A Forgiving Father

As the Father of the man whom you took part in murdering, I have something very important to say to you. I forgive you. With all My heart, I forgive you. I realize it may be hard for you to believe, but I really do. At the trial, when you confessed to your part in the events that cost My Son his life and asked for My forgiveness, I immediately granted you that forgiving love from My heart. I can only hope you believe Me and will accept My forgiveness. But this is not all I have to say to you. I want to make you an offer -- I want you to become My adopted child. You see, My Son who died was My only child, and I now want to share My life with you and leave My riches to you. This may not make sense to you or anyone else, but I believe you are worth the offer. I have arranged matters so that if you will receive My offer of forgiveness, not only will you be pardoned for your crime, but you also will be set free from your imprisonment, and your sentence of death will be dismissed. At that point, you will become My adopted child and heir to all My riches. I realize this is a risky offer for Me to make to you. You might be tempted to reject My offer completely, but I make it to you without reservation. Also, I realize it may seem foolish to make such an offer to one who cost My Son his life, but I now have a great love and unchangeable forgiveness in My heart for you. Finally, you may be concerned that once you accept My offer you may do something to cause you to be denied your rights as an heir to My wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I can forgive you for your part in My Son's death, I can forgive you for anything. I know you will never be perfect, but you do not have to be perfect to receive My offer. Besides, I believe that once you have accepted My offer and begin to experience the riches that will come to you from Me, that your primary (though not always) response will be gratitude and loyalty. Some would call Me foolish for My offer to you, but I wish for you to call Me your Father. With love, The Father of Jesus Until next time...

I Hate Toothache's! Just Venting here

I like anyone else hates a toothache! The picture above is my focal point.

I'd love to be sitting there at the table with a good book a nice cup of hot tea and listening to the rain. I love the rain & the unique sound it makes on different homes and buildings. It rained today in fact. But all I could think of was the stupid toothache. It's coming up on four days of toothache pain. I have used salt water-constantly. Peroxide with a dash of cool mint Listerine (to take the terrible taste of the peroxide down a notch) And rinsing with Jack Daniel Whiskey-straight. Plus living off of aspirins to help alleviate the pain. I do get relief. Sometimes for hours-Thank God! But I am also in a situation that many other Americans are finding themselves in. No medical, or dental insurance. I can't just walk into an office and put down a co-pay and see a dentist. If I walk into a dentist office it had better be with cold hard cash. Which is not going to happen anytime soon. We are a one person income family. And that is my precious husband Mark. He works so hard and takes every extra shift and over time he can handle. He works for a large sign company. Which means he works every day out in the sun. he never complains. He's amazing. His company does offers medical, dental & eye insurance. But You have to be with the company for a year. That's in about 6 weeks for Mark. But the packages they offer is absurd! It's like $130.00 a pay check! And that's just for the two of us. So that's what $520.00 a month out of his checks. What do you do-when your already just making it from pay check to pay check? And spend the rest of the time grabbing over time just to make sure we have enough food or money for medicine. I know we are not the only ones in this situation. It seems like more and more hard working people are lacking more and more. Companies are taking advantage of this-I believe. Giving qualified workers less pay. High Insurance options etc...

Were in the process of trying to get State health Care. But were months away with all the paper work that we need to submit. Then the appointments and whatever other hoops we need to go through. And it's not just people who work. Lord knows how hard it must be for those who don't have a job! Mark was without a job for over two-years when the recession hit. No one would hire you. It was so scary! I was so thankful for the Unemployment checks that we did get. And thank God for food banks! So really it seems like everyone for the most part are suffering in one way or the other. And all the while when we get sick, get hurt or need a specialist we have no where to turn. It's discouraging. 

So, for time time being I will just have to use the salt water, peroxide, aspirins and the whiskey to try and keep the pain at bay. Anyone else have home remedies that work for a toothache? if so, please leave a comment!

Wishing everyone in the Blogs sphere a wonderful week & good health!

Until next time...

Be An Encourager

I was reading an encouraging story a few minutes ago. At first it seems like a negative story. But keep reading.

Be An EncouragerThis may seem like common sense to some, but it's so very important to be an encourager and not a source of negativity. It goes beyond what you even realize.

With so many people in the world telling us we can't succeed, we need to hear people telling us we can.

I remember my high school English teacher telling me not to apply to Cornell University because they wouldn't accept me and even if they did I wouldn't be able to do the work. (It's funny that I'm a writer now).

