Faithfulness

I was totally unaware that Pastor Byerly would be preaching on faithfulness when I posted yesterday! Hmm......interesting. Anyway, he preached on the characteristics of a faithful man who would be qualifying for the ministry, but these characteristics can be applied to all of us- husbands, wives, parents, children, employees, etc. Here are a few of them:

1. A faithful man gives and keeps his promises.

2. A faithful man is humble.

3. A faithful man is fervent in prayer.

4. A faithful man will guard his flock (speaking of a pastor to his sheep).

These four were the main topics, but under these Pastor brought up faithfulness in regards to puncuality, money and finances, marriage, and the church. The appeal to be unfaithful is strong in our day. We need to look to Christ for faithfulness and follow his example. May we all strive to be faithful men and women in an unfaithful world.

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fall not; as thou hast been thou for ever will be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth , Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and great hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!"

~Thomas O. Chisholm~

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.

~Lamentations 2:22-23~

A Faithful Wife

I happened upon this poem while browsing through a book of poetry compiled in the late 19th Century. It's an inspiration to me, and also something that we do not see much of anymore in our day and age. Enjoy!

"In youth I saw but a maiden fair; and finding beauty I sought no more,
But loved and wedded as youth will dare, and little knew of the prize I bore.
Proud was I 'midst my fellow men, dear to me was my young wife then.

But as life advanced and cares came thick-on every side came pressing round,
Till my wearied heart grew faint and sick-ever her at my side I found,
With words of counsel wise and free; dearer still was she then to me.

Her hair is gray, and her sweet blue eyes, though loving still are no longer bright;
And I list not now for her thoughts so wise; but for stronger ties our hearts unite.
Dear through life has she ever been: dearest now at its close serene."

~Author Unknown~

Sweet Words

"All the way my Saviour leads me-what have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt his tender mercy who through life has been my Guide?

Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in him do dwell-

For I know, whatever befalleth me, Jesus doeth all things well."

"All the way my Saviour leads me, cheers each winding path I tread.

Gives me grace for every trial, feeds me with the living Bread.

Though my weary steps may falter, and a thirst my soul may be,

Gushing from the rock before me, lo, a spring of joy I see!"

"All the way my Saviour leads me-O the fulness of his love.

Perfect rest to me is promised in my Father's house above.

When my spirit, clothed immortal, wings its flight to realms of day,

This my song through endless ages: Jesus lead me all the way!"

~Fanny J. Crosby~

Baltimore Woods

This past Saturday David and his brothers took me for a lovely hike in these woods. We had so much fun!

The path.

My boy and I:)

Kevin and his "walking stick".




Two of my "other" brothers. :)

There was a beautiful flower garden at

the beginnig of the woods.


Blacked Eyed Susans

Bee Balm

It was a great afternoon and I hope to do it again someday.......:) Thanks guys!

Beautiful!!

This is one of my favorite pieces of music. Such feeling and emotion. Totally Beethoven!! Enjoy!

Lost-A Boy!

Not kidnapped by bandits and hidden in a cave to weep and starve and raise a nation to frenzied searching. Were that the case, one hundred thousand men would rise to the rescue, if need be. Unfortunately the losing of this lad is without dramatic excitement, though very sad and very real.

The fact is his father lost him. Being too busy to sit with him at the fireside and answer his trivial questions during the years when fathers are the only great heros of the boys, he let go his hold.

And his mother lost him. Being so much occupied with teas, dinners, and club programmes, she let the maid hear the boy say his prayers, and thus her gripp slipped and the boy was lost to his home.

Aye, the Church lost him. Being so occupied with sermons for the wise and elderly who pay the bills, and having good care for dignity, the ministers and elders were unmindful of the human feelings of the boy in the pew, and made no provision in sermon or song or personal contact for his boyishness. And, so the Church and many sad-hearted parents are looking earnestly for the lost boy.

Anonymous

Peter Marshall's Challenge

(I know quite a few of you have already read this , but I'm going to post it anyway.)

Peter Marshall, one-time chaplain to the U.S. Senate, exhorting American women, said the following:

The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge-that of being godly women. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now.
We hear about every other kind of women-beautiful women, smart woman, sophisticated women, career woman, talented women, divorced women.
But so seldom do we hear of a godly woman-or of a godly man either, for that matter.
I believe women come nearer fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else.
It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss america.
It is a greater achievment to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel, filled with filth.
It is a far, far better thing in the realms of morals to be old-fashioned than to be ultra-modern.
The world has enough women who know how to hold their cocktails, who have lost all their illusions and their faith.
The world has enough women who know how to be smart.
It needs women who are willing to be simple.
The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant.
It needs some who will be brave.
The world has enough women who are popular.
It needs more who will be pure.
We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct.
Let us not fool ourselves-without Christianity, without Christian education, without the principles of Christ inculcated into young life, we are simply rearing pagans.
Physically, they will be perfect. Intellectually, they will be brilliant. But spiritually, they will be pagan. Let us not fool ourselves.
The twentieth century challenge to motherhood-when it is all boiled down-is that mothers will have an experince of God...a reality which they can pass on to their children.

The first time I read this I was brought to tears. In the world's eyes, the wife and mother at home is despised and looked down upon, but in God's eyes she is doing what he has called her to do. Lord willing, I hope to be a wife and mother at home. I think it the highest calling a woman can possess on this earth. The happiest and most content women I know are homemakers. That should tell you something!!
I except Mr. Marshall's challenge. Who will join me?