I was in a deep sleep this morning....

 when my watch started buzzing to tell me it had a 'low battery'.  I kept hitting the button, thinking it was an alarm.  Finally, I looked at it and saw it wasn't that, but the battery.  So - got up and tried to sleep in my chair again, but because I was also listening for hubby, didn't really go back to sleep.  He got up about a half hour later.  It's still early.  I've done my reading and checking my bank and scanned emails... now I'm hoping to write something of value in here, then grab one of my books to read - or write in a journal if a thought persists.  Got a bit of a dull headache from the deep sleep wakeup - but my coffee should caffeine me enough in a few to get rid of it.

The White Christmas program last night was awesome! It's been years since I watched a theater production of anything.  Dinner first, and although our service was lousy.... we gave our order first in our area, and yet our hostess served us last.  But, she must have either been having a bad day or not felt good, for she had no personality and although she would smile when she came to our table, she turned her head and the smile was gone.  There was no 'lilt' to her walk or voice.  But - the dinner was good.  I had a herb chicken with some creamy sauce on top of mashed potatoes.  What really cracked me up?  I got two - yes, two - stalks of asparagus.  I mean, don't most restaurants give you at least 4 asparagus with your meal?  And they were skinny ones at that.  But the salad was good, the dinner was good - and during intermission my daughter and I shared a dark chocolate brownie with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream on top with chocolate drizzled over the brownie - and yes it was so good - but it was a large piece and neither of us could finish it.  Glad we shared.

As for the show - it was really well done.  They did have songs in it that are not in the original show - such as 'Blue Skies' (wasn't that done by Michael Bublé?)  and also the little girl sung a couple songs as well as the general's housekeeper.  But overall, it was a great drama performance and I really did enjoy it.  Great voices and it was all good.  There was something to be done in the lobby afterwards with some of the performers singing, but we didn't get out until 10:15PM I think it was, so we went ahead and left and came home.   I had to sit up for awhile as I was still quite awake (surprisingly) so guess it may have been close to 11PM before I finally went to bed.  Which is why I didn't want to get up this morning, I'm sure!

I think I have mentioned about the fast that we will do in January.  Why is it that I always feel I am the 'lead' in the fast?  Hubby has told me that 'unless you want to watch a movie' (and you know he will ask continuously if I do - but he may surprise me), he is giving up the TV for 21 days for the fast.  No TV for 21 days?  I'm thrilled!  I'd rather grab a book and read!  He also said that 'whatever you decide to do as far as diet, you can do the same for me'.  Now you know with his eating out with his friends is going to cause difficulty, so in order to keep him from breaking the food fast, he and I need to figure out what he is going to do.  I'm flip-flopping between my BBCD (no bread, no beef, no chocolate, no dessert).  You may think that is easy - but it really isn't, because no bread is also no bread products - such as pasta, crackers (and I love my saltine crackers), cornbread, etc..  Or - go with a strict Daniel fast of just fruits and vegetables.  Hubby is a meat person so usually pushes chicken on me.  I'm still praying and thinking about what to do.  Does it really matter even if I fast?  It does to me.  And it doesn't have to be a lot of things.  It just needs to be something I enjoy that I choose to give up for 21 days so that I can focus on God a bit more.  It isn't just giving up the TV and reading everything on my phone.  It isn't just giving up bread and substituting it with something else.  It means giving it up.  Like chocolate and desserts.  It sounds easy.  But then, we still have chocolate EVERYwhere.... and the temptation is grab an M&M and throw in the mouth.  Or take a taste of a pie - even if it is fruit - it is still dessert.  Give it up or don't give it up - it's my choice - but whatever I decide - whether one thing or several - I need to completely give it up for that 21 days.  Just happened to think - you know what would really be hard?  No shopping for 21 days.  I mean Amazon shopping, not food shopping.  Hmmm.  I don't want to set myself up for failure.  LOL  And I do have gift cards I need to use.  Yeah.... I'll stick to food, for it would be a daily reminder of what I am doing and why.  And what would I be fasting and praying for?  For my family.  For my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren.  And I'll leave it there.

John 16:33 (NKJV):  "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you will have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Did you ever realize that just by following Jesus you can have peace in every circumstance?  You truly can!  I know that for a fact, for I have experienced that peace when things have been in turmoil.  When things come at you full force - whether it is someone screaming in your ear or getting in your face or just life trying to flip you over, you can have peace in the midst of all that, if you know Jesus.  I'm not just talking knowing 'about' Him, I'm talking about KNOWING Him.  There is a difference.

For example, I was talking with Ms. Vicky the other night and a few months ago we both had to have repeat mammograms and an ultrasound.  She brought it up how she had had cancer before and had been somewhat concerned it had come back.  (It had not).  She shared she had been somewhat anxious about it.  As I thought back to that time, although I have not had cancer before, I remembered how at peace I was - and I think I wrote about it in here - that I made my mind up that if Jesus wanted to take me home, I was a winner.  If I stayed here on earth, I was still a winner because He was giving me more opportunities to share His love to others and to lead them to Him.  Personally, I was in a win-win situation as far as I was concerned, and I was able to share that with Ms. Vicky.  I am forgiven and redeemed; I belong to Jesus.  Whatever He decides with me, I'm His.  

Can you say that?  Have you turned your life over to Him and asked forgiveness?  Perhaps you aren't ready to take that step and 'change your ways' - whatever they may be - but are you ready to face Jesus and tell Him that you prefer the world over Him?  That you are willing to go to Hell because you won't let go of the things that hold you to this world?  It is a scary thought - and none of us have the time that we think we have.  Yes, I'm healthy and strong for the most part - but anything could happen.  And I know that I need to be ready when that time comes.  I want to be praising Jesus when I take my last breath.  I want to see heaven open for me and Jesus welcoming me Home.  I'm ready to go.

But I really want to declutter my house so that my children don't have to.  Which is why I need to stop and go fix breakfast and then get busy and get some things done this morning - like getting the big tree taken down.  I took down the little tree and moved my weight bench back where it was yesterday morning - and hubby hasn't even noticed (or rather, hasn't said anything about it).  The big tree and all the animals will be removed today.  I also took down all the bows and Christmas things yesterday from the front courtyard.  I brought in the old comforter for the bedroom and although hubby hadn't made the bed yet - I couldn't believe he whined and complained he would have to change the comforter and shams.  I just looked at him and said all I did was put the old ones in the room, when he was ready to change them out, they were there.  What in the world was the big deal?  He hadn't even made the bed yet!  And I'm the one who has to fold up the Christmas ones and put them away!  Geez!  He really does NOT like change - even moreso than me!

Ok - I'm off here - got to go cook breakfast and get dressed and get busy - not necessarily in that order.  May even go use my gift cards this afternoon - JoAnns has a huge sale on their yarn!  LOL  Like I need more yarn?  Of course I do!!  But they have other things too so I don't have to just buy yarn.  But I got to get up out of this chair before I do anything - so with that - 

Blessings!

I think I hear the wind blowing this morning....

 cause the neighbor's wind chimes have occasionally been making noises.  I enjoy hearing the wind chimes on occasion.  I think sometimes that I'll buy one, but never do. Sometimes the noise can be annoying - remember when the metal flag was against the house and some times when the wind would be blowing hard it would bang against the house and keep me awake?  Naw, I think I'm find without the wind chimes.  I moved the flag to another wall and it doesn't bump against the house now.  

Today my Lenten study told me to read Matthew 23 and think about how it applies to my life.  Ouch.  Well, not OUCH, but only ouch.  At least in my eyes it is only ouch.  I try hard to live the way I say to live.  I depend on God to help me do things the right way.  Sometimes it feels much easier to say one thing and do another, but in my walk with Christ, I must do the right thing.  My little sister accused me of being a hypocrit many years ago and it nearly wiped me out.  But it wasn't me that she was really condemning, it was herself, and I see that now, but at that time I was devastated and it really messed me up.  I hit bottom, although not many people know that.  Her words had cut me deep and to the core.  But that is in the past and since that time I have tried to regain the fervor I lost in her condemnation.  And I choose not to dwell there... not sure why it all came back to me just now.  Oh yes I do.  The enemy is trying to knock me down again, and he isn't going to!  Why?

I John 4:4 (NIV):  "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

I couldn't find the version that says it the way that I like to say it - "Greater is He who lives in me, than he who is in the world."

