COUNT IT ALL JOY

For the past few months, my life has been filled with just "trying to keep up".  Have you ever been there?

I am one of those women who take their "green" bags into the store to use instead of the plastic ones provided.  A few days ago I pulled in to my local grocery store, opened the trunk to get a couple of bags, and amazingly enough it itself, I did not pull out one of the four hospital bags I had accumulated this past year.  Yes, count 'em....four.  Instead I pulled out one that spoke to me.  Here it is:

For a while, The Son-in-Law has been planning a trip for us to see Disney on Ice.  Our tickets for the event were for this past Saturday.  Plans were that we would cook out at their house afterwards and The Grandbaby would spend the night alone with us for the first time ever.   It has been a long time since The Husband and I have attended such an event so I was somewhat looking forward to it and strangely enough, The Husband was not kicking and screaming about going as he might have done when he was young and foolish.  😄  Reckon why that change of attitude came about?  Uh huh.  May be had something to do with a little mini munchkin?   

The whole day was wonderful and filled with joy.  The meal was delicious.  The spend the night party went without a hitch.  

Yesterday morning, the Sunday School lesson in my class was from Romans 5:1-8 and it thrilled me that I could hear God's voice in that.  The verses that spoke to me were these from Romans 5:1-4:

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worth patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope..."

In the course of the lesson, The Teacher then read James 1:2..."count it all joy".  Coincidence?  Nah.

I was reminded of a time of much tribulation and during that time, I found no joy.  I can look back now and be joyful that during it all, I and those I love were given strength to endure, faith to believe, and strength to overcome.  All alone in those?  No, but by the grace and care of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  The joy has bubbled over in my heart and I am filled with gratitude.  In addition to spiritual joy I experienced the last few days, here's some of the physical joy I have experienced.  I thought you might enjoy seeing the pictures.

GREAT joy in this little one and her smiles.  Isn't she getting to be a big girl?  (Insert tear here for the swift passage of time.)  Here mama decorated her "Mimmie" shirt for the occasion.

There was joy in the delight of being The Poppa and The "Namma" (she can't do the Gr sound so I have at least become something to call by name.  I'll take it!

Joy was in the smiles of these three whom I love dearly.  Smiles are so often taken for granted and I pray I never do that.  Ever.  A true smile is a joy and delight.  These two bigger people are WONDERFUL parents!

Joy just because.    Missed The Son-In-Law in the picture but he had to take the camera which was not allowed inside the arena to the car.

This picture speaks for itself...

There's always joy in a sleeping little one even when she's missing Ariel and Aladdin.  At least she woke up for her favorites--Woody, Buzz, Elsa, Anna, and Olaf.

And then there's simple joys like climbing, walking, and hand holding....

...and flower picking and flower gifts.

With genuine smiles and happiness of heart, count it ALL joy!

With an attitude of gratitude for all blessings, count it all joy and consider.......

MY GIRL

I can tell you what I was doing exactly 37 years ago from this minute.  Because I had a massive backache, I had moved from my bed to the comfortable couch in our den.  In this very house.  It wasn't long after that I realized the backache was going to stay as I was going into labor.  At 11:59 a.m. on February 15, thirty-seven years ago, the lives of The Husband and me changed forever.  For the good forever as The Girl joined our family and lives.

The Girl was blessed to experience the era of polo shirts in school pictures.

The Girl endured the time of the curly hair particularly curly bangs....artificially permed hair, that is!

The Girl is now a good wife with an equally good husband...

..a good mommy of a sweet toddler girl....

..and enjoying a life of joy with the both of them.

I have realized the importance of pictures together even though I don't smile in pictures well.

I'm practicing the smiling technique more.

Blessings from my world...

Yes, I'm so grateful for The Girl who made me a mama those years ago.  Even though we are all aging, she will always be THAT girl....my girl.  The Husband and I are proud of the woman she has become--one who is an overcomer, has a compassionate heart, and is one of God's children and loves HIM as she serves HIM well.  We are proud of her love of her husband and child and proud of the wife and mother that she has been blessed to be!  

