Saturday, November 2, 2013

Beautiful November Day...

I (Mel) spent part of this morning hiking and just enjoying the beauty of a sunny cool November morning around camp.  God is good and so present when I am outside and getting a larger view of who HE is and how we are loved with HIS UNFAILING LOVE!    Enjoy the view!



Mountain stream water giving me a picture of Jesus as our LIVING WATER!!!



but those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. John 4:14

Wild rose hips in snow




The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.
Ps 37:23-24



Bare aspen against azure skies



Lodge-Well Cabin from Old Hwy 130









 Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.



Friday, June 28, 2013

Prayer Pebbles and Ripples of Influence

So...this seems to have turned into more of a "newsletter reminder spot" and not really a blog.  Since my "Countdown to Walk to Emmaus" post in January much life has happened!!

I will be posting more pictures to help you see, but within the last week I received a note from a high school friend that started me thinking about how God blesses us and how we can bless others by coming to Him in intentional ongoing prayer.  

We got into a short conversation in a Facebook message about praying for a friend and she mentioned "prayer pebbles" and I asked her to explain and subsequently asked if I could share this great idea with you (my three faithful blog readers!!) !! 

She wanted me to let you know this was not her original idea and that she had gotten it from her pastor's family. They live in Oregon and we are blessed by all of them.  

Here is her explanation of "Prayer Pebbles" and a picture she sent of our "Table" pebble!!


"So, prayer pebbles. I have one for each family in our church (we only have about 35 families) and one for each missions family our church supports (plus you). If I know that families are going through something for an extended time, I will leave their pebble in the 'pool' for however long. Otherwise I will randomly select 3-5 families a week to blanket in prayer for that week. Then I set their pebbles aside until I have prayed through the whole group and start the process over again. Your mission field is especially active this time of year so I will leave your pebble in throughout the summer. Maggie (*her daughter*) and I spend so much time in the car that we keep the pebbles in the car and pray while we are driving. For those families with teens she is often more aware of prayer needs for the kids so it opens up a door for talking about those things. The visual reminder helps me to be more faithful to my verbal commitments to pray." 

Thank you dear friend and to ALL who have prayed for us!!

The RIPPLE EFFECT of those prayers bless our family, our ministry and those we serve!  The IMPACT on our hearts ripple way beyond today and into ETERNITY!

Blessed to Be a Blessing,
Melanie
Heb 12:1-3

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Countdown...



I (Melanie) am signed up for Walk to Emmaus #120 at Camp Comeca near Cozad, NE, Febr 7-10th!! I am super excited to attend and would like prayer for the days ahead and through the retreat! I've heard so many good things about this 72-hour time with God and I would love to have you as part of my prayer covering!! If you want to know more about 'the Walk' check out the Nebraska Walk to Emmaus site! Blessings, Melanie