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Showing posts from April, 2010

Lessons learned the first 50 years

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I hit a milestone. I turned 50 years old. I am thankful that I don't feel 50.   I am thankful for things God has taught me throughout those 50 years. .  I have learned that God loves mercy and when I feel a sense that justice needs to happen over mercy, all I need to do is remember that I am thankful for when God gives me mercy instead of a just punishment.   (Micah 6:8 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.) ( Luke 6: 36  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ) I have learned that hurt people end up hurting people.   When I am able to see that I didn't hurt them but I am bearing the results of that persons hurt inflicted by other people, it helps me forgive whatever hurt they pushed onto me and move on.  (Romans 12 : 18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. )  I have learned that anyone who thinks they have God

sharing from my friend's blog

My friend, Vicki wrote this about a man that I only had the pleasure to meet a few times. This is really good, so please take the time to read it. Remembering Tom Carpenter April 27, 2010 by acupofearlgreywithme I have been desiring to post a blog on a friend of ours, who recently past away in February, for some time now. Tom, a servant of Christ and custodian at the church we attend, was diagnosed with cancer and went to be with Jesus three weeks after his diagnosis. He was at the young age of 51 when he passed. He never married or had children, but had a huge family in the Lord that surrounded him, especially in his final days. Do you ever wonder what your thoughts will be during those last moments or days before Christ calls you home? People have quoted the famous last words of people and sometimes, because of the final circumstances, made them words to live by. Tom’s last words to his friends and brothers in the Lord (Kevin and Caleb) were, “Could you pray for me?” and “I love you

In a room with razor walls?

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Do you sometimes just feel like you have put yourself in a room with razors for walls? If you have ever dealt with anger, unforgiveness, or bitterness, you know this feeling. But, how do you get rid of it? Alot of it is focusing on what is true..NOW. We can't live in the past. Didn't someone famous once say that? :) Anyway, one book that is so helpful for not wasting your energy and life on such negative emotions is a book called Life is a Vapor by John Piper. Here are some nuggets out of it. James 1:19-20 Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God required. Eph. 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath...ang anger and clamor..and slander be put away from you. 1. Ponder the right of Christ to be anger, but how He endured the cross, as an example of long suffering (1Peter 2:21). 2. Ponder how much you have been forgiven, and how much mercy you have been shown (eph 4:32)/ 3. Ponder your own sinfulness and take the bea

Tadpoles and Pheobe eggs...and laughs in the oddest of places

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We went out of town for Easter and when we returned, I saw that my pond had a leak somewhere. I had Russell to brave the spiders that might be lerking near the outlet so that he could unplug the waterfall, because the waterfall is usually the problem...most of the time. This morning I started the task of removing rocks to get down to the liner to see if I could see what the problem actually happened to be. I found it after looking a minute or so. Some critter, likely a chipmunk since a family lives 4 feet away under the pine tree by the waterfall, chewed through the top of the liner allowing water to leak at the top of the waterfall. After fixing the leak, putting more water in, I plugged the pump that controls the waterfall...and started to inspect every inch of the waterfall. To my surprise, I found thousands of tadpoles in the waterfall. I love listening to the spring peepers at night..I imagine these tadpoles are their doing. If the chipmunk hadn't caused a leak, I might