Hold to the Unseen Hand

To believe in something you cannot see To hold on to hope in sorrow and misery To get back up when you fall down To know that hope will again abound To walk in a world full of beauty and majesty Seeing God's hand in all he created so craftily To believe in Him though I cannot see I hold to his hand to gently guide me. There has to be a God who created the world with all it's glory To not have faith would be such a sad and hopeless story. Every day is a gift from God Almighty above Wrapped with his goodness and sweet love. I hold on to hope in what he has said in His Holy Word To trust in Him and all His promises that I have heard. My faith gives me strength in the midst of the storms of life To stand tall like a soldier, being without fear or strife. My Father has gone to Heaven to prepare a place for me. I have faith that I will be with Him there for all eternity. Faith is what it takes to get out of the bed everyday To have faith you must read your Bible and pray, pray, pray!

                             

Expressions of God's Love

Today, I feel like expressing my gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ for coming to this world born humbly in a manger. Living humbly while loving people right where they are. He didn't love their sins, but he loved their souls. So, much that He was willing to give His life and suffer for us in order for us to be with Him forever.

I get excited when I think of how much he cares for me. Because of Him I have hope to live eternally with no more pain, sickness or heartache. One of the most touching scriptures to me is that He will wipe the tears from our eyes. (Paraphrased). I want to know Him now and have a personal one on one relationship with Him. So, on that day when He calls me home, I can stand unashamed of the life I have live. I make mistakes everyday and I am human, but I want to strive to take up my cross daily and follow Him. To mirror that unconditional love that He had for those who are in sin or be a help to those who need encouragement.

I heard a preacher on the radio say today, "If the church praised God like you do, How much praise would there be? If the church prayed like you do, how much prayer would there be. If the church read their Bible like you, how much knowledge of God's word would the Church have? You get the picture. Wow, I was convicted of how much time I spend in doing each one of these.

I believe that we are experiencing those birth pains that God told us about shortly before He will return for His Children. If there ever was a time to do business with God, it's now. We need to be in constant prayer for those who are lost and undone without the Lord Jesus Christ.

May God surround you with His love today and may you share that love with someone around you. We never know what others are going through. Sometimes a simple smile is all it may take to help some one else feel happy. Shine for Jesus!

Mystery Island chapter two

   The sky was an amazing array of light blue, pink and yellow as the sunset on the island. The air was warm and inviting, giving the perfect mood for a romantic evening.




   Marla was a very beautiful woman in her mid 30's. She had blonde hair and blue eyes with super long lashes that curled up. She was tall and had a perfect figure that she could attibute a long run on the beach every morning to. She had married a very wealthy oil man who was about twenty five years older. She did not marry him for his money, like everyone assumed. Marla really loved Lawrence Applegate. He was a very caring man who had treated her like a lady, not like someone to just take advantage of. He was a protector of her, a provider, someone who actually cared what she was thinking, being willing to listen.




   It still hurt thinking about him, the way he died with the cancer. She had nursed him staying by his side throughout the whole ordeal. The pain she felt in her heart when he breathed his last breath was a feeling she never wanted to have to feel again. That is why she vowed to herself to never have another serious relationship. From here on out it would just be just playful friendships.




   Lawrence had left her with millions. She never had to worry about money with three houses in different parts of the world and the huge bank account, not to mention the investments that Lawrence had made with his savvy business sense.




   The two talked as they walked down the way to the beach mansion. Marla had decided to live here on the Island because it was where she and Lawrence had spent so many happy moments together.




 “Wow, is this your house?” Jesse said with amazement in his voice.




 “Yes, it is."


 "Do you mind me asking what you do for a living? Are you a celebrity or something?”




 “No, I was married to a very wealthy oil man. He passed away about a year and a half ago. He left me very financially comfortable.” She said with the fond memories of Lawrence filling her mind.




 “I am sorry for your loss, Ma'am.” Jesse said with sincerity in his voice.




 “Let's get something straight, My mama is Ma'am. Since she's not here you can call me Marla, got it?” Marla told him more an order than a request.




 “Yes, I mean, Okay, Marla.” Jesse stumbled over his own words.




 “Now, let's go inside and I will give you a tour.” She opened the front door of the foyer.

 “Natasha” she called as she entered the foyer.




 “Yes, Mrs. Applegate, What can I do for you and your guest?” a young woman who appeared to be German dressed in a black and white maids uniform asked.




 “This is Jesse McMillan. He is going to be staying in the pool cabana for a time. Could you make sure there are fresh linens in the bedroom and in the bathroom for him, please. I am going to give him a tour and then we are going to relax by the pool. If you could get serve our dinner by the pool when you have finished with the cabana, that would be great.” Marla ordered but in a kind way.




