Productive day!

I miss my "blog buddies"! Glad you are able to still maintain some sort of communication Sandy! I read this devotion today and thought of yours yesterday! I think the Lord is trying to remind me "gently"!
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"If our worship does not invade every area of our life, then God is not on
the throne. We must trust Him in ALL things! We must have a passion for
His Word as well as an uncompromising willingness to act. We must long for
His presence and obediently follow each and every day - not just during our
once a week worship.

Let's NEVER put God on the shelf or ask Him to be "on-call." He's the
Creator of the Universe who has called us to a committed life of full time
worship. Let's follow where He leads and never treat our Heavenly Father
as a God of convenience."
~Steve Troxel Ministries
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Amy, Ally and I did some shopping today and got some great bargains! There are some great places around here, you just have to travel to find them. Actually, we took a few "shortcuts" in the country to find one place...only to get there about 20 min. later than if we took the "long cut"! Had a precious time though...and it was worth every minute!

I LOVE my girls!

I love my boy too...but that's a given!

Grape Salad Recipe

For you grape lovers...this is easy & terrific! I've modified it with lowfat cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 the sugar. It's fine, but not nearly as good.

GRAPE SALAD
2 pounds green grapes
2 pounds red grapes
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
16 oz sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 c. brown sugar
chopped nuts (pecan chips)if desired

Cream together - cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Add sour cream. Pour over grapes.
Topping: Mix together brown sugar and nuts. Sprinkle over grapes. Put in a 9 X 13 serving dish. Make a day ahead.

Once Again, I'm Reminded...and humbled

The Sin of Arrogance

In the message "Give Him All The Glory" we considered how Joseph recognized his ability to interpret dreams was only by God's grace; "God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires" (Genesis 41:16). We are also reminded of Pauls' words to the Corinthians, "What do you do have that you did not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7), and the words of Jesus, "apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Giving all the glory to God reflects an understanding of who we are in Christ and, more importantly, who He is in us!

As we see the multitude of sin in the world today, which causes others such pain, we must be reminded that all sin can be traced to pride and a lack of humility. All sin is rooted in arrogance, a self-exaltation where we think of ourselves and our abilities more highly than we should, and, in the end we attempt to elevate ourselves above God.

James wote about this arrogance when he said, "Do not slander one another" (James 4:11). He said when we are unfairly critical of others we not only disobey God's law of love, but we are actually sitting in judgment over the law - and there is only one Judge! (James 4:11-12). Willful disobedience involves elevating ourselves to the throne of God and judging which of His truths apply to our life. This is the ultimate arrogance!

Isaiah 14:13-15
"You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the upmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the coulds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit."

This passage may be referring to Satan, or an earthly king in the time of Isaiah. Either way, it clearly details the true heart of pride as well as the end result for such a heart. Isaiah is warning us all about the danger of attempting to raise ourselves to the level of God. After all, this temptation is what caused the fall of all mankind in the Garden of Eden; "when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. (Genesis 3:5).

We must continue to examine our heart and aggressively cut away all areas of pride before they infect and contaminiate our whole being. Can we ever get rid of all pride? Can we ever cease all sin? I don't believe we can! But I know that on the day we see Him face to face, we will be fully transformed, fully glorified, and fully able to praise Him for all eternity. Until the day He calls us home, we must continually say, "He must become greater, I must become less" (John 3:30). Until that day we must diligently battle the sin of arrogance.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

Our God is so Gracious!!

"The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me". Psalm 138:8

This verse has been one that I have memorized and said so often to myself over the past couple of years and today, once again HE reminded me that He is so gracious to us!

Dad's procedure went extremely well. He had a 99.9% blockage in the Right Coronary Artery, a different one that he already has 5 stents in so they were able to stent this one and it was 100% successful! PRAISE THE LORD!! He was already breathing easier when he got into recovery and even asked me to help him eat a tuna sandwich and a bowl of fresh pineapple! I left him to go home and take my dear mother to the Dr. b/c she has had a horrible cold virus for over a week now and another blessing was poured out on us when her lungs were CLEAR and it seems to be just a head cold with inflammation! She earned herself a shot and she'll be feeling better in 24 hrs!

So..my day was a great one! I ought not be so concerned with the cares in my life, for I know my God knows what is best. Thank you so much for your prayers...they mean so very much to me!

P.S. We're in a tornado watch tonight...totally WEIRD!! (last weather report!)

It's WARM today!

This weather is "wickety wack"! Got up to 63 degrees today. WEIRD! Supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. I won't turn this blog into a weather report, I just find this so strange.

Also, I'm asking for prayer from you who are prayer warriors...my Dad is in the hospital with pneumonia which is somewhat better (since Wed.) but now they are suspecting another heart blockage and are going to do a cardiac cath tomorrow at 1 ish. He has 5 stents in one major artery in his heart...and cannot have anymore placed there, so my prayer is that they will find out what is wrong, but that it can be resolved without open heart surgery. I know it's a specific request and our God knows what is necessary for His will to be accomplished, but it's just not a good time for this right now! :) Mom is home sick too...so it's a double whammy for our family right now!

Thanks a ton!

It's COLD!!!

It's 2 degrees out this morning....

That's ALL I have to say!

Meditation for this Evening, Charles Spurgeon

C. H. Spurgeon


"Let the people renew their strength."—Isaiah 41:1

ALL things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continueth by itself. "Thou renewest the face of the year," was the Psalmist's utterance. Even the trees, which wear not themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only live because day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from the earth. Neither can man's life be sustained without renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; for if God had begotten it, it would wait upon Him as the flowers wait upon the dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven, or even for the strifes within. When the whirlwind shall be loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap, and grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots. When tempests arise, woe to the mariners that have not strengthened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. If we suffer the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely gather strength and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and so, mayhap, a painful desolation, and a lamentable disgrace may follow. Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in humble entreaty, and we shall realize the fulfillment of the promise, "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength."

Everyday lately, one of the devotions that I ponder has this reminder for me! I'm so thankful that I have a God who doesn't let me go my own way, but gently leads me beside still waters and restores my soul!