Bible Study

good morning from my neck of the woods.         it looks like it might be a great day today.          I thought yesterday was gonna be a fine day, but it got all dark and dreary and rained some and we were under a tornado warning, so welcome to spring.          but regardless of what it looks like on the outside, the Son still shines on the inside.        woohoo!!!         so today will be a great day too.        I have a lot to do this week and I look forward to doing it.         one thing on my agenda is to get some yellow potato and sweet potato bites made for the freezer.         I'm telling you, we go thru those things like nobody's business.          they are so good.        I wish I could come up more veggies that I could do that way to have a variety.        the other day, just on a whim, I took a can of cut green beans and drained them and then rinsed them and let them dry a little.        I put them in a zip lock sandwich bag and sprayed some avocado oil on them then sprinkled some greek seasoning and onion powder on them.        sealed the bag and worked them around in the zip lock bag till everything was evenly coated and then dumped them in one half of my 8 quart air fryer.        I put some of my sweet potato bites and hubby's yellow potato bites along with 2 apple chicken sausages laying between the green beans and and the potatoes.        set the air fryer for 400 degrees for 15 minutes and I'm telling you, those green beans were fantastic!!!         so I know I'll be growing as many green beans as possible this year.         I take the whole ones that I grow and do the same thing and air fry them too.       it's wonderful and I suggest you give them a try.        you can season them any way you like, of course.         I just love being able to fix a whole meal in the air fryer at one time.        what are some things that you like to air fry?

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giggle for thee day:

Q - Why don't the circus lions eat the clowns?

A -  Because they taste funny!

😂😂😂😂😂😂

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I found this and thought it was beautiful and I wanted to share it with us all.         May we find ourselves in one of these and claim it over our day!!!

What do you tell yourself every morning as you start the day?
★Moses would say "Lord if you don't go with us or before us we ain't going nowhere"
★Abraham will say "The Lord will provide."
★Jacob would say "I won't let go of you unless you bless me."
★Joshua would say: "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord"
★Samuel would say: "Speak Lord for thy servant is listening."
★Nehemiah would say: The joy of the Lord is my strength"
★David would say "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want" and "this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it."
★Solomon would say "Trust in the Lord oh my soul and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path"
★Isaiah would say "Arise and shine for your glory has come." And "No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper"
★Jeremiah would say "The Lord has plans to prosper me and not to harm or fail me."
★Jabez would say "Oh that you may bless me and extend my horizon."
★Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would say "We will not bow down to any image but will serve the Lord."
★Ezekiel would say " Any dry bones in my life, live again."
★Peter would say: "I will cast my cares upon the Lord for He cares."

Adopt your morning statement of faith and speak it and meditate on it daily.
Have blessed and fruitful day ....

so, which one is your favorite? I love them all!!
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today we start in Jeremiah chapter 1,         never forget, that there is someone who knows you better than you know yourself.         your Creator!!!         He knew us even before He formed us.          He designed what our lives would be even before we were born.        when we follow God, He is with us and nothing can prevail against us!!!         God will save us!!

Jeremiah 2,          this chapter shows us God's unfailing, unwavering love for His people!!!         it also shows our ungratefulness for His ever presence in our lives.          how easy it is for us to trust the world and not trust God, when He is faithful to us.           we need to remain faithful to God and repent and keep our relationship with God strong.        God is with us, He is for us and He is forgiving.        yet, we keep on forgetting Him and His ways.        God continues to deliver us from sin but we still turn away from Him.

Jeremiah 3,          here we see that, unlike the world, God does NOT abandon us.         He waits for us to turn around and head back to Him, then He comes running to us.        despite unfaithfulness, God wants us to repent and come back to Him.     in this chapter we see forgiveness, restoration and hope.        these are only found in God, thru the shed blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 4,         what areas of your life do you give to God that is in need of forgiveness and restoration?        this question is where the rubber meets the road and it's very humbling.       there is consequences for sin, but mercy and grace of God will take care of it when we repent.       and once we repent and get back in relationship with God, then we pray for others for to repent also.

Jeremiah 5,          Jeremiah couldn't find a single righteous person in Jerusalem!!!         how many righteous persons can be found our churches this morning all across this globe?          I dare say, not many.         it's always the religious folks that don't know God.         it's always been the religious folks that don't God because they are all about the man made rituals and not about the commandments that God, Himself gave to man.        we think we know better than God.         we don't!!          I keep saying for us to keep seeking after the heart of God and this is why.        if we are not actively and purposefully  seeking after the heart of we'll never get close to Him.        God's judgement will happen, but He keeps giving us day after day, for a while at least, to know His heart and do His will.

next time we will pick up with Chapter 6.

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well, I guess we'll leave it right here for the time being.          I pray that we all have a wonderful day today and that we get a lot done.         I hope that we remember to keep seeking after the heart of God in all we do.        we'll never fail or go wrong when we are actively seeking God.      blessings of hope and restoration be ours today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and turkey burgers

good morning from my beautiful neck of the woods.         we've had a couple of gorgeous days and yesterday was one of those days.          I pray that today will be another one of those  gorgeous days.      I hope to get out and get some lettuce sown and hopefully be eating fresh lettuce sometime soon.       I have a few peppers to maybe get set out too and then get some hot peppers started.         I got some stevia and a few herbs started the other day and hoping to get more started.        I'm really getting the garden itch.        hahaha          it's gonna be a good year.  

