My Dancing Turtle

This morning as I was watching my turtle from across the room all of a sudden her front legs began to lift one at time to the music that was being played. It was so funny to watch. She does this often, but this morning what made it even more funny was that when the music stopped she stopped also.  Her neck and head came out of the water and she had this look on her face as if she wanted to say, "What, it's over--oh no--I like that piece of music play some more."  And then she went back to being quiet again. If felt sorry for her, but it was time for me to go to work so didn't have any more time to play any more music.

I am so God made all kinds of animals and creatures. They are so much fun to watch and to enjoy.

We Tell All

I find those who take a stand on what they believe in, rather it be right or wrong do something about it. In todays news there is an article that tells about another plot to blow up one of our buildings and other places in one of our cities. The problem for me is that they give detailed for each step that was going to happen. To me this could give other people the same idea and try it. Which in this case is not a good thing.

What would be great is if we were allowed to share the gospel with those in our country. Instead--Christ and God are taken out of our schools and government and in a lot of other areas and where are we as a nation? We are getting deeper and deeper in a generation that no longer believes in God or moral rights. Our children and grandchildren have nothing to hold on to. As each generation passes God fades away and we are turning into a nation like Israel was in the Old Testament.

Prayer
Our Father please help us to look to You no matter what comes and if need be that we will lose our lives in order to take a stand in like Stephen did in the New Testament and others who are being killed for your sake. In Jesus Name I ask this.

But one thing we can count on is that God is patient. It is a good thing or we would be out of this world very fast and a lot of people would be left behind and face what is to be one of the worse times in history. Even worse than now.

In Psalm 51:1-4 it reads as follows: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly form mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: my sin is ever before me. Agains thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest."

Let our prayer me that we as believers will take a stand and do what the Lord wants us to do and that is to honor Him.

Bored!

Have you ever been bored? I woke up this morning and I was grouchy and felt bored. Another day, same old thing. Then I felt ashamed. I looked out my front window and starting to think.

I have a home that I am safe and warm in. In my community and surrounding areas there are thousands of people who have all the belongings on the curb waiting to be picked up. Why? Because they no longer have a home, or anything that belonged in their home because of flooding.

Next, I thought about work. I have a job. It is just the right amount of hours, I receive enough money to help pay for food and gas for my car and just a little extra if I want to help someone else out.

And I have no lack of things to do at home. Cleaning, I have stained glass pieces, branches, beeswax, all kinds of tools to make all kinds of gifts and things to make cards to encourage others who are going through rough times' Being creative in the form of art is very relaxing and fun for me so I am also able to do something for myself.

Books--working in a library for me is like working in a candy store for others. I see all kinds of books to read and projects to do.

So, I thought instead of being bored, I would be thankful for all the blessings I have. I would enjoy each one and put my whole heart in doing what the Lord wants me to do and that is sharing my life with others through words, gifts,  and a good testimony. So I am no longer bored but a very thankful child of God, and now am ready to see what is planned out for me today.

A Little Prayer
Thank you my Father for creating me just the way I am. And Holy Spirit guide me today.

Looking Back

I grew up as an only child and so when my parents became ill it was a very busy time as they both had lung diseases and both were in hospice at the same time. But the Lord was good and they both improved enough to be off hospice and my father lived one more year and my mother lived another two before she had to go back on it.

But the one time I remember very well, was when my mother was put in the hospital. She had to stay for a few days and then it was time for her to go home.

I rode in the medical van with my mother and my father came home in his car. The van arrived at my parent's home and stopped in front of the house. I opened the door, and just about the time I was going  to put my foot down onto the sidewalk I saw it. Just below my foot was a snake curled up.

I shut the van door and ask the driver if he could move the van forward a little. I turned around and looked at my mother as she was sitting in the back seat and she said, "You saw a snake didn't you?" I had to admitt to her that I did. She was deathly afraid of snakes. And then the driver of the van said, "Lady, I don't do reptiles."  So he gladly drove the van forward and we got my mother in a wheelchair and went across the lawn and up the steps and into the house.

In the meantime, my father arrived home and he was so worried about my mother that he just stepped right over that snake and didn't even see it. I yelled snake! But he first went in and checked on my mother to make sure she was ok and then he came back out and killed the snake.

Of course the verse that came to my mind as I was typing this post was Genesis 3:1: "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

It is a good thing my mother didn't live during the time of Adam and Eve for she would not only would see a snake but would be able to talk to one. Not a good thing.

