Thursday's Thought

Life on Thursday

Thursday has always felt like a bit of a turning point in the week— far from Monday and close enough to Friday to look forward to the weekend. It’s a day to pause, take a deep breath, and look around at all we’ve done… and all we still hope to do.

For me, Thursday is a quiet kind of rhythm. The laundry is humming, the coffee is strong, and the sunlight—if it shows up—will give us time on the porch. It’s a day that calls for thankfulness. Not just because the week is nearly done, but because we've made it this far. God has walked us through every step—every joy, every trial, every little blessing we might have missed if we hadn’t slowed down.

Thursday is also a good day to take stock of the heart. Have we loved well this week? Have we spoken words that build up instead of tear down? Have we paused long enough to really listen—to God, to others, even to our own soul?

I often think of that old nursery rhyme line:
“Thursday’s child has far to go.”
That’s not a bad thing. It means there’s still more ahead. More growing, more learning, more loving. More of God's grace unfolding, one ordinary Thursday at a time.

So today, I’m choosing peace. I’m choosing purpose. I’m choosing to believe that even in the middle of an ordinary week, God is doing extraordinary things.

"The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs. . . and will strengthen your frame.

Isaiah 58:11

This verse pairs beautifully with the theme of Thursday as a day of direction, strength, and God's ongoing presence.

Happy Thursday, friends. Keep going—you’ve got far to go, and God’s going with you every step of the way.

Until Next Time

Post Script!

 I can't believe I correctly answered the final question on Jeopardy when all the contestants got it wrong!  I am enjoying the moment because the odds of that happening again are slim to none.

Thursday's Thought

 The Kind Villager

In a small valley was a village where one man who was known for his kindness once lived. All his neighbors loved the guy. In their little slice of heaven, he was considered the happiest.

His positive outlook influenced those around him. Any friend who came to talk with him walked away with a smile on his face. It was as if he was an angel sent there to watch over everyone.

One villager was so impressed that he was genuinely curious why the man was so at peace with himself. So, he set off to find his happy neighbor to get some answers.

It wasn’t long before the neighbor was face-to-face with the kind man. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked:

“What’s your secret to staying happy? How are you so at peace with everything?”

The happy man replied:

“When you’re at peace with yourself, you can be at peace with the rest of the world. 

You start to enjoy life."

The kind man went on to explain that finding peace within yourself is not as easy as he makes it sound. It requires a person to keep his or her thoughts under control. But when you do, you’ll become strong and firm. You’ll develop good habits. And once you do, the happiness inside of you will be revealed.

The villager then asked:

“How do you stop people from exploiting your kindness?”

The kind man had this to say:

“The important thing to remember is that kindness is not a weakness. It’s a showing of your inner strength. And when you have inner strength, people can feel that. People can’t exploit someone with strong inner strength.”

Satisfied with the answer he got, the villager bid farewell and went home carrying the knowledge he gained that day.

Moral of the Story

Being kind to someone is not a show of weakness but of strength.

My Peace Comes From The Lord

• Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
• 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace,

Coming Down From The Father Above!

Sweep Over My Spirit Forever, I Pray

In Fathomless Billows Of Love!

What A Treasure I Have In This Wonderful Peace,

Buried Deep In The Heart Of My Soul,

So Secure That No Power Can Mine It Away,

While The Years Of Eternity Roll!

• 
  

Blessings to All

Until Next Time

Thursday's Thought

We All Need A Tree !

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On ariving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked up the front walk, he paused briefly at a small tree, touchng the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation.. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterwrd he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' he replied 'I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.' 'Funny thing is,' he smiled,' when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

We all need a Tree!

I found this on the internet and would give credit to the one who wrote it, but alas, I don't know who that might be.

Blessings to All

Until Next Time

Thursday's Thought

  Just so ya know, we're talking about bees today!

Bees play a crucial role in the ecosystem as they collect pollen from flowers and transport it back to their hives. Pollen serves as a vital source of protein for bees and their larvae, while simultaneously aiding in the pollination process of plants. Among the various techniques employed by bees to carry pollen, honeybees utilize specialized structures known as corbiculae or pollen baskets located on their hind legs. These baskets consist of hollow regions surrounded by long hairs that facilitate the retention of pollen grains.

