Madcap Monday

Ship's Log. 03.30.2015

It be Madcap Monday, Mateys! Enjoy!

Hugs and God bless, Mateys!

SONday Devotions

Ship's Log  03.29.2015



Ahoy Mateys! I pray that these devotions bless ye in a big way!

SONday Devotions

Pearls From The Sea

Beware the Shoals!

By MaryLu Tyndall

   Lighthouses were erected to warn passing ships about the location of dangerous shoals, reefs and the close proximity of land. If the captain of a ship ignored the warning lights, he could strike a shoal or run his ship aground. If he did so during a storm, his ship would be lost.

   Everyone knows the story of the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt and the ten plagues God sent on the Egyptians. Every time Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to demand that he let the people of Israel go, Pharaoh would not agree. So, God sent plagues to convince him. But each time, Pharaoh refused Moses' request-or as Scripture says, he hardened his heart. In fact, he did so seven times before God finally gave up on him. After that, it was God who hardened Pharaoh's heart for him. If you read the text, starting in Exodus chapter 5, you'll see phrases like "Pharaoh's heart grew hard" or "Pharaoh hardened his heart" seven times, then after the sixth plague, it says, "But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh." And from then on, it is the Lord who forbids Pharaoh to comply with Moses.

   When you think about it, this is a frightening prospect. We like to think of God as loving and merciful and patient and filled with grace. And He is! But as we can see from Scripture, He doesn't wait forever. God gives us chance after chance after chance throughout the course of our lives to accept Him, to seek Him, to do His will; but there may come a time that God will remove His hand from a person who continually rejects Him, and He will leave that person to navigate the waters in the darkness.

    They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. 

(2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NIV).

   So, don't be hard-hearted toward God. Don't steer your ship into the shoals. The good news is, it takes only one glance in His direction, and He'll open his arms wide to receive you.

Rock of Ages

By Debbie Mitchell

   Sirens are female creatures from Greek mythology whose singing lured men to their destruction. All these sailors had to hear was the sound of the sirens' voices and they would sail to their deaths.

   Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock (Isaiah 26:4 ESV).

   Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song(Psalm 95:2 NIV). 

   Whenever I listen to modern Christian music, I can't help but compare it to the hymns of past generations. Even though the music is drastically different, the messages are always the same. The important thing to do, while listening to "new" music, is to really listen to the words. The song may have a great beat, yet the words may land flat. Or, in the case of some old hymns, the beat may be outdated, yet the words speak to you in a wonderful way. I always try to make out the words, and if I cannot understand them (which I find in a lot of today's music), I look up the songs online and read the lyrics. Too many young people today (and some old) are too wrapped up in singing a song without really knowing what they are actually singing about.

   My children love to sing, and they have beautiful voices. I've told them on several occasions that when they sing a Christian song, make sure they are singing to the Lord and not just singing to hear themselves sing.

   Rock of Ages, cleft for me;

   let me hide myself in thee;

   let the water and the blood,

   from thy wounded side which flowed,

   be of sin the double cure;

   save from wrath and make me pure.

   No matter what age we are living in, God has not changed. He is and always shall be our Rock of Ages. No matter how old we become, I pray we never forget that. Whether we listen to new age Christian music, gospel or old hymns, we need to listen to the words, not just to the music. Some songs may carry the label "Christian", but it's the lyrics that tell the truth.

   In the Greek mythology of the sirens, if the sailors had actually listened to the words of the sirens' songs, they would have realized it was a trap, and their lives would have been saved.

Have a blessed SONday, Mateys!!!!

Me Favorite Caption for the week!

Ship's Log   03.27.2015

Here be me favorite caption, Mateys!

Tracy says:    

Lucas: Hello Grandma! Yer looking pretty as ever!

Grandma: Have ye seen where the sweets are?

*Tate watching Lucas closely as Lucas trys to cover up that he ate all of the goodies for all the Grandchildren*

Lucas: I haven't seen the sweets since this morning.

*Lucas smiling as much as he can, but feels a stomach ache coming on. Tate taking a note of not to eat to many sweets.*

I LOVE it, Tracy!

Thanks to everyone else who played along. Here be the other captions:

Regina says:       Tate: Granny, not another mug shot! I mean, really?

                                 Lucas:  Ssh granny doesn't see me.

Mary says:         Do you think they heard me pass gas? 

Debra says:       Tate says "I don't think that is how you are supposed to smile".

Barbara says:   ( I seen where grandma put the cookies)( oh really)

Sarah says:      Tate: "Good morning! You're watching Tate in the Morning.                                    I'm Tate, your host, and I'm here talking with actor Lucas about                              his new movie. (Turns to Lucas). So tell me, Lucas, what is 

                              the movie about?"

Norma says:  Lucas: "If you do a fake smile like this Tate they will take your                                  picture."  

                             Tate: "really dude you look silly."

Thanks fer the smiles, Mateys! Hugs and God bless!

Wordless Wednesday With A Twist

Ship's Log  03.25.2015

Ahoy Mateys! It be time to come up wit' those witty captions!

Caption this:

These are me grandsons, Lucas and Tate. What say you? How would ye caption this photo?

Thanks fer comin' aboard and playin', Mateys! Hugs and God bless.

