Finding energy for the Hodgepodge

 

It's Wednesday again -- and time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  I'm summoning up the energy to join is again this week, so here we go ...

1. What gives you energy? What takes it away? 

Cool, brisk weather gives me energy.  Hot, humid weather absolutely saps my energy.

2. How often do you shop for clothes? What accessory do you always wear? 

I shop for clothes as seldom as possible.  When I need something specific, when a clothing item wears out and must be replaced, when I lose weight ...  Whenever possible I shop at a thrift store or by catalog.  An accessory I almost always wear: earrings.  (Occasionally I forget.)

 Above and below, some of the handmade earrings in my collection.

3. What's something free that you feel grateful for? 

Fresh air!  I am also grateful for being blessed to live in what still, in spite of all its problems, feels like the freest country on earth.  When one thinks that in some countries people are being jailed for their thoughts or even praying inside their own head, it makes one appreciate the freedoms that we still have here.

4. Breakfast, lunch, dinner...which meal of the day do you enjoy most? What's your go-to comfort food? 

We intermittent fast so don't eat breakfast in the morning, but foods like bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc. are still favorites of mine any time of day, and breakfast is our favorite meal to eat out.  I guess probably breakfast foods would be my most-favored comfort food, but another might be macaroni and cheese.  I find baked potatoes very comforting also.  And chocolate pudding.

5. This week the world remembers the tragic events of 9/11. Do you mark the day in any way? 

I don't really mark the day, but I do remember it, and sometime during the day I will think about where I was and the people I was with when we got the news.  And that we all sat down and spent time in prayer for the situation.

 How do historical events shape your perspective on your personal challenges?

Now that is a thought-provoking question.  I think they help me to look at the big picture, especially when I consider that people have died to secure the freedoms that I have.  They remind me too that with God's help, people have overcome much greater difficulties than the things that may be a personal challenge for me.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It was so chilly this morning here!  31º which is quite unusual for early September.   We have been in a severe drought here too, which makes us wonder how the fall foliage will be affected.

Photo is from a previous year.

There's the Hodgepodge for this week!

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As I explained several weeks ago, I've made some changes in  my Sunday posts,  using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of August 18,  but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

) Ministry -- at TWNE, blogging, Sunday School lesson prep, food for Sunday's fellowship meal; clean the church.

2) Health -- exercise, walking, crafting, rest and relaxation, research health issues.

3) Community --  Bristol Old-Home Day, Dinner on the Bridge event Saturday evening.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: Blogging is a joy.  I find joy in my Etsy shop when I can find the time.  Our staycation days have been joyous.  It will be a joy to serve at TWNE on Friday and a joy to see friends baptized on Sunday.

Worries: Not really worries.  Concerns, certainly, about the psoriasis, though many areas do seem to be healing.

Desires: To glorify God this week.  To make contact with Rebekah.  To be a blessing to fellow believers.  To be a light at some community events.  To craft each day.  To work on writing projects.

Stressors: Meeting new people is always a bit stressful for me.  A time frame to get the Inn reset will be stressful.  Finding time to prepare food for Sunday, with a busy Friday/Saturday in the offing.  And then just time, energy and aging limitations are ongoing stressors.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of every aspect of this week.  You are aware of its time constraints and the limits of my energy.  You are aware of my character flaws and are able to help me overcome them.  You are able to give me the strength and the energy I need to do tiring tasks.  You are able to guide me in using time wisely.

* Lord, I feel ... behind already, and it's only Wednesday!  I feel a little overwhelmed looking at Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as those are going to be busy days.

* Lord, help me with ... wise use of time.  Help me with decluttering and downsizing.  Help me with meal planning as it's a challenge cooking for this diet.  Help me with the busy upcoming weekend.  Help me with my cleaning tasks on Friday, to be efficient in getting everything done.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I fail to trust You.  Anytime I try to accomplish things in my own strength.  Attitudes not pleasing to You.  The many times when I speak before thinking.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed friends dealing with family difficulties, a couple adjusting to several large life changes, an older widow friend who needs wisdom and encouragement.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Micah 7:18, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "Who is a God like Thee, who pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He retaineth not his anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy."  (Micah 7:18)

O = ESV reads: "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance?  He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love."

Scofield titles verses 7-20 of Micah 7 "Submission to the LORD; ascription of praise."

Cross-reference for "who is a God like unto Thee" -- "Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods?  Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"  (Exodus 15:11)

One writer commented, "The answer to this rhetorical question is, of course, 'No one!'  Micah then proceeds to glory in the boundless mercy and undeserved grace of God.  A holy God pardoning unholy people.!"

Of this phrase ("who is a God like unto Thee") Scofield points out, "Here is a play on the prophet's name, which means 'Who is like the LORD?'."

Cross-references for "pardoning iniquity" -- "I, even I, am He, who blotteth out Thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."  (Isaiah 43:25)

"And [Moses] said, If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray Thee, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance."  (Exodus 34:9)

Cross-reference for "remnant of his heritage -- "Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been like Sodom, and we should have been like Gomorrah."  (Isaiah 1:9)

Cross-reference for "He does not retain His anger" -- "He will not always chide; neither will He keep His anger forever."  (Psalm 103:9)

Concerning the phrase "because He delighteth in mercy", one writer suggests,  "Develop the discipline of pausing to ponder terms of explanation like because. Why doesn't God hold fast His anger forever ('Retain' in English ~ to keep in mind or memory!)? His unchanging love trumps His righteous anger! These words should prompt us to grateful worship of such an undeserved (gracious) truth!

A=  To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is a God who pardons iniquity and passes over transgression of the remnant of His heritage.  He is a God who does not retain His anger forever, a God who delights in mercy.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

I am a recipient, a beneficiary of the boundless mercy and grace of God, though I am completely undeserving.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should live a life of thankful obedience to the One who has shown me such grace and mercy.  I should praise Him daily that He is a God who pardons iniquity, passes over transgressions, and delights in mercy.

As we think of Israel as God's inheritance, heritage, or possession, we're reminded that today believers are also God's possession.  Paul declared in Titus 2:14 that Jesus "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds"  Am I living daily like I belong to Him? Can others see that I am His possession by my words and deeds?

Warren Wiersbe says, "The better we know the character of God, the more we can trust Him for the future. The better we know the promises and covenants of God, the more peace we will have in our hearts when things fall apart. When Micah wrote this confession of his faith, the future seemed hopeless; yet he had hope because he knew God and fully trusted Him. No matter how dark the day, the light of God’s promises is still shining. No matter how confusing and frightening our circumstances, the character of God remains the same. You have every reason to trust Him!”.

P= "Lord,I am so thankful that You are a God who pardons iniquity and delights in mercy.  What a blessing it is to be Your child and a beneficiary of Your love and grace!

"I pray that You will help me to live a life of thankful obedience to You each day.  Help me to live daily as one who belongs to You.  Help others to see by my words and deeds that I am Your possession.  I thank You for how You will work , in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to us over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Wonderful fellowship with our friends over Sunday lunch at our camp,

2)  Strength for an unexpected day of cleaning and laundry at my volunteer job.

3) A delightful cookout with my hubby's flag wave friends on the Saturday.  Opportunities to get to know more people.

4) Strength and energy to clean the church on Saturday.

5) Time in God's creation at the Flume Gorge on Monday.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on SERVING. We were to consider how we could serve others with our available resources this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

I can serve the church family with a clean and orderly building and some good food for the fellowship dinner -- using resources of time, energy and groceries.  I can serve by cleaning at my volunteer job with time, energy, and homemade cleaning supplies.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

No other love compares to God's faithful love.

We can take this affirmation as a great encouragement as we go into the coming week!

And that's this week's Sunday Scripture...

