TOMORROW IS THE DAY!

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Ok, Daniel’s Fast begins tomorrow, Feb. 1st for the whole month! Well, if you so choose you can do 21 days however, I do believe you will gain more benefits if you do the full 28. Just my opinion.

I came across a really a couple of sites I want to share: How to Do a Daniel Fast – YouTube

DANIEL 1 – Daniel’s Diet makes you 10 times wiser! – Doug Batchelor – YouTube

I so agree with the 1st one in spending set times every day with God. Ya know, Daniel always prayed to God three times every day. Three times every day, he bowed down on his knees to pray and praise God. Daniel 6:10-28 This habit sure makes the day flow smoother. It doesn’t have to be long time, you can even do it on a 10 min. break. Then before & after work spend some designated time instead of whatever other Media stuff you usually do. Just sayin’.

While you work consider listening to Praise Worship, if you are able. https://www.klove.com/

I don’t presume to know where you are in your walk but, this is a good teaching series on the whole word: Love & Torah It’s call Love & Torah. If it’s too much for you, you can always choose to turn it off however, maybe it would be good to listen even if it is tappin’ some doors. Isn’t that what part of the fast is about, cleansing Mind, body, and Soul. smile

Well, I am off to have my last supper with no CHEESE & Crackers for 28 days! Praying these 28 days will break that daily addiction. LOL Not that cheese is terrible thing but, when you are feeling like this; “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything” something needs to be done.

Have a good night! Hope to hear how your fast is going in the comments & please feel free to share any helpful tips/recipes too.

Shalom!

One week & our Fast begins

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If you are reading this for the 1st time, be sure and go back and read the last 4 posts prior to this one. All January & February 2022 posts are related to our doing a Daniel’s Fast for the 28 days of February.

Today I want to share another tasty recipe so you can see this is not a starve me or awful fast. LOL

Asian Noodle Salad. Yummy!

8 oz. whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles

2 tblsp. canola oil, 1/4 c. chopped cilantro, 3 tblsp. soy sauce, 2 tblsp. fresh Lemon Or Lime juice

1 tsp minced garlc, 1 tsp. minced ginger or 1 drop doterra ginger oil, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. creamy peanut butter, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 Cup peeled, seeded, and sliced cucumber

1 C. sliced snow peas,1/2 c. diced red bell pepper, 1/2 c. pineapple chunks cut in half & dash of pepper

Cook your noodles, drain well (do not rinse), coat in canola oil and set to the side

Combine all your seasonings along with the peanut butter, add remaining items & then toss with your noodles. Let stand for 1 hour at room temp. Stir occasionally for full flavor. Just like that, Let’s Eat! Notice how there is very little cooking involved on this one. Gotta love that.

That one hour wait time would be perfect time to turn on some tunes and get some dance exercise in. Alone or with your hubby and/or the kids. smile Fun, laughter, song, and dance raise your serotonin levels lifting your mood. https://www.livestrong.com/article/22590-effects-exercise-serotonin-levels/

Don’t feel like dancing, it would be a good time to spend in His Word. Maybe memorize some verses. I love 1John 1:7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. The site below has many good ones.

https://www.openbible.info/topics/choosing_good_over_evil

That’s it for this post. Shalom & Enjoy!

What can I eat?

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10 days! That said, today I am listing foods you Can eat during this Daniel’s fast. smile Note these foods are great for your mind, body, and your spirit year-round. I am praying as was said in the book of Daniel:

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. JUST Think how good you will look and feel after 28 days! To read the full story which includes the foods the King wanted to feed them read: Daniel 1: 1-15.

Foods to Eat:

Fruits & Vegetables: fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, and canned. These should be free of additional sweeteners using herbs to add any extra flavoring. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/salt-alternatives One of my fav alternatives is herbs de provence: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-herbs-de-provence

Whole grains: amaranth, barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa, millet, whole wheat – Love them all!

Nuts & Seeds: almonds, cashews, macadamia, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, nut butters. You guessed it unsalted. Herbs can spice these up too.

Unleavened Bread: whole grain breads made without yeast, sugars, or preservatives = the website: The Biblical Nutritionist has good recipes for these. https://thebiblicalnutritionist.com/how-to-make-unleavened-bread-recipe/

Legumes: Canned or dried. black beans, black-eyed peas, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans (checkpeas) great northern beans, split peas, kidney beans, pinto beans, & lentils

Quality Oils: canola, coconut, flaxseed, grapeseed, olive, peanut, sesame. A plus on the coconut oil is it is good for your memory. https://draxe.com/nutrition/coconut-oil-benefits/

Beverages: distilled water, filtered water, spring water. Yep, Water the key to our survival. https://wellnessmovementcenter.com/water-key-life/ & https://www.thoughtco.com/how-much-of-your-body-is-water-609406

Ok, there you have your shopping list and some sites to lend a hand when creating your tasty dishes.

As we enter this Fast keep in mind, we were given authority on Earth to take care of ALL God created. That includes yourself. To fulfill our roles, we are to be good stewards with the Blessings given by the Father. For us to be a good steward we must feed not only our bodies good food but, our Minds and Hearts. The Good Food for that portion of the fast is, you guessed it, the GOOD News – The Word of God. Not only are we cleansing the body but, our goal is to “break up the fallow ground of the heart” https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/pearse/the_garden_of_the_heart.htm

Home

Shalom! Enjoy!

The countdown…

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14 days until we begin our Daniel’s fast! I am excited. As mentioned in prior posts, this time is the time for you to prep and get ready. Have you pondered and written down your intentions during the fast? Have you made a list and plan? I took a 2022 calendar and listed my daily plan. 1 hr. in His Word daily, at least. I love doing deep dives in His Word not only for guidance, growth, and because I love the Lord but, to learn about the history of the times, the culture of Jesus, and the people in those countries. It’s interesting and it helps a lot in the understanding of what I am reading. On the other end of that, I love Crime shows & for 40 yrs. I have watched General Hospital & Young & the Restless, yep you got it. I am fasting on those too allowing myself only One a day during the fast. Why? Neither of these shows “feed” my spirit a whole lotta love. My intention is to replace my TV viewing with healthy programs like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thYaqPu-5jQ Or just don’t watch TV at all and dive deeper into His Word and use that time for better things in Life, like working out this body! You got it, that’s another item on my calendar, 4 days a week turn on the music and work out for at least 20 mins. At this season of life, it is even more important to keep the body moving and those muscles, especially the lower body strong and protecting these ole bones. LOL

Now to add in my promised recipe for the upcoming diet, this is one of my favs & perfect for this season:

Butternut Curry Soup

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 c. chopped green onions

2 tablespoons curry powder 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in 2 cups of hot water & you can lightly season with salt/pepper

Boil the squash till tender, drain most of the water leaving an inch in the saucepan.

Use potato masher (or old way, a fork) to smash the squash till smooth

Stir in green onions, curry, and oil add bouillon broth in small amounts until you reach desired consistency. Some people like thicker soup/some thin. I love it “somewhere in between”

Add your dash of salt/pepper, simmer 15 mins. (serves 4) Add pumpkin seeds on top for a little crunch.

Shalom & Enjoy!

No Cheese!

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Ok, so this week I am listing the AVOID foods for our Daniel’s fast beginning February 1st, 2022. As my title indicates Cheese is not allowed. boo hoo! I am a true cheese lover, eating some form of cheese everyday. I hadn’t even thought about it really until I was reading and prepping for this fast. It’s been part of my daily lifestyle for who knows how long. I decided to look into the effects of too much cheese and found answers to some of my minor health complaints. Check this out! https://www.eatthis.com/news-side-effects-eating-too-much-cheese/

I spent a few days thinking I don’t know if I can give up cheese for a Whole Month! Then I heard that still small voice of the Holy Spirit say, ” Really, think back: together we kicked that smoking habit in one day & even bigger – you had victory over a heroine addiction in 30 days & have Never looked back. That was over 30 years ago. Now you are whining about cheese!” Boy did I feel foolish. That was just the kick in the pants I needed. Thank You Holy Spirit! As I stated in my post last week, this is not “just” a food fast. If you “choose” to fully participate in this fast, as Susan Gregory says, “you are entering this experience to draw closer to the Lord and to hear His directions for your life and/or the lives of others.” So today, part of our prep is to begin daily prayers, have a chat with Jesus, ask for strength, guidance, and submit yourself with a committed heart. A Good prayer to start is: Psalms 25: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+25&version=NIV

Now for those foods to AVOID:

MEAT: beef, buffalo, fish, yes I said fish too, lamb, pork, poultry, ALL living animals meat.

Dairy Products: Butter, CHEESE, Cream, Eggs, and Milk. No surprise here, dairy comes from animals.

Sweeteners: Agave, nectar, artificial sweetners, cane juice, honey molassess, raw sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, syrups, and stevia.. So read the ingredients on your purchases to see what’s inside. FYI: this one is a bit harder than it looks as SO Many things have some form of sugar. Even though Yogurt is not on our Can eat list. Did you know Yogurt is Full of sugar? Even the non fruity ones.

Leavened Bread & Yeast: ANY breads with yeast. BTW: Ezekiel bread does contain yeast and honey. Actually, most baked goods do have yeast.

Refined & Processed food products: artificial food flavorings, chemicals, food additives, preservatives, white flour, & white rice. Don’t give up! Wait till you see next weeks post: there are plenty of good foods and enough you won’t starve! I promise.

Deep-fried foods: Now you Knew this was coming. smile No forms of fried Chips, French fries, deep fried ice cream, deep fried pickles, No Fried foods! Check out buying a dehydrator or air fryer maybe cause you can eat potatoes.

Solid fats: Lard, margarine, shortening

Beverages: Alcohol, caffeine which includes coffee & caffeinated teas, carbonated drinks, & energy drinks.

I for one love my One cup of coffee in the AM & my afternoon teas. So right up front, I will not lie, I will be eliminating the caffeinated teas and will drop down to 1/2 cup of my chicory coffee with no cream. That is a huge sacrifice along with eliminating my CHEESE! I still have to work, & giving up my coffee and teas at the same time, I know will result in a headache. No-one wants wo work with Countess Cruella for 28 days. LOL I am not saying I endorse making lots of changes to the Fast. I do not. And I am not. Just this one tweek & I Fully understand if you need this tweek as well. God knows who I would be, so I am trusting He will have mercy on me in allowing 1/2 c. chicory coffee. Like I told my friend yesterday, I am not much into extremism and that is extreme!

Good News: Next week will be Foods we Can Eat and a couple of tasty recipes! Just keep in mind the end results: A healthier Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Shalom!

2022 KickOff!

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Here we go into 2022! Can’t believe how fast 2021 went by.

For me 2021 brought several changes both within & without. In the beginning of 2021 I could hear the Holy Spirit still small voice saying, “It’s time for change.” I knew what that change was and I was anxious about it. I decided I wasn’t sure I was hearing that still small voice correctly. I knew better but “my” fears had me asking “myself” should I pull this weed? Am I ready for this & all that goes with it? That time questioning the Holy Spirit only resulted in turning my anxious feelings into down right stress and frustrations. Finally my hard head listened and yanked out that weed. The cultivating of His seeds that had been going on within my inner garden and outer garden came to pass and bore the beautiful fruit He had for me. I semi-retired! His perfect Love caste out the fear within & provided the perfect Part time employer for me. This experience opened my eyes to see how much More He has for me if I will but Obey His whole Word and the Way of Life He created from the beginning. This resulted in the 2nd half of the year my seeking Him and His way more diligently. This in turn brought more clarity on the benefits of being obedient to His Word beginning to end & how walking it out on Earth really does bring much of how it is in Heaven. It’s awesome see & hear Him more clearly. To be in relationship not just studying and listening to others talking about what the Word means. He began to & continues to guide me in “what is His Word” & what is man’s interpretations. He is showing me how important it is not to just listen to a pastor, teacher, scholar, or Religion but, to seek Him with all my heart for myself, test out what I am hearing am I hearing whatever it is in its full context? Was the whole Truth shared? What is the Hebrew meaning of some words, as it can affect the meaning of that verse. It became more clear how important it is to obey Jesus and as He says, “ Follow Me & allow my spirit to come forth thru You”

All this said, my Legacy sisters Bible study group & I are kicking off 2022 with a gift I received from my new boss, the book “52 weeks in the Bible” by James Merritt. We’ll be seeking & Learning from the whole Word beginning to end all year long! I’m So excited!

Also, beginning February1st I will be starting the Daniel Fast for the full 28 days cleansing, healing, and restoring my mind, body, & spirit. In this, I invite you to join me if you so choose. I will be posting preps for this in January, including recipes, & continue posting thru February with my experiences, readings you might enjoy, & recipes. If you choose to join me, I would love for you to post in the comments your experiences & any tips you may learn. My starting resource is Susan Gregory’s book, ” the daniel’s fast” Should you buy this read the whole book, it is so worth it. Don’t like to read, check her out on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B3cEbcURsI — She has her own site too: https://www.daniel-fast.com/tag/susan-gregory/ — it is set up for the beginning of the year so if you want you can get a jump start. I just felt like February being the month of Love and the heart fit and it fits my schedule better.

For today the only other thing I have to say is, I pray you choose to join me in both these studies & together we will Trust the Father, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit to guide us in the cleansing, clearing, and restoration of the gardens in our hearts.

Shalom

Mistakes don’t limit us

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All to often we allow our mistakes or poor choices to limit us going forward in life. We let these mistakes/choices to take root binding us in emotional fears which grow and define us. And there are so many fears that can limit us. You/We can control these fears. Life continues to reveal to me anyway, all is founded in our choices.

I started reading the Bible from the beginning and this time around, this Fact is really jumping out at me. Example: let’s take David who made a real poor choice and it was eating at him, binding him, and affecting his reign as King. Then he chooses to repent, shift his attitude & He seeks God, starts praising God, & looking at hos Blessings which results in making good choices. His Life shifts, is transformed, and begins once again to bear good fruit.

One area for many is the mistakes we make with our financial choices. Or delusion of thinking we “need” to keep up with fads – often expensive fads or as the old saying says: “Keeping up with the Joneses”. All to often these choices of spending are whether you/we actually have the income to support that lifestyle or not.

So the point of this post is that if this post taps you up, you take heed, really take stock of your finances, how you look at yourself and your life. Look at how you are making your decisions & driving your thoughts and “needs”. I had to make those hard choices 4 years ago and Wow what a difference it has made in my life. Yes, I had to make sacrifices – some tough ones in fact however, I can honestly say now I fully understand Romans 8:28: ” we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ” The part who have been called according to His purpose, I always thought meant a literal ministry type purpose. What I realize now is “called according to His purpose” is our transformation to living in The Way of His plan and purpose for our life. Our being obedient to His Plan and purpose in our creation of Being who we were designed to BE. And while we do minister in all we do there is more to it. It applies to our own personal daily life & our choices, good & bad determine whether all things work to the good. It is through our discernment, growing in wisdom, living in the Love He shares with us that All Things work to the good and All our Needs are supplied and many of our Wants. It is when the “wants” become selfish, greedy, or beyond our means that things no longer work to the good for us. Why? Because we are not living according to His Plan.

That said, Here are a few questions to kick off your review of what you are allowing to limit you/to bind you.

Do you believe being in debt up to our ears & hording Stuff is part of His Plan?

Do you believe speaking bad about yourself and others is His Plan?

Do you believe holding onto and beating yourself up about your mistakes is part of His Plan?

Last one: Do you believe the distruction of our Earth just to have a bunch of our stuff is part of His Plan?

Verse to Ponder: Matthew 18:18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “ Have you really considered this verse? Has it hit you, What you choose to to allow to Bind you and what you choose to let loose of in the Now, are part of the Keys to Heaven & Hell? Right here on Earth in this Life what you choose has consequences in this life and the next.

The imagination of man is like a canvas, what are you painting with your thoughts and words?

Here are a few videos I enjoy & I hope you enjoy too, should you choose to listen. And there are many more encouraging/helpful videos and readings out there. smile

Wayne Dyer- There is a Spiritual Solution To Every Problem/ Dr Wayne Dyer – YouTube

Making Right Choices | Joyce Meyer – YouTube

Choosing Which Doors You’ll Walk Through with Rick Warren – YouTube

My prayers are with you always as you grow.

Shalom!

Defilement comes from within

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Matthew 15 – Bible Study

Weekly I have an online Bible Study conference call with my Legacy sisters & this week I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Share” In the 1st few verses Yeshua brings out 2 good points: a) we shouldn’t judge b) careful not to be a hypocrite

In these verses He is directing his comments toward “religious” followers & their focus on He & his disciples transgressing the traditions of the elders. (one of man’s add’l 613 laws)

Yeshua reprimands the scribes and Pharisees from Jeruselum showing how God’s laws are not transgressed & He reveals how even they have conformed His laws to suit man and his view of needs thru their traditions. He does this thru the commandment Honor thy Father and Mother.  I can speak personally on professing to walk with Jesus yet justifying for years not speaking to my parents and bad mouthing them. For years, I held hurt, anger, bitterness toward them based on their abusive and at times cruel treatment of me. Not to mention their racist attitudes & they way they hated on anyone of color. I was sure God did not mean for me to honor them when their behavior was not worthy of my respect or honor. In time He taught me, holding a grudge and all the anger within only defiled me. It did not change anything, did not change who they are, & affected many areas of my life including the life of my daughters because out of the heart the mouth does speak. So do you think they heard much of anything good out of my mouth about their grand-parents? Nope. And even though I tried to mend fences a couple of times things would go bad quick. Both their fault and mine, they were still who they were and I was quick to pounce and again cut them out of our lives. Ok, you get my point. Do you think God left me alone about this disobedience and defilement sitting within my inner garden?  He took me right on into Verses 8 & 9 which talk on how we talk the talk of Christ but, my heart was far from Him.  Right when I felt like I was growing in God, living in the cutest cottage with a fabulous garden and with a family that made me feel like I was part of the family, I got a call (or should say calling) from my parents & God.  My parents called asking me to leave my family and friends, and come take care of them. At 1st I was like, “you are kidding right?”  I didn’t say that directly to them but, I did say it to Jesus. I told them I needed a few days to pray about that. Well the next 3 days all I could hear was the Holy Spirit saying, “ Honor thy Father & Mother, this is your calling – will you Honor Your Father God and obey or is your love of God lip service?.”  The next few days I spent convincing myself of the benefits of being obedient and that maybe just maybe some much needed healing could take place. Yes, I went. The next 3 years were most assuredly transforming and nope not easy.  I can say it was a time of lots of weed pulling in the garden of my heart but, ultimately God’s seed deeply rooted within me over the years, begin to come forth. It was amazing to see and hear what Love & Forgiveness can do.

Can I say I am always obedient to His Word, No. I am still a work in progress. I can say, my relationship with Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit sure have grown and I do hear, see, and listen quicker now. And out of that, I consistently see His harvest intended for my life come to fruition. The coolest things is My inner garden, just like my natural garden outside is Awesome to watch as it transforms and grows. Not to mention, those He uses to assist in the cultivating of my inner garden. Carol, a friend here, of which I am working in her garden, made the comment the other day, Isn’t it awesome how God brought us all together? How He uses us to lift one another up. I just love Char’s morning encouragement text & the relationship that’s growing between us all. And now we are your family here.  

As I was writing my presentation for Bible study it hit me, my most significant experiences in life always start in a Garden. Then verses 13-20 made more sense. Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are the blind leading the blind.  It was not wrong I had left my parents alone in their blind ignorance. What was wrong was that I had been walking with Jesus for some time and still had not understood it was my MOUTH that was defiled & planting bad seed in the hearts of my children and grand-children. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts and blasphemies. These were the things that had defiled me, affected some of my relationships, and slowed the growth of good fruit in my inner garden.  I could have stepped away, prayed for them, and taught my daughters, grandkids, and others that no God doesn’t expect us to allow abuse or to enable racism yet, He does expect us to share His Words of Truth when the doors open in a loving way, He does expect us to forgive as He forgives us, and if the seeds planted are accepted Great and if not, dust my feet and step away and Leave the Issue to HIM to handle.

The rest of the chapter shows the introduction to Gentiles being accepted into the heart (kingdom) of God. read it for yourself. Did you see how Yeshua was obedient to his calling at all costs initially? Not answering the woman’s pleas as He had been called to the lost sheep of Israel. Yet, He couldn’t find it within his heart to send her away. Then thru her pleas and reply “even dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” it was revealed to Him her belief even though she was considered a lowly dog (non believer-Gentile) was just as strong, even stronger than many in the house of Israel.  In the sharing of her Faith His heart melted in compassion and her prayers/pleas were answered…that very hour her daughter was healed.  Yep, I believe this was an eye opener for Yeshua, a growing time, a time God showed Him His Word was meant for All His Creation. First those that were deeply rooted in His Word but, lost and then those seeds that had been falling into the heart gardens of the gentiles. Those seeds had taken root and were coming forth too. Then he goes on healing great multitudes showing how the Faith of the multitudes made compassion grow within Him and from that Faith & His heart of mercy and compassion Much can be brought forth from little. 

Shalom.

Check it Out.

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Hi ya’ll. I want to refer you back to some prior post I have that I have updated. The one below I wrote in 2018 and now I have added info and videos to watch not only on Earthing but, on Forest Bathing. I pray you enjoy them.

There are also videos on You Tube on Forest Bathing Meditations with music. This therapy is Not just meditating it is an experience while you interact with Earth’s forest. And of course Meditation just naturally falls into the experience.

EnJoy!

Earthing & Forest Bathing | All About Choices JC

Since I started my site, I have experienced and learned many new things related to some of my posts. So the rest of this year will have some new posts and some older posts updated/revised. All of us grow and learn new things in each season of life. It is funny how sometimes we think we fully understood or know about something and find out later there is more to know. One thing I have learned is Only God knows it all. Smile. Like the info shared in this video: RICHARD ROHR on ENLIGHTENMENT – YouTube

Have a Blessed Day!

When God speaks

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Afternoon. Ya know how you can pray and pray and think you got your answer but, not sure? You ask yourself, “Was that from God or just me wanting it to be?” Then you get another sign and you say, “Ok, I hear you & you tell Satan, “get thee behind me” when those doubts pop up. Of course then a call comes that makes you question the very messages you got that made your sure. So, one more time you pray saying, “ This is a significant change I am about to take Lord, I really need you to be loud and clear. You know me Lord, I am sorta hard-headed. Who am I kidding, often I can be very hard headed and I need to KNOW that I Know. Even when I am well aware the doubts are actually coming from within du to all the mistakes I have made in the past. You know, those times I the Father clearly but, didn’t want to hear you loud and clear so I went the along on my own way, the wrong way. I could not get to sleep last night & I lay there saying, “I really, really am sorry, for those times I insisted on going my own way, I will listen and Obey if you will but speak to me please. I know this a big turning point, a new season, my Real opportunity to let the Old pass away and go forward washed clean. So, please Throw the Book at me” (so to speak.) For a couple weeks, I had been having this pressing to go to Bacon Memorial Presbyterian again, now that they are open. Then I heard they were having an outdoor service. I Love the outdoors so I took that as a little extra push. I had reluctantly gone there a couple of times before CoVID & actually liked it. There is whole story why I say that like that but, I won’t go into that. Just trust me it is significant and involves my parents, who were Presbyterians. Obviously, I didn’t follow in their footsteps. Because of that my Mom would say, “you just need to find a good Presbyterian church, you’ll be ok.” I would just roll my eyes & say, “let’s not go there”.

Well, this morning, the Holy Spirit Mother pressed me and in the background, I heard my earthly Mother once again say, “like I said, you just need to find a good Presbyterian church.” Woody had just finished up the garden beds all around the front of the church and it was a Gorgeous day. Not to hot and even had a nice little breeze. As the pastor got into the service she gave thanks for the garden and the gardener then went on into the service which was totally centered around the parables of the seeds, gardening, and being deep rooted in our relationship with Jesus. As she got into it I could feel my parents there especially my Dad. He was a Master Gardener and would have loved this service. He and I both Love the Earth and being outdoors & it hit me the date of his death was just 3 days prior. I realized even though he was not perfect, I sure am not either. In that moment, God revealed I had been holding some unforgiveness and I needed to let that old stuff DIE allowing the good seeds He and my earthly Dad had planted in me come forth. I could see how the hurt and unforgiveness of my earthly Dad had overshadowed the good seeds both he and God had planted in me. Not entirely but, there were still more weeds that had me enslaved and were chocking me. Yes, my Dad had planted some good seeds in me, including the tools of how to garden. Tools that which will for sure pay off in some of my new endevours. You see I am semi-retiring and God has already opened one door that will allow me to also take on some gardening/housesitting work. then right behind that opportunity, He opened the door to a little gardening job. Then yesterday, added to the mix is a possible opportunity for my ministry to grow. And sure as I was listening to the pastor talk about letting old things Die so newness of Life can come forth from the seeds that had been left behind, it all became clear that is exactly what is happening and my heart opened to Forgive not only my Dad but, some others too. Then there was my Mom again, ” see, you should listen to your Mother, you just need to find a good Presbyterian church”. There was the Book being thrown at me, I realized it wasn’t that I had to go to their Presbyterian church, which made me either want to leave or fall asleep, it was I needed the right Presbyterian church God had for Me. Right as I said “thank You Lord for speaking Loud and Clear” the pastor told us to turn to one page in the hymnal and then the music director said, “no, it is #1 Holy, Holy, Holy we are doing right now”. That really sealed it. That was the one song I remembered Mother and Daddy both singing when I was a child in their Presbyterian church. Of course, I had to give testimony of how the whole service had such an impact on me & how God had sure used the Pastor to throw the Book (Bible) at me. Not to mention, all the welcoming/loving congregation & Even the new garden! I literally felt I had been washed clean, set free from my burdens, restored and my inner garden had been fed. I know that I know, I am on the right road in this season of my life and now am looking forward to where all this journey will take me.

I know I have been pretty dormant for a while with my posting but, I can promise you will see more posts coming your way. One of the things I was doing during CoVid and my downtime was looking at my inner garden and pulling out some weeds that really had taken hold of me. It was a painful process at times but, now I am joyful for every painful tug and getting to the root of those nasty buggers so I could get them out permanently. Now those Good seeds can come to life and bear the fruit the Father planned when He created me. Like the song at the end of today’s service said, ” This Little Light of Mine, I’m gonna let it Shine”

yep, that was my final sign for this season anyway, my fav song I sang as a child at my parents Presbyterian Church!

Have a Great Day! “May God hit you with a book too, that is if you need it.” SMILE

Rev.Jones