Lorraine D. Hebler

Path of Life

By Lorraine

Jared and a group of his buddies recently hiked 11 miles through the New Jersey Pine Barrens. His friend, bringing up the rear, snapped a photo that he let me use.

This Bible verse is so fitting as these young men are beginning their senior year of high school.
A fine group of guys, they also hiked Pinnacle Peak in Bucks County, PA
Though dismissed in our culture, I believe Gods ways are best and pray for our youth,
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word
Psalm 119:9

 As a last hurrah, a few of us relaxed around a chiminea Labor Day evening. John picked up a rusted chiminea at a garage sale for five bucks.  He wire-brushed it and spray painted with heat resistant paint. Eleven dollars later it now looks great and worked perfectly as we roasted marshmallows for making S’mores. 
The patio fan has been installed and all of the repairs and painting is finally complete!
Well, a little brick work remains but is it a small job.
Over the winter, I will try to decide what I will plant where the boxwood bushes once grew and tackle that in the spring.
It won’t be long before the furniture is stored in the shed and the racks full of firewood take its place.
This year has zoomed by an breakneck speed.

Green Pastures

By Lorraine

Wishing you a peaceful and relaxed Sunday
Psalm 23
A psalm of David
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

‘Tis So Sweet

By Lorraine

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him
Proverbs 30:5

‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Louisa M. R. Stead, 1882
’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.
I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

You Are

By Lorraine

I hear this song frequently on Christian radio and it always catches my attention so I thought I’d share. Though the lyrics are about hard times and circumstances that we sometimes find ourselves facing, the chorus feels to me, so joyful and upbeat. It sticks in my head and and I find myself humming it throughout the day.  
Hope you are having a happy and relaxing SUNDAY with an encouraging song in your heart!

You Are
Colton Dixon
When I can’t find the words
To say how much it hurts
You are the healing in my heart
When all that I can see
Are broken memories
You are the light that’s in the dark
You are the song
You are the song I’m singing
You are the air
You are the air I breathe in
You are the hope
You are the hope I’m needin’
Whoa
You are
And when my circumstance
Leaves me with empty hands
You’re the provider of my needs
When all my dirtiness
Has left me helpless
You are the rain that washes me
You are the song
You are the song I’m singing
You are the air
You are the air I breathe in
You are the hope
You are the hope I’m needin’
Whoa
You are the song
You are the song I’m singing
You are the air
You are the air I breathe in
You are the hope
You are the hope I’m needin’
Whoa
If I had no voice, if I had no tongue
I would dance for You like the rising sun
And when that day comes and I see Your face
I will shout Your endless, glorious praise
If I had no voice, if I had no tongue
I would dance for You like the rising sun
And when that day comes and I see Your face
I will shout Your endless, glorious praise
You are the song
You are the song I’m singing
You are the air
You are the air I breathe in
You are the hope
You are the hope I’m needin’
Whoa
You are the song
(You are the song
You are the song I’m singing)
You are the air
(You are the air
You are the air I breathe in)
You are hope
(You are the hope
You are the hope I’m needin’)
I’m singin’ whoa

Fatherless to Fatherfull

By Lorraine

Fatherfull…
isn’t that the sweetest word

I am so thankful for my own dad and father-in-law who now reside in heaven.
I am so proud of my husband and the love he has for our children and grandchildren.
I am so grateful for our son-in-laws as they endeavor to love their wives and raise their children.
And, I am amazed that God calls me His child.
Click on this short video and listen as precious Levi and Lia tell their adoption story in a most endearing way. God is good!
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15


Fatherless to Fatherfull (Levi and Lia)-DaySpringLevi and Lia tell the story of their journey from fatherless to fatherfull. Their parents are in the process of adopting a third child. He is from Eastern Europe, and his name will be Luca. If you would like to find out more about Luca’s adoption or donate to Luca’s adoption fund, visit: youcaring.com/andlucamakes5If you would like to see other recent videos from Levi and Lia, check out:1. “That Tomb is Still Empty” Easter video:www.fb.com/video.php?v=101554813144551652. “Luca’s Lessons” video – Levi and Lia share all the things they want to teach Luca when he joins our family:www.fb.com/video.php?v=101556042329551653. “Happy Dance” adoption announcement video:www.fb.com/video.php?v=10155414365600165

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));

Fatherless to Fatherfull (Levi and Lia)-DaySpringLevi and Lia tell the story of their journey from fatherless to…
Posted by International Christian Concern on Sunday, June 14, 2015

Day by Day

By Lorraine

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. 

