I am a news junkie, but as a staunch conservative, it’s hard to find news to watch that doesn’t upset me or make me angry.  Right now, all of the brouhaha about the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh is driving me insane!  I want it all to stop, to move on, to get it over with.  I am praying for Judge Kavanaugh and his family during the onslaught of the liberal “me, too” movement.   In the meantime, the news that really matters is not on the radio or a channel on TV or even on social media.  The news that matters is that I am saved by the grace of God to live eternally with Him in Heaven.

Who is the messenger of God?  I am, and you are.  Anyone who knows the Lord and claims salvation through His Name has become His messenger, His ambassador to a world that is lost without Him.  What is the good news?  It’s also known as the gospel and the good news is that Jesus came to earth as a man, was crucified and rose again.  The good news is that He died for each of us who believes in His grace and mercy.  So, with all the bad news that is in the world daily, there is good news.  Ultimately, God reigns!  No matter what is happening, God is good and He is in charge.  I pray that you know this truth and that it has set you free from the sins that so easily trap us.  I pray that you know His love and His salvation, His protection and His defense of you.  You are not alone…that is the good news.  The Lord will walk beside you for the rest of your life.  So, turn off the bad news and fill your heart with the good news that can save your soul and give you the peace you need to know, that you are truly saved by His blood and can walk with Him through whatever happens in life.  Glory to God for giving us His Son!

I confess that it hard for me to pass a brick house with a beautiful lawn and windows that look out on the world without saying, “Wow!  I wish that were my house!”  For years, I have lived in a modular home that is adequate but certainly nothing show-y.  And it needs so many repairs that they might cost almost as much as the house is worth.  But my husband’s dream was to own land, and we do have four acres.  Back to my confession…I admit that I am guilty of envying sinners.  I don’t know that the person living in that house that I covet is a sinner because I don’t know anything about them.  As many houses as I have looked at and wanted, I’m willing to bet that at least some of the people who owned those homes were “sinners.”  After all, what is a sinner but someone living in a sinful state without belief in God and His Son Jesus Christ.?  However, the Bible tells me not to envy sinners.  I should not want their lifestyle and all that comes with it because my final reward is with the Lord.  I keep telling myself that I will have a mansion in Heaven, and this Scripture tells me that my hope won’t be disappointed.  That’s good stuff!

This is an important verse for me.  For years, I blamed my husband and his moving me to a rural location in a home that I really don’t like for my covetousness.  But, guess what?  God says that each person is responsible for his/her own behavior.  Oops!  It’s all on me.  I can’t stand before the Throne of Judgment and say, “Look, this is what made me make wrong choices.”  Nope!  I’m all alone before God and I am totally responsible for my conduct:  my thoughts, my words, my choices.  They’re all mine.  And, bad news to the generation that doesn’t take responsibility for anything: this verse applies to you, too.  There may be “extenuating circumstances” here on earth, but in Heaven, there is no such thing.  No excuses!  Just know in advance that you are responsible for your own behavior and you will suffer consequences for wrong ones, if not on earth, then certainly before the Father who created you.  I think that only His mercy and grace have saved me thus far in my life.  I know it’s wrong to covet what others have and that is one of the things that I have to confess and ask forgiveness for frequently.  

This is my prayer.  I want to only be able to boast about the Lord Jesus and His death for me on the cross.  I have to crucify daily my interest in this world.  That means that I take my eyes off the house that I want and focus on the cross instead.  Do you have to ever do that?  Do you make the choice to turn from what tempts you and look only at the cross?  He is my reason for living and the only way that I can continue in this life with all of its struggles.  I hope that you have found the peace and completeness that is only in Him.  Who is He?

He is the Lord God, the one who made the seas and all life in it.  He made me, and He made you, whether you acknowledge Him or not.  He is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and He is on my side when I fight the petty battles of life.  I just have to call on Him and He is right there.  He answers me with peace and with the feeling that all will be okay in the end.  He will make all things right, and He is preparing a real and eternal home for me in Heaven.  I hope you will be a “neighbor” there, in Heaven, I mean.  There is every reason to accept His salvation and love.  Ask Him into your heart today and begin walking in His joy and peace and power.  It’s a journey that you will never regret and be thankful for daily.  When you make that choice, please let me know so that I can rejoice with you!

I was nominated for the cool award by Mws R Writings and I am really excited to tell you about an act of kindness that a friend just did for me.

