"Black Friday" Shopping Tips!

If you're looking to save yourself some aggravation at the shopping malls today, since it's supposed to be the busiest shopping day of the year, why not shop online?!

I just found out that Amazon.com carries a lot more than just books! They have a complete online-store of just about anything you could want - with items for your home, garden, auto, kids, and yourself (clothes & accessories for one thing, ladies!).

And besides the sales, there's a great contest on as well - just for today! Check it out at:
http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=384082011&tag=dailyfaith-20

For inspirational items I've designed myself, you can check out my Inspiration Connections store at: http://www.zazzle.com/inspconx.

Remember to have a blessed day today, as you are thinking of others (mostly!) in your shopping today.

Gifting Inspiration

While you're thinking of others this weekend, if you're still looking for Christmas gifts, why not give the gift of INSPIRATION?!

My latest book, "Faith Lessons: Experiencing the Miracles," with Dr. Robert Schuller and actress Jennifer O'Neill, is available to be shipped directly to you - or to whomever you specify. And I'll even gift wrap it if you add a request in Comments!

This month your purchase includes a free audio CD of my interview with the publisher, as well as free shipping!

They also make great hostess gifts to give when you attend parties and other events this season!

So stock up now for all your gift-giving needs at:

http://www.real-life-institute.com/products.html

At this link you can also view other books and products I have created.

Enjoy your day - and your chance to inspire and bless others!

Fellowship and Thanksgiving

I just have a couple of passages to share with you today for your meditation and inspiration. When I think about Thanksgiving, two things especially come to mind.

I think about the relationships we get to share usually with those we know and hopefully love! The fellowship times can be great, as we are with those family members we don’t often see.

I also think about Who it is we are thanking for all our bounteous blessings we often take for granted from day to day.

This is a time for making your relationships count. Preparing yourself for a time when you can be a blessing requires spending more time connecting with God, drinking deeply from his reservoir of Love, so you’ll have more to pour out on those you’ll be spending time with.

The first passage below reminds us of the beauty of unity. The last passage reminds us Who brings unity if we stay in close connection and choose to walk in his love and grace for us – that we can then extend to others.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving as you focus on these thoughts.

Being together with each other:

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
(The Message Bible puts it this way: “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!”)
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there
the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
- Psalm 133, NIV

Being together with God:

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The Great Pumpkin

Remember the Charlie Brown & Peanuts special that used to come on TV every Halloween season? When I saw a picture of a giant pumpkin from another blog, it reminded me of the Great Pumpkin.

There were some good lessons in that animated program, as in all of the Snoopy, Peanuts, and Charlie Brown series. In case you’re not sure what I’m talking about or would like to be reminded, here is a link to many of the Peanuts shows and products.

http://astore.amazon.com/features07-20

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

http://astore.amazon.com/features07-20/detail/B00004W5UK

"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"

http://astore.amazon.com/features07-20/detail/B00004W5UL

When I think of giant pumpkins, I have to think of bountiful harvests. This passage comes to mind:
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” - Psalm 128:1-2, NIV

Although I can’t quite imagine eating an almost 1700 pound pumpkin, nor even much of the world’s largest pumpkin pie, I am ready to continue accepting bountiful harvests from the Lord’s hand! Check out the record-breaking pictures here, if you like:

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/giants/record.htm#pie

The fact is: God has already sent us so many bountiful blessings in our lives, no matter what our current situation seems to be. I encourage you to spend this week especially in counting up the treasure of bounty in your own storehouse. What has God already given you in blessings through friends and family, material possessions, work, health, mission and purpose, faith and spiritual truth?

It might surprise you once you take a moment to really take stock. The amazing thing is that God wants to pour out even more blessings on your life. Only you can stop the flow of his blessings on you by not acknowledging him or by not obeying what he tells you to do to walk forward in his continued favor.

Make sure you don’t miss any good gifts by your lack of obedience or praise! (Review yesterday’s blog if you need to!)

Have a thankful and more blessed day – and week!

Pray and Obey

I was reading Joyce Meyer's book "How to Hear from God" and came across a repeated phrase that struck a chord: "Pray and obey! Pray and obey!"

In looking for God's guidance, we don't always wait and listen to hear what God wants to say. Often we try to figure things out on our own and move ahead without asking God for his answers and direction. We only then come to a point of praying when we get ourselves in trouble, when we really need and want to hear from God!

If we get in the habit of praying first, and then planning and promising to just go do what God tells us to, our lives would be so much simpler and more powerful and effective. I'm preaching to myself here!

I came across the great promises that follow obedience in these wonderful words penned by David in Psalm 112 (NIV version). Let them sink into your heart and spirit and ask God what the next step of obedience is for you as you read them.

Praise the Lord.

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.

His children shall be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

Even in the darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is secure; he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Standing the Test of Time

This past month several of my paintings were in an art show at the Old Coast Guard Station by the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. When I went back to pick up the paintings after the show, I snapped a few pictures of the area nearby.

Two things stood out in my mind.

The Old Coast Guard Station itself has been around for many years. Although it has been refurbished and is now a museum, it is a testimony to the test of time and the value it has provided. It functioned as a rescue station, with shipwrecks and those floundering off the Atlantic Coast in stormy weather. Throughout the years those associated with it through the Coast Guard saved many lives.
(You can learn more about the history and life-saving work it provided at: www.OldCoastGuardStation.com)

The grasses planted around the Boardwalk area and throughout Virginia Beach are lovely to look at. In the morning and evening light, the wheat-looking part at the top seems to light up and glow as the light hits it. Even with the slightest wind, they wave gently back and forth, with an occasional shake and shimmy if a strong gust catches them. Before winter sets in, though, they need to be cut back, almost down to nothing. They can look like freshly cut straw at that point. But the rewards of the cutting back can be enjoyed in the springtime, as fresh new growth pops up quickly and begins its wave and roll again.

These are two examples of timeless truths of life. Although there is no guarantee that either the building or the grasses will be here forever, the principles will remain.

The caring for others and wanting to help those needing rescue will always be an inherent desire in the soul of the human race, no matter how corrupt things appear on the outside at times in our history. Sometimes those desires and urges to help or care for others may be put on hold or buried for awhile, even cut down and punished. However, like the grasses cut back for the winter, spring with its new hope and life will come again. The sun (or Son?) will warm up the earth – and the hearts of mankind. Warmed hearts will once again reach out with love to those in need.

Whatever your season, whatever the condition of your heart today, or the measure of your “caring quotient,” remember that God’s love will always remain. His character and the principles upon which our world was built will alone prevail and stand the test of time. Shouldn’t we make sure to always stay close to his rescue station?

Take the time to thank God today that he will always be there with us and for us!

Life Journey

I belong to a Toastmasters Club. This week I was the evaluator for a new member who gave his first talk (we call it the Icebreaker) entitled “Life is a Journey.”

As he recounted the main events from his life, along with his family information, his interests and occupations, I enjoyed learning more about who he was and his perspective on things.

Although he didn’t go into detail about any major life traumas, some of his outlook on life came to the forefront. His love of nature and pausing to describe the beauty of watching a sunrise change the interaction of colors on clouds in the sky bespoke a quiet appreciation of life, if not faith in Someone greater.

As I was browsing through my photo album, I came upon this church sign picture I snapped a few months ago. In case you can’t read it very well, it says, “The person who walks with God always gets to his destination.”

I had to relate it to the talk today in thinking about the journey of life. Our faith is like that – a journey which begins with the first step and continues by putting one step in front of the other until we reach our destination. Only in this life, often as not, we don’t really know where we’re going. It makes sense, then, to follow the path or walk with someone who does know where to go.

There is a lot of trust involved in finding and following God’s leading and direction for where we should go. But if you really think about it, it takes a lot more faith to believe we should follow OUR own way, rather than God’s, since we’ve never gone down that path before and are not certain it is the right one by ourselves!

Ultimately, the journey and the destination are designed by God for us uniquely to walk in through our days on this earth. Let’s be more diligent in making sure we realize God is the one leading us. We don’t have to struggle so to figure things out, as much as we need to listen more and be a willing follower. God will open up amazing vistas on his highway with us toward heaven!

