Over the past 4 years or so I have lost my creative inspiration except for a few months I was into Junk Journals. They are almost any type of journal you buy or make. My favorite was cheap notebooks like Composition Notebooks, or making my own with scrap paper and either machine sewing the binding seams or using used cards and also sewing t journals and sews them together.
Today I watched a You Tuber who makes her own and are much more detailed than mine. Her title caught my eye because also liked to buy 'found' materials at the thrift store. Here is her YouTube channel Wandeka From Jamaica. I was inspired enough that I smeared paint on a few pages, and glued in a few things. Trust me, that is saying a lot for me this past couple of years. I even looked at some hand sewing blogs. Another area I gave up completely....but I'm looking at some ideas like sewing some small projects. I can't say I will do it, but I'm looking~ Here are a few of my older pictures of my art: (I'm reminding myself I can create something.)
The quote by TobyMac is so good.First it reminds me of the study I have
started on the book of JOB.I can see
the faith that Job had in whatever happened to him.Job knew that God was ultimately in
control.For any of you that don’t know,
last Fall TobyMac’s oldest son Truett
died unexpectedly. Toby is a Christian singer who sings about the Hope in
Christ, and here was a very difficult experience he and his family have gone
through, yet he has stood firm that God is a good God, and there is still hope
in Christ alone. *******************************************************************************
This blog post is full of Truth and encouragement for anyone experiencing a spiritual battle that seems to want to destroy you! The Bible tells us of these battles and the way out of them. It is well written and worth the read! It is also written by my daughter, and I just wanted to share it with as many people as possible~!
Posted on
Spiritual Oppression
I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before!
Tonight a friend was talking to me about a struggle involving her husband. She said “I don’t even recognize him Donna. This is not like my husband.” I asked her if she had ever heard of rebuking spirits in Jesus name. She had not. I told her to call if she wanted to talk about it.
As she shared what happened today, I listened, then I said “we are so distracted by our skin. We so are distracted by what we can see and hear and feel and taste that we completely forget that this world is so much more spiritual than it is physical. Ephesians says that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces.”
I may step on some toes in this politically correct society, because it seems ok to say that God is love, but we can’t acknowledge that Satan exists. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, then wouldn’t it make sense that Satan is too. We focus a lot on God’s love and grace, we focus a lot on man’s sin, but I believe that by not acknowledging Satan, we give him power.
The Bible says that the “fruits of the Spirit” meaning, the proof that one has the Holy Spirit or God’s Spirit in them is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If those are fruits or evidence of God’s spirit….what are anger, rage, jealousy, deceitfulness, lust, addiction, depression, and selfishness? Perhaps fruits of another spirit?
Scripture clearly says that Satan or the Devil is not only a liar, but the father of lies….so wouldn’t it go to reason that lying is a spirit that comes from Him?
I believe that each of these “acts of the flesh” are spirits that do not come from God. Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery which is excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, idolizing, being involved in witchcraft, hating, discord or disagreements between people, jealousy, rage, selfishness, factions or smaller organized groups within a larger group that don’t get along, envy, drunkenness….I think the list could go on for days!
If it is an act, action or attitude that is not of the spirit of God, I believe it is still spiritual. I believe everything is. We are just so distracted by what we can see that we are blind to what’s going on behind the scenes.
Here’s where it really gets scary. Let’s say someone struggles with an addiction. They get rid of that addiction, but do not replace it with God and His truth. According to Luke 11:24-26, that spirit that left them wanders around, then returns finding that the person has swept clean the house and put it in order. He brings back with him seven other spirits more evil then itself. Sound like relapse?
Now, if God is the same, yesterday, today and forever….let’s see what that means.
When Satan tried to tempt Jesus, Jesus Himself quoted scripture. Guess what Satan did? He quoted scripture back. Jesus used the truth in the Bible to stand up against Satan’s lies. If Jesus had to do this, why wouldn’t we?
In Mark 16:17, Jesus tells us that He has given believers the authority to cast out evil spirits in His name. I used to roll my eyes, just a little, when my mom and grandma would talk about casting out spirits. When my marriage was really struggling, my mom and I stood in every room of my house and prayed against all sorts of spirits which I won’t name because it doesn’t matter…the fact is, there were things going on in my home that didn’t belong there and we knew that only Jesus had the power to break the spiritual strongholds that were present.
Here’s where the “I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before comment came from:”
I believe that I have been living under spiritual oppression since I was 11 years old. I know the day it happened. I can tell you the exact day that self-hatred fell over me like a suffocating blanket. I have had moments of freedom from it, glimpses of internal peace, but never for long. I believe that there has been a spirit of self-hatred holding me hostage for almost thirty years.
