God's Word for Today

Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Disciple Moment: Intricately woven

We are rapidly approaching the end of this study. In the very beginning 34 weeks seemed like forever but now as we approach the final closing it seem like it was just a few weeks ago.

The amazing thing about spending such a long time devoted to a comprehensive look at the whole bible, aside from just the awesomeness of God’s word, is the sense you get of how intentional God is in laying all things out for us to find. The only thing we have to do is have a diligent obedient spirit to make all the connections.

It’s all right there!

I was telling my fellow classmates that there are times when I get this amazing sense of just how awesome God really is. How intricately woven his plan is for me and for all of us. It reminds me of a very delicate yet very compelling conspiracy theory. Did you ever see the movie Conspiracy Theory with Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. It’s an interesting movie about this slightly off kilter taxi driver who spends most of his off hours trying to prove this intricate conspiracy theory that in the end wind up to be completely true.

After I finished reading the book of Hebrews I closed my bible with this feeling that God has this wonderful circular conspiracy going on and all we have to do is be willing to put all the piece together to find the amazing end result that is waiting for us in heaven.

Now I have read Hebrews many times but but in all honesty it has probably been quite some time since I read it with the intention of in-depth study and read it in it’s entirety from start to finish.

The book of Hebrews makes a very clear and concise argument for the authority if Christ.

Christ is greater than the angels, Christ is greater than Moses, Christ is greater that the High Priest and that the New Covenant is greater than the Old!

In only 13 short chapters it sums up Christ's’ authority in very clear language.

Hebrews 1:3-4 spells out very clearly that Jesus us superior to the angles….

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.  

Hebrews 3:3-6 tells us that Jesus is superior to even Moses

3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

I love the analogy that the builder is superior to the house,

Hebrews 5:7-10 point out that Jesus was fully human, her cried with real tears, he looked to his heavenly father in prayer and he submitted to his ultimate authority even if that meant a painful death on the cross.

7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

In chapter seven we learn about Melchizedek. The amazing thing about this was that Melchizedek was a high priest of God Most High. He was a High priest even before the levitical line came into being and God connected Jesus to this role of High Priest long before the actual levitical line of priest were even thought of.

Hebrews points out to us that when the High priest made there sacrificed it was a daily/weekly and yearly sacrifice. Hebrews 10:4 tells us that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. It was the perfection of Christ’s sacrifice once and for all that finally made the difference.

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Y’all Hebrews lays out this wonderful road map to the superiority of Christ, It gives us the assurance that God;s plan is at work and it has been at work since the very beginning. When God gave the Israelites the very specific and detail instruction on how to build the tabernacle and how to offer the sacrifice he was intentional in making the separation between Himself and those who worshiped him. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place and then it was only once a year. He established the first covenant with them know ing that it was just the beginning of his plan.

He knew that one day Jesus would enter into the world and become the ultimate high priest, He would tear that temple curtain allowing us all access and offer the ultimate sacrifice once and for all and establishing the new covenant making the old one obsolite.

It is just awesome. The intricacies, the detail that God puts into place….

If you have not given Hebrews a read in a while it will be well worth the time.

To quote one of my classmates “It was a plate full!”

But it was good y’all!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever

Blessings

R

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

SENIOR CITIZEN TEXTING CODE....TOTALLY STOLE THIS FROM A FB STATUS UPDATE

ATD~At The Doctors
BFF~Best Friend Fell
BTW~Bring the Wheelchair
BYOT~Bring Your Own Teeth
FWIW~Forgot Where I Was
GGPBL~Gotta Go Pacemaker Battery Low
GHA~Got Heartburn Again
IMHO~Is My Hearing-Aid On
LMDO~Laughing My Dentures Out
OMMR~On My Massage Recliner
OMSG ~Oh My! Sorry, Gas
ROFLACGU~Rolling On Floor Laughing And Can't Get Up
TTYL..Talk To You Louder

 

r

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Project 365 ~ Week 13

Hey there y’all! Let’s jump right into the week…I only missed one day this week…yea for me!

Sunday, March 20

What do ya do when the DD has eaten all the flour tortilla's? You make a mini bowl of nacho’s with the left over taco meat and refried bean’s. Sadly we did not have and sour cream or guacamole. But it was good non the less. I think it kind of looks like a Mexican tortilla flower….

IMG_5398

Ooooppps no pictures on Monday, March 21

Tuesday, March 22

I had eggs, I had english muffins, I had bacon, I had lemons and I had butter. The only thing left to do was make Eggs Benedict for dinner.

IMG_5399

Wednesday, March 23

I think we have a future blogger on our hands…..

