Daily Prayers

So for the latest on what we're all about at Facebook, we now have a group. It's small, which is good for now, and just in case anyone is interested it can be found here. I've been posting a daily prayer for the past year, which we'll start recycling tomorrow. If you read this, and are on Facebook, we'd love to have you be a part. Hope you're having a nice spring, almost summertime. Hugs, Nanna Maxine

Discipline Like the Heavenly Father

Like a faithful, loving, wise and dedicated father, God will discipline his children, not to meet out his anger on them, but to produce in them a harvest of righteousness.

— Paul David Tripp (@PaulTripp) September 16, 2021

Time and Beauty

Something we can pass on to all our daughters. Marmee in Little Women says it so well.
 

Jigidi

 

One more new activity is Jigidi! So what on earth is Jigidi you ask! It's the neatest place ever and my only regret is I didn't discover it sooner! Thankfully a page I follow on facebook joined up there and I found out through her. Hate to keep you in suspense so I'll tell you--Jigidi is a place where you can not only solve jigsaw puzzles, but make them! It is so much fun! So I encourage anyone who enjoys solving jigsaws to come over there to and join up. It's easy and free. Many of the folks only do the solving part and I tell you, there are new puzzles being created every minute from across the globe.

I like making the puzzles for others to enjoy almost as much as I do the solving of various ones made by others. I have started following different people whose creations I particularly enjoy. It doesn't have to be a fancy "creation" by the way. It can simply be one of your photographs that you use to make one. It can be of however many pieces you select, depending on the pixel size as to how high you can go. I have so many images on my computer to use and own a lot from Dover and Broderbund so I can keep going for quite a while, and also I enjoy fooling around with images in Photoshop Elements (VERY limited in knowing what I'm doing there, but whatever) so it's just up my alley.

Above is one of the ones I made into a 100 piece puzzle. But you can go higher and lower, with the lower count ones getting solved in split time by some of these people according to the leaderboards. OH, and it's sort of like a social media kind of thing, because you can comment on the puzzles and talk to people. Sound good? I thought you might be interested. :) Come on over and check it out! Here's where I am:   Speakable Gifts Puzzles

Nanna Maxine

Prayers for These

 It's been a long time for posting! Some while back, I had pretty much decided maybe it was time to think of this place more as a memory of past days, but of late I'm thinking, well maybe don't give up yet. It's still a place where we can keep track of what's happening with the ministry. In that case, I think I'll still pick it up again for occasional current thoughts and happenings. 

So, having said that,  there have been a couple of new things which could be considered significant as far as Speakable Gifts goes. For me, the biggest change has been the addition of a new Facebook page. This one is very special  to me, as it's for something that's been close to this heart for many a year. And that "something" is certain children, not so much the ones in our homes being parented which we mostly address at the Helping Childgren Grow page. No, this one is to turn our concerns OUTSIDE of our own homes to a world where there are many children who are suffering for countless reasons. We live in a fallen world, and as such, many little ones and young ones are left trampled on, in one way or another, in its wake.

So, born out of that fact, we have a new Facebook page which addresses those children in the categories that are harsh realities of this fallen world. With the support of some dear friends, I launched the page in August, calling it "Prayers For Such as These." If someone lands on this blog post page and wishes to come over and be a part, it would be just wonderful. We're not about numbers over there, but about prayers. We know what the Bible says about prayers. So just because of that, let's hope the humble petitions offered up by a few believing intercessors mean something to our God, and who else is it that we care about pleasing? He is able to work mightily through the prayers of His people, as we all know.

So. The poster I have above is our "About" to help folks understand the children groups more specifically, even though there are other individual situations that come up periodically which aren't on the listing and we address those specific needs when they arise.

Thanks! This is a call to come join us at Prayers for Such as These !

