Sunday, January 6, 2013

My Scriptural Goal for 2013.


       Have you made any resolutions for the coming year?  I am becoming more and more certain that if we would primarily seek the face of God everything else would fall into place.  
      Didn't He tell us that in Matthew 6:31-34?  “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
     I am choosing this passage of scripture as my goal for 2013.  I want my primary desire and goal to be--'to seek the face of God and know His glory.'  
     Wouldn't it be wonderful if the body of Christ made that their corporate goal?  I believe a church that seeks the face of God will be one that knows the glory of God.  As Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who witnessed God’s presence in his congregation in South Wales, stated, “There is no doubt but that 99.9 percent of our troubles as Christians is that we are ignorant of God. We spend so much time in feeling our own pulse, taking our own spiritual temperature, considering our moods, and states and fears. Oh, if we but had some conception of Him, the inconceivable glory of God.”
     I want to know Him in this way, don't you?

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Franklin Graham's Comments On The Spiritual State of the USA

     Franklin Graham comments on the spiritual cliff we have been going over as a country--even if we have avoided the financial cliff for a few months.

“Since the recent election, we’ve seen same-sex couples lining up at courthouses in several states to receive their marriage licenses, and hundreds of people gathering in public places to light up marijuana cigarettes in the states where it has just been decriminalized."

“This is only the tip of the iceberg. The moral decline we see on television programs – blatant immorality, senseless violence, media-friendly gay and lesbian behavior – is just a reflection of the moral corruption that has infected our entire nation. These are indeed dark days … but there is hope.

“The Bible says, ‘If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ (Psalm 11:3, ESV).

No question our country’s foundations are being destroyed, but I am reminded of an era in the Old Testament where the Lord moved in a dramatic way to bring godly change to a spiritually dark and depraved nation like Judah, whose moral foundations had been seriously eroded.”

“For far too long, as a nation we have neglected – and even rejected – the Word of God and His commands. Yet the Scriptures are mighty, able to penetrate even the most hardened and darkened hearts with convicting, life-giving power,” Graham wrote.

“This is the only cure for a sin-sickened country that is about to slip into a moral abyss, and it is why we must proclaim the Good News.” 

Friday, January 4, 2013

Whatever Happened to Integrity?

    I am posting this because I believe the Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote I posted on Wednesday.  If we don't speak up, all our freedoms are going to be lost to unscrupulous, power hungry political correctness!  But even worse than that--we are sinning against God by our silence!
    I am becoming (already am) irate at the injustices that are not reported by the media, but instead they publish propaganda to convince people that what is happening is true--and good for them!!  What about Benghazi?  The "news" we are given on gun control, global warming, same-sex marriage, and abortion are obvious examples of how the left-leaning media are helping to change the way those who only listen to mainstream media think.
    The information posted below was sent to me in an email recently.  If it doesn't make your blood boil then there really is little hope for America!  This is outrageous and should be investigated--instead of ignored and covered up!
      If Obama won fair & square, so be it, but if he won by deceit and manipulation it should be exposed and he should be impeached!  What is wrong with the Republican leadership?  Why do they not have any backbone to discover lies and injustice and right the wrongs that are exposed?
      I have heard many say there's going to have to be a third political party emerge, made up of those who believe in the Constitution, in morality, in doing what is best for the country and not looking out for their own interests. If the two parties we now have continue to seek their own way and not the collective good of the nation, I pray that happens!  I am ready to join!

From Bill O'Reilly's message board..

Most everyone suspected fraud, but these numbers prove it and our government and media refuse to do anything about it.

As each state reported their final election details, the evidence of voter fraud is astounding. Massive voter fraud has been reported in areas of OH and FL, with PA, WI and VA. All are deploying personnel to investigate election results.

Here are just a few examples of what has surfaced with much more to come.

* In 59 voting districts in the Philadelphia region, Obama received 100% of the votes with not even a single vote recorded for Romney. (a mathematical and statistical impossibility).

* In 21 districts in Wood County Ohio, Obama received 100% of the votes where GOP inspectors were illegally removed from their polling locations - and not one single vote was recorded for Romney. (another statistical impossibility).

* In Wood County Ohio, 106,258 voted in a county with only 98,213 eligible voters.

* In St. Lucie County, FL, there were 175,574 registered eligible voters but 247,713 votes were cast.

