Restored Relationship/Sermon

Another great sermon for you! I hope you are blessed! :O) 

oops

 So I do have a special freebie Friday post but don't have the time to give it the proper amount of attention to put the post together today - so I will do my best to post sometime next week. 

I do want to say that although last week we were snowed/iced in and frigid temps this week has been beautiful! We had temps in the upper 70's Monday - Wednesday! Just beautiful weather. 

I hope you all are doing well. Hope to get on here at a later time and get some more things typed up. :O) 

10 of 17 items

On Tuesday - almost 2 weeks since I had been grocery shopping - I went to Walmart to get some groceries. I had hoped with waiting a few extra days after the weather cleared up would help me have a better chance of getting the things I needed. But alas, that is not exactly what happened. 

This is where the milk normally is: The worker that walked by while I was taking a photo said that they were expecting a shipment of milk the next day. 

Here is where they normally have bananas- none! 

I was disappointed. 

Out of the 17 things on my list - I was not able to get 7 of those items. 

I have a list for Aldi's and will be going there later in the week. Hopefully they have at least the basics that I need. 

By the way - milk is usually cheaper at Aldi's anyway and we had a carton or whole milk - like the shelf stable stuff so we are good. 

I was very happy to have a decent amount of things on hand that we are not desperate for anything. We may be disappointed not to have some things, but we have plenty to eat. 

If the last year has taught us anything it is certainly - that we can't depend on stores to have what we want to buy. We have to look ahead- by buying an extra bag of this or an extra can of that on each trip to the store. That way we have extras- to cover when ever we go through situations like this past couple of weeks when we could not get to the store. We need to have back ups. 

I have a few other things that I have learned and will be sharing some of them soon. If you have learned anything over the past year - leave a comment and let us know - it may be something that the rest of us have not thought of yet. I have been so thankful to hear other people share things they have learned - it has helped me be more prepared. :O) 

 

The Beatitudes... series ... Feelings of Expectancy

  Feelings of Expectancy 

On the part of the multitudes from all sections of Palestine and its surrounding countries, this great gathering had a semipolitical aspect. The fame of Jesus had filled the people with new hopes and aspirations. They hoped that He was the Messiah, and they expected Him on this occasion to proclaim His mission and make an announcement regarding the setting up of His kingdom. Indeed, they were looking for the least excuse to proclaim and crown Him king. The disciples shared these feelings of expectancy, and their hearts were also filled with thoughts of the future power and glory of Israel, when it would again become the chosen of the Lord, and when Jerusalem would become the center of a universal kingdom. These were the ambitions and expectations that had brought together this mighty host. 

The expectation of His audience gave Jesus the theme for His sermon. He must correct the popular conception of the nature of the kingdom He had come to establish; for that conception wholly unfitted the people to receive Him and His teachings. The only kingdom that Jews seemed to know anything about was an earthly and temporal kingdom. The disciples had the same conception of Christ's mission, and never fully lost it till after Pentecost. There is danger that modern Israel will become so thrilled over the prospects of the coming kingdom of glory to be established at the second advent of Christ that they will lose sight of the spiritual phase of the kingdom which must first be established in the individual hear. We can never enter the kingdom of glory until the kingdom of grace has entered us. The first phase of the kingdom of heaven is the enthronement of Jesus Christ in the heart to be king of the life.  

While the sermon on the mount is a summary of the Bible, the beatitudes constitute a summary or prologue of the sermon on the mount. Like the decalogue and the Lord's prayer, they are of universal application and appeal, and apply to all races in all ages. A large crown gathered at a railway station in India to see Mahatma Gandhi, and hear his speak. After greeting the people, he opened a New Testament and read to them the beatitudes, and then said: "This is my message to You; act upon it." That was all the speech the Indian leader made, but it contained volumes. 

Be sure and come back next week when we will study the section : The Beatitude Ladder. This section was very eye opening to me - and gave me a new appreciation for the beatitudes! :O) 

An Old Fashioned Skill....But probably a very useful skill to have...especially now

"How I Darn Socks"

If you will look in the description box below the video - you will see a link to Amazon some of the special yard that is used to darn socks. It will at least give you an idea of what to look for, if you decide to learn this useful skill. 