During their foraging expeditions, honey bees employ a systematic approach to collect and transport pollen. Using their front and middle legs, they meticulously brush the pollen from their bodies onto their hind legs. To ensure its adherence, bees often moisten the pollen with nectar or saliva, causing it to stick together. As the bees continue their visits to different flowers, the pollen baskets gradually fill up, creating vibrant and colorful balls of pollen on their legs. Once the pollen baskets are brimming with this precious cargo, the bees return to their hive. Here, they carefully unload the pollen into specialized cells where it is stored or eventually transformed into a substance known as bee bread, serving as sustenance for the colony.

Well I certainly learned something new.  I've never noticed the "baskets" on their legs, of course, I don't see honey bees often.

FROM GOD'S Word:

Bees are referenced in the Book of Judges in the story of Deborah, a prophetess and the only female judge of the Israelites. Her name means “bee” and comes from the Hebrew name Devorah. She exhibited the wisdom, creativity, resourcefulness, teamwork, collective consciousness, communication, and hard work that bees are known for throughout her life. God charged her with a plan to free the Israelites from a cruel king. She summoned the warrior Barak to lead a battle and even accompanied him. The victory is sung about in the Song of Deborah in Judges 5:2–31

IT’S NOT ABOUT A POSITION, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PRESENCE!

“A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.”

Psalms 84:10

Until Next Time

Thursday's Thought

 Thursday’s Thought

NEVER HAD IT SUMMED UP LIKE THIS BEFORE.

Why go to Church?

I think this is fantastic, I just love the guy's answer and the interpretation for the word BIBLE.

B I. B L. E. 

 Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.

He wrote: "I've gone for 30 years now, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons, but for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time, the preachers are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all".

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor's column.

Much to the delight of the editor, it went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.

But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.

Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

When you are DOWN to nothing, God is UP to something!

Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible & receives the impossible!

Thank God for our physical and our spiritual nourishment!

IF YOU CANNOT SEE GOD IN ALL, YOU CANNOT SEE GOD AT ALL !

 Until Next Time

 

 

Thursday's Thought

^{Thursday’s Thought}

Is there a scripture that says God sings?

There sure is!

 

Zephaniah 3:17 

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

That touches my heart♥

Until Next Time

Thursday's Thought

 The Origin of America’s Favorite Nursery Rhyme:

Davy Crockett's older sister, Effie Crockett was invited to help some mothers in the Muskogee Tribe. Once she arrived in camp, Effie laughed at what she saw. The Muskogee Tribe had a custom of cradling their pappooses among the swaying branches of birch trees.

This protected their babies from ground insects, the sun, and wild animals.

After first finding it funny, she soon learned all the great reasons for this practice and marveled at the beauty of it.

Effie watched the swaying and soothing motion of the topmost branches of the trees. She loved how each baby enjoyed nature, how they listened to the songbirds, observed every ladybug, and smiled at the colors of a butterfly, every little breeze was felt and enjoyed by these young ones; each babe seemed perfectly content.

One of the Tribal mothers began to sing a song to the children in her native tongue. As the Muskogee mother sang, Miss Effie observed a small tear running down the mother’s cheek.

Lulu se pepe i le pito i luga o le laau,

A agi le matagi e luluina le moega pepe,

A gau le lala e paʻu ai le moega pepe,

Ma o le a sau i lalo pepe, moega pepe ma mea uma.

Effie translated the words and kept the tune. She shared it with everyone and it soon became a wildly popular nursery rhyme among the Colonies.

The English translation:

Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top,

When the wind blows the cradle will rock,

When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

Why did the Muskogee mother cry?

A “bough” is simply a tree branch, and its breaking was used by the Muskogee mothers as an analogy of their little baby growing up.

Their little baby would soon outgrow his cradle. With each gently rocking wind, time was passing. One day, little baby would no longer need the protection of his mother. One day, the “branch” would break because her little baby had become too heavy. The “cradle” would fall to the earth – the child, no longer a baby, would dust himself off and grow into a man.

The now famous lullaby was first printed in Mother Goose’s Melody.

The rest is history.

I did a little research to verify this story and discovered it's only one of several stories about who wrote "Rock-a-Bye Baby." I liked this one the best :)

Until Next Time

Thursday's Thought

 Some of you are a little younger than me, some a lot younger!  But I think this message is good for all of us, no matter our age!

"I asked an elderly woman once what it was like to be old and to know that the majority of her life was now behind her.

She told me that she has been the same age her entire life. She said the voice inside her head had never aged. She has always just been the same girl. Her mother's daughter. She had always wondered when she would grow up and be an old woman.

She said she looked at her body age and her faculties dull but the person she is inside never got tired. She never aged. She never changed.

