"Consistency - Thou Art a Jewel!"

I think that

The two most important things 

I learned in Bible College were:

1. "Keep balanced!"

and

2. "Consistency - Thou Art a Jewel!"

And I also think I can safely say that

 both apply to puppy training!

We have begun to have a routine with Max...
And CONSISTENCY definitely pays dividends!
(TV watching is not one of those regular routines,
but he appears to like watching old Westerns
with my husband!)

Max has learned to sit on command...

And sometimes he lays down on command!

Max is learning to do better on a leash,

and that is thanks to those who recommended a slip chain.

My daughter is helping TRAIN ME how to do this!

He's not "heeling" very good outside,

but does great when we practice inside the house,

up and down our narrow hallway!

The Labrador Retriever part of him is showing up

in his joy of retrieving tennis balls.

It's great exercise for him (and me!)

He is learning to let go of them

but he is not always CONSISTENT yet!

Treats seem to help!

"Potty training" via crate training

is going well,

with only a few accidents.

I'm not sure

 who is trained on this,

HIM or ME!

Potty training seems to be one of those things where

"Consistency - Thou Art a Jewel"

definitely pays off!

Proverbs 3:6 says

"Train up a child in the way that he should go;

and when he is old,

he will not depart from it."

I think that definitely can apply to puppies...

Max seems to be doing very well for four months of age.

(The above quote re. CONSISTENCY  is from the late Mr. L. E. Maxwell of Prairie Bible Institute!
Come to think of it, I think "Maxwell" is a good name for our puppy,
calling him  "Max" for the shorter version of his name!)

Meet Max!

About two months ago I had my yearly check up with my family doctor...

He informed me that my latest bone density test showed

that I had osteopenia,

and the part of my body showing the lowest bone density

was my forearms.

He prescribed more exercise, 

and recommended weights and walking.

My daughter Crystal is an Occupational Therapist.

"You need a dog," she said.

"It will give you and Daddy companionship

as well as exercise."

My husband had taken a strong liking to 

Crystal's large sized Labradoodle named Buddy,

but we decided we needed a smaller size.

MEET MAX!

Our grandson seemed quite delighted
with the new addition to the family!

Max is supposed to be a mid-sized Labradoodle,
but if he grows as big as his paws indicate,
he may be a little larger than we anticipated!

So, here we go...
I'm not sure if he'll be teaching me,
or I'll be training him...
but we'll see what new adventures lie ahead!

Already I am learning that I am not very patient.

"For ye have need of patience,

that, after ye have done the will of God,

ye might receive the promise."

Hebrews10:36

(By the way, we've only had Max for 11 days,

and I can already tell a difference

in the strength of my forearms

due to his stubbornness on the leash!)

"Joy4Today" has been on sabbatical!

Yes...

I've been taking a break 

from blogging,

and guess it's time 

I got back into it!

In case you wonder what I've been doing,

the photos below depict some of it!

I had a total knee revision in November 2019,
which slowed me down for awhile.
Riding a 4 wheeler was one thing I could do
that brought me great enjoyment.

Instead of just photographing my feathered friends...

...I started painting them!
The bluebird above was one of my first attempts.

The cardinal is one of my latest paintings,
and now has found a new home with 
one of my good friends.
I guess you can tell it was painted on a rock.
I

The chickadees went to my youngest daughter.

The hairy woodpeckers were a birthday gift to
a friend.

The red headed woodpecker will be going
to a friend who has had these birds for regular visitors
in her back yard. 

I've enjoyed the pileated woodpeckers that have been

quite regular visitors at my suet feeder,

so tried painting them on floor tiles.

They seem to be favorites.
I've done 5 of them so far!

I've even done some work on wood,
 accenting it with wood burning.
It's been a great way to pass the time while recuperating!

My "Joy in the Mourning" book is still available by ebook
from Friesen Press or Amazon if you'd like to
read my journey from grief to joy after losing
three siblings in an auto accident that happened
in front of me on the way to my father's funeral.

Thank you for honoring me with your visit!
My other blog -  Rock4Today
should be posting some new painted rocks
with Names of God on Rocks sometime soon!

Sincerely,

Esther Joy

(Previous post on 2/3/19 removed,
and replaced with this post on 6/6/19)

The Throne Room of God

What does the Throne of God look like?

The Bible gives word pictures, but these 

images are far beyond my power to recreate in art.

When checking on Google I found many attempts

of artists to capture the glory of God on His throne.

You can view some of them HERE!

SO...

since I am not the best artist,

let's just look at some of the "Word Pictures"

found in the Holy Scriptures
and I'll throw in a couple of my photos!

God said,

"Heaven is my throne,

and earth is my footstool..."

Isaiah 66:1 and Acts 7:49

Jacob saw a stairway or ladder reaching to heaven in his dream,
with God at the top and angels ascending and descending.
Was this God on His throne?
Genesis 28:10-22 - Jacob called it
"An Awesome Place", 
"The House of God",
 and "The Gate of Heaven".

Isaiah said he had a vision of the LORD on His throne,
"High and lifted up,
and the train of His robe filled the temple".
As far as I can tell, Isaiah is the only one in the Bible who mentions
seraphims, angel beings with 6 wings who flew around the Throne of God.
Isaiah 6

Ezekiel was a man who said
"the heavens were opened to him,
and he had visions of God".
He speaks of
"the likeness of a throne
in appearance like a sapphire stone",
and mentions fire, brightness,
and a rainbow round the throne.
Ezekiel 1

Then there was John, the Beloved Disciple, 
who wrote the Book of Revelation.
John says in Revelation 4 that he saw
"a door open in heaven".
He saw a throne, 
 One sitting on the throne, and
"A Rainbow around the Throne".
From the Throne there proceeded
"Lightnings, thundering and voices."
He describes a
"Sea of glass in front of the Throne."
Maybe that sea of glass is the
"pure river of water of life"
that flows from the Throne!
(Revelation 22:1)

As I study about God's Throne,
how Majestic and Holy He is,
it amazes me that He invites me to
"Come boldly" to His Throne of Grace,
so that we may
"Obtain mercy and find grace"
to help in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16


Whether you need prayer,
or know of someone who needs prayer,
let's go to God's throne
to find the mercy and grace that is needed!

(I hope to begin some posts soon
about Biblical characters who saw the glory of God,
how it affected them,
and how it can help us.)