I was reminded of this beautiful hymn in a book I am currently reading.  It has been far too long since I have heard it or sang it. I did not know the history behind the hymn nor the author, Carolina Sandell.
When she was 26, Carolina–or Lina (pronounced Lie-nah) as she liked to be called–experienced a tragedy which profoundly affected the course of her life. She was with her father, a Lutheran pastor, crossing a Swedish lake. Suddenly the ship lurched, and before her eyes, her father was thrown overboard and drowned. Lina had written hymns before, but now she poured out her broken heart in an endless stream of beautiful songs. Her hymns mightily influenced the revival that swept across Scandanavia after l850.

Day by Day and with Each Passing Hour
Carolina Sandell 1832-1903
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

always a beautiful song

By Lorraine

Here is a glimpse of some of the music playing at our house…

I peeked into Abbey’s room while she was working on an assignment for her digital animation class and found it very interesting to watch her progress.  Yes, she has two black lights and a blackboard bolted to the wall, black-out coverings on her windows and only about 3-feet of empty floor space in her bedroom with way too much stuff bursting out everywhere.  
 but, she loves what she’s doing!
Jared enthusiastically shows John each step completed as he creates a computer game.
 My favorite $3.00 bench purchased from a garage sale 25 years ago and painted and repaired dozens of times got to the point that John just couldn’t fix it and keep it fixed. Mostly it was the arms that took the brunt of the abuse but even the legs were not staying together any longer.
{ha, that sounds like my body recently}
 We considered making a porch swing from the bench but I really wanted it back in the kitchen to hold all of those little grandchildren. So we sent it off to a furniture maker for a complete overhaul .
Please, please, little bench, stay strong!
We have been moving furniture, boxes and rearranging rooms as Erin and Jared return home. The nursery has become Jared’s room and the guest room is now Erin’s room. Making them feel loved and comfortable, and though sad about the circumstances, we love having them home.
The painting above Jared’s bed was something my sister gave me when she moved out of her house last fall.  I wish I had taken a photo of the before when it was in shades of bright green.  I knew when I saw it I would paint over the canvas. Wanting something masculine for this room, I went to work. Nothing artistic but it works to fill a big blank wall.
We’ve done lots of yard work and home repairs.
Weeding, planting, painting, edging, raking, digging, dividing, potting, sweeping, blowing, washing and, well, you know.  You are probably doing the same things at your house.
 Who would had thought removing 20-year old, dead boxwood bushes would be so hard! Eighteen in all.
 The last five with some much appreciated help from Jared.
Always the sentry, Raider keeps watch while we work.
Now, it hasn’t been all work.
My streptocarpus is blooming profusely in our bathroom.
Jared, the oldest grandson, and Keri, our oldest granddaughter, had a great time together. Last weekend we went to his high school spring musical, Mary Poppins. The following day, after getting those bushes out, Jared tried his best to hit Keri’s wild wiffle ball pitches (one that had to be rescued from the roof) and they had some impressive exercise challenges. As if push-ups aren’t hard enough, imagine doing hand clap push-ups! {The thought takes me back to the old broken bench feeling}
Our favorite time to visit Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery is Memorial Day weekend when all of the graves are decorated with an American flag. Both my parents are interred here. A perfect place to find a bench, remember loved ones and the Veterans that gave their service for our freedom.
Haven’t had much time with the littles through all of these changes but John snapped this pic of Chloe sleeping soundly the last time she was over. Playing it tiring work!
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Psalm 40:3

a new song

By Lorraine

I waited patiently for the LORD;
         And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
         And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
         Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
         And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
         And Your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You.
         If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.
Psalm 40:1-5

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis