Yearly Devotional

From Treasures to Keep, by Edna Holmes 

Also available for Kindle

sMiLeS,

Devotionals by Glorianne Gibbs

These devotionals are written by Glorianne Gibbs, wife of David Gibbs.  

I just got them last week, and I'm reading A Walk with the Lord.  It is really good.

These are all KJV and are available at Victory Baptist Press and at Christian Law Association.

They are about 175-180 pages each. The devotionals aren't numbered, but I believe each book can take about 90 days.   

She also has written some books for children that teach a Bible verse and a story to go along with it. I bought these for my grandchildren. 🙂

The children's books are available at the CLA link above. 

        A Walk with the Lord 
        Regular sized print on a light background

        Having a Peaceful Heart 

        Regular sized print on colored backgrounds

        A Heart for the Lord 

        Smaller print on a light background

        One of the Georgie the Frog books.  
        I apologize that I failed to get a picture of the last page of the story... 

        Unfortunately I had already mailed the book to my grandkids in Nebraska before I realized this!  

sMiLeS,

Always With Me ♥️

The other day I was home by myself and I heard the faint sound of music... I could barely hear it. I tried to find where it was coming from but then it stopped. 🤔

A few minutes later I heard it again. I walked all through the house, but it never got any louder. 🧐

The third time I heard it, I realized it was my phone in my pocket! 😂 It was a recurring reminder that had gotten turned almost all the way down. 

So here I was, walking around trying to find this sound that wouldn't get any louder bc it was already with me! 😂😂😂

As I was writing this,↑ it reminded me of God's still small voice. 

He is with us all the time, we just need to listen. 

Read his Word and learn what he wants to teach us. 

Obey the little things he shows us.  

As we are willing to obey, he will show us more. Like a flashlight in the night, you only see farther when you take a step forward. 

Psalm 25:4-5 KJV

Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. 

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. ♥️

sMiLeS,

My Grandmother's Cast Iron Pan ♥

This cast iron belonged to my Grandma (born in 1902), my Mom's mom. 💕

From the research my sister and I did, we think it may have been made in the 1920's or 1930's, a Birmingham Stove & Range, Red Mountain.  (Cast Iron, 8G5)

Both my daughters want this pan one day... 😂

sMiLeS,

My Dad ♥

My Dad.  ♥  79 years old.   

Showing me a slingshot like the one he planned
to get (and did) for his great-grandson 😊 

My Mom passed away in 2011.  While making preparations, his voice broke as he said he didn't think he was gonna make it.  But he has stayed faithful!  He reads his Bible daily, and had not missed a church service except for illness.
Update: His health has diminished, but he still watches the services online. 

In their younger years, he and Mom did the junior church.  They put their all into it, with teens doing short puppet shows, visuals that my Mom made for the songs, and "gold nuggets" (painted rocks) that the kids could earn to buy little things from the "store" at the end of service.  

He asks me to help him pay his tags & tax online, but knows how to do all his regular bills online through his bank.  Mom set it all up for him.  ♥  

My Dad comes to eat with us every Sunday, when possible.  He sometimes brings little treats for the grandkids, and occasionally brings me one. ♥  He usually makes a banana pudding for family gatherings.  He loves his grandkids.  He likes to see pictures or video clips of the great-grandkids, and hear of funny things they say or do.  😊

Update: Some of the grandkids went together and bought him a digital frame, where we can put pictures and short video clips.  He loves it. 

He loves to give and do things for his family.  Years and years ago, he asked each of us kids to choose end tables or a coffee table for him to build for us, and we chose coffee table.  It's sturdy and has lasted through all his grandkids, and now several great grandkids.  

I remember my son and nephew turning it sideways to sit on to play video games.  It's been used to place plates on at family gatherings, and has cubbies where we have a giant checkers game, and where his great grandkids have occasionally hide their toys.  It's just the right height to put cheerio snacks on for toddlers.  

He has a heart for his family and for the Lord. ❤️

sMiLeS,

2-Ingredient Pizza Crust

My husband heard of this 2-ingredient "recipe" for pizza crust, but does not remember where.
However we have made it several times, and added ideas from a couple other sources, as well as our own, which actually, I'm sure we heard from somewhere else too, lol. 😊

Crust: 
• 1½ cups self-rising flour, sifted
• 1 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Under the Crust: 
• 1 Tbs butter
• Parmesan cheese

On the Crust: 
• 1 Tbs olive oil

On Top of the Crust: 
• Pizza sauce
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese
• Other toppings as preferred - onions, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, Canadian bacon, sausage, bacon bits...