I almost didn't apply but a few days later I saw Ivan Foldfarb, a former teacher, in the hallway and asked him about Cornell. He said, "If you get in, then you go. You can do it." His words made all the difference. I applied, was accepted and majored in Lacrosse.

Too often we think it's our role to inject a dose of "reality" into someone's life. We think it's our job to protect people from the pain of failure and defeat. We think we must point out how bad the economy is and how horrible the job market is and how the sky is falling. We think that dreams were meant for others.

I say there are enough pessimists and "realists" in the world. The world doesn't need more negativity and impossible thinkers. The world needs more optimists, encourager's, and inspires.

The world needs more people to speak into the hearts of others and say "I believe in you." "Follow your passion and live your purpose." "If you have the desire then you also have the power to make it happen." "Keep working hard." "You're improving and getting better. Keep it up." "The economy is tough but you can still grow your business." "The job market is not great but I believe you'll find the right job for you." "We've hit a lot of obstacles but we'll get the project finished." "Even if you fail it will lead to something even better." "You're learning and growing."

When it comes to encouragement I know that every one of us loves working for and with people who bring out the best in us. We love being around people who uplift us and make us feel great.

And while we'll always remember the negative people who told us we couldn't accomplish something, we will always cherish and hold a special place in our heart for those who encouraged us.

Today I want to encourage you to be an encourager. So often the difference between success and failure is belief. And so often that belief is instilled in us by someone who encouraged us.

Today decide to be that person who instills a positive belief in someone who needs to hear your encouraging words. Uplift someone who is feeling down. Fuel your team with your positive energy. Rally others to focus on what is possible rather than what seems impossible.
Share encouragement. It matters and we all need it.
My Thoughts~There are always going to be those who want to discourage you, bring you down, make you feel small so that they can feel bigger. Were always going to have the constant doom and gloomers who believe why change things? It's to much work.
Well it's not to much work. You and I like the gentleman who wrote the article can achieve what ever dreams we have! It won't be an instant thing or easy. But it will be worth it. It gives us a purpose.
In God's word He speaks to us about the people in this story. The negative ones and the encouraging ones. He says this.
Proverbs 18:21~Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat it's fruit.
We can either speak blessings or curses through our words. The first teacher spoke curses over this young man. The second teacher spoke blessings into his life.
So if you have been in this situation-it's up for you and I, to choose which we will take. Blessings or curses. I hope you will always choose the blessings that those who are encourager's will speak over you.
Until next time...

                                                    

Perception-A Personal Reality

Thought's Running Through My Head

I wrote this over a week ago and tucked it away. I thought today would be a good day to post it. I'm not sure why? Maybe someone out there needs to hear it today.

July/16/2012

Sometimes things just pop into your head. That's me-most of the time. Especially since I spend 3/4 of all my days alone. I am angry the most that I can no longer drive. Driving has always equaled freedom. Freedom to just hop in the car and go. I miss that so much. I see B. Mark & Boo hop into their vehicles and go. They have no clue just how lucky they are. Mostly because we all take little things for granted. That is until their gone.

I have been trapped inside my home for several yrs now. Not that my precious family hasn't tried getting me out into the world. But for some reason, my backwards thinking lol. My home is like the sea. The outside is the beach. If you put a fish from the sea onto dry land it will flip and flop in desperation to return to the sea. That is my analogy of myself. Once I realized I could not drive any more-what was there left to do? I mean really. I'm home and I have no way to get any where. Again not that my family has not tried on their days off. I think they finally gave up asking me. Who can blame them?

It's funny. Sometimes I express my anger at not being able to do things. What things would I do? I haven't a clue. It's the principle of the matter here. Anyway's, back on track. B. Mark and sometimes Boo-will make a comment when I'm expressing this anger. Like, well get out there and do something, volunteer, etc. Really? How the heck am I supposed to do that? Then I sometimes calmly remind them that I can't drive any more! And what they and others do not realize it's not the fact that they try-God love em. But that because when you lose a freedom like this, rather you like it or not, you become a part of your environment. I stay in the house so much-that to me this has become normal to me. Get me outside and panic ensues!

It's kind of what happened with B. Mark but on a grander scale as he was fighting for his life. But the perception you see can be misleading. This happened when B. Mark was coming out of his coma 6 1/2 yrs. ago. he had lived and breathed over 6 weeks via a ventilator. Mark's body had begun to finally start healing enough-that The Dr's said it was time to slowly wake B. Mark up!! When the therapist tried very slowly over several days to wing B. Mark off of the ventilator he would panic! BP went up, anxiety went up, everything seemed to go up every time they tried this. I finally had to ask why was this happening. Why couldn't Mark just start breathing on his own.

The therapist explained that sometimes patients perceive and believe that they can no longer breath on their own. Mark's ocean (fish allegory) was the ventilator.The dry beach was where  B. Mark would flip and flop. As he believed that the ocean was the safest place to be. In reality he as I had it backwards.

The therapist tried and tried to help Mark get off the ventilator but to no avail. I was called in and told that B. Mark would have to be sent to a "facility" for those who needed to stay on the ventilator longer. Even though the therapist and I and all the Drs. knew Mark could breath without it. Mark didn't believe it.

So I went into ICU and calmly talked to Mark. yes, he's in a coma. But I am a firm believer that coma patients can hear you. So I went over to Mark's bed. I told Mark that I knew he was scared of letting go of his life line. But that he could and he needed to try. I assured him nothing bad would happen and if he panicked we were all right there to up the respirator. Then a wonderful thing happened a few days later. I walked into his room in ICU and the therapist is smiling. She says to me-guess what! I'm like what! She said that Mark took 3 breaths on his own in an hour! Now that may seem insignificant to some. But this was a break through! Mark tried breathing on his own and he did! We still had a long way to go but at least Mark's perception was changing. The day finally came when the very happy wife, therapist Dr's & nurses watched as the ventilator was removed from B. Mark's room.

How in the world did this all play into me not being able to drive! I guess it's because most of us have a false perception in our lives. Where the abnormal somehow becomes normal to us. I am no where close into how I am going to try and change my perception and realize that the beach is the real world and that I can survive it.

It's a journey, so I'll try and post the progress.

Until next time....Donna

Learning From Geese

Learning From Geese It seems we can learn a lot from geese. Here are some facts and lessons about them. :) We live in an area where geese are very common. We see them coming in the Fall and leaving early Spring. Their migration is an awesome sight. There is an interdependence in the way geese function. FACT: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for the bird following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. LESSON: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. A shared vision and sense of purpose create synergy, making the going a little easier for all. FACT: Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone. It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the "lifting power" of the bird immediately in front. LESSON: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those we see who are headed where we want to go. FACT: When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position. LESSON: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership -- people, as with geese, are interdependent upon one another. FACT: The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. LESSON: Positive encouragement is a strong motivator. We need to make sure our "honking" from behind is empowering, and not something less helpful. FACT: When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation to follow him or her down to help and protect their fallen companion. They stay with him/her until [s]he is either able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own with another formation or catch up with their flock. LESSON: If we have as much sense as the geese, we will learn to stand by each other as we are achieving our goals.

More GodVine Until next time...Donna

My Thought’s On The Picketing Of Sage Stallone’s Funeral

This post was from a writing I did several days ago.

This morning I was reading an article on Sylvester Stallone and Sasha, Sage’s Mother about their son Sage’s-death. Sage was 36 & passed away on July 13 2012. The article captures my attention because the title reads….

Sage Stallone Death: Westboro Baptist Church Plans To Picket Actor’s Funeral on account of his “adulterous dad,” Sylvester Stallone. After it was announced that the 36-year-old actor had died on July 13, Margie Phelps, daughter of Westboro leader Fred Phelps, tweeted to her 5,600 followers, urging them to picket Stallone’s funeral.

What!!! I am so angry & hurt right now. I am a Christian & I love Jesus. What they are doing Is NOT in the least being a Christian! No wonder the world laughs at Christians! No wonder Christians get smug looks, when they try & share the Salvation of Jesus Christ with them. I mean why would they? Here we as Christian’s talk about God’s love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, acceptance. Then in the same breath a church who is supposed to be carrying the message of God’s love-wants to picket a funeral! All because they say his father is an adulterous? Where’s the love, compassion in this?

