The Name

I wanted to post this picture again from my last post because I love the way the sunlight plays with it, bringing shadows into the picture. As I was looking at the shadow of the lamp in the background, my thoughts turned to the movie "The Lord of the Rings" that my youngest daughter & I went to see when it was recently re-released. I will explain later in this post why the picture put me in mind of this movie.

As we were watching the second movie, there was a scene where the character Gollum, was leading Frodo & Sam to a destination & he was the only one who knew how to get there. Sam did not trust Gollum, but Frodo was willing to give him a chance to prove himself. Frodo had also learned something of Gollum's past & knew that before he had become Gollum, his name was Smeagle, but because choosing evil over good, he had lost his identity. At one point, Frodo called Gollum by his real name, Smeagle. Gollum looked at him perplexed & says, "What did you call me?" Frodo repeated his name & it slowly dawned on Gollum that Smeagle was his real name, & that Frodo had given him back his true identity. Just by calling him his real name. He was so full of joy & gratitude that he began to call Frodo 'Master' & became his very willing & grateful servant. I began quietly weeping. It was one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Because it's true. In our society, our world, our sphere, maybe even next door, there are Gollums. Ones who have given themselves over to the perversion of the human nature so much so that they don't remember there ever was a 'before'. But there was a time when the unthinkable was still the unthinkable. There was a 'before' in the life of the 18 year old boy who shot & killed a classmate. There was a 'before' in the life of the 21 year old girl who killed several boys & girls. There was a 'before' in the life of the 15 year old boy who....so heartbreakingly young. & I weep. & I pray for them. Jesus said that He came to give life & to give it abundantly. Old things are passed away. All things are become new. Not just remembering the before & the longing & restoration of it. But a brand new name. The 'who you really are' name. The true you.

"But now says the Lord who created you...Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by YOUR NAME; YOU ARE MINE."   (Isaiah 43:1) You know what that means? He calls you by your own personal name that He Himself gave you. It sounds a lot like His. In fact, it IS His! Which simply means, everything He has, everything He is, is you & is yours. It's part of the redemption package when you give yourself to Him. It's called the Blood Covenant. His Blood Covenant. He signs His name, in His blood, to it. Him in me & me in Him. Him in you & you in Him. He gives us His name. Our true, meant to be identity. Which brings me back to the picture at the beginning of the post. The shadow of the lamp is not the lamp itself, but is just a silhouette of the lamp. The reality of  the lamp is the lamp itself. & in like manner, we are merely shadows until Jesus makes us 'real' with His identity, His name &, as in the story of "The Velveteen Rabbit", His love.  & here's a love song, a desire of His heart to you, from an old hymn,

"Softly & tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you & for me...come home, come home..."   It is so restful to come home, to belong to Him, so sweet to hear Him call your name, to know that He truly, truly loves you, to know that you are forgiven & that He gives you hope & a future. What words of life for all of the Gollums & even used to be Gollums of the world. There is a chair  at the supper table with your name on it. Jesus put it there Himself. & He's calling you in. "Come & get it!" Yes...come & get it. 💖

Raintree Perk of the Day:

Revelation 2:17

"To him who overcomes...I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a NEW NAME..."!! The italics are mine, but that's how I feel about it! Yes!!

What a ride! 

We are still having unseasonal weather here in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Many days of the same fierce winds, but almost balmy temperatures & hardly any snow. Most of my friends are enjoying our non-winter weather, but I want my winter! But, as the song goes, with minor revisions, "If you can't have the winter you want, love the winter you (don't!) have", or something like that. 😕

But, celebrations of life MUST go on. (Don't you love the sparkly reflections in the windows?? So pretty!)

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🌹💖🌹💖🌹💖🌹💖 

From my Valentine 😘

Summer dreaming miniature rose bush. I know just where I will plant it.

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The above is a dried rose that I sprayed with craft 'matte' spray to preserve it. Dried roses can be as beautiful as real ones. 

I was under the 'non-winter' weather so was not able to make George Washington his cherry pie for his birthday, but I can dream.

During this month I have been doing some heart housecleaning. Actually, it was the in-heart probing searchlight of the Holy Spirit, gently leading me forward & my resistance by going backward. In time. What started it was my twenty year old grandson taking a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. 😮Over nine hundred miles away. 😟By himself. (You're kidding me, right?

