multitude monday-rsvp

respondez s'il vous plait--this is a little hint for the thing I am most thankful for this week




for front porch plants to water

for my morning cup of coffee--oh, I said that before?

well, then for the old Texaco insulated coffee cups that keep it piping hot! I've been using this cup for probably 20 years--maybe longer. Does anyone remember when they first came out?

Oh, you are a Phillips fan? Well, I can't leave them out. This one doesn't go as far back as the one above but I love it just as much. Don't you just love the old Route 66 signs?

My church--I know I said that before but I have to say it again. Our service yesterday was beyond incredible. No one wanted to leave.

for beautiful Korean art--this was attached to the homework of one of my son's students

for candlelight dinner with friends this week

for light that filters through trees,

I know I said that last week, didn't I? But it is so, so beautiful!

And it is a different picture!

for light that shines through crystals,

for first responders (and we didn't even have to say please)

especially the policemen and paramedics who took care of my granddaughter when she was in a bad car wreck this past Saturday night.

When I first saw her, it was pretty sad. She was strapped to a stretcher in a neck brace. After x-rays, it was determined that she didn't have any serious injuries--just lots of neck and back pain from pulled muscles. Thank you Lord and thank you to all first responders everywhere. You are my heroes. I mean that.

Blessings #31-40

posted in community with

Weekend Worship

come into the Holy of Holies, enter by the Blood of the Lamb

Come into the Holy Of Holies

Enter by the Blood of the Lamb.

Just for a moment while you are here,

If you can, forget the cares of the world,

Ask God's Holy Spirit

to filll you with His love and His presence.

Bask in His love, the warm balm of His comfort,

For He cares for you deeply

and seeks, even yearns, for a deep intimate

relationship with you.

Father God, bless each one that worships here today.

May this be a peaceful place, full of grace and gentleness,

an oasis from the cares of the world.

We have heard the joyful sound:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land,
Climb the steeps and cross the waves;
Onward!--'tis our Lord's command;
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Waft it on the rolling tide,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Tell to sinners far and wide,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Sing, ye islands of the sea,
Echo back, ye ocean caves;
Earth shall keep her jubilee,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

Sing above the battle's strife,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
By His death and endless life,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Sing it softly thru the gloom,
When the heart for mercy craves,
Sing in triumph o'er the tomb,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

Give the winds a mighty voice,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Let the nations now rejoice.
Jesus saves, Jesus saves;
Shout salvation full and free,
Highest hills and deepest caves,
This our song of victory,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.

My Prayer
Lord, I take this opportunity to praise you
Even though I feel very dry within myself--
A desert that is cracked and barren, where plants
that once thrived have now become parched and shriveled--
that is how my soul feels--
Do I know beyond a shadow of any doubt that someday
that same barren, cracked, parched land will
flow with rivers of milk and honey? Yes, I know that--
My faith knows that from years of experience,
but my heart cries out to be released from all its sin,
its ugliness, its resentments and hatreds, bitterness, and jealousy--
My heart cries out to praise from a pure heart once again,
To praise my God from a heart of pure devotion,
from total and complete commitment to Him,
My heart longs to be a heart of flesh and
not a heart of stone--
A heart that has been circumcised to all the vile
and filthy things of the world we live in--
A heart where no area examined will expose anything
except cleanliness, no impure thoughts,
only righteousness, justice, and mercy.


God's Response

The Lord Himself will come to those
who are experiencing the desert of grief.
He Himself will shower the parched land.
He will rain on every inch until it is soaked--
Until the runoff of the Holy Spirit's balm
fills every nook, crack, and crevice
of your heart and soul.
Then you shall minister to others
who are experiencing this same grief. You will teach
them to rejoice, to clap their hands, to give way to
the rhythm in their feet--You will teach them to
praise God at all times--to cherish His promises,
to seek out the "hidden manna" of
Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior.
And then I Myself will come to you and wrap
you in fine linens--linens of purest white--
linens of righteousness, justice, and peace.
And when I look at you, I will see Jesus,
for He has taken all sin, all shame, all degradation
upon himself.
He has exchanged garments with you and
now you are clothed as in LIGHT--when others
look upon you, they will see Jesus and His brilliance.
They will see His love waiting to save them
from the same sin and destruction from which

He saved you.

God's blessings and benedictions to you,
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude 24-25

Y a aquel que es poderoso para guardaros sin caída, y presentaros sin mancha delante de su gloria con gran alegría, 25 al único y sabio Dios, nuestro Salvador, sea gloria y majestad, imperio y potencia, ahora y por todos los siglos. Amén.

family journal

the 3m company

student praying allowed--even encouraged

I visited the school where four of my grandchildren attend and was delighted to see this poster hanging in one of the classrooms. I loved the individual requests that had been placed on it in the form of little yellow sticky notes.
The little yellow sticky note--where would we be without it?--thank goodness for the 3M company and the guy who invented them.

