Happy Thanksgiving

10 things I am thankful for.

1. God sending his son so that I could have Salvation
2. A true Church of God congregation to worship with
3. A true Pastor & Pastor's wife
4. My children
5. My grandchildren
6. My mom & my siblings = family
7. Good health
8. A nice home
9. A good job
10. many more blessings - which I would never be able to mention them all to you.

God is so good to me. This Thanksgiving season my heart is overflowing with thankfulness what God has done for me, what he has blessed with with.

12 years and 7 months ago I gave my heart & life to God. I took my hands off of it and let God wash my heart clean from sin. He took a black heart full of misery, sin, hate, selfishness, and all manner of evilness and washed it with his Red blood and made it Whiter than Snow. I am no longer the person I used to be. Praise God. Life is good, he has blessed me with so much, a heart that is free from sin, a clean slate, and has given me a life worth living. He put my life back together for me again. I have MUCH to be thankful for. Because of HIM I am who I am today.

What are you thankful for?

A brother's Love........

Caleb & his little sister, Emma. This was taken this past Monday night during his visit with his mommy! So precious......

Happy Thursday everyone!

I couldn't stand it any longer, so I got the internet back on at home......sad, huh?

Thought I would share with you some creative sandwiches today..........and NO I am not the designer here! Enjoy.

Happy Wednesday

Things Happen For A Reason
The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry, to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October

excited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church, it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18
were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the
sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about
head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just
the right size to cover up the hole in the front
wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older
woman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and
it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The
woman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home, that
was the least he could do.. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn
for the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
and many said that they would return.
One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.

The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike.

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
put in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his home
again all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.

He helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
reunion he could ever imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
Who says God does not work in mysterious ways..
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you, His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
cares you know He will see us through.

Good Tuesday everyone

Been a few days since I last posted. Not a lot is happening to shout about in my thoughts lately. Been sorta not feeling to swooft of late, but that too shall pass. Was able to go to B'ham to a crop on Saturday, but since the locals didn't show, didn't have anything to write home about. Mom, Anita & I would have saved us $$ and been able to do it at my abode & been a site better off! But we live & learn, don't we?

Have been enjoying the beautiful color display God provided for us this year. Sad to say I didn't get one picture taken of it though, but the colors were very vibrant this year!
Little Emma is gaining these days, hard to believe she is already a month old! She is at the Dr's as I'm typing this in - sure she has gained weight, she is still like holding a baby doll! But, as tiny as she is - she has a good set of lungs & she will let us know in no uncertain terms that she is NOT a happy camper at times. And here I was all worried that I might not hear her in the middle of the night! LOL ***Note - Niki just called me and Emma has gained 2Lbs & grown 2 inches this month! She is now the weight her mommy was when she was born - 7lbs & 7oz and is 20.5 inches long***


Well, I don't have internet access at home anymore - not sure if I will continue this self sacrifice or not - it is sorta nice to be able to get other things done at home, however, its also nice to go to the net when I have something that I need to look up right NOW. But they messed up on my bill - I paid & they said that the bank rejected my payment - yet the bank never received it, so just not sure what I will do............about it.......should I or should I NOT get it back on?? I can post from work & read everyone's from work so far, but can't see all the pretty pictures and all. What should I do folks - help me out here........
Toodles till next time........

What can I say??

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core.You often find yourself on the outside looking in.Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works. You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

On useless cat for sale! Any offer will do.

Happy Friday!

Life has been just pluggin along at the McCleskey household. Just been busy taking care of business & keep my home fires burning! Hoping for a great weekend - want to can some apple butter & get a bit of sewing done too, but will have both grand-daughters Saturday, so, just not sure how much of that i will get done! But "A New Song & TooBusyForABlog" are coming over so perhaps they will help keep them occupied, ya think? *wink wink*

I want to share my Thursday devotions with you. It comes from one of those little daily devotional book, but its very good & made me stop and think a bit harder. The song "Life is Easy, when your up on the Mountain" comes to mind. Here we go...........

Life looks rosy to many people. Their work is fulfilling. The house or apartment doesnt need repair. Their bank account shows a surplus. Family members are enjoying good health. Friends are loyal.
Good times, however can be dangerious. The comforst and pleasures of this world can become so important that we give God little or no place in our thoughts. Prosperity can quickly lea to complacency.
God knew this would happen to His people when they entered the Promised Land. So he warned them not to forget the source of their blessings (Due 6:12). He instructed them:

• vs 13 to fear the Lord and serve Him
• vs 14 not to go after other Gods
• vs 16 not to tempt God
• vs 17 to keep the commandments
• vs 18 to do what is right and to do good

Historians tell us that religious fervor usually declines during prosperous times. But if we will learn from Israels experience and heed the Lord's instruction, this need not happen to us.

Lets be careful that we don't forget the Lord - especially when all looks bright! - Herb Vander Lugt

PROSPERITY MAY BE A GREATER TEST OF CHARACTER THAN POVERTY!!!!

Have a great day everyone!