September???

Today is September the 28th, a wonderful Lord's day.  A day of rest, a day to bask in His greatness, but I must ask, with only 2 days left in this month.......Where Did the Time Go?  Where did this month go?   

Where did September GO?!?

Where did the time go? 
I shall not know, but I must slow down and accept Your plan.

Where did the time go? 
Again, I'm not sure, but Your will is my desire and I accept Your plan.

Where did the time go? 
Time, I do not know, but it is Yours and I give You mine.

(Jody Dake)

"My times are in Your hand."

Psalm 31:15a

"Sow with a view to righteousness,

Reap in accordance with kindness;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the Lord

Until He comes to rain righteousness on you."

Hosea 10:15

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 4:16

"The Lord will also be a stronghold for the oppressed,

A stronghold in times of trouble."

Psalm 9:9

"There is an appointed time for everything.

And there is a time for every event under heaven-

A time to give birth and a time to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;

A time to be silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Slow down this day and live in the moment, the now, the present, which God has so graciously given, another breath to live for Him, to love Him, to accept His will and His plan, to love the gifts of the day He has so joyously blessed us with.  

Take time to simply, be still, and know that He is the Lord God.

Breathe God in and exhale what He gives, a life to live for Him.

I would love to hear from you, how has Sept. been good to you?
Where has your Sept. gone?
Did you accomplish much?  Go on vacations?  Work through it?
I'd love your comments...(you're exempt C... :)  )

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Camping 2014!!!

By now, I think you know our yearly vacation amounts to an entire week-long camping trip to Indian Boundary, and we set-up, read, take walks around the lake, ride bikes around the lake, take loads and loads of pictures, visit the camp store, get rained on, yes it's normal, sit around the campfire, some may knit, others play some games, walk to different spots to read, and then we sit and rest, and rest, and rest.  You can check out our other camping posts by clicking on the camping link at the bottom of the page...

We have delicious breakfasts: bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, or pancakes, and yes, cereal some mornings; then, lunch may consist of sandwiches, and we have real meals for dinner, such as beans, macaroni, cornbread, hamburgers, spaghetti, and of course, hot-dogs over the fire.  

Enjoy our pics of the time we spent camping...it wasn't as cool as we would have liked; we were so ready for all sweater weather!

Enjoy the beauty of God's earth He created, such amazing beauty!

"He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters."

Psalm 23:2

We were blessed beyond words at the scenery God allowed us to partake in.  The sunsets, the storms passing by, the stars and clouds were breathtaking.  Breathtakingly beautiful...

"When I see the beauty of a sunset's glory
amazing artistry across the evening sky.

When I feel the mystery of a distant galaxy,
It awes and humbles me to be loved by a God so high.

"What Can I Do But Praise Him
What can I do but give my life to You.
                                                        Halellujah..."

Such a time of worship, of being in awe of the One who created all we see, and for giving us the sight to be able to take in all He gave us.

"As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes."

Psalm 103:15

"You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

Psalm 16:11

"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life,

and there are few who find it."

Matthew 7:14

"Yes, there is a story to this picture below!  The twins and I had been caught in the drenching rains, with a towel over our heads, when Steve met us with an umbrella near the camp store and we stayed on the porch until it slowed.  It was a drencher!  Check out the little video on my instagram!!!  (Click the instagram on the side bar)

When we got back to camp we found Sarah sitting on top of the refrigerator!  She had been running around trying to keep everything dry and was having to keep the canopy clear of water, so this was the spot where it kept pooling the worst, so she sat up there and just kept dumping the water off.  She is telling us about the rain, and "Whoosh!"  Oh my goodness, it was too funny!

This tiny little fellow had made Steve's shirt his home, til we found him.

The clouds came, some stayed, some passed by, and some brought rain, and they reminded us of, 

"Oh, misty eye of the mountain below, 

keep careful watch of my brothers' souls, 

and should the sky be filled with fire and smoke, 

keep watching over Durin's son."

The Hobbit - Desolation of Smaug

(you need to hear Julia sing this :) )

Family came to visit us one day, so lots of activity for an afternoon, hikes, swimming, rafting, flower and mushroom looking...and K fell asleep on his Daddy's back.

Always Julia's perch on the raft.

Jenny swam across the lake almost every day and normally made 3 trips.  One day she held a mini-triathlon, by herself of course!  She ran around the lake, then we biked around the lake and then, she swam across the lake!  Made me tired just typing it!  The hike is 3.6 miles around on their papers, but the signs say 3.1 miles...

"Yummmm-o, de-li-shioso!!!  Some good home-country-cookin' breakfasts!

And as the sun sat each day, we remembered Who had blessed us, where our joy comes from, and all the goodness He surrounds us with.  Even in sorrow, we can choose joy, even in pain, we choose loving Him, when death comes knocking at your door, we choose life, because that is what God gives to those who trust His Name, the Name of Jesus.

"They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;

You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy."

Psalm 65:8

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody