MAY I INTRODUCE...

My great-grandson, Curtis Dean Rosenthal.
Now isn't he something!






He was named after his grandfathers.
What a joy he is.












Hope March goes "out like a lamb".

PART 3

"Religion is the the hoax Jesus is out to disclose...
The faith is not in religion, the faith is in God.
A hardy, daring faith which believes God will do what is right, every time.
And that God will do what it takes---whatever it takes---to bring His chiildren home.

From: And The Angels Were Silent - Max Lucado

PART 2

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him." Luke 15:20




If there is a scene in this story that deserves to be framed, it's the one of the father's outstretched hands.
His tears are moving.
His smile is stirring.
But his hands tell the story...his hands call us home.
Imagine those hands.
Strong fingers.
Palms wrinkled with lifelines.
Stretching open like a wide gate, leaving entrance as the only option.




"He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
... (and then he said) bring the fatted calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate!"
Luke 15:20 & 23


continued tomorrow

A STORY IN THREE PARTS

The son had no money.
He had no excuses.
And he had no idea how much his father had missed him...
The boy had no idea the number of times his father had awakened from restless sleep, gone into the boy's room, and sat on his bed.
And the son would never have believed the hours the father had sat on the porch next to the empty rocking chair, looking, longing to see that familiar figure, that stride, that face.


"The son got up and started home to his father..." Luke 15:20


(continued tomorrow)

A HAPPY ENDING

I have been so very busy for the past month or more; and I was determined yesterday morning that I was going to get into my old routine. Got up and dressed to go to exercise at the Senior Center, when there came a knock at my door.
No it wasn't the puppy knocking, but rather a neighbor who had been walking her dog, when she saw this little lady wandering around as though she was lost. A beautiful red "diamond" studded collar, but no tags.
My friend picked her up, went home and put her in her car and came to my house to see if I knew who the puppy belonged to. After a bit of conversation about what we should do (she couldn't take the doggie to her house because of her own dog), I told her I would keep the obviously little lost thing, while we tried to find out where she lived. (Decided to put up some "doggie found" signs.)
Well, as you can see, she proceeded to make herself at home. I decided to call her Goldilocks (can you guess why?)

After a few hours, and a walk through the neighborhood thinking she might lead me to her home, I decided to take her to the Humane Society to see if she had an implanted chip.
She DID NOT want to get into the car, but I finally got her in and off we went. When we got there, and I opened the car door, she jumped out and rannnnnnnn! I finally caught her and we went in.
She had a chip. I found out that she lived right behind me, and I took her home. Needless to say, they were VERY happy. And they promised me they would get her some tags.
Maybe tomorrow I will get back to the old routine. Who knows? : )

SO THANKFUL

Had a wonderful Easter.





It is so good to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.


Sometimes my heart almost bursts with gratitude for the blessings of home, family, friends and most of all for the finished work of Jesus, who suffered and died and was raised from the dead that we may have life...abundant and eternal.


Because words are really inadequate, I will join son Curtis in a simple, "Thank you Jesus"

GOOD FRIDAY

Today, all around the world, Christians will pause to ponder anew the wonder of our Lord Jesus who shed his blood for the sins of the world.

Hot cross buns originated in England, but have now become a traditional reminder across the globe of the significance of this day.

These were baked by my friends, the McClellands who live in upstate New York.

I have read that in Burmuda, kites will be flown today, all of them using wooden frames in the shape of a cross. As the kites soar into the sky, they symbolize the crucified one who has now ascended into heaven.

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" and the beloved gospel hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross" will be sung reverently and with great emotion in services large and small across the land.

Perhaps each of us should establish a personal tradition.

Let's find a way and a time today to direct our thoughts to that old rugged cross and to thank God for overcoming death and making us more than conquerors through Him.

THREE CUPS

Paintings of the Lord's Supper show one cup and one platter. These He shared with His disciples in that Upper Room as they celebrated the Passover Meal for the last time.


But what we don't see is the cup that Jesus drank alone...one that made our salvation possible.


It is the cup that He prayed might be taken away as he cried out to His Father later that evening in the Garden of Gethsemene.


This was the cup not only of the brutal, torturous death on a Roman cross that loomed before Him; but the even greater agony of bearing upon Himself the transgressions of all mankind, of becoming sin on our behalf.


And even more than experiencing the ugliness of sin, He would bear the Father's full wrath for all human iniquity; and because a holy God cannot look upon sin, Jesus would be separated from His father for the only time since eternity past, and He would have to bear this unthinkable burden alone.


Jesus chose to drink this cup of suffering, sin-bearing, and separation so that we can share in the cup of salvation.


Let us stop today and consider....

NOT TOO COMPLICATED

"The best thing one can do when it's raining, is to let it rain."


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

RENEWAL

The snowdrop and the crocus pierce the sod.
I hear the voice of gladness on the land;
A bluebird sings a hymn of joy to God.
I feel the pulsing earth beneath my hand.
I see the green of spring come back to hills
Long deep in snow, long deep in frost and snow;
How thus a good Creator yet fulfills
The promises of centuries ago.
"O Lord, how great Thy works," the psalmist sang.
"Praise Him for all the precious things of earth."
For something out of nothing never sprang;
There must be seed before there can be birth.
His ways are goodness, and His thoughts are deep
Who wakes the earth anew from winter sleep.


Edith Shaw Butler

SIGNS OFLIFE

Everything in the garden is still looking very brown and lifeless. Decaying leaves and remains of old stems and stalks seem to be the norm.
But things are not always as they appear.
If you look more closely, it is there....the promise of life!
Can you see it?
To me, it is one of the most exciting moments of the year.
"Christ beside, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me." Saint Patrick http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick


It's good to be back on line! and thanks for checking in.

SHARED BY FRIENDS

Life should not be measured by the number of breaths we take; but rather by the moments that take our breath away.

Thank you Arline and Allen


May everyone reading this have a truly breath-taking day!

SNOW

"Snow is falling outside my window...
I see nature once more playing endless variations in design and beauty...
In such simple yet eloquent ways, I am reminded that God is personal, revealing Himself continuously in the finite."
Judith C. Lechman

MONEY MATTERS

For those of you who have been checking my blog....Thanks for your patience!
Hopefullly I will once again be posting daily.

With inflation, recession, IRS, etc. in mind: this week's thoughts will turn to money.


"The quickest (and perhaps the safest) way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket."





Have a great day.