Even More Of Signs And Thoughts Of Spring

Since I am having so much fun learning to use my new camera, please indulge me with just one more Sunday post of signs and thoughts of spring. (Thanks for your cooperation.)

If you like, you can click on each picture to enlarge it.

The poet's darling. ~William Wordsworth



Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson



I realized that if I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes. ~Charles Lindbergh



God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages. ~Jacques Deval



There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. ~Richard Buckminster Fuller



But the flower leaned aside
And thought of naught to say,
And morning found the breeze
A hundred miles away. ~ Robert Frost



Since the Dogwood Trees are blooming on our property, I felt like it was the perfect time to share this poem. I pray that it blesses you as much as it does Shannon and me.



The Dogwood Tree
By: Author Unknown

When Christ was on earth, the dogwood grew
To a towering size with a lovely hue.
Its branches were strong and interwoven
And for Christ's cross its timbers were chosen.

Being distressed at the use of the wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:

"Not ever again shall the dogwood grow
To be large enough for a tree, and so
Slender and twisted it shall always be
With cross-shaped blossoms for all to see.

The petals shall have bloodstains marked brown
And in the blossom's center a thorny crown.
All who see it will think of me,
Nailed to a cross from a dogwood tree.
Protected and cherished this tree shall be
A reflection to all of my agony."

The Bucket List

Shannon and I recently watched a movie called "The Bucket List."
It is one of the most touching movies that we have seen in a long time.
Of course, we are both partial to any movie starring Morgan Freeman; he is, in our opinions, an amazing actor.

The movie is about making a "Bucket List." That is a list of things to do before you die,or in other words, "kick the bucket!"

This movie really spoke volumes to Shannon and me. We both realized just how important it is to live out our "Bucket List" dreams every day. Starting on our lists now, not later.

Just like the characters in the movie, all of our lists would be different.
But each day is full of "Bucket List" items to cross off, if we would just recognize them.

Anyway, if you love movies (and Morgan Freeman) as much as Shannon and I do, we both want to encourage you to see this one. As you watch it, make your own list. Realize how many "precious" things you have already witnessed in your life, and start today recognizing all the beauty God has placed around you. Live each day to find joy in your life.

There is a quote from the movie "Titanic", that we both love. It goes along so well with the message of "The Bucket List."

"I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count." ~ Jack Dawson

Here is a trailer for the movie that we found on You Tube.
We hope you enjoy it.



Ecclesiastes 3:12
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

Bible Study About The Woman Who Lived A Sinful Life

This week I studied about the "Woman Who Lived A Sinful Life" in my devotional. She is a woman just like me. She is a woman just like each and every one of us.

Her story is found in the book of Luke.

Just like all of the women that I have been studying, there is so much to learn from her encounter with the Lord.

I will share the part of her story that spoke so much to me. If you have something to share about her story, I would love for you to leave it in my comments section. I love to learn from the views of other people. God speaks to each and every one of us in a different way; we all have our own story of what God has done in our lives.

Luke 7:36-39
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume,
and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."

Can you imagine the spectacle?......But she did not care. She had only one thing on her mind, and she was not going to let the judgmental, probing eyes of others stop her.

She dropped to his feet and wept. She knew that she was a sinner, a person unworthy of the forgiveness that only He could offer. But, she knew that He offered that forgiveness to her (yes, even her) anyway, and she wept at the reality of it. The reality of how dark her sin was against the light of His forgiveness simply overwhelmed her.

So many times in my own life, I have found myself there, sobbing at the feet of Jesus. Knowing that I am so unworthy of His love, but He loves me anyway. Even when others judge me, treat me harshly, or ignore me, He looks at me with love.

The thought that the Pharisee has about the woman, pointing out, "that she is a sinner," is so true of all of us today, at one time or another. We, as Christians, tend to put "degrees" on sin. We compare our sins to those of others. For example some people might say, "I may have cheated on my taxes a time or two, but I have never killed anyone!" That sort of "sin comparison" is very common among most of us, isn't it? It makes us somehow feel better about our own sins, if we focus on the "much worse" sins of others.

Jesus does not put "degrees" on our sins. He doesn't compare my sins to the sins of others. To Jesus, sin is sin. Period.

I love what Jesus says to the Pharisee, who must have been caught off guard that this Man knew what he was thinking.