NOT!) 😧In the middle of winter. (Non-winter here but real winter could be encountered over nine hundred miles!) 😬To a place he'd never been & didn't know a single person! 😵I could run out of emoji expressions for all of the different emotions I went through. & said nothing. To him it was cool. To him it was an adventure. To him there was nothing to fear. To me, it was fear itself. Boy! Talk about having to "faith my fear" as in my January post! Always another opportunity to practice what we preach, right?? The week of eternity is over as he is safely back home. Never mind that I have to now buy some anti-aging products for the ten years I aged over a span of one week. Boy! What a ride!

I'm sure he gained a lot in different ways on his journey to manhood & hearing the Lord's voice. But my journey went backwards. To his little boy years. To laying out on mattresses in the back yard, camping, looking at the stars, spying sattelites, going for go-cart rides, going fishing, swimming, playing games of Go Fish, reading "Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel MaryAnn" (about a hundred times!) singing songs, his crazy dancing choreography, "Charlie Brown" books, Dairy Queen hamburgers & french fries, Pizza & a movie on Friday nights, the list is endless. It's not "Where are you going, my little one..." anymore. It's 'where have you gone?' & this isn't the first time that I've sung this song. I sang it with each of my children. Seven times. I've sung it with other grandchildren. It has never been easy. Because each time I say 'goodbye', I'm not just saying it to the time or person, I'm also saying it to myself, as that part of my life is over. It feels like I'm always being left behind as I watch that loved one disappearing around the bend, sometimes being so absorbed in their destiny that they don't even wave goodbye. Not being unkind or thoughtless. Just excited about the future. & that's as it should be.  All mothers know this. Our mother's & grandmother's knew it too.  & though I have felt at times like Peter Pan, THE END is only the precursor to THE NEW BEGINNING.

Precursor definition:

"Something that precedes & indicates something approaching."

Actually "The End" is the harbinger for something new. & when the new is Jesus' plan for our lives, you know that it's going to be great! It's the MERRY-go-round ride that never ends! 

"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh & flourishing..." Psalm 92:13 & 14

 

I have loved the different chapters of my life.  I have gotten to live the life I love. I have made bad, sinful & selfish choices at times & Jesus let me make them. But He was always there to dry the tears from repentance, to bathe me from the dirt & grime of shame & guilt & to make "all things work together for good". As my kids & grandkids are pursuing the unknowns of their future, Jesus will also let them fall, fail at times. But there will also be victories. I will be there for it all, not to judge or criticize, but to love, to pray, to cheer on, to offer the milk & cookies. It's their journey. I'm sort of the silent & invisible partner, except in prayer (& emoji's!) As for me, well, my journey isn't over. Not until Jesus calls me home. &  on that day of my new beginning, when I hit my homerun, as I slide into Homeplate, & pronounced "Safe!" by the Umpire, I will say, with joy forever, "Boy what a ride!"

 

Raintree Perk of the Day:

For (she) will  not dwell unduly on the days of (her) life, because God keeps (her) busy with the JOY of (her) heart."

Ecclesiastes 5:20

It just doesn't get any better than that! 

 

Faith as a Verb

How strange the weather has been for the last couple of months. Early Spring-like weather, many, many days of fierce winds, fifty degrees one day, below zero the next & practically no snow. I love the above picture, but it's only a dream. Not that we haven't had snow, but not too much accumulation. & I LOVE snow. & to be cold! because it's so agreeable, so amiable, so enjoyable & satisfying, so cozy!... to cocoon myself in a snuggly, soft, blanket, wrap my hands around a cup of steaming hot cocoa, put on my woolly socks, sit in front of a crackling fire or enjoy what is called "window weather", or read a good book, or just let the calming drowsiness take me away like a Calgon bath. But there have been many days this month of sweater weather the likes of which I haven't seen in the forty-six winters that I have lived in South Dakota! However, I declared at the beginning of the month that it would be a time of rest, respite, & recline. Apart from the things that have to be done every day, the little homely chores that I love to do,  I would keep it to the bare-bones minimum & would take a much needed stay-cation, day-cation, play-cation, lay-cation, or whatever you want to call it. I found the most charming little animated videos of winter scenes & woods creatures to the background of Celtic music that I would watch & listen to while rocking in my comfy rocking chair, very therapeutic & restful. & I have mostly kept my resolve to do this for the month. I have measured out the chore of putting away seasonal decor to just a little every day. I simplified cooking, mainly soups & stew that could be eaten over a period of days. & I purposed not to make unnecessary trips to town & stay at home instead. I finished packing & storing the rest of my Christmas decor just this morning, leaving out the usual snowmen & faux evergreen  trees for the rest of winter. They so brighten long winter days with color & cheery snowman smiles! 

