A Prayer Request

I have a humble prayer request from my fellow Prayer Warriors today.

I think it's a real priviledge to bring our needs and wants to Him and He actually listens. God always answers prayer. It may not be our way, but it's His way that will be done. But, still, He wants us to talk to Him. All the time! 24-7. And for the Saints (believers) to pray for each other.

Not that this is relevant but we're not rich. Through the years of hard work and savings, we managed to put away a bit so we would have enough to live on and not depend on the public dole. And I'm probably hyperventilating unnecessarily over this subject (not that I would ever do that) [smile] but here goes:

We are in a bit of a financial, well, difficulty, for lack of a better word. Because of our ignorance of "high finance" and bad, or lack of good, advice by our current Financial Guy, our humble annuity is now legally stuck in a 10 year something-or-other contract that was not good financial planning. To make it worse all our eggs are in one basket and our payments have stopped! We need to get out. Now. Desperation is setting in. We have taken the extra precaution of meeting with what we hope will be our new Financial Guy to learn the options. He informed us this current investment is in danger of denuding us financially. Plus we're practically living on air now. My heart almost stopped right there! This is all we have in the whole world!

But there is hope. I believe there's always hope.

Anyway, I have a humble request that my Christian friends please pray that we can get out of this situation unscathed and into another one that is once again profitable. We're not seeking riches just a safer environment for our nest egg. Neither of us can work fulltime anymore due to poor health, not that there's any work available way out here in the country (there's not). And we're trying to be smarter. I'm an Bookkeeper/Accountant, not a financial wizard! I'm sure God has already laid out the plan for our escape. The escape basket is probably already here, all we need to do is get in it so we may be lowered to safety. But I would feel better knowing that my saintly brothers & sisters are also praying for us. Of course, in my heart of hearts I know that God will guide us but I'm still trembling inside.

Also, if anyone else has any prayer requests today, please do share. Even unspoken ones are welcome. Hubby and I will be happy to also pray for others. We're always available for that!

Thank you for listening to the ramble and whine. I also thank you warmly for any prayers. I do appreciate you all very much. And may God bless you in turn. In the name of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, I trust in God's infinite mercy.

Funny Friday ~ New Cereals In 2014

It has been reported that General Mills is partnering with Michelle Obama to promote healthy eating. These are the first two products.

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika

We had this for supper tonight. It was really easy to fix and excellent for a cold night. I recommend serving it with fresh baked bread too.

Enjoy!

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Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika
4 servings

Use leftovers for sandwiches the next day. Place shredded chicken, garbanzos, and tomatoes in pita bread and top with yogurt sauce.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon smoked paprika*
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
4 chicken breast halves with bones
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 1 teaspoon spiced oil mixture into small bowl; whisk in yogurt and set aside for sauce. Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet. Rub 2 tablespoons spiced oil mixture over chicken. Add beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cilantro to remaining spiced oil mixture; toss to coat. Pour bean mixture around chicken. Sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.

Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro. Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon bean mixture over. Serve with yogurt sauce.

*Sometimes labeled Pimentón Dulce or Pimentón de La Vera Dulce; available at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores, and from tienda.com.

Someone Moved My Cheese

I. Have. Had. An. Epically. Rotten. Day.

Today was my usual 6 month health checkup. Things didn’t go as planned.

First, the Physicians Assistant that was attending to me this time, try to push cholesterol medicine on me.

I responded most empathically, “NO”. She finally resorted to scare tactics, “You’ll be at risk for heart attacks, stroke and Alzheimer’s.”

My little BS antenna went up. Alzheimer’s? I know I’m medically challenged but I have kept up with the studies on Alzheimer’s since my step-mother died from this disease. That is no where to be found in any of the research I’ve read.

So, thinking I’m being cool, [cough] I gently changed the subject.

“I’m having mild heart palpitations and trouble sleeping.” (All true.) The PA gave me a prescription for sleeping pills, which I’ve never, ever taken. I really don’t want to go there. And then she mentioned “We need another blood sample and you have to return in one month.”

“Why?!” I asked incredulously.

“Because your symptoms indicate a hyper-thyroid (overactive) problem.”

I know I have hypo-thyroid (underactive) and a small growth on it.

Ok, so, I can deal with that. Not happy, but not devistating.

With that heavy news that now I have to return to the doctor yet again, I took the usual prescriptions for my daily existance to have them filled. I received more unhappy news. According to my pharmacist my new insurance program makes me buy medicine every 30 days instead of the customary 90 days. [I had to change because of The Unaffordable Care Act, i.e. Obamacare.] With the former insurance program, I used to get a discount for buying 90 days at a time. So now, in a nutshell, that means we’ll be spending three times as much on medicine. This year. And, since we live way out in the country, it also entails constant trips to the pharmacy which is not one of my favorite things.

[muttered through gritted teeth] Lovely.

The day went downhill from there with me growling and biting like an old snapping turtle with a sore head. But, giving credit where credit is due, most of it is my own fault. I dislike going to doctors so much I think I set the mood for the visit. I fought with the P.A. trying to give me good advice, which is what I'm paying her for. I’ve felt tired and old of late. It seems I’m perpetually upset over money. And every time Barry Soetoro [his real name, you know] talks and bad mouths our country, my blood pressure shoots up and the veins on my neck stick out. Many times the TV has been in great danger of being altered. [lol]

Speaking of that, I doubt anyone who reads this blog regularly will waste their time watching the PO(TU)S speech? I thought not. I'd much rather have multiple root canals then put through the torture of listening to more lies.

I know, I need to pray and trust more, and think about the world less. I’ve let myself have a bad day. Entirely my own fault.

It must be age, but when someone moves my cheese now, I get all messed up. It's my fault for not leaning on the Lord and His promises.

