The Living Water of Life

3 Apr

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

 

 

A river is a conveyance of the most primordial element of life—water.
This river of water of life is a symbol of God in Christ as the Spirit flowing Himself into His redeemed people to be their life and life supply.

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 4:13-14

 

Ancient civilizations sprang up around rivers for good reason. Humans can only survive 3-5 days without water. We need water for basic life functions like circulation, respiration, and converting food to energy. After oxygen (another symbol of the Spirit), water is the body’s most important nutrient.

 

 

A river has three aspects.

Such a flowing river has a source, a course, and a flow.  (Rev. 22:1).
In these three aspects of a river, the persons of the Triune God, the move of God, and the eternal intention of God are all profoundly typified.

The Water Of Life.

 

 

Most Relevant Verses.

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. John 7:38-39 

Verse Concepts.

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. Proverbs 18:4 

 

 

Verse Concepts

He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head.
Psalm 110:7

Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”– Genesis 3:22-24 

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 22:1-2

 

Verse Concepts.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14

It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. Ezekiel 47:9

 

 

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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Dressmaker

2 Apr

My Take

DiVoran Lites

 

 

 

 

Every fall before school started
Mother took me to The May Co.
In Denver where they had a
Perfume fountain in which I dipped
My fingers and got a stern look
From a clerk. Well, what’s perfume for?
And I’d had a bath before we got there.
We ordered clothes so that they came
To our small town at the foot of
The Sangre de Cristo range.
On the mail truck.

When Daddy was away in the war
Fabric was rationed.
So, Mother and Grandmother
Took old clothes from
The attic and made dresses and pants
For my brother and me.
One time I was so tired of standing
For pinning up hems that I
Ripped the a dress from top to bottom
And ran out of the room.

Many years later, I had a toddler daughter
Who needed pretty clothes.
Why don’t I make some?
Oh, because I can’t sew.
So I signed up for a night
Class at the high school
And left our daughter at home with her daddy.

Our sewing teacher came from Hungary
With an elegant accent.
With a long history of European Couture
She knew everything about
How clothes had to be assembled.
Rip instead of cutting to get a
Straight piece.
Lay the pattern just so…
To take up the least
Amount of material
Line a jacket with satin, and
Hem the lining separately
Above all, match the natches
(Which we called notches.)
Cut one garment at a time
Cheap ready-to-wear pieces are
Cut in piles with power scissors
Which make the drape warped
When sewn together
Sew in the new invisible zippers by
Hand, not on the Singer.
Innovation is fine, sloppiness is not.

Then Bill and I had a little boy and
When he was two
I made matching sailor suits
For him and his sister
From quality gray gabardine—
Wide collars with red rickrack
And stars in each corner.
I wished that Mother and Grandmother
Could see my work
But by then, they were far away.

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Butterflies and Flowers

1 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

 

New Mexico state flag – Credit Google Search

It was a grand place to live and grow up in. I loved the mountains – more now that I am no longer around them to enjoy.

 

ountains outside Albuquerque – Credit Google Search

 

I loved the dry climate – especially more now that I live in a humid environment. I loved the Indian/Mexican culture – I still do, with the sand paintings I have from my Aunt Jessie and the turquoise and silver jewelry I inherited from her.

 

 

There just isn’t much that I remember about Albuquerque and New Mexico in particular, that I don’t love. I mentioned once, a few years ago to our daughter, that it was dirty, dusty, and scrubby, but it was home. And I loved it! We had a cute, three-bedroom, one-bath house.

 

 

I remember Mom and Dad saying they needed to add another bathroom on – just because I took so long getting ready each morning. But they never did. They did add a covered patio that joined the house to the detached garage, which was nice. We had many a meal on that patio, in the evenings, especially, but sometimes breakfast. It was great.

When our neighbors added a concrete-block fence between their back yard and ours, my Mother planted many rose bushes and iris flowers along our side of the fence.

 

Fred and me by the roses

 

There was also a small, long stretch of dirt between the house the driveway, where she planted iris plants. I remember taking the petals from those iris plants and “pressing” them between book or Bible pages. When they flattened and dried, they were almost transparent – I could read through them! It was amazing.

Perhaps that’s why I came to love the iris flower so much. When I see them, it reminds me of “home” and how much I enjoyed those flowers blooming. I’ve never tried my hand at growing them, however. I think I’ve mentioned before that I have a “black thumb” rather than a “green thumb” when it comes to growing anything! When we were in Heidelberg, Germany, someone had planted a bunch of iris bulbs at the end of one of the housing buildings. Every Spring, they just sprouted up – mostly lilac color, some white, some dark purple. My favorite is the dark purple, so I suppose that is the most prominent color of iris Mom had planted.

When our youngest daughter, Janet, was giving birth to her twins, I was able to attend to her in the hospital. I remember one day going by the gift shop in the hospital and stopping in my tracks! Hanging there was a beautiful, stain-glass window hanging that had butterflies and iris blossoms on it! It was one of those “I just MUST have that” moments, and so I purchased it and had it shipped home to Florida. It hangs in our “office” window where I can see it just any time I want.

I think it’s lovely. What do you think?

 

 

 

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Are You Sure You Will Go To Heaven?

31 Mar

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

 

Are you sure you’ll go to heaven?

Reblogged March 31, 2018

 

Class reunions are so much fun…not. “Wow, you didn’t change a bit,” I heard a friend say.

But how can one not change during decades?

Of course, we change.

But we say state the “politically correct” thing. After all, we’re reuniting with friends from our youth. Those friends that joined us in the silly antics. They shared the insecurities that we try so hard to hide. Those friends who, long ago, sparked envy, and others brought comfort.

Reuniting with them is, can we say “interesting.”

Don’t Miss This Reunion

But there is one reunion no one should want to miss. The reunion that holds the glorious life after we take our last breath. The reunion that opens the door to the place where no more tears are shed. No more pain. No more sorrow or fear.

That reunion with Jesus makes life on earth bearable, doable and possible.

But really? You might be like a friend who voiced her doubt to me recently. She said, “There are many ways to heaven. I’m a good person, I never hurt anyone intentionally and I do my best to live right.”

Hmmm…how good is good-enough? And living right is right-enough?

Did you ever ask that question? What is the level of “goodness” in a person that opens the door to heaven for eternity?

Here’s the Answer

God so longs to reunite with us. That’s a fact. But one day, He shook His head as He observed our feeble attempts to get it “right.” (My personal paraphrase.)

As you can guess, He saw that, on our own, we never could obtain that “good enough” level to gain entry to heaven. So, He did the most amazing thing. He said again that He loves us so much that He sent a Savior to save us from eternal death. He said His name would be Jesus.

There you have Him. Jesus, the Savior, the one in whom we put out hope for life eternal. For a future secure after we close our eyes for the last time. The one who resurrected and is alive. And the One, the only One who promised that when we open our eyes again, we’ll be by His side, walking on the streets of gold. Forever whole and complete, overflowing with joy.

What do you think?

Is it time to celebrate? Resurrection Sunday holds that promise: death has no power over us. Gloom has no significance. And fear has no grip.

Let’s hold on to this truth because the expectation of that reunion with Jesus should keep us dancing in celebration.

That’s precisely God’s will. And when we do His will, we find comfort in this admonishment:

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21-22)

My Prayer for You

I pray that you, friend, haven’t gotten lost in the busyness of life. And distracted, you’ve been lured by other stuff that you forgot about “that day.”

Instead, I hope that you’ve chosen to open your heart to Jesus and invited Him in. Then you can be certain that as you go through life on earth, you’ll be secure. And in the next life, the sweet reunion with Jesus happens.

Until that day, store this promise in your heart: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).

The guest list to enter that House has specific names …is yours included?

Let’s pray.

Father, I don’t know the number of my days; show me how to do your will and to know you through your Word. Grant me wisdom and diligence to fill my heart with truth from Scripture and fill my days with your instructions. I ask for the freedom to live a life rich with the security that heaven is guaranteed for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Questions to Ask Yourself

  • What has kept you from knowing Jesus in a personal way?
  • Where will your courage come from to choose to follow Jesus as He instructs?
  • What security do you have that heaven awaits you?

Janet

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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.

SOURCE: https://janetperezeckles.com/blog/direction/are-you-sure-youll-go-to-heaven.html

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My Sin

30 Mar

Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us. Galatians 1:4

 

 

I  sin daily yet He loved me so deeply that He took on my sins to himself. Amazing love.

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Road Trip~Chimney Rock Monument

29 Mar

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

Day 12, September 18, 2017

This morning my body decided to rebel  and sent me to rest for the day. Not wanting to ground everyone else, I suggested they visit the nearby Chimney Rock National Monument.

