Marvelous Mary and Her Natural Soaps

Mary Holmes

Meeting Mary Holmes was quite a blessing, tangibly and intangibly.  

I first met Mary via a Facebook post regarding Coconut Oil.  Since I had recently written an article on Coconut Oil titled “The Tree of Life” , Mary’s post about it intrigued me.  
One post led to another and when I learned Mary had her own local natural soap-making business, which was a garage-grown, woman-owned business, I knew I just had to meet her, check out her soaps and find out more.

Upon arriving at her home in Hillsboro, OR. last week ,I was greeted by a very friendly lady who welcomed me in and proceeded to show me all the wonderful things she makes in her “factory”.
Mary not only makes a multitude of various natural bar soaps, but also makes wonderful liquid soaps, lotions and lip balms. She is very knowledgeable about all the different ingredients she uses in her products and what each does.  She has been making soaps for 13 years and has obviously done a lot of research on natural oils and fragrances.    As she proceeded to show me her creations she would also give me samples. I left with my head full of very helpful information and my hands full of various samples to try.  It was the middle of January but it felt like it was Christmas all over again !

Mary makes all her soaps and lotions by hand in small batches and she is always working on coming up with a new recipe that might be helpful for someone’s skin.  Mary’s first soap was created for herself to solve a problem she had with her hands being dry and cracked while she was working as an RN in an Intensive Care Unit.  That product led her to continue trying more ideas for herself and others in hope of coming up with a natural healing solution via soaps and lotions.  She has made soaps and lotions for all kinds of skin problems and every ingredient she puts in her products is good for the skin.

Mary has quite an extensive list of handmade products which she sells online, and at various local shops.  She also makes up delightful gift baskets for all occasions with regular and novelty soaps.
Plus, 10 percent of all her sales is donated to charities supporting children and families worldwide.

I am still trying out some of the samples Mary gave me but I can already say that that I absolutely love love the Lavender Lemon Chamomile Lip Balm!  It is moist, creamy and has the wonderful taste of Lavender Lemon cookies !  Also, her “Bare Naked” soap and lotion which is un-scented and full of all kinds of natural ingredients really meets my skin needs at this time.

I invite you to visit Mary via her web site titled “Holmes Natural Bath and Body Care”  to learn more about Mary and her products and to order them online at www.holmesnaturalbathandbody.com

You can also connect to her on Facebook

Mary, in my opinion, is a blessing and truly one of God’s Marvelous works. 

Thank you Mary for all you do to make life better for so many people!

The Wonderful Douglas-Fir

“Free Trees”  the sign said.   
During this time of year, especially in a bad economy, that sign should be a welcome sight.  However, it’s posting on the day before Christmas Eve might not attract too great a crowd.  

Here in the Pacific Northwest evergreen trees are abundant and around Christmas time Christmas Tree Farms seem to spring up all over.  I love the look and smell of fresh evergreen trees and I have lovely childhood memories of many a Christmas where we would set up a fresh tree to decorate with lots of lights, ornaments and tinsel.  The smell of pine would scent everyone’s house for many days for back in those days artifical trees were hardly heard of.   

But…times have since changed and my apartment now has a small artifical tree in the corner and I spray pine air freshner or burn a pine-scented candle to get my fresh pine smell.  However, I do get to enjoy Christmas at my daughter’s home where there is always a freshly cut evergreen tree decorated by excited grand-children who are making Christmas memories of their own.

My love of evergreen trees would of course lead me to say that they have to be one of God;s wonderful works.  As much as I love the beauty of the fall colors and  wondrous turning of the leaves in Autumn trees, I would have to say that the evergreen tree is highest on my list of trees and living in Oregon I am glad that the Douglas Fir was designated our state tree in 1939.  

The Douglas-fir was so named in honor of David Douglas, a Scottish botanist visited the Pacific Northwest In 1824.  
He has been quoted as saying  “A forest of these trees is a spectacle too much for one man to see.”  He could have been speaking about a forest of evergreen trees,  for he introduced several  North American native conifers to Europe.and among them was the Douglas-fir which he introduced to Scotland cultivation in 1827.  

