Hubby and I discussed last night what we were going to do this morning. Stay home and watch the services we watch on You Tube or go in person to the church. We tossed it around, then I told him what I had been thinking about recently. Go to The Salvation Army church. There is one near us; actually closer than the church we had been going to. We personally have not heard this pastor, have not met him. But our friends from one of the RV parks are connected to it, and they have invited us before, but we never took them up on it. One actually is an 'officer' in the Salvation Army and we actually got to see him in his uniform when he performed the funeral of his sister there. That was when we saw the inside of the church, and it is very nice. They have Sunday School classes. They also serve a lunch after church if you want to stay. I often donate to the Salvation Army because when I was researching a few years ago on where does the money go that is donated - and the Salvation Army is the only one where the leaders are either paid a minute amount or it is all volunteer. The money goes to where you want it to go - to help others. I see it that if we choose to change our worship to that location, perhaps we can get involved more easily. Music is outstanding - and traditional. It's also not Pentacostal, which means no yelling and screaming like someone is hard of hearing. Sorry - nothing against Pentecostals.... but I don't think my God is hard of hearing as I know He hears me when I whisper to Him. Stay tuned; but that is the plan this morning.
I was bad yesterday. I had a major craving for sweet. I wanted ice cream. (which would have been wiser overall to just give in and go get it) So I went to the grocery store as I needed to get a few things, and my thinking was I'd pick up a container of ice cream. Sounded wise to me, right? But as I walked around, I thought how I'd have to buy TWO containers of ice cream because hubby has his favorite, and so do I. So what did I do? It was so stupid. I bought 3 packages of too sweet cookies; AND a package of apple cider glazed donuts. (The Salvation Army is also right down the road from Bosa donuts so I thought I'd save us a trip there). So stupid. Broke open the cookies when I got home. Didn't realize a couple had icing on them - which made them too sweet. I wanted plain shortbread cookies.... and obviously bought the wrong ones. Hubby brought me a donut with my coffee this morning. WAY too sweet!! Of course I ate it - can't waste it - right? But now I'm feeling yecky. I don't normally eat that much sweet stuff - at last in that much volume. I'm ok with throwing the rest of the box away - but may just need to throw into the freezer until that sugar craving happens again. I will throw away some of the cookies; hubby doesn't know how many I bought - and he doesn't need them either. I don't know what overcame me at the store. I didn't even buy any ice cream - and that is what I was craving!! But I will admit, the few cookies I ate last night, plus the donut I had this morning - has removed any craving for sweet that I had. Maybe that is a good thing, right?
I worked on one of the Christmas projects yesterday for about 5-6 hours straight - minus helping hubby get his Notre Dame football game on TV - and FINISHED it! I still have some things to do with it - but for now, the tedious task of what I was doing is completed. I'm so anxious to get it totally finished I can hardly stand it. I'm also so excited to see what the person it is for - will say about it. Will they like it? Will they just put it away? Can't tell anything about it just in case they read in here.... some do some don't some occasionally. So I'll keep it to myself. So excited to be finished with it - didn't realize the time as it isn't tiring to do.
I'm changing things up starting this morning in my quiet time. (I'm not even watching Free Chapel this morning!) I dug out a new copy of Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson. It's a book on 40 days of prayer. Based off the book The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, it's going into prayer for 40 days. I want to revitalize my prayer life (you could say I've gotten lazy and rote) and dive back into prayer. I've got my 'circle' laid out to pray in - (you'd have to read The Circle Maker or go back a few years to when I wrote about it to understand that) - which is my prayer rug that I have. I have my book, my journal, all next to it and when I finish this, I am ready to get down on the floor and read chapter one in the book and do some serious praying. Lord knows I do have much to pray about!
There wasn't much 'real stuff' going on around me for awhile and I got lazy in praying. That happens to each of us, I think. We start just praying the same ole things for each of our family members, not knowing exactly what is going on. For some you pray their eyes will be opened to the Truth; for others we pray for wisdom, still others, for their health. But it has been all general stuff because nothing critical was going on. It seems like I was praying one day and I asked God to stir my heart with passion to be in prayer with Him again. I've gotten lazy in my prayer time. Well, He certainly has answered THAT prayer! I would prefer NOT having any crisis going on in the family right now, no medical issues, no trials or hardships. But God knows my heart and He knows what will keep me on my face before Him, and sometimes, it is hardships and things like that, that will drive one - drive a mother or father, to their knees to seek God's hand upon their family. After all, God is the only One who can answer our requests. He uses doctors, yes, but He also does miraculous things. Our job is to pray. And leave it in His hands.
2 Corinthians 12:6-10 (NIV): Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so that no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I was reading in one of my journals this morning and I found this comment. The thing that enabled Paul to endure his 'thorn in the flesh' was God unfolding His purpose to Paul for the thorn. Once Paul saw purpose, he could cooperate with God's grace.
Many times (we think) we feel that 'thorn in the flesh' and all we do is complain about it. Am I right? We are short on cash one week - and we grumble on how we have too many bills. (But did we stop and think how we spent our money that week to cause us to run short?) Or what about when we really want to do something and then all the plans fall through? Or we have high hopes of being involved in a project and what we desired doesn't happen? Oh there are so many things that we can use or say for our 'thorn in the flesh'. I have (confession here) even said at times that hubby is my thorn in the flesh for he keeps me from a lot of things! But do I ever think about what I keep him from? (ok, probably not much). Instead of complaining so much about what I feel he keeps me from, I probably ought to be thanking God that I'm not doing everything I say I want to do, right?
I was going to give you an excellent example, but as I wrote it, I felt like I shouldn't share it. It wasn't about me, so I shouldn't voice my comments. But some people do cause you to shake your heads at their actions - and their words of complaint - right? Don't spend money you know you don't have. Stop scrolling through 'special sales' and tempting yourself to buy (speaking to myself here as well) for someone. Lord knows that half the stuff we see online are not exactly what we receive! Trust me, I have experience in that area!
My most recent 'what do you think you are doing?' purchase is to get things to make my own bread. My granddaughter makes hers and it is so good. I've mentioned it before. I may be calling her soon to help me figure out the starter mix and see if she will give me some of her starter mix - she has offered before but I declined for I didn't want to deal with it. But now I want to make some for Christmas gifts so I need to learn how to do it. Today would be a good day to get that starter mix going. Note to self, call granddaughter.
Instead of complaining, how about thanking God that He is teaching you something through the trial? You may not know what that lesson to be learned is - but it will be revealed to you in time. Out of a job? Maybe it is a time to re-evaluate what you can do - and what you can do for others. I know my son is waiting on work and in the meantime, has been getting involved in community type projects. He's using his time proactively as he waits for work to come in. Running short on cash? Evaluate where you are spending that you don't need to. Yes, I spent way too much on sweet stuff yesterday and I'm regretting it - whether I give away, throw away or put in freezer, I haven't decided yet - but I must get that sweet stuff out of focus. It isn't good for either of us. (ok, maybe ONE won't hurt that much - which was my intent. But when did ONE cookie satisfy anyone?)
And with that - I need to jump off here and continue with my reading. Hope you have a good day!
Blessings!
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