Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Being prepared,,,,,,

Greetings!!

I know I have written about this subject before but being prepared for any type of emergency is essential and it is also being a good steward of the things God gives you.  This past Sunday on John Hagee Ministries Pastor Hagee gave a sermon on this very subject.  I found it most interesting but I do believe he left out some important details.

Pastor Hagee was discussing the need to be prepared in case of a national disaster or heaven forbid a war.  He talked about having a good supply of food on hand, an alternative way to heat and cook your meals, a good supply of water, etc.  He mentioned you should know how to garden and have a place to do so to raise food for yourself.  He missed on how to save seed from one year to the next or you might not have anything to grow and he only lightly touched on how to store that food.

Granted I realize his time is limited on each program and getting into such details might be difficult or might need to be done in other episodes, but these are really important things to think about.

I am reminded of this all too well this morning as my deep freezer died last night and it is filled with food!!  I am not panicking yet, LOL.  I will get as much in the refrigerator freezer as possible.  I also have an electric cooler that I plugged in that will keep it frozen for a while giving me time to take care of the food.  My plan?  I am going to can as much of it as possible.  It will be a process that will take several days to complete.  I was planning on doing this anyway but had other projects in the works first.  So, my plans are changed a bit.

This was totally unexpected.  I was going along just fine with my other projects and at the bat of an eye, I have a little emergency.  Isn't life that way?  Emergencies tend to happen rather suddenly and unexpectedly.  I guess that is why they call them "emergencies".  Being prepared for emergencies can save you a lot of heartache.  Luckily I am a firm believer in being prepared!!  I have plenty of canning supplies to get the job done without having to run to the store to pick some up.  What if it were a war or natural disaster instead?  I might not be able to go to the store to buy the supplies I need.  Always good to have supplies on hand!!  Being prepared saves time, effort and lots of worry.

Pastor Hagee was also talking about Biblical Prophesy and what we can expect in the coming months and years as we rush towards the "end of the ages".  Things are going to get really rough folks.  We are already in an economic crisis which is only going to get worse.  The weather is changing drastically as predicted in the bible.  There are more natural disasters and more frequently as well.  Maybe you have not been directly effected by one yet, but you have been indirectly with the rising costs of food, fuel, shipping etc.  When things really come crashing down will you be prepared?

Over the coming weeks I will be posting ideas to help you prepare for any emergency.  There are things that can be done to help you through the rough times, even if you live in an apartment.  So please watch for those posts and in the meantime, start making your own preparedness plan.

Until next time,,,,,,,,Blessings!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

There is none so blind as he who will not see,,,,,,,,,,

Greetings!!

There is none so blind as he who will not see,,,, sounds like familar words to an old song but it actually originated in the bible.  But what does it mean??  When you "turn a blind eye" to something because you just don't want to deal with it means you are refusing to "see".  Some parents refuse to see the trouble their children are getting into.  "My son or daughter would never do that" is often heard when a child does something wrong.  Or we might often refuse to learn from other's mistakes because we have  an attitude of, "oh, that will never happen to me" or "I won't get caught, I'm smarter than him."  Of course there are many other scenarios that this can be applied to but what about biblically speaking?

When God is leading you down a path do you turn a blind eye and try to make your own path?  Perhaps you do not like where He is leading you?  Or maybe you just don't think you can do what He wants you to do?

I believe that God is always working in our lives but we don't always see it for various reasons.  I know I have been guilty of this many times.  More often than not I am just not really paying attention.  And then there are the times that I question whether something is really from God or not.  I am not doubting God, but doubting myself.  I have made several bad choices in my life so now I find myself doubting any decision I make.  Second guessing myself became the norm for a long time brought on mostly by a very low self esteem.  That low self esteem came on over a period of years of verbal and mental abuse but none the less I had it.

It took a lot of battling and a lot of talking to God to get to where I am today.  But I often "test God" (as some would call it) asking God if this is really from you, please give me a sign that I will recognize so I know I am on the right track.  Is it wrong to "test God" in such a way?  Some would say yes because Jesus answered Satan when he was being tempted in the wilderness, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord your God."  But, I believe it depends on the circumstance and how you are testing.  Gideon, "tested God" when he asked God for a sign that he would know it was really from God.  He was quite specific in the sign he asked for and God did give him that sign.  But Gideon was not unsure of God when he asked for the sign, he was unsure of his ability to do what God was asking him to do.

In the book of Matthew it says, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness."  I believe if we are truly seeking God first in our lives and want to do His will before our own, then God does not mind us "testing Him" to make sure we are staying on the right path.  After all, we are making sure we are understanding and doing His will.

As I continue to grow in my faith and seek God first I am finding it much easier to see the signs that God gives me without having to ask Him for them, but occasionally I still find myself asking.  Then when He answers in a most obvious way it brings a smile on my face to know there is no doubt He is in control.  I like the peace I get when I know without doubt, God is in control and everything is going to be alright.  I don't have to worry, He is taking care of everything!!

God is taking me down a path now that will fulfill a long time dream of mine.  As He reveals more and more to me I feel a greater peace growing inside of me.  I can hear Him whisper in my ear, "don't worry child, everything is going to be OK, just be patient a little while longer, I'm working it all out for you."  I cannot describe the great joy I feel inside knowing God is working in my life and all I have to do is trust and obey Him and He will always provide a way for me.  That is such a wonderful feeling!!  It doesn't matter what is going on in the world around me, I have a God who loves me and will always take care of me!!

If you do not know the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding, if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour I urge you to find a good Bible based church and get to know the Lord.  You too can find peace and true joy in your life when you seek His Kingdom first.  Put aside the things of this world they are worthless without Jesus in your life!!