I wanted to go to the fitness center today and my husband has a standing date on Friday to take our friend Bob out to lunch. Both are veterans and Bob is the husband of my best friend who just passed away in March. Anyway, Harry is being kind to do that, but I really wanted to go to the gym. So, I packed some crackers and a cheese stick and told Harry that I would wait at the local library for him to finish his lunch with Bob and then we could go to the gym together. My friend Pam, who works near the library, found out what I was doing and came by to pick me up and take me to lunch at a new restaurant nearby. What a sweetie! I got to see my friend whom I have not seen in over a year and I got to have a regular lunch! I am so thankful for my friend who went out of her way to pick me up, take me to lunch and bring me back to the library to meet Harry…all when she was supposed to be working at her business.

Mws R came up with this award because so many of us are touched by random acts of kindness, and they are worth mentioning.

All through life we encounter people who for no apparent reason help us, or extend a hand when needed. Some do it directly and some do it indirectly.
Rules are posted on original award post, but here is a recap.
1- copy or paste image for reward on your post.
2- Write a paragraph on a random act of kindness, either you saw, was given to you, or you have done. It is okay to spread the love people. You don’t have to name specific names or whatever but tell us about it.
3- Share this award and link to original post or tag the person who nominated you.
4- If you should want to do this then you can leave an open ended invitation, or personally tag others.
5- Pictures are a good share to, if you have pictures to share a random act of kindness, that is great!

My nominees are:

La Petit Muse

Tittle Thoughts

Kranti
Chris Hall

Heather Feather

Train Today to Reap Tomorrow

Not-So-Modern-Girl

I am grateful and honoured to be nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by Nanette at Puzzles of the Soul.

THE RULES :-

✨Thank the blogger(s) that nominated you and link back to their blog.
✨Answer the 11 questions set by the person that nominated you.
✨Tag 5-11 new blogs and to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
✨List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post/blog.

Anyone is free to participate and it’s completely optional for my nominees ,to participate or not ..

MY QUESTIONS:

1. Which do you prefer a peaceful or vibrant atmosphere?

I prefer a very peaceful and calm atmosphere.

2. Where do you get your inspiration?

From the Holy Bible

3. Are you  Soul or Mind Centered ?

I am God-centered

4. If you were a colour what would you be and why?

I would be a very soothing mint green because it is my favorite color.

5. Your favourite season?

My favorite season is fall because of all of the colors

6. What is important ?

My relationship with God and with my family

7. Name five of your favourite blogs

Teen, Meet God

Miraculous Smile

Aphorisms

Run With It

Maggie Tiggles

8. Do you like your comfort zone or  can you go with the flow?

I like my comfort zone.

9. What is your favourite meal or dessert?

I love cheesecake!

10. When you go outside to relax where would this be, mountains, beach, hills, river ?

Hills near a river or the beach

11. What was your favourite game or toy as a child?

Jacks

My Nominees:

My favorites listed above and anyone else who would like to participate. This is a fun way to get to know others, so If you have time, I encourage you to take part!

Questions for my Nominees:

1. If you had to give up one favorite food or beverage, what would you give up?

2. Do you have a pet? If so, what?

3. What is the best vacation that you have ever been on?

4. How. many different countries have you visited?

5. Do you prefer the morning or the evening?

6. Would you rather listen to music or read?

7. What is the most important relationship in your life?

8. Have you ever done a daring sport or adventure? If so, what and when?

9. Do you believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ?

10. What is your favorite outfit to wear?

11. If you could talk to the leader of your nation, what is the one thing you would want to say?

Our granddaughter Teya is a cross-country runner.  Credit for this photo is to her mom Hope Ellen Bailey and the Bible Lens App.

