Riverbend Ramblings

Blessed Beyond Measure

Monday Morning Musings

IMG_2725cHappy Monday, Friends! I hope you had a good weekend. We had wonderful services at church yesterday. Both the Sunday school lesson and evening preaching focused on prayer, which was fitting since our week-long tent revival starts tonight. I was convicted about my need to communicate more with my Saviour.

I’ve really been praying about this week, asking the Lord to send folks our way who need to hear the gospel, to turn hearts (including mine) toward Him, and to have His will accomplished as a result of the special services. If you are one of my praying friends, please add our tent revival meeting to your prayer list. I’ll let you know how it goes.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. ~I Corinthians 1:18

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. ~I Corinthians 1:21

Goals for the new year

https://i0.wp.com/www.ruffneckscarves.com/sites/default/files/2014.jpg
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13 & 14

I am so ready for a brand new year! I’ve made a list of things that I’m going to try to do in 2014. I’m not going to share my whole list with you, but here are seven of my goals:

1. Spend more time in the Bible. I do my best to read God’s word every day, but I don’t always take the time to meditate on it and apply it to my life. I’m going to dig a little deeper this year.

2. Get rid of a lot of our stuff. We have too many things that we don’t need or use. I’ve got a huge project planned to declutter our home, and I’ll be doing a series of posts to track my progress.

3. Make more memories. Our family spends a lot of time together, but I have to admit that I’m not that creative when it comes to planning memorable moments. The kids are growing up quickly, and we only have a few years left with them at home. I’ve already started compiling a list of memory-making things for us to do together this year.

4. Encourage my family to eat quality food. I’ve gradually been getting away from eating processed foods myself, but it’s a bit more challenging to get the kids to make healthy choices. We’ve already made some improvements with what they take to school for lunch each day, but I’m hoping to see them make better choices during those times when they are choosing their own food.

5. Step outside of my comfort zone. I always get nervous when I have to speak or sing in public or deal with a person about a difficult situation, so sometimes I shrink back from doing things that I really need to do. The Lord has been dealing with me in this area of my life, and I know that He will give me the confidence and peace I need.

6. Blog more. I’ve gotten really lazy with my posts over the last few years and have neglected to document chunks of our family’s life. I’ve got a plan for this, too.

7. Take more photos–and actually get some of them developed. I take pictures and then keep them stored digitally. I think I will really enjoy getting more developed and holding the actual photos in my hand or framing them.

These are just a few things that I’m going to be working on in 2014. What goals do you have for the coming year?

A Lesson I Need To Learn

The Pin
“Dear me! what signifies a pin!
I’ll leave it on the floor.
My pincushion has others in,
Mamma has plenty more:
A miser will I never be,”
Said little heedless Emily.

So tripping on to giddy play,

She left the pin behind,
For Betty’s broom to whisk,
Or some one else to find;
She never gave a thought, indeed,
To what she might to-morrow need.
Next day a party was to ride,
To see an air-balloon!


And all the company beside

Were dress’d and ready soon:
But she, poor girl, she could not stir,
For just a pin to finish her.


‘Twas vainly now, with eye and hand,

She did to search begin;
There was not one–not one, the band
Of her pelisse to pin!
She cut her pincushion in two,
But not a pin had slidden through!


At last, as hunting on the floor,

Over a crack she lay,
The carriage rattled to the door,
Then rattled fast away.

Poor Emily! she was not in,

For want of just–a single pin!


There’s hardly anything so small

So trifling or so mean,
That we may never want at all,
For service unforseen:
And those who venture willful waste,
May woeful want expect to taste.

by Ann Taylor, 1782-1866

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve had several instances recently when I couldn’t find something that I needed because I hadn’t taken the time to put the item in its proper place. Unfortunately, some of my kids have inherited this problem of mine. The other day I misplaced a bill and forgot to pay it, which then led to a frustrating late fee. That was actually the motivation for my marathon desk-cleaning session earlier this week. This poem is a cute reminder that it’s worth the effort to take the time to do things the right way the first time.
 

Everlasting Consolation

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. -II Thessalonians 2:16, 17 KJV

I read these verses this morning, and they have been on my heart and mind all day. Think about these two words: everlasting consolation. If you are in Christ Jesus, He will never fail to bring you the comfort you need. No matter what you are facing, He will give you the strength, hope, joy, and courage to overcome distresses and disappointments. People may fail us, but our Father never will. I like that His consolation never ends because it’s everlasting. Christ has given us hope through His grace. What a blessing!

