's rest. Going to the shop for a tune up, inspection and a wash. Then our tiny little camper will be coming home! Tomorrow is the day! Hooray!

Another Big Step

This is my cute little condo. Not all of it, mind you- the kitchen and dining areas are what you see. This picture is a few years old. Last week my husband and I took the big plunge, we called one of our areas most successful Realtor to put our condo up for sale. My wonderful husband has been patiently waiting for 6 years for this moment. He wants space, a yard, a real shop in which to pursue his newest endeavor of band instrument repair technology. We tried to move 2 years ago. The condo was under contract and we had a place to move into when we closed here. The whole deal fell through tragically and we just stopped trying to sell at that point, took the condo off the market and regrouped. We thought we were in the will of God, but I think not. We have waited two years and here we are again...cleaning, decluttering, tossing out everything that isn't essential, and seeking God and His will in all this. Since we (mostly me) have had only two years to recollect stuff, the decluttering and tossing is much easier and a whole lot less this time around. This is definitely not the best time to be selling. The market is down. But we really feel that this is what we need to do. I thought we would be here until I retired, with the condo paid off by that time. Plans change. I need to be flexible and will trust my/our future to Jesus Christ. The condo is almost ready to "show". Just 2 more rooms to go. Camping season is upon us and I just can't wait to go! Will blog about that soon.