Small Gifts

Yesterday, I went to Flower Acres to get produce. I was near the end of the line, so a lot of the stuff had been given away by the time I got there. But, I got a watermelon, a big bag of white potatoes and a bag of sweet potatoes.

Guess what I did for supper tonight? Yep. Meat and tators. LOL

Tuesday night at work, a truck driver came in with a box. There were two trays of dippable veggie trays in it, with ranch dressing in the middle. He said his truck had been loaded with too much and he was trying to get rid of the excess. I grabbed both of them and he was happy to be rid of them.

I gave one to a co-worker, and put the other in the fridge to take home with me. Then, I forgot it. I messaged my manager later and told her she could have it, as I wouldn't be returning to work until Friday night and I didn't want them to go to waste. She gladly accepted them.

God is always giving me small gifts. Then, He gives me opportunities to give small gifts to others. My cup runneth over.

God of Angel Armies

My son just posted a quote on his timeline that hit the point dead on:

"To realize that liars do not fear the truth if there are enough liars.. The devil is just one man with a plan. But evil, true evil, is a collaboration of men."
Quoted from Mulder of The X Files (Season 9, episode 19, "The Truth")

When God created the Angels, He did not want mindless robots. The Angels, according to Biblical Lore, became complacent in their existence, until ONE Angel, Lucifer (AKA Satan) challenged the status quo and caused chaos to erupt in Heaven, thus forcing God to remind His children that He was not only God, but their Creator, and that He loved them enough not to let them destroy all He had created for them.

Thus, the earth was born, and man was created. It was to prove to the Angels how much, and with what determination that God loved. It was with the premise that the Angels were to "get right" or "get left". He didn't just snap His fingers and say, "enough, go to hell, devil!" and leave it at that. He wanted the Angels to understand WHY He was making that decision, so He would not have to take their free will from them.

And, He wanted Lucifer to understand as well -- but Lucifer was too rebellious and too proud to admit any wrong-doing. He had power (given to him by God), and he knew how to use it. Why did he need God? Why did any of them need God?

God laid out a plan, in which mankind was the creation, He was the Creator, and free will was in effect. In his quest for knowledge, man set about making the same mistakes Lucifer had made.

And Satan is heard daily, laughing in the background, while God patiently waits for his children to realize the error of their ways and call on Him to deliver them -- because they choose to.

God knew that one day this lesson would have to have a point. He knew that this lesson would have to be learned in order for free will to survive. So, He sent Jesus to show all of creation how much He was willing to give them. His only son. His greatest Creation.

Love in the flesh.

Lucifer/Satan had succeeded in turning the hearts of many angels and many men by his logical and seemingly rational questions against God's judgment and will for their existence. He is still working toward that today.

Soon, He will be stopped, because God has already announced that this is only temporary. Soon, He will clean up the mess Lucifer made, and expect those who are left to trust Him alone as God, rather than themselves.

After all, they were created for HIS glory, not their own.

He wants to show us love, but we have to want it. We have to reach for it, we have to practice it with as much patience and charity and joy as He gives us to do it with, in the face of those who would fight us tooth and nail to be more than God has made or allowed them to be.

And, when many rebellious men work together, there is chaos, eventually, on a scale that only God can fix.

Sure, He could have just created Lucifer and not given him free will. He could have sat him on a shelf until He needed the beautiful angel to do something for Him. It would have been empty and boring -- and God didn't want empty and boring. Have you ever played with a robot? Have you ever tried to tell a computer how you feel and felt the love that a computer can give you back? Has a computer ever stood up for you, or been willing to die for you? A computer only has what information is given it by it's creator, or programmer. It doesn't learn on it's own. It doesn't exist where it is not wanted or needed. It is a tool.

God wanted friends, not tools.

John 15
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

How would you feel if you had no choice? Strike that, you wouldn't. One would do good to realize that without free will is non-existence as an original individual. One might as well be part of Star Trek's "Borg" without free will.

Chain Breaker

Everyone has that one friend. You know, the one who is negative about everything, every day. Nothing good ever happens to them. All they do is complain, and then wonder why no one wants to be around them. They wonder why they are so lonely, or why no one seems to care, or why bad things always seem to happen to them, and no one is there to help pick them up.

The truth is that no one CAN help them. Any attempt to help them will probably get them into the same quicksand. No one likes drama. And, any word of encouragement is met with more negativity and expectation that exceeds anyone's ability.

Many times, the one who claims to hate drama on a regular basis is the one who is most dramatic, in that they refuse to change who they are in order to be who God wants them to be. There will always be drama when you are outside of God's Will for your life.

