It’s Angela’s Life Anniversary (Birthday) on November 14th. I’m presenting her with this infographic when she gets home tonight on her birthday eve. She will also get the physical handout – after all, she’s a teacher.
Happy Birthday, Angela!
Incline Your Ear
The “Fear” of the Lord
Often a topic of debate among folks. Fear means different things to different people in changed times. Let’s let the Bible help define things:
Prov 9:10 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Prov 3:13 – Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
So, the fearing of the LORD will make one happy as he gains understanding of such holy matter. Check out Prov 2:2 -2:5 and compare – and pray as you incline your ear and apply your heart to what God has to say.
Photo on Flickr by Yestertale
Less Pride, Fewer Fights
I hate losing an argument, don’t you? Maybe it’s the competitor in me. Maybe it’s the winner in me. Frankly — it’s the pride in me.
As I begin to check my pride at the door, then having to argue and fight is no more.
Proverbs 13:10 teaches us that only by pride comes contention. Lose your pride – you won’t have to worry about battling.
Photo on Flickr by yourdon
In His Hands, Stay Pliable
Feeling stuck? Often, I’ve found that being stuck begins with being stubborn – with God.
God’s Word in Isaiah 64:8 tells us the mindset and heart’s cry we should have:
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
If we become hardened to change, are we still pliable clay in God’s masterful hands?
Photo on Flickr by Sarah R
Anxiety Ends as Faith Begins
A great man of faith, George Mueller once said,
“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
Show God you have confidence in Him (Prov 3:26) and you’ll be able to rest that He’s got it covered. As my friend Tony says, “God’s Got This”.
Post Office Pumpkin Bars
I tried to share this recipe on Facebook, but there’s too much information for what’s allowed, so I’m delivering it here.
Post Office Pumpkin Bars (because they always deliver healthy goodness!). Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan Treats
Ingredients:
– 1 Banana
– 3 tbs (unsweetened) apple sauce
– 1 tbs pumpkin butter
– 1 cup vegetable oil
– 1 cup coconut sugar
– 15 oz can of pumpkin
– 1.5 cups Gluten Free flour
– 3 tsp baking powder
– 2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Puree the banana, apple sauce, and pumpkin butter. Your goal is to get 3/4 cup. Any remaining would be a great topping (for this batch, I just mixed some Trader Joe’s apple sauce and pumpkin butter for a topping).
In a mixing bowl, combine and mix the puree, coconut sugar, oil, and pumpkin until fluffy and light. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, and then add to the pumpkin mixture.
Spread batter into a greased cake pan (a 9×9 for a taller bar, 13×10 for a shorter bar). Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting into bars.
Notes: If you want more fluff, I guess you could add cornstarch. Additionally, I’ve sometimes used a bit of maple syrup – but there’s already plenty of sweetness.
Is Your Heart Merry?
I wonder as I wander, about the grumpy, zombie-like faces I see. What’s going on in their heart? In Artie Davis’ Craveable, he reminds us that our face reveals what’s in our heart. And you could look it up, for the Bible tells me so (Prov 15:13).
Even with this time of trial, can I find joy? Amidst the persecution, is there a blessing? Yes. Jesus.
Thanks for the reminder, Artie. Stay contagious and courageous!
Photo on Flickr by NYCArthur
Whatever Life Serves Up
Jesus gives us such great examples with how to deal with the problems and troubles that life serves up daily. He relies upon the Word of God,
An often overlooked part of God’s armour, the sword of the Spirit – which is the word of God (Eph 6:17). Whether to defend or to volley back – always be at the ready with an answer (1 Pe 3:15) by clothing yourself daily with Christ (Rom 13:14).
Read your Bible – daily.
Photo on Flickr by iandavidmuir
Don’t Let Gossip In
We often read and hear about how wrong it is to gossip. In Prov 20:19, we also find that it is not a healthy thing to listen to gossip and talebearing. In fact, if we sit and listen to gossip, our listening ears are as a stumbling block to the gossiper. Take your ears away from the equation.
A great resource for more on this topic is Matt Mitchell’s book, Resisting Gossip. Gossip is a most subtle poison.
As Pastor Matt writes: “Gossip is like a fired bullet. Once you hear the sound, you can’t take it back.”
Like I used to tell the guys at the rescue mission, your response to gossip is simple, “LaLaLaLaLaLa” as you walk away.
Audience of One fellas. Audience of One.
Photo on Flickr by hebedesign
Life Lessons from Baseball
There are a many great lessons we can learn from baseball (and the movies, too). From Game #3 of the Word Series, a rule (Rule 7.06) is in place about being an obstruction. From the Bible, there is a verse about being an obstruction (Rom 14:13).
Lesson learned.
