A  BLESSING  FROM  ABOVE...

"May the Lord bless you and protect you.
   May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace."
                                                             Numbers 6:24-26

And how do we do this, Dear Ones?  How do we stay satisfied at all, much less starting the day being "satisfied with His steadfast love"?  We have to pursue it through God's Word!  I was talking to someone special recently about being pursued.  It is a wonderful feeling to be cared about so much that someone would deliberately pursue another.  We all long to be loved in this way, I believe. 

One of my favorite stories is the one of The Prodigal Son.  Luke 15 tells this story.  When the son had spent his inheritance and learned the many lessons he needed to learn, he realized the best place to be was back where his father was.  When he arrived at his father's estate and was still far off, what did this young man see?  Did he see a father waiting with arms crossed and with "I told you so" ready to be said?   Did he see a father turn his back in disgust?  Did he see his father hang a sign on the door with the words, NOT WELCOME HERE?  No...his father ran to him, hugged him, gave him a robe and a ring and held a banquet in his honor.  "For my son was lost and now he is found"!

God does the same for you and I...yes, He does!  So we can be satisfied every day by His steadfast love. 

Just sayin'...

Hills and Valleys....yep, still having them since my last post!!! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4rRCjrAyCs

Big sigh...really, why is that a surprise?!  In my weak moments, I still bristle at the tough stuff...those "dang" hills in life I am still climbing.  Is the view at the top really worth it?  Will I feel invigorated and satisfied that I made it to the top?  And then, because I can't live at the top forever (not here on earth anyway), I need to head down to the valley.  Either way, I still can look up.  I still need to acknowledge the One who holds it all:  my life, your life, my children's lives, my family, my friends, my goings and my comings here.  The "permanent" hilltop experiences were not meant to be here...I can learn a lot from the VALLEY TIMES!  Am I excited about this?  Not always.  I am so thankful that we have a place to go to to be reminded in the highs and lows, that we can rejoice in the midst.  The Psalms are a gift to all of us!  I pray that you, as your climbing up or on the downhill slide...will go to the Psalms in the Bible.  You will indeed find your strength there.  Blessings this day...deb

GOD IS ROOTING FOR YOU!!!

http://youtu.be/-xPVX9WaMVs

Movie Trailer to Me Again.....

Faith....

Just a reminder for today...

Recipes are helpful....

Whether in baking, cooking, "jamming".....a recipe of some sort is helpful.  I can't imagine trying to bake a cake, cook a food I can't pronounce or make many things that require exact measurements, certain temps in the oven or on a candy thermometer.  Nope!  Foods expensive, can't afford to mess up and since being in the kitchen is truly a LABOR OF LOVE for me, I wouldn't attempt anything without an understandable guide.  This is what the Bible is to me.  A RECIPE for life....in short, HOW to do it RIGHT!!!  :)

Christians are called to be active...

Injustice

by Charles R. Swindoll

Amos 5:14-15, 24 

The old prophet Habakkuk wrote relevant words of truth when he put this down in the first chapter of his prophecy: "Yes, destruction and violence are before me; strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted" (Hab. 1:3-4).

The writer of those words died centuries ago, but oh, how his words live on! If you are even slightly aware of everything happening in the world around us, you know how up-to-date his words really are.

The criminal is now the hero, sadly misunderstood and mistreated. The victim is the selfish sadist who decides to press charges because he is bigoted, rash, or confused. The courtroom now resembles a stage peopled by actors vying for starring roles, rather than a dignified chamber of law and order. Judges and juries can be bought, bribed, swayed, or wooed, given sufficient time in the legal pressure cooker. Jury members, who used to be anonymous and sequestered in the name of fairness and objectivity, now appear on talk shows.

Remember that beloved childhood tale of Little Red Riding Hood? Well, if that scenario took place today, here's what would probably happen.

After the heroic woodcutter rescued Little Red Riding Hood by killing the wolf, who had already eaten her grandmother and then tried to kill Little Red, there would be an inquest. At this time, certain "facts" would emerge. First of all, the wolf, prior to his execution, had not been advised of his rights. Then, his legal team would enter the picture, maintaining that the hungry and needy wolf was merely "doing his thing" and thus did not deserve death.

On this basis the judge would decide that there was no valid legal basis for charges against the wolf and, therefore, the woodcutter was guilty of unaggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He would then be arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to ninety-nine years.

A year from the date of the incident at Grandmother's, her cottage would be dedicated as a shrine for the wolf who had bled and died there. Wreaths would be placed there in memory of the brave, martyred wolf. There would not be a dry eye in the whole forest. 

If this were not so tragic and true a picture, it would be amusing. But frankly, I'm not laughing. Injustice isn't at all funny.

Sometimes justice truly is blind. Shouldn't we be helping to remove the blindfolds?