by Peggie E Potter-Balaum

​Rev 4:30  ...and there was a rainbow round about the Throne, in sight
as an emerald.
 
I John 4:7-12 Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God &
whoever loves has been born of God & knows God.
Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is Love.

Genesis 2:18  It is not good for a man to be alone...

        God is Love ! He is also the Author of love & life. When I consider
the wonderful works of His Hands, He is the ultimate Artist
! As an artist leaves his or her signature on their work, so Creator God signs
His works ! Ever wonder how in spring & summer everything is so
beautifully green? Where Father God is enthroned His life force surrounds
His Throne & Majesty as an emerald green rainbow. He is the Author of all
living things ! His Wisdom far exceeds that of all the combined intelligence
​of man through all the centuries !

        Read the account of creation in Genesis ! Notice the perfection of the order of it all, the earth, seas, & sky ! Green plants
were planted before animal & human life to provide oxygen & food !He made life in all it's diverse forms along with that
which is needed to sustain it !

         God is Love ! It is His very nature to be in relationship & He made humankind to need relationship with Him & each other ! 
God exists in a 3-fold relationship : Father , Son , & Holy Spirit who have never not existed & have been together throughout all of
eternity with no beginning & no end ! We are made in His Image. We were made to exist in relationship with Him & one another.
The ideal marriage is also 3-fold : Jesus at the center & husband & wife . As does Creator God as Love, life emanates from the
marriage relationship as children made in His image. this is such a beautiful & good thing & was in fact His command:
to be fruitful & multiply (Gen 1:28 ) !  As made in God's image , we are spirit beings !  Our spirits need nourishment.
We need Jesus, God's loving Son, sent as Living Water & the Bread from HEAVEN !

After all, God as Love, would that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance & be saved (2 Peter 3:9).
 God as Love produced life & the means to sustain it, both physically & spiritually & eternally.

What a blessed thing that Father God desires us to dwell with Him in His House as His big blessed family
! I thank You & praise You Forever King & Savior Lord Jesus for making it possible !

by Linda Hokit
 
     They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself came up and walked with them…
Luke 24:14-15 (NIV)
 
     I used to be a runner. Then God made me a person who is now happy to walk alongside others. It was quite the transition to stop running road races after more than 20 years. As difficult as it was, I am now a person who is happy to walk for pleasure and renewal. More than that, God transformed me from a competitor to a servant who now sees Him on each adventure.
 
     It’s not always easy to make transitions and sometimes it takes time to happily join in the change. Let me share a few precious stories about how that happened for me.
 
     I was an athlete in my young years never happier than when I was running. It makes sense that I would participate in team sports all through my school years. Then I went to college and that changed.  God had many lessons for me in preparation for the call to fulltime service He eventually offered me. I learned a great deal in those years about how God speaks and leads.
 
     On one particular day I was reading the newspaper and learned there was a lady in her 70’s who had just started running. She did it because her doctor told her quite bluntly that she could wait to die or get up and find something to live for. Yikes! So, she had become a runner and an inspiration to me. I immediately started running for the pleasure of it. Looking back, I was motivated and inspired by a person who had found a purpose and set out to accomplish it.
 
     Over the years I began running road races and soon selected the ones I would run by the cause they were seeking to support. As time went on, I realized I was running most often for those affected by health conditions like heart disease and cancer. As I grew in the Lord, I began to use my preparation for those races as time for fellowship with the Lord not just as opportunities to increase my race time. As I began to minister through my church, my running times became prayer walks. It was joyous and yet still a bit short sighted. Soon I learned that God had more in store.
 
     As time went on, running became more and more difficult for me for so many reasons. God began to move me from a runner to a walker. I would go to races that allowed walkers and would catch myself sneaking in a mile or two of running! Then one day I was standing at the back of the pack of walkers waiting for the runners to get on the course. Thousands of runners in the Heart Run were spread out running down the hill for all they were worth.
 