Directions:
• Mix flour and yogurt in bowl (and sugar, if preferred), then knead on floured counter for a few minutes.
• Let rest in bowl, covered, for 15 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 450º and gather/chop toppings.
• Rub pan with butter, and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.
• Roll out dough into a circle and place on top of butter/Parm cheese.
• Brush with olive oil.
• Bake 4-5 minutes.
• Remove from oven.
• Spread on sauce, and add cheese and toppings.
• Bake 8-10 minutes.

sMiLeS,

My daughter's family ♥

sMiLeS,

Grandkids ♥

When they're tired and hungry and are just DONE. 😂

sMiLeS,

Dwelling on Other's Sins

Something kind of minor happened recently (it did involve me), but I've just let it get to me. 
I kept dwelling on it.  Why...? 

This morning I looked up and my eyes landed on this post-it note above my desk. 
I thought, So true!  
And I decided to post it on facebook.  But as I did... I realized my own sins.  I have many. 

I haven't even prayed for this person. 😞
My sin may be different than theirs, but I still sin! 
Had I even examined my own heart recently? 
--Their sin was bothering me more than my own!! 😞

I had my eyes on them, not on the Lord.  When we have our eyes on things around us instead of the Lord, we sink. (Peter walking on the water).

I was reading this chapter when I had noticed the post-it, and then read this verse:
Psalm 41:4 KJV
I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.  

I need to be asking the Lord to show *me what *I have done, areas *I need to work on! 

Psalm 69:5 KJV
O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.

Psalm 19:12 KJV
...cleanse thou me from secret faults.

♪♫ Turn your eyes upon Jesus!  ♥


sMiLeS,

Dumb Blond Moment...

Actually over an hour, not just a moment, haha. 🤪

Trying to get my printer to work... when it was just working fine earlier. Printed out 9 pages then.
I needed to print 6 copies, and I'd tried 3-4 times, so I just knew all the sudden it was gonna spit out 24 pages before I had time to stop it. So I removed all but 6 sheets of paper.

Trouble shooting, googling what-in-the-world is this thing telling me to do... downloading updates, making sure everything was plugged in the correct places, correct printer set at default, starting over with the trouble shooting, etc, etc... Finally it said to print a test page... and it worked! 😀

But... then I tried my 1-page document, and it did nothing.
Hmmmm... I opened something else and printed that page just fine. 🧐🤷‍♀️
But the one I needed 6 copies of, was still just not working...⁉️

Finally, I was checking all the print settings - fast draft, etc, and saw........ I had told it to print PAGE SIX, not 6 copies. 🙄😆
There is only 1 page. 🤦‍♀️ 😂😂😂
Well, at least it is updated now! LOL! 😊


sMiLeS,

Controlling my Tongue...

Is there someone that seems to constantly bring out the worst in you?  And before you realize it, sarcastic or condescending words are coming from your mouth....

That was me.  (And still is sometimes.) 😬

I really got back into reading my Bible faithfully in 2012.   And not just reading, but reading carefully.  Thinking about every word and phrase, and going as slowly as needed, re-reading previous verses to get the meaning, etc.  As I read, I searched for what God wanted to show me.

In Proverbs, I kept coming across verses about the tongue, and God was convicting me about the come-backs I'd say to my husband; sharp comments made in ​a flash of ​anger or even just frustration.
I included in my reading, 1 chapter in Proverbs each day, so I was coming across verses like these almost daily!

A few months later, my husband made some little comment (​I don't remember what, but I do remember it was minor!) and I realized that usually I would have felt irritated about something even as frivolous as that.  But I was amazed that I literally did not feel a reaction.
At all.
I didn't even have to *try bite my tongue...  It just didn't bother me a bit.
It was like he had simply said, Hello, or something...

Normally I was ready to "catch" any little thing and point it out or be snippy.  😟   And I had previously tried many times to change. But before I would knew it, unkind words would be flowing out of my mouth.
But... in that moment, I realized...
God​ had​ changed me.
I didn't even have to TRY to change.  HE did it!!  I certainly couldn't!
I realized I was calmer, and that I was not speaking back to my husband with a raised tone, or sarcastic, or anything like that.
And in turn, my husband had changed as well with his tone.  ​(I mean, if a wife is always nit-picking over everything you say or do... It's no wonder if a person says something back!)
​
It was amazing.
I Wasn't. Even. Trying.   
Just reading and letting God convict me... and it happened.

I still am not perfect, haha.  We all have those "Till Death Do Us Part" problems!  Those areas that just always seem to get the best of us at the worst times... This will probably always be something I need to watch out for. 
But I know what to do and Who to turn to if I hear a snippy tone come from my mouth, or even have an attitude.  (It's not always what we **say...)

