I’ve struggled with fear since I was a small child.  Then, as a young mother, I feared that something would happen to my son. I was such a young Christian and had a very faulty view of God. I would lay on my bed and cry about the possibility of God taking him because I loved him too much. I think back now and wonder how the Lord endured my foolishness. (Praise God for the blood of Jesus that covers my sins!) I wasted many hours in senseless fear over something I had no control of. (God has given me 29 good years with this same son!) As my understanding of God grew and I began to study about His sovereignty, love and wisdom the fear began to lose it’s hold on me. But, of course, with each new day their is always the opportunity through trials and temptations to set our minds on the possibility of loss which always has fear attached to it. Fear is very ME focused and how a situation will effect ME. So, I’m learning that when I begin to fear to cast the care/worry onto the Lord, trust Him with the future and then GET TO WORK doing whatever needs to be done for that day. Eph. 4:22-24, Phil. 4:6-8

KNOWING GOD is a fascinating study and one that you would not tire of for years on end. I’ve collected a myriad of Scriptures over the years for many of His attributes so they are easily assessable in the time of trials. Just imagine how our view of God would be elevated and our faith increased if we collected just 1 scripture daily on a chosen attribute for each month. Imagine!! If you don’t know where to begin may I suggest studying the attribute of His sovereignty?

 Did you know that we are COMMANDED to grow in our knowledge of God?

 2 Pet 3:18 –  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Here are just a few scriptures on KNOWING GOD. Take notice of the blessings promised in knowing God!

2 Peter 1:3 – His divine power has granted us every thing pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Dan 11:32 …. but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

Eph. 1:17 ….that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches;  But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.                          Jer 9:23-24

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1:2

If you go to our other website I have a list of some attributes and books on the topic.

http://www.awomanthatfearsthelord.com/view/?pageID=130140

A good concordance, Topical Study Bible is a great help. There is a free Bible search engine on our homepage, also.

http://www.awomanthatfearsthelord.com

Another good resource:

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/Godattributes.html

Just imagine how our view of God would be changed if we collected just 1 scripture on an attribute each day for a month. Have any of you gals ever done this kind of study? If so, then I’d love to hear how it has blessed you!

Blessing to each one of you!
Georgene

 Are you tired of my vacation, yet?  I promise it’s almost over.  We’re on the down stretch. I’m going to include a kind of a review of two days worth of pickies. I didn’t want to post any pictures on the Lord’s Day. So, here we go… hold on for the ride!

This first picture is a group of Christian’s who were singing and sharing the Gospel in front of one of the Smithsonian museums. People pretty much ignored them which was very sad. I stood in awe of the boldness the Lord had given them to preach His Word in a place where most seemed to care less.  But, I guess that is where missionaries are needed most. The second picture is the Smithsonian Museum Information center. There were museums on both sides of  a long a long stretch of road. 

The planes were the first site we viewed as we walked into the Air and Space Museum. It was quite a dramatic entrance. I really enjoyed this museum. Next picture is my hubbin’s touching an actual piece of the moon.  We also walked in an actual space center where the men shower and eat while in space.  

S’mee (in my pink flamingo hat) at the Butterfly Garden.  The garden was beautiful with actual butterflies! D.C. has left a lot of the trees and spots for flowers along the streets so we also have seen lots of squirrels. The next picture is a very old quilt completely made by hand. I couldn’t resist this picture since I love quilts so much. The pictures are of women sitting in a chair with a long gown.

We also went through one of the art museums at the Smithsonian. My favorite art  was a group of pictures that symbolized a man’s journey through life from childhood to adulthood. This first picture is the final stage of man’s life. Notice there is no greenery on land. He is weary from the journey and ready to be with the Lord.  Angel’s are prepared to guide him home. The last picture was from the American Natural History Museum. The poster was from the 1950′s and showed homes selling around 20,000.00 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath. Those days are sure gone!