Remember, our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose."

Until Next Time

Thursday's Thought

  God is in Control

Regardless of the many personal problems, political nonsense, and  wars, God is still in control.

This world is filled with troubles, hardship, and pain that sometimes seem to be without solution. However, with Jesus as our Anchor, we have every reason to hope and believe for things in life to get better.

In times of unimaginable hardship and pain, even when you can't sense His presence, God is there. 

So keep on praying and believing, and one day, your burdens will lift, and it will be as a beautiful spring day; with the sun shining, the flowers blooming, and the birds singing.  

Perhaps, you will say, "Thank you, Father, it's a pretty good world after all."

Psalm 46:10 encourages us to find solace in stillness and to acknowledge God’s sovereignty. It invites us to pause and reflect on the greatness of God.

In a world that often feels chaotic and uncertain, this verse reminds us that God remains in control. He will ultimately be exalted and glorified not only in our lives but throughout the world. It encourages us to trust in His divine plan and recognize His authority over all things.

Until Next Time

Thursdays Thought

God can’t get any “gooder.”

~~~~~~~~FULL OF HIS GOODNESS.~~~~~~~~

For the Word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 33:4-5 NKJV).

Never doubt that God is a good God, and He loves you more than you could possibly imagine.

God doesn’t measure out a small portion of goodness towards you; He isn’t stingy. God’s goodness comes in great quantity. He loves to pour out His great goodness in quantities that are exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ask or think.

The Scripture tells us the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Full means there’s no space for more. Think about a glass of water; when it’s full to capacity, you can’t add more.

If the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, then His goodness toward you is unlimited. God’s goodness is infinitely beyond any need or want you might have. In other words, God can’t get any “gooder.”

God’s goodness is an expression of His love, which is never ending. It is impossible for you to get to the place where God says, “Sorry, you’ve received too much of My goodness; this is where it ends.” No! The Bible says, …For He is good, for His mercy endures forever (2 Chronicles 5:13 NKJV).

God is a good God. He and His inexhaustible goodness cannot be separated. Anywhere God is, His goodness will be there too. So, no matter where you are or what you may be facing, you can count on God’s righteousness and justice because the earth is full of His goodness

IN GOD WE TRUST.-Proverbs 3/5,6.-

Don Jandl - May 2024.

Until Next Time

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Thursday's Thought

This is a great article, something I found on the internet.  

 This is probably the best answer I've ever heard to the question, "Why did God create evil?"

Why did God create evil? The answer struck me to the core of my soul!

A professor at the university asked his students the following question:

- Everything that exists was created by God?

One student bravely answered:

- Yes, created by God.

- Did God create everything? - a professor asked.

“Yes, sir,” replied the student.

The professor asked :

- If God created everything, then God created evil, since it exists. And according to the principle that our deeds define ourselves, then God is evil.

The student became silent after hearing such an answer. The professor was very pleased with himself. He boasted to students for proving once again that faith in God is a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said:

- Can I ask you a question, professor?

"Of course," replied the professor.

A student got up and asked:

- Professor, is cold a thing?

- What kind of question? Of course it exists. Have you ever been cold?

Students laughed at the young man's question. The young man answered:

- Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is actually the absence of heat. A person or object can be studied on whether it has or transmits energy.

Absolute zero (-460 degrees Fahrenheit) is a complete absence of heat. All matter becomes inert and unable to react at this temperature. Cold does not exist. We created this word to describe what we feel in the absence of heat.

A student continued:

- Professor, does darkness exist?

— Of course it exists.

- You're wrong again, sir. Darkness also does not exist. Darkness is actually the absence of light. We can study the light but not the darkness. We can use Newton's prism to spread white light across multiple colors and explore the different wavelengths of each color. You can't measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into the world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you tell how dark a certain space is? You measure how much light is presented. Isn't it so? Darkness is a term man uses to describe what happens in the absence of light.

In the end, the young man asked the professor:

- Sir, does evil exist?

This time it was uncertain, the professor answered:

- Of course, as I said before. We see him every day. Cruelty, numerous crimes and violence throughout the world. These examples are nothing but a manifestation of evil.

To this, the student answered:

- Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist for itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is like darkness and cold—a man-made word to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not faith or love, which exist as light and warmth. Evil is the result of the absence of Divine love in the human heart. It’s the kind of cold that comes when there is no heat, or the kind of darkness that comes when there’s no light.

The student's name was Albert Einstein.

Until Next Time