* The National SEAL Museum , a polling location in St. Lucie County, FL had a 158% voter turnout.

* Palm Beach County , FL had a 141% voter turnout.

* In Ohio County , Obama won by 108% of the total number of eligible voters.

NOTE: Obama won in every state that did not require a Photo ID and lost in every state that did require a Photo ID in order to vote.

 Imagine that!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Cookbooks

      As you may have read in a post a year or so ago, I decided to publish a cookbook containing my favorite recipes to give to my children & grandchildren for Christmas 2011.  Once I discovered it was much more economical to order several, I decided to order 250 for friends, family, and other interested parties.  Since most of those are gone, my sister asked if I would consider ordering more.  We have decided to place another large order and split it because she & her husband have several people they would like to give them to.
      The cost is the same whether I order extra copies or republish the cookbook, so I decided I would republish it and correct the few typos I found in the first one.  Republishing would also make it possible to add a few recipes I had forgotten.
      I believe the cookbook would be even more interesting and useful if you readers would add some of your great recipes.  If you have any favorites you're willing to share, I would love to have them!   Please send them to me at countrygirl@shalominthewilderness.com in the next week, or two.  (I need to re-submit the entire book before the 1st of February and it takes awhile to get it organized.)  I would consider it a wonderful gift if you desire to participate in this memory I'm making for my family & friends!  Extra copies will be available, if you want one, too.  I will also be posting all the recipes under the Recipes Pages on the blog.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Quote

      "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."  German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945

A Prayer For The New Year

     This is an excerpt from a devotional from the Praying Like Jabez Prayer Calendar by Sylvia Gunter.  See more of her devotionals at The Father's Business.
     The focus of the prayer time in the devotional seems to be just what the Lord has been showing us in so many different ways these past few months.  It is important to seek God's favor--not so we can use it selfishly--but because others will see the difference.  It actually will become an evangelistic tool.  When others see His favor on our lives, it will create a desire in them to have it, too.

 . . . God is longing to show us more of himself. CS Lewis wrote in The Weight Of Glory, "...like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." What is the bigger, deeper, wider, higher pd's love that He wants to take you to in 2013? In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 we read of a man who was not going to be satisfied with anything less than all that God had for him. "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers... Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request."


In 2013, may you be extravagantly blessed as God expands your borders through your own heart's cry for more of God. Journal your own Jabez evidences of God at work in your life and write more Jabez prayers in your own words. God delights to hear and answer this prayer. 

Prayer

1.  Bless me indeed. You are the Blesser from whose hand every good thing comes.  I want a front-row seat on a life of Your miracles (Mark 16:20).

2.  Enlarge my territory. I boldly ask that You expand Your kingdom through me.  Thrust me into the mainstream of Your plans, way beyond my ability, and accomplish them by the exhaustless energy of Your Holy Spirit and in the freshness of Your holy Word (Acts 1:8). Make my prayer life and my life in Your Spirit match my assignment.

3.  Be with me. I am totally dependent on seeing Your strong hand on everything that touches me. I see before me human impossibilities, which is the realm of incredible blessing in which You specialize (Mat 19:26).

4. Keep evil far from me. Help me stand confidently against the enemy when I have stirred up the hosts of darkness with Kingdom invasion. Keep me relying on the sharp weapons of Your warfare (Eph 6:12-18). Help me give no quarter to the enemy. Free me from ground I have given him. It is said that a bigger love will quench a lesser. With passion for Jesus, quench my pet sins of pride, judgment, anger, and impatience. Spirit of the living God, cleanse me of insensitivity, hardness, indifference, ignorance, and shallowness.

5. God, answer my request. Live in me a life that is totally explainable only that it's You (Isa 65:24). In Jesus' name, amen.

Introduction © 2013, by Sylvia Gunter. Day 12 prayer, taken from the 31-day prayer calendar, Praying Like Jabez, © 2001 by Sylvia Gunter. 

Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

    My blessing and wish for your new year is that a cloud of God's favor would be over you wherever you go and whatever you do!  I pray that others will see that favor and be drawn to Him so that more and more people will know how much God loves them and desires to favor them, which will cause them to come into the kingdom, too!


    In the light of the king's face is life, and his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.Proverbs 16:15
    May the Lord's brilliancy be upon you in a great way, and may you reflect His light – the light that releases the manifold wisdom of God through your life!
A Cloud of Favor
      Ephesians 3:12 says, "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."
     In other words, we have been given unlimited access. Let us go boldly before His throne, and let us also be awakened to the fullness of the blessing of living in continuous fellowship with Him who sits on the throne. Let this be an increased time of living under open heavens so that we would reflect His glory! May a cloud of His presence – the presence that is true favor and true riches – release the latter rain upon us for a fresh time of harvest for us and our households.
   • Get ready! Be of good cheer! Celebrate! Your eyes shall see the glory of the Lord.
   • Ask now for the latter rain. Ask now for the harvest!
   • Ask now for the King to grant you favor to possess the Kingdom!
    The Lord wants to use our lives to display His goodness, His grace, and His manifold wisdom. Let's ask the Lord to release a cloud of favor  the favor that releases the latter rain. All we need to do is ask! It is His good pleasure to give to us the Kingdom – to give us favor to walk in the fullness of our inheritance.
A Time of Release
      If you've been going through a narrow place, I decree over your life that it is a time of release for you. As you go through the gates, you will make a powerful transition in the spirit. As you say yes to Him and as you enter through the doors that He opens, you will be prepared for the courses to be laid for the many to come. Your breakthrough today will become breakthrough for many in the future. This is what the prophet Joel wrote about:
     Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you – The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24
    • Be glad! Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord your God.
    • Release a great shout of praise right now! Rejoice in the Lord.
    • Shout with shouts of joy! Shout with shouts of victory! Shout with shouts of exuberance!
    • Celebrate in the light of the King's face! The light of the King's face is life!
    We have unlimited access!
    We are about to see the demonstration of the revelation of this. Yes, we will experience the reality of living, functioning, and ministering under the fullness of our inheritance of an open heaven in our lives.
     To this end, I pray the Lord releases to you the latter rain to bring a harvest, new wine, and fresh oil for you, and your household for 2013!
     Thank You, wonderful Jesus, for the fresh rain of Your presence. Release it upon all who read this. Thank You for the privilege of coming with great boldness and confidence before You and beholding You! We behold the light of the King's face – the light that releases life and a cloud of favor that releases the latter rain. Thank You, Lord, for releasing the Harvest Rain. In Jesus's mighty name, amen.

Richest blessings to you,
Keith Miller and Janet Miller
Stand Firm World Ministries

Email: info@sfwm.org

Monday, December 31, 2012

Cross Roads by William Paul Young

     Have you read The Shack by William Paul Young?  I read it a few years ago and loved it!  It gave me a totally new perspective on God's love and how great and magnificent He is.  It was, what I consider to be, a 'mind expanding' book.  I know that scares some people.  After reading the book, I read many reviews from those who call themselves Christians saying the doctrine in the book was not correct, etc. etc. and that it was doing damage to Christianity.  I am amazed at how those with little insight try to keep others from having any!
    Jesus said in Mark 9:40  "For he who is not against us is on our side."
    Obviously Paul Young is not against Him.  His writing of The Shack has encouraged more people to understand the love God has for us than most anything I've read!  And it has caused many to want to know this God of love!
    Anyway, I said all that to tell you I have just finished Mr. Young's new novel, Cross Roads, which I also loved!  It was a touching, thought-provoking, creative interpretation of the complexity of God's handiwork and His redemptive power!  And it also caused me to want to know this God who loves us so better than I do, and to worship Him more!
    I highly recommend it to those of you who enjoy seeing the workings of God  from a mind-expanding perspective.  I believe it will, also, cause you to love Him more.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Thank you for praying

     Mom came home from the hospital yesterday.  She says she's feeling fine.  The doctors were able to regulate the rate at which her heart is beating with medication.  They said the atrial lead is where it is supposed to be and doing what it should be doing, so she won't need surgery.  She looks much more rested.  I would assume when part of your heart is beating over 160 beats per minute it would tire you!  Nevertheless, she managed to cook Christmas dinner for over 20 people!  She is remarkable, isn't she?
    Thank you so much for praying with us!

Stories from Leo Buscaglia

   These heart-warming stories were sent to me in an email recently. I had read them before but was touched again by the wisdom of these little children. 

       Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.  The purpose of the Contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner's were:

1. A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife.
       Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old Gentleman's' yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
        When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said,
        'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'
*********************************************
2. Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members.  One of her students suggested that he was adopted.
      A little girl said, 'I know all about Adoption, I was adopted.'
      'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.
      'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'
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3. On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first- base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was
      'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered With a smile.
      'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.'
      'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a Puzzled look on his face.
      'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'
*********************** **********************
4. Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott.  Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play.
     His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.   On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school.
      Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me.
      'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'
*********************************************
5. An eye witness account from New York City, on a cold day in December, some years ago:
       A little boy,about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.
       A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
       'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,' was the boy's reply.
       The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.  She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.
       By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.  She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
       As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her:  "Are you God's wife?'

Saturday, December 29, 2012

We awoke to an even more beautiful snow than the one on Wed.





      It is impossible to capture the beauty of the snow we had last night, but I have tried.  Our woods looks absolutely amazingly beautiful!  It is a feast for the eyes!
      I love it in every season!  Each one has its own special beauty--and every year I try to take photographs so that I won't forget.  But this snow has to be one of the most beautiful we've had since we've lived here.

Joseph Prince Devotional: Use Your Double Portion Of Speaking Power


Use Your Double Portion Of Speaking Power  by Joseph Prince
1 Peter 2:9
9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people...

God calls us “a royal priesthood”. This means that we are kings as well as priests under the king-priesthood of Jesus Christ. This has never happened before in the history of God’s people. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were two distinct groups of people. You were either a king or priest, but not both at the same time.

Today, because we are in Christ, we are king-priests — a royal priesthood. This means that we have a double portion of speaking power because as kings, “Where the word of a king is, there is power” (Ecclesiastes 8:4), and as priests, “by their word every controversy and every assault shall be settled”. (Deuteronomy 21:5)

So if you are a Christian businessman, you will have an edge over worldly businessmen. What you say about your business deals will come to pass. And if you are falsely accused, know that by your very word, every controversy and every assault will be settled!

And as a king-priest parent, when you bless your children, your words have the power to set in motion supernatural events which will bring them into God’s prosperous abundance and superabounding grace. And there will be such a courage and resilience about them that it will empower them to win the fights of life!

When the devil comes to you and says that you will die young because your father and grandfather died young, or that you will never be successful because you are not well-educated, you must remember that the devil is neither a king nor a priest. There is no power in his words. But there is power in yours because you are a king-priest in Christ!

So instead of agreeing with him, believe and declare, “I will not die young. With long life He will satisfy me and show me His salvation!” Say, “The Lord will make my way prosperous and give me good success!” Use your double portion of speaking power and see these blessings come to pass!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Please Pray For My Mom

      I spent the day yesterday in the hospital emergency room with my Mom.  She has a pacemaker which has shocked her 3 times in the last week.  What a scary thing--to have survived what feels like a mule kicking you in the chest, but not knowing when it is going to happen again!
      The medical people at the hospital discovered the bottom part of her heart is going way too fast and the top is not keeping up.  This is confusing the pacemaker which is trying to regulate it.  If it can't set the pace, it shocks the heart trying to get it in rhythm.  They say it is not life threatening, which was a relief to all of us, but it must be fixed or else she will continue to be shocked.
    The doctor admitted her to the hospital so that he could administer a drug that will slow her heart down.  It is expected that as the heart is slowed, the pacemaker can stimulate the top part to keep up with the bottom.   If this doesn't work, they believe the atrial lead on the pacemaker is not working properly.  If that is the problem, she will need surgery to replace it.  We are praying the heart will get back into rhythm without surgery.  We would appreciate your prayers, too.
    The doctor said he will keep her in the hospital till at least tomorrow, possibly Sunday.  She wasn't excited about that prospect, but she isn't enjoying the shocks either.  :o)
    Thanks for your prayers.
    

Thursday, December 27, 2012

"Come and See" by Francis Frangipane

      What a timely word from Francis Frangipane!  As we are preparing to begin another new year when many of us set New Year's resolutions and goals, wouldn't it be wonderful to have as our major goal this year--to discover where Jesus lives.

