Bible Study and first dehydrating project of 2025

good morning beautiful people.           I pray that everyone is having a great morning thus far.         the sun is shining beautifully, but it's deceptive.           hahaha           it's pretty cold and as per the weather people, we're to have some ice come in here sometime tomorrow.          so hubby is out doing what he can do to get us prepared for this.          our motto has become for us to get as prepared as we can, and pray that we don't need the preparation.          I don't know what the weather will do, but I do know it will have the potential to be bad.          so we try to plan and then let God have it all.        that's the best plan we've been able to come up with over the last 45 years.          God is good, God is good, God is good!!!

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so I finally got started on my first dehydrating project of the year.         I go thru dried minced garlic like nobodies business.         it's good and good for you.         so we use it.         here lately I've been using it on my oven baked diced potatoes, both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes.        it's just a taste that we love and I also use minced onions.         so when I'm done with the garlic, I'll start on the onions.       but for now, it's the garlic.

I recently got a little chopper that you can charge it like you do your cell phone and then push the button and it will chop away.        it's a cute little thing.        I'll take a pic of it when I get into the onions.       I just forgot to this time.        I got 4 bags of garlic from aldi already cleaned and into cloves.         peeling garlic is so time consuming and it's hard on my hands to try to peel that many garlic cloves.      so I made the best decision for me and that was to get the bags of garlic already prepped.        and they are a product of the USA, so I'm happy about that.       Lord only knows where they were pkged at though.       anyway, it is what it is and I got 4 bags of them.           once I'm done with the onions, I may get another couple of bags.     

I did take a few pictures, not as many as I should have, because I'm getting rusty at trying to make sure I take pictures of everything.        hahaha        and I must say that if you open your back door and smell garlic, you're welcome, because that's ME and my garlic!!!!!         hahahaha

each bag of garlic was 6 ounces.           on each red tray is about 3 ounces of minced garlic.        I usually dehydrate everything I do at about 110* F, but for these, I dehydrated them at 120*.         I wanted to get this done as quickly as possible.          I started the first 4 trays last night about 7:30 or 8:00 pm and I got up and come thru the house at about 5 am this morning and they were done.        I just wasn't ready  to take them off the dehydrator.       so just a bit before 10 this morning, I got the minced garlic off the trays and into the jars and got the trays filled again and turned the dehydrator back on at 10:06 am.         I left it at 120*, so these should be done before bed time and if they are, then woohoo!!!!        if they're not, I'll turn the dehydrator temp down and go to bed.

this is what the 2 bags made.        you can see what the bags look like and then the 2 jars.         I love saving the garlic jars just for garlic.         I may even use some of them for the minced onion.      although the minced onion is not as strong as the minced garlic, it will still spare a couple of jars from getting all "stinkified" from garlic and onions.

one and half jars from 12 ounces of garlic.          not too bad.       it will be interesting to see how long these last me.          I have garlic growing, if they survive the great freeze that is headed our way.        if they do survive, this may be the last time I'll have to buy garlic to make my own minced dried garlic.      I sure hope it is anyway.   we'll see.

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I picked up with my Bible reading this morning.           Genesis 20 -27.         a lot happened in these chapters and above everything else we can humanity at it's best or worst.         however you choose to see it.      Abraham was deceptive, not only once, but twice.        then we see Isaac do the exact same thing.  and we also see Esau sell his birthright for a bowl of porridge.        but one thing we have to see in it all is that God was about having a people that trusted Him.          even thru the deception, Abraham trusted God.          he trusted God enough to know that God would provide a lamb to sacrifice instead of killing Isaac.           Abraham had a relationship with God that had proven to him, that God was faithful all the time, even if Abraham wasn't.          that is the same God we have today.        our God is faithful even when we're not.        

sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to live in a time when God made Himself known to His people.          but then again, I realize that God is still making Himself known to His people.      every time I pick up my Bible, I am opening myself up to learning more about our amazing El Roi, the God who sees us.          I love that!!!!!          I love that I can read about Him and then meditate on Him the rest of the day.        I know that God is with me and close to me.          when I'm reading, I can sense myself in those situations.         I don't know if you can or not.         but just to feel the presence of God in those moments is such an amazing thing.        to know that the same God, Yahweh of Abraham, is the same God, Yahweh today, in 2025!!!!          

I hope you are doing your own bible reading and study, right along with me.         I hope you see some of the insights that I'm sharing, but more than that, I hope you're having your own eye-opening moments along the way.      

