I'm Still Here

Just checking in for a minute. Today is the last day of the month, so that means that our sweet granddaughter will be going back to her mothers this evening. My son dropped her off at 7am. Normally she goes back to sleep but not today. Nope- she stayed up - it will be a long day. But we are going to take advantage of the cooler weather this morning and play outside for a while. I should be back to regularly postings soon. I have really tried to keep up the basic posts, but have a lot of new ideas that I want to post about- just have not had the time to sit down and write them out or work on some others that will take some time.
We will sure miss SweetPea, but it will be nice to get a little bit of a break. It has been a busy month- and I have had to let a few things go but I will begin to work on getting caught up tomorrow. For today - it's time to spend with a sweet girl.
Please be praying for my son, my husband and I- when SweetPea is with her mother - the mother is not very good at communicating with us so we have no idea how she is doing or anything. It is hard on us - to spend a whole month knowing how and what she is doing and then it will come to an abrupt stop. Thanks :O)

Salt in my Kitchen ....series

 

Salt in my Kitchen

by
Jeanette Lockerbie

 

No Inferiority Complex

Bible Reading: Psalms 111

 

    Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. 2 The works of the Lord are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them. 3 His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. 5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. 6 He has declared to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations. 7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure. 8 They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

 

A personable young woman, who came to know Christ as her Saviour through contact with a group of committed Christians, admitted:

"Never in my whole life, no matter what the situation, had I ever felt inferior. I had money, nice clothes, education, position. I had everything that makes for poise and self-assurance until I met a group of women who knew the Bible. Before their knowledge of God's Word I sat humbled, almost envious, conscious of my own inadequacy."

With her confession, the new Christian became an avid student of the Bible. Soon she too was challenging to others.
Whatever the motive, feasting on God's Word can bring only profit. How true are the words of the psalmist,

 

I have more understanding that all m teachers (Psalms 119:99a)

 

You need never feel inferior in this age when the Bible is so available and when modern versions make its truths clear to the most uninitiated student. The Holy Spirit is ready to be your interpreter, and you can inspire others around you to want to know the Bible's wonders.

 

Other books may puff us up,

The Book of books will build us up.

Poetry Corner

THE RED SEA PLACE



Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
Where, in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out, there is no way back,
There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene
Till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul, 'Go on.'

And His hand will lead you through--clear through--
Ere the watery walls roll down,
No foe can reach you, no wave can touch,
No mightiest sea can drown;
The tossing billows may rear their crests,
Their foam at your feet may break,
But over their bed you shall walk dry shod
In the path that your Lord will make.

In the morning watch, 'neath the lifted cloud,
You shall see but the Lord alone,
When He leads you on from the place of the sea
To a land that you have not known;
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed,
You shall be no more afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place,
A place that His hand has made.

--Annie Johnson Flint

Bible Marking series..... Signs of the Times

If you are new to this series - scroll down to the end of this post to get an explanation of how I use this method for Bible Marking.

Today's lesson is: Signs of the Times - ST- Matt. 24:1-7

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  

  ST- 2 Tim. 3:2-5

 

2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!  

  ST- 1 Tim. 4:1-2

 

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,   ST- Dan. 12:4

 

4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."  ST- 2 Pet. 3:3-5

 

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,    ST- Matt. 24:14

 

 

    And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  ST- Luke 21:25-28

 

 

25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

ST- END

***********************************
I wanted to share a link to a website that has some amazing Bible Studies. Some of which will expound more on some of these Bible Marking lessons we have had. Click Here to check out the Amazing Facts Bible Studies. These also are available in different languages.

Also Here is a link to some free books to read. I have not read them all but I have been blessed by the ones I have read. I hope you are as well.

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

As you can tell, I have decided to go in a different order than how my teacher presented these topics.

Before we begin, I would like to be sure and say up front- on all of these markings- I am not claiming that these are all of the verses for the topics. This is just a basic beginning point at studying a topic. I hope you all will enjoy them all. 

