This and That Wednesday

Good Wednesday morning! Today is going to be a "this and that" sort of day. 

Yesterday I forgot to tell you that the book that I am reading "Life is Tough But God is Faithful" has a study guide at the back of the book. This book has been so very good. I am so glad that I looked through the bookcase to see what books I had that I had not read yet. I have more- but those books are just waiting for the right time. 

Here is a great quote that was in my reading this morning. Well it was in the study guide part of it. 

"Suffering is definitely a better teacher than all our joyful moments in life.

 We are changed eternally through suffering" 

This quote is so true - I really don't like that it is true though. Tough times are very difficult to go through. But as the title of the book says - God is Faithful. 

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

Well yesterday I had to mow my yard. When my husband got home his mowed the bar ditch. It is very steep and it scares me to mow it. I did get my trusty weed eater out and worked at getting stuff on the steepest parts of it and around the mail box and all. So the front yard looks great. I still have some weed eating to do in the back yard. 

I don't know if I have ever had to mow the last of October before. On a positive note - the high was only about 77 so it made for a pleasant job. 

Today and the next several days we will be up in the 80's again. Every year at a certain point - I usually pack up my summer clothes - along with my capri's. Well this year I have basically just packed up all but my favorite 2-3 pairs of capri's and several of my summer tops, just in case. It is sad but I may need them again this year. 

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

And just a little peek at how cute my sweet granddaughter is! 

Have a wonderful day! 

The Reading Corner

Well last week, I finished reading my book - "The Cross and Its Shadow.'" It was such a great book. I really enjoyed it. This book will be one that I will keep in my collection of books for future reference.  

I had another book that I thought I was suppose to read next and actually read the first chapter - but it is just not the right time to read it, so I put the book away and looked through my bookcase and found this book" 

This is exactly the book that I needed to be reading now. It is an excellent book. The quote that I posted yesterday was in the 2nd chapter that I was reading yesterday. 

Today I just wanted to share a couple of the quotes so far that have really spoken to me: 

"When our dreams go sour or seem unfulfilled, we can choose to allow Satan to slither into our lives, or we can choose to remember that God is faithful, not matter how hopeless life gets." pg 12 

"After all, Christians are supposed to have all the answers. Theoretically, we are the ones who can deal with life because we have a powerful and loving God who hears our prayers and gives the victory. In reality, God often seems to respond with a "No," or a "please wait. My plan is in place; just trust Me." pg 18

"Trust me, (insert your name here). I have it all under control!" pg 20 

"But living our lives with certain things unresolved is what faith is all about. I believe that many things happen that we simply can't explain. When we look back after many years, we still have little understanding of what went on. But we have the knowledge and assurance that Jesus was there with us through every moment, walking by our side, guiding our footsteps. We never need to fear the questions, because Jesus was answer enough." pg 22 

What a blessing this book has been so far. I am very thankful that God lead me to this book. :o) 

I borrowed the photo from Amazon 

Faint Glimpse of God's Love

"Put together all the tenderest love you know, 
the deepest you have ever felt and the strongest that has ever been poured out upon you,
and heap upon it all the love of all the loving human hearts in the world, 
and then multiply it by infinity, and you will begin,
perhaps, to have some faint glimpse of the love God has for you."

Hannah Whitall Smith

Who Was, and Is, and Is To Come

Just a little something I saw floating around Facebook that I thought was beautiful and I wanted to share. 

Have a great day! :O) 

What Seventh-day Adventists Believe....#8

Fundamental Beliefs #8

 Great Controversy:

All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God's adversary, and led into rebellion a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at the time of the worldwide flood. Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation.

"His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:4-9

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

Isaiah 14:12-14

"Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.

Ezekiel 28:12-18

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" 12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3

because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:19-32

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:12-21

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

Romans 8:19-22

This one is quite long - so I will just leave it at the reference
 Gen. 6-8

by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

2 Peter 3:6

    For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

1 Cor. 4:9

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

Heb. 1:14

Fussy Cutting

When I posted about my blue and yellow quilt that I am working on, I mentioned that I needed to fussy cut some of the fabric. Well here is what I needed to do.

