Good by 2019

Can you believe 2019 is ending and a new decade is beginning? I think way back to 2010 and it's a blur. The decade brought many changes in our lives some of which include youngest daughter diagnosed and beating cancer, graduating all my girls from homeschool, experiencing a very difficult church split, losing my father-in-law to Alzheimer's and the biggest was moving to AZ and buying our own home.
Today I celebrated my 59th birthday. When I was in my 20s I couldn't imagine being this old!
2019 flew by so quickly.  I have no idea what 2020 has in store and I'm looking forward to how the Lord is going to use our family. Lord willing, I will be posting my yearly goals list.
 I hope you all have a safe New Year's Eve.

Hello Dear Ones

I trust you had a nice Christmas with family and friends.  We enjoyed time with our oldest daughter who came from CA. We were so happy to see her and was sad when she had to leave.

 I shared a few posts ago our church is going through the book of Luke. We are only on chapter 2 but so far it's been a really good study. The more I read about Jesus, the more I'm so thankful He came. Yes it's true He was not born on December 25th but for me it doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is He came. He died. He rose. And He's coming again! Hallelujah!

I have a heart for the lost souls out there. For many of them Christmas is the only time they may attend church,hear the gospel and perhaps ponder in their hearts what they heard.

My pastor has this saying that I hope to get right. If they come once, they may come twice. If they come twice they may come a third time and in that process they just might meet Jesus. I discovered that to be true with members in my own church.

We are starting a new year on Wednesday.  Let's strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Share our faith with someone who needs encouraging. Invite them to church. If they need a ride offer to give them a ride.
Have a blessed rest of your day!

Thank You and Merry Christmas

Thank you all for your comments and prayers. My back is better and I'm being more careful with the step stool and asking my family members to get things off higher shelves for me.

As we all gather today to remember Jesus coming as a baby let us remember why He came.  He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He came taught about the kingdom of God and died for our sin so we can have everlasting life.
Remember my post from awhile back "Who is Jesus?"? There are people who still don't know Jesus. Let us not leave Him in the manger. Let us praise and thank Him everyday! Thank Him for the empty tomb. He's coming back! Hallelujah! Merry Christmas! And He is Risen!

 P.S. Blogger made changes and I had to figure out how to write a new post.  Took me a few minutes but I finally figured it out.

Well....

I had in mind what I was going to post. Actually I had a a few things on my mind I was going to write about.
Then Monday evening I fell off the step stool right against our kitchen wood block island.☹
I went to hospital yesterday and x-rays were done and I have nothing broken but oh how I hurt!

I was prescribed all these pain medications that look like horse pills. I got frustrated at the ER because I had different staff coming in at various times asking the same question "How did you fall?" "Did you get dizzy?" "Have you fallen in the past six months?"
I was so relieved to be out of there but I will say my medical team members were very sweet to me and Tim. I really can't fault them for being concerned.

So here are pictures of the culprits my fall:
                         Culprit number 1- The menacing step ladder. I missed that bottom step because I didn't hold on to the handle while stepping down.

                                         Culprit number 2- The kitchen island that I fell against and actually probably saved my life because I could have hit my head on the floor.
                                     

So that's why I haven't posted sooner. 

So I hope to have a post in the next couple of days. Please keep me in your prayers. I don't like pain!

New Post Coming Soon!

I haven't forgotten you all. I have some posts coming this week so keep a eye out.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? That question was asked of various people on the street in a four minute we watched at church a few of Sunday's ago.
The answers that people have in response were truly heartbreaking.  Some of the people interviewed didn't even know know who He is and some said they never heard of Him. How can this be?

We are going through the book of Luke and I'm looking forward to digging deeper into scripture and learning more about my Savior and Lord. That is who Jesus is to me. Not only that He is the One I rely on  and gives me when I'm facing trials and when things are calm.

I want to encourage you to study Luke and take notes on what you learn and if  possible use a reliable commentary.

Wanting a "Do Over"

I dont know if any you go through wanting a "do over"  in life. I sure do.
Some of the things I wish I could go back in time and do over are the way I homeschooled, learned better communication early in my marriage, sought out a Titus 2 lady when I was a younger mom for advice on being a godly wife and mother,  this post two weeks ago when I first started it and the list can go on.

So  what can I do about the past? Absolutely nothing! I can't go back and change the past. None of us can.
Our God is gives us grace and reminds us in His Word that His thoughts and His ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9).

This post actually started out very long but I took a look at what I wrote and decided maybe it's  better to just keep it short.

I'm on a new medication now for high cholesterol ( Zocor) that affects memory and causes confusion.  I'm also taking gabapentin that does the same thing. I hope these are temporary as I don't like medicine side effects.

 I suppose if I could choose a side effect I'd choose memory so I can blame it on " mommy mush brain" even though my girls are young adults. They will sometimes call me "Mommy" when they are really sick and need a mama's touch.


Well I hope you have a blessed Lord's Day if you happen to read this on Sunday.

Book Review: Love Changes Everything by Micah Berteau

Love Changes Everything by Micah Berteau was not really my cup of tea. I honestly had a hard time trying to focus on what he was saying in the book so I couldn't finish the entire book. I was concerned with some of the Bible translations he uses throughout and quotes from  questionable popular personalities.

