tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68968927367003600362024-02-19T11:05:14.342-08:00Just One BeggarA few thoughts from a Christian, wife, mother, lay pastor, and writer. Here you will find book reviews, Sunday's message by Thursday, Bible study notes and thoughts, and a look into the magical connection between reader and what they read. B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-91682420847318953832021-02-07T13:20:00.002-08:002021-02-10T14:01:12.044-08:00Who do You Love?This post is from a message delivered on the 31st of January 2021. It includes the children's message because there is a sermon seed embedded in the message. I haven't posted for a while. Thank you for reading. I hope to have more soon. May God bless you. May you know you are loved. May He give you peace. Amen.Scripture:
Job 19:23-27
B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-63859641385607351012019-08-08T09:39:00.000-07:002019-08-08T09:39:56.255-07:00Mourning
Scriptures: Matthew 5:4, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 30:11-12, and Judges 19:25-30.
Saturday I turned on the television and learned of the massacre in El Paso. Later I read of the massacre in Dayton. They are compound fractures of a nation and a world where evil has again triumphed. As I watched coverage of the El Paso incident, the wretchedness of the human condition unfolded along with the B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-39848324900578174692019-07-08T07:58:00.001-07:002019-07-08T08:06:12.131-07:00The Enchanted April, Book ReviewThe Enchanted April
For our Library Book Club we read Then Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim.
Published in 1922, this novel continues to delight readers to this day.
I took to the book in the early pages when nervous submissive Mrs. Wilkins latches onto the idea of a holiday in Italy. The villa was advertised in the Times to those who like Wisteria and sunshine. Lotty Wilkins wasn't rich butB.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-77920949684559153902019-05-16T22:44:00.003-07:002019-05-16T22:44:31.583-07:00Poor in Spirit, Devotion II
Happy Flowers
Scriptures
Matthew 5:3
Psalm 32:3-5
1 John 1
I talked in an earlier blog about the meaning of being poor in spirit. The first beatitude says blessed (or happy) is the man who is poor in spirit for his is the kingdom of Heaven. Being poor in spirit is letting go of our own wills and being poor in them in order to be filled with God's will and with the Holy Spirit. It is surrenderB.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-62936132716298598292019-05-10T10:30:00.000-07:002019-05-16T22:43:05.458-07:00Jumping into Scripture, Matthew 5:3
Youth group painting Hagerman Presbyterian
Listen to Him
Scriptures
Matthew 5:3
Luke 6:20
Psalm 32:1-2
Recently I was in a the Bible study Discerning the Voice of God, by Priscilla Shirer. Speaking on listening to God, Shirer quotes Matthew 17:5. God says, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him." Immediately, I thought of this study. Not only does Jesus B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-69705451873521079952019-05-08T14:23:00.002-07:002019-05-08T14:23:16.188-07:00Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled Ollie McNeil Circle Devotion May 2019
We opened with
Morning Has Broken
Cat Stevens
Scriptures
John 14:1, 26-28
Twice in John 14 Jesus tells His disciples, “let not your hearts be troubled.” He also tells them that He is leaving to be with His Father. His disciples are understandably confused – ‘You’re leaving, and we shouldn’t be worried?Our hearts are troubled. Where do we go from here? How do we proceed without B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-31135431671763706232019-04-13T17:02:00.001-07:002019-04-13T17:12:40.722-07:00Book Review Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens' debut novel, Where the Crawdads Sing is one of my favorite reads for 2018.
It is a romance, a family saga, a coming of age story, and a murder mystery rolled into one, often poetic, book. Owens writes from a remarkable understanding of nature. A quote from her website reads, "When you can feel the planet beneath your toes and trees moving about, you must listen with all your B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-63698895235747745332019-04-11T08:21:00.001-07:002019-04-11T08:21:01.023-07:00Jumping into the Deep – Christians devotions for time challenged livesJumping into the Deep – Christians devotions for time challenged livesB.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-19096173059111240032019-04-05T17:54:00.001-07:002019-04-05T17:54:51.063-07:00Chewy has been Sold
Well, I have a gentleman's agreement on the sale of Chewy and I trust the buyer to tell me if he changes his mind.
