Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for: 
-beauty God has created

 -stunning skies

-warm campfires on cold nights






-watching the sun rise with Sarah, Daddy, and Deborah (on 1/20) right before Sarah left for college 

Today, what are you thankful for, friends? 

Sunday, January 21, 2018

He Leadeth Me

He Leadeth Me
By: Joseph H. Gilmore

He leadeth me, O blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught! 
What e'er I do, what e'er I be, still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me. 
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, by His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be, for by His hand He leadeth me.

Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom, sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,
By waters still, o'er troubled sea, still 'tis His hand that leadeth me. 
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, by His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be, for by His hand He leadeth me.

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine, nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content whatever lot I see, since 'tis my God that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, by His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be for by His hand He leadeth me. 

And when my task on earth is done, when my Thy grace the victory's won,
E'en death's cold wave I will not flee, since God through Jordan leadeth me. 
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, by His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be, for by His hand He leadeth me. 
Dr. Joseph H. Gilmore, son of a Governor of New Hampshire, gave this account of writing his famous hymn:

"As a young man recently graduated..., I was supplying for a couple of Sundays the pulpit of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. At the mid-week service, on the 26th of March, 1862, I set out to give the people an exposition of the twenty-third Psalm, which I had given before on three or four occasions, but this time I did not get further than the words "he leadeth me." Those words took hold of me as they had never done before, and I saw in them a significance...of which I had never dreamed.

It was the darkest hour of the Civil War. I did not refer to that fact - that is, I don't think I did - but it may subconsciously have led me to realize that God's leadership is the one significant fact in human experience, that it makes no difference how we are led, or whither we are led, so long as we are sure God is leading us. 

At the close of the meeting, a few of us in the parlor of my host, Deacon Watson, kept on talking about the thought I had emphasized; and then and there, on a blank page of the brief from which I had intended to speak, I penciled the hymn, talking and writing at the same time, then handed it to my wife and thought no more about it. She sent it to "The Watchman and Reflector," a paper published in Boston, where it was first printed. I did not know until 1865 that my hymn had been set to music by William B. Bradbury. I went to Rochester to preach as a candidate before the Second Baptist Church. Going into their chapel...I picked up a hymnal to see what they were singing, and opened it at my own hymn, "He Leadeth Me."


"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." ~Luke 12:6-7


"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." ~Psalm 23:2-3

Have a sweet Lord's day, friends.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty

Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty
By: Joachim Neander 

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yes, so gently sustaineth!
Hast Thou not seen how all thy longings have been
Granted in what He ordaineth? 

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him. 
Let the amen sound from His people again:
Gladly for aye we adore Him. 

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper Thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, 
If with his love He befriend thee.

Joachin Neander, born in 1650, wrote this hymn. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather had all been preachers, but as a student, Joachin was rebellious and wild. At age 20, he joined a group of students who descended on St. Martin's Church to ridicule the worshipers. But the sermon that Rev. Theodore Under-Eyck preached convicted him and led to his conversion. A few years later, he became the assistant pastor at that church. 
Joachim would often take long walks (he called them worship walks) near his home in Hochdal, Germany.  He composed hymns as he strolled, singing them to the Lord. He was the first hymnwriter from the Calvinist branch of Protestantism. When he was 30 years old, he wrote this hymn while battling tuberculosis; he died from it that year. 

Have a wonderful, good and godly week!

1 Chronicles 16:25
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praise: he also is to be feared above all gods. 

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday, I'm thankful for:
 
(Christmas tree farm)
(natural bridge)
-the girls trip to Virginia that Mommy, Sarah and I took after we picked Sarah up from college last month
 -making gingerbread houses and trains with sisters
 -this beautiful cup my daddy made for me <3


 -the very special sister time Sarah and I had together


-getting to watch this cute doll baby again after a few weeks
 
What are you thankful to the Lord for today?
 
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
~Psalm 105:3

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Meet Peanut

Hello friends, 

We're having a little meet + greet today. Meet Peanut!
Peanut arrived in our house on December 20th, as a gift to Lauren from Deborah. He's a Teddy Bear hamster and is such a cutie. Here are some pictures.
Here he is sleeping with his head buried in the wood chips.


Here's a couple videos of him eating. Sometimes instead of eating the food, he takes it and stuffs it in his cheeks. Then later, he spits it up in his cage and eats it slowly. You can see him take the carrot in the second video and stuff it in his cheek. :)


If you're viewing this post on your email and videos don't appear, click this link

I hope you a wonderful, good and godly week! 

love,
Ashley

Happy New Year!

2017 is gone, 2018 is upon us. The Lord has given us a fresh, new year to serve Him, love others, and live joyfully. Did you do anything to celebrate the new year? Have you made any resolutions? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. :)