Psalm 111

Praise the LORD!

I will extol the LORD with all my heart!

In the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the LORD!

 

Great are the works of the LORD,

they are pondered by all who delight in them.

 

Glorious and majestic are his deeds,

and his righteousness endures forever.

 

He has caused his wonders to be remembered;

the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

 

He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.

 

He has shown his people the power of his works,

giving them the lands of other nations.

 

The works of his hands are faithful and just;

all his precepts are trustworthy.

 

They are steadfast for ever and ever

done in faithfulness and uprightness.

 

He provided redemption for his people;

he ordained his covenant forever --

holy and awesome is his name.

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

To him belongs eternal praise.

 

AMEN!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God's Boxes

God's Boxes

Author Unknown.

I have in my hands two boxes,
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box,
And all your joys in the gold."

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day,
The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

 

I showed the hole to God, and mused,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be!"
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
"My child, they're all here with me."

I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings, 

the black is for you to let go."
 

 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and

you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

~ Matthew 11:28-30

~~ <> @ <> ~~

I've been sick since Thanksgiving Day.
So, I've not been too grateful for this virus that our son shared with me.
He and my husband have managed to shake it,
however, I have not.
But,
as passive as I have been posting to this gratitude blog,
I've been actively putting my time to good use,
getting ready for the new year,
planning for Documented Faith 2016.
I've reflected on what worked for me this year
and created new pages for my notebook, most of which
I've uploaded to a Pinterest board and will link into (watch the side menu for that).
I've also watched many videos at Youtu.be,
learning what I liked and didn't like and compiling a "Faith-booking" playlist
(again, watch the side menu for a link to it).
And horrors, I've even contemplated deleting this gratitude blog during some
pity party moments. According to blogger, I only have one reader
who reminded me a couple of weeks ago
that I haven't posted in awhile! Thank you, Susan, for giving me a poke!
I watched a video last night about depression and gratitude and the person who was depressed, was advised to write ten letters to people
and tell them what he was grateful for about them.
He was healed of his depression!
So, I learned that I should keep on trucking, even when I don't FEEL LIKE IT!
I was reminded of something Corrie ten Boom said in a video I watched
a few weeks ago, not to trust our feelings, but to continue trusting God.
Perhaps this little "rest" was all part of God's plan to divert me from my usual activities,
to help me focus on my faith in him.

Blessings Mix

Over in the side menu, there is a link to a "Grateful Heart Craft Playlist," made up of various pre-selected craft tutorials including several favor gift bags and boxes which would make cute gifts for people you would like to show your appreciation to during the coming holidays. Below are several recipes along with a poem for the gift. Make up a large quantity, scoop into zip baggies, tie with bright ribbon and insert into a container and/or your crafted favor gift bag or box. Write or type up the recipe along with the meaning of each thing and attach to gift. 

 

 BLESSING MIX RECIPES:




BUGLE SNACKS = a symbol of the cornucopia, a horn of plenty.

PRETZELS = represents arms folded in thanks and prayer.
CANDY CORN = reminds us that during the first winter, the Pilgrims were allowed only five kernels of corn per day because food was so scarce.

ORANGE CANDY SLICES (or SPICED GUMDROPS) = is a reminder that Thanksgiving is the celebration of the harvest.

PEANUTS = represent seeds, the potential of the bounteous harvest for the next season if they are planted and well tended.

~~ <> @ <> ~~
 KOOL - AIDS
(give with a packet of sweetened kool-aid)

"Just a little thank-you
For everything you do
When things get very hectic
While helping out at school
Take a moment to mix up
This very special treat
A packet of kool aid
For our KOOL AIDE.
Because we think you're neat."
~~ <> @ <> ~~ 

CHRISTMAS BLESSING MIX

BUGLES---The trumpet that sounded at his birth.
PRETZELS---Mary's arms wrapped around her baby.
FRUITS AND NUTS-----The gifts the wise men brought.
CANDY CANE(S)---Shepherds staffs.
CHOCOLATE STARS-- The star of Bethlehem.
HERSHEY KISSES--The love he has for you.
RAFFIA---The hay in the manger that ties it all together.

