I HIGHLY Recommend This Book To Read, "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Good day to you. It is very rare that I read a book and really rave about it to others. I received this book as a gift from one of my children and I could not put it down when I was reading it. It is a most encouraging, uplifting book that I highly recommend that you read. Thank you Sweetie for sending it to Mom. This is a book that you will be able to relate to for it is the experience of a child and the story is told to you, as the reader, of the Father sharing what his son experienced. It touched my heart, I think because it was seen through the eyes of a child and their experience. You know, children have a way of sharing their experience with such simplicity but in the simple explanation is raw truth that touches your heart. Jesus never told the children to get away from Him He actually encouraged them to come to Him and you will feel this in this child's story. It is so like God to use children to confound the most wise of all the wise do you not find that to be so?
You may have silent questions that you always thought to yourself about heaven, you may find an answer or two in this book. Go ahead and bless this child by getting this book and in the end you will be the one that is blessed.

GREAT WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT; Eileen Fisher: "Declarers of Fire"

Eileen Fisher: "Declarers of Fire"

Daily Devotional For 12/27

Taken from Jentezen Franklin's book, 365 Days  of Spiritual Growth & Empowerment Volume II

TAKE YOUR TIME
Let the foundations thereof be strongly laid.
Ezra 6:3
 God is a builder of people, and when He builds He emphasizes foundations. He knows the weight-load you'll be called to carry and the kinds of storms you'll have to face, so He lays your foundation accordingly. The Bible says Jesus, "Increased in favor with God and with man" (Lk 2:52), so allow yourself time to grow too!
Look at Moses, the messiah of the Old Testament. Who'd have thought looking at his church of "goat-deacons" and "gnats-for-choir-members" that he'd one-day lead the greatest movement in the history of the Old Testament? And what about Abraham? One moment he's sitting on the edge of the bed with an embarrassed look and the next he's fathering nations! You can't tell just by looking at somebody what's inside them!
God establishes patience, character, and focus while we're in the school of "nothing-seems-to-be-happening." Take the class. Get the credits. Let it work for your good! (See Ro 8:28).
No matter what you're trying to build-a business, a ministry, a relationship-give it time to grow! Some of the best friendships start out small. Some of the strongest Christians were once desperately in need of prayer themselves.
The word for you today is this-take the time to let God work in you!

I Ran Across This Thought Today, May You Be Blessed With It & May It Cause You To Think

"'Fortune favors the bold' and just about every regret you will have in your life will be over the things that you did not do, rather than things that you did."

Part II is I will share with you my daily devotion from Jentezen Franklin's book, "365 Days of Spiritual Growth and Empowerment"

THE DANGER OF PAST VICTORIES
If you think you're standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV

"The time to be most careful is when you've reached a goal! There are three distinct phases in every battle. The easiest one is usually the battle itself. The most difficult phase is the period of indecision just after it begins-deciding whether to fight or run away. But by far the most dangerous phase is the aftermath. It's then, when all your resources are spent and your guard's down, that you have to watch out for discouragement, overconfidence, dulled reactions, and faulty judgments.
Remember David? He chose to "sleep in" rather that go to battle. Maybe his impressive record to successes made him soft, or careless, or arrogant-who knows. But while his affair with Bathsheba was brief, it changed everything. His peace vanished, his character was blasted, and his family life was destroyed.
Don't fall prey to the peril of past victories! Remember your "H.A.L.T." sign. When you're Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired you become vulnerable, so do something about it!
Resting on your laurels can be just another way of flirting with disaster. Danger awaits the man or woman who stays too long in the comfortable land of accomplished dreams, so stay on guard today."

Thought The Men Reader's Might Enjoy This Tidbit...Top 10 Chivalrous Acts Of A Gentleman

I came across this and thought you may like to read this. I you already incorporate these acts into your life I salute you; if you do a few then I encourage you to add a few more to your life; if you never heard of these acts or were never trained as a child and brought up with this then try it. Chivalry is never out of style it goes on throughout the ages past and ages to come forth.

Top 10: Chivalrous Acts


Women are always quite pleased to meet a real gentleman. Following these simple tips will allow the ladies to perceive you as a man of good breeding and taste, so begin elevating yourself by displaying chivalry and the following 10 mannerisms of a true gentleman.

1. Always open doors

This is perhaps the most basic rule of male etiquette out there. It is also one of the easiest to follow so you have no reason to forget it. Whether she is about to enter your car, restaurant, club, or anyplace with a door, you should always hold it open. If there are many doors, then hold them open one after the other.