Let me say this. Christian’s are not perfect. Not by any means. We all fall down. We all make mistakes. But to reach out this far with hatered in their hearts is not what Christianity is about. Like anything in life, your going to have the radical people that want to stir the pot. But what they don’t realize is the damage they are doing to so many that are lost and hurting out there. The one’s who feel they have no hope. The ones who are standing at the church doors Sunday mornings pacing back and forth before deciding to take a chance and open the door. Deciding too walk into the sanctuary. Fear ensues them. Will I be accepted? Will they judge me on what I’m wearing, have I messed up so bad that God won’t forgive me? And so many, many other un-answered questions. I was at this spot twenty-one yrs ago. So I’ll be honest. Yes “some” of the people there will look at you and judge you. There will be the clicks that think your not “good” enough for their get together’s. But there are many, many others that will open their hands to you. You’ll either get a hand shake or a hug. Maybe even both. There is warmth and security in this kind of acceptance. Especially when you have felt like an outsider for so long. You took that chance. You opened the doors to the church. Not knowing what to expect. Looking for hope. Let me also say this. That people will let you down. The church will let you down. But that question you had in your mind-the one that wonders if you’ve messed up to much for God to accept you. Too love you. I can say 100% never. There is nothing under heaven that you can do that God won’t forgive. Nothing. Because God loved us while we were yet sinners. God didn’t start loving you when you came to him. When you walked into that church. No, God loved you while you were yet a sinner. Romans 3:23-for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:24-and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Yet, this church-or actually some of the people from the church who are participating in this picketing is telling other’s by their actions that God only loves certain people, certain clicks or groups. This is called religion-not Christianity! Anyone can act religious and pompous. Puff themselves up enough to where they feel they have the right to judge others! Not true! We have all sinned. Rather your a Christian or not. We all sin. Every day. Were human beings. Flesh and blood. Does that mean we mock God and do what ever we want? Of course not. Because when you accept Jesus into your heart, there is a peace that nothing on earth could even come close to. And you have a new heart. A heart for God. God does not make us change we want to change. God does not demand for us to change instantly. Or to give up every bad habit right then and there. Why? Because God gave us free will. Free will is just that-a choice. So when you start to see good things change in your life it’s because Jesus lives in your heart. You no longer want to do the old things you once did. Hang out with the so called “in” crowd etc. Do all these changes happen over night? No. God will continue to work on us until Jesus calls us home.

My gosh I always seem to go around the bend when sharing my thoughts. But that’s the way my mind works *smile.*

But I have said all this while thinking out loud. God loves Sylvester Stallone. God loves us all. And in the word of God the Holy Bible there is a scripture that talks about this very thing that is happening at this church. I’ll share it with you. John 8:7-11 ESV

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Romans 8:9-11- But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. V 10-Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” V 11-She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

This is the pure love of God. All that are picketing this funeral are acting just like those who thought their sins were hidden. That her sin was greater. They were ready to throw her to the wolves. But God see’s our inner most being, Our soul and all it’s dark places. So he called them out on it. Once it was realized that their sins came into play no one, not one could throw the first stone.

I pray that there will be those who will speak up and say this same thing to the picketing crowd.

Who of you is without sin!

I pray for Sylvester, Sage’s Mom, family, friends. That by the grace of God the Pastor of this church would step in. That the ones filled with anger and maybe even hatred-will listen to that still small voice of God-telling them that what they are doing does not bring glory to God. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

here is the link to the article in case you didn’t see it this morning.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/sage-stallone-death-westboro-church-picket-_n_1676362.html?ncid=webmail2

Until next time~Donna

Today's Story

Mikey and the Mud PuddleHoward County Sheriff Jerry Marr got a disturbing call one Saturday afternoon a few months ago. His 6-year-old grandson Mikey had been hit by a car while fishing in Greentown with his dad. The father and son were near a bridge by the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph. Sheriff Marr had seen the results of accidents like this and feared the worst. When he got to Saint Joseph Hospital , he rushed through the emergency room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits. "Mikey, what happened?" Sheriff Marr asked. Mikey replied, "Well, Papaw, I was fishin' with Dad, and some lady runned me over, I flew into a mud puddle, and broke my fishin' pole and I didn't get to catch no fish!" As it turned out, the impact propelled Mikey about 500 feet, over a few trees and an embankment and in to the middle of a mud puddle. His only injuries were to his right femur bone, which had broken in two places. Mikey had surgery to place pins in his leg. Otherwise the boy is fine. Since all the boy could talk about was that his fishing pole was broken, the Sheriff went out to Wal-Mart and bought him a new one while he was in surgery so he could have it when he came out. The next day the Sheriff sat with Mikey to keep him company in the hospital. Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole and talked about when he could go fishing again as he cast into the trash can. When they were alone Mikey, just as matter-of-fact, said, "Papaw, did you know Jesus is real?" "Well," the Sheriff replied, a little startled. "Yes, Jesus is real to all who believe in him and love him in their hearts." "No," said Mikey. "I mean Jesus is REALLY real." "What do you mean?" asked the Sheriff. "I know he's real 'cause I saw him," said Mikey, still casting into the trash can. "You did?" said the Sheriff. "Yep," said Mikey. "When that lady runned me over and broke my fishing pole, Jesus caught me in his arms and laid me down in the mud puddle." Courtesy of~www.godvine.com HUGS & Blessings~Donna

