Happy New Year!

We're going to a local party with friends. See y'all next year! [ha ha]

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

A Blog Question, Need Help Please

Any of my blog buddies good at using this blogger? For months now, I have been trying and trying to get rid of this grey background template on my blog. (see screen capture below)

The gray really shows up where I don’t have any graphics. I want it to be a white background. I think if I change templates, I’ll lose all my graphics, etc., won’t I? And I don’t want that to happen! Any suggestions pretty please? Oh, and K-I-S-S because I am when it comes to computers. [lol]

Thanks if you can help out. If not, no problem, I'll just put up with it.

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

A New Way Of Eating

"Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. ….”  Ezekiel 4:9 (partial) New Living Translation

I know this is the wrong time of year to discuss [gulp] a diet! The first three letters are D-I-E after all. [lol] But I have to share how Hubby and I have been eating a certain way (I won’t use the “d” word again) that has helped us keep the weight off, increase energy levels, and just be healthier all around. It’s also helped us save a lot money on groceries.

One thing we had to face was we really had to give up eating so much red meat and the sugar. Very nearly everything processed has sugar these days. Sugar not only adds pounds, it also causes temporary memory loss, and has been proven to be the primary cause of heart failure and Alzheimer’s. My step-mother died from the ravages of Alzheimer’s. Trust me, you do NOT want to contract this devastating disease. It was awful to watch her mentally disappear from me day by day. It was heart wrenching and has stayed with me all these years. She was skinny as a rail and quite ’healthy’ but would cook with sugar like it was being banned. I’m convinced in my own mind that too much sugar is what helped contribute to her early demise.

A very dear sister-in-law is handicapped with a tumor on her spine. Daily she has to take mind numbing pain killers just to keep from screaming. Poor thing is trapped in her own body. All the pain killers and cycle of pain caused her to have a hard time eating regular meals. She was reduced to eating only one meal a day and only at a specific time and even then hopefully, it wouldn‘t make her sick. Then on top of that, she was plagued with repeating kidney stones. A trusted pain doctor suggested she go vegetarian. So she started experimenting with different vegetarian diets, including giving up dairy products. Turns out, on top of everything else, she has a mild lactose intolerance (I’m severely lactose intolerant myself) and a wheat allergy. Who knew?

Stay with me. I am gong somewhere with this. [lol]

Through her experimenting, she has found a diet that works and keeps her from feeling hungry. Plus she has lost SO much weight! It’s amazing. So she has turned us on to making Almond Milk “blends” (made in the blender).

Here’s an example. Blend the following throughly:
Unsweetened Almond Milk (about 2 cups)
Banana
Flax Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Chia Seeds
Brazil Nut
Fresh Apple, cored and peeled
Bee Pollen
Blue Berries (can be frozen)
Grapes
Chard

This blend specifically helps people with diabetes and aids in weight loss. I add frozen strawberries to mine. I also add 2 teaspoons of Splenda to add a little sweetness (but I‘m a Sugar-holic).

One can also blend vegetables. Here‘s an example:
Spinach
Parsley
Plum Tomatoes
Garbanzo Beans
Pumpkin Seeds
Flax Seeds
Lemon Juice
Salt/Pepper to taste
Olive Oil

There’s many, many more and in any variety one can think of.

Sister-in-law also shared with us about eating a brand of bread called Ezekiel 4:9 Bread which has no added sugar.

Granted, it’s a bit bland compared to ‘regular‘ bread, but using this instead of our usual Whole Wheat has helped us keep the pounds off. I didn’t know that eating Whole Wheat was no different than eating a piece of cake! Yipes! The Cinnamon Raisin is especially good.

So hope this helps others, not only to lose weight but also to save money.

Happy New Year!

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ More Than Conquerors

More Than Conquerors

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
Printer Friendly Version

Two boys fight in a back alley. Fists fly. Shouts go up from the other youngsters standing by. “Give it to ‘im! Let ‘im have it!”

Finally one of the two struts away with an arrogant bearing, head and shoulders wagging. He has won!

But has he? Look at him. He has a bloody nose, a black eye and welts on his face and arms. And if looks could kill he wouldn’t even be alive, for while his friends shout his praises, the boy he has beaten gives him a look that says: “Just wait.” He has not won anything except, perhaps, a bitter and lasting enemy.

So it is with the wars that nations wage against each other. Necessary as it sometimes becomes to defend our liberties, our homes, our way of life, by force of arms, seldom does any nation actually win the war. Rather all lose, even the “victors,” as in their “victories” they sow the bitterness and hate which are the seeds of future wars.

It is different, however, with “the good fight of [the] faith,” for the Christian may come out of every battle stronger than when he went in. Only the Christian can say with regard to the heartaches and disappointments, the difficulties and obstacles, that cross his path: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

During Paul’s busy ministry for Christ he suffered a painful “thorn in the flesh,” and “besought the Lord thrice” that it might be taken away. The Lord did not see fit to remove the thorn, but answered Paul:

“My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Cor. 12:9).

Paul’s response:

“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… for when I am weak, then am I strong” (Vers. 9,10).

Let all go well, and we are prone to grow careless in our Christian lives. Adversity, on the other hand, makes Christians lean the harder and pray the more — and therein lies their strength and their victory.

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To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

 

 

Rambling Thoughts

A very dear blogger friend shared her rambling thoughts today, so, I thought I’d jump in and share mine.

• Attended yet another funeral today for another friend in Brunswick: casual friend for me, former working buddy for Hubby. This is becoming all too common for us. It seems like so many of our friends / family are going to meet the Lord before us. It was a nice service but I feel really down for some reason.

Ok, I do know why.

