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Sunsets, Sunrises and Contrite Hearts........
At the end of the day when all is said and done, I look out at the skies that the Savior has given to everyone. The beautiful colored orange skies can settle an anxious heart. I cannot help but thank the Lord for the joy that fills my heart. His sunsets are a small reminder that he loves me and truly cares. And whatever may of happened that day He never allowed more than I could bear.
The silhouetted hills remind me how the day is coming to end and how the night is about to start. It is then that I remember I have been given another start. Another opportunity to seek my Saviors heart by asking for His wisdom with an open and contrite heart.
As I look out into the distance beholding the miles and miles of beauty. My heart can't help but grow closer and closer to my precious Lord His truly.
Then I take the time to stop and look before my eyes. No longer peering out into the distance, that my eyes were once able to see. My heart feels so warm inside, because of the suns beauty. It's rays that shine, have taken the time to stretch out across the sky. They peer at me through the leaves upon the trees as my heart can't help but wonder why. And I know that in my heart His beautiful creation only brings me closer to Him. So I know that when my Lord stops to look within my heart a love for Him and all His beauty is exactly what He will see within.
When the night is over and a new day begins. I awake to a new sunrise that I know is from Him. I cannot help but realize the smart thing to do. Is to graciously accept this wonderful new day as His precious gift meant for both me and you.
So why does it seem so hard to choose and decide which road I will take. My heart desires to stay on the straight and narrow completely for His names sake. Doing the right thing is not always easy to do. Because I am still flesh and blood and just another sinner like the rest of you.
When I take the path that seems greener to me it does not always make me a winner. Because if the path is not what God had intended for me to take means I will only grow more into a sinner
So with each and every day I need to make the right choices. Grower closer to God means following His direction and tuning out all the wrong voices. My heart belongs to you oh Lord, I know you know my heart. But because I am a sinner each day I need to begin with a new start. My souls cry, to you oh Lord, is that you teach me all your ways. Help me to grow more and more in your likeness with each and every new day!
Dearest Lord,
May you fill my heart always with your love, direction and wisdom. Keep me pliable, obedient and genuinie in my heart to you. With each and every moment my heart wants to always stay true! I praise you and I thank you for all you do! Thank you dear Lord Jesus for loving me as you do! In Jesus name I pray! Amen~
Goodbye Summer and All of the Beauty that it Holds........
Pretty soon summer will be a memory of the past. The beauty that it holds is slowly slipping away. The look of life is slowly fading away. Winter is around the corner with the look of barreness that it holds.....
Winter arrives.......
Winter months hold their own unique beauty, even if the look of life is not one of them. It holds a look of being clean, crisp and pure. It is a vision of serenity and peacefulness. It is a good way of visually seeing how the Lord Jesus takes our crimson colored sins and makes them as white as snow......
Within each and every season there is a message that it holds within itself. A message of beauty, hope, love, joy and peace. Messages to us from a loving Creator, who strongly desires to give us a total and complete rest within Him and all that He has created. When I take the time to look upon and within the creation that He has surrounded me with, I never have a problem finding peace and harmony amongst the daily stresses of my life. All I have to do is go grab my camera and start capturing whatever beauty my eyes behold within their lens. Then I capture that moment within the lens of my camera to be remembered by me always. It doesn't seem to matter what season we are in, I can always find something amazing to capture in the moment. Whenever I am done I always find that a calm has been washed over me. God speaks to me about the love He has for me throughout the beauty that I love so much and enjoy.
I have said this before and I will say it again. If you find yourself stressed and worn out, go grab your camera and soak in the beauty hidden within the seasons. When you do that it would be impossible to walk away not feeling refreshed, renewed and completely loved. As if the Lord Himself had given you a big hug. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself. Please do share with the rest of us what enjoyment you were blessed with!
Dearest Lord,
I pray that you will forever touch each and everyone of us as we stop and take the time to enjoy the beauty you have placed around us. Teach everyone to soak in your creation as a natural tranquilizer to the every day stresses of life! Speak to us and let us forever feel your love with every flower we behold and every sunset we soak in. I pray you will bless each and every one that reads this post. In Jesus name I pray! Amen~
Walking Through Life with Anticipation and Excitement....
When I was at the store, picking out a birthday dress (the one in the picture above), for my little girl, I spotted these boots and I just couldn't resist getting them. They are a shiny purple and the color just happened to match the dress perfectly!
