Follow ME

It was Palm Sunday.
The children waved palm branches and sang, "Hosanna".

The choir and the congregation sang "Hosanna".
"Hosanna in the Highest".

We were instructed to greet one another with the question,

"What does it mean to follow Jesus?"

Most all - young, old, wise and wiser had it

 -the deer in the headlights look -

you know - "I've never thought about it before".

The next question was -

"What does it mean to keep His commands?"

Not the Ten Commandments - 

HIS (Jesus') COMMANDS.

And then there was the convicting statement that,

we I read them, study them, memorize them, look them up in Greek,

and discuss them in a group.

But do we I obey them?

So I did what I do best.

I opened my Bible

and read the red

(you know - the words of Jesus).
Then I marked His commands.

and I made a list:

(Matthew)

Repent

Follow Me

Rejoice

Be glad

Let your light shine

Be reconciled

Make friends with your opponent

Make no oath

Turn the other cheek

Give to him who asks

Love your enemies

Pray for those who persecute you

Do not lay up treasures on earth

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven

Do not be anxious

Seek first His kingdom

Do not judge

Follow Me

Follow Me

Heal the sick

Raise the dead

Cleanse the lepers

Cast out demons

Be shrewd as serpents

Be innocent as doves

Do not fear

Do not fear

Do not fear

Come to me

Take my yoke

Hear

Receive

Take courage

Come

Hear and understand

Deny yourself

Follow Me

Do not be afraid

Learn

Be on the alert

Be on the alert

Watch and pray

Do not be afraid

Go

Make disciples

Baptize them

Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you

(Mark)

Repent

Believe

Follow Me

Be cleansed

Follow Me

Hear

Do not be afraid

Be still
Go in peace
Be healed
Arise
Come away
Rest awhile
Only believe

Take courage

Do not be afraid

Listen to Me
Be opened
Watch out
Be Aware
Get behind Me, Satan

Have faith in God

Forgive

Be on your guard

Do not be anxious

Pray

Keep on the alert

Be on the alert

Be on the alert

Watch and pray

Go

Preach the gospel

(Luke)

Do not fear

Be cleansed

Give to everyone who asks

Love your enemies

Do good

Lend

Do not judge

Give

Do not be afraid

Only believe

Take nothing for your journey

Deny yourself

Follow Me

Follow Me

Carry nothing

Heal the sick

Say, "The Kingdom of God is near"

Ask

Seek

Knock

Hear the word

Observe the word

Do not be afraid

Do not become anxious

Beware

Be on your guard

Do not be anxious

Repent

Repent

Enter by the narrow door

Do not take a place of honor

Invite the poor, crippled, lame, blind

Be on your guard

Forgive

Forgive

Hear

Permit the children to come to Me

Follow me

Do not be misled

Be on your guard

Keep on the alert

Do this in remembrance of Me

Pray

Rise and pray

(John)

Come

Follow Me

You must be born again

Believe in Me

Do not be afraid

Believe

Do not grumble

Do not judge

Sin no more

Keep My word

Follow Me

Let not your heart be troubled

Believe Me

Ask anything

Love Me

Keep my commandments

Keep my word

Let not your heart be troubled

Abide in Me

Love one another

Go

Bear fruit

Love one another

Remember

Ask

Receive

Take courage

Follow Me

Follow Me

Follow Me

So......

Do you I consider yourself myself a follower of Jesus?

Do you I keep His commands?

Mess of an old woman that I am,
 I stir up the courage to say like David, 

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;"
Believe

"Try me and know my anxious thoughts;"
Do not fear

"And see if there be any hurtful way in me,"
Repent

"And lead me in the everlasting way."
Follow

(Psalm 139:23-24)

Because,

"Not everyone who says to Me,

'Lord, Lord'

will enter the kingdom of heaven;

but he who does the will of My Father 

who is in heaven."

(Matthew 7:21)

Believe

Repent
Do Not Fear
Follow


Preach the Gospel

First Day of Spring

Today is the

FIRST DAY OF SPRING

Spring -

 the season between winter and summer

life and hope

digging in the dirt and planting petunias in pots

walking in the park and four wheeling in the pasture

Spring -

 tulips and irises and (ahhh) lilacs 

neon green leaves on mesquite trees

and shorts and sandals and warm sunshine

bobbin' robins, singing mockingbirds 

and scissor-tails slicing the warm air.

Spring -

 wildflowers and bluebonnets on the road side

yellow and pink cactus blooms

and daises.

Except in North Dakota

where we've had three storms this month

and there's still three feet of snow covering everything spring.

The first day of SPRING?

I guess it's spring time

  somewhere!

I found this quote today:

"Despite the forecast,

live like it's spring."

Lilly Pulitzer

I bought some daises for the dining table.

Even in our coldest days

there's still hope.

Weathering the Storm

In North Dakota,

We KNOW the storms will come

and we prepare

with hats and coats and gloves 

and benches in our mudrooms.