Lovingly. Prayerfully,

Nanna Maxine

Valuable Lesson - The Little Red Hen

I only get over here periodically anymore, but this blog remains for anyone who might happen by and could benefit from it. One popular feature from the past, during our writing contest days, is the story of "The Little Red Hen." Clicking on the story tab above will take you to our rendition.

Hope you're having a blessed day!

Lovingly,

Nanna Maxine

Grandfather God

 A six year old boy named Aaron described God: "He's old. It's been a long time since he was a kid!"

His seven year old sister, Aubrey, offered a more specific portrait of God when she added, "He's like seventy or seventy-two. He's like everybody's grandpa in the whole world." Then she added thoughtfully, "except he's not our grandpa, he's our Father."

(Borrowed from Josh McDowell's Youth Devotions, copyright Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, 1997)

I found this very intriguing and it really got me to thinking. Somehow this little girl saw a distinction between God as a grandpa and as a father. And the thing is, she's correct, at least with respect to how we usually view what a grandfather does and what a father does. This particular devotion is entitled "Grandfather God" and it's for the date October 12th. As pointed out there, God isn't just a grandpa figure who gives us things and pats us on the head. He's not like our grandparents who usually don't discipline or punish us. God sees and knows our sin and He DOES discipline us for it.

But I would add, as our heavenly Father, He also provides for us and cares for our every need. We can be thankful for these things and we can hope and pray that earthly fathers who are raising their children would do likewise. We can hope they'll be like their heavenly Father as they raise their children. At least we can hope this for those Christian dads we know in our lives.

[This is a repeat of a former post.]

For This Child I Prayed

Did you, like Hannah, pray for your children? She made promises to God about the son she desired. What kind of promises have you made? Were they promises to be sure that the children would be educated, and well dressed, and excellent in music or sports? Or, like Hannah, have you made promises to give this child back to Him?

This lovely Bible Verse Print can be purchased here.

Lovingly, 
Nanna Maxine

An Apple a Day

So I opened a new album at the Facebook page in which I hope to put pictures of children with apples. There is no real purpose or message from this album except that I like apples and children and often they are pictured together. So I thought I'd just stop by here at the blog and say that, since this blog is being sorely neglected! A blessed day to anyone who reads this. :)

Lovingly,
Nanna Maxine

Try, Try Again

This lesson will never grow old or be out of date. The generations of the past needed to heed it and the generations of today and tomorrow as well.

Families at Worship

The other day I came across quite a few pictures at Pinterest of various paintings of families at church services together and I decided to add these to a few others I already had on the art board to open a new board called "Families at Worship." What a beautiful sight to see whole families together worshiping our great God and King! The new board is here if anyone is interested in visiting it.

Lovingly,

Nanna Maxine

Bright Gems Offer

Bright Gems for His Crown book

The Bright Gems book is once again priced down for the summer with free shipping as well. While our little home business is in fact winding down and will eventually be no more, we will still be offering this book, the one product which has generated the most interest through the years. Teaching children the love of Jesus and how to live in a way that pleases Him is timeless, so hopefully this book will be as well. It still seems many folk use it for family devotions with their various aged children and while this was not the original intent, it's surely fine with me! If you see this post and know anyone who may be interested, please pass this information on. Thanks! (Click on the picture caption above to go to the product page.)

Lovingly,
Nanna Maxine

Romp and Pray

"With my children I always aim for flexibility. I think a mother, especially, ought to learn to enter into the gayer moods of her children at the very moment when her own heart is sad. And it may be as religious an act for her to romp with them at one time as to pray with them at another." ~ Katy, from Stepping Heavenward

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

God Has No Grandchildren

Please teach your children they need new hearts if they are to go to heaven. Whether or not they are born to Christian parents, it's important for them to know THEY must repent and believe.

A young Girl's Natural Refuge

"A Mother's Reassurance" by Jessie Wilcox Smith

 “A young girl's mother is her natural refuge in every perplexity.” ~ From Stepping Heavenward

This is so often true. Not always, but so often it is, and when it is so, what a blessing for the young girl.