When she awoke, the morning of her birthday, she was so excited to find, on her table, her new outfit . It was just waiting for her to put it on. Needless to say she fell in love with the dress and boots instantly. Now here it is weeks past her birthday and those are what she chooses to put on her feet everyday! She wore the dress every day for a week after her birthday. I finally had to peel it off of her body and make her take it off but she was happy that she was able to still wear the boots!
Every morning that we wake up and open our eyes to another new day, it is another precious gift from God. He has given us another chance to do His will and another chance to follow what it is He has created us to do. God wants us to awake to our new day in the same way that my daughter awoke to hers. He wants us to awake with anticipation and excitement because we know that He has given us the gift, of another day. We have been given the opportunity of another chance. A chance that allows us to follow more closely behind Him as we walk out our lives stepping and following in His footsteps. We have been given the pleasure of living for Him, as we serve Him, our families and friends in all that we do. He has given us another day to reach out to those around us, including those who are strangers to us. When we touch the lives of those, whose paths we may cross as we walk through this journey of life, we are demonstrating the love of Christ. We allow God to use us as His Willing Vessel. A vessel that He uses to reach those who may not yet know Him. It gives someone else, an opportunity to know Him and accept Him as their Lord and Savior just in case their tomorrow never comes.
So don't take for granted that we will wake up to another tomorrow. Because I am learning more and more with each and every passing day that tomorrow may never come for some of us. Whether we're young or old is not what decides the length of life. God has numbered our days and only He knows what that number is. We should live each day to the fullest as if it was our last on earth. I know when I get to heaven I want to hear....
Matthew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
God wants us to be excited about waking up. He wants us to anticipate the gift He has waiting for us. The gift of dressing ourselves in the full armor of God, after we have read and soaked ourselves in the His Word, the Word of God. Once we are fully clothed in His armor He wants us to keep it on forever and to never ever want to take it off. Just as my daughter did not ever want to take off her dress God wants us to feel that way about His gift too! He yearns for us to seek Him in all that we do! Asking for His wisdom, guidance and direction in all of the paths that we may walk on in our journey of life. He needs us to step out of the way and allow Him to step in. We need to learn how to put ourselves and our desires aside in order to let Him guide us in where it is He wants us to go.
God never promised us that life would be easy. But He did promise to never leave us nor forsake us as we embark on our journey through this earthly life. He has also promised the gift of Salvation to all of those who simply ask for it. It is a free gift for everyone and it is awaiting for you whenever you stop and ask Him for it! If you haven't done so yet, would you take a moment to do so now? Do not put it off until tomorrow for as I said previously said tomorrow may never come. The next minute or hour may not come, we just do not know. So the time to do it is NOW!! Please don't wait! Say the following prayer and enter into the most precious relationship you will ever know! Jesus said.......
Revelation 3:20: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Say, Dearest Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I do not deserve the precious gift of eternal life that you so generously offer to all. I know that you died on the cross for my sins in order that I may have Salvation through your death. Through your Crucifixion you bore the sins of the world. I know that without you there is no way into heaven. In your Word you say.......
John 14: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
So I am asking you dear Jesus please come into my heart and transform me into who you have created me to be. I ask that you stand before me at the throne of God and proclaim me as yours! I thank you for the best gift of all! In your precious name I pray! Amen~
If you just prayed this prayer and accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Please post a comment in this post, or leave a message in the chat box on the side bar or email me privately! I would love for you to share with me about the beginning of your new journey!! Welcome to the kingdom of God! You are now a precious child of the Lord's! See you in heaven one day!
Lentils and Cheese, Pile it up Please.....
One day I was in a hurry and it was lunch time. So I dug through my pantry and found some canned lentils. I starting concocting and I came up with a recipe my family loved! I have made this many different ways. I usually use Black Heirloom beans (black lentils) but this time I used just regular brown lentils like in the picture above. I will post both recipes. You can try one or both. This recipe is very healthy, and very fast.
Do share if you enjoyed it! I always enjoy the feed back. As usual I always use organic products whenever possible!
Lentils and Cheese Pile, it up Please
2 Cans of brown lentils or make your own use approx 4-6 cups of cooked beans
4 Heaping Table spoons of Dehydrated garlic granules (more or less to taste)
4 Heaping Table spoons of Dehydrated onion flakes (more or less to taste)
1 Can of mild Rotel Tomatoes (you can use mild, regular or hot, but I warn you even the regular is pretty hot)
1 Can of Mexican Corn
1 Container of Feta Cheese crumbles (or use a block and crumble yourself)
Celtic Sea Salt (to taste)
1 Package of Whole Wheat English Muffins
Unrefined Olive Oil
Put approx 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pot or pan. Open the cans of lentils and drain out the juice. Take the drained lentils and add them to the pot. Now open the can of corn and drain out the juice also. Now add that to the pot also. Now add the garlic and onions. Open up your can of rotel tomatoes and add them to the pot, (Do NOT drain them). Add salt to taste. Heat all the way through.