Many thanks is given this day as I celebrate The Girl with love and joy in MY heart.  Wishes for not only a day of special "normal" but a life filled with it!  

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

And yes, only fitting to end with one of her favorite scriptures:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

REMEMBER....

We can all have joy and smile like this...

if we ALWAYS remember that...

"God is faithful....".  1 Corinthians 1:9

Consider........

CHINK IN THE ARMOR

Wikipedia defines "chink" refers to an area of vulnerability and as a "weak spot in a figurative suit of armor".

As I am aging, I find that I am weak physically, more so at least than in the past.  Bottle caps are harder to open, heavier items harder to pick up....you get the picture, right?   With the way that life evolves some days, I find that it's just as  easy to be a bit weak figuratively.   THAT is my biggest strength challenge.  

One of the scriptures in the Bible that we learn kind of early on as children but that means more to us as older adults is from Ephesians 6:11-18--yes, another wise writing of the Apostle Paul who we are learning knew the stuff of his heavenly Father.  It goes like this:

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Well this scripture sure tells us how strong our armor can be.  Truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, the Spirit--the WHOLE armor of God.  This scripture doesn't say to only have one or two, it takes all.  

I can't tell you how many times the evil one has tried to get through this armor in my own life.  If I have just a little chink in my armor, he can squeeze right in.  I remember a time in life when the evil one was giving my family a huge troublesome time.  I can remember being in the living room of friends and those friends praying specifically that all of us as Christians would gather around the hurting one and use our shields of faith to keep the enemy away.  I got and still get CHILLS when I considered the strength of that effort.  I pray for that often--that I can use my shield of faith and other armor that is freely provided to me to keep the enemy away from me and those I love.  

So with this post comes a warning to be careful of the chinks in your armor so that the evil one does not squeeze in.  Trust in the Lord, read the Word, hold on to the Sword of the Spirit and fight the battle with courage and confidence.

Consider.........

A VERY BIG HAND

There's been a lot of uncertainties and struggles lately in my life.  Granted every day some days is a struggle and if I ponder the past, I remember many, many hard days that life dished out some doozies.    I really think, though, that remembering those times somehow make me stronger as I can look back and see how the Lord worked out everything for my good, even in the bad.   And believe me, there was plenty of BAD.

Years ago stores had these displays that had posters you could buy and put on the walls or frame.  They would have a vast array of them of various sizes.  Maybe you are old enough like me to remember these treasures.  I bought myself one when I was a teenager...yes, that was mega years ago....and I kept it.   For many years it hung in my room, then it graduated and hung on the back of the bathroom door of my office bathroom.  I would see it there many times during a given day as you know how often women have to go to the bathroom!  I was reminded of that poster this week.  I think I might have passed it along to The Girl and it now belongs to her.  It's torn and vintage by now but nonetheless, it packs a great message.

There is a picture of a little girl swinging.  A simple picture of a little girl swinging.  The swing is one of those flat wooden seats and it's hanging by white ropes.  The little girl is dressed cutsy in a vintage way...after all it IS vintage.  😏  The swing is not hanging from a tree limb.  It's hanging from a hand and fingers.  A very big hand.  A very strong hand.  At the bottom are letters that spell the sentence, "Will you trust me?"  

How many times has the big hand of my heavenly Father held me up and led me in the right direction?  Yes, that unseen hand that is strong and mighty, all powerful and knowing the right direction for me and my good.

Yes, I can trust that and I can trust HIM!  And that gives me assurance that all is well.  No doubts, just trust.

Consider.......

LIFE JACKETS IN THE ATTIC

A few years ago The Husband sold his little fishing boat and bought himself one that was a tad larger.    It was a nice Saturday morning when he invited The Girl, The Son-In-Law, and me to go for a morning ride.

