MERGANSER MORNING...

Here is the male Merganser popping up from diving and preening with his head swiveled to his back.

The female and male came early this morning and graced the pond for at least 45 minutes.  Catching a picture of them is not easy as they dive and disappear.  I just keep snapping from my chair in the window and hope some of the shots will be good ones-ha!

They are so beautiful with their crested heads.

Here is the Male preening again and the reflection of the drain pipe is just perfect in the mirror reflection.  What a beautiful Saturday today with lots of Sunshine and 55 degrees.  This is more like our normal January weather in SC!  Gotta love it!  While I was posting these pictures and the ones of the swans on Kerrie's Korner, SC , a huge Great Blue Heron came and landed in the pine tree across the lake!  I have snapped a bunch of pictures and will post the best of them after viewing them, tomorrow on Kerrie's Korner.  Thank so much for visiting me today and please stop by Kerrie's Krafts 3 site to view the Red-tailed Hawk that hubby is creating in Intarsia.  It is coming along beautifully!

"A friend is like a 4-leaf Clover: Hard to find, Lucky to have!"

I Love my friends!!

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours....

SUNDAY'S BIBLE VERSE

St. Peter's Church, Auburn, NY (Our hometown) Photo by Sarah R. Marquart (Our granddaughter who is gathering a photograhic porfolio for college.  She is to be a H.S. Grad this June 2010)

GOOD SUNDAY MORNING TO YOU!

Today's verse is from Romans 12:3-5  (THE BOOK)

"As God's messenger, I give each of you God's warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.  Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ's body.  We are all parts of it and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do.  So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others."

  I love my old tattered and dog-eared copy of "THE BOOK".  I have studied the Bible using many different tools and this is so essential in a comprehensive study that I have ever found.  I took a 2 year Bethel Bible course back in the 1980's.  I then became certified as a Bethel Bible Teacher and Lay Minister.  The theme of Bethel Bible is "Blessed to be a Blessing."  The Lord blesses us so that we may bless others.  Whatever we experience in life, good or bad, arms us for what we must do next and how we can help others going through the same experiences in life, good, bad or indifferent. 

    THE BOOK was a gift from my hubby when I first became a born again Christian.  Being born again does not mean you are a religious fanatic who has fallen off in the deep end-ha!  Born again refers to having a change of heart, beginning a new chapter in your life that brings God and Jesus into your life, an inviting Jesus into your heart.  "THE BOOK" is one of the easiest to understand since it is a "thought-for thought translation.  Instead of translating the original Hebrew and Greek texts word for word, the ideas are expressed here as ordinary people of the late twentieth centruy would say them, with our idioms, word-pictures, and expressions.  With topical and instructional helps to aid your understanding, The Book may be the greatest opportunity you will ever find to read and understand the Bible." 

     I found myself using this valuable tool while studying as a cross reference.  When my mind was jumbled with all the Thee, Thine, Thy venacular, I like finding the same verse in the Book which did not change the essence of whatever verse I was reading but merely put it in a form that I could easily comprehend.  I also love that any age can benefit from reading it.  A child can read it just as readily as an adult and will not be intimidated by the language of the St. James and other Revised Editions of the Bible.

    I also have a Scofield Study Bible that belonged to my father.  It is crumbling as it is from the 1800's but the pages are intact and invaluable.  The footnotes and margins are filled with explanatory passages.  All of my Bibles are tattered except for one that has very tiny print.  It is too heavy to hold upright while reading in bed, too, HA!

  I hope that you have a copy of "THE BOOK" (a special edition of THE LIVING BIBLE, published by Tinsdale House Publishers, Inc. 1971.  If not, please purchase one as they are very reasonably priced and always available at major bookstores.  They make a great gift for every occasion and make a wonderful Graduate Gift!

   Thank you so much for visiting my little piece of heaven on earth here in Garden City, SC.  I love visiting all of your blogs and we each DO need all the others!

  Special thanks to all of you who visited Pink Saturday and left such fun, lovely comments.  Beverly at How Sweet the Sound surely started a good thing, didn't she?  Do visit her blog today for some wonderful inspirational music.

Kerrie

LORD BE A LAMP UNTO MY FEET...

I LOVE THE WORDS IN PSALMS AND ALSO IN PROVERBS.  Psalms119:105
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path."  I claimed this one for myself many years ago and have always added it to my prayers as, "Lord be a lamp unto my feet and guide me in the right path that I might serve Thee better."  God is so good.  "He leads me in the paths of Righteousness for his namesake."  You all know that one-right?  From the 23rd Psalm.  I love thinking that the Lord leads me in the way that I should go neither going to the right or the left but on the straight and narrow.  Psalms 119:133 "keep steady my steps according to thy promise." 
Sometimes it is hard to keep an eye on the path when troubles come our way or we are feeling sad.  These feelings are normal and part of our being human and they will pass.  So never feel alone or in despair for He is always there to guide us, Let Go, Let God.  I really like that one!  Blessings are wished for all my blogging friends, especially those who are going through hard times, whatever they may be.  Together, we all can make it.  For burning coals in the fire will continue to glow as long as they are together, but take one away and its light is extinguished.  We bolster one another and keep our spirits going and the fire always glowing.  Blog friends are unique and special.  God Bless and have a wonderful Sunday.

A Word about Comments

Dear hearts, due to an uncalled for comment I have added WORD VERIFICATION  TO my comments page.  I know you all have probably experienced a problem at some time in your blog history.  It is unfortunate that someone has nothing better to do than post on someone's blog in a negative manner.  'nuf said! 

GREETING THE DAY:

LORD BEFORE ME, LORD BESIDE ME, LORD BEHIND ME.
This is a prayer that Robin on Good Morning America relates she says every day at its start.  I thought this was a wonderful way to start a day!