~Friday Funnies~

The "illusion" is that this is just a picture of coffee beans; but it is not. Can you find a man's face among the beans? Some say that if you find the man in 3 seconds or less, the right half of your brain may be more well developed than most
This is NOT a Trick

For more laughs, see Kim @ Homesteaders Heart

Have a great weekend!

Cheryl

~Word Filled Wednesday~

It has felt like spring here the last few days.

Have a great Wednesday! For more WFW, see Amy at The 160 Acre Woods

Here is the latest necklace. I really like it. The pendant is silver with garnet in the middle.

Rejoice~

Cheryl

~Faith~

Classics: Streams in the Desert
Faith Becomes Sight by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman.

"Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you, and you will find that it will be" (Mark 11:24).

When my little son was about ten years of age, his grandmother promised him a stamp album for Christmas. Christmas came, but no stamp album, and no word from grandmother. The matter, however, was not mentioned; but when his playmates came to see his Christmas presents, I was astonished, after he had named over this and that as gifts received, to hear him add,

"And a stamp album from grandmother."

I had heard it several times, when I called him to me, and said, "But, Georgie, you did not get an album from your grandmother. Why do you say so?"

There was a wondering look on his face, as if he thought it strange that I should ask such a question, and he replied, "Well, mamma, grandma said, so it is the same as." I could not say a word to check his faith.

A month went by, and nothing was heard from the album. Finally, one day, I said, to test his faith, and really wondering in my heart why the album had not been sent,

"Well, Georgie, I think grandma has forgotten her promise."

"Oh, no, mamma," he quickly and firmly said, "she hasn't."

I watched the dear, trusting face, which, for a while, looked very sober, as if debating the possibilities I had suggested. Finally a bright light passed over it, and he said,

"Mamma, do you think it would do any good if I should write to her thanking her for the album?"

"I do not know," I said, "but you might try it."

A rich spiritual truth began to dawn upon me. In a few minutes a letter was prepared and committed to the mail, and he went off whistling his confidence in his grandma. In just a short time a letter came, saying:

"My dear Georgie: I have not forgotten my promise to you, of an album. I tried to get such a book as you desired, but could not get the sort you wanted; so I sent on to New York. It did not get here till after Christmas, and it was still not right, so I sent for another, and as it has not come as yet, I send you three dollars to get one in Chicago. Your loving grandma."

"As he read the letter, his face was the face of a victor. "Now, mamma, didn't I tell you?" came from the depths of a heart that never doubted, that, "against hope, believed in hope" that the stamp album would come. While he was trusting, grandma was working, and in due season faith became sight.

It is so human to want sight when we step out on the promises of God, but our Savior said to Thomas, and to the long roll of doubters who have ever since followed him: "Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed." --Mrs. Rounds

Results of Jan's testing~ Everything is still the same. Thank you for standing beside us and praying !

Cheryl

~Prayer~

Jan is on her way back to MD Anderson for her monthly testing. She will be having an MRI tonight and seeing her oncologist in the morning. Please join us as we pray for good results and safe travels.

James 5:14-15 we are told: "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15) And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." and in

James 5:16 we are asked to "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." and then told that "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

In Mark 11:23-25 Jesus further instructs to forgive when we pray "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24) Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25) And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Only someone facing or sharing a serious sickness, pain or tragedy knows how hard it is. They know how hard it is to cope with the fear and uncertainty. They know how absurd it sounds when someone first tells them to "keep a positive attitude". They know how terrifying it is when the doubt comes. They know how hard it is to throw a mountain into the sea. But remember what Jesus told us in Matthew 17:19-20 when he said "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." Faith as small as a mustard seed sounds a little like hope to me, and that's a good start.

Many Thanks!

Cheryl

~Blog Give Away ~ Winners~

I've decided since only a few commented on the blog give away, that each person will get a piece of jewelry of their choice.

Included in this are:

Tracy @ My Cup Runneth Over

Laurie Ann @ A Magnolia's Heartbeats

Denise @ Shortybears Place

Kim @ Homesteaders Heart

Jennifer @ Through the Storms of Life

Okay, gals you can choose one of the following, or a necklace or earrings, or bracelet of colors of your choosing! Please email me with your thoughts! I hope you all enjoy!

This first shows a necklace or earrings made out of onyx and bone, with pendant.

This 2nd is a bracelet of miscellaneous stones. It goes with a multitude of things.

This 3nd one is a necklace, similar to the bracelet above with various stones.

This 4rd piece is a necklace made out of Ocean Jasper.

The 5th one is a long necklace. Made of pearls and sead beeds.

Here is the necklace I listed with the give away. It has turquoise, red and black fossil beads.

Look forward to hearing from you soon on your choices!

Hope each and every one enjoys what they receive!

Love,

Cheryl

~Friday Funnies~

I'd stop eating chocolate, but Im NO quiter!

I’m not fat. I’m just FLUFFY!

How to be Annoying

* Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."

* Drum on every available surface.

* Sing the Batman theme constantly.

* Staple papers in the middle of the page.

* Ask 1-800 operators for their home phone number. If they don’t give it to you ask why they are calling YOU at home.

* Sew department store anti-theft detector strips into people's backpacks.

* Write the surprise ending to a novel on its first page.

* Set alarms for random times.

* Honk and wave to strangers.

* Dress only in clothes colored Hunter's Orange.

* Change channels five minutes before the end of every show.

* Tape pieces of "Sweating to the Oldies" over climactic parts of rental movies.

* Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complementary mints by the cash register.

* ONLY TYPE IN UPPERCASE.

* Pay for your dinner with pennies.

* Repeat everything someone says, as a question.

* Wander around the restaurant, asking other diners for their parsley.

* Push all the flat Lego pieces together tightly.

* At the laundry mat, use one dryer for each of your socks.

* As much as possible, skip rather than walk.

* Stand over someone's shoulder, mumbling, as they read.

* Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.

* Pretend your mouse is a CB radio, and talk to it.

* Name your dog "Dog."

* Ask people what gender they are.

* Reply to everything someone says with "That's what YOU think."

* Lick the filling out of all the Oreos, and place the cookie parts back in the tray.

* Forget the punch line to a long joke, but assure the listener it was a "real hoot".

* Follow a few paces behind someone, spraying everything they touch with a can of Lysol.

* While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.

* Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.

* Leave your Christmas lights up and lit until September.

* Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.

* Mow your lawn with scissors.

* At a golf tournament, chant "swing-batatatatatata-suhWING-batter!"

* Do not add any inflection to the end of your sentences, producing awkward silences with the impression that you'll be saying more any moment.

* Never make eye contact.

* Shout random numbers while someone is counting.

* Make appointments for the 31st of November.

* Send fifty copies of this list to everyone you know.

Now, if you are interested in the chance at winning some jewelry, see the post below!

For more Friday Funnies, see Kim @ Homesteaders Heart

Have a great weekend!

Cheryl

~A Treat from Me to You~Blog Give Away~

You see in the picture above some beads. They are turquoise heishi beads, red fossil beads, and black Agate beads.

I added some silver daisy spacers and seed beads. I'm waiting to see who wins the necklace to see if they would prefer a shorter/longer necklace.

If the winner of the give away is not a necklace kind of person, we can visit and see what their preference is.

Just thought it would be kinda fun to give something fun to someone for Valentine's Day!

So, if you are interested in some jewelry, leave a comment here. Since, Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, I am going to hold this open until Monday, February 16 at 9:30 a.m. CST.

So, let the fun times begin. I'm not going to make you do anything, but leave a comment.

Have a great weekend!

Cheryl

~Thankful Thursday~1 Corinthians

Even though there is so much uncertainty around, I am thankful for each new day!

For more Thankful Thursday, see Grace Alone

Have a "thankful day."

Cheryl

~Word Filled Wednesday~ Isaiah 40:8

For more WFW, See Amy @ The 160 Acre Woods

We made it through all our storms today without being in the big middle of the tornadoes. So, very thankful for this!

Happy WFW!

Cheryl

~Expect The Unexpected~

Here it is Tuesday, February 10 and we get the joy of having tornadoes touching down here in Oklahoma. So far these storms have been northwest of me and I've only had a bit of rain. Two weeks ago today, we had sleet. Seems kind of odd how weather changes. But LIFE is the same way.

Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, . . . youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food
Daniel 1:3-9

When things are going smoothly in your life, you might not find it hard to believe that God is good. But if life takes a bad turn and something devastating happens, you might ask, “How could a good God allow this?” If you know that kind of pain, then you can empathize with Daniel.

Across the pages of Scripture that detail Daniel’s life from teenager to old man, you can write “sovereignty at work.” God was directing his life whether he saw it at the time or not.
Do you know his story? One bright day in Jerusalem when Daniel was just a teenager, he was captured as a POW and was ripped away from everything warm and familiar. Daniel’s enemies were working a cruel strategy. They singled out the best young people—the All-American teenagers voted MVP and ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ and brought them to their capital city near modern-day Kuwait. Their plan was to brainwash these kids with their culture and make them leaders. Daniel was given a foreign name, Belteshazzar, forced to learn a new language, and was given a new diet.

Had Daniel decided what God was like by looking at his circumstances, he would have become a disillusioned, confused, angry, young man. Kidnapped from his homeland, forced into slavery, most likely castrated to become a eunuch in the palace, Daniel’s eyes were still on God. Don’t gloss over these facts like they’re from some made-for-TV movie—this story is true in every detail. Imagine the suffering connected with his circumstances, yet Daniel went through the fire . . . successfully. This certainly gives us hope that we can make it through our firestorm, too.

No doubt a situation comes to mind right now from either your past or the present. You may wonder how a God of love could have allowed some painful, wrong injustice. Yet I would bet on the fact that you’ve not come full circle yet. There will be a day when you will look back and see how God’s sovereign hand was at work. Truth is, He is in the center of the situation that troubles your heart right now. He’s right in the middle of it. Just because you can’t see Him, doesn’t mean He isn’t there. Look for Him, trust Him—He is at work.
Devotion by James McDonald ~Archives

Have a great week!
Cheryl

~Then Sings My Soul Saturday~ By You Side~

For more, see Amy @ Signs, Miracles & Wonders
Have a great weekend!
Cheryl

~Ripley and Weather (last week)~

As many experienced some of this storm that hit last week, here are some pictures of Ripley enjoying it! We still have some packed ice that has not melted, but with weather predicted to be in the low 70's by the end of the week, it will be gone. We were very lucky to have sleet and not freezing rain, so as not to have a lot of power outages. I heard Sunday morning that some areas in Kentucky were still experiencing power outgages. I also heard that the great state of Oklahoma was helping Kentucky out in these regards.

Ripley loved the weather and had a great time running around outside and eating the ice/snow.

Have a blessed week!

Love,

Cheryl