Work, for the night is coming. Work through the morning hours.
Work while the dew is sparkling. Work, 'mid springing flowers.
Work, when the day grows brighter. Work in the glowing sun.
Work, for the night is coming when all man's work is done.

Work, for the night is coming. Work through the sunny noon.
Fill brightest hours with labor. Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute something to keep in store.
Work, for the night is coming when man shall work no more.

Work, for the night is coming. Under the sunset skies.
While their bright tints are glowing. Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth...fadeth to shine no more.
Work, while the night is dark'ning. When man's work shall be finally o'er.

--Anna L. Walker

"I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." John 9:4

"So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared." Nehemiah 4:21

Remembering my kindred friend & sister Pat with a thankful, indebted heart for her constant support and love every single day that I needed her so desperately. Thank You, dear Lord, for knitting our hearts so closely together.

Although the sorrow is still very heavy on her "anniversary" days...Jesus Christ has put a crown on my sad earthly loss with own His blessed peace, quietness and assurance of a sweet reunion one day.

"I have wrestled on towards Heaven,
'Gainst storm, and wind, and tide:
Now, like a weary traveller,
That leaneth on his guide,
Amid the shades of evening,
While sinks life's ling'ring sand,
I hail the glory dawning
From Immanuel's land."
--Samuel Rutherford

The dews of kindly sleep and all the influences of the moon are in Thy hand, and the alarms and solemnities of night are equally with Thee. This is very sweet to me when watching through the midnight hours, or tossing to and fro in anguish. There are precious fruits put forth by the moon as well as by the sun: may my Lord make me to be a favoured partaker in them.

The night of affliction is as much under the arrangement and control of the Lord of Love as the bright summer days when all is bliss. Jesus is in the tempest. His love wraps the night about itself as a mantle, but to the eye of faith the sable robe is scarce a disguise.

From the first watch of the night even unto the break of day the eternal Watcher observes His saints, and overrules the shades and dews of midnight for His people's highest good. We believe in no rival deities of good and evil contending for the mastery, but we hear the voice of Jehovah saying,"I create light and I create darkness; I, the Lord, do all these things."

Gloomy seasons of religious indifference and social sin are not exempted from the divine purpose. When the altars of truth are defiled, and the ways of God forsaken, the Lord's servants weep with bitter sorrow, but they may not despair, for the darkest eras are governed by the Lord, and shall come to their end at His bidding. What may seem defeat to us may be victory to Him."

"Though enwrapt in gloomy night,
We perceive no ray of light;
Since the Lord Himself is here,
'Tis not meet that we should fear."

--C.H.Spurgeon

How our thoughts howl in our ears, "Where is now thy God?" How voracious and greedy they are, swallowing up all suggestions of comfort, and remaining as hungry as before. Great Shepherd, slay these evening wolves, and bid Thy sheep lie down in green pastures, undisturbed by insatiable unbelief.

How like are the fiends of hell to evening wolves, for when the flock of Christ are in a cloudy and dark day, and their sun seems going down, they hasten to tear and to devour. They will scarcely attack the Christian in the daylight of faith, but in the gloom of soul conflict they fall upon him. Oh Thou Who hast laid down Thy life for the sheep, preserve them from the fangs of the wolf.

False teachers who craftily and industriously hunt for the precious life, devouring men by their false-hoods, are as dangerous and detestable as evening wolves. Darkness is their element, deceit is their character, destruction is their end. We are most in danger from them when they wear the sheep's skin. Blessed is he who is kept from them, for thousands are made the prey of grievous wolves that enter within the fold of the church. --Charles Haddon SPURGEON

"Go your ways, behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves."--Luke 10:3

"Blow upon my garden that the spices may thereof flow out."--Song of Solomon 2:16

"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour."--Ephesians 5:2

A Persian fable says: One day
A wanderer found a lump of clay
So redolent of sweet perfume
Its odors scented all the room.
"What are thou?" was his quick demand,
"Art thou some gem from Samarcand,
Or spikenard in this rude disguise,
Or other costly merchandise?"
"Nay: I am but a lump of clay."