September goals

 

How in the world is it five days into September already?  Yesterday I finally remembered that I should be setting a few goals for the month.  So here goes:

* Post in this blog as often as possible
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Continue reading through the One-Year Chronological Bible
*  Continue with the book Fix Your Focus for my Sunday Scripture series
* Continue studying and preparing for my ladies' Sunday School class
* Finish up the wonderful Daily Grace Co. study of Habakkuk, Even If (this is intended to be a 3-week study; it has taken me months since I only work on it on Saturdays -- and not every Saturday at that)
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Keep up with Flylady's zones of the week
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Attend a ladies' retreat and our monthly Ladies of Grace meeting
* Spend quality time at our little camp; plan some staycation time
* Get to bed by 8:30 each night we are at home
* Drink enough water each day
* Resume the habit of getting outdoors for the morning light
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week
* Help with our church's outreach at the local outdoor market
* Possibly meet up with friends for breakfast
* Enjoy a couple of staycation days in the White Mountains with other friends
* Spend time at my volunteer job
* Find time for a 7-day home reset

HEALTHY HABITS FOR SEPTEMBER:  Drink more water/get more sleep/exercise daily/intermittent fasting/limit carbs/get morning light

As usual, all of this should be more than enough to keep me out of trouble this month!

Hodgepodge for September 3

 

 It's Wednesday again -- and time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  Here we go ...

 1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

My paternal grandfather died when my dad was 10, so I never knew him.  My maternal grandfather died when I was 4, so although I have some memories of  him they are not very clear.  My dad's mother was a lovely lady, but we only saw her a few times a year as she didn't live nearby and was often working.

My maternal grandmother lived next door to us was a completely amazing woman.  She was the matriarch of a large family and successfully ran a farm and business after her husband died. I know I was greatly impacted by her love of beauty and her creative bent.  She also had a beautiful singing voice, and I loved it when she would sing in the car or around the house.  I learned many things from her, but probably the things that stayed with me most were her adventurous spirit in cooking and baking and her love of holidays and  seasonal decorating, especially for Christmas.  She was very hospitable also, which has surely impacted me.  I think that I also inherited my camera-phobic tendencies from her.  Here are a few posts where I've shared more about her:

 From Gram's Corner Cupboard

Christmas on the Farm

Thanksgiving at Gram's

My Grandmother's Best Cookie-baking Advice 

In fact, memories of this dear lady are sprinkled throughout my blog like chocolate chips in a cookie!  That is her in her kitchen, below.

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

I know it's been quoted to death, but probably the Anne of Green Gables quote that "tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet."  I'm incredibly grateful for that every day.

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

I am trying to think.  Most everything that comes to mind would surely qualify as a first-world problem.

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

My eyes.  They may be the only thing about me that hasn't changed very much.  I am second from left in this 1950s photo.

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

Not a plan as such.  We do have emergency food supplies and extra non-perishables on hand, and we try to keep extras of first-aid basics and common OTC medications.  Anytime a serious weather event is imminent we try to keep our vehicles' gas tanks full and to have some jugs of drinking water available.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Oh goodness ... so many random thoughts are crowding my brain today that I'm not sure I can isolate just one.  Well, here's a thought: I am longing to try this 7-day Home Reset.  The problem is finding 7 uneventful days in a row!  Maybe later in September!

A paper coaster from my grandmother

And there's the Hodgepodge for this week!

Sunday Scripture

 Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As I explained several weeks ago, I've made some changes in  my Sunday posts,  using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of August 11,  but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Hospitality -- having another couple over for lunch after church on Sunday.

2) Outreach --  spending time with a grieving young friend; attending a cookout at the home of Steve's flag wave friends.

3) Ministry --  Work on Sunday School and blog posts; serve at my volunteer job on Friday.

I also added Etsy as a fourth priority -- to prep and send any orders; to list at least 5 items.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: We're staying at our camp due to hot weather this week, and I plan to fit some crafting into every evening.  Working on Etsy is a joy when I have the time.  Teaching, studying, and blogging are joys.  Hospitality, especially at our camp, is a joy.  We plan a staycation day on Monday which will be a joy.

Worries: I try not to worry.  I do have concerns for my husband's health.  It's vastly improved, but there's one persistent problem area.  There are other situations I'm concerned about as well.

Desires: As always, that God would be glorified in the events of the week.  We desire to be a good testimony to those not-yet-believing friends we spend time with this week.  To be a blessing to family and church family this week.  To do some crafting every day, to work on Etsy each day.  To savor our staycation day and nights spent at our cottage.

Stressors: Always the limitations of aging, time, and energy.  The extreme heat.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of every aspect of this week.   You are aware of all that it will hold and also of my limitations and time constraints.  You are the great Physician and able to heal Steve's psoriasis and give us wisdom about it.  You are so good and kind to allow us to live in this beautiful state and to provide this cottage to retreat to.

* Lord, I feel ... as if the week is slipping away.  It's already Wednesday as I write this!  I feel somewhat concerned about Steve's psoriasis.  Most areas are smoothing out nicely, but his lower legs, where it all started, continue to be a problem.  I feel blessed, so blessed to have our cottage to get away to in such hot weather.  I feel thankful for the cool breeze coming through the window right now.  

* Lord, help me with ... using my time wisely this week.  Help me with my attitudes, which can so easily get out of hand.  Help me with my work at TWNE, church, and home, to accomplish all that's necessary.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when my words, tone of voice, or attitudes are not pleasing to you.  Times when I tend to act in my own strength.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed an older widow; a couple coping with some large life changes;  a young couple seeking God's direction for housing.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Ecclesiastes 12:13, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man."  (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

O= The ESV reads "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

Cross-references for "fear God" "That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged."  (Deuteronomy 6:2)

 "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and serve the LorD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."  (Deuteronomy 10:12)

Note concerning "fear God" -- "The 'fear of the LORD is an Old Testament expression meaning reverential trust, including the hatred of evil." -- C.I. Scofield

Henrietta Mears wrote, "To'fear the Lord' means to recognize His holiness and to realize how great He is and how unworthy we are to have His love."

A= To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is to be feared -- that is, we are to be in reverential awe of Him.  His commands are to be kept.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

As a part of mankind, my "whole duty" is to fear God, and keep His commandments.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should live my life in reverential trust of God, loving the things that He loves and hating the things that He hates.  I should live life in obedience to His Word.

One writer has said, "The bottom line is this: We are to fear God and obey him, knowing that he will evaluate everything in our lives. God sovereignly disposes our lives here below, 'under the sun' and he sovereignly judges our lives when we stand before him."

"Fearing God and obeying Him is not option #2, but is requirement #1, and is to be the very end for every man. This is why we were made.." -- Warren Wiersbe

“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” -- Oswald Chambers

David McCasland noted in Our Daily Bread, "The multiple times Solomon used the word vanity (or meaningless) in Ecclesiastes may indicate his disillusionment about life. This once-wise king who had it all, lost it all, and pondered it all, ended the book with this final conclusion: 'Fear God and keep His commandments' (12:13). Those are six words worth heeding."

William Barrick wrote, "You were not made to chase success, to accumulate knowledge, to indulge pleasures or to escape death. You were made to fear your Creator, to walk with Him in His truth and to glorify and enjoy Him forever. Solomon, at the end of his life, cuts through the fog of everything else and says: 'This is the purpose of your existence'.."

P= "Lord, how I praise You for the clarity of Your Word .  In this verse we see so clearly, distilled into six words, the duty of man -- to fear and obey You, to walk in Your truth and to glorify You.  We see that it is not an option, but a requirement.

    "I pray that You will help me to live each day of my life in reverential trust of You and in obedience to Your Word.  Help me to love the things that You love and to hate the things that You hate. I thank You for the strength that You will give!   In Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Getting out for a walk several days last week.

2) A lovely staycation day on the Monday, with all that we hoped for.

3) Time and energy to clean the church.

4) The blessing of hosting a cottage prayer meeting at our camp.

5) Seeing God work in the lives of friends to move them to another state.  Giving us the emotional strength to say goodbye to people who have become so dear to us.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on FELLOWSHIP. We were to plan a time to fellowship with friends this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

We did just that, inviting friends over for lunch after church on Sunday.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

The purpose of my life is to glorify God and live in the ways He instructs.

We can take this challenging thought into the coming week as we seek to glorify God and walk in His ways every day.

