Revealed with fire

"...each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work." 1 Corinthians 3:13

Absolutely nothing compares to watching fire. The flame is changing constantly; the wood is transformed dramatically; even the smoke heats to the point of flame. I can be mesmerized for hours, losing all track of time.

Look at this picture. You only see those objects near the flame, revealed by the light. All else is dark. All else is hidden. All else is private.

What's happening in the private areas of my life? How do I behave? What do I think? Am I selfish? Of course, I am. In the private areas of my life, I don't want to think of others. I don't want to be concerned with anything but my own desires.

Incredibly greedy, aren't I? The LORD understands, though. He's patient with me. And He's lighting the way.

He knows my heart does not want to be self-centered. He knows I would much rather live in the light where I can see what's going on - where He can be glorified. Is He always glorified in the private areas of my life? Not completely, yet. But I'm getting there. He's patient with me. And He's lighting the way - through His Word.

He meets with me each morning before I start my day. He walks with me throughout the day as I work. He rests with me at night as I prepare for tomorrow. He's patient with me. And He's lighting the way - through His Spirit.

Tree + Axe = Firewood

"And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 3:10
Another willing sacrifice for the sake of firewood (and garden). We're talking about the tree in the background with the three main branches. If you look at yesterday's post, this tree would be located directly behind the tall tree on the left. You can't actually see it in the photo, though. The yellow cinch cord is attached to the branch leaning heavily to the right (and even more heavily toward the neighbor's yard).
The chainsaw may be hit and miss; however, the axe is always ready for action. Hubby whacked away until the branch finally gave way. Somewhere in the middle, the cinch cord was moved from the supporting tree to the hitch on the back of the truck. The theory was to persuade the branch to fall toward our property and not over the fence.
Try as we might, the branch was not to be persuaded. However, please take note of its angle. Never once did it actually rest on the fence. The Lord certainly was the Expert Landscaper here. We were able to trim it on-site and get the bulk of it back on our side of the fence with no damage. I'd say that was a minor victory! And the end of our day. The other two branches can wait.

Another one bites the dust.

"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit." Matthew 7:18

Notice the tall tree on the left. It's located on the western-most edge of our property just in front of the house. This poor thing had to go. The seed pods dropped off like flies and took root where ever they landed. What a mess! This photo was taken the morning Hubby "transformed" it into firewood.

On the right side of the photo you'll notice trees located closer to the house. One day, these will be gone, too.

As you can see from the aerial view, we have no grass. As you come down the driveway, don't you agree grass would be a lovely view?

I won something!!!

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." I Cor. 10:12

This treasure arrived at my home several weeks ago - compliments of Nature Girl. She held a drawing and I was a winner!! Note cards with envelopes, stickers, and a pencil, too (it was already in use by the time this photo was taken). Thank you, Nature Girl. Sorry it took me so long to extend my thanks. Hope you're enjoying your time in Florida. I am certainly enjoying your photos!

Revealing one mystery

"He reveals mysteries from the darkness, and brings the deep darkness into light." Job 12:22

Thanks to all my blogger friends, I have come to the conclusion that revealing my true identity is not such a bad thing. However, as you can tell, I'm taking baby steps (ha, ha).

This is one of my favorite baby pictures. At the time, we lived in a small town (200 max), but a train came through every day. In fact, it ran right by our house and I remember waving at the man in the caboose! He would always wave back, too. You can see the grain elevator in the background.

My family has asked me to post pictures of Hubby and myself. This is my first small step. Eventually, I would like to add photos of the two of us (and maybe even our names); however, the whole blog thing is still a bit overwhelming to me. It's such a world-wide thing - you know?

Another reason I decided to change the photo on my profile is because, in reality, this blog is not ours, but mine. I'm the one to post; I'm the one the check comments; I'm the one to do everything. And that's perfectly fine; I love doing it. I've just decided to make it a bit more personal to my taste. Hubby really doesn't care what photo I show.

Hope you enjoy the new photo as you'll being seeing it every time I leave a comment on your blog from now on! Any encouragement you can offer as far as posting personal family photos would be helpful. Thanks!

Dripping with dew

"The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up, and the skies drip with dew." Proverbs 3:19-20
These little flowers poked their heads up several weeks ago which means that spring is just around the corner!! There is a lot of moisture in the air, as you can see on the flowers. In fact, this picture was taken just after noon.

Being from an area of the US where there a four very distinct seasons, having flowers in February is a new experience. I have not investigated this flower, yet, so I'm not sure what it's called. When I got close enough to take this picture, I realized it's in full bloom with its head bowed. Even the flowers praise Him continually!

Watch for more homesteading posts. Rumor has it that Hubby is going to start cutting down trees along our west property line to make room for gardens and a greenhouse. Changes are in the works!!

Snow. No, ice. Both?

"From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen." Job 37:10
Yesterday morning, Hubby and I witnessed something falling from the sky. At first, we assumed it was snow. But, after closer inspection, this is what we saw. It was little pellets of ice. Interesting, huh? Even though the sun peeked out for awhile, the temperature never did get high enough to melt it all away. We still have little patches of this in the yard.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Thanks to all my blogger friends for bearing with me as I continue to increase my business.