Sunday Reflections

Our Barred Owl has made several appearance in the past week. This beautiful bird hangs out on tree branches near our house - seemingly indifferent to everything happening around it. We've seen him (or her) sit there for up to 2 hours in the early evening - rarely moving - just the occasional turn of the head. Such a patient creature!

For my Palm Sunday verses, I chose these out of Matthew 20. Jesus once again foretold His disciples of His death and resurrection as they were about to travel to Jerusalem together for the last time. He told them exactly what was about to happen. Could He have said it any more clearly? It was common knowledge that Jesus had made these claims, hence the guards placed at the tomb. Yet, His disciples were still surprised when His tomb was empty!

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

(Be sure to click on this photo to see it enlarged.)

Although we’re still far from tulips and daffodils here in the Keweenaw, I just love this time of year. There’s still plenty of snow on the ground, but we’re enjoying a lot more sunshine. That sunshine makes the snow sparkle and spreads lovely shadows upon it, and I find myself gazing out at those shadows many times every day as they move across the yard.

We’ve been listening to some teaching on Psalm 119 lately. The Lord inspired David to record so much truth for us there. The verse I used for my photo today, verse 160, reminds us again of the truth of God and the truth of His Word.

From the opening verse of Genesis:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

To the last 2 verses of Revelation:

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

We can believe God and we can believe God’s Word. He makes no mistakes, has no regrets, makes no errors in judgment, and is plenteous in mercy. He has no beginning and no ending. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Amen!

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

I can't let this day pass without including happy birthday wishes to 2 of my favorite people:

1. My Aunt Edie - the world's best aunt.
2. My Little Brother - pictured below. He's no longer that little and his drawers are no longer that baggy. 

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

In Paul’s letter to the believers at Ephesus penned through the inspiration

of God while in prison, he begins by reminding them of the precious gift of

salvation they’ve received through Jesus Christ. It’s not a gift to be taken

lightly, as he instructs them to live in such a way that they

should be to the praise of His glory.

Paul’s epistle gives specific examples of what to do and what not to do

in order to live an exemplary life as a follower of Christ – and he continues

to reiterate what they’ve been given.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is

the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Because they know the Lord, Paul implores them to

walk worthy

of Him. They were to

put off the old man

and

put on the new man.

Their lives were to be different in every area – in speech, behavior, actions,

emotions, and motives. Doesn’t Ephesians 5:8 sum it all up?

Walk as children of light.

What would happen if believers always walked as children of light?

What would happen if I always walked as a child of light?

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

In reality, this sunset was more peach & gray than pink, but pink seemed more fitting for Valentine's Day/love week. Psalm 40:16 is one of the first verses I ever memorized shortly after accepting Christ. The Lord used it to speak to my heart one evening almost 37 years ago as I was reading through Psalms. I prayed then, as I do now, that I wouldn't stop seeking the Lord or rejoicing in Him, that I would joy in my salvation, and would continue to praise the Lord. We're praising the Lord especially this week, as it looks like He's answering a prayer that we've had for more than a year. It's so wonderful to see God work! 

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Awwww!

I am so blessed! Mr. Cut Off is such a gem of a husband that when the weather forecast called for a beautiful blue-sky, cloudless, warmer-than-lately day on Valentine's Day and hubby "asked" if he could go snowmobiling with his buddy that day, I said, "Sure." We had dinner plans for the evening, so I had no problem with him having a play date with Marty during the sunshine hours. 

They went off exploring on the east side of the Keweenaw peninsula this time. Here's the view of Lake Superior from near the small village of Gay.

Ice along the shoreline.

Although it's difficult to tell from this photo, it's a long way down to the water/ice from where Mr. Cut Off was standing.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed their day, and Mr. Cut Off arrived home in plenty of time to get cleaned up for dinner out. He had made reservations at our favorite local eatery - not a fancy place - but great food! We still dressed up a bit to make the occasion a little more special. I'm not a gal that requires a lot of over-the-top grand gestures on holidays to make me happy. In fact, I'm the get-me-flowers-on-some-random-day instead of Valentine's Day type. (Actually, I never need flowers at all.) Well, unbeknownst to me - Mr. Cut Off had dropped off a box of candy and a balloon earlier - with the instructions for our favorite server to have it waiting for me at our table. Of course, she went the extra mile (as usual) and also had red hearts strewn on the tablecloth for us. (One of the many reasons she always gets a good tip!) 

We both ordered a steak, and it was cooked exactly as ordered. Super, super delicious! We enjoyed every part of our meal. Mr. Cut Off's original plan was to exchange cards at the restaurant, so I had them tucked into my purse. As the evening progressed, we somehow forgot about the cards until we were getting ready to leave, so we decided to open them at home instead.

Now, here's where you're going to say, "Awww!" When we opened our cards later, we discovered that we had purchased the exact same card for each other! Exact. Same. Card. Everybody now - Awwww! 

It's not like we had a limited last-minute selection either. We purchased these cards about 10 days earlier when there were lots from which to choose. We had to laugh - especially since we were just telling someone on Tuesday how in sync we are as a couple. If that doesn't prove we're in sync, I don't know what does!

I am truly blessed to have this wonderful man to call my husband, and I appreciate him more and more every day. I give thanks to the Lord daily for bringing us together.

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Valentine's Day!

All is well in the Keweenaw.