Unashamed!

Hello Friends. We are at the end of November, a month of Thanksgiving for all of what God has done for us this year.. I know many of you are beginning preparations for Christmas if you hadn't already started. I myself will be centering a lot on the birth of Christ with some on traditions of the Christmas season for the month of December in this blog. And I will be starting on that tomorrow. Today, however, I am going to reprint something that a fellow co-worker had given me years ago, at our job. At the time, we had been told by the "higher ups" that we were not to be talking about religion to the women we were in the care of. The funny part of that was, that all 4 of these ladies came from some kind of religious background and would openly talk about it to us! So we weren't sure where the new rule came from unless some of the staff were complaining. No one ever said. At any rate, the following is what prompted this Christan lady and friend of mine, to print this off for me. I ran across it in some papers I was going through the other day and wanted to share it with you.


I am of the Fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus and I won't look back, let up or slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, famed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops or recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on his presence,
walk by patience, live by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised or detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the way of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of the popularity, or meander at the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, let up or shut up' 'til I've stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I'm a disciple of Jesus and I must go 'til he comes, give .til I drop, and preach 'til all know and work 'til he stops me, and when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognizing me because my banner will be clear.

-----Author Unknown

Lofty goals? Maybe. Easy? Maybe not/ Attainable?Absolutely! By the power of Holy Spirit!

Have a blessed day Friends and hope you will join me tomorrow!

God Hates Discord Among the Bretheren

Discord: lack of harmony between persons, things or ideas. Active quarrling, conflict.


Discord takes place when we are activley quarrling with other people about something. And it is pevelant in the churches today. The thing is, if God hates anything that  is sinful in the church, that is one of the greatest.

I have told the situation before of our pastor that had preached on abortion which he does from time to time. A few people had started coming to the church and heard his message on the subject for maybe the first time. They did not agree with it, and did not like it at all even though he preached it from a biblical standpoint. And so they decided he needed to be outsed. So they were able to get a few more people on board and came up with a petiton to do that. This had happened a few years ago and I don't remember all the details but the preacher let it be known to the congredation that if they wanted him to step down, he and his his wife would do so. They did not want to, but if this was God's will, they would. There would be a vote taken from the congregation and everyone that wanted to partisipate was to come on a certain day to vote whether they wanted them to stay or not.

The vote taken and the preacher was to reamin as such in the church.

He was and still is many years later and loved by so many people there. He has a love for God and people that defines he, his wife and most importantly their ministry to God. A few people back then did not like something he believed and preached so they decided he should go. And they began sowing discord among other people in the church. When they didn't get their way, they left.

 This is what it means to sow discord among the brethern. And it is sad because it goes on all the time among Christians in churches. I could give you other situations that I personally know of in my experiences within churches that should never have happened.  This was just one example, but let me instead tell you what the bible has to say about it.

James 4:11 Speak no evil of one another brethern. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, but if he judgeth the law, he is not a doer of the law, but a judge. 

Proverbs 6:14 Forwardness in his heart, he devises michief conrinually and soweth discord.

Proverbs 6:19 A false witness speakth lies and he sowth discord amonth the brethern.

And that was what this small group of people were doing to distupt God's work there. The pastor and his family had ministeed there for several years and thankfully had the backing of many more people that loved them. Under his leadership, the smaller congregation had grown to a much larger one at that point to where at the time had a Saturday service and 2 more on Sunday to accomadate all those that wanted to attend. And through God's continuing blessing it continues to grow.

But the devil still works. And he still uses people in all churches. Especially those that are sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because as from the beginning of time, he lies and wants to destroy God's work. Thankfully, Jesus has already won the battle, and there will come a time, when satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and he will do no more damage to anyone.and especially to the cause of Christ.

Until that time, we should not let ourselves be a part of any strife, or discord that goes on in anything. Not in our homes, not in our jobs, and not in our churches. God will judge us if we do and what defense will we have then. We will stand before him, defenseless becasue there will be not one word we can say. And is that really what we want? Absolutly not. Absolutly not!

If you are sowing discord in any part of your life, confess it to God and he will forgive you and you will not be judged for it because he wants you to be free and not held in any bondage of sin. And on that day in the future, when you stand before him, you will have no need for defense because Jesus has already paid the price for you and I.

Thanks for coming again, Friends. Today ends this series and we will be starting something new for the month of Decembe which will begin on the first of December. I will be here just briefly tomorrow, and will just have a short blog. And then will be back on Saturday to start the new month. I hope you will visit! Til then, God Bless!

God Hates A False Witness That Breathes Out Lies

The ninth commandment that Moses brought down from Mt Sini is: Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16. And when someone does Proverbs 25:18 has this to say about them: A man that bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club or a sword or a sharp arrow. 

There are many other verses that condemn the bearing of false witnessing. When someone says to someone else that something is true that isn't, they are guilty of this. Jesus himself faced it in Mark 14:56 and Mathew 26:60 as were others both in the new and old testaments. 

Husbands and wives lie to manipulate getting their way. Politicians sure do it to get elected. Some politicians go so far to say, "I did not have sex with that woman."  Employees call in and lie about being sick just because they do not want to work on particular days.

Sadly it is an everyday occurrence in the lives of yes, even in the lives of us Christians. 

Years ago in a church, we went to, the elders had

caught the pastor in some lies. He was forced to leave because of those lies because the whole thing had been very damaging to the congregation that had trusted him. 

