My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.
~ Psalms 73:26, NLT
~ Psalms 73:26, NLT
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Gifts from God!
Sunday 12/19/2010
Jesus replied, 'If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.'
~ John 4:10, NLT
Jesus replied, 'If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.'
~ John 4:10, NLT
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Whatever you do or say....
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
~ Colossians 3:17, NLT
~ Colossians 3:17, NLT
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
IN ALL THINGS GIVE THANKS...
 |
| IN ALL THINGS GIVE THANKS... We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds. ~ Psalm 75:1, NLT |
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
LEST WE FORGET!
Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 NIV
11-11-10
Friday, November 5, 2010
Presenting our colors...
Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 NIV
11-11-10
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Everything we have comes from the Lord God!
I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me
as the Lord.
as the Lord.
~ Hosea 2:20, NLT
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
~ Psalm 103:22, NLT
LOVE TO ALL,
Norm
Sunday, October 10, 2010
"He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91: 1-6 NIV
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Love to all, Norm
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Trust always...
1 Those who trust in the LORD
are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken
but endures forever.
Psalm 125:1 NIV
Sunday, September 12, 2010
"...They shall mount up with wings like eagles..."
"But those who wait on the LordShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall walk and not faint."
Isiah 40:31
Love to all, Norm
Monday, September 6, 2010
"...you will abide in My love."
"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
John 15:10 NASB
Sunday, August 29, 2010
"...My cup runneth over".
my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 23: 5-6(King James Version)
LEST WE FORGET!
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.
Ephesians 2:4-5
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Nothing can tear us apart!
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8: 38-39 NIV
HE is always close to me!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Zion Tree
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
~ Philippians 4:6, NLT
Saturday, May 1, 2010
FUTILE EFFORTS
Futile efforts
This photograph of the cemetery in front of the Chimney Rock speaks volumes to me. To this photographer, it represents the long trail taken by our ancestors, some who died trying to reach out to a better life.
Also , I see my own life's trials and tests exemplified in this picture. Some days it is so easy to complain, and find life's bumps and rough spots unbearable. I seem to want to focus on myself in those moments, only to wake up soon to the fact that we all have them.
My father had many challenges in his early life, and as I look back on mine now, I see the same pattern.
That "rock" pointing the way forward, marking the trail for many, well that must be like when we look to Jesus for guidance. The difference is his love, although not always visible to us, has always been there, and will forever stand the test of time.
We too will die along the trail somewhere, but our efforts and work pointed in that right direction, along HIS path will always and forever be of value!
LOVE TO ALL, Norm
Sunday, March 7, 2010
THE MIGRATION JOURNEY!
“Praise to the LORD O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”- Isaiah 25:1
I want to share something that is so very, very precious to my heart! The annual spring migration of thousands of birds has begun. I so love this time of year, because it signals new hope, and renewal in so many ways.
"Crane Cam" at Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon Ne. for Sand hill Crane viewing. Best time is sunset or sunrise.. You will want to turn up your volume. Web cam operating March 6 through April 10. I have seen eagles, cranes, geese, deer, etc. As you may know, there are approximately 500,000 cranes that use this 80 mile strip of our Platte River for their annual migration.
(also very educational for grand children!)
http://www.rowesanctuary.org/crane%20cam.html
This is a Bald Eagle in the wild on a nest in West Virginia:
You can double click right on the picture for full screen.
Due to hatch 3 eggs in the next 2-3 days!
http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html
This bald eagle nest is in Sidney Ontario Canada:
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/staticpages/index.php/20090302200021473
Just laid first egg 2 days ago. It takes approximately 33 days to hatch. Usually eagles lay 2-3 eggs. Both male and female share the nesting process, and as you may know, eagles and cranes mate for life.
We can learn a lot from them!
Enjoy, and
LOVE TO ALL, Norm
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Lessons from the barn
They stand as reminders of the past~monuments of dedication. There are hundreds of these old barns still standing, and I am sure some still in use today. Just as the World War II era's "greatest generation" continues to weather the storms of mortal life, eventually to become treasured icons with much we can learn from, so parallels the fate of these mostly wooden reminders of the past.
Storage places for hay and livestock feed, these old barns have provided much needed shelter for animals, both domestic and habitat for wild critters like barn swallows, and raccoons.
A generation or two ago, these barns were the center of the farming operation, and even hosted a Saturday night dance or two, so they say. Although I can not remember these social events, I do have now cherished memories of time spent growing up as a farm boy with chores. Many hours spent with Dad and brothers there, as we learned to develop work ethics that would help shape our future.
As I drive through the countryside, and glance at the silhouette of an old barn, I can almost hear the soft clink of kicker chains as the cows brother Lynn and I milked by hand, did their own twice daily "barn dance". I can almost hear the mew of barn kittens, as they beg for warm, white streams of milk to be shot their way, in between rhythms in two brother's pails, on a cold morning before daylight.
Yes, I can almost smell the sweet aroma of the molasses in the freshly rolled corn mixed with pellets, and then served with a side order of a "sliver" of alfalfa hay! Mixed in the barn aromas too was always the clean scent of freshly applied "Bag Balm" that served the side benefit of keeping four small hands soft.
You could hear the call of momma cows in the distant west pasture which ment Dad was feeding them, and the sheep soon bleated in the north pasture, as soon as they heard the voice of the shepherd's call each afternoon at 4:30 chore time.
The soft flutter of the Barn Swallows darting in and out of the miking parlor, and the click of the stanchion, and slap of the barn gate, meant the milking was finished. The click sound of the west gate shutting still is audible in my mind, signaling that the cows were turned back into the pasture to spend the next 12 hours grazing.