The Douglas-fir is also called Douglas tree or Oregon Pine and nationally,it is one of the most popular for Christmas trees. However, the trees are not just grown for Christmas.  They are actually the source of more lumber than any other species of tree in North America.  They are prized as one of the most valuable timber trees in the world,  for the timber from Douglas firs is said to be stronger than concrete.   

If you are fortunate to have a sturdy beautiful Douglas-fir as your Christmas tree this year I hope you will take a moment to just sit and look at it.  Enjoy it’s green beauty and lovely pine scent.  Realize it’s value and give thanks to God for creating such a wonderful tree for us to enjoy.  

Plant a Douglas-fir, or gift one to someone visit “Tree Beginnings” to order this “Green Gift”  
They have Douglas Fir Holiday Tree Gifts in Eco Boxes so you can plant a your own Christmas Tree

Seaside Museum exhibits World’s Biggest Douglas Fir Tree

October’s Final Day

Autumn's Bountiful Colors-10-31-11

This is such a beautiful day I thought as I drove towards home after dropping my grandson off at school. 

The sun was shining brightly. The clouds were putting on a wondrous display in the blue sky and the vibrant colors of fall shone all around me  What a wonderful day to be alive!  

It’s the last day of October I thought. Yes, most call this day Halloween but it is more than that.  This is a day the Lord has made.  The world has labeled it “Halloween” but the Lord has given it to be so much more than just a day for tricks or treats.  He has set before me a day full of beauty and color.  What shall I do with it?  I must make a choice I thought, for October 31, 2011 will never be again after today.

My homework is done, I have no immediate plans, the day is laid out before me, a canvas of color to make mine.           I can’t help myself–I decide to enjoy it!  

 As each fall scene came across my path on the drive home,  I stopped to take a photograph of it.  Then, once home I chose to take a walk to further enjoy the day.  This created an opportunity to take some more photographs of colorful displays in my neighborhood.  

The experience was rewarding.  The crunch of colorful leaves under my shoes, the sound of birds chattering in the trees, a leaf covered with dew on the green grass, a bee enjoying his day visiting a lonely dandelion, mushrooms hidden beneath the stairs, summer’s colorful flowers slowly submitting to fall, and colorful fall yard displays all made for a delightful walk.  All this, I thought in one tiny area of my small part of this wide world.  What a treasure I would have missed had I chosen not to participate in all this day beheld.   I didn’t want it to end, but as the sun went into hiding and the clouds turned gray, I realized the time had come to head for home and record the memories.  

The sunshine, marshmallow clouds and trees dressed in their colors of fall on October 31, 2011 may not come again, but the photos I took will  preserve this day for me and others to enjoy whenever we might choose to do so.

If you were not able for some reason to be outside to enjoy this day or if you chose to but didn’t have a camera with you to record it, I hope you will take the time to enjoy my day with me.

Just sit back and take a moment to view the slideshow  Autumn’s Bountiful Colors Web Gallery that captures the wondrous works of God. 

Push the pause button to read the inspirational quotes if you need to.  Take your time and enjoy!  The works of His hands are on display!  Rejoice  and be glad !

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

Excited about Creation!

I held the book in my hands.  There it was, my creation in print!  Two years ago it was just a thought.  Now, after many days and nights of hard work it was a reality.  I was excited.!          
I wanted to show and tell everyone.   I emailed  my closest friends.  “It’s here !  The book arrived today!” I said.  ” I want to show it to you!  When can we get together so you can see it?”   They shared in my excitement.   “You sound as if you just had a baby!”  one of them replied.  

Actually, the whole process seemed to be quite similar as it is a process of creation.  So much is put into writing a book that it becomes a part of you.  You spend many days thinking, researching, writing and putting it all together. Editing, rewriting, editing until you think you can’t bear to do it anymore.  Then it’s sent to the publisher and you wait and wait for the proof to come which you have to read over and edit again.  Finally that day comes,that it’s done!  The birthing process is over!  Your creation is complete and ready to be shared with the world!

As I thought about this, I wondered if that might be how God feels about each thing He has created.  People, animals, birds, trees, oceans, flowers, etc. they are all the work of His hands.  How pleased He must be when a baby is born or a flower grows and blooms.  I imagine He wants all creation to rejoice.  It’s here!  He shouts when a baby bird is hatched.  Look!  Mama kitty just had her kittens, aren’t they beautiful creations?  Come and see the my power in the ocean I created, listen to it roar, feel its strength.  Aren’t you excited!   Don’t you just love my beautiful trees and majestic mountains?   Look at everything I created !   It is all the work of My hands and wonderfully made.  I want to share it all with you!   

I would think maybe God could feel that way don’t you?  And, probably most especially about His human creations, for He said He created us in His image and that means we are surely even more special. to Him   Yes, each one of us are His workmanship and I am sure He is very pleased with what He created and He wants us to be also.  So, next time you look at yourself in the mirror think upon that.  Or next time you meet another person, look at them as a creation of God and rejoice over His workmanship.  Share in His excitement everyday by taking time to notice and enjoy all of His creation and then praise Him for the great works He has done.  I am sure He will be so glad to have you do that.  Just try it and see! 

Then God looked over all he had made, and He saw that it was very good!  Genesis 1:31 [NLT]

(My devotional book titled “54 Spiritual Blessings in Christ”  will be available soon. )

Emily and the Brooklyn Bridge

Emily Warren Roebling

“…an everlasting monument to the sacrificing devotion of a woman and of her capacity for that higher education from which she has been too long disbarred.”  
–Abram Stevens Hewitt (“Father of the New York City Subway System”)

When Abram Stevens Hewitt spoke those words at the dedication of the Brooklyn Bridge, he was speaking of Emily Warren Roebling.  Emily was born on September 23, 1843 in New York during a time that several people were demanding the total emancipation of women.   

Joseph Lunn’s “Rights of Women” a three act comedy play for the New York stage presented in 1843 told well the feelings of the day.
“While Europe’s eye is fixed on mighty things, the fate of emperors and the fall of kings,
While guards of state must each produce his plan, and even children lisp the rights of man, amid the mighty fuss just let me mention, The rights of women merit some attention.”

Emily, even at a young age, was always interested in pursuing education and her older brother,Gouverneur K. Warren, supported her ambition.  It was while visiting her brother, who was a commander of the Fifth Army Corps during the Civil War, that Emily met Washington Roebling, fell in love and was married in 1865.  Washington was the son of the Brooklyn Bridge designer John A. Roebling, who was a civl engineer.   After Washington’s father died, he carried on the construction of the Bridge and when he himself became ill, Emily continued the construction and became known as “the first woman field engineer”.  It was her contribution that led to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.   In 1883 the bridge was completed and Emily was the first to cross over it.  She rode in a carriage, carrying a rooster as a sign of victory.  Emily died 20 years later on February 28, 1903 at the age of 60.

On this first day of Autumn, September 23, 2011, I wanted to write about Emily, by honoring her memory on this day and acknowledging her courage and commitment to finish well.  I feel Emily was an extraordinary work of God.  When faced with the illness of her husband, Emily dedicated herself to seeing him realize his dream.  She was a champion and upon completing the task her husband was no longer able to do, she did something else extraordinary, for in a time when women were not supposed to be pursuing education she enrolled at New York University and obtained a law degree at age 56.  

In the abstract for her book,”Silent Builder: Emily Warren Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge“, Marilyn Weigold states, “Emily Warren Roebling’s career as a silent builder and organization (wo)man was terminated by death in 1903, but her achievements, not the least of which was the Brooklyn Bridge, have endured.”

168 years after her birth, Emily Warren Roebling, is still remembered for her extraordinary life and should be an inspiration to us all.  Happy Birthday Emily !

Graceful Giraffes and Giraffedom

A recent visit to the local zoo renewed my interest in the giraffe.  Upon seeing that long necked, uniquely patterned animal walking gracefully around its habitat, I was awed by its beauty.  It stopped and looked at me.  I snapped its picture. For a moment in time this creature and I connected.  
What was it thinking when it stopped to look at me?  Was it admiring me ?  Was it wondering, as I was, why our necks were so different even though each of us had the same number of bones in them?  Obviously, the seven bones in my neck were surely very different from the seven bones in the giraffe’s neck.  

As the tall creature moved on and went back to eating a lunch of leaves from the nearby Acacia tree, I marveled at its patchwork coat.  What a beautiful design God had worked out for the giraffe to wear.  I felt humbled as I thought about this and all of God’s creation.  Each animal, plant, rock, tree, bird, etc. are uniquely designed.  What a pleasure it is for me to be able to see each one and learn about its special quality.  A visit to the zoo is always inspiring for me.

Giraffes are the world’s tallest animals.  Males actually reach 18 feet in height.  They move so gracefully on their long legs one would never guess they could weigh up to 4200 lbs.   Most of a giraffe’s day is spent eating as they need up to 75 lbs of food per day and it takes a lot of leaves to do that as they only get a few in each bite.  Their long tongues have a special coating which allows them to eat the thorny leaves of the Acacia tree.  This adds to their uniqueness as it is something most animals can’t do.

As I was doing internet research on giraffes I found many interesting and unique facts about them.  Actually San Diego Zoo has a fun. fact filled page on Giraffes  that I enjoyed reading, but I also came across one website that really caught my attention.  It was found at www.giraffe.org and I read “This nonprofit honors the risk-takers, people who are largely unknown, people who have the courage to stick their necks out for the common good, in the US and around the world.”  It is a place where people are invited to become involved, to stick their necks out, to become giraffes.   

Would you like to become a Giraffe?  Ann Medlock  actually had that thought which prompted the creation of a non-profit organization called THE GIRAFFE HEROES PROJECT. To quote from their website:  “Giraffe Heroes are people who stick their necks out for the common good.  Giraffes tend to be involved in long-term efforts they’ve initiated, rather than in-the-moment physical heroism or in volunteering in efforts started by others. People who are fulfilling their job descriptions don’t make it through the Giraffe choosing process—the person has to be going above and beyond. People who are just famous, talented or gorgeous don’t make the cut either.”
On this site you will find: a Giraffe Heroes Database where you can search alphabetically for Giraffe Heroes worldwide  and the Criteria for Giraffedom , which gives the principles one can use in nominating someone to be a Giraffe Hero.  There is also  Shop Giraffe  that has information on the K-12 Giraffe Heroes Program.   This is a very interesting and inspiring organization and one I definately plan to check out further since I feel my world could always use another hero or another giraffe in it.

BEAK—FREAK OR UNIQUE?

"Beak" a TY Beanie Baby

Wandering through a thrift store the other day I came upon an unusual looking TY Beanie Baby named “Beak”.    It was a plump bird, with a very long beak that had nostrils on the end of it, three toed feet, no tail, tiny wings and an almost camouflaged looking brown color.  What a strange looking bird I thought.  Needing to find an unusual gift for my writer’s group birthday exchange I decided to purchase “Beak”, take her home, write a story or poem about her, wrap her up and give her as a gift to one of my unsuspecting writer friends.  This decision led me to spend many hours researching Kiwi Birds, for that is what I found out “Beak” was.  

I had never before heard of a Kiwi Bird, but I learned that they are very unique and actually an extraordinary work of God.  

Kiwi Birds are only found in New Zealand.  
Kiwis are flightless birds that are about the size of a chicken.  
Female kiwis lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world, actually their eggs are nearly the size of ostrich eggs.  
They are an endangered species and the national symbol of New Zealand.  
Kiwis are unique in the bird world because they live in burrows on the forest floor, have no tail, and have tiny two inch wings which are really useless.
Their eyesight is poor, however they see better at night then during the day and perhaps that is why they are usually nocturnal.   
Kiwi are also very shy and most often not seen by humans.    
Kiwi have a highly developed sense of smell, unusual in a bird, and are the only birds with nostrils at the end of their long beaks.
Kiwi beaks are generally 1/3 size of their bodies and are used to forage the forest floor for food such as insects or worms.
Even though they might look awkward,  a kiwi can actually outrun a human, are very alert and are able to defend themselves with their sharp, three-toed feet, kicking and slashing an enemy.  Enemies are often domestic dogs and cats.  
Their covering is more like fur than feathers and actually feels like horse hair.  
These birds were named Kiwi because of their distinctive shrill cry “kee-wee kee-wee”.

Unique means  being the only one of a particular type, without equal, unparalleled, very remarkable or unusual.  I would say unique truly describes the Kiwi Bird.  However, all of God’s creations are unique in some way for God created us all different, no one is exactly the same. There is only one me and only one you, so we can all be called unique and we are all special in God’s eyes.  

