Monday, January 13, 2025

Bible Study, bread, bread and more bread

good afternoon dear ones!!!!!           the weather cleared and we got to make the trip to see my sweet Momma and that always does my heart and soul good, just to lay eyes on her.        she's doing pretty good.          she just keeps plugging along and God keeps helping her.          to that, I say, amen and amen.         Lord, please keep blessing her daily and I'll always praise you for that.

when we got back home, I fixed a bite for a very late lunch and it's was good and will be just enough to push us thru till suppertime.        woohoo!!         yup, you guessed it, eating is our favorite past time.     it must be, that's all I ever talk about.           hahahaha    that's ok, we all eat.  

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so, I baked more bread Saturday.            that makes 3 batches of brioche buns in the bread machine in 3 days.           I like having several days worth of buns in the freezer.         that makes it very easy to thaw and bake as needed.          for this batch, as you can see, I made 11 buns for the freezer and then the other 4 buns was turned into mini hot dog buns and faux bagels.


I had gotten the baguette pan sometime here back and forgot about it and finally dug it out and used it.   it worked well for the minis and I'm sure it will work equally well for large full sized hotdog buns.     for these, I took the dough for 1 regular bun and made 2 of these mini hot dog buns. 

       
                                                                                                                                                                  and for the faux bagels, I took the dough of 1 regular buns and made 3 of these faux bagels.         since this was just experimenting, I'm thrilled with the outcome.     



this is the baked mini hot dog buns.         I think they turned out really great.   


and this is the faux bagels, they turned out equally well.     


I will be doing both of these again and I'll try to remember to put bagel seasoning on the bagels.       I was going to, but got overly happy and excited and forgot to put the seasoning on them.  hahaha       oh well, what can I say.       it's all good and they are good for sure.   

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so today we pick up with Exodus chapter 32.         are we familiar with the golden calf?         this is where that story is.          just as I was reading this and doing a little journaling, the phrase "outta sight, outta mind", popped into my mind.         Moses was getting the law from the very hands of God, the people knew what he was doing, and if was for their benefit.         but they wanted something tangible to worship!!!!           something they could see.          let's not be to harsh with them, because we do too.       oh we act like we're all good and all that, but in reality we want something tangible to worship.        a cell phone, a tv, a car, a boat, a favorite place to belly up to the bar, a favorite place where we do ungodly things and I could go on and on.      Aaron was second in charge and it's staggering at how easy it was for him to oblige their request.           verse 24 where Aaron says that the people gave him their earrings and jewelry and he threw it into the fire and out comes this gold calf, just cracks me up.        it's so like something a child would say and yet Aaron said it.          he was well up in years.      but we do the exact same thing!!!       everyone wants to blame everyone else for their sin and no one will step up and own it.       debauchery, sin, sexual sin, drunkenness and every other evil and vile filth that you can think of is what they was doing at the foot of the mountain where God was.       with great sin comes a great cost.   

chapter 34 is where God made His covenant with Moses and the Israelites.          they will be His people.        although they are obstinate, He will still lead them but He warned them against making covenants with the pagan people in the lands that He was giving to the Israelites and not worship any other gods for God is a jealous God.          Moses face shone  after spending time  in the presence of God.          

next we have the tabernacle (dwelling place for the presence of the Lord) being constructed as God had already given the instructions for that.      they was going to start work on that now.           for me, this is where I actually learned that if I have a gift, it's from God.         it's not of anything that I could ever do on my own, it's strictly from God.        He is the one that gave all these artisans the skill to build and make all the fine and delicate items for the tabernacle.          so, if you have a gift, thank God for it.       at the end of Chapter 39, we see that all the workmen did all the work for the tabernacle and all the items in it and all the priestly garments to be worn by the priests just as the Lord had commanded and after Moses inspection, he blessed them.

chapter 40 finds the Israelites setting up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.       it was in this tent, where the glory of the Lord would settle and Moses or anyone was not allowed to enter the tabernacle when the presence of the Lord was in it.         the presence of the Lord was with them all throughout their journeys.

next we start in Leviticus.

