One Word

I was visiting Tracy at My Cup Runneth Over and she had this fun little game posted so I decided to play along. Feel free to play if you feel like it too. Let me know if you do so I can come and read. :)

Where is your cell phone? purse

your hair? straight

your father? missed

your mother? deceased

Your favorite thing? creating (apart from Christ)

your dream last night? robbed

your favorite drink? coffee

your dream/goal? faithful

the room you are in? office

your fear? rejection

where do you want to be in 6 years? wiser

muffins? carrot

one of your wish list items? refund

where you grew up? Valley

the last thing you did? pour

what are you wearing? slippers

your tv? off

your computer? desktop

your life? surrendered

your mood? content

missing someone? Grandma

your car? Envoy

favorite store? craft

your summer? hot

your favorite color? many

when is the last time you laughed? today

last time you cried? recently

someone who emails me? Kathie

a favorite food? steak

place I would rather be right now? none



The last three question originally asked for three of each, but since this is a One Word game, I changed it. :)





Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

By Your Side

A friend emailed this song to me and it came at a time when I really needed to hear it. Thought I would share it here in case any of you are feeling a bit down, or stressed, or just a out of sorts.

Enjoy!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Which Road?

Early in my walk with Christ, there was a period of time when I was waiting tables. During that time there was a particular season where a number of customers would ask me if I was saved, or going to heaven, or something to that effect. I would answer yes and they would say "Are you sure?" or "How do you know?", something like that. These were different customers, they didn't know each other, and it would happen at different times.

To be perfectly honest, it was getting on my nerves. I was a Christian. I knew that I was going to heaven. So why were these people, who didn't know me, questioning my salvation? What made them think I wasn't a Christian? I wasn't doing anything sinful, so what was the deal?

One day I was waiting on a couple and at some point they asked if I was a Christian. I said I was and went back to doing my job. The next time I went to their table, the man had left the table to use the restroom, and the lady told me that what prompted the question was that they had been trying to decide if I was or wasn't a Christian. She said that her husband didn't think I was, but she thought so all along. I'm wondering now if they didn't have a little wager on it. :)

I am sure she told me this to encourage me, but what stayed with me was that this man didn't think I was a Christian. Neither one of them knew for sure, they were just guessing.

But aren't Christians supposed to look different than unbelievers? Shouldn't we stand out? Isn't that what the Bible says?

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14

So I began to ask God "If I'm supposed to look like a light in darkness, why can't people see the difference?"

I began to think about what it says in Matthew...

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:14

From where I stood, I could only see one road, and it looked like a very wide road with a lot of people on it. Where was that other road and why didn't I look like I was on it. Even though I was a Christian, I realized that I didn't look much different than those who were not. It wasn't what I was doing that was the problem, but more the things I wasn't doing. Right then I asked God to put me on that narrow road and make sure I was not on the wide one. This ushered me into a serious spiritual growing stage and an even deeper relationship with my God.

I am certainly still a work in progress, but I can see both roads and which one I'm on. I'm so thankful that God put all those people in my path to bring this to my attention.

So what does your road look like?



Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Project 365 - February 22, 2009

Well I'm late for Project 365 this week, but hey, better late than never, right? :) I have extra pictures again because sometimes it's hard to pick just one.

Sara at Make Music From Your Heart to the Lord is our hostess in this fun meme. Please go visit her, say hi, and join in the fun.

Day 2 (missed day 1) - I finally decided to hang that clock that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I actually had to disassemble it from the box. Then I discovered it didn't work. Grrr.

Day 3 - Sorting through last years paperwork to prepare for taxes.


Day 4 - Lunch

Day 5 (pic 1) - Olivia had a late day at school for play practice so we had to wait it out in the truck. Tobi loves to come with us.

Day 5 (pic 2) - Emily through the rear view mirror.

Day 5 (pic 3) - The girls climbing around in the back. For some reason they think it's cool.

Day 5 (pic 4) - I let them get out and play in this little area next to the truck.

Day 5 (pic 5) - Racing on the steps.

Day 5 (pic 6) - Tobi through the side view mirror. She's wondering why she can't race with them.

Day 6 (pic 1) - Olivia's play. She's the one with the jump rope.

Day 6 (pic 2) - It was a musical. The name of the play was Really Rosie and it was based on books by Maurice Sendak. It was very cute.

Day 6 (pic 3) - Final introductions.

Day 6 (pic 5) - Can she smile any bigger? LOL!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Thank You, Late, and Go Play

Thank you all so much for stopping by, and emailing me. I'm so sorry I haven't made my visits this week, I'm am not ignoring you. It's just been very busy. I will be making visits this week and playing catch up. I really appreciate all of you.

I will post my Project 365 photos tomorrow.

For now I want you all to go visit the very sweet blogger Pam at Alert and Oriented (x4). She has a little game going on over there and wants you to play. :D

Have fun!!




Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

5 Things

My friend Chatty Kelly had a fun and easy meme on her blog so I decided to play along.

5 Things Found In My Bag:
Cell Phone
Wallet
Allergy Pills
Keys
TicTacs

5 Things Found In My Wallet:
Checks
Credit Card
Drivers License
Receipts
Cash

5 Things Found In My Room: (other than furniture)
Tobi's Toy Box
Books
Videos
Soccer Ball
Cans of Paint

5 Things I’ve Always Wanted To Do: (I can only think of one thing I've always wanted to do, but here are the other four top things I want to do too.)
Marry a godly man.
Travel across the US in an RV
Learn to play the violin.
Go to Hawaii
Live to a healthy old age, and die peacefully in my sleep


5 Things I’m Currently Into:
Blogging
Bible Study
Graphic and Blog Design
Coffee
Good Friends

So play along if you want. Have a great weekend!



Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Let Your Voice Be Heard with Glenn Beck and FoxNews

Join with Glenn Beck and FoxNews to send a message to government about what you really want.

The following is taken from Glenn Beck's website. Click the link to read the full article.
Below are nine simple principles. If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common. I urge you to read the instructions at the end for how to help make your voice heard.

12 Values
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Friendship

The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

You Are Not Alone
If you agree with at least seven of those principles, then you are not alone. Please send a digital version of your picture to: wesurroundthem@foxnews.com and then stay tuned to the radio and television shows over the coming weeks to see how we intend to pull back the curtain.




Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Commercial - Not Much Else

I think God is giving my brain a rest. It doesn't rest very often I assure you, but I've been praying about something to post about and nothing is coming to mind.

Some of you know that I don't watch much television, but lately I've been watching FoxNews quite a bit. You know the same commercials come on again and again. I have decided that Geico gets my vote for best commercials. They are clean, simple, not pushy, non-violent, cute, and funny. It is truely refreshing. I have to say they have a very creative advertising department.

This just cracks me up. But it does remind me of all the gekkos that hang out near my back door waiting for me to let Tobi out so they can try to sneak in the house before I close the door. Some make it, and some don't. It's very sad.




I just love that little gekko.




Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Recipes

Some of you asked for recipes for the 7 can soup and the cinnamon crisps that I showed in my Project 365 so I'm posting both recipes here. Both are delicious, inexpensive, and easy to make.

7 Can Soup - This is as easy as it sounds.

Ground Beef
1 Can Beef Broth
1 Can Tomato Sauce (+ 1 can water)
1 Can Rotel
1 Can Corn
1 Can Green Beans
2 Cans Ranch Style Beans

Brown the ground beef. Add all other ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve.
(This is also good topped with sour cream and/or shredded cheese.)

Cinnamon Crisps

1 Can Refrigerated Crescent Rolls
1/4 Cup Melted Butter or Margarine
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon (I like cinnamon a lot so I used a little more.)

Heat oven to 375 F. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

Separate dough rectangles and form a rectangle approx 6" x 14" (or two rectangles approx 6" x 7"). Press perforations together to seal. Brush with half the butter.

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle half of the mixture over the dough.

Starting at the long side of the dough, roll it up into a log. Pinch edge to seal. With serrated knife, cut 1/2" thick slices. (You may want to refrigerate for 15 minutes if dough is too soft to cut well.) Lay each slice between two sheets wax paper and press or roll flat (approx 1/4" thick or less).

Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheet and bake approx 15 minutes.

Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm or cool.

Options:

1. Icing - Mix 1-2 tablespoons milk and 1/8 tsp vanilla. Add 2-4 tablespoons powdered sugar til of desired consistency. Drizzle over cinnamon crisps.

2. Press chopped nuts or dried fruits, such as dates, raisins, cherries into dough slices before baking.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Project 365 - February 15, 2009

It's time for Project 365 again and I'm late! Sara at Make Music From Your Heart to the Lord is our hostess in this fun meme. Please go visit her, say hi, and join in the fun.


Here's my week!

Day 1 - The girls made valentines to pass out at school and give to family members. There was glitter all over us by the time we were finished.

Day 2 - Made 7 can soup. It is very good and gets rave reviews from even the hardiest eaters.

Day 3 - Went to the post office to mail a couple of gifts to good friends. ;)

Day 4 - Went to pick up the girls from school. The sun was in Ashleigh's eyes so she wore my sunglasses and was just about asleep by the time we got to the school.

