Our routine...bread day!

Just a quick peek into the ordinary of our life...

At least once a week...but usually twice (Monday and Thursday) I make bread.  

We don't buy bread from the store except for the occasional hot dog buns 

or pumpernickel rye-haven't figured that one out yet!)

Because we don't buy from the store, there are no preservatives (which is good) 

but it is ready for the chickens after day 3....it just doesn't last.

That makes me think of the bread that DOES last.
The bread that we must ALL have to have eternal life

It is fitting that today is called Maunday Thursday (or the Holy Thursday) and is considered the night that Jesus had His last supper with the disciples.  (Nissan 14).

John 6:48-51 NKJV  Emphasis mine

" I am the bread of life. 49/Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50/ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51/ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

I am not an eloquent writer, nor am I a very good "preacher/teacher".  I wish I had the words that are in my heart that I want to convey here.

What does this say to you?  What it says to me is also in the words of Jesus.  The words I rely on and am so humbly thankful for..everyone, it seems, knows John 3:16

16/ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

But it's verses 17 and 18 that give me the blessed assurance..

17/ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved  18/He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only 

begotten Son of God."

How awesome is that?!?

And so as I can smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread, 

I am reminded of the "Living Bread" 

  

I'm Thankful for...Day 10

Today I am grateful for my disabilities.

My gratefulness is probably surprising.  It's easy to thank God for all the blessing and good things in our lives. But did you ever consider thanking Him for something that doesn’t seem like a blessing—such as a trying circumstance you want Him to remove or change? A grateful heart is most precious to God when, humanly speaking, we really don't want to give thanks.

The afflictions of this life are God’s powerful invitation into deeper intimacy with Himself. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.  I can count it all joy when I meet trials of various kinds,  for I know that the testing of my faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3)

If we don’t experience difficulty, why would we need God in our day-to-day lives?  Troubles move us toward Christ. 

The apostle Paul was the greatest Christian who ever lived. Paul was given insight into the things of God that no other New Testament writer was given.  He even saw things he was not permitted to describe. So why should Paul, of all people, suffer affliction? 

2 Corinthians 12:7-10. 
  7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Real faith is not receiving from God what we want, but it is accepting from God what He gives. He is good and faithful, and so thank Him and praise Him anyway

 

 

 

Romans 8:28

I'm thankful for.....Day 1

I am most thankful for my salvation.  That the God that created the world cared enough about sinful little me to send His blameless Son to die for me....there aren't words enough!!

Life is hard, but God is real.  I look forward to the day I can run into His arms like the child that I am and be embraced by Him.  Daily I fail in my mission to be like Him, but everyday I begin again, forgiven my His Everlasting Love. 

Trusting in Jesus is the easiest yet hardest thing to do.  Knowing that we are not worthy for such forgiveness is crushing, but Grace gives us the opportunity to be adopted into the family of God.

 

I don't know where this picture came from, as I found it on Pinterest.  I would love to give credit to whomever wrote it because it is so simple, but eloquently done.

 

 

Grandpa

Papa (my Dad), Danny, Me, Grandpa (Dad's Dad) and Nana (my Mom)

I wasn't on my blog for most of June.  On May 28, 2013 my Grandfather turned 95.

On June 13, 2013, my Grandfather passed away.  It's been a hard time.  Especially for my Father.  He would take Grandpa to breakfast or lunch every single day.  He is the one that found him.

We had to clean out my Grandfather's house....I don't know how long he had lived there, but at least my whole entire life.  That's a LONG time.

My grandfather had a sharp sense of humor.  I was blessed to spend time with him to the very end.  He passed away unexpectedly (as unexpectedly as you can get at 95).  Just a few days before I had a very "ordinary" day with him.  Taking him to the bank, driving around in the rain,  getting Burger King and taking it to my parents home to eat. 

He loved listening to Cow Stories.  He wanted more than anything to see me walk a couple of pigs home this summer. 

I will miss my Grandpa and pray more than anything that he did know the saving Grace of Jesus.  If you unexpectedly died tonight, are you POSITIVE that you would go to heaven?  There is no sin that is "unforgivable." Did you know that? 

My faith in Christ is who and what I am.  I know I blog about the farm and my family and "trivial" things all the time.  But the most important thing you could know about me and my family is we are waiting for the "twinkling of the Eye" when Christ will call us home.  Are you ready?  The thing we pray for the most is that our walk would glorify our Heavenly Father and our Savior.  And we pray for everyone we know and love that we could be sure that we will see you in the Kingdom.

Can you imagine getting a speeding ticket...going to court...and knowing that you deserve the penalty...only to stand up to be told, your punishment, your fine had been taken care of by someone that did nothing wrong?  That's what Jesus did. 

The "recipe" for salvation is found in Romans.

Romans Road of Salvation

1. Everyone needs salvation because we have all sinned.
   
   Romans 3:10-12, and 23
   As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” ... For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (NLT)
   
2. The price (or consequence) of sin is death.
   
   Romans 6:23
   For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)
   
3. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the price for our death.
   
   Romans 5:8
   But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (NLT)
   
4. We receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
   
   Romans 10:9-10, and 13
   If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved ... For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NLT)
   
5. Salvation through Jesus Christ brings us into a relationship of peace with God.
   
   Romans 5:1
   Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. (NLT)
   
   Romans 8:1
   So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT)
   
   Romans 8:38-39
   And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)

Know that I love you, but there is Someone that loves you MORE!