Photography by Mary

Sunflowers

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:55:00 +0000

This is one of my latest photos. I really love the fresh look of the flowers and the way the colors turned out.

I am really enjoying my journey with photography these days. Each day is a new opportunity to take a picture that surprises me. After a walk around the neighborhood taking pictures, I come home, put the card from my digital camera into the reader and view my latest photos.

This process can be good and bad. I can spend an hour or two taking photos and have that time yield not one picture that I feel is worthwhile. How disappointing!!!

Then again, I can go out and shoot a few shots, come back and find that all of them are exceptional and then I have to chose which one is my favorite and which one I will submit here or on other sites for others to see and judge. It seems that one is at the mercy of lighting, camera settings, which I am not that good with yet, and other things.

This one, "Sunflowers" proved to be well received. That made me very happy. It makes me want to go out and take a ton of new pictures.

I hope you like this photo. More to come so stay tuned.

Puppy kisses

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Fri, 14 May 2010 23:48:00 +0000

This picture is one of my favorites so is the one that I chose to use as my first photos for my new website. Pictured are my grandson Alex and our Yorkshire terrior, Little Bit. I also have this photo as my desktop background. It just makes me smile.

Please come back and visit again tomorrow. I will have taken more photos to display. Comments are appreciated and suggestions are as well.

Embarking on a new adventure, a new way of life

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Pictured here with me is our latest family member, Little Bit More. Daily she enriches our lives and makes us laugh.

It's been quite a while since I have posted a blog here. Life does get busy and I can't help but be aware that when life does get that way, one of the first things to go is my quiet time with the Lord. When I most need Him, I get too busy for Him. Isn't that the way it goes?

Some time ago, my husband Gary and I decided that we wanted to simplify our lives. We wanted to sell our house, pay off all of our debt, put our stuff in storage and take off in our motor home. With the economy going South, selling our house has taken six months. We got less than we hoped to get, but we're okay. At this point we're just glad we have a buyer. At the end of May we'll close escrow.

So, after the close of escrow and a short trip with our grandson and a friend of his, Gary, Little Bit and I are going to take off for a few months. We have a small, very humble, rental house that we will remodel and use as our home base when we're ready to return. We intend to spend the majority of our time traveling, though. We'll be gone most of the summer for sure, and longer if the mood strikes.

I really feel that the Lord is working a plan in our lives and it is my plan to share what He's doing here in this blog. As always, I hope that He will speak through me to encourage all of you. Please let me know if you have special needs that we can pray about with you and for you.

Meanwhile, prepare to join me as I embark on this journey. I have a feeling that it is going to be a wonderful one and the thing that the Lord has been preparing me for all of this time. We shall see.

Until next time,

Mary

God is in His heavens....

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:25:00 +0000

I'm not sure when it hit me today, but several times as I have gone about doing what I do, there has been an awareness of God's movement in our world and the lives of the people of the United States of America.

I was in my teens during the 50s. Things were different then. Families were so important, values were important, doing what was right was very important. We could debate the rightness of how we thought and did things during that time, but once we hit the 60s we started on a path away from center. We kept going and going until we ended up where we are today. We're at a place where nothing is of value. We throw things away easily. We humans throw away children as easily as we throw away trash. People are killing their children and children are killing their parents. I find these things to be a wound on the spirits of all of us.

Since the housing crisis and then the stock market crisis, it seems that our world has started to shake and it can't seem to stop. We humans are running around madly trying to find an answer to these problems. The government is throwing money at it and we all are desperately seeking answers yet finding none.

I was blogging on victory gardens earlier when it occurred to me that since all of the worldly things that we have been hanging onto have started to fail we've all begun to once again look to those things of real value in our lives. Things like family, church and God instead of money and things. Suddenly the things that seemed so out of focus for so long, like saving our planet, and valuing the things that money can't buy, are once again important.

I had truly lost hope that the pendulum would ever swing back in the direction of what was really important in our world. I don't know if we'll ever regain the innocence we once had. The days of "Leave it to Beaver", of "Ozzie and Harriet". However, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel of once again finding value in doing the right thing for the greater good. Of finding value in working today for what is important in the future.

God is working mightily in these difficult times and I am praising for showing me His hand in all of this.

Stress upon stress

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Last week I got on my knees beside our bed and poured my heart out to the Lord asking Him to show me what we aren't doing, what we aren't hearing Him tell us. "Are we listening and hearing you, Lord?" "If this isn't what you want us to do, please show us the path you want us to take. We only want to do what You want us to do no matter what!"

Later Gary and I talked about the situation here and made some decisions. We called a realtor friend of ours to talk to her about our home and why it isn't selling. We've had it listed for 3 or 4 months now and have had lookers, but no buyers. How frustrating!! She came over and made some suggestions. We value this friend's expertise so will follow her advice to the letter.

So, today finds us removing wallpaper borders, preparing to paint, to remove the carpet in our great room and entry and put wood down instead. We're also putting tile in our bathrooms. We have carpet in them now other than around the toilets.

Gary and I feel that this is a direct answer to prayer and are praising God for His direction.

What do people do who don't have the Lord in their lives? He knows just what we need and He is with us always. I praise Him for that.

The end of another week

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:33:00 +0000

We still haven't sold our house. We've again lowered the asking price and have added an additional bonus to the realtor that sells it. The thinking on the bonus is that it encourages realtors to show our house. We shall see what these recent changes will bring us. More lookers, I hope, and a buyer most of all. Gary says, "Don't panic, honey". Good advice for sure.

These are such unsettling times unlike any that we have seen in our lifetime. I wish I could ask my folks what it was like during the great depression of the 1930s. What did they do and how did they manage to keep their heads. Ah for some of my father's wisdom to lean on. Mom and dad raised 7 children, saw a lot of very difficult times, took risks and always ended up landing on their feet. That is amazing to me. Dad's approach to finances was different than ours, though. He didn't bother paying a utility bill until they were ready to shut the lights off or the gas. I rushed with him to the post office to put a check in the mail at the last minute many times. That stress would make me crazy. I prefer to pay bills on time. There is security in taking care of business.

As I turn to the Lord for guidance as we walk during these uncertain financial times, I find comfort and perspective. After spending time with my Lord I lay my burden down and trust Him with it. However, after a day or even a few hours I pick up that old sack again and pull it around with me until I realize once more how stressed I am. Then back to the Lord I run to once more place things in his hands.

One day I hope to be mature enough to leave things in his hands. Meanwhile, I'm so glad that he never tires of hearing my cries of fear, never tires of comforting me and giving me his amazing abundant grace.

P.T.L.

He has the whole world in his hands...

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:25:00 +0000

That song is going through my head today. He's got the whole world, in His hands, He's got the whole wide world, in His hands.............etc. etc. I just wrote an article on the recession and a depression and what the two mean in my other blog, "RevealedReflections" As I did some research for my blog posting, it caused me to look again at our situation here and to ponder just where we're going to be this time next year. I mean, of course, my husband and I.

I don't have a crystal ball for sure. We're doing all that we can to insure that we'll be just fine, though we're at the mercy of the rest of the people and the state of home sales in our community. We have our home up for sale, and have really cut back on our spending to make our money go as far as it can. That is all we can do at this point.

In the midst of all of this chaos, there is an incredible peace though too. We continue to pray about what decisions we make and we know that the Lord is watching over us and we'll be just fine. Am I saying that we'll not lose money? Not at all. Am I saying that we won't lose our house and the money we have invested in it? No, not at all. What I am saying, is that the Lord will see to it that we will have a roof over our heads, food in our mouths, and a song of praise in our hearts every day in the years to come.

To some people that sounds "Pollyanna-ish", and I understand that. Anyone who has a personal relationship with the Lord right now knows what I'm talking about. How we can be in the midst of a huge storm of any kind and feel a peace. Trust, faith, hope, they are all there.

What a difference He has made in my life. I hope that you, my reader, have this same peace. If you don't, get on your knees and talk to the one who hold the whole world in His hands and who is totally in charge of all of our tomorrows.

A new year

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Happy New Year, my Christian friends. Welcome to my blog. In the past I have tried bible studies and other things for this blog. For the new year I have decided to just free my mind and put down on this page my thoughts as I walk each day through my world with my Lord. As always, I covet your input if you don't agree with what I say and think. Feedback helps me grow, so know that your ideas are welcome always.

We're only half way into the first month of 2009 and it's already been colorful at our house. My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this week. My reaction surprised me. I was angry at God for a while. I told Him that my Gare is about the nicest person I know and he doesn't deserve to ever have bad things happen to him. Now I realize that God didn't give Gary diabetes, but at that moment rationality wasn't where I was coming from. Raw emotion was my guide.

Of course, once had a good cry and then settled down, I began to chart my plan for making sure that Gary remains healthy and maybe even controls his disorder by diet and without meds after a while.

So, we are struggling along as we learn how to eat right. We have been reading all we can on this disorder, and taking advantage of the wealth of information available to us on the web. There is so much to learn!!!

