Sunday Scripture

This time of year will always hold a special place in our hearts. Our son Gordon was born just days before Chad's dad, Gordon, passed. Truly, there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV 

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

FEAR NOT | God is in Control - Inspirational

Yes, yes, yes!

Sunday Psalms

Psalms 56:1-13 KJV 

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1 Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. 

2 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. 

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 

4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. 

5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. 

6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. 

7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. 

8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? 

9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. 

10 In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. 

11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

12 Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. 

13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Why Do We Pray Before We Eat?

John 6:11

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

Jewish children are taught that not giving thanks for their food was equal to stealing from God. Food is a gift from God; therefore, we must give thanks before we partake of the gift He has given us!

This is another journal entry I came across from years ago. How pertinent it is right now as we are eating from the harvest of our garden. Not all of our children appreciate squash, but this is what I tell them every year.

Clutter of the Heart

I was putting something away and found an old journal of mine from early 2014. I started flipping through it and came across an entry that caught my attention because I had complained about the same thing just a week or so ago while talking with a friend.

"Yesterday did not go well. We have too much "stuff" in this house and in our hearts. I struggle to teach the girls contentment when I struggle with it myself. I feel suffocated by the clutter and mess and I found myself giving up instead of dealing with it. The younger girls seem selfish and spoiled. They need more responsibility and I need to be better at accountability.

I feel Satan is prevailing at the moment. I need to focus more on our blessings than all the things that have gone wrong. What we had isn't ours to begin with."

Job 1:20-21 KJV

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Proverbs 6:5

Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

If we are in debt, we are to work as if our lives depended on it to get out of debt. The truth is, our lives DO depend on it! We are slaves to debt because we must work to pay it back. Set yourself free!

Denying Christ

Mark 14:26-31 KJV

26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

We often chide Peter for denying Christ right after saying he wouldn't. However, what I didn't notice until this morning as I read was that "Likewise also said they all."

They all said they would die before denying Christ, yet we don't  hear about any of them being with Christ through all that followed. In fact, they all "forsook him, and fled." (vs. 50).

I would love to say that if I had a gun to my head that I wouldn't deny Christ, but if these men who walked with Christ were weak, what makes me so different?

I pray that the Holy Spirit living in me gives me the strength and boldness to declare Christ as my Lord if a time like that ever arises.

Words of Wisdom Wednesdays

Proverbs 5:19

Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

When I read this, I look at how God is calling me to live in my role as a wife.

If my husband is to be satisfied and ravished, then I must be loving and pleasant. I can not just do enough to "get by", but I must lavish him with love. I must not deprive him of my body or my love.

This also makes me thing about how men feel loved-by being respected. I must show respect to my husband if he is to truly be ravished with my love.