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well, that's about all I have today.          I hope and pray that the sun has been shining where you are and that you got to enjoy a little of it today.          it was nice and sunshiny on the way to and from my Momma's today.         so we enjoyed that a lot.          I pray that you have a blessed rest of your day and that peace, warmth and mercy be yours in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.       hugs and love, patty

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Bible Study, breakfast for my husband

good cold morning from the land of  the "frozen".           hahaha          it is cold.         I had gotten up at about 1 am this morning and it was 20 degrees and then at 5 am, it was 17 degrees and now at 8:35 an it is a warm 23 degrees.         all the time the local weather app says our low was 29 degrees.          the weather app lies.        our micro climate is much colder than the apps say.         so I just look outside on my deck to see what the temp is.         

for some reason I was doing around this morning and my mind went to my precious sister in Christ who is in the presence of our dear Lord and Savior.       Jamie went home to be with Jesus back in Dec of 2015.       I have missed her terribly since.        it has been 9 years since I've seen her precious face.        we used to get out and just go fun local places.        enjoy a meal and pray over the server and the restaurant in general.         we would go shopping and pray over someone that the Lord led us to.        her memory popped in my mind this morning and it hit me pretty hard.        I have missed her and the way she could just take you right to the very presence of the Lord.        so, Jamie, I just wanted you to know that Pearl Joy sure does miss Pearl Love a lot.       I still reach for my cellphone to send you a text or call, or wait for a text or a call from you.        I know that one of these days we'll be together again and I hope we both have our tutus so we can dance before the Lord while praising His holy name.  

I think I was thinking about my blog and Jamie was my biggest fan.         she said she loved how she could just feel like she was in my presence when she was reading a new post.         she said it felt like it was written specifically for her, kinda like we were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting while sipping coffee.         when I was making my coffee this morning, Jamie popped into my memory.        she couldn't have ever told me anything better than what she told me.

I want every one to feel like you're visiting with me personally, sitting at my kitchen table, sipping coffee or tea and chatting.         I sure hope that's how at least one person feels.         anyway, on to the rest of the blog.

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we'll do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".           for the time being, it will be a regular part of my blog.

this is what some of my brioche buns are used for.         the buns and the sausage, cheese and egg patties are the same size.        I bake the sausage cheese and egg patties in the same silicone muffin top pan that I bake the buns in.


the next time I'm thawing and letting my buns rise, I'll take a picture so it will make more sense.     


but they are a perfect match.         a match made in my kitchen.        hahaha        and I must say that my husband loves his breakfast every morning.         I do appreciate that too.


all my hard work pays off and it's very much appreciated.


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picking up with Exodus in chapter 21, we read about all the various laws.       these are very interesting to say the least.         Exodus 23: 6bsays , "and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty."            this made me think about all the abortions that this country and the world at large is guilty of.        some of these days there will be responsibility taken for this atrocity.         we also read about the 3 National Feasts that the Israelites were to observe.         we have replaced scripture with easter, halloween and christmas.           and all the festivities and parades that surround the abominable homosexuals and all the deviant evil wicked behaviors that have chosen to call their lifestyle.      please, someone show me a scripture that says this is ok.       I've read the bible thru several times and I've never once seen God call this behavior anything but abominable.        so to go to church and   claim to be a Christian, choosing to  live this lifestyle, let me just say that there is no way that you  can be a Christian.          that's not my judgement call, that's what God says, in multiple places in His word.

over and over again, God tells His people not to even speak the names of the pagan gods, and yet we see that over and over again not only do they speak the names, but they worship the pagan gods.       the very thing that God tells us not to do , is the very thing that we bust a gut to do.       was that way then and it's still the same way now.     

there is lots of info about building a sanctuary, tabernacle for God to be among them.       God specified exactly what He wanted and they built it with a lot of the spoils from Egypt.