I am so grateful for all the years that I have lived, and I am very aware that the older I get the more I slow down.  I have “run the race” for over 67 years and some of those years have been harder than others.  This verse has encouraged me for many years.  Can you imagine the host of Heaven cheering you on?  Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David, Daniel…all of the great Biblical heroes are the witnesses to our daily lives and struggles.  As I struggle with my family relationships, a “cloud of witnesses” is watching my choices, because it is a maze in this race.  I have family members who believe in the Lord and are saved and others who want nothing to do with God.  Yet we are all family, siblings that have gone our different ways and are running our races differently.  I want to run my race on the path that God has marked out for me.  I have no doubt that there have been times that I have strayed, but when I get back on the path that God wants me on, the “cloud of witnesses” is right there to cheer me on.  I sent Teya a message when I saw this photo.  “Way to go, Teya!”  Can you hear the Heavenly Host cheering you on when you make the choice to run the race on the path God has set our for you?  “Way to go!  Keep going!  You’re doing great!”  My takeaway from this Scripture is threefold:  1)God has a path marked for me.  It is my choice to follow that path by praying daily about the way I should go that day.  2)I have a “cloud of witnesses” encouraging me.  Some of my encouragement comes from my friends and family here on earth.  But when I don’t hear any encouraging words from them, if I know for sure that I am on the path God wants me to be on, I can count on being encouraged from on high.  I just have to be quiet for a few minutes and listen for it.  3)God loves me so much that He wants me to keep on going, through all of the tough times and the times when I feel all alone.  He has set a path for me, and I’m still going because He isn’t finished with me yet.  Do you know that God wants you to run your race?  He wants you to keep on going and watch for the blessing that is coming your way just because of your obedience.  No, this is not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that is promised.  It is eternal life with Him, and it is worth the running to get there.  One final word:  No one runs without first training or he/she will suffer a grave injury.  Our training comes in daily reading God’s Word, daily praying and listening for His answers, daily examining ourselves, forgiving others and ourselves and moving to the path to run.  Some days, the path is a maze, others the path has hurdles on it.  However, always remember that the path you are running, the life that you are living, is for God’s glory and He and His Heavenly Host are cheering you on.  Victory is ours, through Christ Jesus our Lord!  

What does the Scripture mean that every knee wil bend to the Lord?  The NIV Version says that every knee will bow.  The Bible tells us that the next time Jesus comes, He will appear in the clouds and will come in glory, and every knee will bow at His appearing.  Think about that word ”every”.  It means all the rich people, the poor, the leaders and the followers.  Your name can be Smith or you can be one of the rich Joneses that we always hear about.  Your money won’t be able to save you.  Only believing in Jesus as Lord can lead to salvation, and regardlesss of your beliefs, EVERY knee will bow to Him.  I have a sibling who says that I’m too religious and she just doesn’t believe in all of that Jesus stuff. My reply is this Scripture.  You can have your beliefs all of your life, yet you will still bow before the King of Kings.  And that isn’t all…EVERY tongue will declare their allegiance to God.  Now, I’m not exactly sure what that means.  Can it be possible that when Jesus appears, there will be a great revival and all men will declare that He is Lord?  Does that mean that at the end all will be saved?  I don’t know the answer, but I do know that God does.  I would like to think that all of my non-believing or non-practicing friends and family will be saved from the destruction that is to come at the end of the age, but I am not the one who decides that.  Nor am I the One who knows.  I just trust in God’s grace, mercy and justice.  But you know what?  It’s much better for you and me and others who believe in Jesus now.  We can read the whole Book, including the end, and we know how things turn out.  So, the appearing of Jesus will be a victorious celebration for us, those who are awaiting His Second Coming.  For others, it may be a time of fear and bowing in absolute terror.  I don’t know.  I just know that I look forward to that Day and I’m doing all that I can to tell others and bring as many with me as possible to Heaven.  Halllelujah!  His Name is worthy to be praised!  And one day, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue confess that He is Lord. What a beautiful day that will be!  As the song and movie of that title says, “I Can Only Imagine!”  

I woke up this morning so thankful that for the first time in over a week, I did not have a headache.  When the barometric pressure changes, as it did during the time when the hurricane and its effects were in the area, my head hurts.  So, it all began last week, and yesterday was like the grand finale.  I got physically ill from the headache and felt so bad that I went to bed at five with a hot rag over my eyes.  I was able to sleep for a couple of hours and awakened still headache-y.  I ate some soup, took my nightly meds along with a headache pill for sinus and went to bed again.  Miraculous!  I have no headache today!  So, I am blessing the Lord!  But, what I am asking myself is what happened to my praise when I was so ill?  Honestly, I was so focused on staying upright that I didn’t praise but I did pray.  However, I woke up this morning and before my feet touched the floor, I began to praise the Lord.  I would like to train myself to praise during the low circumstances of my life, not after things have calmed down. I have a real relationship with God and talk to Him all day long, including yesterday.  But I don’t recall praising Him.  Does anyone else feel like they forget to praise during the times of illness, when we should be praising God more?  I’m not talking about thanking God for the illness, but thanking Him for His continued blessing, throughout all of the circumstances of life and praising Him because He is always worthy of praise.   Life throws curve balls and God is my catcher.  I hope that you trust Him, too, and I pray that in the future I will be able to praise God in difficult circumstances, including illness.