The lies that come from someone that is a false witness are no less a sin than any other sin. From theft to murder. Or even telling a so-called "little white lie." There is no difference. They come from hearts that are bent on doing evil. What seems the smallest of lies is no different than adultery or any other sin. Because Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin are death. Even though murdering someone is obviously worse than just thinking about it, either will put a person on the road to hell as well as lying, for those that have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior. 

And so the next time we think of lying or bear false witness in any sense of the word, we should remember that this is one of the things that God hates. And really, I have to mention how much God thinks about it as being something he hates. Because not only does he hate when someone bears false witness, but the second thing he has listed in Proverbs 6:16-19 is a Lying Tongue. It is that important to him. And so for that reason, we need to take a pause and just not do it. And if we do, we can be grateful that we can ask him for forgiveness for which he will freely give us!

Thanks for coming by today. Blessings to you and your families as always!

What God Hates: Feet that Make Haste To Run To Evil

Have you ever known a drug addict? One who needs money for his next fix? Drugs make people do things that perhaps they would not otherwise do if they were sober. The addict needs the next fix, so he devises a plan to rob someone to get money or something he can sell in order to get the drug. And then because his addiction is crying out for that fix, he goes swiftly into action to do the deed.

That is what it means that God hates someone that makes hast to run to evil. To hurry to get what I want. To do an evil deed.

Solomen wrote about some men that would lie in wait for someone to come by so that they could attack and rob them. To get what they want they resorted eagerly to sheer violence to get it. Proverbs 10:1-19. Just as we see today in anything and everything from robbing convenience stores to home invasions to terrorism.

But how about you and I? Are there not times that we ourselves have not devised some evil plot to get something we want and perhaps felt impatient to get it, so we do it quickly? Take for instance, gossip. Someone might share a prayer request in confidence. And the next thing you know, that prayer request may have hit the ears of more than one other person because we just can't wait to tell someone. Is that not the same thing? Sure it is.

Every day there are things that get so out of hand in our society that they get spued out over social platforms like Facebook because we can't wait to tell something that someone did whether it was true or not because people just assume that it is true without first checking it out. Or maybe they are true, but is it really our place to be spreading things we have heard?

That type of gossip can do great damage to someone who is being gossiped about and it may not even be true. We must consider what our actions will do before we do something that God would not want us to do. Proverbs 4:26-27 says: Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn right or left but remove your foot from evil.

If we follow that scripture in everything we do, our feet are not going to get us out of God's will. Even something that we might think is a small evil can turn into a big one if we are quick on our feet. Just as one lie will cover up another one in our haste to cover the first one and could just keep building up, it is not pleasing to God. It is in our best interest to stop and not go swiftly to do what is wrong. And instead, we should go swiftly to God's word or to prayer. That is the better solution to what we need or want.

Thanks for your visit today folks. I hope your week has started out being blessed. May blessings pour out on you today!

What God Hates: A Heart That Devises Wicked Schems

Have you ever known someone that wants to ruin someone else? Perhaps their reputation, maybe for their own gain. Politicians do it all the time. I am a fan of the Dr. Phil Show and so many days we see people on there that are plotting against someone else whether in their family or outside of it, for some reason and are seeking his counsel

. Maybe someone tries to bring someone else down simply because they hate them.

That what it means when someone devises wicked schemes. And that is the next thing in God's list of things that he hates.

Of course like every other sin, it goes back long before politicians or the Dr. Phil Show. It goes back, as usual to the Garden of Eden with the devil/snake and his schemes to get Adam and Eve to eat from the tree in the garden that God had specifically told them they were not to eat the fruit from. Genesis 2. Satans scheming was no less than premeditated. Trying to get them to do something for his own advantage. His sneaky plans worked and the rest is history.

One example of that in the bible is one I spoke of in yesterdays blog. King David had an affair with Bathsheba and when she got pregnant with his child, he had her husband killed in battle. After the child was born, God caused him to become sick and die to Davids great despair. His sin had come back to bite him in the keister ((for lack of a better word) for sure because he really wanted the child to live. Their story is in 2 Samuel.

He continues to try to do the same to us. It starts with him planting something in our minds hoping that we will carry out an evil deed.

But nothing gets by God. He knows all, sees all and hears all. And even when it looks to us like someone is getting away with something, in the end, it will come back to bite him in the keister, just like it did Adam and Eve, King David and to everyone throughout history. Even as Christians we are not exempt. Thank God, he gives us forgiveness when we ask him, but sometimes we must pay the consequences when we sin. That is just the way it is. But God is a merciful God and he loves us. He has given us a way of escape from plotting evil against other people. Manipulating things so that they will go our way. All we have to do is ask and he willing and faithful to forgive us our sin when we confess it to him. John 1:9. And for that, if we love God and have accepted Jesus, we can say, Praise God!


Thanks for stopping by Friends! Have a wonderful and blessed Monday and new week ahead!

What God Hates: Hands That Shed Innoncent Blood/Do Babies Go To Heave? (Part 3)

It is one of the saddest times in a mother's life when she has had a miscarriage of a precious child in her womb. What becomes of this baby or one that is aborted when it passes from life to death before  (or after) birth.

Is the fetus really a baby, or it just tissue like those that those take the pro-choice side of the issue?

Let's take a look at what God says about it and see what we can find out. Because once we do, then we can also find out if indeed it is possible for them to go to heaven when they die before birth.

Abortion today as we know it, was not practiced in biblical times. And so the bible is not clear on that issue specifically. However, the unborn baby is known by God. He or she is known by him from the very time he is conceived. Psalm 139:13-15 makes it very clear. You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made intricately in secret, from the depths of the earth. 

Why would God create a baby in the womb of a woman and when it died in whatever manner, not just not allow it into heaven? It seems to me that, just those verses alone are proof enough. He forms the child so wonderful that his creation would be lost?

