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I am sure I told the story of this flower before - but I feel like sharing it again - just in case. The above flower is called Sedum, or as I learned "Live Forever."

As a young girl, my best friend and I would walk around the neighborhood and give names (of countries) to the houses we passed - trying to imagine what certain countries looked like.

An older gentleman's house had a fenced in yard on the corner. The house was set in the back left of the lot and so thru the metal fence we could easily see the front and side gardens. They were meticulously maintained and beautiful! We gave this house the name Sweden. I guess we imagined that Sweden must be a place of beauty like this home was. He had such a variety of plants and flowers, we were overwhelmed, and sometimes would just stand and watch him carefully take care of them all.

Sedum was everywhere. It was my favorite.

Once while walking with my dad, I pointed out the house and how much I liked that specific flower.

I guess after I was married and moved away, Dad became friends with the man. I remember that he - remembered my love for the Live Forever, and told the owner of the house, because the man gave my dad a huge portion of the plant - to plant at my parents home.

My dad passed away in July of 1995 and my mom in January of 2001. We had to sell their home. By that time the Live Forever had taken strong root and was growing very nicely in the backyard. My husband and I were back living in Western New York at that time, and so I took a couple of the plants.

Today they grow strong and healthy in my front flower bed - and every time I look at them I am reminded of the promise that I will live eternally with my Father in Heaven someday and with my Dad as well.

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I don't like the fact that even at age 47, my memory is starting to fail.

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For more Spiritual Sunday's Click Here

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2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (BibleGateway website link)

But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

To the one we are the smell of death;

to the other, the fragrance of life.

And who is equal to such a task?

Unlike so many , we do not peddle the word of God for profit.

On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

What joy there is in knowing we are being used by God!

Link up with Sharon and share some Joy!

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Psalm 96:11-13 (found at BibleGateway)

Let the heavens rejoice

Let the earth be glad

Let the sea resound

and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy!

They will sing before the Lord, for he comes,

He comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples in his truth.

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This is a bloom from the same plant I posted a bud of yesterday.

It is a Pink Aster.

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Scripture comes from Proverbs 3:5-6

They were some of the first verses I ever memorized. My mom's dad had written them down in my 'autograph' book, when I was about 8 years old. How I have clung to those words over the years - and the wisdom in them.

He knows best

Trust in Him

Live your life for Him

He is always in control

We can count on Him even when (and especially when) the way is hard.

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As I was putting this together

- the Hebrews passage was in my mind -

and after reading it -

the lyrics of this Chris Tomlin song

just kept repeating over and over in my mind.

And so they are paired together here.

I am so thankful I was introduced to Christ.

Who else could ever love us with such an amazing love?

For More Joy: Click HERE

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I do have to admit, that the stone footprint already had the quote on it when I captured this photo in my sister Laura's front flower bed. A nice little bit of inspiration and a good thought to remember throughout each and every day.

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Isn't it interesting that, we look to Paul as a pillar of our faith - and he saw himself as the worst sinner. Amazing, the power of God!

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BLACK and WHITE? RIGHT and WRONG?

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I know this is not a photo of the red sea - but it is a photo of Red House Lake in the Allegany State Park. When I looked at it, the story of the Israelites crossing the sea on dry ground with walls of water next to them and Pharaohs' army chasing them, and then being dashed by the water as it returned to it's normal state - amazes me.

God protects, God provides, God loves, God is trustworthy, even when we whine and are not dependable, He is. Makes me want to try even harder to be who He created me to be.

But I pray I will not lose the fire that burns within, as the Israelites did and regress into the old habits once again.

Exodus 14:9-31 (NIV at Bibleateway)

⁹ The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. ¹¹ They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

¹³ Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴ The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

¹⁵ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."

¹⁹ Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, ²² and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴ During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.²⁵ He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."

²⁶ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." ²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. ²⁸ The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

²⁹ But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ³⁰ That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. ³¹ And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

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