New Baby!

My sister had her baby boy today! Several of my siblings had been planning to fast and pray today for health and safety since my sister has a history of very difficult births but God beat us to the punch. A few of us might fast and pray out of thanksgiving rather then petition! God is so good!

New Member joins the Bloggosphere

So, I finally got Daphane sat down in front of a computer long enough to set up a blog site for her. She said of all the social networking forms available blogging was the one she thought would work best for her. She is at www.mcleanfamilysaga.blogspot.com and while she does not get on the computer very often I am looking forward to the things she will post.

Motivation

Where do you go to get daily motivation to do things like.....clean the litter box, put away the clean dishes in the dishwasher, or file the pay stubs or paid bills? Normally I would put on some Christian rock or ska and just do it! But today I am tired and fighting a headache. I took ibuprofen and a short nap. Now I am drinking diet Dr. Pepper and trying to drum up some enthusiasm within myself for cleanliness. Lets see if I can find a good scripture......Prov. 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth; Prov. 12:24 Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor; Prov. 12:27 The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions. Ok, I don't feel real enthusiasm but something more akin to humbled eagerness. I don't want to be poor, a slave to labor, or hungry. I am going to go do my work and be diligent. Horrah for Christian ska and the Proverbs!

It feels like the season is changing into fall. It might still surprise us with a few more weeks of warm summery weather but the last several have been drizzly and cool. I love autumn. I have tried to analyze this feeling but it is hard to pinpoint what about this time of year makes me feel so warm. Here are a few of my thoughts about autumn:
*I like that school is starting, which is a hopeful, productive time.
*I like that gardens are producing, but mostly that the apple orchards are in full harvest mode.
*I like the chill in the morning, both inside and out.
*I love wearing warm house slippers and a fleece jacket or fuzzy, soft sweater.
*I love starting to drink hot tea again.
*I love that the plants seem to want to go to sleep.
*I love thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas!
What do you love about Autumn?

Psalms 111

1Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever.
6He has shown His people the power of His works, giving them the lands of other nations.
7The works of His hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy.
8They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.
9He provided redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever--holy and aswesome is His name.
10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise.

This passage blessed me this morning. Be strong, follow His precepts today so that you will have good understanding.

Oat Meals

Ok, so I have been trying to find a really good oatmeal cookie/breakfast bar that I can make and have available for James to snack on or eat for breakfast, etc. I spend a while on allrecipes.com and found a couple that look promising so I am going to try making one of them now. I have to pick up a few more ingredients for the other (whole wheat flour and pecans, plus find a sub for the choc chips which James does not like). I am hopeful. I would love to find a recipe that had peanut butter in it but I might just add some anyway and see what happens. Take care. Ephesians 5:15-16

Independence

We are all finished with the long holiday weekend--July 4th, our country's Independence Day. I was on standby for work so I spent most of Saturday working on potholders (for a fund raiser) and watching movies -- 2 movies -- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Patriot. I had not seen Frank Capara's Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and I was thrilling, amazed, and sad. Watch it--it was made in 1939 but as far as plot, it could have been made in 2009! Then I watched The Patriot with Mel Gibson and cried. It is an amazing story and definitely makes a person stop and think about the war and sacrifice and all that that the colonists did for our country, it is just hard to watch all that bloodshed and loss without being sad. Here is my current favorite quote from Mr. Smith "liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books" Take a moment today to think about your liberty.

The Day we honor our Father

I have 3 Fathers.
My First Father is the Father of many. He is God of Universe and happens to think it is really cool to hang out with his created children on planet Earth. For more about my First Father, check out some of my other posts or read the Bible.
Now, about my earthly Fathers (for which this Day is really set aside):
Larry is my Dad. He is a wonderful Father. One of the first thing about my Dad that I admire is his dedication to The Lord and his daily devotional reading. I am not sure how many times he has read thru the entire Bible but he often has a word of encouragement from the scripture he read that morning. I have been inspired by his moral courage and steadfastness to be a more dedicated person, trying not to allow myself to be swayed by society's capricious morality. The other awesome thing about my Dad is his sense of humor. Some say his sense of humor is wacky or silly, which it is! If the quote "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter" is true then my Papa has wasted very few days in his life.
Bill is my husband's Father and for the last 2.5 years I have been learning more about this "new" Dad in my life. Bill is a great Father. He is very generous and giving. This is what has been impressed on me the most so far. He has many talents and resources and his constantly using his gifts to bless others. He also has a wonderful sense of humor, which is probably part of why I was so comfortable joining his family.
There is a lot more I could say about both of these wonderful men, but "unfortunately this 'blog' is already too expensive" or maybe it is just getting really long and I am running out of words. Happy Father's Day!