Something I did appreciate about his book is in Chapter 5- "When Your Past Becomes Your Present"  he says on page 63 -64 " Your Past in not better than where God is trying to take you. Your Present questions will not be answered by returning to what God brought you out of"  He tells us not to let your past define you.
Anyway I just couldn't get into this book though I  tried really hard.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Changes-Everything-Finding-Whats/dp/1080073694X

How it Went

First of all, thank you to those who shared their own stories of reaching out to someone who has been unkind.

So my Tim and I ministered to this lady and her family and it didn't go too bad. Her family expressed appreciation for reaching out to them during their difficult situation and she actually said thank you to me as we were walking out the door. She was busy with an elderly family member so she couldn't actually talk to me but saying thank you is a start. I'm going to continue to be nice to her and see how this will all work. I don't think it's a coincidence that our pastor is teaching on relationships with people in our lives.
Talk about a sermon that made me squirm!

Ministering to Someone Who Does Not Like You

I'm going to be ministering soon to a lady and her family who has made it clear that she does not like me. She is attends our church and is a part one of  ministries at church but for the life of me I can't figure out why she doesn't like me or what I could have done to her. I thought it was all in my head but she refuses to talk to me. She doesn't smile at me or even acknowledge my presence.  If I were very brave I would just ask her if I've done anything to offend her but this has been happening ever since we started attending this fellowship.

Because her family is going through a very rough time now I don't want to ask her why but honestly I'm terrified of going to her house because I'm afraid she will ignore me. Thankfully her husband will be there.
My husband too will be with me so I won't feel so intimidated by her.

Now you are probably wondering why I would minister to someone who can't stand me? It's because I want to. Because I'm looking at this picture of Dirk Willems( martyred Dutch Anabaptist) rescuing his jailer who fell through the ice while pursuing him after Dirk escaped from jail. The scripture that says "Love your enemies and bless them that curse you." Matthew 5:44

So even though this lady is my "enemy" she is also my sister in Christ and I pray she will receive me in her home as a sister in Christ too.

One a different note my daughter Kaitlyn and I thank you all for praying for her after her oral surgery. Her mouth feels much better and she is well enough to attend and sing in church tomorrow.  Praise our Heavenly Father!

Aaaannnnddd!

My poor youngest baby girl( okay she's 18 but still my baby) had all four wisdom teeth removed. She was in a lot of pain but currently she is doing a little better. We are staying on top of the pain. Something I learned from the nurses after my c- sections is to take your pain killers regularly and not wait until the pain get too much to bear. Her jar is still very swollen and she has to eat soft foods for the next few days. If you think of it, please pray for her.

On My Mind

Thank you to all who responded to a previous of mine.  It was good to know I'm not alone.

So what is on my mind today? Well, there is so much I think it will make your heads spin.  So I will list a few and not in any particular order:

1.Making crocheted mittens
2. Two women's Bible studies  at church
3. Learning to Quilt
4.Wednesday night Bible study with hubby at church
5. Sundays
6. My washer pees on the floor
7. Why doesn't God answer my prayer
8.  Why is Blogger making changes
9. Is your head spinning yet?

1.So let's start with the mittens. I had never made mittens and this is a challenging project. The thumb is the hardest for me to figure out.
 I currently have mittens without thumbs so I'm going to enlist the help of seasoned crocheters.

2. I'm involved with two women's Bible studies at church. One  study is on the book of Revelation  and the other we are on the Sermon on the Mount. I don't normally do women's Bible studies but I realized that I really don't know many of the ladies so I decided to give it a shot. I love my Sermon on the Mount group. Most of the ladies in the group are what I remember in the black church as the "mothers" of the church. These sweet ladies are in their 80s and 90s and are as sweet as can be.

3. I'm trying to decide if I really like quilting.  I'm going crazy over a quilt top I started weeks ago.

4.I really like going to the Wednesday night study and I have no plans to give it up.

5.Sundays have been a challenge for me. We go to two services because our daughter has worship practice at 8am.
We have three services. The first service  is hymns ( my absolute favorite) and the next two are contemporary with the third a little louder.
That being said there are times that I just don't want to sing and either I lipsync or I just stop singing altogether if the lyrics start to get on my nerves.  It's not a good place to be but I have my reasons. As a matter of fact, I had typed a whole explanation as to why I do this but I deleted it. In this morning's devotion the author had shared  similar experiences of not having her heart fully focused on the Lord's Day.  Singing to the Lord should be done joyfully and with reverence.  This is something I need to work on.

6. My washer acts like it hasn't been potty trained and pees on the floor.  I cleared the drain hose and cleaned the  lint filter ( yes washers have lint filters) per instructions in  the manual. It still leaks even after I gave it a good scolding!

7. I still wonder why God hasn't given me a clear answer to a specific prayer. It would seem to me, if He answered in my favor, it would work out to my advantage. Okay actually God knows better than I what's good for me.

8. Blogger is planning on making changes in the next few weeks and I don't like change! Blogger is fine the way it is.

9. Grab your head on both sides and it will stop spinning. I promise!

Recent Blogs Posts on Biblical Womanhood

Good evening! I hope you are enjoyed  your Labor Day. I want to share some recent posts from other bloggers who have written on being godly wives and mothers.

Tajuana is doing an excellent  6 part series on God's plan for Christian wives. You can find her at www.MyLife0utsidethebox.blogspot.com

June at A Wise Woman Builds Her House recently did a post on setting up your homeschool room but she has regular link ups. She is at www.proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com

Eleanor at Radically for Jesus posted a video on her blog on not being a gossip. You can find her at www.radicallyforjesus.blogspot.com

Sorry for My Absence -(I Actually Started This on August 27th!)

I'm very sorry for being gone from writing and slow in reading/commenting on  your blogs.
I honestly couldn't think of anything to write however I will say I'm struggling with contentment or in my case, lack of it.

I seem to go through times of wishing I was more like Sister So and So, why didn't we raise our family like that family or why can't we go be with such and such  group of friends ( Christ followers) on a regular basis.

We were with a group of friends over the weekend for a going away gathering for our  friends who are moving out of the state . As I observed the various people I felt a tinge of envy.  Here were folks who haven't conformed to the world and it's ideas. They haven't compromised their convictions.  They are not perfect by any means.

I'm sad for well known Christians who have recently left the faith. Oh how I pray they will return before it's too late.
 I think all of us go through periods of faith challenges and you wonder if God is really there and why certain tragedies are allowed to happen.

Well I'm sorry for what appears, to be a rambling post.  Today I'm better than I was last month and I have some topics to write about.
Stay tuned!

Post About Talking to Your Children About the Mass Shootings

http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/2019/08/how-to-talk-to-your-children-about-mass.html

Speechless and Sad 😢

Dear ones, I'm just overwhelmed by the deadly shootings over the weekend. So many lives cast into eternity.  We need to pray for the families of the victims.

I still remember the  shootings that occurred in our own backyard when we lived in the Santa Barbara area  . There was the Goleta post office shooting January 30th 2006 that left seven people dead including my friend's daughter in law.  Then May 23rd 2014 there was a drive by shooting  in Isla Vista that left six people dead. This wasn't gang related either. A guy just went down a street near UCSB and starting shooting at people. Both shooters were cowards and instead of facing a trial for their crimes they chose to kill themselves.

My daughter works at a preschool and in addition to fire drills they have shooter drills. THERE SHOULD NOT BE SUCH A THING AT A PRESCHOOL! OR ANY SCHOOL FOR THAT MATTER!!
Yes I was shouting and I'm sorry. 
I'm angry that people listen to the voice of Satan and carry out these heinous crimes. I'm angry mass shooters dont give a darn about the lives they destroy. They are selfish and they deserve whatever punishment they get whether here on earth or on Judgement Day.

Again I ask you to pray the Lord's comfort for the families who lost loved ones in all the shootings.

Wow! 50 Years!

I can't believe it's been 50 years since the Apollo 11 moon landing.  I remember sitting in front of our black and white tv with my family and the excitement of the astronauts landing.  Thank you Apollo 11 crew and most of all thank you Lord for creating this beautiful moon for us to see!
Photo credit belongs to Neven Krcmarek courtesy of Unsplash.com

Summer Days!

How is summer going for you all? I hope you are all getting out and enjoying the weather.
I've been starting to play "ketchup".  I need to "ketchup" on my I Corinthians study, my pen pal writing and a whole mess of stuff!
I've planted some tomatoes and some green beans and I'm looking forward to some yummy fruits of my labor.

We have day lilies and these other lilies but I don't know what they are.
They were here when we bought the house but oh they are so pretty!

I just wanted to do a quick update. Some of us are having very hot weather so please be careful. Stay hydrated and I know you long time readers are probably tired of me saying this every summer but please don't leave children alone in hot cars. Each year in the news there are stories of children dying after being left in a hot car. Just dont do it!  We all know what a  hot car feels like when we first get in after it's  been sitting. It is unbearably hot. Think about how that feels as the temperature increases!

And please don't leave your pets in hot cars either! I give you permission to not mind your own business when it comes to children and pets in hot cars. If you comes across an situation like that, don't be afraid to call 911. 

Until next time..

Happy 4th of July

Have a blessed 4th of July and please be safe!
Photo by Jill Wellington courtesy of Pixaby.com

Setting a Goal

Five Minute Friday Prompt- Goal

Time Starts Now:
Today I set a goal to offer hospitality by having a graduation party for my daughter who graduated homeschool high school.
My goal was to make sure there was  enough food for everyone and to not lose my mind over some of the loud but sweet teens that attended. Well there was enough food and I still have my mind. At least for now. ☺ God is good!

Time's up!

Is it Well?

So today I'm trying my hand at Five Minute Friday where you write a post for five minutes so today's writing prompt is Well. Yesterday I watched Ed Martin's funeral. His wife Gina at Home Joys was so gracious post the video for us who couldn't attend the funeral. It was a beautiful service and I was fine until at the burial they sang It is Well With My Soul. Then the tears came.  It's such a beautiful hymn. Then I wondered if it is truly well with my own soul. Am I truly leading a life that honors the Lord? Am I fully trusting Him. How about you? Is it well with your soul?

Proud of Sin?

Proverbs 11:2-When pride cometh, the  cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Proverbs 16:18- Pride forth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23 -A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Psalm 10:4- The wicked  through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.


There are many more scriptures on pride and being proud but sinful behavior is nothing to brag about or celebrate.
Just to let you know to avoid trolls comments for this post are turned off.

Being Our Husband's Cheerleader

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this post written.  I really wanted to seek the Lord on this topic.

First of all I'm no expert on the topic of marriage. I'm not a perfect wife and my  husband is not perfect.  But because God chose Tim to be my husband and me to be his helpmeet ( Yes I unashamedly used an "outdated" word) God's match is perfect.

I've been thinking about this topic for awhile now. I remember reading a blog post last year where a Christian woman in her wedding vows said she would be her husband's biggest cheerleader. Oh my goodness!  The way the women reacted you'd think she said  "Do what you want, even if it's sin! Rah!Rah!"😮
Comments raged from  "I don't need to cheer my husband"`to " Why should I approve of every single thing he does?" Sigh. They just don't get it.

First of being a cheerleader or encouragement  to our husbands is NOT:

Giving approval to sin or other unhealthy behaviors. 

Before I go any further with this post, I want to confess something before I write about the topic at hand.   I started this post on Friday May 11th but things got busy with home and church. So I figured I would write and post yesterday (Monday).  Well I spent pretty much all of yesterday sulking because over something minor my husband did. The Lord convicted big time over that through a devotion I read today. The author shared about having a selfish attitude over a minor matter she was going through with her husband.
After reading that I was really convicted over my sour attitude.

  Getting to the topic of my post, I want to say that for the Christian wife, next to our relationship with our Lord, our relationship  with husband should be our closest.

Proverbs 31:11 -12 KJV says " The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. "

Our husbands need us to encourage them through prayer, being a listening ear and definitely not being critical.  We ought to not complain to our friends about our husbands.  I am completely guilty of this, especially of late.

 We as Christian wives are to be our husband's biggest cheerleaders.  A few ideas that come to mind:
1. Pray for him and with him.(1 Thessalonians 5:17 ,Ephesians 6:18)

2. Be a good listener and only offer advice when asked. I think this applies not just to our husbands but others too. Sometimes our husbands just need to us to just listen. ( James 1:19)

3. As I mentioned earlier never complain about your husband to your friends and family.(James 5:9)

4. Never, ever criticize him in front of others, especially your children. This is most disrespectful. (Ephesians 4:29,Romans  12:3)

5.Respect him by submitting to him. (Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18)
Submission is one word that some wives find offensive. I've heard arguments that husbands will take advantage of them and walk all over them.
Let's get one thing straight. A truly godly husband will not do such a thing. He wouldn't take advantage anymore than a truly godly wife wouldn't take advantage of the scriptures about husbands loving their wives. (Ephesians 5:25 -29)

There are many more scriptures that can be added to the above and I know there are other things I didn't list but I want to encourage you look up the scriptures in your own Bibles.

On a sad note some of you are be followers of  my friend Gina over at Home Joys it would appear that her husband Ed is approaching his eternal reward soon. Please pray for this sweet family especially for Gina.
Thank you sisters.

Book Review: Vertical Marriage by Dave and Ann Wilson

Vertical Marriage - The One Secret That Will Change Your Marriage was a very good book. Actually it was a great book! Dave and Ann Wilson are very honest about their struggles in their marriage and  how it nearly fell apart.  There were times in the book where I thought  "Oh no she didn't!" Or " He's such a jerk and he's a pastor?"

What does "vertical marriage" mean? Both husband and wife having a relationship with Jesus and making Him a part of your marriage. 

The book is divided into four parts:

Part One- Going Vertical- Here Dave and Ann take turns sharing some of the issues they faced as they learned to put their focus on Jesus even though they were born again Christians.

Part Two- Conflict and Communication - This sections covers dealing with anger and how to resolve it, learning to listen,forgiveness and more.

Part Three -Intimacy - Here they talk about physical intimacy in marriage. I won't say more.

Part Four-- Living Vertical- In this last section Dave shares surrendering our marriages to the Lord.  It's not a suggestion. Christ needs to be in our marriages.

The back of the book has discussion questions for couples and some of them may be hard to discuss with each other like: Chapter 1- "Six Words That Changed Everything"

In your marriage, when have you been hit with a "brick"- a challenge, reaction, or situation you never saw coming? Dave shares that Ann tells him on their tenth anniversary, after an awesome date he planned, that she no longer has feelings for him. (Ouch!)

Another question  from chapter 10 - "All I Hear is Boo"  Ann shares about the time she and Dave spoke at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting. She says Dave spoke about things he did that caused him to hear Boo!  from   Ann."Why can't we have devotional like other families?" Boo!  "You didn't change the oil like I asked" Boo!

So for the wives, the question is ask your husband if he feels like you cheer for him. Ask him to explain  his answer. (I'm going to write a future post about being our husband's biggest cheerleader)

This book I though was going to be an easy read but it was hard. I was seeing issues in my own marriage that my husband and I need to work on.

I really like this book and recommend it even if you aren't struggling in your marriage.

Just a quick note about Dave and Ann Wilson. They have been featured speakers at Family Life's  Weekend to Remember marriage conferences. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (Zondervan) in exchange for my honest review. 

The Tomb is Empty! He is Risen!

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

Photo by Joseph Hooper courtesy of Freelyphotos.com

The Man Who Wore the Scarlett Purple Robe

The first time I heard this song, all I could do was cry and think about Jesus dying on the cross for you and for me. May we all take time out of our busy schedule this Good Friday and remember Jesus and His sacrifice for us.

If you receive this post via email you may  need to go the actual blog post because for some reason, videos don't work in emails  Or if I did this correctly click on the link below the video.

https://youtu.be/lIbNIndLjWo

Palm Sunday

Have a blessed Palm Sunday. Image courtesy of Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

1 Corinthians Online Ladies Bible Study

Hello dear ones! I can just kick myself for not telling you all sooner but there is an online Bible study for Women over at a site called Conforming to the Truth. Tajuana over at My Life 0utside the Box  has been posting  a chapter  each week from 1 Corinthians and highlighting the verses that stand out  . It's not too late to sign up as I only recently joined the email list. There is a Facebook group if you want to join that. If you don't have Facebook which I don't have you can just be on the email lesson list.

  Last week's and this weeks lesson deal with s*xual* sins.  As Tajuana noted and I agree, there doesn't seem to be much difference in the Church today than it was in Corinth. The same issues Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians  is still going on today.
I've been in churches in the past where there have been all sorts of s*xual sins committed.Some churches even allow it because they use the excuse of  not wanting to offend or feel like it's so big deal.

 I got really upset at a woman " Mennonite pastor" about a year or so ago because she doesn't care that she is brainwashing her congregation into believing that certain lifestyles are not sinful. Even a well known Christian author and speaker shocked everyone a few years ago when she said this lifestyle should be embraced.

I suspect Paul would if he were alive today would either be saddened or not surprised by the Church today.
When sin is tolerated no matter what it is, shows ungratefulness for what Jesus did on the cross and spitting in His face. And people who are in positions of leadership who allow sin to continue  make the Pharisees look like angels!

Anyway, I'm sorry to get sidetracked. Go over to Conforming to the Truth if you would like to sign up for the study.

*Because some of you receive my posts by email, you may have settings that will filter emails that contain certain words to be sent to spam.  To keep inappropriate emails out of my email box I also have such filters.

P.S. I wrote this post on April 5th and forgot to hit the Publish button.  Silly me!

Book Review:Suffering Is Never for Nothing

This the first Elisabeth Elliot book I have ever read so when I saw it was available for review I jumped at the chance.

The book is transcribed from a CD set of a conference  Elisabeth had done called Suffering is Never For Nothing.
Elisabeth gives this definition of suffering: "Suffering is having what you don't want or wanting what you don't have."

I believe she hit the nail on the hammer with thst statement. I think it will stick in my mind for a long time.
Most of you know that Ellisabeth lost her husband Jim in 1956 when he was killed by the Waorani people in Ecuador.
Elisabeth would lose her second husband to cancer so she had her share of suffering.  Elisabeth herself would eventually suffer the cruelty of dementia and passing away at the age of 88 on June 15th,  2015.

This book is an easy read with just six short chapters but I found it better to read each chapter slowly and take in what God is saying through Elisabeth in the book.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is suffering whether through physical pain, emotional pain or even spiritual pain.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (B&H) in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review-Open Door Living

Open Door Living by Jen Schmidt is a lovely gift book full of ideas of how to practice Biblical hospitality. Jen is the same author who wrote "Just Open the Door".
Much of her ideas in Open Door Living are taking from Just Open the Door. There are recipes, tips for cleaning and decluttering, ideas for overnight guests and more.
The photos and artwork throughout the book are beautiful. I just loved reading through this book and the recipes have given me dinner ideas. Her tips are met to help us not go broke when we open our homes and our hearts to others. Also her suggestions can really help prevent stress over practicing hospitality.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (B&H) in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: GraceFull- Growing a Heart That Cares for Our Neighbors

This sweet book is the third book in Dorena Williamson's "FULL" series of books. Her other two books are ColorFULL and ThoughtFULL . I wrote reviews for both of those.

GraceFULL deals with homelessness. Hope's  church friend Anna, whose family is from Syria are living in a homeless shelter.
I really like that Dorena handled the issue of homelessness in a sensitive way without making it stereotypical of homeless people.

Hope's  mom explains that the shelter and their church helps to show God's grace without being judgemental.

As always in the back  there is a Parent Connection with a memory verse, a devotion and questions to discuss with the children.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (B&H Kids) in exchange for my honest review.

Hello There!

I hope spring has finally reached you all. Though our daytime temps are nice, I feel like our nights still feel like winter! But that's just me.

I want to update you all on how my New Year's goals are coming along.
As far as walking and exercise, it's been hit and miss but it's a new week!
My friend and I got about an hour and a half walk this morning around our tiny neighborhood.
My weight has been up and down so that's a little discouraging. I'm eating better than I used to but in moderation I will have a treat.
I've gotten better about finishing a book before starting another.  Book reviews I've gotten lax so I have some reviews I will post hopefully tonight.
Bible reading and prayer has been good. I think I'm doing much better than I did last year.

I hope you all got through April 1st without any April Fool's pranks.  Have a blessed evening!

Thoughts Running Through My Mind-Please Forgive the Ramble

First of all I want to thank you all for your prayers for Sadie and Nicole's families. Please continue to pray for them especially their parents. I can't even imagine what they are going through. No parent ever wants to get that call or a police officer showing up at the door with news your child has been killed.
I look at my Kaitlyn and think, it could have been her and how grateful I am she is safe here at home.

I'm sure Sadie and Nicole's family and friends are asking why. I too am asking "Why Lord? Why these young girls?" " Was someone texting" " Was someone drinking?"

I saw a picture of the accident scene in our local paper and the damage to the cars is just unbelievable. One car looked liked one of  those toy cars that break apart when they hit a wall or something.

There is no word yet on what caused the accident. I read somewhere that toxicology reports can take weeks to be completed.
There's no update on the other driver, Scott so please continue to pray for his recovery.

I think I've rambled enough. I just needed to "talk" so to speak. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Have a blessed day my friends.

Book Review-Moments til Midnight: The Final Thoughts of a Wandering Pilgrim-by Brent Crowe

An excerpt from the back cover:
Brent Crowe imaginatively retells the last twelve hours of Paul's life and along the way, readers will be encouraged to live with purpose, to redeem the time, and to embrace the awesome reality that they too are on a sacred journey.

Brent begins the first chapter , (Noon) with a short history of emperor Nero. Nero was extremely evil and he absolutely hated Christians. He blamed everything on Christians. To be honest ladies, I think he hated everyone, including himself. That just my personal opinion though.
 Back to the book, Nero ordered the execution of countless numbers of Christians including Paul.

Brent describes what might have happened when Paul learned when he would be receiving his death sentence. He says that perhaps a note on parchment was smuggled illegally by a guard. The parchment would in a bucket on top of bucket of slop given to prisoners. Paul would read the note: "EXECUTION TO BE CARRIED OUT AT MIDNIGHT. Signed: Your brother on the journey." I can't imagine what that must have been like for Paul.

 Instead of chapter numbers, each is a  "countdown" of each hour leading to Paul's death, beginning at Noon ending at Midnight.
One chapter that stood out to me was the chapter called "Ten o'clock- Sanctifying Failure and Redeemed Regret"
Brent wondered if Paul, while in that dark dungeon struggled with guilt for persecuting Christians before his conversion. He also  wondered if Paul struggled with depression after beatings or imprisonment.
And what was that thorn in the flesh Paul talks about?

After reading Moments til Midnight, I have a deeper appreciation for Paul. I also have a deeper respect for those Christians living in countries where Christianity is outlawed. I think every Christian should read this book.

I received a copy of this book from B&H Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Prayer Request

Hello dear friends. I'm coming to you with a sad prayer request.  Two high school girls ( ages 17 and 18) were killed in a  head-on car crash on Monday. They were seniors at our local high school here in town. My senior daughter didn't know these girls since she is a homeschool student but had she gone to the high school, she would have known them since the school is small.
Our pastors and pastors from other churches have made themselves available to the families of the victims if they would like. The accident is still under investigation and police are waiting toxicology reports to determine if impaired driving was the cause.
Though the victims names have been released I'm just going to give the first names only so please pray for Sadie's ( age 17) family and for Nicole's ( age 18) family.
The third victim, 44 -year -old Scott who was driving the other car, is in stable but critical condition so if you can pray for him too. Thank you!
If you have teens, hug them a little tighter.

The Great Snowpocalypse of 2019

Last week winter storm Quiana came through Arizona with a vengeance dumping tons of snow.  We understand from residents who lived here the longest that this is the most snowfall they had seen in about thirty years.
 We probably won't get snow like this again unless this becomes the new normal.

We decided we " ain't afraid of no snow"   so went out and to play in between breaks of heavy snowfall.

Kaitlyn expressed her love for the snow in our backyard!

This is out front and somewhere out there is road. We don't have sidewalk so you can't even tell where the where anyone's property starts.

"Mom it's cold out here but I just love snow and here comes the neighbors!" Our neighbors drove by laughing and waving at us.
                               

Icicles! There were even more the next day.

These  icicles that are in the bush from the above photo are waiting to jump out and attack  unsuspecting solicitors!

Don't mess with Mom! She's armed with a snowball and she's not afraid to use it!

The snow is about all melted now and I admit I'm going to miss it. I remember saying back in January I hoped for one more good snow. Well we got it and then some!

Thoughts on Psalm 23-Post Will Be Long!

                                    Psalm 23
1.The Lord is my Shepherd,
I shall not want.

2 He maketh  me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth
me beside the still waters.

3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

4.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; the rod and they staff comfort me.

5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with with oil; my cup runneth over.

6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord  for ever.


Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved and well known Psalms in the Bible but
 to be honest I used to avoid it. It's not that I disliked it or anything but because I had always associated it with death and funerals.
However, the Lord revealed to me some beautiful truths about this Psalm I would like to share with you.

1. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep. He takes care of  all our needs.

2. We rest in know that Jesus gives us rest and that He gives us Living Water. With His water we shall never thirst.( Remember the Samaritan woman at the well? John 4:7-15)

3. God is always ready to welcome us back when we have wandered and puts us back on the right path.  He comforts our souls when we feel we can't make it another day.

4. This world is a dark place.  Just look around at what's happening in the world around us. Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy. But God is with us and we have no reason to fear. Now that does not mean we should test God by acting like " Don't Mess With Me a I'm Saved Woman!"  and putting ourselves in danger on purpose. That's just foolish!
Another thing we need to remember that as  Christians we will be persecuted for our faith.  It's not just in countries where it's illegal to practice or share Christ. It's also happening here in the U.S.
People persecuted on the job,  at school, by neighbors, people mocking our faith through mean blog comments etc, etc.
God is there for us through our during our dark times. Whether it be loss (death of a loved one, job, divorce, etc) a church split, child leaving the faith or whatever trial you are experiencing He is right by your side and He will walk you through it.
I forgot to mention  in regards to being persecuted Paul tells us in Romans:
Romans 8:36  "As it is written, For Thy sake; we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter".
We need to stay strong in our faith through prayer and reading  the Word.

5. The Lord's blessings are so numerous they are overflowing! The blessing of our salvation is something our enemy cannot take from us!

6. God pursues us with His unfailing love and His mercy and one day He will take us Home to glory to be with Him forever.  We need to share God's goodness and mercy by sharing our testimony with others so they too can one day be with Him.

So those are some  things I have learned from Psalm 23. There is more I could write but this post is long already but I hope it encourages someone. Have a blessed day!

Rest

So my post isn't about physical rest though it is very important  to get a good night's sleep. I just wanted to share a picture of our cat Kirstie and the verse that Bible Lens from YouVersion Bible App generated. Have you tried the YouVersion Bible app? There are read through the Bible reading plans, various version of the Bible to download  and most recently the Bible Lens where if you take a picture using the  Bible Lens app, it will generate a a verse based on your photo. I think it's the neatest thing since chocolate!


I hadn't really planned on having a personal "word" of the year. I've seen many ladies in blogland  have a word that they want to focus on for the year.  Words such as patience, respect, prayer,  and quietness are just a few of the words some ladies are focusing on.

Honestly, I've  never been one to do anything "because everyone else is doing it".  I'm just not that type of person. Then my Homemaker's Friend Planner arrived on my birthday in December that has different themes each year. One  the cover was  "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him."_ Psalm 37:7.
Then it hit me! The word  "rest".

You see I worry .  I find myself getting impatient with God. I stress out over things. Like trying to figure what to say in this post.
Yesterday* I looked up what God in His Word has to say about rest. These are a few scriptures I found including the verse I mentioned above:

Matthew 11:28- Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Acts 2:26- Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope.  ( See also Psalm 16:8-9)

1 Peter 5:7- Casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth  for you.

2 Corinthians 12:9- And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength  is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Nahum 1:7- The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trusts in Him.

There are many more verses but I just put a few here because there are too many to put in one post.

As I read each verse I was seeing a common theme about trusting in God and His desire that we rely on Him and not  focus on our circumstances.  You see, when we get so focused on what's bothering us, we take our eyes off of the Lord ( or at least I do) and  we get restless and weary.
 God wants us to rest in Him and give our cares to Him no matter how big or small the problem is.

I want to encourage you all to have time for prayer and reading the Bible. It's so easy for us women to get so busy with our day, we forget to have that time alone with Him. Make sure to have a pen and notebook or a journal to write down thoughts that come to mind as you read.
I hope this little post has helped someone who might be going through a restless period.

* I started writing this post on Monday hoping to post it on Tuesday.

Twenty-six Year's and a P.S.

Twenty-six years ago I said  "I do" to this sweet, long hair BMW motorcycle riding guy. What cuties were back then!

Here we are today. I  think we are still cute!

So the P.S. I'm working on the post on rest and I should have it up by tomorrow.

The Simple Woman Daybook

                                          For Today February 4th, 2019

       
Looking out my window... it's dark outside since it's evening. Plus it's cold!

               I am thinking... about my to do list for tomorrow.

              I am thankful.....for our warm cozy home

             One of my favorite things... is relaxing with a good book and tea

           I am creating... or I should say, will be crocheting Valentine's Day garland

          I am wearing....green jammies

          I am watching... Dodie Gillis an old comedy from the 50s with dh

         I am hoping...for one more good snow before spring

       I am learning... that God wants me to trust Him and find complete rest in Him

      In my kitchen... we hadChicken and Barley Soup and Homemade Wheat Bread

                              Postscript
           I'm in a weight loss program called Sparkpeople. It's free and I appreciate that it shows the calories that I've eaten and how many calories I've burned in my exercise. Sparkpeople.com

             Shared Quote...." Sometimes we must change our tune so we can help produce harmony". From the  Thought Gems in the February 2019 Calvary Messenger

            A moment from my day
The bread I made with dinner tonight.  The load that looks small is because we are most of it.😊

                               

                                           Closing notes.... I hope to write a post about rest soon.    I've been reading a lot of scriptures about rest lately.

I'm linking up with other ladies The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Body Inside Your Body is Not Your Body

The quote in my blog title is credited to John Ohman in regards to abortion. You can read the full article on Lori Alexander's blog The Transformed Wife here

Photo by Ashton Mullins on Unsplash

Babies are babies whether they are unborn

Or born

Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

Dr. King's Legacy

Today as America celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day I found myself actually feel heavy hearted because somehow over the years people have turned his legacy more into a  " Dr. King would fight for my right to disobey God and the Bible."  I honestly don't believe that he would fight for people to sin and disobey God's clear plan for men and women. There are so called  "pastors" who have conformed to the world's ideology and this spills out into what they teach in their churches.  I don't think Martin Luther King would have conformed to all these ideas that are tearing our country apart. 

I can go on but I will end this short post. Pray for our country. Pray for the President even if you don't like him and his staff. Pray for your unbelieving neighbors.  Pray for couples in your church who are facing divorce. Pray for  the woman pastor that she would read the scriptures forbidding this.  Pray for children who have walked away from the Lord.
Blessings to you all.

Book Review: Gay Girl, Good God

So I decided to "read" the back of the book first. In other words, I Googled Jackie Hill- Perry to make sure this wasn't a "God made me this way"  or "Homosexuality isn't a sin"   book.  I was very glad to see that Jackie had indeed left the homosexual lifestyle has married a godly man and has two adorable little girls.

Jackie doesn't make excuses for her behavior and calls it exactly what it is - sin. She's honest about her past without being graphic or sensual. I appreciate her sharing how she explains that we can be made new through the power of Jesus Christ.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher  (B&H Publishers) in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Gratitude: A Prayer and Praise Journal

This sturdy cover coloring journal is perfect for ladies who are into Bible journaling. There are lovely pages throughout to color and pages for writing prayers. There are also pages of prompts. For example,there is a page where you can draw or sketch or even paste pictures of people and things you are grateful for.
I liked this coloring journal very much as some of you know I love coloring books.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher (Tyndale) in exchange for my honest review.

Silly App Ad

Hello dear friends! I hope the year is starting off well with you all. I want to share with you a silly app ad that came up.
So one of my goals I shared was I want to lose weight so I decided I would download on my phone SparkPeople. If you aren't familiar with SparkPeople is a weight loss website where you can track your food and exercise, set nutrition and exercise goals, connect with others trying to lose weight, read articles on diet and exercise and more. It's free and I've used their site in the past so I really like it.
Anyway, I downloaded the app even it comes with ads( many apps do) so I can log my food if I'm out or I don't want to take out my tablet.
Anyway, I was on the Spark people app and an ad pops up. For. All. You. Can. Eat. Pancakes.
I started laughing because of all ads to pop up it had to be IHOP all you can eat pancakes. For a limited time only the ad boasts. I just wanted to share that with you all because it's such an absurd ad to come up. I know app companies have no control over the ads that popup but all you can eat pancakes on a weight loss app? 🙈🥞

Happy New Year and My 2019 Goals

Happy New Year my friends! I hope you all a a nice quiet New Years Eve yesterday.
 Those of you who have  been reading my blog know that I don't do New Year's resolutions  but instead I post realistic goals for myself. I was reviewing my list from last year and saw that some I didn't accomplish like completing a sewing project from my CLP ( Christian Light Publishing) lesson book or walk around my neighboorhood three times a week. But that's really okay as I can add them to this year's list.

So here are my goals that Lord willing, I hope to accomplish this year.

1. Devote more time to prayer.

2. Continue with my Bible reading plan.

3. Return to crocheting. I really miss doing this especially when I see other ladie's projects on their blogs. I just need to remember to take it easy due to arthritis pain.

4. Stay on top of posting book reviews.  I'm not sure why I get behind. Currently I have three books I need to post a review for. Yikes!

5. Walk around my neighborhood four times a week. This is important because at my last doctor visit a couple of weeks ago, I had gained too much weight and my bloodwork was through the roof.

6. Include other exercise in addition to the walking above. We have a exercise ball and a mat, not to mention the various YouTube videos out there.

7. Complete a lesson from the CLP sewing book. There are plenty to choose from.

8. With #4 above being a goal, I want to make sure I finish a book before I start another. Maybe that's why I'm behind in reviews.

9. Lose weight. I really need to try to set a realistic goal for myself.

10. So that means with #9 above,  I want to eat healthier. This means more fruits and veggies, better choices if we eat out and not grazing on sweets throughout the day.

So these goals I really want to accomplish. Some will be easy and some not so much. It will be interesting to see what happens this year.
Have a blessed New Year!