Despereaux Tilling

By far the most honorable meecy I know!

Pondering the Past

THE TRACK

 My morning walk awhile back was a bit more challenging than usual. Snow covered the paved track at the local high school where I like to walk, making it impossible to tell where it was. As I stood staring at the whiteness, I realized I had a number of choices: I could choose to make my own path, I could choose to follow the tracks of others or of the snow mobile that had gone through, or I could search for the real path. The path of the snow mobile seemed the most solid, so I started there. It didn't take me long to realize however, that this path wasn't the right one. Besides going through the deepest snow, it led towards the middle of the open track area, in front of the baseball diamond, nowhere near the paved path. I then decided to follow in the tracks of others, but again, I quickly realized that they hadn't necessarily followed the path, either. Instead of going around the field, their tracks led off towards the high school campus. Making my own path was also not a good option. My tendency was to take short cuts, and where the ground underneath was a bit lower, I sank into knee-deep snow. Finally I decided to search for the true path. I knew that the track ran just to the outside of the 5-6 lights around the course. This was a good place to start! Next I watched for patches of pavement where the snow had melted, and I soon discovered that there were actually quite a few of these. Finally, I watched for signs of grass coming up through the snow, and if I could identify this on both sides but not under my feet, I had a pretty good idea I was on the track, even when there was snow. I soon found that parts of the track were easier to identify than others. The backside, for example, was easy. It was nearly bare. The front, on the other hand, was covered in about six inches of snow. I definitely had to pay more attention there.

 This reminds me of the Christian's walk through the world. We are told to stay on the path: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt 7:13-14 NIV). 

This could mean lots of things, but one of the very important applications is to have good, God-given convictions, and to stick to them. But often the path is hard to find because there is too much "snow"-our own desire-covering it. We want to "fit in", to "be like the crowd". We wish for an "easier path", one that runs into fewer conflicts! These desires can completely obscure our way! So what do you do? Just like I had several choices then, we have several choices.

        1. Make your own path-look at what seems logical and socially acceptable to base your convictions upon. This              alleviates the problem of not being like the crowd. But the world's wisest man warns against this:"There is              a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Prov 14:12 NIV) 

2. Follow the crowd. If everyone else is doing it, it can't be that bad! But what happens if the crowd's way isn't             Jesus' way? If you aren't careful you will soon find yourself on the wrong way! Jesus warns against this                     option: "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through                       it."(Matt. 7:13) 

3. Take the "path of the snow mobile"-the "easy road"-the path of least resistance. Paul warns adamantly                     against this: "… All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end                           street." (Phil 3:18-19 The Message) 

And none of these options worked for me that morning. There is one other choice, the one that worked for me: Search for the true Path, the "small and narrow road" that leads to life: "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt 7:14 NIV).

  So how do you find this "small and narrow road"? The same way I found the track this morning: 

1. Watch for the lights: Just as my track had a few lights around it, we have been given a light, God's Word. The Bible gives you all the guidance you need, and God's Spirit helps you apply the principles of His Word to your individual situations. 

2. Clear away the snow: Allow Jesus to work in your heart to change your desires into Godly ones, to learn to hate the things of the world. 

3. Watch for the grass: Ask God to show you what compromise looks like and watch for it. Ask Him to show you the moment you step off the path! Naturally, this is easier to do sometimes than others. But in all times, we can ask God to help us, for "I can do all things in him that strengthens me" (Phil 4:13 NKJV) 

Lord, help us to not see the world in shades of gray, but in black and white! Help us to hate even the tiniest tinge of compromise so that like David, we will to be able to say: "I try to walk a straight and narrow path of doing what is right …" (Ps 26:11 TLB)

SPRING

Spring has finally peeked it's head out of my front border in the form of Daff~o~down~ dillies.hosta buds and tulip leaves! Yippee! Thank you God for the miracles You give us in the morning, and everyday!

