Little Blessings

I'm so grateful for the little blessings.

Waking up able to breath is really cool. I guess that might be considered a Large blessing though.

Maybe all of them are large. But some are smaller than others.

Smiles.
Hugs.
Cookies that someone made and brought over to your house.

Finding some beautiful dinnerware in a box of stuff that someone gave you when they were cleaning out their garage. A set with a pattern you absolutely love.

Good is good! His mercies endure forever!

Let us not forget that.

Changes

I think it's time to start over. On lots of things. This blog in particular.

Or at least change things around some.

Not sure where I want to go with this, or where I want to go with anything. Except that I have started reading the Bible first thing every morning, and trying to "seek first the kingdom".

I did read it before. Most of it anyway. It seems a lot different now. I'm finding things in there that seem totally new. Then again that is true every single time I read it again. I'm on the 4th? 5th? not sure which reread of the New Testament now.

Amazing what a difference it makes. The day seems to go much better.

Any ideas on changes for the blog? For me?

Another Spring

We made it through another winter! Happy, Happy!! Joy, Joy!

Got to enjoy the nice weather because before too long it will be hot and everyone will be wishing for winter again.

Right now flowers are coming up.

Trees are blooming too.

Farmers are out working the fields, getting ready to plant, or are already planting in some places.

We have much to be grateful for.

Hallelujah!

God Loves Me

No matter what.

When my floors are dirty, He loves me.

When I don't cook "nutritious" dinners, He loves me.

We the laundry doesn't get folded and put up for days, He loves me.

When there are stacks of books all over the place, because I have a hard time getting rid of old ones, to make room for new ones, He loves me.

When I'm grumpy because I didn't get enough sleep, He loves me.

That doesn't mean I shouldn't be trying to keep things reasonably neat and clean. It just means He loves me even when I don't succeed.

That is a really Good Thing for which I am eternally grateful.

So if you are having a hard time keeping up with everything, just remember, He loves you anyway.

He Is Never Late

A friend of mine shared this video on Facebook last week.
It made me cry. I have watched it several times since. They did a beautiful job on it.

It is a great reminder to wait on the Lord. No matter what it looks like, He won't be late.

Losing The Days

That's what I'm doing.

Not really lost. It isn't like I didn't do ANYTHING. I did something.

Swept the floors, washed some dishes, laundry.

I've been trying to clean out the library. Got to get rid of some of the books in there. Some I've outgrown (never thought I'd EVER say such a thing). Some I have read and will never read again. Some I just won't get to.

I have been reading my Bible more too. I decided to read the gospels over and over. And the rest of the new testament separately. And the Psalms by themselves too.

I have noticed that the rest of the day seems to go a lot better when the Bible comes first (or nearly first anyway).

So there are things happening. Trying to get ready to plant too.

It just seems on some days that there isn't much to point to and say "See there? That's what I did today!"

So what did I do today? Fed the chickens, picked the eggs, swept a floor, spent some time with my mother, wrote this post.

Did some reading.

It has been a good day. How was yours?

So Many Shades Of Green

Have you noticed how many different shades of green there are out there? I'm not talking about paint colors either. I mean out in the world.

Just in my back yard there are several shades of green. Looking out my door makes me feel happy.

Inside the house is a bit of green too. It is nice to look at and the plants clean the air. How neat is that?

 

The best thing about it is that green doesn't cost anything. You can see it just about anywhere, for free.

And it often smells good too.

God did good by us. I'm grateful. I need to remember this more often.

A Great Guide To The End Times

I just finished this book by Derek Prince. The title is Prophetic Guide To The End Times: Facing The Future Without Fear.

This is a really good book.

He talks about what Jesus said is going to be happening and why he thinks we are in the End Times now.

He says that the Holy Spirit is being poured out on the Church right now and that we all need to be working on coming into unity with Gods purpose.

I have so much jumbled in my head that I can't explain but he pointed out some things that I had not considered.

One was that the Good News of The Kingdom Of God must be preached in all the world...and that there must be a disciple from every nation, tribe, and tongue...before the end will come.

He thinks that has only become possible recently with the discovery of TV and radio and of course the internet. Oh and airplanes and other transportation to let folks travel to every part of the world.

A very interesting read!

Spring Makes It Easy To Be Happy

Spring is such a hopeful and happy time.

Everything is turning green again and you don't have to huddle under blankets anymore.

And for many of us our Arthritis gets a bit better. My mom had a lot of trouble this past winter and my own knuckles are starting to ache a bit when it is cold. We are both glad it is warming up!

It is also a great time for young animals. We had some new hatched chicks to raise this year and there are little animals showing up all over the place.

