Beaded Blooms and Butterflies

I've been meaning to share these photos for some time. These different barrettes, featuring native beadwork and tanned moose hide, were created by different Athabaskan Indian ladies of an Alaskan village on the Yukon River where my family lived for a few years. I have admired the lovely designs and bright colors of these barrettes so many times. I enjoy wearing them, too. =) They are very intricate and so skillfully made.

Flourishing Old Age

Psalms 92:12-15 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

The roses that my dad gave to my mom a few days shy of one month ago have long since withered. We haven't had the heart to throw them out, so I reckoned I could just trim them down and arrange them in a smaller vase. As I studied them in appreciation, I realized how truly beautiful their rich, deep colors were, much like the garb of autumn. How good the Lord is to cause these gorgeous works of His creation, rarely enjoyed by my family, to last for such a long time. As I continued my arranging, I was delightfully surprised to behold a new little sprig of greenness flourishing from the stem of a rose in its old age. The Lord immediately brought this passage to my mind and heart.

Though the body may wither with the wear of years, if  the spirit abides always in Him, a dear aged saint can be filled with life and the power of His might. They can thrive and unceasingly bring forth fruit for God's glory. There is a great need for us younger folk to appreciate the high value of such dear aged saints, still keepin' on for the Lord Jesus. We could hardly do better than to emulate their loving, devoted hearts upon which the fire of God still burns brightly.

In Thee I Rest

A dear friend of mine has often quoted these simple words, and how very true they are:

Bear not a single care thyself;

One is too much for thee.

The work is Mine, and Mine alone;

Thy work, to rest in Me.

{ Hudson Taylor }

Psalms 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Isaiah 30:15a For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

In the photo: A daisy floating in a birdbath during a sunrise in my grandma's garden in Iowa.

The Billy Sunday Story

Biographical book written by Lee Thomas

I feel humbled and amazed upon my finished reading of this great man of God. From the day the Lord called Billy Sunday into the ministry of evangelism to the time the Lord beckoned him to "come on Home," this saint "ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" with holy zeal. His unabashed, uncompromised preaching of the old-time Gospel and his fiery condemnation of sin brought millions to the foot of Calvary where their sins were washed in that precious blood that will never lose its power.

The story of Bro. Billy Sunday begins in the days of his boyhood. His mother, the widow of a Union soldier, was penniless and unable to provide for her two young boys. With tears coursing down her cheeks, she sent them away by train to a faraway orphanage. Young Billy learned early the value of good, honest hard work. In his later years, he became the well-known baseball player. It was during his career that he turned to Christ for salvation and became a changed many by the Spirit of God. Bro. Sunday related, "If the same floor is in that old building, I can show you the knothole in the board upon which I knelt that dark and stormy night forty years ago. I have followed Jesus from that day to this very second, like a hound on the trail of the fox, and will continue until He leads me through the pearly gate into the presence of God and until it closes on its jeweled hinges."

He continued his baseball career for several years and married a sweet young lady named Helen. Just as he was about to enter full-time ministry, he was offered a very significant baseball contract. For days he wrestled with the decision. He made up his mind to accept the contract, but his heart was still in a turmoil. His dear wife in her wisdom encouraged her husband, "You made God a promise. Stick to it!" He realized that to "gain the whole world" was not worth the price. It was said of him, "He was a premier base-stealing threat on the champion team, but God called him from stealing bases to 'stealing' hearts, from winning championships to winning souls."

This crucial point in Billy Sunday's life was pivotal to God's mighty plans for him. Millions of souls hung precariously upon the choice he would make in this test of surrender. Who can know what God can do with a man fully yielded to Him!

Invisible Blessings

Devotional by Elisabeth Elliot

II Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Being very much of the earth--earthy--we always want tangible, visible things--proofs, demonstrations, something to latch onto. If we always had them, of course, faith would be "struck blind." When Jesus hung on a cross, the challenge was flung at Him: Come down! He stayed nailed, not so that spectators would be satisfied (that miracle, His coming down, would have been a great crowd-pleaser), but that the world might be saved.

Many of our prayers are directed toward the quick and easy solution. Long-suffering is sometimes the only means by which the greater glory of God will be served, and this is, for the moment, invisible. We must persist in faith. God has a splendid purpose. Believe in order to see it.