Former Things... Curiosity ... And Finding God

Often as my husband and I would drive past this house
on our way to the farm, I would wonder what it was like inside...

...Who were the former residents?...

...Did they spend much time on this porch swing?

On closer inspection, it looked like it had lost a lot of its former glory...

...Especially when I walked around back to snap a few shots.
But at least some of my curiosity was satisfied
just by getting a closer look at it.

This old barn has
also caught my attention many times,
and when I look at it, I wonder what happened to the roof...
Did a thunderstorm or tornado blow it away?
Or did the owner plan to re-roof it?

...And what did this old building used to be?
For some reason it captures my attention every time we drive by.

Another eye-catcher is this long wooden fence
with many birdhouses built all along it.
How many of those birdhouses are inhabited?
Do the same birds come back every year?

I think I used to drive my Mom a little crazy with my unending curiosity.

When she was my Sunday School teacher,

I'm sure that she sometimes got frustrated with all of my questions.

What does God think about curiosity?

I think He likes it!

He made us with an emptiness that only He can fill,

and then He tells us that we can find Him

if we search for Him with all our heart.

Deuteronomy 4:29

"Those who seek Me diligently will find Me"

Proverbs 8:17

If you don't know Him yet,

keep looking!

A good place to start is in His Word, the Holy Bible!

Simon Peter found God,

and expressed many new names for His Savior.

To see some of these, click on Names of God on Rocks

to take you to my other blog.

Thanks for your visit!

First Place 4 Health

First Place - A Grace Place!

FIRST PLACE is a Christ centered healthy living program

that encourages balance in the four core areas of our lives ...

emotional, spiritual, mental and physical.

This week our local chapter of First Place 4 Health
completed a 12 week Bible Study course...

...and enjoyed a "Victory Celebration Meal" together.

Registered dietitian Tricia Turner,
was our "fearless leader" through these 12 weeks,
giving us healthy eating tips,
encouraging us to exercise,
keeping confidential weight records,
and discussing our Bible Study with us each week.

 Although weight loss was often the initial reason for attending,

the other benefits were Bible study, prayer for one another, encouragement,

friendships formed,

 ....and lets not forget joy and laughter! 

That smile is because Lee Anna was our "Biggest Loser"!

Not only was Lee Anna a winner...
The Mountain Home Food Bank benefited from her weight loss!

Miles walked had also been logged...

...with two happy winners of prizes for their efforts.

This Christmas we decided to collect clothing items
for needy kids in the school system
instead of buying each other presents.
Many thanks to Kathy for the idea,
and for delivering them!

After a Christmas Break,
this is the new Bible Study we will be doing.
and can be purchased directly from First Place.
(Click HERE to order.)

Tricia invites all who would like to participate
to order their books and show up on January 14th at 6:00 pm.
The class is held in Room 1208,
upstairs in the Life Center at First Baptist Church in Mountain Home.

If you don't live in the area,

check to see if there's a group in your town.

Although often held in Baptist churches,

First Place 4 Health is not confined to any particular denomination.

(Click on the highlighted link above for more information.)

Tricia has her own very interesting blog,
and it can be found at
Expeditions by Tricia.

Thanks for your visit!

My Name for God this week can be found on Rock4Today!

"This Old House"

It was a gray slightly foggy day yesterday,

with threat of possible icy conditions.

On a drive back from the veterinarian's the day before,

my husband and I had noticed the sagging roof on an old house.

It looked like it was "saggier" than ever, and about to fall in!

My husband commented that the old house looked like it was about to die,

and that we ought to get some photos of it before it fell in.

So, yesterday morning, despite the pending forecast and cold weather,
we grabbed the camera, dressed warmly, and I got a few shots.

My husband's words reminded me of some verses from Ecclesiastes which
remind us to remember God before the door to life's opportunities is closed.
Click on the word Ecclesiastes to read these verses,
and to note how similar they are to the words written years ago in
"This Old House" by Stuart Hamblin as noted below.

"This song was written one cold wintry day in the High Sierra mountain range when I was on a hunting trip. With a hunting companion, I had gone back into a remote section of the country. We were at least twenty miles from the nearest road when we came upon a old prospector's cabin. Although there was snow on the ground there was no smoke coming from the chimney, but I knew the master was at home because a large hound dog was lying on the front porch. Upon entering, we found an old man dead in a back room. I can't say how long he had been dead, for he looked like he was just asleep, but because of the severe weather it might have been some time, and the old hound was nearly starved. 'This Ole House' was the prospector's epitaph." —Stuart Hamblin

"This ole house once knew my children
This ole house once knew my wife
This ole house was home and comfort 
As we fought the storms of life
This ole house once rang with laughter
This ole house heard many shouts
Now she trembles in the darkness 
When the lightnin' walks about

Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer
Ain't a-gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges 
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints

This ole house is a-gettin' shaky
This ole house is a-gettin' old
This ole house lets in the rain
This ole house lets in the cold
On my knees I'm gettin' chilly
But I feel no fear or pain
'Cause I see an angel peekin' 
Through a broken window pane

Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer
Ain't a-gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges 
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints

Now this ole house is afraid of thunder
This ole house is afraid of storms
This ole house just groans and trembles 
When the night wind flings its arms
This ole house is a-gettin' feeble
This ole house is a-needin' paint
Just like me it's tuckered out 
But I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints

Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer
Ain't a-gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges 
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints

And my old hound dog lies a sleepin'
He don't know I'm gonna leave
Else he'd wake up by the fire place
And he'd sit down, howl and grieve
But my huntin' days are over
Ain't gonna hunt the coon no more
Gabriel done brought in my chariot
When the wind blew down the door

Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer
Ain't a-gonna need this house no more
Ain't got time to fix the shingles
Ain't got time to fix the floor
Ain't got time to oil the hinges 
Nor to mend no window pane
Ain't gonna need this house no longer
I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints
I'm ready to meet the saints"

...Maybe one reason we thought of this song when we saw the old house

 was because of  the effect the weather changes were having on us,

with a little added stiffness in our own bones and joints!

