As usual, there's no time for a long post, but
I'm taking a few minutes to join Sandra for this link party over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.
The Weather:::
It's 40º and sunny at 12:15 pm. 9 mph wind so it feels like 35º.
As I look outside my window:::
Lots
of snow on the ground in the woods and a very icy (though melting) driveway. Beautiful blue sky.
Right now I am:::
Working
on a blog post.
Thinking and pondering:::
About what we've been learning from Loving God with All Your Mind about wrong responses to difficulties. There are all sorts of wrong responses, ranging from doubt to bitterness to manipulation, and we've all probably responded in these ways at one time or another in our Christian life. Currently I'm observing people who are reacting to difficulties in some of these wrong ways, and it's quite disheartening.
And also pondering on how crucial it is to have our spiritual armor firmly in place.
On my bedside table:::
A lamp, 2 books, and a pen
Listening to:::
Literally, silence. The occasional faint sounds from the kitchen as my hubby prepares a batch of fudge.
On the Breakfast plate::: I
do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast. Lunch was a salad of leaf lettuce, cubed turkey and cheddar cheese.
On the dinner plate:::
Chicken divan and maybe a baked sweet potato.
On the menu for this week:::
A few meals on my menu plan:
Hamburgers, roasted Brussels sprouts
Chicken divan
Egg bake, homemade sausage
On my reading pile:::
Adorned by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
On my to do list today:::
Spend time cross stitching
Write some thank-you notes
Go grocery shopping √
Go for a walk downtown
Do some planning for later in the week
Type up missions team meeting minutes; email to team members
Writing posts for both blogs
Work on my Sunday School lesson
Email a mission board with a question √
Crochet several squares for my temperature blanket
Plans for this week:::Plan menus for next week when we'll be at our volunteer job for several days
Etsy listings
Ironing
Take a bag to the thrift store
Work on Sunday School lesson 20
Blogging
Get started with an exercise regimen
Begin some serious decluttering
Start a pillow quilt
Make mug rug and coaster
Do some cleaning at my volunteer job
Bake some heart shaped cookies for a friend's birthday
What I am creating:::
⛄ January cross-stitch sampler, plus another wintry cross-stitch intended for a gift
⛄ Some
"condensation catchers" out of old towels to place behind toilets that sweat in the humidity -- no, I still haven't
finished
started those! 😕 And I need to do so, because the old towels are just
sitting around waiting to be used! And also because we keep getting
sporadic warmer weather and I half expect the toilets to start sweating
again.
⛄ An older unfinished dishcloth in a more challenging pattern
⛄ Need to start a pillow quilt
⛄ Need to start a mug rug and coaster for a March birthday gift
⛄ A granny square temperature blanket
Bible verse, Devotional, Quote:::
In my preparation for Sunday School lesson 18, with its focus on Romans 8:28, I referred to Willmington's Bible Handbook. In the light of Romans 8:28 and the truth that God is working all things together for good in the lives of believers, Willmington referred to the responses of two men -- Joseph, and his father Jacob — to bad things in their lives. If we look at Genesis 42:36, what was Jacob’s response to trouble here? He said that “all these things are against me.”
If we turn over to Genesis 50:20 and read that, we see Joseph’s response, looking back at some incredibly hard things in his life. His response was quite a contrast: “God meant it unto good”.
And just for one more response to hard things, consider what Paul had to say about difficulties in Acts chapter 20, verses 22-24. Paul’s reaction to “all these things" was “None of these things move me”.
Many years ago, I was at a ladies’ retreat where the speaker challenged us to consider how we handled problems. Would our reaction be more like that of Jacob, or would it be more like that of Paul or Joseph? In thinking about this today, I am very thankful that God has helped me to grow beyond the response of “all these things are against me.” I’m at the place (also by God’s grace) where I see that God means all things for good in my life, even things that appear to be bad things. But I must admit I haven’t yet fully reached the place where “none of these things move me.”
On my prayer list:::
Friends & family
Church family
Missionaries
Our country
And there's the Happy Homemaker Monday for this week!
Love the heart cookies! was nice visiting, wishing you a great week
ReplyDeleteThey came out so good! I used a recipe from my friend's mother (from back in the day) and oh, they turned out beautiful and delicious.
DeleteMmm, roasted brussel sprouts sound delicious. I should add those to my menu. The kids have a snow day here (was called before the weather changed to basically no snow) so Maisie and I made heart cookies.
ReplyDeleteI love the thoughts on dealing with difficulties. One verse that has been on my mind a lot over the last year is 1 Peter 4:19 "Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." Praying that as I face difficult circumstances and people I will be able to entrust it all to God; and remain faithful to Him and doing His purposes for my life.
I will often roast brussels sprouts from the frozen state, but I like to include fresh ones, cut in half, with any roasted vegetable mixture.
ReplyDeleteYes, the verse from 1 Peter fits perfectly with the thoughts on difficulties. That's such a good prayer of yours for facing difficult circumstances and people.