1st Sunday Devotional – Footprints We Leave Behind

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 20 Comments

I’m sure nearly all of us can remember being the first outside after a snowfall when the ground was a smooth, beautiful landscape of untouched white. Freshly fallen snow seems to shout an invitation to get outside and see the transformed world. And then we tramp through the snow leaving boot tracks and maybe, if you’re like me and walk …

1st Sunday Devotional – My Neighbor’s Bible

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 10 Comments

“Many people who will not read a Bible will read a Christian.” (Author unknown) We had a special holiday service at our little country church this morning. Instead of our regular hymns and sermon, we had special music from our talented pianist, Christmas songs from a guest singer and from our preacher. We did sing “Joy to the World.” That’s …

1st Sunday Devotional – Beauty from Weeds

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 14 Comments

  This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. …Psalm 118:23 (NKJ) Several years ago, on a cold autumn morning, I was walking through a field on my farm when I spotted something white on the ground. I knew it hadn’t snowed or sleeted. The sky above me was clear. I wondered if it could be litter – …

1st Sunday Devotional – The Gift of an Ordinary Day

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 7 Comments

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present. ~Bill Keane Have you ever felt that each Sunday when you get up and have the privilege of going to church before having time with family or just resting time is a blessed gift? Maybe you feel that way every …

Ups and Downs of Spring – 1st Sunday Devotional

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 12 Comments

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” ~Hal Borland We’ve had some interesting weather here in Kentucky this winter and spring. February was unseasonably warm and springlike. No snow. Days that made a person think it was time to plant gardens. And then March came calling. The first day of March was gorgeous, one of those gifts while the …

1st Sunday Devotional – The Bible and Smiles

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 26 Comments

“Joy is God’s smile; love is God’s laughter.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo Do you love to smile? Smiles can make you feel better even when you don’t really feel as though you have any reason to smile. I just wrote a post about how smiles are good for us last month.  So this seemed the perfect time to share a devotional about …

1st Sunday Devotional – Winter Beauty

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 11 Comments

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” ~John Burroughs Winter hasn’t shown up on the calendar, but it has shown up around here in the air. No snow to notice yet, but that too will come. In …

1st Sunday Devotionals – Frankie, a Good Dog Some of the Time

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 14 Comments

“Dogs are great. Bad dogs, if you can really call them that, are perhaps the greatest of them all.”—John Grogan Any of you who follow me here on my blog or my Facebook page, know Frankie. I wouldn’t call him a “bad” dog. Instead I like to say he’s a good dog some of the time and as the years …

1st Sunday Devotional – Our “Amazing” Grace

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 18 Comments

We had homecoming at our little country church today. We celebrated 210 years as a body of believers. To get a feeling of how long ago people gathered to establish Goshen Baptist Church, James Madison was the 4th president of our United States and the country was fighting the War of 1812. I love Homecoming Day because I get to …