Tag: books

Forgiveness, Thankfulness, and Release

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If you’re following my posts, you know God gave me the word forgiveness to concentrate on in 2022. This morning I listened to another of Randy Kay’s interviews with an NDE person and she gave me insight into forgiveness, putting together several things I’ve already discovered like thankfulness and release, in a way that’s easy to understand. Here’s the video link:

Imagine being a single mother of six children with no visible means of support. You have lots of people you don’t trust, including your ex-husband, and don’t know how to forgive. You are in a horrific accident, freed by the jaws of life, medevacked to a big hospital with a trauma unit, and slip into a coma. This woman met Jesus and experienced the true love contained in heaven. What is the main message she brought back from heaven? Forgive and be thankful and this will release you as well as those you forgive.

Muse with me about what life could be like if we spontaneously thanked God for everything. Thank You God, for my laptop so I can share Your great news with others through email and this blog. Thank You God, for the catchup I just processed from our bountiful garden. Thank You Father, for my husband John and thank You that he does not acknowledge You as Lord yet… Thank You God, for the hot, humid weather and that I have the ability to sweat. Thank You for the food I just ate and that You provided the dark chocolate treat! Thank You for my brother in the nursing home and all the people who care for him. Thank You…

I’m thankful for sweating because I have a friend who cannot sweat, and his wife has to keep an eye on him in hot weather. I’m thankful that my husband has not found a relationship with Jesus yet because God’s timing is perfect and it’s not quite time yet. While I wait, we are both learning many things about relationships. I’m thankful for the rain and that before it came, our well ran low and we’ve been working off a 500-gallon water tank for over a week. It’s giving us a chance to find creative ways to conserve water while I’ve been canning!

I forgive my husband, my brother, people who have made my life difficult and challenging, because I do not want to keep them away from the good things God has for them. I also realize it hurts me when I hold on to unforgiveness. Ignoring people or walking on eggshells around them puts stress on me and may be keeping me away from fulfilling God’s plan for my life and for His glory.

So, I choose to forgive, choose to be thankful, and find release for myself and those around me. It paves the way for me to experience more of the love of God in Christ Jesus and to walk in the light. As the light of love grows, I can’t help but let it shine! We are to dwell in Christ and shine the light to draw people to kingdom realities, including freedom, faith, and healing.

This week I also began a new 30-day devotional, Walking in the Miraculous by Chad Gonzales. Chad says, “Miracles are normal for the one who walks in their union with Christ.” These devotionals focus on renewing “…your mind to who you are in Christ and the powerful, victorious life God has designed for you to live.” The video I linked goes well with this book. I encourage you to watch it and get the first-hand account.

In closing, I pray you will find it in your heart to truly forgive others, to give thanks in all things, and find release for yourself and those around you. I offer you Shalom which comes from trusting that God’s got your back!

The Glory of God surrounds us if we only look for it!

Busy Family Time!

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Dear Reader, sorry for not posting at my regular time. We’ve been busy with family and I’ve gotten lost in my Kindle books.

In my last random post on early August happenings, I told you of my nephew and his friend visiting from Virginia. Last weekend, we met my sister in Carlisle, PA, at the Lindt chocolate factory outlet to deliver the boys to her. Did you know there are about twenty-seven varieties of their bonbons and they frequently add a new combination? We’ve purchased and tasted each one of them now, gotten to sample the new double chocolate and the mango ones, having shopped there both weekends.

From Carlisle, we traveled to the Pittsburg area to spend a few days with our son Harold’s family. We got to go to Owen’s team’s summer playoff game, which they won. The next day, we took the two boys to IKEA to buy furniture. We got six cubes John put together for a bookshelf and bought two more drawer units to use as end tables in our living room. The ever-creative John has used several drawer units and two butcher block counter tops for the top, so he has a desk/work area in his “man cave” almost as long as his room is wide. He found his hunting clothes store well in the drawers, as well as his office supplies. We took the boys to Mission BBQ for lunch after they had helped us search with the computer at the IKEA kiosk for what Grandpa was looking for. It was a good meal together in a veteran-owned restaurant. It’s more fun eating with the grandsons now they’re old enough to enjoy ‘regular’ food!