 

 

My First Mass

Yesterday Steven and I attended a funeral service for the mother of one of our church members. Actually, it was a funeral mass. It was the very first time that either of us had ever been inside a Catholic church. What a new experience!

There was quite a large crowd gathered to honor the life of the 92-year-old woman who had passed away, but only a small group seemed to be of the Catholic faith. The majority of people there were just as unsure of the protocol for a funeral mass as we were and, unfortunately, we somehow didn’t pick up the order of service as we entered. That would have been helpful. We just sat in a pew near the back and took it all in.

The music was beautiful, the organist talented, and the priest eloquent. He spoke highly of this well-loved, generous, and joyful lady. He also prayed for the dead and went through many other rituals. He said that this dear lady was “now beginning her journey to be with her heavenly Father,” and that, “hopefully, she will soon cross that great sea to be with God.” Those words didn’t seem very comforting to me because they lack assurance. For those of us who are in Christ Jesus, our journey is complete the moment we pass from this earthly existence.

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.  II Corinthians 5:6-8

My purpose is not to debate the tenants of Catholicism. There are some very good people who are Catholic, but that doesn’t mean that they (or any other religious person) are going to heaven when they die just because they adhere to a set of rules. God’s word, the Bible, doesn’t tell us to follow a pope or confess our sins to a priest. God’s word doesn’t tell us to pray for the dead or pray to idols.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;  I Timothy 2:5

You might be a good Catholic reading these words right now, but maybe you’ve never heard the wonderful news that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for all of your sins and reconcile you to God. It’s not something that you have to wonder about and fret over; you can know for sure.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.  I John 5:13

The Bible tells us that we all have sinned and that, because we have sinned, we deserve death. God provided a way for us to escape eternal death when His Son, Jesus Christ, willingly died on the cross to make the payment for our sins.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Romans 6:23

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

Being religious doesn’t get us into heaven. Going to church, giving money to help others, or getting baptized doesn’t save a person’s soul. Our salvation is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. We have to put our faith and trust in Him alone and not in the good works that we do.

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.  Romans 4:5

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  Titus 3:5

You can know for sure that you will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Romans 10:9-10, 13

That 92-year-old woman did just what these verses told her to do. Just over a year ago she realized that if she could do enough good things to get her into heaven, there would not have been a reason for Jesus Christ to die on the cross. She put her faith and trust in Him. She didn’t need a priest to pray her into heaven at her funeral; she was already there with her Saviour.

Raring to Go

Last December I decided that it was time for me to step away from blogging for a while. I quit reading blogs for the most part, too. I started blogging during the last millennium – 2006 to be precise – and I guess I just finally got tired of it. Some of you reading this have been blogging for as long or even longer than I have been. Maybe you’ve gone through a similar phase.

Social media has changed so much since I started this blog. Back in 2006, Facebook and Twitter were itty bitty babies. We weren’t “pinning” anything but the slits in our skirts. Blogging was the best way to keep in touch with far-away friends and family, and after our family moved from Florida to Georgia, Riverbend Ramblings became my online journal. I starting reading blogs written by like-minded women and formed friendships with a few of them. I got to “know” their families and pets, celebrated milestones with them, and prayed for them when they went through difficult times. Many of those women are no longer blogging. Now it seems like most of the blogs I read are driven by advertisements and are filled with beautiful pictures of perfect homes and DIY projects. It’s just a lot different than it used to be. I think that discouraged me a little bit. I missed my little group of blogging buddies, lost interest, and stepped away.

I’m still hoping that some of the gals that were in my little circle will start writing again. I’ve kept them in my feed reader just in case. But I’m not blogging for them; I’m blogging for me. This week marks the seven year anniversary of my first blog post. Here’s the picture I used for my very first blog header.

Those babies aren’t babies anymore. Bookworm is begging for her driver’s permit, Mickey Mouse is looking less like a boy and more like a man, Curly Girl is almost as tall as I am, and Lil’ Nut can outrun us all. The many memories on these pages are priceless.

So, I’m back. I’m over my slump and raring to go. And I hope you’ll join me on the next leg of this amazing journey.