MADCAP MONDAY

Ship's Log   03.23.2015

It be Madcap Monday, Mateys! Enjoy!

The Maid is always on the lookout for what's next....

think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. 

Hugs and God bless, Mateys!

SONday Devotions

 

Ship's Log  03.22.2015



Ahoy Mateys! I pray that these devotions bless ye in a big way!

SONday Devotions

Pearls From The Sea

Your Captain Supplies All Your Needs for the Journey

By MaryLu Tyndall

   I love the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in Matthew 14. Actually, it was more like 10,000 people if you count the women and children, probably more. So if you had been there and had only had five loaves of bread and two fish, what would you have done? Or let's say you lost your job and your mortgage or rent is due in one week, and you've got only $30 in your checking account. What do you do? Or you have a job but your electric and heating bills have gone through the roof and your children have been sick and you've had to fork out money for medicine and doctors and your electric company is going to shut off your power in one week if you don't pay. What do you do?

   When presented with the problem of feeding 10,000 people, Jesus' disciples did the following:

  They tried to get rid of the problem by ignoring it. (They told Jesus to send the people away).

   They only looked at natural means to solve the problem. (They told Jesus it would take 200 denarii to feed all the people).

   They laughed at the impossibility of the task (disbelief).

   How often do we do the same? We sit and wallow in our problems, complaining and fearful, trying to solve them on our own, even laughing inwardly when people tell us that God can help us. We look at the impossibility of the task, and our faith falters. But we forget how big our God is!

   I love the innocence of the little boy who came forward to offer his lunch. Think about it for a moment. He could have kept it to himself. He could have reasoned that there would be no way to feed everyone with what he had and he might as well eat it himself. After all, he was the only smart one who thought to bring some food along! But he didn't. He went forward and gave all he had to Jesus. He trusted it in God's hands and believed He could do something big with it.

   Then Jesus "looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples." And what did the disciples do? (They listened to God and obeyed Him, even though they probably didn't completely believe that He could do it.)

   And the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

   What can we learn from this?

  1.  Bring your problem to Jesus.

  2.  Surrender what you have to God. It may not be much, but give it to Him.

  3.  Give thanks for what you have and believe God can multiply it.

  4.  Obey whatever God tells you to do.

   If you have gotten yourself into a bad situation due to your own poor planning and negligence (or if ye've come aboard and forgotten yer supplies), then be aware God may not grant you an easy way out. He may be trying to teach you something. But I guarantee that if you come to Him and surrender your problem and your will and you truly put Him first, He will help you. He can't do otherwise; it would be against His nature.

    I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread (Psalm 37:25 NIV).

    Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

Getting My Sea Legs

By Debbie Mitchell

   When I was new to my faith, I had no idea how to approach people about Jesus. I wasn't overzealous like a lot of new Christians. I was quiet and downright afraid to speak to anyone about my faith. Then one day I was in church and one of the Sunday School teachers asked me to help her with her class. I love kids, so I said I'd be glad to help. That's all it took for me to come out of my shell. The children gave me the courage I needed. Shortly after helping in that class, I was teaching my own class. I have been a Sunday School teacher ever since. God had a plan for my life.

    So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11 NLV).

   As a teacher, I have a great responsibility to the children. The words I say must be God's words and not my own. I will be judged by the way I teach. That is quiet the incentive to do my best.

    Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1 NIV).

   I no longer fear talking to others about Christ. God used the precious children in my life to help me stand in my faith.

   No more wobbly legs for me. 

Have a blessed SONday, Mateys!!!!

Giveaway Winners!

Ship's Log  03.14.2015

Congrats to the winners!

My video wouldn't post here, so I put it up on Facebook. The winners are:

Resurrection Box:  Caryl Kane

Spring Box:  Regina Fujitani

Birthday Box: Liz Dent

If you ladies could email me at  debsbunch777(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing addresses, I would appreciate it.

Hugs and God bless!

Special Celebration Post with Giveaway!!!!

Ship's Log  03.09.2015

Happy Easter! Happy Spring! Happy Birthday To Me!

Ahoy Mateys! In honor of Easter/Resurrection Day, the comin' of Spring
 and me Birthday (which be landin' on Easter Sunday 

this year), I be havin' a special blog with a giveaway. 

 

RESURRECTION DAY

5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 

6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 

7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " 

(Mark 16:5-7 ).

                              

                                       **********

 "Men of Galilee," they said. "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Jesus will come again to take his children home to be with him forever! I cannot wait for His return!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Even though it has felt like Spring here in California since late January, I am sure that some of you out there are just now feeling Spring's effects. Enjoy the beauty that the Lord has given to your area of this world. And do not forget to thank Him daily for all that you have. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that me birthday lands on Easter Sunday this year. So what better time fer a special giveaway!  

I have made three special boxes that I am givin' away to three commenters. All ye have to do to enter to win, is to tell me yer favorite thing about Easter and Spring and of course wish me a Happy Birthday! *wink wink*

 Resurrection/Easter Box

Spring Box

Birthday Box

***Giveaway runs from March 9th- March 13th.....

winner announced on March 14th***

(So sorry, but USA residents only, unless you agree to pay postage)

Thanks fer comin' aboard, Mateys! I pray that ye have a glorious Resurrection Day and that ye truly enjoy this Spring season!

Hugs and God bless!