Our son Chris’ family from Vermont came to spend a long weekend with us. We had one day in between visiting and being visited to get our traveling things put away and bedrooms ready for those coming. It is nice to see the grand-girls growing up and we are able to do more things with them. The ten-year-old taught me how to play the Trash card game, which is a kind of double solitaire, and we played Candy Land with the five-year-old. This little girl is horse crazy! I bought several horse books at our library book sale to give to her and she loved flipping through the pages and carrying them around. John’s sister and brother-in-law came for dinner and we all enjoyed a dinner which included brined, grilled corn on the cob; the five-year-old especially loved the corn! We loaded everyone up with garden produce as they were leaving. I picked beets last evening and canned them today. It’s satisfying seeing ten pints of beets on my counter. Praise God from whom all blessings flow; what bounty to share with others and more than fill our own household’s needs for the winter.

Amish Love Divine Boxset: Bumper Amish Romance - 33 Book Box Set by [Emma Cartwright]

As for the books I’ve been spending time on, they read like popcorn! These 33 Amish love stories by Emma Cartwright were short and impactful; giving me food for relationship ideas and more Insite into Amish life in various communities and how one from the ‘Englischer’ world can become part of it. Each of these only took a couple hours to read and I recommend them if you like to concentrate on a section of society.

Blackwater Ranch

I have spent the last two weeks vicariously becoming part of the Harding family and Blackwater Ranch, a six book series created by Mandi Blake. She set this series in Wyoming. The stories follow the family as the six Harding boys [three sons and a nephew] each find a wife. It’s heart wrenching and heartwarming as you meet each well-developed character and see how their unique circumstances; both the young men and the women who come into the story line up with each other and fulfill the needs of each other when each thought no one ever could. Mandi Blake knows how to weave in the hard, honest work on the vast ranch, the perils of broken families and broken bodies that are reconciled with love and community at the ranch and in the small town of Blackwater. I highly recommend this six-book set if you like good, clean, exciting love stories with heartbreaks, reunions, and celebrations, with saving the ranch for future generations and Christian living at the core.

With all this reading, my husband wonders if I’ll get anything done this summer. I will admit it’s kept me busy several evenings when I could have gotten things done… like this blog post! Life goes by while you’re spending time on other things, I guess.

The Reset: Returning to the Heart of Worship and a Life of Undivided Devotion

The ‘serious’ reading I am currently using as a devotional is THE RESET by Jeremy Riddle; not to be confused with RESET by Bob Sorge. I am working on chapter seven and today’s topic is: “As Goes Worship, So Goes The Church” Worship songs are culture carriers and influencers; always a forerunner to culture shifts in the church. Half-truths, the devil’s beloved method of leading us astray, water down the message of truth in God’s Word. It divides God’s love from His truth, His goodness from His holiness. This is where we become ‘seeker-sensitive’ and breed ‘sloppy agape’, displeasing our Lord.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; [Hebrews 4:12] For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Are we ready to submit anew to the Word’s authority and hold fast to the Word of God without shame and declare His Truth boldly? The Church of Christ is being called higher; to come into the fullness of what the Lord has for us in this new era! I close with this photo from the Pittsburgh area. My grandson wondered why I was taking pictures out the window as we drove; I can’t pass up capturing God’s messages in the clouds!

Shalom my dear ones!

Total Randomness?