The Fireworks of Fall

I have been capturing whatever gorgeous colors of the season I could with my camera this month as I’ve been out and about. I’ve posted a few here to share with you the glory of the colors and the amazement I have each year when autumn leaves start to turn their majestic rainbow hues.

Although the colors are gorgeous, like all seasons, they last only a short while before they are gone. Apparently the length of daylight controls the changing of the leaves, signaling a harsher season advancing. So along with the leaves swirling to the ground with temperatures following, the days get shorter and darkness broods longer.

I find the internal workings of the trees in winter fascinating. Apparently, since the growth slows down and the tree prepares to “hibernate” for the cold and winter, the sap or life-blood of the tree also slows to a stop from running inside. It is almost like everything shuts down, literally like a bear’s system preparing to hibernate. This is all done for protection of the tree, to enable it to survive till the spring. It is all truly remarkable. (For a great summary of the process of fall changes, visit: www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/misc/leaves/leaves.htm

Ever felt like you were in hibernation, in a dry or desolate place, just resting, put on hold, waiting until the right time to walk forward with the life of your dreams?

It reminds me of the life cycles and seasons we experience (some more than others, depending on where you live!). All the beautiful fall colors only come as fireworks sending up their last hoorah before dying out and dropping to earth to become dust.

We too have seasons like that. You can be working hard towards a particular goal or project or time in your life when you can do what you really want. Things heat up and there could be a big burst of color or fireworks display. But then things die off and settle down for a while. You seem to go into a dry spell or hibernation. Your creative juices run slow and may even stop. No fruit or color seems to be in your life.

Don’t worry! Spring WILL come again! It’s just a matter of time. Eventually there will be a quickening inside you, a burst of energy and new creativity. Much genius can come from times of solitude, even cocooning away for awhile. Think of the hidden places of a mother’s womb, where great and glorious growth takes place till the moment of birth. Who could imagine what wondrous things she was preparing to give birth to, and how much that birth would change her life and those around her?

Do not lose faith or hope when skies seem dark and there are quiet or seemingly dry or dull times in your life. They are all part of the cycles and seasons of life. They are a necessary part of regeneration and new growth. Enjoy the quiet times. Celebrate the moments and worry not about the future. It will come bursting on the scene bigger and brighter than you ever remembered when your spring starts to blossom again!

“To everything there is a season, a time for everything under the sun.”

The Art of Country Life

I spent a sunny but windy Sunday at Willowgait Farm in Knotts Island, NC. One of my art students, Carol, hosted an artisan fair at her farm, where she invited me to participate.

What a delightful day! I got to meet a lot of great people, most who live in that area and look at life from a smaller community standpoint, with many farms and equestrian-lovers amongst them.

As I enjoyed the banter and girly talk from the four young equestrians selling their handcrafted items at the table next to mine, it was refreshing to see how they were given much responsibility and respect from the various people who came by during the afternoon. I think they probably outsold most of the rest of us!

Along with handmade scarves and jewelry, the fair boasted goat milk soaps, wreaths, folk art painted signs, photographs and cards, aprons and other sewn items, pottery, embedded stepping stones, lucky horseshoes and other fun and interesting items. I added my own art and craft works - some oil paintings, cards and prints of my paintings, soaps, jars of Friendship Tea mix, and scherenshnitte silhouettes. (You can view more of my art at http://www.loisgalloart.com/.)

Between minding our booths and taking an occasional break, we enjoyed chit-chatting, inspecting everyone’s handiwork, and visiting with attendees. No one seemed to mind Carol’s two dogs meandering in and out of the barn where the show was, and through the groups of people gathered here and there outside. They didn’t bother going through the adjoining fenced pasture area to check on the three horses grazing there. I assume it was because there was more action where the people were, and too much standing water by the fence from two days of heavy rains. An accordion player showed up mid-afternoon to spice things up with everything from pop to polkas.

