The True Nature of God

Book Review Friday

By Barbara Latta

Is God angry with people? Does He punish sin the way He did in the Old Testament?

Do you ever wonder about questions like these and struggle with finding the answers?

Andrew Wommack addresses these and many more issues in his book, The True Nature of God. Explaining God’s dealings with man from the Garden of Eden until the cross, Andrew shows us the difference in God’s mercy and God’s judgment from the law.

This book can help unravel confusion you may have had for years and release you from the bondage of feeling God is out to get you.

This book is available at www.awmi.net or Amazon.

For further teaching Andrew Wommack is teaching on this subject during the television ministry being broadcast now on The Gospel Truth.

Good Doggies

Tuesday's Tips

For those of you who have pets, try this tasty treat to reward those good dogs!

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

½ cup nonfat dry milk

1 egg

½ cup vegetable oil

1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in ½ cup hot water

1 TBL brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients, stirring until well blended. Knead the dough for about two minutes, and then roll out on a floured surface until the dough is ¼ inch thick. Use a bone-shaped cookie cutter to cut out bone shapes. Bake 30 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. Cool on a wire rack.

Remembering Kato, the German Shepherd and Weenie, the Chi-weenie in the front of the pic, our son and daughter-in-law's dogs. Both went to doggie heaven in the last few months.  We will miss you!

What tips do you have for your good doggies?

It's Ok To Cry

by Barbara Latta

I have three friends who lost a parent this week. No matter how old we get that passing will never be easy. Two years ago, I lost my dad. Even though I have experienced the death of grandparents, aunts, and uncles this one was different. Because this was someone I had lived in the same house with, someone who raised me, and who I saw every day until I grew up and left home.

Death is a transition from a life bound by the physical to a glorified, spiritual body that can do anything. We rejoice knowing our loved one is no longer held by the chains of this earthly life. But we still have to cope with the void left behind by their absence. It’s a ripping away of the soul because we have ties with those we love. It hurts. We know they are happy, but we grieve for ourselves because it’s painful to be without them. They are gone, but death leaves a shadow.

But in the pain we can have peace. While I allow myself to grieve, I will not wallow in mourning. I allow myself the memories, but not the despair of regret.

Remembering the joy that is before the loved one who has departed from this earth will bring us comfort if we will dwell on that fact instead of our loss. The separation is only temporary. When I experience grief, I will think about how happy my loved one is in the presence of the Lord. I will give my hurts to God.

Sometimes people pass on without their friends and family having the assurance the loved one was right with God. Be assured God is merciful and allows everyone plenty of chances to make Jesus the Lord of their life before they leave this earth.

 

God knows our pain and He says it’s ok to cry. Just don’t forget that he will one day wipe away our tears.

Feel free to share your thoughts about your experiences with grief.

Love At Any Cost

Book Review Friday

by Barbara Latta

Julie Lessman's first book the the Heart of San Francisco series brings Texas to the California coast. Cassidy McClare is a steer roping cowgirl whose heart has been trampled on by a fortune hunting business man. But when visiting her cousins, she encounters Jamie McKenna and  her will power to resist another "pretty boy" is tested.

A street rat who worked his way up through college and law school to try to better himself and take care of his mother and sister, Jamie McKenna has vowed to marry money to escape the hovels his family has had to endure. But when he meets the McClare from Texas his heart is lassoed by a woman unlike any he has ever met. Can he prove to her he is not after her fortune?

Julie Lessman captures the early 1900's atmosphere of San Francisco's Nob Hill and the contrast of those trying to survive the slums of the Barbary coast. She entwines the story of a girl full of passion and faith in God with a romantic element that stays heated and keeps you guessing.

This book is available at Amazon.

Paris and Churchill

All eyes are on Paris.

Another attack by a militant group of Islamic terrorists brings fear to the world. Why is this a big surprise to anyone? It’s what these people do. It’s what they have always done. This is not something that just started recently. 

The following is a speech delivered by Winston Churchill in 1899!

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! 

Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy; the effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

 A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.

 No stronger retrograde force exists in the world far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.”

Sir Winston Churchill; (Source: The River War, first edition, Vol II, pages 248-250 London)

Remember this religion is a product of our enemy, satan, and this is his destiny:

"When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19). 

Jesus is Lord!

Under The Silk Hibiscus

Book Review Friday

Even those who are alive today and lived through World War II are probably not aware of the complete details of the relocation camps the Japanese-Americans were placed into at the beginning of the war.

Alice J. Wisler's research for this book exposes many situations and circumstances these people endured while under the scrutiny of suspicion. During a time when everything and everyone was suspect, our government had to watch carefully to avoid another attack. No one knew who was an innocent by-stander and who could be a threat.

This story unfolds through the eyes of a teenage Japanese boy relocated to Wyoming with everyone in his family except his father. Fear, hunger, cold, and death awaited them all.