 “Yes, Mrs. Applegate, I will take care of it.” Natasha said.




 “Thank you dear, that will be all for now.” Marla said dismissed her and turned to Jesse. “How about that tour, now? Come, let me show you the upstairs first, then we will make our way back down and out to the pool.”




 Marla led the way and Jesse followed. The house was amazing. There were huge picture windows in each room facing the ocean. After they had toured the upstairs and downstairs, they made their way out to the pool. “So, what do you think of it all?” Marla asked as if she were generously interested in what Jesse thought of the place. What could anyone think of the place except that it was amazing. The rich life that most people only dream of having.




 “It is very nice and luxurious. I have never stayed anywhere like this before. Thank you for your generous offer to let me stay in the cabana. I will take good care of the lawn and pool. You want be disappointed.”Jesse promised.




 “Oh, I am not at all worried about being disappointed. You strike me as being a hard worker. I would not have invited you to stay if I felt like there was a chance that I would be let down. You remind me of someone I use to know who just needed someone to give them a chance.” Marla stopped with a far away look in her eyes. She didn't say anymore about the person that he had reminded her of. He didn't want to press the subject, she would tell him more later if she wanted to.




  The two talked well into the night with the pool lights and lights from the boats out on the ocean flickering. Finally, Jesse said , “ I am sad to end this evening. I really have enjoyed your company. But, I am worn out from all the traveling. I think I need to turn in and catch some shut eye.”




  “Of course, You must be exhausted. I just kept rambling on and didn't stop to think about how tired you must be. Please, get some rest and if you need anything at all, let me know. I haven't had anyone here to visit in so long, I guess I got carried away. I apologize for talking your ear off.” She said with here sweet, sultry voice.




  He thought about how beautiful she was in the candlelight. Her hair was blonde and short. Her eyes were the prettiest shade of sky blue. They shined like gems. She kind of reminded him of Marilyn Monroe.




  “I enjoyed talking to you, Marla. You don't need to apologize for a thing. Good night. See you in the morning.” He said to her.




“Good night, sleep well.” She stood up from the lounge chair and walked into the sliding glass door of the living room just off the patio. He turned towards the cabana going inside when he reached the door.




  When Marla got into bed all she could think about was Jesse and how attracted she was to him. She would be the talk of the island once more. Everyone had talked about how she must have married Lawrence for his money with him being so much older than her. Now, they would talk about her entertaining such a younger man at her place. Well, Marla had never been one to care what people thought of her. She did what made her happy and didn't let other people push their views off on her. She tried to go to sleep, but she just kept tossing and turning. She remembered how nice looking her was as he told her about his dream to become a singer. He said that he had come to the island to write his own music. To be inspired by the beauty of the ocean without a lot of distractions.




  Marla wondered if she was going to be a distraction to him. She already knew he was a distraction to her. She hadn't pried into his past like she wanted to. He told her he was from the states and that he had been adopted at birth by great parents. They were missionaries in Zambawe now. He decided to leave there and find a place where he could find himself. He had searched for his birth parents failing to find much of anything out about them.




  Jesse was exhausted and somehow he could not go to sleep. He lay in bed tossing and turning. The bed in the little cabana was comfortable enough. He thought he would have no trouble at all going to sleep, but his mind kept replaying the conversation with Marla. She was such a beautiful woman, warm and kind. He knew that he was a lot younger than her, but she was so easy to talk to and funny. He had meant what he had told her about enjoying their talk. She took a risk allowing some young guy she didn't even know to come stay at her place. He was going to make sure that he did a good job for her to let her know how much he apprectiated her generosity.

Mystery Island

      Just pick up the pieces," Sheriff McCoy said to Deputy Smith. 




     "You want me to pick up the pieces after you are the one who made this whole mess. Sounds about right, you always leave your dirty work for me to clean up after." Deputy Smith was in his patrol car parked outside of Jake's Handy Mart and fishing Supply. 



     It was one of those stores where you could buy gas, groceries, get some minnows to fish with and grab a bite to eat at the grill in the back of the place. It was situated on the water and the grill faced the pier where boats docked. Locals came here all the time to do their shopping. It was the only convenience store on the entire island and everybody knew everybody here. That is why it was so obvious when he showed up on the island. Dressed all in black, carrying a guitar case over his shoulder. It was just strange, no one had ever seen him before and he was extremely pale traveling all alone. 



    He walked into Jakes's Handy Mart and Fishing Supply and up to the counter. "Excuse me, do you know where I can get some information on a rental house?" 



    Jake Carpenter who owned the place didn't like the looks of the boy. He was good for nothing. With Jake having three beautiful teenage daughters, he didn't want the boy staying around. Claude who was always hanging around the store, spoke up and told the boy he might be able to find a place from Claire's hair salon. I think she owns the beauty shop and some apartment rentals too. 