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let's do a "2 minutes in the kitchen with me", sounds like a plan.         I went to aldi the other day and picked up a few things.        we was out of turkey burgers, so I got a couple of pkgs of ground turkey with low fat.  it was 93/7 grind.        that's what we prefer.           so when I got ready to make it into patties, I just cut the meat as you see in the picture.

then I started making the patties and I put them in fliptop sandwich bags.

once I got all 8 of them done, I put them in vac seal bags and they are now tucked away nicely in the freezer.          2 to a bag.      

these are so good and quick to toss in the air fryer.         yes, I toss them in the air fryer.         I'll sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them and sprinkle on some liquid smoke and let the air fryer do it's deal.       about 15 minutes on high and flip once half way thru and sprinkle that side with salt, pepper and liquid smoke and let it finish cooking.         not pink in the center at all and it doesn't turn into a ball like a lot of ground meat will when you put it in a skillet.         I've had burgers actually swell to the point of looking like 2 pieces of meat pressed  and if you're not careful, you'll get spewed with the juices that have collected in the center.        that doesn't happen in the air fryer with ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken.         so if you haven't tried a burger in the air fryer, give it a try, you just may enjoy it.

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let's do our little "giggle for the day":

Q - What did the shark say when he ate the clownfish?

A - This tastes a little funny.

😂😂😂  I never said it would be a tasteful joke, kinda fishy to me though.  😂😂😂

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today we pick up with Psalm 42.         this Psalm starts out with a mental picture of a deep thirsting for water, that how the writer thirsted for God.         oh that all of God's people would thirst for God just like that.         what a beautiful thought.       for us all to long for our true God.       the writer call on God as his rock and strength.        this is a common theme thru the Psalms and it continues to be.

Psalm 43 the writer is asking God to vindicate him against his foes.       he will wait for God and will praise Him.          a lesson to be learned is to wait on the Lord.        

in Psalm 44 the writer is talking about how the God had protected His people from their enemies.       we need to always remember the past, how God has been with us, made a way for us, protected us and keeps on protecting us.         the writer is asking God to rise up and redeem them because of His great mercy.     

Psalm 45 describes God as a mighty king and His throne is forever.         because of who He is people will praise Him forever.         I know I keep saying this, but should keep seeking after the heart of God.

in Psalm 46 we see again that God is our refuge and strength, our stronghold.        stop striving, or relax and know that He is God.

Psalm 47 shows us that God is great and greatly to be feared.  

Psalm 48 speaks of God's right hand is full of righteousness.        why is that?        when the bible speaks of one's right hand it's usually a symbol of power and authority and a position of highest honor.         the right hand is associated with strength and favor, while the left hand is associated with weakness or negativity.          something to highly consider.          something else that I had learned many years ago is that the right hand is also recognized as a hand of cleanliness because the right hand would be kept clean when taking care of personal hygiene.         at any rate, to be under God's right hand of righteousness meant that God is powerful, He will provide protection and His is also the right hand that bestows blessings upon His people!!!         Lord please keep me in the protection of Your right hand!!!!!

Psalm 49 speaks of foolishness in riches.         we can't take it with us and the wealthy while living congratulate themselves for being rich.        if anyone pays any attention to what's going on around them, we see that most of the rich have stolen their way to the top of the dung heap.        we see many people in politics who have gotten wealthy off the backs of the working poor.       God will take care of all this one day.          the best we can do today, is be honest and keep trusting in God.         those who are charging their way to the top of dung heap will reap their just rewards of stench.        how do you know if they're lying, listen to who's screaming the loudest.         who has the most sin and thievery to be uncovered, those screaming the loudest.         consider the little word study done on the "right hand of God".          the left hand is associated with weakness and negativity and I would say that those who are living their lives inclined to the left are definitely associated with weakness, negativity, stealing, cheating and lying to the people.          it's being exposed.        wait for it.     

Psalm 50 is talking about God being the judge over the righteous and the wicked.         God Himself will make all things right in His timing. 

Psalm 51 shows us what a repentant heart should look like.            he say, "create in me a clean heart, oh God".          these are words that we need to keep at the forefront of our minds all the time.        you know, when we drift away from God, we lose the joy of our salvation.         we'll not lose our salvation if we've put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, but we can lose our joy.          that's when we must ask God to restore the joy of our salvation and that's where repentance comes in.         

Psalm 52  speaks of being boastful in wickedness.          I think that's something that we're all very familiar with this day and time.         what I think about first and foremost is all evil and wickedness associated with all perversion that has been forced down out throats for many years and all the shameful indoctrination that has come with that.        the very thing that God has called abominable in His word, more times than once, is the very thing that is now paraded around as normal and the very thing that we all need to be doing.       well, it's straight from the pits of hell and even the perverts know that, they just don't care.        I have been asking for many years for someone to show me just 1 verse in the bible where God or Jesus Christ is welcoming that behavior in heaven.         it's not there!!!!        and those who live in such a way are hell bound.         that's not me hating on anyone, that's me telling the truth in love.        I don't want to see anyone go to hell, but the wicked are hell bound unless they turn to the right hand of God.         I will trust in the faithfulness of god.

Psalm 53, "the fool has said in his heart there is no God".          God will restore His people.

Psalm 54 shows us that we are to pray for God's protection against our enemies.         and if you are a Christian, just know that you have enemies and lots of them.        But God!!!

next time we will pick up at Psalm 55.

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well, I guess that's about all I have today.         I pray that we all have a great day today and that we thank God for allowing us to be a part of it.        I pray that we all keep seeking after the heart of God in all our ways.         blessings of strength and power thru Jesus Christ be ours today!!!

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and Eye of round steak bites

good morning wonderful people!!!!          how are y'all doing today?         I hope you're doing good so far, but if you're like me, it may be too early to tell.        hahaha        it rained in my neck of the woods just about all night, with no signs of letting up today.        and possible till the end of the week.       oh well, it is what it is.       can I share something funny that happened yesterday?         well.........I had to pick up some meds yesterday at the drug store.        we went thru the drive thru and my favorite lady that works in the pharmacy was on duty and it's always a pleasure to see her.      she's a little older than me, and that's important to remember while reading this.    she was getting my med rung up and I was waiting to hear if I owed anything.      most of meds have a -0- copay, but I know there's a couple that I have to pay on.       so when she got it rang up and told us how much it was, I got busy and wrote a check.      I tore it out and my husband handed it to her and she said, "you know what, when I first started this job (40 years ago) , we would have a whole till full of checks at the end of the day, but now we only have maybe 5 at the end of the day."         she then said that her father always wrote checks or paid cash for everything.       she then smiled real big and started laughing and she said "that make's you a dinosaur!!!"       I cracked up and she did too!!        I'm still laughing about that, but I sure needed a good laugh and she gave it to us.       she is a real sweetheart and was just being fun, that's what I love about her and it just does me good to see her.       so, if you ever get called a dinosaur, hopefully it will be by someone that just wants to make you smile.       

