Story Time

Don't have time to read a book? Push play, and sit back and listen to one of my favorite story songs of all time. Enjoy. Oh, and the TT list is also for today. J

Thursday Thirteen

This is my first Thursday Thirteen. Here are thirteen things that I really enjoy.

1. Sitting in a sun warmed car on a cold, or drowsy day.

2. Reading a thrilling book without being interrupted by anything.

3. Sleeping until I wake up on my own.

4. Looking at my just cleaned spotless house-I don't do this much :)

5. Cooking something I'm good at cooking and that my family eats.

6. Going outside in the summer and star gazing.

7. Going outside in any season and star gazing- unless it's cold.

8. Being warm when it's cold.

9. Being cool when it's hot, muggy, yukky,humid.

10. Watching cartoons,( not stupid Japanese ones), real cartoons.

11. Writing a poem.

12. Petting a cat...one that enjoys being touched.

13. A real good laugh. The sillier the better.

meme in pictures

Match them up if you can..

1. Favorite food.

2. First job.

3. Nickname.

4. Favorite smell.

5. Favorite drink.

6. Favorite animal.

7. Grandmas name.

8. Favorite book.

9. Favorite color.

10. Last name.

11. First job.

12. How old will I be next birthday?

13. Where I would like to travel...

14. Favorite place.

15. Favorite objects.

Spring!!!

My spring-ish backyard...please note the clothes line in the background. I hate it. The bench area is going to get cleaned up and half of that area (it used to be a pond -nice) will go back to yard. I have sunflowers that come back every year in that area, I am trying to plant them behind the fence, because hubby hates them. Too bad, huh. :) He is the weed whacker king, so I move as many as I can, but he weed whacks behind the fence too! I also have lavender that grows under the windmill, and cat nip that grows in that area-much to my (and neighborhood)cat's delight. Oh, and Lilly's that are late bloomers and Iris' that are late also.

This is one of our 4 Bradford Pear trees. They are very beautiful when in bloom, but otherwise just green trees. We also have a few crab apple trees that will soon be red and white blooms. Our grass is yukky, because we don't water (it's expensive city water), and it never took to the seed we put on it, and is field grass. See the above picture and note the field behind the fence. But as long as one of the guys keeps it mowed short it's good for me. We will put our Elephant Ears out front, and I also have two containers on front of the garage with more lavender plants. The mailbox has rosemary, and whatever I plant growing around it - not now, but soon. So, I hope you enjoyed the tour of my yard, sorry I don't have more pictured. It's spring for sure,because my allergies and sinus' are all whacked out, and the forecast is rain-all week. Yuk.

What was that? What was that?

I have been thinking today about what to write on...so here it is.

I have some interesting characteristics,( or quirks) and I think I will share some of them (just so you can know me all the better) with you now.
When I was little I would look at the Preacher and blink my eyes really, really fast, and he would look like an old fashioned reel film in black and white ( I did this quite a bit). Only now do I think about what he must have seen. hee,hee.
I used to count the letters on the communion table-over and over.. yeah, I didn't pay much attention in church. I also counted ceiling tiles and the lights.
I would often talk all day with a Mexican accent- even in the stores. Note: My mom warned me that I might offend, but I was dark and I also was truly talented and no one knew it was just for fun- also I never did it out of disrespect(I had many sounds I kept sharp).
I played my hand like a bugle and would play "Taps" in my aunts field as loud as I could. Yes, it sounded real.
I could sing like Freddy Fender- now my voice cracks.
I could raise the dead with my "special rattle snake only" scream. Fun.
I always thought I could run around the house without getting caught in the sticker patch in the back- I couldn't- but I always thought I could.
I can cross my eyes independently from each other and move them one at a time-one straight and one crossed, than switch them.
I can make a big Opera voice (good one), but not sing a normal voice. Go figure.
I can whinny like a real horse- made one answer me once too!
I could climb the hall way like spider man when I was little- one hand and foot on one side and the other on the other.
I could probably think of more, but that might be more than enough for now. : )

Thursday

This is my Thursday list of the thoughts that have floated into and out of my mind today...

1. I wish it was Friday.

2. I'm sooooo tired!

3. I need a maid.

4. Maybe we won't have school tomorrow.

5. Yeah! Hubby got me a soda (sorry sis-my bad)

6. How can this house get so dusty? We don't have any dirt in here?!

7. Raining again...no walking today...aw, hee,hee.

8. People are very silly... I won't name names, but I work with some.. Okay, here is a little story ( it's funny big time) This lady I work with is a self proclaimed non humorist, she was saying that she doesn't hide the goodies from her kids at home. She just keeps it all in Tupperware-because she has mice and cows. I about died with laughter- "why ",I asked, "is it because the cows don't have thumbs and can't open the Tupperware?"I laughed so hard that she had to laugh also. but she thought we thought she meant cats and mice. I said, "no, cows and mice is what I thought you said", It's still funny! I imagined a far side cartoon with cows in a kitchen trying to open the Tupperware saying something like "drat these hooves!"