     Then my image of the crowds changed. I suddenly burst out in tears. It was like Christ looking over the city of Jerusalem weeping because they were sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) I realized I now had a purpose. I determined that from that point on I would prayer walk the races I took part in watching ever so carefully for God to lead me to those I should walk along side that day. It did not take long before I had confirmation I was on the right track. There was a ministry center for students near the course and a pastor there was playing Amazing Grace on an alpine horn as all the race participants came by.
 
     Then, as my fellow walkers and I turned the corner onto the course that day, I saw the hospital. I remembered that one of our pastors was in the hospital because of a heart problem. God then gave me one more confirmation that He has been working in our midst. After cheering people along, walking with some, watching for people in need of help, etc. I went home to change.  Then I turned my bib over and wrote a note to the pastor and set out to hand deliver it.
 
     However, when I got to the hospital, he was not in his room. Just before I was going to drop the bib and leave, his wife came in and told me he had gone to minister to another patient.  A year before he had survived a bear attack. It just so happened there was a young man in the hospital that day who had also been attached. I must say it is rare for people to survive a bear attack.  And yet, God had worked things out so there were two survivors in the hospital at the same time!  As I left the hospital, I prayed for their conversation. A few months later I was able to see the pastor and heard how God worked through the visit he made and how encouraging the bid note had been.
 
     Over the course of about three years, I worked to refine the opportunities I had to minister while walking. Then one day God gave me  the opportunity to be all in with the transition from competitor to minister. I was again planning to walk, and yes maybe to run a bit during the Alaska Run for Women. However, I woke up on race day with a headache and really wasn’t sure I would make the race. But God impressed me to give it a try. The event had added a one-mile walk that started later than the full-length race. I made it just as they let the walkers onto the short-course.
 
     I first came up on a group of Red Hat Ladies and thought that group might be my ministry for the day, but I realized I should press on. Soon, I met a lady who was on staff at a church. She was recovering from knee replacement! The joy we had as we walked was unparalleled. And yet I knew there was more to do. I pressed on and saw a lady by herself on a bridge just looking in the river. I knew she was my appointment. I walked up and simply stood next to her for the longest time. Soon we were talking and she shared she was walking in memory of her sister-in-law. Her sister-in-law’s name was Linda.
 
     As we walked, I realized I had the skills to speak with her in her grief. We finished the race holding hands pointing to Linda in heaven. My new friend smiled and walked away having completed the course God inspired her walk. Since then, I have been happily walking hoping I will find the God-inspired appointment He has for me each time.
 
     We are all on a walk with our Father. He has already laid the course we will walk and if we are looking, we will see Him pulling up alongside us on the journey.  
 

by Joyce Pelletier
     1 John 3:1 See what love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called ‘Children of God!’ And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 

     Surprises happen when we least expect it. We don’t know what or when it will happen and sometimes the impact shows up days after experiencing it. I’ve read these words a number of times and each time it’s a different observation than before. The Word does that to us. Each of our days, life experiences are similar, however that brings to mind different meanings. 

     So often in reading God’s word the attention often triggers our experience for a different purpose and sometimes it is something we need to pay attention to. Spring is one of my favorite times of year, and I know I’m not alone. Easter comes in spring. It reminds me that the lack of life in Winter seems to be difficult to understand at times. Yet the new snow storms show something mystical and exciting. Like our neighbors who have two precious little girls, they made a snowman family. They all got involved. It was so enlightening. 

     I’ve been somewhat busy with different things and somewhat stressed. I woke up early enough, but was feeling a bit tired as I didn’t get only 3-4 hours sleep the night before. No question, I was pretty tired. When I went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for our special pup, Ollie, I went to the window to open the shade  and looked out the window to see six of my Daffodils had blossomed. It was an amazing start to my day. I had no doubt that God wanted me to remember the best day of the year was here and he surprised me with Daffodils. One of my favorite flowers! And, truth be told, there are many flowers that are my favorite. And, after all it was Easter Morning. Perfect timing after a restless night on not much sleep.

​      The picture that I chose to put with my blog is a four foot high stump in the woods, where Maurice was working and I was with him to try and find something he had lost. I stopped and got my phone out and took a couple of shots of this very unusual masterpiece that God somehow put it in that spot where I was standing and amazed at its artistry. I was flabbergasted at its wonder. I discovered a new masterpiece from God, which some may think it’s ugly, and I think it is an amazing creation, by God, and that in itself is beautifully grown.

     I realized, God didn’t just plant it there, it had been cut down, and somehow it grew into its art form that it was. The details remind me of someone holding onto perhaps a bird, or little child, with what looks like bumpers in a specially made nest. I pondered it for a long while and as I write this blog, God put it there to let me know this is the reminder of God’s protection on his creation of me, of you, of every last person on earth. Could anything be more precious?

     Although one person might think this is an odd impression from a dead tree, with this bump and a lump of wood that shows us how God lavishes us with all that we need. If God so loves the birds of the air, he cherishes us with every flaw, or broken piece of who we are. He’s so there to make us whole again. He gives us the gift of a surprise of daffodils, as well as a dead tree with a very unusual image that adds beauty to a daffodil. What a gift! In all this, we can share with anyone how a surprise of spring is a treasure of God. 

     I wanted to include this picture so I could share beauty in strange things of our world. The purpose of this odd sculpture, also has purpose, as do any thing that come my way. I just need to ponder and ask God for meaning. So much like some of the challenges of my day. It is like finding beautiful after a storm. Or perhaps that after messing up a project, instead of tossing in the fire pit, I could contemplate what happened and wonder what the image turned out to be, like a bird with arms holding its new-born chick.

     Lord, I recognize that sometimes things just don't turn out to what was intended, but looking through the heart of God we can see what Romans 8:28 says, "For to those who love God, who are called into his plan, everything works out for good." that as believers we see the creation as made by the creator and then we will see things differently then hope can be restored. Help us to see the beauty of  all that we see and stop focusing on the not so pretty result by trusting God instead. 

By Rebecca Vickery

Have you ever noticed how after you learn a new word, you hear it everywhere?  It’s not as though people suddenly start using the word more often, but because you now understand it, you recognize it when you hear it.  It’s the same way that when you are unfamiliar with an area, you don’t know where you are when you look around.  After a few days of walking the streets, things start to be more familiar.  Then you start to recognize when you get to a part of town from a different way.  The routes connect in your mind.  “Oh, here we are.”  “I know where we are now.”  The lights have been turned on, so to speak.

Before you know God, the things of God are gibberish.  They are city streets that you don’t recognize, and routes you’ve never taken.  You don’t have a smart phone to tell you which way to go and so all of it just looks foreign.  Unknown.  But when you encounter God for the first time, the light goes on.  Suddenly thing that made no sense make all the sense that you could ever need.  His way connects all the routes so that you know which way you’re going.  Eventually it will all make sense in the context of your relationship with God.  

Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.  That’s a lot of things.  ALL things.  So even when we were walking around in darkness, God still had a purpose for all of it.  I don’t know how to wrap my brain fully around such a concept, but what I do know is this:  God is trustworthy.  He is the thing that makes all other things make sense.  So as a person who believes in Jesus-the way, the truth and the life, I see God’s handiwork all the time.  

When we were first starting out and had barely any money, I would pray before going to the grocery store.  There was one time we needed to buy a lot of ingredients, and I had taken coupons for everything possible.  I had 18.70 to spend.  We got everything we needed in the cart and it came to 18.65.  I laughed and marveled at God, who would not only take care of it, but leave me a few cents extra.  So I started to recognize that even when it seemed impossible that we would be able to afford what we needed, I didn’t need to worry, because God would take care of it.  Future grocery store visits would be less an exercise in faith, and more a peaceful stride.  “I know where we are.”

The more I knew that God could get me through the little things, the more aware I became that He could deliver me through the harder things.  In Proverbs 31:25, it says of a woman of great worth, “Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.”  She doesn’t laugh at the time to come because she has grown bitter or resentful.  She hasn’t stored up all her anxieties in her heart.  She has cast them on the Lord.  She knows that it doesn’t matter what she comes up against.  She will be delivered from all of it.  She recognizes that there will be a way even when there seems to be no way, because the One who directs her way will be with her.  