There is really only one way out of the dilemma that "friend" is facing: Jesus. If they could but put their focus on Him, start doing what He has commanded us to do, then things would get better. They complain that God doesn't care about them, or has never done anything for them. When they do, I am reminded of what Jesus said:

Matthew 13:15:
" For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

A person who claims that God has never done anything for them is one who refuses to let God work in their life. God can't do anything with an unwilling soul. But, if God didn't care, Jesus would have never existed.

In plain English: Some people don't want to hear. They don't want help. They are comfortable in their lifestyle, even though it makes them miserable. After all, if they would only listen to those who have found the joy and peace and love and friendship that they want so badly, they might actually see change in their lives. They might actually look forward to tomorrow with gladness. They might actually acknowledge the Power of God in their lives and be successful, happy, at peace, and realize that nothing makes you feel more loved than learning to love right.

We can talk until our lips turn blue, but most of us stop at a certain point and just sit back and watch...because we feel helpless to help anyone who won't help themselves. The best help comes from the One who gave His life for you.

Computers vs. Humanity: Star Trek, Our Country, and Social Security

Oh, yes. We have come so far.

Watching Star Trek has inspired me to ask my computer questions and expect an answer.

Last night, a man who represented the Convention of the States came into the restaurant. He first talked to some customers who were already eating who had noticed his T-shirt (If my flag offends you I will help you pack).

Then, two other gentlemen came in. He wandered over to their table and spoke with them. I heard him telling one of them about how we need to act in order to preserve our heritage and what we stand for as a nation. The man in front of him said, "But, isn't that why we elected Donald Trump?"

I couldn't help myself. I exclaimed, "Donald Trump is not the end all be all. I mean what is going to happen in 8 years when he is no longer president? We need to stay vigilant."

The man in the flag T-shirt then said, "I TOTALLY Agree with you. That is why..." and he went on to explain things to the man and his friend...

Anyway, I was sitting here thinking about all this as I was watching Star Trek. Somehow I began to think about Social Security and how we are in danger of losing that. What is going to happen to us when there are is no more money in Social Security for our retirement.

Then, I found myself saying, "Computer: who was the first person ever to receive a social security check?"

I checked myself, then went to google and typed the same question:

According to SSA historians, Ernest Ackerman was the first recipient of Social Security benefits -- 17 cents, paid to him in January 1937. The first person to receive monthly benefits was Ida May Fuller from Vermont, who retired in November 1939 and started collecting benefits in January 1940 at age 65.

This was the answer I got.

Star Trek...

I was talking to a customer the other night. He asked the question: "Do you realize all the stuff that was in those shows that are reality now?"

I said yeah.

He said, "It makes you wonder..."

I said, "You mean, is all that stuff here because of the inspiration of the shows, or because it was already here and they used the shows to help us get used to the idea?"

He said, "Yeah, exactly."

Computer: How much further, technologically, can we advance and still remain "human"?

"The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers" -- Sydney J. Harris

Teaching my son to love books...

Memories of homeschooling:

My oldest was was in the 3rd grade. He refused to open a book to read it. The only books he was really interested in were picture books...and Dr. Seuss...

I had to change this. So, I chose a book by Anne Rice. I know...bad choice for so young a mind. I was new to this home-schooling stuff. I was new to politics and conservative viewpoints. I was a very young mother.

So, at night, before he went to sleep, he and my younger son would pile on my bed and I would read them a chapter.

I wondered if it made a difference. They started out fussing about it. "No mom! Do we HAVE to?" Then after several chapters they accepted that they weren't going to get out of it.

I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I wondered if I was doing it right...

Then, one night as I read and we neared the end of a chapter, in which the hero of the story was about to do something really exciting, and I slowed my reading, readying myself to close the book for the night...

My son said, "NOOOO! You better NOT stop there!"

And then mean ol' mom said, "Oh, yes. It's time for bed. We'll have to see what happens tomorrow."

After I tucked them in and went into the living room to spend time with my husband, I had a hunch. I went back to check on my oldest son.

Sure enough, he had secretly obtained the book from my room and was reading it. Of course, I had to take it from him, but I went to bed satisfied.

Mission accomplished.

Thirza Peevey, Karrott Topp

Storing for the Future...

WHEW!

I am beat. I've worked hard today and it is supposed to be my day off. LOL

But, I have accomplished a great deal. I boiled all but 5 of my tomatoes. I put them all in cottage cheese containers and placed the lids on them, and used labeling tape to label the containers "boiled tomatoes" with a black sharpie.

Then, I cleaned out my defrosted freezer and re-stocked my freezer with the zuchini I still have, red bell peppers I still have, and the salisbury steaks that I was blessed with today.

I now have 8 cottage cheese containers of boiled tomatoes stored for later consumption. It isn't like canned tomatoes, but it will keep for the same purpose as long as my freezer works, God-willing. If anything happens to my freezer, I am not worried. I have neighbors who know how to eat.