2. Put her coat on for her

Always help a lady put on her coat. This is a simple but powerful action.

3. Help with her seat

If a lady arrives at the table and there are no available seats, you should stand up and offer yours to her. If an unaccompanied lady is sitting next to you, it is important that you help her be seated by pulling her chair out for her and gently pushing it back into place, with the lady seated of course.

4. Stand at attention

Always stand when a lady enters or exits the room. This rule has been somewhat relaxed, so you can stand upon entrance but remain seated upon exit. Nonetheless, if you can do both, you should. Furthermore, when escorting a lady (that you know) to and from social events, you should offer her your arm. This is a little more intimate, but serves well when walking on uneven ground -- especially if she's wearing high heels.

5. Ask if she needs anything

This is one that most guys already do, but helps complete the gentlemen in all of us nevertheless. When at social events, make sure to ask the lady if you can get her something to drink or eat. Show her that you care about her comfort and needs.

6. Always be polite

Even if you don't like someone, there is no need to lower yourself to their level. Be polite and courteous; show that you're the better man. Swearing is also a big no-no. It shows that you don't have the vocabulary to express your thoughts appropriately. Furthermore, it is always very crude and impolite to be vulgar. When you speak loudly, it raises the stress level among company. It always implies that you can't reason with people and that you have to rely on force to get your point across. It also draws negative attention.

7. Do not lose your temper

When you lose your temper, you are showing everyone that you can't control your emotions. If you can't even control yourself, then how can you possibly control anything else? It is not easy, but keep your cool at all times. It is worth the effort and people will take positive note of your levelheadedness. Let people finish what they are saying before adding your comments. Interrupting others is a sign of poor etiquette and a lack of social skills. If you want to come across as egotistical, you can do so by constantly interrupting.

8. Do not stare

Ogling someone is the equivalent of psychological aggression. You don't want to intimidate people for no reason.

9. Do not spit

Although lots of men do this almost subconsciously, don't spit in public. Spitting is very crude and not too pretty to look at. Do not spit in public unless you want to look like you were raised in a sewer.

10. Respect your elders

In fact, you should respect others as you would like them to respect you. I am specifying elders because it seems that today, young men think they know it all. Well, they don't. Just think of yourself five years ago... you're much smarter and experienced today, aren't you?

I Have To Share With You A Great, Winning Combination That Makes A Stunning Look For Your Nails; Cupcakes I Made; A Ring I Fixed

You have to try this nail color combination to have a stunning look for the holiday's. I tested this out today and it is so sharp it really is. First of all you really must put a clear basecoat on your nails because the one color of the nail polish has a blue base to it. If you do not do this initial step you will find that when you go to remove the polish it will look like blue food coloring stain on your nails.
Get Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Extreme Wear nail color is this color "Blue Me Away!" I have found that it gives great coverage and you can get away with one coat over the base coat. Let them dry and then the color that really adds the pop to this combination is a new shade from Revlon named "Radiant." It is simply fun and rich looking in the bottle but I would not recommend placing it on your nails without a base color underneath it. Now, with this color it looks good with one coat but have fun and go ahead and place a second coat on your nails too and it will enhance your nails even more.
Have fun that is what nail polish is for, to make the hands and feet look attractive.
Weeks ago I discovered another great nail polish combo too. This time the base color is Wet N Wild Megalast nail color named "Through The Grapevine." Then you cover that with Wet N Wild nail color named "Glitz." Have fun with this stuff, really, have fun.
I saw this concept on television and I then adapted it to my style. The look that is in style now is wearing one color on your ring finger and the rest of your nails in a complimentary color. That was fun when I wore that last week. This was my combo choice that worked well for me. Again, You want to make sure you have a clear basecoat first since the ring finger color is blue based. The color I selected for the ring finger Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color in "Jumpin Jade" with Sinful Colors Professional nail color in "Sugar Sugar."

Nail Color Combinations
My Favorite, The  Blue Combination To The left

Have fun and step out of the box when it comes to making your hands and feet festive for the holiday's. What a great job it would be to be on the team that creates the names for the nail polish and even more so on the team that creates the great color combinations to really add "stunning" to your look. Now, my all time favorite look for a bride is the French pedicure. Sometimes tradition is a good thing and that is the look you will get when you have a French pedicure.  I guess I was in a creative mood tonight that I write of such things. 
What is your favorite color combination or better yet, why not create your favorite color combination to express your personality.
One more final thought on the subject. You must use a quick dry over the nail color to help the drying process speed up. Two of my favorite's are Revlon No Smudge Dry Oil and Sinful Colors Professional Quick Dry.