If you have a problem with threading a yarn needle - with yarn - come back next week, I will be posting a video that will help with that very problem! :O) 

the time above all others to trust in God

 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  

Matthew 17:20 

Throughout the history of God's people great mountains of difficulty, apparently insurmountable, have loomed up before those who were trying to carry out the purposes of Heaven. Such obstacles are permitted by the Lord as a test of faith. When we are hedged about on every side, this is the time above all others to trust in God and in the power of His spirit. The exercise of a living faith means an increase of spiritual strength and the development of an unfaltering trust. It is thus that the soul becomes a conquering power. Before the demand of faith, the obstacles placed by Satan across the pathway of the Christian will disappear; for the powers of heaven will come to his aid. "Nothing shall be impossible unto you." Matthew 17:20  PK595 

The Lord allows trials to come to us to test our faith. They help us see that our need for Jesus in our lives is greater than we often realize. The trials also help us see our need to put our whole dependence on Him. And they help us build our trust in Him. He allows things into our lives to slowly build our characters to more and more reflect Him. 

My Best Deal!

 So I have been stuck at home since February 10th ( got out that day thankfully but once I got home I have stayed home)! And so of course no best deals - at least not the type that are found at a store. I would say that my best deal this week is that we were lucky with all the major issues here in Texas - we did not have to go long term without power like some people did. Three hours was the longest stretch without power- and that may not seem bad but of course the power went off in the evening of temperatures in the teens...ugh. And when the power goes off you have no idea when it will be back on. That is tough. If there was some rhyme or reason to it - like several of our other power outages - at set times and only for 30- 45 minutes at a time. That is much more doable for sure. 

Another great deal is that our cold water at our kitchen sink froze up. And I was able to take a towel and an old sweatshirt and I went and wrapped them around the store bought insulated faucet cover and then I got a box and put over that. Within an hour of doing that - the ice stopping that faucet thawed and we had water! Praise the Lord! I can't complain much at all though because there are out there that lost their water and even some that may still not have any water. Please keep all these people in your prayers. 

Oh and another great deal - that God encouraged me after all the mess after Covid reared it's ugly head - that I needed to make sure that we had what we needed here at the house at all times. Because other wise I might be stressing about now. It has been since the 10th since I have been to get groceries and at that point _ I just picked up a few things that we were low on - I didn't do a major grocery haul that day by any means. But I am thankful that we are doing alright. My list to get from the grocery store is getting longer by the day but I will not be going to the store any time soon - here is why: 

These photos were taken by a friend when she went to HEB at 1:30pm on a Wed or Thursday. This is just the produce and some of the meat department - but she said that quite a bit of food was gone. I do think she said that they bought 100 dollars worth of stuff. 

I can about guarantee that the stores will be a big mess for quite some time as people try to restock their pantries. So I am holding off for a few days. 

Anyway I am thankful for all of the blessing of this week and also of the things we learned. I will do my best to get on here sometime this week and share a few things that we learned and some things that are great to have on hand...just in case. Hope to see you soon. Take care :O) 

A Famine is Coming | Sermon

Thankfully it warmed all the way up to about 39 degrees yesterday and at least 50% of the snow melted away. I let my chickens out and once the snow started melting they got out and started rooting around looking for bugs. They really enjoyed themselves. Once it started getting dark- they were still out there hunting around! They finally went to their coop. You could tell they were not real happy about having to go back - probably afraid they will be shut up again. But luckily for them it will just be overnight. Tomorrow is suppose to be even nicer! 
I hope you all are staying warm and dry and have the things you need. :O) 

**************************************************************

This is a sermon I happened on just by chance and it is a perfect sermon to go along with the Beatitudes series. This will give you a totally new perspective as to what the sermon on the mount really was talking about. I think you will be blessed. I know I sure was. I am beginning to listen to other sermons by this man. I really appreciate his perspective. :O) 

Freebie Friday series

So on my last visit to HEB I was able to get just a few freebies. 

 These were all a part of a buy 1 get one free. When I look at these types of deals - I always divide the price I pay on the 1 item and see how much 1/2 of it is to see if I like the deal or not. Because I look at it as I only paid so and so for this bag...examples below: 

Probiotic Prunes - $2.98 for the 7 oz bag - $1.49 a bag. Prunes are expensive - so this is a good deal! 

Sunbird Fried Rice seasoning packet ...$.98 - so 49 cents a bag. This was something I got because I wanted to try it and the best time to try something is when you can get a deal on it! 