Open up your english muffins and lightly toast them. After they are toasted pile the bean mixture on top of them. Then put the feta cheese on top and drizzle with Olive Oil. Serve and eat. That's it, that is all there is to it. Here is the other recipe.
Black Heirloom Lentils and Cheese, Pile it up Please
2 cans of the Black Heirloom Lentils
3 Tbsp spoons of garlic powder (from the healthfood store)
3 Tbsp spoons of onion powder
Celtic Salt to taste
Freshly cracked Pepper to taste
1 Loaf of whole grain bread (homemade makes it even better)
1 Container of Feta Cheese crumbles (Or use a block and crumble it yourself)
Unrefined Olive Oil
Add about 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pot or pan. Heat up. Then open cans of lentils and put directly into the pot. With the Black Heirloom beans there is never any juice that I have come across. Now add the seasonings and heat through. Put the bean mixture on top of the bread and spread it out. Now top with the feta cheese and then drizzle with the olive oil. That is it! It is tasty and healthy! I hope you enjoy it!
Dearest Lord,
Thank you as always for such amazing tasty whole foods! In Jesus name I pray Amen~
A Cup of Tea????
Well we are in the fall season soon heading into winter. I am finding due to some busyness and other circumstances we have been slipping and not eating as healthy as we used to. The children have been getting sick on and off, which is a good indicator to me that it is time to tighten up the reigns and get back to the basics in healthy eating. I need to plan ahead of time for any unexpected circumstances that may come up. I also need to be more prepared for the busy schedule we have had lately.
Our bodies health are always a good indicator to us on just how good or bad we are feeding them. So if you find that your family gets sick a lot it is your body's way of saying that you need to be feeding it healthier foods. Don't ignore it, make a change and try eating whole foods and lots of raw foods. You will be surprised on just how much healthier you and your family will feel and will become. Try it for a month. You will not be disappointed.
About a year ago, I concocted a drink, that sounded good to me at the time. I tried different variations when making it and found one I liked best. We would occasionally drink it as a delicious tea or just as a cool freshening drink.
Well I just found out the other day that there is a tea listed on a herbal site that is almost identical to what I came up with. From what I read this tea is is used to help people recover from colds and the flu. It is also a wonderful immune system enhancer.
I gave it to all my children yesterday and today they are pretty much back to their old selves. So I share this recipe with all of you. If you or someone you love needs to recover from a cold or the flu, drink a batch of this tea throughout the day. Be sure to make up a big batch so you have it prepared and ready to drink all day long. If you are not sick but feel something coming on go ahead and make up a batch of this tea and drink it throughout the day also. It should ward off the sickness so you don't end up sick and in bed.
You can try it as a tea or as a refreshing cool drink. Try it both ways and see which way you like it best. Here's to good health.......
Ginger Honey Tea
12 cups of Purified Water
4 inch piece of fresh ginger root (approx more or less to taste, we like it strong)
2-3 cups of raw unfiltered honey (more or less according to your own taste) (you can use unrefined sugar cane crystals too approx the same amount and same concept more or less to your own taste)
1 large lemon (squeezed and use the juice)
1 Big carton or bottle of unsweetened PINK grapefruit juice
Fill the pot with water. Slice the ginger thin and put it into the pot. You can also grate it if you would prefer. You may not need as much of the ginger if you grate it. Grating it will give it a more intense flavor. Cover and then boil the water with the ginger for approx 15-20 minutes. Turn the stove off and let the tea cool a little for approx 10-15 minutes. Then add the lemon juice, and the honey to the pot and mix it well. I like to use a whisk it mixes it together beautifully. At this point the water should still be hot enough to melt the honey. So if you are making a smaller batch do not let it cool as long. After you mix it up well if you want to drink it as a tea strain out the ginger pieces and then pour yourself a cup. Now enjoy!!!
If you want to make it into a cool freshening drink. Put the tea into the fridge to chill it. After it is chilled go ahead and fill a cup up about half way with the tea mixture and then add the PINK grapefruit juice to finish filling the cup up to the top. Mix it well then serve and enjoy!!! You can place a lemon wedge on the side of the cup and add an little umbrella to the cup to make it pretty. This is a great summer drink!! If you don't care for grapefruit juice this is a good way to change the flavor in a way you may grow to enjoy.
