Nothing Less than God's Optimum for Your Life

Here is a devotion from Love Worth Finding Ministries for today.

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you love Christ? Do you long to please Him with all your heart? Then, remember this: God’s delays are not God’s denials. Many a Christian feels he is out in the wilderness — that all he is doing is being "led about” in circles. Maybe God is grooming you. He is not ready to thrust you into heavy responsibilities yet. He has you in a holding pattern for His holy purpose. Life is a journey that does not end. God is preparing something wonderful for you. He doesn’t want you to settle for less than His optimum for your life and your work

Merry Christmas from Oklahoma

Merry Christmas!

To keep loading times low, I decided to just narrate each picture with the story of my day and include a link to them.
Hope you enjoy them.



I started at home with a quick picture of our tiny pond and tree.

After breakfast, I decided to visit a friend of mine who lives a few miles away. Here's a picture of the bridge I have to cross to get to my friend's house.

And this is the shoreline as seen from the bridge.

One of the many ponds on the way to my friend's.

Another pond near my friend's driveway.

My friend's driveway.

One more view of the driveway.

After brief chat, I ventured out of my friend's house to take pictures of their beautiful land.

More of that picturesque landscape.

I love the look of these trees.

A nice picture of the big one.

On my way down the big hill.

I thought this tree was very interesting.

My first glimpse of pond #2 which resides on my friend's land.

The rocky hill as seen from the bottom.

My first look at pond #1.

During my trek, I came along this little evergreen growing out from between the rocks. What a tough little tree.

I don't why, but I couldn't pass by this rock without a picture.

East side of pond #2.

A good look at the submerged fence in pond #2.

Pond #2

West side of pond #2.

It may be 15 foot tall, but it is still a great looking Christmas tree.

Another look at that interesting tree.

I "shot" some ducks while I was at pond #1. If you don't see them, keep looking they're hard to see, but there.

Pond #1

Going up the hill.

It amazed me how much the weather had changed by the time I went home.

A different angle on bridge.

Almost home...




I made it home, and what a fun day it had been too.

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Let the Adventure Begin!

The prologue to my first "blovel"(i.e. a blogged novel), The Great Legend of Salem, is now posted on my other blog site.

Posting won't be to rapid on that site or this one, on account of Christmas and the fact that the novel takes up so much time.

The Next Great Adventure

There may not be much posting in the next few weeks, due to Christmas.

When I do begin posting again, I hope to post the first part of a story that I’m writing on my other blog, with the title of The Great Legend of Salem. Posts will be little more than a refined draft, of a single act, of each chapter, and the story will be quite long if it pans out as I hope it will.

The story itself is about four children that stumble upon a world in which they must suffer great hardship to, at first, leave the world, but eventually save it from the evil that is attempting to overthrow all that is good and honorable.

I’m writing furiously even as this post goes up. Well, ok not “furiously,” but I am excited about it, and hope that I can start posting soon.

Construct Hope

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
ROMANS 14:19

In the verse above, along with many other passages in the Bible, we Christians have been told to encourage each other. Encouragement means, according to the Word Web Dictionary program: the act of giving hope or support to someone. Fulfilling that definition would be very difficult, to give hope is hard in this world that is hopeless, and to support someone in the way meant is against human nature.

Encouragement is positive, but positivity is not encouragement. A positive person has a good attitude, but no way to pass it on. Encouragement is the hand by which we gift others with hope (positivity), and that hope can only be Jesus.

In this translation, the KJV, Romans 14:19 says to edify each other. I like this translation of that word. To edify means, literally, to build up and enlighten. That is exciting to me; we don't just encourage one another, but build each other up too! Block by block we can encourage everyone around us.

Not only constructing, but enlightening is also a part of our jobs. We can enlighten those in darkness, by offering them comfort, help, or even just presence. All of those things can encourage someone and brighten their day.

Go construct hope, even if you can only give a pebble.



P.S. I now have a new blog up. It is Warning: Man on Fire for Christ, and is for my more personal thoughts on things or whatever else I just feel like writing about.