9. I thought a lot about cows and thumbs today.

10. I made "corn flake cookies" at school today at work and they turned out great, the kids kept stealing them or buying extra- all good.

11. I like my little kitty picture at the top. I like "blarg", and I plan to use it in a sentence tonight or tomorrow at work.

Part 3 - Strongholds

What is a stronghold?


When a person gets saved, or born again, or reborn, all of that persons sins are forgiven because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ the sinless Son of God, Romans 10:13, I John 1:9. God now has your heart as His dwelling place-hence the songs about Jesus in my heart. Satan, or the devil, no longer has free reign in your heart (spirit, soul, the place that is you), and he does not like that at all. We sin still, because we are not perfect and have an old sin nature that hangs on us like a rotting corpse. We sometimes ( or all the time) feel that this sin nature is still alive, but it is dead. It died when we became saved, Romans 6:9-11. So why do we sin when we don't have too? I'm not sure, but that is where strongholds come into the picture. A stronghold (this was the description I was told, and it best describes a stronghold) is like an old fashioned fort from the old west times. It is a fortified place. A stronghold can be any sin ( or can start from someone's sin that has a direct effect on our life), something that has been allowed to stay in our lives ...anything that is not of God. Imagine the fort and see spy's going out in all directions to blend into the area outside of the fort. These are demons disguised as our fear, our lust, our pride, our whatever. We don't stop them because they are "ours"... follow? So the stronghold is there in our hearts in the middle of Gods territory, and it's fortified and sending spy's out into the rest of our heart to take more territory, and before we know it we are overcome with debilitating sin. Our heart is still saved, but we are oppressed by sin and we don't even know that is what it is. Now God forgives our sins when we pray for Him too, but this is a deep rooted sin. Have you ever wondered why you just can't seem to stop doing...gossip?, overeating?, anger at someone?, a sin you return to time and again, or maybe something you think is just part of your personality. That is a fortified sin ( a stronghold), and yes God can remove it, but we have to have God do it for us. I was told by Pastor White that we as Christians are NEVER EVER to directly engage the "enemy" (Satan) in spiritual warfare. Ever! That is God's job. God is the only one who can do this and He wants to set us free from the sin that so easily entangles us. It is in fact a little like an exorcism, but as Christians we can't become possessed, but we can become oppressed. Spiritual warfare is real, sorry, but it is, Ephesians 6:12.

I was asked to repeat a prayer (out loud) after Pastor White,

Dear God, Please show me, by your Truth and Light (Jesus is the Truth and the Light of the Word) the areas in my heart that don't belong to You. Please show me what they are so I can ask You to help me and forgive me, I pray in Jesus name amen.

That might not be the exact words, but it is important to pray in Jesus' name and call on God's Truth and Light ( His power), you can also ask God to show you what to do or help you understand.

Next I was to sit with my eyes closed and listen for God to speak. Remember Jer. 33:3?

I know it sounds hookie, but I heard Him. Not a voice, but kinda a sight/word/voice thing all at once. I heard Him. He spoke to me and told me things I needed to hear. fear, love, anger,pride, and other things that were in my life that needed removed or as in the case of love-lacking. Pastor White says everyone has a moment of breakdown during this process ( yes, you do it until God says your done), a moment when you touch the heart of the whole matter. Mine was that God loved ME. Unconditional, perfect, holy, because He is God even though I am nothing, He loves me because He can...love. Jeremiah 31:3-4 I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt.

That was the verse he told me (White). How do you keep strongholds from coming back? You tell God (and do it) that you will build a "Monument of Praise" to Him to put in the place of the stronghold. You have to put something there so it can't come back to its place. Fill it with memorized Bible verses. Satan will not go without a fight, he will attack you and try to get back in, that is when you quote those (relevant) verses...say them out loud and than pray and say something like, God, Satan is tempting me to be fearful, please rebuke him in Jesus name. (notice I don't rebuke Satan, I ask God to do it). I know this is long and that you might (or might not) want some more info. so if you do you can e-mail me, or leave a comment. I will do the best I can to find the answer. You wonder why I am sharing all of this? God told me too. In my counseling, God told me to "share". This is not for my glory so please don't praise me in any way, it needs to bring praise to God alone. Thank you.