3M--Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing--

But 3M to me is Master, Maker, Minister--the 3 in 1--I know where I would be without Him.

the sights of the season--football season that is--

Kendall at "Meet the Eagles" night.



First 3-way scrimmage



My favorite number



My favorite grandson




My only grandson



Kendall is to the far left playing safety.

just traveling along, singing a song, side by side

Many years ago, I was sitting in church between my husband and my six year old son. I was holding hands with both. It struck me at that moment in time how the image of our hands represented the Christian walk. On one side, my husband's bigger, stronger hand encapsulated my weaker, smaller hand but on the other side my stronger, bigger hand embraced the weaker, smaller hand of my son.

So it is in the Christian walk I think.

There is always someone who has blazed the trail before us,

studied the Bible longer, knows more scripture, is wiser, more mature than we--those

"someones" who are there to lift us up, to quote that "just needed" verse to us. But likewise, there is always someone who is weaker or newer in the faith than we, someone who needs our stronger, steadier, more mature hand, someone who needs to hear an encouraging,

uplifting word from us.

So never be discouraged where you are in this walk with Christ.

There is always someone to minister to and someone from whom we can gain valuable knowledge. In this walk with Him, dare to stretch out your arm to take the hand of someone in need of help from you, and sometimes even more daring or intimidating is to reach

toward the hand that is stronger.

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you

out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Deut. 5:15

Photography by my granddaughter, Kailey, on mission trip to Africa.

Hey Kailey, can I please have permission to post this picture? Love, Mimi

posted in community with the sojourners at

The Camp is Cold

The Camp is Cold

It's cold in this camp.
There is no heat.
The gruel is cold.
The bread is cold and black.
My life is cold.
Too cold to live.

by Marc


The Holocaust

Weak and pale, we live each day,
No hope left in our eyes;
God cannot hear the psalms we pray,
Drowned out by anguished cries.

We live in filth and constant fear,
Of illogical reprise;
Each dawn brings cold death more near,
The sunlight in disguise.

What have I done to earn this strife,
My crime . . . to be a Jew;
I'm subject to their sordid life,
The madness of a few.

So many gone and more to die,
The future seems so bleak;
Amid the suffering throng I lie,
An end to this we seek.

Yet when the sands have all but run,
When all have lost their will;
Our hearts will rise in unison,
We are stronger still.

by Madison

This is a continuation of the writings my 7th grade students did after we studied The Holocaust.
Marc helped us to see the starkness of these death camps. Madison gave us new hope for the future amidst a hopeless backdrop.

multitude monday-thoughts to ponder

for grandchildren swinging

for thoughts to ponder

for blue jean jackets

for freckles

for naturally curly hair

for the sunlight filtering through distant trees

for hands that grasp

for cool, crisp autumn-like days

for cameras that capture priceless, once-in-a-lifetime moments

for scripture that says,"And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you?"

photo-my granddaughter Kennedy

scripture passage from Matthew 6, The Living Bible

blessings #21-30

posted in community with

happy birthday & sunday-sing a-long

Happy birthday Jeffrey!

You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Ps 32:7

mud pies

i can't believe i ate the whole thing!

Did you ever make a mud pie when you were little? Looking back I wonder what was so intriging about them. True, we got to play in water; true, we got to play in some dirt; true, they did look amazingly like my grandmother's pies except mine were little individual pies. Sadly we couldn't partake of their delectable goodness.

Speaking of my grandmother's pies brings to mind this little incident that has been told on my Aunt Frances. I think she was about 7 or 8 years old when this happened.

It seems that my grandmother had just baked two of her out of this world, creamy, flaky-crusted, heavenly (I hope you are getting the picture here) chocolate pies and set them in the window sill to cool AFTER reminding everybody to stay out of them and not touch them until suppertime. (Well, that's what it was called back then.)

My aunt, being overcome with the temptation of it all, proceeded to consume a piece of one of the pies. Knowing that she would get in big trouble if her mom noticed that a piece was gone from one of them, she continued in her folly and ate the whole pie, thinking all the while that my grandmother might not notice--if the whole pie wasn't there and a tell-tale piece missing.

Remember reading this verse? Prov 17:12
Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.

When my grandmother discovered that missing pie, whooeee, I bet she was every bit as ferocious as that bear mentioned above and I bet my aunt wished she had never given in to such folly.

Well, that is a humorous little story looking back but the verse is good for today. Every time I read that verse, it really makes me stop and take inventory of my life and my priorities and what I am "going after" today. If I am "bent" on something that is "folly," the people I come in contact with today might as well be in a remote section of Yellowstone meeting up with that she-bear. Lord, help them. And help me and save me from myself.

Oh, by the way, I was reading this morning where Jesus made mud pies.

11 He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." John 9:11

I've heard it said that His mud pies were simply divine.

retroactive

I received a thank you note a couple of days ago. My niece who is my namesake, Lindsay Dianne, got married June 6th. She was writing to thank us for the dinner plates we bought her as a wedding gift two and a half months ago. Now, I have never been a stickler on thank you notes--I guess because I was always horrible at writing them in a timely manner. And after all, she had already thanked us in person so what does a hand-written note add to that? But....

But I thought--good little southern girls have them in the mail before the attendees get home from the showers--and it really is a good thing, a gracious thing, the thing to do--but I am just not made that way. And yes, discipline is one of the areas of my life that I struggle with daily.

I did have to smile a little though when on the back of the thank you note envelope was the message "Retroactive 6-6-09." Even if I was an ole aunt saturated with southern etiquette through and through, I think I would have smiled also.

And I thought "how clever of her."

And I thought--retroactive--I know what retroactive means. I've read about it many times in the Bible. Isn't that what it means when it says, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." His love goes all the way back, doesn't it? No matter what we've done or how bad we have sinned.

And I thought--how loving of Him! Because He Is Love!

So think about forgiving yourself today for past failures and sins. He has--his forgiveness is retroactive.

the place

the place

a secret spot

not yet destroyed by city concrete.

She loves to go there,

especially

in the Fall.

Just one step inside

the trees

and you can understand

beauty

and what it's really all about.

When she's there

she lets her emotions

take over

and she dances.

There's no need for music.

The wind, the water,

and the rustling of the leaves

create their own symphony.

Rays of sun

break through the chill

and become her

spotlights.

Earthy browns and greens,

vibrant reds and oranges

of the changing leaves

are her background.

All of this is her stage,

This place,

in the middle of a concrete world,

where she can

express

the joy in

the beauty around her.

This beautiful poem was written by Audrey, one of my 7th grade students several years ago.

Photo-Japanese maple in my back yard shot last week.

sneak preview

A few months ago I received a very humbling honor. I was asked to be one of the artists to participate in the Arkansas Heart Ball. Compared to some, I am relatively a newbie to this world of being an "artist." And I have to admit, it has been very hard to call myself an artist.

I had to make the decision of whether to do that one day about 3 years ago when a painting of mine was chosen to hang in an exhibit sponsored by Mid-southern Watercolorists. At that point in time my 9 year old granddaughter questioned me, "Mimi, are you an artist?" I remember having to make a split-section decision at that moment. And I said, "Yes, Sweetheart, your Mimi is an artist."

I was astounded that those words had actually come out of my mouth and I almost felt guilty--UNTIL I started thinking about our Creator and the FACT that we are created in His Image. I think He has placed inside all of us the ability to create and the need to create. It takes many forms--the surgeon, the teacher, the architect, the cosmetologist, the quilter, the engineer, the baker, the homemaker, the blogger (ahem), the scrapbooker--I could go on and on--

So, here is a sneak preview of the canvas I painted to be auctioned to help raise money for heart research here in the state of Arkansas. It is rather large, 3' by 4', so this is just a small section of it.

I'll show you the whole canvas on September 15. The unveiling for the public is the 14th.

My inspiration for this piece:

When I started thinking about trying to paint a picture that would reflect the heart and what it does, my mind went way past just the pumping of blood. My thoughts went to a recent interview I heard with the pilot of the airliner that went down over the Hudson River a few months ago. He said, "After I walked the aisle of the plane and saw that everyone had gotten off safely, I felt the weight of the world lift from my heart." He didn't say "lift from my chest," he said, "lift from my heart." I thought that was interesting--a "cut to the chase, straight shooting, matter of fact talking" pilot had referred to "his heart."

I had been thinking about what all the heart does besides pump blood and I came up with seven words that symbolize the most important things (to me) that our hearts do. I chose seven because that is the number in scripture that symbolizes perfection. The words are love, laugh, remember, wonder, embrace, play, and believe.

Some of the vertical and horizontal lines of calligraphy are very precise but the large letters are painted very expressively--once again symbolizing the purposes of the heart but also trying to capture the emotions and rhythms of the heart.

No other organ of the body embodies these personal characteristics such as the heart. That God could and did create it to be a physical and emotional entity is once again proof of His ingenuity, creativeness, power and love.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

the craving place revisited

pilgrimage-journey to a sacred place--this old sofa is not a sacred place-the sacred place is the point where my spirit and God's Spirit intersect-

nevertheless, this old sofa beckons me each morning because it has a history with me and God--

the table always hosts a cup of steaming coffee, the sunlight filters through the dining room window, (when I taught school there was no sunlight filtering through--the alarm was set much earlier) the worn family Bible, the antique clock that quit working years ago, and the old buffet link my thoughts to those who came before, those who prayed many prayers for me and my family--old and comfortable--

The flag right outside my living room window reminds me of the many heroes who gave their life's blood so that I can sit here freely and read my Bible and commune with Him every morning--

this pilgrimage of prayer and walking with him--

what a joy!

what a responsibility!


