Let us praise Him...

  And God saw every thing that He had made, 

and, behold, it was very good. ~Genesis 1:31

  Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.  

~Psalm 146:1

Faith is a Very Simple Thing

Faith is a very simple thing,

 Though little understood;

 It frees the soul from death's dread sting,

 By resting on the blood.

It looks not on the things around,

 Nor on the things within;

 It takes its flight to scenes above,

 Beyond the sphere of sin.

It sees upon the throne of God

 A victim that was slain;

 It rests its all on His shed blood,

 And says, "I'm born again."

Faith is not what we see or feel;

 It is a simple trust

 In what the God of love has said

 Of Jesus as the Just.

{edited} Author Unknown

    But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  1 John 1:7

His Wondrous Works

Delicious Ham and Bean Soup

 I found this recipe in an Amish cookbook that my sister gave me some time back, and it has now become one of my favorites. It is full of flavor, and is so simple to make. 

Delicious Ham and Bean Soup

1 lb. (2 cups) navy beans, dried *

1 meaty ham bone (1 1/2 lb.)

7 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1 cup cubed carrots 

Cook beans in 2 1/2 quarts of water for 2 minutes. Remove

from heat; let stand 1 hour. Add ham bone and minced garlic.  

Cover and simmer 2 hours or until almost tender. Add vegetables, 

salt and pepper to taste; simmer 1 hour more. Remove ham bone and 

cut off meat. Dice meat and add to beans. Reheat to almost boiling. 

*Can also use 2-3 16 oz. cans of beans in place of the dried beans. 

A Cicada

 Some time back, my brother discovered this cicada that was

still in the nymph stage in our yard. It was neat to see one that 

hadn't molted yet into the adult stage! I decided to keep it in a glass

container, so I could maybe watch it molt, but after nothing had 

happened by one o'clock in the morning, I decided I wasn't going
to spend the whole night watching it. :)

 The next morning, there was a beautiful, winged cicada. Such an amazing
 little insect that God has created. 

 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. 

Psalms 92:5

The Sweetest Name

  Almost every time I sing one of these songs, my thoughts go back to the time in my life when I could not sing these songs wholeheartedly. I even remember wondering something like: "Why did these people think the name of Jesus was 'sweet' to them? What do they mean by that?" Then one wonderful day, the Lord saved my soul! Now I too, know the meaning of how sweet the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is to my soul, and can sing these songs with all my heart, because He has become my Saviour and now I know "how sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear"!
 
There have been names that I have loved to hear, 

But never has there been a name so dear

To this heart of mine, as the name divine, 

The precious, precious name of Jesus. 

Refrain:

Jesus is the sweetest name I know, 

And He's just the same as His lovely name, 

And that's the reason why I love Him so;

Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know. 

The name of Jesus is so sweet, 

I love its music to repeat; 

It makes my joys full and complete, 

The precious name of Jesus! 

Refrain:

"Jesus" --O how sweet the name, 

"Jesus" every day the same; 

"Jesus"--let all saints proclaim 

His worthy praise for ever! 

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 

In a believer's ear! 

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, 

And drives away his fear. 

It makes the wounded spirit whole 

And calms the troubled breast; 

'Tis manna to the hungry soul

And to the weary rest. 

Dear name! the rock on which I build, 

My shield and hiding place; 

My never-failing treasure, filled

With boundless stores of grace!

  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: ...
1 Peter 2:7a

  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, 
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him
 a name which is above every name:   That at the name of Jesus 
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, 
and things under the earth;   And that every tongue should 
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Philippians 2:8-11

Has the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

 become sweet to your soul as well? 

This World is Not My Home

 

Life is a journey, not a home; a road, not a city of habitation; 

and the enjoyments and blessings we have are but little inns on the

 roadside of life, where we may be refreshed for a moment, that 

we may with new strength press on to the end - to the rest that

 remaineth for the people of God.

 --H. Bonar

  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, 

where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on

 things above, not on things on the earth. 

Colossians 3:1

A Little Lamb

The other night I decided to pull out my pencils and do a 

quick drawing from a little picture I had of this cute little lamb. 

It had been awhile since I sat down and drew something 'just for the fun 

of it', but I enjoyed myself, and am glad I did. :) I used to draw 

a lot all of the time when I was younger, and hope to start doing it more 

frequently again.

 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that 

hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his

 people, and the sheep of his pasture.  

Psalms 100:3

 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall 

gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his 

bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. 

Isaiah 40:11

Wildflowers

 Recently while out taking a walk, I discovered these beautiful wildflowers

growing out back of our place.

 There are lots of wild sunflowers growing around our area, including along

the roadsides and in fields here and there. I love seeing any wildflowers, 

and these especially add bright patches of color to the countryside!

And best of all, they help brighten up our kitchen. :)

All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD;
 and thy saints shall bless thee. 
Psalms 145:10