• I had a bit of an epiphany sitting in that humble Presbyterian church. This could be me next. We’re all aging. Unfortunately, Hubby is 8 years older than me. I wish it was the other way around! He traded his good health for physical labor that we may have our daily bread. Now his poor body is showing signs of all this hard labor. He’s had two shoulder surgeries, knee surgeries, cortisone shots for pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and on and on. We talked about the finality of life recently and decided it would be wise to have Living Wills and Power Of Attorney’s made next year. There are already regular Wills, of course, but our Financial Guy had suggested the additional documents. Kinda brings it all home, doesn’t it? No one lives forever on this earth. Best to make plans so those left behind will not have too many agonizing decisions to ponder. Plus, Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a control freak. [smile] I want my funeral my way (like, I’ll be here to enjoy it … lol).

• My mood didn’t improve when we returned from the funeral this afternoon for we saw that the Jack Russell Terrorists had partially tore up the dirt driveway leading into the carport! I think Sam was trying to dig to China. Before we left, Sam had gotten hold of Hubby’s leather cell phone carrier and was proceeding to dismantle it. [Those things aren’t cheap!] And just a few minutes ago, I had to take some of my Christmas decorations away from them that I had down by the gate. I had planned on leaving them up for when hubby’s sister and family get here on Wednesday so everything would look festive, but, needless to say, I’m putting away the decorations tomorrow. I will be so glad when The Boys get neutered next month!! They are such a pill right now. THEY’RE DRIVING ME BONKERS TODAY! [lol]

Aw well.

• I’m sitting here enjoying “Jane Eyre” (2006) playing on the Ovation Channel again. It’s a wonderful story. I finally read the book a few months ago, and this version is the closest to the book. It’s such a pity that Charlotte Bronte’ died so young. She must have been one of the best writers that’s ever lived and this story ranks at the top.

• I enjoy family genealogy. A LOT! I was a frequent contributor to FindAGrave. As of this past week, I left the site. In March 2010, FindAGrave created a way to “edit” other peoples contributions and ever since then, it’s brought out the trolls in droves. So many fellow contributors are now spiteful, unkind, violent and down right rude. 99% of them are women. Isn’t that sad?! What’s happened to us females?! We used to epitomize kindness, love, and a softness that is now lacking in our society. There’s a harsh, cruel edge to so many women now. I don’t go there with the being bossy crowd “just because I can” with the anonymity of the internet. So, I’m outta here with that site. Turned all my memorials over to a friend to care for if there's any further updates. That keeps my three mothers and all the family I’ve added in loving memory “safe” from predatory women. Maybe we should call them Internet Cougars, like those sick women that prey on children. Yuck. Anyway, I feel relieved to be away from the site. I was beginning to dread checking my e-mail of late because I took a risk that there would be some cruel comment on one of my loved ones memorials. Unkindness always gives me tummy aches.  I had enough of that from an abusive father.

Well that’s all that’s in my muddled head tonight. I’m going to enjoy some of my Hippie Tea (actually it's Tension Tamer Herbal Tea, makes one very relaxed) and an early night, I think. Tomorrow will bring a new day with a new beginning and hopefully, a better outlook.

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

The Christmas Meal

Well, we have had a perfectly lovely day. I hope everyone else had a happy one too. It was relatively quiet for us. I always believe Silence Is Golden. No visitors this year. Everyone is either too broke, too far away or had other plans. That’s alright. There were not presents or cards this year either but I’m not complaining. I don’t need any more junk anyway. Besides we eat like Royalty!

Our meal was Cornish Game Hens, Mixed Vegetables, Mashed Cauliflower, Chicken Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Italian Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Wine and Hot Tea. All very yummy!

After that scrumptious meal, Steve spent this afternoon putting together the final touches for what will be our niece’s Christmas gift. They’ll be here on New Year’s Day. That will be our real Christmas. I. AM. SO. EXCITED! [smile] What’s he making? My husband is a self-taught skilled craftsman. Anything he undertakes he does it well. He’s very much the Renaissance man. He is constructing a primitive archer’s bow pull rate of about 12 lbs. and an arrow set, complete with hand stitched leather quiver, arm guard and tab. And the doggone thing is fantastic to behold! It shoots like a dream (I’ve already given it some trial runs). Nope, no pictures. Not yet. I am snapping them as he works his magic and will share those after Niece has the gift. So more treasures to be shared at a later date.

Merry CHRISTMas y’all!

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ A Gift For You

A Gift For You

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
Printer Friendly Version

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

In the light of the Pauline epistles these well-known words have become more appropriate than when our Lord first spoke them. Through Paul, Christ’s redemptive work at Calvary has been proclaimed and fully explained. In this light, then, we suggest that our readers take the time to really meditate on this passage about God’s greatest gift to man.

Think of the love that prompted it! “God so loved….” We were the “children of disobedience” and “by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:2,3). We deserved judgment, “but God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,” gave His best, His all, to save us (Eph. 2:4).
Think of its priceless value! “His only begotten Son — everlasting life.” Christ, the holy One, had to be given up to disgrace and death in order that our sins might be justly dealt with, and that we might become the rightful heirs of everlasting life (Rom. 3:25,26).

Think of your need of this gift! “…that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish….” How perilous not to accept “the gift of God, eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23)! What folly to spurn or ignore a gift we need so sorely!

Finally, think how gracious the offer! “…that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Whosoever believeth! Any sinner may have this gift by simply believing, accepting in simple faith what God says about Christ paying for our sins at Calvary. In fact, this is the only way we can become the recipients of this wonderful gift, for Rom. 4:5 declares:

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith [believing] is counted for righteousness.”

---

To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.