Coffee for Breakfast

So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. (Isaiah 59:19, 21 KJV)

I'm not totally sure what this says about me (or the rest of my family), but it took a move across Texas to help us find a way to regroup. I'm also not sure what this says about us since this isn't the first time a major move has been necessary to jump start a major family regrouping. Perhaps we are a stubborn people...? We are currently reading through A Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos. In my opinion, this is THE best children's Bible in story form, available. Don't be deceived by the title. Each time we read through it I find new treasures to look up in my King James Version. Little tidbits of detail that I may have overlooked just seem to jump off the pages. I find myself asking, "Does the Bible really say that?" So far, I have not found an inaccuracy. This book is not just for children. I have bought several forms of Bible curriculum for my kids in our last fifteen years of homeschooling. I find myself drawn to this book year after year. ...

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Using what I have... In a quest to simplify this year, I'm working very hard at NOT bringing useless items in my home. I read Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider last month (free on my Kindle!) and it really struck a chord with me. A few months ago, right before moving, we cleaned our ridiculous garage and had a sale. The amount of things we sold, gave away, or just trashed was astounding. I'm not a hoarder by definition of that disgusting tv show, but it is amazing what items we carry around with us...or store! I decided to be relentless in this quest. If it was sitting in an unpacked box (since the last move) I had to get serious about whether or not it was really worth owning. My only legitimate excuse for this monstrosity was the fact of fitting more into less square footage. There were items I wasn't willing to part with. The old rule of "if you haven't used it in a year, you don't need it" doesn't apply to ALL things! For example, I have tons...

Well this month was quite eventful!!! •My new little very first grandbaby girl and I had a week to get acquainted! Her mommy, daddy, and her cute little self visited at my house. Just to let everyone know, she is the most perfect baby... Ever! Gorgeous! Her parents are pretty cute too.;) •My oldest daughter, Courtney, surprised us all with a wedding. Hers. We didn't even know she had a boyfriend until a few weeks ago. Again, gorgeous. She made a beautiful bride. I hope her day was everything she wanted. Twenty-three and as independent as always. I know her biggest dream of a wedding was for it to only be about her and her husband. I think that was accomplished. :) •We have found a new church home in our new hometown. Awesome presence of God! Freedom in worship, unity in spirit, and love. Sunday morning service was like a cool drink of water to quench our thirst for more and like a burning fire to ignite our hearts to follow God's call. It's been too...

I have a goal of reading, on average, about two books per month. There are no rules here. Two books just seem to be the amount I can handle. I love to read at night mostly. It relaxes my mind that tends to think too much! I have almost finished my quota for the year. I'm busy but in a different way and it has allowed for more time to read. I find it very interesting which books seem to find their way into my life. So many over the last few years have been so right on time. I believe that God directs my path in everything, including the books I read. I read a wide variety depending on my mood. I usually follow a heavy thought provoking book with some light-hearted fiction, or maybe a biography. This year I added some children's books. I sometimes pre-read a book I plan to assign to my daughters. I also decided I would love to read some books I missed when I was younger. Some of my favorites this year have been: My favorite children's book was Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Pa...

Most of the time, it seems to me, disagreements happen because of simple misunderstandings. Other times though, "it goes much deeper than that". (to quote a very misguided individual) Those are the words used to explain a person's wrong actions and attempt to make it sound spiritual at the same time. Well, that's not a new trick. Satan quoted scripture to Jesus after he had fasted for forty days and nights. I didn't just miss that. Did you? Jesus had been fasting. What happens to your body during a fast? I've personally never fasted for forty days but I'm pretty sure my flesh would be pretty weak. So, here comes the enemy, trying to sound "all spiritual", while simultaneously attacking while you are in a weakened condition. Wouldn't a person be able to be used of God in a much deeper way if they only used discernment, and maybe a little common sense? Let's say, for example, you have prayed to be used of God. You have a made up mind to ser...