My husband and I had to go into town yesterday (about an hour’s drive west of us) because I had to get my immunotherapy shots.  We had decided that we would go to the gym on the way back home and swim a while.  Unfortunately, there were storms everywhere and tornadoes were touching down in various locations near us.  So, the pool was closed but we couldn’t go home because it was too dangerous for us to head out on the road with tornadoes so active.  I had seen the path of destruction that a tornado leaves behind a few years ago when a tornado hit Tappahanock, the little town near our church.  Entire neighborhoods were decimated.  From that experience, I have a healthy respect for tornadoes.  But, I know who controls the winds, so I tried to remain calm with tornado alarm warnings going off on phones all around me.  I kept reminding myself about how much God loves me.  I even told the couple next to me that I trusted God to take care of us.  After all, we were in a building with a lot of glass and heavy equipment that would definitely be a death trap if a tornado were to touch down there.  I actually was calmly reading my book by Lisa Harris (Review of A SECRET TO DIE FOR by Lisa Harris) and waiting until the all clear signal to go home.  We stayed in the fitness center for a couple of hours and once the tornadoes seemed to have headed north, we went home.  There were still tornado warnings until after ten last night.  I am sad to report that a tornado did touch down in Chesterfield County, south of Richmond, Virginia, and one woman died in the building that collapsed under the force of the winds.  I pray that she was a Christian and that God will send the Comforter to be with her friends and loved ones.  But I know that God is in Heaven, regardlesss of loss of life and property, and He loves us and will take care of us.  

As I view all of the destruction in North and South Carolina, I have to continue to trust in God’s grace for these people.  We were just on those roads a week and a half ago as we came back from our vacation to Myrtle Beach.  My heart goes out to these people and I pray that they will turn to the only One who can truly help them.  Some of them have lost everything…all of their earthly possessions except for what they took with them when they fled from Hurricane Florence and the flood.  It is one thing to say that we pray for those people, but I hope that you will also consider giveing a donation to help them to one of the many relief organizations that are helping in the recovery.  I can personally testify that Samaritan’s Purse, an organization founded by Franklin Graham, and Christians in Action are both worthy and give the funds to the people who need them, helping rebuild homes and giving food and shelter to those in need.  Here are the links to their sites should you choose to donate.  God bless and be with each of you and with all of the victims of this devastation.  

Samaritan’s Purse

Christ In Action

This amazing book is available TODAY at your local or online bookseller.  

The sub-title of the book really tells you what it is about:  “Believing God’s Truth About You.”.

This book is one that you will want to keep on your shelf in order to refer to it and the truths that it contains repeatedly.  Who hasn’t walked into a room and just had a feeling that everyone was talking about you and you just weren’t “good enough” to be there?  This book tackles the insecurities that all of us feel in different situations.  Written with total respect for each individual’s need to feel that they are accepted by their peer groups and colleagues at work, this book is a must-read for all of us because there is no one who does not have some kind of insecurity.  Based on the premise that Satan is an identity thief, each chapter addresses different ways in which a person may feel insecure, asking questions that make the readers ponder how they can feel more secure in their relationships.  After encouraging you to ponder your life, the author then tells you with Scripture how God sees you.  God created you and wants you to walk with your head high, not with your identity stolen by the thief who wants also to own your soul.  Anyone and everyone should read this book and treasure it for the great truths that it contains, that God loves you just as you are and you can rest in His love.  I really enjoyed the organization and the Biblical references that the author used throughout the book.  It can be read from beginning to end or it can be used as a reference when you are feeling insecure in one or more areas of your life and need to hear God’s Word to you about that feeling.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell, a division of Baker Publishers.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”  

Available TODAY from your local bookseller or online!  

This wonderful little book can be used as a devotional or just read for encouragement.  Each chapter is based on a trait of the character of God and includes a vignette of something that actually happened in the life of the author.  I was drawn into the events of Ms Gerth’ s life and I was also drawn to meditate on how that facet of God’s character related to me and my life.  The book was thought-provoking and made to be mediated on alongside the Bible.  The author makes sure that the reader can understand how totally loving and caring God is, even in the the most dire circumstances.  I was encouraged by this book and the truth of how much God cares for me, every day and in every way.  

Disclaimer 

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group.  I was not required to post a positive review.  The opinions expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”