Pics: The best of Peter Carl Faberge's exquisite eggs - Tech News - IBNLive

Pics: The best of Peter Carl Faberge's exquisite eggs - Tech News - IBNLive:

'via Blog this'
Here is one of the most Exquisite Faberge egg's in my opinion. Enjoy looking at the
others in this gallery. They are all very beautiful.

I Searched For You

'via Blog this'

                                            

                               Hallelujah by Three Talented Girls - Jodi, Alana & Morgan 

Please watch this beautiful & encouraging

song. Sung by three beautiful Godly

women. It's life changing.

                                              I Searched Heaven For You 

Last night I dreamed I went to Heaven

My time on earth was through.
And as I admired God's glorious land
I began to look for you.
I knew that before I was called home,
Your time had come to die.
But as I searched in every mansion,
In helplessness I asked Him "Why?"
I began to remember how close we were
When in this world we lived.
But then I remembered that never once
Did we talk about God's Gift.
Then in an instant I was transferred
To a place that was void of God.
The screams and cries got louder and louder,
The flames were high and hot.
Then a voice said "You desired to see
The friend that you once loved.
He's down here with Satan where people go
Who knew not the Lord above."

Then I saw you walking through
The flames that lept so high,
Picking up bodies by the head
And looking them in the eyes.
Someone said you were looking for
The preachers who lied to you.
Then I remembered how you went to church,
At least a time or two.
Then I went back to where Jesus was,
And cried that now I knew:
You'd spend forever in a place called Hell.
If only I'd witnessed to you!
Then I awoke and realized
It all was just a dream.
Now I have another chance;
It's not as bad as it had seemed.
God said "I've told you what to do.
Go and share My Word.
One can't have faith and believe
In something they've never heard."
I thanked Him for another day,
An opportunity to serve my Lord,
And a chance to do what I neglected
All the days that went before.Author Unknown

HUGS & Blessing to all that read it

and share Jesus with others. Just as

I am now doing with you.

Donna

Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: MEET THE CHARACTERS OF DOWNTON ABBEY

Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: MEET THE CHARACTERS OF DOWNTON ABBEY:

'via Blog this'

This has got to be one of my most favorite shows from PBS & BBC. Check out the link above. Will be going into season 3 in 2013. I can't wait! Check out the link above.
I am sure there is a way to watch all of season 1 and 2 online.

Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: MEET THE CHARACTERS OF DOWNTON ABBEY

Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: MEET THE CHARACTERS OF DOWNTON ABBEY:

'via Blog this'

This has got to be one of my most favorite shows from PBS & BBC. Check out the link above. Will be going into season 3 in 2013. I can't wait! Check out the link above.
I am sure there is a way to watch all of season 1 and 2 online.

Epicurious.com: Recipes, Menus, Cooking Articles & Food Guides

Epicurious.com: Recipes, Menus, Cooking Articles & Food Guides:

'via Blog this'

About the Hostess | Can You Stay For Dinner?

About the Hostess | Can You Stay For Dinner?: "Five years ago I lost 135 lbs and have maintained it ever since. I started this blog because I wanted to share my own walk through life, loss, and love of food. I had a library to fill with my thoughts on food, eating, and what goes best with chocolate. A zillion and one dishes in my recipe box. A kitchen to invite you all into."

'via Blog this'

Who Has Ever Done A Meme?

I got hooked on Meme's when I was a part of the AOL journal group yrs ago lol. This Meme came from a great lady name Chrissy. I wish I knew how to find her over here on Blogger.

This was originally  posted on 11/30/07

I will share my answers in a few days :-). 

Please link this post and let me know if you have participated

in the Meme. I want to come visit and see all of your fun answers :-).

1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say? 

2. Do you trust all of your friends?
3. Would you move to another state or country to be with the one you love?
4. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
5. Can you make a dollar in change right now?
6. Which one of your friends do you think would make the best doctor? 

7. Are you afraid of falling in love?
8. What is your favorite color and why?

9. Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times?
10. Whats your most favorite scar?
11. When was the last time you flew in a plane?
12. What did the last text message you sent say?