I have continued to read through Proverbs every month.  And a few months after God working on me about my tongue, he began working on another area.  I just kept seeing verses about it, convicting me... And again, later he showed me more areas, things I wasn't even aware of...
It's like a flashlight in the middle of the night.  You can see right in front of you, but if you never take a step, you'll never see any further.  The more you obey, the more God will show you!  ♥

Psalm 90:12 "...cleanse thou me from secret faults."

James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you..."

But just reading quickly thru daily Bible reading will not work.
It's like smelling the meal, maybe even tasting a little... but there is no real nourishment.  You don't get anything from it.
So it can't do anything for you.

He already knows our faults...

Psalm 69:5 "O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee."

I've found the more I read and actively search for where God wants me to change, the easier it is to do what He wants!  And the easier it is to give up ​some ​things that once I thought would be crazy if anyone suggested it.
And the more I want to read.  ♥




May, 2020 

I recently got to thinking about the verse in Proverbs 14 that says, "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox."

My mom had mentioned that verse to me once, in reference to children, making messes, etc. 

But the other day, I thought about my husband...  There are so many good things about him that definitely outweigh any downfalls! 
(I mean, if I had to trade one fault for a different "equal" one... would I really?)  So many things he does NOT do that I am really happy about!  I really wouldn't want to trade, nope.  
And I myself have many faults, and he puts up with me! 
I am working on focusing more on the good things about him.  I should start a list. ♥

I remember before my daughter got married.  She told me she prayed (and still does) that God will blind her to her husband's faults.  ♥


sMiLeS,

I found money! 💲💰

Super excited... I found $230 that had been missing for 2 years. 😊
That may not seem like a lot to be so excited about, but it has been missing!  And I just could not figure out where it went!

And God's timing is perfect! Hubby has been out of work several days the past couple of weeks, so this was a blessing!

It wasn't even my money, so I'd had to re-pay it. I had given up on finding it... I had it in a "safe place" lol.
But today while going through old papers, installation CDs, and instruction manuals... 🤪 I found the envelope! It was inside a CD box...? 🤔 I do not remember putting it there. In my mind, it was in another specific place where I always put important papers, etc. Except it wasn't. 😄

Also, I finally told my husband about something else that has been missing awhile... I was nervous about telling him, and was just hoping I could find it myself.
Our Social Security cards. 😔
Again, they were supposed to be in the "safe place." But I have learned (and I should have known this would happen...) If I move something from where it has always been, I will not be able to find it.
In just minutes, he found them and brought them to me. 😮
I had looked high and low! For several months!!

In thinking about this... this is a lesson to me.
I should trust my husband and not keep things from him. 😔
Also, why do we not take things to the Lord, instead of trying to do it on our own?
And if I'm doing something God showed me that I need to do... don't change it!

Proverbs 3:5-7
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

sMiLeS,

Enjoying the Journey

The Enjoying the Journey broadcast began by featuring short podcasts of a study of Philippians.  I especially enjoyed the episodes on Paul's prayers for the people of Philippi.
Bro. Pauley has continued to add more studies on his podcast.

To find the below episodes online, click here, or download the Podbean app to your phone, from iTunes or Google Play, then scroll to the correct date or podcast. (Also on  Spotify now)

If you are using the app, be sure to "follow" the Enjoying the Journey podcasts so you can easily find the new podcast each day.

1. Philippians - 42 podcasts - began on Dec 28, 2017 (download list)
2. The Daily Christian Life - 13 podcasts - began on Feb 28, 2018 (download list)
3. A Revival of Bible Reading - blog post - 5 podcasts - began on March 19, 2018 (download list)
4. A Journey Through Scripture - blog post - began on March 25, 2018, and will briefly go through each book of the Bible
5. A Word to Our Listeners - a single podcast - June 30, 2018 - listen here
6. The Journey is Not Over - a single podcast on methods of Bible study - July 2, 2018 - listen here
7. Journeying with John the Baptist - blog post - 19 podcasts - began July 3, 2018
8. What God Says about Alcohol - blog post, blog post#2 - 5 podcasts - began July 30, 2018
9. Prayer Principles and Promises in God's Word - blog post - began August 6, 2018
10. Seeking God's Direction - Part 1 (3 weeks) - Which Way Do I Go?
      Part 2 (3 weeks) - Psalms For The Traveler - blog post - began Sept 24, 2018
11. A Season of Thanks - The Power of Praise - blog post - began Nov 5, 2018
12. A Christmas Series - blog post - began Dec 3, 2018
13. Meditations For A New Year - blog post - began Dec 31, 2018
14. The Gospel of Mark - blog post - began Jan 7, 2019
15. Letting the Bible Live in Me - blog post - began May 17, 2019
16. On The Edge Of Eternity - the book of Jude - blog post - began June 3, 2019
17. The Need Of Our Nation - blog post - began July 1, 2019
18. Go With the Gospel - blog post - began July 8, 2019
19. God's Strength For Man's Weakness - Samson - blog post - began August 5, 2019
20. God's Construction Zone - the book of Haggai - blog post - began Sept 9, 2019
21. What The Bible Says... - blog post - began Sept 23, 2019
22.  The Lord's "To Do" List - blog post - began Nov 11, 2019



Each episode shows as around 10 minutes, but is actually only about 7-9 minutes, minus the intro and follow up.
On the Podbean app, you can edit your Seek settings for 15- or 60-second increments, and also turn off notifications for other recommendations, etc.  That setting was my favorite, ha!