A Good Book

Being that my husband and I only have four channels to watch on TV, since we gave up cable when he retired, there is not much to watch even if the stations do came in good. So we have taken up reading.

I just finished a great book titled Bamboo & Lace by Lori Wick. I was waiting for my husband to finish cleaning the church and I was in their library and I found this book on their shelf. Since I had gotten some for myself to read from a book sale I thought I would read this one while I was waiting for him.

Well, it was so good I had to bring it home and I just finished it this morning. I like a good book don't you?

It is the same way with the Bible. Some people think it is a dry and an uneventful book, but if you really read it and allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart as your read it, you can always find something new and just what you need at the time you are ready it.

So the Bible comes first then I think Lori Wick, who is a Christian writer, would come next. Both hard to put down once I get started.

Death Of A Child-Time Heals

I was reminded of the heartbreak of one losing a child through death as I was reading my e-mail this morning.

I lost a child through a miscarriage, but the doctor could tell that this special child was deformed, so it was best that the baby went to be with the Lord. This child would be thirty-seven now.

Then in 1994 our first grandchild was born to our son's wife and he also was deformed and we lost him. He would be seventeen now. Then in 2009 another grandchild was born, this time to our daughter.  Our daughter and son-in-law knew in August of 1999 that their daughter might not be born alive, but they decided that God was in control and so our daughter carried her to her due date which was scheduled for December 29th.

She was born alive and was normal until you came to her forehead and then she had no brain. But she did well. She ate, she had her diaper changed, she weighted in at eight pounds, she didn't like her bath, and she could follow movement. She lived for fourteen hours. Remarkable! We all got to say hello to her and tell her we loved her. Then she too went to be with the Lord.  She would be twelve now.

As time goes by it is easier and they are all remembered and we will see them in heaven when we get there along with our precious Jesus.

The verse that came to my mind when I read this woman's story was: "I Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

So if you have lost a child through death my heart goes out to you.

Exercising

My husband and I went to a garage sale and I bought a second hand bicycle which is stationary and so when I ride it I can get my exercise without falling off the bike. As I rode the bike inbetween the sqeeking of the wheel I just pray and listen to God speak to me. It is such a relaxing time and a fun way to do excercise.

This morning the phrase that kept going through my mind is living through Christ. I am doing a Bible Study and we are talking about Christ and what the gospel story means to us.

So I came to my computer and looked up living through Christ. I was surprise when I came across a whole different verse but it was just what I needed to answer my question about living the gospel daily. Here is the verse.

Hebrew 9:14

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

I then looked up the word purge and this is what I found the Hebrew word to mean:

Purge

1. to make clean, cleanse
2. from physical stains and dirt
   1. utensils, food
   2. a leper, to cleanse by curing
   3. to remove by cleansing
3. in a moral sense
   1. to free from defilement of sin and from faults
   2. to purify from wickedness
   3. to free from guilt of sin, to purify
   4. to consecrate by cleansing or purifying
   5. to consecrate, dedicate
4. to pronounce clean in a levitical sense

Christ's blood frees me from fefilement of sin and faults. Frees me the guilt of sin. Cleans me and therefore I am consecrated and dedicated to God.

Then I looked up the word dead.

Dead

1. spiritually dead
2. destitute of a life that recognises and is devoted to God, because given up to trespasses and sins
3. inactive as respects doing right

By being dead to self I can then serve the living God through Christ.

I get so excited when I really understand something. Now I just have to remember what I learned and do it.

A New Start

When I started this site I wanted to help those who were new to the Christian to understand what it meant to follow Jesus and help my using the Bible as the main source of information.

When I became a believer I did not have anyone to help me learn about how to live the Christian life. In other words I didn't have a mentor to guide me. I know there are many sites on this order but each person has their unique way of presenting the Bible and messages.

So I am going to start from the beginning and then add examples from my own life how the verses helps me and pray that it will help you get started on knowing God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit better.

So come and join me as we travel through the Bible together.

Do You Have A Favorite Verse?

I was just working on my Bible Devotional and the verse for today is Psalms 46:10. Usually I just quote the first part which reads, "Be still, and know that I am God." But there is more to the verse and it goes like this, "I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

I call it my 'It is written verse' which I use when I am having problems and need help from Jesus. He quoted verses a lot of times. So I have my own verses I use in different times in my life.

