Archive | July, 2019

Happy Place

30 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

When I was creating a graphic for my Monday church post I decided to use a beach theme. A lot of my extended family claim the beach as their happy place.

Today I listened to an author speaking about the power of fear. He said “don’t put your faith in fear.” I find myself doing that, facing a problem and my mind races ahead to the possible negative outcomes. I don’t have to do that. Hebrews 6:1 says:

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

Today I choose hope.

While I enjoy the beach, my happy place is wherever I am surrounded by mountains. Where is your happy place?

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Parable of the Lost Book

29 Jul

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Last week I asked my church’s librarian, Linda, if she could lend me a book for my neighbor, Sally, * who has to stay home most of the time as the primary caregiver for her husband. Ted* Sally and I both love to read, especially novels, especially good Christian Novels. We pretty well know each other’s tastes because we have been exchanging book ideas since Sally retired from being a nurse twenty years ago. We sometimes like the same novels, sometimes not. I knew she would be faithful to return the book, but vowed if anything untoward were to happen I would pay for it myself.

Picture by Linda Stuck Indian River City United Method Church library

The next time we met out in front of Sally’s house she had a couple of books to return to me, but not the one from the church library. I asked about it and she said she had returned it. How could that be? She had never been to my church library. 

I questioned her gently and she suddenly put her hand to her mouth. “Oh no, it came from your church library?”

“Yes, I said, but I can surely get it back. 

“Oh no,” she said again, this is awful!” But I was ready to pay and only sorry that I had caused this dismay. My dear neighbor and I take books seriously. 

The next day I went to the church library to get the name of the book. A career long research librarian is one of the helpers and she assured me that the public library would take very good care of the book and see that it came back to us. “Lost books have great priority among librarians.”

Titusville Public Library

I was glad they took it so seriously. Not everyone understands the value of novels. 

“So what is the name of it?” I asked Linda. She turned to her desk to check the computer, but she had to move a stack of books off the desk to get to it. 

She picked up the first one and gave it a quizzical look. “It’s this one she said. “It has been returned.”

“How did it get here?” her assistant asked. 

It was in the box outside when I came in,” said Linda. 

The lost book was found. It had taken only one book to cause a hullabaloo among those who really care. Kind of reminds you of the parable of the lost lamb, doesn’t it? We rejoiced, as did Sally when I told her the news.

This morning I went by the public library to tell one of our favorite desk people, (Linda also) what had happened and to thank her for getting it back to us. 

“We get books from church libraries and school libraries. For most of the misplaced ones we have a patron who will return them to her school or church. It’s a huge help. By the way, do you go to that church?” 

“Yes,”

“How would you feel about returning any books we happen to get from there?” 

I danced a jig inside and smiled at her happy to be asked. And that’s how I became a courier. I love the job already and I have yet to take a single book back. It’s the thought that counts. 

Like the lost lamb in Luke 15:4-7, Jesus is always looking after us to see that we get back where we belong. 

*Names changed

Author, Poet and Artist

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Artwork

28 Jul

Sunday Memories

Judy Wills

I don’t have much “taste” when it comes to artwork.  I suppose I don’t have an “eye” for quality artwork, but, as the saying goes:  I know what I like, and what I don’t like.

Consequently, Fred and I have gathered artwork for our house throughout our married life that we like and enjoy.  It might not be what a lot of people would call quality, but it suits us and we are pleased with it.

I remember once, when Fred and I and our girls went to Washington D.C. for a visit. One of the places we visited was the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, as part of the Smithsonion Museums. As we walked through the museum, I was appalled at some of the paintings we saw there.  With respect to those who appreciate that type of art – my thought was that some of those artists had to be on some kind of hallucinating drug to see life that way.  Bizarre! After spending quite a few hours there, we all decided that we would not include that museum in our touring of D.C. again.  

When Fred and I (and Karen as a baby) lived in Wiesbaden, Germany, many starving artists would come around the American housing and attempt to sell their wares.  One came to our door once.  The artist had quite a few of her paintings – all the same theme but in different color tones.  I really liked the one she had in blue tones.  But her price was way out of our budget.  We kept telling her, we were very sorry but we just couldn’t afford that painting.  She kept lowering her price.  We kept resisting.  She finally, in desperation, gave us her final price – one that we really could afford. And so we purchased the painting from her.  It still hangs in our house, and we enjoy it.

While not really “artwork” per se, there is another one we have hanging that we enjoy.  It took me many years to get framed and hung, but we like it.  We had visited the Gutenberg Museum while in Germany, and I had purchased this copy of a page of the Gutenberg Bible.  I had it framed and hung in Fred’s office at the church here in Orlando.  It now hangs in our guest bedroom.

Another type of “artwork” is a cross stitch work that a friend of ours in Virginia did for us.  I had seen her do one for a friend in our church who was moving, and asked her to do one for us, which she did.  She was very talented with this – something I can’t do – and so I think of her every time I see it, or dust the frame.  She’s gone home to be with the Lord now, so it is very special to me.

When our Aunt Jessie died, and we were going through her things to see what we each would like to have of hers, we came upon an Oriental “scroll” that was just beautiful.  Much as I thought I would like to have it, I had no idea what I would do with it, or where I would hang in on a wall.  Fortunately, my brother, Bill, said he would like it.  He took it, had it framed, and it is hanging in the entryway of their house. It is stunning.  I’m so glad he took it – it’s exactly in the right place. And it is, indeed, artwork.

Thanks to DiVoran Lites

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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How our problems turn into blessings

27 Jul

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged July 27, 2019

The Terminix rep sat at my kitchen table. “I have good news and not so good news,” he said.

Gulp. I braced myself. I called him because I had some bites that could be from those pesky insects. And since I travel often, they could have hitched a ride in my suitcase.

“Good news,” he said, “you don’t have bed bugs. But not so good news is we inspected and you have no protection against termites.”

Yikes! Forget the bed bugs, termites that could eat up my house is a bigger problem and a greater threat. I signed up for their plan faster than you can say bugs.

Isn’t that like life? We drown in tears because of an ugly situation, painful and unexpected. But God is in the background using that very situation to work something beautiful. He’s using it as a path to bring about greater changes and before you know it, that problem was a blessing in disguise.

Five Ways

Here are five ways God might be crafting that transformation:

God has answers that are eternal.

Difficult circumstances demand solutions that are temporary, but God has the answers that are eternal. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

Each problem is a blessing when we look for the lesson. When we hear His message. When we appreciate the change. And when we believe that, in Christ there is no problem without a purpose. No sorrow without His comfort, no setback without a solution and no tragedy without His triumph.

Let’s Pray

Father, thank You for your patience with me. Thank You for showing me to look beyond the circumstance and see Your mighty hand at work to bring greater things. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Which of your problems can be turned to a blessing for you?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

Enjoying the Cool

26 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

After Tuesday’s rain storms passed through the remaining days of the week were glorious. I decided to abandon my computer and chores and simply enjoy. I have a teak lounger on the back porch and I spent chunks of time soaking up the cool breezes, watching the crazy hummingbirds and reading another of the Irish doctor books.

 Thursday we went on a picnic with friends at a campground/picnic area called Standing Indian. It is around a mile high in elevation and the cooler air was refreshing.

Whether traveling with an RV or tent, Standing Indian Campground is a prime place to stop for a night or spend several days in the picturesque Nantahala National Forest. The campground’s many amenities provide a comfortable home base for exploring this fun and historic section of the forest. Standing Indian is located within a 20-minute drive of Franklin, North Carolina

Reserve America

We had an entire pavilion to ourselves and plenty of time to burn the hotdogs just the way we like them!

This morning one of the Methodist churches had their annual mega rummage sale. I enjoyed looking at all of the items and I usually find something I can’t live without in the kitchen section. Over the winter, I found a bag on wheels at a thrift store and I grabbed it to have for this sale. Other shoppers were envious. I definitely found items I couldn’t live without!

I was hoping to score some Snap Ware, my new kitchen obsession, but didn’t. I did get several Tupperware pieces and the most I paid was $2.00 for a Tupperware butter dish. Does anyone remember having one of those? I think my favorite find is a glass pitcher like my mom had during the 1980s. I have seen them in antique stores for $15.00. I only paid $2.00!

Just because I thought it was pretty, I bought this cute dish for my daughter. She loves butterfly art and jewelry and the colors are perfect for her kitchen.

I have to give kudos to this church and their ability to organize and hold a sale. They begin in February, collecting items. Then each item is cleaned and where appropriate, checked to to be sure that it is in working condition. The sale spreads over all of the buildings at the fairgrounds and they have volunteers directing parking. Once inside, items are displayed almost in a booth like setting complete with volunteers who answer questions, bag up your choices and take the money. They even have their novels sorted by author! I was impressed.

I am thankful for the cooler temps. I know the heat will return but I will have these memories to savor as the warmer temps return. Besides it is only a little over 50 days until Fall!

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Shine!

23 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

People around us are angry, dare I say, even a bit crazy. Some days it seems that even the alligators are upset.

Photo credit Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from PixabayPhoto credit

Philippians 2:15 encourages us to choose to be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation so that we will shine like the stars of the universe. So friends, let’s shine!

Breckenridge-2

22 Jul

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Dora Bell Dice Morgan

By Dora Jane Bedell Bowers and DiVoran Lites 

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 

Pictures courtesy of Patricia Franklin

The Morgans were still in Breckenridge in May,1892, but their lives had not improved. In fact, things were falling apart for Dora Bell. One night when the two children were sound asleep in their corner of the cabin, Frank came home late and told her he’d been cavorting with the       chambermaid at the hotel. He was fed up with his job and would take the next train with the chamber maid.

That was bad enough, but Dora Bell was also pregnant and due in a couple of months. More practical than sentimental Dora Bell, knowing she would not be able to take care of three children on her own, begged Frank to take the other two with him. The chambermaid was probably as mixed up and confused as everyone else, but two half-grown children might not have been her cup of tea. She had no choice.

The town granny who had been midwife and herbalist the whole time Dora Bell lived there had been teaching Dora Bell about the healing herbs on the mountain. She learned names for the wildflowers and knew where the best herbs were to be found and how to use them and what to use     them for. Even wild blackberry leaves and raspberry leaves had important uses for common diseases such as typhoid fever.

Pictures courtesy of Patricia Franklin

Mz Jones as the granny was called delivered Dora Bell’s last baby-May Bell. Eventually, the spelling was changed to Mabel. 

Dora Bell had a difficult delivery, one which would leave her in pain for the rest of her life. Nowadays we call it prolapse. But she had to support herself and Mabel the best she could. She cooked, cleaned, ciphered and read. She crocheted and embroidered. She worked in restaurants, hotels, and saloons to earn money to keep herself and her daughter alive. The women of the mining camp helped each other the best they could sharing their meager supplies. Winter, however, was freezing cold and snowy. It must have been hard to have enough winter clothes and galoshes to keep their feet warm and dry. There was a matter of fuel for the wood-burning stove and wind coming into the cracks of the house. Mud was a big factor and living on a hillside made a slippery problem. Dora Bell maintained the house the best she could.

Mabel turned out to be a sweet little girl, but she was never hearty. When she was eight years old, she got typhoid fever and had to quit school. Third grade was all the formal education she ever had, but at least she could read and write well enough to get along. 

Pictures courtesy of Patricia Franklin

Dora Bell taught Mabel everything she learned about herbs and they often climbed the mountain to find wild-flowers that could be used for remedies. That helped their finances because if other mining families could manage to, they paid in homegrown and homemade commodities. 

There was nowhere for Dora Bell and Mabel to go and no one who cared about them except the friends they had made on the mountain. In a few years, however, things would change.

Author, Poet and Artist

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Let’s Play a Game-Make Up a Name

21 Jul

Sunday Memories

Judy Wills

I have some quirky habits – well, I suppose most people do.  But for some reason, when we are stopped at a traffic light, I look at the cars around us – specifically their license tags – and try to make up words for them.