My husband and I may have named the truck Chewy because the old Studebaker sounded like Chewbacca when he headed down the road. I wish I could remember for certain. There are so many things I can no longer remember. Never-mind all of that. Chewy is going to a new B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-38082777952287316432019-03-25T15:00:00.001-07:002019-03-25T15:00:59.446-07:00Lesson Six, Lessons from a Sheep Dog
Hagerman Bible Study Notes
18 March 2019
Scriptures:
Matthew 7:1-14
Proverbs 8
Mark 4
Our Lesson in chapter six was titled, Love and Discipline. In it Keller discusses the need to discipline his dog when she misbehaved. He says that he loved her too much to watch her be swayed from her purpose by a damaging distraction. He likened this to how God disciplines us and quotes Hebrews 12:6-11. We B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-12012183461486518322019-03-25T14:31:00.001-07:002019-03-25T14:31:26.444-07:00Lesson Five, Lessons from a Sheep Dog
Hagerman Bible Study notes from March 11
Scriptures:
Matthew 6:16-34
Psalm 104
Job 38
Lesson five was titled, the Test of Faithfulness. Keller speaks of Lass becoming frantic when she loses sight of her master. In observing Lass's behavior, Keller saw the necessity of being quietly steadfast and faithful wherever God placed him. He makes the case that God asks us to be loyal steadfast B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-56819732936482828492019-03-10T20:30:00.000-07:002019-03-10T20:30:10.891-07:00Prairie Fires Book Review
Written by Caroline Fraser, Prairie Fires is a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, her parents, grandparents and daughter couched in a history and discourse of the American frontier.
The biography finds purchase in the final third of the book, describing how the Little House books came about.
In most of the reviews I've read, Little House fans adored Prairie Fires. They cut theirB.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-88783993815054962342019-02-25T14:18:00.000-08:002019-02-25T14:18:00.122-08:00Hagerman Bible Study from February 18
Our Scriptures for last Monday were:
Matthew 5:43-6:15 and Ecclesiastes 5
We read chapter 4 in Lessons from a Sheep Dog
Our lesson from the book covered the topic; delight in obedience. We discussed how Lass loved to work with the author. We drew the parallels between our life of obedience to God's commands and how, in obedience, we delight in our relationship with God. We spoke B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-27391341940594009012019-02-11T13:42:00.000-08:002019-02-11T13:42:01.372-08:00Hagerman Bible Study 02/04/19
Readings:
Scriptures
Matthew 5:31-4:2, Isaiah 66, John 17
Lesson Three from the book
The section from the book was titled, Learning to Trust. Keller speaks of Lass finally allowing the author to pull the angry wild rose thorns from between Lasses toes. The image of a dog lamed by thorns unable to do his master's work, gave us pause. The fact of the thorns being angry called to mind our own B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-72410668602369737142019-02-11T07:18:00.000-08:002019-02-11T07:18:45.941-08:00Joy Writers 2019 Reading II
Joy Writers Reading II
Sunday February 17, 2019
2:00-4:00
The Roswell Museum and Art Center
The reading is open to the public. It is the second of two Joy Writer winter readings. Come listen to new work from The Joy Writers then and stay to talk over coffee and treats. If you are a writer, come learn more about who we are and if we are a fit for you. B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-92020549741317471342019-02-10T13:23:00.000-08:002019-02-10T13:23:02.690-08:00Disappointments and Faulty AlignmentsIf you click on this you should be directed to Amazon's site to purchase the item in the photo. Why purchase a large plastic Santa, you may wonder? I wondered the same when Lonny in one of our first forays into decorating a large, new-to-us, home presented one for my approval. This particular Santa isn't the one he found, but it is similar enough.
We were at Walmart and while I stupidly B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-6742543187428551472019-02-04T13:08:00.003-08:002019-02-04T13:08:24.916-08:00Bible Study Notes from 28 January
(These notes are short. I have been travelling and am out of time,. Should people like to peruse them before Bible study tonight, I must post them now. In any event, I hope the reader can find something of value in them.)
