Spring is Here!

"For behold,
the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land."
(Song of Solomon 2:11-12)

Probably the Most Accurate Facebook Quiz I've Ever Taken...

What is your Temperament?

Melanie took the "What is your Temperament?" quiz and the result is Sanguine.

 

You sparkle. There is something about you that is lovable and fun. You are a people-person and people are drawn to you. You are lighthearted and carefree. You are a born storyteller, everyone knows that when you start a conversation with "You'll never guess what happened..." they are in for a good story. You have a good sense of humour and a memory for colour. You feel things passionately and you are very demonstrative of your feelings. You have a natural curiosity and a wide-eyed innocence that is charming. You have a changeable disposition but a sincere heart. Whatever is happening now is the most important thing and whoever is in the room is your favourite person - and you are theirs. Extrovert: The People Person.

 

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So that was what I came up as in the "What is Your Temperament" quiz. :-)  I thought most of the things were pretty close to the real me. 

Please forgive me for not posting sooner.  I have been doing a lot of thinking, and a lot of writing, but have not gotten much of it onto my blog here! :-J   I am still planning on writing the second part of the series I started on Faith, Hope, and Love.  Also, I might post the article about Malaysia that I'm working on, tell about my new writing diary, and share some other things the Lord is teaching me.  Right now, I am going to make a cup of chai tea (which kept me up until 3:00 AM last night...) and read a book.  Then hopefully I will get to writing Airborne and possibly working on my childrens' books series.  I hope all my dear readers are doing well.  Let us keep our eyes on Jesus and put Him first in everything, that He may receive all the glory. 

Something to pray about: In my studying to write an article on Malaysia for the Tuckleberry Times, I have learned a lot about the persecution Christians receive there from the Muslims (which make up 60.4% of the population.)   In the last few months, they have been suffering from angered Muslims making attacks on some of their churches.  Please keep the Malaysian Christians in prayer.  Pray that they would be strong in their faith, that converts to Christianity would hold to Jesus no matter what the earthly cost, and that Christians would be bold to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even with the Muslims (which is illegal).  I can't wait to share with you what I have been learning about Malaysia!

A Pilgrim's Wants

Melissa posted this on Facebook today and it so echoed the prayer of my heart that I had to share it with you. (I did a post below too-- just letting you know so you don't miss it. :-) )


THE PILGRIM'S WANTS
I want a sweet sense of Thy pardoning love,
that my manifold sins are forgiven;
that Christ, as my advocate, pleadeth above,
that my name is recorded in heaven.
I want every moment to feel
that Thy Spirit resides in my heart-
that Thy power is present to cleanse and to heal,
and newness of life to impart.
I want-oh! I want to attain
some likeness, my Savior, to Thee!
That longed-for resemblance once more to regain,
Thy comeliness put upon me.
I want to be marked for Thine own-
Thy seal on my forehead to wear;
to receive that new name on the mystic white stone
which none but Thyself can declare.
I want so in Thee to abide
as to bring forth some fruit to Thy praise,
and the branch that Thou prunest, though feeble and dried,
may languish but never decays.
I want Thine own hand to unbind
each tie to terrestrial things;
too tenderly cherished, too closely entwined,
where my heart so tenaciously clings.
I want, by my aspect serene,
my actions and words to declare
that my treasure is placed in a country unseen,
that my heart's best affections are there.
I want as a trav'ller to haste
straight forward, nor pause on my way;
nor forethought in anxious contrivance to waste
on the tent only pitched for a day.
I want-and this sums up my prayer-
to glorify Thee till I die;
then calmly yield up my soul to Thy care,
and breathe out in faith my last sigh.

-Author Unknown

Psalm 42

As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
when shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my meat day and night,
while they continually say unto me, 'Where is thy God?'
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:
for I had gone with the multitude,
I went with them to the house of God,
with the voice of joy and praise,
with a multitude that kept holyday.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted in me?
hope thou in God:
for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
O my God, my soul is cast down within me:
therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan,
and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,
and in the night his song shall be with me,
and my prayer unto the God of my life.
I will say unto God my rock,
'Why hast thou forgotten me?
why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?'As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me;
while they say daily unto me, 'Where is thy God?'
Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God:
for I shall yet praise him,
who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

A Desert in the Blog World....

Where is everyone these days? This poor blog is so neglected! "No one writes!" ;-) I am trying to think of some interactive thing that we might do to make the blog world more exciting. I have a couple ideas. Do any of you have any ideas?

I am also considering opening my blog up to the public. I haven't checked with my dad yet because I am still thinking about it. What do you think? If I opened it up, then you could get it in your followers feed and know when I posted... and more people would be able to visit who don't know how to set up a google account... And maybe people who were searching for God might stumble upon my blog and be encouraged to seek Him, or believers may be encouraged in Him! The problem is, it wouldn't be so much of a close community where everyone knows each other or gets to know each other via the blog. I'd have to be especially diligent at moderating comments, and also careful that I don't post a lot of personal information.

What do you think?

Baba Yetu-- The Lord's Prayer in Swahili

Totally the most awesome song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJmJ6Orq2E0

!!!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook, March 19th

March 19th, 2010

Outside My Window...beautiful sunshine, warmer temperatures, cheerful birds singing praise to their Creator and glorying in the approach of Spring

I am thinking...how very happy I am to belong to Jesus, and how all this world can give cannot fulfil; whereas if all we had was Jesus, we would have everything we need!

I am thankful for...the relationship I can have with God through Jesus Christ, and for the books I can read that encourage me in my walk with God

From the kitchen...not much. I just made myself a bowl of Ramen Noodles, which was pretty good.

I am wearing...my flouncy denim skirt, blue T-shirt, and green sweater, and socks. :-)

I am creating...a dress for Anna

I am going...nowhere today! YAY! I like to stay home. ;-)

I am reading...Numbers and Luke in the Bible still, The Laird's Inheritance by George MacDonald, and a couple other books :-)

I am hoping...that I get over my cold soon and that I can get some inspiration for chapter 17 of Airborne soon!

I am hearing...a bird tweeting outside. So cute! :-)

Around the house... all is pretty quiet. Beth is doing her school on the deck, Mommy is walking through the kitchen, Amanda is at the Villa and Daddy is on a squad call... so not much going on around the house!

One of my favorite things...sunshine

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: finishing Anna's dress, writing if I have inspiration ;-), church on Sunday... all if the Lord wills

Here is picture I am sharing...Beth applied her newly-learned photography skills to snap this picture of Rebecca Tatiana:

These Three: Part 1: FAITH

A lesson that God continues to bring up to me is that of hope and faith in prayer. He's been teaching me so much about it, that I might make two or three posts about it instead of just this one. You know, I think I will. :-)

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Men ought always to pray, and not to lose heart...

"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, 'There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, "Avenge me of mine adversary."

" 'And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, "Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."

" 'And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them (give them justice) speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" ' "

A deep look into my heart shows that I often lack faith and lose heart. I ask a couple times, receive no clear answer, and give up. Or, I wish something were so but I don't even bring it to God at all-- as though my prayers will be answered when I do not pray at all! This is not faith.

What is faith? "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." In modern words, it is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." It takes faith to believe that God will work when we do not see how He could possibly do so. It takes faith to come to God at all with our heart's requests and pleas. Faith also requires that we throw out all doubts and insecurities and press ahead with complete conviction.

Think of the Israelites in the book of Numbers. In chapters 13 and 14, they spied out the land of Canaan; their hearts were filled with doubt and fear; and they chose to disbelieve God, which wound them up wandering around in the wilderness for forty years. After that long time of wandering, in chapter 21, the Israelites face the unconquerable land of Canaan and its peoples again. Read the chapter-- it is thrilling to see that as they obeyed God with some measure of faith,they cut down those fearful nations left and right as though those nations were the grasshoppers instead of the Israelites!

The woman in the passage above also showed a great deal of faith. Day after day, she came before that unjust judge, bringing her plea before him in the belief that he would answer her. After time, the unjust judge answered her request to get her off his back. God is just; He is Justice and so far above that unjust judge, and so much more righteous in His dealings. That said, can we not believe that He will answer our prayers if an unjust judge on earth can do so? This is the God that loves us, that promises to be with us and hear our prayers! Surely we can take Him at His Word!

Doubt will never get a person anywhere. Doubt hinders God's work in our lives-- not that He isn't powerful, but we can't see Him at work when our eyes are clouded by our own disbelief. God does not want us to dwell on the "bigness" of the "giants" before us, nor on our great (and real) weakness and inability. However, He wants us to come to Him in prayer and believe that He will act according to His promise and His character. He wants us to take Him at His Word, believe Him fully, and go forth in the knowledge that He is God Almighty. In my daily life as I wish for God to work and do great things, I must do more than just wish. I must pray, and believe, and pray again. The Just Judge will hear, and He will act. Nothing will be impossible. Justice will prevail, giants will fall, and nations will crumble before the Lord of hosts.

Remember the song from The Prince of Egypt: "There can be miracles when you believe"? It was true for the people in the Bible! There can be miracles, and it can be true for you and me as well.

Scripture Pictures

These are some pictures that I fiddled with on Picnik.com. What do you think? :-D

VERSES FROM SCRIPTURE:

PHRASES FROM SCRIPTURE:

Which Dickens Heroine Are You?

I found this little meme at Wickfield Writings. It's fun and you are welcome to do it too. Simply erase where I put an "X" and put an "X" before each statement that applies to you.


DICKENSIAN HEROINE MEME

Agnes Wickfield:
[] You are very close to your parents
[X] You've been called a "good influence"
[X] You’ve had guys like you only because of your looks
[X] You can play a musical instrument
[] You usually keep a level head under pressure
[X] You are afraid to share your feelings sometimes
[] You've been around a drunk person
[X] You're waiting patiently for "Mr. Right"
TOTAL: 5

{No Picture Available}

Dora Spenlow:
[] Your family babies you
[X] You are known to be a dreamer
[] You have/had/want a pet dog
[] You've dated someone your parents disliked
[] You like to paint
[X] You like to sing
[] You had your first serious relationship at a young age
[] You can be a bit of a ditz
TOTAL: 2

Esther Summerson:
[X] You've been/want to be a teacher or tutor
[] You have a lot of responsibilities
[] Someone you hardly knew asked you out
[] You have/had an unusual relationship with your mother
[] You've been very sick (bad flu, pox, or other illness)
[] You do/did volunteer work
[] You don't have a lot of friends, just one or two best friends
[] You wait before judging others
TOTAL: 1


Amy "Little" Dorrit:
[] You've known someone in jail
[] You'd do anything for your family
[X] You are shy
[] You've traveled abroad
[] You can be a bit of a pushover
[X] You have/had a crush on someone much older than you
[X] You are very talented at your job
[X] You are a good storyteller
TOTAL: 4


Estella Havisham:
[] You have been in a stormy relationship
[] You are an only child
[] You've rejected someone
[] You are something of a feminist
[] You've deeply regretted a past action
[] You don’t have a lot of friends
[] You are very independent
[] Your parents try to control you
TOTAL: 1

Bella Wilfer:
[X] You often argue with your siblings
[almost X] You are never afraid to speak your mind
[X] You can be proud
[X] You wish you had more money than you do
[] You have a soft spot for your father
[X] You love to dress up
[X] You are compassionate
[X] You often go to the library/shop for books
TOTAL: 7


Lizzie Hexam:
[] You have been in a one-sided relationship
[X] You like to take care of others
[X] You have dark hair
[] You adore your sibling(s)
[] You have weird friends
[X] You like to sew
[] You've wished you could run away
[] You are something of an outcast
TOTAL: 3

So according to this quiz, I am most like Bella Wilfer. When I think about it, that sounds quite right, and is fine with me; I like Bella. Her story is so...neat! :-D I love the way she changes throughout the story, going from a bratty, self-centered, materialistic girl to a woman who loves selflessly, trusts, supports her husband, etc.

Feel free to do this if you want. :-)

Now I'm off to writing. TTFN! :-)

"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised."
(Proverbs 31:30)

The Simple Woman's Daybook, March 5th

March 5th, 2010

Outside My Window...the city of Pensecola lines the distance out one window, and the Gulf of Mexico spans the side out the other window, as well as palm trees, a real heron, the roofs of the next story down, white sands, and a pool that is calling me :-)

I am thinking...how exciting it is to finally be in Florida, and how I would really like to go swimming

I am thankful for...the Lord's goodness and grace that He gives us, His presence in our lives every day, and His great forgiveness that He offers us through Christ

From the kitchen...some random groceries here and there. :-)
I am wearing...my pink T-shirt and my flouncy light green skirt, and french braids in my hair.

I am creating...memories. :-)

I am going...down to the beach in just a minute or two. First time on a white sands beach! :-D

I am reading...Numbers and Luke in the Bible, North and South for just "reading"

I am hoping...that we can go swimming today and that I can have a chance to share Christ sometime this week

I am hearing...something run by a motor that is loud and annoying, and cars driving by

Around the house... Florida-y decorations, our luggage, and people. :-)

One of my favorite things...sunshine and water.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: swimming, visiting Pensacola Christian College, swimming, working on Airborne, swimming, spending time in God's Word, swimming, catching up in my journal :-)

Here is picture thought I am sharing... Florida :-D
Off to the beach with me now! :-D

So Where's Melanie Been?

No posts! No posts at all! She must have fallen off the face of the earth...No, not quite. :-) We are on vacation. We were in Indiana for a week, then Tuesday and Wednesday we drove to Georgia, and today we are in Florida, until next Wednesday, Lord willing.

It has been an awesome trip! We have driven through Ohio and Indiana (duh), Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida! The only "first" of these is Florida, but the last time I was in Alabama was so long ago that I don't remember it a bit. It had been a long time since I'd been in Tennessee or Georgia either.

If you were to ask me which is my favorite so far (except for OH and IN), I'd definitely have to say Georgia. Georgia is the most awesome state! I love it!! The Atlanta area is really beautiful, the city is neat, and the culture is so charming! It's the South, you know!! It's so different than the North. We had stopped at a gas station maybe a half-hour from Marietta/Atlanta, and a lady was talking to mom outside the van, and suddenly it was like, "Oh, yeah, we're in the land of Georgia accents!" ;-) Of course, my granddaddy has a Georgia accent, and we've gotten to know it better from movies like "Facing the Giants" and "What the Deaf Man Heard", and it really is fun to listen to. ;-) The architecture is different too. Pillars/columns in the front of a house is really "the thing". The area where we stayed last night (where my aunt and second-cousin live) is pretty fancy too and there were some very beautiful houses. ;-) This is Daddy's cousin Mary Anne's house:Watching Facing the Giants with Georgians has also put it in a whole new perspective. ;-) So has watching it in HD. ;-) Mary Anne's husband said (jokingly) that football is a religion down here. (Not really a religion, you know what I mean though. ;-) ) Almost everyone is big into football, and are very serious about it-- a lot more than in the North, it seems! And what's even funnier is that cousin Patrick's school's football team has played the Tucker Tigers!! They are arch-rivals!! :-P

~*~*~*~*~

The last time we came to Georgia was 1997. Since I was only about five then, I only remember a few things: a fuzzy memory of pulling up at my Aunt Catherine's house in the middle of the night and waking up; going up the see-through elevator at the Coca Cola place; watching the show at Stone Mountain. That's about it. I didn't remember my dad's cousins or our "second-cousins-once-removed" at all. So meeting Patrick, the youngest "second-cousin-once-removed" (it was a big discussion last night ;-) ) was quite new to us. We had a blast with him, Mary Anne and Jaime. They're great people. :-)

This morning we headed from Georgia to Pensecola. Since Aunt Catherine and Jake were coming with us, we alternated who got to ride with them. ;-) I did first, then Beth, and then Amanda (who got to drive as well. ;-) ) As we drove, I fell more and more in love with Georgia. I love the scenery. It really is awesome. I wish we could spend more time in that state. ;-)

We also stopped in the town where my Granddaddy grew up. It's a little town with five to seven churches all at one intersection right off the exit, a historic downtown, and mostly low-middle-class or poor houses. We went to the graveyard where our Anderson great-grandparents are buried, and passed the high school where Granddaddy probably attended back in the 30's.

Here is Jake at that particular stop. In case you were wondering whether Jake is one of our cousins.... wonder no longer. :-)

Alabama was an interesting state to drive through. I can't say it's on my "Top 10 Favorites" list. The scenery is very "savannah-y", and the very few "residential" areas that we passed through seemed to steeped in poverty. It was actually pretty sad.

However, the farther south we drove, the greener it got, and the warmer it grew, though it was gradual, so we hardly noticed the "green" part right away. Once we arrived in Florida, we were driving past a very pretty cemetery and I commented on how it looked so beautiful shades by those great big trees-- and then I realized.... "There's leaves on the trees!!!!" Yes, here in Florida, almost all the deciduous trees had leaves. It is BEAUTIFUL! There are also many tall pine trees, small shrubs, and palm trees.

Pensacola looks just like I imagined it-- the buildings, the palm trees, all that. A stop at WalMart prolonged our travel time a little, so by the time we arrived at the condo, the sun was already setting over the Gulf of Mexico.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race."
(Psalm 19:1-5)

The Lord has been teaching me a lot on this trip, and I am in the middle of compiling a post on one of those things: hoping in the Lord when everything in us would rather lose hope altogether. I've also been thinking a lot about serving the Lord in every aspect of my life, to the best of my ability. I've also been seeing how He fulfills His promises, and rejoicing in such verses as Psalm 37:3-9, which encourage me to commit everything to God, to just keep serving Him and walking with Him, and letting Him act in His timing in the way He sees fit.

Thanks for listening to this very random ramble. ;-) We're having a good time, as you can see. Hope you are all well! Keep your eyes focused on the Lord, and pray the same for us! :-D

God bless!

~Melanie :-D