Skinner med shells - $.96 cents - so 48 cents per bag. Usually we get whole wheat pastas but my husband appreciates just some regular pasta ever so often. And I figured since I have a new recipe to try it might make it easier for him if I used regular pasta.  

Anyway I did not get a whole lot of free things this week - but just thankful I was able to get some deals!

Have you gotten anything free lately that you would like to share with me - just leave comment! :O) 

Health Laws and How They Affect My Life

This was originally posted in 2017 - since there is so much fear in the world today about getting seriously sick - I thought I would repost a few helpful things that I have posted before - because this information can helpful to us all. It is best to do these things whether or not there is fear about some major sickness. Please read through this and implement as many things as you can to help yourself have a stronger immune system.
*******************************************************************************

Ok - I know that this is not new information to anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time, but I think this information is important enough to share again and again. I thought that today I would add how following each thing has improved my life. I might even share the areas that I struggle with. So let's check out these health laws.

1. Eat a healthy diet of nutritious food. Try to get plenty of fruits and veggies and eat at least some raw fruits and veggies each day.

Although I still eat some dairy and some meat - a much smaller portion of my diet consist of those things and actually it is getting less and less meat as time goes by. I am learning to love salads. Here is a photo of some of the toppings I have had for my salads this week! I have a bag of sliced cucumbers(just for eating) then some cut up for salads, cut up purple cabbage, green bell peppers, yellow, red and orange bell peppers, and cut up carrots! I also try to always have cut up purple onions(LOVE them).

I eat a much bigger portion of raw fruits and veggies then I used to and I am feeling so much better.

2. Exercise adequately - at least 30 minutes - 1 hour everyday -if you can not exercise this much at
one time split it up into 3 sections of time of 10 minutes at a time. Something IS better than nothing.


I have been trying to add more exercise to my days- I am trying to increase my energy and exercising is a great way to do that. The more I have studied the more I am learning that exercising is great for so many things. It helps keep your bones strong and helps protect your bones from breakage, your heart healthier, it helps keep you stronger so you age more gracefully, it helps you sleep better, and it helps you be in a better mood. And there is SO much more. All I know is that when I exercise, I feel better and sleep better.

3. Rest properly. (7-8 hours of sleep is ideal)

Remember when I shared that I had learned from Dr. B about the immune enhancing chemicals that are released about 10pm and that it is easier for your body to use them properly if you are sleeping or at least working towards sleeping. Well because of this - I really try to get to bed by 9:30-10:00pm. I really think that one of the reasons why I made it through chemo as well as I did was because I really tried to get enough rest- mostly during the night and then after my husband would leave for work at 6am. Normally I stay awake once he leaves but during chemo - there would be times I would go back to sleep. And that extra sleep really helped my body deal with what was going on with it. I still have fatigue that I feel is related to damage done by chemo- but I am slowly working on that.

4. Try to get at least a little sunshine each day - when the sun is out.
Sunshine helps with our Vitamin D levels and Vitamin D helps with many things - it helps boost the immune system and it also helps protect against depression. 
It would also do your immune system a lot of good if you also took a Vitamin D3 supplement. 

5. Drink at least 8 glasses - or more of water each day.. sodas and coffee (this would include any caffeinated teas as well) are actually a diuretic - which means they can cause dehydration and can not count towards your 8 glasses of water.

6. Get plenty of fresh air every day.
Getting outside is a great way to get fresh air. Also its a good idea to open up the windows in your house when ever possible to let fresh air in. Some people try to do this every single day. I am not at that point - but when ever the temps are any where near allowing me to open the windows for fresh air - I open them up! 

7. Live a balanced life
We really do need to live a balanced life - we can not look at this list of things to promote health and focus all of our attention on one area an neglect the other areas. This is a good example of living a balanced life. Life can not be all work, nor can it be all play.

8. Trust in God. Good Spiritual health really does contribute to good physical health.
One of the best ways to learn to trust God is to spend time with Him every day. We need to have time every day to read our Bibles and pray. And we also need to have time during the day that we are able to hear from Him as well. Learning to depend on Him and allow Him to guide and direct is very important as well.

When I follow these guidelines, I feel better, I am happier and I have a better outlook on life. So even though my carnal self - keeps fighting against doing the things that keep me healthier - I am choosing to claim these verses below:

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,
20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20

The Beatitudes...part 2

 If you missed part one click Here so you can read it! :O) 

"Christ's Inaugural Address"

This sermon has also been appropriately called "Christ's Inaugural Address," because in it He enunciated the principles which are to control the administration of His spiritual kindsome, - the kingdom of grace. In it Jesus gives the qualifications for heavenly citizenship, and lays down the conditions upon which we may enter the kingdom of heaven. All citizens of the heavenly kingdom will live in harmony with the eternal principles set forth in this sermon.

