Day 53 ~ Sharing through Pictures and Words

When I first started out for  today I thought I might post a bunch of “Firsts”, but as I was going through my archives, I found several pictures that I had added text to. These were mostly done when I was working and I printed them out for friends. I haven’t done any of these in so long, I think maybe it’s time to give it a go again, but for now from my archives. . . (comments below each picture)

This one WAS one of my first Out of Bounds (OOB) edits.

Those really are “H’s” not “K’s”  Also one of my first bokeh shots.

Not all of them contain Scripture, but I did try to be encouraging.

Some were even inspired by Song.

I guess I must have been partial to pink back when I made all these.

Some say it’s “forever” instead of “fully”, but either way works for me.

Isn’t it wonderful to have the Blessed Assurance that Nothing is too difficult for our Mighty God.

And a few just for fun:

Synchronized Swimmers or “Do you see what I see down there?”

Out of all these pictures, this is the only one that is not my own. I scanned this from a calendar a few years back, made an OOB out of it with a snowflake textured background and added text.  The text should actually read “Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes.”

Parting Words:

Matthew 6:34 reads…

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Another one in just under the wire. I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did when I made them.

Sharon

Day 52 ~ Never Be Discouraged

Pay no attention to the date of my last post. I did NOT miss February 20th. It was just late enough in the day that when I finally got it done, it was February 21!

I just typed several paragraphs, but for some reason they didn’t show up.  So today, I will just share this poem:

Never Be Discouraged

There is really nothing we need to know

          or even try to understand

If we refuse to be discouraged

         and trust God’s guiding hand

So take heart and meet each minute

        with faith in God’s great love,

Aware that every day of life

        is controlled by God above. . .

And never dread tomorrow

       or what the future brings,

Just pray for strength and courage

       and trust God in all things.

And never grow discouraged

       be patient, and just wait

For “God never comes too early

       and He never comes too late!”

                                     Helen Steiner Rice

 

 

And when (and if) we do feel out of sorts, we must do as David wrote in Psalm 142

1. I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy,    2. I pour out my complaint before Him; before him I tell my trouble.

IF we consistently turn to God, he will be consistent in giving us answers. It doesn’t work any other way.  Doesn’t it tell us elsewhere in the Bible to “pray without ceasing!?”

Have an encouraging day,

Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 51 – Frustration and Trust

All of us have those things in our lives that frustrate us to no end. I am not immune. I am not going to go into any detail or anything, but I do want to comment.  There are certain things  that we have to constantly deal with. It seems that no matter how hard we try, how much we pray, they just keep being a part of our lives. We don’t have the answers, we don’t know which way to turn. We are just plain frustrated.

I don’t know where I got it, but I found another book in my many piles of books and papers. It’s called Precious Bible Promises. I’d say that the author is Sandy Denomme, but it is really nothing more than a compilation of Scripture verses separated into categories. Yes, there’s even one on frustration. THere are actually several verses, but the one that stood out to me is the following:

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.   – Psalm 37:5

along with an old-time favorite:

Trust in the Lord with all Your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  –  Proverbs 3:5&6

Notice, there is a condition in both of these verses, and that is to TRUST! also in the second Scripture we must be aware that it says in ALL your ways. We cannot pick and choose which areas of life to trust Him with. He wants it all. I know from experience that when I relax and release it all to Him, things go better. Frustrations may not be removed from my life, but I can at least see them with a different attitude when I do trust them to Him. Unfortunately, for some reason, I usually end up pulling back and wanting to control things myself. The outcome usually leaves much to be desired and the frustration returns.

This gentleman found a unique way to deal with the rain. The reason I have included this is because throughout my typing I was reminded of a poem. One that will remind us that God will see us through, whatever our frustration might be.

God Hath Not Promised

God hat not promised skies always blue 

Flower strewn pathways, all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

 

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labour, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing kindness, undying love.

 

God hath not promised we shall not know

Toil and temptations, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear

Many a burden, many a care.

 

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labour, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing kindness, undying love.

 

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,

Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain, rocky and steep,

Never a river turbid and deep.

 

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labour, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing kindness, undying love.

 [by: Annie Johnson Flint - from Alken Drum]

Trust in His promises and “make it a good day.”

Sharon

Day 50 – Weight Loss and Obedience

I have no picture for today. I just want to say how much I am amazed by the way God works things out.  My current weight loss endeavor is not working out very well. something is always coming up and I cannot be there. First I was sick, I got over that, but my energy is not back 100% (I did try, but I just couldn’t do it.) … and now it looks and feels like I may have cracked a rib from all my previous coughing. This kind of exercise is not a good idea. Besides, tomorrow, there is a church outing that I am attending and on Wednesday I have a doctor appointment. The worst thing is that I paid for these classes and it’s past the time allowed for cancelling.