Things you will need for Bible Marking:

*Bible
*colored pencils
*pencil- I recommend a good #2 pencil- these are getting harder and harder to find.
*pen- optional - I like to use a pen to write information on a paper in the back of my Bible.
*ruler or bookmark- you will use this to underline the verses.

Now you are ready to go!

Drawing Nigh to God....series

Drawing Nigh to God

 

by

Minnie E. Dauphinee

 

 

Divinely Guided...At All Times

"If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

 even there shall thy hand lead me. "

- Psalms 139:9,10

 

The Psalmist here represents the morning as having wings, making us think of the rapidity with which the first rays of the morning light flash across the sky. He comforts us with the thought that, could we travel with the quickness of light to the ends of the earth, the Lord would be there to lead and protect.

A party of American soldiers visited the British aircraft carrier H. M. S. Victorious. Their guide ended the tour of the ship by taking them to the chapel. On its wall hung a picture of the ship, and underneath, the scripture, "If I take the wings of the morning.....; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." These words, which were once thought of by some as merely a beautiful figure of speech, now had real meaning to all Christian fliers, who, morning by morning, felt their need of divine guidance and protection as they were borne on wings from the fight deck of the ship.

What a sense of peace and security comes to the Christian with the consciousness that God is wherever he is. Though His throne is in heaven, yet by His Spirit He is present to guide and protect at all times.

 

"How sweet the thought that comes to me

On mountain or on stormy sea:

There is no land or clime or zone

Where Jesus leaves His sheep along."

_ W.C. Poole



If not one thing ..it's another

Goodness- if it's not one thing it's another. I already had my hands full with taking care of a toddler and my husband after his surgery last Friday. And making meals for everyone, but wouldn't you know it- something else happened.

Our Garage door broke. I am guessing that the garage door was probably the original one that was put on when the house was built. We have had problems with it here and there and have babied it along as long as we could but how it broke yesterday- means it needs to get replaced. So Friday it will be replaced. Normally we would try to tackle a project like this to save us money but with Jason just
having surgery - we opted to have it done by someone else. I am just praying that they do a good job.

Oh and if all that was not enough of a problem - yesterday evening our son sent a text to his ex to ask a question about SweetPea and it ended up where a friend of the ex's called and threatened him. Serious enough that my husband and son went to the police station to file a report. Nothing ended up happening last night but with what the ex has done in the past - I would not put anything past her. I just continue to pray for God's protection for our family. In this day and age - that is a very important thing to do. Pray for a hedge of protection around our families. There is seriously an attack on all believers and people trying to stand for God and his principals. We need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ and what He did for us at the Cross. What Love was shown in that act of sacrifice - a Love that draws me to Him.

Well SweetPea will be with our family till July 31 so we have just one week left. She will spend two days with her Momma and then my son will get her the first week end in Aug. Oh - another big disappointment happened yesterday. So we were wanting to take Our son and his daughter and have their photos taken- so we were going to take them to Walmart. Well we found out that the Portrait Studios at Walmart have closed down. What a disappointment. So we know of a guy that takes awesome photos- hoping he does not charge too awful much since we have had so many extra expense lately( and the summer time with the electric bill being higher is already a rough time of year for us). Anyway we just hope that we can set up a time to have photos taken.

Anyway - I need to get off of here and try to get some activities planned for today and tomorrow. The day goes so much better if there are at least a few activities planned. I hope you all have a great day! :O)

What a Promise!

8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me-- A prayer to the God of my life.

Psalms 42:8

Salt in my Kitchen....series

Salt in my Kitchen

 

by

Jeanette Lockerbie

 

 

When God is Slow

Bible Reading: Psalms 103:8-13

 

    The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.   

 

A young mother answered a hesitant knock on the kitchen door. There stood her five year old daughter Janey, mud- splattered, eyes downcast.

 

Taking in the situation in one glance the mother said, "honey! Whatever happened to you? C'mon, let me clean you up." And she swept the child into her arms.

