Strawberries!

Strawberries! I love them. They are in now here in Florida. They are on sale in all the stores. You can go pick them from the farms. They are so delicious. And so good for you. They are filled with vitamin C. I love them plain best. I used to make strawberry jam every year but I haven't done that in a long time. There will be a Strawberry Festival in a town nearby in a couple of weeks or so. They have strawberry shortcake that is so good! You just can't resist it.

The Truth

The truth will set us free.

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," says Jesus (John 8:32). But what will the truth set us free from?

First of all, it sets us free from the snares of deception. When people know the truth, they can't be taken in by a lie. You can't convince people to believe in something that they know in their hearts and minds is false.

The truth will also set you free from guilt and shame. When you've held tightly to the truth, you don't have to worry about a lie coming back to haunt you. You don't spend your nights lying awake wondering what words of deception might trap and ensnare you. You are free to live with a clean conscience and an innocent heart.

Finally, the truth sets you free from judgment. When you trust in the truth of Jesus, you have no more fear of death—physical or spiritual. You know his promises to be true and his words to be life-giving. You can no longer be bound by Satan's lies.

The belt of truth Paul writes about is the strap that holds together the entire armor of God. Without it, everything else would fall away and Satan would have an open target to your heart. So take the truth of Christ, and latch it firmly around your waist. Let it set you free!

From a devotional by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 293

Verse for the Week

My verse of the week is Psalm 22:5.
"They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded."

I want to apply this verse to different areas of my life this week. One thing I want to work on is my weight. I am going to try praying each day especially about what I should eat and when. Before I put something in my mouth I want to ask if this is what I should do. I know God will help me if I make the effort.
Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Too Young to Have Cancer

My cousin called today. Her grandson has cancer. He is 7 years old. He is a good little fellow. He has been in the hospital for about three or four months. He has been going through chemo but the cancer is still growing. He has to have surgery in two or three weeks to try and remove the cancers.

It is so hard for the family. I don't understand. The only thing I can do is pray for them and encourage them. A lot of families are going through this unfortunately. It makes you stop and think.

Beautiful Sunset

One of the things I like most about our home is the beautiful sunsets I see from my backyard. I look over the fields and see all the colors and light. My home is small and not very new or beautiful. But it is peaceful, most of the time. It is cozy and just right for my husband and myself. My little Yorkie seems to like it too. When I see the sunset I know God loves me and this is one of His ways of showing it. My Mom lived here before I did and the sunsets were her favorites too.

Has Someone Hurt You?

Has someone hurt you? Is it hard to take? Do they keep doing it? Sometimes it is hard to know just what to do. I think the first thing is to see if we are doing something to cause it. Maybe something in our attitude or something we say is causing them to do this. Search your own heart and see if that might be the case.

Show mercy

Christians have sometimes been accused of shooting their own wounded. In our zeal for God, we can sometimes become impatient and judgmental with those who struggle with sin and doubt. Instead of rejecting them, Jude says, we should have mercy on them—just as Christ had mercy on us when he forgave our many sins. While we must not tolerate or accept sin, we are to love and accept others with kindness and mercy. If you know someone who has fallen away from God, your kindness may be just what is needed to lead them back to God.

From the TouchPoint Bible
(Tyndale House) p 1122

President Obama

This is a momentous day for our country. We have a new president. Whether he is our first choice or not he needs our prayers.

There is a free newsletter you can sign up for if you would like news of our troops and the different ways you can pray for them. The link is here.

It is cold where I live and I am in Florida. The wind is blowing like crazy. I have been staying in most of the day. I put a sweater on my little yorkie. He is so cute. He is twelve years old and he is temperamental at times. He is our entertainment. I will have to get a picture of him to post.

Information on Working From Home

If you are like me you look for different ways to make money, especially online. I have been selling on ebay for awhile and make some extra cash. I found a blog that is really helpful. It is called MommyBlogging. The link is here: Check it out and let me know what you think. I have found some good information about a lot of different subjects.

Looking for a Good Nutritious Soup Recipe

I am looking for a good nutritious soup recipe to try. This time of year I love to cook soup. If I find one that looks good and tasty, I will post for everyone. Soup is supposed to good for you. Also, research says it will help you lose weight. I am all for that!

Verse for the Week

Colossians 1:10
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

This is the verse I am trying to memorize this week. I have been saying I am going to memorize scripture for I don't know how long. I think it is now or never. So, we will see what happens. I am trying to apply the all pleasing as I go through the day. It is not always easy.

When You Need to Talk To Someone

Do you have a hard time talking to people? I do. Especially if I am unsure of their reaction. I asked someone for advice on this. She told me to write down what I wanted to say and then practice saying it. That way when you actually talk to that person it will be easier and a little less intimidating. I think that is good advice. I am going to try it and let you know how it works.

My Morning Routine That I Hope to Keep

I think I need to try to get a routine going in the morning. Sticking to it is not an easy thing for me. My husband works second shift and I wait up for him at night. But here goes. These are the five things I am going to try to do in the morning for the next three weeks.

1. Get up by 7:00a.m.

2. Make coffee.

3. Fix my husband breakfast.

4. Take a shower and get dressed for the day.

5. Read my Bible and pray.

This will be a small miracle for me.

Is it hard to ask others for help?

Is it hard for you to ask others for help? It is for me. Especially asking for a ride somewhere. It is just one of those things for me. I needed a ride tonight to go to church so I could teach my little children. I almost didn't go. But I decided I would ask a friend for a ride. She graciously gave me a ride and was happy to do so. Is this something others have a problem with?

Stay Calm in Daily Turmoil

It seems so hard to stay calm in stressful situations. Especially in communicating with my family. I don't know why that is. But I know God wants me to have an understanding heart. I know I need to watch my words and expressions. I think I just need to remember nobody is perfect. Especially me.

Maybe counting to 10 is a good thing to do. Taking a deep breath might help. Just making it important enough to work on will help, I think.

Acts of Kindness

An act of kindness can do a lot for a person. Just a smile can make a person's day go better. Sometimes people don't get smiles and kind words at home. Maybe we should put these two things on our to do list. Try it tomorrow. See what happens.  Make kind words and smiles part of your daily life.

Fat Burnin' Friday

I love this! Someone with my own goals. I need to lose weight and having someone else going through this and talking about it really helps. My Dr. says I should lose about 40 pounds. Yikes!

So I am trying to move more and eat less.

My Mother-in-Law's Work Goes On

My Mother-in-law had a very difficult life. She married young. Her husband was not good to her. She had an emotional and mental problem. Her family was so upset when she died. They each said they tried to help her and could not. She passed away about three years ago.

This year at Christmas my daughter made a donation in my Mother-in-law's name. We received a card from the Rescue Mission thanking us for the donation. When I read it my first thought was that her life was not in vain. There are many people in that same circumstance and I am sure they feel their life doesn't count for much. But I believe the opposite. Their life means a lot. My mother-in-law has a part in helping the least, the last, and the lost. That is what the card said. God bless you Retha!

Is God Speaking to You?

I feel that God is speaking to me this week. I have been under the weather and unable to do a lot of things. So God has been able to talk to me. I have been still enough to hear a little better.

Dear Lord,
Help me to listen to you.
Karen

Musings

What is on your mind for the new year? There are so many things to think about. So many habits to change it is hard to come up with a plan. At least for me it is. My children are grown. I have one grandchild and one on the way. My husband has a job. He is going to college to learn a new trade. I am not sure what my next move should be. I think I need to spend time talking to God and then listening. Then obeying. I hope to go forward and see things more clearly.

Have a good night.

Start a Journal

I think a good idea is to start a journal. I have been doing this on and off for a few years. I took some time the other day to read over some entries. A few of them are about things I did with my Dad when he was still alive. He died this past March. It is almost a year now but it doesn't seem like it. I am so glad I wrote down these things.

I want to try and write down something each day. It doesn't have to be a long entry. But something to start me down the road of journaling. Something to get me in the habit. What do you think?

Verse for the Week

This is the verse I want to meditate on this week.
1Corinthians 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

I hope to meditate on this tonight and the coming days.

My list of bills and debts

I have finally gone over my debts and bills that I owe. I have made a new ledger to list everything on. I figured out how much I can pay each month. I am hoping to see where I can make cuts in my food budget and household expenses. Any advice?

Resolutions for the Year

I think tonight is a good night to sit down and make some resolutions and to think about what I want and need this year. Not only what I need but what my family and acquaintances need. I think I will write down my prayer requests that I would like to have answered this year.

Hope all is well.
God will guide and direct us if we allow him to.

Credit Card Debt

So many people are having problems with credit card debt. I was in that position myself. It got to the point where I was paying one credit card with another one. Finally I wan unable to even do that.

About five years ago I cut up my credit cards. It was so hard to do. I thought, how can I live without a credit card? But I cut up every one of them. Now if I need something I pay cash for it. If I don't have the money I have to wait. It is a very freeing feeling.

If I can do it, you can too. Think about the peace you would have.

Start a New Habit

I have read that it takes 21 days for something to become a habit in your life. Why not have for a New Year's Resolution the goal to do something nice for someone everyday. If it takes 21 days for this to become a habit you will have done 21 kind acts. This could turn into a real adventure.

What do you think?

New Year 2009

This is a new year and a clean slate. If there are things you would like to do that you were not able to last year maybe this is the year for you. If there are character traits you want to work on, now is the time to start. We have a fresh start. Let's take advantage of it.

My husband and I plan on going to Red Lobster to celebrate. If you join there site you can get a coupon for a free dessert. Click here: http://www.redlobster.com/.

Have a great day!

Hope thou in God.