I don’t know how much time it took for me to start being more confident of who God is, and who I am to God.  I do know that I still have so much to learn.  But the more time I spend with God, the more my vocabulary increases.  The more words I recognize in use.  As I continue to move and grow in Him, and see Him answering prayers, I become more inclined to want to bring him those harder prayer requests, those things that are so heavy on your soul that the longer you carry them yourself, the more bent over you are in burden.  I want to laugh at the days ahead.  I want to finally have that yoke that is light and easy.  The only way I can do this is to spend more time with Him so I can understand His ways better. 

Perhaps you’d like to join me in praying for this.  Lord, I know that so many times I have been inclined to stress out over the future.  To be anxious for tomorrow, even though you say today has enough worries of its own.  IT DOES LORD.  Forgive my anxious ways, and help me to trust you today.  Until the day when I may laugh at the days to come, because you will have defeated my unbelief.  LORD, I believe.  Help my unbelief.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

By Peggy Potter

Come Away my Love, my Fair One   Song of Solomon 2:10

Gary and I , being convicted in our spirits, gave up on all the plans we
made for a September 12th, 2025 Hawaiian-themed wedding. Instead we had on
April 3rd 2025,  in our new apartment together, a quick do it yourself wedding
officiated by a fun, friendly Justice of the Peace named Iris, who was a
bit discombobulated from jet lag from a return trip from Australia less
than 2 days before ! It was certainly a unique, yet sweet and memorable
experience, which did mean a lot to both Gary and I.

Instead of a Hawaiian wedding muumuu, this bride wore dress pants, a
pretty white blouse and a purple vest, as Gary's favorite color is purple.
Instead of a Hawaiian shirt, khakis and sandals, Gary looked breathtakingly
handsome in his dress shirt , pants, and leather jacket. Instead of a church
service with lots of family and friends, our DIY service had 2 in attendance;
my son Rob & his dog Annah.

Instead of a luau reception, Gary and I celebrated our wedding dinner at our favorite restaurant,
the Grand Buffet in Essex Junction. Instead of a beach honeymoon, there was moving, lots of back-
breaking, exhausting moving!  Boxes, storage units, 2 U-Hauls, but thankfully
our Heavenly Father did provide much needed help: Gary's brother Craig & his
Bible-study buddies, my son Rob, along with pick-up trucks and SUV's!

We needed all the help we could get, as I was only able to take a few days off from
work and since Gary had just started his new full-time job, he couldn't get any
time off !  Thankfully his hours made it possible to work on the move, but he
could not get adequate sleep and neither could I, so we were both very sleep-
deprived and tired. Catch us the little foxes (Song of Solomon v 2:15)!

Our fatigue caused us to become a bit short with each other, but praise Jesus
we have enough of His Love and Holy Spirit's wisdom in us both to recognize
the need for forgiveness and love before the "little foxes" could cause serious
harm to our relationship! Praise Jesus, I have learned great patience and understanding through all this.
We celebrate and praise Father God for each little accomplishment and victory !
​
And although it was no beach honeymoon, which may still come in the future,
we "Came Away" (v 2:10) this past Sunday, when we collaborated on a new recipe
for dinner and relaxed that evening by just sitting and taking in a DVD movie
together! That magic moment enabled us to fall in love and feel closeness
once again , praise Jesus !!

By Donna Churchill



Jesus loves you……….this is Basic Christianity 101, right? Yet it’s probably the greatest foundational truth that people struggle with.  If we really believed this, it would change everything about the way we lived and how we interacted with others.

Recently, I was struggling with this truth. I was having a “down” day, a self-pity day and I really couldn’t fathom why Jesus loved me, why He put up with me, why He continually reached out to me with His grace. I knew I was failing in a specific area and was thinking there was really no hope for change. Ever have one of those days?
 