Healthful drinking to you all! If you enjoy the drink please do let me know. I love to hear feedback!
Dearest Lord,
I am always so amazed at all the wonderful herbs you have blessed us with! In Jesus name I pray. Amen~
Lord Transform My Life...Or Maybe Not?????
So many times in my life I think about the areas that I know I need to be changing in. Yet I know that in order to change in those areas of my life it would take a lot of hard work and a lot of me stepping back and completely allowing God to step in. I would need to be willing to allow Him to refine me into who He has created me to be. Now don't get me wrong, I am not afraid of hard work nor am I afraid of change but what I am afraid of is the way God will choose to go about making those changes in me. I think to myself will I be able to handle the trials and tribulations He allows me to go through in order for me to change and grow? How much will it hurt? Will I be able to learn and grow during those times or will I spend all my time and energy focusing on how hard the challenges God gave me really are and how much easier it would be to just give up?
Yet in my heart I know the truth. I know what the answers to all those questions truly are. Yet there are those times that I find my fear gets in the way of my heart. And I allow my fears to get the best of me.
Since I really enjoy talking with God so openly and candidly anywhere and everywhere I go, we tend to have a wide variety of conversations on a daily basis. Lately I have been focusing on some areas in my life that I know need changing. Areas I feel the Lord has been gently convicting me on for quite some time now. So I go to the Lord during one of our conversations and I ask Him to please help me make those changes we both know need to be made. Then as soon as I finish that sentence with my next breath I will start listing all the ways I DON'T want Him to go about it. I start rambling on about how if He ever allowed something tragic to happen to someone close to me whom I love so dearly or to myself I could never handle such hard trials such as those. By the time I am done rambling His hands are pretty well tied up.
Now I am the first person to tell others, especially my children, that God never gives us more than we can handle. Sharing what was once told to me and benefited my life in so many ways. Whatever trials the Lord allows into our lives are not without a purpose. The purpose of our trials are not always solely for our own benefit but can also be for the benefit of those around us. God can use one persons trials to bring another person to salvation. It is hard to comprehend it all but one day it will all make perfect sense. One thing that makes perfect sense now is that when we cooperate with God's will for us, no matter what it may be, we can always count on making it through those trials. With the added benefit of growing from each and every experience we face. And the added benefit of the possibility that our trials may have also touched the life of another.
When I take the time to reflect on the many struggles I went through in my life. I realize it was during those trials and tribulations that the Lord refined, purified and molded me the most. Each trial allows him to cleanse and refine me more and more. Every time I walk through those flames I come out of the fire purer and cleaner than I ever was before walking in. But during my resistant times, God is always so patient with me. He does NOT force anyone to change. He just sits back so patiently watching me struggle waiting for me to ask for His help again but this time without the limits. When I put things into perspective I realize God is the perfect parent and He only wants what is best for me just as I only what is best for my children. It is then that I finally unloose His hands and tell Him that I trust Him and I know that He knows what is best. Even though so many trials are hard to endure, some so much harder than others, I have come to learn that the hardest trials I go through in life are the ones that will later bring forth the most changes in me. Changes that are good and bring me that much closer to becoming who God created me to be. How can I argue with that?
Throughout the years as I grow more and more in my walk with the Lord, I am learning how to say, "Lord show me what it is that you want me to learn through this trial that you have allowed to come into my life." I will be the first to admit that it is not always easy to do but I will say that when I approach my trials in that manner I learn my lesson quicker and I find that I grow much faster in what it is that I learned. And when all is said and done you will find that it was a much less painful process because you didn't kick, scream and fight God the whole way through.
So ladies if you find yourself struggling with change. Wanting to change but afraid to give it all to God and allow Him to do whatever it takes to break those chains. Take a deep breath and ask God to give you the courage to allow Him to move in your heart and to give you the strength to step back and allow Him to step in. I promise you in the end you will not regret it because we only see the pieces of the puzzle in life, but God sees the finished product. My heart is with you all as you embark on your new journey of handing your life over to God and leaving it in His hands. Only good can come out of doing so. You will grow to new heights and dimensions in your life. You will reach a place you never even knew existed. Bless you all! I know you can do it!!!!
Dearest Lord,
I pray for each and every person who needs to make changes. I pray that they will grow strong in you and gain their strength from your loving hands dear Lord. May they succeed in accomplishing the task you have set before them. In Jesus name I pray, Amen~
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