Happy Independence Day!!

I am blessed to live in this wonderful country know as the USA!!
It's been a busy time for all of us I am sure. I've not been feeling 100% as I think I have been getting traces of corn in my diet somehow, the culprit may be some brown sugar that I bought from Kroger, the ingredients should have tipped me off, it just said BROWN SUGAR. Guess what? You can't grow brown sugar, so it must have something else in it. I called and they can't tell me if it contains corn, but said it could. THANKS FOR NOTHING! So they have lost my business.

So since I know that we are all busy this time of year, I thought I would post a few blog postings that have really touched my heart. And this one sure did. It revealed to me that I needed to ask our son for forgiveness in the area of being snappy when he wants my attention through out the day. I get engrossed in something like cooking, reading labels or trying to find something to eat that is gluten free, corn free and any of the other things that I am allergic too free....lol...besides a celery stick or carrot stick...hahaha.

Doing or Being? is the name of the blog post article. Read it and put it to good use this summer before school starts again and we get super intense on getting things done. I think that this hit me hard as I just read in my daily devotions of Martha/Mary and how Jesus responded to Martha, he made time for her, listened to what she thought she needed and did not get snappy with her, even though he was busy teaching with Mary and others at his feet.

Luke 10:38-42
^{38 "}Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
⁴⁰ But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
⁴² But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Happy Independence Day!
Moe

Thankfulness during the Pantry Challenge?

As I think about being thankful for the surplus I have and how I am able to be wise in using it, the 10 leprous men come to mind that Jesus healed.

Luke 17:12-13 ^12"And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: ¹³And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan."

A couple of key things here, 10 guys with leprosy (some sort of nasty skin disease that is painful) and only 1 guy says "THANK YOU to Jesus for healing him", only 1 guy fell down and gave thanks and praise to Jesus, and that 1 guy was a Samaritan! Which is very key because "Samaritans were hated by the Jews as part of a complex and ancient racial prejudice." In James MacDonalds book Lord, Change My Attitude he says it like this

"The point is, no one has an acceptable excuse for ungratefulness.Everyone can make the choice to give thanks and acknowledge the goodness and the grace of God. Sadly, however, only a small fraction of the human population ever personally thanks God for His grace."

Have you taken time to thank God for His saving grace? For the things that you have in your life? Good things and things that you suffer for? Take time today to thank God and pick up a good read. Lord Change My Attitude Before It's Too Late by James MacDonald with forward by Dr. Erwin Lutzer. Our 11 year old son read this book first and then told me that he thought I should read it. I have been wowed by many things it the book. The most captivating so far is the fact that many of us, including me (gasp!) are living in the 'wilderness' like the Israelites. If you are a Child of God, you have it all (not meaning stuff either) yet you may not realize it and suffer for it.

Get out of the wilderness!
Moe