How about you? Do you have a favorite verse or verses or any 'It is written verse(s)?'

Garbage Everywhere

I live in Upstate New York in the Binghamton, Endicott, Vestal, Johnson City area and on September 7th we had a massive flood which took a lot of homes, churches, and businesses. Even though it is now September 19th at the time of this writing there is still piles of garbage on the curb ready to be picked up.

Many families and businesses lost everything. The place in which I work the roof had some damage but it is ok. However the Town Hall was flooded out so they have taken over the library. So have not been able to work for the first week but now am able to go in and work to keep ahead of the books so when we can open to the public we will be caught up.

You know not only is there garbage found on the streets but it is also found in our minds. My husband and I pretty much stop watching TV because there is really nothing to watch but killings and other things that are not worth the time to watch. We have become great readers. The Bible for me is one. I am learning a lot.

So I hope that your mind is clear of garbage.

Practice-Practice-Practice

On Friday evening my husband and I we able to attend a live broadcasting of a very talented twelve-year-old girl named Anastasia Rizikov. With the lighting from the TV station and where we were sitting when she played her face glowed as if she was like Moses just coming down off the mountain after talking with God.

Anastasia's grandmother taught other students to play and when Anastasia asked her grandmother if she would teach her to play--the rest is history.  Her grandmother and mother go everywhere with Anastasia. Her first visit to our area she was when she was only nine and played from memory many classical pieces, as she did last night.

And practice she does and you can tell. Her goal is to be the best in her field. And she is off to a very good start.

We as disciples of Christ need to practice as well. Reading His Word and whatever He asks us to do we are to go all the way and practice-not just one time but many times in order to do the best that we can.

Let us put our whole heart into our calling as Anastasia puts into her music and see how good we can do things for God and give Him the glory for it all.

Blessed People

Psalm 41:1 "Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

There are many ways people are poor. Those who are rich can be poor in spirit. Those who are poor due to lack of money but they may be rich in spiritual things.

The poor are always with us for one reason or another there are just some who just have a hard time here on earth. And the Lord is telling us that those that take care of the poor are blessed and He will deliver them from times of trouble.

That isn't the reason that we should do things for the poor just because we will be rewarded, but the Lord wants us to take care of each other with love in our hearts and love for the Lord. If you look at all of God's rules for His children and His chosen people there is a rule and if followed a reward. It may not be a reward we see here on earth, but will see it in heaven.

So can you think of anyone today that is poor and in need of help whether it is time, money, prayer, or food? If so please the Lord and allow Him to work through you even today.

Seeing His Face

Psalm 17:15 "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."


When I am doing my artwork or if I am looking at something I usually see a face. It is not usually the face of Jesus but I did have one experience that I thought I did see His face. It was very scarry as it appeared on a hospital wall.

The story goes like this. My mother was very ill and she was taken to the hospital. She was talking about things that were not even happening except in her mind. But then she said, "Bonnie, look on the wall their is the face of Jesus." I looked not expecting to see anything. But just the shape of the wall to me it did look like it could be the face of Jesus. It was like He was there one minute and gone the next. But it gave both my mother and I peace.

But one day I will see His face for sure. And in Psalms 17:15 David gives me that assurance that when I fall asleep in death, and when I wake up I will be in the present of the Lord and will see His face for sure.

That can be a great comfort to all of us who are believers. If we love Him and have lived our lives pleasing to Him, then we shall see Him face-to-face. If we know of any sin in our life right now we can pray to the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness and He will forgive us as it tells us in I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

What a day it will be when we do see the face of Jesus-what a joy it will be.  

Death

Death is a hard subject to talk about. I am not afraid of death for I know that I will be with Jesus, at least my spirit will be with Him if He doesn't return before I die. But what bothers me about death is just thinking about my body. It shouldn't bother me as my body and spirit will be together again when the Rapture comes. But it still bothers me.

But as I read Psalm 23 from the Amplified Bible especially verse 4 this helps me a great deal. "23:4 "Yes, though I walk through the deep sunless valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You(the Lord) are with me: Your rod to protect and Your staff to guide, they comfort me.

The reason I bring up the subject of death today is my daughter's mother-in-law died this evening and not only that but her sister-in-laws mother died this afternoon. So my son-in-law lost two people in his family today. His mother was a believer so my son-in-law and daughter know that they will see her again. Which to them is a great comfort.