There’s nothing like spending an afternoon in the country to remind you of your roots and what’s real in life. These people were just who they were – friendly and respectful, no matter what your age or talent – and supportive of each other. There was an unspoken code among them. I recall sensing that as a child, living in a village whose economy and lifestyle were primarily agricultural-based. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, you might want to watch “The Waltons” or “Little House on the Prairie.” The Amish folk have that same kind of mentality: "We’re all in this together – it ain’t easy – and we’d better help others, ‘cause there may be a time we’ll need that help ourselves!” That’s probably also part of “how the West was won!”

How are you winning over the challenges in YOUR life? Do you have the same open, giving, helpful and supportive type attitude towards others? Or do you just look out for #1, trying to keep you life as simple as you can? Are you happily involved with others in your community? Or are you happily uninvolved – and perhaps not really so happy?

One thing I’ve learned is that only what you give away you get to keep – and you always get more of it back than you give away. Put the word “Love” in that phrase and think about that – or anything else that you may be missing. It could be” Friends” you’re missing if you’re lonely. So you should go and be a friend to someone who needs a friend. Then you’ll have a friend too!

Give what you want to receive…just a little spin on the Golden Rule of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” And a little dose of country hospitality never hurts!

Thank you, Carol, for sharing your lovely farm, family, friends, and community with me!

For more insights into Knotts Island community, you can visit www.willowgaitfarm.com.

Country Driving

I had a delightful drive out through the countryside of Virginia Beach and into North Carolina yesterday. It was a perfect day for driving, with sunny skies and a bit of brisk wind pushing colored puffs of clouds on distant horizons along on my return trip late afternoon.


The trip to Knotts Island was so beautiful, particularly on the two-lane wavy ribbon of road between the wildlife refuge and the island. I wanted to stop and just walk the whole distance (miles!) with camera in hand to capture some of the magnificence of the raw beauty all around me.

But instead, I just drove a little slower on the way home, savoring every turn in the road's fresh perspective, trying hard to drink it in and memorize as much as I could of it.

Sad to say, I don't have one photo to share with you of that area. But I will send you to a link to show you where I was.

Visit http://www.willowgaitfarm.com/ as a teaser for tomorrow's post. I'll tell you why I was there and my faith lesson for the day. At least on my friend Carol's site there is one lovely picture of water and a tree... (I hope she doesn't mind that I've copied it here for you.)


This nature girl has to have her fix of beauty in creation as often as possible! It keeps me focused on what's really important and who's in charge of this sometimes crazy world.


Take today and look around you, especially at the beauty of creation this time of year. It's a time to be thankful, even as you prepare for the Thanksgiving season. I'll be talking more about beauty and showing some gorgeous fall pictures this week coming up also. Have a grateful day!

Pruned to Produce More

A friend gave us some lovely Swiss chard plants this summer. They looked good enough to eat right away, but we planted them to grow even more, as she said they would spread out eventually. I love eating Swiss chard, so kept salivating every time I went out to the garden.

Finally, I decided I would cut the largest plant and enjoy it for dinner. I wasn’t sure if it would grow back or not, this late in the season. However, not even a week later, this big picture below is what I saw coming up from the plant I had cut.

The growth seemed to happen very fast. The large plant I cut had seemed to take a long time to get there. But I have a feeling it might have been ready to eat a long time ago and perhaps stopped growing very much. Now that it had been cut back, it had a lot more energy to grow quickly. I’ll probably be cutting them back a lot more often now that I see what happens. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get to a nice “eating height” again!

I couldn’t help but relate this to my own life. There are times when I am somewhat fearful of letting go of what I see and know in order to move ahead in a different way. It also reminds me that when I come to a grinding halt or get stuck or slowed down in some area of my life, I need to cut some things back. Those good and productive things sometimes need to be tweaked or put on hold or discontinued to make way for new growth or better things to come. I also have found that de-cluttering my life – both my time and my space (as well as my head!) – helps me move ahead with new energy.

What are some good things that are past their prime in your life and need to be cut back or taken away? What fears do you have for discontinuing things in one area in order to hopefully grow or branch out in another area?

If you really think about, you know you need to just move ahead with what you know you need to do. You already know that the energy you’re using in stewing about things will be better used to propel you ahead to where you really want to go – if you’ll just take courage and go for it!