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who doesn't love a good steak?             sit with me and sip a cuppa, and we'll do a "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".            when I was at aldi the other day, I picked up a pkg of eye of round steak.      it's one of cheaper cuts of meat and I can still get a pkg for under ten dollars.       so, I'll get a pkg every once in a while.          I got this one tossed it in the freezer.         so yesterday I got it out and thawed it and while doing so, i was trying to figure out what to do with them.          there's usually 3 palm sized pieces of meat.             there's usually some fat and also a hard ring of connective tissue on the meat and I always cut that stuff off.          it can't be chewed, so I don't even cook it.       

once I get the meat trimmed up real good then I'll cut it in strips about the width of my finger and then I'll cut little chunks about the size of a finger joint.         once I get them all cut, I'll take my McCormick Applewood Rub and I'll shake out a good bunch on this little pile of meat bites and work the rub into the meat, all over it, really well.        I'll pop it in the fridge for a few minutes and then I'll spray my air fryer plate with avocado oil.        I'll dump the meat in and spread it out in a single layer then I'll spray the surface of the bites with avocado oil and pop the airfryer basket in the airfryer on 400* for 12 minutes.  

it's pure perfection.         we love this so much.        I'll do this for us about once a week.         this time I baked both of us a potato to go with it.        it was a really good meal.        better than anything we've ever gotten out any restaurant we've ever been to.         I don't mind paying money for a good eat out meal, but when I can make the same thing at home for pennies on the dollar, then why wouldn't I make it myself?        so, that's why I do all the cooking that I do.         because we like good food, but we can't afford to eat out as much as we like good food.         so I've worked hard at figuring out and finding ways to make us happy without busting the bank.        I hope you'll try this for yourself and see how you like it.         it works with any cut of meat.        I had some ribeyes in the freezer and done a couple of them the same way and they were not any better than the eye of rounds.         they were good, but no better than the cheaper cut of meat.       I like cutting it up so I can get all the hard and tough areas from the meat.        that makes them really delicious.         give it a try, you may be surprised.      

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today we pick up with 1 Chronicles Chapter 17.       David acknowledges the presence of God in his life and is amazed how God has blessed him and his house forever.        one person recognizing God for who He is can change a whole lineage forever, for the good.       David wanted to build the temple, but it was God's plan for Solomon to build the temple.         David had shed too much blood and was a man of war, but David's sone would still have that honor.      Then David told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished."       how comforting that had to be to Solomon to know that God would be with him during this monumental task.

David laid out all the plans and everything that God had already described to David about building the temple and every little detail, according to God's plans.        now Solomon was made king over Israel again and God was with him and blessed him greatly.       Solomon asked God for wisdom and knowledge so that he could be a good king.       that so greatly pleased the Lord, that He also blessed Solomon with unspeakable wealth.

do you want to do a good study?        if so, search "shekinah glory".       use study bibles and bible dictionaries, commentaries, and encyclopedias.        

next time we will pick up at 2 Chronicles Chapter 7.

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well, I guess we'll wrap it up right about here today.          I pray that we all have a great day today and that we keep God first place in all we do.        if we do that, we'll have a most spectacular day.      blessings of joy and grace be yours today.       hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and Cheeseburger Taco Bowls

good morning y'all.           it's another frosty morn from my neck of the woods.          as a matter of fact it was quite chilly all day yesterday.           those couple of days we had that was in the 70's just spoiled me.          it don't much to do that apparently.           hahaha          we have a cooler, colder week coming up so my body will be revolting against the weather.        hahaha          I'm not looking forward to it.      I can't remember if I mentioned to y'all that I got some seeds started in my hydroponic units or not, but I did.        I think it was the 2nd or 3rd of this month and my tomatoes are already up.       woohoo!!!       when thye get big enough to take out of the hydros, I will and start some more.        this helps me with spring.         I feel like I'm doing something useful when I'm starting my seeds.         I'll share some pics pretty soon.

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it's that time again, "2 minutes...................".              when I got the lovely bread baked the other day, i was trying to decide what we wanted for lunch.           next time I make these, I'll show you more of my process.          as usual, I didn't think anything about it until it was ready to be scarfed down.   hahaha 

and we did that!!!            I use low carb, 8 inch tortillas from Aldi.          I did get a tortilla press here back but haven't made any of my own yet.         and that will be another time that I'll have to take pictures.          anyway, I keep salad fixings in the fridge all the time.         that makes it easy to whip these up.           I got a couple of fluted pans from amazon a few years ago just for the purpose of making the fluted taco bowls like taco bell used to serve a salad in.         it works well.        you can use them in the oven or air fryer and I always opt for the air fryer.       

you take one of your tortillas and push it down in the fluted tin and pop it in the air fryer.         one thing you can do, is set the other tin on top of the tortilla wrap and it will keep it from bubbling up.       or you can take your fork and make tiny holes across the surface of the tortillas.         I like for them to be crispy when they are done.          

so I'll get the "taco" bowls made and set them aside and take 2 hamburger patties and pop those in the preheated air fryer and season them and get those cooked.         while they are cooking, I'm filling the bowls with the salad fixings.          

so, this is what I call my now famous taco bowl.          hahaha            this is what's in it: 1 all beef pattie, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles onions in a tortilla taco bowl.           hahaha         well, it works for us.        this is really good and it's very filling.         just a couple of 8 inch tortilla shells and we've got a fantastic meal.