God bless you as you progress into your day.       if you'll be in the path of some of the ice and snow coming, take care of yourselves.         always remember that God loves you enough that He provided a way for you to be in right relationship with thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Messiah.

blessings of mercy and grace be yours today.       hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and randomness

good morning beautiful lovelies.           I pray that wherever you are today that it is a most beautiful day, or the start of a most beautiful day.         it's a cool morning here with expectations of several more really cool days to down right cold.       I'm ready for spring.         I guess that's my mantra these days.        hahaha         the older I get, the less I love winter.        yeah, that's so.         but I can start thinking about my garden right now anyway.        I've started getting my seeds together.        I noticed in the dollar tree yesterday that they have their seeds out.        so that's a good sign.       garden time is just around the corner.         yay!!!!

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In Genesis 13, when Abram and Lot was separating from one another, Lot looked towards sin; Sodom and Gomorrah.        the snare of sin always looks enticing.         Abram seen the need to separate from Lot, they both did.         but Abram trusted the LORD and Lot trusted what he seen with his eyes.         Abram was blessed by God saying that his seed would be as plentiful as the dust of the earth.

Chapter 14, Abram let the LORD take lead in the battle and saved Lot from enemies.     Lots eyes had gotten him into trouble.       that's the way it is with sin, most of the time it starts with what see and then goes on from there.       see, think, do.       that's the steps to either living righteous lives or living evil and wicked lives. 

In Chapter 15 is where God tells Abram in a sleep that his heirs will be captive in Egypt for 400 years and then He, God will send someone to deliver His people.        Just as Jesus is our deliverer, so will Moses be the deliverer of Gods people from Egypt.        Egypt represents the sin that we are attracted to.

in Chapter 16 we see where the warring between the people started.      Ishmael and Issac was half brothers and because Abram and Sari didn't wait on the LORD for Sari's conception, Sari and Hagar was at war.  the Angel of the Lord told Sari that her son would be as wild as a donkey and he would be in defiance of his brothers.         this is where all the fighting in the Middle East originated from.        the descendants of Ishmael have been at war with everyone ever since.      this particular verse is where the name El Roi  (El RoHe-how to pronounce) comes from, meaning "the God who sees me".          I love this!!!!!         God is my El Roi, because He has seen me every day of my life.          Praise El Roi!!!!! 

in chapter 17 God makes a covenant with Abraham and the people make the commitment with God in the form of circumcision.        this was symbolic of cutting away of sin and accepting the blessings of God for the Jewish people.         this is when the nation of Israel was taking form and shape.        this was Gods covenant with His chosen people. 

Chapter 18 is where Isaac is promised to be born of Sarah, an old woman.          she laughed at the thought of such a thing happening.          we can see from this experience alone, that anything is possible with God!!!!          this is also where Sodom and Gomorrah have reached the height of their evil and wicked ways and God will put an end to these two cities.            this is where the scripture comes from that tells me that whatever God does is just and righteous.        Abraham said to God, "shall not the judge of all the earth do right!"           God finally told Abraham he would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there was 10 just and righteous people in the cities.        10 is all it would have taken for God to spare the cities.         so when we live our lives in sin, expect destruction.         that's what we have seen for many years, the destruction of this country, because it has been pushing the ways of Sodom and Gomorrah for  many years.        our destruction is coming soon, unless there can be found 10 righteous people living in this country.        I pray that my husband and I are 2 of those 10 righteous ones.

in chapter 19, Lot had gone from looking at the sinful cities while he was with his Uncle Abraham, to sitting in the gate of Sodom.        he was some kind of leader now.         he looked at sin and became involved in the city of sin.        that's how enticing sin is.        we see it and then we move closer and closer and the next thing we know it's all around us.       Lot didn't participate in it, but he lived in it.     for those that think the homosexual life style is good, God thinks it's an abomination.       that's not my opinion, that's God's opinion.         His is the only opinion that counts.        think twice before you push this evil and wicked and abominable stuff off on children.         I hear that mill stones are pretty heavy and even if you have one and tie it around your neck and throw yourself in the ocean, you can't get away from Gods wrath.  

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I hope if you're following along on this journey, that you're taking your own notes and that you are asking God to let you see what He wants you to see.           I hope that we can all see this as a great way to come closer to the Lord in 2015.