 

The kind, warm tones of her mother's voice started a flood of tears. Between sniffs, Janey gulped out, "Mommie, you're not mad at me." Then , as though the sun had been turned on, the little girl continued, " I prayed and asked Jesus not to let you be mad at me for getting my nice dress all muddy. I asked Him to let me tell you first that I didn't play in the mud. Really, Mommie." The big, tear-filled eyes pleaded for understanding. "It was that nasty car that splashed me all over." Janey's words tumbled over each other. "And Mommie, Jesus answered my prayer. Your not mad at me."

 

What might have happened if Janey's mother had been quick to rebuke, harsh in punishment? A child's faith (that her mother had fostered!) might have been shattered. A sensitive child might have lost confidence in her mother's sense of justice. Instead, a new bond was formed. In the childish mind Mommie and Jesus were akin in love and understanding. Sometimes it pays to be slow. 

Updating...

Just wanted to take a few minutes to check in and let you all know how things are going. My husband is doing pretty good. Today he was able to take the Ace bandage that was around his entire leg. There is bruising and swelling but he is SO thankful for only have a small bandage on it. He's getting around a little better today- but still having to use crutches- he has a can from a surgery in the past - so when he is ready he can start using it. The first day he tried to go over to the cane WAY too fast and was over doing it and ended up having to call Dr office. So he is doing better at not over doing it.

As you all know we got quite a bit of rain last week - so I was not able to get the yard mowed. But today I was finally able to get it done and I am so happy about it. I will need to go out and get some weed eating done later today and probably some tomorrow- to really have things look good. But I am glad that I was able to get that done. My son mowed the front yard for me.

The temps are getting back to normal Texas summer heat...and we are thankful for our AC.
I better get off of here. Lots to do!

Poetry Corner

WIT'S END CORNER
Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner",
Christian, with troubled brow?
Are you thinking of what is before you,
And all you are bearing now?
Does all the world seem against you,
And you in the battle alone?
Remember--at "Wit's End Corner"
Is just where God's power is shown.

Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner",
Blinded with wearying pain,
Feeling you cannot endure it,
You cannot bear the strain,
Bruised through the constant suffering,
Dizzy, and dazed, and numb?
Remember--at "Wit's End Corner"
Is where Jesus loves to come.

Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner"?
Your work before you spread,
All lying begun, unfinished,
And pressing on heart and head,
Longing for strength to do it,
Stretching out trembling hands?
Remember--at "Wit's End Corner"
The Burden-bearer stands.

Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner"?
Then you're just in the very spot
To learn the wondrous resources
Of Him who faileth not:
No doubt to a brighter pathway
Your footsteps will soon be moved,
But only at "Wit's End Corner"
is the "God who is able" proved.

--Antoinette Wilson

Bible Marking series....State of the Dead

If you are new to this series - scroll down to the end of this post to get an explanation of how I use this method for Bible Marking.

Today's lesson is: State of the Dead- SD- 1 Tim. 6:14-16

 

14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. SD- Gen. 3:1-4

 

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.    SD- Gen 2:7

 

    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.    SD- Ecc. 9:5-10

 

    For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun. 7 Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.    SD- Ps. 146:4

 

4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. SD- Ez. 18:4

 

4 "Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. SD- John 11:11-14

 

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." 12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.    SD- 1 Thess. 4:16-17

 

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.    SD- 1 Cor 15:51-55

 

    Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" SD- END 

***********************************
I wanted to share a link to a website that has some amazing Bible Studies. Some of which will expound more on some of these Bible Marking lessons we have had. Click Here to check out the Amazing Facts Bible Studies. These also are available in different languages.

Also Here is a link to some free books to read. I have not read them all but I have been blessed by the ones I have read. I hope you are as well.

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

As you can tell, I have decided to go in a different order than how my teacher presented these topics.

Before we begin, I would like to be sure and say up front- on all of these markings- I am not claiming that these are all of the verses for the topics. This is just a basic beginning point at studying a topic. I hope you all will enjoy them all. 

Things you will need for Bible Marking:

*Bible
*colored pencils
*pencil- I recommend a good #2 pencil- these are getting harder and harder to find.
*pen- optional - I like to use a pen to write information on a paper in the back of my Bible.
*ruler or bookmark- you will use this to underline the verses.

Now you are ready to go!