Day 6 (missed day 5) - Went to my friend Angela's to hang out and watch a movie. This is Angela posing for the camera. After this we had a bit of a wrestling match over the camera. We were laughing so hard our stomaches hurt.

Day 6 (pic 2) - I found a little surprise in my mail.

Day 6 (pic 3) - Aw how sweet. Gee I wonder who this could be from. ;) Thank you "L".

Day 7 (pic 1) - Valentine gifts

Day 7 (pic 2) - Made some cinnamon crisps. Oh look, there's one missing! I wonder how that happened.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

His Power, My Weakness - Part 2

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ... 1 Corinthians 12:9

If you weren't here yesterday and didn't get a chance to read Part 1 of this story, you can read it here.

Yesterday I left you with this discussion I needed to have with God. You see, I wasn't disobedient because I didn't want to obey Him, it was because I knew I was unable. If I told Him that I would do something that I knew I would surely fail at, then I would be lying to Him, and I couldn't lie to the God that I love so much. So I was kind of stuck... I thought. So I paced back and forth across my bedroom floor with cigarette in hand explaining all of this to God. I had the cigarette due to the stress I was feeling.

God patiently listened to everything I said without interupting. (I need to take notes on how to do that better.) He let me say everything that was on my mind. I love that about Him. I reminded Him of all those times that I had tried to quit and I couldn't. And that He knew I wasn't capable of quitting and how it would be a lie to agree to do what I knew I couldn't do and how I didn't want to lie to Him or let Him down. Then I said He would have to do it for me. I agreed that I would quit smoking at the end of the day or when I had smoked the last cigarette in my pack, whichever came first, but He would have to do it for me.

I went about my day thinking about it and reminding Him continually that He would have to do it because I couldn't. He didn't seem to be as worried about it as I was. So it worked out that my last cigarette came out of the pack at the end of the night. I went to bed knowing that I wouldn't be able to smoke when I woke up.

The next morning I got up, thought about how I needed to quit today, and reminded God that I wasn't able and needed Him to do it. That was February 9, 1998, 11 years ago. I kept waiting for that craving to hit me but it wasn't there yet. On the way to work I kept thinking about it and waiting for that craving, but it wasn't there. I didn't tell anyone about my trying to quit smoking, I just kept waiting. Now I did end up smoking a half a cigarette that day, in one puff increments. I would light it and it tasted bad so I put it out. I think it was more because I couldn't believe I wasn't craving it. I shouldn't have because it was still disobedience.

The next day I was still waiting for a craving. I still hadn't told anyone because I couldn't believe that I had quit. We were going out for a company lunch and another lady went to have a cigarette before we left so my bosses told me to go have mine. I just said "No I don't really want to." But they pushed the issue, "We know you want one, just go have it." I had to tell them so I said "It appears I have quit smoking". They didn't believe me. I briefly explained the situation, God said quit and He has quit for me. They didn't believe that either.

Remember I said that it was the Holy Spirit that had first prompted me to stop trying to quit smoking? Here's why. About a week later I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine. During the conversation I mentioned that I had quit smoking. He asked what brought that about and I told Him that God had told me too.

Now this friend is one who, if he is a Christian, there is no evidence of it, but he does pray. I saw him a few days later and we got talking about how I quit smoking and he told me that he had prayed that I would quit. I could tell by the expression on his face that God had answered his prayer in order to speak to his heart. He did not suddenly become deeply devoted to following hard after Christ, but a seed was beginning to sprout roots. Now I understood why God seemed not to be concerned about my smoking all those years that I was trying to quit.

“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

God didn't make me smoke, He didn't condem me for it either, but He used it for His glory, and to speak to someone elses heart. That just amazes me. I didn't quit smoking, it was not something I was capable of doing. But God quit for me. He imparted His power into my weakness to accomplish His purpose. God did not want my efforts, abilities, or my strength, He wanted and needed only my willingness to obey.

Are you willing to obey His Voice today? Not able, just willing? Then pour it out to Him in whatever your circumstances. Go ahead and explain the details to Him. He's a big God, He can take it. Then hand Him one thing, your willingness to obey.

Oh Lord I am amazed at your love. That even in the midst of my disobedience you proved yourself faithful. Thank you for being my strength. Thank you for speaking to my friend's heart. Speak to him even now and show him your unfailing love. Lord forgive me for hesitating when I should obey. Help me to obey
whatever you ask of me without even the slightest hesitation. I love you my Lord. I can't wait to see your face. In Christ - Amen

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

His Power, My Weakness

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ... 1 Corinthians 12:9

This is a Truth that is hard to fully grasp until it has been experienced. Most of us know this verse and refer to it in diffucult circumstances, but I understood it best when I experienced it.

For 24 years I was a smoker. For the sake of clarification, I smoked cigarettes. I started smoking when I was 14. During most of those years I smoked a pack a day. Near the end of those years I was pretty close to 2 packs a day.

If you have never smoked then you have no idea how difficult it is to quit smoking. As a matter of fact, most smokers would like to quit but haven't been able to. It's an addiction, a strong addiction and a habit as well. Smokers will pick up a cigarette even when there is no urge because of habit.

I had tried to quit numerous times. I had tried the patch and other methods, and was sometimes a little successful for a few days at best. Eventually I got to a place where I could not cut back to less than 4 cigarettes a day when I was trying really hard to quit. I was persistant about it too. I prayed and prayed for God to help me quit smoking, but nothing.

Finally I had the thought that God was not as concerned about my smoking as I was. Not that He didn't care, don't misunderstand me. Just that it wasn't as pressing to Him as it was to me. I was making a bigger issue of it than He saw it. So with that I stopped trying to quit smoking. I didn't realize it at the time, but that thought came from the Holy Spirit. Now don't gasp at me until you read the rest of this.

A number of months past and God began telling me to quit smoking. Well by now I was out of the mindset to even try and I knew I couldn't because I had proven that in past attempts, so I pretended it wasnt Him. That Voice might be small but it sure can be persistent. It followed me, and followed me, and followed me. Now I want to add here that I did not hear once single sermon or comment from anyone, anywhere about smoking during this time. Just the persistent Voice pressing me to quit smoking.

I used to have a clock radio and would set it about 1 1/2 hours earlier than I wanted to get up so I could listen to three Christian programs that I liked. Most of the time I hit the snooze button but I did catch parts of the programs. So about two weeks of pretending that God wasn't telling me to quit smoking, the radio came on and the program was talking about the consequenses of disobedience to God. I hit snooze. The second program came on talking about the consequences of disobedience to God. I hit snooze again. The third program came on talking about the consequences of disobedience to God, and I jumped out of bed yelling OK I HEAR YOU! I wasn't yelling at Him as in disrespctfully, but to Him as I knew I had to listen to Him and stop running. Then I proceeded to have a discussion with Him about the situation.

To see how it turns out you will need to come back tomorrow. :)




Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Please Pray for my Friend

On Sunday I posted this picture of my friend Kathie. She emailed me that her FIL passed away this weekend and she and her family are in need of prayer. Would you please pray for them? Kathie is the only believer in the family, would you also pray that God would reveal Himself through her and strengthen her as she deals with this somewhat alone in her walk.

Thank you my friends.



Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

New Blog Announcement!

Lea at the Shabby Olde Potting Shed and I have come together and started a new blog, Creations 4 the Glory of God Alone. Our purpose is to Glorify God through art and crafts. We will be sharing our own creations, offering ideas, and spotlighting others ideas as we see them. We even plan on having giveaways and challenges.

If you are a creative person, or even if you're not and need help then please come by and see what we're doing. We would love to hear from you!



Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27

Project 365 - February 8, 2009

It's time for Project 365 again. Sara at Make Music From Your Heart to the Lord is our hostess in this fun meme. Please go visit her, say hi, and join in the fun.

I have more than one picture for a couple of days but missed a day too. Here's my week!

Day 1 (pic 1) - Well it's Super Bowl Sunday and I am SO NOT a sports fan. Ashleigh asked me to find some cartoons for her to watch and I ran across the Puppy Bowl!! Now there's a sport I can get into!

Day 1 (pic 2) - Just hanging out.

Day 2 - I bought a new clock to hang over the mantle. It's still in the box, I just set it there when I brought it in. I still need to get or make something to hang on either side of it.


Day 3 (pic 1) Breakfast, cinnamon toast and cereal. I couldn't resist the cinnamon smile.


Day 3 (pic 2) - A little jump roping in the house.

Day 3 (pic 3) - Blowing dandylions at the park.


Day 4 - Remember last week when I got that package of goodies from ADHD-Jo for the girls? Well that little wire gadget Olivia is playing with is one of those goodies. You just pull it and push it and make all kinds of different shapes with it. It has become one of their favorite toys. Can you tell by the expression how cool Olivia thinks it is?


(Day 5 missed that one.) Day 6 - Met my friend Kathie for Dinner at Olive Garden. Kathie is one of the sweetest ladies there is. We had a great time with lots of Girl Talk and God Talk. I felt so refreshed after that. I'm looking forward to our next get together.


Day 7 - Picked up a few things from Hobby Lobby for all those craft projects I have to make for the bloggers that accepted my Pay it Forward challenge.

So that's my week in a nutshell. Thanks for checking it out.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ~ Luke 10:27