Thanks for your visit!

Have you checked out my most recent name for God on Rock4Today

where I've been featuring the names given by Simon Peter?

Click on the highlighted letters to take you there!

Frost Magic!

As my husband was walking out the door this morning,

he asked me if I had noticed the "hoar frost" near the creek bed.

He suggested I take pictures of it.

On close examination, it was very exquisite and beautiful!
(Click on pictures to enlarge the intricate details of the frost designs.)

Wikipedia says that "The name hoar comes from an Old English adjective that means "showing signs of old age"; in this context it refers to the frost that makes trees and bushes look like white hair."

Some of the frost creations DID look like white hair...

And others had totally different forms.

I wondered if this was what the "manna" looked like
that the children of Israel picked up from the ground,
the life-giving food that sustained them for 40 years in the desert.
That's what Exodus 16:14 implies!

Wikipedia says that these ice crystals form   "...on cold, clear nights when conditions are such that heat radiates out to the open sky faster than it can be replaced from nearby sources such as wind or warm objects."   This is not unlike the white frost that occurs in man-made environments such as in our freezers. 

I like the promise from Isaiah 46:4 when referring to God our Father, it says
" And even to your old age I am He;
and even to hoar hairs will I carry you:
 I have made, and I will bear;
even I will carry, and will deliver you."

As you can tell by a recent photo,
my blogger sis in the middle (Unexpected Journey)
and I on the far right, now fit into the category of a "hoary head"!
I'm glad we never get too old to be carried by God!
(And to our friend Margaret on the left, God has you covered till
you get to the white hair stage, too!)

And YES, I know,

I'm still working on a Rock4Today post.

In case you are curious, it has to do with Peter's names for God,

and MAYBE I'll get it done today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Local National Honor Society Induction

Recently I had the privilege to witness the induction

of the local Fall 2014 candidates into the National Honor Society.

We were welcomed by the chapter president...

...And introduced to each of the officers.
After lighting a candle,
each officer spoke of one of the tenets of the Honor Society:
Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Service.

The auditorium was quiet as each inductee stood in line
waiting for their turn to sign.

After the last signature...

...The candles were lit...

...And together they recited this pledge:
"I pledge to uphold the high purposes of the
National Honor Society
to which I have been selected.
I will be true to the principles for which it stands.
I will be loyal to my school
and will maintain and encourage high standards of
scholarship, leadership, service and character."

Congratulations to the inductees!

King Solomon had something to say about HONOR.

"Get wisdom! Get understanding!
    Do not forget or turn aside from the words of my mouth!

Do not abandon her, and she will protect you.
    Love her, and she will watch over you.

Wisdom is of utmost importance, therefore get wisdom,
    and with all your effort work to acquire understanding.
 Prize her and she will exalt you.
    Indeed, if you embrace her, she will honor you."

Proverbs 4:5-8

Thanks for your visit!

I'll have to admit, I've been a bit slack on posting on Rock4Today,

but hopefully I'll get "back in the groove" again soon!

Cheating a little...

I'd like to introduce you to my sis, Alice.

We had a recent trip to the farm...

...And had fun with our cameras!

Instead of writing a blog this week,

I'm just going to include a link to her blog.

She took a blogging break for awhile,

but has gotten brave and posted a couple of posts from her heart.

I hope you will take the time to check them out!

You can find them by clicking HERE!

Arkansas Fallen Heroes Memorial Display

The ARKANSAS FALLEN HEROES MEMORIAL DISPLAY

The "Field of Flags"

is at Twin Lakes Baptist Church

Mountain Home, Arkansas this week.

Arkansas Fallen Heroes Memorial is a none profit organization dedicated to raising funds to erect a permanent memorial park to honor and remember fallen heroes from Arkansas.

If you live in the area, please take the time to stop by and check it out.

To see one of my heroes, click HERE!

Eclipse on 10/23/2014

It was rather cloudy, but when I darkened the photo with the
contrast I saw a green dot...

It seemed to move depending on the angle of my cell phone camera.

And I couldn't get a good focus if I tried to zoom in too much.

The clouds moved away for a bit and I got a couple of shots.

I know I'm no expert, but I thought they were very interesting.

And I'm not really sure what I was capturing...
It didn't really look like an eclipse to me...
but it was unusual...

But I am neither astronomer or professional photographer.

...And then the clouds came back.

But it did remind me of something from the Bible!

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven:

And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,

And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven

With power and great glory."

Matthew 24:30

"So you also must be ready,

because the Son of Man will come at an hour

when you do not expect Him."

Matthew 24:44

Thanks for dropping by!

To see my name of God on Rocks collection,

click HERE!