"Then whence this wondrous perfume--say!"
"Friend, if the secret I disclose,
I have been dwelling with the rose."
Sweet parable! and will not those
Who love to dwell with Sharon's rose,
Distill sweet odors all around,
Though love and mean themselves are found?
Dear Lord, abide with us that we
May draw our perfume fresh from Thee.

The word trust here means "to hasten for refuge, to put confidence in". The Hebrew word, found 117 times in the Old Testament, carries the idea of "lying helplessly, facedown", like an infant at its mother's breast (Psalm 22:9 - the word "hope"). That is such a sweet precious picture of trust to me.

When everywhere people including Christians are living in panic and bemoaning the circumstances of life, I want to be like that guileless babe at rest, facedown, in my Father's arms of love...completely trusting His care and provision for my every need.

Sir Walter Scott

Looking out of my kitchen window I observed at least six bright, happy cardinals flying back and forth with an assortment of other merry feathered friends flitting and perching all about on the trees and fences. It was just an incredible sight to me seeing these birds in the heat of summer. It looked like a bird santuary or wildlife preserve.

A timid, thirsty squirrel approached the water buckets for a drink and indulged in a good refreshing draught while washing his paws and face. Do squirrels have paws? Never mind...he was doing what squirrels do after scampering tree limbs and seeing the coast is clear with no dogs or cats around.

I also have a beautiful "pet" orange butterfly that favors my little green herb garden above all other place she could freely visit. Part of one of her wings is clipped a bit, but she is not daunted in the least. Many other varieties flutter about with her spiraling and doing fancy patterns, but she just stand out as my very favorite and trusted "regular".

The hummingbirds are also starting to sip the nectar out of some lovely flowers that I rescued that were near death from Woodson's one day. They are really blossoming out, and I am so happy that I splurged a whole quarter a piece for them.

Of course, there are all sorts of frogs and toadies amongst the cool clay pots. Perhaps at night some copperheads may venture forth from their dens to have a slither about looking for snacks.

The whole of it is this...the good Lord delights to cheer our weary souls in the dry and barren desert. This little visual oasis is so cheering to me...it is yet another one of His songs in the night.
Thank You, dear gracious Lord for the beauty all around me and giving me eyes to see the deeper blessings.

"Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept: and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD to the mighty One of Israel." --Isaiah 30:29

First priority was to call Grant and to enlist him in immediate,earnest prayer for wisdom and help. After asking him to pray, I was able to get a "Yes, ma'am, I can be right out there this afternoon." response on my first call to a well repair man. This is just incredible in the middle of a Texas heat wave drought with the water table low and many people calling for service.

The news that we had been dreading to hear for so many years was that indeed our poor well had served us "well", but could do it no longer. This meant a major re-do with "pulling" all the pipe, wiring, motor, and old pump out of the ground. In order for them to get their big pump truck into the yard they had to cut my beautiful vintage fencing with wirecutters. They don't make this kind of wire anymore you understand. It is rather beautiful and antiquey. It had to be done.

They had the new well completely in place, and up and running perfectly by the afternoon. We had been only one day without our blessed well water. Many hallelujahs! and thanks to our gracious Heavenly Father for His wonderful, incredible provision for our need of water. Not just any water, but absolutely the clearest, freshest, coldest, tastest water you have ever tasted! I'm thirsty..gonna go get a drink and thank the good Lord for every blessed drop!

"Thou hast dealt well with Thy servant, O Lord, according unto Thy Word." Psalm 119:65

"Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage." Psalm 119:54

Where else to begin but with God's Holy Word. This is a long overdue journal of thoughts and loving glances at my Saviour Jesus Christ.

I'm going by the upper road, for that still holds the sun,
I'm climbing through night's pastures where the starry rivers run:
If you should think to seek me in my old dark abode,
You'll find this writing on the door,
"He's on the Upper Road."

(A Scottish highlander perhaps wrote this?...very lovely)
To be sure while going through those night pastures he was singing a song the Lord gave him.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Enjoy!