God had explained to Moses exactly what He wanted in the way of a tabernacle and all the furnishings of all kinds, garments to be worn and anointing oils and God had written the 10 commandments in stone with His finger.        the people knew where Moses was all along.         they had previously agreed to all the commands of God and that they would serve God and only Him.         when Moses come off the mountain, from the presence of God, we see in the short time of 40 days the people had grown restless and wanted something to worship.         wow, how familiar does that sound???         that's just like us today.        yes. it is.        we'll see how this turns out next time.

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well, I guess this is where we'll call it a done job on this blog post.          I hope you seen something here that you like, if you did tell someone about it.        I hope you have a most beautiful day and that you remember to thank God for allowing you to be a part of it.         I'm so thankful that God woke me up this morning, I hope you are too.          blessings of peace, joy and love be yours today.         hugs and love, patty

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Bible Study and.............

good morning from the frozen tundra, aka my neck of the woods.          hahahaha          how was that for a dramatic beginning this morning?          hahahaha          well, it's somewhat true.         it is frozen, with a temp of 30 degrees.        it's been hanging in at 30 ever since last evening.        the snow has since stopped.           it snowed hard all day.        most of the day it was small flakes at other times it was larger flakes.         the temp got up to 36 degrees while it was snowing, so it was melting on the bottom side and piling up on the top.       so at best, we got about 4 measurable inches.        I don't mind telling ya, that I'm more than satisfied that we didn't get any more than that.        I'll take it any day as opposed to being snowed in for many many days.           thank you Lord for hearing my plea.        I want to go see my Momma in another state and we don't get out in the bitter cold anymore.         so hopefully in a day or two, we'll be able to run up to see her.   

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well, this is what looked like out the back door about 2:30 pm friday afternoon.          at the time that I was putting this in the blog post, it was still snowing, with the expectation of it continuing on till about 9 pm on friday night.        it actually warmed up while it was snowing and it was piling up on top and melting on the bottom.         so depending on the temps over night, it could be treacherous.       we'll have to wait and see.        we don't plan on getting out unless we absolutely have to.        and I pray we don't have to.       


so I'll update on what the weather does.          I hope wherever  you are that you can stay warm and safe and have plenty of comfort foods to get you thru till the weather breaks.         have I told you that I'm so looking forward to spring!!!!!        come on spring!!!!!      hahahaha        thank you Lord for your safety and protection thus far.    
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picking back up in Exodus 14 we see that Pharaoh has decided that he want's the Hebrews back in his possession.          that's what sin does, it comes chasing after us.          the devil is relentless and doesn't want to give us up once he has his vice grip on us.       but God!!!         that's 2 important words to always remember, but God.        when God shows up on the scene, the impossible just became possible.

God kept hardening the heart of Pharaoh to show the Israelites and the Egyptians the power, might and strength of "I AM THAT I AM".         God wanted them all to see that was the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD.         God wanted to submit to Him of their own free will, or not.        that's the way God still is, He hasn't changed anything about Himself.         He wants us to submit to Him of our own free will, and nothing else.         that's the only way we can be in relationship with Him is thru free will.       He will not make us submit to Him.

we see the Israelites are wanting to go back to the familiarity of know sin, the slavery they were in as opposed to moving forward into the unknown freedom from sin.       that's exactly how it is today.       we long for the known sin as opposed to walking in unknown freedom.          having witnessed such a mighty miracle, the people believed in the Lord their God, for the moment anyway.    

in chapter 15 they sang a song of praise to God.        I sing a lot when I'm in the kitchen doing what I can do for my husband and myself.        it's where I serve the Lord the best.       notice they mentioned the "right hand of God" a couple of times.        you'll see several times throughout scripture where the "right hand of God" is mentioned.        I hope you get curious enough to do some digging into that phrase and see exactly what it means.          upon having salvation thru the right hand of God for a short time, it didn't take long for the grumbling to start.         isn't that how we are?         yes, that's exactly how we are.        if you don't believe me, just listen to the grumbling that takes place the next time you're at church.         you'll hear it.