The man down the street raises cows and they are all having or already had babies and there is a goat farmer around the corner and the goats are having their babies. And if you are lucky you can see little spotted deer with their momma's on occasion.

And of course there are rabbits and squirrels just about everywhere.

God surely did give us a wonderful world to live in. We should appreciate it!

I Found It!

Now I know how that housewife in the story Jesus told felt. You know the one who lost her coin and cleaned her whole house looking for it.

And when she finally found it she wanted to tell all her neighbors and maybe have a party to celebrate.

This morning my hearing aid was broken and we could not find the earmold. My husband even took the bed apart to make sure we were not overlooking it under the bed.

I figure it broke and dropped off when I took it off at bedtime. I usually put it in the night stand drawer so the dogs can't get to it and I won't accidentally knock it off.

We had finally given up and I was checking to see if I could find an old one I could use temporarily. Otherwise I would have to do without a hearing aid for a week at least while the new one was made.

Not sure...they might have been able to make a temporary one. It has been a long time since I had that problem.

But I opened the bottom drawer of the nightstand the earmold was in the corner of the drawer! We never even thought to look in there. We felt awfully silly when we found it. But OH SO HAPPY!! Hubby was practically dancing.

He doesn't like it when my hearing aids don't work. I tend to talk to loud and I have a lot more trouble understanding what he says.

So it turned out to be a good day!

Please Pray For My Family

For the last few months we have been going through some trials.

Especially my husband. He is fighting an addiction and really needs all the help he can get.

My step-children are also fighting addictions. My step-daughter is doing really well though...she has made it for over 4 months so far!

I myself am much in need of patience. And I need to learn to not be anxious.

If it were not for my dogs and the chickens I might have gone nuts today. Then again it is possible I did go nuts and just don't realize it!

That said...it is a gorgeous day here in Arkansas. The sun is shining and lots of flowers are already blooming. Some trees are budding too and the birds are having fun.

I'm grateful to be here to see it. And to be ABLE to see, and hear, and smell it!

Thanks for reading and for your prayers!

Losing Your Life

 I've been reading the gospels again lately. Some things that I didn't really understand before are making more sense now.

Like in Luke chapter 17 where Jesus is talking about losing your life.

He mentions Noah and Lot and says that "in those days" people were just living their lives - getting married, going to work, eating, drinking, partying and had no idea they were about to lose it all.

He says it will be the same on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

He says that if you are on the roof you should NOT go down to grab your things and if you are out in the field you should NOT return to your house.

He says to remember what happened to Lot's wife (she was turned into a pillar of salt) and that :

"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it". Luke 17:33

I always thought those references were just to dieing. But that isn't the whole of it. He is also talking about your things...your house, your clothes, your computer, your purse...your friends, your family, your work, your church...all the things that make up your "life".

You need to be willing (and ready?) to lose those things (your "life") at any time and without looking back. 

That is not easy. I had already been working on that a bit without even knowing it but there is a long way to go still.

I'm thankful to be learning these things. God is good.

Boredom And Beasts

There have been quite a few bad things in the news lately. Several people have been attacked by bears.

Some attacks by sharks too but those are as shocking.

People these days are just not used to being attacked by "beasts of the field".

The Bible says that will happen a lot more often as we near the end. It probably won't just be wild animals like bears either.

And then there is the report of those boys who went out and killed someone just because they were bored.

That pretty much shows that there is no love in them at all. They care for nothing except themselves and apparently are not even scared of being punished.

They will learn better eventually. I only hope it isn't too late for them when they do.

Asking For Help

Asking for any kind of help can be really hard for some folks. Even asking for prayers.

We need prayers. My family. Especially my husband. He hasn't had a regular job in a while now. The ones he applied for (qualified for) all went to younger men. He has been making ends meet however he can.

He was depressed for a while and I finally persuaded him to go to a local counseling clinic that doesn't charge much and he got some counseling and is doing better.

Now he needs his teeth pulled and some dentures ( so he can still chew). The dentists want to do it all at once so he won't be without teeth for long. We don't have the money to pay for that. The only way we could do it is through a credit card (Care Credit) that charges a huge APR.

So I put up a fundraiser at GiveForward to see if other folks could help. So far it has gotten one donation. And only 4 "likes". And two comments.

Please help. Donate if you can. The site accepts PayPal and credit cards. I don't know if you can send checks or not. The minimum amount you can donate with PayPal is $10 but there is no minimum with a credit card.

If you can't donate please pray for him and leave a comment on the site. Let him know you care. He has been hurt that his family has not even said anything.

And please share the page. Thank you!

Be Of Good Cheer

There was an article in the most recent edition of Good News Magazine about how we should all be encouraging our friends and family...and just about anyone we can.

They quoted the words of Jesus in John 16:33 where he says "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

The article said that not only should we ourselves "be of good cheer" but that we should encourage others to as well.

I really love the idea that we can and should "be of good cheer" no matter what trials and tribulations happen to us. That doesn't make it easy...but knowing that Jesus did indeed overcome the world should help make it easier.

One of my neighbors is an excellent example of this. She just recently lost her husband of 51 years and just last week with diagnosed with a fast spreading form of cancer. She is supposed to start both chemotherapy and radiation treatments next week. She is cheerful and pretty upbeat though. She is definitely not anywhere near defeated!

I just hope that if such trials come to me I can be anywhere near that cheerful and hopeful.

Encouraging other folks is hard too...especially for people like me who find it hard to talk to and make friends with new people. Having my neighbors example is encouraging. If it ever comes to it I hope to set such an example myself but I'm not exactly confident in my ability to do that.

Of course Jesus set the best example of all. And practice makes perfect...eventually. So the more we practice being cheerful now...the better we will get at it.

The Oven Is Working Well

That is something to be thankful for!

We had a frozen pizza for dinner which we could not have done if the oven didn't work.

And of course the pizza was in the freezer section of the refrigerator before that. So I'm glad we have a refrigerator and that it works well.

Sometimes I forget that there are places in the world where people can't count on things like that. Some places they don't even have electricity much less an oven or a refrigerator.

I'm really blessed to have lived in a place with a very high standard of living. I have never gone hungry.

I would be happy if that never changed but the way things are going...it could happen. I'm going to enjoy what I have while I have it though.

And thank the Lord for it.


 photo credit: iammikeb via photopin cc

Glad For The Coming Spring

I have been a bit depressed through the winter.

Members of my family have been sick, some have been in jail.

My father in law is having problems with his memory. My teeth were hurting.

And the weather being cold and cloudy just gave me the blahs.

Now there are flowers out in the yard and some trees blooming.

And best of all the sun is shining!

Things are looking up. Maybe it will get easier to be grateful now. I know it shouldn't matter....but sometimes it is hard to remember.

Being Grateful Is Not Easy

It is not easy to be grateful sometimes. Even being content is difficult sometimes. Joyful seems totally out of the question.

Right now my step-son is back on drugs. He is wanting to go back to Michigan. His dad calls it running away.

I'm not sure why he wants to go there. As far as we know he has no place to live there...and with winter coming on being homeless will be dangerous.

In any case he is not listening to any suggestions we make. He wants things his way.

He still thinks he is in charge. Till he figures out that he isn't...there is not much anyone can do for him. We have tried.

His dad is having a really hard time with being content in this situation. He wants desperately to be able to help his son.

Please say a prayer for both of them. And me. And anyone else stuck in situations like this. These days there are probably lots of people in similar situations.

Do You Worry?

I know we are not supposed to worry about what we are to wear or what we are to eat. Or where we will live. God feeds and clothes the birds and the flowers so he will surely take care of us too.

It isn't easy not to worry though. In fact worrying is very easy to do. I don't even notice I'm doing it at first. And once I do it isn't easy to quit.

Right now my family is having some troubles. My husband doesn't have a job. He is just doing odd job type things...whatever he can find.

He thinks maybe some companies don't want to hire him because he in his 50s and there are lots of young people out there applying for jobs too. That may be true. And since there are less jobs out there to go around...it may take a long time to find one.

In the mean time we have cut back on things like the cable TV and may have to do even more cutting back soon.

We have still managed to pay all our utility bills and other bills on time so far. We always seem to get just what we actually need for the current ones.

So worrying is pretty much a waste of time. But...it is so hard to stop!

What do you do when you catch yourself worrying?

In Need Of Prayers

It has been almost 2 months since I posted here. Part of the problem is that I got to feeling inadaquate. Compared to some other bloggers I don't know the Bible very well at all.

And I'm not exactly sure if the way this blog was going is where it SHOULD be going. Nor where I intended it to go in the first place.

And my other blog is getting busier and taking up more time too.

And then life started kicking my butt. It seems every time I think things are starting to settle down something else happens.

My husband hasn't been working since just before Christmas and that hurts in more ways than one. He is bored and worried and feeling bad and money is tight too.

The step-kids are still having problems and asking for help and there really isn't anything we can do for them. At least not till they are willing to do for themselves too. They both have drug problems.

So if you are reading this...please say a prayer for me and my family. Not just for the physical needs but for the spiritual. Part of the problem for my husband is that he forgot to pray.  And perhaps I did too.

Hopefully I will figure out what I (or God) wants from this blog and get back to posting regularly.

In the meantime...keep us in your prayers! God bless you!