Bach got it right

492 years ago today, Martin Luther nailed the 95 thesis up on the Wittenberg Door . This was the beginning of the Reformation. Here are the five Solas of the Reformation.

Sola Scriptura

Psalm 119:89-112

II Timothy 3:16-17

Solus Christus

Isaiah 42: 1-9

Galatians 4:4-7

Sola Gratia

Isaiah 55: 1-3

Ephesians 2: 1-10

Sola Fide

Genesis 15:6

Galatians 3:20-21

Soli Deo Gloria

Psalm 24

I Corinthians 10:31

Bach signed all his music SDG. He did it all for the Glory of God.

Happy Reformation Day

Evelyn's Birthday

We gathered on the 27th to surprise Evelyn on her birthday.

She enjoyed her cards



Onion Soup was the fare for the day for most.
Susanne even brought cupcakes and candles. The cupcakes were a pumpkin spice. They were outstanding. If I get the recipe, I'll post it.
Aren't they cute?
She got lots of ivy
and some tea
Kaitlin and Marisa joined us after the group picture was taken so here they are, so Evelyn won't forget they were there too :)What a blessing to be with Evelyn on her birthday. It was fun to hear her tell that her grandson called her early in the morning because he wanted to be the first to wish her a 'Happy Birthday' and that Rodney got her a wonderful card with a long verse.

Evelyn is one of my heroes. I enjoy her outlook on life and her willingness to help. I am blessed to be able to call her my friend.

The Race for the Cure

Kaitlin and Marisa walked for Aunt Tina's mama Lola.
Marisa needed a purse and took my pink backpack.

The girl group
The college girls
Ross was in the three miles of men.


The race in our town is the 4th largest in the US and it is all women. The men stand on the side and cheer the women on.This is the finish line.

May I have a little butter?

Two of my friends make the communion bread that we use at church. It is wonderful. And in those moments that I am not concentrating on what I should be concentrating on during communion I think about how good that bread would be with butter on it.

Clare gave me some bread this past week. Oh, my. Good, Fabulous, Amazing, I could go on and on. I did share some with my family.

Are you drooling yet?

I think they are mine

Here is a Buckeye Bush. All my growing up, my mother told me, that her daddy told her, that buckeyes were lucky. I never remember seeing a buckeye when we lived in Alabama. When my mama's daddy died, one thing that my mama wanted was his buckeye that he always had with him. That was my first time to see a buckeye. Buckeyes grow all over Arkansas. And although I do not hold to them 'being lucky' they do remind me of my mama. I love the way they grow and the pods open and the buckeyes fall out.
I know the roots are in my neighbors yard but all the buckeyes grow in my yard.
here is what they look like as they are almost ready
here is one just about to spilt open.one of the many reasons I love fall is the buckeyes. Do buckeyes grow where you live?

A few recommendations

A Great Book

Prayers For Sale by Sandra Dallas. I don't remember who recommended this book to me but it was on my tbr stack. I had a doctor's appointment last week and I knew I'd be waiting for awhile and I grabbed this book hoping it would keep me occupied. It did! I was hooked after the first page. It is a story about Hennie and her life. She always sees the good in her situations. I finished the book the second day. I plan to read more that this author has written.

A Great Recipe for supper

1 cup french salad dressing

I package of Lipton Onion soup

1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce

Miss all together and pour on top of frozen chicken breasts that are in a pyrex dish that has been sprayed with PAM. Bake for 1 hour at 350. Serve over rice or noodles. Outstanding. My folks here want me to fix it again.

A Great Cookie Recipe

2 1/2 flour

1 C butter soften

1 t baking soda

1/4 C sugar

3/4 C brown sugar

1/2 t vanilla

1 pkg small instant chocolate pudding

2 eggs

12 oz choc chips

Mix the flour with the soda. Combine butter, sugars, vanilla and pudding in a large bowl- beat til smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. stir in chips. batter will be stiff. Drop by teaspoons for small cookies or Tablespoons for large cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheets. 375 8-10 for small cookies; 10-12 for large cookies. Makes 7 dozen small or 3 1/2 large.

I found this new pudding at Kroger. It is a seasonal release called classic turtle. These cookies are some of our favorites and with this new pudding they were gone in about two days. I plan to make some more this week.

Enjoy

I am so thankful for mercy!

Blessed are the poor in spirit...

Blessed are those who mourn...

Blessed are the meek...

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...

Can you finish those? Nancy started our study with this test. I was humbled.

This week are study was Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.