IMG_5403

She enjoyed the playground at church before we had dinner.

IMG_5424

I turned in another prayer shawl.

IMG_5430 IMG_5426 IMG_5429

Thursday, March 24

The lambs ear survived the winter. This was a clipping from a friend at church. It has about double in size since last year and it appears to be happy in it’s current location. I think it is aptly named don’t you? The leaves just look like soft floppy lamb’s ears don't they?

 IMG_5432

Friday, March 25

I broadened our horizons the other day at dinner. I made some couscous. It was super easy and both myself and the DD enjoyed it. The hubs not so much. Having never made it before I greatly over estimated just how much it would expand so I ended up with a mountainous amount of couscous left over. I found a few recipe online at food network so I was able to salvage the remaining pasta in the form of a cold salad. It was good and makes for a nice light lunch. The hubs may not like it but I think this will be a wonderful addition to my summer menu.

IMG_5446

Feel free to share any couscous recipe with me if you have any really good ones!!!!!

These are just a few shoots from the back yard!

I think this looks like a butterfly don’t y’all?

IMG_5464

The Loropetalum is in full bloom, that’s the fancy Latin term for Chinese Fringe Flower…

IMG_5455 

I just love the bark on the River Birch in our back yard!

IMG_5461

Saturday, March 26

It rained, it poured, it nearly washed us away…

IMG_5469 IMG_5468

Well that’s it for me this week. For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Y’all have a great week!

Blessings

R

Friday, March 25, 2011

Flashback Friday ~ I remember exactly where I was when……

I don’t have much to add about many of this weeks questions. But when I read them there was one memory that popped into my mind.

What significant news events do you remember from your childhood? What stands out about them?

In 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated I was almost four years old. I don’t remember this, however it is one of those stories that my mom always told. My memories are more associate with the retelling of the story than actually remembering the event. She shared many times that she was watching the television when they were transferring Lee Harvey Oswald to the county jail and Jack Ruby jumped out of the crowd and shot him.

My mother tells the story that I was watching the television and when it happened I turned to her and said “Mommy that bad man just shot that man!”

What is the earliest historical/news event about which you say:

"I'll never forget when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986. I had been married for four years and I was working in a small graphic design studio. When the shuttle exploded we pulled out the large television monitor we used from time to time and placed it in the landing area of the studio so we could all see it. We all watched in disbelief as the events unfolded. Everyone was was so excited about the prospect of a civilian going up in the shuttle for the first time. We watched in disbelief for the rest of the afternoon.”

An official portrait shows the STS-51L crewmembers. Back row (L to R): Mission Specialist, Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher in Space Participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist, Greg Jarvis and Mission Specialist, Judy Resnik. Front row (L to R): Pilot Mike Smith, Commander, Dick Scobee and Mission Specialist, Ron McNair.

If you would like to see a YouTube video of an ABC new report of this you can click here.

Even after 20 plus years it still bring tears to my eyes to think of all the students gathered in excitement to witness the historic occasion of their teacher going into to space, not to mention what it must have been like for Christa McAuliffe’s parents. It was a very sad day!

Well that’s it for me this week!

For more Flashback remembrances y’all head over to Mocha with Linda and link up!

Blessings

R

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Thankful Thursday…or maybe not!

One of the things I notice about this hormonally charges time in my life is that sometimes the slightest things can send me down a path of no return.

I woke this morning at 3:45 and try as I might I simply could not get back to sleep. So there is some major un-thankfulness going on on that front!

So I started off the day with a bit of a mental as well as physical deficit.

So I thought that maybe a bit of thankfulness was in order.

I am thankful that today is Thursday, my official day off and that I do not having anything pressing that has to be done.

Having exited the master bathroom where I deliberately walked by several piles of laundry not to mention a toilet and shower that are in desperate need of cleaning, not thankful about either of these two situations, however I am thankful that I have a working washing machine and cleaning supplies at hand should a miracle happen and I get the urge to utilize both of these blessing in my life!

I flipped on the television this morning and there she was in all her violet eyed splendor. Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra. I have been watching it though out the morning as I pour an additional cup of coffee while talking on the phone with one of my accountability sisters. Today I am sad that a Hollywood legend has passed but ever so thankful that we have so many of her finest films at hand to remember her by! Y’all know me! I love a good movie, cause don’tcha know there will be some Elizabeth Taylor marathons in the very near future going on….

