Bible Study and Hotdog Buns

good morning beautiful people!!!!          are you ready for a good day?          well, I am and I am declaring today a good day, so let's take advantage of it.         I have a lot to try to get done this week and I hope I can accomplish it all.          I'm gonna try, with the Lord's help, to get some seeds started this week.       that's my plans, but my plans  are not etched in stone.        so if God sees fit, that's what I'll do.       I look forward to it.       we'll be going to see my Momma sometime this week too.        that's always a blessing and we always look forward to seeing her.        oh yeah, I was going thru some seeds today, determining  what I want to  get started and  I had lost some  onion seeds last year that I had saved from some onions that I had grown from green onions from Aldi.      it took 2 years to get seeds, and when they got dry, I saved the seeds.        well, somehow, I lost those seeds.         it was like they didn't even exist, but I knew they did.        well, I opened a green bean seed box today and guess what was in it?         go ahead, guess.        yup, that's right, my onion seeds!!!!         hahaha          they do exist!!!!        I did save them!!!!!         and I'm so thrilled that I did find them.          I hope to plant them this fall.       I was so tickled that I actually found them.         I just knew they had gotten accidentally thrown away.         so yay, I can rest easy now, having found my onions seeds.   

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let's run to th kitchen for a "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" segment.            I bake a bread.          I bake a LOT of bread!!!!!          I had gotten this thing from amazon that's used to make the long french type loaves of bead.          I never make or made those kinds of loaves, so it was pretty useless to me until I started making what I call hotdog buns.         when I'm making the buns for my husband's breakfast, I've got to where I'll use 4 of the bun balls and make hotdog buns.            I'll just make them into longish logs and either freeze them immediately or put them on the long thing and let them rise and bake them.

I take a little piece of parchment and cut it just to fit what I think will be the size of the buns and let them rise and then bake them.           the parchment prevents the dough from getting stuck in the tiny holes.         actually, I don't know if the dough would get stuck or not, I just didn't want to take the chance.          hahaha

but when they are done baking, you can see that they are beautiful!!!          our favorite meal from these are using the Aldi chicken apple sausage.         the sausages are pretty large, so I'll thaw one sausage out and cut it in half down the middle lengthways and we'll each get a half of a sausage on our bun and that is plenty.         I'll put the sausage in the air fryer along with our potato and sweet potato bites that I make and keep frozen in the freezer.         this makes for a really good meal and relatively quick.         it's another of what I call my "fast food" options.           I hope if you haven't tried making long buns before that you'll be inspired to give it a try.         this is just one more item that I can make, that I don't even have to think about buying at the store.        I haven't bought bread at the store in years, and I pray that I never have to buy store bought again!!

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giggle for the day:

Q - Where do polar bears keep their money? 

A- -In a snow bank.

😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁  

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we pick up with Ecclesiastes 9,     do you make plans and count on doing those plans?      most   everyone that died today, had some kind of  plans made.        we can't predict what we'll be doing tomorrow or next week, only God knows those things.       we should enjoy life while we have it and be grateful and thankful to God every day for the gift of life life.       and we should be helping others along the way.

Ecclesiastes 10,        "A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish person’s heart directs him toward the left."          if you ever wonder what the difference between the left and right is, here it is!!!          even the bible makes it clear that a person who is leaning towards the left in their way of thinking are fools.        I didn't say it, the bible said it.      fools are always at a loss and we are seeing a LOT of that here lately!!!!      

Ecclesiastes 11,        "cast your bread upon the waters......."            be generous when you can be generous!!!          we all have it within our ability to be generous, God will make your generosity find the ones who need your generosity.       you may never live to see where your energy, effort and generosity went, but God will see where it goes.        just do the right thing at all times because we will be rewarded for it.        store up treasures in heaven, because this life is short.

Ecclesiastes 12,     a lot of times, people don't even think about the things of God until they are old and most of their lives wasted on foolishness.          but this chapter is encouraging us to think about God in our youth.         how do we get the young people to think about God right now, while they are young?      take them to church, let them hear and see their parents making God a priority.        when we get older we can have vision loss and hearing loss, both of which I have and it's no fun, and my body is getting weaker with age.        I'm so thankful that I have a relationship with God that gives me strength and hope for my eternal future.          we need to be prepared for the time when God will judge us all for our actions.         my our actions be judged as good and righteous.        may we all fear God and keep His commandments!!!

next time we will pick up with Song of Solomon.