Since I was not on the trip, I am relying on excerpts from the website:

This undiscovered gem is an intimate, off-the-beaten-path archaeological site located at the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains  in Southwestern Colorado. You’ll walk in the footsteps of the fascinating and enigmatic Ancestral Puebloans of the Chaco Canyon, following primitive pathways that haven’t changed for 1,000 years. Archaeological ruins and artifacts, abundant wildlife, and its setting in the breathtaking San Juan National Forest make Chimney Rock a must-see. 

 

Rebekah and Pam

Also from the monument website:

Chimney Rock is the highest in elevation of all the Chacoan sites, at about 7,000 feet above sea level. From the base, the hike to the top is just a half mile and it’s rewarded with dramatic 360-degree views of Colorado and New Mexico.

 

 

If you enjoy photography, Mountain Photography has a collection of breathtaking photos.

 

They returned from their adventure with stories to tell and I enjoyed hearing them and felt confident I would be feeling better for our trip to Mesa Verde the following day.

Here is my favorite picture of the day.

 

Rebekah and her dad

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My Ransom Was Paid

28 Mar

But this I know with all my heart…

 

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Dolphins…Angels of the Sea

27 Mar

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

 

 

Dolphins….angels of the sea
Our hearts are with you, little souls, stay strong.

 

Although our oceans teem with life, few creatures of the great blue expanse are as magical as dolphins.

 

 10 fascinating dolphin facts that will make you love them even more.

 


1. Nearly 40 species of dolphins swim the waters of the world. Most live in shallow areas of tropical and temperate oceans, and five species live in rivers.

2. Dolphins are carnivores. Fish, squid and crustaceans are included in their list of prey. A 260-pound dolphin eats about 33 pounds of fish a day.

3. Known for their playful behavior, dolphins are highly intelligent. They are as smart as apes, and the evolution of their larger brains is surprisingly similar to humans.

 

 

4. Dolphins are part of the family of whales that includes orcas and pilot whales. Killer whales are actually dolphins.

 

5. Dolphins are very social, living in groups that hunt and even play together. Large pods of dolphins can have 1,000 members or more.

 

 

6. Depending on the species, gestation takes nine to 17 months. After birth, dolphins are surprisingly maternal. They have been observed nestling and cuddling their young.

 

7. A dolphin calf nurses for up to two years. Calves stay with the mothers anywhere from three to eight years.

 

 

8. Dolphins have acute eyesight both in and out of the water. They hear frequencies 10 times the upper limit of adult humans. Their sense of touch is well-developed, but they have no sense of smell.

 

9. Dolphins have few natural enemies. Humans are their main threat. Pollution, fishing and hunting mean some dolphin species have an uncertain future. In 2006, the Yangtze River dolphin was named functionally extinct.

 

10. Because dolphins are mammals, they need to come to the surface of the water to breathe. Unlike land mammals that breathe and eat through their mouths, dolphins have separate holes for each task. Dolphins eat through their mouths and breathe through their blowholes. This prevents the dolphin from sucking up water into the lungs when hunting, reducing the risk of drowning.

 

Here is more interesting information:

 

 The evidence for this evolutionary history can still be seen in dolphins today. Adult dolphins have remnant finger bones in their flippers, as well as vestigial leg bones.</divv

 

Dolphins stay awake for weeks on end.

 

Recent research has shown the surprising capabilities of dolphins for staying awake for days or weeks on end — or possibly indefinitely.  On the one hand, the ability makes perfect sense. Dolphins need to go to the ocean’s surface to breathe, so they can’t simply breathe automatically like humans do. They have to stay constantly awake to take a breath and avoid drowning. How do they do this? By resting just one half of their brain at a time, a process called unihemispheric sleep.