As believers and disciples we need not fear death. But it is always sad when we lose someone we love. And one other thing that is sad about the two deaths happening today is my daughter and son-in-laws 14 wedding anniversary.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You knowing that You know all things and we don't know why You picked today for these two love ones to pass away but we were praying for Your will to be done. We accept it but please be with Tim especially today as he was very close to his mother. Thank You that he was able to be there with her at the time of her death. Be also with the other members of the family and be especially with Elijah her grandson as he still remembers his sister's death and his birthday will be Sunday the 18th. He will take it the hardest of the three grandchildren. I ask this in the Name of Your Son.

Rapture

What does the word rapture mean? According to The New Roget's Thesaurus In Dictionary Form by Norman Lewis it means ecstasy and happiness.

The rapture that I am going to talk about will bring us ecstasy and happiness if we have lived our lifes for the Lord. The rapture, which the word is not found in the Bible but is descriped in Acts 1:11 "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Matthew 24:30,31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

It means to a believer that we will be able to go to the Lord who is in the clouds and no longer be here on earth if we are alive. If we have died we will be with Him first. So we win either way.

But be aware, those who do not accept Christ for who He is, the Son of God, and who died on the cross for their sins, shed His blood and then was buried and rose again and returned to His Father, will be left behind. For awhile there will peace and things will be good and then the worse time of history will take place. Read the book of Revelation.

I am looking forward to the Rapture are you?

Created Things

One of my favorite verses is Genesis 1:1 and it reads like this, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

What is so great to me about this verse is the first part, "In the beginning God" I just stop everytime I read it and think about God. Now God created things out of nothing, which we can not do. But one of the things I like to do is crafts.

I just recently took a book out of a library and it is called Trash-To-Treasure Papermaking. Now I have tried to make paper in the past and sometimes I got some very good things from it and then other times it didn't work. Best to follow instructions.

But as I was reading through this book this morning I came to a page that had the title People, Pressure, and Paper then it goes on to say, "What's the difference between people and paper? People don't like pressure, paper does."

Right away I thought of being a disciple and following Christ. It is not always easy following Christ as He has some very high standards. Sometimes we feel pressured into doing things we don't want to do but feel we need to do them anyway. Where as paper loves pressure. Actually the more pressure you put on it the better it comes out.

Thinking more about it maybe having pressure put on us makes us a better person. The Bible tells us that what God would have us to do is not hard. For God is with us through it all.

So are you like paper and like a lot of pressure to make you better, or are you like a person when God places pressure you don't like it as much?

The Signs Of The Time

As I hear another helicopter go over my house, and just heard of the news about the Town Hall being flooded in the area in which I work and all their records destroyed because of the flooding that is taking place in my area. It is sad to see all the destrustion around me. Highways closed, businesses, houses, churches all under water and over 1,000,000 of people homeless. To me it is another sign that maybe the end times on coming closer.

In Matthew 24:6 it reads (NKJ) And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

We live in very sad and trying times but those who know Jesus can keep looking up and watching for Him to return in the clouds to take us up with Him.

I Am A Little Like Jonah

In my morning devotions I am starting the book of Jonah. If you have been a Christian for very long you have probably heard of Jonah. God asked him to go to the city of Nineveh, tell the people of God. Jonah hated that city, the people, and they were his enemies. Why should he go there and preach to them. He knew God would save them and Jonah didn't want them saved. He wanted them to all be killed and wiped off the face of the earth. So he ran away in the opposite direction.

Well a storm game and he was cast overboard and a big fish swallowed him. It was in this fish that Jonah prayed. And the fish burped and Jonah was cast out and he went to Niveveh, preached to the people and they repented and God saved them all. Jonah fumed and was furious over the turn of events and he sulked.

God hasn't sent me out to a place like Niveveh and asked me to preached to the people. Although He does want me to tell people my story of salvation and what the Lord is doing in my life. But my problem is that sometimes, well I should say most of the time, I am running from God in just ordinary things.

For example, I am a diabetic and should test my blood surgar at least twice a day. Do I do that? No. If I not feeling well I do. I am to wear special shoes all the time and not go barefoot at all. Do I do this-no. My problem is rebellion like Jonah.

But the Lord is showing me I can not rebel against, I can not run away, and not pay the price of disobedience. I feel this morning like Jonah in the belly of the fish and I am praying really hard. I am asking my Father to forgive me and I want to repent and go and do as I am told.