Following

The Holy Bible, New International Version. Psalm 143 A psalm of David Ps 143:1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead. 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. 7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. 12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant. Clearly, the psalmist, David, wrote these words amidst circumstances of deep trouble and turmoil. In situations of suffering, we all know how appealing it is to wallow in the mire or self-pity and to think dark, vindictive thoughts against our 'enemies'. The Psalms are very candid in expressing grief and anger; and they give us the language for our own prayers when our own language fails us. God seems to be saying, through the Psalms, that it is all right to recognize and express these deep emotions to Him! After all, he knows that we are feeling them better than we know it ourselves! There is more to this poem than complaint, "I hide myself in You!" writes David. The place to flee in the midst of our struggles is to God, the only secure place of refuge. God is the only place of hope and comfort and safety. God is also the place to learn. "Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul." To remain in the place of refuge, and to know the peace we all long to have in our hearts, we must seek to know and do the will of God. Isaiah 55:8 says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD." Because this is true, we need to be taught His ways and His will. He teaches us His will in many ways, and even though we may not find the discipline easy, there is tremendous fulfillment in following them. We are learning as we follow. Our prayers are being answered even as we pray.

"While we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by the new frontier of human embryo stem-cell research. Even the most noble ends do not justify any means."

— President George W. Bush, Aug. 9, 2001

Tuesday Dinner...

Dishwasher Salmon with Carrot Soup!

For years I have tried to remember where I saw that Salmon could be cooked in the dishwasher.  I think it was the Galloping Gourmet when I was little...

Anyway, no one has heard of it, and I thought I was crazy...but guess what we are having for dinner?!?!?!?!?!  

Picture...

I really like this picture. It's so cool. It's how I feel sometimes. Jesus just holding me. Cool.

Disney World and Downtown Disney were so much fun! Bundled up in three sweatshirts and hats...we were cozy...

WinterHaven, FL and Clearwater, FL vacation

...once we got there...

what a wonderful, and totally stress free vacation we had.  Aunt Donna and Uncle Jim are the most wonderful hosts we have ever encountered!  "Thank you, thank you and thank you, again!!!!! We love you and your home!  An inspiration for Dan and I to work as hard as we can so someday we will be able to move in next door!!!!!!!"

  Even though the cold blasted in, 50' during the day and 20's at least 2 nights, and stayed, as we did, we couldn't have asked for a better vacation with our family of 4, and now an added two with tons of memories!!  Pineapple growers unite!!!!

 Tampa PowerWorks with the Manatee observation deck and education building is a must for any Manatee lover!  The synchronization of their breathing was amazing!  Are Manatee and a Dugong the same thing?  

Later, with the rest of the story...

"Children, yours and mine, are the true wealth of any nation, and in them lies the hope of the future. A society that is too busy or too preoccupied for its children is just a nation of aging, dying people who feed on their own selfish interests."

Tribute to Mammy Hamster

Mammy.

She was by far the most endearing hamster EVER!

She never bit anyone in her 2 1/2 year life.

She loved carrots and cabbage.

When we first got her from our friend Drifter,

she was so small.  Tiny, in fact.

She would get food in her little pouches,

the run to her wheel and RUUUUUUUN!

{We always said she was running to South Dakota}

She'd drop her food in the wheel, and go get more.  

She was so silly!

When we had her wire cage, she would climb,

 up and down, up and around, and then JUMP off of her 

red platform.

She sure had night~time energy.

For someone nocturnal.

She escaped one time, and our Border Collie found her.

Sitting behind the washing machine.

Daddy got her and took the tiny little feet in his big hands,

checking for boo-boos.

She did hurt her back left paw, but she healed up fine.

The last time she escaped her cage, we looked fervently.

We tore the house apart.

We couldn't get the Border Collie to do her job again.

I was a mess.

Every song reminded me of her.

We called the radio station to ask for prayer.

We checked under the dresser as a last thought...

She was sleeping , under the dresser, where she was...

probably all day.

I was not a mess any longer.

I just wanted to hold her.

Recently, she had been gaining weight.

She was fat.

She was LARGE...

ok, she was OBESE.

Last night we played with her and loved her,

and cleaned her cage.

We heard her on her wheel ,

cause it was really squeeky,

cause Ma'am was FAT!

Then this morning when I said good morning,

She didn't lift her little head

squint her little eyes and 

rub her tiny face

to say good morning.

That's when I knew.

Mammy died.

I woke Haley, 

we cried together.

Now we have to bury her.

By the Hibiscus in the garden.

She loved flowers.

Or, she would have, 

I'm sure.

I loved Mammy.

Goodbye, dear girl.

