It was a great message yesterday

  Pastor George from our church, although not on staff, spoke yesterday.  He said he turned 79 the other day - and when people started to clap, he said to stop - the only thing you get when you turn 79 is a colonoscopy.  Only he said it in a way that it was funny.  We all laughed.  But the message he gave was very good.  In fact, I'm going to go right into it cause I want to share while it is still sorta fresh on my mind.

Joshua 17:14-18 (NKJV):  The the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the Lord as blessed us until now?"  So Joshua answered them, "If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you."  But the children of Joseph said, "The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell int he land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel."  And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph - to Ephraim and Manasseh - saying, "You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong."

Points that Pastor George made in this message: 1) Ephraim and Manasseh experienced the pressure of the blessing.  What did he mean by that?  

They forgot from where they came.  Think about it.  God had brought the tribes out of Egypt, out of slavery.  He lead them 40 years through the wilderness (until that generation died cause they grumbled all the time and didn't obey God to go into the Promised Land!)  Ephraim and Manasseh were blessed and their families grew (as did the other tribes) and now they were complaining that they had grown so big they needed more room.  But were they willing to go out and fight?  So what if the  Canaanites had iron chariots - wah! - what did God do to the chariots that followed them out of Egypt and tried to capture them?  They FORGOT what God had already done.  

They FORGOT from where they had come.  They were living on land they did not till.  They were living in houses they did not build. They were living off food that had grown they had not planted  - and they were complaining because they wanted more.  Just because God has blessed us, doesn't mean we have all we want. We all want MORE.

The pressure of the blessing causes self-pity, and we become self-centered, and want more. And more. And more.  Even too much is not enough when we have the pressure of the blessing.  God gives us everything we need, but when we focus on what we need and not on God, we become self-entitled and self-centered.

There is a difference between Inheritance Mentality and Entitlement Mentality.

Inheritance Mentality - all we get we give back to God. He supplies, we surrender what we have to Him.

Entitlement Mentality - what we get is never enough.  We always feel we are entitled to have more.

Other thoughts - People say they want to hear from God, but they won't read their Bible, nor do they sit quietly and give Him time to speak.

Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.  

We come from a God who parts water; from a God who conquers the enemy.  

We are strong with God.... whatever comes against us.... go back from where  you came.  (i.e., when you had nothing, and God supplied)   Trust God to meet all your needs; don't become self-entitled.  It all belongs to God anyway.

Good stuff, don't you think?  I'm glad I am sharing it; hopefully I will keep it in my mind and 'remember from where I came'.

Got a text from my son that reminded me I hadn't finished this for today.  Work always seems to get in the way.  And training.  LOL I have 11a today.  Upper body.  HIIT tomorrow at 10a.  Trust me, I can look back when I could barely lift a few pounds - and now I can flip 178 pound tires!  God is good.

Hubby had said we were going to 'talk about my retirement and the bills' this weekend - I didn't say anything; and he must have forgotten.  Just when I resign myself to working until I die.  LOL At least I am doing something, right?  I can't do anything now if I wasn't working.... only difference is I wouldn't be sitting in front of a computer all day and doing 'stuff'.

Am I feeling entitled?  LOL  God has always provided for us over the years.  Some day I will have to sit down and share some of His marvelous works for us... if I can remember them all!

In the meantime - I need to answer my boss and get to work.  Hope you have an amazing day and 'remember from where you were, to where you are now'.  How has God blessed you?

Blessings!

Picking up groceries already bagged...

 is one of the best things grocery stores have done.  I didn't pay any attention to it for a long, long time. Why would I do that?  It's just as easy for me to walk up and down aisles, taking my time (unless I'm short on time and then I just get what's on my list), and picking up whatever I want.  Over the past few months I have taken to ordering groceries online and I must admit it is a very good thing.  Especially if you have a list and know what you need.  You go online, you click on the box how many of what item you need, after the first time, your card is in the system and you even have the total before you 'get to the cash register' and can take some things out if you got carried away.  Once you hit get it finished, you hit submit, and it will tell you what times are available for you to come pick it up.  Because I selected it, I got a text after I had submitted my order, and when I was on my way, I was to click on the link that says 'on my way'.  When I get to the store, I pull into the 'pickup' areas and again pull out my phone to go back to that link and then I select 'I am here' and I input the number (1,2,3,4) of what space I am in.  I kid you not - within five minutes a cart is being rolled out of the store with all my items on it.  If I needed any substitutions, I already had received that text and I have a choice yes or no for the exchange.  Once the cart is rolled out to my car, I open my trunk and they load my car, thank me for the order, and I drive home to put my groceries away.