 Today we saw the Ford Museum, his home across the street where he died, Watergate Apts., and the Holocaust Museum. I couldn’t bear to walk through the museum but did take a picture of the wall of sorrow. The Scripture on the wall is Isaiah 43:10 which says, Ye are my witnesses. There was a wall of hope in white on the other side of the auditorium. I’ll end on a happy note with my ‘birdies’. We stopped to get some water and check on the family back home (blackouts in California) and ended up feeding the birds. We had a group of 10 or more by the time I finished. They were so tame. Cuties!

Tomorrow is our tour through the Capitol. We’re going to make it a light day since we’ll be leaving early on Thursday to fly home. We may go to the International Spy Museum. Kevin thought that sounded fun. The wonderful thing about visiting D.C. is that all the museums and monuments are free and the metro ($1.35) takes you close to everything and the buses fill in where the metro won’t go.

Kevin seems to have really enjoyed this trip even though it’s worn him out. My prayer is that he will count it as one of the best birthdays ever. Thank you, Lord, for your blessings!

Love to you all! Thanks for putting up with me this past week!

Georgene 

( Don’t forget to check out my friend’s family website periodically. She has been posting wonderful suggestions and teachings that I know will bless you and your family. Be sure to check out OUR STUFF on the front page, too. http://www.givengrace.com)

  Hubbin’s and I were a bit worn out from all the walking we’ve been doing in D.C. so he blessed me with a day trip to Lancaster, PA. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive through some beautiful countryside. After 4 days of asphalt and thousands of people it was refreshing to see acre after acre of green rolling hills.

Our first stop was at the Mennonite Information Center. They have a display of the outer courts of the tabernacle, the inner court and the Holy of Holies to the exact dimensions given in Scripture. A Baptist man made the tabernacle and then sold it to the Mennonites. They gave a beautiful narration of the Gospel while sharing how the tabernacle was a type and shadow of our High Priest Jesus Christ.  We were not allowed to take pictures of the inner court and Holy of Holies but I took pictures of the outer court where the passing on of the sins from the people to the animals took place, the sacrifices and the placing of the blood on the altar and the ceremonial hand washings. The picture next to it is a mural of the tabernacle dwelling in the midst of Israel. It was very interesting.

The Mennonite Center offers Amish tours. We had a retired Mennonite Pastor named Paul give us a 2 hour personal tour in our car of the back countryside. He took us by many Amish homes and shared how to tell the Old Amish order from the newer ones. He was such a nice man and so informative. If you ever take one of their tours be sure to ask for Pastor Paul!

The Amish homes were beautiful! I was fascinated by their laundry hanging out on the lines and front porches for everyone to see. The first home was at an Amish craft and baked goods store. Can you see the clothes hanging on the porch? The second picture shows the clothes line along the side of the house. I tried to get a good picture of their beautiful garden which is in front of the house but the color didn’t show up. All the vegetable gardens we saw were so neat and had beautiful flowers planted in the front row. They were a work of art. All the Amish farms had beautiful flower gardens in their front yard.

This was the first covered bridge made to cross the creek in their county and was constructed in the 1700′s. The next picture is an Amish school house. The children attend from 1st to 8th grade. The Amish do not believe in higher education for fear it will lead their children astray. Do you see the playground next to the building?

This is an Amish graveyard. The deceased are placed in a wooden box which is made by an Amish craftsman. No frills or fluff. Very simple. They had one grave stone that was off by itself next to the fence. Apparently, the man had been ‘shunned’ from the church before they came to America and then he died later  in the States. They placed him away from the other stones in case he hadn’t made things right with the church and God. The last picture is an Amish farmer with his team of horses. The Amish do not like their faces photographed so we tried  to abide by their wishes as to not offend them.

We stopped by a Mennonite smorgy on the way home and had a down home meal. We had an Amish girl as our hostess. I chose foods that I normally can’t find in California like pickled eggs, pickled beets (very different), vanilla pie, and apple butter. Very good!

