What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. Matthew 8:12-14
There is nothing known to man that has the power to allow humans to live peacefully except faith in Jesus. It starts at the cross and dwells eternally, this Jesus of strength.
The mortar of the Holy Spirit binds us to our foundational beliefs. The arms of the cross are stretched wide to include all who trust in faith.
We live in a beautifully created atmosphere designed by our God, who loves us so. I pray that you realize this! It is where we find the strength to humble ourselves.
These sure are sweet young ladies visiting the Plainview Point Park!!!
A great park. Thank you to Corky Terrell, those who donated, and the city of Plainview.
God blesses us with a snippet of heaven through the earth. This morning as I was praising through song, I came to this hymn.
This is My Father's World by Maltbie D. Babcock
This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!
Today, I choose joy. I choose to see and be blessed through the smallest of blessings. I decide what I see. I see the beauty in the people God places in my days' journey and the nature gifts delivered. I decide what I hear. I choose to listen to the Holy Spirit. I determine touch; I feel the presence of the Trinity. I smell the scents that drift by me with purpose. I taste the goodness found through the Word of God.
Live fully. Know Peace. Enjoy your day.
I love this letter from Clinton's namesake.
Maybe it was these two Generals? Interesting Wiki-read.
My mother's father was born in Arizona. They made several trips there in her lifetime. Here is a teen Lorena pictured to show the size of the cactus she saw there.
We had to cancel Cousins Camp twice. We have traveled to Ruidoso each year, but they were not too c/19 open. If we could not do what the girls wanted to do safely, it simply was not worth the risk. So, we last minute decided to stay local. Two of the grand sisters have not been out much at all, and so they opted out this c/19 season, we fully understand and we did miss them terribly. We had a fun time, just different.
We did a lot of fun things; made bubblegum, painted mugs, crafts, crafts & more crafts! One super fun "event" was the painting contest. We had the same picture that each of us painted. We posted them on Facebook for help voting. So, even though the paintings may have looked like children painted them, three were adult interpretations! Clinton has never painted, except as a young child in school, maybe. Even he had "fun" with it, I think!
Here are the paintings (the bottom middle is the example).
1 is Clinton = 11
2 is Adelyn = 25
3 is Phyllis = 46
4 is Chrissa = 61
5 is Dylan = 21
We played Uno and Skip-Bo, Yahtzee, and worked a puzzle. We played badminton, played in the water, rode scooters, and traveled to Palo Duro & Cadillac Ranch.
Because the Aspergers person may not be socially driven, they may have difficulty with communication in a variety of ways. They often have self-imposed rules or patterns that are usually very restrictive. They will have speaking differences such as lack of verbal rhythm, monotone pitch, and a peculiar inflection on certain words that impact communication and may head tilt while in thought. They try to make friends, but they are often either temporarily successful or completely unsuccessful due to their lack of social skills. It takes energy that they are not willing to give, especially in conflicted scenarios. They may display a lack of interest in the discussions, thoughts, and opinions of the people they befriend. Others grow weary along with the Aspergians.
This morning as I read this devotional, I was reminded that every person that enters my day entered not by coincidence but through God's divine purpose. I'm keenly aware of this.
I'm wired differently, but intersect faith into the equation and watch God move. It is a beautiful life!
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
This picture is a 1966 advertisement for The Dixie Shop. This store carried beautifully made clothing. Many Plainview women who appreciated good quality shopped here.
Their hat boxes were always bright and fun prints unless you desired the black box with foiled gold lettering.
If I described the items they carried with one word, it would be detailed, attention to detail.
Another fun Dixie Shop hatbox.
Another advertisement. The Dixie Shop was pricey for the day and time. The garments were worth every hard-earned penny.
My mother started work at the Dixie Shop when she was 14. She worked there until they closed. I did not get to go to the Dixie Shop often, but those who worked there, the clothes, the powerful women who shopped there, they had an impact on my life.
It's a match; the sky and this downtown location signage.