Ecc. 2:11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind, nothing was gained under the sun.


The Robins....

We have several pairs of robins that visit the gardens out back. (though only one pair at a time in the yard) Robins are our routine and in need for structure birds.... No change, things have to stay the same. They are very territorial, having very few social skills. Robins are not willing to take the time to be with nor wanting to get along with most of the other birds out back. Let's check the calendar, Sunday, one hour for church. Ok, that'll work, I have nothing else scheduled. But the church dinner on Monday, sorry, can't do it, I get my claws clipped that day every week. This behavior creates a lot of pressure and stress to keep up with this type of living.... Marigolds equal spacing equal rows, where's that tape measure?...scrubb four times b4 placing in dishwasher...here sit on the floor, it's more comfortable...I'll order the same as last week, and that's been the same for the past 20 years.... please scrubb the carrots until they reach half their size... two hours early, that's ok, that's on time. It can turn into literally a form of placing ones own self into bondage. It can also lead to becoming obsessive, and even at times compulsive. Lets not also forget to mention and think about the loved ones that have to dwell with these type of birds. Their obsessions, pressures, and stress are also placed upon them and sometimes they end up living life in chains also.


Tool for thought: Solomon knew and reflected on this throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 4:8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. For whom am I toiling he asked, and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment? This too is meaningless- a miserable business
Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
And let us not forget about dear Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Could we even be so busy doing things for Jesus, that we're not spending any time with him?
Gal 5:1, 22, 23 Gal. 6:7,8

Lord, my prayer lifted is for balance in our actions and deeds. I pray also that we do not let our service become self serving and self defeating. For it is God who works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose. (Php 2:13) Christ in us, the hope of glory! Amen! Your sister in Christ, Brown Eagle

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10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. (Isaiah 62:10>12)
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Proverbs 4:23...Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

The Wolves Within

An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way."

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

Sorry Guys, I haven't been around more often. I will try to do better. May God abundantly bless you all.
Your Friend, Marty

PRAISE GOD MY FRIEND STOPPING BY TO SAY HELLO LOVE YA

Four Seasons of a Tree

Don't judge a life by one difficult season.

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no - it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are - and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

God bless and thank you

Pounding In and Pulling Out Nails

When my daughter was confronted with the fact that she had hurt
another child with a mean comment, she cried and wanted to apologize.
That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can't
always make things better.
I told her the parable of Will, a nine-year-old whose father
abandoned his mom two years earlier. Will was angry, and he often
would lash out at others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, "I
see why Dad left you!"
Unable to cope with his outbursts, she sent Will to spend the summer
with his grandparents.
His grandfather's strategy to help Will learn self control every time
he said a mean thing was to make him go into the garage and pound a
two-inch-long nail into a 4x4 board. He couldn't return until the
nail was all the way in.
For a small boy, this was a major task. After about ten trips to the
garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words. Eventually,
he even apologized for all the bad things he'd said.
That's when his grandmother came in. She made him bring in the board
filled with nails and told him to pull them all out. This was even
harder than pounding them in. After a huge struggle, he did it.
His grandmother hugged him and said, "I appreciate your apology and,
of course, I forgive you because I love you. But I want you to know
an apology is like pulling out one of those nails. Look at the board.
The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. I know
your dad put a hole in you, but please don't put holes in other
people. You`re better than that."

good day

Bondage, Spiritual: Free As A Bird?

Recently we put up a hummingbird feeder with four feeding stations. Almost immediately it became popular with the hummingbirds that live in our area. Two, three, or even four birds would feed at one time. We refilled the feeder at least once a day. Suddenly the usage decreased to almost nothing. The feeder needed filling only about once a week.
The reason for the decreased usage soon became apparent. A male bird had taken over the feeder as his property. He is now the only hummingbird who uses our feeder. He feeds and then sits in a nearby tree, rising to attack any bird that approaches his feeder. Guard duty occupies his every waking hour. He is an effective guard. The only time another bird gets to use the feeder is when the self-appointed owner is momentarily gone to chase away an intruder.

We soon realized that the hummingbird was teaching us a valuable lesson. By choosing to assume ownership of the feeder, he is forfeiting his freedom. He is no longer free to come and go as he wished. He is tied to the work of guarding his feeder. He is possessed by his possession. His freedom of action is as circumscribed as if he were in a cage. He is caged by a situation he has created. -- W. L. Barnes

just want to thank you for the love

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THE PRINCE OF PEACE
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1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. (John 17:1>5)
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