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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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May 22, 2011

Simply Sunday….Only the Father Knows


“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Matthew 24


Thank you Lord for another beautiful day.  
Another day to exult you.  To sing your praises.  To share your word…THE Word…your Son, Christ Jesus!  Help me to live everyday as if it were my last;  boldly sharing the Good News of Redemption and Grace but to also have NO FEAR for what my future holds.
Help me to SEEK Your will for me and the WORDS “You” have for me, and not the words of “man”.  Thank you for giving us glimpses of Heaven on earth as we wait to be welcomed someday into our eternal home….
Thank you Lord for another beautiful day!
and as always, dear friends…thank you for spending this Simply Sunday with me at the picket fence,

11 Comments Filed Under: Devotionals, Good Thoughts, Simply Sundays

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Comments

  1. Leslie says

    May 22, 2011 at 2:12 PM

    Hi girls…
    may we NEVER stop saying thank you! With our mouths, hearts, souls, lives!
    So grateful for you that you are light to this place called earth!
    LOVE YOU!
    ~me

    Reply
  2. Wunkie's Mommy says

    May 22, 2011 at 8:09 PM

    AMEN! I’ve been praying for some time now that those who looked to a man will turn their eyes towards Jesus, “the author and perfecter of life” and that they might know Him who died for our sins and will return again, INDEED, but will do so “like a thief in the night” and ALLLLL EYES WILL SEE HIM and EVERY KNEE WILL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS THAT HE IS LORD! 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Reply
  3. Carol says

    May 22, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    Thanks for the reminder that, in deed, only the Father knows.

    I needed to be reminded!

    Love you,

    Mom

    Reply
  4. Jennifer says

    May 22, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    No rapture! Hooray for another day to read your blog!

    Thanks for this beautiful post.

    -Hot River Mama

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    May 22, 2011 at 9:09 PM

    What a beautiful picture – but the verse brings a smile to the face in light of “yesterday”.

    Reply
  6. Cindy says

    May 22, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    Beautiful! We have so much to be thankful for…praising Him with you this beautiful Sunday!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    Reply
  7. Andrea@ourbluefrontdoor says

    May 23, 2011 at 12:52 AM

    Amen, never stop praising his name! Glory to God forever, thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
  8. Sue says

    May 23, 2011 at 1:50 AM

    Amen, Heather. Beautiful.

    Reply
  9. Shelia says

    May 23, 2011 at 2:00 AM

    Beautiful, uplifting post! Love the scripture and I wondered why the little man who predicted ‘the time’ didn’t read this scripture! I would be so afraid to think I knew more than God! 🙂
    Blessings,
    Shelia 😉

    Reply
  10. Val says

    May 23, 2011 at 2:43 AM

    Ahh, so uplifting and beautiful! I love when I can click away from a blog and feel moved!

    Reply
  11. Christie says

    May 23, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    How appropriate! AND beautiful! We would live in fear if we knew the ‘day’ and would think there was something we could ‘do!’ Just our nature, huh? I think the Lord that He will come like a thief in the night, so that we don’t live in fear, but in preparation and excitement! Oh, the day that we have no more pain or tears! That is a sweet thought! Blessings to you! Christie

    Reply

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake a I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake and grabbed a banana out of the freezer and was about to put it into my shake before I realized it was a frozen egg roll. Sooooo that's how my day is going so far! 🤪How about you?

It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work..." Job 37:5-7
What if you could do something at the beginning of What if you could do something at the beginning of your day that would be a gift to yourself later on? That’s what we’re talking about on this week’s Tip Tuesday! #tiptuesday
The sun decided to make another appearance today! The sun decided to make another appearance today! It’s been such a lovely Sunday. Chocolate croissants for breakfast followed by church then naps/football/reading/etc and soon we’ll be heading out to dinner with friends. These are my favorite kind of weekends. Hope yours has been lovely too! 🌿
Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshi Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshine is breaking through the fog and my house just seems happier. We definitely needed to see that light streaming in through the windows and it’s a gift I don’t take for granted.

And yes, there are still twinkle lights on my mantle because those help when the sunshine goes away again. ✨
Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here i Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here in the Willamette Valley has me feeling less frustrated about my migraine forcing me to just snuggle up indoors and these flowers in my kitchen are lifting my spirits. What are you up to on this holiday weekend?
It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offe It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offering a gentle reminder from my own parenting experience after feeling my heart pricked with conviction about what was waiting for my daughter every day after school. I hope it will encourage you! 🌿#tiptuesday
The day after Christmas I found myself laundering The day after Christmas I found myself laundering and folding all of the linens we used the previous night as we hosted my husband's side of the family for dinner and other festivities. As I laid out each cloth napkin and folded them one by one, I couldn't help but be struck by what a simple, yet meaningful, task it was. It's such an honor and privilege to be the hostess and, at this stage of my life, I realize that this has almost one hundred percent become my role now. Our parents are in their 70's and have either downsized significantly or simply don't have the energy to take on hosting duties for a large group. I could resent this. I could feel overwhelmed by it. But, instead, I'm choosing to embrace it knowing that, someday, I too will pass the hosting torch and I hope that I will be welcomed with love and attentiveness. So, I fold the linen napkins, taking pleasure in the way all of the creases line up and how neat and tidy they look in the drawer of my dining room buffet. These seemingly simple chores are part of the lifeblood of homemaking and my attitude towards them can either be one of gratefulness or grumbly-ness (yes, I'm making up words now). 

And I’m choosing gratefulness. 

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” (Elisabeth Elliot⁣)
Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kic Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kicking off the year with a brand new series! Each weekly installment will feature a tip for everything from your home to faith to parenting to family life and so much more. My goal for 2023 is to have far more personal interaction with this community while continuing on with the mission of weaving together all things heart and home. I hope you enjoy this first tip and I’d love to hear from you about whether or not you decorate for winter! 
#tiptuesday #organizing #winterdecorating
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. H “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

Here’s to beginnings. Happy new year friends! May you experience the majesty and sovereignty of the Lord in 2023 like never before! ✨
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