Yes, it does waste fabric. But sometimes it is necessary. This was some very pretty fabric but in order for me to use it as my corner blocks, I needed to fussy cut the flowers. 

Ok- I just wanted to show you the progress so far. This is the top row. I have 3 more rows to sew- then sew each of the rows together. Then it will be time for the border.

I will share what the finished product looks like ...when I get this quilt done. :o) 

 

He's Able

He's able, He's able,

I know He's able,

I know my Lord is able

To carry me through.

(Repeat)He healed the broken-hearted

And set the captive free,

He made the lame to walk again

And caused the blind to see.He's able, He's able,

I know He's able,

I know my Lord is able

To carry me through.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/ns/344#ixzz2AGqGG1LG

What He Will Do For The Broken Hearted

When I say that the last two and a half weeks have been the hardest of my life - I am not exaggerating at all. I am trying to wrap my mind around something that is something we were ever meant to endure - it is sin.
But I am called to Stand. And I, with the help of my Heavenly Father intend to do just that. There have been times of falling..many times of falling.. but each time God has been faithful to lift me back up with His gentle hands. Sometimes I need to be held up and that is ok..He understands.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 27:14

God has a plan for our lives and apparently these trials are meant to refine us into the people He wants us to be. Like a sculptor He is working on knocking off all the useless rock and debris from around the beautiful masterpiece He is creating us to be. 

But then the thought comes - but it seems like it is getting to the point that there may not be much left of me once He is done. And that is totally ok because the God who created the whole world is able to create a clean, new heart in me. 

I am learning..slowly at times...not to lean on my own understanding. God's ways are not our ways. The winds and the waves obey Him... He IS in control. 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

So even though what I am facing seems to be an impossible situation. I am holding onto God's promises. 

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 

"With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26

I am facing a situation in which the adversary has come to steal, kill and destroy, But that is not the end of the story. Nope. Because I have faith in Jesus Christ. He came "for us to have life, and that we may have it more abundantly."

    The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10 

So if you are facing a difficult situation right now - KNOW that God is in control. He heals the broken hearted.. He can heal your heart..as I trust He will heal mine. 

He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.

Psalms 147:3

 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalms 34:18

Remembering...

It seems the older I get, the more funerals I have ended up going to. About 12 years ago or so, I decided to start keeping the special funeral bulletin's that I would receive when I went to funerals, as a special way for me to remember those who have passed away.

For the longest time I used an old cigar box. But I have a special box, that used to belong to my Dad.

 It is a very special box to me.

So last week when I was trying to do more work towards being more organized, I decided to use this box to store those special bulletins.

This is the way that I honor those who have passed away.

**************************
"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

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

Planning My Blue and Yellow Quilt

Today I just wanted to show you my blue and yellow blocks. I have them on my design board, trying to decide how I want to lay them out.

Oh and guess what? It looks like I will be learning how to quilt, probably this week.

My Mom has a quilting set up at your house. She has a arm/shoulder that gives her problems so she is wanting me to learn how to quilt. And let me tell you - it is quite expensive to have a quilt - quilted. So it would be awesome to learn how to do it. I just hope that I am able to be a quick learner with this. After all the work that goes into putting a quilt top together - I would hate to mess up a quilt.

I'll let ya'll how it goes. Wish me luck.......... Have a great day! :o)

Sabbath Praises

It's been a rough week for me- so I think I am going to go with Sabbath Praises today. I try to pick back up where I was in the fundamental beliefs next week. In the meantime, I am going to be taking this week-end off. I need to spend more time focusing on Jesus. I hope you all have a great week-end.