I'm going to cut this one short and get on with my day.         I pray you all have a blessed day.      always remember that God wants to be in right relationship with Him thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.      remember as we read thru the Bible, that every page of the Old Testament points directly to salvation in the form of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.  

blessings of mercy and grace be yours.  hugs and love, patty  

Bible Study and this and that

good morning lovely friends.        I hope that where you are today, that your day is beautiful!!!!         it looks likes it's gonna be a keeper in my neck of the woods.         the sun is shining brightly and it's slowly but surely melting all the heavy frost as it slowly rises in the sky.         it was brisk 20* when I got up this morning.         I had planted garlic bulbs and some onion roots from a package of green onions back in late november or early december in my mr stacky garden tower and I put a frost cover on them.      we have been checking the weather as of late and see how it's to be turning bitter cold again, so I got out yesterday and put another frost cover on.       I may actually put the 3rd frost cover over them with the single digit temps looming in the forecast.       our weather bug app is a little liar.    hahaha  whatever the weather calls for in our area, the temps always drop much lower than what the apps are calling for.       it has something to do with our specific micro climate in this specific location.        just a quarter mile in any direction and the temp can be anywhere from 5 degrees to 15 degrees cooler or warmer.       I guess that's the way it is everywhere, I don't know.         but I just hope I can do what's necessary to not lose my garlic and onions.  we'll see.

yesterday being the first day of the New year, I made a batch of homemade sourdough bread.        we do love having sourdough bread.        we are enjoying grilled panini sandwiches.        well, I don't know if they are actually panini sandwiches, but they are really good cooked on my cuisinart grill/griddler.       we really enjoy the sandwiches.        

not only do I make homemade sourdough bread, but I also use a bread machine and make brioche buns and cornbread swirls using the bread machine.        a bread machine is a fabulous tool to have in the kitchen to mix your yeast doughs up with.        it does all the kneading for you.        for those of us who have hand and arm issues, it can be a life saver.     

yesterday, I also started the year off with our yearly tradition of blackeyed peas.       they are so good, but we don't have them often.        I like to save them as this special treat for New Year's day and then finish up what I cooked and we'll have them another time or two throughout the year.

I also cooked an electric pressure cooker of my chicken corn chowder.        we love that a lot and the cornbread swirls go well with that.       I like to keep that in the fridge as our fast food.        when I need something quick, I'll have chicken corn chowder and a batch of dried beans of some kind to go to for our fast food.       I know what's in every bite of it.       that means a lot.

I also keep lots of salad fixing in the fridge.       that's another fast food.        I keep all the veggies prepped and read to put on the lettuce.       I have a large box in the fridge with the washed and cleaned lettuce and then a large bag with individual bags of all the different veggies and some fruits prepped and ready to go.       that makes eating healthier a lot faster than if I had to start from scratch with a salad every time.

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well, this morning I read from Genesis 5 to Genesis 12.        there is a lot of genealogy in these chapters and if you can follow it closely, you can see who fathered each nation.       my brain tries to stay on focus, and each time I read thru the bible, it seems like I get just a bit more of the genealogy understood.

some things are easier to understand, so I don't beat myself up if I don't get it all at once.       one thing I do understand is that with free will, comes the choice to sin.         we see sin very early on in scripture and we see the need for salvation at the same time.      people were living for a long time and they were filled with sinful ideas and in Chapter 6, God shortened the life span of humanity.       and then we see the flood and how only 1 man was righteous enough to be spared.       and what I think about, is knowing humanity of the day, this day Jan.2, 2025, is there 1 man that would be righteous in the eyes of God to spare all of humanity and start over?       I don't know, but I do know we don't have to worry about that if we know Christ as our personal Lord and Savor.   

we see where Noah planted a vineyard and got drunk and one of his sons seen him naked and was cursed while the other 2 sons were blessed for covering Noah up.        I think in that scenario we see where drunkenness came into play and we have been dealing with that ever since.       Thanks Noah.    

then we see where people wanted to be smart and build a tower up to God.        well, how did that work out for them?         they all started babbling and haven't stopped since.        things like this happen when we want to claim the power of God.        He will not be mocked.        He will not let unholy attitudes go without some kind of repercussions.       

then we see Abram, as much as he followed God and walked with Him and believed God, he still lied about his wife, to spare his life.        and we'll see that Abram not only lied once but he lied twice about his wife being his sister.      in reality, we'll find that his wife was his half sister.       so, technically he wasn't 100% untruthful, but he was deceptive.        so, we'll see happens there.

with just a little bit of reading the Bible, we can see that humanity with free will has always been a freaking mess and we keep getting worse with all the newer technology that we have today.      it's just so easy to lie, cheat, steal, deceive people.       most people want to that there are "gray" areas that can be tap danced around where the Bible is concerned.         when in reality and in the eyes of God, it's all black and white.        there are no gray areas.       when we start wanting to think there are, we have fallen victim and prey of the devil and his schemes.