I cannot swim.  I have never been able to swim and have a healthy respect for water, especially big water, on that very account.  Of course, every time I go on big water, even in a little safe paddleboat, I wear a life jacket.  This Saturday morning was the same.  Here's a picture of me in my life jacket.

Even though it's unimportant and I'm a good sport, you might also notice that I'm wearing my sandals, have my camera bag attached at the neck, and am a few pounds heavier than I am now.  Just sayin'.....

It was a fun morning and no one accidentally fell into the water.

I remember another few years ago when I was talking to a friend who grew up in hurricane ridden Louisiana.  I'm certain most of us have not experienced such scary devastation.  The closest I can relate is a few years ago when the heavy rains came to our area and I watched as the waters rose quickly and even though I watched as the big ice machine from the convenience store floated across the road, that's nothing to compare.  She talked about the many hurricanes she had experienced and then she said something that stuck with me...."We kept life jackets in the attic."  As my mind processed this, I realized the importance of that in a hurricane ridden location.  I can imagine how the water could rise quickly and there would be nowhere to go for higher ground other than the attic.  I can also imagine the relief at finding a "life saver" in the attic when the storm was raging all around.  I can imagine, too, the horror as the storm rages to find that the life jackets have not been put in the attic where they are needed.

Yes, you all know I like looking at life from the spiritual aspect also.  How about our life jackets we keep in our attic in case of a storm of life?  As I considered what those life jackets would be, I thought of all the things we need in our daily life but often let fall by the wayside of our busyness.  Prayer, gratitude, Bible reading and study, love for others and our love for Jesus are only a few.  I am often so guilty of storing those things in my "attic" instead of using them everyday.  I guess good they are there in case of a storm but how much better they are in our daily walk of life?

Lately I've had Paul's verse to combat anxiety on my heart and mind.  In fact, I'm going to type it up and put it here at my computer.  Yes, you've heard it here before and yes, it's swiftly becoming another one of my all time favorites!  It goes like this and is from that wonderful Philippians 4:

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."            Philippians 4:6, 7

Consider....and yes, you are welcome for the laugh you surely got from my picture.  :)

HE SPEAKS...AGAIN...

I woke up this morning a bit earlier than my normal Monday morning time....4:15 a.m. actually.  I found myself in prayer for events of the week and for those I love.

It never ceases to amaze me how I can be touched by the Lord.  Now if all of you don't know by now, I do love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I do trust Him, maybe more so as I age than I did in my younger life.  Still, though, I find some days having anxiety for the things that life MIGHT hold.  Am I the only one who has this?

Anyways, on with my morning story...and yes, it's only 6:15 a.m by now and I have a busy day planned.  I cooked breakfast, then decided I really needed to do a few minutes of the exercise bike so I took my Max Lucado birthday book about anxiety to the bicycle.  Ah, does the Lord speak?  Don't you ever doubt it!

As I got into the second chapter of the book, the author talked about security and the apostle Paul.  Now I do love to read the Bible books of the apostle Paul.  Today though, the focus was on Paul as he was in the jail awaiting trial at about age 60.  I have read about this in a commentary and was very touched that this guy, thirty years a devout Christian and servant of the Lord, was in this jail and these conditions.  The author of my book talked about how ragged Paul was physically, probably bent from the travels and scarred from the lashings and traumas he had endured.

The thing that blessed me about my morning encounter is that it seems that Paul wrote the book of Philippians during this time.  Granted, I haven't researched that for sure so I may be typing incorrect information but bottom line is that he did write the book of Philippians and he did endure troubles, only to overcome through his faith in HIS Lord.

Philippians is one of my very favorite books of the Bible.  I encourage you to read it.  It's pretty short, but it holds so much encouragement from anxiety and problems of life.  I find myself in awe of the fact that Paul was in sure dire shape in this jail, yet....did you get that word?  YET, he still trusted and loved his Lord.  He encourages in Philippians to "Rejoice in the Lord alway...and again I say, Rejoice!"  Rejoicing, like joy, is a choice.

I want to be like that.

I am so glad God chooses to speak and more than that, I'm glad I choose to listen.  I choose to rejoice this day.  Blessings abound.

Consider....

COURAGE

What is courage?

According to Merriam-Webster, a trusted source of definitions since 1828, courage is the "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty".

Exactly.  I couldn't have said it better myself.

I have met people, as I'm sure you have, that live this definition.  It doesn't matter what seems to come their way, they are strong.  Or maybe they just seem strong.

I know in my own life, I feel that my courage has grown as I have aged.  For example, when I was a young bride and The Husband would go on overnighters to hunt his deer, I would be afraid to stay alone.  As time progressed, I became more and more able to stay alone in the dark.  That's not to say that I don't hear every single creak that happens, I just don't consider them all anymore and I don't panic when I do.  Maybe that's growth in me?   That could even be a courage of sorts.

Maybe courage for me, too, would be not being so very afraid of snakes even though I don't really want to practice that one.

I think that courage shows itself in a lot of ways in our lives--dealing with disappointment, dealing with life not being as expected or wanted, dealing with a sickness or terminal illness.  Sometimes courage is seeing those you love deal with traumatic experiences when you can do nothing but watch and pray.    Sometimes courage is viewed by just being positive when all around you seems negative.

Maybe courage is having the strength to just do what's right.  That can be one of the hardest kinds of courage.  And when one is doing what's right, even when they don't want to, that's even more exceptional courage.   We've all been there, haven't we?

One of my most favorite scriptures in the good book is from Joshua 1:9.  I read it often and have even committed it to memory.  It has spoke to me more times when I have been afraid than any other scripture.  And I figure if the Lord says to "fear not" as many times in the Bible as He does, it's important.  Joshua 1:9 says this:

"Have I not commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

One of my birthday gifts this past birthday was the new Max Lucado book, "Anxious for Nothing".  Underneath the title, it reads "finding calm in a chaotic world".   When we have courage guided by the Lord, we CAN find calm in a chaotic world.

Consider.......

CHRISTMAS EVE

Well, I blink and before I can believe it, I find myself on December 24.  Christmas Eve.  My family attended the 11:00 a.m. worship service at church and it was some kind of good Christmas Eve service.  Getting to hear the beauty of the music and words of "O Holy Night" and choir singing of "Tell Me The Story of Jesus Christmas Medley" were wonderful.  Oh, and I can't forget "Mary, Did You Know?"  I always ponder if Mary really comprehended at first the amazingness of her sweet little baby.

Then the Christmas Eve sermon touched me as well.  The text, "What would you be in the Christmas story?"  Well my first thought was a shepherd as I loved that they were so poor but got to hear the wonderful news of the Savior first.  The Pastor, though, said we all should be stars.  The star shone brightly leading the way to the manger and the baby.  As "stars" we can shine brightly and lead others to Jesus.  I love that!

There was news after the service of the passing this morning of a long time friend.  This brought sadness to my heart for his sweet family and I often wonder what exactly "the plan" is.  I realize that's not for me to know.  It is for me to continue in faith and trust in this sweet Jesus.  Because of that baby born in a stable, we can be comforted and loved in times of plenty and times of such sadness.

As we gather with loved ones to celebrate and give gifts, let us not forget the greatest gift of all--Jesus.  Because of HIM, we have all that we need.

So in the words of a song sang this morning by the Children's Choir:

Happy Birthday Jesus! 
I'm so glad it's Christmas.
All the tinsels and lights
And the presents are nice
But the real gift is you.

Happy Birthday Jesus!
I'm so glad it's Christmas.
All the carols and bells
And the holiday's swell
But the real gift is you.

Happy Birthday Jesus!
Jesus, I love you!