Again I learned how much I didn't know. When I think of mercy, I think of showing mercy by taking a meal to a family in need or handing a hymnal to a newcomer to church or calling a friend when I know they are having a hard time. I didn't, until the study, think that showing forgiveness was a facet of mercy.

John MacArthur said that Mercy is meeting people's needs. It is not simply feeling compassion but showing compassion; not only sympathizing but also giving a helping hand. Mercy is giving food to the hungry, comfort to the bereaved, love to the rejected, forgiveness to the offender, and companionship to the lonely. It is ...one of the loveliest and noblest of all virtues.

We live in a needy world and we can show the needy and hurting mercy.

The merciful are those who...

respond to human need

move among the suffering

give what they have to help those who have not.

Those who show mercy know the joy of...

giving

sharing

sacrificing .

We are able to extend mercy because we know the joy of receiving mercy ourselves from our Heavenly Father.

We need Jesus' eyes to see all the hurting around us.

Abraham showed mercy to Lot by going to rescuing him after Lot got to pick where he lived.

Joseph showed mercy to his brothers after they sold him into slavery.

David showed mercy to Saul by not murdering him.

The Good Samaritan showed mercy by taking care of the Jewish traveler.

mercy is not about me

we should show mercy everywhere

mercy to men doesn't mean mercy from men

mercy to men brings mercy from God

there are misunderstandings about mercy: people believe that if they show mercy then people will show them mercy- sometime this happens but many times not, also people believe that if you show deeds of mercy then God will show mercy to you- God is not dependent on you and your behavior for Him to show mercy to you.

Life is a process so we will be able to show mercy our whole lives. We are being sanctified through the Holy Spirit.

Corrie ten Boom said " Why should we hold on to the sins of others while our own sins have been cast into the depths of the sea? We have to pattern the scope of our own forgiveness upon God's. We have been forgiven much...we have to declare that same forgiveness to others."

In our small groups we studied Matthew 18:21-35. This is the story of the servant who asked for forgiveness for a GREAT debt and had it forgiven and then turned around and wouldn't forgive a very small debt.

I googled what the amounts that were forgiven. 10, 000 talents and 100 denarii

10,000 talents is 150,00 years wages- today that would be 2 billion, 2 hundred fifty million

100 denarii is one day of wages- lets say 64 dollars is you make 8 dollars an hour. Wow! I was so stuck by my sin against God is so large and what folks do to me is so small.

We had to answer questions like What was the master willing to lose? not only a huge debt but also his reputation- why wouldn't everyone now ask to have their debt forgiven?

How did the servant reveal his true attitude by his behavior? He felt he was owed forgiveness or either he didn't see the forgiveness

Four weeks ago when I first wrote about Bible Study, I closed my post by asking God to gently show me my sin. I am so thankful for His gentleness.

This week I was wronged. I mean it was in a situation where others noticed the offense and were as stunned as I was. I was so mad! How dare this person?!? and then I did my lesson. How can I hold a grudge? Who am I in the Bible story? I was so convicted. I must forgive and do over and over and over.

A movie for you

Here is The Blind Side trailer. The movie comes out November 20th. I have talked here before about Michael Oher. We can't wait to go see this movie.

here are my wild things

Here are some fun pictures that Kaitlin took today. Where the Wild Things are . My favorite one is where John and the wild thing are jumping.

I hope this makes you smile

Rumpus part II

Here is a shirt that I forgot to get a picture of
Kaitlin came home and set this picture up and so I had her take a picture for you too.

Bible Study week 4

This week in Bible Study LindaS taught.

We studied Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled."

What does it mean to hunger and thirst? It is an urgent need, we need to meet the need and when we wake up in the morning we will have the same need.

What are you hungry for? success, marriage, affirmation, or relief from a bad situation

What are we not to hunger for? 1) happiness- this is a by product. 2) experiences - like spiritual highs you get when you go on a retreat.

J. I. Packer said "To hunger and thirst after righteousness is nothing but the longing to be positively holy"

C. S. Lewis said "How little people know who think holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing it is irresistible"

Holiness is the desire to demonstrate the fruits of the spirits in my actions, the desire to know God, longing to conform to God's will and living a life of repentance

We can experience the hungry by being aware of our need as it is revealed by the Bible and prayer.

John Piper says that the Gospel is not a 'Help Wanted' sign but a 'Help Given' sign. We are in trouble all the time! We need to see it and call on Him more. We get the joy and He gets the Glory.

LindaS asked a few ladies to read verses. Liz got Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." Liz said that her mama told her this verse was God's phone number. I like that.

We need to see ourselves as starving and we need to see that on a daily basis.

The study as usual was just wonderful.

One Tuesday in college and career Bible Study, Darrell pointed out that the cherubim in Isaiah 6:3 are not saying Immutable, Immutable, Immutable or Omnipresent, Omnipresent, Omnipresent but only Holy, Holy, Holy. Wow, that really made an impact on me and then hearing about it again from LindaS in this Bible Study made me sit up and take notice

I live with the rumpus

This Friday the movie 'Where The Wild Things' will open. Kaitlin and Marisa are making tee shirts for them selves and their friends to wear. Here are a few. I live with two very talented girls.

Put a taste of fall in your mouth

Molasses Cookies

1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix the melted butter with the sugar and molasses. Lightly beat the egg and add to the butter mixture. Blend well. In a separate bowl, sift the flower with the spices, salt and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. The batter will be wet.


Lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet. Drop batter by tablespoons on foil, leaving about 3 inches between the cookies. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the cookies start to darken, but are still soft. Let cookies cool on the foil.

My friend KimT made these and they are fabulous. Enjoy

For a friend we are missing

Lisa! We hope your 21st Birthday is fantastic. We love you and we miss you.

Lisa is a friend of ours that moved with her family to NC this past summer. Today is her birthday and Marisa wanted to do something special for her. Hope you enjoy

It's a holiday!

In these earlier posts You found out that I love poetry.Poem in your pocket day and Poems from my friends.

I saw from Twitter this morning that Today is National Poetry Day!

Here is another of my favorites

The Worm by Ralph Bergengren

When the earth is turned in spring

The worms are fat as anything,

And birds come flying all around

To eat the worms right off the ground.

They like worms just as much as I

Like bread and milk and apple pie.

And once, when I was very young

I put a worm right on my tongue,

I didn't like the taste a bit,

And so I didn't swallow it.

But oh, it makes my mother squirm

Because she thinks I ate the worm!

And here is one that Kaitlin has always loved

Singing-Time by Rose Fyleman

I wake in the morning early

And always, the very first thing,

I poke out my head and I sit up in bed

And I sing and I sing and I sing.

Do you have a favorite poem?

I do like AUBURN but you can like your team and I am ok with that

At the end of my post from my first Bible Study I mentioned that I'd like God to show me GENTLY my sin.

The study last week was on meekness. One of the characteristics of a meek person is that they don't answer back. I am laughing at God and His sense of humor for the timing of meekness.

This week is the AUBURN/ arkansas football game. I don't do well with folks getting in my face and yelling at me. I really don't do well with folks getting in my face and yelling about something that I have had nothing to do with. When this week rolls around each year, I just have to get my game face on and turn the other cheek. In years past I have had arkansas fans call and leave pig snorting noises on my answering machine, rabid fans stick their tongues out at me at church after an AUBURN win, yell at me for a call a referee made during a game that went AUBURN'S way, etc. Are you getting this picture?

Another thing that bothers me is, if you are going to trash talk me, know what you are talking about. Don't ask me about the game when you know my team lost and you don't even know the score. I know the score is the determining factor in whether AUBURN wins or not but don't tell me that your team ran all over my team when the game was closer than the score indicates.

I thought this year would be great, I'd just fly under the radar. Wrong.

I went to Physical Therapy for the first time in 3 months last week. My PT was working with someone, I hesitate to say a 'Lady' because my mama would say her behavior was not very ladylike. My, PT, Michael is a wonderful sports fan. He is even an arkansas fan but he can talk about the game without just saying, "You lost!" Michael and I began immediately talking College football. Would Tebow start against LSU? Is alabama really that good? Is Mustain every going to play? Is Urban Meyer going to leave Florida for Notre Dame? We talked a little about the hogs. Above said 'lady' then jumped in and added her 2 cents about how much she loves the hogs. Great, I have no problem with loving your team. She then said those fateful words " So, are you a hog fan?" I just smiled and didn't plan to say a word. I was just going to mind my business. My former friend and PT, Michael, threw me under the bus. "No, she is an AUBURN fan." He said with a big smile on his face. The woman came up off the machine that she was exercising on and got in my face and said "GO HOGS!" I was stunned but not surprised. I just kept smiling and thought to myself 'I don't want to show up when this person is here again.'

I went to PT again today.

So did she.

I was barely in the door when she jumped off the machine she was on and again got in my face with her " Go Hogs!" This time she even stunned Michael with her fervency. He gently told her to get back to her exercising.