I am thankful that spring is here. I have countless plans wandering through my head. What to plant, where to plant it, how much compost to buy, will I actually get a tomato to grow in my yard this year, how am I going to keep the dog from lifting his leg on my salad greens, why do I keep forgetting exactly when the cut off date for frost is. All these thoughts are just spilling out of my head and I am so thankfully that very soon it will be time to get my hands in the dirt and get some stuff planted!

Lastly I am very thankful for the aforementioned accountability sister/sisters. It never fails to continually amaze me at the importance of knowing that you have someone that fully understand you, fully accept you and yet continues to love you any way! On those days when you are sleep deprived and the world feels to big or too dark or too overwhelming I know that all I have to do is pick up the phone. Thankful is not even a proper adjective for what this mean in my life!

Y’all for more Thankful Thursday head over to Bug’s Eye View and link up!

Blessings and Thankfulness

R

Monday, March 21, 2011

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Project 365 ~ Week 12 ~ It was a Muffinhead kinda week…..

Sunday, March 13

 P1303110000

Monday, March 14

This is coming up in the herb garden. My sweet furry family member decided it was his greatest joy to pull almost all my plant labels out of the ground and use them for chew toys.  I think this is marjoram but I am not sure.

IMG_5130

Tuesday, March 15

Click on the link Southern Eggs En Cocotte for the recipe. It was real good y’all!

IMG_5145 

No pictures on Wednesday, March 16

Thursday, March 17

Can you tell who was at my house all day?

 IMG_5158_1

IMG_5159_1

I guess she figured since her toys were scattered all over the floor that she would join them. She laid down sprawl-eagle and did the back stroke for several minutes then switched to rolling from tummy to back all the way into the living room!

IMG_5162 

Friday, March 18

Today was cake decorating day. Click here to see the start to finish.

IMG_5211

Saturday, March 19

Today was Muffinhead’s birthday party at a local park! The sun was shinning and the weather was beautiful and a good time was had by all!

 IMG_5259

IMG_5293 IMG_5295

IMG_5340

Later that evening I saw a few comments on FB about the moon. The hubs said that it was supposed to be bigger than normal and that it would not be this close tot he earth for another 18 years I think he said. I went outside and it did not appear to look any bigger than normal to me but I got a few nice pictures at least!

IMG_5365

Well that’s it for me and this weeks P365. For more 365 fun y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

 

Blessings

R

Saturday, March 19, 2011

The things ya do for love…..A Cake for Muffinhead!

My how time flies when you’re having fun! It’s Muffinhead’s second birthday and Grandma get’s to make the cake.

This is the guide, however Grandma will use some artists license in the decorating.

IMG_5206

I baked these up on Friday!

IMG_5202

A little powdered sugar, shortening, flavoring, food coloring……..

IMG_5204

the first layer if icing…keeps the crumbs out of the frosting!

IMG_5205

next you take every bowl and spoon out of your cabinets….

IMG_5207

This little one is just for Muffinhead!

IMG_5208

Thank you Jesus for a big kitchen island!

IMG_5209

The end result!

IMG_5210

All cleaned up and ready for the party!

IMG_5212

The things ya do for love!

The party is later this afternoon so y’all come back tomorrow for P365 for some pictures of the party!

Blessings

R

Thursday, March 17, 2011

en cocotte….exactly what does this mean?


1.egg en cocotte - egg cooked individually in cream or butter in a small ramekin

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Southern Eggs En Cocotte or the less snooty Baked Grits, Sausage, Cheese and Eggs in a bowl!

Southern Eggs En Cocotte

I saw this on my ever faithful Food Network a few weeks ago. I thought it looked really good and super simple. It’s one of those thing you see and you think now why didn’t I think of that!

 IMG_5136

Y’all this was so easy and it was very good and it could not have been simpler.

spray your baking dishes…                  brown up your sausage…

IMG_5131IMG_5132

cook up your grits…                            I used a combination of different shredded cheese…

IMG_5133IMG_5134

ladle the grits in the bowls…                spoon over the browned sausage…

IMG_5137IMG_5138

sprinkle with cheese…                        make an indention for the egg…

IMG_5139IMG_5140

crack an egg in each indention…

IMG_5141

Bake in 400 degree oven until eggs reach the desired doneness you like. The recipe calls for 10 to 15 minutes but for me I need to cook them about 20 to 25 minutes. I did not like the semi runniness of the egg after just 10 minutes!

IMG_5142

I served these up with some lemon poppy seed muffins!

IMG_5143

I had a smidgen of grated cheese left over so I gave each egg a small sprinkling of cheese!

IMG_5145

The hubs like his!

IMG_5146

Blessings

R

All Rights Reserved

Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

Christian Women Online

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin

Site Meter