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well, I think we'll call it a wrap for today.          I pray that we'll all continue to search after the heart of God in all that we do everyday.         may we fear God and keep His commandments.       let's make God a priority in our lives and encourage others to do the same.        I hope  we all have a great day today.      be a blessing to someone today.        enjoy some sunshine today, I think that's something that we plan on doing today.          blessings of strength and energy be ours today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and update on my tomatoes

good morning beautiful friends.           I think this morning I am missing my one hour of sleep because we sprang ahead sometime last night.          I'm not a fan of losing my hour of sleep, but I'd gladly let whoever keep it, if we could just stay one or the other and not be changing 2 times a year.         I'm so over it, now all the clocks all have to be changed.            the clocks in the vehicles have to be changed and I'm over it.          ok, so who do I tell "stop it"?           I'll certainly tell them to stop it the next time I see them, if I just knew who.         hahaha          so if you can stop it, please do.          well, I guess we're stuck with it.          I may just rebel and not reset my clocks and just declare my home and myself and my husband not changing our time!!!          reckon that would work?         probably not, but I may try.      I'll let you know if we're successful.          hahaha

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so, let's do a quick "2 minutes in the garden with me" this time.           this is a recent pic of my tomatoes that I got up-potted from my indoor hydroponic system a week or so ago.           they are doing great so far.           an below the tomatoes, you can also see my peppers that I got up-potted too.

the tomatoes in the round container are all really small varieties.  the plants themselves shouldn't be any larger than maybe a foot tall when they reach maturity.          and they all should pump out a ton of tomatoes.

these are the regular sized tomatoes,  sun gold variety and I can't remember off the top of my head what the other variety is.          they will be large plants that just keep growing and growing in height.

I hope I can get a few more seeds started for more peppers and possibly more tomatoes.        there's plenty of time for me to do so.         even later tomatoes and peppers will be fantastic.          so we'll see how the season goes.           I hope that y'all are planning your gardens and possibly even have some produce started by now.         I guess it all depends on where you live on this big, beautiful globe.         

Happy Gardening to all of us!!!!!

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giggle for the day:

Q - Why did the scarecrow win an award? 

A - Because he was outstanding in his field.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

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today we pick up with Ecclesiastes 1,  futility, all is futile.        what is important.        where does God fit into our lives?          we live and we die.        where is God in our lives?        is our efforts worth the effort?          do we waste time chasing after what ever we're chasing after?         all is meaningless and useless.          is that so?          this book will ultimately show us that unless we are focusing on God, everything we do is meaningless!!!!!

Ecclesiastes 2,  Solomon tried to find meaning in pleasure and things.         he didn't find meaning in those things.          he tried to find meaning in wisdom, but he didn't find meaning.          he tried to find meaning in working, but it wasn't found in work.

Ecclesiastes 3,  there is a time for everything in our lives and that the seasons of our lives are changing.   the best we can do is accept the changes as part of God's grand plan.        we should trust in God's plan for our lives, He knows it all, we don't.

Ecclesiastes 4,  envy and jealousy are futile.          he says that work with another person is better than work done by just one person.        if there is 2 and one falls, one can help the other one up.       having friends and neighbors is good.

Ecclesiastes 5,   fear God and don't love riches.  

Ecclesiastes 6,   wealth is futile.        so what if you have wealth and don't enjoy it.         there is such a thing as too much materialistic things, and they don't bring happiness.

Ecclesiastes 7,    wisdom and foolishness, neither brings happiness.            be humble, compassionate and righteous.           these attributes are pleasing to God.

Ecclesiastes 8,    God will punish the wicked and He will take care of the righteous. 

next time we will pick up at Ecclesiastes 9.

