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Showing posts from April, 2009

Thankful Thursday ~ Courage

The topic for this Thankful Thursday is courage. Who were the women of the Bible who needed courage? Debra led the Israelites into battle and Esther saved her nation. Mary surrendered to God’s will and gave birth to a savior. The same God these women of old called upon for courage is the same God I reach for in my everyday life. When I think of challenges in life, I think about the verse in Isaiah 65:24: Before they call, I will answer. I remember calling upon God when I needed courage to leave my family and friends and move out west. I remember calling upon God for courage when my husband’s father was diagnosed with cancer and came to live with us the last year of his life. God answered with courage when my husband lost his job and He answered when my husband faced surgery several times. This week I am thanking God again for my family. I never thought I would be a grandmother and God gave me that privilege. The past two weeks with Susanna has been a blessing. I’m thankful

Sunday in Balboa Park

I'm so glad that my husband arrived early and safely Sunday morning and he was amazed how his granddaughter has grown since he saw her last in December. We spent the afternoon in the park enjoying the various International Cottages. We tasted a delicious coffee cake in the House of Sweden that had almond paste in the center. Just outside the House of England, we found sausage sandwiches called Banger Sandwiches much like you would eat in an English Pub. I enjoyed the presentation of Helena Modjeska in the House of Poland. I studied her china and other artifacts she brought over from Warsaw. A beautiful painting of this lovely high society lady graced one wall. Helena left Poland and settled in California and you wonder how much influence this Shakespearen actress had on the West Coast in the 20's and 30's. I gave my husband a plate of latkes and applesauce in the House of Israel. The artifacts were fun to study and I took a picture of my daughter holding Susanna, but of co

Spiritual Sundays - In His Image

I noticed that my six-month old granddaughter, Susanna, periodically places her palm to her forehead. Her mom informed me that this is a mannerism that she inherited from her father who, when tired, places his palm to his forehead. He deployed when Susanna was only 3 months so he is not even here to see how much she looks and acts like him. He would be thrilled! We, as God's children, are growing in our Father's image too. Amy Grant sang about wanting her Father's eyes...eyes full of compassion. I knew that my soul was saved and that I was filled with the Holy Spirit when Father God replaced my fear of people and gave me love for them instead. Have you ever thought about how you resemble Him? The qualities of our Father God are vast. And His children are as numerous as the stars in the sky! Gorious Father, how wonderful that You created us in your image. Bless my brothers and sisters today as we grow in your likeness! Be sure to go to Spiritual Sundays for more Sun

Eight Things

I was tagged this week by Alleluiabelle at Humble As I Go . This game enables us to get to know one another better. Here's how you play: Mention the person that tagged you. Complete the lists of 8's. Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends. Go tell them you tagged them! 8 Things I look forward to: 1. Seeing my husband again. 2. Having lunch with my girlfriend, Sue, soon. 3. Sleeping in my own bed! 4. Visiting my family in Illinois. 5. The roadtrip back to Arizona and stopping in Yuma for Mexican food. 6. Creating a slideshow of all my photos of San Diego. 7. Seeing my son-in-law come home from sea. 8. Visit the beautiful mountains in Arizona. 8 things I did yesterday: 1. Made a big pot of Albondigas Soup. 2. Swept the floor of dog hair...again! 3. Read some of my book, Edgar Sawtelle 4. Enjoyed watching my daughter and granddaughter get a call from her husband in port. 5. Read my Bible 6. Prayed a lot for several requests 7. Laughed a lot with everybody's Friday Funnies! 8.

Friday Funnies

Every career has its pitfalls, I guess. This nine second video was sent to me by a friend in an email this week. Enjoy! Be sure to join Kim for more Friday Funnies!

Ten on Tuesday

My daughter participates in Ten on Tuesday, so I thought I would give it a try. Here’s my ten random thoughts with some photos, too: 1. The rose garden in Balboa Park contains rows of rose bushes with various names. What is your favorite rose? I bet it’s here! 2. The neighbors on this street in San Diego care about one another and make themselves available to help if you need them. The woman across the street celebrated her birthday over the weekend and invited “the hood” over for sushi. Susanna was dressed in the cutest pink onesie that said “Does this diaper make my butt look big?” 3. We watched a great Netflix film called “We are Marshall”, the story about a town that lost hope and found it again. 4. True to California, I’ve been eating healthy for the most part. My daughter cooked up some ground turkey with seasoning and cheese and served it in wraps of lettuce. Excellent! 5. Miriam, a shepherd mix, is a well behaved dog. She sheds a lot! 6. The Farmer’s Market impressed me with br

Little Boy Needs Prayer

Prayer is needed for an eleven year old boy, Colton, who has dyslexia. He was unjustly punished in school by a teacher. Click here for the full story. Many of us have been praying for Colton, who stated that he "just is mentally retarted." He is not and we need to rally around this little guy with our prayers right now. The school board has been informed. We're praying for justice in this situation and especially Colton's healing deep inside that little soul of his. Thank you for helping us pray. I'm sure Andrea at Arise2write will be giving us updates.