I hope if you haven't tried something like this that you will.         it's really good.        and I make them about once a week.

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we are picking back up in 2 Kings Chapter 20.        Hezekiah had gotten sick and Isaiah had told him that the Lord had said for Hezekiah to get his house in order because he was going to die.      Hezekiah wept and prayed to the Lord and reminder Him of how he had been faithful and had done good in His sight.        Isaiah went back to Hezekiah and told him that the Lord had heard his prayers and seen his tears and is going to give him 15 more years.         Manasseh, son of Hezekiah was the next king.        he did evil in the sight of the Lord.         he rebuilt everything that his father had torn down.       we're always only one generation away from destruction.            eventually Josiah became the youngest king at 8 years of age.         he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and didn't turn left or right.        king Josiah restored the celebrating of the Passover during his reign.        there was no king like him who had turned to the Lord with his whole heart.         oh that we had leaders today that would turn to the Lord with all their heart!!!!           we finish 2 kings with continued troubles for Judah and Israel.        all their kings always done evil in the sight of the Lord with the exception of 2 or 3.        why is that?         does pride have anything to do with?         it probably does.        pride and the evil nature of humans without the presence of God in our lives.       we are evil and wicked in and of ourselves.        it's only when we come to know Christ as our Lord and Savior that there is a change in our hearts and minds.         even then, we have to continue to give all we are, all we have, all we think, all we do to God on a minute  by minute basis, or we will find ourselves face first in sin.         it's so easy to sin.

next we find ourselves in 1 Chronicles.          we have seen that God had a plan for His people, but more than anything, going thru the Chronicles, we see that He still has a plan for His people.        there is hope for the future.         there is hope Israel.        there is hope for God's people.        we see that exile and disappointment is not the end of God's people.         the same can go for us today, sin and disappointment is not the for us as individuals.       there is hope in name of Jesus Christ!!!!        no matter what any of us have done, we have hope in Christ.        our mess can become our message.       our mess can become our mission.         our troubles can become our testimony.       we can change our situation when we give our situation to God.        

I don't know how much of the 2 Books of Chronicles I will actually talk about.        we'll just have to see how the Lord leads in it.

I'll see you back here tomorrow and we'll see what we have to talk about in 1 Chronicles.

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well, that's about it for today.          I pray that we all have an amazing day and that we give God praise and thanks for being a part of it.        be blessed today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and sweet potatoes from start to freezer

good morning beautiful friends.          I hope and pray that we are all ready to have a great day today.      the sun isn't shining and we're probably gonna get some rain.          it got up to 59 degrees yesterday, and we loved it.        my hubby worked out in the garage and I worked inside, but I was out and in every once in a while.         I think it's gonna rain today, but that's ok, we can use the rain.        if for no other reason, to get all the salt washed off the roads.         we're hoping to go see Momma this morning and get back home before  the rain  starts.       maybe even  get out  walk in for the  day before the rain starts too.         sometime this afternoon I'll have to get my yogurt in the fridge to cool down and then strain it to make greek yogurt.       I'll save the whey for the next batch.       if you've never made homemade yogurt before, I'd suggest giving it a try.         if I can  remember, I'll do a picture tutorial on it sometime.         keep an eye out for it.

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guess where we are today?           you guessed it, in the kitchen with another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".          pull up a chair and grab a cuppa, because there's a lot going on in here today.          so I needed to make another batch of my diced sweet potatoes with onions and garlic.         so I got out my peeler and composter bucket.

the little gizmo on the left is a starfrit peeler from amazon.        it's a great little gizmo, but these sweet potatoes are difficult to peel at best.         it makes no difference where I get sweet potatoes, they're all kinda shriveled up and this peeler doesn't like that at all.         but I finally got it done.      on the right side is my compost bucket.         so I was doing it right.        hahahaha

as I peeled the potatoes, I dropped them in a bow of water.            you can see the pile of peels.         as it was peeling, I was picking the piles up and breaking them into smaller pieces and putting them in my compost bucker.          in the past, all this just went in the trach can.         not anymore.       woohoo!!!   

I got them all chopped up and used all the ingredients on the left hand side of the bowl.          I had previously dehydrated the garlic and onion just for this purpose.         and my dehydrated onion and garlic work perfectly in this dish.         for the ingredients, I used about a tablespoon of avocado oil, a good grid of pink salt, a dash of black pepper and about a palm full of both the garlic and the onion.      a quick stir and it will be ready for the baking sheet.

this is a close up of what it all looks like before I mix it all together.

this is the closed up of my onions and garlic.          since this will be the permanent homes of these ingredients, I need to make a couple of labels for each jar.       one for each lid and one for the side of each jar.          these garlic jars work perfectly for this project. 

this is the potatoes all mixed up and spread out on my baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

pop in the oven on 400 degrees for45 minutes or more, just depending on what you like and this is what you get.           we love all the dark crispy bits.         it is soooooooo yummy!!!!!             these sweet potatoes taste like candy, only better.           that's no joke!!!

I let them cool and then scoop them up and into flip top sandwich bags.

then get the bags shaped up a little and flip the top on them and....... 

then they are ready to go in a vac seal bag and into the freezer.         I don't do a hard vacuum on them because I don't want to squish them and I don't want it to be a solid block when I get ready to take a bag out and put it in the air fryer later.          this is where the magic happens.           they get crispy on the outside and stay like candy on the inside.          these are wonderful.          next on the agenda is to do some russets for my husband.         those are his favorites.          I hope you will give this a try.        when I went shopping the other day, I got a lot more potatoes, some of each and they will be prepared this was exactly and then I'll have easy potatoes any time we want them.           I'm thinking the next time, I'll flash freeze them on the baking sheet and then be able to scoop out some without having to thaw them a little first.         that will make it easier and quicker to toss in the air fryer.        yay!!!