It's a Package Deal

Blue and Yellow

I would LOVE to spend today in my sewing room, working on my blue and yellow quilt, but alas I have to go to work. So I will just leave you with a photo of the fabrics that I picked to finish out my quilt.

Last night I was able to get this floral fabric - cut in strips for the border and then I fussy cut the fabric to get the beautiful flowers for each of the 2 in blocks that will be in the sashing. I will explain more about that later along with a photo. 

Now I am off to work. Ya'll have a great day! :O) 

And the Winning Color is...

You ladies rock!!!

It is green all the way!!!

Sometimes it just takes a different perspective to make a good choice.

I had the quilt folded up and opened it just a bit. From the angel that I looked - I had thought I would want to use the pink. But once I took the photo and posted it with the last post - I realized that in order to balance it out - the green would be the best choice. And all you awesome women agreed!
The great thing about it is that I had barely enough of the pink fabric to do the binding - but I have plenty of the green fabric. It all worked out great. Now to show you the awesome fabric that I found for the backing of this quilt. 

I love how elegant it looks. I have the fabric and the quilt top ironed and waiting in a bag in my car to be taken to my Mom, so she can quilt it.

Now to start the next project.

I do a post about it soon.

By the way, I will leave the poll up just in case a few more days so if you wanted to vote.

Weather, Quilting, and a Poll

Goodness...

It's suppose to be Autumn...

These temperatures don't remind me of Autumn.

I had to mow my yard today. It had been 3 weeks since the last time that I had to mow, so that's good.

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

Earlier in the day, I was able to visit my local Quilt Shop. I spent a long time there. And thankfully I found the fabrics that I needed to put my yellow and blue quilt blocks together. I was very thankful. A couple of months ago,  I had went to the same shop and had not been able to any fabrics to use to put these blocks together. So it was a real blessing to find some great fabric!!

 **********************

This evening I am working on ironing this quilt top and the backing because I am about to have my Mom quilt it for me. I am so glad to finally be moving ahead with it.

I have a question for you ladies: Which fabric should I use for the binding?

I was so thrilled to find that I had enough of each of these two fabrics so I can use which ever one I want for the binding.

I have set up a poll to the right towards the top of the page. Be sure and vote for which color I should use.

I have always wanted to do a poll - just had not thought of a good question yet. Now I have, so please vote!

You can also leave a comment about which color I should use. Thanks!:O)

When I Say I'm Christian

When I Say I'm Christian



When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!



Author Unknown

Quilting Corner

This is the start of a new year for Block of the Month. This is one of the choices. I did not do as much of a photo intense post this time - basically because I had the fabric cut out before I remembered to start taking photos. I hope you enjoy. 

Here is the other color combination for the year. I am going to do both this year. This month the block was fairly easy. Don't know how fun it will be to do both blocks when I get to a block that is more challenging. We will see.

By the way - I hope you are able to notice the butterflies in the fabric in the center of this block. This fabric will be used on all 12 of the blocks in this color scheme. This fabric has a lot of the wildflowers that are here in Texas! 

The Tales of the Shoes

As many of you know last week was a very rough week for me, but I don't want to focus on the negative things- I want to share a blessing with you all.

About 12 years ago - I bought this pair of black heels from Walmart. I loved them. Over the last couple of years I have noticed that they are loose. They slide off of my heels..alot. My Mother-in-law told me about some heel inserts that I could buy. I bought a pair of them and I put them in. Well I did not realize where the best place to put them so had to pull them off and replace them. Well they held up for a few weeks but then they started to move around on me. Sometimes even sliding up, hanging half out of the shoe..lol.

Well I knew it was getting time to find another pair of shoes. Well I have wide feet so I knew it would be hard to find shoes. I went to a couple of places and found nothing that fit and were comfortable. I was getting discouraged. I had about come to the conclusion that I might have to just buy more inserts. Well I had meant to buy a package of them when I went to the store yesterday morning, but I forgot.

 

Later in the day, my sister called me and said that she was going to a local Goodwill and if I wanted to meet up with her. Sure - I said. I looked forward to spending some time with her, not only shopping but visiting!

 

Well as we were talking, I noticed some cute shoes. But since I have wide feet I did not hold much hope that they would not only be my size but be wide with as well.

 

I walked over and looked and I was thrilled to see that they were my size - would they fit me?

 

Yes! They did!! And the best part of it is that they seem like they are about new. They have these great rubber soles. I don't think I have ever had this nice of heels before. Oh - not only where they like new- they were only $4.00!!!!

 

This was defiantly a case of God smiling on me and blessing me with something that I needed. I had also been looking for a nice pair of black jeans - found a pair for $7.99. I also found a great pair of jean for only $3.99. And a cute top - for $2.49 -And if the blessing was not enough at this point - it gets better. I have shared that when you shop at Goodwill - when you spend $10.00 you get a stamp. And once you collect 10 stamps - you get $10.00 off of your purchase. Well I was able to us the 10 stamps that I had so for right at $10.00 - I got all of the above! And this one pair of shoes was well worth that times 2-3!! Praise the Lord for  his provision!

 

What things are you thankful for today!!

Sabbath Praises

I know it has been a while since I posted a Sabbath Praise post - but after the week I have had- I was reminded of the value of praising God - ALL the time! I hope this song blesses you as much as it blesses me! :O)

What Seventh-day Adventists Believe...#7

Fundamental Beliefs # 7


 Nature of Man:


Man and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, the power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life and breath and all else. When our first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon Him and fell from their high position under God. The image of God in them was marred and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences. They are born with weaknesses and tendencies to evil. But God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself and by His Spirit restores in penitent mortals the image of their Maker. Created for the glory of God, they are called to love Him and one another, and to care for their environment.

"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Gen. 1:26-28

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.''

Genesis  2:7

"What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen-- Even the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas."

 Psalms 8:4-8

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' "

Acts 17:24-28

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" 12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life." Genesis 3

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me."

Psalms 51:5

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) "

 Romans 5:12-17

"that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."

 2 Corinthians 5:19, 20

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me"

Psalms 51:10

 "A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food."

 John 4:7, 8

"The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get

that living water? "

 John 4:11

"Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

John 4:20

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it."

Genesis 2:15



The Will of God

The Will of God will never take you
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you
Where the Wisdom of God cannot teach you
Where the Army of God cannot protect you
Where the Hands of God cannot mold you.

The Will of God will never take you
Where the Love of God cannot enfold you
Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you
Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears
Where the Authority of God cannot overrule you.

The Will of God will never take you
Where the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears
Where the Word of God cannot feed you
Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

~ author unknown ~


Everything happens for a purpose,
We may not see the wisdom of it all now
but trust and believe in the Lord
that everything is for the best!

What a Promise!

"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."

Exodus 14:14

This has been a very useful promise in my life. And since it had been brought to my mind this week. This is the one that I wanted to use for this week. 

May it give you peace in what ever battles you are struggling with. :O) 

Leprosy...example of what sin does to the spiritual life

"When Miriam became jealous of her sister-in-law, and she and Aaron murmured against Moses, "the anger of the Lord was kindled against them. . . And, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow." After God had taught the lesson that the sins of jealousy, murmuring, and fault-finding are to the spiritual life what leprosy is to the physical being, then, in answer to Moses' prayer, she was healed. (Numbers 12:9-12)"

(Quote from the book I am reading "The Cross and Its Shadow"- in this chapter) 

I have to be honest, when I read this paragraph - it really cut to my core. My family and I are going through a situation in which we feel attacked. And because of this it is easy to get into that murmuring and fault finding of these other people - especially since they seem to be pointing out our faults. 

But I have been reminded again, by the Holy Spirit,

"The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." 

 Exodus 14:14

I don't know how this situation that we are going through will turn out, but I do know that God is in control and I am trying to hold onto that fact and have faith in Him. 

