I Don't Like Colds!

A lot of people have colds, and I just got it... Yuck! They say they are not contagious, but I am not too sure... Anyway - I feel like dodo... So, I am going to curl up in bed with some soup and take a nap...

Have a great day!

ISAIAH 58

Isaiah 58

True Fasting

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

A BUTTERFLY'S STRUGGLE

A man found a butterfly's cocoon. There was a little hole in the cocoon and so he looked inside. He saw the butterfly's head start to push through the hole, but the hole was too small. The butterfly struggled and struggled to get out, but he couldn't. It was agonizing for him to watch the butterfly's painful struggle of trying to fit his body through the tiny opening. It seemed that the butterfly was trapped.

So the kind man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and carefully enlarged the opening in the cocoon and so the young butterfly came out easily. And the man smiled as he waited for the young butterfly to flutter off into the garden.But the butterfly wasn't happy. He stumbled along on the ground and then fell. He had a swollen body and small, shriveled up wings. The man kept waiting for the butterfly to rise up into the air, but tragically, the delicate butterfly spent its last few days in misery flopping around on the ground. He was never able to fly.

The man was so sad to see the butterfly die this way. The butterfly's wings never unfurled their beauty. The garden missed a beautiful fluttering creature of God's. Many flowers didn't receive the pollinating they needed.

What the man did not realize was that in his haste to release the butterfly from his painful struggle to get out of his cocoon, he had actually stunted his growth process. He thought he was being kind, but he had killed him.

The butterfly's struggle through the small opening was actually God's way of forcing fluid from his body to his wings. Yes, it was painful and tiring for the butterfly to work at freeing himself from the cocoon, but the struggle strengthened its delicate wings for flying.

It's the same for you and I. Growth is painful. There are no shortcuts in the spiritual life. Beautiful dreams from God take flight only through faith and struggle.

A friend sent this to me through e-mail... I thought it was so good that I wanted to put it in a blog...

I Get To See My BABY!!

I am so excited! I am going to Texas for Thanksgiving and I get to see my Trent-man!!! He is getting so big... He is 13! Last year when we moved here I saw him every two months... Now, by the time I see him, it will have been 4... That is too long and too much to take! BUT - thank You Lord, we have the funds to go, even among all the braces and everything! The Lord has provided a way...

Thank you Shannon for opening your house to us, and spending your Thanksgiving with us! Mom, thank you for sending spending money for Trent and I! I know we are going to have a blast! And part of that blast is running the Turkey Day run together!!! I hope we get to see Mimi too...

Anyway - I am blessed and just wanted to share! Thank You Lord!

Healthy Does Not Have To Be Expensive...

I would rather my family eat Organic, but the prices have always been so high... Now, it seems that everything has gone up at the grocery store... So...

Well, I went into the store the other day and the store had a discount section for their meat... Laura's Lean Beef is organic. The ground beef usually sells between $5-$6.00 a pound..

I bought 6 lbs. of the Organic meat the discount section.. I got it for $1.99/lb. HUGE SAVINGS!!

So, the deal is... You go into your store and look at the dates of the organic meats.. When it is getting close to those date (about 2 days out) go in and buy it for the discounted price.. Even if it has the same date on it as the day you go in, all you have to do is cook it that day or freeze it!

You can feed your family healthy food, and it is cheaper than regular meat!

Thank You Lord for wisdom on how and where to spend our money!

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

After we left church today, we decided to go get Qudoba.. I love that place! Anyway -

Drakester is in the backseat and he flips open his Bible and starts looking at it.. Just a few minutes later he says: "Mom, is "Palms" (and he said it just like that..) "is "Palms" in the New CONTESTANT and Old?"

OH MY Gosh that was HILARIOUS, but we did not correct him on it because it is just too cute!!

It was not that long ago that he used to say, "ourchother" instead of "each other".... But, someone must have told him, because he does not say it anymore... It was too funny!!

Taking A Break...

I have decided to take a break from the computer, for about a week... I really need to because I am on this thing soooo much!

It will be interesting to see what all I get done...

I seriously might go through withdraw because I love to check other peoples blogs and my facebook... Please say a prayer! ;-) Just kidding!

Isaiah 30:15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.

Have a blessed week!

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie

* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
* 1 piece pre-made pie dough
* Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

I Love This Song!

I love this song!! Trent and I use to sing it all the time when he was little!!! Good Times! I miss my baby!

YAY!!!! By His Grace... I DID IT!

Ok!!!! I prayed again and asked the Lord to please help me to do it.... And.... I ran 2 MILES!!! YAY!!!!!

This just kicked off Week 3 of training... 5 More to go!!!

Thank You Lord!!!!

She can laugh at the days to come... I want to be her!

Is Jesus Enough?

by Lysa TerKeurst

“That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”
2 Timothy 1:12 (NIV)

Devotion:

I stopped in my tracks the other day as I was mindlessly singing a beautiful praise song. I say mindlessly not because I wasn't focusing on God. I was definitely lifting up my heart to Him. But the mindlessly part came when I realized I had no clue of the weight of the words in this song. Did I really mean what I was singing? The song said this to Jesus: "You're all I want. You're all I ever needed."

Really? Did I really mean those words? Is my Jesus enough? Ultimately the question should be: Is my relationship with Jesus in such a place that if He was truly all I had today, would I still stand and sing those powerful song lyrics?

The economy is shaky, funds are tight, prices at the gas pumps and grocery store keep rising. Am I going to let my heart be drawn into a place of worry and fear over all this instability? Or will I quiet my soul and calmly proclaim, “Jesus is my Provider and He is enough.”

Today my son Jackson, who just got his driver's license, will be driving to a friend's house to watch the football game. His friend lives less than five miles from our house. But statistics show that most car accidents happen on the roads we are most familiar with, those closest to our homes. Will I be able to smile, tell him to be careful and let him drive down our driveway with full confidence that no matter what, Jesus is enough?

I don't know what kinds of twists and turns might come during my life journey. But, I know the only way to travel with a joyful peace is to settle in my heart the answer to this question once and for all. So, today, I declare Jesus is enough. Before I even know in what way this declaration will be tested, I've made the decision to say it, believe it and settle it.

Jesus is enough.

I think this is why Proverbs 31 is my favorite portrait of a godly woman. Proverbs 31:25 reminds us, "she can laugh at the days to come.”

She was filled with such incredible joy not because life was perfect but simply because she had decided to make laughter, peace, and truth the hallmarks of her life. Proverbs 31:30 goes on to say this was a woman to be praised because she so reverenced God in the shrine of her heart. She knew without a doubt, He was - and still is - enough.

Dear Lord, Thank You that in this world we don’t have to live consumed with fear of the unknown. For You know all things. Nothing will happen to us that does not first pass through Your hands. May I find peace in Your love, which is so consuming for us that You only have our best interests in mind. Help us to believe and trust in that truth no matter what. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Psalm 37

1 Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.

2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.

6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.

8 Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.

9 For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.

11 The lowly will possess the land
and will live in peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the godly;
they snarl at them in defiance.

13 But the Lord just laughs,
for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14 The wicked draw their swords
and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
to slaughter those who do right.

15 But their swords will stab their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

16 It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.

17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
even in famine they will have more than enough.

20 But the wicked will die.
The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
they will disappear like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.

22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
but those he curses will die.

23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.

24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.

26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.

28 For the Lord loves justice,
and he will never abandon the godly.
He will keep them safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will die.

29 The godly will possess the land
and will live there forever.

30 The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.

31 They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.

32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
looking for an excuse to kill them.

33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34 Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.

36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37 Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.

38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
they have no future.

39 The Lord rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.

40 The Lord helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,and they find shelter in him.

HOW THINGS ARE SAID REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE