Is Your Soul as Watered as Your Garden?

My Herbs

Thyme

Oregano

Mint (on left)

Parsley (on right)

Basil

Red Gerber Daisy

Yellow Dahlia

I love this time of year when I can plant my flowers again, and have fresh herbs from my own garden to use in my cooking. But one thing is for sure, if I neglect them and I don't water them (especially on days like yesterday when it is in the 90's here), they will certainly shrivel and die.

The same is true if we neglect our relationship with the Lord. We will become dry and parched in our souls. If we have a garden or flowers, we tend them and take care of them by watering them regularly. Are we caring for our souls as diligently?

In the Old Testament, in Jeremiah, God calls himself "The fountain of living waters..." Jeremiah 2:13. In the New Testament Jesus says."but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

If we stay in close fellowship with the Lord, we will feel that our souls are nourished and fresh. We have a joy within us that the world cannot give or understand. When we read His Word daily and stay close to the Lord through prayer, we feel like our souls are being given a good soaking, like a parched plant. We drink it in, and we are sustained for another day.

The Holy Spirit within us can "blossom forth", and our joy can splash over on other's that we come in contact with.

John 7:38 that if we believe in Christ, ..."From his innermost being will flow rivers of water." We can't help but water those around us with these rivers of water. They splash over from a heart that's overflowing.

We shouldn't keep this "Life sustaining substance" to ourselves! Let's go out and "splash joy" on other's today!

Daniel's Chicken Pot Pie

Today is my sweet son's 21st Birthday. For his birthday lunch, I made one of his favorites. I start receiving the requests for the recipe. So here it is.

Chicken Pot Pie

Boil 4-6 chicken breast tenderloins

1 bag or box of mixed vegetables frozen, cook according to package directions

1 can of sliced mushrooms

1 1/3 cup of chicken broth

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Boil chicken and cut up in bite sized pieces. Set off to the side.

In large bowl, mix the 2 soups and the chicken broth, then add the cut-up chicken, then add the cooked mixed vegetables and the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper. Mix well. Place this in a greased 13x9 dish.

Crust:

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup buttermilk or regular milk

1 stick of butter melted

Mix all of this together in a separate bowl and pour over the chicken pot pie mixture.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

(Serves 4-6 people)

Enjoy!

What's in a Word?

I am prone easily to fainting! I hate to admit it, but I am. If I am in too much pain, my knees get weak and my legs fail me, and boom, down I go! It is not a fun thing by any means. When I went in to have my first child, they wanted me to walk the hospital floor. I told them it wasn't a great idea, but they wouldn't listen. I am walking and I started to feel faint, I warned them I was going down. So my sweet husband brought me back to my room and gently put me back to bed.

A few months ago when I was having so much pain with a kidney stone, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and before I knew it boom, I was on the floor with a thud! My strong husband once again rescued me. He helped me up, and put me back to bed. (Are you noticing a pattern). I faint, Steve is there to help me, to rescue me, to sustain me, he is a strength for me when my strength is gone. My strength leaves me, and down I go. It is so wonderful to have someone that I can lean on, that will be there for me in those times of weakness. I am glad that this doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I know I can count on him.

This made me think of this verse. "Yours words have helped the tottering to stand, and you have strengthened feeble knees." (Job 4:4 NASB) I am so thankful not only for my strong husband being there for me physically to help me stand, when I can't. But I am also just as grateful for the dear Christian friends who have been there to help me stand spiritually with a strong Word from God. This encouragement has been so valuable to me through the years.

I want to be like that with people. I want my words to be a help to the tottering, and to the feeble in spirit, strength, like a strong arm that is reaching out to them. Someone they can lean on to help get them through their journey. How are we doing with this? Are our words like a "shot" of strength to people, or are they words that knock them down? We can strengthen people with our words, even if we are not strong physically. Help us Lord to be a bolster and support to people, to strengthen them with Your Words, and in Your mighty name! Amen

Listen to Your Mother!

"Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. " ( Proverbs 1:8-9 ESV)

The beginning of this verse starts out by saying "Hear", another way to put that would be," listen." So many times as a child my Mother would say, "Listen to Me!". She would make sure before she gave an important instruction that I was listening.

I love the fact that the Bible mentions not only Father's, but Mother's also! A Jewish Mother was highly regarded. Solomon's Mother gave him excellent instruction in Proverbs 31.

If we listen to our Mother's teachings they will be as a graceful garland for our head, and pendants for our necks. We will always be accessorized! In other words we will be spiritually beautiful!

Have you been around wise people, and just thought how lovely they were? Not that they had the most expensive and beautiful clothes and material things, but there was just something different about them, maybe you couldn't put your finger on it, but they just glow! The Spirit of God is just radiating from them. I know I have.

This Mother's Day weekend, I have been thinking about my sweet little Momma a lot. She has taught me from the time I was a child to love the Lord, by her word and by her example. I am so thankful that God gave me a godly Mother that would teach me these things. I still listen to her wise counsel. She has been down the road farther than me. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful things that she taught me. I will always cherish these things and wear them as an adornment of a beautiful garland on my head, and many pendants for my neck, that money could never buy! Don't worry Mom, I heard you all those years, and I'm still listening!

grace notes: The Royal Wedding

grace notes: The Royal Wedding: "You are cordially invited to a Royal Wedding Wedding being hosted by: God The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit The Groom: The King of..."

The Royal Wedding

You are cordially invited to a Royal Wedding

Wedding being hosted by: God The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit

The Groom: The King of Kings and Lord of Lords

The Bride: The Church

The Bride will be adorned with a divine dress of fine linen, bright and clean. In lieu of flowers, the bride will be carrying a lamp filled with oil. Which she has been carrying with her at all times for when her groom would come to romantically and mysteriously whisk her off to His glorious mansion.

The Groom will be draped with a glorious robe, however, it is stained with blood. The blood does not take away from the beauty of it, but only makes it more so. On His royal robe is fine engraving bearing the name, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is also called Faithful and true and The Word of God, and The Lamb of God. He will be entering on a grand white steed.

Distinguished guests: The Father has invited many distinguished guests

Guests list includes: Moses, Elijah, Daniel, John the Baptist, Ezekiel, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul. Many too numerous to mention

Your invitation is by way of a book form, it has 66 books, it also comes stained with the blood of the Groom, the perfect Lamb of God. The invitation says that all who are invited are Blessed.

Where will the royal wedding take place: The New Jerusalem

When will the royal wedding take place: No one knows except the Father

The Father is making all of the arrangements, and He Himself is getting everything ready for this glorious, and splendid occasion.

This is taken from the book of Revelation 19: 7- 16

Today there is a royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William of Britain. You may be anxious to watch ladies, we tend to love romance. You may watch this wedding today and think about how romantic it would be to marry a Prince, a future King. There will be a lot of frills and pomp and circumstance. But let me assure you that in the grand scheme of things it will not have much "circumstance". One day there will be a far grander wedding, with far more circumstance!

I am here today to remind you that if you are a Christian, you will be the Bride of The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This wedding will be to someone who is absolutely perfect! This wedding will be the most glorious wedding that will ever be held. The royal wedding today will pale in comparison, it will seem like paupers were getting married compared to this one! Can you imagine being able to talk with Paul, and Moses, and Daniel?! The famous people at this royal wedding today will seem petty and UN-important compared to these great men of God! Are you getting yourself ready? We will be whisked away to be a Bride by a King on a white horse and the difference in this marriage and the royal wedding today is... It's a marriage made in heaven! It will be absolutely glorious, human words cannot do it justice, or begin to describe it! Amen, Hallelujah, Praise and Glory, for the Lord our God, The Almighty reigns!!

Jesus, the Mediator, an answer to Job's prayer

In one of the oldest books of the Bible, Job says, speaking about God, " For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both." Job 9: 32-33. (NKJV) Job was wishing and praying for a mediator who could bridge the gap between himself and God. Little did he know at that time that God would provide such a mediator for mankind. It had already been planned!

Jesus is the only person who could build a bridge for man to get to God. He is the only one who could lay His hand on both man and God. Jesus who was with God from the foundation of the world came and died on the cross so that man could be reconciled to God. He was the only sinless, perfect lamb. Jesus suffered far greater than Job ever did.

No one can stand and ask God, as in a courtroom, " Why didn't you do something about our pitiful condition?" God did. Can you imagine this same God who spoke the worlds into existence and got his hands dirty when He formed man? The Bible says in Genesis that He formed man out of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of God. This was the crown and glory of His creation. This same God comes to earth and buys our redemption, and it is soaked in His own blood, and bears our sin in His own body. We have a God who is not afraid to get dirty for His own Beloved children that He loves!

Scripture says in Colossians 1:17 " He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Just think about this for a moment. Jesus is hanging on the cross, and He is the one in whom all things hold together. He could have just thought, or spoken one word, and He could have been rescued. Not only that, it could have been over in a matter of minutes, but He was on the cross for six hours! Not only did He drink the cup, but He drank it to the very fullest. We should be so grateful for this, not just at Easter but everyday. Because we are redeemed, bought, washed, we are adopted children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah, praise the Lamb!!