Scriptures to Eradicate Our Fears

Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you. - I Peter 5:7

For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind. ~ II Timothy 1:7

I sought the Lord, and He answered me;  He delivered me from all my fears. ~ Psalm 34:4

Fear not, for I am with you;  Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you;  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. . . . . For I the Lord your God will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you. ~ Isaiah 41:10 & 13

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ~ John 14:27

The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? ~ Psalm 27:1

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.  Wait, I say, on the Lord. ~ Psalm 27:14

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song I will praise Him.  Psalm 28:7

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. ~ Psalm 46:1

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. ~ Psalm 46:10 & 11

In you, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. ~ Psalm 71:1

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe. ~ Proverbs 18:10

 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort me. ~ Psalm 23

And Moses said to the people, Fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. ~ Exodus 14:13

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:8

Also read through Psalm 91!

Peanut Butter Suet to Attract a Variety of Birds

by Lois Breneman - Heart to Heart - 2018

This recipe attracts a wide variety of birds to our sundeck and provides entertainment and opportunities to capture birds in action via photographs as well.

Birds that love this suet recipe are:
Cardinals
Bluebirds
Carolina Wrens
House Wrens
Nuthatches
Red-bellied Woodpeckers
Downy Woodpeckers
Tufted titmice
Black-capped Chickadees
Mockingbirds
Bluejays
Catbirds
Goldfinches
House Finches
Sparrows

We've also had starlings and crows from time to time, but not often.  When they come, I just bring the suet inside for a day or so and the problem is gone. 

I never found the need to measure when I made this suet until several people asked for the recipe.  Basically, it should be the consistency of playdough.  I use the least inexpensive ingredients and figured the cost of this recipe to be about $10, which is certainly well worth the enjoyment it brings!

Peanut Butter Suet
1 large can of shortening (2 lb, 10 oz.)
1 large container of peanut butter (4 lb.)
1 bag of all-purpose flour (5 lb.) plus at least 6 more cups
   (Cornmeal or other flour may be used - even buggy flour but no salt or other ingredients)

Directions:
1.  In a large basin, cream the shortening and peanut butter with a hand mixer. 
2.  Gradually add in the flour, mixing well before adding more.  If you can mix in a little more flour than a 5 lb. bag and 6 cups, go ahead.  You may need to use a large metal spoon toward the end of mixing.
3.  The birds like it either way but it's less sticky if you can incorporate a little more flour.

I used to form the suet into cakes, but find it's easier to store it in empty shortening cans and scoop it out onto small dishes as needed.  I serve it on small Pfaltzgraff snack trays that I got for 29 cents each at an outlet, but saucers would work as well.  Press the suet onto the dish.

Because of squirrels and raccoons, I bring in the suet each evening and set it out every morning.  So far we have seen no bears on our deck, and we'd like to keep it that way.  When I set it out in the morning the birds hear the kitchen door and sometimes they are at the feeders before I get inside the house.  I hope I'm not turning them into "welfare birds" as my husband sometimes jokingly calls them, but he enjoys watching them and learning the different varieties and their antics.

As far as beautiful songbirds though, if you make this suet, they will come!  They much prefer this over suet on which I've wasted my money.

Below are just a few photos I've taken from inside my kitchen as the suet attracts a good variety of birds to our sundeck, trees, and backyard! 

Another fun hobby has developed from making this suet and photography.  I enjoy making handmade cards from some of the photos, although I make too many cards to send so I package one or more in cellophane envelopes to use as little unexpected gifts.
Happy Birdwatching!

The Blemished Rose

by Lois Breneman

As the warm days of summer and autumn draw to a close, I dread seeing the beautiful flowers struck down by frost. But on the positive side, I love taking pictures of roses, even in their blemished state. The reason is because I know the Lord looks at people in the same way, and loves the one with a blemished past, just the same. He is a Redeeming Savior and He restores souls!

The Joy of Photography

 "Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is." ~Anonymous

I Need Paint

by Nina Graff - from: www.highwayc.wordpress.com

Note from Lois: I hope you take the time to go to Nina's wonderful website!  She and I learned that we share several passions in life, other than the Lord and our families - sewing and photography!  You will love Nina's unique photography there, where she shares the journey she is on for now.  By the way, Nina is the one who helped me set up the lovely banner of bleeding hearts (This one is her own photography) for the Heart to Heart blog, http://heartfilledhome.blogspot.com!

This cold COLD winter on top of our move, and my dominant melancholy personality has taken me on a ‘blue’ journey.  I try my best to keep it inside, this storm. I try to focus on:

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely… worthy of praise…dwell on these things.”  Philippians 4:8

My sister once told me, “It seems the best way to get you out of the doldrums is to slap a paintbrush in your hand!”  I think she was right.

I wish I was a painter of canvases, but it is simply rooms and furniture.  So, I started painting more this week.  Just some basement window trim, and then some shelves up in the loft.  It really does help my mood!
Not sure what it is?      Transformation.   Yes…. that’s it.

This song from a while ago..(yes… a WHILE!  I have the vinyl LP!)…has been playing in my head as I dip my brush into the paint can.  You can listen to it here if you aren’t familiar with it.

Paint my life with Your Charity,
Paint my life with Your Mercy,
Paint my life with Your Humility,
And I’ll share in Your Glory, Jesus,
Paint my life.
Color Your brush with Your Kindness,
Color Your brush with Your Meekness,
Color Your brush with Your Gentleness,
Color Your brush with Your Forgiveness, Jesus…
Paint my life.
(portion from ‘Paint My Life’, by John Michael Talbot and Terry Talbot)

So the question is:  Will this stubborn canvas of my life resist the touch of the Master Painter?  Or will I surrender daily to what His never ending palette might hold for me?  After all, He does KNOW which colors best blend with blue!

New Scripted Photos Have Been Added to the Blog

New photos have been added to the blog.  Scroll about one-third of the way down until you see large scripted photos.