But is the scripture really clear about it going to heaven?

King David found out the hard way. Most of us know the story of his affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12). She had gotten pregnant with his child and when he found out about it, he had her husband killed in battle so that he would not find out. Of course, God was not pleased by this. First, an affair that created a child, and then a murder. Bathsheba gave birth to the baby who then became critically ill.by the hand of God.

King David wanted his son to live, and so he fasted hoping God would not take him. But God did. And David's response is found in 2 Samuel 12:23. Now he is dead. Why should I fast? I will go to him, but he cannot return to me. It is clear by this account that, D avid would one day go to heaven to be with his son who was already there.

But how can that be?

 Because God is a just God. He does punish sin. We know this. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. But babies or very young children are not old enough to willfully sin even though he bears a sin nature that he inherited from Adam. Psalm 51:5. However, a just God is not going to hold that against someone so innocent. God is gracious in his own nature. Psalm 145:17 And it was Christ's blood that covers all sin. I John 2:2.

While the Bible does not actually give voice to babies or even very young children that die either in the womb or by some kind of sickness after birth, we can conclude from the story of David and the other passages that they are immediately in God's presence at that time. That gives great peace to those parents that have lost those precious gifts from God, whom he created in the womb, will be there when we ourselves will see and be with them again if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and have repented of our sin.

For those that believe in the pro-choice way to go, I believe that they have missed the boat in their thinking. God will judge them if they have that thinking and/or have aborted or even promoted it to others. Better that they give up the ridiculous idea that the fetus is no more than tissue in a mother's womb and repent before a merciful God before it is too late.




Thanks for coming by today Friends. If you have ever lost a baby or child to death God wants you to know that he loves you and wants to comfort you through your painful time. The heartache can be devastating when someone so precious is gone. But God promises peace to those that ask for it. And for those contemplating abortion, please give your baby a chance to live. They are other options available to you. God has allowed this baby to be created for a reason, please don't take it away from him or her. Children are truly meant to be gifts from God to us!


Have a blessed day!

God Hates Hands That Sheds Innocent Blood (part two)

This Baby Was Saved From Abortion After It Had Started

Wait Til You See How

This Baby Was Saved From Abortion After It Had Already Started, Wait Til You See How | LifeNews.com

Murder is Murder, no matter how you slice it. Murder of the heart, murder of the spirit, or physical murder. God hates any and all of it. 

The Bible tells many stories about murder and how God dealt with those that committed it. But did you know that it also tells of the murder of innocent children?

Child sacrifice was practiced by the Ammonites and Canaanites to a god named Molech. They revered this god as a protecting father figure. Images of Molech were bronze with outstretched arms that were heated red hot. Living children were placed there or rolled into a fire pit below and they died there. Molech worship occurred in the Hinnom Valley, near Jerusalem.

So much for Molech being a protective father, ey? Who would want such a father protecting them? Especially as those little children that were burned to death? So what were the reasons for their deaths?

The practice of child sacrifice has gone on for thousands of years. Not only in the bible days but actually it has never stopped. Usually, it is intertwined with the worship of a pagan deity and very often a fertility god. (Which begs the question of why offering a child to a fertility god, just to have more children to murder?)  Clearly, the worshipers were trying to appease their gods to try to get something from them.

What was God's attitude today this practice?

He had a zero tolerance for it. Any Israelite or any foreigner living in Israel were to be stoned to death if they participated in any child sacrifice, and God would cut the person/persons off from his people. And if the people in the community did not put those that were sacrificing the children to death, those people and their families were cut off as well.  Leviticus 20:2-5. And if you will notice, that also in that passage if you read it, it equates the practice as being prostitution to Molech.

There are many other stories in the Bible of child sacrifice, such as 1 Kings 11:4-11, 2 Kings 21:6, 2 Chronicles 28:1-4, and Jeremiah 32:35. Gods people in Judah were committing these child killings that was so detestable to God that in that same verse in Jeremiah, it never even entered his mind that they would do such a thing.

Sadly, murder against innocent children did not stop in the bible days. In fact, it has continued on through the ages. Today, witch doctors of Uganda have been implicated in the mutilation and deaths of children in an effort to bring good fortune and wealth to those that are willing to pay for it.

(soruce) What does the Bible say about child sacrifice?

And in the USA? It is called abortion.

 According to Facts About Abortion: U.S. Abortion Statistics there were 887,000 abortions performed in 2016. Why?

 Because of people that do not want the babies that are in the womb. Innocent lives that are murdered because they are too much trouble for someone that would have to deal with their babies. Kids having sex and then getting pregnant with their own kids with no ability to care for them.

Why? Why? Why? Selfish people that want what they want, when they want it without having to think through the consequences of their actions or deal and pay with/for them after the fact. God will deal with them. He will deal with this country that allows these murders because he hates the shedding of innocent blood.

 But I do want to say that for those that have had an abortion, he will also forgive if they ask him. There is no sin too great that he will not forgive, except for one. And that is when someone blasphemes against the Holy Spirit. Mark 3:28-30.  And so for those people who have had abortions, there is that promise of forgiveness. So do take heart and ask God for it and he will graciously give you what you need.

No matter how you slice it, murder is murder. Of the heart, of the spirit or in the physical sense, God hates all of it. And we as his people need to be aware of our own attitudes and actions because we want to please him, and not make him hate us. Hell will be no party for those that get there. And thankfully, you and I don't have to but we can abide in heaven where we can live in a forever party with our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Up tomorrow: So for those that have had abortions, or babies and children that passed in any other way, what happens to their spirits at death? God Hates Hands That Sheds Innocent Blood part 3)

  Thanks for coming by Friends. Here is wishing for all of you rainbows of blessings!

