Forgiveness

     That's why Jesus came.

The family next door is falling apart. The few times they are together you hear fighting,usually it's someone being yelled at for what they did against another person, you hear them threatening what they will do to them if ever they get the chance.... they have not experienced the love and forgiveness of Christ Jesus. Therefore they are not able to show love and forgiveness to their spouse or child or any other person.
 Then one evening you look out your open window and see them gathered around the campfire enjoying their supper of hamburgers and baked beans. You hear them apologizing to each other... and forgiving each other for where they were wrong. They start reading the Bible and praying together and it is making the biggest difference.... (note: this is not really about our neighbor, it's just a story to demonstrate what I am trying to write) 

  You can see what happens when we except the healing power of the forgiveness that Jesus offers to us. It brings peace to our lives and makes so we can see the good in others. It makes us able to forgive others. It makes us want to see relationships restored.

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto 

all them that call upon thee.     Psalm 86:5

        

In FORGIVENESS there is HEALING and RESTORATION! 

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  Matthew 6 :14

 We all need it. There's people who are in need of our forgiveness. It's hard to forgive and give someone another chance, but it's so clear that if we want to be forgiven, then we ourselves need to forgive.

Today... I would not have the desire to see people forgive and be forgiven... and it wouldn't mean anything to me when I see relationships being restored and healed through the forgiveness that is offered to us through Christ, if it wasn't that I have seen and accepted His forgiveness.

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Of wisconsin & friends.....

This past Thursday we (my siblings & I and one of our friends) went to Wisconsin for the weekend, we ended up staying a day longer then we had planned & I'm so glad we did.....

                                         A game of confusion... I'd say they look confused...

Friday afternoon us girls went shopping, we went through lots of stores where we didn't but anything, that good right? :)

                                                         Deciding what purse to buy.....

                                                        and not buying any.... :)

                           after shopping we went to Culvers for supper.... then there was v-ball.

Saturday we went out for lunch, we had to try about 4 or 5 restaurants before we found one that had enough room for all of us!  After that we were gonna go bowling but they were too full for us too.... so we went to the K-mart store that is closing to take advantage of the sales. (we forgot the camera on saturday so there's no pictures...) 

                              Sunday afternoon... we were watching "The other side of heaven"

                                         Anna & I

                        Sunday night we went bowling.... Micah & Noah

                                                     Kathryn & Mary

                   we tried getting a picture of all us girls but I don't think it worked very well.... :)

after bowling we went to Culvers for ice cream

 We had planned to go home Monday morning but we stayed till late that afternoon.  I think that was the best day, we took the sleds out on the lake, roasted hotdogs etc....

                                            Kathryn, Rhoda & myself...

                                             Kathryn, Dorcas & Rhoda

                                                    Our campfire...

                                          Joni & Luke bringing wood back for the fire

                                                           Micah & Jonathan

Dorcas & I roasting hotdogs.... (you'll have to turn your head sideways 'cause the picture didn't turn right)

                                                     The happy bunch of us...

All of us except 3- L-R  Jonathan, Dorcas, Micah, me, Joni, Luke, Naomi, Rhoda, Noah, Kathryn & Jonathan

I'm glad we got to go back to Wis. in the winter... nothing beats the north!   And I'm also very thankful to have friends that are like family!   What wonderful memories were made... love you guys!

The blessings of life.....

As I am sitting here counting my blessings, I realize just how much I really have to be thankful for.  Even though sometimes life doesn't seem fair and it may seem as though I am not getting all the opportunities to do things dumped in my lap like someone else doesn't mean that I am less useful to God.
There's times when I look at someone else and say to myself:  she should be perfectly happy, she has all he gifts/talents/opportunities that everyone else would like to have and she seems to have a smooth relationship with everyone around her.  And then I am reminded that God has blessed that person with that while He has chosen to bless me with other things.... and me thinking that another person has everything I want is jealous and selfish.

So I chose to count the things I have as gifts from God because really, He doesn't have favorite people, He loves us all the same, so He's not going to give one person everything and the next person nothing. 
To begin with, I have been given the gift of salvation while there are many in the world who have never even heard the Gospel. (or the name of Jesus for that matter)   Because of the extreme torture, sorrow, & pain of my Lord, I have been given unending mercy, love, grace, healing, forgiveness,.... the list could go on & on.     I have a godly heritage. (that is another thing that so many don't have)    I live in a free country where I can share my faith, and worship unhindered while many Christians are tortured and killed for their faith.  I have the complete Bible while many count themselves blessed to have just one or two pages.  I have plenty of clothes, food, water, fresh air, etc........ The question is;  What more could I want?     Living in a place where everything and more is within a hands reach I become discontent with what I don't have.   But those things I don't have that I think are so important are really of no eternal value when I think about it.  In the Bible it says to;   Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.(Col. 3:2)     it also says;   Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have : for he hath said , I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb. 13:5)

 I am challenged to live each day, counting the blessings of life!

         The well of Providence is deep, it's the buckets we bring to it that are small.    Mary Webb

Note: this was written on Wednesday, I'm having fun with automatic posting :) 

One picture, a thousand words......

  

Starbucks Latte

Starbucks Latte

3/4 cup milk

1/8 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. sugar or honey

2 oz. (1/4 cup) extra strong coffee

whipped cream

(opt. add a piece of dark chocolate & let it melt before drinking)

Warm the milk. Put everything except coffee into blender. Blend till it gets nice and frothy. Pour into coffee mug and top with whipped cream.    I added the dark chocolate and it was splendid! I don't know how it would taste without it.

 I have never actually had one of Starbucks lattes so I don't know if these compare or not, but I do know that they're really good :)    Enjoy!

A new years update of sorts

 Hello all! I know it has been awhile since I've posted anything and I thought now would be a good time to update.....
I had a wonderful Christmas & I tried desperately to do a nice long picture post about it but blogger wouldn't cooperate.  So if you feel the need to see pictures you can go here & here.

Happy New Years to you all! I really wonder what 2012 will hold...(that goes for all of us) 2011 was a really challenging year for me and sometimes I still try to see what all God was/is trying to teach me.  I am quite certain that I felt/noticed more God moments this past year then any other so far....  my prayer for all of us this year is that we would draw closer to God then ever before and that we would be ready and willing to do what ever He asks of us.

Speaking of a new year....  My aunt Wanda has started a new blog.  The Ordinary Homemaker. She has a wonderful way with words and I find what she has to say to be very inspiring! :) Go check it out!

My brother Jon & his lovely wife Mary, They plan to move here sometime this spring, It will be so nice to have here....(instead of CO:)

  I don't put much stock into new years resolutions simply because by the end of January most of them have been forgotten (that's how it works for me anyhow) but I do sorta have two of them this year: #1 is to read the Bible through this year  & #2 is to "hopefully" update more often.....posts with pictures.....(no promise of this:)

  This is one of my theme verses this year.....

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.     

Hebrews 12:1&2