the Holy Spirit alone

 

"You can never make anybody a Christian.

You can make them church members,

but you can never make them Christians.

It is impossible.

The Holy Spirit alone can do this,

and therefore,

we must always be afraid of spurious results,

something that people have done

rather than the Holy Spirit."

Martin L. Jones ~ The Pre-eminence of Christ

 

This strikes me as profound truth.

 

Just because

you walked down an aisle and joined a church

 does not mean that you are a Christian.

 

"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves,

it is the gift of God;

 not a result of works (something you did)

that no one should boast." 

 Ephesians 2: 8&9

 

 

sunday afternoon at the ice cream shop

 

So....on Sunday morning,

we go to church to hear God's Word taught,

to fellowship with other believers,

to sing hymns & praises,

to worship our great and merciful Savior

Jesus Christ.

 

After church we eat and settle down to rest. 

 

At about 4:00 we come out of hibernation and begin to stir around.

Many times we seek fellowship again

and something special to eat.

"Meet you downtown at 5:30, okay."

 

One of our favorite places for Sunday afternoons is

Leopold's Ice Cream Shop.

It is an antique down on Broughton Street.

Sandwiches & homemade ice cream

just hits the spot.

 

We kind of sit around,

rehash the day,

and thank God for all of the good things

He did at church that morning

and in our lives in the days that just passed.

 

The ride home is speculative...

such a good day Sunday is...

somehow we are ready to start the new week,

whatever it may bring.

 

Stay safe Amanda Mark Jake & Eli, 

all of Mark's family,

and my niece Grace up there in

 Rochester, New York.

We are praying for you all.

 

 

 

tale of the missing button

I am quite aware that by writing this

I am opening myself up for an early entry into the

rest home.

 

The last few weeks of my life have been incredibly busy.

Tuesday night last was a big family party

 honoring my sister Teri

whom we hadn't seen in over a year.

 

At some point my Lu arrived with the above pajama top in her hands.

One of the buttons had fallen off

and she asked me to sew it back on for her.

(I do all of her mending)

 

I keep my daily vitamins in a shell plate

so I will remember to take them.

I told her to put the button in the shell plate

so that it wouldn't get lost

and then I set about being the

"hostess with the mostest."

 

After the party and just before I fell into bed exhausted,

 I took all of the "pills" in the shell plate.

 

That was Tuesday.

I have been looking for that button all week.

I've looked everywhere.

Today I wrote Lu to ask her if she remembered where she put the button.

"Of course Grammy, I put it in the shell plate."

 

When it dawned on me

 that I had "taken" the button along with my vitamins,

everything started to make sense,

 the horrible pain in my stomach

 must have been the button making its way through.

 

We need a little white button with two holes.

Anyone got one?

 

 

glimpses of halloweens past

 

Ya'll...

not going to write much tonight but,

Aren't these just adorable?

 

All children everywhere love to dress up for Halloween.

We talk about what they are

"going as" all year.

They change their minds 100 times,

except for Jake,

who has asserted that he will always go as Spider Man.

 

When Jake & Eli are here

we spend hours looking at costumes on the internet.

I have even ordered a few.

 

It's serious busness...this Halloween thing.

things i love

 

My hutch dressed up for Fall.

Candles all over the place.

Honey Crisp apples dipped in caramel.

My grandbabies.

 

A good book at bedtime.

Waking up early.

Reading God's word.

My husband ~ my friend.

 

The library...

how it smells like books.

My lavender ~ olive oil soap.

Tortilla soup

made fresh by my son

and served up with lots of love and family.

 

The way the sun is golden 

 this time of year

Amanda calling with her funny stories.

Halloween costumes on

tiny little people.

 

My Dad

 in a place where he has everything he needs.

Having my sister Teri

here in my guest room all week..

catching up on our lives.

Laughing...remembering....talking till our mouths go dry.

 

Thank you God tonight

 for all of Your good gifts to me.