The setting, or background, of this sermon adds to its importance. because of the significance of the occasion. Jesus had spent the entire night in prayer. Prayer is the secret of Christ's success as a preacher, and lack of prayer is also the explanation of the weakness and impotency of many modern sermons.

Following the night of prayer Jesus selected and ordained the twelve apostles who were to constitute a sort of cabinet to help Him administer the affairs of His spiritual kingdom. They were to be the special ministers, or ambassadors, of the King of grace and truth. Their ordination as apostles would entitle them later to be crowned as kinds. Matt. 19:27,28; Luke 22:28-30. Their office was therefore the most important to which human beings had ever been called, second only to that of Christ Himself. Throughout the eternal ages their names will be emblazoned on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem, the capital city of the universe. Rev. 21:14.

Not only was the sermon of the mount the greatest of all sermons, but it was preached to a very large audience. It was composed of "great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan." Matt. 4:25 The congregation was made up of all classes of men and women, representing all conditions of life. The proud Pharisee and the humble fisherman were there; the rich ruler from his palace and the poor peasant from his wretched hovel. There were present the wise and the ignorant, the believer and the doubter. Many races of men and religious creeds were represented. It was indeed a cross section of humanity, comprising a miniature world. And the sermon was a world message which will shine as a beacon light to guide the footsteps of the Christian pilgrims till the church militant becomes the church triumphant.

My New Treasure

I love having many different study Bibles, but if I had to choose only one it would be my newest Bible: The Mission Study Bible!

 This Bible has more reference material in it than any of my other Bibles. Not only that it has 3 ribbons for saving your spot when you are looking at different verses here and there in your Bible. 

This truly is a treasure to me. I am so very lucky that I got this Bible when I did! We have been studying Revelations at Prayer Meeting - but last Wednesday we finished that study up and we will be starting a new series on Marking Your Bible- Bible Studies! I think it will be a lot of fun and a very helpful resource to add to this excellent Bible! :O) Who knows - I may pass the studies along to you. So be watching for that series coming soon!! :O) 

BITTERLY COLD HERE. THERE?

 I hope you all are staying warm and dry in this bizarre weather. Let me tell you - it has been cold over the last week - but last night it became bitterly cold. I have been going out and taking care of my chickens several times a day and up until yesterday evening it was cold - but it was alright. Yesterday when I went to take care of them - it was miserable. We have 4 heat lamps out there and the water in the area that they are staying but I am having to take a fresh water 2-3 times a day so they can have water - otherwise it freezes. It got down into the single digits - 4 degrees when I woke up and the wind chill - numbers. We have snow/ice on the ground and will be below freezing till Friday - IF we are lucky enough to get above freezing it will be barely - not enough to melt this stuff. So I don't see myself leaving the house the rest of the week. Last time I was out was Wednesday- thankfully I got out then. We have been below freezing for like 93 hours until a brief period of time on Sabbath afternoon when the temps got to at least 32 maybe 33 degrees - but then quickly went back down. And Friday is only set to be 32 degrees. So I probably wont make it to church on Sabbath :( After experiencing the last 24 hours - I have to say I am SO very grateful that where I live we usually only get down to the 20's as lows - they are alright. Our summers are fierce but usually we can at least say well at least our winters are pretty mild. But not this year. This is the roughest winter weather we have had since about 89 I believe is what they are saying. 

This morning at about 4am the electricity to my parents house went out and has been out. A very kind man from church took a generator over for them but it just can't run much and hard to get things warmed up - it was less than 58 in their house by the time the generator got there. So we decided it would be best for them to go to hotel. There is no telling how long power will be out. We did not know what else to do for them. Praying power is restored soon and that their pipes don't bust. 

We have lost cold water at my kitchen sink... I had been letting the sink drip but I had been working in the kitchen and doing dishes and shut the cabinet doors so I could work and a little later I went to set it to drip again and the cold out. Ugh. I already know it will be a week before I can do laundry since my washer and dryer are in the garage. And it is bitterly cold out there as well. 

