GOSPELICIOUS---ANOTHER TASTE

Gospelicious 

Taste and See the Lord is good!

How does one heightened their taste buds for the gospel message?

Opening her/his Bible might be first step! One word. One verse. One chapter. Whet your appetite for truth. 

For example, entering a candy shop for the first time, one might be overwhelmed at all the choices and appreciate the opportunity to have a taste before deciding what to choose.

For me, I started today in Psalm 34:1. I was "all in" with the very first verse.

It's important to bless the LORD at all times. The whole number of nouns.  Circumstances. (New job or laid off)  Events. (Births to funerals) Healthy or sick. Weary or energized. 

At least each truth has merit for understanding the Christian life.

(v. 4) The LORD delivers from all my fear.

A meager beginning---think small taste---but I already see that God is good! (v.8) 

A delicious taste of truth! Gospelicious!

SATURDAY SURPRISE!

Picnic in close-by Great Smoky Mountains National Park away from the weekend throngs.

A table all to ourselves with a tasty lunch I did not have to prepare!

Sharing Scripture --from a fave......Psalm 34. Glorifying the Lord and exalting His name together as chum WH had inspired us to do earlier this morn. Our focus was on verse 4 as I am seeking to "live" without fear with hubby's ongoing support.

We stopped by a floral wonderland in our "kin" BB & Poppy's yard! I took over 9 pix for my Seek collection! 

Her cosmos grabbed my heart! 

The BIG surprise was when hubby produced some Lowes' reward money and took me there to stock up on their "on-sale" flowers --total = $4.28! WOW! Some to share with neighbors who have continued to bless us and "keep me in the pink" day after day!

Surprise! Surprise!! We "ran-in" to (crossed paths with, not an accident) our daughter and son-in-law while gassing up to head home!

I thank we had moment after moment of tasting and seeing that God is good! (Psalm 34:8)

Maybe a better title for this entry would be a plural!

Saturday Surprises!!

RELAX! RECHARGE! RENEW!

Relax. Recharge. Renew.

3 Rs for the aging! Cannot be done alone! In His Presence is key!

Sarah Young (May 25) reminds readers the importance of turning from problems (ours) to Presence (His) Tangled thoughts with anxious knots get us no where....except maybe the ER!

Choose time in His Word. A creekside walk. A Porch "sit." 

Maybe even a nap to recharge one's body. 

A Word Search of "fear not" verses for a mind renewal. (Romans 12:2)

As for me, this week, I am camped out in the Psalms! 

ROOM WITH A VIEW!

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Oh what a day!

Smoky Mountain Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy.

PT. Efficient Renee. Smiling Hannah. A busy Eric.

Mounds of equipment.

Blurr. Woobly. Imbalance.

Exercise Repetition.

Water. Fat pretzel. Can't swallow.

Upchuck.Weak. Fear. Unsteady. 

Ambulance Ride (backwards)  70-90 MPH, per hubby in pursuit

"Stay with me, Mrs. L." 

Open your eyes. Lift your arms.

Projectile Vomiting. Source?

Increased intra cranial pressure.

Mission Hospital Asheville, NC.

Woozy. Gurney Ride.

Room A#523. 

Testing Blur.

815 beds.

A bed. Warm blankets. Ebony/LEL contrasting humor. 

A VIEW comes into view!

A wide-eyed "Ahhhh.............."

Spirit-led adjustments needed.

"I sought the Lord." Others sought the Lord on my behalf. (Psalm 27:13)

"He delivered. No more fear".....(Psalm 34:4) only discomfort......

in a tiny room with an exquisite view. 

ANXIETY--RX

So much one could say but....

...sometimes a Lockhart, Alabama "pithy grabbing" church sign can say it BEST....

along with God's word!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Visual road reminders and God's word, (Psalm 34:4) a great RX for anxiety.

R--Rated Blog

3/22/10 For Mature Audiences Only---some material may be inappropriate for anyone under 50. Some “spring chickens” won’t get it or will just be bored by such irrelevant information. Those folks can just skip to the verse at the bottom for today’s meditation. It’s a timeless verse perfect for wherever your life’s juncture is at the moment---no kids, pre kids, with kids, between kids, after kids. Your fears are all so “here and now” whereas the more senior folks are facing new sets of fears. Regardless of the fear, deliverance is possible.

The circumstances of this past year have had a way of reminding me that time was passing---rather quickly, it seemed. All of us know that God’s timetable for our life ticks on until….we just don’t know when the “until” will be. But somehow there is a greater sense of knowing that you’re moving toward it. It’s not morbid---just awareness that things are changing somewhat. It certainly seems to take longer to do what was once done in a flash. There’s also frustration when energy flags and body parts ache without much provocation or there are gaping black holes in our thinking when we try to retrieve even a simple word. Or the way some clerks overlook us or dismiss us as if we’re children, unless they want to sell us anti-aging stuff at the cosmetic counter.
Sometimes it’s a little harder to look ahead and be optimistic of what’s ahead. Health wise for ourselves. Concern for all that lies in wait for our children and our grandkids. In contrast, our son, Josh, is about to embark on a new life as a married man with much ahead of him. He hasn’t begun to hear his “life ticks.” He and Megan are both full of ideas for lots of plans and travels for "tomorrow."

Aging can have a sadness aspect linked to memories past---those moments we can never recapture. I still want to pick up the phone and call Mother and share my moments with her.

But now there’s also the realization that even things that only happen for a short while can have value. Moments matter. I had such a moment yesterday. As steam was swirling outside from the dryer vent (drying all the “fro-up” linens) and the wind was blowing rivulets of raindrops across the large plate glass window in the breakfast area, Caleb (4) and Noah (6) sat mesmerized as they watched the birds and munched their Lance Toast Chee crackers. They each had a Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of North America and would stop to “read “ the pictures occasionally. Orange cracker crumbs caught on the windowsill. The birds didn’t seem to mind the rain or their observers and I certainly didn’t mind the cracker crumbs. I reveled in the moment. Hopefully it is burned in my memory.

Home is where one starts from. As we grow older

The world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated

Of dead and living. Not the intense moment
Isolated, with no before and after,

But a lifetime burning in every moment
("East Coker" by T.S. Eliot, )

As always God’s word is the perfect antidote for this malady know as ________________. Mine’s aging. I’m giving my fear of an unpredictable earthly future to the Lord. You fill in your own blank, then take it to the Lord.

I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)