Happy Homemaker Monday

 Hosted by Sandra ! 

♥ ♥ Weather ♥♥ 

We had a very    cold Sunday..    with almost freezing rain.  But the air was definitely freezing!!!  BRRRR!

Monday -partly cloudy, 49/30
Tuesday - cloudy 53/32
Wednesday -thunderstorms, 54/39
Thursday -rain, 52/39
Friday - rain, 44/31

Saturday-partly cloudy, 43/28

♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥ 
It is sunny and still, although the tinkling wind chime on the porch is swaying a bit on a slim breeze.The kiddos  across the street are bundled up but  playing  gleefully  on the school yard equipment.  so it must be  a nice day  for them..For me.  I am feeling the  damp in my bones!

♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥ 
in the throes of  preparing a hearty  wee lunch for hubs and myself. He  went to   Mission BBQ  yesterday to get his free  sandwich and he  brought a pound of their  delectable brisket..  So I am    making a bit of a stew  with it..  just adding the yummy   bbq'ed meat into  a  mash of   veggies  and  warming in  through.. I  think it sounds gobbling good.   I hope I am making enough it!

♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥ 

I am getting excited about meeting our kids  this spring at Lancaster to  see  for their first time  a Sight and Sound production.  This season is Moses, which Lynn and I have seen  but it will be perfect for the girls especially because  of the special effects  within the spectacular  production!

♥♥How am I feeling ♥♥ 

I suppose the same as usual...   

♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Lynn is so good to  fix our  coffee and yogurt each morning.  He also fried up  2 slices of  sausage..  nice on an English muffin with a smear of apple butter.

♥♥ On the dinner plate ♥♥

We had a later breakfast  so  this  stew  concoction   I am thinking will  be our dinner with a bit of  tossed salad.

♥♥ What I'm wearing ♥♥ 

I  am wearing  a red long sleeved  warm  tee  over  a pair of knit  lounging  pants that actually go with another   set.  but  I love these on stay at home days  in the winter.

♥♥ On my reading pile ♥♥ 

I am  reading  thru the Bible with the gospel coalition and I  am still reading a beloved book, Gently and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. This book is about Jesus’s heart and love for His children.  It is a must read for all believers.  I am, also, beginning a new book, Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitley.  We started a study on this book last night.

 ♥♥ On my TV this week ♥♥ 

Nothing in particular. Many of my favored  vlogs haven't started up in the new year yet.

Creative Update:

I do enjoy watching  Sketch Skool  videos online   and  practicing my drawing.  I will  finish  this  sketch book and hope to start a nature journal  later in the year.

♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥

Most of the Christmassy  stuff is packed away, but if  it resonated  winter it is still up….  and will be during this cold season!

♥♥A Favorite Vlog ♥♥

♥♥ To Do List ♥ ♥

• Do a bit of meal planning
•  some daily reading
• Allergy shot and Bible study
• Dine out with friends  
• Do some laundry
• Clean out my desk drawers that have gotten away from me. 
• Plan a tea party for a few friends
• Podiatrist appt

♥ ♥ From the camera ♥ ♥

This year’s school photos of the girls

Sunday- Abiding in Christ

 The concept of abiding in Christ is first  discussed  by the disciple. John  in his book of the New Testament.  It  is covered  starting in  John 13: 31- 15:17.  To set the stage   the disciples have just  had the Last Supper with Jesus and  already  they are  a bit confused  about Jesus  comments. Their idea of ruling under the kingship of Jesus  has been turned up side down.  They had believed they  would be a part of a  ruling  class  in this  age,   and once Jesus   overtook the Roman government  that Jesus along with the disciples would set up His kingdom  there in Jerusalem   and  they were wondering who would be His first  hand man..  But Jesus is now  telling them He is about to leave and where He is going they cannot go. Now. this is Jesus last night with  His friends and  there is a ton of information He is going to share with them..  and  they  just  will not fully understand it all until  things play out.   But  this next teaching is  some the most important  teaching they will ever  learn..  it is how to  live without Jesus in their midst,  but in their  heart.  Vs 13:33-35 is  very important in laying down some ground work. Thus begins  some teaching that must be understood  before  we teach about abiding.

.33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love oneanother. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Note 34-35  explains    the new commandment  of Jesus.  That  we are to love one another just as Jesus has loved us..   That    love will demonstrate to the world  that we are His children.(disciples).It is very important  to go ahead and read for yourselves  13:36- 14:4.  Then we will pick up  on verse 5.

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Vs 6 is  so very important   because   here Jesus  tells  the disciples  He is the only way to  God.. there is no other religion that is  connected to God, the Father,   if YOU  desire  heaven .  your only choice is  to  believe that Jesus is the Christ,. that He died on the cross for your sins,  then repent  from those sins and   declare  Jesus Christ as Lord...    the way, 

When Jesus said  he was the Truth He meant He was the physical embodiment of God's Word.    The Whole BIble  in some way reflects back to the coming Savior,,   or  Living  Jesus,, or Ruling Christ in heaven.  Psalm 119:160  The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.  the truth,  

and the life.

Read John 1:1,4, 14  1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  He is the life!

To return to chapter 14

7 If you really know me, you will know my Father, as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 

The Disciples  apparently didn't understand when Jesus  told them  in John 5:19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (Jn. 5:19 ) 

I am going to skip down  in the text  to John 14:1515 “If you love me, keep my commands.

  There you can see a reference back to the  command to love one another  but also  love me  and  their love is  proven by    keeping His commands. 

(I skipped  some verses because to understand them fully    not just on face value  we need to understand a few other truths!)

So what have we covered today?

1.Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment : to love one another just as He loved them Remember He gave His life for His friends.  That is  the truth of  His great love for us!

2.  We will be known as His disciples  if we love one another

3.  Jesus is the one true Way,  the Truth, and the Life

4. If you know me you will keep my commands

5.  And  very importantly  If you have known me, You know  the Father. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.  He only said What the Father said.  IN truth,  the Father and the son are one,  yet in two entities. It is because the Father abides   (stays, remains, )   in Christ... next He will introduce  another part of God , the Holy Spirit  through which  God  can abide in His children!  But that comes next week!   I encourage you to read and reread this section of scripture and believe it in your heart and soul.  If you are a child of God  His Spirit will abide in you and help you to understand what  the word  has said so far!!!  Blessings!!!

Saturday- Pray is Powerful

Talking to God

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. From this passage we see that the main key to the effectiveness of prayer is the spiritual condition of the one offering the prayer. Effective prayer is prayer that we know God hears."I believe that truly powerful, effective prayer can only be  prayed by a child of God..  one who has  tried to come to grip with their sin and as they are able to  be practicing righteous living.  Another very important  element to powerful, effective prayer is  how we pray..  not for  that red Mustang or a trip to Honolulu.. I am not sure that is  what God and in mind.  I believe that a righteous person abides  in Christ (God)  to the point that they truly know HIm.Although I  doubt one can know everything thing about god. as He is infinite and we are  most assuredly finite in ur thinking.  but when we abide in His presences  , in His Word, we   begin to know His character.. What He loves and What He wants for us and everyone.   To pray a powerful prayer is not topiary selfishly, but to pray something that we know God would be pleased to agree with us..  like  safety on our streets,  or righteous teaching in our schools.  But it can also be personal..  I know   of a young ministry student who walked to do his ministry work   and he really needed wheels.  He prayed for wheel  and  the next day someone gave him  a new bicycle. .. not a ratty, worn out on,  but a brand spanking new one.  God is the giver of good gifts!

 I love the tale  that  renown Bible teacher Kay Arthur  gives about the poor   widowed mother of several small children who was having a particularly difficult time   and  actually had  run completely out of toilet paper  and money..  She wouldn't be paid until the end of the week. She prayed for toilet paper and that afternoon driving home from  somewhere  there in the street corner  was a 10 pack of toilet paper..   just sitting on the street corner.   Thank you , Lord.  You can answer  our prayers in myriad  ways!

Some truths regarding power prayers  are as follows

• Prayer changes things.  First of all we need to ask...Because he is all-wise and all-powerful, knowing “the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10), he’s able to weave our requests into his eternally good purposes.  YOU might say, well if God know s everything why didn't He jsut go ahead and  do  His best of the    person anyway..  But He doesn't work taht way.   He  beseeches us in His Word to   ask    and when we earnestly ask,  He will provide.  He likes to work with his children  not just  benevolently give them everything.. He  wants to co labor with us  in all things..  He  wants us to  come to Him and  commune with Him.  Because He loves us so much!
• Ok, I know,  what about those things we have asked for over and over again.  Like  God, please lead my sister to  come to you and be saved.  YOU can ask  and ask  and it never seems to reach the ears of  God..  God knows everything  about everything.  He knows  when and if  sister will  yield her heart to HIm.  He probably adds set things up to  make  that yielding easy, yet,  her heart is  so hardened  it just doesn't get through ...   Well, we are told to keep praying   and  even though  it seems like  years and nothing is happening.  How to do  really know what is happening within another's heart.   Only God knows  and perhaps  sister needs to experience some  difficult stuff in her life in order to  soften her heart towards God.   God knows that  and  He is  at work  when we  dont realize it.  We do not know God's timing or His processes,, so  it is our job to keep praying.  I have family members for whom I have prayed for  decades,  and as  we are all getting older..  I just keep praying ...   even if it is death bed confession. ... I will praise God for His goodness  for not giving up on them!!
• 1Chronicles 16:Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
• Psalm 73:28But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
• Psalm 5:In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.  And IN the morning    is  very key  ..  before the  worries of the day takes our minds and strength

Art Lindsley has written   on  “Power of Prayer: The Intense Intimacy of Connection,” a new article for the Washington Times as part of their Power of Prayer: to Enhance Your Life and Restore America special report.  Please read  the  great article here.

I  felt  this article would really touch many hearts and    incline    us to  seek G od in prayer  for  every aspect of our lives!!

Winter FFF

Hosted by Susanne!

Happy New Year everyone  and  may the Lord richly bless us all! 

This has been a very  odd January so far.. the temps have been so mild. I am pleased, though we have gotten a bit of rain which  since there has been some wind.. at least we aren't  too dry!!

*We arrived back form  the Boston area  just before  last weekend.. and God was so good..  We had prayed ardently for  a safe and non eventful  trip driving and  He  answered our prayer magnificently.    When you travel 1500 miles you expect  some  bit of chaos, especially with all that traffic  on the roads, but we had a lovely  drive coming and going.  

* We  spent the night coming and going at the Inn at Westwynd Farm in Hershey.  We have stayed there at least a dozen times and  they are  truly wonderful! 

 The Inn is a working  Horse farm! 

There are three  gathering rooms  around the inn..  so cosy and inviting!

The dining room serves up delectable breakfasts!!

The rooms are  charming and lovely..  but I will move on.!

*We were  glad to get home in time for church on Sunday..  The previous pastor of our church who does mission work in Romania  spoke Sunday and wow  did he ever  have a dynamic  sermon!

 His talk  was  entitled 

Repair the altar of our hearts so the fire of God can come !

And He was on fire for the lord.I loved it!!!

*It was wonderful to see our dear friends, David and Gerri. They have been our best friends for about 15 years and God blessed these years with them. We are all going to the same church and we meet after Church to decide where to meet for lunch. A Our tastes run along with Chinese, Mexican, seafood and deli.. We try to take turns choosing but like many other groups I am in no one ever really wants to make the decision so I usually do. It isn't too hard because my husband is whispering Chinese in my ear,. but I do try to make it around the circuit to keep everyone happy!

*This week has gone by so fast, I can barely think what happened when.. basically not much. I am proud of myself for making some homemade soup two different nights. I Looked in the fridge and saw cabbage, onion, carrots and celery and thought of my mother. She loved to dish out delicious cabbage soup and I know Lynn would love it so much after all the fancy food of the holidays. It was such a hit that I made it two nights! Now  I have let the cat out of the bag and will have to be creating more  home made soups for dearest!  But I really enjoyed doing it!!