HAPPY THANKSGIVING - 2013

Our Thanksgiving Blessing ~~ 

 Turkey, Cornbread Stuffing, Mashed Herb Potato, Gravy, Cranberry-nut Salad, Hawaiian Rolls, Real Butter, Olives (Black & Green), White Sparking Grape Juice Cocktail.

Waiting on the Buffet ~ 

Pumpkin Pie & Banana-Nut Bread & Whip Cream

ALL served on my 59 year old Clarabell Nortake China and White Orchid Community Silver Plate with a festive made in Denmark Napkin on a Red Tablecloth.

Served to ~

Husband Mickey, Son Marc, Grandson Aric

And Daughter Jacque & Benny

And enjoyed by

Wife, Mother, Grandmother ~ Susan (me) 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN...TO BE SAVED?

What does it mean to be saved? - Jesus is not only Savior but Lord!!

It is more than "head knowledge" akin to "believing" that Christopher Columbus lived and discovered America, or George Washington lived and was our first President.

It is believing Jesus, who is The WORD, is truly The Son of God:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"  John 1:1  and that He came to earth as man, born of a Virgin, to be the sacrifice for our sins.  The act that restored the relationship with God & man as it was before Adam and Eve sinned in The Garden.  "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."  1 John 2:2  (Propitiation is an action meant to regain someone's favor or make up for something you did wrong.)

Salvation is not only escape from punishment for our sins, it is deliverance from sin.  While salvation is an immediate, instantaneous birth or act, we are not at that moment made perfect in purity. Just as we are born, in the flesh as a small, helpless infant and then grow into adulthood and maturity, we obtain pardon from our sin and grow in purity by the working of His indwelling Holy Spirit. This is a long, arduous, progressive work. 

Salvation is conformity to Jesus, as well as faith, trust and reliance upon Him. It is a change of heart, a changing of character, a whole new view of who He is and who we are because He is in us.  It is the manifestation of the nine gifts of the Spirit:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23  

Quoting Newman Hall: "It is the humbling of pride, the curbing of the passions, the destruction of self-will.  It is the undoing the work of all former years, the untwisting the coils which the devil had long been winding round us, and the training us to new habits of thought and action."

We serve God not out of fear of punishment but out of our love for Him.  Our changed heart transforms us and gives us a new life. We not only avoid sin, but we begin to hate it.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."  II Corinthian 5:17-19 

Be sure Jesus is your LORD

and not just your fire escape.

     

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VETERAN'S DAY 11-11-13

Some things stay the same - almost - and yet are separated by time - 3 years - and grandchild.

 Aric invited his Grandfather Mickey to come to a luncheon and program his Mid-High School was putting on.  They were kind enough to let Grandma tag along!!

 Grandma Susan - Grandson Aric - Grandfather Mickey 
You can't see it behind the flags but each veteran was given a big white coffee mug with red edging on the top and bottom and blue lettering that reads: 
OWASSO
MID-HIGH
HONORS
OUR REAL
HEROES 

 A cute display by Build-A-Bear of all 6 military branches. 

 They actually seated us on the front row - center section.  Could not have had better seats for the fantastic 1 1/2 hour program.

 The Guest Speaker, Colonel Scott Patton, brought tears to my eyes as he talked about the young men currently serving in our Military, and how the Afghanistan War we are currently still fighting is the L-O-N-G-E-S-T war in our countries history.  One startling statistic was that some of these young men have been on not 1 or 2, but SEVEN depoyments. Another startling statistic is the .05% of our population is all that is currently serving in the military, protecting our nation.  

Proud Korean Veteran and his only grandson.

When I hear the daily news reports, and when I see many things on fb I have a tendency to get very depressed about the state of not only our beloved Nation but about our schools and the direction they are going.  And then .........I attend something like we did today: where the flag, the pledge, the military songs of each 6 branches of service, God Bless American, presentation of the State and National Flags, a poem that won first prize among a contest within the student body and honor given to "My Hero Doesn't Need a Cape!" and my faith and hope is stirred and encouraged.  

I share many things on this blog that I am thankful for ..... and I am thankful for Owasso Public Schools and the stand they take (and I know the Coweta Public Schools where so many from our church serve and work is the same) and I am THANKFUL that I live in Mid-America, and The Bible Belt, where God and Country are still important and still given the honor they deserve. 

Three years ago on November 11, 2010 we attended a very similar luncheon and program with our Granddaughter Oksana at the same school.  

YES - Some things stay the same - almost - and yet are separated by time - 3 years - and grandchild.