Yes, I save plastic containers with lids. I was raised around a bunch of backwoods rednecks. What do you expect? LOL

Then I had to clean my kitchen. OMG. There was tomato sauce EVERYWHERE: on my cabinets, on the wall, on (and in) the stove, and on the floor. It was a nightmare. LOL But, I got it done.

I think I am going to wait until tomorrow to start chopping and storing the onions. At least, they will keep longer without preparation than the tomatoes would have.

I probably should boil and store the cabbage, too. But, for now, I am going to sit in front of my computer and watch Star Trek: The Next Generation, while I peel and bag my oranges for the freezer. They make great orange sauce for chicken dishes, not to mention smoothies and other desserts...

If you serve Jesus, Make Him look good.

I realize beggers can't be choosers, but if you are going to serve Jesus, please make Him look good.

I took Sean and Rose to Flower Acres today to show them how to get produce that Flower Acres gives away every other Thursday. Sean and Rose do not have jobs. They live on a fixed income. Both are seeing doctors for medical conditions. They waited two months for someone to help them get something they could sleep on because they couldn't afford a bed. So, no, they can't afford groceries. They need help and I helped them.

BTW: Sean is fixing to have surgery on his hips, back and neck. He certainly didn't need to sleep on the floor any more.

And, I got blessed too, because even though I have a job, I am barely making my bills each month. I certainly can't afford a bill of groceries every two weeks like I used to. I spend about $5/day on dinner. It's all I can afford. I save my change for days off, so I can get something to eat. MY FREEZER IS EMPTY -- except for the zuchini Sean and Rose gave me the other day, and some ice.

So yes, I went for myself, too. If you think that just because I have a job I can eat, it doesn't work like that when you have bills, and are making sure routine stuff is taken care of, and paying a god awful amount to the IRS for taxes and student loans.

Oh, and I don't have insurance.

So yes, I took Sean and Rose and we went through the line. We BOTH filled out the paper. I told them I had a 2 families in my car.

They were generous with everything. We got 5 cabbages, 2 boxes of tomatoes, 4 bags of onions....

and ONE watermelon.

I told the lady at the end who was giving out the watermelon we needed one more because there was two families in the car, and she got REAL rude and snippy with me.

"You got enough. I can't do that. Sorry."

It wasn't a matter of them not having enough. The line was almost through. There weren't that many cars behind me. There were TWO GIGANTIC BOX CRATES of watermelon left. They could have spared one more.

It's okay, Sean and I halfed it.

I'm sure there was enough watermelon left that that lady got to take one home with her -- as well she should. She stood out there in the hot sun all day loading cars without pay; and, she was probably in the same situation at home I am. I totally understand that there are a lot of needy people who are ungrateful and downright angry about it, and very rude when they come through the line. Maybe she had had a bad day and was taking it out on us -- however, it didn't excuse her rudeness.

It's just that this was Sean and Rose's first trip there, and they are not ungrateful at all, but they have had a very hard time finding help when they need it, and when they do, they've had several bad experiences from people who claim to be doing it in Jesus' name. I hated for them to see that.

And, that lady sure didn't make Jesus look good today. Thank God I already know Him.

I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. And that I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do. ~ Edward Everett Hale ~

Colossians 3:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

My phone and Google has made it easy for me to write and edit more pages in my book. All I have to do is speak the word and it gets typed onto a document without me having to type anything with my fingers. Then, I just have to go back and edit it (because sometimes "smart" phones aren't so smart). It takes some getting used to, though. I have always been better at writing than speaking, and this is a whole new level for me. It's hard to speak my writing when I am so used to writing speeches.

LOL

Every day I go to sleep at noon, and get up at 8 PM. That is 8 hours of sleep I try to get. So, I set my alarm for 8 PM so I can get up and get ready for work. Granted, some days I hit the snooze and don't get up until 8:30...but still, the alarm is set at 8.

Yesterday, I woke up at 5:30 and went to the restroom. Then, I laid back down. I went back to sleep and started dreaming. I dreamed that I had moved into a gigantic house with lots of rooms with several of my friends (you were there and you were there and you were there....oh, that's not what the dream was about...). Anyway, I was playing games on my phone when suddenly it started beeping real loud. I kept pushing the button and it wouldn't stop. I tried to take the back off of the phone, to take out the battery, but it wouldn't open. So, I started passing it around to all of my friends asking them to see if they could help me make it stop. Finally, I woke up.

It was 8:21 PM.

Yeah, the beeping noise my phone was making was really my alarm clock going off, and I slept/dreamed right through it. LOL

Sure am glad it wasn't a dream when I went to the bathroom. LOL

I figured I'd best not hit the snooze button. LOL