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so we pick up in 1 Samuel Chapter 16.           God is ready to anoint a new king.           His spirit has totally left Saul now and he is overcome with an evil spirit every once in a while.        God tells Samuel to go to Jesse and he will find the new king among his sons.        David was the one that God had chosen for Samuel to anoint.          David fought Goliath with what he knew.        he knew how to handle a sling shot and he also knew that the hand of God that had protected him against a lion and a bear, would also protect him from this giant.        when we trust God with what we know and with what have, then we can count on success.        what David knew is that the God of Israel was faithful and David knew how to use a sling shot.      God gave David the success.         Jonathan and David became friends.       Saul became suspicious of David and turned against him.       David had done nothing to cause Saul to be suspicious.        he was jealous.        jealousy causes a lot of problems and always has, always will.    Saul knew that Lord was with David and he was afraid of David.        David was more successful in battle than Saul was.         Jonathan told David that Saul wanted him dead.         jealousy causes people to do or try to do desperate things.      the God of the Israelites was with David thru it all.       Saul wanted David dead, but God had other plans.        do we walk closely enough with God so that the plans of others that are to do us harm can't happen?        I pray that I do.        I pray that God will protect me in spite of myself and how I get in God's way.       

next time we pick up at 1 Samuel Chapter 26.

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well, that's about it for today.        we'll have to wait and see how the day turns out.        but I know that as long as we keep God in our lives, it will be a good day.         let's try to trust God with everything in our lives.       blessings to you all today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and air fryer roll-ups

good morning one and all.         it looks like it's shaping up to be a beautiful day.         I think today is a good day to have a good day.          hahahaha          that was the tag of a lady in an online group that I used to be in.          I liked it then and I still like it now.          because it's true.          it implies that we are in charge of our actions and reactions that will determine if it's a good day or not.          we can't control the weather, but can control how we act or react to it.        so I'm still looking forward to spring.        I'll probably get some plants started friday or saturday in my hydroponics.          I'm really looking forward to that.       

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this has gotten to be one of our favorite fast food meals.          join me in the kitchen for another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" and I'll share this with you.         it just might become your favorite too.

what you see are the ingredients in this quick to put together and quick to cook meal.           all of it came from aldi except the cavanders greek seasoning.        I'll get out 4 of the whole wheat tortillas and put about a half tablespoon of hone mustard sauce on the front half of the tortilla closest to me.       then I'll sprinkle a dab of greek seasoning, put down my 2 slices of roasted chicken lunch meat and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese that has been broken in two.

I'll bet it all carefully rolled up, ending with the seam on the bottom side and putting it in the air fryer with that overlap on the bottom.

I'll get all four in the air fryer and set it to 400 degrees for 15 minutes and the outside is perfectly crunchy and the cheese is melted and running from the ends.       just perfect!!

then when they get done, I try to remember to take a pic before I get the plates fixed, but I forgot.       so I put 2 back in and took a pic.         hahaha          I keep trying to get everything right, right off the the bat.         but I forget to get pics.          I keep trying though, so that should count for something.    hahahaha 

we absolutely love these.          we'll have a few potato chips and 2 of these and it's a great, easy, fast meal.         and easy cleanup.        all I have to do is toss the air fryer liner.        the natural oils cooks out of the cheese.         and that's what you see on the air fryer liner.          these are a big help.       I get them from amazon and the price is pretty good.          even before I started getting these, I would use parchment paper in my air fryer.        you just want to make sure that what ever you're cooking will hold it down.         if it flies up and get's caught in the burner, it could start a fire.         so be careful with stuff like that.        but these were heavy enough that they was ok.         I hope you give these a try sometime.  your taste buds will thank you.

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picking up in 1 Samuel Chapter 9, we meet Saul.         he was handsome and head and shoulders taller than anyone else.       Saul was the chosen one to be king.       when the people seen him, they said long live the king.         they seen with their eyes and not their heart.       they wanted a king, God wanted to be their king, but they didn't want God.        so, God gave them what they wanted.        be careful of what you ask for.       Samuel once again reminds them of God's faithfulness in bringing them out from egypt and being with them to that very moment.         he reminded them of the many times that they worshiped  the gods of the  pagans and now  wanted a king and  Saul was to be anointed king over them.         Samuel reminded them the Lord their God was their king, but they wanted a king like the pagans had.        so God has given them what they wanted.          Samuel is warning them against rebelling, which they have been famous for in the past.        

why do we rebel, even when we get what we want?         because we don't know what's good for us.        ever rebel against your parent when they said no to something they knew was harmful to you, or could be harmful.        I'll bet every one of us did at some time or another and then we lived with the consequences.       I'll have to say that I'm so thankful to God for His watch care and protection even when I didn't know He was caring for me.       He spared me lots of heartache and I can see that now, from my perspective of looking back over my life.         I don't know why He chose to love me like He did, but I'm so thankful He did.     

Samuel showed them that they had done an evil and wicked thing by asking for a king.        when they seen the power of God, they wanted Samuel to pray for them, that the Lord would not kill them.      Samuel told them to fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all their heart.        I would have to say that this sounds like a great plan for our lives from this moment on.      

it's not long till their king takes Samuels roll into his own hands and offers a burnt offering, sinning greatly against God.         Samuel told Saul how foolishly he acted.         we do act foolishly at times especially when we think more highly of ourselves than we should.        king or no king, God had not given him the position of prophet.         Saul continues to disobey the Lord and He regrets making Saul king.         Samuel keeps intervening between God and Samuel.        Samuel told Saul that Lord is more pleased with obedience than He is with sacrifices.        same holds true today.       our obedience to the Lord is much more important that any of the works that we can do.        sometimes, our obedience may involve us working, but obedience always comes first.        our works are as filthy rags compared to our obedience.          when we accept Christ as our Savior, that is obedience.       staying so busy in our lives that we don't hear the call of the Lord over the busyness, that's works, or sacrifices.         Christ is the ONLY sacrifice that matters!!!          Saul had sinned greatly and he had fallen out of favor.        Samuel continued to pray for Saul.

next we pick up at 1 Samuel Chapter 16.