God Hates Hands That Shed Innoncent Blood (part one)

As with any other sin, murder goes back to pretty much the beginning of humanity when Adam and Eve's son Cain murdered his brother Abel simply because God favored Ables offering to him which was of an offering of fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock over Cain's own offering of  the fruits of the soil.

This made Cain very angry with his brother. He became so much so that he invited Abel to go him to go to a field whereas he attacked and killed his own brother.

And so became the first premeditated murderer of all time. Genesis 4:4-.

But wait. That isn't most of us. We have not gone out and murdered anyone. Have we. Or let's think that again. Have we?

Jesus said this in Mathew 5:21-24. You have heard it said to those of old, "You shall not murder and whosoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say whosoever hates his brother is liable to judgment, whoever insults his brother is liable to judgment and whosoever says 'You fool' will be liable to hell fire.' So if you are offering your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there and go be reconciled with your brother and then return to offer your gift.

Ah yeah, but really, is that really the same as murdering my brother if I don't forgive him? Well, consider what 1 John 3: 15 has to say.

Everyone that hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 

Ah, but I might have a reason to hate my brother. He has hurt me so badly that I just cannot forgive him.

When that happens though, bitterness starts to build up in our hearts. Maybe we don't go out and actually kill him, but it is murder of the heart towards him and if we don't forgive him, we have created the sin of murder as if we had. Therefore, we are libel to the same judgment as in 1 John 3:15.

I have had to learn forgiveness in my own life over the years. Starting out with my own mother, and even through to the eventual illness and then the eventual death of my father. During his illness, someone had taken so advantage of him to try and manipulate him, that was so despicable to me that it could have made me so bitter to them that I could have hated them, and never spoke to them again. But you know, my dad forgave them before he passed and I knew that if he could forgive them at such at time when he knew his time on this earth was almost over, how could I not forgive them. And I have since spoken to them, and even visited them in their homes.

They have never offered apologies. And though that would be nice, to me it was not necessary for me to forgive them. We have never spoken about what happened those years ago at that time. I do not know where they stand on what they did. That is between them and God to figure out. But I do know where I stand with him because I chose to forgive and not hold any bitterness in my heart.

Forgiveness is never easy. And it is a learning process. Sometimes it takes time to forgive someone for something they have done that has been so hurtful that all you want to do is retaliate. We see stories of it or even can read about it all the time on social platforms as Facebook, of people that are so bitter against someone that they blast them over and over for all to see.

And what good does that really do them? It just makes them angrier and angrier and they commit murder in their hearts that really can and does sometimes lead eventually to the real thing.

Forgiving them is really not so much about that person, but it is about ourselves. Letting the anger and bitterness go can be health to ourselves. Not only physical but mentally and spiritually as well.

Proverbs 17:22 says: A joyful heart is a good medicine but a broken spirit drys up our bones. Not that we have to do what I did and still have a relationship with them even to a small degree, or even to continue to hurt us. The bible does say to reconcile with them. But what if we can't because they won't let us? Someone that wants nothing to do with us?  Or what if it is someone that truly has done something evil against us, that is dangerous to go and to be around?

 If it is better to just stay away from that person and not have a relationship with them so that we can forgive them, so be it. The important thing isn't about them really. It is about getting to the place that we can do it and not have it continually eating up our health and our hearts. We do not need their apologies to go on with what God calls us to do. And that is what is important for us. Because after all, it is not up to us to pronounce judgment on others. That is God's job. And I for one, am thankful it is not mine.

Hello Friends. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. And now many of us begin the Christmas Season with our plans of shopping, and decorating and all the other things we will do in the days to come. On the way home from the dinner we went to yesterday, we saw Christmas lights adorning the outsides of some homes already and how pretty they looked.

As you begin the season with all those plans you have, don't forget that quote we see or hear from time to time,  Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Because that is what it is really all about. Not the decorations and gifts. But if not for the baby in the manager that grew up to save us from our sin, there really would be no reason for celebration.

Thanks for coming by. Please stop back tomorrow for part 2 of Hands That Shed Innocent Blood.
God bless!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is hard for me to believe that another year has almost come to an end. The months are going by so quickly. At our house this year, things have been a little hard but God has gotten us through and we anticipate a better 2019. I pray the same will be true for all of you. 

Being that today is Thanksgiving, I thought I would give you some facts about it that perhaps you did not know.

1.  The first Thanksgiving was a three-day celebration. Governor William Bradford organized the feast.
2.   It is unclear if the meal included turkey. However, they did have lobster, seal, and swan. 
3.   In Plymouth, Massachusets, you can order tickets as early as June to attend a Thanksgiving dinner as part of the town looks much the same as it did in the 17th Century.
4.  The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade made its debut in 1924, but it did not feature balloons. However, they did have animals from the Central Park Zoo. 
5.   German American Illustrator Tony Starg had an interest in puppetry and he was responsible for the amazing floats that came to life in the 1927 parade.  At the time, he was an illustrator for Good Housekeeping Magazine.
6.  About 46 million turkeys are cooked for Thanksgiving each year.
7.   Only male turkeys gobble
8.  The Butterball Talk Turkey Line answers almost 100,000 calls each season
9.  There are 4 places in the country named Turkey, another 4 named Cranberry and 34 named Plymouth.
10.  And would you believe that Black Friday is the busiest day for plumbers? It is due to all the food eaten, that kitchen drains, garbage disposals and toilets need more attention on Thanksgiving than at any other time during the year, reports Roto-Rooter. 

For more interesting facts about Thanksgiving, follow the link to:Best Thanksgiving Trivia - 20 Fun Facts About Thanksgiving

So what are you plans once your own Thanksgiving meal is over? Watching the football game?, Throwing a football around or playing it with other members of the family outside? Playing board or card games? I know one family that used to go to a movie theater each year. Or maybe you prefer watching them at home. 

Well, if that's you, watching movies at home, here is a few I found that will air on tv today.

1. National Lampoon's Holiday Reunion (2003)
2. .Free Birds (2013)
3.  You've Got Mail (1998)
4. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
5. The Blind Side (2009)

These are just a few and more are listed with trailers at 16 Best Thanksgiving Movies for 2018 - Thanksgiving Films to Watch This Year

Above all, when sitting around the table today, ready to enjoy a wonderful meal, don't forget to give thanks to God who has blessed us so abundantly. Not only for our food but for family, friends, this country we love. And most of all, for sending his son Jesus to die for our sin that we can have eternal life. Have a wonderful day and God bless you and yours!

Changing Topics For Today: Happy Fall! Recipes for Christmas

Hello Friends. I am going to switch gears for today with a couple easy Christmas Recipes since it is the day before Thanksgiving and you probably have your meals planned and shopping done for tomorrow. I decided to put my next lesson (Things God Hates) off until Friday. So I hope you enjoy what I have found for today's blog.

Maybe you have some kids at home that you need some easy cooking/baking ideas to help keep them busy for the days they will be off during Christmas break. So how about this cute idea that comes from Easy Rudolph Brownies - Your Cup of Cake



Rudolph the Reindeer Brownies

Prepare Brownies from any box mix or even from scratch. Frost the brownies to stick on the face or use melted chocolate to use as the glue. Using white M&Ms from a bag of the mint flavored, for the eye whites, a drop of melted chocolate (using a toothpick) for the pupils, and a red M&M for the nose, and pretzels for the antlers, you have a fun take along desert to a party or what child would not be happy to share Rudolph with their class at a school party?



One of my most loved Christmas Characters is The Grinch. Why? Because ' How The Grinch Stole Christmas' made its debut into my life and heart by way of that story being published in our local paper some 50 plus years ago one Christmas when my father read it to us on Christmas morning. The Grinch is still popular after all these years later and has his own new movie out this Christmas Season. simply called, 'The Grinch.' So when I found this recipe for the cake, named for this time-honored tradition,  I had to share it with you. I suggest first you go to her website  for suggestions and more pictures of just how she made it, please visit her at  Grinch Cake for Christmas | The Bearfoot Baker
           

ingredients:

2 boxes pound cake mix plus whatever the box calls for
heart cookie cutter
red and green food color
loaf pan
green and yellow frosting (Pillsbury Blue and Green Funfetti Frosting)
red heart sprinkles-optional

Instructions:

1. Make one box of cake mix following directions on the box. Add a few drops of red coloring until you get the color red you want.
2. Please note: Recipe on the website suggests using Wilton 'No Taste' red coloring because it doesn't have the taste of food coloring so is perfect for this cake.
3. After baking, cool cake and then slice into even pieces.
4. Then use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut as many hearts as it takes to lay them face to face from one end of the pan to the other end. Make it a snug fit but leave the room at each end for the green cake mix.
5. Mix the second cake mix and add some green food coloring.
6. Pour the green batter around the heart cut outs.
7. Top the pan on the counter so that the batter will fall down around the hearts.
8. Bake according to package directions.
9. Frost the cake with some green frosting and add some red heart sprinkles

How about this cute treat for a child's school party. One that they themselves will have fun making to share with their class? From website: Milky Way Teddy Sleds for Class Party Treats this Christmas!

Milky Way Teddy Sleds

Ingredients:

Mini candy canes (2 for each sled)

1 Milky Way miniature candy bar (cut in half for each sled)

1 Teddy Graham

small amount of chocolate frosting per sled

Spread frosting on mini candy canes. Add milky way bar and sandwich teddy graham in between bar Let dry overnight before transporting them. 

Now how easy and fun is that! The above website also suggests it would be a great treat for a class treat party station as well!

Well, friends that is it for today. I apologize for being a bit later today on this blog. I will be here briefly tomorrow but it in the meantime, I leave you with the following scripture. 

For all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many rebound to the glory of God. 2 Corthianians 4:15.

Have a blessed day!

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God Hates A Lying Tongue

Lying goes all the way back to the Garden of Evil when the devil told Eve that despite what God had told her which was not to eat from a certain tree, that indeed it was ok to eat from it and that she would not die if she did. From that day forward, the devil has continued to lie to us and we have picked up the habit ourselves. A habit called sin. 

It was a commandment of God, the ninth one in fact that we are not to bear false witness against our neighbor. It was apart of the early church in a lie that Ananias and Sapphira told about a donation they had made.

God is a not a man that he should lie. Numbers 23:19

Jesus Christ called himself The Way, The Truth, and The Life in John 14:6.

Other scripture about lying can be found in Colossians 3:9, Ephesians 4:15,  Hebrews 6:18 and others. Lying is such a sin that this is what Revelation 21:8 has to say about it.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for the murders, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolators, and all liars their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur that is the second death. 

Ummm. Isn't that pretty harsh since we all have a tendency to lie at times? To cover up something we have done or maybe haven't done that we should have. And yet that is what it says.

And for many many people, that will be their end.

Thank God we do not have to end up in a lake that burns with fire and sulfur. We have only to accept God's gift of eternal life and at that point, when we do lie, we have him to go to, to ask his forgiveness.

Granted, it is better to not get caught up in any kind of lying. Sometimes a lie will end up in a tangled web of lies, each one building on the one before and before we know it we have created a problem that we don't know how to get out of. Lies are never pretty. They are devised of the devil and used by us to do us and those around us damage.

God wants better for us. He wants us to live in the truth. But when we fall into that sin, we have only to confess it to him and he forgives us. He is our way of escape out of the sin that leads us to the end that those that don't know him will find themselves someday. Or those that have already.

Thank God for his free gift. Because in him, we do have his word to count on when all else fails, for he is Truth.

Up tomorrow: God Hates Hands That Shed Innocent Blood

Thanks for coming by to spend a few minutes with me. I hope you will come back tomorrow. In the meantime, have a blessed day as you prepare for Thanksgiving.  

God Hates A haughty Look

Haughty: arrogant, full of pride, superior to others, disdainful, overbearing, and obnoxious.

Have you ever known anyone that you could call haughty? We probably all have at one time or another. If not personally, maybe someone that we just know of. It is in contrast to what the Bible teaches us about being humble. And in Proverbs 21:4, to have haughty eyes or to be prideful is called sin. It is saying, "Look at me. I am better than you. I am above you. You are nothing in comparison."

I think that there are those that want nothing to do with God, that would have this attitude. They are too good for him. They have no need for a Savior. They are above anyone that does. And he is only for weak people. And in fact, I have been told that. And yet, it is that exact attitude, that is exactly why they need God. And why they need a Savior. Because in the end, when it comes their time to face him, they are going to find out why they did need him and are going to be sorry that they didn't realize that sooner.

The wrong kind of pride can not only be sin, but it can also be sad.

I know of a man that thinks that the world revolves around himself. He doesn't care what anyone else has to say. He always is the important one in any conversation he has with anyone all the time. It is almost so ridiculous that if you were to talk to him on a Monday and you said it was Monday, he would argue with you that no, it is Tuesday. He is in his 80s now, and most everyone that knows him cannot stand to be around him. He will die a lonely old man and face an eternity that he never believed in or needed unless he finds Jesus before that time comes. What a sad way to live and  worse yet to die

Scripture is very clear about it being sin and how God hates it. There are many instances where God has had to deal with it in people. Both in the Old and New Testament. Just a couple examples of each are in Psalm 18:27, Isaiah 2;11, 1 Peter 5:5 and James 4:6

But wait, just because we are born again does not mean we are exempt from becoming prideful. God had to deal with it in his own people such as 2 Chronicles 26:16 with King Uzziah for example. It is something we need to watch in our own lives because those that are not Christians are watching us. We are the only word of God that some people will ever see. And if they see us as being anything other than humble as God wants us to be, why would they want to accept Christ.

To anyone that thinks that God is for just the weak, I  do say I have to agree. He is for me because without him, I am otherwise weak. I do have a need for him. I do have a need for a Savior. Without him, I am nothing. And I am so thankful that he died for me!

Being humble is an attitude of the heart that we really do need to strive for because otherwise, God does resist those that are haughty and full of pride. Full of no one but themselves. And that is a sad place to be.

(Tomorrow: A Lying Tongue)

Have a blessed day and new week Friends. Thanks for coming!

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God is Love. So What Does He Hate?

We know that God is Love. The Bible tells us just how much he loves us in that he sent his Son Jesus into our world to save us from the sin that would lead us to destruction. But what are the things that God hates?

Actually, there are 7 things listed in the bible that he hates. They are: (1) Haughty Eyes (2) A Lying Tougne (3) Hands That Shed Innocent Blood (4) A Heart That Devises Wicked Plans (5) Feet That Make Haste To Run To Evil (6) A False Witness That Breaths Out Lies (7) One That Sows Discord Among the Brethren    Proverbs 6:16-19

And so what do those things mean to us today, if anything? Well, starting tomorrow and for the next few days, we will take a look at each one to see if we can find something out about what they mean in today's world. I hope you will join me.

As for today, I am going to take it off from my usual blog. But in the meantime, I leave you with this  promise from  Isaiah 26:3.


You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. 

May God bless you and yours this Lords Day!

It Is Not Funny!

Have you ever done anything that you were ashamed of? Of course, you have. We all have. We disobey God, causing us to sin which then causes us shame. There are different kinds of shame. Shame for something we have done that isn't right. Shame for something done to us in our past. Shame for sinning against God. And worse yet, being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have all sinned. For all have sinned and come short of God's glory. Romans 3:23. However,  sometimes, we want or try to hang on to it even when we need to let it go.

Sometimes we feel so ashamed that we can't even forgive ourselves.

For some, there are things that haunt them from the past. Things that were out of their control. Things that someone did to them and made them believe that it was all their fault when it wasn't at all. But take heart. God can take that shame away. Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed., neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame: for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. Isahia 54:4

We should never be ashamed of our Lord Jesus Christ. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone that believes, for the Jew first and then the Greek. Romans 1:16  He is not ashamed of us (Hebrews 2:1)  and therefore we should not be ashamed of him.

So what are we to do with the shame we feel? First, putting our faith in Christ is the first step and that is essential. Then we need to understand that he loves us, and once we have asked his forgiveness, he no longer holds us responsible for those things we have done that have caused the shame. Being in his word and learning to forgive ourselves goes a long way in getting past the shame we feel. And also, forgiving those that have wronged us, will help us as well.

God promises this in Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of prison doors to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all those that mourn, to console those that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for morning, the spirit of praise for the garment of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified. 