14. Fill in the blank. I love: 

17. How many kids do you want to have?
18. Would you make a good parent? 

19. On your Myspace/FB where was your default picture taken?
20. Whats your middle name?
21. Honestly, whats on your mind right now? 

22. If you could go back in time and change something, what would it be?
23. Who was or will be the maid of honor/ best man in your wedding?
24. What are you wearing right now?
25. Righty or Lefty?
26. Best place to eat?
27. Favorite jeans?
28. Favorite animal?
29. Favorite juice?
30. Have you had the chicken pox?
31. Have you had a sore throat? 

32. Ever had a bar fight?
33. Who knows you the best?
34. Shoe size?
35. Do you wear contact lenses or glasses?
36. Ever been in a fight with your pet?
37. Been to Mexico?
38. Did you buy something today?
39. Did you get sick today?
40. Do you miss someone today?
41. Did you get in a fight with someone today?
42. When is the last time you had a massage?
43. Last person to lay in your bed?
44. Last person to see you cry?
45. Who made you cry?
46. What was the last TV show you watched?
47. What are your plans for the weekend?
48. Who do you think will play along? Not sure. But I hope many.
49. Who was the last person you hung out with?
50. If your "significant other" asked you to marry them TODAY what would you say? 

Copy and play along.

HUGS~Donna

John's Musings About Whatever: The Songs of Israel----Choosing God’s Heritage

John's Musings About Whatever: The Songs of Israel----Choosing God’s Heritage

Covenant Of Salt

Hexagonal stress tiles on saltpan near Badwater, sunrise. Death Valley National Park, California, USA.

Covenant Of Salt

Since ancient times salt has had an important place in the lives of people. It is not only a preservative, but makes food palatable, and men and animals instinctively seek to supplement or improve their regular diet with it.

Salt was a necessary ingredient in the Levitical sacrifices. It represented the covenant of God which was one of permanent continuance and perpetual obligation: And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. Lev 2:13.

The custom of pledging friendship or confirming a compact by eating food containing salt is still retained among Arabic speaking people. The Arabic word for salt and for a compact or treaty is the same. Once an Arab has received in his tent even his worst enemy and has eaten salt (food) with him, he is bound to protect his guest as long as he remains.

The Lord gave over the kingdom of Israel to King David and his sons by a covenant of salt. 2 Chr 13:5. This was a pledge from God, and an unconditional promise, that the kingdom would remain in the Davidic line.

In Matt 5:13 the Lord calls the believers the salt of the earth. Salt is a preservative. If we have God's salt in us we can preserve a witness to His truth, and see His purposes fulfilled in and through our lives. Salt that has been contaminated loses its strength when subjected to extremes of temperature and climate (especially dampness), because the impurities react chemically with the salt and rob it of its savor, making it good for nothing - useless.

Believers are surrounded continually by evil and impurity. This evil can overwhelm anyone if the proper precautions are not taken. We must be filled with the Word of God. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom... Col 3:16. Then, and only then, can Col 4:6 be fulfilled in our lives: Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Christians should be worth their salt and not be laid on the shelf because they have lost their savor. The secret - faithfulness to the Word.

                                         Love & Blessings to all 

If this devotional has blessed you or opened your eyes to what the LORD is saying, please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you. And please share this with someone today :-).


By~http://www.believer.com

Thump Thud-Thump-Thud?

By~Max Lucado



When a potter bakes a pot, he checks its solidity by pulling it out of theoven and thumping it. If it “sings,” it’s ready. If it “thuds,” it’s placed back in the oven.The character of a person is also checked by thumping. Been thumped lately?
Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. Grumpy moms. Burnt meals. Flat tires. You've-got-to-be-kidding deadlines. Those are thumps. Thumps are those irritating inconveniences that trigger the worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat-footed. They aren't the big enough to be crises, but if you get enough of them, watch out! Traffic jams. Long lines. Empty mailboxes. Dirty clothes on the floor. Even as I write this, I’m being thumped. Because of interruptions, it has taken me almost two hours to write these two paragraphs. Thump. Thump. Thump.
How do I respond? Do I sing? Or do I thud? Jesus said that out of the nature of the heart a man speaks (Luke 6:45).There’s nothing like a good thump to reveal the nature of a heart. The true character of a person is seen not in momentary heroics but in the thump-packed humdrum of day-to-day living. If you have a tendency to thud more than you sing, take heart.There is hope for us “thudders”:
1. Begin by thanking God for thumps. I don't mean a half-hearted thank-you. I mean a rejoicing, jumping-for-joy thank-you from the bottom ofyour heart (James 1:2). Chances are that God is doing the thumping. And he's doing it for your own good. So every thump is a reminder that God is molding you (Hebrews 12:5–8).
2. Learn from each thump. Face up to the fact that you are not “thump-proof.” You are going to be tested from now on. You might as well learn from the thumps —you can't avoid them. Look upon each inconvenience as an opportunity to develop patience and persistence. Each thump will help you or hurt you, depending on how you use it.
3. Be aware of thump-slump times. Know your pressure periods. For me Mondays are infamous for causing thump-slumps. Fridays can be just as bad. For all of us, there are times during the week when we can anticipate an unusual amount of thumping. The best way to handle thump-slump times? Head on. Bolster yourself with extra prayer, and don't give up. Remember, no thump is disastrous. All thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying God


