Seasons of Life by Donna (Ensign) Woods

I live this life of mine,
One season at a time.

In Spring, when all is fresh and new,
There is so much to see and do....
....But, I am only passing through.

Spring time...When God prepares the heart,
With a furtile, rich, new start.

....The Summer of life heats up,
Work and family make a very full cup !!

With each long day, and very short night
The goal is often hidden from sight.

With loving care, God plants each seed,
....As He sees all future need....

The Summer does not last,
This too is gone so fast !

In the gentle Fall breeze,
I can hear God whisper through the trees.

Blessed with peace and quiet time,
To reflect upon this life of mine.

As seasons begin to relax and slow
...This too shall pass....I know.

Winter, the final season of living
Remeniscing about receiving and giving.

Memories gather 'round....
Like snowflakes falling, without sound....

God has prepared me for...
What awaits behind Heaven's door.

As the seasons come and go....
Whether short or long, I always know...

The beauty of my eternal place....
Streets of gold....And my Savior's face !!!!!!

Feel like a Fruit Cake instead of a Fruit Bearer? by Rachel Pitcher

It's hard to find good fruit in the supermarket this time of year. Making it even harder yet is the fact that farmers in Florida are experiencing record cold weather that has damaged their crops. Has this been a record-cold year for you? Is your life reflective of a tree bearing fruit or has the cold-snap stunted your growth and left you wondering how long it's repercussions are going to last? People often talk about the seasons of life and say things like "This too shall pass." There may be some truth and even benefit to that. However, as christians, we are called to bear fruit regardless of the circumstances and situations we are going through. Like all good gardeners know, effective pruning makes the plant produce more and not less fruit.

As I studied John 15:1-2, 4 during a journaling retreat four years ago, I reflected on what God had to say to me about bearing fruit. I sensed that although my life might not openly show "bad fruit" to others, it wasn't really showing all that much "good fruit" either. I wasn't bearing much of anything outwardly and inwardly I wasn't growing either. Unfruitful branches can be thought of as those who confess Christ but never bear fruit. They begin in Him but don't genuinely remain in Him and are in danger of being cut away. Even the fruitful branches, those who truly remain in Christ will be pruned in order to bear MORE fruit for His glory. Who would want an apple tree that only bore beautiful apples for one season and then gave perhaps one or two apples from then on. I don't want my life to reflect growth that looked promising in the beginning or at one time but has now gone dormant. Remembering that there are seasons of life that are harder than others, we continue to hold on to the promises that our God , our gardener, can make MUCH with the little we have to offer. Our job is to stay focused on the SON, the Giver of Life, and offer our fruit up to Him.

I also studied James 1:2-4 which showed me that pruning is painful but profitable. Like the pains of childbirth that result in the jubilation of seeing your newborn for the first time, trials are occasions for joy. As with labor, it's hard to convince yourself that the pain your going through is a "good thing" or that you'll even survive it. For some it's short-lived, for others it goes on for more than several hours. Yet, at the end, a precious creation from God is revealed. Trials in daily life test our faith and develop in us perseverance and maturity; qualities that will only benefit us. In the midst of them, we aren't sure there's an end or that we can make it. However, we can endure hardships, hanging on to the promise that we are going somewhere through this. It's not aimless or even endless. It's for a reason, for our good, and profitable not only for us but for others as well.

Dear Lord, I often feel like a "fruitcake" instead of a "fruit-bearer". Help me to yield to your pruning and see it for what it is, not punishment but an opportunity to grow and bear fruit for Your glory. You are the Tree of Life and I thank you for shading me with Your love.

Lookin' out my Window by Donna (Ensign) Woods

Riding down life's highway,
In one place, we cannot stay.
Lookin' out my window
Watching time fly by...
Fighting the urge to cry.
Speeding by...nearly out of control
...Daily trials take their tole.
Lookin' out my window
To a peaceful, woodland scene...
Rolling pastures...lush and green.
Homes, each with a story to tell,
...Some being built and some to sell.
Crossing lazy rivers and streams,
Lost in my own hopes and dreams.
Lookin' out my window
Framing scenes and changing fast
...No moment is made to last.
Roadside flowers...and a wooden cross
...In memory of precious lives lost...
With my destination no where in sight,
There's food and lodging, the very next right.
...But onward my journey goes,
On paths only my Lord knows.
Lookin' out my window
At trash along life's highway,
Old tires and food wrappers, tossed away.
...Like garbage in my very own past !!
...And memories...forever to last.
I pray for people in cars I meet,
Especially for children in each back seat.
As I listen to my engine hum...
I wonder what each is running to...or from.
Lookin' out my window
A big rig is broken down
Waiting for a tow, from nearby town.
Row after row of beans and corn
...And new baby calves that have just been born.
Drivers with families ...and some all alone
...A bicycle fastened to a motor home.
Old cars and new... trucks big and tall
...I wonder about the treasures they each haul.
A homeless man holds a sign...
Tugging at this heart of mine.
Through the window, I hand him a bill...
Praying for him as I top the next hill
A beautiful sunset comes into view.
God's promise....that tomorrow will be fresh and new.

Where I Am From - by Donna (Ensign) Woods

(Modeled after a poem by Georgia Ella Lyons)

I am from 40th and plum...
40 miles from No-where and Plum out in the sticks
...as my Daddy used to say...
Strasburg, Illinois

I am from the screen door slamming
and cookies baking.
I am from simple times, hard work and good neighbors.
Noodles drying on the kitchen table,
Dinner rolls, apple pies and macaroni and cheese.

I'm from huge gardens, canning rings,
and the sound a mason jars sealing.
I am from 13 County fairs,
Perfect vegetables on plates of 5,
Display baskets, crepe paper and parsley.

I am from Bob and Wanda
Number 4 of 5.
Long days, short nights and cold winters
I am from the oil burner...
Standing close...warming one side at a time.
I am from everything olive green.

I am from the wringer washer on the back porch
and clothes hung neatly on the line.
I am from the grape arbor and
The sweet smell of spearmint.
I am from 4-H and Home Ec,
Learn it all...Do it all !!

I am from Bogie, Pepper, Smitty
and my little Tony dog.
I am from mud between my toes and
the dirt road hill.... with the old iron bridge,
waiting at the bottom, just for me.
I am from trails through the timber
and the mushroom patch.
Blackberries and chigger bites.

I am from the chicken house,
Feathers, butchering and frying.
I am from tricycles and mud puddles
lightning bugs and home made dresses
...polyester double knit.

I am from troll dolls and Barbie dolls
and the Box Elder tree...
Hot Wheels cars and a road of pretend
around the trunk.
I am from art class and Mrs. Ray
Sketching, painting and the pottery wheel.
I am from the writing desk
and the fine point pen.

I am from the angel in the Christmas pagent
White sheet gown and wings of tin foil and cardboard.
I am from Duck-Duck Goose and
Red Rover Red Rover.
I am from the Carom board and Monopoly
and the card table tent.

I am from monsters in the attic and under the bed...
Creaky stairs and a vivid imagination!!
I am from Nancy Drew mysteries
and Gilligan's Island
I am from Precious and Few, Time in a Bottle,
and Love Story.
Lost in the 70's, bell bottoms and
the Vietnam war...

I am from basketball games and Comet Power.
Listening with tears in my eyes as
the National Anthem played.
I am from green and white pom- poms
and School Song...
A shiny gym floor and popcorn.

I am from the cow pasture and the metal gate
...fishing June bugs out of the water tank...
I am from the majestic old acorn tree
that always stood watch over me.

I am from hope and promise
yesterday, today and tomorrow,
...I am from God's plan...

Have you had your P's today? by Julie Short

I recently realized that some of the most Powerful and Positive words begin with the letter P. I believe that our days and weeks would be better if we remembered to have a big dose of P’s everyday.

Start every morning in God’s Presence; Praying, Petitioning and Praising His Holy name. Thank Him for the Painful Price He Paid to Pardon us.

Remember all through the day that we were made with Purpose, that God has Plans for us, Plans to Prosper us.

When Problems arise — and they will, Persevere, relying on God’s Power and his Promises and we will feel Peace in the midst of the storm.

Know that each and every day is filled with Potential and endless Possibilities!