Never Give Up

Sometimes Life Is So Hard.....But!

Psalm 46:1 
God is my refuge and strength and very present help in times of trouble.

Queensland Christian Photographer

My daughter Femia.... remember, my first baby in the black and white photo with me below.....
Is a Photographer.

This is my favoured photo of her and her husband David, taken by her a few years ago.
They have been married twenty five years.

                                Her work:

They look much better on her page than on mine.

http://eufemiahopephotographyanddesign.blogspot.com/

* click on the photo on side panel to be directed. 

 

This is grandson Izaiah used as one of her models

                                                       

Granddaughter Shiarn used as another model.

Bride and groom on a bike.

                 BUT...as her mum, I love these two from when she first began to work in this field.

                             Daughter Daniella with Elyshah and Antonio (being naughty)

Daniella with Shiarn as a baby.

Ray and I by Femia, 6 yrs ago.

Femia uses the scripture from

                                                                      Isaiah 49:16                        
                       BEHOLD, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.

Crying over yesterday

Depression.....

Can result from Grief and Loss

And yet often, as depicted in this song and animation, the very thing we dream about, the thing we grieve over, the thing we sorrow for, in reality, is not real!!

Are you stagnant?? Do you mourn over something in your life that is no longer there?

Move on...

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."


Psalm 51:10

Peter Anthony ... Blessings.

My little car struggled up the steep incline only to be stopped on the crest by red signal light's. Glancing downwards for a moment my eyes then averted once more towards the road.
Transfixed I stared as a huge coach, maneuvering around the tight corner looming towards me and almost hitting my car by mere inches.

My mind wandered to think of my eldest son Peter.
He drives monster's such as this for a living.
It's his birthday on Saturday (30th) and he is hundreds of miles from family.
Now residing in north west Queensland, he drives a variety of different coaches, catering for the mines.
I pray his day is bright and that the coming year is full of the goodness of the Lord shining with Joy upon him.
I commemorate my son and all he means to those of us who love him.

His name means:
Peter:  The Rock
Anthony:  Worthy of Praise
God loves Him.

He was one of those perfect babies who kept to a timed routine.

Always a sunny child, he looked at life though rose coloured glasses of love.

  Nehemiah 8: 19

                            "For the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Even as a toddler, he reached out to take his big sister's hand.
Family have always been priority to Peter.



Femia and Peter

John 3:18

"My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue,
but in deed and in truth."
Quick witted, he always has something funny to say
He has the ability for turning sadness into joy.

Picture here on the right of his sister Femia, with her husband David, two of his cousins, Vanessa and Brad and his younger sister Daniella. 

At ten years of age he plagued me for a little brother. 

God granted him the desire of his heart.

Pictured proudly here with Lee-Joel, brother and gift from God. 

So my son.

My prayer for you today is.

"A wife of noble character YOU can find.

                                She is worth far more than rubies.
                                You have full confidence in her
                                and lack nothing of value.
                                She brings You good, not harm,
                                 all the days of her life...
                                 (and you Bless each other)" AMEN
Proverbs 31:10-12
May the Lord Bless thee and keep thee..
safe,
happy,
and strong
in Him always

CLEAN Water "Praise God">>

This Video is from Mozambique South Africa, given to me by a Lovely Christian Lady who assisted with the water cleansing treatment. The people are so joyful and appreciate all they have.

Colour Your World

COLOUR  your World- Its a gift from GOD *

Hi....Lovely to see you here again.... (I'm an Emu by the way.)
I am thinking about colours, where would we be without them?
Life would be so drab and depressing.

Colours lift your mood and make you feel happy.
Many creative artists have taken an old grey wall and face-lifted it with colour.

My hubby Ray standing in front of Steve Irwin's wall at Australia Zoo near where we live.
Sadly Steve went home to the Father in 2007 after receiving a stringray barb to the heart.
Steve was a happy hearted man, one that loved his family and devoted his life to animal conservation.

Aboriginal art on the side of a giant earth worm model in Victoria, Australia.

I would rather look at a picture than a wall....

Memories of the past depicted on a library wall.

So colour your world with happiness..

The Lords Word from Me to You..

"May the Lord bless thee and keep thee:

May the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee,

And, give thee, peace."Amen.

BIBLE NUMEROLOGY

Lady Slipper

Number's mean a lot to me because, they mean much to God.
I live at No 18, 1+8= 9......
Nine stands for Judgement and the many gifts of the SPIRIT....
So for me this is very special.

