I know, I know - there are 24 hours in each day and each and every day is the same 24 hours - it's what we do in those 24 hours that make it what it is. Sigh. It just seems at times that the weekends go by soooo fast! This is one of them. We did go to church yesterday. Pastor Michael spoke. Loudly. Hubby turned his hearing aids down to -1. Message was good, but all over the place. We went to Mimi's for lunch; it was ok. Hubby got a salad and I got 1/2 sandwich and soup and french fries. Came home and all of a sudden I felt exhausted - and we both took a nap. I never did get around to baking like I wanted to. BUT, I did go through a cookbook and found some things I'd like to try. And probably shouldn't. Baking isn't always healthy. We finished the evening off with reading and I finished The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning that I was reading. Unlike any other book I have ever read, but it held my interest enough that I finished it. It was interesting. He has a history. Former priest. Left the priesthood and got married (and excommunicated), was an alcoholic, at the time of the book still was attending AA, has written several books, very well read in that he has read numerous books and quoted many. Basic I got out of the book? God's grace for each one of us, and we are to love each other. Regardless. Just like Jesus loves us. I'm sure there was more, but those two things stood out to me. What intrigued me to keep reading it was the two men who wrote introductions to it. One said he listened to it on audio and had to pull off the side of the road because he was crying hard and couldn't see to drive. The other said he read it all in one setting. What is the Ragamuffin Gospel? Jesus hung around regular people, people who were sick mentally and physically; He ate with sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors.....people who were called - are you ready for this? - Ragamuffins. People of no value. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not people who are prominent and are always putting themselves in the limelight by what they do, but those who sit by the side of the road, hoping someone would give them something to eat. I did enjoy the book and am glad that I plugged through the difficult parts to get to the end. Sometimes you just have to cause you know that you will miss a jewel or two if you don't.
And here it is Monday again and I still need to adjust the timecards for what happened last weekend. Yay. I'll have someone show me today how to do it and get it done either today or tomorrow. I'm better mentally now (not so tired from all the chaos of last week), and hopefully not as cranky. I am going to try to do better this week. But I'm already tired. Don't understand why I am not sleeping well. I sleep, but just not well. Then I ask myself is it that I'm just getting 'old' and mu age is catching up with me... but I refute that; I don't feel our age defines us. People at 50 sometimes act like 80! So I refuse to act my age. But I think with hubby being 12 years older than I and acting his age does have an effect on me. And it isn't a good one. I must simply force myself to go against the grain and get up and do something. I think that is one reason I love to get in the kitchen and bake - it gets me up off the couch; I can be creative; and it is MY domain. And it usually is soooo good! The rest of the no bake cookies will be going to my trainer tonight. LOL Yes, she will take cookies; she says she is my #1 taster. I don't think no bake cookies was what she was thinking about but 6 is all that is left so I don't think it will matter. I need to make real food.
I was talking with a friend at church yesterday morning who is big in to supplements. Ironically, we have another friend who makes this in liquid form (Raw Power) and we drink it - except we are now out. I need to get our order in. Our first friend had been in an accident earlier this year and just couldn't get past it - and I asked him how he was feeling yesterday. He said he did research and ordered some turmeric and black pepper (which is in the Raw Power) capsules and started taking those - and within just a couple weeks he has felt so much better; his joints don't hurt and he feels more alive and alert. I get it; when I take the Raw Power, I feel better as well, but with both hubby and I drinking the liquid, it is gone within two weeks. Our friend makes it very cheap for us, but I know it is work to fix it. So yes, I did go online last night and have a bottle in my cart to be ordered for me. I told hubby he shouldn't drink the liquid until he cleared it with his doctor, but he ignores me and is doing it anyway. Why? Because I don't know if it can affect the medications he is already on. For one, he takes a blood thinner and turmeric (I have been told) also thins the blood. Could explain what when he bumps his arm or knuckle, the thin skin splits and he can't stop the bleeding for several minutes. But, all I can do is tell him. Heaven forbid I should get something for just me.
Psalm 119:93 (NIV): I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
What is a precept? A precept, in the term I am using it, is God's command for how we are to live. Have you ever stopped to think about it? His commands are not hard, they really aren't. They are only 'hard' when we make them that way; when we want to do things OUR way, and not HIS way. Think about it.
The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before Me." And yet, we do it all the time, don't we? We put activities before God when we would rather do recreation before church on Sunday mornings. We put people in place of God when we idolize them or put them on pedestal. We put money before God when we think we need more and more of it and not consider all we will get from Him if we but trust Him to meet our needs.
The fourth commandment is "Keep the Sabbath day holy." And yet, instead of spending that day and resting and just being with God, we fill it with things of no value just to entertain us. Reminds me of when I was first married. My awesome in-laws taught me so much. At that time they would not even consider going out for a meal on a Sunday. Sunday was a day of rest, although mom would always have lunch in the oven while we were at church and it would be ready to eat when we got back home. She could make the best pot roast. But after the eating was done, it was rest and reading. Or playing games. Which is a form of resting. Keep the Sabbath day holy, and don't fill it with things of no value. Reflect on God and all that He has done for you.
The fifth commandment is one we often spoke to our children - "Honor your father and your mother so that it will go well with you" (my paraphrase). This is the first commandment with a promise. If you honor your father and mother, it will go well with you. I think that speaks for itself.
There are 7 other commandments, but I don't have time to elaborate on them this morning. Just my comments anyway, right?
Anyway - never forget the Law of God, because even though you may think you don't agree with them all, God gave them to us to protect us. When we put Him first, honor Him, Love Him, Obey His laws, He will bless us abundantly in so many ways. Think about it: don't take His name in vain (would you take your mother or father's name in vain? Your spouse's name, or your child's name? Why take the God who created you, His name in vain?). Don't steal. Don't lie (yes, not even the white lies we all find ourselves telling_. A pastor once said that when we don't tell the whole truth when asked a question, we are still lying for we aren't telling the entire truth. Let that soak in. Don't commit murder. That's an easy one, but do you know that when you hate in your heart and mind, you have actually committed murder? Do not commit adultery. Sometimes it takes real effort not to admire another's body that is not your spouse. But you have no right; lusting after that body (window shopping is STILL lusting) because you are committing adultery with your eyes. Oh that we all would follow God's commands, His precepts, for our lives would be so much better!
When we follow what God says for us to do, He preserves our life. Doesn't say it will be easy or that things go our way. It says He preserves our life. Trust me, it is by the grace of God that I am here today. Some of my past I will never share; I don't want to, nor need to. When I asked Jesus to forgive me, He forgave, and forgot my sins. The devil will bring them to mind occasionally to tell me I'm a bad mother, or I'm a bad person, who do I think I am.... and I just turn to him and let him know that I am a child of God, that's who I am! I belong to Him and nothing that the devil throws at me about my past doesn't matter; I am forgiven, and my sins are remembered no more. Yeah I still slip up at times, but when I ask forgiveness, I know I am forgiven.
Tired of being reminded of your past? Think about giving your past to God and seek His forgiveness. He's waiting for you just to ask Him. And He will do it willingly and readily. Don't delay. He will fight your battles for you. And it's great to be able to tell the devil to go back to where he belongs!
Blessings~