To this day, over 50 years later, I cherish the sound made each November, just before Thanksgiving, of the annual calf weaning at grandpa Emery's "toad holler" farm. Dad took pride in seeing his Red Short Horn calves helping themselves to hay and corn rations each fall. Brother and I would scribble the date on the west wall of grandpa Emery's sorting barn. Pete Pfieffer would be our trucker to transport the cattle from farm place to farm place, or to the sale barn as needed. As Pete jumped out of the snub-nosed red cattle truck, I can hear his low giggle as he took pride in backing up to our home made loading chute!
Those old barns have aided in teaching several heritage lessons, life lessons, lessons worth passing on. Help me by giving thanks when you pass one, and maybe tip your hat too, as you pass by one. The next time you pass by, the barn may be gone, but the lessons stick with you, only to be passed on a different way.
Storage places for hay and livestock feed, these old barns have provided much needed shelter for animals, both domestic and habitat for wild critters like barn swallows, and raccoons.
A generation or two ago, these barns were the center of the farming operation, and even hosted a Saturday night dance or two, so they say. Although I can not remember these social events, I do have now cherished memories of time spent growing up as a farm boy with chores. Many hours spent with Dad and brothers there, as we learned to develop work ethics that would help shape our future.
As I drive through the countryside, and glance at the silhouette of an old barn, I can almost hear the soft clink of kicker chains as the cows brother Lynn and I milked by hand, did their own twice daily "barn dance". I can almost hear the mew of barn kittens, as they beg for warm, white streams of milk to be shot their way, in between rhythms in two brother's pails, on a cold morning before daylight.
Yes, I can almost smell the sweet aroma of the molasses in the freshly rolled corn mixed with pellets, and then served with a side order of a "sliver" of alfalfa hay! Mixed in the barn aromas too was always the clean scent of freshly applied "Bag Balm" that served the side benefit of keeping four small hands soft.
You could hear the call of momma cows in the distant west pasture which ment Dad was feeding them, and the sheep soon bleated in the north pasture, as soon as they heard the voice of the shepherd's call each afternoon at 4:30 chore time.
The soft flutter of the Barn Swallows darting in and out of the miking parlor, and the click of the stanchion, and slap of the barn gate, meant the milking was finished. The click sound of the west gate shutting still is audible in my mind, signaling that the cows were turned back into the pasture to spend the next 12 hours grazing.
To this day, over 50 years later, I cherish the sound made each November, just before Thanksgiving, of the annual calf weaning at grandpa Emery's "toad holler" farm. Dad took pride in seeing his Red Short Horn calves helping themselves to hay and corn rations each fall. Brother and I would scribble the date on the west wall of grandpa Emery's sorting barn. Pete Pfieffer would be our trucker to transport the cattle from farm place to farm place, or to the sale barn as needed. As Pete jumped out of the snub-nosed red cattle truck, I can hear his low giggle as he took pride in backing up to our home made loading chute!
Those old barns have aided in teaching several heritage lessons, life lessons, lessons worth passing on. Help me by giving thanks when you pass one, and maybe tip your hat too, as you pass by one. The next time you pass by, the barn may be gone, but the lessons stick with you, only to be passed on a different way.
Love to all, Norm
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Trouble in my heart
The Lord blesses them with peace.
~ Psalm 29:11, NLT
Help me with my troubled heart!
It is hard for me to even imagine the enormity
of the recent earth quake in Haiti.
Haiti is a country with huge challenges
for it's people to survive on a normal day,
without earth quakes and hurricanes.
There are millions of people who are not able
to provide for themselves, and have no formal
education what so ever. A country with few or
no natural resources, a weak government at best,
and a very very poor economy, with little agriculture
and food to sustain an over populated mass
of people in which nearly half
practice Voodoo as a religion.
Think for a moment how it would be to have
very limited health care, inadequate shelter,
and clean water, inferior building construction
with no building construction or other codes in place.
One of the word's weakest infrastructures,
and very little or no law enforcement with a huge
unemployment rate. Some parents resort to
selling some of their children for money to survive!
Help me pray for them.
Lord teach us your ways. Keep us safe from harm.
Help us help the helpless. Forgive us when
we can only think of ourselves. Give them strength
to survive. Give the rescuers strength to sustain
the efforts. Give the surviving strength to cope.
Lord give them hope.
Then too, Lord help those who have
problems not related to a country far from home.
Your awesome power, understanding,
and love can be there for a world full of need
all at the same time. Most of our daily needs,
as you know Lord, do not make headlines,
but you hear them somehow.
Lord give us all hope.
In the name of your son, amen.
Love to all, Norm
It is hard for me to even imagine the enormity
of the recent earth quake in Haiti.
Haiti is a country with huge challenges
for it's people to survive on a normal day,
without earth quakes and hurricanes.
There are millions of people who are not able
to provide for themselves, and have no formal
education what so ever. A country with few or
no natural resources, a weak government at best,
and a very very poor economy, with little agriculture
and food to sustain an over populated mass
of people in which nearly half
practice Voodoo as a religion.
Think for a moment how it would be to have
very limited health care, inadequate shelter,
and clean water, inferior building construction
with no building construction or other codes in place.
One of the word's weakest infrastructures,
and very little or no law enforcement with a huge
unemployment rate. Some parents resort to
selling some of their children for money to survive!
Help me pray for them.
Lord teach us your ways. Keep us safe from harm.
Help us help the helpless. Forgive us when
we can only think of ourselves. Give them strength
to survive. Give the rescuers strength to sustain
the efforts. Give the surviving strength to cope.
Lord give them hope.
Then too, Lord help those who have
problems not related to a country far from home.
Your awesome power, understanding,
and love can be there for a world full of need
all at the same time. Most of our daily needs,
as you know Lord, do not make headlines,
but you hear them somehow.
Lord give us all hope.
Love to all, Norm
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