Luke 7:40-47
Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

I want to love much everyday of my life, because I have definitely been forgiven much.

When I am at sitting at the feet of Jesus sobbing and asking for forgiveness, the only place I can look is up!
When I look up, I see Jesus looking at me with nothing but love and forgiveness in His eyes for me.
He says the same words to this "sinful" woman today, that He said to that "sinful" woman so long ago.

Luke 7:48,50
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Go in peace. Not go in guilt or regret, but go in peace.

1 Peter 5:7
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Philippians 4:7
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Here is the scene of the "Sinful Woman" from the movie "Jesus of Nazareth."
As you watch it, put yourself in her place. Think about what you would say or do while sitting at the feet of Jesus.



"Your sins are forgiven; go in peace." Lord, thank You for those precious words.
They are the only light with the ability to shine through the darkness of my sins.

Seven Things About Me You Probably Don't Want To Know

I was tagged by Kelley at Aroma of Joy to write seven random facts about myself.

While trying to do this post, I came to the realization of just how boring I actually am. I have never done one of these before (probably due to the reason I just mentioned), but I am usually always willing to give something a try.

So here goes. ( By the way, I hope that once you know these things about me, you will still stop back by here on occasion.)

1. In the ninth grade I went to a school (which I hated) and was in an all girls P.E. class. My friend Rhonda and I had to make up an aerobics routine to teach all of the snotty, rich girls in the class. And since Rhonda was a Van Halen fanatic, she chose their song "Jump" for us to do the routine to. I don't want to say too much, because the whole experience was so humiliating. But I will say this......every time the word jump was said in the song.....we would do a jumping jack. You know what, just forget I even mentioned this one. Thanks.

2. Rhonda and I were also the very last two girls in the whole class to finish our required one miserable mile run. All of the other snotty, rich girls were showered and heading to their next class by the time we were finished crawling running around the track. Needless to say, I am not very athletic.

3. I cannot stand to touch cotton balls, and under no circumstances can I tear one apart. It gives me the chills all over just thinking about that. I have always been this way, even as a little girl. Even now, when I need a cotton ball torn apart to use along with my ear drops, I have to get Shannon or the boys to tear it for me.....and I cannot watch while they do it.

4. As a teenager, Bryan Adams was my very favorite rock star. I had a huge crush on him, and of course, I loved his music. Once when he was at a local radio station doing an interview, I called them up, and I heard someone answer the phone and say, "Hello." I quickly asked, "Hey, is there any way that I could tell Bryan Adams how much I love him?".......And the voice on the phone answered, "You're telling him, Babe!".......I "Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven!" (Just a little play on his song lyrics there.) So, all that being said, Bryan Adams called me, "Babe!" :) This event was the highlight of my career as a teenager...It was all down hill after that.

5. I am gifted. I think it is a spiritual gift. I have the supernatural ability to always go into the only bathroom stall, in any public restroom, that has no toilet paper. I have even been to the homes of friends and family members, and had to yell down the hall for toilet paper assistance. So, because of this special gift of mine, there is always a Charmin To Go roll in my purse.

6. I love meatballs. When I get invited to a wedding or a party, the first question I ask is usually, "Are you serving meatballs?".....I get very excited when the answer is, "Yes!" I think meatballs make the party. When Shannon and I got married, we of course served meatballs, but we didn't get to eat any of them. By the time we were done with all of the picture taking and wedding cake nonsense, the meatballs were all gone. Sniff, sniff.

7. I have always struggled with my weight, but over the last five years or so, I have lost 111 pounds completely on my own (with God's help too, of course). I have put about 10-15 of the pounds back on, depending on what time of the month it is. But, I am still very happy with what (God and) I have accomplished.

If you are still here and reading this post, I am officially finished. Did you learn something new about me?.....Now it's your turn.

Mia @ Mama Mia

Michele @ My Blessings From Above

Gina @ Beandip Blog

Kysha @ Love's School

Amy @ My Sweet Life

Tina @ Golden Goodness

Allison @ Olive Plants

Here are the rules if you decide to play along (no pressure here, just fun):

1) Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3) Tag 7 people(or however many you want to) at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4) Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here is what Kelley says about this game, "The really great thing about this game is there are no losers! We all win by learning more about each other so don't be a spoil sport, jump in and PLAY!!!"..............I couldn't have said it better myself.:)