 

Brian Branstetter, a marine biologist with the National Marine Mammal Foundation, and fellow researchers conducted a test with two dolphins, seeing how long they could stay alert. According to Live Science:
The scientists found these dolphins could successfully use echolocation with near-perfect accuracy and no sign of deteriorating performance for up to 15 days. The researchers did not test how much longer the dolphins could have continued. “Dolphins can continue to swim and think for days without rest or sleep, possibly indefinitely,” Branstetter told LiveScience. These findings suggest that dolphins evolved to sleep with only half their brains not only to keep from drowning, but also to remain vigilant.
Breathing and not being eaten are two excellent reasons to keep at least half of the brain active at all times. But what about baby dolphins? Turns out, they don’t sleep at all either! For as long as a month after birth, dolphin calves don’t catch a wink of sleep. Researchers think this is overall an advantage, helping the calf to better escape predators, keep the body temperatures up while the body accumulates blubber, and even encourage brain growth.
“Somehow these seafaring mammals have found a way to cope with sleep deprivation, facilitating rather than hindering a crucial phase of development for their offspring,
Dolphins can’t chew. If you’ve ever watched a dolphin eat, you’ve noticed that they seem to gulp down their food. That’s because dolphins can’t chew. Instead, their teeth are used to grip prey. Sometimes, they’ll shake it or rub it on the ocean floor to tear it into more manageable pieces. One theory for why they’ve evolved to do away with chewing is because they need to quickly consume fish before it can swim away. Skipping the process of chewing ensures their meal doesn’t escape.”

 

Dolphins have worked for the Navy since the 1960s.

 

The idea of dolphins being employed by the military to scan harbors for enemy swimmers or pinpoint the location of underwater mines may seem like the plot of a B-rated movie. But it’s true and has been for more than 50 years. Since the 1960s, the U.S. Navy has been utilizing dolphins and training them to detect underwater mines. Much the same way bomb-detecting dogs work by using smell, dolphins work by using echolocation. Their superior ability to scan an area for particular objects allows them to zero in on mines and drop a marker at the spot. The Navy can then go in and disarm the mine. The echolocation abilities of dolphins far outstrip anything people have come up with to do the same job.
Dolphins are also used to alert the Navy to any enemies in harbors. Business Insider reports
“The Navy Marine Mammal Program at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (or SPAWAR) in San Diego, California trains 85 dolphins and 50 sea lions, according to SPAWAR spokesman Jim Fallin.”
There has of course been a good deal more speculated about the uses to which the military puts dolphins, including claims that they train them to kill people or plant explosives on ships. None of this has been confirmed by the military. Still, animal activists have long opposed the use of dolphins for military purposes.

 

Dolphins teach their young how to use tools.

 

A 2005 study by researchers revealed that a population of dolphins living in Shark Bay, Australia use tools, and they pass that knowledge down from mother to daughter.
Individuals in this small group of dolphins will search for several minutes to find cone-shaped sea sponges that are shaped for the task. They tear this sea sponge free of the ocean floor, then carry it on their beaks to a hunting ground where they use it to probe the sand for hiding fish. The researchers think this helps protect their sensitive snouts while they hunt. The behavior is called “sponging,” and the researchers found it was not only the first instance of tool use in cetaceans, but it’s also evidence of culture among non-humans.

 

According to National Geographic:
The hunting tactic was almost wholly confined to a small group of females and their daughters among the Shark Bay population, with just a single male showing the same behavior. The challenge for the study team was to find out whether sponging is acquired through social learning — and therefore evidence of culture — or is transmitted genetically. The researchers analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (DNA passed down by females) of 13 spongers and 172 nonspongers. They found the trait appeared to be passed on mostly within a single family line from mother to daughter and that sponging most likely originated in a recent ancestor. “
It’s clearly culture, and a behavior taught by mothers to their offspring. It’s another bit of evidence showing just how intelligent and social dolphins really are.

 

Dolphins get high on fish toxins.

 

We know that pufferfish have strong toxins. Apparently dolphins know this too, and they use this for recreational benefit. Normally, pufferfish toxin is deadly. However, in small doses the toxin acts like a narcotic. BBC filmed dolphins gently playing with a pufferfish, passing it between pod members for 20 to 30 minutes, then hanging around at the surface seemingly mesmerized by their own reflections.

 

Reports The Independent:

 

Rob Pilley, a zoologist who also worked as a producer on the series, told the Sunday Times: “This was a case of young dolphins purposely experimenting with something we know to be intoxicating … It reminded us of that craze a few years ago when people started licking toads to get a buzz, especially the way they hung there in a daze afterwards. It was the most extraordinary thing to see.”  Apparently humans aren’t the only species to knowingly dabble in strange substances to achieve an altered state of mind!

 

Dolphins call each other by name.

