Letting The World In TOO Soon

 Have you ever been convicted of something and then later have it reinforced with something you have read. Well this happened to me recently and I would like to share it with you. I am hoping it will bless you as well. 

So lately I have gotten a little lax in my morning schedule and I have let the world in too soon. What do I mean by that? Well I had slowly started getting on my phone and turning on the volume of it and it has become a distraction during my quiet time. You see I wake up and I get my cats and chickens taken care of and then it is quiet time. But I had slipped into getting on my phone and checking this and that - and I thought it was harmless because I was "only" checking weather and the such. I thought I was doing SO good because I was not checking Facebook and Emails till after quiet time. BUT once I turned the ringer on I began getting distracted and it took away from my quiet time. 

So one morning last week - after I had had several interruptions I wrote on an index card - these rules I wanted to put into place for myself: 

* Don't turn sound on phone till after quiet time. 

* Don't look at things on phone will after quiet time - everything can wait. 

* I have a better quiet time when I haven't let the world in first. 

Then I began reading my current book Your Friend, The Holy Spirit  And just listen to what I found in my reading for this day that I was convicted of allowing the world in too soon: 

"If Jesus is the center and focus of our lives, the whole life will revolve around our relationship with Him. He will be our most important priority. He will be the first One to whom we turn for companionship and the last One for whom we cannot find time."

I get such a blessing that can't be matched when I put God first. When I let the world do it's thing, it will all be there when I am done with my quiet time with Jesus and I will be better prepared to face it when I put God first! 

Yes, reading this chapter reassured me of the importance to put God first. He deserves it! I hope that this little testimony blessed you. And I would like to encourage you - if you don't already -please find some time for God - as close to the first things you do as possible- you WILL be blessed!! 

#9 Dealing with Failure, More About Jesus Seminar

photo from pinterest 

Freebie Friday

So outside of my favorite little thrift store - I found the plastic little container on the left top of the photo - filled with all these playdoh toys! I will need to soak them in water and clean them up but there are some great additions to our play doh toys!! 

Now hopefully I can find some great deals to start having some best deal posts again. But at least for now I at least was able to share a couple of freebie fridays with you all. Next week I will share something awesome with you all that I got for free. It is something I had been looking for. I can't wait to share it with you! :O) 
 

There Is Nothing More Healing...

 "There is nothing more healing to the sinful heart then to be fully known and yet fully loved. Those who met Jesus sensed that He knew everything about them and still loved them. They knew that he knew every dark secret and every fragile fear lurking in their hearts, and yet He did not condemn. He was full of both "grace and truth." In Him "righteousness and peace have kissed each other." He loves the sinner while hating the sin, and He only hates the sin because it hurts the sinner He loves."

~Ty Gibson

" Seeing With New Eyes ~the true beauty of God's character"

Do I Have A Best Deal Today OR Not?

So today is when I usually post My Best Deal. But I have not had a chance to go shopping that much the last couple of weeks. After being sick for 3 weeks - I had quite a bit of stuff around here to get caught up on. I enjoy thrift store shopping but I enjoy it more when I have thing under control here at my home. 

Then there is another issue of why I don't have anything for my Best Deal post today. I tried to go to my favorite little thrift store today - I had gotten a few of my jobs done around the house and wanted to treat myself to a trip to the thrift store. I got there only to find no one there and it closed. That is one of the biggest annoyances of this little thrift store- the lady who runs it is kind of hit or miss if she is there and opens. Most of the time she does well - but just ever so often - I drive up there only to find the store closed. What a disappointment. 

Well I had a couple of other errands to run around town. So I got them taken care of so it wasn't a total waste of a trip. Anyway hopefully I will find a great deal to share with you soon. :O) 

#8 Gotta Tell Somebody, More About Jesus Seminar

Happy Sabbath! May God bless you today and everyday! :O) 

Freebie Friday

I was finally able to make it to my favorite little thrift store last week. And sure enough they had a few boxes of free stuff out front. I enjoy looking through these boxes. 

This week I found this brand new business card holder and I have a great plan for it. 

I learned this idea from my mother in law - but I have added something special to mine. 

So my mother in law keeps all of her Drs business card in a holder similar to this. So I thought I would do that for my husband and I. 

But how mine will be a bit different than her book will be- is that when I take her to Dr appointments- I will be getting a business card from those Drs as well and I will put those card at the back of the book. That way when I need to contact a Dr office I will have the info handy. I may even write on the back of the cards - the visits - so that when we are wondering when the last visit was - I can check easily. I may do this will mine and my husbands drs cards. 

 This was my great freebie Friday find. Come back next week - I have another freebie friday for then as well. See you then! :O) 

Guilt Is Cleansed Away When....

"Guilt is cleansed away when we see and believe that the very One who could condemn, does not. When God's pardoning grace looms in our minds larger than our sin, then we see sin for what it really is and God for who He really is. Sin loses its spell-binding influence. When we understand that God's love is not withdrawn in response to our wrongdoing- when we see and believe this reality- the glad tidings neutralize our shame and reconstruct the true image of God in the soul. We are healed by that true image....

God hates my sin, because it hurts me, the one He loves. This is clear.

But I am not condemned by God.

He loves me because He is good, not because I'm good."

~Ty Gibson

"Seeing With New Eyes-The true beauty of God's Character"

The Decoy

So today I wanted to share something that we learned and implemented years ago. Chickens like to lay eggs where other chickens lay eggs. So it is a good idea to have a few eggs out in the chicken coop at all times - to lure them to lay eggs there, especially if they have recently been given more freedom and there are plenty of other places they could lay eggs.  I have heard them "brag" in other parts of the yard and have hoped they are not laying elsewhere. 

So we have put out ceramic eggs here and there in the coop. I like to draw smiley faces on them so I will know it is a fake eggs, they are so realistic. 

I may have told you all about my experience last year. I had several of my ceramic eggs stolen - by a snake. But luckily for me - he brought a couple of them back. Unlucky for me - I found one of them shortly after he brought it back - because when I picked it up - it was still wet...ewwwwww 

I have had at least one egg stolen this year, hence the nice clean ceramic egg in the nesting box. 

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Be sure and come back this week we will have a Freebie Friday post! :O) 

 

Understanding Adds Depth

Today I wanted to share Tauren Wells song - Hills and Valleys.  I have heard this song many times but this week I caught an idea that I hadn't caught before and wanted to share this just in case others had missed it as well.

So I am a visual learner - so when I hear songs on the radio - sometimes it takes me some time to get the full meaning of the song. And "Hills and Valleys" is one of those song that I recently figured out a main point that I believe is SO powerful.

So I am sharing just a few of the lyrics here with you:

Did you notice who it is who puts us on the mountains?  It is the same God who is with us in the valleys. 

God is the same God not matter if we are on the mountains or in the valleys of life. But I loved that I finally caught the idea that God is the one who puts us on the mountains. We "didn't get there on our own."

You can listen to the song. This song means even more to me now that I understand it better! :O) 

#7 Why Read the Bible, More About Jesus Seminar

Happy Sabbath! May God bless you abundantly today and every day. And may you grow into a deeper relationship with Him every day. The most important relationship you can have!! :O) 

It Really Is A Lot Of Work

 I tell you what - having a homestead really is a lot of work.  And I have come to realize this even more over the last month since recovering from Covid. 

I had to let things go for several weeks while I was sick. I only did the basics. Then it took me a bit of time to get going again. And it didn't help that I had a list of things that needed to be done when I got sick. 

Over the last month I have slowly been chipping away with all the things that needed to be done around here. It has brought me great joy to see the progress. But as I am worked out in the yard and garden and with the chickens and all, I have realized that It truly is a whole lot of work to have a homestead. 

I think that some people have a romantic idea about what homesteading is all about. They don't realize that there is work to be done no matter what the weather is like. When you have animals - you have to get out and care for them - whether the temps are in the single digits or the triple digits. Rain or Shine. It has to be done. 

It is well worth all the work, but a lot of work none the less. But there are great joys that come along with it and I am so grateful to have my garden, yard, and chickens that need tending to. It is truly a blessing and blesses me!! 

Silver Lining of Covid....series....Part 4

 As you know I am sharing a series about the silver lining that came out of my experience with Covid. God was faithful and I am so thankful for that!! 

One of the silver linings is that this experience helped build my faith! I had to! I spent many hours over these 3 weeks praying! When I say many hours - I did not spend a whole hour praying - but I prayed many times. I have a rough time sleeping and I was up many times. And when I would get myself set back in bed- I would spend time praying to God for healing, not only for me but for the 7 other people that I knew had Covid. I lifted them up to Jesus. I prayed for all those sick with it- or anything else. I prayed for all the people I knew that were experiencing any aches or pains or any issues. Sometimes I just prayed for people I knew and told Jesus - you know what is going on in their live and I ask you to bless them draw them closer to you! I found myself praying day and night. I even prayed that God would eradicate Covid. I hate anyone having to go through it. 

So after 2 weeks of being sick and realize I was going down hill - this was the time I really had to hold onto my faith. God brought to my mind a passage in Scriptures that speaks of Daniel praying and having to wait 3 weeks for an answer. 

12

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.  Daniel 10:12- 13 

And to be honest with you. I felt that this was the case with me. That I had prayed for healing but there was a battle going on behind the scenes. God was wanting to bring me healing but the devil did not want that to happen. I prayed for angels that excelled in strength to be sent forth to fight for me. And asked for protection for myself because I felt like:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 

1 Peter 5:8

And I knew that I needed God to fight for me. 

I read Psalms 91 and 23 ever single day - sometimes several times. I put my whole trust in Jesus Christ because I knew He was the only one who could heal me. I had to have faith and my faith grew through this. I couldn't help but come out of it with more faith.  

Just one more of the silver linings from my experience with Covid. I am SO grateful that there were silver linings. 

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

All These Things Were Done, Why?

 "All the healing miracles of the Savior's ministry. All the teaching and touching and tender loving. All the reckless mercy and the careful justice. And finally, the self-abandoning sacrifice on the cross. All of it was meant for one premeditated purpose: to reveal the powerful beauty of the Father's character of love."

~ Ty Gibson in his book- "Seeing With New Eyes -the true beauty of God's character"

Don't Quit

 After 3 weeks of having to let a lot of things go in my yard and garden, this was an important things for me to hold onto. I had learned this lesson 7 years ago when I went through chemo and was recovering from it. I had to learn to do a little and rest a little. And again - this process had to be followed after being SO sick with Covid. Over the last couple of weeks - I have slowly worked at getting things caught up. It has been awesome to see each job finished and be able to move on to the next. It has also given me greater appreciation for the ability to do the jobs! I am So thankful for learning this lesson. If you get tired - take some time to rest. Go sit on your back porch and enjoy the results of your labor! That is part of the reward to look at what you have accomplished and appreciate it all. Don't just give up and quit, rest a bit and then get back at it. You will get stronger and more able as you keep at it. :O) 

God Never Said...

 This is another Meme going around Facebook. And it really spoke to me as well. I think the reason it spoke to me is that because we live in a sinful world - we will find ourselves in tough situation. In situations in which we will feel that weapons are formed against us, but because God loves us He works things out for His glory. 

#6 Be Still and Know, More About Jesus Seminar

Hope you all are doing well. A happy Sabbath to each of you. May you be blessed! :O) 

Silver Linings of Covid...series....part 3

 In all of my life I do not ever remember getting and knocked on my butt as I was during my 3 weeks of being sick with Covid. I think that it what lead to the silver lining that I will be sharing about today. 

Gratitude for being alive has been something that has brought me great joy over the last few weeks. I think I have always had gratitude but I have it at such a higher level now. There are many times throughout the day that I am just overwhelmed with being thankful to be alive. Thankful to be able to get back to taking care of my self. I am grateful that I am able to take care of my home and my garden. There for a few days - I did not have the energy to even walk to the kitchen to look out my kitchen window at my garden. And I actually had to come to a place of being ok if I lost the garden. Because I couldn't do anything about it. When you get do unable to do things - it makes you so thankful and grateful when you are finally able to do them again. 

There were a couple of days that I could not even take a shower. Then tried one day and it just totally sent me to having to do a breathing treatment and using my oxygen boost and trying to get my numbers under control - caused me to have a migraine. The next day I did a bit better and then the next even better. It was like daily I was able to a bit more- and each new accomplishment brought me great joy! 

I find myself just feeling so much gratitude to God for being alive and I just have to say: 

"Thank you Jesus for getting me through!" 

"Thank you for not forsaking me!!" 

"Thank You Jesus!" 

I am so thankful for the silver linings that I have received from my bout with Covid. Would I ever want to go through that again? NO!! But I am thankful for the blessings that God brought to me through this experience! 

Be sure to come back next week - we have at least 2 more posts! :O) 

What Generates Real Goodness in Us?

 If God loves you and me, fallen sinners, with just as much passion and depth as He loves Jesus, the Sinless One, then we can only conclude that His love must transcend the dark reality of our sinfulness. Our sin does not alter, lessen or put off His love. It is a changeless, undying love that cannot be quenched by sin's ugliness. It must be a love, as well, that predates any good deeds that we may do , and is, in fact, the only means by which good deeds that are truly good may be achieved in our lives. Because God loves us in our sinfulness, just as He loves Jesus in His sinlessness, we must believe that His love is a constant, immovable reality that is not dependent on our goodness . Rather, we are utterly dependent on the revelation of God's love to generate any real goodness in us."

~ quote from "Seeing With New Eyes ~the true beauty of God's character"

By Ty Gibson

Intended to make us rejoice!!

These was a little meme that I saw on Facebook. It spoke volumes to me. I have loved working in my garden this year, more than any year before. I think it is because the past year I have spent time learning more about gardening. I have implemented new techniques and they have been very helpful in making the garden a more enjoyable experience for me. 

While I was really sick with covid - I remember the few days that I did not even feel good enough to walk to the kitchen to look out the kitchen window at my garden. Something I love to do. It was bad enough that I did not feel I could handle walking outside in my garden- but it was so hard on me not being able to even go look at the garden. God really has blessed us when he implemented gardens - in the garden of Eden! I am so thankful for the many blessings that come from the garden!! :O)