I don't have any complaints about this service.  I've used it several times.  Only a few times I had to use a substitute.  In fact, one of the items I bought yesterday were 4/$10 or something like that... they were out of one, and I didn't want the substitution they offered.  They adjusted the cost to still give me the sale price for three since they were out of the fourth item.  My card in the system has already paid for the groceries and I can just drive away once I have them in my car.  I have not been disappointed with any of the fresh fruits and vegetables either - nor any of the meats - everything is fresh.

But, later in the day after I got home, I remembered a couple items I really needed, and didn't have on my list.  Will need to do a run to the store some time today and pick those up.  Not a big deal.  Picking up a container of mustard isn't going to keep me in the store for a couple hours.  I can run in and run out.   I don't mind going to the grocery store.... especially if I have time to 'waste'.... but I always spend way too much if I go in person.  This really works for me and helps me to keep my spending in line.  I don't do it every time, but as busy as I have been lately, yesterday was a good time to use it.

I'm glad this work week is over.  It has been really busy... and I am afraid next week will be even more so - I gain the 3rd boss and she will be the 'big chief'.  I'm going to think positive and we will get along great and she will be easy to support.  I know I need to learn new things... to support all three of my bosses..... and I don't want to.  BUT, because it will help in my job, I will learn them.  I had a long talk with my new male boss yesterday.  I really like him a lot.  We had a 30 minute meeting yesterday to go over his calendar - and we talked nearly an hour and a half!  So glad I had his calendar blocked!  We did review his calendar, but he filled me in on some things that were coming down the road - confidentially - and I feel good that he knows he can trust me not to share that information.  He also showed me how he uses One Note.  I've never used it; didn't know of anyone who did use it; rebelled against learning it, as I have several other programs offered in the Microsoft 365.  I want to be left alone with what I already know and use.  But his use of One Note intrigues me and I am willing to step out of my comfort zone to You Tube and see how to use it effectively.  I know I am not as 'up to speed' on technology as some of these younger admins are... and that's been fine with me.  When I've been asked to cover a meeting and show the slides, I've always replied I can't if I am taking minutes, and got out of it.  But I feel that my job has stepped up several levels of where I have been, and I have no choice but to learn how to do these tasks - or be embarrassed that I cannot.

But not only do I need to learn these things, I need to use them and retain how to use them.  And right now I am pretty tired.  I think I have been reading too much on lack of Vitamin D and what symptoms are.  My tiredness of the past few months I have blamed on work and the vaccine.  But when I get off work and go sit down on the couch and fall asleep ..... how tired is tired?  I just want to shut my eyes for a moment, and next thing I know I am out cold.  Is it from the lack of Vitamin D?  Is it still from getting the vaccine?  Is it from focused work?  I don't know.  I know that even now, after sleeping my six hours, I feel extremely tired, but my mind is awake.  Does that make sense?  May need another cup of coffee this morning.

I am scheduled to go donate blood this afternoon so while I'm out will probably stop at the grocery then.  Hopefully I can go alone as hubby gave a few weeks ago and isn't eligible to donate again yet.  Time alone will be nice, even going to the grocery store.  Makes me think.... I sometimes have enjoyed going to the grocery store - if I can go alone - and just take my time and browse.... I wonder if other spouses feel that way.  I am a big girl, I can push my own cart.  I can be focused upon my own list, or open to any thing I want to get.  Run recipes through my mind of 'what can I fix with this?' can cause me to buy several items I may not get to for awhile because I can't remember the recipe in its entirety. And that's ok.  I'll figure it out.

Sometimes when I can get out alone, it is just God and me.  I love those times when I can talk with Him as I drive down the road.  Sometimes I turn on the radio and sing along with the songs.  Sometimes I just talk.....and He listens.  And then there are those times when He lets me know He has heard me, and He is pleased with me.  There are little things that He does.  We often are so busy or thinking about other things that we miss those little things He does to show us He loves us.  

Today, as you are doing things around the house, or taking a walk, or going for a drive... open your eyes, open your mind, and see that possibilities of when God is speaking to you.  It may be in seeing a garden of flowers.  He is showing you His work.  It may be seeing someone help another cross a street.  It could be His kindness being shown.  There are so many ways our God will shower His favor and goodness upon us.  Let us keep open, that we may see, and hear, and glorify Him for it all.

Afterall, He created this world for us.  He causes the flowers and the trees and the grass to grow.  He brings the wind and the rain.  He flashes the lightening across the sky, and lets the thunder roar.  He shines His sun upon us to give us warmth.  He is the Creator of all things; and it is good.

Blessings upon your weekend!