God's Favor

Joel Osteen writes good stuff. Today I'm sharing a devotion from his little book entitled Your Best Life Begins Each Morning.

The title is Never Rule Out God's Favor.

Though the fruit tree not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls — yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18 NKJV

If you have read the book of Job, you realize that although his suffering began in chapter 1, he was not delivered and healed until chapter 42. But from the very beginning, in the darkest moments, Job was saying "God, I don't care what the situation looks like. You are a good God. Your favor is going to turn this situation around."

Friend, you may be in circumstances today that look impossible, but never rule out the favor of God. Stay in an attitude of faith. God promises that good things will come to you.

Thank you, Joel Osteen, for your insight. Many people are going through trying times right now. I hope this little devotional will be of help and comfort if it applies to you.

Be sure to visit Spiritual Sundays. You will find links to many inspiring posts there. Just click HERE to go there.

FALLEN CACTI

Who knew that a Barrel cactus would break off and fall over if they leaned too far? Who knew Barrel cacti had a tendency to lean? We found it out the hard way. Dear friends of ours gave us the cacti and even planted them for us over 20 years ago. They were tiny then. They grew and grew, and then one day we saw one of them laying down on the rocks. A short time later (probably about a month) the second one bit the dust (or I mean rocks). Now, how to get them moved was the question. They are EXTREMELY heavy. And those needles are sooo sharp.

Clif is good at figuring out how to fix things, so he set his mind to figuring out what to do. Here's the result.

Cut (saw) them into "manageable" size chunks.

Haul them around to the side of the house to await their turn in the trash can.

Then take a little break in the shade with a glass of ice water.

The goal: Get them all moved before the forecast high of 112º.

That Totem Pole cactus is leaning too. Is it just a matter of time? The Saguaro cactus is nice and straight.  I don't think it is in jeopardy. The Saguaro is "king of the cactuses (cacti)" These cacti were all planted at the same time about 22 years ago.

We love our desert - even when there are problems.

Father's Are Wonderful People

Happy Father's Day to all father's who read this post. A special Happy Father's Day to the father of my two children. I'm sure they both would tell you they couldn't have asked for a better dad. We will be so blessed to spend this special day with them.

Clif always smiles and even laughs a little when I share a Helen Steiner Rice poem, because back when he was the pastor of our last church and I was secretary we often needed "filler" for our newsletter. He would many times come up with one of her poems. One day I told him I thought we shared too many Helen Steiner Rice poems. Now I'm thinking "maybe not." LOL I think I appreciate her poems more now than I did then. That was over 12 years ago. Anyway, now I find myself sharing many of her poems on my blog. Here's one about fathers.

Fathers Are Wonderful People

                              Fathers are wonderful people
                                   too little understood,
                              And we do not sing their praises
                                   as often as we should . . .
                              And fathers struggle daily
                                   to live up to "his image"
                              As protector and provider  
                                   and "hero of the scrimmage" . . .
                              And perhaps that is the reason
                                   we sometimes get the notion
                              That fathers are not subject
                                   to the thing we call emotion,
                              But if you look inside Dad's heart,
                                   where no one else can see,
                              You'll find he's sentimental
                                   and as "soft" as he can be. . .
                              Fathers are just wonderful
                                   in a million different ways,
                              And they merit loving compliments
                                   and accolades of praise,
                              For the only reason Dad aspires
                                   to fortune and success
                              Is to make the family proud of him
                                   and to bring them happiness.
                              And like Our Heavenly Father,
                                   he's a guardian and a guide,
                              Someone that we can count on
                                   to be always on our side.
                                               - Helen Steiner Rice

Spiritual Sundays is a place where many people go each week to share a spiritual/inspirational post on their blogs by linking there. If you are not familiar with Spiritual Sundays I hope you will go there now by clicking right HERE. You might want to leave a comment first, and then go there.

          

I'm a Winner

So, the mail truck stopped in front of our house. I assumed it was to bring Clif a book because that is what is usually delivered to our house. But no. It wasn't even a package for Clif at all. It was a package for me. Then I remembered that I had won a giveaway from Linda http://lmarandomcreativity.blogspot.com/ and I could hardly wait to open it. Here's what the package contained.

Wow, I haven't journaled in some time, but now I intend to begin again. Thank you, Linda for your thoughtful and beautiful creation.

Linda wrote this on the first page.

 And here was the lovely card enclosed.

Love this tag as well. Wow.

Wow, the blessings just continue to flow for me. I am sooo very blessed. If you aren't familiar with Linda's blog, I suggest you go there. There is no end to her creativity.

p.s. Thanks, Linda. I scanned my name on the envelope for a signature. I like it.

MY GOD IS NO STRANGER

It's June. Can it really be June already? Yes, time is marching on. Mother's Day is past, Memorial Day 2012 is history, and soon it will be Father's Day. No, this is not going to be a Father's Day post. Well, maybe in a way it is. Every day is Father's Day if you think of it like this: God is our Father and every day is His day. I was wondering what to post for Spiritual Sundays for this week, and as I often do, I picked up one of Helen Steiner Rice's books of poetry. I still can't believe she wrote so many wonderful poems. The first one my eyes fell on when I opened the book was a poem entitled My God Is No Stranger. So ― guess what? That's the one I'm sharing today. I hope it will be a blessing to you as it is to me.

My God Is No Stranger

God is no stranger in a faraway place,
He's as close as the wind that blows 'cross my face.
It's true I can't see the wind as it blows
But I feel it around me and my heart surely knows
That God's mighty hand can be felt every minute
For there is nothing on earth that God isn't in it ―
The sky and the stars, the waves and the sea,
The dew on the grass, the leaves on a tree
Are constant reminders of God and His nearness,
Proclaiming His presenced with crystal like clearness.
So how could I think God was far, far away
When I feel Him beside me every hour of the day?
And I've plenty of reasons to know God's my Friend
And this is one friendship that time cannot end!
                                Helen Steiner Rice

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