Found a cool quote

"If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be." John Heywood (1497-1580)
I like it. Of course even in 1497, it probably wasn't an original idea but he worded it nicely. I like the "develops some latent force within you" part. It makes me think of a jedi in training. :P Anyway, I found it while trying to figure out where the quote "Many hands make light work" came from exactly. John Heywood is given credit for that quote in addition to ones like: "Haste maketh waste," "Beggars should be no choosers," "This hitteth the nail on the head" (according to wikipedia anyway). So: "A penny for your thought" and I hope "All is well that ends well."

Natural Foods rant

Why is "natural food" so expensive? Seriously, it is very frustrating! I love nuts, blueberries, fruit in general. I can get a candy bar for less 50 cents, but a granola bar is at least a dollar (and that is for a cheap thing that is oats and sugar. Anyway, good, healthy fresh foods are more expensive to harvest, ship and store--all that stuff--it is just frustrating :/
I hope you are having a wonderful day--enjoy looking at the free nature around you!

pray for them

I have felt very strongly in the past day or so that I am not praying enough for our country and our elected leaders. True, I did not vote for our president, but I did vote! and now I need to support him in prayer. I hope you will join with me in that task. So, when I hear a news report that bothers me I will lift up those involved to God and ask him to touch them, bless them, guide them and draw them to His Truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-5 (NIV)
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all Godliness and Holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Happy Day

Today is the birthday of a very dear friend. She was born a few weeks after me in the same year and I cannot remember a time in my life when I was unsure of her friendship. I have spent a lot of hours praying for her and I know she has been in prayer for me over the years, especially in recent years as she has come into a real and vital relationship with God. I have been so proud of her and so honored by her friendship. She is an devoted wife and mother and an amazing woman. I just wanted to say: Happy Birthday, Daphane!

Esther 4:14

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?
I have always been encouraged and emboldened by this verse. and while it is one statement said thousands of years ago by one person to encourage one other person I truly believe God gave it to us in the 21st century thru His Word for a reason. If we keep silent someone else may share Jesus' love and God's amazing plan with them, but what if God placed you....me...right here...right now...for such a time as this! Because He wants it to be you...me!...that shares. If you do not know the story of Esther, take time to read it--it's a good one! (and if you are a visual learner watch One Night With the King, or some other well done dramatization/movie of her story, too).

Monday, Monday

It's Monday morning and I just got back from a nice brisk walk with my dear friend/sister-in-law and her simply adorable baby/my niece. My niece, Samantha, is around 9 months old and really enjoys being outside, but the best part of the walk for her was meeting the stray dog that is trying to adopt our house. She just giggled and giggled as the dog ran around us. The dog, of course, followed us on our walk and Samantha watched it the whole time, fascinated. It is a beautiful morning for being outside. I actually set water on the plants and garden before going walking and I think I might go back out and haul a few buckets of water to the little trees that are not cared for by the drip line. My Dad would be proud--I have my windows open cause it is still cool outside and there is a nice breeze--It has cooled down from 74 where is stayed all night long to 71 and feels very nice and fresh. But the temp outside is climbing so I will probably need to shut them in a little while--I'll keep an eye on the temp gauges ;)
So, now I should also start thinking about (or doing) responsible things like laundry, cleaning, and cat care...blah. I think I will post another favorite scripture first :D

firstly, also and in conclusion

Well, I am adding another media to my life. I have been keeping up with facebook quite a bit and I send and receive emails on sometimes an hourly basis but I have yet to really keep up a blog site. I am excited about it though for several reasons.
First, I like spewing my thoughts like they are somehow important and everyone should listen and pay attention. On a blog, I can spew all I want and no one has to read it or care, but I still get to pretend that everyone reading this is uber excited to hear what I have to say.
Second, I have lots of favorites that I would love to share or talk about but very much dislike those quizes that ask you for your fav this and fav that cause I dont have just one favorite book, or one favorite movie or one favorite husband--just kidding--I do have one favorite husband (which works really well cause I only have one husband and he is my favorite :P).
Lastly, hmmm. Do I have a lastly? Well. I guess I dont have a lastly so, in conclusion, it will be interesting to see what I do with this little blogsite all my own. If you have an exalting word you want to share, let me know.

Psalms 34

Psalms 34

I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
and He delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
Fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and His ears are attentive to their cry;
the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
He protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems His servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.

(New International Version)