One bright spot though, the matching Winterberry pie cooler and server set from Pfaltzgraff arrived. (The whole enchilada was less than $20 including shipping). Big heartfelt Thank You's to my dear friend Blackberry Lane for turning me onto this lovely set.

Aren’t they purdy? I'm so anxious to entertain guests so I can Wow them. I wish I could afford to buy the entire set of dishes and cups. Maybe when things are ‘better’ again. I know they will be. God never forgets us in our troubles.

Part Two: The Move To Jacksonville

As I stated in last Monday's post, once weekly I plan to feature a guest writer, my husband. He has been painstakingly writing down the stories of his childhood to share them with his 9 year old niece. I wanted her to know what kind of childhood her beloved Uncle was able to enjoy. While enjoying them myself I thought these are so much fun to read, why not share them? So here are the short missives of his memories of growing up in wilds of Florida during the 1950's and 1960's. They're packed with misadventures, romance, and all the confusing things that can happen in our youth. Even though his hometown of Jacksonville is a big city with over a million residents now, during his childhood it was several small communities surrounded by countryside. 

This is his story.

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The Move To Jacksonville
by Steven R. Hudson

When I was about four we moved to Jacksonville, FL. We settled into a small rental cottage on Lake Lucina in the Arlington area of Duval County. The cottage was owned by the Dickson family and I believe the road down to the lake is still called Dickson Road. There was a large pear tree in the yard and only a short walk to the lake which was surrounded by Cattails and alive with the trill calls of Red-wing Blackbirds that nested in the reeds. Sometimes Mom would fish at the lake for Bream which were really tasty when fried crisp in corn meal batter.

About this time Dad got a small black and white television. The screen was so small that we had to get very close to watch, but the cabinet it was mounted in was huge and the whole thing looked quite silly compared to the sleek flat screen TV's of today. It was a great deal for us however, as TV was the "new" thing and we were now on the cutting edge of the latest technology. There was only one channel available, WJXT Channel 4. It was our sole source of programming but that was fine with me. I remember lying on the floor in the afternoons, close to the tiny flickering screen watching the "Lone Ranger" battle it out with bad guys, Tonto at his side and his horse Silver carrying him into the western sunset after another victory for law and order. Next was "The Cisco Kid" and justice meted out with a Spanish accent. After supper, the local news with Bill Grove and then the National News on CBS with Douglas Edwards.

My first trip to the emergency room occurred when we lived here. Mom had caught some Bream in the lake and fried them up that evening for supper. Mom would always pull my fish apart before I ate to check for small bones but this time she missed one and the bone was stuck solidly in my throat. I began to cough and cry and I can still remember how uncomfortable and scared I was. Dad put me in the car and rushed me to the emergency room where the bone suddenly passed about the time we arrived. Crisis over. 

We lived in that cottage only a short time. Dad bought us our first house in a brand new subdivision called Center Park. We were now only seven miles from Jacksonville Beach, on the newly four-laned Beach Blvd and bordered on every side by thousands of acres of beautiful woodlands. There was a large creek that flowed north to south on one side of the area and crossed under Beach Blvd., disappearing into moss laden oaks that lined it's banks. There were many vacant lots that had not been built on and a huge stand of Cypress trees and Oaks, like a great wooded park, that stood square in the middle of the subdivision. I and the many new friends I would make here named this park, "Sherwood Forest". Moving here was the beginning of a great adventure and the golden years of my childhood.

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Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Teach No Other Doctrine

Teach No Other Doctrine

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
Printer Friendly Version

In strong language the Apostle bids Timothy to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine”; no other doctrine, obviously, than that which he had taught them. In 1 Tim. 6:3-5 he closes his epistle by saying:

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ… from such withdraw thyself.”

In these passages the Apostle emphasizes the importance of fidelity to that heaven-sent message committed to him by revelation; that message which he says in Tit. 1:2,3 was “promised before the ages began” but made known “in due time … through preaching which is committed unto me…”

Ever since Paul’s day religious leaders have substituted other messages for that committed by the glorified Lord to Paul. The law of Moses, the Sermon on the Mount, the “great commission,” and Pentecost have all been confused with God’s message and program for the dispensation of grace. This is what has bewildered and divided the Church and ripened it for the apostasy.

With all the confused thinking about the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount fifty years ago it was little wonder that modernism swept so many off their feet with its teachings about Jesus of Nazareth, the Man of Galilee, following his footsteps, social betterment, political reform, etc. Multitudes were so taken up with the social gospel, so eager to help make the world a better place to live in, that they did not even notice or believe that the modernists denied the very fundamentals of the Christian faith.

But the new evangelicalism of our day is still more dangerous. It is big. It is well financed. It is popular. It is subtle. Perhaps its greatest danger lies in the fact that while claiming to be “conservative,” it minimizes the importance of the fundamentals and the danger of apostatizing from them.

Thus the inspired words of the Apostle Paul: “Charge some that they teach no other doctrine,” are more urgently needed in our day than they were in his.

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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."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Ride Like The Wind #Honda

Hubby finally traded his 2006 Moto Guzzi Breva! He's had it For Sale for several weeks. Cycles of Jacksonville traded him for a 2013 Honda CB1100. He is very pleased with the outcome.

It's been a long but productive day. I'm really weary from the journey down to Jax and back. So, here's the day in pictures.

Preparing for the test ride.

Steve said he could tell this was the bike

for him after only traveling a few feet to

the curb.

Salesman Christian Stahl and Steve

seal the deal with a handshake.

Then, we where asked to ring

the bell behind them. That was

kinda cute.

 

Now we have a new metal steed

in the stables. Can't wait for a nice

day to take it for a long spin.

Guess I'm going to have to update the blog banner too.

I'll leave that for tomorrow.