    He thanked Claude and shook his hand. "Thank you, thank you very much." 



   "No problem. People around here are like family. You will find out that we help each other." 


   He nodded and picked up his guitar case and walked out the screen door of the store. 

    Jake spoke up. "I don't like the looks of that guy. I think he is up to no good." 



   "Oh, Jake you're just worried he's going to catch the eye of one of your daughters. He is a handsome fellow. He looks like that new singer that was on the "Ed Sullivan Show." That young fellow was shaking ants out of his pants. He did have some jet black hair and a lot of it. Kind of strange a young guy driving around in a pink Cadillac. Something just don't seem right about a boy driving a pink automobile. What is this world coming to." Claude said as if he were utterly disgusted with the entire human race. 



    The young guy walked down the dirt road to the little house that said Claire's hair salon. Every woman in the place stopped gossiping and their jaws all dropped at the sight of the young man. 

    The owner, Claire spoke up, "Can I help you with something?" 



    "Yes, ma'am, I was told that you might have a rental available." The young man said in his deep masculine voice. 



   "Oh, I am sorry. Everything I have is rented for the entire summer." 

   One of the ladies sitting under a dryer put her head out and said, "I have a little cabana beside my pool. I will let you stay in it if you clean the pool and mow the lawn. By the way, my name is Marla Applegate." 



  "I am Jesse McMillan, nice to meet you. Well, Ms. Applegate, that sounds like an offer I would be foolish to pass up." He said in a very well mannered way, yet with a shyness too. 



   "I have about thirty more minutes until I am done with my hair appointment. If you want to wait around, I will walk with you back to my place." Marla said in her sultry voice. 



    "Okay, ma'am. Mind if I just sit our front on the bench out there and pick my guitar?" He asked nicely. 



   "No, go ahead, be my guest." Claire told him. 



   While he was outside picking his guitar, the women went full blast gossiping about who he was and how did he end up here on the island. They all knew every one else's business and no one had ever seen this guy. He was a mystery. People on the island did not like mysteries, because they usually led to trouble. 



  "What are you thinking, Marla? Offering him a place to stay. You don't know anything about him and from the looks of him, he is up to no good." Jacquelyn Grandview said in a disgusted tone. 

  "Oh, you all need to get your panties out of a wad. He is just a young boy searching for himself. I am not scared of him at all. I rather enjoyed looking at him. He was very easy on the eyes. Eye candy and he will make a perfect pool boy for me to keep me entertained for the summer." Marla said dreamily. 



   "Well, I think you are taking a dangerous chance. But, you are so stubborn, I know better than to try to change your mind." Claire told Marla. 



   When Marla had finished with her appointment she walked outside and told Jesse that she was ready to take him to the cabana. They walked down the dirt road to her beach house. All the women in the salon ran over to the window watching Marla in disbelief of the chance she was taking with the young stranger who could be anything, a killer, rapist, who knew.

Alone

My children are all grown up and gone.

I reminisce as I sit in my rocker all alone.

I stare at my phone and dream of a call

Just to ask how I am doing, that's all.

When my children didn't want to take a nap

I cuddled them all snuggled warmly in my lap.

Nights when they were running a fever and sickly

I nursed them to health; they recovered so quickly.

Where did the years go? It just seems like only yesterday,

That I was sewing a costume for the kindergarten play.

My car, it was a taxi to ball games, dance lessons and soccer

I traded my mini van for this little wooden rocker.

They were mine for what seems so short a time

If only they would call to tell me they are fine.

There's no one to talk to, except Millie

My Calico cat and she doesn't count really.

Companionship. Human contact is what I desire

For some reason, I can't seem to aquire.

I guess you could say I get one visitor each day.

They bring me a meal served up on a tray.

I am grateful for the the warm, healthy food

with plenty of nourishment to do me some good.

My children are busy with lives of their own

I have nothing to do as I sit here all alone.

My days are so long as I stare at the phone

Willing it to ring, so the loneliness will be gone.

The phone it finally rings as excitement pounds in my chest

My mind goes wild wondering who it will be...

Then I hang up the receiver, wrong number,

it wasn't for me.

Time is a robber of young people's dreams

when you are young you have to do so many things.

Then when you are old and have time to spare

No one is there, no not one person who cares.

I sit here alone, rocking in my little, cozy home

dreaming of a time that is now forever gone.

Unexplained Vanishings

     This is a News Alert: Everywhere all over the world people have vanished. All that is left is their clothing. Vehicles of all types, buses, trains, airplanes, cars have all become unmanned while traveling. There are wrecks all over the world due to these unexplained vanishings.

We go now to Ella Martin that is reporting from London, England.
"Ella?"