Cupcakes



I have been busy creating lately. Let me share some of it with you. Made cupcakes for my niece's birthday celebration, deep dark chocolate with butter cream frosting with blue decorating sugar and with cocoa butter cream frosting enhanced with my homemade bark chocolate candy. I had a ring in which the stones came out and it then looked awkward. That happened many years ago I pulled out the other stones to make the ring look more balanced. It was just this week that creativity was flowing and I had some crafting gems in which I took a complimentary color and used jewelry stone glue and glued in a few and now the ring has a different look to it. I think it would be fun to design jewelry and use quality gems and not just crafting gems. Imagine how much more stunning the ring would look with precious gems. You probably guessed what the other picture is, the nail polish color combo's I wrote about.



Re-designed Ring

One more thought, you are blessed with natural gifts and talents inside of you. When you couple that with Holy Spirit creativity the sky then becomes the limit or should I say it like this...there is no limit.

I Wrote This 3/14/11 And Came Across It Today

People are so concerned about giving money here, there and everywhere around the world. What about in your own hometown or family? It is great to stretch out your hands and heart to those that are hurting and in need. When you have things in your life that pull and tug at you to reach towards others in need that is a good thing. People in general feel that they do so much more when they send this money to other nations to feed the hungry and clothe the poor/needy. That is truth but how much more is it needed in your own country or town that you live in. When children suffer due to lack of finance in their homes how much more you should turn your heart towards them.
I recently experienced something along this line. A family that had devastating news come to them, they are probably still in a state of shock and coping from day-to-day. Beautiful children, children are created to enjoy life and not be burdened down with the cares of life. What good is it to sit and say you will pray with them when they have serious needs? Sometimes you need to share and give to them for their hearts to be ready to receive your prayers. Children that need love need it magnified if their family is in crisis.
Do not close your heart but this is an opportunity to extend your hands to them via help. Children just want to be children and not think about crisis in their family. God will look at you one day and He may question why you gave so much of your finance and time to third world countries when there were needs amongst your own family? Change your thinking and do not think that the only way ministry can happen is if it is sent outside of your own neighborhood. Look and seek the Lord He may cause your heart to reach out to those in your family circle. I always heard these words while growing up, "Charity begins at home."
It is great to fund another that may be raising money to go on a mission trip. How much more if you took those very funds and planted it into the lives near to you.
Think back in your life, if you ever went through a period of time where you had genuine needs and a family friend or relative graciously gave to you in that time did it not bless you immensely? It may have been financial, words of encouragement or time they invested in your life.

Let Me Share This With You, I Received This The Other Day & Asked Permission To Publish This For All Of You To Read. The Author Is Unknown

TEACH THE CHILDREN THE REASON FOR THE SEASON....