Romans 8:1 (NIV): "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Sometimes I have to say that a few times, especially when temptations come and trials come and I am confused and uncertain about what to do.  Jesus is always Greater, and He lives in me.  Satan is the destroyer who lives in the world.  Jesus always wins over Satan.  No matter what we have done, when we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just and will cleanse us of all our sins.  The Bible says so.

I John 1:9 (NIV):  "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and will purify us from all unrighteousness."

I've read the end of the Book (Bible) - Jesus wins!  and because Jesus wins, we win!  Think about that!  If you have Jesus living inside of you, you win!  Doesn't mean it is going to be easy.  Doesn't mean there won't be trials and temptations.  Doesn't mean that people will not cut you down and accuse you unjustly.  It just means our Hope is in Jesus and He is the author and perfector of our faith.

In fact, I've been reading about the end times.... kind of weaning myself off of it some.  My little sister is all caught up in the end times, as I've mentioned before.  I've read Revelations, and I am currently going through a study on it (will be done in about a week).  Those are things that are to come - and we are currently in some of these things, we are in the end times.  I love the position and words that a former pastor once said - "The end of the world will come and Jesus will come again. My job is to be ready for when Jesus comes so that I will be raptured to Heaven with Him."  I've kind of held on to that statement.  I am to be ready when Jesus comes, when the Rapture comes and the dead in Christ rise again.  I actually hope I die before the tribulation comes for it will be dreadful.  But I must be ready when I die to meet Jesus for when I am judged, I want to stay in Heaven and not cast down to the abyss and Hell as many others will be who don't know Him.  

Perhaps I am harder on myself than I should be.  I know of people who I may question in my mind if what they say or do is Christ-like and they think they are just fine.  But I hold myself to a standard - and I admit I often fail at it and have to ask forgiveness - I don't want to 'just get by'.  I want to be so in tuned to Jesus that if He should come back right now, I will rise with Him.

Will you be ready?  We will never be perfect in our walk.  Only Jesus was perfect.  But are we ready to face Jesus?  What will that day be like - have you ever thought about that?  Do you shun any report of Him or any thing that has to do with Jesus?  Or do you dig deeper because you want to know the truth of this Man called Jesus?  Oh that we all would seek Jesus and seek His face!  Life is so much better when we belong to Him.

What is Jesus to you?  When you hear His Holy Name, what do you think about?  Anything?  Do you think about when He was born in the stable?  Do you remember Jesus in the temple at age 12 discussing theology with the religious leaders?  Do you think about the healings he did, raising Lazarus from the dead?  And now with what we call Easter just 9 days away, do you think of the crucifixion, when Jesus was placed on a cross and died, for you and for me?  What do you think about when you hear the name Jesus?

Perhaps now is the time to begin preparing your heart for what is ahead.  Turn your eyes towards Jesus, who is truly the author and perfector of your life.  He makes all things new, and He can make you new as well.  The world changed when Jesus was born.  It changed again when He was crucified.  There was never One like Jesus.  And there never will be again.

Choose Jesus.  He will rock your world.  It's all about Jesus.

Blessings!

It's getting hot!!

 I'm sitting here this morning, trying to put some thoughts together of what to write about and I glance down at the bottom of my laptop where it shows something I haven't noticed before. I guess because it is still before 5AM it is showing a moon.  Next to it is the temperature.  90 degrees.  At actually 4:44AM.  It is too early to be that warm!  and then those words.... Warning.   Yes, we are in a heat wave it seems.  I don't notice it too much because I am indoors all day as a rule and all evening too.  In fact, yesterday I was beginning to feel a bit enclosed, to the point I let hubby take me to lunch yesterday just to get out of here.  And then I feel the heat.  Well, I feel it when I have taken Sheeba out, but that is just out in back in once she does her business.  It is hot out here.

I saw something yesterday - and I know I won't remember it all correctly - but someone said that they were going to get their life straightened out.... if it was this hot in Arizona, then they didn't want to think about how hot hell was going to be!   I agree.  You definitely do not want to spend eternity in hell.  I'd much rather go where it is beautiful than where people are burning all the time.  What about you?  

I had a surprise last night; one of the grandsons who lives up north sent me a text.  "Hi Grandma, I want your salsa recipe.  I got a new phone and I lost your text with the recipe."  So we chatted for a few minutes and I screen print the recipe and send up to him.  It warms my heart to know my grandchildren love the salsa recipe.  There are lots of good recipes out there, no doubt.  I often laugh when people taste mine for the first time- that first taste of sweetness and many will go eeeewwww that's terrible!  But they don't try it again and get the hotness that goes with it.  I love my salsa.  But there are other salsas that I like too.  In fact, I think I have stewed tomatoes on hand and a green pepper - I think I just might back some today.  Hubby loves it and we go through it quickly.  It doesn't matter that we don't have any tortilla chips.  We have used crackers and pretzels even just to get to the taste of the salsa.  Yeah, it's that good.  For some people.  Others, not so much.  And that's ok.

I just checked my messages and my little brother had been trying to get ahold of me.  Finally got in touch with the boys.  There was a shooting nearby yesterday - not that far from us - I was thinking about 5 miles, but it may have been less than that.  Interestingly enough, when we went out for lunch yesterday and was just about two miles further south of where it was.  I heard about the shooting when my company HR sent out an email about there was a shooting on the west side of town and they had put the hospitals on lockdown.  They did catch the shooter, linked them to another random drive-by shooting, but I haven't heard the why of it happening.  Maybe I'll hear today.  Just grateful that it wasn't any closer to us.

But something to think about. The innocent people who were injured; I heard there was one killed.  Were they ready to die?  Did they get up yesterday morning and say, "well, today I'm going to get shot so I need to make sure I take a shower, fix my hair, and put on clean underwear."?  Probably not.  They probably just did what they normally do and began to live life as the do, day by day.  But what about their souls?  In the power of another, their life was taken away from them; were they ready to die?  Will those who were injured think about their lives and what - if anything - they need to take care of and change?  It should give them thought.  And it should give you and I thought.

My little sister and I often comment that we hope that when God calls us home that it is a time we aren't angry and frustrated at our hubbies!  We want to go to heaven, not hell, so we are trying harder to get along with them.  And them along with us.  We aren't to hold anger against each other.  We are to forgive, even the unforgiveable.  Sometimes that is really hard to do.  And hardness and indifference sets in and it makes it even harder to let go of some offenses. Do you find that in your own life?  I pray a lot that any hurt, any bitterness, any anger, be removed from my heart, that I will feel the joy and peace of forgiveness and love.  It isn't easy at times; it's an effort for sure.  But that is what we are called to do.  I often tell hubby that I will not let XXX keep me out of heaven.  I may not care for them, I may not approve of the things they do.  But it isn't my call.  My responsibility is that I am to love them regardless.  Sometimes loving them is the hardest thing I have to do .... but I try.  And I trust God to help me through those tough times when I need to be around them.  

Yesterday morning was sorta tough.  I was busy with work and all of a sudden I felt completely enclosed, claustrophopic in fact.  It lasted just a couple minutes, but the quick realization that I needed to get out of the house and I really wanted to spend some time....a l o n e.... was so intense.  It ws shortly after that hubby asked me to lunch and I accepted.  I needed to get out of the house.  I love people, especially my family, and I love being around them.  It's been awhile since I've been around any of them, and perhaps it was feeling lonely for them.  But yet, I do enjoy my times of solitude as well and it has been a long time since I have been able to get away by myself for any length of time.  Not to go shopping or anything like that, but to get alone in solitude with God.

I remember with great fondness my times up at the hermitage.  I need to check to see if they have changed their minds and we can still go up there.  Once Sister Theresa died, the hermitages were sold to another denomination and 'Our Lady of Solitude, House of Prayer' was only for those people and not for 'outsiders' of that denomination.  How I loved going up there and staying and being alone with God.  No talking.  No phones.  No TV or radio.  Silence.  And being in the presence of God.  I remember sitting with Sister Therese in the chapel one time and I watched her as she meditated and worshipped the Lord.  Staring out the huge windows that overlooked the valley we could see for miles.  And I knew that God was in that room, because we both were in tune with Him.  It's a treasured memory and one I hope that I never forget the importance of taking the time of being alone with God.

Do you ever have a longing within you to be alone?  Perhaps it is God letting you know that He wants to be alone with you.  I am thinking that is what I was 'hearing' yesterday.  Think I will talk with hubby and perhaps we can find some time to get away to where we can 'be alone' with God for a couple days.  I think we both could use a refreshment of His Presence.  Can you?

Blessings!