Speak Life!

Blessings of Life

How have you lived your dash? 

My pastor anointed me for healing (back pain!) one day this month and then prayed I would remember some past healings, so see my memories below. Several years ago, after herniating a disc in my lumbar region of my back (L4-5), I had a series of pain-shots for 3 years and I feel blessed that the last series of three shots lasted 8 years. Thank you, Jesus! 

Saw a rainbow in the sky above McDonald's, where we had stopped for a bite of breakfast before my MRI, scheduled for 7:00 am that morning (I was the first patient of the day). Later that day, I again saw a rainbow on the cover of a YouTuber's journal. Thank you, Jesus, for reminders of your promises! 

I've been able to see the tiger lilies and phlox that are blooming through my living room windows. Beautiful eye candy from God.

One thing I'm thankful for is that my parents took me to church.  

Good Food!

What Do You Do With Your Kona Cup? My husband donated his Kona Cup to my happy book because of what's written on the back of the cup - his employer has employee spirit days once a month and they hired a Kona truck to visit during their afternoon break! 

GOOD Things come in small packages -
THIS LITTLE CUP.
GOOD ingredients - GOOD times (and yes, they have a sugar free flavor sweetened with stevia!)
GOOD for the community
BE GOOD. DO GOOD. FOR GOOD. 
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I looked online and Walmart says it carries Bob's Red Mill brand of carob powder. I need to look for it. I see carob brownies on the horizon! Though pumpkin has been a favorite treat of mine lately. I need to also look for almond flour or make my own in my Magic Bullet because I found some pumpkin tarts that were made with an almond crust that were absolutely yummy at Sprouts. I never thought of using almonds as a crust and thought I would never be able to make cold pie crust again because graham crackers have sugar in them. 
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I have a new recipe for you! It's yummy! 

Cottage Cheese Salad

1 (24 oz.) small container cottage cheese
1 (1 ounce) small box of sugar-free gelatin in the fruit flavor of your choice.
1 cup of grated cheese in the flavor of your choice - we use a combo sack of mozzarella and cheddar
1 cup sugar free frozen berries, thawed and drained or 1 (15 oz.) can fruit cocktail in its own juice, drained

Optional: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with lid, larger than the cottage cheese container and chill in frig or dip out individual servings into 1 cup canning glass jars and screw on lid. I found that two scoops of the cottage cheese salad with an ice cream scoop into the glass jar worked nicely for a serving. Store in the refrigerator until chilled through. 

GOOD IDEAS and LOVE NOTES!

Lettering artist, Joanne Sharpe keeps a "Love Notes Folder" for all those little notes and letters she gets from grateful students to remind her of why she shares her art when mean people show up. 

Divider = "Dear Child, I created you. Do not measure your worth by somebody else's tape measure for you are precious in my sight. Love you, Daddy God."

I received an encouraging agape note from a new friend, Elizabeth, who suffers with lyme disease side effects and boards with a family at church. 

My positivity journal!  If you like it, please give it a thumbs up! 👍Thanks! 

Doodling Through the Bible in Black and White playlist

GOOD MEMORIES!

My maternal grandmother taught me to crochet. I remember that my first square turned into a triangle. I got better as time went on. smile! 

My dad always said his two most favorite pies were hot and cold. His all-time favorite cake though, was an applesauce cake with black walnuts. Yum! 

I'm thankful I remember what it was like to have bare skin freedom! 

When I was pretty young, I developed a stiff neck - I couldn't turn my head in either direction.  The doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong. I went to the altar at the end of a church service and asked for healing. I was anointed and the pastor prayed for me and I was healed from that moment on. 

As an adult, I got bronchitis one time really bad, could not afford a trip to the doctor, and was coughing so much that I couldn't rest. I remember, in bed one night, I imagined crawling to Jesus feet and whispering a prayer, "Jesus, I'm the woman who is touching the hem of your robe for healing. I need to quit coughing, I need healing, please help my unbelief." I felt a light warm touch, like a finger touch, on my forehead and from that moment on, I didn't cough the rest of the night and quickly got better. For years, I couldn't sing well because of all the allergy sinus drainage I had running down the back of my throat and after that night, I could sing again!  

Our son remembered another healing. We were helping my mother move my brother's barbell weights and lift chair to the side of the garage so she could have a garage sale and I accidently dropped one of the donut-shaped weights right on my big toe (I was wearing flip-flop sandals). It hurt so bad, I cried out to the Lord, please take away the pain. I felt the touch at the very end of my toe and the pain eased and on top of that, my toe nail did not turn black and blue or fall off.  

I remember when we were first married. I contributed a radio and my husband contributed some books for our evening entertainments. My husband's aunt gave us a portable black and white TV that had a picture but no sound and told us that we could learn to lip read. smile! Then a neighbor down the street from us learned about the no-sound TV and contributed a console TV that had no picture, but did have sound, so we stacked the portable on top of the console and YAY, we had television! Of course, that was back in the day before remote controls, so we had get up and remember to change the channels on both TV's. Hey, it worked! Sometimes, when you're poor, you have to get creative to entertain yourself! 👍😁

I have donated hair twice to Locks of Love.

Loved Valerie Sjodin's gratitude art journal so much that I'm doing a repeat and compiling a YouTube playlist of her work. 

My paternal grandmother, a primary Sunday School teacher, once showed me a wordless book she made from half-sheets of construction paper as an object lesson to tell her students the gospel story. 

GOOD MUSIC!

Consider the Lilies by Claire Crosby

GOOD SCRIPTURE!

Genesis 1:31a & 2:2a = God saw all that he had made, and it was very good . . . By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 

Exodus 25:40 = See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

Exodus 35:25-26 = Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun - blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. All the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair.

Exodus 35:30-31 = Then Moses said to the Israelites, "See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel...and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts, to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, & bronze,"

2 Chronicles 6:41 = May your saints rejoice in your goodness. 

Jeremiah 29:11 = "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:13 = You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

Proverbs 18:24b = " . . . there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." 

Proverbs 31:36 = She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 

Matthew 9:16 = No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Then you will be able to test & approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing & perfect will. 

Luke 6:31 = Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

Romans 12:2 = Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

2 Corinthians 1:3 = Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion & the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (PASS IT FORWARD!) 

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 = Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

2 Timothy 1:13-14 = What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith & Love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 

Titus 2:7 = In everything, set them an example by doing what is good. 

Hebrews 8:5 = They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." 

GOOD WORDS!

Comfort and Joy
Good Times
Imitate Jesus
Pray More
Push Through and Adapt
P (pray); U (until); S (something); H (happens).
Rest

GRACE!

I don't want to be remembered for my mistakes. 

NICE SAYINGS AND QUOTES!

Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time.

Following the Master Craftsman! 

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched -- they must be felt with the heart. (Helen Keller). 

"Every day we’re wasting away. Our bodies are just fragile, but I am still on the growing side, because like the Bible says I’m growing in two directions at the same time. Everything about my spirit is growing. Sure, I’m weaker physically, but I grow stronger spiritually. Deep, great trials bring with them deep grace from God. All of which enlarges our soul’s capacity for Jesus. " (Joni Eareckson Tada)

POSITIVE COLORS!

I asked my therapist about colors and she said there have been studies about them and that special needs children are drawn to the opposite colors that either soothe them if they are hyper or bright colors if they are depressed.  So whatever colors I'm drawn to, I should consider my positive color. I once studied colors myself  - ones that have been used in the past to symbolize the Christian year since my faith is important to me. You'll find them here. 

Here's the stigma that we who are different constantly battle against -- the mentally ill are not to blame for the bad things that happen in this world, because there are many mentally ill people who try to be good. It's the decision or choice of those who have dark, rotten hearts, who practice sinful habits and encourage others to do the same who do the evil things that hurt others.  That's why we need to be careful to practice goodness (positivity) and to speak life to all.