Today's theme is "going on" into this pilgrimage of prayer. I am reprinting a post from a few months ago (before I knew about Walk With Him Wednesday) entitled THE CRAVING PLACE. It best describes how I came to this place of seeking God.

I know that what works best for one is not what another needs and I look forward to reading how you have determined to go on into this pilgrimage.

In David Wilkerson's book GOD'S PLAN IN THE COMING DEPRESSION he spoke of "his craving place."

You may click on this page to make it bigger and easier to read.

Some years ago, a craving such as David describes started growing in my heart. I set the alarm a little earlier so that I could have this time of communion with the Lord every day. I know that we can meet with God anywhere, but it does seem for me that if I have a habitual place where I pour out my soul to Him that it fosters my desire and yearning to meet with Him regularly.
My craving place for many years when I lived in Oklahoma was the right end of my living room sofa. Where I live now, it is the left end of my living room sofa.

(I am fairly faithful to this routine because it is my lifeline--a total joy and something I normally look forward to with great anticipation-- but yes, I have times when it is harder than usual--if company comes it only takes missing a couple of days and then I have to work hard for a few days to get back in the habit again.)

My time consists of this:

I read (meditatively and prayerfully) 5 chapters from Psalms.

On the first day of the month I read Psalm 1, Psalm 31, 61, 91, and 121. On the 2nd day of the month I read Ps. 2, 32, 62, 92, and 122. I add 30 to the number each time. By the end of the month I have read all the way through the book of Psalms.

For many years I also read 1 chapter from Proverbs--the day of the month coordinated with the chapter I read. I have given that up recently so that I will have more time to read other books of the Bible.

I like to read something in red--Jesus' words--and I like to read something from the epistles.

Prayers are interspered within this time alone with God. I cannot separate reading God's Word and praying. To me prayer is a two way street--I listen to God for a while and then I pour out my heart to Him.

This has become my lifeline. Whenever I lose my craving to do this, my fruit seems to dry up right on the vine and I find myself trying to handle situations in my own power. And that is not a pretty picture.

UPDATE: Just a few days ago, I started reading the Bible through. I have never read the Bible through before. I am on Genesis 10 and am doing a 3-year plan. Also, I read where it is a good idea to read each epistle through about 20 times before proceeding to the next so I am on my second reading of Philippians.

I know that it is my heart that God wants and if I spend this time in God's Word and He doesn't have my heart, then it is all in vain. So my prayer is that I would let God speak to me daily through His Word and the fruit of His Spirit would be evident in my life.

dianne


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credits--GOD'S PLAN IN THE COMING DEPRESSION BY DAVID WILKERSON-no copyrights were listed so I used this freely.

In Loving Memory of Me

Last Tuesday I started sharing a series of poems that my students wrote several years ago after studying the Holocaust. These 7th grade poets astounded me. I hope you feel the depths of emotions they shared.

In loving memory of me,
in loving memory

of my hopes and dreams,

Because in here it seems

I don't have any.

In here there is nothing,

Nothing but fear and hatred.

There is not even a slight smile

on the face of a child.

All I ever see on their faces

is worry and no hope of freedom.

All I ever hear is

"in loving memory,"

but today is different.

It's "in loving memory of me."

As I walk down the long hall,

I feel as though

there is still hope for me.

As I am waiting in fear

taking my last breath,

As I am watching the drunken soldier

laugh at my tears,

I take one last look around me,

I look at my mother

dying in her own tears,

And I wave to her that last goodbye

and whisper to her,

"In loving memory, Mother,

in loving memory of me."

by Shelby

multitude monday

for gentle breezes that lift billowy kites to the heavens,

for colorful kites to fly,

watching children at play,

and the waves that pound upon the shore--

for morning sun that bathes a hydrangea in its warmth,

for the dew that sparkles like a million diamonds,

for old churches where our heritages were forged,

For our ancestors who prayed so diligently for us--

For mission trips,

And helping hands--

For all of these I give grateful thanks.

#'s 11-20 in connection with

photo credits

My friend Marianne's grandson Jack-

a hydrangea in my yard

a picture of an old church in NW Arkansas

a picture my granddaughter took in Africa on a mission trip

He will rejoice over you with singing

Today is my granddaughter Kailey's birthday. This is one of my favorite pictures of her. I can't help but think that God is singing over her. And who knows, maybe He is singing "Happy Birthday to You."

The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save. He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."

blessings to you,

dianne