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I guess this is where we will call is a wrap.           I hope and pray the we will all continue to search after the heart of God in all that we do.         this is one that is NOT futile.       this is something that will lead to eternal glory.        I hope and pray that we all have a great day today and that we thank God that we get to be a part of it for a little while.         blessings of humility and grace be ours today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and Cornbread Wedges

good morning from my neck of the woods.          yesterday was a good day.        we are hoping for an equally good day today.           I'm sure it will be, because God is the author and finisher of this day, so I'll be happy in it.         I got 6 of my little dollar tree stackable tower tiers filled with soil yesterday and I hope to get them filled with strawberry seeds today.         I'm gonna try to start them from seeds and see what I can do with them.          hopefully, I can them to germinate and grow.         probably won't be any strawberries this year, but it will be the foundation for strawberries for next year.          I must have more patience than I actually believe I have.          I want strawberries this year!!!         hahaha          too bad, I should have gotten them started about 3 or 4 months ago, but I didn't, so, I'll have strawberries when and if these grow.          hahaha          they are not large strawberries.          they are small and they don't produce runners.         I have 3 different varieties that I got from Baker Creek.          a yellow variety, a yellow variety and a red variety.          so I'm doing 2 tiers of each color and then I'm going to mix the tiers as I stack them.          I may even make 2 short tiers with all 3 colors of berries for each short tier.    anyway, we'll see how they do and it might even be possible to get a few before the end of the fall season, we'll see.          I hope you have fun plans for your garden this year.        I plant and pray and let God do the rest.        that's all I know to do.         He's good!!!!

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lets go to the kitchen for another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".         we love cornbread.       I used top make the big corn pones all the time.         they were and still are delicious.         but a few years ago our Ace hardware  had a  coupon in their ad for the black friday sales and the coupon was for 1 item, 50% off.         when I seen that, I knew what I wanted.          I had seen it back in the summer, but it was too expensive and I wouldn't even mention it to my husband because I knew he would just get it anyway.

so, I told him about the coupon and that's where he got a lot of his work tools and I knew that he could use the coupon if he found a tool or if he knew there was something he needed for work.        so I insisted that we go and for him checking the tool aisle to see if there was anything he needed.         well, after about an hour of him looking and thinking about what he might have needed for work, he just couldn't  come up with anything.          he finally  said, "honey, there  just isn't anything I need right now".           I said, "awesome!!!" and I ran with breakneck speed to the cast iron area and grabbed my cast iron wedge skillet and got that precious thing at 50% off!!!!!          that's unheard of!!!         my husband got caught up to me and seen what I had and asked how long I had been wanting that.        I told him, "ever since I seen it back in the summer!!!"           this happened about 20 years ago and I have loved that this wedge skillet ever since.         hahaha         we love crispy crunchy cornbread and this is perfect.         if you like crispy crunchy, this may just be the cornbread ticket for you.       as much as I enjoy using it, I would replace it in a heartbeat if I ever needed to, regardless of the price.        that's how much we enjoy it.        it's also good to make wedge scones in.         I'll have to do that sometime and share them too.

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giggle for the day:

Q - What do cakes and baseball teams have in common? 

A - They both need a good batter.

😂😂😂😂😂😂

so does cornbread.       hahahahaha      

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we are picking back up with Proverbs 25,  this chapter has a little bit of everything.       we see humility, and this is where a lot of people have trouble.         for me, I remember that God made us from dirt, so one sack of dirt is no more special than the next sack of dirt and I think we all need to remember that.     we need to practice a little bit of self control in all situations.         it's not always easy, but sometimes we just need to remain quiet, (she said biting her tongue).         it's hard but it's a lesson to learn.        sometimes remaining quiet can avoid conflicts.         we never remain silent when it's a matter of going against the word of God, but state your case and let God deal with the rest of it.          we see that treating people like we want to be treated can go a long way in making peaceful situations.        and one of the things that really bugs me is people talking behind other peoples backs.        it happens every day, doesn't make it right though.         think through your actions before you make rush and hasty decisions and never presume you know everything.         we don't.       we just need to be the people that God created us to be.       

Proverbs 26,  there is lots to be said about foolishness, just like this: "Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so is a fool who repeats his foolishness."           then the writer goes into laziness.       there is no excuses for being lazy.       there is no excuses for meddling in other peoples business, that can get you into a lot of unnecessary trouble.        you can't teach a fool anything, you can't argue with a fool, just leave them to their own foolishness.          basically, some of these chapters are showing us how to treat fools.       

Proverbs 27,   do you have a tendency to brag about things that you literally have no control over?        like bragging about what your plans are for tomorrow, well, we're not guaranteed tomorrow.         do you brag about yourself and what you have accomplished.         well, you've accomplished nothing on your own.          any accomplishment has been because God has allowed it.         let others brag about you, but don't let your lips brag about yourself.        are you an honest person?          honesty will be shown one way or another.          real, true friends are one of the best gifts from God.          I'm happy to say that I have some 4 or 5 wonderful ladies in my life that truly make a difference in me.        our true friends can help hold accountable for our actions.         and we have to realize that God has entrusted us with responsibilities such as our families, our finances, the way we live our daily lives.        how do other people see you living your lives?        integrity is something we have or we don't have it.

Proverbs 28,   "Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity, than a person who is crooked, though he is rich."           wow, see how important integrity is.         it may be the only thing that some of us have in this world.        if so, let's hang on to it with a death grip.         do you have a clear conscience or a guilty conscience in the way you live your life and treat others?

Proverbs 29,    "Arrogant people inflame a city, but wise people turn away anger."           wow, who knew????           well, some of us did and do.          so who is it that's always stirring a ruckus if possible by causing riots?           I always knew, but if those that have been out stirring up trouble over the last few years, knew this, they would probably agree and think this is a good thing.        but they are arrogant, they are full of themselves.       they are evil and wicked people.  

Proverbs 30,     wow, how humble are we?      after reading this chapter, we should be very humble, simply because apart from God, we can do nothing.           we live in a awesome creation, created by God and when we take the time to notice nature around us, it should help us to be a little more humble.

Proverbs 31,    this is one the chapters of the whole Bible that should make women know that we have an elevated place in this world, just like God created us to be.         when we fight to give that elevation away, then we prove ourselves to be fools.        women prove themselves to be fools when they fight for abortions and so called women's health.        women prove themselves to be fools when they claim they are a man.         women prove themselves to be fools when they want to live and work in the mans world.         this chapter shows how real women are an asset to their families and communities and they help their husbands.          her family will rise up and call her blessed!!!!!         to be honest, there are very few women that can really be called blessed, because there's not a lot of virtue to be found in a lot of women today.     that's a terrible shame too.        the last chapter of this book was devoted to the virtues of women, the way God designed them.        I pray that we can get back to being who God created us to be.

next time we'll start in Ecclesiastes.

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well I guess this is where we'll call this blog post finished.         we wrapped up another Book in the Bible.         we kinda sailed thru this one, and if you're reading along, you will learn much more than what I shared.         I just kinda share what hits me and makes me take notice.         next time I go thru the bible, it will probably be totally different things that stick out.        it always is.        it's always what I need at the time I'm going thru it.         I love how God does that.        I hope He's showing you a lot of things too.         I hope He is showing you who He is in your life.        that can be very powerful and very impowering.         just knowing that we're not alone makes all the difference in our everyday lives.        He makes a way, when there isn't a way.         I just have to say that He has been very good to me.          I also have to say, that I don't deserve His goodness, but I'm very thankful His goodness is based on who He is, and not on me in any way.         Praise God!!!!!!          blessings of kindness and integrity be ours today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and Cheeseburger taco bowls

good morning beautiful friends.           I hope you are ready for a great day.        I am.        it is a hefty warm morning with 39 degrees right now!!!!         a-ma-zing!!!!!       woop woop, I'll take it!!!!      I hope I can get some containers filled with soil and be ready to plant when the time comes.         with the warmer days ahead, it will be good to get my hands in some good dirt.         hahaha          it's been a little cooler and just plain cold over the last few days, so a warming trend is really wonderful and I'm ready for it.     

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let's do a big "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" today.         I call this my cheese burger taco salad.        I start by getting my tortillas turned into bowls.         I just noticed that a couple of my pics are out of sync, but it's ok.          I'll take my tortillas and use a fork on them all over to keep them from swelling up.          then I'll lay the tortilla over one of the metal bowls turned up side down.         next I'll the other bowl and put it on top of the tortilla already on the bottom bowl.        I'll flip them, open end up, and set this down in my airfryer on 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.       we love the really dark, not burned, but dark. 

this is all the fixings that I use to make our salads.

this is showing how I stack the tortilla bowl makers.

this shows all the holes that I make in the tortillas before stacking them between the bowls.

this is showing the bowls upright and how I set them down in the airfryer.

this is after the bowl is taken from the airfryer and I've got the other one in there now.

this is what our salads ended up looking like.           it works well with steak bites too.        I like to get all the fixings ready, get the meat cooked and just have the bowls to make and then its very easy to put together.       these are delicious and we love them.          I hope you love them too.    use any meat or any ingredients you want to make these.          it will be great.