So, doing a little vacuuming  & the final stages of putting the containers into hibernation until next Christmas, I started thinking about the new year. I'm sure there will be changes for all of us. That goes without saying. There may be goodbyes, to some we love or maybe a way of life that gets interrupted by, well, life. There may be unexpected challenges that require us to give up, or at least lay down for awhile, our dreams, security or comfort. Our 'nest egg' may be required of us for a desperate need of someone else. Our circumstances may greatly change so that it requires a new dependency on the Lord to meet our daily needs. All of these may seem negative or thoughts that we don't want to think about. & why, as the saying goes, 'borrow trouble'? Why project a spirit of fear into the unknown future? What comes to my mind is the Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared." How? By making daily faith installments into our 'Faith Bank'. Again, how? I don't know anyone who doesn't have a fear of something. or is tormented by fear itself. But do we realize that fear, no matter how seemingly small, or Goliath-size, according to scripture, is sin? 

"Whatever is not of faith is sin?"  ( Romans 14:23)

So, in this coming year, what will be required of us, is to 'head off' (little play on words) those fears  at the pass, yes, get out our faith slingshots & whack! & decapitate those Goliaths of torment!  

"...because fear has torment..."  ( 1 John 4:18)

A well known evangelist uses the term, "Faith the Facts". I would add to that,

FAITH YOUR FEAR!!

By getting our minds renewed through the reading, (out loud!) of His word because "faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God"! It is the way that we learn who we are in Jesus, what our (Jesus) Blood Covenant rights & responsibilities are, & who He is in truth. It's how we get to know Him intimately & the better we know Him, the more we trust Him. & the more we trust Him, the better we know Him. & love Him.

I have a thought. What if everything that comes to us in this coming year of 2026 that we might perceive as negative or harmful, we would determine beforehand to 'faith our fear' by allowing Jesus to tweak our perception of it as a divine & even appointed encounter which would allow Him into the situation thus changing the whole outcome for His purposes & glory. Even in desperate circumstances out of our control, they aren't out of His control when we 'faith our fear'! & the 'outcome' equals 'overcome'.

"Faith is the victory that overcomes..." Everything. 

"Cast your care on Him for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart..." (Proverbs 3:5)

"Do not be anxious about anything..." (Philippians 4:6)

"Do not be afraid for I am with you."  (Isaiah 41:10)

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil..."  (Psalm 23)

"Don't let your hearts be troubled & do not be afraid."  (John 14:27)

"The Lord is my Helper. I will not be afraid." (Hebrews 13:6)

In each verse fear is overcome by 'faithing' the fear.

Fear comes to all of us at times, but it is not meant to set up camp. It is meant to be 'sent back from whence it came! That's where faith as an action verb comes in. & I don't mean riding leisurely off into the sunset either. I plan to see some head rolling to be graphic. It's time for all of us to 'faith our fear'. & then..

Look out Goliath fear. Sheriff Faith has come to town. With double-barreled slingshots! Oh yeah...

Raintree Perk of the Day:

"...One little stone (faith) went up in the air (& whop!!) & the giant (fear!) came tumbling down!!!  🎵"  (From the song 'Only A Boy Named David) 😊

 

 P.S. Raintree Perk of the Day from yesterdays post:

This is not my January post. This is an addendum to my December 31st, 2025 post that I woke up with in the wee, first hours of January 1st, 2026. Fitting for the last day of 2025 & the first day of January 2026.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord. Thoughts of peace & not of evil. (Pretty mind-blowing to think that the Lord God Himself thinks about you & me isn't it? WOW!!)  "...to give you a FUTURE & a HOPE."!!!

There's that wonderful word again! Hope! Let that be your rallying call, watchword, catchphrase, sacred word,  for this first day of the New Year. & every day in this coming year. Say this scripture out loud every day. Say it to yourself in the mirror. Say it the first thing in the morning, the last thing as you lay down at night. Say it if you wake up in the middle of the night. Say it every time it comes to your mind. Catch it! & let it catch you. Truly, it will change everything in your life. Even if everything in your life is smooth sailing, say it anyway so it can be put in your 'Hope Bank, Savings & Trust'. Start investing today, January 1st, 2026. You'll never lose in a spiritual financial plan like that!

Happy, Happy New Year, & New Day!! 

The Thrill of

HOPE...

Revisited

Although I have a previous Christmas post about 'hope', I feel it is something that would encourage again, not just the weary world, but our own, at times, weary hearts. 