"One December night, many years ago, I had just finished decorating for Christmas when I heard a noise at the front of the house. I turned on the porch light and opened the door. To my surprise just as I stepped outside, I saw Santa Claus climbing out of his sleigh. He placed his fingers over his lips, silencing me before I cried out.
What are you doing... I started to ask...but the words choked up in my throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner, the eager, boisterous soul we all know, was gone. He composed himself by clearing his throat, then answered me in a whisper. Help teach the children.
I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the sleigh. As I stood there bewildered, Santa started again but more firmly, Teach the children. Teach them the true meaning of Christmas. The meaning that has long been forgotten.
I invited him in to warm by the fire as I tried to tell him that I wasn't sure if I knew what he meant...when Santa reached into the toy bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny star.
Teach the children that the star is the heavenly sign of promise, he said. God sent a Savior to the world and the star was the sign of that promise being fulfilled. The countless shining stars in the heavens, one star for each person on earth represents the hope of all mankind.
Santa gently laid the star on the fireplace mantle and brought from the bag a bright red Christmas tree ornament.
Teach the children that red is the first color of Christmas. It was first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood that was shed for all the people by the Savior. Christ gave his life and shed His blood that every man might have God's gift of Eternal Life. Red is deep, intense, and vivid--the richest color of all, and it is a symbol of the greatest gift from God.
Teach the children, he said as he pulled a small Christmas tree from the bottom of the toy bag. He placed it near the fireplace and gently hung the red decoration on it.
The deep green branches of this tree is a perfect background for this ornament. This is the second color of Christmas, he continued. The pure green color of this evergreen tree remains this color all year round. This represents the everlasting plan for mankind. Green is youthful, hopeful, and the abundant color of nature. The needles on the tree point heavenward--symbols of man's prayers as they go toward heaven. Trees have been man's best friends. They have sheltered him, warmed him, and made beauty for him.
Again, he pulled something from his bag; I heard a soft tinkling sound of a bell.
Teach the children, he said, that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring for every person too, that they might find their way back--it means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord.
As the soft sound of the bell faded, Santa lit a candle and placed it on the mantel. The soft glow from its tiny flame cast a glow about the darkened room. Odd shadowy shapes slowly danced and wove pictures upon the walls.
Teach the children, whispered Santa, that at one time candles were placed on Christmas trees. They glowed brightly against the dark green branches showing man's appreciation for the star of Bethlehem of long ago. Now, strings of colored lights have taken their place in remembrance of Christ's birth.
Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and placed a gift under the tree.
He pointed to the bow and said, A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as all of us should be tied together, with bonds of good will toward each other. Good will forever is the message of the bow and the gift, a gift of love.
Santa reached for a candy cane, and held it out towards me.
Teach the children that the cane represents the Shepherd's staff. The crook on the staff helps bring back sheep that have strayed away from the fold. The candy cane represents the sweetness of giving not only at Christmas time, but also throughout the entire year. The spiritual design is a symbol that we are, our brother's keepers.
Santa looked about the room, then again at the tree. His love and great feeling of satisfaction shone from his eyes. He could not help but sense the wonderment and admiration that I felt for him in my heart.
One last time, he reached into his bag and brought forth a large beautiful wreath. As he placed it on the door he spoke gently with love, Please teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love: it never ceases, stops, or ends. It is one continuous circle that only grows greater and greater when expressed. The wreath, the circle of love, plays a double role. It is made of many things and has many colors. It reminds us of God's unconditional love and the true reason for Christmas. Please teach the children."

Author Unknown

Guess What Holy Spirit Revealed To Me The Other Day

As I was at work He dropped a golden nugget into my spirit. You may say to yourself or wonder how this can be when you are in the midst of your day. Simple, if you have continual communion with Him He will be alive in your life and in the midst of even performing a chore or task He'll drop the nugget right before you.
I was in the process of making a telephone call and it was in the waiting for the phone connection to occur that He gave me the revelation. He challenged me in that very moment "Who are you in contact with eight hours a day in the position you hold at work?" I responded in my spirit to him, "Upper echelon/high power executives. I interact with them most frequent more than anyone else throughout the day." That's when He revealed the golden nugget to me. In life to advance you want to be around those that you interact with-those that you aspire to be in line with-advancement. It was in that Holy Spirit moment that He shared with me I am right in line to advance for I see these people I interact with as people. No hesitation speaking with them, using proper diction and telephone etiquette. If you schedule a time to call back to fit into their schedule the follow through in doing so.
I once learned from a very wise business person a great ending to a greeting message or a message ending that you leave for someone. "I trust that you are having a great day." I had to leave several voicemail messages the other day and in each ending of the message I stated either that or I stated I trust you are having a great morning so far. One thing I truly enjoy sharing with these executives at the close of our telelphone coversation is I always state to them after thanking them for their time "Now you have a great day and week OK." do you know what? They thank me and wish the same to me.
God places people in your life to be a blessing to them are you blessing others in your daily walk? It costs you nothing other than your time to take a simple moment out of your day to speak words of life to another try it. Once you start incorporating this into your life it will just flow natural from you.

A Portion Of What I Wrote About Yesterday Happened To Me Tonight. The Prophetic Flowed Through Me To All Of You Yesterday From The Lord. Praise God!!!

I just read what I posted yesterday, the word of the Lord He gave to me yesterday. There was a portion that mentioned about the people we are not to pick and choose who will receive salvation. I spoke of the different people that you are suppose to share the gospel with, the people that may be around you. One category the Lord had me refer to was the person that sits next to you in church.
Tonight was a unique church service. After praise and worship Pastor mentioned the scripture he was going to share from tonight and then he asked for the Key of F from someone in the band. He began to sing an old timey song (I am guessing it is that for I never heard it before and then the anointing really kicked in as you heard the words he was singing and then they were placed on the screens for us to sing with him.) The reason I say it was a unique service is because most church services have an altar call at the end of the service. The anointing was flowing and he sensed it was time even before the preaching of the word of God to extend the prayer of salvation to those that wanted to not be lost anymore and to be found by Jesus. It was not the usual raise your hands, come to the altar and pray the prayer this was a bit different. The call for salvation was presented to the church and people that responded did raise their hands but we all prayed the prayer in our seats. Not the typical request when pastors ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes and then raise your hand it was just raise your hand. I happened to look to my right and the man sitting two seats over raised his hand. I silently thanked the Lord a million thanks for all those that gave their heart to Jesus that night.
Pastor preached the message and I jotted down a few notes in my bible tonight. Let me share them with you...don't despise the day of small beginnings or things. If you don't humble yourself you won't get anything from me (meaning God.) If the season you are in right now you feel it is insignificance but it is not insignificant. He wrote down to share with us to EXPECT SOME MIRACLES and you need to set a dream so high it will require God to achieve it.
The point being that Hat you seem to think where you are at right now or what you are doing or where God has you placed right now seems like insignificance it is not. Where He places you is the best place to be and continue to worship Him in your humble state or humble place of residence or humble place where you work. It is He and He alone that will take this season of your life and make it rich with His presence and hand turning it around to bring forth glory to Him.
At the close of the service Pastor asked us to pray for the person next to us. Before he ever mentioned those words Holy Spirit already began speaking to me to share with the man next to me about what happened when he raised his hand and prayed the prayer of salvation. I was simply to share with him that at that moment all the angels in heaven rejoiced over him saying that prayer and that his name was entered into the Lambs Book of Life and we will worship in heaven for eternity and it will go on and on and on forever. So Holy Spirit is already working on me and then Pastor asks us to pray for the person next to us...there is the open door to go forth with what Holy Spirit already shared with me. To God be the glory Amen. You see, my writing to some may be insignificant but to God it has significance.
This is how it works for me and how Holy Spirit flows through me. He gives me opportunities that happen in my life maybe a dream tossed in there somewhere and prophetic word that comes forth, etc. When the timing is just so right that is when He beckons me to write and it is Him at the helm of the ship directing it through me. I sit down at the computer or in my car or wherever when He prompts me to write. He then refreshes my memory of the experiences etc and as I sit down and begin to write He orchestrates the thoughts coming into my mind to bring it all together and He creates the most beautiful words through me. There are too many times that I cannot even count them anymore that I just sit back in amazement after the last word is written and I just tell Him how creative He is to produce such amazing writings. I could never come up with the timing of words, the timing of events to happen in my life to create what is created. God truly gets all the glory when He produces through me.
Sometimes I am just in awe when I sit back and read what is penned. At time it brings tears to my eyes as I think of His glory and grace and how creative He is. After all I say to Him you are the creator why does it amaze me what you create. I think that is the human side of me that had the opportunity to touch the heaven side of Him in all His glory and wonder and it never ceases to amaze me. Can you tell by my words that I love the Lord and I am most touched and thankful for Him allowing me to be open to Him flowing through me. I am most humble when I have these moments with Him and my heart turns to peace and beauty when His beauty touches earth through a vessel to bring forth His heart to His people. That is a very humbling place to be. I cherish these moments and each time I look back on one of "OUR" writings created it allows me to remember those intimate moments of fellowship with Him.
One that is coming to my mind right now is when I created a banner. It was one that I shared with you all once before. It had a navy blue background material with a crushed velvet brown cross with  letters that stated "I shed my blood for you." There were crushed velevet burgundy droplets of blood on it also. It was in the assembling of this particular banner that Holy Spirit was teaching me to be sensitive to His direction. I drew the banner first on paper and then began to create/assemble it. I drew so many droplets of blood on the sketch and cut out that many to be placed on the banner. There were a few that each time I would press them on with the adhesive backing that they would just fall off. I attempted several times to iron them back on the banner and once again they fell off. After doing this several times I got the hint and then did not pursue ironing them back on. He only wanted a certain number of them on the banner and as I look back on that time it was as if the hand of God was touching earth and peeling them right off no sooner did I iron them on. The banner was complete once I realized that yes, there was a plan drawn but the real plan was the one tha Holy Spirit saw as the finished work of art. I may have shared this with you before, that very banner ended up playing a significant role in the home going of my father. I brought that very banner to the hospice house where he was for just a very few short days and then he went to be with the Lord. That same banner hung in the church for the funeral mass, it hung on the podium  where the grace of God allowed me to offer Jesus to the people with sharing my fathers story of faith with them.
Holy Spirit had a plan all along I just had to get in tow with it. Who knows, my father was a man that was fascinated with numbers and maybe when I made this banner Holy Spirit already knew what my father needed  to see in his final days here on earth. His home now will be his home for all eternity HEAVEN. God really is good all the time and all the time He really is good.
Share your faith with someone today for your "today faith" may be the very catapult to fulfilling the dream in your heart (given to you from God) for your life. Never despise your humble and simple beginnings when God is in it.