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I hope and pray that we all have a blessed day today.          I pray that everything we do represents God in every way.          I pray that we can get rid of the idols in our lives, whatever they may be.         Christ is who we should be worshiping.         no other people, no things, just Christ.         live a set apart life and don't do as the culture does.         culture changes, God doesn't.        blessings of strength to stand firm, peace and mercy be ours today.           hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and fried green tomatoes, yum!!!

good morning my beautiful friends.            the sun is shing this morning and it's a beautiful sight.        I love seeing the sun shine.         it just does something good for my soul.        when I got up this morning it was 21 degrees outside, but guess what?          weather bug said it was 30 degrees!!       weather bug is a little liar and it keeps on lying.         this is what caused me to lose all my seed starts last year.         I haven't started any seeds yet, but I will not be trusting weather bug with my starts this year.       I am looking forward to getting my seeds started and getting my garden growing.         I peeked under the 2 frost covers I have over my mr stacky with my onions and garlic and they are doing good right now.      I just keep praying that God will bless them and that I actually have a good crop of onions and garlic this year, we'll see.       I am looking forward to garden season this year.         I hope y'all are too.        it's a great  way to keep  my mind  occupied with good thoughts and just trusting the Lord to bless my efforts.        let's make it a great day today by thanking God for the gift of life in this moment and move forward with this spectacular day.       

Thank You God for blessing me with the gift of life today!!        I pray that you will help me to use this allotted  day well  and that I can serve You in it.      bless all those who bless others today.      amen

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guess what was for lunch????       go ahead and guess.        while you're guessing, let's get ready and go to the kitchen for another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".     

as the pkg says, this was green tomatoes that I breaded back in 2022.       you can see the date.          I preheated the air fryer and while the air fryer was preheating, I sprayed both sides of the green tomatoes with avocado oil.        once the air fryer was preheated good, I sprayed the air fryer tray with avocado oil and then I put the battered green tomatoes in the air fryer, set on 400 for 15 minutes.       

at about 10 minutes, I flipped the tomatoes for another 10 minutes to get the other sides of the tomatoes cooked too.         it is important to preheat and also spray the insert with oil.      then also spray both sides of the frozen green tomatoes.        that is important.  

this is what they looked like after about 20 minutes and I must say they were delicious today, especially with the temps well below freezing.        it was awesome to have a summer treat right here during the arctic blast.         I look forward to putting more of these in my freezer this year.

so, if you have green tomatoes, go for it.      there is all kinds of different batters that can be used.      the best one for us is cornmeal, salt and flour.         shake them in this mix and then wrap them in freezer paper and label and date and you're set for some wonderful eats.         and they seem to taste better this time of year.         I hope you give it a try.

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going into Judges Chapter 1 we see the battle for the land continues.       as long as the Israelites remain faithful to God, He will give them victory.          He gave them victory over a particularly cruel king by giving payback to him exactly as he had done to 70 other kings.       this king had cut the thumbs and big toes off other kings, so God allowed the same thing to happen to this king.        this was done to take away the capacity to be a danger.        it limited their ability to fight, basically leaving them harmless.        cruel yes, and God allowed retribution, payback to this evil king.       

once Joshua had died, and all the people that had also seen the great work that God had done for Israel had also died, the generation to come after them did not know the Lord and all the mighty works that God had done for them.       that's why its so important to keep passing down from generation to the next, all that God has done for us.    for us as individuals and for us as families and as Christians as a whole.       we share what God has done to help us all remain strong in the Lord.      

this next generation served all the gods of the pagans.     this is why we must pass on what God has done for us.       they served the pagan gods and God was angry with them.        then they cried out to the Lord and He raised up judges to get the people back on track serving the Lord their God.         Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, over and over and over again.          they would cry out to God and He would hear them and bail them out, over and over again.      there are some interesting stories in this book.        like the tent peg.         read up on that one.        then God raised up Gideon.        then Gideon died and the Israelites sinned against God again, and worshiped the gods of baal.       how quickly they forget what God has done for them.         how quickly, we too, forget what God has done for us.  

why is it so hard for us to remember what God has done for us?         because we would much rather be playing with fire from the devils hands,  than doing the right thing.         it's still that way today.    nothing has changed.        we don't have an attention span to keep us focused on what God has done for us.        we just don't.        people will laugh at us, make fun of us, call us names.          it makes no difference that our eternity depends  on what we do with God.        we believe Him or we don't.       it's up to us and it's that simple.        it's black and white,  there's  no  gray areas.         and people  want to make  everything gray.        it's either right or wrong.         a little bit wrong is 100% wrong.          a little bit of idol worship is 100% wicked in the eyes God.       we worship God or we worship idols.     we believe God or we believe the lies that the devil tells.      it's the ago old struggle since the beginning of time.       all the  laws that  God gave the  Israelites, wasn't  enough to provide salvation for the Israelites.       the laws just proved to us how easy it is to sin.      but Jesus Christ is enough!!!!        I try to keep  remembering that Jesus Christ is enough, while reading thru the Old Testament.       

next time we pick up at Judges Chapter 9.      see you then.        I hope you are reading along and not just taking my journaling as your bible study.        read it along with me and see what the Lord reveals to you thru His word.

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well, I think I'll just say, "have a great day and God loves those who are called by His name".    blessings of mercy, grace and warmth be ours today.        hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and our favorite side, again

good morning from the deep dark tundra this morning.          with all this crazy weather and the snow in Louisiana yesterday,  I don't know what to expect any more.         hahahaha         but we'll take what we get and like it.         that's my Momma used to tell us.         you'll take what you get and like it.         so we'll hang in there with that.        hahahaha          the lowest I seen this morning was 2 degrees and at 7:40am, it's now a whopping 8 degrees.          who knows, it may get to 20 degrees today.        I'll take what we get and thank God for it.         right about now, I'd like to ask someone about their global warming theory.         what's up with that?         I don't know about anyone else, but I do know for sure that God knows what He's doing.          the global theorists, nah, I don't they know what they're doing.        but what do I know.         I know that God is in control, that's what I know.           what about you, what do you know?

