Time for another cup of coffee

 The coffee has helped my headache this morning, from a night of not sleeping well, I am going to assume, but my sinuses are driving me crazy.  I'm guessing that from the atmospheric pressure that is in the air?  Or whatever it is.  I feel plugged and exhausted.  Part of that, as mentioned, is that I didn't sleep well.  I was calling on the name of Jesus frequently throughout the night. That's all I knew to do for what was going on through my mind. 

What is this thing that one needs to take their levothyroxine by itself and then four hours later take the rest of their pills?  I have taken Levothyroxine for probably 40 years at least, and I don't recall being told that, nor have I done it.  I usually take it along with all my other vitamins early in the morning. Always have.  But in reading my Virta stuff, it says I should take it 4 hours before anything else.  What's up with that?  Is this something new?  I don't think I've even read that in the papers we get when we get the prescription.  Since I'm due for a refill, I'm going to read the papers with it (again) just to see what it says.  I don't' have time to take one pill at this time, another pill at another time - good grief! Let me take them and get it over with!  They are lucky I take them at all!  

I feel like watching church online this morning.  My head and sinus isn't cooperating real well this morning to be around people.  I'm hoping hubby will take pity on me and tell me to stay at home.  No, I don't have a valid reason other than my head and sinus hurt, but I want to stay home. Is that so bad?  We watch Jentezen Franklin at 9AM and then we can watch the Salvation Army service at 10:45AM.  So we are 'in' two church services.  Just online.  But, we will probably go with to the Salvation Army church and meet our friends there.  And then go to lunch after.  

I didn't get new shoes yesterday, but I did go to the grocery store.  And, believe it or not, I actually pretty much stuck with my list of things I needed to get in order to eat according to Virta.  No chips; no ice cream.  And you know what?  Not a big deal as I didn't buy them every week anyway.  Didn't buy much meat, no canned goods, and definitely no baking items, but did get some vegetables and other things I needed to get.  Hubby is happy we are allowed cheese.  And bacon.  I bought peppered bacon.  And because I'm a good wife, I bought hubby his crab salad.  Not for me, for him.  Maybe I will make some eggs ole' this morning - half a batch, anyway.  Sounds good, only I don't have any salsa to put on it.  Should I make some?  I usually put brown sugar in it - but I wonder how the taste would be affected if I left it off?  Did you know that tomatoes have carbs in them?  Things that make you go hmmm.

I also made a few jars of my cranberry-strawberry jam.  I think I only ate of it one time out of the last batch. I gave away all but one jar.  Now I have six jars in the cupboard and a partial for hubby in the refrigerator.  He wants to be on this plan with me (of course), but I've also told him that although he will be eating what I do, he can still eat his breads (he insists he has to have his raisin bread on Friday mornings).  Then again, what I will be fixing will be more fat that we normally eat, just a lot less carbs.  Will it cause him to gain weight?  Something to think about.  I made fajitas last night and yes, we did have small flour tortillas with it.  I will have to cut those out.  Sigh. I did buy some small 0 net carb tortillas.  Will see if they are worth eating.

James 4:10 (NIV):  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.

How many of us know people who are 'proud' and boast about themselves?  I am sure we all know people like that.  But we are told in the Word to be humble before the Lord.  Let go of everything before Him, for He is the One from whom we receive all things.  There is also a scripture - and I am not going to pause and look it up - that says if one is going to boast, boast only in the Lord.  He is the only One in whom we should boast, definitely not about ourselves or about our abilities - of which He has blessed us with.  All that we do and say are to bring glory to the name of the Lord, not to ourselves.  How are you doing with that?

My late father-in-law had a saying that I have hung on to all these years....."God said it, I believe it, that settles it".  That just came to me as I am watching Jentezen Frankin's first service, and the song says "I'll take You at Your Word.  If You said it, I believe it,  I've seen how good it works, if You start it, You will complete it, I'll take You at Your Word".  

I believe every word in the Bible.  If God said it, I believe it.  And if I believe, it, then I will live it. Sometimes I fail, I will admit, for I am not perfect by any means.  But our God is a God of grace and mercy and when we run back to Him, He opens His arms to welcome us in and gives us His love, His grace, His mercy.  Hallelujah!

Hubby just came and told me to stay home, that he would go to church without me.  That's ok.  I don't know I could sit through a service and then go out to lunch with friends.  I reminded him the one of our friends is preaching today and may not get to the SA church if he runs late. The other couple, she is still battling shingles; last week she said it was spreading to her back so I don't know how she is.  I neglected to check in with her this week. I think he has decided he will stay home with me and we'll watch it online together.  The SA church is nice, don't get me wrong, and the Major is a great teacher of the Word.  But he isn't a preacher.  I still long to be at a church in which we can become a part of the family and be involved.  Such as the RV park, we consider a lot of them 'family' and if we chose to go there every Sunday, we would be welcomed.  But, it's only for the winter months.  They don't do church in the summer, but I suppose they could if they wanted to.  That would be 'free' I'm sure; the winter folks pay us when we speak.  I think today's offering goes to the Salvation Army for the fire relief, if I recall correctly.

Think I'll close this off and listen to the message.  Hope that you have a wonderful Sunday and devote it to God, and to your family.

Blessings!

A (very)little alone time ...

 I am not going to attend church this morning but will watch it online.  Hubby will be going to church without me.  Why?  Because I still have a little bruise under my left eye (which one could interpret as a black eye) and I cannot wear makeup for another day or two.  That may mean only eye makeup - but I'm not taking any chances.  My eyes are very important and I want to make sure they heal without any interference or problems that I caused by being vain. :-)  Yes, I'm vain to a degree; I tell people that God is the ONLY One who can stand me without makeup this early in the morning. :-)  Yet, there are many days I don't put makeup on, with being at home.

I visited Ms. Vicky next door yesterday afternoon.  Before I left, she asked me if I would like a cookbook.  Me? Turn down a cookbook?  Of course I wanted it!  She said it belonged to her mother or grandmother; she wasn't sure; she just knew it was old.  O.My.Goodness!  It is old.... when I got home I started to go through it - it was put together in 1940 - but it has something I have never seen before in ANY cookbook - it has TABS!  I didn't take the time last night to really look at it, but hope today to dive in to it some and see what recipes are in it.  I told Ms. Vicky I would find a recipe in it and make it for her.  She's funny.  She is on the heavy side and uses a walker and has trouble with her knees, I think it is.  She has been going to the pool down at the rec center to exercise her legs to strengthen them.  Now she has the mind set that I need to go with her and walk the pool.  We've been here three years and we haven't walked the pool yet.  She goes to a smaller rec center so I may not mind it... and it would be good for me... providing the water is warm.  I just can't do cold water.  She's going today, she says, so will let me know how cool the water is.  Well it WOULD get me going to the rec center for exercise, right?  Once I start it won't be so bad, right?  And I would have a friend with me, right?  She knows I can't go for at least a month so the water will be much warmer.  Can't take the chance of water splashing in my eyes (doctor's orders).  (I can take showers but don't let the water in my eyes)

Today is day 40 of my fast from Facebook, Linked In, and Instagram.  I have been tempted a few times, but have not fallen from my desire to stay off of it.  It really hasn't made much difference.  Tomorrow I will go through my 'notifications' and relate birthday wishes to those whose birthdays I missed and things like that.  Most won't need to even be looked at.  I think my notifications are about 170 or so ow.  No biggie.  If it was important for me to know about, and they are close, they would have my telephone number or email and could have sent me whatever message they wanted me to have.

I am praying about leading a small women's group.  They call them 'heart crews' at church.  I am thinking on Monday nights, as that worked out for us when we attended a group together.  That group fell apart after that class.  I don't mind doing couples... but a lot will depend if I am 'told' what to facilitate or if I am allowed to facilitate a class on what I feel God wants me to.  If I do a couple's class, hubby can attend; if it is just women, he'll have to find something to do.  It would be good for me to lead a class again for it causes me to dive deep into study and God's Word so that I can understand and teach clearly.  I've gotten lazy over the years I have quit teaching.  It's probably been about 6-8 years since I've taught anything.  First question is - what does the Lord want me to facilitate?

John 5:46-47 (NKJV):  "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ut if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

So think about this.  When you read the books of the Old Testament, do you believe them?  Do you believe all that God gave Moses to speak?  Do you believe that God inspired Moses to write the first five books of the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy?  If you believe Moses and what he wrote of God and His intervention to lead the Israelites out of Egypt - how can you not believe the words of Jesus in the New Testament.  The Old Testament is 'our' history just as it is of the Jews.  The New Testament is how we should live for Jesus.  I've heard the saying for years - but no one really says it anymore.... READ THE RED..  What does that mean?  It means read the words of Jesus in the New Testament.  Most bibles have Jesus' words in red; the bible I gave to my children have His words written in blue.  Not sure why; haven't figured that out.  I've seen it in blue in other bibles.  One bible I've seen - and it really surprised and disappoint3ed me - didn't have Jesus' words highlighted at all!  Jesus' words bring life!

Don't roll your eyes!  I have followed Jesus nearly 40 years now.... and I've never looked back.  Yes, I still made a lot of mistakes... but when God shows me what I've done, I repeat and ask forgiveness and hopefully learn NOT to do it again.  Following Jesus is the best thing I have ever done.  I could lose everything, like Job, but never lose Jesus.  As long as I seek His face, and turn to Him for my needs, He will always supply what I need.  Even when I don't know what that is.  The devil is always trying to tear me down in different ways.  He tries to destroy me emotionally through my siblings, through my children, through friends, through my spouse.  As long as I lean in to Jesus and seek Him first... He will always be my Hope, my Comfort, my Peace.  

He can be yours too.  Why not take a few minutes and just talk with Him this morning?  Tell Him what is going on in your life.  Talk to Him about your dreams, your successes, your failures.  Do you not know that He will wait for you forever, if He needs to, and will be sitting nearby, just to hear you call His name.  Trust me, if you will seek Him first in your day, you will be amazed how your day unfolds.  Try it.  Just call His name and talk with Him.  He is your best friend.

Blessings!