 

Dolphins have names and respond when called. Dolphins within pods have their own “signature whistle,” just like a name, and other dolphins can use that special whistle to get the attention of their pod mates. Considering dolphins are a highly social species with the need to stay in touch over distances and coordinate together, it makes sense that they would have evolved to use “names” much in the same way people do.
According to the BBC, researchers followed a group of wild bottlenose dolphins, recording their signature whistles and then playing the calls back to the dolphins
.
“The researchers found that individuals only responded to their own calls, by sounding their whistle back. The team believes the dolphins are acting like humans: when they hear their name, they answer.”
What’s more, they don’t respond when the signature whistles of dolphins from strange pods are played, showing that they’re looking for and responding to specific information within whistles. The research opens up whole new questions about the extent of dolphin vocabulary and also could reveal clues about the evolution of our own language skills.

 

 

I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
Melody

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Collie

26 Mar

My Take

DiVoran Lites

 

 

 

When I was seven,
We got a brown ball of collie,
And named him Brownie.
One day when he was grown
He followed my brother and me
To our parents’ restaurant
Where we’d get ready for school
Somehow I dropped my belt in
The Main Street intersection.
When I went back
There was the dog
With his paws stretched out to
Guard the belt

Once Mother drove us to
The next town a mile away
Taking along a visiting cousin
Who screamed and cried
About Brownie running behind
The car until Mother stopped
And put him in the trunk.

In the fourth of July parade
Brother and I
Sitting at a small table
Eating dinner
Rode in a trailered boat
Behind a car
A sign on the side of the
Boat said, “Eat at Min’s Café.”
And Brownie followed with
A St. Bernard style keg
Around his neck to
Represent liquid refreshment.

On a 35 degree below, snowy day,
Brownie lay on the school stoop
Waiting for us until the
Teacher let him in to lie
On the floor bedside the
Pot-bellied stove and
Thaw icy fur into puddles.

Summers, we rode horses
Over the dry prairie
Watching for hidden mines
And prairie dog holes
Brownie came trotting
Along behind, always.

He went home with us at night
To watch over us in our crime-
Free town while Daddy and Mother
Finished up 16 hour days at the
Restaurant.

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A 1960 California Family Christmas

25 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

I know….I know….Christmas was either three months ago – or nine months to come. So I am either WAY late or WAY early with this post! However, in going through my pictures recently – something I really enjoy doing – I came upon the Christmas before Fred and I married, and it was in California with my parents and Bill and DiVoran.

We stayed with Bill and DiVoran in their tiny little house, so it was cramped spaces, but sometimes that can be the most fun, right?

 

 

In any case, we drove from Albuquerque, New Mexico early that morning, and drove straight through to Inglewood, California. It was a long drive, but there were four drivers, so it wasn’t too bad. We drove in Fred’s car – that lovely, classic 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

 

It was a dream to drive and to ride in. And with the four of us in the car together – Mom, Dad, Fred and me – we had a great time together. I remember starting out that there was frost on the windows. It didn’t take long before the sunshine on the car melted the frost, even though it was so cold outside.

Because Bill and DiVoran’s house was small, DiVoran made the best use of the space, knowing we would really crowd the place. There was no room for a Christmas tree, so she made one out of a tinsel garland, tacked on one wall.

 

 

She placed ornaments on the “tree” and a star at the top. They had a credenza underneath it where we placed our Christmas gifts. It was quite unique and imaginative. She’s so creative, and it shows in the paintings she does, as well.

I remember them setting up a cot for Fred to sleep on.

 

Bill and DiVoran sitting on Fred’s cot

 

There was a couch that I suspect folded down to make a bed, where my parents slept.

 

 

I have absolutely NO memory of where I slept, but perhaps there was another cot somewhere in that room that was my spot for sleeping. Perhaps they put me in the kitchen? It was a one-bedroom little house, and Bill and DiVoran slept in their bed. It was quite cozy!

We had some plans for things to do while there. I know we went to Disneyland one day.

 

 

 

We went to Marineland.

 

 

To Knott’s Berry Farm.

 

We kept busy, and made the most of our trip.

When Christmas Day arrived, we had a great meal together. And it was made even better because DiVoran’s parents came and joined us at the table. My mom and dad ate from TV trays, but that didn’t lessen the fun. It was just a great time together.

It just goes to show that you don’t have to have a lot of space, or expensive tastes, to have a wonderful family time together. And that’s the key – time together. That’s what makes family. We are blessed.

 

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