A tiny glimmer of hope is that next week we have at last a day or two in the 60's to look forward to but right now that seems like forever from now. 

I do hope you all are staying warm and dry.  

 

Not Only, But All

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 

 Matthew 9:2 

 "The Scriptures are to be received as God's word to us, not written merely, but spoken. When the afflicted ones came to Christ, He beheld not only those who asked for help, but all who throughout the ages should come to him in like need and with like faith. When He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee;" when He said to the woman of Capernaum, "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace," He spoke to other afflicted, sin-burdened ones who should seek His help. (Matthew 9:2; Luke 8:48)"  MH122 

What a beautiful message for each and every one of us! :O) 

Best Deals

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you know how very much you are loved by Jesus Christ!! :o) 

***************************************************************************

 So last week I went to HEB after taking care of grandsons for a couple of hours. Although it is challenging to get up at 4:30am - and be at Son's house by 5am- there is a blessing and that is to have a chance to go to HEB afterwards.

Sometimes I find a good amount of good deals sometimes I don't. This week I had found a good amount of things! 

• Cinnamon Applesauce normally $1.43 - I got all 6 cups for 35 cents! 
• Orville Redenbacher's popcorn - 30 oz normally $3.82 for 95 cents! 
• Texas Tough quart sized storage bags - normally $1.59 for 39 cents! 
• Crush Orange normally $1.00 for 25 cents! 
• Tru Grit Bathroom cleaner normally $2.79 for 69 cents! 
• Nissin Cup Noodles normally $2.18 for 54 cents! 

I have been buying my popcorn in bulk at Winco - paying about 70 cents per pound. Well I just calculated to find out that I got this for just under 51 cents per pound and I was able to get a name brand!! The lid was broken but still has the seal intact underneath! What a deal! 

The Nissin Cup Noodles - we don't usually get but if we don't like them I know at least one of my sons would like them - so no money wasted here. 

The Crush stuff is not something I would normally buy - but I thought for a quarter it would be something fun for us to try. 

Had I paid full price for all of this stuff I would have paid $21.81 - My great deal - I only paid $3.17! 

One way to look at it is I got all this stuff for less than some people spend on just the bottle of popcorn!! 

Be sure and come back on Friday when I will share what I got for free on this shopping trip. Hope to see you then!! :O) 

“Following the Word of God”

This week is the 3rd and final sermon of the series Reset in the Word 2021 - and it's title is Following the Word of God.  I hope you are blessed. Be sure and come back next week. There will be another great sermon for you! :O) 

Freebie Friday

Several weeks ago while I was at my favorite little thrift store - a older friend of mine was there and we got to talking as she was waiting in line to check out. The topic of purses came up - about how there never seems to be a shortage of purses or pillows at the thrift store. I mentioned that if all the purses were denim - that I would be buying them all and that they would not have to worry about having so many purses. That was just the perfect thing to say to my friend Joy. She had a tote of purses that she was going to get rid of. She is in her mid to late 70's and realizes that her time on earth is limited and is getting things organized so that her family doesn't have a big mess to clean up. Anyway she loves denim as much or more than I do and had a tote of denim purses and was very happy to know that she could give them to someone who would love them. 

I went to her house and picked up the tote of purses. I went through them and picked the ones I would use and passed the rest on to bless others. 

This first bag is a larger purse than I usually carry - so this is now my book bag. I keep magazines and books, spiral of paper and pens in it and it is what I take with me when I go to my sons at 5am. It works excellent for that. I love it! It has been used a lot but it is still very useful! I am so grateful for people who bless others with things they no longer need or use! 

And here is the other denim purse I got. I think it is so cute! It even has a heart on it - that has "Faded Glory" ingraved onto the heart. 

So there you have it- my freebie Friday post. I hope you are enjoying this series. :O) 

 

Please Don't Be Deceived

There are many diets going around. And just because someone may appear to have good luck with the diet, don't be deceived. 

The following is the meals that a friend has posted. She is doing a carnivore diet. 

Do notice what is missing from these plates? 

The foods that God created for us to eat. The things that will give us the nutrition that we need. Fruits, Vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. These are the things that God created for us to eat and in doing so provided the nutrition that we need. When all we eat is meat - we do not get everything our bodies need. It may appear for a while that things are going good, but what harm is being done. It THIS was the way God wanted us to eat - then He would have established this eating plan from the garden of Eden. But that is not the case. And think about it just a little deeper - it is said there will be no death in heaven - so no meat. God did not intend on us eating meat. And when sin came into the world - meat eating also started. So please take a look at your diet and please make sure that you are getting some of the things that God specifically created for us to eat - things that will give us nutrition. It is the best thing we can do for ourselves. Please do not be deceive that eating all meat is good for you. It is NOT. 