This Is What The Lord Gave To Me Today @ 12:20PM

Do not fret or fear when the enemy is near. I am much closer to the brethren that ole satan the accuser of the brethren. When temptation comes your way turn deaf ear to it for it is the catalyst to get you to turn your head and heart in another direction in which I am calling you. Be wise and take control and stammer not but speak ever so clear, "This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it. Jesus Christ has come in the flesh to come and claim His people." That stirs the embers of flames in hell and irks satan very much so. If you love me you will follow Me and stretch out your arms/heart to the lost and dying. They may be your next door neighbors, co-workers, even the person you are sitting next to in church this Sunday. He died for all and you cannot pick and choose who you think is worthy of sharing the gospel message being relayed through you as the spokesman. Reach out with kindness and love and see the renouncing of the very devourer of your stuff. It will remain preserved as long as you preserve Me in your heart and dwell on good and lovely thoughts. You're not created for conflict but for peace. Let the peace of God that passeth all understanding remain in your heart saith the Lord-TRUST-RECEIVE-GIVE-RECEIVE.

Eileen Fisher: "A New Wellspring Over Your Nation"

Eileen Fisher: "A New Wellspring Over Your Nation"

I Mentioned A Witnessing Track In My Last Writing, Do You Know What One Is?

Sometimes I write and forget while I am writing that not everyone may know what I am talking about when I make reference to something. After I wrote my most recent blog entry I realized I may need to explain a little bit more about a  track. They look like miniature comic books on the initial appearance when you look at one. There is a story of some sort in the inside with always the plan of salvation at the end and a prayer to pray if you want to accept Jesus into your heart. They come in all types of styles and a variety of subjects to allow the one passing them out to reach a wide variety of people from many different walks of life.
In order to see what one looks like all you have to do is scroll down to the very bottom of my blog page and there is one for you to view. It is really neat you can flip the pages and I think you can even change the subject and view another one too. A long time ago Holy Spirit prompted me to place this on my blog page for others to see and it is a tool that can be used at the very moment in a person,s life when they are searching for answers and the answer is Jesus. Something as simple as this can be the most powerful tool in the hands of one that is just about to accept Jesus into their heart. Praise God for people that are creative enough to come up with witnessing tools like this, to God be the glory!

This Is What I Learned Today

Recently I was challenged about something. Just last night I sat at the computer and composed a blog to share with you. Everything I was feeling I put into words and as I finished the blog Holy Spirit told me to erase it all and not to publish it. I did erase it and found out that that exercise was more for me than it was for all of you. You see, sometimes it is good to vent things that happened and it is therapy just expressing it. Not everything we go through is a lesson for someone else, it has purpose in your life and it is your experience for you to experience.
I do believe that a choice was placed before me and I had the opportunity to yield to myself or yield to Holy Spirit. I yielded to Him and I am glad that I did. I was with Holy Spirit as we wrote together last night just as He is with me right now as I write and any other time I write. Did you ever experience something in your life and after it happened you wanted to share it with someone but when the time came and you were with that person it just did not feel right to share it with them? That is what it was like for me last night. I did not stress out about erasing it I just did it. Holy Spirit knows when something is just for you and you alone as opposed to when it is for you to share with others right.
The same Holy Spirit prompted me this morning to stop on the way home from work this evening at a local vendor that was selling Christmas trees to get a little bit of pine roping for our dining room chandelier to jazz it up for the holiday. I obeyed and guess what? I pulled in the parking lot and for some reason I was prompted to pull into one parking spot and I began to pull in the one next to it and then I had to back up and pull into the right spot He was prompting me to park in. When I got out of my car there was a $20.00 bill sitting on the ground and there was no one around that I could see if it was theirs so I picked it up. Now, of coarse I know enough that before I pick anything up I silently cover it with the blood of Jesus. It was there to be a blessing to me and not a curse. They did not have the type of pine roping I was looking for so that was the end of that. When I got home I had boughs from Christmas tree trimmings outside and I trimmed them and they are now on the chandelier along with other garland and a few other festive items to jazz it up. How long will it last? Just need it to last for a dinner we are having tomorrow night and then I will remove the fresh greens and keep the other up. There is nothing worse than eating and a piece of pine needle drops on your plate.
You forgot to ask me if I tithed off of the blessing, I did.
Let me stretch your faith a bit tonight. Why not leave a little money behind somewhere this holiday season for someone else to find and you will be a blessing to them and the fun part of it all is that you will not even know who that person was but guess what God will know exactly who that person was that you blessed. Better yet, if you have any gospel tracks that you use for witnessing to others why not tuck one in your purse or pocket and then when you are in a store leave it on a shelf for someone to find and pick up and just by doing that simple act of faith they may give their heart/life to the Lord. I remember when I first did that in a store I was so worried that someone in the store was going to stop me from doing that and they did not. Anytime you do something new for the first time it seems awkward or it may be a challenge for you to do it. If you put all your worry aside and let Holy Spirit flow through you it does not then become a challenge. Just a few tips from me to you to bless someone. Have fun doing it just because you are a Christian does not mean you cannot have fun doing things like this. Better yet, why not tuck a $10, $20, $50, or $100 bill inside one of those tracks for the person that finds it to be doubly blessed. Oh one more thing...don't forget to smile. Let Jesus that lives inside of you shine forth through your smile onto others. You are unique and the way you smile is different than another's smile so go ahead and share that beautiful smile with the world. Well, maybe your neighborhood today and the world tomorrow.