In church today our speaker mentioned that two of the women in our church wanted to be involved with a weight loss program at the home of a woman with one of those endless pools. My ears perked up, of course. This is a way to go without causing undo strain on the joints. I approached him after church and he was overwhelmed. He said that he thought this was an amazing answer to prayer. Apparently he thought that these two women would be the type to go maybe once or twice and not be overly committed to it. He felt that they needed a person like me to keep them committed. He asked me if I would be willing to pick them up and see that they get there. Funny, I am exactly the type of person that he seems to think they are. However, the Bible says that the older women (me, in this case) are to take care of the younger women. If my responsibility is to make sure that they get there, won’t I be making sure that I get there, too?

I don’t know why I chose to write about this, but nothing else seemed to come to mind today. I feel that maybe this is one of those circumstances where I will be used by God. You see, one of the women is a friend of mine that I used to walk with until the weather turned worse and we haven’t gotten together like either one of us would like. I mentioned this to her just last week. In this morning’s Daily Bread reading, I found this quote:

Whenever we open the Bible, listen to a sermon, or pause to pray, it’s a wonderful practice to say,

Lord Jesus, speak to me. I’m ready to listen and eager to obey.

     If or when this is supposed to happen, I believe it will be a time of growing and friendship that all three of us will benefit from. I am excited to help these ladies, and I am excited to not have to be doing this alone.

All of a sudden a song from a cartoon long ago occurred to me.

The Lord’s been good to me, and so I thank the LOrd, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord’s been good to me!    – Johnny Appleseed

Have a blessed day.

Sharon

Day 49 ~ Distractions and Responsibility

I can’t believe I missed a day. Yesterday was so strange. I had to do things in a different order because others had a time schedule that depended on me. Once that was taken care of, I was distracted, yes, but I made a conscious decision to spend my time playing with my new computer program (filter).  I spent almost all day at it.  I have some portrait photography that I have to do this next weekend, and I found something that is going to make fixing backgrounds so much better. I found a picture of my aunt and uncle that I thought would be good to practice on. My original plan was to put them on a nice background, but as I went along, my plans changed. I think this particular project took better than 2, maybe 3 hours, but I am quite pleased with the result. My aunt even likes it.

Before:                                                                             After:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can probably tell by looking just how much fun I had.

This is my cousin’s granddaughter:

Before:                                                                       After:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more. I took this picture when we were at the coast on Thursday.

Before:                                                                  After:

Now, before I get too distracted (again), I want to talk a little bit about responsibility.

I sometimes get a little carried away. As I mentioned above, though, yesterday time got away from me because I was having so much fun, but I made a conscious decision to keep doing what I was doing once I realized it. Certain things suffered because of it. I could spend even more time making excuses, but I know that outcome was really of my own choosing. It was my responsibility to get those things done and I didn’t. I have no one to blame but myself.

We, as humans, tend to find someone or some place to lay the blame other than ourselves in so many situations. This, I believe is one of the top reasons we live in the society we do today. We’re told, it’s not your fault by doctors who specialize in finding reasons for our behaviors. We have lawyers who try to win their cases, whether we are innocent or not, by looking for a more likely suspect. Our heads are being filled with so much garbage, it’s hard to know anymore what’s right and what’s wrong. There is too much gray area.

Revelation 3:15 and 16 has something to say about that:

15) I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16) So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot, nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

There is no gray area with God.  

Have a fabulous day!

Sharon

Day 48 – Oops!

Busy day filled with distractions. See #49 later today.

Day 47 – Three Little Words

Yes, I know that Valentines Day was two days ago, but for the last 27 years, my husband and I  have not really celebrated it. You see, our anniversary is TODAY! Twenty-seven years. That is a big deal in this day and age.  That is a big deal to me.  Sure, it hasn’t always been a piece of cake, but those three little words are always there to get us through:

But more than that, God is there to get us through. I am sure that without Him, we wouldn’t be where we are today.  This brings to mind verses in Ecclesiastes.

I have borrowed the following words from elsewhere because I couldn’t put it any better:

Cord of Three  Strands

Marriage is a wonderful experience and when a husband and wife can work  together with the Holy Spirit, it is one of the most beautiful experiences that  any human can ever have.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 shows that “Two are better  than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them  falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one  to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how  can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend  themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

When the two cords of husband and wife are bound together, they are not easily  broken, and when three strands are woven together, these three cords are not  quickly broken.  If the third cord or strand is God, then three are better  than two.  And even the Devil can not break what God has joined  together.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/cord-of-three-strands-a-model-for-the-christian-marriage/#ixzz1mcJizuqh

Three Little Words – Three cords. We need them all!

Sharon

Day 46 ~ Relax

And really, that’s pretty much what I did today. Relax! So much so, that it is now after 9:00 in the evening and I was scrambling to figure out what picture I was going to take.  Our dog, Charlie, was kind enough to oblige.

