Today is Thanksgiving! (Is there anybody around that does not know this?)
So, after that bold revelation where can I go from here?
I have been reflecting this month. I took a challenge the first of November to post everyday on Facebook a statement that started, "Today I am thankful for....". It was my job to fill in the blank. It has been wonderful.
Lots of my friends also did this. It has turned November into a time of reflection and gratitude. What a blessing!
As I have looked back over my life and this past year I'm extremely thankful for my blessings. I have had window opened and blessings poured in.
Don't get me wrong - this has been an extremely difficult year. We have faced many challenges. We have lost many things. We have battle scars.
But, praise the Lord!!! He has brought us through. He has carried us. He has shown Himself strong. He has been our Rock and our Strong Tower. He has blessed us. He has been our All in All!
There are so many ways that God has blessed us. He has moved mightily... so many areas where "if it had not been for the Lord on my side ..." so many things that could have turned out differently. There are so many many places we have seen the Lord's Hand make a difference and change circumstances, people, hearts, outcomes.
I am extremely thankful this Thanksgiving. I am overwhelmed with gratitude, joy and life.
Thank you for being my friend, family, link... however you are connected... I appreciate you.
My prayer is that you will be blessed beyond measure as you take this day to stop and reflect and say "Thank You" to those who have touched your life. Make a very special acknowledgment to our Father, who has been the Author of every good and perfect thing in your life!
Blessings as you celebrate a Happy ThanksLIVING!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Baking Memory
I am baking cookies. Yesterday I mixed them up and baked one pan. Today, I'm baking another pan. I'm trying hard not to bake lots of them. We are all watching our weight and sugar intake.
These are actually fairly healthy... okay, don't laugh... they are oatmeal with whole wheat flour and flax seed.... plus nuts and a few chocolate chips... okay, sugar, too!
As I was mixing them up yesterday I had a flashback that brought a smile to my face and a chuckle.
Years and YEARS ago when the children were little we lived in Albany, Georgia. I had a great friend that lived right down the street from me. At that time, she had 3 children (the 4th was born a little later). Our children were close and loved playing together.
This particular memory of me baking cookies involves these friends. I had mixed up the cookie dough and her children lined up with their hands together reaching out. It took me a minute, but I soon figured it out... they wanted me to put cookie dough in their hands. They ate almost the entire batch of cookies before they were baked!
I laughed and laughed at them. They didn't want the baked cookies, just the dough. (I bet their favorite ice cream is "cookie dough"...)
This morning as I was baking another pan of cookies and stuck a bite of cookie dough in my mouth, I remembered again... smiled and chuckled and took another bite of dough for my good friends who have now grown up and are experiencing a wonderful, fulfilling life far from south Georgia.
Thanks, Sherry for the gift of your children and the blessing they have been to me!
Blessings!
These are actually fairly healthy... okay, don't laugh... they are oatmeal with whole wheat flour and flax seed.... plus nuts and a few chocolate chips... okay, sugar, too!
As I was mixing them up yesterday I had a flashback that brought a smile to my face and a chuckle.
Years and YEARS ago when the children were little we lived in Albany, Georgia. I had a great friend that lived right down the street from me. At that time, she had 3 children (the 4th was born a little later). Our children were close and loved playing together.
This particular memory of me baking cookies involves these friends. I had mixed up the cookie dough and her children lined up with their hands together reaching out. It took me a minute, but I soon figured it out... they wanted me to put cookie dough in their hands. They ate almost the entire batch of cookies before they were baked!
I laughed and laughed at them. They didn't want the baked cookies, just the dough. (I bet their favorite ice cream is "cookie dough"...)
This morning as I was baking another pan of cookies and stuck a bite of cookie dough in my mouth, I remembered again... smiled and chuckled and took another bite of dough for my good friends who have now grown up and are experiencing a wonderful, fulfilling life far from south Georgia.
Thanks, Sherry for the gift of your children and the blessing they have been to me!
Blessings!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Random Dozen - and Things :)
1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?
WATCHING... Hugsum would love for me to enjoy watching ANY sport. Much to his dismay, I am not the least bit interested in any of them. I love to walk - does that count as a sport? No? Well, I did master that. If I have to chose, guess I might like to do Water Ballet... as a little girl I imagined myself as a beautiful swimmer. Didn't happen... I do a great dog paddle.