Will You Stop What You Are Doing To Pray If Your Child Needs Prayer? Even If You Are In A Store And You Get A Call From Them To Pray?

Good question isn't it? I can write about this because it recently happened to me. I was in a store yesterday and I received a phone call from one of my children and they asked for prayer. Here I am down the holiday candy aisle and I talked a bit with my child to get some of the details. You know, mother's and father's are good at probing to see what really is the problem. We just know how to listen and then ask the right questions to get the info needed. I sensed a little bit of intrepidation and I reminded this child that they are where they are at right now because it was God that opened the door for them to be there.
I asked them if they wanted me to pray right then and there, they responded "yes" so that is what I did. To a stranger shopping down that aisle they probably just thought I was talking on the phone with someone. I let Holy Spirit take over and pray through me to comfort my child and to give them clarity and to see that they are where they are suppose to be and they can do all things through Christ who strenthens them. Before we began to pray I asked them if there were any special cookies they wanted me to bake for them for the holiday. They shared the type they wanted and I then prayed and as I was done I picked up a bag of candy that I need to make these cookies and lo and behold on the back of the package was the recipe for that very cookie. I shared that with them and that it was God that I was there to pray and then pick up that candy to confirm that is the type of cookie I will make.
See, God knows what is going to happen and where you will be when your child needs prayer. Do not be ashamed to pause in your day and pray for them for they wouldn't call you for prayer if they did not need it. Would you not want someone that is "in tune" in prayer to pray with you if you truly needed prayer? Sure you would.
The Lord will use you if you are open to His nudging and not ashamed to share your faith with others. This happened to me before a few years ago. It was on a particular day when that evening Holy Spirit gave me a very pronounced prophetic dream. It was earlier that very day that I found Holy Spirit leading me to go to a certain store after work and while I was there I struck up a conversation with a Christian woman and she needed prayer and we prayed right there right down the candy aisle. Her child even joined in on the prayer. No matter where you are or what you do God will set up situations and pull on your heart to nudge you to help another. Are you willing to respond and reach out beyond your comfort zone to touch the heart of another. What if it was your child that needed prayer and God placed someone into their life to help them would you not want to be used to help another? It really can be fun and an adventure to step out and let Holy Spirit reach out to another through you. If you have never done it before just try it once. If you do it all the time then I encourage you to continue to follow Holy Spirit leading for there really are hurting people out there that need the love of Christ and a word to encourage them. When you do it really is nothing more than the Lord using you as a vessel and at that point you step aside and let Him flow through you.
My question for you today...why do you think I get these nudge opportunities down the candy aisle. Do you think it could be a symbol that candy is known to be sweet and the prayers of the saints are sweet aroma in the nostrils of God? They rise up and then He flows through you and that is a sweet sweet thing, the presence of God right there in the Walmart store the other day and Big Lots a few years ago. Let the presence of God flow through you to others and experience the joy of the Lord. I am most thankful for all the ministries that contributed to my blossoming Christian walk with the Lord. Knowledge is good and valuable and when was the last time you thanked all your pastors, leaders, teachers and Christian friends (throughout the years) that have shared with you to let you advance in your Christian walk. I take this time now to extend my thanks to all of you that have and continue to contribute to my Christian walk. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe and continue to give you divine knowledge and revelation and insight and continue to keep growing the family of God with what Holy Spirit and your bible teach you. God is faithful isn't He.