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
For more information on Kiwi Birds follow this link:  Answers to Kiwi Questions–National Zoo

Pondering People, Paintings and Petunias…

“Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time,
 like to have a friend takes time.”   –Georgia O’Keeffe

The wisdom of Georgia O’Keeffe lives on through her many quotes, even though it has been twenty five years since she passed away.  Georgia lived 98 years and was one of America’s most well loved artists.  She was well known for her paintings of over sized flowers.  Georgia thought the beauty of flowers should be noticed and decided to magnify them so as to compel people’s attention. 

Apparently her idea worked because after her first large-scale flower painting Petunia, No. 2, was first exhibited in 1925, her enlarged flower paintings attracted such attention that she profoundly impacted 20th century art and became the first woman to be honored with her own exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.    

The Petunia is quite a common flower and perhaps that is why Georgia O’Keeffe chose to paint it as her first flower painting. Petunia’s have a quiet beauty all their own, however, being so common they are often passed by without notice, especially, I suppose, in a city as busy as New York where Georgia was living at the time.

I can just imagine her one day stopping to look at a beautiful petunia growing in someone’s garden, and while enjoying it’s beauty, also feeling sad because no one else took the time to stop and enjoy it with her.  Perhaps that is where she got the idea to paint a huge flower so as to command people to take notice.

She has been quoted as saying: “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.  I decided that if I could paint that
flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty. “  (Georgia O’Keeffe)

 I was fortunate to have a dad who inspired me with his love of nature and life.  I am not sure if he knew or had heard of Georgia O’Keeffe, but I do know he shared the same love of nature as she did, because his favorite saying was “Take time to stop and smell the flowers”.  As he often did, so I also do, and it is my hope that you will too, not because a flower is magnified so much that you are compelled to take notice, but because it is a beautiful, wondrous work of God created for us to stop and enjoy. 

 I would say Georgia O’Keeffe was quite an extraordinary work of God.  Her beautiful paintings and insightful quotes live on to inspire people even today and cause me to wonder about my own life and what I am doing and saying that might be inspiring those around me.  Words and works live on long after the people who said or did them are gone and it is my desire that mine would live on to inspire others and bring honor to God who created me. 

To learn more about Georgia O’Keeffe or view her paintings visit these links:
Georgia O’Keeffe–http://www.georgia-okeeffe.com/
O’Keeffe Museum–http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/about-georgia-okeeffe.html

The Tree of Life?

Green Coconuts at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

The Tree of Life?

While I was getting my hair cut the other day I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation going on next to me.  A man, getting his hair cut, was chatting with the hairstylist about a party he had recently attended where he was being honored for some achievement.  “Of all the things they could have chosen to make for dessert in my honor, they chose to give me coconut cream pie!”  He said with disgust.  ‘I hate coconut, especially coconut cream pie”  he said.

My hairstylist’s eyes met mine in the mirror and we both smiled.  ” I would have been elated at that!”  I said to her.  “I love coconut cream pie!”  ” She agreed, saying ” I love anything coconut !  In fact, we Pacific Islanders call the coconut tree the “Tree of Life” because every part of it has something good or useful for people.”   ‘Really! ” I said.

She then went on to tell me that she was from Hawaii and she grew up on coconut milk and coconut water.  This started us off on a delightful conversation regarding coconuts.  “I too, enjoyed eating fresh coconut as a child” I said as I recounted memories I had of breaking open a coconut my mom had brought home from the grocery.  “I and my brother loved the taste of the coconut’s white meat”   “But…the best coconut’s are the green coconuts” my hairstylist said as she began cutting my hair.  “Green coconuts are the young coconuts and they are full of vitamins, minerals and have lots of good water in them.  The brown coconuts that you find at most grocery stores are not as good.”

Well, that was a revelation to me.  I hadn’t ever heard of green coconuts before.  When I got home I decided to do some research on the coconut tree and coconuts, especially on green coconuts.  What I found was quite fascinating and led me to conclude that the coconut tree is truly one of the wonderful works of God.

The coconut tree is said to be a “tree which gives all that is necessary for living,” because nearly all parts of the tree can be used in some manner or another.  Besides the coconuts it bears, the tree’s trunk, leaves, bark and roots are used in many beneficial ways.  Also, husks and shells of the coconut itself can be used.