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Welcome to my crazy end of summer/harvest musings! We’ve had some crazy shapes in our tomatoes this year we’ve never seen before. This is one of our Early Girl tomatoes that are ripening enmass! My canner has been busy as well as cutting board, paring knife, dishpan, and baskets. I have four baskets I love to collect the harvest in; sometimes daily, once in a while weekly. I’m glad my husband’s sister wanted the last beans we picked and I was blessed today when he said she’s not canning any more and sending me her jars and lids! If you haven’t heard, canning supplies are in short supply; especially lids. I told the Lord early in the gardening that it’s His garden; we are just tending/caretakers. He has definitely brought abundance to us and we’re eager to share with others. It’s a definite double blessing increase in this dry, hot summer, praise the Lord!

All that is going on in my life these few weeks is overwhelming; none of it really having anything to do with Covid. The bounty has caused me to have produce all around my home and no end to tomatoes and peppers to tend to. In the midst of this, the motel has been busy so more hours housekeeping, I’m doing some doctor appointments, my publisher has needed my help, I’ve hosted both the garden club and a prayer meeting in our yard. Add to this the proofreading course I finally bought and began but haven’t gotten past the first day of lessons, the book I’m writing I haven’t worked on in a month, the book I’m editing I’ve not gotten past the first chapter. Our second house my husband’s been working on for four years just went on the market today and my sister’s house my son just moved out of has kept us busy cleaning, painting, etc. If anyone’s interested in a two-story 3 bedroom home on Mill Creek or a 135-year-old remodeled Victorian with a one-bedroom apartment, let us know. We’re so excited the flyer for our old home is just published!

Home looking for a new family!

How about a list of books I’ve purchased during this time?

  • Amazing Love by Corrie ten Boom
  • The Prophetic & Healing Power of Your Words by Becky Dvorak
  • The Healthy Living Handbook by Laura Harris Smith
  • God Adventures
  • Finding God In The Bible
  • Filming God (all from Darren Wilson)
  • Igniting Furious Love by Heidi & Rolland Baker
  • The Hebrew Alphabet by Edward Hoffman
  • Prophetic Manifesto for the new era by Patricia King
  • Possessing The Gates Of The Enemy by Cindy Jacobs

See the source image

Now that our house is on the market, it won’t be much longer before John can build my bookcase for this house. I know I can fill it quickly with what I’ve recently purchased added to what I saved when we cleaned out the other house! So many books; so little time! I’m glad we haven’t been watching TV so I can get back to reading after the harvest; which leads to hunting season where I become chief cook & bottle-washer for the men who like to eat and sleep at our home as part of the hunting party.

So, what is God doing these days? I am learning new things about time management and leaving it in His hands; there are only a certain number of hours in a day and I’m desperate for Him to lead me through them properly. As I am working on my chapter about money relationships, I am getting on-the-job examples. First thing was the day I went for it and bought the General Proofreading course from Caitlin Pyle’s http://www.proofreadanywhere.com while she had a “back to school discount”. Part of the first unit was keeping track of what I’m doing and what emotion I’m feeling every hour for a day or two. Very insightful!

They offered me another cleaning/housekeeping job at another small motel in our area. First, I thought it was the Lord’s way of increasing my finances and ministry base. It didn’t take long before I realized I am already overloaded with good things to do and my needs met by the finances from the jobs already being juggled. Last evening I watched Ryan Le Strange’s Groan 9/1/20 YouTube video. To seal what they had released in the Spirit, Ryan encouraged those of us watching to sow a seed; whatever amount the Spirit was telling us to donate into what God is doing. I realize he meant to donate to his ministry, but I did what the Spirit was telling me to do and give to Sid Roth’s Project 77. I donated $77.00 by PayPal, then the enemy started playing with me. I checked my account, which showed the money being taken out twice. I emailed an inquiry to Sid Roth, then went back to PayPal to alert them, couldn’t get through to submit an inquiry, then went back to my CU account and saw it was NOT being taken out twice. So, I got a call from Sid Roth’s Customer Care today and got to tell them the testimony and confirm it was for Project 77.

Image result for high priest breastplate images

You haven’t heard about Project 77? Sid Roth had the Holy Spirit download the book They Thought For Themselves in which he interviewed Jews that found Messiah when they thought for themselves instead of letting the Rabbis (or anyone else) do it for them as an evangelistic tool. So when you join Project 77, seven of these books get sent to seven Jewish families that have asked for it, then they give the donor a card with the seven family names to pray for. Most Jewish people don’t have anyone praying specifically for their salvation. Oh, you will also receive two copies of the book; one to read and one to share. This is the second time I’ve donated for this program; I still have the prayer card and the Project 77 key chain with the High Priest’s breastplate stones of the 12 tribes of Israel on one side and Project 77 on the other. I love to bless the Jewish people according to Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

AMEN!

My current reading list

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Our Weapons are not Carnal!

I get daily emails from Destiny Image with encouraging excerpts from their author’s books, podcasts, and videos. Included are weekly deals for 99 cent kindle books or a discount on print books. This has added to my book collection on my shelf as well as my Kindle app, so I am reading several at a time. They all mesh with what the Spirit is teaching me.

  • The Prophetic Warrior Operating in your true prophetic authority by Emma Stark
  • The Way of Life Experiencing the culture of heaven on earth by Bill Johnson
  • A Life Ablaze Ten simple keys to living on fire for God by Rick Renner
  • Study Guide: The Notes of a Warrior The secrets of Spiritual warfare: Volume One by Dr. Kevin L. Zadai

Prophetic Warrior and Way of Life I purchased through Destiny Image discounts. https://love-to-read@norimediagroup.com A Life Ablaze was sent to me because I’m on the promotional team for Rick Renner’s new book Last Days Survival Guide, which is already so popular they ran out of advanced copies! I got Kevin Zadai’s Study Guide along with his 3 CD teaching set on his website https://kevinzadai.com/ I have the first CD set on ‘repeat’ in my car player.

So what am I learning? First, as a child of God through Christ, I have authority as well as power given to me by Jesus. With these, I am to walk as a manifest child of God, bringing Heaven culture here on earth. It would not save me to not hear God; you accept Jesus when you hear Him calling.

On page 41 of Rick’s book he quotes R. A. Torrey, “Ninety-nine Christians in every hundred are merely playing at Bible study; and therefore ninety-nine Christians in every hundred are mere weaklings when they could be giants.” Rick adds: “When Christians could be spiritual giants, they are often weaklings because they have ignored the source of fuel that could empower them to be mighty!“

What fuel can build up your holy faith? Paul admonished Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6 “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” The following things keep us spiritually ablaze.

Rick Renner’s 10 keys to being Ablaze

  1. God’s Word
  2. Prayer
  3. Holy Spirit
  4. Worship
  5. for Souls
  6. Generosity
  7. Holiness
  8. Humility
  9. Authority
  10. Fear of the LORD

Often we give up the authority God gives us without realizing it. Man’s authority was first given to satan when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden. The devil has power, but no authority to use it without stealing from us. We still fall for his lies when we have power AND authority to put him in his place. We are amid an onslaught from the enemy of our souls. Let us learn to stand in the power and authority Jesus died and arose to give us and beat back the evil poised to take us out.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

Take your authority and bind those things not in heaven and loose those things which are. Earth is the first heaven where we have dominion [see Adam’s charge in Genisis], above that is the second heaven where satan rules. Next is the third heaven where we sit with Christ beside Father God, high above all principalities and powers, rulers, and hosts of wickedness. Let us learn to rule and reign as Christ equips us to do. We find the whole armor of God listed in Ephesians 6 outlined and explained in A Life Ablaze.

Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:18

Let us stand on sure footing, connecting with the Spirit within which is heaven amid our very being. Let it out in your sphere of influence and see what happens when you put wickedness in its place under your feet. Keep reminding the devil of his destiny in the lake of fire and rejoice, as Jesus told us to do.

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Luke 10:17-20

Shalom my dear readers!