"Come and See" by Francis Frangipane
       John and Andrew began their spiritual commitment to God's will as disciples of John the Baptist. In fact, they had actually been standing near the prophet when Jesus walked by. As the Baptizer saw Jesus, he cried out, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" and from that moment the two disciples began to follow Jesus (John 1:35-37).
      This was an insightful account. It is John's handwritten testimony of how he came to the Son of God. Yet, John has deeper truths to reveal beyond this historic portrayal. He is also going to reveal what we should each ultimately seek when we come to Christ.
       Let's pick up the narrative. The two disciples, having heard and believed John's messianic proclamation about Jesus, are now walking, perhaps hurriedly, to catch up to Jesus. They are within conversation range.
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest Thou? He saith unto them, Come and see.   --John 1:38-39 KJV
       There are many reasons one comes to Christ. We may seek Him for health issues or to possess the keys to prosperity. Perhaps we need deliverance or are burdened with the cares of a loved one. Yet, as the Lord asked John and Andrew, so He asks each of us: What are you seeking in life? What goals compel us? When we approach the final season of our lives, will the things we have achieved be transferable into eternal accounts? Or will we have spent our time and energies on that which is void of true life?
       Jesus asks, "What are you seeking?" It is a very important question. The Lord desires that we take inventory of our passions and objectives, and then chart our course toward heavenly values. You see, many say they love Jesus. What they mean is that, in time, they hope to get around to loving Jesus. Right now, however, they barely know Him and almost never spend time seeking Him.
        The proof that we love Him is that we keep His commandments (John 14:15). What must He think when so many who say they love Him are, in fact, not loving Him but actually having an affair with this world? May God have mercy.
       Yet, this is not your situation. In spite of your flaws and weaknesses, you sincerely desire to possess more of God. You have emerged from your past trials, determined to walk closer to the Lord. Indeed, Christ sees this holy desire and, to Him, it is the most precious part of you.
       The Lord's heart is also moved toward those who follow Him, though they may walk limping. To those wounded by injustice or the effects of sin, the Lord's promise remains faithful: "A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish." Surely, He will bring to victory the justice due you (Isa. 42:3; Matt. 12:20).
        Like John and Andrew, we, too, "behold the Lamb of God." Just as He asked them, so He asks us, "What are you seeking?"

The Dwelling Place of Christ
       In response to Jesus' probing question, the disciples' answer may seem strange. For they did not ask Him for greater power or one of His many spiritual gifts. Instead, they asked Jesus something more personal, and intimate: "Where dwellest Thou?"

       I'd like us to consider the poignancy of their answer. They wanted to know where Jesus lived. There are times when a question transcends the simple boundaries of intellectual curiosity and actually reveals one's quest in life. Such is now the case: they are seeking to live with Jesus. They are searching for the dwelling place of God.
       Our Father wants us to ask for spiritual gifts and special blessings of health and financial prosperity. To desire these things is not wrong; it is just not enough. Inside the heart of a God-seeker is a quest for more. We are in search of the "dwelling places" of God. In truth, our hearts have been divinely programmed. There are within us "the highways to Zion" (Ps. 84).
        Our destination is nothing less than oneness with Christ. All fruitfulness comes from living in spiritual union with Jesus. In contrast, whatever we offer as service to God that is not the result of our union with Christ, that labor is in vain; it is a weak comfort. For apart from Him, we can do nothing.
      John tells us in his first epistle that those who say they abide in Him ought to walk "in the same manner as He walked" (1 John 2:6). Abiding in Jesus leads to walking like Jesus.
         Beloved, there is yet much more to learn and discover concerning our Lord! We must beware of spiritual complacency. Recall the prayer of Moses: At the end of his life - after being used by God to confront and defeat the gods of Egypt, after dwelling in the Lord's glory and beholding miracle after miracle for forty years - Moses prayed, "You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand" (Deut. 3:24).
      You have begun? No matter how much we attain, no matter what revelations of God's glory are ours, we have only begun to see His glory.
       The disciples answered astutely, "Rabbi, where dwellest Thou?" May this become our prayer as well: Where do You live, O Son of God? Where is Your dwelling place? To all who feel similarly, Christ says to us what He promised them: "Come and see."
       Dear Master, I turn to You now. You are my life's greatest goal. I desire to live with You, to abide in the wonder of a life united with You.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Our First Snow This Winter

      We awoke to a beautiful wintery scene this morning--our first snow of the season!  Since we live in the woods, our trees are sheltered enough from the wind that the snow stays on them much longer than on those that are out in the open.  
     Country Guy came back from feeding the animals to see if I would like to take a Mule ride through the winter wonderland before the snow melts.  It isn't expected to last long, so I took my camera along to share the photos with you.  
      The first photo was taken as we traveled down our lane; the other in my courtyard garden.