Well, here it is the last day of March. Boy, time sure does fly anymore. And tomorrow is Friday too. I am truly grateful for the weekends. I am wiped out by the time Saturday rolls around each week. Seen above is a picture of a magnificent story of faith in God and courage - Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place". If you have not read this book, I would encourage you to. It really is a wonderful story. I also just got the DVD, which I plan to watch sometime this weekend.

I had mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to get a good commentary on the book of Proverbs to accompany my Bible reading. I love J. Vernon McGee! He is deceased now, but he had a powerful radio ministry for many years. I was excited to find his commentary on Proverbs.

I also got his commentary on the book of Ruth. :) Looking forward to this study too!

I've been intermittently reading stories from this book, which I found at Ollie's for a mere $5.00. It contains some great stories and has, indeed, given me some comfort while my son is away in training.

I have a collection of Ideals magazines. The older issues are exceptionally spectacular, in my opinion. This one is the Easter 2010 edition. Below are a few pictures and such out of this book.

I was listening to a sermon on the radio today while I was working. The preacher (I'm sorry, I forgot who it was) said and I'm paraphrasing - You are far more secure in a storm if you're in a boat with Jesus than on the shore without Him. Something to think about....

Blessings,

Lorrie

This morning's sermon at my church focused on the benefits of the LORD for the child of God. The Scripture reference was Psalm 103.

Psalm 103: 1,2 - Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

What are His benefits?:
-Who forgiveth all thine iniquities
-Who healeth all thy diseases
-Who redeemeth thy life from destruction
-Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies
-Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things
-Who executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed
-Who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy

My favorite: Psalm 103: 12 - As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.

Wow, there are great benefits to being a child of the Most High God.

Just wanted to add a few miscellaneous pictures from around the house. Above is an oven mitt hanging on my fridge, bought at one of my most favorite places on God's beautiful earth: North Carolina's Outer Banks. :)

Here's a picture of some magnets I have stuck to my fridge. Love me some lighthouses! And of course, I'm so proud of my lovely daughter and granddaughter.

This is one of many pictures my daughter colored when she was younger. I don't have the heart to throw them away.

Picnic anyone? :) I got this adorable picnic basket candle holder at Yankee Candle 1-2 years ago.

Adding pics of some of my Yankee candles....Lemon Zest. Mmmm....

...and Juicy Peach.

It snowed a little bit this morning and has been a chilly weekend. I got a lot done though - oil changed in my truck, grass mowed, lots of laundry, grocery shopping... Praying that the LORD will bring me and my family through this week.

I have this poster hanging above my desk. It's entitled "Who Cares?" and the artist is Mauricio Palacio. Under the picture it states that it is "an artistic interpretation of a vision of lost souls written by General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army". I purchased the poster from the Last Days Ministries website. This ministry was founded by the the late Keith Green and his widow, Melody Green, who carries on with spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One day, I shall write a blog entry about Keith Green. What an amazing story his was. What an inspiration he has been to me. I was only a child when he died in a plane crash, but his music and his strong faith endures.

But about this painting...take a good look at it. When I first saw it, I was entranched. Do you see all of the lost souls being tossed about and drowning in the ocean (of life)? And up there, on the deck, are us Christians - completely apathetic, unconcerned and oblivious to their plight. There is only one throwing out lifeline, two trying to reach their hands out to help and one calling out to other Christians to join the efforts to save these lost souls. Who cares, indeed.

There's a lost and dying world out there. It is my prayer that I am doing whatever I can do to reach the lost souls in the little corner of the world that God has placed me in. How about you?

A Wonderful Day

Wow...it was positively gorgeous today!! It's spring eve. Yay!!

Our daughter-in-law and granddaughter spent the night with us last night. Daughter-in-law is lonesome with her hubby in boot camp. Of course, we're always happy to welcome them into our home.

We ventured out on this bright, sunshiney day to a local yogurt shop called Sweet Frog. It's the first time I had been to this establishment. Loved it! They had a variety of yogurt flavors to choose from with lots of toppings. You fill your bowl up as you please, they weigh it and you pay based on the weight. I got 3 flavors of yogurt in my bowl - Chocolate, Country Apple and Raspberry. I topped it with coconut, brownie pieces and nuts. Oh, it was wonderful!

Two other flavors they had - Pineapple and Coconut.

How about Blueberry or NY Cheesecake?

My bowl of goodness. I'll be going back to try the other flavors for sure.

Here is my daughter enjoying her selections.

My granddaughter (poor thing was so tired) with a yogurt-covered mouth.

Here Kaylee is at the mall with her mouth full of cheese puffs.

She loves this snack.

Now, I had promised my daughter that I would let her get highlights in her hair this weekend. Mind you, kids these days don't go for blonde or auburn highlights; they like orange, blue, yellow, red etc. - ugh! Savannah opted for pink. Now I'm a conservative-leaning gal, so I wasn't too thrilled about this color selection. But, alas, we have to choose our battles, don't we? It turned out pretty cute though. And she certainly was tickled pink. :)

Here she is looking in the mirror as the hairstylist works on her hair.

On a side (or should I say sad) note, my daughter-in-law missed a call from my son, who is away at boot camp. This brought her to tears. We all listened to the voicemail message he left and he sounded so very tired and subdued. It was a sweet, sweet message. We all miss him so very much.

Blessings,

Lorrie

Okay, so I have the Tuesday blah's. It's been very un-springy here now for two days. I get exhausted and stressed out just listening to the news anymore. Wouldn't mind hibernating for a few weeks. :) But alas, we just have to learn to deal with things. It is a cruel world, but thankfully, I have hope in Christ. Looking forward to that Blessed Hope we were promised as born-again believers.