I am not condemning anyone if you eat meat- I eat meat ever so often- but I know that I will be perfectly happy in heaven where no meat eating will take place. 

 

The Beatitudes....series

I love seeing the hand of God guiding what I read and watch. This week He lead me to buy this book and it did not take me long to see that it was just the perfect book for me to be watching. But this was not all. The very day that I started reading this book - God led me to the perfect sermon- that goes right along with this book. "A Famine is Coming" - It just popped up on my youtube page - I had not been subscribed to that channel or anything - but God wanted me to see this sermon and He placed it there for me. Be watching for this sermon. It is great - you will not want to miss it. I will be sharing it on Feb. 20th since we will be finishing up a series of sermons this coming Sabbath. Please know that I am listening to these sermons and sharing the ones I think are very good. Sermons that have a great message that we need to hear. 

So today begins a series of posts. This book: The Beatitudes  by Taylor G. Bunch was written in 1938. There are only 78 pages in this book - but so many treasures for us to find. This week we will begin with the first section called:

"The Master Sermon" 

 Not only did Jesus give to His disciples a model prayer, but He also preached before them a model sermon. The Sermon on the Mount was the greatest ever listened to by mortal man. It was the master sermon by the Master Preacher. It is a statement of eternal truths by Him who is the truth, and therefore the author of all truth. It is a proclamation of the eternal realities of the kingdom of heaven.

Not only is this sermon famed for its matchless beauty, but more important still are the basic and fundamental principals it contains. Its truths are organic and constitutional. Jesus came to "magnify the law, and make it honorable," and the sermon on the mount is the decalogue under the magnifying glass of the Lawgiver, in the spiritual illumination of the gospel. It has therefore been appropriately called "the Sinai of the New Testament." It is the law of God restated and explained in its practical applications to everyday living. Here the thunders of Sinai reecho in the beatitudes of Him who is the living law.

Because the sermon on the mount is an unabridged edition of the law, it contains a summary of all truth. It is really a miniature Bible. It is made up of quotations from the Old Testament or restatements of its truths. It seems that Jesus selects the most priceless gems out of the writings of all the prophets, and resets them in this diadem of truth with which He crowns the Book of books.

***********************************************************************************

Be sure to come back next week when we will look at the section called "Christ's Inaugural Address"

And you won't want to miss the sermon on February 20th - it is a different perspective of the Sermon on the Mount that I am guessing you may not have thought of before. It will be interesting for us to go through this book after hearing this sermon. I am sure it will help us understand the book even better. 

A Special Surprise for me

 One morning during the weekend as I was letting the chickens out for the day I heard a woodpecker. As I listened to it, I realized that I had not seen one in quite a while. 

I love birds! They bring me so much joy, especially my favorites: 

• Roadrunners 
• House Wrens
• Woodpeckers
• Hummingbirds
• Cardinals
• Robins
• Big Black Birds (they actually help protect my chickens from hawks :O) )  

I feel like birds are just one of the many ways that God says, "I love you!" 

Monday morning as I was doing a weight workout with Jennifer from Rise Up Ministries - I was looking out our living room windows watching some robins hunting around the yard. A little while later I glanced out and noticed that the bird at the forefront was different and as I kept watching it root around at the ground - I realized that it was a beautiful woodpecker, what a great surprise! I thought back at how I had recently realized that I hadn't seen one in quite some time and knew that this was a special gift from God! I truly believe that He sends us many gifts like this but many times we are too busy to even notice. I wonder what wonderful surprises we miss because we are too busy on our phones, on social media, watching tv, or what ever... 

I would like to encourage you to take some time every day to turn off the distracting noise and listen to nature and look around and see what special gifts God has for you!  

A Lesson of Faith

So my plan is to post something that relates to my words of the year on Mondays. So stick around and check back week by week to see what new thing I share. :O) 

**********************************************************************************

 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Matthew 7:30 

 Notwithstanding the curse was pronounced upon the earth that it should bring forth thorns and thistles, there is a flower upon the thistle. The world is not all sorrow and misery. God's great book of nature is open for us to study, and from it we are to gain more exalted ideas of His greatness and unexcelled love and glory. he who laid the foundation of the earth, who garnished the heavens and marshaled the stars in their order, He who has clothed the earth with a living carpet, and beautified it with lovely flowers of every shade and variety, would have His children appreciate His works, and delight in the simple, quiet beauty with which He has adorned their earthly home. 

Christ sought to draw the attention of His disciples away from the artificial to the natural: "If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Why did not our heavenly Father carpet the earth with brown or gray? He chose the color that was the  most restful, the most acceptable to the senses. How it cheers the heart and refreshes the weary spirit to look upon the earth, clad in its garments of living green! Without this covering the air would be filled with dust, and the earth would appear like a desert. Every spire of grass, every opening bud and blooming flower is a token of God's love, and should teach us a lesson of faith and trust in Him. Christ calls our attention to their natural loveliness, and assures us that the most gorgeous array of the greatest king that ever wielded an earthly scepter was not equal to that worn by the humblest flower. You who are sighing for the artificial splendor which wealth alone can purchase, for costly paintings, furniture, and dress, listen to the voice of the divine Teacher. He points you to the flower of the field, the simple design of which cannot be equaled by human skill." RH Oct. 27, 1885 

“Feasting on the Word of God” (need to add verses)

Freebie Friday

Good Morning Friends! I hope you all are doing well today. 

Today I wanted to show you what I got for free! 

I have really begun to LOVE HEB. I appreciate the fact that they have sales and deals. And now that I go early in the morning and am able to slowly go through the store - I am able to find some pretty awesome deals! And it makes me want to keep going back. Since I have to be at my son's house at 5am at least 1 day a week - I just plan on going to HEB afterwards - I am already halfway there and by the time I get to HEB at 7am or a little after - is a great time to go. Hardly anyone else in the store! 

So they had a deal - of buying 3 of the small containers of Suavitel and getting the 4th for free! Which when you figure it all out - it is a pretty good deal, plus the bottle is a little easier to handle than the large jug of it. I will save at least one of these bottles for future use!

So HEB tends to do this deal - quite often and that is to buy 2 of their multi packs of gum and get a 3rd one free! Which makes for a pretty good deal. I love to have gum on hand because it helps with the sweet tooth. 

Then I needed to get these two boxes of cake mix anyway. And they had a deal where when you bought a Duncan Hines Mega Cake or Mega Cookie you got a cake mix free. So I went ahead and bought the mixes and got my cake mixes for free. Yes - the Mega Cookie and the Mega cookies were higher priced than I would pay for that sort of thing but it is nice to have a little dessert for my husband and I ever so often. Will I buy them again - NOT unless there is some really good deal for them. 

So this week I got a bottle of Suavitel, a package of Orbit gum, and 2 boxes of Duncan Hines cake mix for free! I am so happy that I started going to HEB and checking out their deals. It used to overwhelm me so much - but I think that was the distraction all so many other shoppers- now I am able to go at a time that it is much slower pace and I am able to look and figure up if things are a good deal or not. :O) 

 

Be sure and come back next Friday when I will share a couple of great items I got for free - and it was a situation where I was at the right place and the right time and said the right words. You won't want to miss it! :O) 

A Restart and 7 Very Important Things to Remember ....Beginning of a series

 2020 was a pretty rough year. It's not the first rough year I have had, but is is the first rough year I have had where many others have suffered right along with me and I knew about it. 

A couple of months into the Covid adventure, it became apparent that the couple of weeks to "flatten the curve" was turning into so much more and for longer. During this same time period I ended up having to  resign from my volunteer job. I entered into a period of time where I was on the brink of falling into the pit of depression. And actually I could have actually have fallen into the pit. It was a rough couple of months for me. I spent too much time watching TV and just trying to get by. I didn't totally fall off the healthy lifestyle wagon but I had a foot or two hanging over the side and maybe even more. I struggled just to keep up with what had to be done. Then I began rereading a book that I knew drew me closer to God. Patriarch and Prophets. And as I read the book I felt myself draw closer and closer to God. I could feel myself getting better. I felt more peace and joy. 

And as we go into this new year, I believe it is time for a restart- time to put into place the choices and habits that lead to better health. So I am looking over the 7 health principals and putting them as a priority. With all the crazines going on in the world it is the perfect time to work towards better health. God created us with an immune system and it works best when we follow the health principals. Please join me and I share these health principals with you all. I hope you will put them as a priority as well. God created us and wants us to take good care of the bodies He has entrusted to us. 

