The Lion and The Lamb

March ends this week. It did roll in like an angry lion for me but hopefully it will go out like a peaceful lamb. That lion roared around all month, leaving me rethinking life’s probabilities. There were many tests; some oral, some silent, some I passed, and some, I admit, I failed. March is considered to be the time of transition from winter to spring. My March has been a transition of another kind…one of reflection, one of questioning, one of wonder…one of change. As I watched the season change in front of me through the rebirth of nature and blooms springing forth their beauty; I stood apart from it, wondering what was next.

After watching Army Wives and Coming Home last night while crying my eyes out, I thought of all our many service men and women. The choice they have made is like that of the lion, the king of beasts; brave, strong, and proud of his country. A fallen soldier that would give their very life to honor and protect our country is the bravest person I know. I can’t begin to imagine filling their shoes, walking their miles, bearing their load or withstanding their duty. If you are not familiar with the show Army Wives, last night’s episode depicted a young American soldier who lost his life on the front lines of battle. His parents lost their son who had not yet met his new baby sister. His whole life ahead of him and engaged to be married; life was just beginning for him….

This is real life, it happens, it’s not just a TV show. Mighty is the soldier of our country but even a great lion like him can be defeated and brought down, all while doing what he or she was trained to do. 

My thoughts then turned to my daughter’s sister-in-law, Ellen, who is currently serving in Afghanistan with the US Air Force. A young mother herself, she is with a medical team working at the hospital, saving lives and trying to put lives back together again. It seems so senseless to hear of people getting shot up and then fixed up, only to go at it again. And like any soldier would, sometimes I don’t even think they fully understand what the fighting is all about…what started it and why it is still going on. They just know their job; their call to duty and do it without ceasing. Ellen has seen more than any human eyes should be allowed to see, all while putting her self in harms way too. She has mended lives that have met battle and has even seen death… Americans and Afghanistanians alike… Soldiers, men and women, and even little children. My heart bleeds and aches.
…and yet we march on, sometimes proud, brave, and mighty like that lion and sometimes, meek, humble, and frightened like a little lamb. I am more like the lamb. God help me to be brave and strong for whatever purpose You have for me, yet gentle and humble when I need to be. "Because THE LORD IS MERCIFUL to us, we are not consumed...HIS compassions never fail."  ~Lamentations 3:22  God protects us like a mighty lion, keeping us safe and under his protection (if we allow) yet He is as gentle as a little lamb, loving us even though we are sinners.

Why can’t the whole world be as compatible as the lion and the lamb in this photo

...strong yet gentle, loving each other, and living in harmony?

It’s a beautiful day here…still wet from the rain we had yesterday. Everything is bright and clean feeling…the pollen is laying low right now *smiling*. My garden is growing and thriving and I am both blessed and pleased. We had a fellowship meal yesterday after church and I took Copper Penny Carrots along with a peach cobbler. I wanted to share this recipe with you for the carrots. I am not a carrot fan but I’m learning to like them, however… this recipe is so good even if you do not like them.

Copper Penny Carrots

2 pounds of fresh carrots, cut into small slices

1 small bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces

1 medium onion, chopped into bite size pieces

1 -10 ¾ oz can to tomato soup

½ cup olive oil

1 cup sugar

¾ cup vinegar

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Bring carrots to a boil for about 10 minutes, do not over cook. Drain.
Do not cook onions and bell peppers.

Blend in saucepan all ingredients except onion, bell pepper and carrots. Heat until very hot and steamy. Pour over carrot mixture and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours.

Enjoy!

Please pray for all service men and women who are honoring our country. They are someone’s mother, daddy, son and daughter, wife and husband... young and young at heart. Would you, could you… take their place?

Happy Spring to you!

Eat your veggies, brush your teeth and smile a lot!

Photo of the lion and lamb from google search

Some Gave All

How many of you have ever visited a veteran’s hospital?  It is a real eye opener…there is a sense of sadness, respect, and honor found within its walls. The people found there are the ones that allow the rest of us to sleep safe, worship at our free will, and permit us the freedoms we enjoy without thought each day. They often do without, have suffered loss, are sometimes shamed, and are sick. Did you thank them…did you offer them help…did you pray for them? Without them and the sacrifices they made and are making…we would be without the wonderful liberties our great country has to offer. Yes some of them had a choice…others did not, but that choice and that commitment is what gave us our freedom. Our thanks and appreciation is due to them with the highest regard…those who served, those gone, and those who are serving today.