Oh well. I am trying to work on my meekness Lord! Or rather , He is working on my meekness by allowing me get in situations where I just need to smile and nod and not defend myself or my team.

Go Team!

He who is already down, cannot fall

The Bible Study lecture this week was taught by KatieM. The topic was meekness.

Katie taught us that as we study The Beatitudes by John Stott we must remember that these verses build on each other. As we are poor in spirit, we will mourn our sins. As we mourn our sins then we will be meek in our dealings with others.

We started our study with the dictionary definition of meek. It is 1) humbly patient or docile, as under provocation of others. 2) overly submissive or compliant; spiritless ; tame. 3) obsolete; gentle ; kind.

What does our society exalt? Power, self assurance, aggressiveness, and proud, self promoters. Meekness is synonymous with weakness, cowardice, shyness and limpness.

GK Chesterton said "What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert- himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt -the Divine Reason...We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table" GK Chesterton died in 1936. What would he think today?

A Biblical definition of meekness is one that begins and ends with God. You can't say 'Today I am going to be meek'

A meek person:

Trusts God-Psalm 37:3

Commits her way to God-Psalm 37:5

Waits for God-Psalm 37:7a and I Peter 5:7-6

Doesn't fret over the wicked- Psalm 37:7b and Psalm 147:6

Has power to absorb adversity and criticism without lashing back- Numbers 12:1-9

Is teachable and slow to anger Psalm 25:9

Handles conflict with love and speaks with a deep awareness that she is fallible and susceptible to sin and with her utter dependence on the grace of God- II Timothy 2:23-25

Is bold to assert God's rule and proclaim God's word- Proverbs 28:1

A Biblical definition of meekness is synonymous with wisdom.

Two men in the Bible are called meek. Jesus and Moses. The Numbers 12 passage tells about Moses and his meekness

The Ultimate Example is Christ

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls Matthew 11:29

NOW There is a promise with this beatitude - They shall inherit the earth. blessings now and in the future. A person that is truly meek is satisfied and content. The meek hope in what is to come- This gives them strength to continue in meekness when our natural inclination is to defend ourselves or become angry.

FUTURE The meek don't need the vain pleasures of one-up-manship, because God has already made them heirs of the world

After Katie lectured we broke up into our groups. Sonya led our group. I was struck with the study we did from Psalm 37. What impacted me was that three times in that Psalm, verses 1, 7, and 8 we are commanded to FRET NOT. This is not a suggestion but we are commanded. Wow. I hate to admit it but I enjoy fretting.

Thanks KatieM, God really spoke to me through your teaching.

I spy with my little eye...

Why is there a picture of a bottle of water? Is that what you are asking? Well, I love DaSani water. That is my beverage of choice. When we take a car trip I usually get a case of it for the journey. I ran out of my water after a few days in Valdosta so Andrew got me some at Walmart. I didn't finish it all there so some came home with me.

Carl stacked the water when we got home by the water we already had. The next day I grabbed a bottle on my way out the door to go somewhere with Kaitlin and Marisa. Kaitlin immediately asked where I got the water. What? I had in my hand a bottle of Dasani. What did she mean? She asked again where I got the water. I told her I was not understanding. She then said "Don't you see how the bottles are different?" Huh. Then she got a bottle from each case of water and showed me the difference. Until I saw them side by side, I never saw the difference

She saw the difference immediately. I was very impressed with her powers of observation. I think that makes her a great photography. She notices the little things. The top bottle is from Valdosta and the second one is from Little Rock. Who knew?

Did you notice a difference before you saw them side by side?

October Fools Day!

I love October! It is my favorite month. I love the crisp weather, college football, pumpkins, beautiful, colorful leaves, no more snakes in the yard, and crisp fall weather, oh, I said that already!

I love these mellowcream pumpkins and so does my precious Taylor.

Here is my fun soap that I use during October.

I enjoy seasonal kitchen towels
and how about my AUBURN ones fitting right in
fancy salt and pepper shakers
my washing machine- I have heard that other people don't have car magnets for their school on theirs and I don't know what to do with that knowledge

This pumpkin is a part of my childhood. My daddy loved to decorate for Halloween and Christmas. I remember this pumpkin as a part of the decorations in my home when I was a little girl.

The arachnid is new this year. (My mama hated, loathed, couldn't stand, spiders and never even said the word. We all learned to say arachnid instead.) I think she is cute. KimT has a matching one. KimT did you put it out?
What is your favorite month?