Please realize that I am not perfect at following these important principals, but I know how important it is for me to take better care of myself. so as we go through this series please realize that this is as much to me and to any of you. I am sure there are some of my readers who have already succeeded in these areas of there lives. And some of us that need some reminders of how important it is for us to make good decisions in what we do. 

2020 was a rough year. Many of us went into survivor mode. And I know that 2021 is looking like it could be a pretty challenging year as well. So it is even more important than ever for us to take better care of ourselves.   

Goals, Resolutions and What I Am Doing This Year

 This post will be about goals, resolutions and what I am doing this year. I know this post is a bit late since we are actually at the end of January, but still important to address this since it is the beginning of a new year. The beginning of the year is a great time to set up goals for ourselves. If we don't have goals we tend to stay stagnant. And we don't want to be stagnant, we want to move forward in life. 

Several years ago I made a goal - 50 by 50 goal.  I wanted to lose 50 pounds by the time I reached 50 years old. Well to be honest- I did not quite made it to my goal. But this along with the year 2020 taught me not to be so shallow in my goals. 

Anyone can set a goal to lose weight and although our health and weight are good things to improve on they should never be the only focus that we have in life. 

2020 was a pretty rough year for so many of us. I had to resign from volunteering (something I loved doing)  and couldn't get out and about as much- so many freedoms taken - so I stayed home and God led me on an adventure. Although I hadn't set goal - I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and ended up learning so much! 

• sprouting 
• canning - water bath 
• dehydrating 
• taking proper care of cast iron skillets and such 
• how to make natural cough syrup 
• ....and so much more 

So as we begin this new year I want to set some goals. In fact, I decided that i will do a 21 in 21 - that means I will have 21 goals in the year 2021. I haven't quite figured out what all 21 will be at this point but I have a pretty good list started. Will I accomplish everything I set out to do? I don't know, But one thing I am sure of is if I leave off anything important that God wants me to learn - I will be learning those things as well. 2020 was a prime example of that. 

So as this new year marches on by I will be working on the things that I have listed in my 21 in 21 goals. I probably won't be sharing them all but just be on the look out for 21 in 21 - that will be where I will be sharing some of the goals I have set for myself and as I accomplish them. 

 

A Visit to My Favorite Feedstore

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went by our favorite feed store. We were on a mission to buy some seeds for the up coming garden season. This trip to the feed store was even better than last time. Last time they got the seeds and I did not feel like I had a lot of time to think things through. This time was different though. This time they had the seeds in these buckets on the tables. There was also a pile of little bags, a marker, and the different spoons that have different costs.   

We were able to take some time to look through what they had and pick what we wanted to buy and how much of each thing. 

The only thing that would make this store better would be an old fashioned soda bar there - with seating booths around the room. 

Going into this room takes you back in time and it is so good for the soul! :O) 

 

Word for the Year....What could it be?

I am one whole month late on getting this post typed up and posted. Sorry about that. Things have been pretty busy around here. Lots of work to do. But here it is finally...  

In 2014, I jumped on the bandwagon of choosing a word for the year. I actually hadn't heard very much about having a word for the year. But 2014 was a year that gave me the word. It wasn't one I thought of on my own. It was one that as I sat in the waiting room of the Cancer Center - waiting to be called back for yet another session of chemo - along with many others - I realized that Courage was my word. I looked at those faces and I knew that just like - me it took a lot of courage to come back time after time. 

From 2014 to now- some words have been clear and sometimes it hasn't been. Sometime I learn a lot from my word and sometimes a different word came to be clearly the word that year. And some years seemed to be a mish mash of words and ideas that I needed to learn that year. 

The word I have chosen for this year just popped into my mind one day. It was like I am going to have to have some perseverance to make it through another year like 2020. And that is when I knew my word would be persevere or perseverance.  

I have been studying this word and looking at Bible verses with this word or idea. So be watching for blog posts where I will share things that I am learning about there words. 

I am sure that there will be many other things that God has planned for me to learn and I look forward to them as well. I will share what I can here with you all. 

So I typed this out and a couple days later - I realized that Faith needs to go along with my words -Have Faith and Persevere!! I have a feeling that FAITH will be something very important for us to focus on this year. 

Have you picked a word for the year? If so, what is it?