MEMORIAL DAY

WE CAN CELEBRATE THIS

MEMORIAL DAY

BECAUSE OF THOSE WHO

GAVE THEIR LIFE FOR 

OUR FREEDOM.

All gave some...

Some gave all

Then Came The Morning

THE RESURRECTION

We hold so close to our hearts

The cross where Jesus died,

But so much more than the blood-stained cross

Is that Jesus came back to life

The stone's been rolled away;

The tomb lay open and bare —

They looked for Him, and then the angel said

That He is no longer here

Oh what joy they must have felt

To see Him just once more,

To eat with Him, to drink with Him,

To receive Him back as Lord

So much did He accomplish

Through His death upon the cross

And in His rising from the dead,

He reconciled us back to God

Nothing else could bridge the gap

That sin had wrenched apart —

Now we can freely go to God

And receive Christ in our hearts.

© By M.S.Lowndes

 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn 

toward the first day of the week, 

came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 

  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: 

for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, 

and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 

 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 

And the angel answered and said unto the women, 

Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. 

Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; 

and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; 

there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 

 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre 

with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. 

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, 

Jesus met them, saying, All hail. 

And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. 

 Then said Jesus unto them, 

Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, 

and there shall they see me. 

Matthew 28:1-10 

THE BIBLE STANDS

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door,

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

Then looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,

"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"

"Just one," said he, and then, with twinkling eye,

"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed -- the hammers gone.

Author Unknown

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalm 119:105

A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't. 

 Charles Spurgeon

A few of my cards:

Have a wonderful week!

Both cards linked to http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/

FAITH

Faith is our spiritual shield protecting us from the darts of the devil. 

Lay this shield aside even for a moment and disaster follows. 

Any departure from the living God is the result of unbelief.

  

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand

against the wiles of the devil.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able

to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Ephesians 6:11, 16

 

 

Why does the battle thicken so –

The darts rain fast upon my breast,

While missiles hurled with cruel force

Ring loud against my burnished crest?

Above the din I seem to hear

My Captain’s voice in accents clear,

“Because your shield is down!”

Why does the enemy advance

And hem us ‘round on every hand

While we, the army of the Lord,

Can scarce his arrogance withstand?

Above the shouts I seem to hear

My Captain’s voice in accents clear,

“Because your shields are down!” 

Ah! Now it’s brighter – now I see

The enemy is taking flight,

And lo, the banner of the Cross

Streams red against the morning light;

But as they flee I seem to hear

My Captain call in accents clear,

“Let not your shields go down!”

Thomas Kimber

 

Here are two cards I made:

I would appreciate your comments.

Have a great day!

The above poem was taken from the Springs in the Valley devotional book.

Lessons from Michael

LESSONS FROM THE TREES

  

One morning as I finished my devotions I looked out the window at my yard

and the fields across the road.  It seemed that the Lord gave some thoughts

about people from the trees I saw.

I understand that in the Bible trees are often used

as a representation of people.

Here is what came to my mind as I looked at what was left after the hurricane

had destroyed so many of trees in my yard and the area around me.

My pecan trees lost all their pecans/fruit,

but were green with new leaves and growth.

My roses that were stripped of their leaves

were putting on new growth and blooming.

The beautiful ornamental pear trees that lined my neighbor’s land

were gone with only the stumps left.

My largest, strong appearing oak was torn up by the roots.

In one place one tree was standing while the one right

next to it had broken off and was gone.

The pencil tree (Italian cypress), that everyone admired

and had weathered many storms, was broken off at the base and gone.

Many bushes, broken off, but are coming back.

My bridal wreath bush was unchanged.

There were trees that had lost all their leaves,

had many broken limbs and were scarred for life.

They looked worthless,

but they were still standing tall.

Some went down with the first wind.

Some are broken and bent,

but stood strong through the battering winds.

There are some that the tops were blown off,

but are still strong and looking good.

Some fruit trees lost their fruit

and the leaves are curled up,

but they are coming back.

One fruit tree was uprooted.

Some fruit trees kept their fruit

and it is still available to eat even now.

Some trees weathered the storm and are still standing,

but will never be worth much again.

Some look like they still may not make it

even though they didn’t go down.

There were trees in a group that braced against each other

and stood even though some branches are gone.

The big old oak survived and the storm removed the mistletoe

that was going to kill it

and it is standing strong.

There were young and old trees that stood strong

and young and old trees that fell.

There were trees that destroyed other things

during or because of the storm.

Some stood because of their root system.

Some came up by the roots because the roots were shallow.

Some roots were in solid ground and some in soft.

As I sat and looked at the trees,

I thought how very much we are like those trees.

When storms come are we like the strong ones with our roots

firmly rooted in the Word of God?

Are we just trees that look great and admired by people

or are we serving a purpose?

How do the storms of life affect us?

Do we stand strong or do we, when battered and bent,

still come back to be a strong witness?

The storm removed the mistletoe that was going to kill the oak.

Do we let God, through the storms of life, remove

what may be a hindrance to our Christian life?

Do we let them make us better?

Do we stand together through the storms?

Do we keep grounded in God’s Word?

Do we continue to bear fruit even though

it seems that everything in the past is gone?

What is our attitude through the storms of life?

Anger, resentment, discouragement, confidence, confusion, courage?

It is up to us to choose.

It is up to us to fight back when Satan or people wound us.

It is our choice.

Storms will make us stronger or they will destroy us.

One thing for sure they will show others what we are made of.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners, 

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD;

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to share this with my followers.  

Thank you for sticking with me and please leave a comment.