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time for our little "giggle for the day":

Q - What did one ocean say to the other? 

A - Nothing, they just waved.

😂😂😂😂😂

waving, see ya!!!!    hahahaha

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picking up with Proverbs 11, again we see that seeking after fairness, wisdom, humility, trust, graciousness, generosity is what is always for the betterment of God's people.         avoiding all wickedness at all costs is wise.         a person who is wise gains souls for the kingdom.        who doesn't want to gain souls for the glory of God!!

Proverbs 12,   the very first verse says it all!!!!        "One who loves discipline loves knowledge, But one who hates rebuke is stupid."          reading thru this chapter, makes you ask yourself how can there be so many stupid people in this world.         

Proverbs 13,  this chapter shops us that we need discipline in every area of our lives.         without discipline we lie, cheat, steal, and are lazy just to name a few.         everyone will not have everything, this is where contentment comes in.         are you satisfied with you have materially?        if you are, there is a lot of wisdom in that mindset.

Proverbs 14,  we see there are always 2 choices, wisdom and foolishness.       with those choices come the consequences.           every choice or decision we make will either be good or bad.       wisdom will  help us make good choices.          a wise person is  cautious and a fool is arrogant.        that speaks for itself.

Proverbs 15,  gentle and harsh and contrasted and the very last verse says it all.   there is power in words and how we deliver those words says a lot about us.        we can beat someone up with words or we can calm someone down with words.      "The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility."      

Proverbs 16,  did you know that God examines our motives when we do something.        the "why" we do what we do is more important than "what" we do.        most of have that in reverse.         we do what we do to be seen.         if that's why we do anything, then we are a fool.         there are consequences to our actions.        good or bad, there are consequences.

Proverbs 17,   "Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent."           I had a teacher in school tell another student one time that it was better to remain silent and let people think you're a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.       I have thought many times that this must have been where he got.        it was good enough that I remembered it and have used it several times myself.

Proverbs 18,  there is lots of good stuff in this chapter.          we are not isolate ourselves, God made us to be in relationship with others and Him.         there is power in our words.         being a responsible person is important.         having discernment is very important.         lots of wisdom in this chapter alone.

Proverbs 19,  integrity and discipline are 2 things that are hard to come by and you don't want lose them once you have them.         integrity is the one thing that you take with you everywhere you go and it doesn't but one second to lose your integrity.        lack of discipline will put your integrity in jeopardy if you're not careful.       integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching you.       God always knows what we do even if human eyes doesn't see us.

Proverbs 20,  this is one of those chapters that show us that how we live our lives matters.          it is of the utmost importance.         among other things mentioned in this chapter, how many of you know a drunkard?          probably all of us knows at least one.         most of us know more than one.        what good does drinking do?         living a good life involves working hard, being honest and maintaining integrity.        those are not characteristics that you'll find in drunkards.        

Proverbs 21,  we usually do our thing without taking into consideration, others.          but the Lord always looks at our intentions and motives of the heart.         I think I said it earlier the "why" is more important than the "what".          sometimes we forget that.        do you the "what" just to be seen?      if so, then that's foolish.

Proverbs 22,   do you have a good name?           oh, that's about your actual name, Bob or Sally.        it's about integrity again.          have you ever had someone say to you "remember who you are and who's name you have"?          my dad used to tell my brothers that.        remember who you are, they were his sons and he expected them to remember that in all situations.       this is the way it with being a Christian.         I need to remember who I am, who's I am and the name I represent, at all times.  

Proverbs 23,  one of the things that stands out in the chapter is being captivated by evil and wickedness.   it boils down to the choices we make.        

Proverbs 24,  lots more just good old life lessons.          don't be envious of evil people.        wisdom is the key to success.           don't hang out with people that are jealous of other peoples wealth, jealousy rubs off on us.          help others when we have the opportunity to.         

next time well pick up with Proverbs 25.

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well, I guess we'll call it a wrap on this one today.          I pray that we all continue to seek after the heart of God in all that we do.         I pray we all have a good day today and that we'll take the time to thank God this day.         may blessings of discipline and integrity be ours today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and breakfast patties

good morning wonderful friends.         I hope you had a great night of refreshing rest and ready to make a difference in your part of the world today.        rest is something that's hard to come these days.        it seems like there are more things than ever to steal our time and also our rest time.         we tend to think we can rest anytime, but when we leave no time for rest, that's when we fall apart.       so I hope we all make rest a priority and that we can make better decisions about our time.       I have a hard time saying no and even putting myself on my list of things to take care of.       but I have to say, I'm getting better at it.        I realize not that I don't have to do everything in a days time.        it will get done when I get to it, I'm not being lazy at all.        just trying to give myself some time to rest.         you do the same.          I heard the train go by earlier, and I found myself wondering if the conductor of that train ever rests while on the train.        then I found myself stressing over it hoping that he stays alert and watches what he's doing.    that makes for a stressful morning for me.      no rest for me all day.        hahaha         so instead of worrying about the conductor, I started praying for him.        may not have done anything for him, but it sure made my morning better.         just speaking life over him made me feel better.        sometimes it's just that simple to change ones perspective.          now, I can move on with my day.       hahaha

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let's do it, "2 minutes in the kitchen.......".              I couldn't remember if I had shared these or not, but if I have, I'm sorry.          if not, then I hope it's something you can use.          these are my 4 inch walfos muffin tops pans from amazon.          I use these for a lot of things and this is one of them.           I'll cut up cheese slices and put 2 strips in each divit.         3 whole slices per tray.          with half of a cheese slice in each divit, cut into  6 pieces and spaced evenly on the bottom.           then I'll use 9 sausage links cut into 4 pieces per link.      I'll put 6 pieces per divit.          then I'll scramble 3 eggs and 4 tablespoons of water and pour over the cheese and sausage and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes and let them cool.         then I'll bag them in fliptop sandwich bags and then put 2 per ziplock freezer bag and put in the freezer.          easy to thaw and pot in a skillet and heat them up while the bread is toasting in the oven.         they are delicious.

I hope this is something that might come in handy for you.

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it's time for our little "giggle for the day":

Q - What do you call a lion with no eyes? 

A - Lon.

😂😂😂

you know you giggled just a little bit.   I know you did.     hahahaha

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we're starting with the book of Proverbs today.     

Chapter 1 tells us the purpose of this book is for wisdom and understanding.           without these 2 things, we'll never know the heart of God.           without wisdom and understanding we'll never have a firm grasp for what truth is.         truth is NOT what I say truth is.         truth is what God says truth is.  we can't live righteous lives without wisdom and understanding.         the world is always trying to set snares for us to get trapped in and if we don't know what truth is, then we'll get caught in the devils snares.        if our parents are Christians, they can be counted on for wise counsel.         seek friends that will share wisdom and knowledge and truth with you.    

Chapter 2 tells us to look for wisdom like we're looking for treasure.         it's important for us to know the value of wisdom and knowledge.        wisdom and knowledge usually comes from making mistakes or if we're blessed, it can come from learning from other peoples mistakes.        it's important to seek it and not stop till we find it.       are you listening to the word of God in your life?         this is the treasure, the word of God, which is more valuable than anything else on the planet.   

Chapter 3, in verse 5 we see this: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."       why?       why do you think we see this?        because if our understanding is not based solely on the wisdom and knowledge from God, our understanding can and will get us in trouble, not just a little trouble, but a lot.        our understanding changes from one breath to the next and sometimes, even when we are trusting in God with our whole heart, we can still get ourselves in trouble when we go by how we feel about something.        our feelings change, the word of God never changes,  that's something I know.        do you live by how you feel or by what you know for a fact?        the answer to that is very important.

Chapter 4, shows that if we are chasing after wisdom we will be guarding our heart from evil and wicked ways.        it seems as if the world is chasing after evil and wicked ways.        our lives will mirror what we invest our time in.        wisdom is the guiding force of our lives, or it should be.       if it isn't, we're seeking after the wrong things.        most fathers can and will pass on wisdom to their children, but the children have got be teachable or inclined to learn from their father.        I realize some people don't have earthly fathers worth listening to for life instruction.         seek out someone you know who does have godly wisdom and try to learn from that person.

