An Answer to Prayer

(Picture courtesy of the monsoon season in southwest Arizona)

Good things have been happening. I went to our church's ladies bible study last Thursday. A great welcome was held out to me. After one time there, I feel a part of the group. I have been longing for this fellowship. Why I hesitated to go, was only my own fear. Now I see those fears were absolutely unfounded. The ladies are as warm as our weather, kind and fun. It was held at the Pastor's house with his wife as the leader.

During the course of the study, as we diverged into what she calls, one of the"rabbit trails"(getting off the subject), I heard that the Pastor needed a secretary to help him get organized and set up a few new ideas in motion, etc, etc. I went home a prayed about it. I got my answer during Sunday morning bible study before church service. It came to me clearly that I should offer my services. So before service, I pulled her aside and offered to do it. She said to come speak to the Pastor after services. I did. He has a lot of interesting things that he wants to do. Since I am an accountant, I will also be helping with setting up the church's accounting program. I will be helping with flyers and the bulletin.

I am excited to finally be doing something to use my skills. They offered to pay me $10/hr for 5 hours a week. Instead, I am going to donate the time. This is a teeny church. The people who go here are not rich. And of all things that could happen, about a month ago, they were broken into and anything of value was stolen. Our Pastor works full-time as a computer information technology person for a company in the Phoenix area. How could I take money from them? I love this church. The Pastor and his wife love Jesus and they are trying to spread God's word and work. I believe that this is the place for me to be at this time in my life and I believe that God led me to this place as a church family.

God has answered my prayers in His way. I needed fellowship and the Lord provided the best kind. Worship, bible study and work--all in fellowship with Christians. What more could I ask?
Well, let me tell you the other part. After I left the Pastor, I said hello and introduced myself to one of two ladies standing in the sanctuary as I was leaving. She already knew that I was going to be the Pastor's secretary. She and I conversed a while and she offered me work with the elections board. They don't pay much, but it will be interesting work. I'll get to work during all the elections, local, state and U.S. How about that?

I am thrilled to recognize an answer to prayer. It's been 1 year and 3 months since I have had a job. I send out resumes every few days. I subscribe to several city's job postings and check the newspapers for jobs constantly. It's just that until the last few months, I was still holding on to the old attitude toward work. If I had started work in any old office, I probably would have been up to my old habits before long. I am a recovering workaholic, you see. I like being at work more than anything, because I do work better than I do anything else. (relationships & keeping house, for example). When my prayer partner got the job she had been wanting a few weeks ago, I found it hard not be be envious and think, "Yeah, but what about me, God? Haven't I been praying longer than her?" Instead, I prayed and laid my disappointment at Jesus feet. He lifted me up and I could be happy for my friend's success.

God knows what I need and after many months of prayer with my prayer partner, I have gotten my attitude adjusted. Lessons I have learned: Obedience to the Lord's leading, listening instead of talking, studying to know God better, gratitude for Jesus our Savior, praising instead of complaining, and giving of myself to forget about myself.

Praise the Lord for answered prayer. And this is just the beginning................

Friday’s Feast One Hundred & Eight

From Susan at www.fridaysfeast.blogspot.com

Appetizer
If you could have a free subscription to any magazine, which one would you like to have?
Martha Stewart Living. I like her decorating ideas, recipes and the pictures in the magazine are gorgeous.

Soup
Describe your living room (furnishings, colors, etc.).
It’s what they call a great room. Kitchen, dining room and living room all flow together. We are in transition right now. Changing from antiques to more modern stuff. We have a matching horsehair sofa and chair in a deep green with accent pillows made of antique drapery fabric. A settee that is wood with a damask pale salmon & off white fabric seat and back panels, a 6-foot antique dark walnut display cabinet with curved glass that holds inherited crystal and English bone china teacups. Our coffee table is made out of my grandmother’s oak kitchen table with the legs cut down. It has a large silver tray on it with a tea service that is Royal Doulton Old Country Roses pattern. There’s an antique silver-veined mirror above the couch and a hand-painted large fan on the display cabinet. We are going to be selling the couch and chair and putting the settee in another room soon. We will be using the family room furniture(also dark green—but made of ultrasuede). We have 2 oak cabinets 7 ft. tall by 4 ft. wide that we will be using on either side of our entertainment center(once we refinish it to the same color). We have had the antique furniture for 25 years and it’s time for a change.

Salad
What does the shape of a circle make you think of?
The sun, the moon and my wedding ring.

Main Course
Name 3 things in your life that you consider to be absolute necessities.
My Bible, electricity(having had to deal with several blackouts this monsoon season), and friends.

Dessert
What was the last really funny movie you watched?
You’ve Got Mail

Who We Pray For

This is a picture of our friend and his 11-year old daughter. I don't have a current picture of his 13-year old son. He's the one that lost his wife last December 2nd. It's nice to see them smiling.

On Sunday, during bible study, our leader asked us to write down who we pray for every day. Until I did that, I didn't realize that I hadn't been praying for this family any more. And they definitely need prayer.