I thought of the Scripture in Genesis 6:5-6 that says, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” 
 
This Scripture doesn’t mean that God regretted His creation. It signifies a deep sorrow or pain for the sin and wickedness that man continually chose to live in. This was right before God made the decision to destroy the earth with the flood.
 
I wonder, at times, if God ever regrets that He made me? I know, of course, that He doesn’t. His Word is clear on that.

 But sometimes I lose my way and don’t see clearly. I know my heart is wicked and my attitude and thoughts can take me in directions I should not go and really don’t want to go. That particular “down” day happened to be a Sunday, so I was at church in the morning and instead of leaving encouraged as I usually do, I allowed myself to continue the downward spiral. I spent the afternoon with my kids and grandkids at our weekly Sunday Family Dinner. That particular Sunday we were having it in the dining room of the complex I live in. We all had access to my apartment to use for bathroom trips and filling up water bottles, etc (as trivial as this is, this particular information is important to the story).

Anyway, everyone left about 4pm and I spent the rest of the day in my apartment. As I walked into my bedroom later that night to get ready for bed, I noticed the plant in my bedroom looked a little droopy. I brought it to the sink to water it and I happened to notice something blue in the soil. I dug around and found the Jesus figurine!! Pictured at the top of this blog)! I was quite shocked and a little freaked out because I could not imagine how it got there and more importantly, who had access to my apartment to put it there?? I know only 3 people have keys to my apartment and there was one that might be a possibility, but…….

After the initial shock wore off, I decided to just leave that thought and continue to get ready for bed. As I pulled down the blankets on my bed, I found another figurine on my sheet!!! Suddenly, I knew! I knew of only one group of people that would prank me like this – my family, specifically my grandkids! And they all had access to my apartment that afternoon.
 
Since that Sunday, I have found a total of 16 figurines!! I’ve been told by my grandkids that there are still many more to be found and I could possibly die before I find them all!!
So, why am I telling you all this? Because as cute as this is and as much as I love my grandkids for doing this (the forethought and effort that went into it, especially when none of them share my faith), the greater truth that I have been consistently reminded of is, yes,  Jesus loves me! And the forethought and effort that He puts into consistently reminding me of this every day of my life is staggering! As if Jesus’ death on the cross wasn’t enough to convince me, God, in His mercy, moves in my life continually to remind me. In His mercy, he moved upon the hearts of my grandkids to set this in motion for that particular day, just when I needed it!
 
His love has surrounded me these past few weeks and this very foundational truth has lifted my spirits and encompassed me every time I find another figurine in a place I never expected. And isn’t that always where His love is found or discovered by us – in a place we never expected? In a place where we feel such sinfulness in our hearts, thoughts, attitudes and even actions? In a place where we are so consumed with thoughts of ourselves that we are almost blind to anything else? In a place where we know we don’t deserve it, but He gives it anyway.
 
What does the Word say?
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, or angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39
“…..so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19

I am working on letting that thought and His love go down deep in my spirit. I want to live in a place where I truly believe it, absorb it, allow it to change me and ultimately, change my actions. I am so grateful that He is continually reaching out to me with His love, no matter (or maybe, especially) how unexpected the form it takes!!

Believe it - Jesus loves you!

By Peggy Potter Balaun

[37] Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:37-39

I recently moved to Essex and circumstances made it necessary for Gary and I to be married by a justice of the peace on 4/3/2025.
While we were preparing to move his bed, Gary needed help from his brother and his pick-up truck. 

Gary had a typical batchelor pad: messy, but with his own sense of organization. Gary dreaded his brother's criticism! Sadly, I did not understand why Gary asked me to be there and feeling in the way, I tiredly and curtly said "Seriously Gary, why do you want me here?"


I went back to our apartment and  realized my horrible mistake: Gary wanted me there for moral support as he felt humiliated by his brother's remarks !

Afterwards, I admitted to Gary I was wrong & begged his forgiveness which he graciously gave!  We have no closer neighbors than those we love & live with ! Sometimes loving our neighbor, or husband to be, is just being there !

Blessings, Peggie Potter-Balaun