I did mention grumbling.         it gets worse in chapter 16.         have you ever eaten manna?         neither have I.          but I guess one can get tired of anything, even being fed directly by the "right hand of God".         manna and quail, provided by God.          all they had to was pick it up.       following instructions has always been a hard thing for humans to do.          it just has.          but God has never given up on us.          God fed them for 40 years.         

chapter 17 and 18, the people are grumbling again.         this is the most familiar action and reaction we see thru the whole bible, we have always grumbled.       we just have.          free will and we grumble.      Joshua was on the scene and God used him in a mighty way.        God sometimes uses other people to give us good godly counsel, as He did with Moses' father-in-law, Jethro.

in chapter 19, Moses meets God on Sinai.         this is where God claimed the Israelites as His own possession.          if we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are a part of God's own possession!!         there is nothing else any better than reading this and knowing that all the bible connects in such a way, that those who know the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, are also a part of God's own possession, because we have been grafted into this family.  
      
chapter 20 is where we get 10 Commandments.           we see here that God is establishing a set of rules for His people to follow.         He doesn't want His people worshipping the idols that the pagans worship.         we see a lot of things in this particular chapter that sets the course for Gods people, but as per humans, we also see the 10 Commandments dismantled and forgotten about.         that is, until we find ourselves in trouble again, time after time and we cry out to God and He answers our cries and the we forget.       it's a vicious cycle, it's always been a vicious cycle and it will continue until Jesus comes back to take us home.
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we're back in the kitchen again today, well it was actually yesterday.         so you know the drill, let's do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".           with the weather happening, my nesting instincts kick in and all I want to do is cook.         hahaha          and then that requires eating too.        anyway, we both love to eat, I love to cook, so it's a win win for me.   

I fixed an electric pressure cooker full of pinto beans and they are delicious.          that's what was for lunch.         we really enjoyed them.        and we'll get 3 or 4 more meals apiece from this batch.        this is what I always call our "fast food".        it's cooked and ready to eat, I know what all the ingredients are and there is nothing I can't pronounce.        so that's great!!!          and the beans are too.


this is some of the cornbread swirls I made yesterday in my bread machine.          I baked this pan full this morning.        I've showed how I make these before.        you may be able to find it in my blog posts.         this pan is full of the smaller pieces on the ends and they rose so good that they filled the whole pan up.       down in the right lower had corner is one that's a lot smaller and a lot paler.         I don't know why it didn't get any browner.         but it was from the last batch that I made before yesterday.         it's a little puny scrawny cornbread swirl compared the ones I made yesterday.         and the only difference between yesterdays batch and the batch about 2 weeks ago is the flour.        the puny one is from Kroger brand all purpose unbleached flour and the ones from yesterday was from Aldi brand all purpose unbleached flour.         well, guess what flour I'll be using from now on.         and I noticed the same thing with the brioche buns that I made yesterday too.         when I took the ball of dough from the machine it was huge and soft and really nice.         same with the one I made this morning and froze the buns.        they are some of the best looking rolls and buns I've made in a long time.        and its all because of the Aldi flour.      yay Aldi!!!

after I got the beans done, I cleaned the electric pressure cooker pot up and got it loaded with all the goodies to my famous chicken corn chowder.         this is one of our all time favorite dishes!!!      more than likely, I have a pot of this in the fridge year around.          we eat.      we love.        therefore I keep it in the fridge.         it goes really with the cornbread swirls too.

this is a little bit of a close up of the chowder.           oh wow, I can't wait for supper!!!          guess what we're having?           yeah, that's right, chicken corn chowder and cornbread swirls.        this is comfort food at it's best.        it makes the cold days so much more tolerable.      hahaha


this is so good, we both just love it.           I just can't say enough good stuff about it.        I keep looking for something else that we could love as much, but we haven't come across it yet.        hahaha

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well, that's about it today.        as I sit and watch the temp climb a little and finish up this blog post, we'll see what the day brings.       I plan on getting another batch of brioche dough made up and in the freezer.       I may bake some just for fun.        we'll see what comes of it.         I pray that wherever you are today that you are blessed with warmth, peace and grace.      lets continue to pray for those in harms way of fires and snow storms, those still fighting for their lives in the hurricane riddled areas.        lots of people all over the globe are hurting and God is our only source of salvation thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.        hugs and love, patty

Friday, January 10, 2025

Bible Study, bad weather, bread and what ever else I get into

good morning my lovelies!!!!          I pray you are doing well this morning and that the Son is shining in your heart.          the weather finally got here this morning, around 7:45 am.          we was in what they call a "snow dome", or just a hole in the weather.         hahaha         that's my story about it.         I looked at my phone about 2:30 am and I seen it and seen that's where we were, so we finally got out of the hole and now it's snowing.         so, from the looks of it, we may be socked in for a while.          we'll just have to ride this out and see what happens.        I pray that God will keep the power on.         it is with a heavy snow, which this is, that brings down power lines when trees and branches get heavy and fall on  the lines.         we'll see what happens.          I'll try to remember to take a pic or two and share them.

I have some baking to do today and some plain old cooking to do.          I'm making an instant pot full of pinto beans.         yum!!!         we love beans, so they will last for a few hot meals.         I'll get another batch of chicken corn chowder made.         maybe even another batch of chili.       who knows.         right now, I sure don't.           hahaha

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picking back up in Exodus 9, we're still dealing with the plagues and hardened hearts.         how much pain did they have to go thru and how much pain do we allow ourselves to got thru while living and thrashing around in sin?        pharaoh offered a little, but not all that God was allowing.        how many times do we do a little, give up a little, turn aside from a little, but keep dabbling with the sin that is keeping us apart for the Lord?        this is what pharaoh represents in the life of a Christian.        I'll give up a little, but I ain't giving up all!!!        does that sound familiar?        sure it does.      

sometimes when we are in the midst of our greatest sin, is when it feels the darkest.       but we keep plundering around in the dark with hardened hearts.        our atrocities keep getting greater and greater and we keep turning our backs more and more.       even during this, we offer a little, but not all that God wants from us.          He wants all of us, not bits and scraps that sin is offering.

do you have the Blood of The Sacrifice over the lentil of your door?        if not, why not?         are you pharaoh over your own heart?         does our sin have to be the sin that destroys our families?         our sin has destroyed many families down thru the the ages.       one of the great sins of the  late 19th century and so far into the 20th century that has destroyed so many families and murdered generations of children is abortion.          that is something that this country will have to answer for.         another sin, that is an abomination to the Lord is homosexuality and everything that this country has turned that abomination into.        we're seeing parts of california burn to the ground right now.       most of the perversion in this country hit the shores over there from other countries and then we took it and run with like no other country ever has.      I think it's possible that we're seeing some retribution for all the filth that we have let invade our homes.         prayerfully, God will spare His people.    

how long have you lived in sin?        there is comfort in the familiar.         living in sin gets comfortable and when God calls you out of it, everything changes.         you can't have the old and the new.        you stay in sin or you walk in freedom.          the Israelites were walking in their freedom with some urgency.       do we run towards freedom in  and thru Christ?       I think sometimes we want to, but there is comfort in the familiar way of life, or sin.

yeast bread takes a little work to get going and then it has to be worked and punched down and worked and allowed to rise and then worked more.         yeast bread is not a quick bread.        and in true form, a little bit of yeast will overtake the whole batch.         and that's a good thing when you have time.       this was a situation where time was very important.        in this situation, yeast represented sin in the form of wasted time, or no time to spare.         some situations call for action on the spur of the moment and you can't just do as you please with yeast bread.       so that's why it was important that NO yeast be found in the bread or even in the home.        this is my take on yeast and that's all it is.