I have a Daddy that served in the United States Navy, a son-in-law that is currently serving in the United Sates Coast Guard and many friends and acquaintances that have and are serving. Think about that young soldier in a land unknown to them, war all around them, living sleeplessly, dirty, and scared. Then think about how safe you are, comfortable and living in your own home. What a blessing they are to give us such a gift!!

There are only two defining forces have ever offered to die for us, Jesus Christ and an American soldier; One died for our soul, the other for our freedom.

No… freedom has never been free…they gave it all…

Please honor and pray for our soldiers.

11/30 Today I am grateful for everyone and anyone

who has served our great nation! God Bless Them and Our America!

To The Red White and Blue

~ Freedom lies in being bold.~

Robert Frost

 Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men

and so it must be daily earned and refreshed

- else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

~ Freedom is never free. ~

 The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.

 ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

 And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you

 -- ask what you can do for your country.

~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

~Going to be making this for the weekend~

Red White and Blue Dessert for the 4th of July

Super Easy Fruit Parfait

4 C Strawberries, washed and sliced

4 C Blueberries, washed

1 White Cake Mix, baked and sliced into 1" cubes

and some cut with a star cookie cutter for garnish

2 Containers Cool whip, defrosted

In a clear glass container large enough to hold 12 cups volume; layer strawberries, blueberries, cake, and cool whip in 1 inch layers. Garnish as desired.

Refrigerate until serving.

I found some star shaped marshmallows at Wally World in red white and blue colors that will look really cute in this recipe too.

I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free...

and other people would be also free.

~ Rosa Parks

Have a blessed and safe holiday weekend! 

Credits for graphics~Photobucket

Listening From Heaven

President Harry Truman declared a "National Day of Prayer" in the United States on April 17, 1952 and President Ronald Reagan declared that day to be the first Thursday in May each year thereafter. Before the official declaration, President Abraham Lincoln designated April 30, 1863 as a day of "national humiliation, fasting and prayer” in the hope that God would respond by restoring "our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace."     I hope this is your prayer today.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon the citizens of our Nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us. ~Barack Obama

Today is the National Day of Prayer in America. Let's PRAY for one another! Each of us, one for the other. What can it hurt, what harm can it cause? Let us remember those suffering from natural disasters, those who serve in our Armed Forces who risk their lives in the line of duty for our very freedom to make the world a safer place. Let us pray for the other nations and countries across the world, the lost, the hungry, the suffering, the poor, and the little children, men and woman; all people everywhere.

Our church, along with many others, is participating in a Bible Reading Marathon this week on the court house steps of our city. It began Sunday with non-stop around the clock reading, ending today with every word of the Bible being read, and ending with prayer on this National Day of Prayer.

Two stated intentions of the National Day of Prayer were that it would be a day when adherents of all great religions could unite in prayer and that it may one day bring renewed respect for God to all the peoples of the world.  Let’s celebrate that intention as it was proclaimed so many years ago, by praying for the good of our country and the world as a whole. Please join me, not only today but everyday.

"The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."

~Psalm 145:18

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,

and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;

then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

~2 Chronicles 7:14

If you have any prayer requests, you are welcome to post them here and I promise you they will be shared by me with the Lord. God bless each and every one of you this day and everyday.

Source: From Wikipedia and other internet sites. 

11/30 Days of Gratitude

11 {30}

I am grateful today for our Veterans on this 90th Veterans Day in the U.S.

They have made the ultimate sacrifice for our lives and our country…..

something that everyone is not capable of doing. We should all honor and recognize those brave men and women who answered the call for our freedom.

Save a place inside your heart for them today and everyday!

Thank you one and all.

“There should never be a forgotten war, or a forgotten veteran. And let us reach out to the families of those now deployed and express in deeds rather than just words the thanks of a grateful nation.” ~ TheDailyCougar

Grateful for Our Veterans

my gratitudes

July is a month in which we love to show off our patriotism for the country we dearly love.
To our great nation under One True God!

"One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One Nation evermore!" ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Interesting tidbit: In a remarkable series of coincidences, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary. Adams and Jefferson were great political rivals who over the course of their lifetime became great personal friends. And Adams' final words before expiring on the Fourth of July: "Jefferson lives!" - not knowing, fittingly enough, that Jefferson had actually passed on just before him.