Israeli Sense of Humor at the UN

An ingenious example of speech and politics occurred recently in the United Nations Assembly and made the world community smile: "Who does Israel belong to? " A representative from Israel began, 'Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Moses. When he struck the rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath!' He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water. When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Palestinian had stolen them. The Palestinian representative jumped up furiously and shouted, 'What are you talking about? The Palestinians weren't there then.' The Israeli representative smiled and said, 'And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech!" Please join Charlotte and Ginger, hosting Spiritual Sundays today for more encouragement or you can click on my sidebar button.

Sisters In The Lord

We ought always to thank God for you, Sisters, loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel that you might share in the glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 2 Thessolonians 2:13 To be part of the Body of Christ is a privilege. I learned a long time ago that the choice I make daily to follow Christ (or not to follow) not only affects me but my relationships. In the past six months of blogging with you, I have been drawn to the Lord in so many ways because of your choices to follow Him! You whet my appetite for more of the Word with your writings and I am grateful for our friendships. Thank you Alleluiabelle, for this Sisterhood Award. It is a blessing to me and one that I long to pass on to other sisters. My prayer is that God will bless my sisters in Christ today and give them just what He thinks they need. If you are visiting me and reading this

Friday Funnies

My girlfriend, Peggy, knew I would be visiting babyland and sent me this video this week that made me laugh. Hope you enjoy it, too. Have a wonderful Friday and be sure to visit Kim at Homesteader's Heart for more laughs!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for a safe trip to San Diego this morning. I'm grateful for all the prayer support because favor was mine at every turn! Even though it was very early, my traveling companions that I met on the shuttle to the airport were lively and talkative. We conversed about everything from recipes to our faith. It was pleasant on the airplane as well. I'm so grateful to be here in San Diego with my family. It doesn't take much for Susanna to make her Grammy smile. Being with her brings back tons of memories of when her mommy was that age! This week I'm praising God for our military. I'm so proud to be an American. Our family is shouting "Go Navy!" We are so proud of the Navy Seals who rescued Captain Phillips. We can only imagine the celebrating going on in that family and in their church family who rallied around them during the capture. Ours is a wonderful country and I pray blessings on those who defend it. If you would like to participa

I’m On My Way, But Not to San Jose

I’m almost packed for my trip. I look forward to flying out to San Diego on Thursday morning and spending the rest of the month with my daughter and grandbaby. I am so happy to be able to see Susanna again! She is already six months old. Her tiny feet are long enough to hit the floor in her Jumperoo and she can jump fast! My husband and I talk at length about how wonderful she eats her sweet potatoes! We watch her on u-tube over and over again. At the beginning of the year, our family promised our Navy guy that we would visit his little family often while he was away at sea. I eagerly take my turn and long to hold Susanna in my arms! My daughter is a wonderful mother. She is a writer and a great researcher. It blesses me how she takes her motherhood role so seriously, researching what is best for her child. She is a great cook and we have fun in the kitchen together. She lives in an almost perfect climate so we take lots of walks with the baby and her dog, an Australian Shepherd! I’ll

Silver Sprinkles are Contagious

I had a wonderful Easter weekend. Reading so many blogs about the crucifixion and resurrection prepared my heart for a very special experience at church on Sunday morning. Each Easter blog post that I read this weekend seemed to build upon another. It takes time to write posts and I am so grateful to bloggers who poured out their passionate hearts and shared some aspect of their faith in Jesus. It built up mine. At church on Sunday, the music was wonderful, the sermon was great and friends were all around to share in the worship. My heart was ready and open in an amazing way. I found myself weeping I was so filled up on the inside and my husband wondered if I was okay. I wore a new blouse on Easter that had an unusual effect. It had tiny little sprinkle s of silver shavings in the material. The blouse sheds! Here I am with a close friend, Mary Jane, and you can see my silver sprinkled blouse. When I hugged my friends, some sprinkles got on them; I hope they can take a joke! Sprinkles w

Proving the Resurrection

For two millennium, Christians have celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ at approximately the same time each year. Some call it Easter; some call it Resurrection Sunday. Many non-Christians and atheists scorn our belief and put us in the same category as believing in the tooth fairy and Easter bunny. Although I did believe in Santa Clause as a child, I put away childish things. I did, however, retain my belief in Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Without His resurrection, He would have been in the same category as all the dead spiritual leaders and philosophers of the past such as Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius and Aristotle. They are all dead. Without the Resurrection, Christians might as well believe in the tooth fairy. Twenty-four years ago, I picked up a book by Josh McDowell called Answers to Tough Questions . One of the questions that Josh addressed was the validity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To summarize his answer, he said something to the fact that there

The Challenge

I accepted the challenge from Jean at Daisy Chain and the sixth picture in my sixth folder is a memory of the beach while vacationing in Cabo a few years ago. I don’t know who would be interested , but if you're reading this and you would like to join in, I invite you to participate by posting your 6th picture in your 6th photo folder! Here’s what you do: Open the 6th folder of photos Select the 6th picture Post the picture on your blog with a description Invite 6 friends to join the challenge Link 6 friends to your blog post

Friday Funnies

I'm joining Kim today at Homesteader's Heart for Friday Funnies. Be sure to visit this site for an uplifting day. A special Good Friday to all!