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As I explained several weeks ago, I've made some changes in  my Sunday posts,  using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of August 4,  but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Health -- dentist appointment, walk as often as possible, exercise daily.

2) Communicate -- notes to grieving friends; note to Airbnb hosts; try to contact Jennifer.

3) Ministry -- SS lesson prep, blogging, host home prayer meeting at our cottage; cleaning the church.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  If I had a fear, it would have been that the dentist would find some tooth that needed work.

Joys: Ministry is a joy.  We take joy in hospitality, especially at our little cottage. We planned a staycation day for the Monday with several joys in NH state parks -- an aerial tramway ride, coffee atop a mountain, a picnic by a lake.

Worries: I try not to worry.  If I were to worry, it would be about my dentist appointment or my hubby's psoriasis.

Desires: That the answers to some perplexing questions might begin to be revealed.  That God would be glorified in the events of this week.  That people would be encouraged by my communication with them.  That Steve would be completely healed from psoriasis.

Stressors: Always the constraints of time, energy, hot weather, and aging.   Trying to balance everything is challenging.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of every aspect of this week.  You are omniscient and You are the One "who revealed secrets".  You are sovereign over my concerns and my limitations.  You are able to give me strength far beyond my own.  You are able to expand my time.

* Lord, I feel ... so inadequate for all of this -- and, in my own strength, I am indeed inadequate.  I feel blessed and privileged to be Your child and to have Your Word.  I feel free to live in such a beautiful area and to be able to visit state parks for free.  I feel grateful to have our cottage, blessed by the peace and rest we enjoy there, and by the hospitality we're able to extend.

* Lord, help me with ... Wise use of my time every day.  Help me with self-discipline and diligence.  Help me with my character flaws and sin issues.  Help me with my Scripture posts and Sunday School lesson preparations.  Help me to be wise in planning meals within the restrictions of my hubby's diet.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I worry or stress about situations.  Times when my attitudes are not right or when I'm tempted to manipulate circumstances.  Times when I'm unwise in my use of time or my choices.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed  a young couple looking for a new home, an unborn baby whose birth is overdue (and her parents, feeling a bit anxious), and a retired couple in a life transition.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Psalm 56:3, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee."  (Psalm 56:3)

O = C.I. Scofield, in the Scofield Reference Bible, titles this Psalm "Reliance upon God."

The ESV titles Psalm 56 "In God I trust."

The biblical heading for this psalm in the KJV is "To the chief musician upon Jonath-elem--rehokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath."

The ESV translates this heading "To the Choirmaster according to the Dove on Far-off Terebinths.  A Michtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath."

"Michtam" is probably a musical or liturgical term.

"Trust in" literally means "lean on".

Cross-references for "trust in Thee" -- "Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him."  (Psalm 2:12)

"In the LORD put I my trust; how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?"  (Psalm 11:1)

A=  To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is a God who can be trusted.  He can be trusted even when I am afraid.  (Considering all of the incidents in Scripture where He tells people to "fear not", maybe especially when I am afraid.)

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

I'm a frail, fallible human being who is prone to fear.  I'm also a child of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise God who is completely trustworthy.  I live in a world, in a culture where things often feel uncertain and unsafe, but I can trust God regardless of the circumstances..

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should live as a person who trusts in God even when I am afraid, considering all of the attributes that He will bring to bear on my behalf, in my situation.

Charles Spurgeon wrote: " It is a blessed fear which drives us to trust. Unregenerate fear drives from God, gracious fear drives to him. If I fear man I have only to trust God, and I have the best antidote. To trust when there is no cause for fear, is but the name of faith, but to be reliant upon God when occasions for alarm are abundant and pressing, is the conquering faith of God's elect. Though the verse is in the form of a resolve, it became a fact in David's life, let us make it so in ours. Whether the fear arise from without or within, from past, present, or future, from temporals, or spirituals, from men or devils, let us maintain faith, and we shall soon recover courage."

"There is nothing like faith to help at a pinch; faith dissolves doubts as the sun drives away the mists. And that you may not be put out, know that your time for believing is always. There are times when some graces may be out of use, but there is no time wherein faith can be said to be so. Wherefore faith must be always in exercise ... Let it rain, let it blow, let it thunder, let it lighten, a Christian must still believe. 'At what time', said the good man, 'I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." John Bunyan.

Albert Barnes wrote, "It is a good maxim with which to go into a world of danger; a good maxim to go to sea with; a good maxim in a storm; a good maxim when in danger on the land; a good maxim when we are sick; a good maxim when we think of death and the judgment--What time I am afraid, I WILL TRUST IN THEE." 

Spurgeon quotes Bishop Beveridge: 

                                What is there in God we ought to put our trust in? 

                                1. In His promises. 

2. In His properties. His power, wisdom, justice, mercy, all sufficiency.

 Why should we in all our fears put our trust in God? 

1. Because there is none else can secure us from our fears. Whereas, 

2. There are no fears but God can secure us from them, either by removing the thing feared, or by subduing the fear of the thing.

P= "Lord,You know that I am a frail, fallible human who is prone to fear.  I'm living in a culture and world where things often feel uncertain and unsafe.  Yet I am Your child!  I have a relationship with the all-wise, all-powerful God of the universe and I can trust You to care for me in any fearful situation.

"I pray that You will help me to live every day as a person who trusts in You in every circumstance of life, even when I am afraid.  I thank You for how You will help me with this, in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Safety traveling to and from Boothbay,

2) Light rain as we traveled back, but fine weather while there.

3) Having found a new-to-us Airbnb that we really liked and would love to stay at again.

4) Good fellowship, calm seas, and the delightful experience that is the Cabbage Island Clambake.

5) A good outreach at the outdoor market.  It was lightly attended even by vendors, but we had some excellent opportunities with people.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on  FASTING. We were to make a plan to fast from something this week, and to consider how we would replace our fasted item with the pursuit of God and His Word.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

I do intermittent fasting every day and find it does open up more time for prayer and Bible study.  Whenever we are at our cottage, we are fasting from internet and social media, as we have no wi-fi there.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

The trustworthiness of the Lord calms my fears.

We can take this comforting thought into the coming week as we seek to trust the Lord at all times, especially when we are afraid.

And that's the Sunday Scripture for this week!

Cookie Dough Brownies

 

Probably back in the 1990s I found a recipe for Cookie Dough Brownies in Taste of Home magazine.  I made those brownies many times and people always enjoyed them.  Over the years, though, I've done a lot of tweaking, the most notable being to use a completely different, old favorite brownie recipe for the brownie base.  Another was to add a third cup of mini chocolate chips in the cookie dough filling.  

 In the past year or so, my hubby has started baking the cookie dough brownies, and he added some tweaks of his own.  For instance, he decided there wasn't enough chocolate in the topping, so he uses more chocolate chips.

One of his flag wave friends asked for the cookie dough brownie recipe a few months ago.  I knew I would be seeing her on Saturday, so I got ready to print the recipe.   And that's when I came to the realization that the recipe had been tweaked so much that I would have to completely rewrite it.  Since I had to do that anyway, I thought I would share the retooled recipe with my blog readers.  Here it is:

COOKIE  DOUGH  BROWNIES

BROWNIES:
3/4 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tblsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

GLAZE:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tblsp. shortening or butter
Chopped walnuts if desired

    FOR BROWNIES, in a large bowl, beat together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs.  Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into mixture in bowl just until flour is incorporated well.   Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or  until brownies test done.  Cool completely.

    FOR FILLING, cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl.  Add milk and vanilla; mix well.  Beat in flour. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.   Spread filling over the brownies; chill until firm. 

    FOR GLAZE, melt chocolate chips and shortening or butter in a saucepan or microwave, stirring until smooth.  Spread over filling.  Immediately sprinkle with nuts (if using), pressing down slightly. 

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen

(The cookies in the photo at top don't really look like mine, but just imagine them with chocolate mini chips in the filling and no walnuts on top. Or, if you want them to look like the photo, leave the chips out of the filling and add chopped walnuts to the top.)