Do You Want To Hear A Funny Story, It Is True...

Hello I have something funny to share with you. It is a blunder that really did happen recently. I am a pretty good baker and not only do I specialize in baking a variety of gourmet quality cheesecakes, I am also good at baking Russian Teacake cookies. I know this recipe and I trust the recipe I use and they always turn out good (except for the occasional distraction here or there and you are not within earshot of the timer that goes off when they are through baking. Do you know what I am talking about, can you relate? Then I may have a batch in which I have to scrape off the slightly overdone bottoms of the cookies before I roll them in powdered sugar. A few weeks ago I purchase some flour at the grocery store and I usually use unbleached flour so I bought a bag of unbleached flour and thought nothing of it. I used some when I made breaded chicken and it was fine. When I make breaded chicken or pork chops I like to season the flour and dredge the meat in it then I dip it in milk and then into the bread crumbs (in which I like to also add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley if I have it available when I plant it in a patio pot or herb garden.) I like the curly parsley as opposed to flat leaf parsley ( that was a little tidbit about me.)
My mother is an excellent baker and she makes excellent pies and her pie crust  is very good. For the Thanksgiving holiday she baked a pumpkin pie and a cherry pie too. I tasted her pumpkin pie and I could not figure out why her crust was not flaky and yum yum. It tasted good it just did not look like her normal pie crust looks. She said she used the unbleached flour I had and not the regular, all purpose flour. I said it cannot be that for I have also made pies using unbleached flour in the past and they turned out just fine. She wanted to make 2 cherry pie's this weekend, one for my brother-in-law (sweet cherry) and one for her (sour cherry). I still remember her commenting how long it took for these 2 pies to bake in the oven. I thought nothing of it. She asked me to try a small piece of the sour cherry pie this evening and when I cut into the pie I kindly asked her if she used a rolling pin to roll out the pie crust because it was not flaky but was much higher than her pie crusts usually are. I showed it to her and then again she said she thinks it was the flour, the unbleached flour. Earlier this week I made a batch of Russian Teacake cookie dough to bake a few for my daughter. I tried the dough and it was so salty that I kept thinking to myself I know I followed the recipe and it called for very little salt in it. Why did it taste so salty???
The mystery was solved this evening. I looked at the flour we both used and there was a little important line that was printed right under the "unbleached" part on the label it stated "self-rising" and a recipe on the back of the flour was for strawberry shortcake. Mystery solved we both used self-rising flour and that is why it caused the pie crust to have a unique texture. It was not the baker it was the type of flour that was used. I then decided to bake the cookies to see what they would turn out like. Oh my gosh, I think baking soda is in the flour and they were so salty tasting even after they baked and they were rolled in powder sugar right out of the oven and then again once they were cool. I cannot send these cookies to my daughter I just cannot do that. This is now a funny story we will be able to share around the dinner table when we have family gatherings. It is so good to laugh and especially when you can laugh about something as silly as this in your life when you discover what you did.
Needless to say, the self-rising flour will be moved to the back of the cupboard and the regular unbleached and all-purpose flours will move to the forefront. Guess what I will be doing this week? Baking another batch of cookies for my daughter.
Have I told you lately that I just love where I live. Away from city lights so I can see stars in the sky at night ( on a clear night), saw the Big Dipper the other evening. Went on a little adventure with my mother this afternoon, someone suggested to us to go a little north and we would find an apple/fresh produce farm. Loved it, purchased fresh beets and I boiled them this evening. Fresh beets when you have a good batch are wonderful (meaning they are fresh and have not been sitting out for a while.) Just need to boil, peel, chill and slice them and enjoy eating them just like that. The drive there and the farm itself so reminded me of where I use to live, for a moment I felt like I was home again. As we were driving back home the sunset was just beautiful some sections of the sky had the orange look to it and another section had the pinkish look to it.
I talked to one of my very dear friends today before my "flour" discovery.  I can guarantee you this much, the next time I talk to her we will laugh about this when I tell her the story about the pies, cookies. She'll read about it in the blog but when we have the opportunity to talk again I will tell it to her with my laugh added to the conversation and we will laugh. Laughter is so good for you it really is. As I was typing this up I was laughing out loud just thinking about it again.