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Wow!

When I read this devotional today it gave me great pause. 

I had to stop and think about ALL the daily :Thump-Thuds"

I have every day!

And how I respond to each of them. I thought about all the times

I came out of the oven and sounded like a "thud." Only to be put back

into the oven so that one day I'd sing :-). It made me smile.

God is so good!

He is always showing, opening, giving us opportunities in our lives

to respond and react to the "Thumps" in our lives. I just never

thought of it in this way.

For me I know this analogy will stay with me forever.

Somethings just do. Maybe it will help me to come out

of the trials~"oven" Singing more :-). 

I take comfort in knowing, even if I come out with a thud

God won't give up on me. He will just put me right back

into the oven~until I come out singing.

That to me is already something to sing about :-).

Blessings & Love to all

Donna

I Have A Blessing To Share!!!

The Lamb in Jesus Arms is me :). That's exactly how I feel. I had known for a while that something was wrong with my heart. The sharp chest pains, shortness of breath, pain actually a strong ache down my left arm. But I was scared to see a Cardiologist. More fearful that I would have a heart attack. Both fears were colliding.

Last month I went to my family Dr. to talk about getting the Lap Band surgery. He said in order for that to happen I would need a clean bill of health from a Cardiologist. God was already working out a plan for me.

So I met with the Cardiologist and he suggested that I do an I V Stress test. I can't walk. Then he had the team do 2 kinds of echogardiograms on me. Three days later I went back for the results. The echogardiograms showed a problem. So he set me up for an Angioplasty in the hospital. I had the angioplasty going through my right arms main artery, He wanted better pictures to find the blockages. And he did. I had 2-85% blockages in my veins and there were side by side from one another, I also have close to a 50% blockage in the back of my heart in a vein.

So my wonderful Dr. while doing the angioplasty went ahead and put a longer stent in my heart to open both blockages! The other blockage in the back were going to wait. They put me on a blood thinner called Effient and chlosterol med called Lipitor.

That evening after the surgery I already felt 100% better. I could walk around and not be short of breath or have chest pains! I was in awe :). Even 4 days later I catch myself smiling-because no sharp chest pains or shortness of breath. To me it's my miracle. And God was holding me close to Him the whole time :).

I'd like to show you a quick video of how they go in and do the angioplasty and put the stent in. It's not graphic, It's all animated.

Go to this link

http://heart-disease.emedtv.com/angioplasty/angioplasty.html

go down and click on video for angioplasty.

It's the first video that you'll come to. It's quite amazing :). And it gave me back my life :).

Life Sucks Sometimes

This picture is how I feel. The rain, the storm is where I am right now.

Today I was supposed to see my Dr. My diabetes is not good-and I take 2 different insulin's a day. I wanted to talk to him about the depression and changing my meds. But none of that happened. Why? Because I couldn't fit my fat butt into my jeans! Yep that's it. I was devastated. I knew I had been gaining weight-but I felt like I was starting to lose some of the weight. Nope, they were really tight. I crawled into bed and just stared at the wall. I finally went to sleep. Now I'm sitting here wondering what to do next. I feel lost. Over a pair of jeans that were to tight? No, it was just the straw that broke the camels back.