can we say, "it is with a powerful hand that the Lord brought us out of sin into the land of freedom", if not, why?          do we remember why and when the Lord brought us out from the slavery of sin to freedom?         we don't need to go back and roll around in the sin we once lived in, but we do need to remember where we've been and who led us from there.       sometimes God will lead us in the direction that makes no sense to us, but He knows that we can change our mind on a whim.     so sometimes, He'll take a longer path to freedom.         He sees the end results already, while we're just putting one foot in front of the other.       "I AM THAT I AM" is still in the business of leading us from slavery to sin into the new life of freedom.        we have to be willing to give up the "comfort in the familiar" and step out into the "newness of freedom".

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so, what do you do when inclement weather is upon you?            I don't know what others do, but I break out the bread machine and cook.          yes, I do!!            so we'll do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".           I use my bread machine to make the dough and then I'll either bake it in bread pans in the oven or I'll make buns and freeze them.         I needed to make so brioche buns and get them in the freezer, so as I was getting the ingredients together, my eyes kept glancing on the counter to where I had 2 containers of sourdough bread starter going.         I was ready to do something with it all.    there just isn't a good reason to have 2 starters going, not for me anyway.        so, as I was putting everything in, I picked up the container I was going to dump out and instead of dumping it out, I put most of it in this batch of bread, even after the yeast had been added.        I kept an eye on the dough as it was mixing.         I always take my bread out after the machine stops for the first time.        so by the time I had gotten to it, to take from the machine and make my buns, it was growing big time!!!         so I'll be really anxious to see how these taste when I get some baked.        I'm really excited about these.

this is the bread ball about half way thru the mixing cycle.        even there, it's larger than it usually is, just because the sourdough yeast is trying to grow.         hahaha


this is the 15 buns I made and put them on my silicone trays and popped in the freezer.          when they get frozen solid, I'll take them from the tray and put them in ziplock bags and then take 6 out at a time to bake.         when I bake some of these, I'll try to remember to take a pic and show y'all what they look like.

this is a little closer up of the frozen buns.        for these, I pulled off 62 grams of dough to make my buns and then I rolled the ball to get it round and then flatten it out with the palm of my hand.        they are not the prettiest right now.          but I'll tell you what, when they thaw and bake, they are absolutely gorgeous and they look like they came from an expensive shop.          

this dough ball is one of my batches of cornbread swirls.          we love those and I like to keep these in the freezer too.         so I'll make a couple of batches at a time just for the freezer.         this was about half way thru the mixing.          the recipes for both of these breads are somewhere on my blog.        they should be easy enough to find by going to the search area at the top left hand page and type in either bread and it should come up.         these are so good with all of our soups and chili and just down home comfort foods.


this is a batch made into swirls.         they are varying sizes.          I made 2 batches of these and they are already in the freezer bags and just waiting for me to bake them.          these will be so good.        we love these with just about everything.


when I get some of these baked, I'll try to remember to share a picture of these too.        keep you eyes peeled, there's no telling what you might see me sharing on here since we are supposed to get snowed in over the weekend.         we'll see how bad it gets.         I'll try to remember to take a pic of the snow and share it too.         it will have been all the inspiration for all the bread making and freezing.         that, and the fact that I just needed to get some in the freezer.   

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well, that's about it for today.            stay tuned for more bible study, more cooking and more baking and maybe even a snow pic or two!!!         blessings as you stay warm.         may peace, grace and mercy be yours today.          hugs and love, patty

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Bible Study, and a couple more.................

good morning from a cold, frozen blogger today.        hahaha      the coldest I seen it this morning was 9 degrees at 5:30am.           it is now 8:35am and it's 15 degrees.        it's supposed to get up to about 32 degrees, but we'll see.       I hope it does warm up some, we need to get a walk in sometime today, since it will be a day or 3 or more before we can get out and walk again.         it's gonna warm up so it can snow in the morning.         forecast is for  between 4 and 7 inches of heavy wet snow.        we'll see.       I pray against it.       but I also pray that everyone has gotten or is getting as prepared today as they possibly can.       there's not a lot we can do about electricity, but we don't have to be hungry.        so I hope people that only buy food for one week at a time will have enough food to keep them going till they can get out.       we could be in for a long haul.       like I said, I'm praying against it.