About a year and a half after I started using this app, I realized it had been automatically downloading new podcasts, and taking up a ton of space on my phone!  So I changed that setting, deleted all the downloads, and freed up 1.5 GB! 😊

Bro. Pauley is an evangelist, and was previously the Vice President of Administration at Crown College of the Bible where my daughter graduated from college.
Click here for a preaching message by Bro. Pauley.  =)

sMiLeS,

A Right Spirit

Proverbs 14:3

"In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride..."

This was me yesterday.

I was gossiping about someone who (to me) appeared prideful... All the while being somewhat proud that I wasn't like that person.

Oops. 😞

I didn't mention the name, but the person to whom I was talking guessed it after like 2 sentences.

Oops again. 😔

And said she knew, because another person had told her some things.

😕😞☹️😯

Thankfully we were interrupted before she could tell me what things... But later she told me she wasn't going to tell me anyway. ♥

(*Now I say "thankfully"... But before I read Proverbs this morning, I was still curious to know.)

►We don't always *consciously we think we are "better."

Sometimes we just think they are not as good/spiritual/kind/humble (really?), etc. as we are... That they are somehow beneath us...

And these were just from things I thought about the person, from what I observed from my limited viewpoint...

I Samuel 16:7 - "... the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

So that means he knows my sinful heart too.

Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Proverbs 21:2 - "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts."

Our tongue can cause a lot of trouble... 

Proverbs 15:2-4 - "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness."The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." 

Proverbs 11:9, 13 - "An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered."A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter."

Proverbs 31:26 - "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

Today is the 15th, so I read Proverbs 15, but I know God caused my eyes to fall on that verse from chapter 14. 

And that interruption we had?  Something that rarely, if ever, happens.  🙂

sMiLeS,

The Lord in the Bible

I see my Lord in the Bible whenever I chance to look.

He is the theme of the Bible, the center and heart of the Book.

He is the Rose of Sharon; He is the Lily fair,

Whenever I open the Bible, the Lord of the Bible is there.

He is in the Book’s beginning. He gave the earth its form.

He is the ark of safety, to bear the brunt of the storm.

The burning bush of the desert, the budding of Aaron’s rod –

And whenever I open the Bible, I see the Son of God.

The lamb upon Mount Moriah, the ladder from earth to sky,

The scarlet cord in the window, the serpent lifted high,

The smitten rock of the desert, the shepherd with staff and crook –

It’s whenever I open the Bible, I see my Lord in the Book.

He is the seed of the woman, the Saviour virgin-born.

He is the son of David, whom men rejected with scorn,

The Lord of eternal glory, whom John the apostle saw,

The light of the Celestial City, that Lamb without spot or flaw.

The Bridegroom coming at midnight, for whom his people look,

Yes, thank God, whenever I open the Bible, I see my Lord in the Book.

“The Lord in the Bible” from The Poetry of Preaching

--Author Unknown

Whatever He Wants for Me

1. Surrendered to the perfect will of God
I dare not give him less
Though he should lead my steps from here abroad
I want his will my life to bless

Whatever he wants for me, his will, his will I must know
Wherever he wants to send me, his way, his way I must go
If he but speaks I’ll obey at his voice
I’ve already decided His will is my choice
Whatever he wants for me, his will, his will I must do

2. My plan must not oppose his perfect will
I want to live his thought
My words and deeds his purpose to fulfill
For I am his, so dearly bought

Whatever he wants for me, his will, his will I must know
Wherever he wants to send me, his way, his way I must go
If he but speaks I’ll obey at his voice
I’ve already decided His will is my choice
Whatever he wants for me, his will, his will I must do

Louis Paul Lehman, 1914-1986

sung by Alvin Martinez (link)



I posted this... but would I do anything...?  We like to hold on to things.  Or like things to stay the same way.
We like to think we'd do anything God wanted, but it starts small, and it starts at home.  Things like cleaning the bathroom, lol... or forgiving someone, and loving them.  Or giving something up.  We have to be willing to do the jobs or commands we have already been given.  Not so easy when I think of it like that.
If I can't do these things that I don't care for, would I really be able to do something "big"?

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.  Luke 16:10