~\0/~

Creating a successful Butterfly Garden involves attracting a wide variety of butterflies and encouraging them to return the next season. The best way to do this is to plant both nectar-producing and host plants. The nectar-producing plants need to provide flowers that bloom throughout the season, especially in mid- to late summer when most butterflies are active. These plants should be grown in open, sunny areas, as the adults of many species rarely feed on plants in the shade. The host plants should offer a source of food and shelter for larvae and a place for adults to lay their eggs.

• Plant a variety of nectar-rich plants, as well as shrubs and evergreens for shelter.
• Grow a wide range of host plants to provide food during butterflies' larval (caterpillar) stage.
• Avoid using pesticides, especially around nectar-producing plants. Even the use of some organic or biological controls can harm butterfly larvae.
• Provide a shallow source of water (try a birdbath with pebbles lining the bowl).
• Place a rock in a sunny spot for basking and resting.
• Create a "puddling area" by digging a shallow hole filled with compost or manure where rainwater will collect and release essential salts and minerals.

Note about 'new chapter' In another presidential ritual, Bush left a note for Obama in his desk in the Oval Office, wishing him well as he takes the reins of power.

"I won't provide any details, but the theme is similar to what he's said since election night about the fabulous new chapter President-elect Obama is about to start, and that he wishes him the very best," outgoing White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

She said the two-term Republican incumbent wrote the message to his Democratic successor on Monday and left it in the top drawer of his desk, which was crafted from timbers from the H.M.S. Resolute and given to the U.S. by Great Britain in 1879.

During his last moments in the Oval Office, former President Ronald Reagan scribbled a note for his successor on a notepad with a turkey insignia that said "Don't let the turkeys get you down." He, too, slipped the note in the presidential desk for his successor, President George H.W. Bush.

Four years after that, the elder Bush left a note for President Bill Clinton. And eight years after that, Clinton wrote a note for Bush, and included a copy of the message he had received from Bush's father.

It's ironic that Barack Obama chooses to infuse these opening days of his presidency with the imagery of Abraham Lincoln.   I don't think there could be two more different men. Understanding why may help us think about what to expect in the days ahead.

 

Beyond his trademark "change we can believe in," Obama's defining theme has been unity and inclusiveness. "...There's not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there's the United States of America....We worship an awesome God in the Blue States...and have gay friends in the Red States."   Obama, of course, does not suggest that we don't have differences. His point is that those differences are not critically important and they're getting in our way. Let's put differences aside, get practical, and solve our problems.   The inaugural ceremonies have pastors for everyone. A white evangelical that opposes same-sex marriage, a white homosexual, a left-wing black male, and a left-wing black female.   His economic stimulus plan has large government expenditures to please Democrats and tax benefits to please Republicans.   Lincoln, too, sought unity. But Lincoln's notion of where national unity would lie was far different from Obama's.   He prophetically stated the challenge after accepting the Republican nomination for the presidency in 1858.   "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure half slave and half free. I do not expect the union to be dissolved. I do not expect the House to fall. But I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."   As historian Harry Jaffa points out, "For Lincoln, as for Jefferson and for all genuine supporters of the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the distinction between right and wrong is antecedent to any form of government and is independent of any man's or any majority's will."   Lincoln knew that some principles are so fundamental they cannot be compromised. He knew that we couldn't ignore our key differences. Unity could only come from facing them and making the hard choices.   He knew that even though there were competing religious claims on the issue of slavery -- some found biblical sanction in it -- we would still have to choose and decide who we are.   As Americans killed each other, he observed: "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God....The prayers of both could not be answered...."   We have many Americans today who read the same Bible but see the truths that define this country very differently. And, of course, we have Americans who do not see the Bible as relevant to those truths at all and those who would claim that there are no truths.   As Lincoln observed, the prayers of all cannot be answered. Unless we're resigned to meaninglessness, we must believe that our future will reflect today's choices.   On the hardest moral dilemma of his day, Abraham Lincoln stepped up to the plate and took a stand. He did not say that it was above his pay grade. And this is what makes Abraham Lincoln very different from Barack Obama.   Each time has its challenges. Americans feel betrayed by what they see as unethical behavior in American business and in Washington. Yet few seem to appreciate that moral problems lie at the root of our faltering economy.

Sanctity of life and sanctity of property are cut from the same cloth of eternal law.   In the view of many, including me, it's this law that defines our free country.   Our new president, who sanctions both abortion and massive government intrusion into our economic lives, sees things very differently.   So let's not pretend these fundamental differences don't matter. How we choose will define our future. As Lincoln said, the nation "will become all one thing, or all the other."