Use dried fruit mix and two different nuts. Put in treat bags tied with raffia. You can then put in mug, or any suitable container that recipient may need, or just leave in treat bag.

~~ <> @<> ~~ 

Danke

 

-- Week One --
Sharing Handmade Kindness: Family and Friends

1. As part of the newest challenge I'm following called "Sharing Handmade Kindness Challenge" in the month of November by Jennifer McGuire, we've been challenged this week to kindly share something handmade (something crafted by our own two hands) with family and friends; I have decided to make a little additional gratitude card challenge for myself on this blog this month as well as on my craft blog and send a thank you card to someone, in this case my mother. I was reminded of what her father, my grandfather used to say when expressing his gratitude after I saw this card in rieslingmama's flickr gallery after she commented on my coloring sheet last week: click here. I think since Mom gave me life, and introduced me to my grandpa, I should thank her, right? *wink*

 

                                      I doodled the lines in a zentangle design with a black and white colored pencil. The best way to create this card is to die cut both white and black letters. Glue the black letters down on the card near the bottom, then add the black belly band about halfway down the black letters. Then position the white letters at the bottom of the black strip, matching the position of the lower letters, then mark with a pencil and cut just above the pencil mark. Glue the white letters onto the black strip, add the ribbon and then the doodled lines. 

"they were at their wits end.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and
he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed; they were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men."
~ Psalm 107: 27b-31

2. My husband called me this week with GOOD NEWS! He's getting a pay raise! Thank you, Jesus!


 3. About our car -- the motor's still under warranty, the manufacturer looked at it and decided to replace it and will pay part of the installation costs! Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! (No news yet about our son's car.)


 4. You should have heard all the fireworks going off this week! The home team (ROYALS) won the World Series! Donna, you were rooting for them, weren't you? Woo Hoo!


5. I'm thankful for all my blog readers!

~~~~~

Week Two: Community

Even though Pastor Appreciation is in October, our church celebrated our Pastor and his wife's birthday instead as their birthdays are at the end of the month. So here is the appreciation card I made -- a little accordion folded card based on this design, click here.

I did not have the kit mentioned in the video, however, I cased a similar copy with eight accordion folded panels by cutting down 2 sheets of 8.5" x 11" pieces of cardstock in half lengthwise and taping three of the halves together to make one long strip of paper.

Next, I scored it about every 2.5" to 3" for every panel until I had 8 panels.

Whatever was left over was cut off. I then stamped four different background stamps on 2 panels each and glued foam letters to the center of each design until I spelled out the word T-H-A-N-K-S. On the back of the end panel, I stamped a "thank you" in the center back and signed it. It looks nice standing up! 

 ~~~~~

By the way, I've added a "Grateful Heart Craft video playlist" over on the side menu
and will be adding interesting craft videos based on Thanksgiving that I find from time to time, so come back to visit again!

~~~~~

1. A Gratitude for My Pastor's Children
I have to tell about our Pastor's elementary children. They made something handmade with their mother and handed small plates of it out this morning to people as they left church.
They were the yummiest chocolate chip cookies!
They were sharing handmade kindness today too with their community!

2. I'm Grateful that Mark Stansell of Stamp-A-Mania Rubber Stamp Co.
 is on the Mend from his summer diagnoses of cancer!The Lord healed him of his brain cancer several years ago and the Lord is healing again!


3. I'm grateful for the "March winds" blowing in November.
I'm thankful it's not cold enough for snow! 

4. I'm thankful for card challenges as they have prodded me into doing some much needed crafting!  
And speaking of that, the reason I'm thankful is I have gotten some much needed
cleaning and weeding done in my craft barn and some projects made like pocket letters
that I promised to make and exchange with friends several months ago!
I even found enough craft stuff to fill a shoebox to send to a homebound
friend to use when she's babysitting her granddaughter!

5. I'm thankful our doggie is on the mend from a tooth abscess!
Now to find a vet that does tooth root extractions.

~~~~~

A Smile =0)

By Anthony Euwer.