1 THE NUMBER OF UNITY. Father. Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Ephesians 4:5 "one Lord, one faith, one baptism."


2 THE NUMBER OF DIVISION. The Son who has two natures: human and divine. There are 2 Testaments: the Old and New. Man is Male and Female. Rom. 9 speaks of two vessels: one for honorable use and the other for dishonorable use. Two types of people: Sheep and Goats. There are two ages, this age and the age to come: Matt. 12:32; 13:39,40,49; Mark 10:30.

3 THE NUMBER OF DIVINE PERFECTION. The Trinity consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are three qualities of the universe: Time, Space, and Matter. To exist (except for God), all three are required. Each quality consists of three elements. Therefore, we live in a trinity of trinities.

 The three qualities of universe are each three:

Time is one yet three Space is one yet three Matter is one yet three

Past

Present

Future Height

Width

Depth Solid

Liquid

Gas

We live in a Trinity of Trinities: Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made..."

If you are a trichotomist then man is made of three parts:

Body Soul Spirit

Human abilities are three

Thought Word Deed

The divine attributes are three fold:

God is:

Omniscient

Omnipresent

Omnipotent Love

Light

Spirit Holy

Righteous

Just

Three bear witness (1 John 5:8):

Spirit Water Blood

Christ is Three Shepherds

The Good Shepherd (John 10:14-15) - speaking of His death

The Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20) - speaking of His resurrection

The Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) - speaking of His glory

The Three appearances of Christ:

Past:

Present:

Future:

Has appeared (Heb. 9:26) to put away sin

Is appearing (Heb. 9:24) in the presence of God

Will appear (Heb. 9:28) to those who await Him

The Father spoke from Heaven three times:

- Matt. 3:17, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

- Matt. 17:5, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him."

- John 12:28, "I have both glorified it [the Father's name], and will glorify it again."

Both the Tabernacle and the Temple consisted of three parts:

The Court The Holy place The Sanctuary

Regarding the Tabernacle:

The Holy of Holies was a cube (10 cubits x 10 cubits x 10 cubits)

Regarding the Temple:

The Holy of Holies was a cube (20 cubits x 20 cubits x 20 cubits)

4 THE NUMBER OF CREATION - North, South, East, West; 4 Seasons. The 4th commandment is the first that refers to the earth. The 4th clause of the Lord's Prayer is the first that mentions the earth. The materials of the tabernacle were four and so were the coverings and the ornamentation's.

5 THE NUMBER OF GRACE. Redemption. Israel came out of Egypt 5 in rank (Ex 13:18). David picked up 5 smooth stones to fight Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40). The Holy Anointing Oil was pure and composed of 5 parts (Ex. 30:23-25).

6 THE NUMBER OF MAN: Man was created on the 6th day. Man labors 6 days only. The Serpent was created on the 6th day. The 6th commandment is "Thou shalt not murder." Six words are used for man: Adam, ish, Enosh, gehver, anthropos, anar. Also, 6 x 6 = 36. 36 + 35 + 34 + 33 + 32 . . . 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 666. 666 is the number of the antichrist. This means that the name of the antichrist in Greek adds up to 666. This is a mockery of the Trinity.

7 THE NUMBER OF SPIRITUAL PERFECTION. Seven days in a week. Seven colors in the spectrum. Seven of the 10 commandments begin with the word "not." There are 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 parables in Matthew, and 7 promises to the churches. There are 7 "eternals" in Hebrews which are: A priest for ever (1:6); Eternal salvation (1:9); Eternal judgment (6:2); eternal redemption (9:12); eternal spirit (9:14); eternal inheritance (9:15); and everlasting covenant (13:20). Jesus said 7 things on the cross: 1) Luke 23:34 "Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots; 2) Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise"; 3) Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" -- which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"; 4) John 19:26 "When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son"; 5) John 19:28 "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 6) John 19:30 "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit"; and 7) Luke 23:46 "Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last." "Hallelujah" occurs 28 times or 4 x 7. "Hosanna" occurs 7 times. "Milk" occurs 49 times or 7 x 7. "Abaddon" occurs 7 times. "After the order of Melchizedek" occurs 7 times.

