For the love of coffee...

Back in the day, before there was a Starbucks on every corner,

the only way I liked coffee was doctored up with lots of cream and sugar.

Then Starbucks and assorted other coffee shops became all the rage,

and I discovered mochas.

Yummmmm!

After awhile all of that sweetness just didn't appeal to me anymore.

Now I just love my coffee hot, dark, and strong, with just a little 2% milk in it.

If that milk is served from a cute little vintage cow creamer,

so much the better!

still following,

Our Father...

I have a vivid memory that resurfaced this week.

It was a memory of me and Daddy.

For those of you who've read the story of my relationship with Daddy,

you know that he left Mama for another woman when I was nine years old.

 (You can read the three part story here, here and here.)

God, in His kindness, has shown me so many good things that Daddy brought to my life

in those years before he left.

I have a good relationship with my Father God in many areas, 

partly because of the foundation of love I had with Daddy in my early years.

Obviously, his leaving brought some challenges to my concept of Father God, as well.

Thank God, that He heals our inner child and our childhood wounds.

This week I remembered dancing with my Daddy.

He would put my feet on top of his shoes, and hug me close and waltz me around.

This morning at church, my husband's message was about our relationship to Father God.

He reminded us that Jesus taught us to pray to "Our Father".

God is Jesus' Father and, through our adoption into His family because of our salvation through Jesus,

 God truly is Our Father as well.

My husband said that if we can't say and pray the words "Our Father" and believe them,

then we can't pray as Jesus taught and we won't have an effective prayer life.

While my memories of my Daddy this week were lovely ones,

he was an imperfect father.

 Father God is a good and perfect Father who will never, never, never,

leave us or forsake us and I'm oh, so grateful for that.

*****************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#4500-#4519

3-31-14-

-God speaking to me about trust and peace in my devotions this morning

-taxes all done for another year

-youngest daughter coming over and her and the Hubs making grilled cheese sandwiches together

 to go with my homemade chicken soup

4-1-14-

-recuperating from a head cold

-taking the two youngest grands to the mall playground on this rainy day

4-2-14-

-being open and honest with God

-Him ordering my busy day

-the weariness and blues lifting 

4-3-14-

-homemade soup and homemade bread shared with my evening bible study group

-my daughter and granddaughter coming to the church for a meeting 

and my granddaughter joining us for soup and bread

-God's presence as we worship and pray

4-4-14-

-our son-in-law's birthday

-our date day that didn't go as planned, but at least we were together

-a relaxing evening at home

4-5-14-

-daffodils on the dining room table

-coffee and good conversation

-homemade Zuppa Toscana for my sick hubby

4-6-14-

-a really good morning at church

-taking our two oldest grands to lunch with us

-the rare treat of the Hub's coming home and resting on a Sunday afternoon 

and me getting to relax and work on a craft project 

gratefully yours, 

Join the community of gratitude gatherers here...

Encouragement from Joshua 1:8...

As we look at God's words to Joshua in chapter 1, verse 8, 

at first glance it appears that if we do A,B and C, cha-ching, 

we'll hit the jackpot of heavenly blessing!

The good news is that God is a rewarder.

He really does bless us as we obey Him.

Although God certainly does take care of and bless us in the area of our temporal needs,

our idea of blessing often remains focused on the temporal, 

while God's idea of blessing is eternal.

But, before I get the cart before the horse, let's go back to the beginning.

Study this Book continually.

 I looked up the Hebrew word for study as used in verse 8.

When I did a search of the Hebrew word and meaning that is translated study, 

one reference said, "research assistant", which I thought was rather odd.

But then I realized that as we study God's Word, the Holy Spirit teaches us, 

and we are the research assistant, recording and responding to the truths that the Holy Spirit reveals to us.

Meditate on it day and night.

The word meditate here means to think over and over about it, 

filling both your mind and your mouth with God's Word.

I love this!

I want my mind and heart to be so full of God's Word that His Word is what spills out of my mouth 

instead of the thoughts of my flesh, the world or the enemy.

It goes beyond that however.

Be sure to obey everything written in it.

The word meditate also carries with it thought that we have come into agreement with what God says

 and we are thinking about and meditating on His Words with the intention to obey.

Then, we will prosper and succeed in all we do.

Which brings me back to the point I started to make in the first paragraph.

Our thoughts of prosperity and success, as influenced by our culture, 

usually have to do with status and position and paychecks.

God's view of success, as we research the Hebrew used in verse 8,

is that we accomplish what was intended.

In other words, 

prosperity and success in God's eyes is accomplishing His purposes for us 

during our internship here on this earth.

This is the kind of prosperity and success that no stock market crash, no economic crisis, can touch.

still following,

Linking with She Reads Truth

Friday Faves...Bonnie the Cow (take #3)

Did you read my story about my painting of Bonnie the cow?

If not, you can read it here.

When I decided to hang something on the wall next to "her", 

I made a homemade sign which you can see here.

Sometimes you have to live with things, and think about it a while.

So I did and I still didn't love my homemade sign!

When I hung this cow shaped cutting board in its place I thought,

"I think this is it!"

So, of course, then I changed of few of the things on top of my old blue dresser.

I'm lovin' it!

(at least for now)

It's almost Friday!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and a BLESSED weekend!

                  

Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday

Weary with a side of the blues...

I've always been a person who feels things deeply.

Perhaps I'm a bit too sensitive, too tender hearted for my own good.

Sometimes I wish that things didn't affect me so much,

that like water running off a duck's back, 

I could more easily let things go.

I know, however, that God made me this way for a purpose.

God uses this part of my personality to help me to empathize with others

 I also get the pleasure of feeling joy in the same big way that I feel sorrow and pain.

It can be exhausting to feel so deeply.

Especially, when you're in the ministry and you are faced daily with seeing people you deeply care about go through personal struggles of one kind or another.

This is where I've been lately, 

weary with a side of the blues.

I woke up this morning telling God exactly what I was feeling.

I've been trying to remember to verbalize the words,

"I trust You, God with..." naming each person, every situation that is heavy on my heart.

It's a good reminder that the burdens rest on His shoulders, not mine.

Tonight I'm going to bed weary,

but it's the normal weary that comes from a busy, full day.

Sometime between this morning and tonight the blues have lifted.

Here's what I believe helped.

-being honest

God already knows what I'm going through, what I'm thinking, and what I'm feeling,

but there's freedom for me in being gut level honest before Him and getting it all out.

-taking time in the Word

Today was busy.  

It's tempting to just get up and start tackling the to-dos,

but things always go better when I take time with God first and ask Him to order my day.

-going on a walk or run

Exercise is stress relieving.  

It's even more stress relieving when I talk to God while I'm walking and running.

-doing something for someone else

This is the thing that really blessed me today.

I have been wanting to get together with one of the young, single mothers 

at our church just to check up on how she's doing.

Typically I would have her come by the church or meet her somewhere for coffee,

but for some reason I decided to invite her over to our home for dinner.

There was something healing, almost meditative, 

as I went about the meal preparations in the quiet of the house all to myself.

I think it was then that I started to feel the familiar feeling that I know more typically

 when I'm praying for someone or counseling with them.

I've heard it called "the divine flow", 

when suddenly you know it's not just you doing it anymore, 

but you're being the channel of God's love.

Somewhere between setting the table,

and mashing the potatoes and stirring the gravy,

it stopped being me working and started being Him loving through me.

And that made all the difference.

She loved the meal, and we loved the fact that she felt so at home that we sat in our living room 

chatting together til late in the evening.

She was blessed, but I do believe that I was blessed even more.

 I'd forgotten that when I open up to God and yield to being the channel for His love

all the other stuff, all the stress, all the weariness, even the blues,

they roll right off just like water off a duck's back.

still following,

     

Also joining THOUGHT PROVOKING THURSDAYS 

at 3-D Lessons for Life

Hobnail Milk Glass...

My first piece of hobnail milk glass was this little egg shaped footed piece that used to be my mama's.

Then the collecting began as I would find inexpensive pieces at the Goodwill or other thrift stores.

When I found this milk glass pedestal candy dish I bought it, even though it's not hobnail.

My most recent find is this small hobnail milk glass pitcher.

What are you collecting lately?

still following,