2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?
I have normally thought about it for a LONG time and casually looked into it. (Hugsum is the big researcher.) I look and look and then go with my gut instinct. I am not always known for my wise, good purchases. Maybe I should re-think my method. Hugsum usually goes for quality and he makes good choices (look at the choice he made in a wife! - don't apply that to the choice I made in a husband, because I DID make a great choice there!)
3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?
Louellen Vistavia... I'm sure I would have been well known - as "WHO is that and WHAT is her name???"
4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?
Do I really have to make a choice? Since my favorite food is a cookie and I have pretty much already given them up, then I guess food would be the easiest to give up. I always have a song in my brain and at any moment may burst out with a lyric or two... Music would be harder!
5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?
Again, I'm in the middle. I do not like them green and "crisp" (they make my teeth feel funny), nor soft and mushy. I want them just beginning to ripen with only a very few brown spots.
6. Your favorite tree is?
I love Dogwoods. They are beautiful in the spring when they start blooming and in the fall their leaves turn a beautiful red with red berries. They don't get real big, but are so pretty and their "story" is sweet.
7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?
About a 5.5 ... not a complete idiot and not really "with it" either.
8. Has H1N1 touched your family?
No, Praise the Lord! I have friends, but no one in my family (that I know of, anyway).
9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?
I am both... it depends on what something "feels" like. I grew up "accepting", but then I always seemed to "know" things. Now, I'm not as sensitive so I do scrutinize more. I'm sure it came from being burned a few times.
10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?
Probably like a Koala. Even though I've never personally known one. I like the idea of sitting up in a tree observing quietly. I even like eucalyptus - never eaten it, but enjoy the smell. I can come down and participate if I chose, but I enjoy the view and watching much more than participating... unless it is eating cookies. I'd come down from my perch to eat cookies.
11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?
Yes, I do. I am blessed with great friends. I am thankful for the internet, email, blogs, Facebook, etc. These all help me stay in touch easier. I'm horrible at visiting, picking up the phone or writing a letter. But, I will email.
I'm still friends with someone I've known my entire life. In fact, my daddy (a pastor) preformed the wedding for her parents. We were born a month apart (she's the oldest!) . I'm also still friends with someone I met in 2nd grade and I'm blessed with friends from every church we have ever pastored.
12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?
I will go to the shortest lane , or the one with the fewest groceries to be checked out. I do that because I do not like to wait in lines and am usually supposed to be or WANT to be some place else!
Now, run on over to Linda's at 2nd Cup of Coffee to read other answers and participate!
Blessings!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
This Day!
This day I'm praising God!
This day I'm so thankful!
This day God showed Himself strong.
This day was long and hard.
This day God answered.
This day I'm so thankful!
This day God showed Himself strong.
This day was long and hard.
This day God answered.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Pushing on Past Those Roadblocks...
The more I think about doing things, sometimes, the harder it becomes. I have a tendency to over analyze things. I find that when I do, I am far less likely to step out and do what ever it is that I'm considering. Besides, I make myself miserable and torture everyone I talk with about it.
One of the things that prevents me from moving ahead is that I have to get out of my COMFORT ZONE! Yikes!!!! I remind myself that "I have never done this kind of thing before!" After all, I might have to get up earlier or give something up or stay up later. I might have to say "no" to something else. I could make someone mad or disappoint them.
It is so hard to change my routine and start something different and new. It is such a stretch! I am so afraid of failing that I don't want to try. Then I realize that if it is something that I can easily do, then it probably is not God pushing me to do it. If it is something that ONLY God can do, then He will get the glory and He will enable me to do it.
It is a decision. Almost everything in life that is important or meaningful takes a stretch and work and stepping out. We can't remain "comfortable" and make a difference. We must make an effort to learn new things and grow. We can't move to the 2nd grade until we learn to subtract after we learn to add... we must learn to multiply, divide, and work with fractions.
If we just take one step at a time, then the comfort zone is a little easier to stretch... We don't have to move from 1st grade straight to college. We take one grade at the time.