The Tall and Short of It

I’m a “Dogramma” again this week! In case you haven’t read the last post I did on this, a dogramma (my term) is a lady who takes care of someone else’s dog while the owners are traveling and then gives it back when they return.

Since the dog needs to be taken out, I have visited my backyard more often this week. As I looked around, I made an interesting observation about the okra plants. It appears that each time a flower comes up and turns into okra, the plant shoots up a little higher and starts the next okra production cycle a notch higher. By the end of the season the plants can be quite tall.

I was noticing how one plant seemed to have a thick main trunk all the way up, with the notches from the picked okra and a flower and bud of new okra. But as I looked down the row of our plants, I saw quite a variance in size – both with the height and the thickness of the trunk or main stem, as it were.

What made the difference between the largest, sturdiest and most okra producing plant and the short, scrawny, spindly little plant that hardly produced at all? Why was the little one struggling so to even exist, never mind produce? Weren’t they all in the same soil, with the same light and water conditions?

Apparently there was something missing in the mix of the little one. Maybe it got more shade and not enough water in the position slightly back toward the bushes than the other ones. They were all planted at the same time, so maybe this one had roots or stones or something else in the way underground we couldn’t see that was causing a problem.

I had to think immediately about the human side of things. How often have you seen someone who apparently had it all – money, brains, talent, and opportunities - but they never did anything with their life? On the other hand, how often have you seen people who rose to success despite tremendous obstacles?

Success, using your talents and abilities, and making a difference are all things we will be held accountable for. Why live your life in frustration like the little okra, perhaps under a shadow, or dealing with deeper unseen issues at the heart of things?

If you’re not thriving like the large sturdy producing okra plant, maybe it’s time to take a look at the underlying causes. You have as much potential to be amazing and live up to your God-given potential as anyone else. We are all different so we show our productivity in various ways. But the bottom line is, find out what is really going on that’s keep you from living your best life!

God is at work in you, to will and to work for his good pleasure. You are his workmanship. He will continue his work in you. These are promises in the Bible. However, as the Master Gardener, he can only give us, as his plants, everything we need to grow and produce well. But it’s up to us to let it all work well in our lives. If we are not producing, he will have to cut off a few branches, trim us back, or transplant us into a different area with more fertilizer and sun. Thank about the implications of that for a minute…

The process might be painful, but in the hands of a loving God (the Gardener who knows what he’s doing), we will eventually produce an abundance of good things. If not, we will wither up and die and then be thrown in the fire! Read John 15:1-17 about how to bear fruit that lasts.

When God Moves You

I have heard many stories about people who were awakened in the night with a thought of someone they know, along with a strong feeling they should pray for them. Often times they find out later what the reason was. It could be they were involved in a calamity of some kind, or an attack physically or spiritually. The prayers made things better than they could have been otherwise. Often miracles occur. Other times the results are a lifting of the heaviness of spirit the person was experiencing, when light and life enters in.

I have experienced the same thing myself. Whether I was awakened with a sense that something was not right, or whether their name popped into my head during the day, I know enough now to stop and pray until I feel I have prayed enough. Many times I’ll hear from them out of the blue minutes or hours or a day later. But even if I never hear anything, I will still follow the guidance and urgings of the Spirit to pray for someone who may be in need of something far beyond what I could give them.

The same kind of thing can occur when you’re speaking to someone and find all of a sudden you’re saying things that were not your own thoughts. I’ve had times when I even felt detached and just watching and listening as things poured out of me right to the other person’s spirit and touched them in a special way. I knew it was God at work through my mouth! These are amazing times when God moves through us!

Who has God been bringing to your mind lately? Remember to stop and lift them up in prayer to a God who cares about each of us! Be a special blessing to someone today through your interceding attitude.

Life Elemental and Beyond

Recently we had a tree and some large bushes cut down, leaving several stumps to deal with. After having seen our neighbor use a natural method to encourage the stump to deteriorate on its own, we decided to do the same thing. It is now covered up with mulch over several other layers including a tarpaulin to hold the moisture in and let nature take its course over the winter.

Decomposition is part of the earthly cycle, so long as earth elements are involved. Compost piles make rich soil with lots of nutrients – often there will be growth coming forth on and around the compost pile. Gardeners pay good money to have rich fertilizer. Think about where we get some of the richest natural fertilizers – usually when animals have extracted all the good they can out of the food they eat and this is what’s left!

How much more amazing that God can take all the leftovers, the broken and discarded pieces of our life, things that may be ugly and stinky and we think could serve no purpose – and he takes us and them and creates something glorious and praiseworthy out of the remains of our lives, as we give it all to him!

He doesn’t ask us to get all cleaned up and pretty and sweet smelling before he can work in us and bless others through us. In fact, he says there’s nothing we can do about it. We can’t take away our own natural sin nature. Only God through Jesus can give us a new pure nature – a new spirit he puts in us.

“For it is by grace we are saved, and not works.” Therefore, it is not of our own doing. There is nothing we can do to save us. Only God’s grace is good enough to fill the requirement he set to save us from ourselves and the cost of sin on our lives. So he had to provide the solution, the answer to our great need. His answer was in Jesus, not only living out the life on earth to show us how to do the same, but paying the ultimate cost of death for us.

He showed us how to even have power over the grave! It is that power – in both life and death – that we have access to as Christ followers (Christians). It quickens and revives our dead spirits – our lasting and eternal nature. That is what comes to life and makes us realize that the natural physical part of us is just temporary, with thoughts and feelings and desires tied to this physical earth. When we let the air out of our natural human nature, the ties holding us down like a hot air balloon to the physical sensory realm are loosed, and we are free to rise above and gain a new perspective from the spiritual vantage point.

We’re involved as part of the cycle of life as well. Not only am I referring to “from ashes to ashes, dust to dust” regarding our elemental chemical physical nature. That part of us comes to live on earth for a short time in light of eternity. But our spirits will last forever. What we allow to happen while here determines what will continue beyond time.

Trains on the Move

This month is apparently Model Railway Month. Our pastor had an Open House this afternoon to share his passion for model trains with any who would like to attend. I think the child in all of us wanted to go play. And the curious nature in the rest of us wanted to be fascinated by the miniature details of life on the railway line in a make-believe town.

I enjoy finding out about the varied and interesting hobbies people have. Some people collect items from a bygone era, usually tied in some way to their childhood memories. Some build railway villages while others live in a virtual world, building a parallel universe on the internet at Second Life.

Why do we want to reconnect with the past, or build a new future? Isn’t this all about a sense of wanting to be in control of our own little world? Is this our way of dealing with reality by escaping momentarily from it?

I think it is quite healthy to have any kind of hobby that gives your body, soul, mind and spirit a break from the ordinary, as long as it doesn’t take over your life. “All things should be done in moderation,” as they say.

Play therapy, which I like to call it, is a wonderful component of good mental health. I am quite involved in the art part of the play therapy – you could call it art therapy on a small scale.

This week why not celebrate your uniqueness with further exploring your interests, your passions, your hobbies? See how you could reach out to possibly involve others and share that bit of life with them. You might be surprised how you can bless others by sharing your heart with them in this way. And you can get to know things about others you never might have known otherwise.

There was a constant flow of visitors to Pastor Mark’s this afternoon, all fascinated - but not only by the great railroad town. They were drawn there by several forces. One was the curiosity factor to see what this enthusiastic man they saw in a church leader role found so intriguing about his train collection. I learned to appreciate his hobby through his eyes, as well as marvel at his patience, persistence, and investment of so much time and effort over the years.

Another strong force that pulled many there was the human factor. Folks were drawn by the fact that he and his wife were opening their hearts as well as their home to share a bit more of what made them as human as each of us.

It is in the everyday heartbeat of life where train tracks cross, the whistle blows, or opportunities come around to meet us that we can make a difference by just opening up and sharing ourselves.

You never know when you can have a real impact on someone passing your way. They could be looking for meaning or trying to get an answer to something troubling them. They may even be at an intersection waiting till the current train passes so they can figure out where they really want to go in life.

I encourage you to share your hobbies and your everyday life with others. "Live your life real!" Have fun and bless someone in the process!

You can see a 2-minute amateur video movie I made of the train speeding through the railroad town at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ScdwBv-1Y8

For more pictures of Pastor Mark’s train collection and memorabilia, view a slideshow here: http://s252.photobucket.com/albums/hh15/real-lifepix/Trains/?albumview=slideshow

For more about Pastor Mark's church, visit: http://www.hopevabeach.net/

For more information about model railways, visit the National Model Railroad Association's site at: http://www.nmra.org/

Old is New Again at Cecil's General Store

Across the street from the old mill I wrote about yesterday was this wonderful general store. I could have spent a day wandering around looking at all the awesome things it housed! From Christmas villages and candles to artwork, jewelry and whimsy, the artist in me enjoyed the workmanship and beauty of many of the items for sale.

I was fascinated at the way the proprietors has kept the integrity of the store as it was in its original heyday. The former butcher’s and baker’s glass and open showcases became display areas for village houses of all themes and seasons. The tin ceiling and the wooden farm board flooring was still intact. Looking through a partially open door, I saw a small room stocked with goods that looked like it was still in the early 1900’s. A step back in time re-occurred only a few steps later as I came across this Post Office area replete with wicket. I suddenly started noticing all the other antiques and treasures "hidden in plain sight" throughout the store.

I am sure some of you will remember having or using a telephone like the one pictured below. That was in the days of party lines and telephone operators, which I remember well!

As I pondered the old days and the changes time has brought, I wondered what a generation or more in the future would be saying about all the ordinary things we use daily and take for granted. What state-of-the-art new-fangled items we love will be collected in the future as relics of the past? What new medical discoveries and technologies will totally change our way of life, even as they have in the past?

What if we thought more of the things we have now, looking at them as someone in the future might – as treasures out of common everyday items from a bygone era? Maybe we would appreciate what we have more, and not be so quick to throw it away or replace it with something prettier or newer.

If we thought further about it, perhaps our perspective on the material things of this world would be more in line with the reality of the temporary nature of the physical things of this world. Maybe we could use a little reminder of true values, especially in this upcoming holiday season that can get so commercial and material-minded.

This passage comes to mind:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19, NIV

What treasures can you lay hold of today that will be stored up in heaven for you?



For more pictures, history and info about Cecil's General Store and Old Mill, visit: http://www.stmarysart.com/

Old Mill Gets New Life

When I was in Great Mills, Maryland recently, I was heading back from shopping when I saw a road that beckoned me to explore it. A sign indicated an old mill repurposed into a venue to showcase local artisans’ works.

That sounded like the perfect destination for an art-loving tourist like I was that day! Cecil Mill, I found out, had ground corn and wheat into flour for many years. When the owner passed away, there were few millers left with skill or interest in continuing the milling.

Today it has been refurbished and is a tourist attraction. I enjoyed the way they left the main big equipment pieces in the mill, indicating the purpose it had previously. As most mills, it was located on a creek so it could use water captured in the water wheel as energy to drive the machinery.

Hopefully you can see a bit of the water wheel, the corn feeder and flour grinder in these pictures. They even showed the wheat in the jar for those who had never seen it up close, so they’d know the plant that flour comes from.

What I realized was special about this place was how the old mill formerly ground the wheat to feed the body. But now it was housing arts & crafts – using works of the heart to feed the soul. It was a place of inspiration.

We all have seasons in our lives. Whether we’re producing nourishment or inspiration, we are still doing something important. Even if you are feeling "old and worn out" some days, or that you may have lost your original purpose, don’t think for a moment that your work is done. God can “repurpose” you just as you are for a different kind of specialty and inspiration that he wants to do through you. Whether it’s creative expression, acts of service, or loving and listening, every one of us can inspire and serve others in some way to make this world a better place.

Do what you can and trust God to take care of the results!


For more pictures, history and info about Cecil's Old Mill, visit: http://www.stmarysart.com/

Life Recycled

Here are more pictures from my recent trip to Maryland.

As I looked out the window while having breakfast with my brother-in-law, I noticed a ground hog waddling by the bird feeder into the woods. Bob told me it lived in this uprooted tree trunk not far away.