That self-hatred was at times so deep, and so intense that I literally believed that if I was to kill myself, my family would be better off without me. One of those times, I had a 5 and a 2 year old daughters. I can tell you intellectually that at the time I was doing some pretty incredible things. I was renovating my house, training for a marathon, and helping people left and right. My life held incredible value….but I couldn’t see it. All that I could think was dark thoughts of ending it all and that being to make the world a better place for my husband and kids who I was pretty sure would fare better without me. Do you see how powerful the enemy’s lies are?
I have been mystified by the intensity of the hate I felt for myself, because I have always known that I was loved by God. I have always known that my family unconditionally loved and supported me, and I have had more people try to tell me the good they see in me over the years than I could even begin to tell you.
A good friend who I have spent two day a week with for almost ten years now told me recently that in those almost ten years, I have never accepted a compliment she has given me. She said “I just keep trying to tell you the good I see in you. I recently thought ‘I know she hears me,’ but you never acknowledge what I say.” I asked her what I do instead. She said “sometimes you change the subject. Sometimes it’s like you didn’t hear me and just ignore me, sometimes you argue with me about how my compliment is not true, and sometimes you deflect my compliment by putting yourself down, but you never just say thank you.”
I wondered how many other people I have done that to over the years. I know for sure that my mom, sister and best friends have tried to tell me the good they see in me over the years, but I always chalked that up to them just trying to make me feel better about myself.
On September 4th at Celebrate Recovery, I took a blue 24 hour surrender chip and told God “I’ve tried and others have tried to help me see my value and worth in this world, but I can’t see it. No one can help me and I can’t do it myself. If I am ever going to stop hating myself and start to value myself, it’s gotta come from you. I surrender my low self-worth to you.”
I thought I was making strides. I wrote out about 15 scriptures and read them day after day affirming my value with the truth of God’s word, then like clockwork, a couple weeks before Christmas, that self-loathing foamed back up in me until I was blinded again. I wanted to run away and live in a cave so people didn’t have to live in my presence. I wanted to glue my mouth shut so I could never offend. I wanted to quietly serve and love people from a distance because I felt that to get close to me wasn’t safe. No matter how much I wanted to love people, I was destined to hurt them.
As I was talking to this friend tonight, I was overwhelmed by the realization that this self-hatred was a spiritual oppression and that in Jesus name, I had the power to rebuke the spirit of self-hatred and self-condemnation.
Praise the Lord that He is able to set us FREE from the law of sin and death! God gave me a word to focus on in 2020….Freedom. I wanted to experience freedom from excess stuff, and freedom from all of my self-limiting, self-hating thoughts. A friend asked me what that would look like? How would I know that I had achieved it? I said “I’ll know when I find myself being as loving, kind, gracious and patient with myself as I am with others.” I was always able to give it to everyone in the world but myself.
In the name of Jesus and by the blood He shed on the cross, I rebuke any spirits inmy life that are not from Him. I rebuke the spirit of self-doubt, self-condemnation, and self-hate. I rebuke the lies of the enemy and all his tricks intended to take my focus off of God’s plan for my life.
Heavenly Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that any places in my life which are left empty that were once filled with those lying spirits are filled with you and your truth so that there will be no place for them to return. I praise you for your goodness and faithfulness. I thank you for placing your Holy Spirit in me to reveal your truth. Thank you for patiently waiting for me to apply the truth of your word to my life, and I thank you in advance for the freedom you’re giving me in this very moment.
I pray that you would keep my eyes open to the deceitful ways of the enemy and give me the boldness to call him out and rebuke him when I notice him at work. Thank you, thank you. In Jesus name I pray….Amen.
If you notice any spirit in your life, in your heart or mind, in your spouse or your kids that is not from God, use the power that Jesus gave you through the Holy Spirit to cast those spirits out in Jesus name. If you have questions or want to talk more about it, feel free to reach out. I myself feel like I’m going to bed a little lighter tonight.
My husband Don fixed his broken
recliner tonight.I am very
impressed!Yesterday without moving anything
on the recliner, the foot rest just broke.When it just broke it made this loud popping noise.Today when he finally turned the chair on its
side, he saw that not only had one bolt been broken in two, but one bolt on
each side of the foot rest had broken off.Plus one of the side springs had separated by about 3 inches.For me, this chair would have been shot
completely!But Don fixed it and it
works great now!I am so impressed and
amazed!Where there is a will there is a
way!And besides, Don has some talent!