Until next time,,,,,,,,Blessings!!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

We live in a throw away world,,,,,,,,

Greetings!!

I was over on facebook playing games and wondering what I was going to write about this morning when God laid it on my heart as He usually does.  This ties in with the subject of "being good stewards" as I have written about many times before.

My folks, as I am sure many others, had a phrase when I was a kid, "take care of ________________(fill in the blank)  and it will take care of you."  I can remember in one particular case, my brother Leon bought me my first bicycle, my father said, "take care of that bike and it will take care of you."  I didn't fully understand how a bike could take care of me but I knew I had better take care of it!!  I washed it regularly, never left it out in the rain, greased the chain when it needed it, kept the tires filled properly with air and so on. 

As I got older I began to understand what my father was saying, if we take care of something it will last a long time.  I learned by watching my father's example with his car.  He changed the oil regularly, always checked the fluids, air pressure in the tires and had regular maintenance done to the car.  It lasted many years.

Mom was the same way, she took care of things in the house.  A good example that comes to mind with her is the toaster.  I remember weekly she would thoroughly clean the toaster.  She would dump out all the toast crumbs that would linger in the bottom, clean the toaster and check for any loose wires or heating elements.  She had dad change the plug on it twice over the years as I recall and tighten the heating elements when necessary.  That old toaster lasted decades!!

Today we often say, "they don't make things as good as they used to".  Is that really the case?  Or do we find it easier to just throw it out and buy a new one?  I believe too often we will throw it out and buy new.  Toasters are a very common thing to throw away when really all they need is a little maintenance.  How many times do you clean your toaster, check the plug and heating elements?  I remember learning at a young age how to change a plug on a small kitchen appliance, and tighten heating elements in a toaster.

Until just a few years ago I was still using the same Dormyer Stand Mixer that my mom had used since 1946 when it was given to her as a wedding gift.  The plug had frayed and needed replacing.  I let my husband at the time take it to change the plug but he wound up destroying the mixer in the process.  What a shame!!  It was the greatest mixer I had ever owned!!  I felt like I lost an old friend.  Ah, such is life!!  At any rate, being a good steward had kept that mixer in the family for over 60 years.  Imagine that!!

I have found brand new microwave ovens thrown out with the trash only to find they either needed a little tightening of a wire or a fuse in it.  Not long ago an electric mitre saw was in the garbage, not a thing wrong with it except it needed a new blade!!  I have seen window air conditioners throw out and all they needed was a good cleaning to get the dirt and dust out that had built up over the years and slowed the motor down.  The latest thing I saw along the curb lately is the older, boxy style TVs.  People want the flat screens and will throw out a perfectly good TV because they want the latest style!!  Such a waste!!

Spring cleaning is now under-way at my house.  That is also part of "taking care of things" and "being a good steward".  If we don't thoroughly clean things they begin to not work as well or look as nice.  I don't know exactly when spring cleaning actually became a tradition but I do remember a story when I was young that spring cleaning was actually a time to take apart your wood burners, which was your main source of heating, and clean them and make any repairs so they would be in good shape when cooler weather returned.  You also washed the soot from the walls, ceilings, floors, furniture and everything else in the home.  This thorough cleaning insure that everything was in good working order.

I think this is a good tradition that many people have gotten away from, at least in part.  Oh, we give it a lick and a prayer as some say.  People might take curtains down and washed them, shampoo the carpets, polish the furniture, etc. But do you take the time to check and clean each appliance in the house, repair any loose wires and plugs?  What about cleaning and flushing all the drains in the house?  Clean the gutters?  How many things do you throw away each year that with a little extra time spent on maintaining them they would last a little longer?

Learn how to sharpen your kitchen knives rather than buying new.  I cannot tell you how many people I personally know who have no clue how to sharpen a knife!!

With the economy as uncertain as it is, I think it would be good to really get back to the old way of doing things.  You can really save a lot of money by doing a little maintenance rather than throwing away and buying new!!

Until next time,,,,,,,Blessings!!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

What are they thinking,,,,,,,,

Greetings!!

Every few days I get a private message or two on facebook from men I don't know.  They tell me they think I am beautiful, or they love my smile or some other compliments always with statements of wanting to meet and get to know me.  My privacy settings are set pretty high and some have even admitted they were unable to see my profile, but "they fell in love with my smile".  Each of them have a similar message, "come to me and I will take care of you and make you happy".  Umm, yeah right!!!

What are they thinking???  Do they think because I am in my 50s and single I must be desperate?  Do they think I am so stupid I would just run off and meet them based on some smooth talk?  Is it me they think is desperate or is it them?  Do they really think they can "make" someone be happy?  Do they really think some "mature" woman is just going to leave her home, her life and go running to them because they told her to?

Let me set the record straight, I am single and happy.  I am not against a relationship but I will not look for one in this way.  I am NOT desperate to have a man in my life, if it happens, it happens but on mine and God's terms.  I don't feel lonely and rejected, I am at peace in my life.  If I may be so bold as to borrow the words from a song I heard recently sung by the Farm Hands Quartet, (I might be single) "there's just the 4 of us, I've got company, there's just the 4 of us, I'm not alone you see, there's the Father, there's the Son, the Holy Ghost and me, well it may look to you that I'm all alone but there's 3 walking with me to my Heavenly Home, there's the Father, there's the Son, the Holy Ghost and me!!!"

OK, if you get the point, I'm not lonely and I am not desperate because I am never really alone.  I have peace in my heart and I am very happy.

Please go peddle your garbage some place else and while you are at it,  get with the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost and maybe you won't be so dog gone desperate!!

Until next time,,,,,Blessings!!