First Presidential Debate Tonight

I'll be praying for God's man of choice...it's entirely up to Him.

Here’s what I think:  it’s better NOT to have internet…TV coverage is enough to warn and turn you about B. O.  I pull up so many daily news servers each day…the awful acts of this president continues to shock me…today is the worst yet.  It occurs to me:  did David or Saul have ‘watchers’ who reported to the people?  Or did the people rely ONLY upon God to place their king and protect them??

I try to rein in my fears and disgust by remembering:

God is my Rock, my deliverer, my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalm 18

Do Women hate snakes more than Men do?

I think so.  At least, they seem more vulnerable to them.  Maybe that's why 'the snake' in the garden approached Eve...not Adam.
One of the first things I do each morning is check-in at:
http://www.challies.com/  My absolutely favorite blog to watch!
His mother recently began her own blog and it's becoming one of my favorites also.  http://gracelookingback.wordpress.com/

A few days ago, she wrote about "the snakes are still in the basement".
That brought back a vivid memory I have of the time I was about 13 and I saw a big Rat Snake in our basement at home.  They're not colorful; long and almost black in color.  We had mice in the house, critters out around it...this one was curled around a pipe through a window from the basement to outdoors.  Just thinking about it makes me feel queasy. (short for Yuk-uneasy).  The window was open...guess he was looking for his dinner.  Sometimes they would lay on the sunny shore at the lake near our house...some had large lumps...maybe frogs hoping to get out?
Her blog entry is how we have sins (snakes) in our life but ignor or hide them (basement)--"many of the snakes are not put to death, but they can be so ‘neglected’ by us that they are rendered ineffective".
http://gracelookingback.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/snakes-and-sanctification/

God is the great Eliminator and Defender...in this life, I'll never be completely free of 'the snakes...sin', but I can run to Him and ask Him to take care of them, eliminate them or chase them away.
"I love you, O LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock,, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge."  Psalm 18

"If at the cross every sin was covered, Satan's mouth is shut. He has no weapon. He can gum you but his fangs are gone." - John Piper

Here's a mystery I hope to solve:  what kind of bush is this??

I found it yesterday while walking in our neighborhood...very striking!  It's about 4' high and across...must call County Extension, I guess..


I was reminded twice today, in God's Word:
He has placed me where I am, what I am in life...that gives me hope.  I didn't land at this station in life because of MY decisions, but because He has specifically chosen this life for me.  So, I will do my best to live and act pleasing to Him, performing the work He has ordered tailor-made just for me.  The following speaks to me:
"Enjoy life with the (husband) you love, all the days of your (brief) life that He has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your (work)...."  Ecclesiastes 9:9

Adding to our family.

OK,take a breath!  The wedding is over, most of the guests have left.
One of the granddaughters married one week ago today, 9/1, here in Raleigh.  She added another member to our growing family...Yay!  I love big families.  Today, I'm recalling weddings of other children of mine.

After 4 daughters, I had 1 son.  I began my life in Christ during my eldest children's childhood.  I didn't know, or think, of praying for Godly husbands for them.  But with the last 2, I surely did!  And God has answered that prayer...I began to pray for Godly mates for their children.  Pure grace:  He's answering that prayer, also.
Hurricane Isaac barely missed us.  We had a lovely, sunny event next to a small lake:

                                   Farmer's Mkt. Flowers for the event.

No cake, but lots of cupcakes!

(My husband thought this was his table.)

                                        Handsome DJ...(disk jockey)

"I DO!"

"...the LORD God said, "it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."    Gen. 2:18

(That was really meant for Adam and Eve, but I like to think of it for our kids.)

more pests

well, a pest to me, anyway.  I realize there may be readers that love all things of nature, and that's fine for you.  But, anything that's moving on 4 legs or more, furry, covered with stripes...creatures without manners, that I wouldn't invite to my dinner table...nope!  Not for me.
We have these crawly, striped creatures of nature that have absolutely DEVOURED the parsley plants on the deck...look:

He and his hungry friends have eaten ALL our parsley down to stubs!

We were told, "Oh, wonderful!  You're raising MONARCH butterflies".  Um, no...we're not!  And anyway, these are Black Swallowtail butterflies.
Here's the cycle...they eat our parsley, and birds eat them...so many don't ever get to the stage of making their cocoon.  But, for those that do, here's a photo from the web:

So, if you see one of these soon, it might just be escaping our deck!

Curious things in nature

We have this 'pesky' vine that takes over a corner of the yard every summer:
Passion Fruit Vine.  Beautiful leaves on a lonnnnnnnnnnng vine and the most unusual blossoms I've ever seen.

I feel disrespectful to say God has a sense of humor, but I can say that of me, cuz' this flower is humerous to me.  We'll soon see bright green fruit the size of a lime hanging where this blossom is now.
Another humerous sight is the flowering vine growing out of the fork of a tree I encountered on my morning walk.

How did the seed get in there?  Did the breeze blow enough dirt into the crack, two feet up from the ground?  And then did a bird drop a seed onto the fertile North Carolina soil? 
I've been memorizing Psalm 1 (for about 2 years...slow at memorizing).  One line says the wicked are like the chaff the wind blows away.  That tells me our Creator uses many agents to create wonders like this for me to watch.
He tickles my curiosity often.

Upcoming Wedding

One of my grandaughters is planning for her wedding on Sept. 1.  Her aunt (my 3rd daughter) hosted the wedding shower last Saturday.  Shower gifts have changed over the many years since I've attended, though the activities were similar:  games, food, gift opening.
Another mother and I were comparing present day showers with those of our own, our daughter's and now our grandaughter's.  Most of the young wives I know are working at two or three part-time jobs, involved in sports, aren't ready to decorate a home they own, etc.
She said they often just continue their 'dorm' way of life:
-sit on the floor or sofa in front of the TV to eat
-eat more carry-out or fast food right from the bag
-eat only when hungry (famished?) rather than at regular, set mealtimes

We shared how not many know how to cook when they leave home, so have no need for cooking utensils or kitchen gadgets.  I don't say all this to criticize, but just to say it's really changed since I was a young bride.
Here's some of the photos I took: