Emmanuel's Seniors Journal

  Hi Everyone, Last week my friend Roger Deweerd sent an email to our small group.   He captured how God has been opening his eyes to see His beauty everywhere.   I asked Roger if I could share his post with the wider Emmanuel community, and he thought that was a great idea.   As summer comes closer to an end, I hope you will find ways to get outside and enjoy God's beauty that does abound in many fascinating ways. Greetings Everyone: Hard to believe that the end of August is upon us, the days are getting shorter and it is getting cooler. Where did the summer go? I just wanted to share with you something I have been doing during this summer of COVID-19. I have been doing lots of biking, mostly along the river, many times I will stop at a bench and spend an hour praying and enjoying God's beautiful creation. He has certainly blessed me with showing me His handiwork. The trees, flowers, grass, sky, clouds, river, but what I enjoy the most are the various bird...

  A few weeks ago, I ask Jan Smith if she would consider writing a thought for the blog.   She said yes, but I did not know when she would send me in a post.   Earlier today, she wrote and said she had a post to send out. This may seem strange, but as I was talking with her, a hummingbird flew near my deck and looked at me, then flew away.  I have never seen a hummingbird in my yard before.   I was surprised.     Later in the day, Jan wrote and asked if I had read her post and had I listened to Brendon’s message for August 23. I had not, but I went and read both.   What you are about to read is providential. Jan did not know what Brendon was going to speak on today, but it seems God has a message for us to hear.   After I read both messages today, I had tears in my eyes. Brendon, wrote today, “The fruit of abiding in Jesus is Christ-likeness - looking like Jesus, living like Jesus, becoming like Jesus.”   Jan was used by the Holy...

  Years ago, when we purchased our home, I had no idea how to create or care for a garden that produced vegetables and flowers.   I remember asking a friend where do I begin? She replied by saying, "Each year, you will learn, and the garden will always be changing." I remember thinking, "Really, that is all of the advice you are going to give me?" Now that I look back, my friend's words have become real for my experience as a gardener.   Yes, some of the flowers and the arrangements are the same, but the way the plants grow, and variations are always different.   I will remember this year, 2020, for the wildflowers, pansies, nasturtiums, calla lilies', sweet peas, morning glories, lots of swiss chard and lettuce, cucumbers, red and purplish tomatoes, and beans. The morning glories and sweet peas are new to my garden. The morning glories did not bloom, but there are still a few more weeks of warm weather, so maybe they will surprise me. The sweet peas...