Happy Birthday to my youngest daughter Joan!!!She was 38 years young yesterday!!!! I love
you Joan Marie!!!
We had a family birthday party yesterday and everyone was
able to come!It was lots of fun, and
the food turned out well.Joan had asked
for a salad with bacon and artichokes, and I added more salad fixings.I also made 2 shepherd pies, one keto with
cauliflower mash and one with mashed potatoes.There were also chips and salsa.
Katiegrace, Gwynnie, Claire and Annie made two chocolate
cakes with white icing and the other with chocolate icing.I think that is so awesome that the girls
wanted to make their mom and aunt Joan her birthday cake!
**********************************************************************************
Good Morning LORD!What a great way to start the day off with in
prayer and meditation to my dear LORD and Savior!LORD, thank you for a good night’s sleep and
for life today.I prayed LORD for the US
Embassy in Iraq,, Sonja and Patti’s trip to SC today, the massive fires in
Australia, for Prisoners around the world that trust in Your Name as their
Savior, for the spirit of murder over this country and over the world and for
Your Will to be done in my life~
Heavenly Father, I pray for health over Joan’s family and
for Cherish’s stomach ulcers to be healed.LORD, this is Your Day, the Day you have made, and I will rejoice in it
and share your Name whenever I have an opportunity.LORD Jesus, I thank you for all things that
you allow in my life, and ask that you receive all honor and glory in each
situation!
Thank you for a new year,
2020!You are the author of time, and
you give each one of us our allotted life time in which we can come to you with
our hearts, minds, soul and spirit and worship you and lay everything at your
feet!Hallelujah!Amen!
Today I will be
reading in Job.I am
finishing up some Bible notes on Job and then starting to read and asking the
LORD to give me insight by His Holy Spirit into what He wants me to know and
see in the story of Job.I want to know
more about “Do Not Look Back” regarding Job.Thank you Jesus for this Word you gave me.
JOB 1 – Job was a righteous man who was over his household
spiritually.He wanted to protect them
against sinning against God.One day
when the sons of God were presenting themselves before the LORD, Satan was
among them.He had been going through
the earth.The LORD wanted to know if
Satan had noticed Job, an upright man.God gave Satan permission to touch all that Job had except his very
life.Satan did all he could to destroy
Job, but did not touch his life. Job
faced great loss of his family, his servants and all his property and
livestock.Yet in all this Job did not
sin against the LORD or charge the LORD foolishly, but said, “The LORD gives and the LORD takes away.Blessed be the
name of the LORD.”
My thoughts:All I
have does not belong to me belongs to the LORD.Satan cannot do anything against anything I am loaned by God, without
God’s permission.I am to simply
continue to worship the LORD no matter what happens in my life.My life is not my own, but belongs to God,
who gives and takes and will receive all honor and glory for it.I am not to fear what Satan can take from me,
but to simply keep trusting the LORD with all He has given me.My life alone is His to protect.My responsibility is to do the best I can
with all that He has given me, including my family, wealth and property.
JOB 2 – After all that had happened to Job and all the loss he
suffered, there was another gathering of the sons of God who presented
themselves before Him, and Satan came among them to present himself before
God.Yet again, it was the LORD that
asked Satan where he had been, and asked him if he had considered His servant
Job who was a man of integrity and shunned evil.Satan reminded the LORD he couldn’t hurt Job,
but that a man will protect his own skin.So Satan asked for Job’s skin and bones and the LORD said yes, but not
his life.Wow!Satan when straight from the presence of the
LORD to smite Job with boils from his head to his toes.Unimaginable suffering he had planned for
Job, just to prove Job would not keep his integrity toward the LORD.
Job
scraped his sores and sat in an ash pile, and rebuked his wife by saying,
“Shall be receive good from the hand of the LORD and not evil?”Job’s friends from three different countries
communicated with each other upon hearing about Job’s great sufferings they
rent their own garments and lifted their voices and wept for him. They came to
Job and sat with him for 7 days and nights without saying a word.What amazing friends to have.
My Thoughts:How much
of our struggles and trials are actually the LORD allowing us to be tested to
show our faith and bring the LORD glory?The LORD God offered Job as an example of a righteous man that held his
integrity and did not speak evil against God.So when I suffer physically than I must turn that over to the LORD and
trust that He knows all about my suffering and He is watching my response
toward Him.Will I walk by faith and not
speak evil?
