Lest We Forget

Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

Hymn quoted by Billy Graham on 9/14/01
during his message following the 9/11 attack.

Click on image for code to add to your blog
Courtesy of  rosepetalsfromheaven.blogspot.com

For those who lost loved ones and friends in the 9/11 attack, I am so very sorry for your loss.  For those who experienced it first hand, I can't even begin to comprehend what it was like for you.  Please know that we grieved with you that day, a day we all remember where we were and what we were doing.   Today churches, including mine, across the country will be praying for those affected by this terrible tragedy. 

Having Fun with Pinterest & Freebies for You

Commit thy works unto the LORD,

and thy thoughts shall be established.

Proverbs 16:3

Happy Saturday to you my friends.  Do you remember I mentioned the other day I was working on something exciting?  Well, I have joined Pinterest.  If you haven't heard of it, it's an online community of virtual bulletin boards.  Once a member, you can name your own boards and add "pins" to it of your favorite things.  The images link back to the original source.  This is great for me because as a visual person, I can easily process what I'm looking at and don't have to hunt through hundreds of bookmarked online sites.  It essentially replaces many of my online bookmarks.

Pinterest is by invitation and you need either a facebook or twitter account to join.  You can ask Pinterest for an invitation or ask someone who is already a member, for an invite.  You can email me littlebirdieblessings@gmail.com with your email address and I'll send you an invite.  I do believe there is a bit of a wait, so don't be discouraged if you don't hear right away.

The feature I like best is a "pin it" button that you can add to your toolbar.  Anywhere you are online, as long as there is an image to grab, you can "pin it" from that site, without opening pinterest.  You can easily re-pin from other boards, or "like" something. 

Okay... enough chatter.  Here's my link to Pinterest, If you like what you see and are a member, feel free to follow me. The more the merrier.

  Little Birdie Blessings on Pinterest  

Would love to hear what you think of it.  I'm really loving it.  There's also a button on my sidebar that will link you to me on pinterest.

Got an iPhone, there's an app for that Pinterest Goodies.  I'm thinking this will work on my ipod touch, but haven't tried it yet.

Go here for more info:  About Pinterest

I have some freebies to share with you today ~ some postcard backs and backs of old photos.  Enjoy!

I hope you all have a delightful weekend.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Vintage Images for You

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: 

The Lord will give grace and glory:  

no good thing will he withhold 

from them that walk uprightly.  

Psalm 84:11

Hello dear friends, I trust you had a nice Labor Day weekend.  I need to get some "new" material scanned for you, so in the meantime, I thought I'd share some images I've previously posted that you may have missed.

Here's a sneak peak at my Bible Verse Thursday project.  

Sneak Peek ~ Bible Verse Thursday Project

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I appreciate all of you, and the comments that you leave.  I've been working on something that I'll share with you this week.  I'm quite excited about it, and I think you will be too.  In other news, I'm nearing 100 followers and am thinking about a giveaway.  Stay tuned.....but don't you think there should be more than one giveaway?  Yes, I thought you did.  Have a delightful day my friends.

His Ways are Always Better

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8

Thank you for those who prayed that I'd find my missing papers.  My prayer was answered, but not in the way I expected it to be.  I did not find the papers I was looking for but as the scripture at the top of this post states, God's thoughts are not our thoughts.  The whole situation worked itself out without my need to find the papers.  In my mind, the only way to resolve my problem was to find what I was looking for, but God had other plans.  I learned another valuable lesson that day, that I desperately need to get organized.  I shouldn't have to spend an entire day looking for important papers.  I'll let you know how that goes, it's a process undoubtedly. 

I had a delightful birthday, filled with family and friends and love.  I hope you enjoy the two free vintage images I'm sharing with you today.  I love the one of the pondering woman.  One of my birthday gifts was a book of poems by Helen Steiner Rice, one of my favorite poets.  Here's one of them:

Gold is cold and lifeless,
it cannot see or hear,

And in your times of trouble,
it is powerless to cheer.

It has no ears to listen,
no heart to understand.

It cannot bring you comfort,
or reach out a helping hand.

So when you ask God for a gift,
be thankful if He sends

Not diamonds, pearls, or riches,
but the love of real true friends.

Helen Steiner Rice

The Lord has blessed my life with my friends, and it's at times like my birthday, I'm reminded how rich a truly am.  Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a blessed long weekend.

Bible Verse Thursday ~ Perfect in Weakness

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Corinthians 12:9-10

It just so happens that as I write this, it's my birthday (September).  A perfect time for me to reflect on this scripture and how the Lord has strengthened me at my weakest moments. I am not one who wants to dwell on myself. However, I feel the need to share why this particular verse speaks to me as it does. I have had multiple health problems for years. The most troubling is a neurological disorder which manifests itself every day with one symptom or another. Some days are particularly difficult and leave me emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted. I feel WEAK.

This scripture gives me a promise, that
HIS GRACE is SUFFICIENT for me. 

It’s enough!!
It’s the perfect amount.
HIS POWER is made PERFECT in weakness.

I could choose to resist God’s power on me and succumb to “woe is me” but I choose not to. We are not always responsible for our circumstances but we are responsible for how we react. No matter our trials, praise is possible. I reach out to Him for help, for strength and He NEVER fails me. He promises never to give me more than I can bear. I am strongest (through Him) when I am physically, emotionally and mentally the weakest. I am thankful to God for allowing me to have the various trials I’ve had over the years. I guarantee I wouldn’t be seeking him wholeheartedly, were it not for my physical infirmities.

