Feeling The Rain

Psalm 37

2012-01-09T20:33:00.001-05:00

I will...

not fret because of evildoers.
not be envious towards wrongdoers.
trust in the Lord and do good.
dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
delight myself in the Lord.
commit my way to the Lord.
trust in the Lord.
rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
not fret because of him who prospers in his way.
cease from anger and forsake wrath.
not fret!
inherit the land if I am humble and will delight myself in abundant prosperity.

The Lord...

will give me the desires of my heart.
will do it if I trust in Him.
bring forth my righteousness as the light and my judgment as the noonday.
laughs at the wicked and sees his day is coming.

The evildoers, wrongdoers, and the wicked...

will wither quickly like the grass and fade like green herb.
will be cut off.
will be no more.
plots against righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth.
have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are upright in conduct.
swords will enter their own heart and their bows will be broken.
arms will be broken.
will perish.
will vanish away like smoke.
borrows and does not pay back.
descendants will be cut off.
spies upon the righteous and seeks to kill him.
will pass away, be no more and will not be found.
will be destroyed and cut off from posterity.

The righteous...

knows it's better to have the little of the righteous than the abundance of the wicked.
will be sustained by the Lord.
is blameless and their inheritance will be forever.
will not be ashamed in the time of evil and in the days of famine will have abundance.
is gracious and gives.
steps are established by the Lord and the Lord delights in his way.
will not be hurled headlong when he falls because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.
will not be forsaken, nor will his descendants.
gracious and lends all day long.
descendants are a blessing.
departs from evil and does good in order to abide forever.
will not be forsaken as a godly one by a Lord who loves justice.
will inherit the land and dwell on it forever.
utters wisdom and speaks justice.
has the law of God in his heart.
steps do not slip.
will not be left by the Lord in the hand of the wicked or be condemned when judged.
will be beheld upright and have posterity.
will have salvation from the Lord.
has the Lord as their strength in time of trouble.
will be helped, delivered, and saved by the Lord from the wicked.
takes refuge in HIM!

Bleed Red

2011-06-10T18:39:00.001-04:00

Let’s say were sorry ‘fore it’s too late
Give forgiveness a chance
Turn the anger into water
Let it slip through our hands

We all bleed red we all taste rain
All fall down loose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears we all bleed red

If we’re fighting we’re both loosing
We’re just wasting our time
Because my scars they are your scars
And your world is mine
You and I
We all bleed red we all taste rain
All fall down loose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears all bleed red
Sometimes we’re strong sometimes we’re weak
Sometimes we’re hurt and it cuts deep
We live this life breath to breath
We’re all the same we all bleed red
Let’s say were sorry ‘fore it’s too late

We all bleed red we all taste rain
All fall down loose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears we all bleed red
Sometimes we’re strong sometimes we’re weak
Sometimes we’re hurt and it cuts deep
We live this life breath to breath
We’re all the same we all bleed red

-Ronnie Dunn "Bleed Red"

Hide and Seek

2011-06-10T13:17:00.000-04:00

According to Oxford professor of evolutionary psychology Robin Dunbar, 150 is the maximum number of social relationships that anyone can handle, which may explain why I constantly feel the need to "keep up" with all the new status' my friends on Facebook post. If I was to be quiet and listen to what my mind is subconsciously telling me, I think I would hear it say "I'm overloaded with all the meaningless details of the lives of these mere acquaintance's." So today I make a bold move (bold in the eyes of habitual Facebook users anyway.) I've hidden all but about 70 of my dear ole friends...and it feels good and simple.

The Desires of Our Hearts

2010-08-21T10:55:00.002-04:00

This is a link to a great explanation and worksheet about God giving you the desires of your heart.

Dirty Little Vegetables and Their Fruity Friends

2010-08-04T23:54:00.002-04:00

You're already aware that not all fruits and vegetables are created equal, but do you know this means some are "dirtier" than others? Because of their various skins, growing types, etc. fruits and veges absorb and retain different amounts of pesticides. Now, I know you've read about the dangers of consuming pesticides at least once; if you haven't I would be interested in knowing where the rock you've been hiding under is so I can join you for a visit when life gets a little too hectic around here.

To keep it simple I've copied and pasted what is now commonly known as the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" in the produce world. You can take this list and memorize it, print it, or decoupage it to your wallet so that when you're pinching those pennies at the grocery store next week you'll be careful to spend the extra ones on the dirtiest fruits and vegetables and take the short-cuts with the clean ones.

The Dirty Dozen
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic Blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet Bell Peppers
Spinach, Kale, and Collard Greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported Grapes
Lettuce

The Clean 15
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions

An Orange is Orange...Or Not

2010-08-03T11:49:00.002-04:00

While on a camping trip last spring, a friend of mine bought a bag of what she thought were healthy, nutritious oranges to feed her children. Said friend reached in her bag of oranges and pulled out this:

Half-Dyed Orange
One half of this orange obviously escaped the sprayer;
when inspecting the orange in person you can see one fine
line going half-way down the orange showing that they
must use some sort of airbrush to dye them.

Don't believe they dye our oranges, eh? Well here's the proof in the pudding. What's the problem you wonder? Our food source has become more of a marketing industry than a food supplier. Have we gotten to the point that our oranges must be bright and blemish-free in order for us to consider them "good." It's no wonder other countries laugh at the foods Americans eat. We are appearing to be so ignorant it's down right embarrassing.

Once we got home I googled "dyed oranges." In the search hits I found that the majority of answers to the question "do they dye (or paint) oranges?" was "not anymore." And those typing the answers did it with a matter of factness referring to what they felt like were links backing up their statements, in reality these links were just other like minded opinions. The few that tried to share information leading to "yes, they do dye oranges" were quickly and many times mockingly told they were misguided and silly for believing such a thing.

So...if the picture is not proof enough for you, click here to read the FDA status about allowed dyes.

If it looks like an orange and it taste like an orange....it may still not be orange.

The Boys

2010-08-03T11:00:00.001-04:00

The Gang, Minus Many

God made a world out of His dreams,

of magic mountains, oceans and streams,

Prairies and plains and wooded land.

Then paused and thought I need someone to stand,

on top of the mountains, to conquer the seas,

explore the plains and climb the trees.

Someone to start out small and grow,

sturdy and strong like a tree and so

He created boys, full of spirit and fun

To explore and conquer, to romp and run

With dirty faces, and banged up chins

With courageous hearts and boyish grins.

And when He had completed the task He'd begun,

He surely said, "That's a job well done."

-Author Unknown

Psalm 86

2010-08-02T07:30:00.006-04:00

I...

am Your servant and put my trust in You, Lord.
am afflicted and needy.
am a godly woman.
cry all day long to you.
lift up my soul.
will walk in the truth.
give thanks with all my heart and will glorify your name.

I ask you Lord to...

answer me.
preserve my soul.
be gracious to me.
hear my prayer.
give heed to my needs.
teach me.
unite my heart to fear your name.
turn to me.
give me strength.
show me a sign.
make my soul glad.

Lord, you...

are good and ready to forgive.
are abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon you.
are like no one.
are like no other work.
are great and do wonderous deeds.
alone are God.
are great in your lovingkindness.
have delivered my soul.
are merciful and gracious.
are slow to anger.
are abundant in truth and lovingkindness.
have helped and comforted me.

White as Snow

2010-07-12T17:58:00.005-04:00

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1: 18

Once I knew there was a love divine

Then came a time I thought it knew me not
Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not
Only the lamb as white as snow

And the water, it was icy
As it washed over me
And the moon shone above me

~ Taken from White as Snow by U2- A song based on the dying thoughts of a soldier.

Simon Says

2010-02-20T02:50:00.004-05:00

I love it when God plays "Simon Says" with me...of course I never get to be Simon, but I like it like that.

Too many things are falling into place without any effort to do so on my part. The puzzle picture is slowly starting to come into focus. Pieces that were put together years ago and then set aside to be later united with other forgotten pieces are now being brought into play. As the pieces are added, the realization of Gods hand in creating the puzzle is made obvious.

I don't know what puzzle I'm working on. I can feel the pieces but not see them. I don't know if it's a five hundred or one thousand piece puzzle; sometimes I find a new piece. For the first time the pieces appear sorted, all the edges in a pile. Still though, some days it seems like there are enough pieces for eight puzzles, and still some when the pieces are impossible to find.

"Simon says, pick up the piece on the left."
"Simon says, connect it to the pieces on the bottom."