He was brought up to believe in nothing. He is very self-reliant and outwardly doesn't seem to be affected by the loss of his wife. Well, in some instances, like disciplining the children. He tends to get angry and show it when the kids frustrate him. Julie used to handle everything for the kids. Now he tries to be everything to them. I know they miss her, because they don't smile very often. There isn't anything Phil and I can do to cheer them up, it seems. If anyone could do it, Phil could. He's the world's best cheerer-upper. The son, Austin, likes talking to Phil a lot and they talk about all kinds of things. But neither of us can get thru to the daughter, Haley.

She only seems to cheer up slightly when we are shopping. She constantly wants us to buy her things. Not little things, big, expensive things. We can't afford it, so we don't go shopping with her very often. She focuses on "things" as a means of escape. But as we all know, getting something new only raises your spirits temporarily. Their dad will not let me take them to church with me, as he says, when they get old enough to take themselves to church, they can go if they want to. He doesn't believe in psychiatry either, so they have never gone to counselling after the death of their wife/mother.

So my only recourse to intercede for them is prayer.

Lord, today I pray for this family. Take care of them, help them to find their way to you. Look after the spiritual, mental and emotional well-being of the kids especially. I pledge today, Lord, to keep them in my prayers daily.

Friday 8/19 Feast

Hosted by: Susan at this website http://fridaysfeast.blogspot.com/
(Can't get blogger to post the picture for some reason)

APPETIZER
What color is your car?
It's a metallic dark slate gray

SOUP
If you could wake up tomorrow with a full training in another occupation and a job in that field, what would it be?
A chef of a 4-star restaurant

SALAD
How many times in your life have you had the flu(or something similar)?
I always caught the flu every year. Once I was able to get flu shots from the time they came out with them and then in 2005, there wasn't enough vaccine to go around, so I caught it and was sick about 2 weeks. Couldn't get a shot once again in 2006 and managed to avoid it for many months, then came down with it last March.

MAIN COURSE
What is something that has happened to you this week that you didn't expect?
We were having several tons of dirt trucked in to our backyard, as it is a low area. On the second load of dirt, the hauler got stuck in our soil--moondust, remember. He wasn't driving fast enough and the belly dump let the dirt out too fast and he got high-centered on the dirt. This was at 4:00pm--the hottest part of our day in Arizona. The truck driver, my husband and I spent an hour and ten minutes digging it out in about 106 degree weather. Never expected to be doing that!

DESSERT
How old were you when you had your first kiss?
The standard age for the era that I grew up--16 years old.

Saturday Photo Hunt--Theme: Funny

We had just cleared the table from Christmas dinner, when Harry, the Shih Tzu hopped up on the chair and sat down, prepared to be served.

Met a New Blogger Today

I love blogging because of the infinite variety of people who post; each one giving me exposure to new things to ponder and wonder. This picture came from Rob's blog at www.unspace.net I went to his blog because he made a comment on my Friday Feast posting.

The pictures on his blog are beautiful excerpts from nature, most in his own backyard. I spent about an hour there, reading and viewing. The most fun I had was reading about his and Nancy's birds.

I have always been fascinated by birds as pets(family members) and have known and loved friend's birds. 40 years ago, I worked with Ed Fullmer--he and his wife and kids kept Macaws. Their 4 macaws had the run of the house and were magnificent. My manacurist has a yellow-head named Coco who will talk your ear off and maybe bite it too! My husband and I used to visit a pet store just so I could be with the birds. I fell in love with a big male sulfur-crested cockatoo. We couldn't afford him, as he was $15,000, but as long as we lived in California, I would go visit him at least once a week. We don't have any birds, because we have 3 small house dogs and while I am sure that we could have a bird, I don't think we should have a bird. I know that birds need a lot of attention and interaction. With 3 dogs, I have a hard enough time just giving them enough attention.

Anyway, back to Rob's blog--he is a talented writer and I really enjoyed reading his posts. If you have a chance, stop by his blog for a great read on many subjects.

5 Ingredient Friday

Our Host: http://overwhelmedwithjoy.blogspot.com/

armesan or 4 Cheese Crusted Chicken Breasts

4 Chicken breasts, flattened (or not--your preference)
1 Cup grated parmesan or the Italian 4 cheese blend(you can buy pre-grated)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper(or to taste)
Best Foods Mayonnaise to coat one side of the chicken

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or barbeque to high. Mix nutmeg and pepper in with cheese so it's evenly distributed. Dry chicken breasts pieces. Spray baking pan or barbeque pan with cooking spray. Smear mayonnaise on top side of chicken breast. Sprinkle each breast with 1/4 of cheese. Press the cheese into the mayo slightly. Cook 15-25 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat. Cheese should be golden and crispy. Best served with buttered spaghetti that has fresh chopped tomatoes, garlic and basil tossed in.

A couple of notes. If you grate the parmesan, use the small side of the grater, not the usual side that makes a powder. If you can't find the Italian 4 cheese blend in your store, you can make it yourself by grating together equal parts: parmesan, asiago, provolone(aged hard) and romano cheeses.