My research showed that modern science has recently unlocked secrets that reveal amazing medicinal qualities in coconuts.  It is said that coconut oil possesses healing properties that are amazing.

The coconut was once mistakenly believed to be unhealthy because of its high saturated fat content.  I remember when I heard that quite a few years ago.  I was quite disappointed because I loved coconut and to hear that I shouldn’t eat it because it was very bad for me was upsetting, however, now science has learned that the fat in coconut oil is different from most all other fats and it really very healthy!  Well, don’t you know I was glad to hear that!  I decided to check it out by purchasing some coconut oil to see what wonderful health benefits it could bring to me.  I am delighted to say I am still learning but enjoying what I have found so far.

One of my favorite uses of coconut oil is using it instead of butter or margarine on my toast.  It gives the toast a taste very similar to cinnamon toast.  A friend of mine uses it on popcorn instead of butter.  She says the flavor is wonderful.

Since the coconut tree is called “The Tree of Life” by some, and the “tree which gives all that is necessary for living” by others, I think it would be beneficial for all of us to check it out to see if those statements are indeed true.  Plus, if coconut oil is supposed to be the “healthiest oil on earth” then I think we owe it to ourselves to see what benefits it might offer each of us.

Young coconuts (green coconuts) and coconut oil can usually be found in your local gourmet grocery stores or Asian markets or Mexican markets.

I have included some very informative links for you to check out and read further on this wonderful gift, the coconut, that God has provided to us.  I hope you enjoy learning about it as much as I have.

Coconut Research Center–http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/—see list of 51 Coconut Uses In Modern Medicine

YoungCoconuts.com—http://www.youngcoconuts.com/index.htm--Nutrition Facts–Where to Buy

Coconut Oil.com  Research on the Health Benefits of Coconut Oil–http://www.coconutoil.com/

(The picture in this article was taken by a friend on a recent visit to Mexico.)

Marvelous Me

Marvelous Me!

Today is my birthday.  A day to celebrate my birth.  I awoke to the sounds of my grand-daughter’s voices on the phone wishing me “Happy Birthday!” as a bird in a nearby tree sang a melody so sweet. After breakfast I was pleased to see a beautiful e-card from my daughter telling me of her love and thanks and many other Birthday wishes from friends and family greeted me on Facebook as well.  Going to the kitchen to refill my coffee cup, I stopped to re-read a Birthday card a friend had sent me in the mail a few days before and then the phone rang again with a surprise call from another friend singing “Happy Birthday” to me.  I am so blessed I thought…

This all reminded me that it was not “just another day” of life, it was an anniversary of the day that one of God’s wondrous creations was brought forth into this world.  Yes, I am one of God’s wondrous works, and so are you.  Psalm 139:14 says:  “I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works!”

A good friend sent me a Birthday card that said: “You’ve been on God’s mind since before you were born.  Today is just one more of such days ahead”  Yes,  Psalm 139:17-18  says:  “How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!  They are innumerable!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”  Imagine…God’s thoughts towards me, and you, are more than all the grains of sand in the world!  That is an incredible thought!

Before I, or you, were even born, God saw us and fashioned us in the womb.  He, the Creator of Life, designed each of us and fashioned our days before we even came to be on this earth !    Read it in Psalm 139:15-16 !
And, Jeremiah 1;5 says:  “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart”

Through His word, God is telling us that we are all special to Him.  Each one of us was thoughtfully created by Him to fulfill a specific purpose.  We are always on His mind, and it is His hope to lead and guide us to a future that is for good. His plan is that we will do all the good works He prepared beforehand for us to do and that will bring Him glory.  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:10 [NIV]

Yes, you and I are marvelous creations.  We were created by God, for God.  It’s not about us.  It’s all about Him, in us.  That is what makes me–me, and you–you, and I am so glad to be reminded of that on this day of my birth!

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.’”
2 Cor.4:7 [NKJV]
What is the treasure that we have?  I believe it is the “one pearl of great price” as spoken of in Matthew 13:46.

If you would like to see just how much God loves YOU personally–visit this link
http://www.smilegodlovesyou.org/GodLovesYou.html