God's Spirals

When God planned the spiral, He had more than numbers, beauty, and dynamic symmetry in mind. He wants me to thrill at the tiny accuracy of His Creation. He longs to reveal Himself by sharing His wisdom and love. Won't you bow in admiration and reverent worship with me? "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says the LORD, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 Global spirals appear in air and sea currents, rotating in one direction in the northern hemisphere and the opposite in the southern hemisphere. In an area of high pressure, winds blow clockwise in an outward spiral, usually bringing fair weather. Owtwardly expanding spirals are all good and bring growth or life-giving benefits, but ever since sin entered our world, destructive patterns have come in the form of reversed spirals. In areas of stormy weather, low pressure winds spiral inward in a counterclockwise pattern. Destructive cyclones blow inward toward the center, and the enemy must delight in the fury of hurricanes and typhoons and tornados with winds up to 300 mph, causing massive damage and loss of property and life. Satan surely becomes outraged when he sees God expanding my spiral of growth toward eternal joy as I focus on things above that are not of this world. The devil uses anything he can (from tv, to fashion, to over-consumption of anything) to turn my thoughts from God and His Word. Gradually my life would turn inward, centered on my own selfish desires. Spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally, my selfish thoughts would grow smaller and less spiritual, possibly spiralling out of control, like a hurricane, headed toward self-destruction. God can and does reverse Satan's spiral if I claim the promise of Jeremiah 29:11-14, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," says the LORD, "and I will bring you back from your captivity." Yes, God planned for my life to expand by His spiral. I am called to reach out away from my selfish center and grow by His power. He longs to enlarge my capacity to receive more and more of His character. Daily He will impart wisdom, love, strength, and joy! No limit! With God, I have infinite possibilities to become like Him spiritually, physicaly, mentally, and emotionally. I claim His promise to "...supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" ~Philippians 4:19 ~ a limitless spiral of hope on into eternity, you should too! ~\0/~

Red

Red has always been my favorite color.

Growing up, everything in my closet was

one shade of red or another.  It was quite

a chore choosing what to wear to school

on any given day.  I'm glad we have 

chosen to home school our children...I would 

feel awfully sad if the kids didn't wear red to

school!

 Speaking of red, I just found out that Red 

Skelton is from Indiana. We used to love to 

listen to Red Skelton, living in Pittsburgh we

didn't have much to laugh about...except 

maybe the lopsided birds. Daddy thought 

Mr.Skelton was quite funny!

  YouTube shows some silly out~takes!

Here for your viewing pleasure.  

Does anyone still wish for laughter in the New Year?

Happy!

~\0/~

Reflection on Friends

When twilight drops her curtain down;

  and pins it with a star;

Remember that you have a friend;

  'though she may wander far.

So many distractions in our lives.  Some fun, others just bothersome.  While I try to say "No" to stuff that is meaningless, visiting the elderly in our church is the best thing  I have said "YES!" to this week.  In particular, Grandma and Grandpa Pastor!  My favorite people! They moved here last Spring when Grandma got sick and they needed to be taken care of by one of their children.  Well, Albuquerque was out, because Grandma 'hates that mesa filled place.'  Grandpa is at home 'wherever he hangs his hat' , but Indiana is their new home.  First Winter blues and getting used to the climate has been difficult.  BUT, I was privileged to be invited to spend a day with them due to a day that their son would be out all day.  Vacation for me! 

Grandpa is a master clock workman, and he is working on my Grandmothers Cuckoo Clock that just wouldn't stop going.  With out the energiser bunny!   What a remarkable thing the talent and gifts God gives us.  What a blessing it was to spend the better part of the day with my favorite adopted Grandparents!!! 

  

 

Kitchen hair!!!

WOW! Look at those curls!  Look at how th elight reflects into the                                          We call it kitchen hair in the industry.

  Beach hair, if you are getting ready to plan a trip to the beach, which we are.  Only the female of this family wish to get ready for the beach with beach hair. And really, only the youngest female in this house.  the older one just want to live vicariously through her daughters hair!  People pay BIG BUCKS to get beautiful, strawberry blonde/platinum highlighted beach hair!!!!  Haley, she just has to ask and do her little ant dance.!