Matzos for One Hundred and Twenty

This spring marks our 25th year of celebrating Passover. One of my favorite memories is the year that we took our Messianic music to the church sanctuary, and along with the help of the congregation, transformed that Saturday evening into a remembrance of a lifetime as we celebrated Passover together with our church family. We set up tables, and each woman decorated their family’s table with beautiful tablecloths, fresh flowers and candles. In the background you could hear our praise & worship leader practicing devotional worship songs. Blue and white balloons decorated the big room. We greeted each family at the door while women gathered in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the dinner food. My husband gave a mini teaching about The Haggadah, or the booklet that tells the story of how God led the Israelites out of Egypt and delivered them. He explained the elements that make up a Seder, which means “order”, and the purpose of each. He then gathered the children to himsel

Baby Boomer Blogger

Who is the baby boomer blogger? Who started practicing her smile at 5 years old? All she needs here is a great big desk Sitka, her furry friend, might say! Kay, at Dream Big, posted a photo of herself as a little child and I can’t get it out of my mind. I could see back then the mischief in her expression that I’ve come to know so well about her as an adult. So, of course, I had to join in the fun using her clever idea! I hope this blog idea catches on…I would love to see what my blogger friends looked like as children. If you post your childhood picture, please invite me to view it!

You've Been Fanned!

Alleluiabelle from Humble As I Go has presented me with the pronouncement that she is a fan of my blog. The month of April has been named “Tell Them You Are a Fan” month. Let your favorite blog sites know that you’re a fan just as Alleluiabelle did with me! Now instead of the rules, I would like any and all who leave me a comment the opportunity to say that I’m a fan of yours! Please accept this unique award from me to you.

His Light Shines

Thank you, Andrea, from All God’s Creatures for encouraging me with the His Light Shines award. My prayer is that Christ will always be honored here. Alleluiabelle at Humble As I Go loves Jesus with all her heart and encourages her readers with poetry and deep prayers that please the heart of God. Angie’s blog, Free Spirit Haven , is rightly named. She is open and free with her worship despite what happens in her busy life. It is here I freely sing and dance with my sister in Christ. I am Heading Towards My Destiny shares the light of the Lord in a most friendly way. I like the practical way Beth shares Jesus in her relationships. I’m inspired.

Fickle Faith

On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. John 12: 12-13 I remember going to church on Palm Sunday when I was a young girl and receiving a palm branch that my parents proudly displayed behind a picture of the Last Supper in our dining room. I lived in the Midwest; this was my only understanding of the palm. Many years later I moved with my husband and children to the southwest where we planted a palm tree that was three feet high. We watered it faithfully every day for almost ten years. By the end of the tenth year, the tree towered several feet over the roof of our house. My husband would cut the dead fronds, or palm branches, off as the tree grew new leaves at the top. I learned a lot from the Palm tree. The last foot or so of the palm branch was a jagged thorn-like stem that

Friday Funnies

She was driving like a crazy lady. I noticed her license plate. I decided not to pass her. Would you? For more Friday Funnies, go to Homesteadersheart !

Thankful Thursday ~ Hope

Today I’m thanking God for the hope He gives His followers. In Hebrews 6:19 it says: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both secure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.” An anchor is only as secure as that to which it is fastened. I’m thankful for Jesus, the very hope of my soul. So I carried this anchor of hope into my prayer closet this morning: I have hope that My Son-in-law, Mark, will be completely healed in his back. I have hope that those on my prayer list suffering with severe conditions in their mental & physical health will be healed. I have hope that these red envelopes that so many of us are sending to Washington will have an impact on the president and his administration and that hearts will be softened and the unborn will be protected. I ’m thankful, also, for last night’s Bible study at church. We studied the fruit of the Spirit of peace. Visual presentations speak loudly to me and when our pastor featured his child’s puzzle

The Parenthood Award

Every year Planned Parenthood, which is not interested in planning anything but abortions, gives out its yearly award called the Margaret Sanger Award. Last weekend, the honor went to Hillary Clinton for her work throughout her career in public service because she supports women’s health and reproductive rights. Jay Leno joked about this on his show saying: “In an unusual gesture for a sitting secretary of state, Hillary Clinton was given Planned Parenthood's highest award. In her speech she revealed her number one recommended method of birth control: pantsuits.” What is this Margaret Sanger award? I learned from Conservapedia that Margaret Sanger, who founded Planned Parenthood, argued for woman's liberation from the domination of men. She advocated economic independence and withdrawal from the traditional family unit, particularly marriage. She wrote “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose c