A blessed Easter to all!

Wonderful graphic from Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Today I'm taking a break from my regularly scheduled Sunday Scripture posts to wish all of my readers and friends a blessed and meaning-filled  day of celebrating Christ's resurrection.  

"He is risen, as He said"!  (Matthew 28:7)

Our Resurrection Day celebration will begin with a meaningful outdoor service which is always a real blessing.   We will then adjourn to the fellowship hall for a bountiful potluck breakfast.  I'll be bringing an egg bake, hash brown casserole, a fruit salad and some coffeecake and pastries.

Later we will enjoy a special Easter worship service filled with wonderful music.

Our plans are to eat Easter dinner with our local daughter, her hubby, and their four children.  My daughter and I are collaborating on the food, which will include ham, make-ahead mashed potatoes, salad, and more as well as a scrumptious dessert.

I pray that each of you will have a wonderful Easter, however you may be celebrating at church or with family. 

For those who may be missing my usual Sunday Scripture post, here are some links to older posts for you to enjoy: Why Easter Matters (2014); Why Easter Matters (2022); and Why Easter Matters  (also 2022)

In all that we are doing, may each of us ponder all that our salvation cost our Lord and may we take time to thank Him for His willing sacrifice on our behalf.

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
"And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

We serve a risen Savior! This is truly worthy of celebration!  Have a blessed day! 

Hopping into the Hodgepodge

 

It's Wednesday again, so it's time for the Hodgepodge -- the linkup where Joyce, at  From This Side of the Pond, asks the questions and bloggers provide the answers on their own blogs.  This week's Hodgepodge questions have a spring and Easter theme.   Here goes:

1.What would you say is the most difficult task when it comes to spring cleaning? Have you completed that task this year? Any plans to get it done?

I don't do actual spring cleaning, preferring to try and keep up with cleaning tasks all year round, but I do find that windows need cleaning in spring after a long and messy winter.  Mr. T and I will work at it together, but it's not done yet.  Our house is still surrounded by snow.

A 1954 Wonder Book ready to list in my Etsy shop

2. Your favorite pastel color? Favorite thing you own in a pastel shade? 

Oh, that's a good question.  Possibly mint green, possibly peach, possibly light blue. Favorite thing I own in a pastel shade would probably be a peach colored sweater.

3. Do you like ham? Do you fix ham year round or is it mostly just a 'holiday food'? Baked ham-ham and eggs-ham and cheese sandwich-scalloped potatoes and ham-Hawaiian pizza....what's your pleasure? 

 

I do like ham.   I tend to only cook a ham at holiday time, but really there's no reason why I don't cook one any time of year.  I have a hot ham and potato salad recipe that we really enjoy.  Hawaiian pizza is good too -- I usually use barbecue sauce rather than pizza sauce on it.  I guess I have never posted that ham potato salad recipe, so there is no time like the present.   It really is delicious.  One could probably adapt it to use leftover Easter ham, but I've always just used ham steak.

HOT  HAM  AND  POTATO  SALAD
 

2 lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 1-inch cubes
8 ounces smoked ham steak, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 Tblsp. cider vinegar
1 Tblsp. honey
2 tsp. coarse-grained mustard (I often use the Dijon pub-style with mustard seeds)
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise (light works fine)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
Chopped parsley to taste
Hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered (optional)
Plum tomatoes, quartered (optional)

    Place potatoes in saucepan; cover with lightly salted water.  Bring to boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes.
    Meanwhile, cook ham in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove  ham to a large bowl, using a slotted spoon.  Add celery and onion to the bowl.
    Pour vinegar into warm skillet, stirring to dissolve browned bits in bottom of pan.  Stir in honey and mustard.  Slowly whisk in mayo.  Add salt, pepper, and Tabasco.
    Drain cooked potatoes and, while still warm, add to mixing bowl.  Pour dressing over potatoes.  Toss gently to combine, then sprinkle on the chopped parsley.  Serve salad in a shallow bowl (or even in the skillet) encircled with egg and tomato quarters (sprinkled with salt & pepper) if desired.  Serve warm.

Yield :  4 servings.

4. Do you celebrate Easter? What did Easter look like when you were a kid? What are your plans for Easter this year? 

 

I do celebrate Easter! Joyously!  

When I was a kid, Easter was not a holiday that I fully understood.  We did go to church, but the Gospel was not really part of it.  We did not have Easter baskets.  Instead, my mother hid jelly beans around the house for us to collect.  We usually did have a lovely Easter dinner at my grandmother's farmhouse.

 Easter plans this year include an early outdoor service, breakfast at the church, then an Easter worship service.  My daughter and I plan to collaborate on Easter dinner at her house.  Yes, it will include ham!

5. Something that makes you feel hopeful amidst all the chaos and confusion this world brings? 

I can give only one possible answer to this: the fact that God is in complete control and that He is working all things after the counsel of His own will -- and that one day all wrongs will be made right.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Looking forward to dinner out with old friends this evening (Tuesday).  It will be good to catch up. 

And that's the Hodgepodge!  Have a wonderful Easter, everyone!

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

 Giving this a try today!  My friend Elisha motivated me to try participating in the Happy Homemaker Monday hosted by Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

The Weather:::

It started out very cold as it got down to 19º overnight.  Partly sunny now and around 54º.  We are planning to stay at our little camp tonight.

As I look outside my window:::

I still see lots of snow in the woods, mud in the driveway, bare trees: a few still with sap buckets.  Early spring is an ugly season here in New Hampshire.

Right now I am:::
 

Working on several computer tasks simultaneously.  Etsy listing; Sunday School lesson; this blog post.          
Thinking and pondering:::
 

On many things, including what God expects of us as His children and the ways we can bring glory to Him.

On my bedside table:::
 

Books, a pen, a vial of Deep Relief essential oil.     

 

On my tv this week::: 

 

We have a TV, but it's stored in a box upstairs and we bring it out only when we want to watch a movie.  However, our DVD player isn't working so it's been awhile since we watched one.

Listening to:::
 

Nothing right now.       

On the Breakfast plate:::
 

I do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast.  But I had breakfast for lunch today: bacon, scrambled eggs, cubes of avocado.

  

On the dinner plate::: 

 

A "chicken cheesesteak" sub, shared with my husband.  An easy take-out item from a favorite spot, to take to our little camp.

On the menu for this week:::

I usually plan my menus from Thursday to Thursday, and grocery shop on Friday morning.  A few meals on my menu plan:

Egg roll in a bowl
Healthy burger salad bowl
Fish chowder
Chicken broccoli bake with artichokes

On my reading pile:::

 

Stories that Bind Us by Susie Finkbeiner
We Travel an Appointed Way by A.W. Tozer.

On my to do list today:::
 

Walk     

Eye appointment

Work on Sunday School lesson

Work on blog posts

List one or two books on Etsy.

Plans for this week:::

 

Menu plan and grocery list

Spend two nights at our little camp

Plan for Easter

Get together with friends for supper Tuesday

Celebrate our daughter's birthday with her and her family

What I am creating:::

 

Crochet hot mat

Fabric bookmark

January cross-stitch sampler

From the camera:::
  

 

This is from a hike my hubby took last week on his family's property.

 

Bible verse, Devotional, Quote:::

 I'm working through a study of Lamentations.  Zeroing in on these verses today: "For the LORD will not cast off forever: But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.  For He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men."  (Lamentations 3:31-33)

 

On my prayer list:::

Friends & Family
Missionaries

So there's my attempt at the Happy Homemaker Monday!

Sunday Scripture

 

As I mentioned last Sunday, I'm finishing up a One Chapter a Day study of Psalms 101-150 from Good Morning Girls.  Although I love working on more in-depth Bible studies, these simpler ones are also a blessing to do.  In fact, once I finish this GMG Psalms study, I hope to begin the one that preceded it for Psalms 51-100, then maybe tackle a more in-depth study of  Psalms from the The Daily Grace Co.  But we will see.  I don't want to get ahead of myself. 

 I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find this method a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, so I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or praise for what it means to you.

This study also includes a reflection question for each passage.  Sometime I answer this in my study, and sometimes not.  Most often, when I do answer it, I'll do so right after the SOAP part.

Today's study is from Psalm 135.  The verse to focus on was verse 3, but I have chosen to look closely at verses 3 and 5-7.  I also did a bit of an overview of the entire Psalm.

S= "Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good.  Sing praises unto His name, for it is pleasant.

" For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

"Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth; in the seas, and, and all deep places.

 

" He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth: He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries. ". (Psalm 135:3, 5-7)

O= C.I.  Scofield titled this psalm " The true God contrasted with idols" -- and if we look down at verses 15-18 we see a very accurate description of "the idols of the nations".  In contrast, verses 5-14 describe the one true God.  Verses 1-3 instruct the servants of the Lord to praise His name.

In The Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon  points out that this psalm "is mainly made up of selections from other Scriptures.  It has been called a mosaic, and compared to a tesselated pavement."

He then goes on to list all of the Scriptures referenced in this psalm.  These come from other psalms; from Deuteronomy; from Exodus; and from Jeremiah.  (I'm not going to write them all out, but if you're interested in the references, let me know in a comment and I will see that you get them.)

Another note from Spurgeon that was a blessing to my study:  "The whole Psalm is a compound of many choice extracts, and has all the continuity and freshness of an original poem.  The Holy Spirit occasionally repeats Himself; not because He has any lack of thoughts or words, but because it is expedient for us that we hear the same things in the same form.  Yet, when our great Teacher uses repetition, it is usually with instructive variations, which deserve our careful attention."

Several cross=references are given for these verses:

For "the LORD is good" -- "Thou art good, and doest good: teach me Thy statutes.". (Psalm 119:68)

For "Whatsoever the LORD pleased" -- "But our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased."  (Psalm 115:3)

For "He maketh lightnings" -- "To make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth  the waters by measure.  When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder."  (Job 28:25-26)

-- "Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of the thunder." (Job 38:25)

 

For "His treasuries" -- "When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasuries."  (Jeremiah 51:16)

Spurgeon gives a great summary of this psalm in The Treasury of David.  He writes:  " The first fourteen verses contain an exhortation to praise Jehovah for His goodness (v.3), for his electing love (v. 4); His greatness (v. 5-7); His judgments (v. 8-12); His unchanging character (v. 13); and His love towards His people.  This is followed by a denunciation of idols (v. 15-18); and a further exhortation to bless the name of the LORD. "

 

A= We can praise the Lord for the exact same things that Spurgeon mentions here.  We can praise Him for His goodness, for His electing love, for His greatness, for His judgments, for His unchanging character, and for His love for us as His people.  We can also renounce idols and work at recognizing and eliminating idols in our lives.  (Should readers be interested in a study on this topic, I highly recommend More Than Anything, from the Daily Grace Co.  It will really help you in identifying idols that may be in your life.)  

 In addition, we can praise the Holy Spirit for His fascinating arrangement of Scripture in this Psalm 135!

P= "Lord,  how I thank and praise You not only for Your wonderful Word, but for Who You are.  Your character never changes!  We can count on you to be the same yesterday, today, and forever.  I praise You for that and for so much more.  I praise You for Your greatness, for Your enduring and righteous judgments, and for Your love for Your people, just to name a few things.  I pray that You will help me to turn from any idols in my life and to worship You alone.  I pray in Jesus' name, Amen."

The reflection question notes that we praise God not only because He is God, but because He is good -- and that one of the ways we praise God is through song.  "Singing is pleasant and is a comfort to our souls.  What is your favorite worship song and why is it your favorite?"

 

My answer: Another benefit of singing is that it helps us to remember the truths of God's Word and to rehearse those truths along with recalling and rehearsing all that He has done in our lives -- and all that He continues to do each day.  

 

I don't really have a favorite worship song.  I have many favorites among the songs and hymns that we sing in church.

 

Spurgeon says of this psalm: "It is a song full of life, vigor, variety, and devotion."  Maybe Psalm 135 should be my favorite worship song!

A few goals for April ... and how March went

 

 Wow, the month of March simply flew by, didn't it?  The year is now 1/4 over.  Hard to believe!  But here it is April (though we got about 4 inches of snow overnight!) and it's time to set some goals for this new month:

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Change my decor to spring -- not feeling too motivated now that we have more snow
* Continue working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love
* Post in this blog as often as possible -- hopefully several times per week
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Celebrate several family birthdays
* Prepare for and celebrate Easter, both at church and with family
* Get together with friends for a meal out
* Have friends over for lunch after church
* Have one dental crown set and get the preparation started for a second one
* Attend our first ladies Bible study of 2023
* Craft some homemade Christmas gifts and decorations (yes, even now!)
* Do some sewing projects ( a few more sachets to stave off musty odors, plus maybe curtains) for the cottage
* Finish 2 pillow quilts for youngest granddaughters
* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Continue decluttering the entire house, zone by zone
* With my hubby, set some goals for 2023
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Spend some time on my trust responsibilities
* Spend some time volunteering at The Wilds of New England
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Memorize ten Bible verses and review ten older ones
* Continue my study for a devotional to share at a ladies' brunch in May
* Prepare to start teaching a ladies' Sunday School class mid-month
* Get back into our study of the book of Daniel with younger believers
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

HEALTHY HABITS FOR APRIL:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/intermittent fasting/limit carbs 

And there are my simple goals for this month.  How about you?  Any goals to share?

Pam had mentioned in a comment last month that she wonders how many of my goals I actually cross off in a month.  Many of them are ongoing, but I do cross off some.  I think that this time I'll note down how March went:

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week -- an ongoing goal that I never fully accomplish, but I can say that I did do some decluttering in each zone.
* Continue working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love -- not done
* Post in this blog as often as possible -- hopefully several times per week -- done!  But this is also an ongoing goal.
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible -- not done (but it's also an ongoing goal)
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones -- done!  This one is also an ongoing goal.

A tote bag, bookmark and tissue holder I made for a March birthday

* Celebrate several family birthdays -- done!  And happening again this month, with 3 April birthdays!
* Craft some homemade Christmas gifts and decorations (yes, even now!) -- not done
* Do some sewing projects ( a few more sachets to stave off musty odors, plus maybe curtains) for the cottage -- not done, but it's also an ongoing goal.  I'll feel more motivated as we get closer to cottage season.
* Finish 2 pillow quilts for youngest granddaughters -- not done
* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects -- done, although this is also an ongoing goal, and the projects themselves are not yet finished
* Continue decluttering the entire house, zone by zone -- done, that is, I am continuing on it, but this again will be an ongoing process
* With my hubby, set some goals for 2023 -- not officially done, though we have talked about it some
* Plan a winter getaway with my hubby -- not done
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items -- done; that is, I am continuing to stock and sell.  But it's another  ongoing process.
* Spend some time on my trust responsibilities -- not done
* Spend some time volunteering at The Wilds of New England -- done, but it's another of those ongoing things.
* Do some solid planning for meals for the above opportunity -- done!
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family -- done!
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able -- not done as much as I'd like
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating -- done!  But again, this is ongoing.
* Memorize ten Bible verses and review ten older ones -- not done.  I only reviewed the older ones.
* Begin study for a devotional to share at a ladies' brunch in May -- done, but the study and thought process is continuing throughout April and into May
* Get back into our study of the book of Daniel with younger believers -- not done, although we have talked about how we might make it work
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general -- done, but that's another ongoing goal
* Drink enough water each day -- not done
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week -- not done, although we did walk some.  The weather hasn't been the most conducive.

HEALTHY HABITS FOR MARCH:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/intermittent fasting/limit carbs -- doing well with everything except for drinking more water.

So that's how March went!  As you can see, I put the "not dones" in italics in dark red.  Just for the inquiring minds that might care to know.

Hodgpodging the hodgepodge

 

It's Wednesday again, and that means it's time for the Hodgepodge -- the linkup where Joyce, at  From This Side of the Pond, asks the questions and bloggers provide the answers on their own blogs.  This week's Hodgepodge questions have a true hodgepodge feel -- they are all over the place but look like fun.   Here goes:

1.Why do you blog? Have your reasons changed over time? 

I started blogging in 2005.  This is what I wrote in my very first post:

 "Inspired by my daughter and some other friends, I've decided to try my own hand at blogging. It occurred to me that so much of life takes place around a kitchen table. We do so much more there than just eat meals and share family time. Board games may be played there, homework may be done there. Craft projects may be worked on, and the pieces of sewing projects may be cut out there. Food preparation, correspondence, bill-paying... the list could go on and on. Not to mention all the wonderful times of fun and fellowship that happen at the kitchen table. As a friend of ours once commented, 'We're kitchen-table people'. So much laughter takes place at a kitchen table! Tears may be shed there as well. Jokes are told and serious conversations are shared. I hope that this blog will be a "virtual kitchen table" where I can share recipes, memories, and kitchen-table thoughts with those who visit here." 

I don't think my reasons for blogging have changed much over time.   About the only difference is that now I do see blogging as more of a ministry than I did back then.

2. What's a typical Friday night look like at your house?

A few years ago we routinely had young friends over for supper and Bible study on Friday nights.  Life circumstances have changed and that seldom happens now, though I think we all wish that it did.  Our Friday evenings tend to be quiet and low-key. 

3. Do you like donuts? Your favorite kind? How often do you treat yourself to a donut? Have you ever made homemade donuts? 

I do like donuts.  I would be hard-pressed to decide on a favorite kind.  Dunkin' Donuts have often been a staple for us on road trips.  They used to make a glazed whole wheat donut that I really liked, and blueberry cake donuts too.

I very, very seldom treat myself to a donut, though.

Yes, I have made homemade donuts a number of times.  My grandmother taught me.  Here's a post from my first year of blogging where I describe teaching a dozen girls to make homemade donuts: Doughnut doings. This is the No-Fry Doughnut recipe referenced in that post.  

 

I've also made a gluten free baked pumpkin doughnut that we really enjoyed.

4. How do you feel about shopping?Are you an online shopper? Catalog shopper? Brick and mortar shopper? Do you order groceries online or prefer to select items with your own two hands? 

I am not a shop till you drop type person at all.  I'm a catalog shopper at times but usually order on line.  I also like to order from Etsy shops for really unique gifts.  And I really appreciate that many of our grandchildren have Amazon wish lists.  It simplifies birthday and Christmas shopping.

I don't order groceries online.  I definitely prefer to select items with my own two hands, especially produce.

5. Next week's Hodgepodge finds us somehow in the month of April, which just so happens to be National Poetry Month. Sum up (or tell us something about) your month of March in the form of a limerick. You can do it!! 

There once was a month just so busy,
My hubby and I felt quite dizzy:
From maple sap hauls
To the painting of walls,
This March has had us in a tizzy!

6. Insert your own random thought here.   

Oh, let's see.  Well, we met our goal of being able to stay at our little camp for at least one night each winter month.  As I wrote about before, this is quite a challenge in an uninsulated building.  But it worked with the various adaptations I mentioned, and we were able to stay three nights each in January, February, and March!

And there's the Hodgepodge for this week.  So thankful I was able to take part!

Sunday Scripture

 

It's Sunday again, and time for a Scripture post.  Recall, I'm going back to The Book of Psalms One Chapter a Day study from Good Morning Girls.  In Summer 2020 I started this study but had never completed it, so I've decided to go back and finish it up.  This particular book only covers Psalms 101-150, and I had previously completed Psalms 101- 129, so I have a few more to go.  I have purchased another journal covering Psalms 51-100 and will plan to go through that after I finish this one.  

With this study, as I have often done, I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  Just a quick reminder that the S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application and P is for Prayer.

Also, there is a reflection question for each psalm.  I don't always answer it, but when I do it will usually follow the SOAP portion of my study.

The Psalm for today is Psalm 134.  Another psalm with just three verses!

S= "Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.

"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.

"The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion."  (Psalm 134:1-3)

O=  Scofield titles this psalm "Praise by night."  It is the final psalm in the series of "songs of degrees (or ascents)".  It is an exhortation to "bless the LORD".  In return, it seems, He blesses those who bless Him.

Who is to bless the LORD?

His servants who stand in His house by night.

How are they to bless the LORD?

By lifting up their hands in the sanctuary.

What is the result of blessing the LORD?

The LORD, the self-existent One who made heaven and earth, will bless them out of Zion.

Charles Spurgeon, in The Treasury of David, paints a word picture for us: "The pilgrims are going home, and are singing the last song in their psalter.  They leave early in the morning ... for the journey is long for many of them.  While yet the night lingers they are on the move.  As soon as they are outside the gates, they see the guards upon the temple wall, and the lamps shining from the windows of the chambers which surround the sanctuary; therefore, moved by the sight, they chant a farewell to the perpetual attendants. ... Their parting exhortation arouses the priests to pronounce upon them a blessing out of the holy place; this benediction is contained in the third verse.  The priests as good as say, 'You have desired us to bless the Lord, and so we pray the Lord to bless you'."

Also in The Treasury of David, Spurgeon quotes N. McMichael as having written the following: "The priestly benediction brings God before us in a twofold character.  He is described first as the Creator of the universe.  He is described, in the second place, as dwelling 'in Zion'.  In the first aspect, He is represented as the God of nature; in the second, as the God of grace.  When I contemplate Him as the Creator of the universe, there is abundant proof that He can bless me.  When I contemplate Him as dwelling in the church, there is abundant proof that He will bless me.  Both of these elements are essential to our faith." 

I also found some helpful thoughts in Believer's Bible Commentary, another favorite resource of mine --  "Notice four things about the blessing: 

The Blesser -- the LORD, Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God;
His greatness -- He made heaven and earth;
The one blessed -- "May the LORD bless you (you is singular);
The locale of the Blesser -- Zion, the place of the sanctuary.

Scofield explains that Zion was "the ancient Jebusite stronghold ... on the south part of the eastern hill of Jerusalem.  It is called 'the city of David' and is associated with the Davidic royalty both historically and prophetically.  The name 'Zion' is often used of the whole city of Jerusalem, considered as the city of God, especially in passages referring to the future kingdom age."

A= So -- as we praise God, as individual believers, we are blessed. The One who blesses us is the almighty, covenant-keeping, eternal God who made heaven and earth.  Simply put, this psalm is a call to worship.  In addition to time spent worshiping Him with other believers, and worshiping Him in my quiet time, I believe that I am to live my life in an attitude of worship.

P= "Lord, as I come to You in prayer in light of this exhortation,  the words of a chorus we've been learning in church come to my mind: 'I worship You, Almighty God, there is none like You.'  We've been learning this chorus in light of 1 Samuel 2:2 which reminds us that there is none as holy as You, there is no one beside You, and there is no Rock like You.  Indeed, I worship You, Almighty God!  I praise You in Jesus' name, Amen."

The Reflection Question noted that "as we bless and praise God, He blesses us.  The Lord's blessings are not just for the church as a whole but for each of us as an individual and it is for all of His children everywhere.

"This Psalm is a call to worship and the act of praising the Lord is a blessing in and of itself.  So let's bless the Lord right now.  Write a word of praise below and then pause and sing a song of worship to Him right where you are!"

My answer: "Lord, how I praise You that You are the Maker of heaven and earth!  It's a special blessing that our help comes from You (Psalm 124:3), the all-powerful, all-wise Creator.  What greater Helper could there possibly be?"  If I were to sing right now, it would probably be: "I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise; that spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies!"

There is this week's Sunday Scripture.  I know this study was a little longer than some.  Hope it was a blessing to someone!