When I’ve noticed a fallen tree before, I’ve often thought “what a shame! The end of a lovely grand old tree!” But since seeing this overturned tree stump, I realize it is not the end of its useful life, but just the beginning of a whole new cycle.

When a tree falls, there begins a lot of new life and activity, most of which we can’t see. Bugs move in, feeding off the decaying wood and helping the process of decomposition. The hollowed out areas become new homes for ground hog, rabbits, and other creatures.

Even when a tree dies and is still standing the same process goes into effect. I found this tree with the bark stripped off in the middle and a bunch of holes in it where probably woodpeckers where making it home.

Even in death there is life. The endless cycle of nature continues as death brings new life.

Perhaps this can apply to our lives as well. What areas of your life are coming to a close, giving rise to new desires and opportunities? What things should you just let go of, bury them and move on to new things? It could be in destructive attitudes you’ve harbored toward someone, in activities that don’t enhance your life, or relationships that bring you down or are going nowhere and you know it’s time to say “Bye-bye!” to them.

Maybe it’s time to review and ponder an appropriate passage in reference to your life situation at the moment. What season is it for you?

For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate,

A time for war, and a time for peace.
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Behold, I will do a new thing...

Stuff Happens - Whether You Lichen or Not!

On a trip through the woods recently, I came across these beautiful lichens and fungi growing throughout the area.

As I continued to find and photograph the various kinds and patterns, I noticed how they attached to different parts of trees, both living and dead, and even to rocks. It reminded me of how stuff gets attached and growing into or onto our lives that we don’t necessarily want – like extra baggage or a parasite.

Sometimes it may be a bother and something we have tried to get rid of, but here it still is! There are times when those things are not important to worry about any longer. It's time to just accept them for what they are and move on.

We can still retain our focus and our purpose and let it become a thing of beauty to behold, even as it draws more attention to our often dull-colored lives! Maybe I’m stretching it a little bit here in my analogy, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes there is nothing we can do about the stuff that attaches itself to our life. We just have to deal with it, to make the best of it.

So why not enjoy the unusual patterns and beautiful enhancement to the fabric of our lives? I like to think of God as an artist, using everything in our life to fashion the beautiful masterpiece of each one of us when he is done and our lives are held up for inspection and delight of the Master Craftsman!

As there is great beauty and variety in each of these lichen pictures on the trees, so there is great potential for wonderment in the outcome of our lives. As we allow some colorful growth to take place in and around us, we can trust God to know what’s best for us in the long run!

Take A Walk on the Wild Side!

I don’t know about you, but I’m addicted to nature and fascinated with all the interesting creatures and growing things I come across from day to day! I continue to be amazed with different bugs and birds and animals that enter my normal backyard habitat. So being surrounded with so many different views and creatures in these woods from my recent Maryland trip was heaven to me!

I sometimes wonder what we’re missing in our day-to-day lives that we just don’t see. Whether we don’t have or take the time to see them, or whether we are not in the right perspective, frame of mind, or on the correct level, what lessons about life are we missing? Is it time to schedule some quiet time each day just to breathe deeply, to have no mechanical noise so we can hear the beautiful melodies of our natural world? These are acts of restoration that are a necessary part of everyone’s life, but are often a lost art in today’s hectic pace.

Why not take a break from your computer now, push back your chair and go outside or take a walk to a nearby park or other place in nature for a short time? Look for trees, water, flowers – even a little fountain somewhere if you’re a ways from an open natural setting.

I guarantee it will refresh your soul, help your body and sense of well-being, and perhaps even give you a better perspective on things you’re trying to get a handle on. You might even be inclined to turn it into a gratitude walk or a worship walk, as you get your mind off yourself and onto the Creator of all this amazement! I hope you enjoy it so much that you make it part of every day – so that your routine is no longer so routine!

Here are a few snippets of verses to get you thinking in the right direction, in case you can't leave now, but can only take a minute vacation in your mind!

“Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”
“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
“Even the mountains clap their hands and the rocks cry out – to praise you…”
Even if you can only walk your fingers through the book of Psalms, it will surely revive your spirit!