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this is one our favorite sides to go with any meal.          so, let's do this quick "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".        this is one of the easiest sides for me to make and it's also one of the most delicious.       I take a bunch of russet and sweet potatoes and peel and dice, then I put them in a bag, separately, and put about a tablespoon of avocado oil in with them and a dash of salt and a dash of pepper and than about a good palm full of dehydrated minced onions and dehydrated minced garlic.

I put them on a sheet pan lined with parchment.         it prevents sticking and easy cleanup.         I'm all over that.          I pop that in a preheated 400 degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes, just depending on the size of the dice that I make with the potatoes.          for us, the darker they are when I take them from the oven, the better.           the sweet potatoes doesn't get as crunchy as the russets, but they are like eating candy!!!   

once they are done, I let them cool for a bit and than I scoop them off the sheet pan and into my lock and lock containers they go and they are good for a week.          I wouldn't keep them any longer, but if you're like us, you won't have to worry about that.         they'll be gone all too soon.         hahaha

this is just one more dish that I use to try to keep from buying ready made of something that has bad oils in it and other things.            so, as long as I make these, I no longer have to use store bought frozen fries,  I use these instead.       

when I get ready to use them, I'll put a scoop of each in the air fryer and heat them up.        they will get even darker than they are now and more crispy.          they are so good!!!!         all I have to do is make sure I have russets for hubby and sweet taters for his sweet tater, me.         hahaha         yes, it's a little more work, but it's worth it.        at least as long as I'm able to do it, I'll keep doing it.        and I also love that I'm using my own dehydrated minced onions and dehydrated minced garlic.        it's wonderful way to use these.          what are you making from scratch that's healthier for you, that you are no longer buying ready made?           I hope you're doing something like this.         maybe this will the inspiration that you need.         I hope so.  

next time I throw some in the air fryer, I'll try to remember to take a pic and show you the difference.  

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we're at Deuteronomy 9 this morning and we can see that Israel is already at it again.         God is reminding them, thru Moses, that any victories they have, is NOT because of their righteousness, but because of the pagan countries wickedness.        that's exactly the way it is now.         anything God does for us is based on God's righteousness only.        we are stubborn just as they were stubborn.         we are still stubborn, even after accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior.          Moses is continuing to remind them of God's faithfulness thru everything they had been thru.         Moses told them that God expected them to fear God, walk with God, love God, serve God with their whole being and to keep His commandments and statutes.          Moses is reminding them of what they have witnessed with their own eyes.         they had lived thru all that Moses was telling them and he was reminding them to remember how faithful God is.        he was telling them to remain faithful to God.      he was telling them to stay strong in the face of what was waiting for them.         it was going to be difficult for them, but not difficult for God.           Moses again tells them to remember what God has done.         tie the words God has spoken, to their hands and to their forehead.         for their hands to put the work in and for the heads to remember God and all He has done for them to this point.       Moses was also telling them to pass all this down to the generations after them.         keep telling the stories of how God saved the Israelites.      keep passing down the legacy of God's provision and protection and promises.          instead of telling fairy tales and jokes, pass down the legacy that God had given to them first hand.         the more we tell of the goodness of Jesus Christ in our lives, the more people will come to know Him.          when we tell others, we're planting seeds of hope.       once again Moses is telling them tear down any and all forms of false god worship that they see in the land that they are to possess.         if they don't, they will be cursed, just like the pagans that worship the false gods.         Moses keep reminding them NOT to do as the pagans have done.         are we still reminded today to not live as the world around us lives?       we are.         we have been called  out and set  apart to live  different lives to that  of what we see in the culture.         but so many are drawn to the temptations of the culture.         when a Christians life looks just like the worldly life around us, something is wrong and more than likely, that so called Christian probably isn't a Christian.         just a wolf in sheep's clothing.        so, we still have to be aware today.        do we need to be reminded today to reject idolatry?           we sure do!!!        there will always be people in our lives that are trying to pull us away from the truth of the word of God.        don't let them.        there is a church here in my community and their tag ling on the their church sign says "we are a welcoming and affirming church".         that tag line came about  when they joined cahoots with another church that was mostly from Sodom and Gomorrah.       that tag line is saying that we will welcome and affirm you right straight to hell.       that's not a church.    it's a cult at best, maybe even a club, but it's not a church.     they did not heed scripture at all.       are you strong enough to get up and walk out of a church like that and never look back?         are you strong enough to try to take a few people with you as you leave?      this is what Moses is telling the people, do not let paganism infiltrate all that we know to be true, by the hands and words of God.       are we strong enough to stand firm?         I ask these questions for myself as much as anything.        because, the time will come when I will have to stand up for something and I pray that I am strong enough to stand for God!!!          Moses goes back into some of the same laws already discussed and goes over them again.         why is that?         because most humans have a very short memory and we need to be reminded again and again of what God has done for us.         again, Moses tells them to observe the Feast of Passover, Feast of Weeks and Feast of Booths.         these are 3 feasts that they were to celebrate as a reminder of the goodness of God forever.         we would do well as Christians, if we could figure out how to observe these today.        some churches actually try to do this.      it's very meaningful for them and symbolic of what God has done for HIs people.       and again, Moses is telling them about justice and administering justice.         he also told them that "when" they decided they wanted a king for themselves, and they eventually would, that the king was to copy all of the laws and all of what Moses was going over them with.          that would be one of the duties of their king to copy all of this and then study it for the rest of their lives.         that sounds like a good idea.        wonder how that would work for today?         yeah, right.

next time well pick up on Deuteronomy 18, till them God bless you all.