I've served this many times to small groups or large parties. Everyone loves it (if they like chicken) and it looks very gourmet.

Friday's Feast 106

http://fridaysfeast.blogspot.com/

Appetizer
Tell about a toy you remember from your childhood. One Christmas when my sister and I were small, we each received a plush teddy bear that had a music box in it which played Brahm's Lullaby. I have loved music boxes ever since.
Soup
If you could make one thing in the world absolutely free for everyone, what would it be? I'll bet a lot of us say this one......a bible in the person's own language.
Salad
Approximately how many times a day do you think about your significant other? I think of him several times an hour. Although we are currently both home all the time--he is retired and I am between jobs, he likes to spend a lot of time in "his" garage working on projects and I am in the house, working on my various cleaning, cooking, sewing, blogging projects. I can sometimes hear him banging, welding or sawing and I think of him and wonder what he's working on.
Main Course
What is something you believe in 100%? That I am washed clean of sin and saved by the blood of Jesus. That because of His death and resurrection, I am a child of God. That I will be caught up in the air to meet Him when He returns for His people. That He is the Shepherd and I am a lamb in His flock. That the Holy Spirit gives me guidance and the strength to carry it through. That prayer really does change things. That I have a personal relationship with God and by reading His word, the Bible, I can know Him and live a joyful, forgiven life.
Dessert
Name one thing you have done this week that you would consider a "good deed" I'm helping our friend, Chris, get his business started, as I have a long history of business/accounting experience. His 38-year-old wife died suddenly last December and both my husband and I do everything we can to be a support to him.

The Tooth Saga

Here's the story of my day today. Well, first let me start with what happened on Sunday. Well, let me give a little background. After each meal, I floss. For years, when I was younger, every time I went to the dentist for a cleaning, the hygenist would urge me to floss. I would floss for the first few days and then quit. I hated twirling my fingers around that "string" and shoving both hands in my mouth.

Finally, they came out with those individual flossing things, the dentist called them sword flossers, cause there was a toothpick end and a floss end and it looked like a buccaneer's sword. I loved them. They worked great.......I got addicted to them. I carry 10 or 20 in my purse. There's a package in both bathrooms and beside my chair where I watch tv or read. I use them every time I eat.....anything. I really am addicted to them--but it's a good addiction!

Back to Sunday. So after dinner, I was flossing. It seemed like I had some sand in my mouth and I thought, "Now where did that come from?" Then I felt my lower last molar--part of the filling had broken off. Oh great! I haven't found a dentist in our new community(well.......not so new, we've been here a year, already). I went to my former dentist for 40 years--I'm not exaggerating, I first went to him when I was 19 and now I am......do the math. I just didn't know how to pick a dentist, so I kept putting it off. When my filling kept crumbling more and more I called mom and asked her for her dentist's name and number, cause I knew she just loved him. I was going to drive 200 miles to go to a dentist that I knew I would like. I got an appointment for next Tuesday, the 15th.

The filling kept crumbling and food kept getting stuck there and I kept flossing and finally today, the whole front of the filling came out. The interior of my tooth was exposed and I knew I just couldn't wait any longer to see a dentist. So I called West Coast Dental Clinic. They said they could take me as soon as I could get there and they would squeeze me in. They did and now I have a brand new filling. That's the good news.

The bad news is, I have 2 more fillings that have to be replaced. I am a teeth grinder & clencher when I sleep. I have worn a night guard on my teeth since I was 19, but I also clench my teeth during the day. I also eat ice compulsively. I love foods that are very hard and very crunchy--you know, like Cornnuts, hard french bread, Jordan almonds, etc. But most of all I love ice. I love a big glass of ice water and once the water is gone, there's my favorite thing, the ice. I buy ice by the 20 pound sack causeI don't like icemaker ice. Yecch. I want the clear, hard stuff.

I was informed by this dentist today that I have fractures in most of my teeth and I must immediately and forever stop chewing on ice and all other hard and crunchy foods. That was quite a paradigm shift for me. My teeth have always been strong. I guess when you get older, even your teeth age. This will be a new eating challenge, for sure. Lord willing and hopefully with His strength, I can change my eating habits.

What We've Been Up To

In spite of the heat, we have been working on our yard. We got a deal on our concrete because we dug it out ourselves. That driveway is 40 feet wide and 25 feet long. The walkway is 38 feet by 4 feet.

Then, we went to our friends and picked up boulders to line the driveway. We just finished putting those down today. Tomorrow we will go get as many more as the truck will hold because we are using them also to form a dry creek bed which will be 100 feet long and about 5 feet wide. So sorry I don't visit or write on blogs lately, but my arms feel like they are gonna fall off once we stop work for the day.

I have been experiencing a closer walk with the Lord due to the prayers that Marlene and I pray often as we link up over our cellphones a few times a week. Now I have been experiencing daily direction from the Holy Spirit in that still small voice of God. I am having some measure of success in controlling my tongue, both in volume and demeanor, praise God.