Soli Deo Gloria "To God ALONE the Glory"

This beautiful maple tree is all alone in a pasture of evergreens. The name of this tree is "Glory Maple." This is Mr. Glory Maple's first year at our farm and it is showing off! We planted him back in January.

I am re-naming this tree: Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone be the Glory! For He is the one Who made this tree and all glory is due Him. I love Him because He first loved me and He "planted me" too...and I want my roots to grow deep in Him so that I can truly say, so that I can TRULY say...To God ALONE be the Glory!

So what is it that truly matters to the Lord? The great composer Johann Sebastian Bach signed each one of his masterpieces soli deo gloria...to God alone the glory.”

I met a wonderful woman named Tammy (a.k.a. "Grateful in Georgia") at the Siesta Fiesta back in August, and with whom I bonded in an instant (over Holly's [a.k.a. Crown Laid Down] wonderful cookbook compilation). Tammy and I are the same age, same birthday (one day apart), same JESUS (THE Reason for the instant bond). She wrote a blog post about her life and grandbaby that blessed me so very much this morning. Go here to read it Breaking Free. She is attending the re-taping of Beth Moore's study by the same name. What a powerful post to ascribe to "Soli Deo Gloria." The people of Micah’s day had much the same problem that we see in our lives as believers today. In Micah 6:6-8, the prophet asks a question and then answers it himself.

“With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

To Act Justly, To Love Mercy, To Walk Humbly,

Help me Lord,

Soli Deo Gloria, Georgia Jan

R&R IN "YE OLDE SOUTH"

My sweet husband and I just spent 3 days away for a little R&R (for you non-military types, R&R stands for Rest & Relaxation). It could have been R & R & R & R & R, Rest, Relaxation, Revival, Reconnecting, and ROMANCE :) We had such a wonderrrrrful time! This trip was a gift to us from our church in honor of our 20 years of service there. They are the best congregation in the world and we love them! Anyway, the gift came in June, but since the reservations were good for a year, and we had a BIG-EVENTS summer in our family that included the wedding of our youngest son in June and the birth of our first grandchild in August, we finally just got away this past weekend. We headed out to Savannah Wednesday afternoon. We love Savannah, a very beautiful and romantic city on the coast of Georgia. In fact, it is Georgia's oldest city. Here are some pictures from my weekend...

A huge moss-draped Live Oak tree - St. Simons Island, Georgia

View from our room at the River Street Inn which fronts the Savannah River in the

historic section of Savannah. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places

and was built as a cotton warehouse back in the early 1800's.

Another view from the room facing the Savannah River and the riverboats.

These are the ruins of  Fort Frederica which was built back in the early 1700's to protect the coast of Georiga from invasions by the Spanish in northern Florida.

Now this picture below is also in a historic section of Savannah. It is the famous LADY & SONS RESTAURANT and is owned and operated by Paula Deen and her two sons. The food is wonderful and no trip to Savannah is complete without a trip to the Lady & Sons.

Me and Paula Deen!

My sweet husband indulged my love for history and we took the "long way home" and re-routed back by St. Simons Island. One of my favorite authors of all times, Eugenia Price, is buried at Christ Church cemetery. Eugenia wrote many books about Georgia's early history.  They are novels, but she always used "historical characters." I own every book she ever wrote - she was a wonderful Christian woman. Prior to her extensive novels, she wrote many Christian devotionals that have become classics.  I also own all of those and am so proud of my collection!

This is Gary and the famous "Wesley Oak" where John Wesley preached when he came to preach in the newly founded Georgia Colony.

 

Christ Church on St. Simons Island, Georgia

It is absolutely gorgeous and a step back in time with all the huge live oak trees and Spanish moss hanging from them. The cemetery had graves dating back to the early 1800's and it was so peaceful to visit this church and the gardens nearby.

Life is good and I am a blessed woman indeed.  Thank you for sharing my R & R & R & R & R weekend!

~Georgia Jan

Watch and Pray

Election Night...2008 I love the old hymn, "Jesus Paid it All." Today I've been singing and meditating on the phrase that says "Child of weakness, watch and pray, find in me thine all in all." I also love the land of my birth, the USA, very much. I have been watching and praying, and claiming this verse from Proverbs 28:2: "When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but when the ruler is a man of discernment, understanding, and knowledge, its stability will long continue." I am praying that no matter what the voters decide, we as the body of Christ will rest in the fact that we know and believe that Jesus is the SAME, yesterday, today, and forever! HE is our stability! God Bless the USA! Jan