Shame is not funny. Ask anyone that has ever been made to feel it. We all have. But guess what.....

.....Jesus took our shame when he died on the cross for us. Hebrews 12:2, so when we put our trust in him, we no longer have to live our lives in it, if we let him take it from us.  He allowed his death to happen so that you and I can have a home with him in heaven. And he is there, sitting at the right hand of the Father, waiting for you and I. And while we are waiting to get there, we can be free from it. Yes, we can. And for us, it is all good news!

Thanks for coming for a visit today Friends. Have a blessed Day!

Happy Fall!/ Recipes

Burrrr. For some of the country at least, winter has hit. Earlier this week, my husband and I had gone on our usual grocery trip. It was soooo cold! But it was so nice to get back home to a warm house. Then yesterday we got snow flurries. Quite a few of them really. But they didn't stick. Just left everything wet.

But, all said and done, winter is definitely on its way. And with that in mind, I decided to look up some non-alcoholic drinks that could help warm us up when we need that extra bit of help.



Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bedtime Drink

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 tbsp pumpkin puree

2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
optional: vegan whipped cream and walnuts for garnish

1.Whisk ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat until smooth
2. Serve hot and enjoy!



Who doesn't like salted caramel? Here's a new twist (at least to me) on that in a hot drink.

Ingredients

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups apple cider

1/2 tsp sea salt

whipped cream, caramel syrup, and cinnamon for garnish

Combine brown sugar and heavy cream over medium-high

heat in a medium heavy bottom pan. Stir until sugar is

dissolved in the cream and the mixture bubbles, about 3

minutes. Add vanilla, salt, and cider and stir well. Simmer

for 10 minutes or until heated through. 

Yum! 

      These recipes and more can be found on (50) Pinterest should you want to check them out. 

Thanks for coming by today Friends. Have a wonderful fall day and please come back tomorrow!(By the way, I apologize for the mistake on yesterdays blog about it being Friday. I was trying to get ahead to the weekend I guess.) 

Giving Thanks Even Through My Loss

Thirteen years ago today, I lost my father to cancer. He had been the main person in my life for many years and remained such even though I married and had children. It had been the saddest ever time for me, even though I went through some hard years as I grew into my adulthood.

Hospice had come out those last few weeks to give their support for him and us. A hospital bed had been brought out and we had moved him to a bright and sunny spare room in his home that he had added on some time in years earlier. It was really a laundry room but it also had windows all around where he could look out over the back of his property, and down into the woods at the end of it, watching the birds and just having a private world of his own to be secure in God's beauty of it.

Early in November of that year, I had cleaned it good, putting Christmas decorations up and setting the little Christmas tree on his table, with pictures of he and my mother for him to enjoy. I wasn't sure how long he had as his doctor would not give us a time frame. But I just knew that he may not make it until Christmas. And he didn't.

The holidays that year were the hardest I had ever had to celebrate. And have never been the same since. But I am not alone. Many many people go through a grieving time through them every year. For some, it is old hat, as some might say. Or something that goes on and on every year, while others may experience it new for the first time this year. However it is for each individual, we do know that it can be the worst time of the year for those of us that have lost someone we dearly loved.

If we have never lost someone ourselves, it is sometimes hard to understand someone that has. A few years earlier, I had a cousin that had been divorced from her husband. He had suddenly left her and it may be hard to believe but she had no idea that he wasn't happy in the marriage and wanted out. It came as a big surprise to her. One that left her alone and grieving her loss. The holidays had always been a big part of their lives. She loved all that they entailed and so to have to deal with her life after the fact was a hard thing especially during those seasons. I didn't understand her grief. We had grown up together and had always been close, but this was one part of her that I could not get ahold of. She was always talking about him, always crying. Always trying to win him back. Which wasn't to be. He wasn't going back to her.

I didn't understand until I went through my own with my dad. While my situation with grief was different and not as vocal as hers, I did understand the pain of knowing my dad was not coming back. God had taken him home. And I was thankful for that, but it did not make it easy to know that he was gone from this life.

Over these years though, it has gotten easier. Once the initial sadness went away, (which took a long time) it hasn't been so hard. I was able to understand that I could give thanks through it. Thankful for the fact that he was a good father while so many aren't. Thankful that he raised me in a Christian home, even with so many problems that he faced all those years. Thankful that he led me to the Lord when I was still young. Thankful for his Christian example and witness to his family, friends and even those he didn't know. So many things to be thankful for. Even though he was gone.

God had given me a father that I am proud of. And the best news is that, even though he has passed, I really did not lose him. I know exactly where he is. He had a love for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that even though I know he was not perfect and he had flaws like all of the rest of us, his love for the Lord really surpasses most any other Christian that I know. And someday soon, I will join him and my mother in heaven, where we will never be separated again.

And that is something I am thankful to God for because even though the sadness is still there, God is good. All the time. All the time, God is good. So if you have not lost someone to death, let those that have, cry on your shoulders talk to you about their grief. Love on them as Jesus would do. And if you have lost someone to death, know that God hears you and he is there to comfort you through his Holy Spirit. And in time, hopefully for most people things will get just a bit easier.

There are things you can also do to get you through this holiday season  There are websites you can go to for help. I have provided a couple in this blog for you below. Above all, don't get to a critical stage in your grief. Get whatever help you need. God bless you during this time as you are important to him.

Sources for help: Christmas Grief :: Meier Clinicsm. Coping with Grief at Christmas | CBN.com

What Grieving People Wish You Knew at Christmas | Desiring God

Scripture for comfort: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort that we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corthianians 1:3-4

May God bless your day!

