For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture...

Good and happy Monday morning my friends, I pray the usual taboo of "the dreaded Monday" is not with you today and that you are filled with smiles and laughter! My friend Star has made it through the weekend, she continues to have a very rough and rocky road ahead but has made it through the weekend and is getting stronger, please if you will continue to hold her in your prayers as we are praying for a minute to minute healing! 


In prayer this morning as I sat out on the patio, the skies filled with cotton ball clouds, the blue..bluer than I have seen in days and the great sun sitting up their pouring out its warmth all over my face...boy what a blessing, what a feeling, what a wonderful Monday morning surprise! Thank you Lord for loving us, for giving us your goodness and for never straying from us. Father please watch over all those suffering with disease and illness today to include depression, anxiety, panic attacks, those who are suffering the ravages of age, who have forgotten even their closest loved ones, those who are battling cancer, taking chemo...lay your healing hands upon each of them and allow them strength to get through another day, Father bless those who are struggling with relationship woes, with unruly children, with finances...allow each of us a day today that is filled with hope. Guide us Father in the way that only you can so that we might see a light at the end of the trouble tunnel, lead us with your plan and your knowledge that we will make it through if we hold fast to our faith and we are unwaivering in our love for you. I ask mercy, favor and grace for all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.


I came across the story below this morning and found it to be filled with inspiration, sometimes we must throw in the towel to allow someone else their purpose and idea! God is so good, all we need do is open the eyes of our hearts to know what is right and what is not! You are loved, you are appreciated and you are so very special:)

God’s Flock

There comes a point in our lives that no matter what we set out to do, sometimes we have to know when to throw in the towel. It happens despite our best intents, despite our hard work and dedication. Some things just don’t work out. 

I have raised a yard full of chickens for eight years now. Eight long years of dashing into the coop during an unexpected storm, and closing the birds up to keep them from being pounded into chicken kabobs by hail. Eight years of racing around the pasture, frantically gathering them up when they manage to escape from the safety of the backyard. 

Today, after giving it much thought, I threw in the towel on my career as a chicken farmer. I have no regrets. After all, I have learned a great deal about chickens. Seems they are on the bottom of the food chain. Indeed, they are but mere plankton in the sea of life. 

Everything, and I mean everything, eats chickens. I‘ve chased great horned owls from the coop, opossums, coyote, egg-eating snakes the size of my mother, and numerous stray dogs that wander by. Let‘s not forget chicken hawks. Chicken hawks are not named chicken hawks because they eat caviar, I have come to realize. 

Many years of scooping up felled chickens built up to the point where I found myself no longer enjoying my hobby. Oh, I loved those chickens, don’t get me wrong. But, it seemed no matter how I fought, mother nature always won. One by one, they slowly succumbed to those things that creep silently in the night who have a palate for white meat. 

This afternoon, I found six hens that had got out, lying dead. Victims of a stray dog. The white towel of defeat drifted into the autumn wind, as I solemnly shuffled into the house, and ran an ad to re-home them. It was time, and it was the right thing to do for them. 

I wouldn’t give my flock to just anyone, I decided. My birds deserved a good, safe home. I carefully explained as I typed out the ad, that it was a hard decision to let them go, but admitted I could not keep them safe. I wanted them to go to someone who would take every measure to build a safe, inescapable habitat for them. I wanted them to have a home where they were loved, and enjoyed, for something other than their delectable taste. 

That someone contacted me very quickly. 

There are days I forget to talk to God. I’ll admit, those days might run into a month or more. I know He’s there, but when things are going well, I often forget to pray. When things are bad, I’m found kneeling against my bed, rocking on my knees with my hands pressed firmly together, hoping He’ll listen to me, if just for a moment. After all, he is a busy, busy man tending his flocks. 

Today, God sent me a gentle reminder that he is still with me. He let me know he still walks with me, as I pick up the lifeless bodies of his precious flock. He was in the soft wind as it whispered around me, even though I had not talked to Him in many days. 

He sent me a man who wants to love those hens, and keep them safe. And, best of all, this kind individual has shown me how God works in mysterious ways. How God creeps up, and sends us gentle reminders that he is still with us, even though the chips, and the egg counts, are down. 

My chickens will soon be going to a new home. They will now be called ‘God’s Flock‘, their new owner explained. He plans to build them a new coop that Houdini could not escape. Then, he will gather their eggs, and donate them to the church pantry. 

I must remember, God is always there, even if I sometimes forget to pray. He will quietly send me a gentle reminder from the blueberry sky, as he did today. His flock now has a new start, a new purpose. Their eggs will feed the hungry, they will feed the poor. 

I couldn’t be happier, as I gaze above me, and see that towel of victory drifting in the autumn winds. 

"For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the 

sheep of his hand. Today, if ye will hear his voice."  Psalms 95:7