I would like to maybe write in my blog and then copy it in
my Daily Journal.That way I can share
it with a few blog readers, and also keep a copy for my family.Writing is such a good way to
find out what is inside a person, myself, at the moment.The
reason I say this is because we can only write about one thing at a time, and
we have to narrow our thoughts in order to put them into words and sentences.My brain actually is like lots of people that
have thoughts going into 5 different directions at the same time, and feel
loads of emotions but writing is a good way to figure out which thought is
either the most important or at the top of the list.
December 27th, I got a Word from the LORD.He
said, “Do not look back”.I am
wondering exactly what He meant by that.I did not get anything further, but I am praying about it.My first thought was Lot’s wife in the Bible
that looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.In that case, they had been told not to look
back because God was bringing judgement down on Sodom and Gomorrah.Tells me we are not to watch as God brings
judgment on others.Is that why we are
not to look back?The past cannot be
changed of course, but we can learn from it.I had been asked to write about some of my childhood memories by my
daughter.Is that what God doesn’t want
me looking back on?
Last Sunday Don and I went for a drive through our local
cemetery called Woodland and it is very large and has many historic people
buried there, along with some of our family members and friends.There is an ugliness about cemeteries this
time of year with the winter trees and so much black mold or black marks all
over so many of the monuments or grave markers…tombstones as Don likes to call
them.It all has the feeling of death.No life found in the cemetery in the winter
time.No birds chirping or squirrels
running around.Maybe looking back is a
little like looking back into time where death reigns.I’m not sure.
I’m praying about what the LORD means by “Do not look back”.Now I’m not sure whether I should tell my
stories, or how to tell the stories.Maybe I am only to live in the here and now.We also need to look forward, even if it is
thinking about God and hoping in the best outcomes for people and situations
and even ourselves.To look back is to
still give our own interpretation of what happened, and why things happened,
and how we understood what happened.Isn’t
the Bible full of looking back so we can learn from their lives and what God
did?
Wow, I just looked at Facebook, and TobyMac had posted this
in the last 4 minutes:
Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do
something brand-new.It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers
in the badlands.Isaiah 43:18-19
Thank you LORD for these verses!How wonderful to have TobyMac or his team
post this just when I was writing about “Do not look back”!“Forget
about what’s happened;don’t keep going
over old history.Be alert, be present.”
My friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.—Philippians 4:8
From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. — John 6:66
When God gives a vision by His Spirit through His word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which Our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ. Do not look at someone else and say — “Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I?” You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God. When you find that a point of view in which you have been delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate, certain things will begin to develop in you — a sense of property and a sense of personal right, things of which Jesus Christ made nothing. He was always against these things as being the root of everything alien to Himself. “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth.” If we do not recognize this, it is because we are ignoring the undercurrent of Our Lord’s teaching.
We are apt to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we have had. If there is one standard in the New Testament revealed by the light of God and you do not come up to it, and do not feel inclined to come up to it, that is the beginning of backsliding, because it means your conscience does not answer to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ, or for going back as a deserter.
Wisdom From Oswald Chambers
To those who have had no agony Jesus says, “I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.” The Shadow of an Agony, 1166 R
Good Morning Friends, I have to laugh because I had to increase the font to large because as I type with normal I can't see the words. Does this mean I'm getting 'oldish'. LOL What a busy past week I've had. We had two granddaughters Friday through Sunday evening. They are 11 and 12 years old. What a privilege and joy they both are! A friend of ours invited us to his neighborhood block party which we took the girls with us. It was at the end of a cul-de-sac. That is a perfect location for a block party. I was my usual uncomfortable. It took me extra long to decide if I was going to eat or not. Most people were done before I decided to eat. Hubby and the girls had all they wanted to eat and enjoyed it. Monday morning I was leaving for Bible study when I got a phone message I thought I'd better listen to. Glad I did. It was Hubby's cousin saying, "Cathy, I need help." I called her right back and she didn't answer. We called again and no answer. Her building is a locked security building, but I told Hubby I was going on over, and he called my Bible study and told them I might not be there. On the way I called 911 and they got there just a minute or two before me, and the maintenance guy had let them in and in her apartment. The LORD provides. She ended up being taken to the hospital for a bad fall. She had crawled through three rooms trying to find her phone, and the phone was virtually dead so very grateful her message came through. Hubby and I and my youngest daughter went to the hospital and waited with her until she was admitted. Now she is in a nursing home getting therapy and hopefully they will find a way for her to stay there. She wants to be there and not living alone any more. Praying for the LORD to help with all the details.
Today is Thursday, when I usually have my girls over for lunch. Only Joan, our youngest can make it today. Our oldest, Donna, has to work and then help with our cousin's settlement into the nursing home. I have cooked pork chops, cilantro rice and mixed vegetables. I must say my pork chops are delicious. I know how to cook them tender and nicely browned. Last night we took another granddaughter, Gracie to her water polo game in Cincinnati. It was a nice time and her team won!! She seem to enjoy being with us! Very nice indeed!