 

free for personal use or sharing

Thanks for stopping by my friends, would love to hear what this scripture means to you if you'd like to share in the comment section.   I  hope you enjoy the digital scrapbook page I made for you. 

Vintage Graphics of Children for You

And whoever welcomes 

one such child in my name welcomes me.

Matthew 18:5 

 I hope you enjoy this "new" vintage postcard image I'm sharing with you today.  I think this little one is just as sweet as she can be.   Here are a few more vintage graphics of children that I've shared before on my blog.

 

 

Please stop back tomorrow for another Bible Verse Thursday challenge.   Here's a sneak peek of my project. 

Sneak Peek of Bible Verse Thursday Project

 Have a delightful day my friends.  

 

The Sun Bird Braves the Storm

The eternal God is your refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27

Missionary Amy Carmichael tells of a beautiful illustration of God's love and care through a little bird.  With the hurricane this past week, it seems like a good time to share this sweet story.  Taken from the pages of Secure in the Everlasting Arms by Elisabeth Elliot.  

The sun bird, one of the tiniest of birds, a native of India, builds a pendant nest, hanging by four frail threads, generally from a spray of valaris.  It is a delicate work of art, with its roof and tiny porch, which a splash of water or a child’s touch might destroy.  She tells how she saw a little sun bird building such a nest just before the monsoon season, and felt that for once bird wisdom had failed – for how could such a delicate structure, in such an exposed situation, weather the winds and torrential rains?  The monsoon broke and from her window she watched the nest swaying with the branches in the wind.  Then she perceived that the nest had been so placed that the leaves immediately above it formed little gutters which carried the water away from the nest.  There sat the sun bird, with it’s tiny head resting on her little porch, and whenever a drop of water fell on her long, curved beak, she sucked it in as if it were nectar.  The storms raged furiously, but the sun bird sat, quiet and unafraid, hatching her tiny eggs.

How sweet that story is to me.  A perfect example of God's promise to care for us no matter the storms of life.

Below is a very sweet image of a little girl on the beach.  Free for you today from my collection of vintage paper.  Happy to be able to share with you.

Today is my mom's 80th birthday. Thankful to be celebrating it with her today.  Have a blessed day my friends.

Under His Wings

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Free Victorian Calling Card with Scripture

 Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Free Victorian Calling Card

  Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Free Victorian Card

 Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

Free Victorian Card

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

 

There are numerous places in scripture where God tells us we can draw close to Him and find shelter or refuge.  As a hurricane literally approaches many over this weekend, we can be reminded that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1).  

Our Dwelling Place ~ Bible Verse Thursday

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young, a place near your altar,

Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Psalm 84:1,3

Our dwelling place, our home! A place where we feel safe, secure, sheltered. My daughter, son-in-law and their two little boys moved into a brand new home this month. A very exciting time for them and for those of us that love them. My husband and I had an opportunity two years ago to move into the church parsonage. A home where I feel very content.

This scripture refers to the sparrows and swallows nesting near God’s altar. A place where they could find refuge and peace. What better place could there be for them?

If you’re trusting in Jesus as your Savior, He will dwell in your heart. No matter where you make your earthly home, He is with you. As I wait for God to finish his plan for me on this earth, I also have the assurance that He has a heavenly home waiting for me, where I will dwell with Him forever. Here's the chorus of a song that says it well.

 

I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop

In that bright land where, we’ll never grow old

And some day yonder, we will never more wander,

But walk the streets that are purest gold

  

Your challenge this week is to make a project using Psalm 84:3 or another scripture following the theme of our dwelling place. My project is a housewarming card for my daughter and son-in-law. 

Ways to participate:

• If you're member of Christian Paper Crafts, please use the keyword BVT121 when uploading to their gallery.

• Link your project on the Christian Paper Craft Blog - Bible Verse Thursday

• When uploading to other online galleries, please use the keyword CPC-BVT121.  

I am linking this to the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge.  Their challenge was to make a card using a new technique.  I actually have never used glitter before and tried it on this card.  SU Dazzling Diamonds is on the birds nest, and I used SU Crystal Effects on the house. 

Thanks for stopping by my friends.  Have a wonderful day and I pray you are okay after the effects of the earthquake, and will be safe from the pending hurricane. 

Be Therewith Content

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, 

therewith to be content.

Philippians 4:11b

I've found as I get older and am closely approaching another birthday, I am much more contented than I used to be.  I have a peace about it, that I haven't always had.  I know that God has a plan for my life, and it's easier to just leave the details to Him.  

For those who love the Lord and trust in Him, contentment is a gift that must be learned.  It is not just satisfaction, but a joy and peace that what we have or where we are, is part of God's plan for us.  

I love this vintage postcard image I'm sharing with you today.  The woman seems as if she's meditating on the Lord in quiet contemplation and contentment.  We need more times like this in our lives but I know it's not easy, especially if you have little ones you're caring for.  If you're able to help a mom for an hour or so, reach out and give them a mini break.  I guarantee it will give them a window of contentment.  

Free Vintage Image with Scripture

Here is the same image, with no writing on it.  Free for you.

Free Vintage Postcard for you

Would you like to see a sneak peek of my sample project for this week's Bible Verse Thursday?   Okay, here it is below.  The full reveal will be this Thursday.  I know you'll be hanging on by the edge of your seat until then.  See the glitter?  I just got that from SU, it's called dazzling diamonds.

Sneak Peek at Bible Verse Thursday Project

Thanks so much for stopping by my friends.  Your comments are read and appreciated.  I hope you have a contented day.

I'm linking this post to:
Encouraging Words Wednesday. 
Word Filled Wednesday