Great Dane Show Draws thousands to Chattanooga, TN

These bronze statues of Great Danes were at the entrance on both sides of the building we had to enter to get into where the trials were going on.  The guy on the right was just an irresistible fella we passed on the way in and he was so docile and friendly, I had to take his picture!

This afternoon, we took Sarge, our Boxer out for a walk downtown.  We wanted to take him out for some exercise and wanted to get a Starbucks also. We got our coffee and headed downtown and decided to go walking around the gardens at the Choo-Choo.  

To our surprise, there is a huge Great Dane National Championship Dog Show going on right in our own city, and we didn't even know it!  Shows you how "informed" WE are!! :) 

Anyway, it's going on through Saturday this week at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

While we were there, Sarge got to see some bigger dogs than he is! He loved his sight-seeing walk today!

What I couldn't get over is how beautiful and graceful these dogs are!  They are also very docile!  Each one we came upon (almost each one) let us come right up to them and pet them.  They're very sweet animals.  The only bad thing is that they have a very short life-span.  Their owners told us they usually only live 8 to 10 years.  A 10-year old dog is a really old dog in a Great Dane.  I don't think I'd ever want one because I'd fall in love with them and then it would break my heart when they died so soon.  They are gorgeous animals though.

You can click on the link below to learn more about the Great Dane Competition in Chattanooga:

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/chattanooga-985703-great-competition.html

Here are a few of the pictures that I snapped when we went back later just to walk around a bit.

I will post more pictures in a day or two.  

We plan to go back again later in the week to see some of the dog show.  

I also took more pictures around the Choo-Choo gardens.

We Live in the Land of Plenty

Psalms 81:10b says .... "open thy mouth wide and I will fill it."

We live in the land of plenty.

But, how much do we hunger for God?  How much do we look to Him alone for our daily sustenance?  

Or do we depend on ourselves; our bank accounts; our savings; our intellect, our personality and our ability to secure a good job or to earn a living?  Some people make a living depending on 'others' and getting 'hand-outs'. 

".... open they mouth wide and I will fill it."  says the Lord.

So many times, I must admit, that looking to the Lord to fill my needs is a last resort instead of the first thing that I do. 

I  have heard such humbling stories of people in other, less well-to-do countries, that have such a strong and vibrant faith and walk with the Lord. It's a moment-by-moment thing with them.  

Recently someone spoke at one of our conferences and told of a pastor in Russia that said to him, "Oh brother..... please tell the Christians in America that we in Russia are praying for them."  When asked why in the world they would pray for us?"  

The response was: 

"Because it must be very difficult to be a Christian in America 

and to walk with the Lord daily."  

The speaker, flabbergasted, asked why he would say such a thing?"  

The response? 

"Oh because you have SO MUCH in America to distract you.  

It must be very difficult to keep your eyes on Jesus and walk with him daily. 

Here, Jesus is ALL we have!"

How humbling is that?

Deuteronomy 6:6-15 (New Century Version)

⁶ Always remember these commands I give you today.⁷ Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.⁸ Write them down and tie them to your hands as a sign. Tie them on your forehead to remind you,⁹ and write them on your doors and gates.

 ¹⁰ The Lord your God will bring you into the land he promised to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will give it to you. The land has large, growing cities you did not build,¹¹ houses full of good things you did not buy, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. You will eat as much as you want.¹² But be careful! Do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves.

 I have to agree with that Russian pastor!  

Yes, it is very difficult to be a Christian in America today and it's getting more difficult by the week, as more and more of our freedoms as Christians are being taken from us.  Why are we losing our Christian liberties?  Because we have become so comfortable in our status quo and seeking the almighty buck and the many comforts of this life and enjoying the fruits of our labors that we 

"FORGET" 

just WHO it is that brought us here and gave us our health and breath and life and intellect and abilities to do what we do and gain the lifestyles that we enjoy.

May God save us from "forgetfulness".

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, 

and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."  

Deut. 6:5

 

The Beauty of Death

Romans 6:23 says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord."

Just look around you in the fall.  What is it about autumn that everyone loves so much?  It's the beauty in the colors, the smells, the cooler weather.  The beauty that we see all around us is caused by "death".  The leaves are dying and falling off of the trees and even in doing so, they are beautiful.

This is what "death" is like for the Christian, the person that has been "born again", through placing their faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus said that those who believe in Him will not see death!  Death is only the separation of our spirit from this body of flesh.   (John 8:51,52)  Just as the leaves die and fall from the tree in a splash of glory, so shall it be when we leave this "body of death" and open our eyes in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

There is "Beauty in death".   

Don't You Just Love Autumn?

Don't you just love fall?  When the air is cooler and the leaves are turning into beautiful reds, oranges, yellows and browns?  The air smells of decaying leaves...  why is it that this should smell so GOOD??  Fall Mums and pumpkins and gourds and hay bales.  There's no other season that brings such happy feelings and  yet regrets to me.  When fall arrives, I suddenly realize that winter isn't far behind!  But then I think of November and Thanksgiving and then Christmas just four weeks later!

Today my dear husband got up and decided he was going to do some work in our yard, now that the weather is cooler.  There is much to be done!  My back prevents me from doing much yard work anymore, so I decided to do some work on my novel today instead.  (I still have far to go on it before it will be finished.) 

There is one thing I don't like about fall though and that is that now, we will soon be facing the daylight savings time change and our daylight hours will be shorter.  I love the longer days of summer and wish we could have more daylight all year long.  But then I guess we wouldn't feel that need to "snuggle-in" as we do when it begins getting dark earlier.

The above picture was taken several years ago when my Mom carved a pumpkin.  I still remember when we were all at home as kids and my Mother entered a pumpkin-carving contest.  She made the most beautiful pumpkin into a Cinderella Coach with horsemen and a Barbie-turned-Cinderella. She won first prize!!  Then one of the kids at the judging booth lifted it up and dropped it and crashed it into a hundred pieces.  I sure am glad she got some pictures of that before it happened! 

Well....  Fall.  My favorite season!  "Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes" --  and a good book.  Life is good!               

My Mom's 80th Birthday Celebration

Just a couple of weeks ago, we went to Illinois, my husband and myself and our three daughters and three of our grandchildren.  We went to celebrate the 80th birthday of our Mother and Grandmother.  Below is a picture of this remarkable woman!  There has never been a day in her life that she has not sacrificed herself and her happiness to be sure that her family was loved and cared for.  She is greatly loved by each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Because of the life she has lived, each of her children were saved (accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior) at an early age.  We are all well-balanced and happy individuals.  She loved her husband until the day he died, caring for him as a Mother would a child in his last days here on this earth.  No one could hope for a better legacy than what we have been given each day of her life as she taught us how to live and how to love each other and others.

We love you Mom!  You're a REMARKABLE WOMAN!

<<  Mom with her cake.

 <<<Mom loves to have fun!

Mom with her best friend of many, many years.