Hope you are doing well, and feeling blessed! Cathy
Monday, September 9, 2019
THE POWER OF WORDS - HELLO~!
Hello! That is a powerful word! It can be an immediate connection with the other person who receives the 'hello'. This simple little word combined with a smile can make the difference between being closed off from people, or opening yourself up to another person. Hello is a word that can change your day or someone else's day.
I recently watched a video of a young man in NYC who was making his last You Tube Video and was actually on his way to end his life. If you had walked past him on the street as he was smiling while making his last video you would have had no idea that he was talking about how much he knew he was at the end of his life. That his smile was not really revealing the pain on the inside. He had felt he had walked a fine line of sanity and insanity. His actions over the past months had chased many people away from him. I read some of those last comments on You Tube and someone had said how nice that would have been if someone on the street had stopped to talk to him. He just might have changed his mind on his end destination which was the River. Even though they have taken down that last video there are others who have made comments on ETIKA death. Just click on ETIKA to see one of the many videos on his downfall.
I was one of the You Tube viewers that saw his last video and some of his videos that showed his downfall with mental health issues. I don't know how much more could have been done, but like the commenter on his last video said, what would have happened if someone had stopped him while he was walking and videoing and said HELLO and asked how he was doing?
WORDS we speak, even a simple HELLO are powerful! Just checking in on someone when they come to your mind. Just sending a text or leaving a comment, or passing someone on the street and speaking Hello even if they are a total stranger. WORDS are connections to others! WORDS are LIFE THEMSELVES! WORDS are impacting.
I have so many thoughts on this subject. How about you? Any thoughts to share?
HELLO, and sending love and hugs and a smile to you today!
Cathy
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org... United States 1-800-273-8255 United Kingdom 116 123 Canada 1 800 456 4566 Ireland 116 123 Philippines 2919 Australia 131 114 France 01 45 39 40 00
Sunday, September 8, 2019
HAPPY SUNDAY
Head colds are no fun. Praying it clears up quickly. In June all my troubles 😫 started with a sore throat.
We are out at a sports grill 😁 with our granddaughter to watch the Browns football team. Go Browns!
Even while I am sitting here I'm thinking about what I want to write. I keep thinking about the power of words. So that's probably something I will write about when I get home.
Hello Friends,
Yes, again it has been 6 months since I posted. I feel I have lost my ability to write or put any thoughts into words on a page. I am serious. See all I can think of is I sentences that do not say much of anything. Yet, my desire is to share these thoughts that I still have a desire to write. Maybe my brain has not been exercised enough to use words any more. Well, it sounds like I need to get started again before I loss my thinking all together. I'm sure some of you think I am kidding but I am not.
As the prayer goes, "LORD, help my unbelief". I am praying, "LORD, help me to remember how to think and use words so they are interesting and have some meaning".
My granddaughter Annie spent last night with us, and has been working on playing the piano last night and this morning. She sounds pretty decent for having never had a lesson or even a sheet of music in front of her. But she is using her ears, and playing keys that sounds good to her. This is what I need to be doing with words. It does help to have some direction, a teacher and some training before getting to far in learning to play the piano. They say practice makes perfect. It sure helps, but what if you are learning it without knowing timing and techniques? She is getting a lot of joy out of trying. This is what I need to do. Find the joy in just getting some words written.
Oh yes, Annie is also recording her practice and listening to them back on an iPad. I will type in my blog and make some 'word' recordings and re-read what I've written to see how I sound! This could be fun again. Right now it sure feels like an exercise.
Thank you for reading this far if you have. I will be back shortly.
Cathy
I want to further explain how I feel I have lost the ability to really communicate. Sometimes we can go through times of depression, or sickness, or just mysteriously losing interest in things and what we use to take for granted is now seeming impossible to get back. It could be joy, or health or a hobby of some kind like sewing or writing. This is where I find myself. I lost most my interests a few years ago. It was like a switch just went off inside of me. So I have just coasted through days and weeks and now years without fighting to keep what use to mean so much to me. Then after a sudden but serious illness this summer, I realized that maybe I have to fight to keep what I know would be in my best interest. God gives each of us abilities or interests for our good, and for His Glory! Whether it is crocheting something to give to others like I use to do or writing to keep in touch with people.
I always loved the verses:
John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do . KJV
Phil 2:13 3 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. KJV
1 Thess 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; KJV
Heb 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. KJV
