Beloved!

In my most recent Rock4Today post featuring the

Names of God on Rocks,

I posted the name "Beloved".

It's interesting to me that not only does that name apply to Jesus,

but it's also a name that He has for us!



"The Beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders."
Deuteronomy 33:12

I was not surprised that "The Beloved Disciple" John often used the word

"Beloved"

when referring to those in the family of God,

but it did surprise me how much Peter used the word in his epistle.

...I guess I always thought of Peter as a brash guy

who would have had trouble expressing words of love,

but these words (along with others from him) prove me wrong on that:

"Beloved,

do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,

as though some strange thing happened to you;

but rejoice..."

1 Peter 4:12

It is often easier for me to see that God loves others,
than it is for me to see how much He loves ME!
I guess that's why God tells us in 1 John 4:11-12
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another,"
because often the way we feel His love
is through another person!



Awesome Annual Marathon

The White River Marathon for Kenya
            A fund-raiser for the "Kids of Katito"
                       

If you live around the North Central Ozarks,
you might have seen the banner announcing
the annual White River Marathon for Kenya.

 

Since I was the courier to bring some of the food

that was served to the marathon participants,

I was lucky to get there just as the winners

of the half marathon race were being announced .

 



The food was served at the Cotter School Cafeteria.

After finishing their race, participants went through the food line...

...then sat around tables recuperating,
and cheering as winners were announced from each age category.

Some may have been too young to run,
but didn't let their age deter them from
helping to support World Vision's outreach
to the needy kids of Katito, Kenya!



I was able to catch my friend
M'Lisa and her husband as they were leaving.



When I asked M'Lisa how she did,
I felt her reply was worth publishing.
"Well, I didn't win the race," she said,
"but I finished!"

Her words remind me of a Scripture verse from 2 Timothy 4:7-8

"I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the race,

and I have remained faithful.  

And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness,

which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return.

And the prize is not just for me

but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing."   

 

If you are interested in sponsoring a World Vision child

or giving a gift to a needy child this Christmas,

 check out their site by clicking HERE. 

 

 

To see my most recent Names of God on Rocks post,

click HERE!

Thanks for your visit!

 

 

If you were a participant, you might like to check out the professional photos

 at "SEE YOUR EVENT PHOTOS".
They have some awesome shots of  crossing the finish line!

Zig-Zag... and back track!

This weekend my husband and I made a return trip to David's Trail.
This time we took a different path -
one that went zig-zagging up and down the hills surrounding the lake.
 

This time we took our granddaughter with us.

As we walked along we enjoyed
the remaining wonderful splashes of color.

 

 

 

Then it happened!
There it was right in the middle of the trail -
some "scat",
more commonly known as bear poop.
The persimmon seeds gave away the animal's identity.
Gary said it looked like "cub size" scat.
Poking it with a stick, we found it was still VERY soft,
which meant the cub might not be far away.

 

 

Living up to his reputation as a protector of his family,
my husband quickly urged us to quit following the zig-zag trail,
and make a U-turn back to our vehicle ---
just in case the cub AND ITS MOTHER were still nearby.

 

As I was discussing what happened with our youngest daughter,

she said the way her daddy always tried to protect us from danger

reminded her of Jesus, our Good Shepherd, and our Guide.

(Click on colored links above to see corresponding posts on Rock4Today.)



In case you're wondering,

no - I haven't got my camera fixed yet.

I had to resort to my little "click and shoot" Nikon.

Yesterday...

 

 

Yesterday, my husband took me for a beautiful fall walk

on David's Trail which runs along the shores of Norfork Lake.



It was a perfect day to check it out.

Gary led the way,

and I followed with the camera.
The fall foliage was exquisite.

At times the lake was in sight.
...And most of the time,
so was my husband.

He discovered the labeling posted on various trees.

One of my favorites was the black jack oak,
so brilliant in its fall foliage. 
My husband agreed with the statement on the label
which stated the tree had very hard wood,
and told me that he had dulled many chain saws
while cutting this kind of tree.
 

Evidence of claw and scratch marks
seemed to indicate that a squirrel had enlarged this hole
to store his winter stash of food.
I think this was a white oak tree.

It was while I was attempting to get a good capture
of these dogwood leaves and berries that I had a little misfortune. 
 When I got off the trail to take the picture,
I failed to see a tree root or stump that was covered with leaves.
Before I knew it, I fell, and was face down on the ground!

Not injured badly, I quickly jumped up and hurried
to catch up with my husband.
Cleaning the dust off my camera,
and explaining about my sudden fall,
I then attempted to take a photo.
The auto adjustment wouldn't work...
 



The manual lens adjustment would allow me to
bring things into focus,
but was stiff and hard to turn.

I was glad we were near the end of our hike,
and thankful that I wasn't hurt badly by the fall.
My camera will have to be restored,
or a new lens purchased.

As I lay in bed thinking about this,
a verse from 1 Corinthians 10:12 came to my mind.
"So, if you think you are standing firm,
be careful that you don't fall!"


 

My mind was so intent on taking great photos,

that I got off the trail,

and lost sight of where my real focus should have been!

 

I think you get the picture.

 

May yesterday's mistakes keep me from falling today!

 

 

To hop on over to God's Names on Rocks, click on ROCK4TODAY!