"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift."  2 Corinthians 9:15

CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE "MINISTRY"

The countdown stays on for Christmas!  Food is a big part of Christmas but actually as I age it grows less and less important.  Maybe I'm just strange or maybe I'm just older and wiser and tired of the kitchen.

Every now and then, though, I enjoy a bit of entertaining.  This season I was blessed to serve a few of the widows in my neighborhood a lunch.  The oldest sweet one here had the age of  99.5 years old.  Amazing and such an honor for me!  If I live to be 99.5 years old, I want to be just like her!   I could not believe after they left I didn't take any pictures.  Can you believe me?  NO pictures.

The time was enjoyable to me and to them.  I enjoyed reading them the Christmas story from Luke and listening to their conversations.  We ate a lunch of Chicken Noodle Casserole, Green Beans, Yeast Rolls, and Chocolate Cake.

The Husband calls my Chicken Noodle Casserole a "ministry" as I take it to folks who are sick or need cheering.  I have a selfish reason for that particular dish as it is easy to prepare, freezable, and delicious most times.  I have adapted the recipe from one I found so I will share my adapted way of doing it in case you blog readers want to try for your family.  Or neighbors.  Or just you.  :)  I got the original recipe from a cookbook of recipes from pastors so it must be a Christian recipe.  :)

Just a bit of trivia about green beans that my mother-in-law taught me years ago.  When you use fresh ones, do in pressure cooker.  I usually use canned ones from the grocery store.  One can season with salt pork or ham.  I throw in a vegetable bouillon cube also.  The other tip from my MIL is to let them burn just a tad...not real burn but a bit of sticking before turning them off.  Something I did learn last summer is that you can freeze fresh broken green beans in a vacuum seal bag and when you use them and cook them in the pressure cooker, they taste exactly like you just picked them from the garden.  (No charge for that lesson learned.)  :)

My yeast rolls are certainly not from scratch but I have found that the Kroger kind in their freezer section are the absolute best risers and tasters.  Here, it takes them several hours to rise.  You just put them frozen on your cookie sheet, spray some waxed or plastic wrap with Pam, lay on top of rolls, and walk away.  Cook when ready.

CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE 

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (I never use bell pepper as we don't like it...you should use if you like it.)

1 small pimiento, diced (I use the jar pimento...doesn't taste much but adds a bit of red color to an un-    red dish)

1/2 chicken, boiled and boned (I use about 3 chicken breasts for my recipe.)

2 (10 3/4 oz cans cream of mushroom soup--can use all cream of chicken or a mixture or all mushroom.  I actually sometimes use a third just to make it not dry.)

1 cup reserved broth (again, I use a bit more to make not dry.  I usually use the premade broth in the casserole.)

Parsley flakes to taste (also add color)

1 (12 oz package spaghetti--I like to use the wide or extra wide noodles.  The bag is 16 oz but I guess at what portion is 12 oz.  If you have too many noodles, add a bit more broth when mixing.  An extra I do also is to boil these noodles in my remaining chicken broth that the chicken cooked in.)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Saute onion and pepper in small amount of butter.  Add pimiento, chicken, soup, broth and parsley flakes.

Boil noodles (boil in the used chicken broth), drain, and add to chicken mixture.  Add 1 cup (or more if you want) grated cheese to chicken and noodle mixture.

Pour into greased casserole dish and cover top with remaining cup of grated cheese.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.  Serves 6.

It's really hard to mess up this recipe.  I often double it and freeze one recipe in several servings to freeze.  For freezing, can or cannot top with cheese for freezer.  Fine to wait until cooking.  Wrap in plastic wrap and foil and use within a couple of months. These make great single servings in those little mini foil disposable loaf pans.  The Husband likes his to be spicy hot so he adds crushed red pepper flakes....so many options!

This double recipe fed my guests and then my family with those leftovers.  Two other casseroles fed two of my family households and two others went to my freezer for future use.  Yum!