Righteousness by Faith part 13: Works

A special blessing to you today! :O) 

Seven Petitions...#7

  Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. for ever. Amen. 

Matthew 6:5-13

#7 

" 'But deliver us from evil.' 

There is no strength in us to stand the trials that come to us from day to day. We need help; we need deliverance. Evil will overtake us, the evil one will gain the victory unless we get help from God. This prayer recognized our need of help and asks God for it. This is the last of the seven petitions. After this comes the closing statement ascribing power and glory to God."

Be sure to come back next week to see the conclusion! It's good - you won't want to miss it!  

Righteousness by Faith part 12: Law

Happy Sabbath~ I hope you are all doing well. 

We are getting back to this awesome series. Each video is only about 30 minutes long. 
May God bless you in a special way! :O) 

Just checking in :O)

So today was our 30th day in triple digit weather. The last 3 days the high was 109 - so when our high today was only at 103 area - it was a tiny bit of relief but still very hot. And still no rain in sight. We have only gotten .70 - just less than 3/4th of an inch of rain in the last month or maybe even 6 weeks or more. That is so pathetic - we desperately need rain. I have been praying for rain and asking others to pray for rain as well. Hoping God blesses us soon with some rain. 

Life is still very busy. I have had several things throw a wrench into my schedule this week and was very thankful that I held my plans loosely because things changed again. But thankfully there have been some blessing along the way as well. 

We are moving forward -ever so slowly- to getting the tornado damage fixed. Looks like within a couple of week or so - we should have a new roof- that will be awesome! And we should be getting closer to having out fence fixed- the south side. My husband had been working on the north side fencing and it is looking very nice. You may be asking why he isn't doing that south side? Well it is because new metal poles need to be placed and with the temperatures being in the triple digits - it is just best we pay to have it done. He is working on the other $6500. area. So we are saving money by him doing this other section. 

We have so many project to do around here and it feels good to be getting things done - or at least see the prospect of them getting done soon! 

Hope you all are doing well. I will check in again when I get a chance. :O) 

Seven Petitions....#6

  Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. for ever. Amen. 

Matthew 6:5-13

#6 

" 'And lead us not into temptation.' 

God will not permit us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear. He will temper the temptation according to our strength. Temptations will come; they must come. We are to trust God and ask Him to give us the needed help for daily living." 

Oops... Sorry I lied

 Ok - Remember when I told about what kind of drought we were in? 

• moderate
• severe
• extreme 
• exceptional 

Guess where we landed? Yep- extreme..... ugh

Well I lied - we are actually in "Exceptional" drought - the worst on the list.... yep. It's that bad around here. 

We got our water bill and it is $30.00 more than it was last month - which was already $10.00 more than our usual bill. And I don't feel like I have been water more than I have the last several months. 

Well I guess a positive is that we had a day where a storm system when through the area on Thursday - we did not get but .01 inches of rain - I mentioned this the other day - the only thing we got out of it was the temps came down quite a bit - and our temps were like in the upper 70's to 80's. And the next day it only got to about 99 degrees. But we are heading for another long stretch of triple digits. 

I haven't given up yet, I continue to pray for some measurable rainfall in order to help our drought situation. Wild fires are starting easily because of the drought situation. 

Anyway sorry about lying- I had not intentionally meant to do that - I guess in my mind I figured extreme was a great way to describe our drought conditions - but they had to come up with something worse - since we were even worse than extreme. 

Ya'll try to stay cool. And please pray that we get some relief from the temperatures and also that we get some rain. Thank you so much! 

 

CH 26-2 Christian Perfection Part 2- LESSONS ON FAITH– Audiobook 📚📕🎧

Wow...Just Wow

 Feeling a bit down today. A quick show went through the area and we got .01 inch is all. Then a local news station posted a map of the area with different areas in different areas shaded in different colors showing - what kind of drought that area was in: 

• moderate
• severe
• extreme 
• exceptional 

Guess where we landed? Yep- extreme..... ugh

I have also been noticing that our area has been in unhealthy air area as well - funny thing in there are LARGE cities nearby and sometimes our area is worse than them - it does not make sense to me. Maybe I am feeling a bit cursed.... sorry for the negativities - I am just tired and also in shock - I hadn't shared this part yet. It deserves its own paragraph for sure. 

So last month our electric bill was high - but there had been 2 other times that it had been higher since we lived in this house - like over 20 years. And I knew it would be higher this month - I just did not realize it would be $567!!! Ugh - it was like $372. last month - I had guessed it would be in the $400 area - not almost $600. 

And don't forget we still need to get the south side of our yard fenced- still waiting our turn to have that done. And we are hopefully going to be able to get our roof done sometime in the next month. So many things that need to be done around here and it had been SO hot. Last month we had 12 days of triple digit heat and 11 so far this month. Today would have been number 12 in a row but we had the "storm come through. And lowered the temps, thankfully. But of course on my long range forecast - it is showing every day through the 28th of the month 100 or higher- most are showing closer to 105...ugh...

So trying to look at positive things- I would rather have a high electric bill than no AC - so I am very thankful for a cool house - not everyone has that. And I am thankful for now we have the money to pay our electric bill. Praise God for that. 

If you would - I would SO appreciate you to pray that we could get some relief in temperatures and that would get some measurable rain fall. Thank you so much! 

Don't Be Deceived

 "God's handiwork in nature is not God himself in nature. The things of nature are an expression of God's character and power; but we are not to regard nature as God." MH139 

I heard this quote on one of Starry's youtube videos. Her channel name is " Simply Starry Sustainable Living With God" I am so encouraged by her. She loves Jesus very much and is so encouraging. I am so thankful that I have found her youtube channel. If you know of any great youtube channels where the person loves Jesus - please leave a comment for me. I would love to find some more great channels. 

Seven Petitions....#5

  Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. for ever. Amen. 

Matthew 6:5-13

Petition #5 

" 'And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.' 

God does not promise to forgive us our sins as we show a forgiving spirit to others. If we wish to be forgiven, we must forgive others when they trespass against us. This is the condition of forgiveness. We may therefore rest assures that if we are holding a grudge in our hearts, if we show an unforgiving spirit, our own sins are not forgiven. This should cause us to do some serious thinking." 

Miracles and Freedom

 As I was scrolling through Facebook memories at the end of June,  I realized that it was a very significant time period in my life~ Miracles and Freedom.

One year ago is when I had Covid. I had had it for 11 days so it was a pretty big surprise when on day 12- with just walking to my sewing room -the room next to my bedroom - I started coughing and having a hard time breathing. The machine for me to do my breathing treatments was in there. God worked a miracle by helping me get the magic meds on a Sabbath morning!! My husband was out of town and I was by myself but God gave wisdom to know what to do. And family and friends came together to bring me the needed items. My husband didn't get home until the afternoon of the next day. I don't think he realized how very sick I was. I had been in pretty good shape on Friday when he left, but not anymore. When he realized what bad shape I was in he wanted me to o to the hospital and he and one of my sons almost had me convinced to go when miracle #2 happened! As my husband is on the phone to my son and I am about to give in and let him take me to the hospital (I did NOT want to go to the hospital) the local fire dept. and ambulance pulled into our driveway. After they checked me out and found out I had started the meds that actually work against this virus the day before, they reassured us that we had done all we could do and that now it was just a matter of time before I would be better. Drink lots of water and try to keep moving were the instructions that they left me with. Praise the Lord- this unexpected visit kept me from going to the hospital. 

And I can't forget the miracle of God laying it on the heart of a fellow church member who, she herself had had Covid before and knew about "Boost Oxygen" canisters. And so she brought me a canister. This really helped me get through the worst of it. 

So how does freedom come into the picture? Well we have to go back 8 years to answer this question. 

My husband and I went camping. As we were driving I was hot and decided to take my hat off. I had been wearing a hat because I only had about a centimeter of hair. I had just finished chemo just a little over a month before and my hair was slowly growing back but I had still been self conscience about it- so I had continued to wear my hats. On the trip, because there was no way we would run into anyone we know- I began to to I said, "I am NOT wearing the hat again." What freedom I felt! I am so glad that God got me through these experiences. ANd I am thankful they were in my memories in order for me to see the significance of this weekend. 

And as I was writing this post in a journal - the verse on the last page of this journal- was this verse:

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." 

John 8:36

The perfect verse for what I was writing! 

"I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; 

I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You. 

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High," 

Psalms 9:1-2 NKJV 

CH 26-1 Christian Perfection Part 1- LESSONS ON FAITH – Audiobook 📚📕🎧

How's you weather?

 Sad to say - I can not remember the last things I have shared - so I apologize in advance if I have already gone over some of this. Last Thursday our son was told by the babysitter who was taking care of our youngest grandson 2 days a week that it would be her last week to keep him- super short notice. Anyway so since I already took care of him on Wed I now have him Wed, Thursday, and Fridays. Oh boy. It is taking a lot to get used to it. I am not used to this demand of my time. I rather liked having pretty much all control over what I wanted to do and when I wanted to do it. But now - I have a limit on that and it is taking something to get used to it for sure. 

Friday has always been preparation day - a day to get ready for the Sabbath. And I tried not to have things scheduled on Fridays  - like appointments for me or my mother in law. I enjoyed changing sheets and working on cleaning up the house and getting groceries so that we would have everything we needed on Sabbath. So it has been a bit disappointing now to have baby duty. I am trying to establish some what of a routine - what I can for just having him 3 days a week. And I am working at getting things done before, after and here and there during the day. 

I do know this - I do believe that now I will certainly look forward to Sabbaths rest more now then ever before. Once my hours of watching the baby ends and I finish up my Friday things I will be so thankful for Sabbaths rest. 

So we have had 17 triple digit days so far and today will be another. In fact, over the next week - it looks like every day but one will be triple digit days and its said to be 99. Our AC had been struggling to keep up with all this heat so yesterday we went and purchased a larger window unit for our sunroom. We really need to get our duct work redone in the attic and we also need to get some insulation blown in attic as well. About a year or so ago somehow we had raccoons get into out attic- and they did all sorts of damage to our insulation. But we could not afford to do it and now it will have to wait till after summer - NO ONE wants to be in the attics this time of year. So it has been hard to keep the house cool. We got the larger AC unit and we are hoping to be able to handle this heat easier. Today the heat index is said to be at least 111!! And most days will be 100 plus days. 
 

I am working with my struggling garden hoping to continue to get a few goodies from it. But trust me in this weather it is struggling. 

Well I better close baby is taking a nap and could wake up any time so I need to finish this up so I can get it posted. I am sorry for the lack of posts lately. I do think that maybe I can take advantage of the little 30 minute naps to get a post written up here and there. I have another post that it written in a journal - I just need to get it typed up - maybe I can get that done later today and get it up sometime soon. 

I have to say I am thankful for this laptop that my husband got fixed up for me so I can be in the room next to where baby is sleeping to get this typed up. That has been one issue for me - is that where our desk top computer is near where my husband watches tv and I really don't want to listen so some of the programs he watches plus it is hard to stay focused on what I am typing. So that had made it harder to get posts up. But I will be getting this laptop out more and hopefully being able to get things typed up :O) 

I do hope you all are staying cool enough. 

Seven Petitions...#4

  Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. for ever. Amen. 

Matthew 6:5-13

Petition #4 

" 'Give us this day our daily bread.' 

We are to recognize that every good and perfect gift is from above, and that even for our daily bread we are dependent upon the blessing of God from heaven. As we thank God for spiritual blessings, so we should thank Him for daily bread. 

Deep, true thankfulness should pervade our lives. It is putting a narrow interpretation on the Word to limit our thankfulness to certain of God's gifts only. We understand that this commandment enjoins thankfulness for all God's gifts and that a feeling of appreciation and joy for God's blessings should characterize us." 

Best Deal ~ Truly a Blessing From God!

Since next week I will begin to watch our youngest grandson who is 5 months old 3 days a week, I decided to go by a favorite thrift store in the general area. It is the thrift store that I have actually found some vintage Fisher Price toys at. I have in recent days realized it is probably my best source for great baby things. 

When I walked up to the baby area in the store - at first glance it looked quite bare. And I was worried I would not find anything. But then I noticed this brightly colored catterpiller. I picked it up and begin to try to figure out what exactly it was for. I thought this would be something great for the grandson. Little did I know what a great deal I was getting for just $6.00!! When I looked it up I realized that it was being sold on Amazon for $40.99! 

 I then found this treasure! I had wanted something like this cute security blanket toy. And here was a great one - this was the highest priced one I found on the internet - I am sure it could be found for cheaper. But I know it wouldn't be cheaper than the $2.00 I paid for it!!! What a deal!! 

I continued to look and saw this and thought - this would be great to have and especially for 50 cents!! 

And of course I wanted something to hang from car seat to help entertain him. Sometimes his daddy brings the toys they have for him - but I thought it would be great for us to have some different ones - that way they would entertain him longer. And for $2.00 I thought it was a great deal!! :O) 

I was so thrilled that God blessed me with all of these great toys for such a great deal! It was truly a blessing from God!! No other way to explain it. God knew that I was a bit stressed about my new duties and He provided some much needed helps for me. Praise God!! :O) 

For You!

 I am hoping to be able to go to the local parade today- hoping that the heat can hold off so it can be more enjoyable for us and the kiddos! :O) 

Holding Plans Loosely

 So this past week I was reminded of the importance of holding your plans loosely. And thankfully God has gently been trying to prepare me for what was to come. 

On Thursday morning - our youngest son was told by the baby sitter of our youngest grandson - who watches him on Thursday and Fridays - that - Friday would be the last day she would watch our baby grandson. What a surprise to our son! 

I have been watching this grandson on Wednesdays and now I will be watching him on Wed, Thursday and Fridays. Which will mean I will have to change my schedule around in order to get all my things done and watch our grandson 3 days a week. It will be a big adjustment for me but I know that God will give me the ability to do so. 

I know I have been doing poorly at getting posts written up - I have been spending a lot of time in my garden/yard and then all my regular stuff. I have been very busy. I can not promise how things will be now- but I am hoping that I will be able to get on the computer and type up a post or so ever so often when the baby sleeps.  

So starting Monday it looks like it is back to the triple digit days.....oh my :( We have already had 12 of them this year. Last year we only had 8- that is the official number for the area that I live in. We could have had more. It seems like sometimes that we may actually hit triple digits or more but it doesn't always show up for official numbers. 

So God blessed me with a bit of help for my up coming Grammie duties - I will share about them soon. :O) 

I hope you all are doing well. May God continue to bless and keep you close to His heart! 

CH 25 Studies in Galatians- Ch 5 vs 22-26 LESSONS OF FAITH – 📚📕🎧