In the above picture of a sweet pillow that I couldn't resist purchasing, the inside of the wreath reads, "Ingredients For A Joyful Christmas". Above the wreath are two cutie gingerbread men holding a heart & above it is the word, 'Hope'. I would like to say that the main ingredient of not only a joyful Christmas, but a joyful life, would be... hope. Hope never puts a "The End" in any situation. Hope always wears a smile even if there is a tear in the eye. Hope is positive & optimistic. Hope looks to the future, & is always looking at the bend in the road expectantly. Hope listens for the ringing of the phone, watches for the mail to come. Maybe today... There is no lost cause, no "gone too far", no "done deal",  no "It's no use", with hope. & no person that's beyond it's reach.

We all know the story of Pandora's box & how she entered the land of forbidden curiosity, & by so doing, unleashed wrath, gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, pride & lust, woes like sickness, pain, suffering. However, at the very bottom of the box, was...hope. What comes to me in this story, is the parallel of the two trees in the Garden of Eden. One, the Tree of Life. The other, The Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil. Or the Tree of "Forbidden Curiosity". Every single person who has ever lived can identify with Pandora. We have all opened the box. We have all plucked the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil & satiated the desire of having our own way. We have all unleashed the woes because of our rebellious nature, "I will be like God.  It's my life & I'll do what I want." Oh foolish, foolish forbidden curiosity. Foolish & hopeless & futile...but wait...what is this at the bottom of the box, waiting  to be released? It is Hope. & not just hope, but The Great Hope. & His name is JESUS.  

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son..."

"In the beginning was the Word..."

"And the Word became flesh & dwelt among us...full of grace & truth..." 

We celebrate His coming, His advent, His birthday,

every December 25th. & He was named, JESUS, because He would save us from our sins, & also, deliver us from the ravaged consequences of our forbidden & even perverse curiosity. He would also bring HOPE. Yes oh weary heart, old things really can pass away. Yes all things can become new. Yes, there really is a bend in the road, because HOPE is waiting. Pandora's box was closed, trapping 'hope' inside. The Father opened the box & set Him free. Free to do His ongoing redemptive work in the heart's of the captives. Free to be. "For yonder breaks a new & glorious morn..." under a bright & shining star, JESUS came. & at that moment everything changed.  FOREVER....

Raintree Perk of the Day:

"Hope is the thing with feathers,  that perches in the soul,   that sings the tune without words,  & never stops at all..."

Emily Dickinson

Hope. Solid as a rock. Solid as The Rock. & He also is Immanuel. God With Us. 

 Rock Flowers

 Recently, one of my daughters sent me this charming bouquet to bring some cheer & comfort upon the loss of my dear 'little' brother, who, unexpectedly, crossed over into his Promised Land & into Jesus arms. This isn't the first time that family loved ones have crossed over, & there is always joy (for those who are with the ones they love who are already in heaven) mixed with grief of the ones who are left behind, to look at the empty chair, the empty bed, the silenced voice, the presence that just isn't. My first birthday that there was no phone call. When we called each other, we would talk sometimes for two or even three hours, talking, laughing, joking, & just 'being together'. I am eight years older than Scottie & we lived quite a distance away in different states. But the family familiarity was always there so no matter what the time between 'visits', it was like picking up where you left off. We always talked about Jesus too. & the last thing we always said to each other was "I love you". The last time I talked to him was on his birthday, in September. So we are coming up on Thanksgiving now, & crossing another 'first' to say, 'until we meet again', but I miss him not being here. Others suffer too. Two of my friends won't spend the holiday with husbands this year. Another friend has said goodbye to her mother, another friend, to her son. I have said farewell for now to a beloved horse & sweet, sweet dog. & there are other hard times, financial, relationships, loneliness, unwanted divorce, cruel losses beyond our control. Make no mistake. These times come to all who live or who have ever lived. But the question is, through it all, as our Father's children, how do we respond to the loss, the endless waiting, the cruel injustice that resulted in devastation in our own personal lives & those we love. Sometimes those are the hardest losses to bear. & times when joy doesn't come in the morning, or mourning. at least not in the time frame that we have set. Jesus said,  "In this world you will have tribulation..." John 16:33

definition of tribulation:

"A state of great trouble or suffering"

How have we responded to those times as the followers of Jesus. I have had brothers & sisters in Jesus that have become bitter & angry & have left the Lord & gone willingly into the camp of the enemy & pitched their tent. Others have become cynical, hard & distant. Still others have stopped following Jesus because He didn't answer in the way they thought He would. or He isn't the Jesus that they have created, which isn't who Jesus is at all. When we have been thrust into the time of trouble or suffering, & not by choice, we do have a choice in our response. I was reading from a favorite devotional a few days ago, an entry on my birthday date.

"I have always been glad that the psalmist said to God that some things were hard. There are hard things in life. Some beautiful pink flowers were given me this summer & as I took them I asked, "What are these?" And the answer came, "They are rock flowers; they grow & bloom only on rocks where you can see no soil." Then I thought of God's flowers growing in hard places & I feel , somehow, that He may have a peculiar tenderness for His "rock flowers" that He may not have for His lilies & roses." Margaret Bottome

The above flowers are called 'Verbena'. I planted them in a barrel with a variety of other flowers the first of June. These flowers have survived several frosts, freezing temperatures, an ice storm & high winds. I took this picture this morning. It has far outlived it's sister & brother summer flowers. You can look up the hardiness of the 'Verbena' flower, but henceforth, I will call them "Rock Flowers". They not only survived the literal storms of life, they thrived. & have encouraged & inspired me!

God has many, many Rock Flowers in His garden. & they mostly thrive & flourish in the Gardens of Gethsemane. They are steady. They are strong. They are patient. They are enduring. & they are precious to His heart. & when Jesus calls us home, wouldn't you like to be in that 'plucked by His own hands' bouquet of Rock Flowers? I know I would.

Raintree Perk of the Day:

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, & His mercy endures FOREVER!

& to you growing Rock Flowers, who are tempest tossed, the conclusion of the verse, John 16:33, 

"...but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world"!  & because He did so can we!! Onward & upward fellow Rock Flowers!

Happiest EVER Thanksgiving!!

Songs of September

Maisie has become our photo-op kitty. This is it for September. 

This was it for August. & no prompting at all, she is just a natural. This was her best pose, so adorable & so accommodating! Don't let that adorableness fool  you though. It belies a bit of little sister brattiness when it comes to much older sister Lollipop. She was born with a "It's your life but you'll do what I want" variation from the song in the sixties made popular by 'The Animals'. & human or animal, it makes no difference to her. She was born to be adored ( at a distance & on her terms) & to rule (definitely not a distance & also on her terms.) At night is when she redeems herself because then she is Dr. Jekyll, sweet, cuddly, & lovable. When the sun comes up, the narcissistic Miss Hyde does too, as does everything else. Hide that is. That's our Maisie!

🐱😸😹😺😻😼😽😾😿🙀

The first half of this very changeable month was pleasantly cool & puts me in the mood for Autumn decorating, so light the 'Autumn Harvest' candle, play "Simple Gifts of Autumn" music,  by Tim Janis which is accompanied by the sound of the sweetly falling rain, &, as for the taste buds, homemade chicken noodle soup mixed with the fragrance of pumpkin muffins & you have the perfect setting for songs of inspiration.

The twin piggies sporting Autumn bows. 🐷

Chrysanthemums are the Queen of Autumn flowers for me. 

Song of love.😘

This is a culinary 'song of thanksgiving' that  started with this.

🡇

Our gracious neighbor let us pick all of the apples that we wanted from his apple tree which has already resulted in several apple pies for today & many future awaiting apple pies in the frozen form right now. Also, several quarts of applesauce, & apple butter waiting to become apple butter! 😋

Our neighbor's song of sharing has had many expressions, for him also.

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I love to listen to the whispering songs of the soft winds that gently free the leaves that pirouette soundlessly to the earth. It is so restful to watch their quiet descent.
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The tantalizing aromatic songs of wood burning from hearth & home, a hotdog roasting, hot apple cider, simmering, fresh rain on a dry, dusty landscape, the fragrance from the freshly opened container that holds all of my autumn decor. It's the musical fragrance of memories, of times past.

The song of the moon as it waxes eloquently into a full 'Corn Moon'.

There has been a bittersweet September song for us of a loved one who slipped right into eternity, on his 54th birthday, into the waiting arms of Jesus...and it was doubly sweet to him, as he was finally reunited with his son &  our grandson. Very sweet indeed...

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"September! I never tire of turning it over in my mind. It has warmth, depth & color...."

It also has songs. 

So, time to write & sing! our own beautiful, colorful, September songs.
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Raintree Perk of the Day:

"To everything there is a season..."

This is the season, the month, the day to SING!

Jesus didn't just make September for us. He made us for September. We are the Songs Of September!

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