We're walking every day too! This is the one bit of advice our doctor gave us. EXERCISE. So, that is what we are doing and will continue to do.

Meanwhile, instead of being angry at God, I am leaning on Him and staying open to His loving guidance for us as we begin this new walk.

I'm so glad that my God can handle my anger. I have only felt that way twice since I have known the Lord. I don't like feeling that way and have told the Lord I am sorry for that. Guess what! He said it was okay, He understands and can take all of the anger I can dish out and still loves me. What an awesome God we serve.

P.T.L.

A new year!

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:49:00 +0000

I am prayerfully considering what the Lord wants me to do with this blog in the coming year. My other blogs have a commercial purpose, but I have kept this one for things of the Lord.

Perhaps this blog should be about my daily walk with the Lord, my challenges and struggles, my triumphs and successes. We shall see.

Meanwhile, I want to wish you all the happiest of New Years. I have no doubt that 2009 is going to be challenging in a way that most of us have never before experienced. We all will grow to understand what is really important. It'll be a time of amazing change. I truly believe we'll learn to once again value the things that are really worthy of being valued. Our families, our friends, our neighbor that we haven't met yet, but will. Community will take on a new meaning as will brotherhood. The year of our Lord, 2009 is going to be the YEAR OF OUR LORD!! It's going to be amazing. Amen.

Peace unto you

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:39:00 +0000

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

Amen

Pray for the elections

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:27:00 +0000

Somehow I just know that all of my brothers and sisters in the Lord are praying for the Lord to guide the elections and that the right man will win because of it.

Isn't it wonderful to know that not only our country, but our entire world, and universe belongs to God and He is in charge.

I Praise Him!! He is awesome.

Bible verses courtesy of www.thesacredmint.com

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:02:00 +0000

Christian Gifts

Pray for our country

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:31:00 +0000

The Lord certainly has the whole world in his hands and cares about all of the things that go on in our lives.

This is an awesome thought to me and hard for me to wrap my worldly mind around. He cares about huge things and tiny things. The creator of all things cares about our presidential election.
Awesome!

It is vitally important that we pray for the upcoming election. Pray that the Lord will bless our country by having HIS people in office and leading our country.

Pray for our leaders during this financial crisis as well, that decisions will be made that will help return our country to order financially.

Ongoing battle

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:21:00 +0000

With obesity being said to be epidemic proportions, I always perk up when I hear about weight loss aids and sites that deal with this subject.

I found this site the other day that gives diet pill reviews. Information is the key to anything when it comes to our health. We can't read or check a product out too much. I'm all for thorough investigation about anything before it is put into my system. For that purpose, this diet pill review site is a great place to start.

If you're looking for information, do check out this site.

Where have I been??

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Hello friendly readers. Believe me when I say I hadn't forgotten you. I have thought a lot about you all, as a matter of fact. We've had a busy summer of traveling. It's been wonderful, but we're back now and it's time to get back to business. Right? =)

Living near the Gulf of Mexico coast, we have been bracing for hurricane IKE for a while now. These past few days was spent getting ready to evacuate, boarding up our windows, packing our motor home for us and one of our daughters' family. As it turned out, IKE made a Northern turn and we didn't even get a drop of rain and only some gentle breezes. I am praising God for that.

More than that, however, I am praising Him for being faithful to his children's prayers. I know that many MANY were praying that the Lord would calm the seas and turn the tides. Hurricanes that enter the Gulf of Mexico's warm waters always gain speed so that by the time they hit land, they are fast and furious. IKE had the potential to be a category 4 or even a 5. It hit land as a category 2. All I could do was praise Him for that. Just another ordinary miracle from our loving God. We could so easily miss it and pass it off as luck. I see God's hand in that without a doubt or without question.

I praise you Lord. Your goodness endureth forever. Amen.

Memorizing Scripture

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:34:00 +0000

I apologize for forgetting our verses, though we had a couple of extra days to memorize our verse. Right? =)

In Philippians 6:11-17 we are told that our battles are not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of darkness. It says we're to put on the armour of God that we may be able to withstand these attacks. I'd like us to memorize just what the armour of God is.

Philippians 1:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.

Philippians 1:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.

Philippians 1:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.

In Christ's love,

Mary

Memorizing Scripture, a new verse

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:22:00 +0000

How are you doing with your memorizing? I must confess that this old brain isn't retaining it very well. However, I still feel that there is huge value of having a scripture that is here and there around out homes that we are meditating on for a week. So, don't feel badly if you aren't memorizing it. Just continue to read it, pray over it, praise God for His word and the comfort it gives us all when we need it most.

Have a great week.

Philippians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

Philippians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

Philippians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

Memorize Scripture With Me....Bigger Font

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:48:00 +0000

I made the verses bigger so we could see it without our classes perhaps.
In Christ's love.

Psalm 144:3 Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him
Review:
Colossians 4:13 I can do all things...
Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way..
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light...

Psalm 144:3 Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him
Review:
Colossians 4:13 I can do all things...
Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way..
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light...

Psalm 144:3 Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him
Review:
Colossians 4:13 I can do all things...
Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way..
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light...

Memorize Scripture With Me..Just checking in....

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:33:00 +0000

Happy Monday sisters and brothers in the Lord. How are you doing with this weeks scripture verse? It's a long one, so am going to wait until tomorrow to post a new one.

I hope you are enjoying hiding the word of God in your hearts with me. I certainly am.

I will be back tomorrow with a new verse from the Lord just for you.

In Christ,

Mary

Memorize Scripture With Me... new verse

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:36:00 +0000

How did you all do with our verse last week? I found that if I associated something with the chapter number and verse number that it stayed with me better. Refer back to our other verses and be sure to review so that they are in our hearts to stay.

This weeks verse:

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

I hope that this is going well for you. I'm enjoying memorizing scripture and tucking it away in my heart for when I need it most.

Have a great day in the Lord,

Mary

Memorize Scripture With Me......just checking in

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:35:00 +0000

How are you doing with your weekly verse??

Colossians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Although I have last weeks verse in my brain I find that the chapter and verse numbers get lost. If I am having that problem, I wonder if you are as well. May I suggest that as we memorize this weeks verse, we review last week's as well? Maybe I'm the only one with "Old Timer's Disease" here. =)

Last weeks verse was, Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.

I hope you're having a good day. I'll be back tomorrow with a new verse. Talk to you then.

Mary

Memorize Scripture With Me.....bigger verse text

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:52:00 +0000

Colossians 4:113 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me

How are you all doing with your scripture memorization this week? I printed out the post for this week and cut out the three copies of the scripture, posted them around the house, and find the text is too small. I figured that if it's too small for me it is for you too. So, on behalf of those of you who aren't sure how to do this, I am going to make the text bigger so you can print out new copies of this weeks Colossians 4:13 verse and repost it.

Colossians 4:113 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me

Colossians 4:113 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me

Colossians 4:113 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me

Happy memorizing. Talk to you again soon,

Mary

Memorize Scripture With me, a new verse

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:56:00 +0000

I wonder how you all did with memorizing the verse for last week. The verse was a familiar one for most of us, but memorizing the book, chapter and verse is what was new, to me at least.

For this week I have another familiar one. It's short as well. Again, memorizing where it is in the bible is so important so we can quote that when it is needed. Maybe this isn't an issue for you. To me, though, I often have the scriptures memorized, but don't know where they are in the bible when I want to refer another to a particular verse.

Okay! On to this weeks verse.

Colossians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Colossians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Colossians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Last week I posted our verse on the mirror in the bathroom, on the refrigerator and one here on my computer monitor. I have given you three copies of the verse so you too can print out this post and cut out the three verse samples to post wherever you are inclined to see them most often.

Store this scripture away in your heart for the Lord to use to comfort you in days to come.

Until next time,

Mary

On "Memorize Scripture", tomorrow a new verse!

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:40:00 +0000

Have you memorized your verse this week along with the bible chapter and the verse that it is. God wants us to hide His word in our hearts.

Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

That was me reciting our bible verse to you from memory. I struggled a bit with chapter number and verse number, but got it right as you can see. You have until tomorrow to continue to try to commit this verse to memory. This was a short week. Next time we'll get our new verse on a Monday and will have until the following Monday to memorize it.

We can do this! I am praying for the Lord to give me just the right verse He wants you and I to memorize. We shall see what He gives us to do.

Until tomorrow,

Mary

Blogging Networks

noreply@blogger.com (http://www.revealedreflections.com) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:25:00 +0000

As a blogger, I am always on the look out for new sites that I can join and meet new people, but also learn some new things about blogging.

Networking is very important in any business, and blogging is no exception. We must let others know we're here. To do this, we need to visit and join other's blogs. After that, visit back often. It's a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" sort of thing. We support one another.

Search out blogs that are about the things that interest you, review those blogs on your blog and see what happens. You'll be amazed.

Happy Networking,

Mary