Tomorrow, Lord willing, we’ll head back to D.C. to see Ford’s Theater, Kennedy Performing Arts Center and Jefferson Memorial. Wednesday we have a scheduled visit through the Capital and hope to go through a few more of the Smithsonian museums. Thursday will be our flight home. I miss my family very much. My granddaughter goes to our house every morning ‘just in case Mimi and Bapa are home’.

In Christ’s love,

Georgene

 We covered a lot of ground today and my ‘feetsies’ are talking to me about it!

We are feeling very smug because we’ve figured out the metro and bus system. Yeah! We were able to get to D.C. and home just fine with no problems. Here is a picture of the metro under ground at the Pentagon station. I’m not sure who the people are but you can see the train in the back. The trains FLY by each other sooo fast. It scared me the first time it happened. I’m such a country bumpkin and not used to life in the fast lane.

We took the metro to Arlington Cemetery. I was unprepared to see 300,000 tombs that spread as far as the eye could see.  The freedom of our nation has not come without a high cost.

This was President John F. Kennedy’s grave. His wife asked for an eternal flame to burn at his grave site similar to the one in Paris for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I was expecting a big monument over his tomb. I liked the simplicity of the grave site.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The weather was extremely hot and humid today. I felt so sorry for the soldiers because they were dressed in a uniform along with gloves and a hat. Each soldier guards the tomb for 2 hours before they change guards. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day.. rain or shine… day and night. We were able to witness the ‘changing of the guards’. No talking was allowed… only silence in respect for the soldiers who lost their lives. Hubbin’s saw one of the soldiers that was on guard today interviewed on Fox News a few weeks ago and he said that he considered this the most important thing he has ever done.

Next stop was the White House. We saw the front and the back grounds and house which both were heavily guarded. Lots of construction going on to make it much safer from attack. There were 8 men playing hockey in front of the White House and behind them was a protestor of nuclear arms. Interesting backdrop! Notice my bright pink hat? Hubbin’s and I hunted for some kind of hat last night to keep the sun off our faces. It helped a lot today even if I do look like a pink flamingo! This was near the end of the day and I was getting worn out from all our walking and feeling very OLD!

I tried to get a tour through the White House 2 months ago but was denied.  I was told the White House receives 30,000 requests a week. So, instead we visited the White House Visitors Center. There was picture after picture of the fancy rooms in the White House but this was my favorite. It’s a picture of laundry being hung in one of the rooms of the White House back in the 1800′s. I like that thought!

We ‘hoofed’ it over to the National Archives building which was 4 blocks away. We stood in line about 30 minutes out front and then another 20 minutes inside to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc. The funniest thing happened. The person who was organizing the ‘crowd’ to enter the archives of documents  tried to pass our time while we were waiting by asking where we were from. She asked who was from the West Coast  and of course Kevin and I lifted our hands. She asked ‘where’ and when we told her she said,’My Grandma lives there!’ Come to find out we go to church with her Grandma! It really is a small world, isn’t it? She was so excited that we knew her Grandma and gave us a big hug to pass on  when we get home… which we will!

That’s all for today! We ate at a Thai restaurant next to the hotel which was really good! We’ll both sleep well tonight. Our plan (not sure if it’s the Lord’s) is to see the Smithsonian museum’s tomorrow. I wish we could find a church to go to first. It’s going to feel strange not attending a worship service. I already miss my church!

Hope everyone is doing well!
Love to everyone!
Georgene

 My hubbin’s has recovered from his illness so we left for his birthday trip to D.C. on Thursday.  We’ve been on a tight budget and pure common sense would have not even considered it but I wanted something memorial to bless my husband on this special day. I’m hoping this trip will be a pure joy to my husband… a.k.a. Mr. TravelBug.  My husband LOVES to travel but as God would wisely have it, he married a ‘home bug’. I think possibly one reason the Lord puts opposites together is so that each will learn to die to their own desires in order to please their spouse. So, here we are in D.C. !

This trip was a blessing because we didn’t have to pay a penny for our airfare and I found extremely inexpensive rooms in Arlington, VA which were nearly half as much as the rooms in D.C. Arlington is only 10 minutes from D.C. We didn’t have to rent a car because of the metro and we are trying to eat only one restaurant meal a day. I brought snacky foods from home and the hotel offers continental breakfast. We’re doing D.C. on a dime! Well, not literally but you get the point.

Here are a few pictures of today’s tour. Hopefully my hubbin’s will let me post some pictures of him tomorrow.  

This is a picture of our tour bus called the Tourmobile. You buy a ticket for one or two days. The tour bus takes you on a route which views all the monuments, Capital, White House, Smithsonian, etc. The buses run every 20 minutes so you can hop on and off at whatever destination you’d like and then hop back on when you’re done.

The tower below is the Washington Monument. Tour tickets are available at 6 a.m. and sell out quickly.  I doubt if we’ll be able to go inside since we’re taking a bus to DC and I’m not sure we’ll get out and about that early. Do you notice the discoloration about half way up the monument? We were told by our tour guide that construction was delayed for 25 years. By the time they started up again they couldn’t find the same colored stone so that’s why you see the discoloration.

I found these statues and the plaque at the Roosevelt Memorial very interesting.  The sign said: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the adundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” I think the line of men represents the food lines during the depression. My husband said that Roosevelt started the welfare and social security system.

Me…. ‘melting’ in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Very hot and humid!

Union Square has a food court on their lower level. I chose a Greek pita. It was pretty good. The water was the best part of the meal! So thirsty!

Tomorrow my hubby would like to visit the Smithsonian museums. I think he’s secretly planning to be somewhere AIR CONDITIONED! 

Love to all!

Georgene

  My husband was in the hospital on Saturday and has still not recovered. He was sent home but has been in severe pain today off and on. It’s a helpless feeling to watch someone you love suffer and not be able to relieve their distress.  Thankfully the medication seems to be taking the edge off for the time being. While I’ve been caring for my husband I’ve been thinking a lot about the sacred duty and art of caring for those who are ill in our homes.

 I’ve thought a lot about my mother the past few days and how tenderly she cared for my sister and I in our sickness. Her nurturing during our childhood illnesses brought such a sense of deep security. No matter how sick I was, I somehow felt better just knowing my mother was there and would be taking care of me. She had the ability to anticipate my every need and knew just how to make me comfortable. I remember one evening I came down with a very sore throat. My parents were away for the evening and my grandmother was watching me. I was so anxious for my mother to come home. I just knew everything would be fine once she was there… and it was!

I found this paragraph in an old reprint and it reminded me of the things my mother did to bring comfort. Her example became my guide in caring for my own children and husband.

“ To make the bed soft; to arrange pillows in such a way as to afford most comfort; to provide covering that was warm and yet not too heavy; to temper the light in the sickroom; to care for pure, fresh air; tenderly to prepare suitable food and drink for the invalids’ tray; and with it all to be gently voiced, tender and sympathetic in her manner; O, all this applied as a sort of family tradition to the sickbed, which was handed on among our housemothers from generation to generation.” (In Shadow of Death: Meditations for the Sick-Room and at the Sick)

Would you add anything to the list above that you or your mother did to help bring comfort during illnesses?

My dear Mother would always put a cool wash cloth on my forehead to help bring down a fever. Also, when I was sick over the ‘loo’ my mother would sit right there with me while putting a cool wash cloth on my forehead and would continue to wipe my mouth and give me fresh water to drink. What a blessed child I was to have such a Mother!

Nursing our loved ones during their illness takes a certain dying to self. A mother and wife cannot be preoccupied with her own ease or routine and continue to patiently care for the needs of her sick one. What an honor to know that when we visit and care for someone in their sick bed that Christ says we are visiting Him.

 I was .. sick …. and you did not visit Me…Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’
 ”Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’    Matt 25:43-45

 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. Psalm 41:3

I rarely, if never, recommend personal websites publicly unless I know the people personally. I would never want to unintentionally direct anyone to a website that may teach error. So, what I am about to announce is a FIRST for me.

I’m so excited to announce that one of my dearest and most precious friends has begun posting on her family website called GIVENGRACE. I met Kim on a Christian woman’s website nearly 10 years ago. We have only seen each other once, face to face, during that time but she is as close to me as a sister. Looking back at the situation surrounding our meeting I am convinced that it was God-ordained. Kim has been more than a faithful friend. She has been my mentor. She came alongside me and patiently began counseling and teaching me how to apply God’s Word to some areas of my life where I was struggling. She had been studying Christian (nouthetic) counseling for years and was able to pass these spiritual truths on to me.  I will never be able to thank God enough for her friendship.

So, now, with great anticipation and delight,  I point you in the direction of this precious families new website KNOWING that God will use their teaching of the Scriptures mightily in your own families life just as He has mine. It truly is a ’family’ website because the posting you see are a combined family effort. Kim and her husband homeschooled their three children so not only will you find teachings that will help you in your own personal walk but also in teaching your own children (whether you’re homeschooling or not). They will be posting, Lord willing, new tidbits and teachings on a regular basis so continue checking back.

 They posted a ‘discernment test’ online a few days ago. I thought it would be fun if you took the test and then came back and shared your score.  I missed 1 1/2!! I still need more sharpening in the area of discernment!!Scroll down on their page until you find the “Learn to discern: Quick Quiz”.   Be sure to go back and read all the other ‘good stuff’, too!

Givengrace  http://givengrace.com

Enjoy!

Pastor Mike’s Sunday sermon was on how God uses trials in a believer’s life to conform him more to the image of Christ. I took a ton of notes but one verse hit my heart more than the others and that was to ‘count it all joy’ when we fall into various trials.

This blessed me tremendously as I read it this morning….

Today was our monthly clothes give away at our little country church. There were a lot of new faces that we haven’t seen before.  The majority of the people who come for free clothing are Spanish speaking so I’m very thankful to be able to share the Gospel through Spanish tracts.

 I pull a long ‘horse’ trailer full of tubs and bags of clothing, toys and blankets. Thankfully, the church is just around a few corners from my home so I don’t have to be skillful in maneuvering a big trailer. I can take up most of the country roads without bothering anyone since there is very little traffic.  We had 7 women and 4 teenage girls (and one baby) turn out to help sort clothing.  Four of the 7 women are over 70 years old! Isn’t that amazing? And they work just as hard as the rest of us.  

We set up work tables along the side of the trailer where it’s shaded from the sun. We put more tables and tarps out towards the front of the street so the people have plenty of room to sort. We have a sign placed on the street that says FREE CLOTHES in Spanish and English. The sign has made a big difference in the amount of people that stop. Before, I think they might have thought we were having a garage sale.

This is Miss Emma Lee inspecting a piece of clothing to make sure it’s acceptable. She is one of our hardest workers and has belonged to the church for more years than I can remember! I told her that I hope I have her strength when I’m her age. She said she wants to give her time in serving the Lord as long as she can.

This picture shows a few of our people sorting clothes along the side of the trailer. You can also see the people looking for clothes by the church.

This precious family lives next door to the church. We have been ministering to them for nearly 2 years. We are finally seeing some fruit for the Lord. They have allowed their two children (the boy and girl next to their Mom in the wheel chair) to attend our Sunday school and also Wednesday night vacation bible school. The children are the only ones in the family that speak English so we continue to pray for a Spanish speaking pastor to reach the family.

 Here are a few of the adults who helped today. The ladies all bring a dish and we have a pot ‘blessing’ at the end of the day. Today we served spaghetti, garlic bread, fried squash, potato salad, watermelon and pears.

This is our youngest ‘worker’! Her face is red because she smeared watermelon and spaghetti all over it! She couldn’t understand why we were laughing at her! Such a sweet doll!

Ministry day at our church is my favorite day of the week next to the Lord’s Day! I love our church and thank God continually upon every remembrance of it! I thank God for moving us to this little country town where we can serve God by serving His people.