No matter how grouchy you're feeling,
You'll find the smile more or less healing,
It grows in a wreath,
All around the front teeth--
Thus preserving the face from congealing.
~~~~~

Update: I was not able to finish this challenge. Sorry! 



Rough Month, But God is With Us!

"I will present my thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life."
~ Psalm 56:12b-13.

I must tell you my praises tonight ---
First, we've had a rough month.

 My hubby ended up in hospital with kidney stone before Sunday school

a couple of weeks ago. 

Monday morning, he was still greatly in pain,

but then a girlfriend called and told me

 our mutual girlfriend passed away.

Then the hospital kicked David out the next day and told him to go home.

 He didn't give birth to that rock until that Thursday.

Friday, we decided we had to get out and get some groceries

and got down the highway and the car overheated.

So we stopped on the side of the road to let it cool down,

David added some antifreeze to the car;

it got us down the road to Walmart where we sat

until hubby's father could come to look at it.

Water ran right through.

So a tow truck took us to a near-by garage where it remains.

Blown-head gasket.

$2100.00 to fix.

No money.

 

Then two other friends had loved ones pass away.

 

Tonight our son was in a car accident.

He was sitting on the road, letting cars go round construction

on the road since it was down to one lane.

A motorcycle was behind him

and a little yellow car crested the hill behind them

 going faster than the speed limit;

 it slammed into the motorcycle and pushed it into the back of

our son's car. Motorcyclist got up and walked away

after getting thrown from his seat into the ditch

(medics made him go get checked out all the same).

And my mother had just left a package at our house and

when I called her to razz her about not staying to visit,

 she had just come upon the scene and recognized our son's car.

She said she felt like she was in the right place at the right time.

Because she was there, she was able to take our son 

to the hospital to get checked out and to the insurance office.

Meanwhile, our son had called his dad at work to tell him about the accident

and hubby fainted dead away.

The Fed-Ex guy caught him just as he swayed and was able to lower him

to the floor. My husband said the next thing he knew, there were faces

peering down at him and he didn't know where he was. LOL!

Not knowing that he already knew about the accident, I was angry

because I couldn't get through; phone call went straight to voice mail --

he has a habit of forgetting to charge the phone at home.

His boss answered the phone the next time I called

and told me what happened and that medics

and an ambulance was on the way.

The personnel director came to get me as I don't have a car & drive,

brought us home, and another of the upper management

drove hubby's pick-up home. 

His blood sugar had bottomed out.

Meanwhile I texted a friend and our pastor for prayer
and

 I called his parents.

 We were going to go out to eat with them tonight.

They were here in no time flat and

we were able to get some protein in my hubby.

While my father-in-law was driving to the restaurant,

hubby told his good news.

The new engine we put into our PT cruiser is only 2 years old;

so the repairs to our car is covered under warranty!

 

Son came home from hospital

he's alright; had a little glass in his hair and he will be a little sore.

But he had his seatbelt on and insurance!

 

Little did I know when I posted the coloring sheet two days ago

what today would hold.

But I can say, I praise God for his protection and provision!

He protected  my hubby and our dear son from serious damage

and he provided people to help us just when we needed it!

 

Oh, and a girlfriend called to tell us that her new grandbaby is here!

Two-thirds of the Way

Through Kathy Racoosin's 30-Day-Coloring Challenge.

 

 

My choice of coloring sheet tonight was:
by artist: Deborah Muller

 

 

I am Thankful and Blessed For God is with me!

Amen!

In the Memory Of . . .

 

1. I dedicate my gratitude post to Linda today. May she rest in the arms of Jesus. She liked to greet me and say goodbye with a hug. Be sure to save a hug for me in heaven gal!

I found a gratitude card kit video on Youtube

I believe Linda would have liked as she was a rubber stamper too.

2. I'm thankful for Princess Sister who brought me beets, carrots, lettuce, and a watermelon today! And for the ride to the hospital so I could go visit hubby! I KNOW my hubby is thankful for painkillers! LOL! He birthed a kidney stone this week! I picked up the Spiritual Care brochure the hospital chaplain left and it had a gratitude prayer inside:

When Thankful

God, Your mercies are new to me every day.

I give You thanks for the renewing of my

health and for the relief from my pain and

worry. Continue Your healing within me, that

I may return to the work You have given me

to do. Amen.

 

 

3. Did you know that October is Pastor Appreciation Month? I'm thankful that our Pastor took the time out of his busy schedule to go visit and pray with my hubby while he was in the hospital and I'm thankful the hospital chaplain visited too!

 

4. I'm grateful for available tow trucks!