 LOL - I had to change out what bookmark I was using because every time I went back to my book - it would be out of the book. Apparently my cats were enjoying the challenge of getting it out of the book. 

Fulfillment of a Promise

As I look out the windows, I can feel the cool breeze. I can hear the birds sing for joy. Happily my chickens hunt for food. Such peaceful surroundings, but I feel broken. I am sitting here- still- being still - being reminded that God is God. My trust in Him is growing.

Life has a way of knocking us on our butts and breaking our hearts. Sin has a way of doing that. And it seems to me that the closer I grow to Jesus, the more I feel the fiery darts from the adversary. These darts are real. Sometimes the adversary uses those we love to cause us the most pain.

As I sit here, I pause and look out the window, I notice tiny sparrows bathing in my chicken's "swimming pool." I love the excitement of the birds playing in the water. Then I hear the loud "Caw Caw" of a big, black crow~ I'd like to think that he is thanking me of fulfilling the promise I made to him this morning, to thrown bread out for them later.

Each of these things are special to me and reassure me of God's unconditional love for me. He knew I needed reassurance - I had told Him earlier(before I started writing this post) that I knew that He loved me but wished it was more tangible.

When I began to write up this post, I had felt broken and unfixable, but God fulfilled a promise to me. He says in Psalms 46:10 to "be still and know that I am God." I am following His instructions to be still, by sitting here at my desk - looking out the windows and waiting on the Lord. And it has refreshed my soul. I feel peace that has come from God, not my circumstances they have not changed, but I trust in God and will hold onto His promises.

I don't want to go into details of what I am going through- I really can't. All I can say is that I really feel that Satan is attacking my family and especially my marriage. I'd really appreciate prayers for us. And know that I will be praying for each of you and your marriages(if you are married.) Satan wants to destroy families and if he can destroy marriages- he has won.

Story with an Important Message

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson.

Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in any way he could..

One day the grandson asked, 'Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book.

What good does reading the Bible do?'

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, 'Take this old wicker coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water.'

The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, 'You will have to move a little faster next time,' and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the old wicker basket was empty before he returned home.

Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was 'impossible to carry water in a basket,' and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, 'I don't want a bucket of water;I want a basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough,' and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all.

The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, 'See Papa, it's useless!'

'So you think it is useless?' the old man said.

'Look at the basket.'

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different.

Instead of a dirty old wicker coal basket, it was clean.

'Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible.

You might not understand or remember everything,

but when you read it, it will change you

from the inside out.'

Moral of the wicker basket story:

Take time to read a portion of God's word each day; it will affect you for good even if you don't retain a word.

(This was in an e-mail that I got this week - I loved the message and wanted to share it with you all :o)

More about Key Limes

Several weeks ago, I posted a recipe for Key Limeade. I love this drink, it's great!

I wanted to find out the nutritional value for key limes.

I was happy to see that not only do they have a good amount of Vitamin C, but also come Calcium and Iron!

One more bit of information that I thought would be important to share with you all is that it is best to store key limes - in your refrigerator. This will help them to last longer.

Here is where I got this information - just in case you want to check out more information.

Before the Throne My Savior Stands - Poem

Before The Throne My Savior Stands

Arise, my soul, arise,

Shake off thy guilty fears;

The bleeding Sacrifice

In my behalf appears;

Before the throne my Savior stands;

My name is written on his hands.

He ever lives above,

For me to intercede;

His all-redeeming love,

His precious blood, to plead;

His blood was shed for all our race,

And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears,

Received on Calvary;

They pour effectual prayers,

They strongly speak for me;

Forgive him, O, forgive! they cry,

Nor let the contrite sinner die!

The Father hears Him pray,

His dear, anointed One;

He cannot turn away

The presence of his Son;

His spirit answers to the blood,

And tells me I'm a child of God

Charles Wesley

Another great poem found in the book I am reading:

The Cross and Its Shadow