Once I had the picture of Charlie, I just needed to find a different background. We don’t have a fireplace in our house, but back in December, I was in a building that had one. There was no fire in it at the time, so I had to hunt for a picture of flames – I guess you could say this is a fireplace insert!?

It is interesting to me what each person finds to be relaxing. These are the kinds of things that like. I could spend hours at my computer editing and manipulating pictures. And sometimes I do. I am often here when I should be elsewhere, and things that need to be done end up taking a back seat. I also like sitting and reading a good book. Some people crochet, some write, some sew, the list is endless because every person is so different.

We can take a lesson from this pooch. Have you ever noticed that a dog never does anything half-way? When they play, they play hard, when they eat, they gobble it down. When they sleep, they are totally relaxed. And when they love, they give their all. THey don’t judge, they have no agenda. They live a “dog’s life”, and I don’t really think that’s always a bad thing.

We need to carry this a step further, a dog just does what he does because he’s a dog. It comes naturally. He doesn’t need a reason and he doesn’t really have a goal.   We have many things that we need to do in our lives, but we need to set goals. One of the highest goals is found in Colossians 3:17:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thans to God the Father through Him.”

I seem to have gotten away from the topic theme.  I think talking about relaxing was a good follow up for the stress reducer list. To live a stress-free life, you certainly have to relax once in awhile.  Here’s hoping that you will be able to take a few minutes each day to just relax and enjoy life.

Sharon

Day 45 – 20 Proven Stress Reducers

As promised, here they are all in one place:

1. Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
2. Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc.
3. Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; Whatever you want to do today, do it now.
4. Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below one-quarter full, keep a well stocked “emergency shelf” of home staples, don’t wait until you’re down to your last postage stamp to buy more.
5. Don’t put up with something that doesn’t work right. If your alarm clock, wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers – whatever – are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.
6. Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post-office line almost pleasant.
7. Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or even 100 blessings. Count ‘em!
8. Turn “needs” into preferences.. Our basic physical needs translate into food and water and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don’t get attached to preferences.
9. Simplify, simplify, simplify!
10. Make friends with nonworriers. Nothing can get you into the habit of worrying faster than associating with chronic worrywarts.
11. Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you always know exactly where things are. Put things away where they belong and you wont’ have to go through the stress of losing things.
12. Add an ounce of love to everything you do.
13. Become more flexible. Some things are worth not doing perfectly and some issues are well to compromise upon.
14. Eliminate destructive self-talk: “I’m too old to…”, “I’m to fat to…”, etc.
15. Worry about the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. That’s another way of saying: take care of the todays as best you can and the yesterdays and tomorrows will take care of themselves.
16. Do one thing at a time. WHen you are with someone, be with that person and with no one or nothing else. When you are busy with a project, concentrate on doing that project and forget about everything els you have to do.
17. If an especially “unpleasant” task faces you, do it early in the day and get it over with. THe the rest of your day will be free of anxiety.
18. Learn to delegate responsibility to capable others.
19. Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1000 before doing or saying something that could make matters worse.
20. Have a forgiving view of events and people. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world.

Well, my friends, I hope you have benefited from this list half as much as I have. I can’t honestly say that I have been following all of them yet, but now that I am finally over whatever it was that I had, I’m ready to give it the “old college try”.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and I look forward to seeing what I have to say tomorrow now that I don’t have a “plan” in front of me. Maybe I can get out and get some pictures today as well.

Sharon

Day 44 ~ Stress Reducer #20

#20 Have a forgiving view of events and people. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world.

This one is kind of the flip side of yesterdays. Not everyone can count to 1000, and maybe not even 10 in any given situation and if the person on the other side of the argument lashes out, we do need to be forgiving. Sometimes the only way to do that is to walk away and let yourself cool off.

In the book of Matthew we find Peter asking Jesus an important question:

21. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22. Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven”                     Matthew 18:21-22

  I have to tell you, that I was so proud of myself as a kid when I was able to say, “Wow! That’s 490 times!”  I also remember wondering “what happens when you get to 491?” But as I thought about it, I realized that with that many, it would be so easy to lose track of where you were. And who would make the effort to do so anyway? Bingo! Exactly! The amount was put out there so far as to help us realize that forgiveness goes on and on… and needs to continue, regardless of how many times the other person has hurt you.  I have enough stacks of paper already, I don’t need another one with a piece of paper for anyone who has ever upset me.

    I don’t want to leave this here. In I Corinthians 13 (the LOVE chapter) we find:

4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8. Love never fails.                        (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a)

So, seven, or seventy times seven… we’re not supposed to be keeping track. Can you imagine the stress of that? This is all about reducing stress. Forgiveness is such a burden lifter.  And remember, without forgiveness, there can’t be love. I suppose there is a flip side to that, too, because without love, how can one truly forgive?

This is the last of my list of 20. I hope they have helped you, or at least given you something to think about. I also hope that you may all have a stress-free day.

Sharon