We tell ourselves it's ok to have more than one pair of boots.

We lay big rugs at the doors,

where we stomp three times

and toe tap twice to get the snow off when we come inside.

Our pantries and freezers are full of food

 just in case...

there's no electricity

or we can't get to the store

or ...just in case.

And when the storm ends

and the sun shines,

we make paths, and clear our drives

with brooms and shovels and snow blowers that we bought on warmer days,

because we knew the storms would come.

Then we clean up after the storm,

piling the snow anywhere,

even in the street.

And we laugh and play

and make the best of the storms aftermath

as if snow is normal

which it pretty much is.

Jesus told us in John 16:33

that storms (troubles) will come.

(Not might - WILL)

Storms of life have lots of different names-

illness, death, divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, job loss.

If you haven't had a storm, thank God,

but know that 

according to Jesus, stormy days

 are in the long term forecast.

Proverbs 6:6

Reminds us to consider the ant

and her wisdom in storing up for the winters.

So be prepared.

Make sure the Ephesians 6:10-16 armor

is not just in your closet,

but worn daily

to protect you when the storms of life blow.

When this storm was in North Dakota,

it was "sure a bad one"

with nothing more than serious

"Do Not Travel" warnings.

But now that it has gone through Minneapolis and 

headed for Chicago and the east coast,

it has a name:

Winter Storm Saturn.

I wonder when we started naming storms?

Psalm 30:5 encourages us that

storms (weeping) may last for the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

So hunker down in the storm

like our little south of the border friends

and remember that you'll be

resting in springtime blooms 

 - maybe lilies of the valley - 

 before you know it.

 I think it's also fine to dream

 of warmer days and sunnier places

when you are in a storm.

Don't you?

I hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are.

Thanks for stopping by.

Photo Challenge

One of my New Year's Resolutions or Goals was to get to know

 my new camera a little better. 

 I found a 30 Day Photo Challenge on Pinterest

 and decided to give it a try.  

 I'm only about half way through, 

have skipped a few days here and will post more pictures later,

 and there may be some that I simply will not be able to do

 because I don't have the right software or hardware.  

Sooooooo here we go.......

Day One

Self-Portrait 

(For this, the hardest challenge so far, I set up the tri-pod

 and used the timer on my camera. 

 I shot pictures for two hours 

and every time I went back to my camera

 to check the results,

 some old woman 

had jumped in front of me and was on the viewfinder. 

 I finally gave up and let her stay.)

Day Three

Black & White

(This old phone should just be photographed in black and white,

don't you think?)

Day Four

Texture

(This was fun - texture was everywhere and I can't pick just one)

 (Krumkake - pronounced Crum Ca Ca

 - a Norwegian North Dakotan Delicacy)

(Snow - a North Dakotan Normalcy)

(A Frosted Spruce Tree)

Day 5

High Angle

(View from the top of the stairs

-stairs that still need refinishing, I might add)

Day 6

Low Angle

(Can you guess what it is?

It's how my kitchen light looks from the floor!)

Day 7

Silhouette

 (Trees silhouetted in a sunrise

across the street from my house)

Day 8

Sunset

(This day I drove west in the snow and chased the sun 

until I finally got a few good shots

Then while home in Texas

I found another sunset out behind my house where 

yard chairs were waiting for friends to join me)

Day Nine

Bokeh

(Bokeh, as explained in my tutorial, 

is the "aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photograph",

-it has something to do with a thing on the camera called aperture.

All I know is that focusing on something green in the kitchen window 

is much better than focusing on endless winter)

Day Ten

Lens Flare

(Oh, this is the most fun!

On this overcast day, I walked around the block trying to get some lens flare

but I wasn't tough enough for however cold it was

and the kind of clothes I was wearing,

so I tried it inside

with awesome results.  See also Day 8 for another lens flare)

Day Eleven

Landscape

(Winter landscapes in North Dakota are sort of monotone

but I found more contrasts 

south of the river in the Roosevelt National Park

where buffalo still roam)

Day Twelve

Portrait

(This is Copper

wondering why I wasn't throwing his ball...

and this is precious Elijah

two weeks before his successful life-saving heart surgery)

Day Fourteen

Light Painting

(typical night scenery in Western North Dakota

 -pump jacks lit by natural gas flares.)

Day Eighteen

Frame within a Frame

 (which also qualifies under day 1

 Self Portrait)

I'm learning a little about my camera and photography in general,

but still can't quite figure out how to 

make aperture, shutter speed, and iso

work together.

And what is that f thing?

But I want 

you to know

that I know

that 

National Geographic

is not going to be knocking on my door -

ever.

But I do appreciate YOU for stopping by!

I hope your life if full of breath taking sunsets, 

 and 

lovely landscapes.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Nana", he asked with watery eyes, a glowing nose and a croaky voice,

"I don't feel good. Will you go buy a box of candy for my girlfriend?" 

 WHAT?!  He's just a baby! 