I finished the puzzle I was working on. It's missing one piece....how disappointing. I'm hoping I can find it. This is a 500 piece puzzle by Bits And Pieces called "Playmates". The artist is Laurie Snow Hein. Isn't it cute?

I ordered this Thirty One purse for my daughter. They're a bit pricey (in my opinion), but it's a very cute purse. Savannah (yes, that's her name...) likes it, so there you go. :)

I've had a long weekend with 3 days off of work. It sure has been nice. It's back to the ole grind tomorrow though.

Will end this post with probably the best-known verse in Scripture. This verse sums up the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Time is short.

Blessings,

Lorrie

Happy Saturday

Been doing housework this morning. Just mopped the kitchen floor and it smells so good in here now. :) Vacuumed and doing a few loads of laundry. My husband did put a clothes line up last summer. When it gets warmer out, I'm going to try to hang the clothes outside to dry more. The dryer is such a convenience though, isn't it? Also, I love how dryer sheets make the laundry smell good when you take it out of the dryer. But the dryer uses up so much electricity.

Later on, I aim to sit on my porch swing for a bit. I miss my front porch in the winter months.

I have a jigsaw puzzle in progress, as usual. I have Monday & Tuesday off of work, so my goal is to finish this puzzle. I'll post a pic once it's done.

I made an Orange Supreme cake last night. I had my reservations, but it was actually pretty good. I frosted it with cream cheese icing. Hubby liked it too.

My heart is broken over the victims of the earthquake in Japan yesterday. Make sure you keep them in your prayers. Such unimaginable devasation...

What I Am Reading Now...

This book contains some interesting stories about events that have taken place in my home state of Virginia. I love history and Virginia is chock-full of historical happenings. If I'm not mistaken, there have been more U.S. presidents from Virginia than any other state. I found the chapter on Hurricane Camille quite interesting. It happened in 1969, before I was born. :) It's been told that the rain was coming down in sheets - so hard that birds drowned in their nests. Nelson Co, VA (not too far from where I grew up) was hit very hard. There were many fatalities and some folks were never found.

So far, I've only read the first chapter of this book. The author tells the story of the tragic death of her younger sister and the spiritual toll it took on her family. I'm looking forward to reading more.

I always enjoy reading the stories in Guideposts. They're so inspirational and bring me to tears many times.

Ecclesiastes - "To everything there is a season...".

This is my new large print Bible I talked about in my prior post. It's much easier on the eyes. :)

I love the pretty color. :)

Blessings,

Lorrie

I bought these bottles of hand soap over the weekend at Bed, Bath & Beyond for a $1.00 each. :) I love the foam soaps from Bath & Body Works. They smell SO good! :o)

Well, anyway, I had a relaxing weekend. I tried not to think too much about my son away at boot camp. It's such a downer when I think about it. I know he'll be fine. I have to trust my Heavenly Father. He has always, always taken such good care of me and my family.

The weather this weekend was kind of gloomy. It poured all day yesterday. Rain is a blessing, but sometimes it makes you feel "bluesy"...know what I mean? We did have a most pleasant visit yesterday with my mom and all but 1 of my siblings. I adore my mother. She's such an inspiration to me. I think it's her meek and quiet spirit that I find so refreshing. And she can whip together a mean soup. :) She'll just throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot and voila' - it's always so yummy. I don't know how she does it. LOL.

I have started reading the book of Proverbs. I'm reading it simultaneously with Ecclesiastes. That O.T. book is very deep and thought-provoking.

Speaking of Bibles, I saw the most beautiful Bible over the weekend - it's called the Grandmother's Bible. It has a violet color binding and extra large print. Oh, it was so lovely. The price tag was $70.00 though, so I just admired it and put it down. I did, however, find another smaller Bible, the same color, with large print, that I bought. I had been wanting to get a larger print Bible. It seems I'm having to strain my eyes to read anymore. :( I guess an eye doctor appointment is in order. *sigh*

Here's to hoping for a great, productive week. Still looking forward to Spring...it's coming up on us fast. Yay!

I'll end this post by quoting the verse that my pastor told us in his sermon yesterday was the verse at the center of the Bible. It's a great verse indeed:

Psalm 118:8 - It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Amen? Have a blessed week.

Some New Candles and Signs of Spring

The Vineyard candle scent is divine!! I love it!

Lemon Lavender......it smells as yummy as it sounds!

Orange Dreamsicle... ;)

I love it when my daffodils start blooming. Spring is just around the corner. ;)

There will soon be leaves on the trees!

We'll be seeing loads of green before long! Isn't God so good to give us such a beautiful season after so many months of dreariness, cold and short days?

Psalm 24:1 - The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Praising God for His goodness today!!

I love the book of Proverbs. There are so many nuggets of wisdom in these 31 chapters. I think I'm going to start a self-study in Proverbs. Maybe I can find some good commentaries to accompany my Bible reading. Let's see - there are 31 chapters in this book, so I can break it down into one chapter a day for one month. That's certainly do-able. It will be most enjoyable too.

My favorite verse is Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding. Here are few others:

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 17:22 - A merry heart doeth good like unto medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Proverbs 15:1 - A gentle answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

I find Solomon's description of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 so poetic. I yearn to be such a woman. The godly woman described in Proverbs 31 is a rarety in today's society. Isn't that a shame?

Proverbs 31:30 - Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman who feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Blessings,

Lorrie