Welcome back to Friday Blessings!! Last week, I was light on pictures. Not this week. I have several pictures to share with you as part of my blessing counting endeavor.
{#215} – Hometown Art Work – I have enjoyed watching a friend from high school, Renae Passmore Rockwood, who is a talented artist reproduce pictures of landmark buildings from around our county. She has done this on the storefront windows of Builder’s First Source in downtown Blairsville. One of the pictures she has drawn is of my Granddaddy’s old feed and grocery store, Farmer’s Supply Company. I spent many wonderful days in that old wooden building, and Renae has captured the essence of it so beautifully.
Farmer’s Supply Company – store of Frank Colwell on Gainesville Highway
Farmer’s Supply Company – store of Frank Colwell on Gainesville Highway
{#216} – Visit – Our son, Charlie, visited with us for several days this week. He and Greg played golf a couple of days. Charlie spent some time with Greg’s parents, Charles and Betty. It was a great visit. Charlie heads back to Oklahoma next week to begin his senior year in college.
{#217} – Vital Signs Bible study – I have spent the past several months studying Jesus’s messages to the churches of The Revelation. One shining, overarching theme concerning the Church of Jesus Christ emerges from the pages of Holy Writ. JESUS is intimately involved with His church. He knows what goes on in each and every church, and in the hearts of every pastor, leader and teacher. Nothing happens without His foreknowledge. He longs for every church to be a Smyrna or Philadelphia church, neither of which drew a rebuke from Christ. Yet, when the church or its leaders sin, He lovingly rebukes them, urging them to remember, repent, and return. Some of the seven churches did repent and went on to become lights that shone brightly for Christ. Others did not repent and the church died out. The ultimate kingdom agenda is never in jeopardy simply because Jesus has to extinguish a church or leader because of a refusal to deal with sin. He sees, He knows, and He will purify His church! Please join me here each Monday as we study these seven churches.
{#218} – Better health – Over the weekend, we grilled burgers and brats, and had Greg’s family and my mother over for dinner. Greg’s mother, Betty, who fell several weeks ago and fractured her pelvis, walked into my house with only the aid of a cane. Praise God!!! She has come such a long way. She still is taking it very easy, but we are so thankful for her progress. Likewise, my Mother is feeling better. The first set of epidurals has provided her significant relief from the leg pain associated with her degenerative disc disease. She goes back in a couple of weeks for the 2nd set of shots and we are anticipating even more relief. We are very thankful for the healing she has experienced.
{#219} – HeBrews Bible study – This week I received an email with THIS attached to it.
In case you can’t read it, it is a contract from Warner Press Publishing Company to publish the HeBrews Bible study. May I tell you that I am still stunned over this, although it has been in the works for about 7 months? When I began writing the HeBrews study, I had no plans to publish it. NONE!! I had already decided that I wouldn’t go the self-publishing route again like I had done with the Legacy study. It is so expensive, and I just did not sense the Lord telling me to travel that path. I began writing HeBrews simply out of obedience to the Lord. He said write and I said, “Yes sir.” I assumed I would take my Tuesday small group through it, and then put it on the shelf to collect dust. Well, the Lord had other plans. My sweet friend, Brooke Keith, connected me with the wonderful team at Warner Press and the rest is history. I will be sending my final manuscript to them by September 1st. A June 2014 release is planned. This is a path that only Jesus could have orchestrated and I give Him praise for it.
{#220} – Canning – This week I am canning squash pickles, okra, and blueberry jam. Today we will try some of my blueberry jam on fresh, hot biscuits. Mmmmm!! Love it!!
What blessings are you counting today?