 Taller than me, shoes the size of his dads, and a tenor voice. 

My first grand baby. 

Where did the years go?

Candy for his girlfriend?
Of course I will. 

 Then I tell him that I still have the box from my first box of valentine candy. 

 And not only do I have the box,

but the box has a lock of that sweetheart's hair in it. 

"Nana, that's just weird.  Don't tell Papa."

I'm pretty sure that long ago sweetheart didn't ask his grandmother to help him with the task. 

 I am also pretty sure that the candy came from the downtown drug store

 and that he had a chocolate malt at the ice cream counter the day he bought it. 

 That same sweetheart has been buying me chocolate and jewelry for 40 something years.

  Sometimes he brings me roses and honeysuckle blooms

from the yard for no occasion at all. 

 And yes, I still have that box and a lock of his hair. 

 Where did the years go? 

I'm also pretty sure that I won't be greeted at the North Dakota airport

with flowers and candy when I fly in tomorrow. 

I'll probably be glad for my warm coat and snow boots,

because I know that another day he'll come in with a little something special

 to let me know he still loves me. 

 

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweetheart!

 

If you have a sweetheart -

 Make every day Valentine's Day!

Breathe

For this I flew 1200 miles to Texas

 then drove another 250 more miles to Dallas. 

 Breathe.

For this I stressed and dreaded being the 

oldest, fattest, flabbiest, most out of shape woman there.  

Breathe.

For this I was going to ask my body to do things it doesn't want to do. 

 BREATHE!

The event was Jesus at the Core.

Up to now, I had done some Holy Yoga a couple of days a week, 

but honestly, 

I liked wearing yoga pants better than 

actually exercising.

(You know.... If 60 is the new 40, 

then yoga pants are the new double knit!)

I sat on my mat and looked around – and yes,

 it was just as I suspected 

– they were all younger, thinner, and fitter – than  me.

This awesome daughter of mine reached out to steady me

 when I wibbled and wobbled while trying to balance

 on one hand and one foot. 

 Breathe. 

 When I came short reaching for the floor,

 she handed me a foam block to lean on that said,

 “Steady the weak hands

 and make firm the feeble knees” 

(Isaiah 35:3 American Standard Version). 

That's the reason I am doing this, right?

 I tried to focus on those words

 instead of the ice pick in my heel,

 my grinding ankles,

 and angry knee.

  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.  

BREATHE! 

And I got through the first session without passing out on my lovely pink mat. 

 I DID IT!  

exhale…… whew!

Then we came back the next day … for more…..torture. 

I was ok until they said we’d be doing some cardio

…as in moving a lot

…sweating

…heart attack for sure.

“Just do what you can do,” she said, 

so I got on the back row when the music cranked up. 

 I didn't know the snappy-jazzy songs, but I heard Jesus 

all through them.

And I moved. 

Ok. 

 I did what the instructor said to do.

  Good so far. 

Then I realized that I wasn’t just moving and dancing, 

I was actually smiling, then I was laughing and breathing.

  This was loads of fun and it didn't hurt….today!

During our next break, one of the leaders stopped me and said, to me….

drum roll….are you ready?

“You were ROCKING out there!”  

Me? Rocking?  Flabby old granny???? 

 Yee Haw!

It was so much fun that I bought two dvd’s 

and told my man back in North Dakota to clean me a place in the basement!

It was an excellent week-end.  

Our spirits were ministered to when we worshiped

 with a music team from another church – 

at the beginning of the event and again at the end.

 Our souls  were transformed and encouraged by Bible Study,

and anatomy teaching about aches, pains, and cores.

And with our bodies, 

we worshiped and strengthened our spiritual cores.

 Actually, we worshiped with our whole spirits, souls, and bodies.

"And the very God of

 Peace 

(harmony, security, safety, prosperity)

Sanctify

(separate and purify)

You

Wholly 

(complete, perfect)

And I pray God your

Whole

(entire)

Spirit 

(disposition, influence, breath)

And Soul 

(feelings, desires, affections, not dissolved by death, also breath)

And Body 

(physical body, that which casts a shadow)

Be preserved blameless unto the coming

 of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 5:23

I have been tending to my soul and my spirit pretty well,

but not my body - I've not been whole.

I've been out of balance.

(and consequently, I can't balance).

So if you are in the same place I am, 

there is hope for us.

We have to keep moving

and get strong!

For more information on Holy Yoga – click here

For more information on Revelation Wellness – click here

If you live in Midland, Texas

 – you can find Stretch Connection (Holy Yoga) classes at Stonegate Fellowship

or Holy Yoga at Art and Soul.

 “Energize the limp hands,

 strengthen the rubbery knees.

  Tell fearful souls, ‘Courage! Take heart! 

 God is here, right here, 

on his way to put things right and redress all wrongs.  

He’s on his way!  He’ll save you.’”

 Isaiah 35:3-6 (The Message)

and ....

Breathe.