Chapter 5, this is where the rubber meets the road for a lot of people.       lots of people have fallen victim to adultery.        even David did.         that doesn't make it right.        however you look at it, it's a sin and nothing less than that.       if you're married, you took those wedding vows.        sexual immorality is of the enemy and he knows how to seduce people.        so, we have to guard our heart and forget our own understanding.        we will get ourselves in trouble every time.

Chapter 6, is telling us about working and making a living and not being lazy and slothful.        also about not backing other peoples financial deals.       work hard, earn what you have, pay your debts, don't co-sign other peoples debts unless you want to be left paying it off.       

real life case example: many years ago, I took a young lady that I worked with to the local furniture store.        I knew the owner of the store, and had known him all my life because that's where my parents shopped and all my brothers that had gotten married and then even my husband and I after we got married.        she wanted to go, and I took her one evening when we got off from work.        she was looking a small little stereo and she wanted it so bad.       the owner tried his best to get me to co-sign for her.        I told her, "look, I love you, but you can save the money and pay cash for it, or you can get it with your own name".        the man heard everything I said, and I looked at him and said, "I'm not signing for her. I have my own debts to pay and I'm not going to pay off someone else's debt".        I just told her to take her time and I'll be in the car when she makes her decision.        had I not just a little bit of wisdom, I would have co-signed for her and then been responsible for her payments if she decided not to make them.       this man even told my father what had happened.       he thought I should have signed for her.         but my father said that I, his daughter, had learned well.          

Chapter 7, shows us the and warns us against temptation and how dangerous it is when we give in to temptation.         one of the best ways to avoid temptation is to not let ourselves get in a place where we can be tempted.         a scripture in the New Testament says to avoid all appearance of evil.       if something is tempting to you, more than likely it's not what you should be doing.        even if it's not tempting to you, why would want to risk it becoming a temptation.       temptation can lead to death.      seek after the heart of God in all that we do.       I don't drink.      I'm not a goody 2 shoes, I just know I don't need to be around alcohol because of the temptation.         so if I go somewhere with a friend, I need to know up front if there will be alcohol, if the friend I'm with will be drinking and so on.       if that friend says they might drink, I don't go.         the people in my life that know me, will not ever put me in a situation where I might be tempted.       when I became a Christian, it became very apparent that I would have to change friends and I did.       a lot of people in my life have come and gone over the years, but the ones who have stayed there are the ones who look after me and the ones who I can look after, by avoiding the temptations that we each have in our lives.        we all need people who help us, but who will also help us quietly.       we don't to have to tell another soul that this friend has a problem or could possibly have a problem.         I'll tell on myself before I'll tell on a cherished friend.

Chapter 8, "The  fear of the  Lord is to hate  evil; pride, arrogance, the evil way, the perverted mouth.......", these are evil.        the writer tells us that wisdom is to be sought after!!!!         those who seek after wisdom hate evil.          what about the perverted mouth?         my take on that is this: if you keep on telling nasty, hateful, despicable, cursing, blasphemous things with your mouth after you have say you have accepted Christ as Savior, you may  need to rethink whether you actually got saved or not.

Chapter 9, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!!!       there is a big difference between the wise and fools.         wise seek after understanding and knowledge from God, the fool has said in his heart there is no God.         the godly person has to make a decision between being wise and being a fool.

Chapter 10, notice all the contrasts between righteousness and wickedness.        just one prime example is the fact that a righteous person knows how to build another person up with the words they speak.      the wicked person only tears people down with their words.         there is either life or death that comes from out mouths.        who we belong to determines whether we speak life or death.         may we be found speaking life over people instead of death.         do you make fun of people?        you may be speaking death over someone then.        that's how easy it is to be a fool.

next time we pick up at chapter 11.

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I guess that's it for the day.          I hope and pray that we are all seeking after wisdom and knowledge from God.         I pray that we will all be found seeking after the heart of God in all things.         we won't go wrong, that's for sure.         I hope we all have a great day that we remember to thank God for allowing us to be a part of it.          blessings of favor and wisdom be ours.

hugs and love, patty