Happy Fall! Thanksgiving

Fall brings with it chillier days, falling leaves, and thoughts of the coming holidays. In just a few more days we will gather together with family and friends to thank God for the wonderful provisions that he has given us this year. Just as the pilgrims did many years ago. Can you imagine the hardships they had to endure coming to a new country? Not knowing what to expect. If you have never been to Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, well, to be honest, it really isn't a big deal. However, the history of the Pilgrims settling in the first New England Colony is part of our American History. And throughout all that the Pilgrims endured during their travels here and after they got here in settling that colony, they were not to forget God's provision to them. The first Thanksgiving was held after their first harvest here in 1621. It was first known as a harvest feast. They had learned to plant corn and catch ell from a Native American named Squanto who resided with the Wampanoag Tribe and who also served as an interpreter for the Pilgrims. Thanksgiving was celebrated off and on for the years to come but it did not become a holiday until 1863 during the Civil War when President Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens" And so were the humble beginning of the first holiday of giving thanks to our God for all he does for us during the year. Our lives, even as hard as they can be at times, are probably nothing like what those first settlers that came to this country to escape a corrupt jurisdiction of the Church of England, so that they could worship God and have religious freedom. It is their courage that brought that here to us and which we should be forever grateful to them and to God for giving us this great country in which we enjoy such freedom. So on Thanksgiving, don't forget to give thanks for "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." For if it not be for him, where would we be?

sorce: First Thanksgiving Meal - HISTORY

Many of us are decorating our homes in the tradition of fall. With that in mind, I found an easy one that you might like to try. It is called "Glowing Pinecones in a basket." All you need is a basket filled with pinecones. Gently wrap some white Christmas light around the pinecones And you have a festive basket to display on your holiday coffee table.  How easy is that for those of us that do not have a creative bone in our bodies? lol.

 source:(50) Pinterest

One of the things about this time of year that I love are the apples that are so plentiful. We had an apple tree while I was growing up and then when I got married we had our own trees that helped feed our growing family. If any of you are like me or know someone like me-I am just not that crazy about pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. And so the following cake might be your solution to that problem. 

Apple Dump Cake

15.25 oz box Betty Crocker Spice Cake Mix

2-21 oz cans Apple Pie Filling

1/2 cup butter (8 tbsp)

2 tbsp Ground Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray inside of a 9x13 casserole dish
3. Pour cans of Apple Pie filling in a dish and spread evenly
4. Sprinkle Cinnamon over apple pie filling.
5. In a bowl, combine dry cake mix with butter and mix until a crumbly consistency. (break any large chunks apart with a spoon.
6. Pour cake crumble mixture over apples in a casserole dish. Spread evenly
7. Bake 30 minutes or until edges are hot and bubbly

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!

 Source: Chocolate Pecan Fudge Recipe! (3 Ingredients)

Now, how easy is that and it is a great desert in addition to your Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie!

Well, Friends, I am glad you came. That is it for today. Hope you will come back tomorrow and in the meantime have a blessed day! Go share it with someone you love! Byeee!!!!

 

1. 
   

The War Rages but Can We Win it? On (conclusion)

It is no wonder how much a soldier of either biblical times or in our modern society had or has to carry heavy equipment into battle. According to how much did roman military gear weigh in biblical days - Google Search a Roman soldier carried anywhere from 66 to 100 pounds, while our soldiers today carry from 60 to 90 pounds as well.

Can you imagine carrying that much weight? Even in my youth, I couldn't have. But Roman soldiers did it as well as our men and women military do today.

Military gear is heavy and yet to be able to stand against the enemy, a soldier has to have it. But what has that got to do with what the Apostle Paul was trying to convey to the Christians of his day? And then consequently for us today.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you will be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted from the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all of the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take up the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:11-17.

 The battle rages on. And it will rage on until Jesus comes back. It is a battle of good and evil and our lives today can be full of darkness. Because the devil is still around, just like he was in the days of Paul. Maybe you have experienced it? Alcoholism, child abuse, spousal abuse, certainly drug abuse which has been running in the news lately and much more. These are all a result of sin. Sin that has their roots in the devil's schemes to keep us or take us away from God's will for us.

Sin that is heavy and can weigh us down so much that we can fall into depression and may even be the root of some of the diseases of today.

That is why Ephesians 6:11-17 is so important for us even for us in this modern world in which we live. Because if we think about it, and if we apply it to our lives, actually the weight that the devil wants to place on us, has to fall off. He has to flee from us as we submit to God. James 4:7.

Having to carry the gear of the military is a heavy but necessary burden for those that carry it. But having to carry the weight of the sin of this world is so much heavier without the armor of God's word. But we can win the war. The battle within us can be over. Because even when we sin, we have God to go to and he forgives us. His burden is light.

Come to me all you that are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Mathew 11:28-30.

Do you see that? We do not have to carry the weight of sin and darkness on our backs. God's burden is light if we trust in him. And putting on the full armor of his word is our defense against the heaviness that the devil gives us. Why would we not want to exchange the devil's burden for God's?

If you have never trusted God. If you have not traded in the devil's burden for God's, you can right now. Just pray the following prayer and if you sincerely mean it, you will begin a new life in Jesus. It does not matter who you are. Or where you come from. It does not matter what you have done. You don't have to get your sin cleaned up before you can ask Jesus to come into your life. In fact, you can't do that before you ask Jesus to come into your life. You have to ask his forgiveness so he can clean it up. Do it now. He is waiting for you.

Thanks for your visit today Friends. Please come back for Happy Fall

in tomorrows blog. And have a blessed day!