Scriptures, Matthew 5:21-30, Ecclesiastes 7
Keying off Matthew 5:21-26, we discussed anger, determining it a bad master-the wrong mater. In relation to our sheep B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-88979009957724164112019-01-28T16:11:00.000-08:002019-01-28T16:11:00.147-08:00Bible Study Notes, Lessons from a Sheep Dog, One
Hello all.
We began a new study last Monday using Lessons from a Sheep Dog by Phillip Keller.
Our scriptures were Matthew 5:1-20 and Isaiah 55.
We read the story in the beginning of the book and then Lesson One. The story told of the author saving a Border Collie from being put down by an owner that could not understand the dog. Keller adopted the dog and had to set the dog free in order B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-41827536993157101822019-01-18T19:48:00.001-08:002019-01-18T19:48:04.701-08:00
Joy Writers Reading I, 2019
Roswell Museum and Art Center
Sunday 20, 2019
2:00 pm
Free of charge
Public welcomeB.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-19530414125642280312019-01-14T08:37:00.000-08:002019-01-15T10:48:50.474-08:00Review Whistling Past the GraveyardIn Whistling Past the Graveyard, author Susan Crandall examines the struggle of growing up as a white girl in the deep south in the early sixties. Crandall fuels her story with the expected issues of bigotry, gender conflict and double standards, fanning the predictable flames throughout the book. I have read and re-read the same themes often, and though the themes carried the book, the story B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-29458967297905133122019-01-10T13:43:00.001-08:002019-01-10T13:43:15.420-08:00 "Will-o’-the-Wisp or Will of God"
Taken from Sunday's Service 6 January 2019
Scripture readings
Isaiah 60:1-6
Philippians 2:12-18
Matthew 5:13-16
I would make the case that
people are drawn to the light. On of my greatest pleasures in my home is the
fireplace where a merry blaze can be seen any time the temperatures dip below
60 degrees. My mother and father would come to sit before this fire. I wasn’t
B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-78012274204997817952018-12-27T08:55:00.000-08:002018-12-27T08:55:08.548-08:00Advent Devotional for Christmas Eve
ADVENT – CHRISTMAS EVE, 2018
Through Advent 2018 we have
studied God’s messages as brought to us by prophets of the Old Testament,
centuries before the birth of Jesus, and by angels of the New Testament as promised
to Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph, and as proclaimed by angels to the
shepherds. No matter when the messages
were delivered, and no matter whether delivered by prophets or B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-67143624356063773852018-12-27T08:50:00.000-08:002018-12-27T08:50:32.867-08:00Advent IVI am a little behind since Christmas has passed.
Here is Advent IV
For Sunday December 23, 2018
The message today is drawn from the angel’s visit to
the humble shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock.
Similarly, the old testament prophet, Zephaniah, spoke to the humble of his
flock. Zephaniah 2:3 reads: “Seek the Lord all you humble of the land, you who
do what he B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-55307043379567005322018-12-17T07:17:00.001-08:002018-12-17T07:17:46.606-08:00Advent III December 16
Named the weeping
prophet, Jeremiah cries for Jerusalem. He delivers the same message over and
over again, calling for Judah to repent and return to God. He rightly tells of
the consequences of Judah's apostasy, but the people ignore him, preferring
false prophets and comfortable news. With the exception of king Josiah,
Jeremiah lived in a nation ruled by kings who practiced the worst evils, B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6896892736700360036.post-24780758945387137862018-12-15T09:23:00.001-08:002018-12-15T09:23:21.847-08:00Books and Lingerie, A memory of Lonny
Lonny was a reader. He liked fiction and read fantasy, crime drama and military suspense. His love of story attracted me to him. I not only loved stories, I wrote them, or tried to write them. Stories took me away to a world of clear heroes and clear villains, to places and times that made difficult choices obvious and made life vital. For Lonny books showed the, 'good fight', they told of B.A. Cootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17629425327013203342noreply@blogger.com1