Throw the old ways as far as the East is from the West
Everyone deserves a new start. The beginning of a new year brings
new hopes and dreams. It also affords us the opportunity to begin again. The book of Genesis in the Bible is a book meaning new beginnings. The book is full of stories of common people like us who made mistakes and
started anew. The scripture affirms its own realism by reminding us that even
the choicest of God’s servants sometimes fail.
The warmest of my early memories and the best of those memories were the coldest of days. Snow piled deep, I remember a time when the electric pole came down blocking the road, we didn’t have electric. Our oil heaters were gravity fed so we had heat. Refrigerated items went out and into the 4 foot of snow with a piece of plywood placed over top to protect it from critters. I remember my mother in her broken English teaching me my bedtime prayers in Italian.
Is your plan procrastination or are you willing to walk with God now? 12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (KJV)
The following was written by a chaplain of an Ohio regiment
on May 18th, 1863, near Carthage, Tennessee, after he was asked to pray for a condemned
spy:
“I found Mr. Smith exceedingly anxious to converse upon the
subject of his soul’s salvation, about which, until the time of his arrest, he
had felt no interest…He had been a soldier in the rebel army, from whom he
deserted some time before his arrest…Those who had been acquainted with him
represented him to be a very wicked and cruel man…His wife and children seemed
to absorb his whole attention. ‘What will become of my poor wife and children?’
he exclaimed, while at the same time his whole frame shook with agitation…We
knelt together, and his cries for mercy and forgiveness, intermingled with
earnest solicitations for his wife and children, were truly distressing…as he
met me in passing from the jail to the ambulance which conveyed him to the
place of execution [he said] that he was ready to die; ‘the Lord has pardoned
my sins.;
I rode with him, seated upon his coffin, to the scaffold,
led him, assisted by the executioner, to the platform and in the presence of
2,000 (at least) soldiers heard him express the same hope…The white cap was
then placed over the prisoner’s face, and in a few moments his spirit was
launched into eternity…”
How tragic that a person would wait until his hour of death
to repent of his sins and trust Christ. Many who enjoy the pleasures of sin
think they will one day give their lives to Christ.
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar2 Tbsp olive oil (or oil of
choice)½ cup non-fat greek yogurt1 tsp onion powder (or onion salt.
Omit extra salt if you use onion salt)½ tsp salt¼ tsp pepper4 packets stevia (or 1-2 Tbsp
honey or agave. Nutrition will change)2 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
Mix together all the ingredients
(except poppy seeds) in a blender (I used my Blendtec).Once combined, stir in poppy
seeds.Can be served immediately, or
chill for best result. Store in an airtight container. Not sure of
the shelf life, but I would assume you’d want to consume it within approx
5 days. Nutrition
Serving
size: 2 Tbsp Calories: 39 Fat: 2.7 g Carbs: 2.1 g
Sugar: 0.8 g Sodium: 242 mg Fiber: 0 g Protein: 2.4 g
Father, I enter your gates with thanksgiving and present an
offering of thanks. I enter into your courts with praise! I am
thankful and delight in saying so, I bless and affectionately praise your
Name. For You are good and Your mercy and loving-kindness are
everlasting. Your faithfulness and truth endure to all generations. It is
a good and delightful thing to give thanks to You Oh Most High.
Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, perfect the fruit of my
lips. Help me draw thanksgiving forth from my inner most resources; reach
down into the most secret places of my heart that I might offer a significant
thanksgiving, to you Father. Father, I come to You in the name of
Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit and by Your grace, I join with
the heavenly hosts making a joyful noise to You and serving You with
gladness. Lord I know, recognize and understand, that You are God. It is
You who made us and not we ourselves. For we are Your people and the
sheep of Your pasture.
I’m grateful for the victories and achievements I have
experienced, in spite of my hurts. You use them for good even though Satan
intended them for my destruction. Thank You for life-life in all its
abundance. It is You who gave me a desire to pray, and I am grateful for
the prayer closet where we meet, and I thank You for Your Word. Life is
exciting, and I am grateful that I am alive for such a time as this.
Thank you for past and present relationships. I
learned from those who oppose me and those who are for me.