So don't be a Jonah, but be a Christian who is truly one who wants to please the Lord, and I do and I am convicted of my sin and I am going to turn around my thinking and do what is right. I hope you do too repent and start going in the right direction. Sin always reaps bad things.

Rest In The Lord

This is one way of being a faithful disciple and that is to rest in the Lord. The verse for this thought is found in Psalm 37:7(a). There is a saying that I have heard often that we are a nation of wanting everything right now.

In the Lord's kingdom He sometimes has us to wait. And as the verse goes on He wants us to wait patiently. For some of us, at least for me having ADHD I tend to jump from one thing to another.

Yesterday when I was listening to God my Father He gave me a plan to help me to not be so impatient and to do one thing at a time which is what I need to do in order to finish it. I start a lot of things but just don't finish them.

I am so glad that this verse is in the Bible so when I read it I can be reminded to "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him."

Holiday

In the United States we are celebrating Labor Day. It is the last big holiday before school starts and all the summer parks are closed.

I was thinking about Jesus, His disciples, and I am sure that they did not have a special day they could stop all their work and just do nothing or just be with other friends and family. It is sorta sad.

But I am sure that Jesus and His disciples did have some good times. It says they went to a wedding. That is a special time. And when Jesus wanted some time to Himself, He went up to a mountain top to pray to His Father in the early morning hours. That is about the only time He had before people went searching for Him or His disciples woke up and they were on there way to face another day.

For all who had today off I hope that it was a good one. My husband and I had a quiet one but a good one.

Two Messages Of Same Kind In Two Days

Last evening I was going through my e-mail and came across a new blog site called, The Barefoot Executive by Carrie Wilkerson. She was talking on having a child with ADHD. She mentioned that those with ADHD have a lot of energy, ideas, and plans and start out really well but don't get many projects done.

It was discovered that I had ADHD when I was an adult so that explains a lot with what was and is going on in my life. So in Carrie's post she suggested three things that would help a person with ADHD and to help them manage their time.  So I wrote them done and will be trying them.

Today when I got to church and into my Sunday School room we are having a series by Andy Stanley. And guess what? You got it! He was talking about some of the same things listed in Carrie's post. Setting goals for our time and what we do with it.

Now when I get one message about a subject. I am ok with it, but when I receive two or three without a week let alone in less than 24 hours I am thinking that the Lord is trying to tell me something very important that is going to change my life. So I really listen then.

Has this ever happened to you?

Every Have A Bad Day?

Yesterday was one of those kind of days. It started out very well and my husband and I went out to lunch and then it happened...I went to work. I don't if it was because it was on a different day and hours then I normally work or it maybe I had a soda for lunch and my sugar level maybe went a little high. Not sure what really triggered it but I felt grouchy inside and just wanted to scream. I am usually a very quiet person and very happy. Along with being grouchy, my index cards fell off the shelf and went in all directions. I went out the side door to go into the hallway to get to the bathrooms there and went to come back in and was locked out so had to go down the hall and come in the front doors.

I was praying to the Lord to help me and for satan to move on and I finally got into a place where it wasn't so bad. I am sure glad I have the Lord in my life so when I have days like this I can go to Him.

How about you? Do you have days and times like this and do you have the Lord in your life? I hope you do.

We Will Have Afflections

Psalm 34:19

When I started this blog the main point I wanted to get across that as disciples or followers of Christ there would be and will be afflictions or trials and troubles in our life. It not a life of ease but if you had a quiet life before and may not be quiet again. I am not saying this to scare you and not want to life a Christian life but now you have an enemy where before you didn't.

The good thing about this is that the Lord will deliver you out of all of your trials. I must say here that some trials or in this case tests do come from God. He tests to see if you are really going to do as you say. I had one of those test last night. Sometimes He warns be ahead of time and I hear "This is a Test" and then I now that it is from God and am I going to make the right choice.

Trials come from Satan to see if He can get you away from God and turn back to him. Usually it is in the form of whatever you are weak in. It may be food, sex, your marriage, your family, your thoughts. These are the areas that Satan works on in my life. So you need to resist him and flee and run into the arms of Jesus in these cases. Prayer is another good way of getting ride of Satan.

I just wanted you to be aware, especially if you are a new Christian, that there will be some bends in the road and sometimes a very bumpy ride but always remember you have God on your side and He will deliver you out of all of the trials.