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I guess that's about it for the day.        I pray we all have a great day and that we keep God first place in all the we do.          hugs, love and warm blessings to all, patty

Bible Study and my stuffed salmon

good morning beautiful children of God.          I hope and pray that wherever you are today, that you know you are blessed to be a part of this incredible day.         I woke up to snow and it's still snowing.    I don't know how much longer it will snow, but we're supposed to be in a deep freeze for the next few days.        praise God for heat.        I also pray that the electricity stays on.        we just try to be prepared.        and, for now, I just keep thinking forward to spring.        and seed starting time.        working on planning out my container garden keeps my mind occupied with good thoughts.        we all need good thoughts.         and when I'm in my garden, I'm always walking and talking with the Master Gardener Himself, God.        He knows what He's doing, me, not so much.       but I do enjoy my time in the garden with my Lord and Savior.         so let's look forward to those times and not fret so much about what we see outside.        I can remember when we didn't worry so much about winter weather.        but back then, we wasn't as dependent on all the new fangled things that we are today and most of those things require a lot of electricity.         so for me, I guess that's why I have a tendency to think about power outages and things like that.       so I'll pray against the bad that can happen and ask God to help me trust Him more, in all things.       sounds like a good plan.        if you have a tendency to worry about stuff out of your control, join me in "letting go and letting God".        it's a good plan.

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back to the kitchen with another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".           this is what my stuffed salmon looked like.          I can't get the pic turned to the right orientation, I'm so sorry about that.      but this is ready to drop in the air fryer.          my balls of salmon stuffing was pretty big, but it was the perfect amount.

this is what our plates looked like.          this has sweet potatoes on it and my asian salad dressing on my salad.         I'm telling you, this was sooooooo good!!! 

this one was my husbands plate with the russet potatoes and thousand island dressing. 

this is both plates with all our taters and salad and salmon, stuffed salmon that is.         hahaha

it was better than I could have imagined.         and my husband was thrilled with it.         he actually said that it was better than the original and it was!!!          it was so good.          I have 4 more balls of stuffing in the freezer and I'll be using them pretty quickly.          hahaha           so my recipe will be a keeper and I'll try to remember to get the recipe as exact as I can.          but if you're used to winging it, you can make do with what I've already shared.          I hope you give this a try.         I had planned on trying to change the recipe before having tried it.          but not now.         I'm tickled pink over this!!       woohoo!!!!

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let's get back to Numbers 15, with more laws for Gods chosen people.         I'll have to say it again, that I'm so thankful to have been born on this side of the cross.        the foot of the cross is equal to everyone and there are no laws to fulfill.        my husband and I are always talking about this and we say that the laws were to show us just how sinful we are and how easy it is to break a law and be guilty.        when Jesus died on the cross, God tore the curtain from top to bottom, opening the Holy of Holies to the common person, thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.       praise God for the cross.

verses 37 thru 41 is where God told them to make tassels with a violet thread in each tassel.    then put the tassels on the corners of their garments as a reminder to follow God and not to follow their own heart and their own eyes, which led them to sin, or prostitute themselves.      it will be a reminder of all that God had done for them thus far.      if you'll remember in the New Testament, the woman with the issue of blood wanted only to touch hem of Jesus' garment.       some have said that at the hem was the tassels and this is what she wanted to touch.       there was no power in the tassels, she just knew if she could just touch His tassel, she would be healed.       and praise God she was.     I know people today that were tassels on their clothes just as a personal reminder to themselves of who they are and of what God has done for them.        I would love to have some tassels for myself just as a reminder of the faithfulness of God and of all His blessings He has heaped upon me in my lifetime.

and just like that in chapter 16, we have rebellion, again.       who would have thought such a thing.    Moses was a man of humility and he proves it time and time again.       God opened the earth around the rebellious evil wicked men and swallowed up their entire families and all their belongings.    and fire consumed the other 250 men who were rebellious too.      after all this, more grumbling the very next day.        we are a complaining bunch of humanity, aren't we.  

I am so thankful that we don't have to keep the laws.         I am just so thankful that I have Jesus Christ as my covering.       

Miriam died and Moses struck the rock with the staff of the Lord and claimed part in the miracle.       then God told Moses that he would not come into the promised land because of his disobedience.        how many times do we want to claim a part of what God has done in our lives?         this is making works a part of salvation when we do that.         the plain truth is, the only works that's in our salvation is Jesus Christ and the work He done on the cross.         we believe or don't believe.        that's it.       no works on our part.        and for Aaron's part in striking the rock, he died where they were.        he didn't get to go to the promised land either.

again in chapter 21, the people grumble and complain against God.        they just can't help.         guess what, I/we just can't help it either.          because we grumble and complain a lot.         this is when the Lord sent serpents to bite the people of Israel and they died.       so Moses made a fiery serpent on a flag pole and who ever was bitten and looked at the flag pole would live.      guess what, when we look up to the cross and see Christ in our place and believe in Christ, we live.       our earth suits will eventually die, but the heavenly garments will go with us into eternity.       praise God!!!         as they followed the will of God, God gave them the land.       as long as they were obedient to God they prospered as it was God's will for them to claim the land.

if you want to know why donkeys are smarter than humans, then read chapter 22.      in the following chapters what started out to be curses for God's people ended up being blessings for God's people and curses for the ones that was wanting the curses to be on the Israelites.        God works it for His good and His glory every time.        sometimes He has has to use a talking donkey.

and just like that, they sin again.          God had said time and time again not to have anything to do with heathens in the countries He was sending them to.          but they always found themselves taking on the ways of the other people.       they was worshiping false gods and offering sacrifices and that actually led to human sacrifice.           God told Moses for the Israelites to be hostile towards the people of the land for all the trickery and deception.

in chapter 26 we'll be looking at a new generation of people.

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well, I guess I'll wrap this up today.    blessings on you today.         I pray that we all have a great day and that we can remember the goodness of God and that He is a jealous God.         He wants to be the only One that our heart searches for and craves.        may we each find Him today and claim Him as our Lord and Savior thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.         than You God for all you have done for me/us.

blessing be on each of us as we walk out this day.     hugs and love, patty