   "Thank you, Fitzerald. Here with me is a woman that witnessed the vanishing of her taxi cab driver. Carla , what can you tell me about your experience today? "



  " I was in the cab and I heard a sound like a loud trumpet and I blinked my eyes and the taxi cab driver was gone. Luckily, for me we were stopped at a red light at the time of his disappearing."

"She is only one case that we have seen today. Everywhere you go people are in total chaos. They are looking for their loved ones. There are wrecks in every direction. Emergency responders are working overtime. Hospitals are filled up with those injured in these vanishings.
 

   Everyone we talked to said that they heard the sound of a loud trumpet and then someone next to them vanished, but their clothing was left behind. Some say it was an alien abduction, while others claim it was a sonic boom. People of the Christian faith claim it is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Back to you Fitzerald."



    "Ella, thank you for that report. We go now live to New York City, where the mayor is about to give a speech."



    "Fellow citizens, it saddens me to have to tell you that the death toll is rising as we speak. Our hospitals are overflowing with those injured by the vanishings. We have people calling law enforcement every second reporting a lost loved one. It is all unexplained to me , but nothing this chilling has happened to this country since 9-1-1. I realize that it is not an isolated event shared by this great city alone but, all over the world people have gone missing. We will get to the bottom of these vanishings. Please be patient and let's try to pull together in this most difficult time we are facing, not just as a nation, but as the world."


This is from God's Holy word, The Bible:

4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Cyber Freaks I am so addicted to my phone,  I wouldn't dare leave it at home  Without it at each and every junction,  My brain would definitely not function  I forgot some information that I need,  No worries, Siri delivers in record speed  I know what I am, I am a cyber freak,  Or would you call me a computer geek?  Social media, computers and technology  Have emptied us all of human camaraderie  I had rather email, text and tweet  Than to a real person's face have to speak  Relationships, I don't need in my life  Too much drama and too much strife.  Why would I want to even try  When I can stalk, snoop and spy  Just read the post of family and friends  Every part of their life they will dispense  Sitting in a crowded waiting room  It feels like there is only doom  There is no socializing or endless chatter  About the things that really matter  The weather, sports and the evening news  We are all alone with our own selfish blues  Our many forms of communication today  feels so impersonal in each and every way  Is it just me or the whole human race  That is caught up in this cyber chase  Request your friends to help build a farm  Ask them to send a gift and save the barn  Farmville, Words of Wonder, and Candy Crush  It is amazing how these games give us such a rush  Working feverishly to beat last night's score  To start all over, play again, win the war.  Why is this important to us you say  Hash tag, lol , I un-friended you today  Profile pictures taken in the mirror  Is that a good picture or is it a terror  Please,save that to put on instagram  I guess it's safe to call us all picture hams  Recording our memories of family and friends  It's how we roll, in this new cyber trend.

This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. How many times have we as Christians sang the words to this song only to go through our day with a look on our faces like we just took a sip of pickle juice. I know that I am guilty of this more times than I am willing to admitt.God sent His only son to die for our sins and make a way for us to be with Him forever. Do you know how long forever is? That's right it is a real long time. So long that our minds can't comprehend forever. We should be rejoicing and wearing a smile. We know how the story ends... happily ever after. That's something to smile about!!!

Sunday of yesterday

I remember Sunday afternoons when I was a little girl. After Church we would always go to my Grandmothers on my Father's side of the family to eat Sunday dinner. The whole family would come to eat together. All my aunts, uncles and cousins would come in most of them wearing their church clothes.


Grandmother made a huge meal every Sunday. Fried chicken, green beans, creamed corn, macaroni and cheese casserole, and home made biscuits or cornbread. She also made her infamous peanut butter cake. She had one of those stainless steel cake plates that you had to turn just right to get the lid off of it. It probably is a good thing it was hard for us kids to open it or we might have got in trouble trying to get to the cake before we had our lunch.


Grandmother lived in an old house way out in the boon docks. She had a dirt driveway that me and my cousin loved to sit in and make mud pies. What I miss the most about those Sunday afternoons are the time we spent together where we were not in a hurry to go to a sale or to do something else. We took the Lord's day relaxing and enjoying our family ties.


Seeing how those were harder times, it always baffles my mind when I look back and see how much harder even the simplest task for us was back then and yet, we still had more time to visit and take it easy on Sunday. Now days, we have everything at the touch of a button and absolutely no time for taking it easy or enjoying time spent visiting with our loved ones.


Could it be that technology has robbed us from our emotions and intimate relationships. That what we hold as important in our society today, keeps us from what really is important; time with family.
This all crossed my mind, since it's Sunday afternoon. If you have any thoughts that you would like to share about Sundays when you were growing up, I would love to have you share your memories.Sunday of yesterda