8 THE NUMBER OF NEW BEGINNINGS. 8 people on Noah's Ark (2 Pet. 2:5); circumcision on 8th day (Gen. 17:12); God made 8 covenants with Abraham

9 THE NUMBER OF JUDGMENT. There are 9 greek words derived from the root word meaning judgment = dikay. The following words each occur 9 times in the Bible: abussos (bottomless pit); asebee (ungodly); aselgeia (lasciviousness); and astrapee (lightning). The gifts of the spirit are 9 in number (1 Cor. 12:8-10): the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

10 THE NUMBER OF DIVINE PERFECTION. There are 10 commandments (Ex. 20); 1/10 of your income is a tithe; the were 10 plagues on Egypt (Ex. 9:14ff); 10 x 10 silver sockets formed the foundation of the Tabernacle (Ex 38:27); There are 10 "I AM"'s spoken by Jesus in John: 1) I am the Bread of Life (6:35); 2) I am the Bread of Life which came down from heaven (6:41); 3) I am the Living Bread (6:51); 4) I am the Light of the world (8:12); 5) I am One that bears witness of Myself (8:18); 6) I am the Door of the sheep (10:7,9); 7) I am the Good Shepherd (10:14); 8) I am the Resurrection and the Life (14:6); 9) I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (11:25); and 10) I am the True Vine (15:1,5).

Reference: http://www.cam.org/

Regrets

Regrets, we all have them don't we.

If only....I hadn't said what I did, I wish I could turn back time.

I could have been kinder to that person, why didn't I think?

If I had my life to live over again, with hindsight, I would never make the
same mistakes twice (God willing).

Yet life is full of doing what we'd rather not.

The Apostle Paul spoke it well when he declared in Romans 7:15-20

"I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So sad!  While we reside in the earthly tent, no matter how hard we try, no matter how good we try to be, we will at times, do what we hate.

 

But we cannot allow our minds to be taken over by these regrets.
If we do, they will rule our lives and tell us, we will never, ever, be good enough.

The truth is, we never will be good enough.....
But Jesus, Gods son, is!
We are made righteous ONLY through believing in what He has done for us. 

The Apostle Paul said!
"Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." (Galatians 3:23-25)

SO the Good News Is......from the mouth of St Luke.
He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—
You and your household." Acts 16:30-31...

Praise God....SO, don't hold onto those regrets....
But....
Always do your best, asking forgiveness with repentance.
And thank God, with a grateful heart.

                              

Spiritual Visits

I have changed the Sign above my Birds heading to read.
Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder and Jesus is in the Heart of Whoever invites him in.

  

My belief is real and my belief is Stong!

I have experienced many spiritual experiences in my life and because of these, my faith has grown to be invincible.

Let me share just one of those experiences with you. 

It was evening and I was not long home from the birth of my last son. 

It was a difficult labour and delivery, my son uttered one slight cry and then cried without sound for days. His larynx had been damaged (it did heal).

I had suffered some swelling prior the delivery then after, my body exploded.

I went into HELLP !!

HELLP syndrome is the medical name given to a serious (and rare) complication of pre-eclampsia involving a combination of liver and blood disorders.

HELLP stands for:
• H (haemolysis - red blood cell damage);
• EL (elevated liver enzymes - indicating liver damage);
• LP (low platelets in the blood leading to a bleeding tendency)

On top of this on the second day after the delivery a thrombosis developed in my inner thigh.

With not much understanding thirty years ago about blood clotting, I was fed continual doses of aspirin. After being kept in the hospital over the required time, I was finally sent home to receive daily post natal home nursing care. 
We lived in an old house on a small farm with a few scant neighbours and a dirt road out front. My (then) husband went to play tennis leaving me in bed with the babe in his crib beside me and our other three children sitting watching television.
I was ill and afraid. My heart pained, beating out of rhythm. Weakly I lay back against the bed pillows and prayed. 

"Lord Jesus, please come and stand beside me." 

With my eyes closed I felt the presence of someone standing next to me, waiting. Thinking one of the children had come into the room I opened my eyes.  Standing,  looking down was a tall man. He was dressed as a shepperd, like pictures I'd seen in my Bible.
I knew it was a shepperd because of the crook held in His hand. 
I had prayed and asked Him to come.....and He came!

For what seemed like the longest time he remained looking down at me.

Then slowly he walked towards my bedroom door and out into the hall.

Struck dumb it took a while before I was able to call my eldest daughter.

What a wondrous experience, my daughter and I prayed our thanks and rejoiced in my ethereal visitation.

Many months later Femia (daughter) came running to show me what she read in her bible. It said that in times of need, He comes as a Shepperd.

In John 10:11, we are told: 

"I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Yet  sadly, many deny Him. As in John 1:10-18:
"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

Praise is Holy Name!!!