 

 

rare photo

It was Thursday night.

My sister Teri had come from California

and we were preparing to take Daddy to his

Tenth Mountain reunion

 in Greenville, SC, the next morning.

 

Something caused Daddy

to temporarily

lose his eyesight and his ability to stand and walk.

He arrived at the hospital in an ambulance a short while later

 and they immediately went to work on him.

 

As of this afternoon all tests have come back perfect.

They can't find anything wrong with him.

He will stay in the hospital for a while longer

and we are hopeful to get some in house rehabilitation.

(he is very weak)

 

Amanda and Mark came back through

from a week at Sea World

and the whole family

was able to

join around the table

 over at David & Erika's house last evening..

 

So, plans change...

but because of that we got this rare picture of

Amanda, Teri, and myself with Jake & Eli

Wanted you non-facebook friends to see this photo

and know @ Dad,

 

Please pray for God's wisdom

 as we face very hard decisions about his future care.

 

 

chosen in Him

 

This is the truth that sets me free....

 

"Blessed be the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

in the heavenly places in Christ,

just as He chose us in Him

 before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

having predestined us

 to adoption as sons

by Jesus Christ to Himself,

according to the good pleasure of His will,

to the praise of the glory of His grace,

by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

Ephesians 1: 3 ~ 6

 

 

 

gus turns two

Look at that face...just look at that face!

August David Cleland

turned two today!

 

We had a little party....

we did a little dance,

we sang a little song.

It was all fun and wonderful.

 

Thanks to Gus for bringing so much joy into our lives.

 

"Grandchildren are the crown of old men."

Proverbs 17:6

 

 

pointing the way

 

Too old?

Maybe....but maybe not.

 

Sometimes I question myself....

Are you too old to teach?

Out of touch?

Over the proverbial hill?

 

The Bible has a lot to say about this.

 

"Older women likewise are to be

 reverent in their behavior,

not malicious gossips,

not enslaved to much wine,

 teaching what is good,

that they may encourage the young women to

 love their husbands,

 to love their children,

 to be sensible,

pure,

workers at home,

 kind,

 being subject to their own husbands,

 that the word of God

may not be dishonored."

Titus 2: 3 ~ 5

 

Seems like from these verses that

teaching

is just what God wants us

 "older women"

to be doing with our time.

 

"Teaching what is good."

That would be God's word.

 

 

 

this little girl & this pillow

 

She woke up early yesterday morning

and told her moma

 that she was going to make me a pillow.

She got out her Dora fabric,

(soft as a cloud)

cut out her shape.

(rectangle)

stuffed it with cotton balls,

and Lucy stated to sew.

 

Above you see the finished product.

 

She presented it to me yesterday

as we set out on our trip to the beach.

I love this pillow so much.

Her little sewing skills are very good

and she has such a desire.

She worked hard on it all day.

 

I told her it was just the right size to fit the crook of my neck...

also to lay on my ear.

(It is 6" by 3 ")

 

Just look at her up there playing in the sand.

She is my little love...

a joy of joys,

a gift from God.

 

Always thankful....all the time!

 

 

pumpkin on the porch

 

Beautiful things......

 

We who sink sometimes

into the

"sloth of despond,"

who become focused on our own little selves

and our troubles,

should take a look around.

 

There are orange pumpkins on every street corner.

The sky is so blue it takes your

breath away.

The air has "conditioned" itself.

 

God has created His world

in such a way that we are

 "without excuse"

 to not acknowledge Him as

the sole creator.

 

Take a look around.....

 

Today I gazed upon

a two month old baby boy that was a work of art.

All smiles and sweet baby talk...

made perfectly by God.

 

Just now I talked to my daughter

who is full of plans,

of good things,

calling to check on me

and find out what is going on

in our world.

 

What are your blessings tonight?

What are your beautiful things?

 

Let your mind dwell on these and be lifted up.

baby jake.....

 

in the pumpkin patch.

Love this picture.

Love the baby blanket knit by Aunt Dottie.

Love those plump little cheeks.

Love all those beautiful pumpkins arrayed on the grass.

 

I am decorating my house for fall.

I find things that bring back so many remembrances

when I drag out the holiday boxes.

 

"For Thou art my hope;

O Lord God,

Thou art my confidence from my youth.

 By Thee I have been sustained from my birth; 

Thou art He who took me from my mother's womb;

My praises are continually of Thee." 

Psalm 71: 5 & 6

 

I love to find verses like these just before I go to bed.

Night thoughts are so sweet

when I'm thinking about the wonders

of my God.

 

 

 

one of our cruises

 

We have done some traveling in our 42 years of marriage.

This was an impromptu cruise that we took in the summer of 1992.

We were living in Fayetteville,

and I think David had just graduated from high school.

 

We drove down to New Orleans

and toured the Western Caribbean stopping in

Grand Caymen,

Cozumel, Mexico,

and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

 

Notable things....

Bubba and David are skinny.

Amanda & I are not skinny.

I have some really short, funny looking hair,

and a gold chain belt.

Amanda has some really funny looking bangs

and is carrying her pillow.

 

Bubba and I are saving to take the whole family on a cruise...

for our 50th Anniversary.

that's a little ways off,

but it will take that long to save that much money.

Eleven of us now....could be more by then.

 

Family is everything...a grace gift from God.

Time spent together...

priceless!!!!

the earth

 

God made the earth.

He placed it precisely where

He wanted it to hang in space.

 

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Genesis 1:1

 

The earth is still right where He put it

It will stand firm

until His purposes are all accomplished.

 

Then....

 

"The day of the Lord

will come as a thief in the night,

 in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise,

and the elements will melt with fervent heat;

both the earth

and the works that are in it

 will be burned up." 

 II Peter 3:10

 

Then.....

 

"Nevertheless,

we,

according to His promise,

look for new heavens

and a new earth

in which righteousness dwells." 

 II Peter 3:13

 

No sin at all in the new earth!

Can't wait!!!

 

a bald eagle

 

Jake Barrington Hollingsworth

 is my

first-born grandson.

 

He is one-of-a-kind,

a leader.

A confident, fearless,

born to go places little guy.

 

One of his weak areas, though,

is that he is at times

completely oblivious.

If you point out a bear standing right in front of him

he may look to the right

 and the left

and he may not see the bear at all.

 

Today,

while driving away from the

Chick-Fil-A in Williamsburg,

he miracuously spotted

 the bald eagle

that you see in the picture above.

Maybe he is developing a keen eye after all, Amanda.

 

I talked with him on the phone this morning.

His first question was,

"Grammy, is that red stuff still all over your face"?

When I told him

that my face was mostly healed up,

 he gave a shout of joy

 and told his little brother Eli

 the good news.

Both were exuberant.

I just love their love for me.

 

I also love nature

 and bald eagles

and getting to share all of that

with my grandbabies.

 

 

roses for moma

This morning my Dad and I went to

Bonadventure Cemetary.

We picked up a big bundle of roses

and I made a beautiful arrangement to place on

 my Mom's grave.

 

Five years ago this morning she passed from this earth.

I was standing by her side holding her hand when she went away.

For all of her cookbooks,

pots&pans

shoes and sweaters

purses

and her collection of angels

she had no more need.

She left all of her earthly possessions behind.

 

I miss her....can't believe it has been five years.

 

We can't settle in here.

Life on this earth is temporary.

We are promised eternal life and mansions in glory

but we must first pass over to the other side.

We must leave all that we know and love,

put all of our trust in Jesus,

and believe Him

for all He has promised.

 

How do I know this?

It is plain spoken in the word of God,

and Jesus

has given me His Spirit

to have faith in all that it says.

 

Roses for Moma today...

I'll always love you sweet one.