Update

We are home. My husband did great. They fixed the knee plus the Dr said he saw some arthritis and scrapped it off. My husband has been such a trooper.
We are all tired though- had to wake up early to get ready and did not get home till about 1:30pm.
We picked up our granddaughter on the way home - she is now happily playing Dr for Papa!
I hope you all are doing well. :O)

Drawing Nigh to God....series

Drawing Nigh to God

 

By

Minnie E. Dauphinee

 

Divinely Guided ...Every Step

 

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord."

_Psalms 37:23

 

God has a definite plan for our lives. Sometimes we are prone to think that He is not guiding, because we cannot see far into the future. But do we forget that He promises only to order our steps, and that it is not possible to take more than one step at a time?

 

When God called Abraham to leave his home, his relatives, and his friends, He did not at that time reveal to him all His plans for the future. How foolish it must have seemed to those faithless relatives and friends for Abraham to leave home with no destination in mind. The record says, "He went out, not knowing whither he went" (Hebrews 8:11). Each step was a step of faith.

 

The prophet Jeremiah said, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23).

 

A physician descending with his guide from the top of Mount Blane stopped at a certain point and insisted on going the rest of the way alone. The guide protested, but to no avail. The physician had gone but a short distance when his foot slipped and he fell to his death. He received no help because he had taken himself out of the hands of the guide.

 

"Why do I drift on a storm-tossed sea

with neither compass nor star nor chart,

When, as I drift, God's own plan for me

Waits at the door of my slow trusting

heart?

 

"Drifting, while God's at the helm to steer;

Groping, when God lays the course so

clear;

Swerving, though straight into port I might

sail;

Wrecking, when heaven lies just within

hail.

 

"Help me, O God, in the plan to believe;

Help me my fragment each day to receive:

O that my will may with Thine have no strife!

God-yielded wills find the God-planned

life."

 

-James McConkey

Prayer Request

My husband is having surgery this morning- I would sure appreciate prayers. I will update when I can. Thanks :O)

What a Promise

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

 

What a wonderful promise this is! :o)

From Waste to Usefulness

When we make Taco Salads- I don't like to use the re fried beans- to me it makes the bottom of the taco salad shell soggy. So we end up having quite a bit of re fried beans left over. Well my husband gave me a great idea - in which to use those re fried beans up.

I take those re fried beans add a can of pinto beans that have been drained. I then add from most to least - onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and chili powder. I stir this up really good.

Then I put some of this bean mixture on a flour tortilla and add some Italian cheese along with some Colby jack cheese. Then I fold this up into a burrito. I take a piece of foil and wrap up the burrito- I put these in a freezer Ziploc bag and then if anyone gets hungry they can heat up how ever many burritos that they want. Or my sons can take some to work with them for lunches. It felt good to use what we had and provide more meals around the house and have less waste.

What do you do around your house to save money?

"I Will Wait and Watch..."

I am going through the devotional~ "Streams in the Desert" this year. It has really been a blessing to me. Today's devotional really spoke to me and I think it will speak to you as well. I hope it blesses you too. :O)


For this is what the Lord has told me: “I will wait and watch from my place, like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, like a cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.” — Isa 18:4 NET

Assyria was marching against Ethiopia, the people of which are described as tall and smooth. And as the armies advance, God makes no effort to arrest them; it seems as though they will be allowed to work their will. He is still watching them from His dwelling place, the sun still shines on them; but before the harvest, the whole of the proud army of Assyria is smitten as easily as when sprigs are cut off by the pruning hook of the husbandman.
Is not this a marvelous conception of God—being still and watching? His stillness is not acquiescence. His silence is not consent. He is only biding His time, and will arise, in the most opportune moment, and when the designs of the wicked seem on the point of success, to overwhelm them with disaster. As we look out on the evil of the world; as we think of the apparent success of wrong-doing; as we wince beneath the oppression of those that hate us, let us remember these marvelous words about God being still and beholding.
There is another side to this. Jesus beheld His disciples toiling at the oars through the stormy night; and watched though unseen, the successive steps of the anguish of Bethany, when Lazarus slowly passed through the stages of mortal sickness, until he succumbed and was borne to the rocky tomb. But He was only waiting the moment when He could interpose most effectually. Is He still to thee? He is not unobservant; He is beholding all things; He has His finger on thy pulse, keenly sensitive to all its fluctuations. He will come to save thee when the precise moment has arrived. —Daily Devotional Commentary
Whatever His questions or His reticences, we may be absolutely sure of an unperplexed and undismayed Saviour.

“O troubled soul, beneath the rod,
Thy Father speaks, be still, be still;
Learn to be silent unto God,
And let Him mould thee to His will.

“O praying soul, be still, be still,
He cannot break His plighted Word;
Sink down into His blessed will,
And wait in patience on the Lord.

“O waiting soul, be still, be strong,
And though He tarry, trust and wait;
Doubt not, He will not wait too long,
Fear not, He will not come too late.”

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

Isn't that beautiful- "His silence is not consent" I sure thought so. Have a great day! :O)

---

A Little More Added to the Plate...

Good Morning. Well it looks like most of the rain has moved out of here. I still can't complain since we had about 2 days of off and on raining and temps SO much lower than they usually are for this time of year. It has been so refreshing. And I am sure my yard feels the same way. Of course, now when it dries up I will certainly need to mow. There were areas in our yard that were getting tall enough that I was already planning on trying to mow on Sunday since SweetPea would be with her Mom and I would have a chance to get the mowing done. But Praise the Lord- I woke up to rain!!

As I have said many times, this month has been a busy one. Taking care of a wee one - when one is not used to it - can be a job. It has been fun mostly and actually it seems we both are getting more and more used to it. But now - something else has been added to the mix. Yep my husband has a torn Meniscus and will be having surgery on Friday. We don't know what time yet - we just know that it will be Friday. Last Monday his knee REALLY started to hurt him and so we figured we better get him to the Dr. - which was a great idea. The Dr had him go get xrays and an MRI that day. And sure enough he needs surgery. Friday is my longest day to take care of SweetPea. We are hoping that we can have my Mom take care of SweetPea for a few hours while he has the outpatient surgery and then pick up her on the way back through. If nothing else, I could have my Mom bring her to the hospital if my Mom starts getting tired. Anyway - we will work it out - one way or another. SweetPea is really a good girl - I just think it would be stressful to have her at the hospital with me the entire time.

Anyway I would sure appreciate you all keeping him in your prayers. That the surgery can go smoothly and that he can have a good recovery. And that we both can have peace during these couple of days till and on Friday. I really appreciate it. Thanks. May God bless each of you in a special way today - and every day! :o) 

Salt in my Kitchen....series

 Salt in my Kitchen

by

Jeanette Lockerbie

 

Shut the Door

 

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7

 

    A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves." 2 So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." 3 Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones." 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not another vessel." So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest." 

 

How often in the course of a day, especially in summer, does the command "Shut the door" ring out. We shut the door against the inroads of insects, pets, heat (in winter, cold). Springs insure that doors will swing shut even when manipulated by careless or too-tiny hands.

The Shunammite woman in our reading today had a two-fold need to shut her door. A creditor had come to take her two sons as slaves.  She shut in her two boys. She shut out the world around them. A crisis called for nothing less than intervention from on high and she had no intention of letting outside interests rob her of the answer to her fervent prayer. In her extreme need she gladly heeded the voice of Elisha, the man of God. The abundance of oil that God supplied met her need of paying debts.

 

We might well wonder what would have happened had she done everything else God commanded, but had left the door open. Distraction and possibly derision might have moved her to abandon the instructions given by the prophet. We can only speculate, but we do know that unless we deliberately shut out the world's noise there will be little chance to hear the voice of God.

 

Lord, I have shut the door,

Speak now the word

Which in the din and throng

Could not be heard.

 

_William M. Runyan

 

 

 

 

  

Through...continue on

THROUGH



"When thou passest through the waters"
Deep the waves may be and cold
But Jehovah is our refuge,
And His promise is our hold;
For the Lord Himself hath said it,
He, the faithful God and true:
"When thou comest to the waters
Thou shalt not go down, but THROUGH!"

Seas of sorrow, seas of trial,
Bitterest anguish, fiercest pain,
Rolling surges of temptation
Sweeping over heart and brain--
They shall never overflow us
For we know His word is true;
All His waves and all His billows
He will lead us safely THROUGH.

Threatening breakers of destruction,
Doubt's insidious undertow,
Shall not sink us, shall not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise shall sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true!
We shall not go down, or under,
For He saith, "Thou passest THROUGH."

--Annie Johnson Flint

Bible Marking...series..The Judgement

If you are new to this series - scroll down to the end of this post to get an explanation of how I use this method for Bible Marking.

Today's lesson is: The Judgement- J- Acts 17:30-31

30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

J- Ecc. 3:17

17 I said in my heart, "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work." J- Ecc. 12:14

14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.  J- Dan. 7:9-10

    "I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; 10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.  J- Rev. 3:5

5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 
J- Rev. 20:12 

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.   

 J- Rev. 22:12

    "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  J- Matt. 25:25

And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have

what is yours.'  J- vs. 41

41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 

J-END

***********************************
I wanted to share a link to a website that has some amazing Bible Studies. Some of which will expound more on some of these Bible Marking lessons we have had. Click Here to check out the Amazing Facts Bible Studies. These also are available in different languages.

Also Here is a link to some free books to read. I have not read them all but I have been blessed by the ones I have read. I hope you are as well.

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

As you can tell, I have decided to go in a different order than how my teacher presented these topics.

Before we begin, I would like to be sure and say up front- on all of these markings- I am not claiming that these are all of the verses for the topics. This is just a basic beginning point at studying a topic. I hope you all will enjoy them all. 

Things you will need for Bible Marking:

*Bible
*colored pencils
*pencil- I recommend a good #2 pencil- these are getting harder and harder to find.
*pen- optional - I like to use a pen to write information on a paper in the back of my Bible.
*ruler or bookmark- you will use this to underline the verses.

Now you are ready to go!

Busy, Yet Fun

As you all know - I have been very, very busy with a sweet little 3 year old girl this week. We have had all sorts of fun.

Playing in the sandbox is one of her favorite things. She loves sifting the sand and all sorts of things.

Feeding the chickens is another favorite:

We've even made and eaten spiders!!!!

Yeah - that one needed a nose according to SweetPea....lol :O)

One morning she informed her Daddy that HE was going to Grammies and she was going to work to work on putters. lol - he needed rest is what she said. So we began to do "work" at Grammies so she would feel like she was working too. Our work was fun work though- all sorts of painting, art projects and such. There are a lot of great ideas on the internet.

The week or so before SweetPea came to stay with her Daddy - I spend some time gathering some ideas on the internet and put the ideas in a folder - well when I was looking for some ideas to do - I discovered all those links disappeared. I am hoping to find the page again - because it had LOTS of great ideas and I want to be able to look through it again and plan more activist. She went with her Mom last night but will be back next week - and I want to plan a lot more fun activities.

It's funny - while I was gather the ideas and such - I had posted on Facebook about getting stuff together to do "school" with my granddaughter and a friend of mine who has 3 young kids - really reacted to it in a way I was surprised about. She said summer is for fun kids should not have to do school work during the summer. Well let me tell you this - my sweet granddaughter has plenty of time for play and "school" and LOVES them both. She LOVED the activities that we do. And it breaks up the day and makes it less grueling on either one of us. If she starts getting bored - then we move on to free play. I think young kinds love to do activities, experiments, learning activities - even during the summer. If you made it fun - they love it. And it helps them out too. I wish my friend would reconsider - it would make the summer with her kiddos more fun instead of frustrating- which it seems to be for her.

Anyway ALL of that to say that I have not gotten my Bible Marking lesson for today - typed out - I will do it this afternoon - so stay tuned. I hope you all have a great day! If we can make it through this HOT day - 102 high today - it looks like we have a chance for a few cooler days- like highs in the upper 80's and 90's- with a little rain chance for several days in a row- and trust me we NEED rain. Please pray we get some - our yard is cracked up and needs rain.

5 Things...

Something floating around facebook - wanted to share it with you all. Have a great week end! :O)

Drawing Nigh to God....series

 

Drawing Nigh to God

 

by

 

Minnie E. Dauphinee

 

 

Working With Christ..... The Reward

 

Some years ago scores of ocean liners carrying thousands of immigrants from more than forty different European country sped across the Atlantic in an endeavor to reach the shores of the United States before midnight of June 30. At that hour a law would become effective which said that only so many immigrants from each country might enter during a certain period. Many arrived too late. The quotas were already filled. Disappointed and heartbroken, hundreds who had spent the savings of a lifetime with the hope of becoming citizens of this land of opportunity returned to the lands from which they had come.

 

We are bound for the heavenly Canaan and are nearing the end of our voyage on the sea of life. Heaven has no quota. All who make the necessary heart preparation in time- "now is the accepted time"- And bear "fruit unto holiness," shall not be disappointed when the midnight hour of God's probation comes.

 

"Eternity in glory shall I spend

And never, never have an end.

 

"Oh! shall I live in glory fair

As many millions years as atoms in the air?

 

"And when these are past as many more

To flow as grains of sand that bound the

ebbing shore?

 

"And when these are spent as many on the

march

As starry lamps that gild the heavenly arch?

 

" And when these run out as many more

behind,

As leaves of forest shaken by the wind?

 

"When these are past, as many more to flow

As blades of grass on hills and dales that

grow?

 

"When these are gone, as many millions more,

As every moment in the age before?

 

"When all these blissful years spent with my

glorious King

Are multiplied by myriads once again?

 

"Then an only then shall I begin to under

stand

What God hath provided in His gift of life

to man."

_Author Unknown

 

 



What a Promise

Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

John 16:22

Learning From Bubbles

Today while playing outside with my sweet granddaughter, I learned an important lesson and I wanted to share it with you all.

We were playing bubbles. I was blowing bubbles and she was running after them. It seemed as though she was getting fixated on a certain bubble or just big bubbles, meanwhile many smaller bubbles were floating right past her.

That is when I started thinking, How many times do I do that? How many times do I focus so much on one thing that I think I want that I miss out on so many blessing floating right by me. I think we all can fall into this trap and when we do - we miss out on so many joyful experiences.

Praising God for all the blessings great and small! Together they add so much joy to my life. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much and bestowing blessings on each and every one of us.

Skip the Detergent....

This was something floating around Facebook today.

 And I gave it a try this morning.

Looking forward to see how they do - I really think they will work better

 if not - I will let you guys know.

 

Hope everyone has a great day! :o)

Touching Base

The first week that I took care of my granddaughter, SweetPea, the weather was wonderful - not the normal HOT weather that we have here in Texas during July. But of course, things never stay the same. We are back at temps in the mid to upper 90's this week. We have continued to play in the sandbox and water toy outside and of course her little house.
You know that is love - when Grammie is willing to be out in 90-100 degree temps because little SweetPea wants to play outside. Of course, we just have to spend short periods of time here and there throughout the day.
One day last week - we were able to get to a local park and play for a while. I am hoping that one day this week the temps will be decent in the morning so we can go to the park again.

SweetPea seems to be calming down a bit - and playing by herself here and there throughout the day. I am so happy to get to spend this time with her. I am sure that once July is over that I will miss her.

Well I just want to check in and touch base with you all. I have some ideas for some great blog posts - but I just haven't had very much down time in order to really work on them so I am writing down my ideas and will work on them when I can. I will continue to keep up my regular posts through the month. I just have to take some time here and there to get them typed up.

I hope you all are keeping cool this summer. Will check in again when I can. :O)

Salt in my Kitchen....series

 

 Salt in my Kitchen 

 

by

Jeanette Lockerbie

 

Step Right Up!

Bible Reading: John 10:7-10

 

    Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 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.

You arrive at the door of the up-to-date supermarket. It swings wide open, apparently of its own volition.

Did you ever pause to figure out what makes it work?

Have you sometimes stood on the threshold doubting that the door would open? Or are you the
technically-minded type of young woman for whom the door poses no mystery? You're aware that by stepping on a specific area you activate the current that operates it.

More likely you simply accept the fact without question. In doing so, you are exercising faith. Faith in an "electric eye."

Apply the same faith - or logic- to the words of Christ, who says:

I am the door....

 

"Enter in," Jesus invites. There is no need to stand outside wondering if the door will really open. No need to figure out by what process He will open the door for you.

 

As simply as the youngest child, on a shopping trip with Mommie, stands expectantly waiting for the door to open, you can appropriate the benefits of heaven's open door. Just step right up!

 

 

I am the door, the Saviour said;

I am the only door.

 

 



Delayed Blessings...

Today I wanted to share something that really blessed me. This was my little devotional for July 4th. I love the explanation of there being a "Delayed Blessings Office" and I think it will bless you as well.

 

))))))))))))*************((((((((((((((

 

Streams in the Desert Devotional Book by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

 

“For the Vision is yet for an appointed time though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” Habakkuk 2:3

 

In the charming little booklet, Expectation Corner, Adam Slowman was led into the Lord’s treasure houses, and among many other wonders there revealed to him was the ”Delayed Blessings Office,” where God kept certain things, prayed for, until the wise time came to send them. It takes a long time for some pensioners to learn that delays are not denials. Ah, there are secrets of love and wisdom in the “Delayed Blessings Department,” which are little dreamt of! Men would pluck their mercies green when the Lord would have them ripe. “Therefore will the Lord WAIT, that He may be gracious unto you” (Isa. 30:18). He is watching in the hard places and will not allow one trial too many; He will let the dross be consumed, and then He will come gloriously to your help. Do not grieve Him by doubting His love. Nay, lift up your head, and begin to praise Him even now for the deliverance which is on the way to you, and you will be abundantly rewarded for the delay which has tried your faith.

 

O Thou of little faith,

God hath not failed thee yet!

When all looks dark and gloomy,

Thou dost so soon forget–

 

Forget that He has led thee,

And gently cleared thy way;

On clouds has poured His sunshine,

And turned thy night to day.

 

And if He’s helped thee hitherto,

He will not fail thee now;

How it must wound His loving heart

To see thy anxious brow!

 

Oh! doubt not any longer,

To Him commit thy way,

Whom in the past thou trusted,

And is “just the same today.”

 

–Selected

 

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

Bible Marking series....Mark of the Beast

If you are new to this series - scroll down to the end of this post to get an explanation of how I use this method for Bible Marking.

Today's lesson is: Mark of the Beast - MB - Ex. 20:8-11

 

    "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.    MB- Ex 31:17

 

    It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.' "   MB- Ex 31:13

 

13 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.    MB- Rev. 7:2-3

 

 

2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."  MB- Rev. 14:1-5

 

1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault

before the throne of God.  MB- Rev. 14:9-10

 

9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.    MB- Rev.14:13

 

 

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' " "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."    MB- Rev. 13:15-17

 

 

15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.   MB- Rev. 12:17

 

17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

MB- Rev. 15:2

 

2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.    MB- Rev 19:20

 

20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.    MB- END

***********************************
I wanted to share a link to a website that has some amazing Bible Studies. Some of which will expound more on some of these Bible Marking lessons we have had. Click Here to check out the Amazing Facts Bible Studies. These also are available in different languages.

Also Here is a link to some free books to read. I have not read them all but I have been blessed by the ones I have read. I hope you are as well.

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

As you can tell, I have decided to go in a different order than how my teacher presented these topics.

Before we begin, I would like to be sure and say up front- on all of these markings- I am not claiming that these are all of the verses for the topics. This is just a basic beginning point at studying a topic. I hope you all will enjoy them all. 

Things you will need for Bible Marking:

*Bible
*colored pencils
*pencil- I recommend a good #2 pencil- these are getting harder and harder to find.
*pen- optional - I like to use a pen to write information on a paper in the back of my Bible.
*ruler or bookmark- you will use this to underline the verses.

Now you are ready to go!