I have S.A.D.-social anxiety disorder. I have only been out of the house 3 times in the last 3 months. I have missed family birthday parties, holidays with family etc... My husband Mark has been without a job for a year now. As many, many other family's are as well. I am disabled physically and cannot work. I cannot even try for social security because I spent the last 9-10 years home schooling our daughter. So therefore I don't have enough "credits" to apply for SS. So I cannot even help my sweet husband out. It hurts me too see him try and try to get a job. I am so very thankful for the unemployment that he gets-it's just our bills always seem to be more than the checks. I have been disabled for a while now-but my weight had always been the same with-which was still being over weight. But the scale had never moved up ward for many, many years. I am wondering why now? What's going on with my body? Why such a drastic change? I truly wish I knew the whole answer. We have no medical insurance-everything is out of pocket. We have tried to go through channels for financial help-medically. So far we are either over qualified or under qualified-What! Makes no sense to us. We have one more appointment to try and get medical help-our appointment is June 8th. This is the last open door for help medically. Please if you read this entry-pray that the doors would be open for all our medical needs which are numerous. I am so afraid something will go wrong and we won't get help. I truly don't know what will happen to us if this doesn't work. There is so much more I want to journal about-but I just feel so over whelmed right now. I will try again later today.

Blessings and love to all her in blogger land.

Sharing A Precious Letter To All Moms

Our daughter Brittany aka Boo is our social butterfly. She lives life 100% of every day. She has been this way since the day she was born. When we started going to church she was 4. What I'm about to share is 100% truth. Because Brittany loves everyone. We had to be at church an hour early each Sunday morning. Because that's how long it took Brittany to hug everyone :). She hugged as they came into the Sanctuary & go down every pew to not miss one person.

So I added my memories from a letter that circulated around the web years ago. I know I am not the only Mom who has shared the love of their children. I hope after reading this you will share yours with us. I know I would be proud to read them. Or take mine and add your own thoughts and memories.

                                                                   To My Daughter Brittany.


Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park and play.
"You were always so irresistible with your warm smile, holding your arms up for me to pick you up & play. So it was easy to forget the laundry to bundle you up and take you to the park. Your joyous laughter was contagious and made the day much happier. Thank you my sweet daughter-for showing me the important things in life and letting go of things that would always be there."

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together which we'd eventually get to :).

 "When I read this it makes me smile Ü. You loved to do dishes. I always had to set up your own soapy water, rinse bowl and towel station to put your dishes on. Although not always the most spotless-just seeing that beaming smile and hands going up saying ta-da! Made me laugh." lol.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off.

I'll  sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles. Oh Boo how many,many hours did we spend letting everything else go, just so we could play with bubbles! The swirling, the rainbow colours, and to see how big we could make them lol. Then there was the forever chasing of them and laughter filling the air."

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

 This I wish I had done more. Stopped myself from being to busy with things that would still be there long after you were grown. I wish I had of grabbed your hand more and ran with you towards the Ice Cream truck seeing you smile as I tell you to pick out what ever you wanted. Promise me you will do more of this with your children, and remember me Ü.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

This was a simple thing for us Ü. because we would lay on a blanket look at the sky and just dream, dream, dream. Never expectations of one thing. You could never pick just ONE thing to be anyways LOL. But guilty am I for fussing and second guessing my decisions-I could have relaxed more lol.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Well, this was never a problem lol. After the first time of you making/baking cookies, you took charge Ü. It was ME helping YOU bake the cookies after that."

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal. Just so you can have both toys.
OK what's there to say about Mickey D's LOL!

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

OMG how many times have we shared that moment together Ü. Even way into your teens. I'd rub your head, play with your hair and retell the story of your precious birth and the love that just spilled out of me and never stopped.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub all you want and not get angry or rush you.

Yes, many full and irritating days spilled over to the end of the day including bath time. I'm sorry Boo. I should have spent more quality time playing and splashing around with you in the tub. Make sure you slow down with your children during bath time and teach them how to make big splashes to soak Mommy Ü.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

One of our favorite things to do. To sit on the porch and talk about everything while just looking at the stars and listening to the cricket and frogs make music. All along the hours just floating by.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Yes, will snuggle on the couch or the bed together. Will have our favorite books out and read together. One of our favorite things to do.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray.

I will simply be grateful that GOD has given me the greatest gift ever given. I am still doing this. And you are my greatest gift.



I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their

missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves

instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms

watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't

handle it anymore.



And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little

longer. It is then, that I will thank GOD for you, and ask Him for nothing,

except one more day ....



I love you Brittany with all my heart. Forever and beyond.

Mom

                                  






Blessings,

Donna



1. How Do You Catch a Unique Rabbit?

Unique Up On It.

2. How Do You Catch a Tame Rabbit?

Tame Way.