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picking up at Exodus 3, where Moses encounters God in the form of a "burning bush".       early on, while studying this at a different time, I learned that where God is, that's holy ground.       if we have Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are holy and should be living holy lives with God's help.    we can't do it on our own.       there is no way we can, but with Christ, all things are possible, even living lives that honor God.       

where God is, is holy ground.        I have to ask myself every once in a while, if where I stand is holy, because I have Holy Spirit within me.       I pray that God will help me on a daily basis to live a holy life according to His word.       

I AM WHO I AM has sent me.         have you ever walked up to someone and said the I AM WHO I AM has sent me?        I sure haven't.       but if we let God be the guiding force in our lives, by Holy Spirit, thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ, then we could very well say that, if led by God to say it.      do you speak eloquently?       neither do I.        and the devil will tongue tie us at ever word.        but if go in the name of the Lord, He will bless our speech and he may even give us a trusted person to go with us.     sometimes we stand before people who have hard hearts.       I have even witnessed some of those hard hearts in people who claim to be Christians.       but when God puts words in our mouth, we have nothing to fear.       I have to remind myself of that often.       

I am always reminded that sin is a hard taskmaster.       one   of the reasons is because it's what we know.       there is a certain amount of comfort in what we know, instead of stepping out in unknown freedom.       we weigh known sin versus unknown freedom.      freedom is hard to get, it comes at a price.        just as rotting fish stinks, so does the sin in our lives.        the stench of rotting fish is similar to the stench that God smells when He looks upon the sin our lives.      too much of anything is bad, even frogs and insects.      

do we appreciate the "known" of sin more than the "unknow" of freedom?       gnats and flies????      another great analogy of the sin that swarms our lives.        we are bombarded on all sides with sin from this world.      again, it's the known sins versus the unknown freedoms that is before us.   how many times do we harden our own hearts towards the freedom that God offers to us?    

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see all the ................ in the title?            well, this is what they're all about.        I have a couple more "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" today.         I hope ya don't get tired of seeing them.         the first one is a snack that we have come to love and it satisfies a sweet tooth like nobody's business.        it's dates cut open and the seed removed and filled with a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips.         it is absolutely delicious.        and it's a lot healthier than a lot of other snacks we can be eating.     

oh wow, doesn't that look delicious?       well, it really is.        I'll make a couple a piece for us and it's all we need.       those dates are about the size of my thumb, split down the center and the pit taken out and then I open it as much as I can.       then stuff them peanut butter and choc chips and then we stuff them in our faces.       hahahaha

the next thing I want to share is the chili that I was telling y'all about yesterday being made with pace salsa.        it's really good too.        the salsa was mild, but it turned out a little spicier than I was wanting, so I put cheese in it and it did tone it down a little.       it will be good on a some corn chips.        it's not a real healthy meal, but it's comfort food and with the cold weather and snow that on it's way, we will enjoy it!!


wow wee, it's delicious!!!!        so if you want something to bump up the flavor of your chili, pace salsa is the way to do it.        I have to keep a watch out for more pace on sale now.      hopefully I'll find it and can get 3 or 4 jars and have it in waiting for more chili or soups.        I hope you have ways of spicing up your own foods just to give them a little change once in a while.        it keeps meal time fun and interesting.

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well, I guess that's about it for the time being.          I pray you seen something her that you liked, if you did, share it with a friend.        tell someone you know that God is the author and finisher of freedom, salvation in the form and  name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.       blessings of warmth, mercy and grace be upon all of us today.      hugs and love, patty