First Snow

Last night here in Midland we had our first snow storm of the season. This morning I gave myself extra time to drive to school, so that I could stop for a few pictures along the way. . .

As soon as I got home from school this afternoon, I changed clothes for a photo-shoot around the neighborhood. By mid-day, the temperature had risen well above freezing. The golden rays of the late afternoon sun illuminating the dripping, melting snow was spectacular. . . .

Breakfast Blessings

As I look at this picture, I'm awed to think how privileged I am. This is our kitchen table at home, which Mom recently decorated for the Christmas season. How many people can say they wake up every morning to a table set with a fresh-cooked egg omelet and fruit-cup breakfast? How about enjoying the hearty meal by candlelight, melodious music, and family fellowship? Would you believe this is my morning routine! Talk about breakfast blessings! God's goodness to me is daily, abundantly expressed through my mom's numerous tangible acts of love. How incredibly rich I am.

Present Tense

"Today we are going to be talking about present-tense verbs," Mrs. D-- introduced the new English lesson to our third graders. "There are three tenses of verbs," she explained. "Past, present, and future. The past tense tells what the subject already did, the present tense tells what is the subject is doing, and the future tense tells what the subject will do. Past and future tenses are topics for other lessons; for now, we're going to focus on present tense."

What a great reminder for me! In my own personal journey I need to focus on the present tense. I live before the "I AM" God. As His name attests, He exists in the present. (He's got my past and my future covered too--but those are topics for other posts.) Today I find much encouragement from this list of present-tense verbs.

God . . .

• lives (see 2 Sam. 22:47; Psa. 18:46; Gal. 2:20; Heb. 7:25; Rev. 1:18).
• hears (see Psa. 69:33; Prov. 15:29; John 9:31; I John 5:14).
• knows (see Psa. 103:14; Mat. 6:8; 2 Tim. 2:19; 2 Pet. 2:9; I John 3:20).
• cares (see I Pet. 5:7).
• loves (see Deut. 33:3; John 16:27).
• heals (see Psa. 103:3; Psa. 147:3).
• comforts (see I Cor. 1:3-4).
• strengthens (see Phil. 4:13).
• protects (see Prov. 2:8).
• gives (see Psa. 68:5; Psa. 119:130; Psa. 136:25; Psa. 146:7; Prov. 2:6; Isa. 40:29; John 6:33; I Tim. 6:17; James 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:5).
• provides (see Psa. 111:5).
• sustains (see Psa. 3:5; Psa. 18:35; Psa. 54:4).

* This list was compiled using dictionary and word searches on the Blue Letter Bible website.

Reading Corner: Aesop's Fables

Earlier this evening sitting around the dinner table, my family and I had fun reading aloud several Aesop's Fables. Here are two excellent collections:

Strength of My Heart

Taken on a gray, chilly fall day, this picture of Black-Eyed Susans illustrates to me the message of Psalm 73:26. The warm, sunny days of summer are over; most of the blooms have frozen in the first frost. Although the shriveled stalks in the foreground appear dead, the flowers still blooming in the background prove that the plants have not died. Through the cold days of winter ahead they will wait, patient and still. Come next summer they'll be vibrant as ever. As we can observe in nature, God does make everything beautiful in its time. Even when we can't see the evidence, He is at work, according to season. During those "winter seasons" in my own life, it is all too easy to lose heart. I need the reminder that "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Pondered Paths

These photo collages come from a hike I took back in September 2009, with a girlfriend of mine while we were on a girls' camping trip at Warren Dunes State Park. Climbing those sand-dunes along Lake Michigan deepened my appreciation for these promises from Scripture. I'm grateful to be reminded that God knows my path.

Design Seeds

"For all who love color"—check out this cool blog called Design Seeds. Jessica, the creator of Design Seeds, shares her passion for color and great sense of design by creating these amazing color palettes. What a fantastic resource for interior design, outfit planning, accessorizing, quilting, scrapbooking, or anything else that involves combining colors! Below I've copied three of her most recently posted "Design Seeds."