I don't know how long I will keep this up, journaling on my blog about what I ready and glean from God's word, but as long as He keeps inspiring me to do so, I will.        but even if I don't journal here, I'll still be journaling a little just for myself. 

I hope and pray that some of y'all are following along and will do the same thing.       ask God to give you clarity.        what I share is just what I've gleaned.         you may glean something totally different.    at any rate, it's interesting to read the Bible and have it play right in our own minds.        what's so neat is that there have been so many good movies made on the Bible, that I can see every one of these scenes playing out as I read it.       that's what makes it so fascinating.        it's like when I start reading, I hit the play button on my mind and the images come to life in my mind and I see it happening as I read it.      I'm so thankful for that too.        but I always try to remember to ask God to show me something new and fresh each time I read the Bible.        I hope you will too.

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well, that's about I have for today.      I hope if you seen something you like that you will share it with someone you love.        tell them about the wonderful journey you are on with reading your Bible.

I hope and pray that everyone has a wonderful day and that you thank God for being a part of it.  blessings of peace and grace be yours today.        hugs and love, patty

2025 Happy New Year!!!!

good afternoon lovely Ones of God!!          I pray that your New Year is starting off well.         2025 is a good year to be alive!!!!!         I believe that!!           I hope you do too.          one thing I know for sure, is that nothing will happen this year that God isn't aware of.         we just need to lean into Him more this year and let Him deal with what ever comes our way.         that's definitely what I'm gonna try to do.

it seems like the New Year is gonna start off cold.        it's 37* in my neck of the woods and that's the high for today.         we got out and walked first thing this morning and it was 38* then.        now the temp is dropping.        I had to go out to the garage a few minutes ago and get something from the freezer and good night, it was cold!!!          I had to stick the food I was bringing to the house in the pockets of my big coat!!!         hahaha        I looked a little funny with the pockets of my coat hanging and bumping on my knees when I was walking and going up the steps.         hahaha

I don't know if you're into making resolutions each year or not.          I gave that up years ago when I realized that resolutions were meant to be broken.         maybe they weren't intended to be broken, but lets face it, most of us do.         so I just gave up on it because it's kinda depressing to say you're gonna do something and then it falls by the way side.          so, no resolutions for me.

but one thing that I will do.          my husband and I have been doing this for several years now.          and that's on the first day of the year, we'll start reading the Bible, starting with Genesis 1.         if you read at least 4 chapters a day, you'll read thru the whole Bible in a years time.        of course, you can read more than 4 chapters a day and that will give you some leeway, when you come to some of the longer chapters in the Bible.         and if you read thru the Bible in less than a year, then start over, or reread some books of the Bible that you particularly love.

one thing for sure, we can never go wrong by reading the Word of God.          every question that we have can be answered by the Word of God.          the Word of God is the measuring stick that we are to base our lives on.         do I understand everything in the Bible?          a big old honking NO, but I understand enough to know that God has the answers even if we don't know what the questions are.         when we measure what others say, against what God says, we can see a big discrepancy.         but I can tell you one thing for sure, God's Word NEVER lies to us, NEVER misleads us, or NEVER guides us wrong.     

I would advise  you to journal  just a little bit every  day about what you  learned from the  scripture you read.     it is such an awesome thing to go back and see what you gleaned from what you have read on a daily basis.         just like this morning in Genesis 3:21, where God made clothes for Adam and Eve from animal skins.          that is the first imagery of salvation.        God made the first sacrifice of animals to provide a covering in the form of clothes for Adam and Eve.          we know that when Jesus came into the world, He came as the sacrifice to provide a covering for our sin.         how many times do we put that together?          certainly not as much as we should.

I hope that if anyone of y'all wants to read the Bible, that you'll read it along with me daily.         if you have questions or observations, then share those here in the form of a comment and we'll all talk about it.      even if you don't share it here, just try to find answers to your questions.         God will always provide answers to those who are seeking Him.        just make sure that your answers come from His Word and not from someone who is trying to lead you astray.

I look forward to sharing a little every so often about my Bible journey this year.          and I hope you'll join me on this trek thru the Word.         it has the potential to be the best trek we've ever made.

I pray that we all have a glorious year, 2025 is the year for God to lead us where He wants us to go.      I'm ready to follow.          I hope you are too.         may God richly bless us all.        may you feel deeply, the love that He has for you.         blessings of grace and peace to all.       hugs and love, patty