Another area that prevents us from pushing on is POOR TIME MANAGEMENT. We waste lots of time... on the internet (guilty), day dreaming, watching tv, reading things that are not enriching, talking on the phone, sleeping... you get the message. I'm not condemning us. We all need some "down time" and time to rest and relax and for recreation. But, it is when those things control us and prevent us from doing what is really of eternal value and beneficial.
We all have lots of commitments and things that need to be done. We are pulled in so many different directions. I think that we could all probably manage our time better. It seems that the more I have to do, the more I get done.
If I don't have much to do, I suffer from the IGAD disease (pronounced eeeeegad!) it stands for "I've Got All Day"... meaning that I piddle around and don't get anything done. Then all of a sudden I realize the day is almost over and I haven't done much and should have done some things so I rush around and don't really do anything well, get in a dither and a bad mood wanting to blame someone else for my lack of productivity.
We all know that we do what we want to do. We make time to do what is important to us. We make choices. We also know that we don't do lots of things that we should... Our instructions are: seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added.
Maybe it is time to re-evaluate our activities to determine the eternal value of what we are doing. If what we spend our time doing will not make a difference in someone's life or if in 5 years won't matter, then maybe we need to consider not doing it.
Sometimes I know I SHOULD be doing something, but I just don't WANT to! I know it is something that God wants me to do, but.... what I'm really saying is "I'm choosing not to do this"... that is REBELLION. (you could call it disobedience, but it is really just plain ole rebellion)
Sometimes when God asks us to do something, we think it will cost us too much. So, we give or do something else.. . we even make "sacrifices" instead of doing what He asks. I used to tell my children that "you are happy when you obey". God desires obedience more than sacrifices. With obedience always comes rewards and blessings.
I don't know why it is so hard for us to see that. It is like we don't trust God to take care of us and think that somehow He is trying to take something from us and hurt us. When He is really trying to bless us and protect us.
You know, we really are the happiest when we are doing what we KNOW we are supposed to to because we don't have to carry around the guilt and bad feelings and hide when we aren't doing what we should. We have a feeling of accomplishment and joy when we obey. Obedience has great rewards.
So, what is it that you have been holding back from doing? What is it that you WANT to do that you haven't done?
I'd like to encourage you to step out... pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the roadblocks and show you how to get through them. We can overcome, we can press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling. We can accomplish great things in the Kingdom.
We have a purpose. We have a calling. We are here for a reason.
If you don't know yours, then I encourage you to pray - without fear - and ask our Father to reveal it to you and then step out into your call and purpose. You will be so happy that you did!
Blessings... I can't wait to hear how God is using you!
One of the things that prevents me from moving ahead is that I have to get out of my COMFORT ZONE! Yikes!!!! I remind myself that "I have never done this kind of thing before!" After all, I might have to get up earlier or give something up or stay up later. I might have to say "no" to something else. I could make someone mad or disappoint them.
It is so hard to change my routine and start something different and new. It is such a stretch! I am so afraid of failing that I don't want to try. Then I realize that if it is something that I can easily do, then it probably is not God pushing me to do it. If it is something that ONLY God can do, then He will get the glory and He will enable me to do it.
It is a decision. Almost everything in life that is important or meaningful takes a stretch and work and stepping out. We can't remain "comfortable" and make a difference. We must make an effort to learn new things and grow. We can't move to the 2nd grade until we learn to subtract after we learn to add... we must learn to multiply, divide, and work with fractions.
If we just take one step at a time, then the comfort zone is a little easier to stretch... We don't have to move from 1st grade straight to college. We take one grade at the time.
Another area that prevents us from pushing on is POOR TIME MANAGEMENT. We waste lots of time... on the internet (guilty), day dreaming, watching tv, reading things that are not enriching, talking on the phone, sleeping... you get the message. I'm not condemning us. We all need some "down time" and time to rest and relax and for recreation. But, it is when those things control us and prevent us from doing what is really of eternal value and beneficial.
We all have lots of commitments and things that need to be done. We are pulled in so many different directions. I think that we could all probably manage our time better. It seems that the more I have to do, the more I get done.
If I don't have much to do, I suffer from the IGAD disease (pronounced eeeeegad!) it stands for "I've Got All Day"... meaning that I piddle around and don't get anything done. Then all of a sudden I realize the day is almost over and I haven't done much and should have done some things so I rush around and don't really do anything well, get in a dither and a bad mood wanting to blame someone else for my lack of productivity.
We all know that we do what we want to do. We make time to do what is important to us. We make choices. We also know that we don't do lots of things that we should... Our instructions are: seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added.
Maybe it is time to re-evaluate our activities to determine the eternal value of what we are doing. If what we spend our time doing will not make a difference in someone's life or if in 5 years won't matter, then maybe we need to consider not doing it.
Sometimes I know I SHOULD be doing something, but I just don't WANT to! I know it is something that God wants me to do, but.... what I'm really saying is "I'm choosing not to do this"... that is REBELLION. (you could call it disobedience, but it is really just plain ole rebellion)
Sometimes when God asks us to do something, we think it will cost us too much. So, we give or do something else.. . we even make "sacrifices" instead of doing what He asks. I used to tell my children that "you are happy when you obey". God desires obedience more than sacrifices. With obedience always comes rewards and blessings.
I don't know why it is so hard for us to see that. It is like we don't trust God to take care of us and think that somehow He is trying to take something from us and hurt us. When He is really trying to bless us and protect us.
You know, we really are the happiest when we are doing what we KNOW we are supposed to to because we don't have to carry around the guilt and bad feelings and hide when we aren't doing what we should. We have a feeling of accomplishment and joy when we obey. Obedience has great rewards.
So, what is it that you have been holding back from doing? What is it that you WANT to do that you haven't done?
I'd like to encourage you to step out... pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the roadblocks and show you how to get through them. We can overcome, we can press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling. We can accomplish great things in the Kingdom.
We have a purpose. We have a calling. We are here for a reason.
If you don't know yours, then I encourage you to pray - without fear - and ask our Father to reveal it to you and then step out into your call and purpose. You will be so happy that you did!
Blessings... I can't wait to hear how God is using you!
Fall Into Flavor - Nuts...
This is supposed to be comfort foods. My "go to" comfort food is a cookie. I'd rather have a cookie any day to most ANY other food - except maybe NUTS! If you put them together, then I'm in heaven! I don't indulge myself as much as I'd like - just because I can't ... for health and weight reasons.
Here are a few of my favorite easy nutty cookie recipes...
Chinese Rocks
(or Wedding Cookies, or Lady Fingers - depends on how you shape them or know them)
1 stick of butter (yes, REAL butter) 2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Self-Rising Flour 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 Cup broken pecan pieces Powdered Sugar
Mix nuts and flour - set aside. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour and nut mixture. Form into balls (or fingers or crescents) and bake at 45 minutes at 300 degrees . (they will be firm and light brown - don't burn...
Roll in powdered sugar while hot....then again when cool if you want then real white.
Spiced Nuts
Bring to boil in medium flat bottomed pan:1 cup sugar 5 Tablespoons water
Add:
1 teaspoon Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 pound Nuts (I use either raw peanuts or pecans)
Turn heat on low and stir constantly while cooking until all syrup is taken up in the nuts. Put on greased pan or waxed paper. Separate into pieces before becoming completely cool.
Pecan Kisses
Beat together to for soft peaks:
1 egg white 1/4 teaspoon salt
Slowly add:
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup brown sugar
Fold in:
1 - 2 cups pecans
Drop on greased pan and cook for 30 minutes at 250 degrees....
SOOOOOO good! make a double recipe because you will eat one yourself and you want to have some to share!
Enjoy!
Blessings... now run on over to 2nd Cup of Coffee and check out the other delicious comfort foods!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Breaking Through those Road Blocks...
Do you have dreams and plans still unfulfilled? Have you given up hope of seeing and doing those things that excited you just thinking about their possibility?
Are you aware of callings that you have not stepped into? Have you stopped daring to look ahead to the future because of the broken dreams and hope deferred?
There are so many things that hold us back in our life.
We CAN move ahead. We CAN accomplish and succeed and fulfill those things that we have not dared to do before. We CAN break through those self made barriers of thought that have prevented us from moving ahead.
It is important to look at what might be stopping us. Identify what the roadblocks are. Half the battle is knowing the "enemy". When we realize what we are fighting we can develop a plan for defeating it.
These enemies or roadblocks prevent us from doing what we want and need to do. They destroy our hope and joy. They hinder our future.
Here are some of those barriers that we face -
FEAR: we all fear things ... we battle fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of man, fear of lack, fear of loss ... The devil is a master mind at feeding us fears. He knows what buttons to push and what lies to whisper in our ears at the appropriate time. Fear has the ability to incapacitate us...
Fear is the opposite of faith.
Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind!
We need to cast down those vain imaginations that exalt themselves. Those things that tell us we "can't" and replace them with faith.
INSECURITY: The lies that say, "I'm not as good as ... or I'm not a teacher... or What if they don't listen?... What if I mess up and get it wrong ... I just don't know enough ... I'm not as smart as they are ... I'm too fat ... I'm too skinny ... I'm too young ... I'm too old ... I don't have as much as they do ..." We have all had those thoughts that torment us.
Remember, when we are doing that we are comparing our weakness with their imagined strengths and we will always come up short. The devil will make sure of that!
At times like this, it is good to remember that it really is NOT about "me". It is about what I'm trying to do and accomplish. It is bigger than "me". It is about God. If He brings you to it, He will bring you through it. If He gives you the dream and vision and desire, then He will also give you the ability and tools to accomplish His calling.
He said He will never leave you nor forsake you. He has been given all power in heaven and earth and He will be right there with you. So, what do you have to worry about?
He will give you whatever you need to do what He called you to do. And, He who called you is able to complete that which He started.
~~~~~~~~~
Have you identified with these roadblocks? Have you realized that you can push through to the other side and see your dreams and visions again?
I sure hope so. That is the goal here... I want to encourage you (and me) to reach for the prize of the high calling... to go for the goal ... to stretch ... to push ... to succeed...
Stay with me, come back because I have more...
praying for YOUR success!
Blessings~
Are you aware of callings that you have not stepped into? Have you stopped daring to look ahead to the future because of the broken dreams and hope deferred?
There are so many things that hold us back in our life.
We CAN move ahead. We CAN accomplish and succeed and fulfill those things that we have not dared to do before. We CAN break through those self made barriers of thought that have prevented us from moving ahead.
It is important to look at what might be stopping us. Identify what the roadblocks are. Half the battle is knowing the "enemy". When we realize what we are fighting we can develop a plan for defeating it.
These enemies or roadblocks prevent us from doing what we want and need to do. They destroy our hope and joy. They hinder our future.
Here are some of those barriers that we face -
FEAR: we all fear things ... we battle fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of man, fear of lack, fear of loss ... The devil is a master mind at feeding us fears. He knows what buttons to push and what lies to whisper in our ears at the appropriate time. Fear has the ability to incapacitate us...
Fear is the opposite of faith.
Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind!
We need to cast down those vain imaginations that exalt themselves. Those things that tell us we "can't" and replace them with faith.
INSECURITY: The lies that say, "I'm not as good as ... or I'm not a teacher... or What if they don't listen?... What if I mess up and get it wrong ... I just don't know enough ... I'm not as smart as they are ... I'm too fat ... I'm too skinny ... I'm too young ... I'm too old ... I don't have as much as they do ..." We have all had those thoughts that torment us.
Remember, when we are doing that we are comparing our weakness with their imagined strengths and we will always come up short. The devil will make sure of that!
At times like this, it is good to remember that it really is NOT about "me". It is about what I'm trying to do and accomplish. It is bigger than "me". It is about God. If He brings you to it, He will bring you through it. If He gives you the dream and vision and desire, then He will also give you the ability and tools to accomplish His calling.
He said He will never leave you nor forsake you. He has been given all power in heaven and earth and He will be right there with you. So, what do you have to worry about?
He will give you whatever you need to do what He called you to do. And, He who called you is able to complete that which He started.
~~~~~~~~~
Have you identified with these roadblocks? Have you realized that you can push through to the other side and see your dreams and visions again?
I sure hope so. That is the goal here... I want to encourage you (and me) to reach for the prize of the high calling... to go for the goal ... to stretch ... to push ... to succeed...
Stay with me, come back because I have more...
praying for YOUR success!
Blessings~
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