5.  Part of my prayer about Liberty Mosquito Primitive Baptist church is being answered as I type this! May God continue to answer the prayer I requested today for wisdom, for state wheels to turn, and for healing in family relationships. Thank you, Jesus!

6. I saw this cool commercial about gratitude on television today! Check it out!


 

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,

and he prepares the way

so that I may show him the salvation of God."

~ Psalm 50:23

Great Nephew's Appreciation Video

"Then he [Manasseh] restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings

and thank offerings on it,

and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel." ~ 2 Chronicles 33:16

1. I'm thankful that I can ask my brothers and sisters in Christ for supporting prayer and that Stephanie Ackerman felt free to  ask us Documented Faith followers this week for prayer, which I was only too happy to oblige.

2. Princess Sister brought us beets and potatoes to eat and they were very good. And another Sister brought tomatoes to share. I'm grateful for generous hearts.

3. I'm grateful for a reminder today about the purpose of Corrie ten Boom's life. She was a courageous Dutch Christian woman who survived  one of the cruelest Nazi concentration camps during World War II. She and her sister, Betsie, were sent to Ravensbruck because her family provided sanctuary for Jews from the Nazis. I remember reading books like The Hiding Place and Tramp for the Lord. Betsie, with the grace of God, helped her to see that she could be grateful in the midst of their terrible circumstances for things like vermin, because the bugs in her barracks kept the Nazis away, so they were able to hold Bible studies twice a day where many women found salvation in Christ. Corrie said that while they were unpleasant, God could even use fleas and lice for his purpose!  She was such an inspiration to me! 

4. I'm grateful for opportunities to PRACTICE my paper crafting and coloring skills with Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Coloring Challenge. It's a good prod to get me going! I'll be sharing what I color on my craft blog if you want to take a peek.

5. And I'm so proud of my great-nephew. He made a nifty appreciation video about one of  his teachers for a scholarship contest. As part of the contest, if you think he did well, please "Like" it. At the end of the contest, the one with the most "likes" wins a scholarship and the teacher will receive a prize too -- something useful for her classroom! Thank you, in advance, if you decide to participate!

Stone Soup

 Then Hezekiah said, "You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord.

Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord."

So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts

were willing brought burnt offerings.

2 Chr. 29:31

 

 

 

1. Princess Sister brought root vegies this week to share with her royal family again and another friend reminded me of the story of stone soup. Basically it's a kid's story of sharing what little you have with others to make something marvelous out of it. We can hoard or we can give. A similar story is the one that a member of our worship team mentioned as we moved into our gratitude time during our church service Sunday morning -- one little boy shared his lunch of fish and bread that fed so many. I thank God for his provision of not only food, but also stories that inspire us to do great things together!

 



 

2. Thinking about Documented Faith this morning and of another way I can document my faith which is to write some biographies of my ancestors and including their faith. I already have a biography of my great-grandfather, Daniel LaRue on my History Nut of Missouri blog. I could then scrapbook a page for my notebook. I grew up in a Christian home and we attended the Church of God (Anderson, IN) church, but switched over to my husband's denomination after our church split. Since I've been doing family research, I've made an effort to document each ancestor's denomination as well, so all told I come from Catholic, Christian/Disciples of Christ, Church of God (Anderson, IN),  Methodist, Nazarene, and  Primitive Baptist  ancestors. No matter the doctrinal differences, I'm thankful for my Christian heritage.

3. I am so tickled that I stumbled across some of Stephanie's videos on the internet. Take for example this Vimeo video of her showing how she illustrates a key point in her Bible.

4. Speaking of food again this week, it reminded me of the church dinners we used to have not only at church but also after church Sunday afternoons at Shoney's. There were quite a large group of us who would fill up the back room at our local restaurant and it was a wonderful time of fellowship. Since it was such a large group of us, somebody or the other was always having a birthday or anniversary and the waitresses and waiters were happy to accommodate us in serenading the birthday female or male or anniversary couple (my mother once got serenaded and given a HUGE piece of chocolate cake -- he! he!)   Many of our friends have gone their separate ways and some have even graduated to heaven. I miss those fun times but am grateful for the fond memories.

5. I found this "heart" this week on my camera. I had forgotten I had taken it. It's two fish sticks stuck together that came out of the package that way. I couldn't bear to pull them apart because I immediately recognized the heart shape and so baked them together. Thank you, God, for your love notes found in unusual places!

 

Potato Love

 

"They [Levites] were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord.

They were to do the same in the evening."
~ 1 Chronicles 23:30 (2/149)

 

 

1. Our favorite Blue River Road drive was beautiful this evening. The sides of the curvy road were carpeted with white and yellow blossoms. Thank you, Lord, for the eye candy!

 

 

2.  Hey, Lord, I praise you for creating Princess Sister (she's a daughter of THE KING, like me!). And I'm grateful for her warm generosity last Sunday when she brought potatoes to share with her royal family! This potato symbolizes not only your love but hers too!

 

 

3. Thank you, God, for giving Princess Sister the idea of collectively collecting aluminum cans to  help provide funds for the remodeling of our church basement.  What a great FISH idea! (Mt. 17:27)

 

 

4. The red paper clip illustration Pastor began his sermon with last Sunday was really neat! Thank you, Lord,  for providing inspiration to and through him! (Psst! I received a pink paper clip on my worship bulletin!)

 

 

5. Thank you, Lord, for answered prayers!

 

 

 

 

Back to Basics

"Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God."

~ Deuteronomy 24:13 (1/149)

1. I'm thankful for God's Wisdom and His Word!

2. I'm thankful for my nieces and nephews.

3. I'm thankful for a roof over my head, air-conditioning, indoor plumbing, and clean water!

4. I'm thankful for the surgeon's skillful hands that removed the cancerous tumors from Aunt B today.

5. I'm thankful for a good eye report today, also, for I have pigmentary glaucoma.

Get in the Grateful Groove!

"Without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him." ~ Hebrew 11:6

 

I was reminded of this verse in Stephanie's Documented Faith lesson this week as I was looking for natural love notes on Pinterest to pin onto my HEART board. And I found many snapshots to train my eye to see, however neat those images are, how can people not see the love Christ has for them through the natural world? They have collected the pictures, but how can  they not connect to him who sent them?

 

They cannot see because: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4).

 

It was very eerie for me to have written that post last week on anger and only two days later, to hear about a guy so blinded by the rage he nursed for five years that he planned to strike back at the very people he hated and kill two reporters. He wore a giant chip on his shoulder for years just so that he could play the blame game. It was really sad.

 

 

A girlfriend sent me a timely email forward this morning. It said:

 

Attitude

 

READ THIS 
LET IT REALLY SINK IN - THEN CHOOSE   .

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

 

He was a natural motivator. 

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. 

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! 

You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" 
He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood

I choose to be in a good mood." 

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. 

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. 

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life." 

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left that industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. 

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident. 

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?" 

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live." 

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked 

He continued, "..the paramedics were great. 
They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action." 

"What did you do?" I asked. 

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'." 

 

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." 

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. 

Attitude, after all, is everything -- so, get in the grateful groove! 

 

 

 



Grab a cup of tea, it's gonna be a long post!

Our son gave me a handful of these sesame seed and honey covered nuts
to eat the other day.
Guess what I found in the handful?

~~ <> @ <> ~~

 

It's hard to be grateful when you are angry. For years I thought it was a sin to be angry, so I would stuff my anger down inside until I exploded and woe anyone in the way (old habits die hard -- thank God for grace, 'cause I'm a work in progress.)

 

One of my school counselors, after a especially difficult day,  said I was full of anger.  Well, duh, kids can be real nasty to the different. I turned to God early because somehow I knew He cared, He listened to my little tales of woe, and He understood. It took me a little while longer though, to read the Bible, because I thought  reading it was to guilt me into the kingdom and I felt judged (little did I know the devil was beating me over the head with it). I didn't really read the Bible straight through until I was an adult. It took an experience of praying for God's love to wash over me before I actually opened the book to read his love letter to me.

The Bible gives clues, if you know how to decipher them about how to deal with anger. Even God and Jesus were angry from time to time.  (You know I can hear the wheel turning in your mind saying, "Oh, yeah, where does the Bible say they were? Hang on, I'm getting to that part.)

 