Japanese traditions, language, and ways of life intermingle with the American West while this family seeks to survive and stay together through the harsh winters of Wyoming and a war with no end in sight.

Sparkling Clean

Tuesday's Tips

by Barbara Latta

Some of us may still be cleaning up after the holidays. I like to do some deep cleaning after putting all the decorations away so I am starting off the year with as much as possible scrubbed clean.

This recipe makes a good all-purpose cleaner for counter tops,cabinets, and sinks.

2 oz Dawn dishwashing liquid, 4 oz lemon juice, 8 oz white vinegar, 2 tsp. baking soda, 10 oz water. Mix well in a clean spray bottle and squeeze out the bubbles. If you don't use a lot, I found I didn't need to rinse, I just wiped with a dry towel. However, you could rinse if you use a heavy dose.

Redeeming The Time

 by Barbara Latta

Another year on the calendar has gone by in the blink of an eye. Time is a precious commodity; we can’t get minutes and hours back after they are gone. But one thing we can start the year off with is time management.

Last week’s post was an encouragement to look forward and not be peering into the mirror of yesterday admonishing ourselves about mistakes or missed goals. But we can look back in a positive way. Seeing the mistakes of the previous year can be used to remind us of how to prevent the same ones again. We can learn to redeem our time. Using mistakes as a stepping stone for the future can help us rejoice instead of making us guilty.

This year I am using my planner more wisely. I will keep it open in a place where I can see it every day. I write down meetings, projects, even my daily word count for writing on it. Keeping each day’s list divided into small increments prevents becoming overwhelmed.

For example, I attend a writer’s group meeting once a month from 10:00 – 12:00. I have a one hour drive to and from the meeting. That means the entire morning on that day is blocked off for that purpose. Days before the meeting, I need to get documents ready, so I block off time in the planner for printing, typing, or organizing my notebook. This keeps me from forgetting anything and having it written down makes victories visible.

I can do the same thing with cleaning out the closet, reconciling the bank statement, or exercising. If I miss something one day, I don’t beat myself up. I just start again the next day and work the missed things into other days.

You will be surprised at how much you get accomplished when your time is scheduled. At the end of each day or week you can give yourself a reward such as a small (big smile) piece of chocolate, a movie you want to watch, or a book you want to read.

At the end of the year, you can look back at your planner and give yourself a pat on the back for redeeming your time wisely. Instead of looking at what you missed, you will have a record of all the things you did. You will be surprised at what you accomplished in 2015! 

What are your plans for 2015?

Hungry for God Starving for Time

Book Review Friday

Whether you are a busy single woman or a wife and mother, you sometimes struggle to have the time you need to get everything done. Our priorities can get out of order and our time with God can suffer.

Lori Hatcher shares experiences from her life that have helped her learn to listen to God and find those precious moments where He has spoken through bad hair days, broken down cars, and crying children.

 If you are hungry for God but starving for the time take five minutes each day to delve into this devotional and let it lead you to finding meaning in every big or small mishap of your day.

This book is available at http://barbaralatta.lpcbooks.com

Roll The Lights

Tuesday’s Tips

Are you still trying to get all the Christmas decorations put away?

Do you have a struggle keeping the strings of lights tangle free?

Your empty wrapping paper tubes make great storage for the strings of lights. You can cut them in half if they are too long. Just roll the strands around the tubes leaving the plug end on the top so you can check them the next year without unrolling the whole thing.

Empty paper towel tubes work for this also.

Also, egg cartons work great for small, fragile tree ornaments.

The First Resolution is Don't Look Back

Almost everyone and everything will be focused on New Year’s Resolutions for a few weeks. We will hear about losing weight, saving money, cleaning and exercising, starting new businesses or going back to school.  However, rather than making resolutions each year that I will not be able to keep, I prefer to make small changes in certain areas of my life and become consistent in them to bring myself to the rewards I want to obtain.

Before making any lists, I want to start the New Year with being thankful for all the blessings of last year. Even if you had a bad year with some mishaps or unpleasant circumstances, you can still find something to be thankful for. Instead of beating yourself up for missed goals or opportunities, look at what you did that helped yourself or others.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for:

• The month of December brought serious illness to some of my family members. I am very grateful for their improving health and thankful for the family I have.

• We recently found out our oldest son and his wife are expecting their first child. 2015 will be the year we become grandparents.

• Our youngest son completed a mission trip to Dominican Republic.

• Despite the problems in our government, I am thankful to be living in the greatest nation on earth.

• I am thankful for Christmas and the gift of Jesus God gave to all of us. Because of Him we can look to each New Year with hope and anticipation for what He has in store for us.

• Lastly, I am thankful for these words penned by the Apostle Paul: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Don’t spend this year looking in the mirror of regret about last year’s mistakes or missed goals. This is a new year with a new purpose.

What are you thankful for about last year and what do you see for yourself in 2015?