Shouldn't It Be Obvious?

All that I have seen teaches me to trust God 

for all I have not seen.  

To look at nature is to see a great, powerful, creative, loving God.
The birds and flowers don't worry,
why should I?

God gave me a great example of this in the past month.
I have mentioned that I receive many gently used clothes
from my pastor's wife's mother.
She is a great Goodwill shopper.
Top quality, named brand clothes ...
It is fun to have "Goodwill" brought right to my door.

I recently noticed that one or two of my jean skirts were getting thin. 
I knew my pastor's wife was going to see her mom soon.
I prayed that her mom might want to get rid of some jean skirts.
Selfish?  Maybe?
But God heard.
When my pastor's wife returned,
she did not bring bags upon bags of clothes,
but she did bring 2 pairs of shoes and 4 jean skirts!
Not just "ok" skirts - but 2 skirts I really liked and that fit nicely.

I am learning to ask and depend on God's provision
before trying to solve problems on my own.

Sweat

You will permit me to be thankful twice today, won't you?

Hubby and I are also enjoying a week's long visitor's pass to our local YMCA.

While I have a great series of exercises and programs that I do in my own home,

I am enjoying a few days with 

the elliptical, 

the treadmill, 

and this AMT (Adaptive Motion Trainer) above.

We also get to enjoy the company of our pastor and his wife

and another family in the church.

It is great to be helped spiritually and physically at the same time!

From Orange and Blue to Green

Today, I am thankful for a new job.

Though I have recently gained some new responsibilities,

I am not thankful for my own new positions,

but one for hubby.

For about a year,

he has been a mechanic and service manager 

for a struggling local company.

He has enjoyed the work,

gained much valuable experience,

enjoyed the mechanics he worked with,

but the business seemed to be founded 

on a lot of deceit.

He recently acquired a new job.

He will once more be a service manager.

He is excited ...

it is closer to home,

there is more training provided,

they have repeatedly emphasized their desire

 to have workers with ethics,

there is the possibility of advancement ...

and being a larger company,

the possibility to move within the company if God says "Go!"

A Beautiful Legacy

Proverbs 12:7 

The wicked are overthrown, and are not: 

but the house of the righteous shall stand.

The formula for a long-lasting legacy is given right here.

Those who are actively, repeatedly doing wrong

will be overthrown or turned about or turned over.

Their work will not stand or last.

The righteous - those actively pursuing and doing right - 

will have a house (connotation - family) that is continuing, enduring, established.

 Daily right actions + Daily right actions = Beautiful Legacy

How will you do right today?

Submission to the Word?

Time in the Word?

Submission to your husband?

Careful training of the children?

Disciplined eating, activities and thoughts?

It will be worth it!

What Will You Do?

What Will You Do with Jesus?

Mary L. Stocks

Jesus is standing in Pilate's hall--

Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all:

Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call!

What will you do with Jesus?

Jesus is standing on trial still--

You can be false to Him if you will,

You can be faithful thru good or ill:

What will you do with Jesus?

Will you evade Him as Pilate tried?

Or will you choose Him, what-e'er betide?

Vainly you struggle from Him to hide:

What will you do with Jesus?

Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny?

Or will you scorn from His foes to fly,

Daring for Jesus to live or die?

What will you do with Jesus?

"Jesus, I give Thee my heart today!

Jesus, I'll follow Thee all the way,

Gladly obeying Thee!" will you say,

"This will I do with Jesus!"

Chorus:

What will you do with Jesus?

Neutral you cannot be;

Someday your heart will be asking,

"What will He do with me?"

The words are going through my mind this week as we think of 

Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday 

and all of the events of this week.

Sugar Free?

I have learned A LOT about alternative diets.

Gluten-free, Cassein-free, aluminum free, non-gmo ... 

Hubby recently asked me to make cookies for a diabetic friend.

I began my search for sugar free recipes.

I am not a fan of sugar substitutes.

They make me leery health wise and I don't care for the aftertaste.

Then hubby told me that he had promised the famous "no bakes."

Did hubby realize that sugar is what makes a no-bake cookie?

So I searched further.

There are actually a lot of recipes out there for "healthy" no-bakes.

I left the recipe that included TVP (textured vegetable protein).

I ignored the ones with no peanut butter.

In the end, I settled on the recipe below.

It uses Stevia (sweetleaf) for sweetener.

Sweetleaf is a natural herb that is much sweeter than sugar.

It has no calories and is not supposed to affect glucose levels in diabetics.

1 med banana mashed

4 oz unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c milk

1/2 c stevia 

(not the blend with sugar, but the one the one that measures like sugar)

4 Tbsp butter or coconut oil

3 TBSP cocoa

2 1/2 c oats

3 TBSP Peanut butter

1 Tbsp vanilla 

They are much softer than the normal cookies and not as flat.  

They seem more like a protein bite.

Hopefully they will please the coworker.

Not of Myself

He who kneels before God can stand before anyone. 

I am nothing and can do nothing without the blessing and help of God.
He has told me to ask, seek, and knock.
Why do I try to do it on my own?

Look Around

Usually the act of thanksgiving is nothing more than disciplining myself to look around.

So on this Thankful Thursday,

that is what I did.

I am thankful for ...

an empty laundry hamper

Clean laundry - drying in the sun and cool breeze

the dwindling Ebay table
products on top, packaging on the bottom
I was going to put many of my Christmas decorations out in yard sale fashion  for 5 cents a piece
but on Ebay, they are selling for 99 cents or more

Dinner in the crockpot - yummy!
Spaghetti tonight.
The crockpot is a lifesaver on Thursdays when I teach piano all afternoon.

Spring - and the beautiful Bradford Pears around the park

Vivid Word Pictures

Proverbs 12:4 

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: 

but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

I love word pictures.

I am a visual learner.

Today's proverb creates an instructive picture.

Can you see it?

Picture the fit athlete with his laurel wreath crown.

Picture the young royal in his princely or kingly regalia.

Contrast that with the picture of the feeble old man,

or the man being consumed with disease.

Which would you like for a husband?

You actually help create the image.

A virtuous woman is known for her strength.

She has the power to produce a desired effect.

She is morally excellent.

She sets her heart to do right and then has the fortitude to do it.

She is a testimony to her husband.

She brings him honor through her diligence and strength.

This woman is:

an ornament, 

a mark of honor, 

a reward 

to her husband.

The other woman "maketh ashamed."

She disappoints her husband,

does not meet his expectations,

shames him,

disgraces him,

causes him to feel inferior or unworthy.

In doing this, she may morally corrupt her husband.

She encourages his inferior actions.

She tears him down.

It seems easy to see which is the proper choice.

But how to achieve it?

Get busy.

Do right.

Keep an orderly home.

Support hubby when he wants to do right.

Ask him of his goals for the home and family and strive to meet those goals.

Be strong - deal with the "little" things and do not weigh him down with trivium.

Earn his trust that you will do what he asks in a timely, competent manner.

Trust his judgment in all matters.

Praise his strength and right choices.

Build him up with praise - both privately and publicly.

Work as a team.

Know your husband.

I have been meditating on it all week.

It is a tall order - 

but I want the first picture, not the second.

Leave It With God

Psalm 98:9 

"for he cometh to judge the earth: 

with righteousness shall he judge the world, 

and the people with equity."

How often does my flesh want to judge someone else!

They are not doing things "my way."

I have been reminded this week, that I need to leave it in God's hands. 

He knows all the facts,

he knows all sides of the story,

and he will judge righteously!