I think I started doing that with our own license tags, just so I could remember them if or when I would need to give that information to someone, such as the DMV or at a hotel where we stayed.

For instance, one of our tags in Virginia was QRI-727.  What would you make of that?  Well, my thought was:  query (or question)? Is that a 727 airplane?

We had one tag here in Florida that was UNH-935. Since we attended (and Fred graduated from) the University of New Mexico, thus UNM, that was fairly easy: University of New Hampshire-935.  Get the picture?  I just wish Fred had asked the clerk to pull one that had UNM on it! 

Okay, let’s do a test-run.  See what you can make out of the following (that I made up):

            Y25-JVP

and     Y75-KPD

For the first one, I would have said:  Year25-John Victor Patrick

And the second one:   Year75-Kissimmee Police Department

            (That one was easy, since I have two friends who work at the KPD)

Then there are the vanity plates.  I have a lot of fun with them.  There was a married couple we knew in Texas who had Mopsy on her car, and Popsy on his.

And then I saw one vanity plate with just one word on it:   ytteb   I had a difficult time figuring that one out – until I spelled it backwards.  I’m assuming the driver’s name is: Betty.

We had one Air Force license tag that said AGPOP.

Really easy to remember.  Unfortunately, Florida law says that military plates have to be changed out every 10 years.  I can’t imagine who made up that law.  All it does is create more paperwork for some government agency, that is totally unnecessary. But that’s the government for you.

Below are some sample license plates from Florida’s License plate designs

I guess the one that really inspired me to do this word search, was while we were living in Virginia.  I was stopped behind a car that the license plate had the words: I SOIF.  That one had me baffled.  Soif?  Soif? What in the world is soif?  Then, as I began looking at the back window decals – and the bumper stickers – of the car, I realized that I was looking at all kinds of surfboards!  Okay…now I get it – I SOIF means I SURF.  The guy in the car was a surfer.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

So….has this inspired you to take a new look at license plates and try to figure out words?  It’s a fun thing to do, and Fred gets quite tickled at some of the ones I come up with. Give it a try.  You just might like it – and it helps pass the time when traveling.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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God’s Way to Perform Miracles

20 Jul

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged July 20, 2019

God’s way to perform miracles.

What keeps you from believing in miracles?

A mother answered these questions with boldness and unique faith. The results stirred attention and a film was made of this miraculous event.

The scenario took place in a St. Louis hospital. The story is about John Smith who fell in icy water and remained there for 15 minutes. The news read, “When rescuers brought him to SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, the teen wasn’t breathing. Paramedics and doctors did everything in their power to bring John back, not willing to give up. They performed CPR and other life-saving measures on him for 43 minutes—without regaining a pulse.”

Medically, the boy was dead.

They called his mother to the room to give her the bad news.

What did she do? She prayed. She declared out loud God’s power and the Holy Spirit upon her son and believed she would receive it.

What happened next is that blood began to flow in that dead boy’s veins.

The doctors shocked and stunned couldn’t give explanations. They only had one conclusion: it was a “genuine miracle.”

The chilling details.

Here are the chilling details: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/04/inspiration-nation-mom-prays-son-back-to-life/22883985/

I’d like to meet that mother and tell her, “I want faith like yours. To be that bold, and overflow with trust.”

Her trust didn’t drive her to beg, but declare God’s healing power. Her faith didn’t lead her to lament the circumstance, but prompted her to praise the Lord for what He knows how to do. And she didn’t sink into sorrow, instead she believed God’s promise, claimed and received it.

While she claimed it in faith, the mountain was removed.

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

Let’s Pray

Father, teach me to look to you for that unwavering faith that proclaims what You can do and what You will do. In Jesus’s name.

What miracle are you expecting?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Trying Out a Free Template

19 Jul

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Yesterday Adobe Spark sent me an email offering me four free templates. I like free, so I added them to my account. I used one of the freebies to make this a graphic. It offered me two download options, one with a transparent background, the other colored. Let me know which you think looks better.

Transparent
Colored

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