God's Righteous Anger: "How often they (the Israelites) rebelled against him in the desert and grieved him in the wasteland! Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. . . He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility -- a band of destroying angels. He prepared a path for his anger. . ." (Psalm 78:40-41, 49-50a).

 

An example of Jesus' righteous anger in action: "So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" (John 2:15-16).

 

However, thank goodness, God is slow to anger: "Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh; a passing breeze that does not return." (Psalm 78:38-39). . . "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." (Jonah 4:2b)

Like children, the Israelites pushed God's buttons, but the Almighty was able to control his temper. And when he did get angry, it only lasted a moment: "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. for his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30: 4-5).

 

The first part of Ephesians 4:26 says "In your anger do not sin." It doesn't say "Do not be angry for that is sin." The second part of the verse says: "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold." This is the clue that I overlooked -- taking care of the anger issue as soon as possible, otherwise unhappiness grows into a monster.

Instead of immediately lashing out though, I must give myself the 10-second rule. Breathe, count to ten and try to calm down. Then  I must pray for wisdom and discernment (understanding). James 1:5 says: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

Second, I must think about why I'm angry. Does it involve pride or principle? Someone once told me that I must pick my battles. If the issue involves a principle, then I must say something to the other person as soon as possible, just as Jesus did to the distracting cheats out in the temple grounds, otherwise it sits and festers like a boil.
 

However, I'm usually a coward and don't like to confront people, because under duress, I get intimidated, go blank and usually embarrass myself by  just crying. Sometimes it's just easier to stuff it and walk away, then to confront the other person.  It's really, really hard for me to be assertive, however, walking away doesn't always solve the issue.

 

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault; just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. . . Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" (Matthew 18: 15-22).

However, if it's a principle, then I pray for the other person: "pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:28), grit my teeth and get on with it.

A friend once told me to make a "sandwich." She's a child-minder and occasionally has to talk to the parents about something naughty their child did that day. Most parents get offended if she just spills her gut, so she has learned a technique to sandwich something negative between two positives. She said it makes the negative thing less offensive.

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverb 15:1). My husband once told me that I would attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. I don't always remember to go sweet, but practice makes perfect or so they say! *smile* You know I've been writing all this, just to remind myself of what to do, right?

"If one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." (James 5:19,20).  When I was parenting, my youngest sister and I agreed we had to disciple our children for eternity's sake. Didn't make us always popular with the junior set, but we knew we had to do it, for the above reason. Sometimes talking to people doesn't make us popular with them either. I've had people walk away from our friendship because they didn't agree with me and couldn't say I'm sorry.  It's a risk you take.

 

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My husband and I stopped for a bite to eat last weekend at Taco Via. Down in the tray was a sheet of paper my hubby asked if I wanted to keep for my faith journal and I said, "sure, 'nuf!"

 

And speaking of my faith journal, I've been doing a little cleaning out (I had a paper challenge going on over on my craft blog) and I found a bunch of business cards that I obtained from various people associated with my churches. Shorty is one of them. He and his friends were called "The Joy Boys or the Witt Brothers -- Half, Nit, & Dim" Two of the Witt Brothers have graduated to heaven and I miss seeing their smiling faces, however the other one has recently been in the hospital. I'm sure he would appreciate prayers for good health!

 



 

I might have to use a little washi (decorative) tape on the inside of the business card plastic sleeve to keep them from sliding out. That sleeve is extra slippery.

 

I'm still currently using two notebooks -- the green one holds three months worth of material, but the other one is getting fatter as I slip out the old stuff and add in the new stuff. I saw a Youtube video awhile back and am thinking of adding an elastic closure to my big notebook to keep stuff from falling out.

 





 And last but not least, I have another "love note" to add. *smile*  Wow, two in one week!  Thank you, Jesus, for the new rose on my once-a-year-bloom rose bush. (Sorry for the blurry pic, I had to hold the camera at an odd angle in order to get the rose in the shot.)