ThinMint

This just seems to capture comfort food to a whole other level! Courtesy @Gail

PART TWO I don’t think there will be elections. Well, at least we are preparing for that possible scenario. Trump has mentioned a coming, “Pause” numerous times this year. They got caught cheating and they know they cannot do it the same way again because they’re being watched. I would not be surprised if they pull out all the stops to prevent their annihilation in the election. Civil unrest? Alien invasion? Terrorist attacks? Viral infections? False flags? Man-made natural disasters? Economic collapse? Food and goods shortages? ALL of these to some degree? Whatever awful things that are about to happen, must happen on their watch. To be honest, it must happen. For those who love the LORD we ought not be afraid. Ask Him how you need to prepare for what is right around the corner. Not just with physical supplies, ask Him to help prepare you mentally and spiritually. Ask Him to grant you clarity, wisdom, patience –even serenity. He loves to help His children! Seek His advice above all others. And remember… He already won!

Q: Do you think they will replace Biden before the elections? PART ONE A: They can try and it will be amusing. In the aftermath after the first debate, we saw who tipped their hand. It was even more glorious when the faux leaders (Biden and Obama) doubled down! I’ve said it before: Biden is their albatross. They wanted to ride the coattails of a walking dead figurehead so their lapdog will be their millstone. They don’t get to quietly –or not so quietly– switch him out because he’s no longer useful for their agenda. They will be held responsible for unleashing evil and I think it is quite fitting that they be saddled with President Asterisk. Biden will not step down willingly. [It would be a Fun™ monkey wrench if Jill steps into the role!] The window for removing him and adding another candidate to the States’ ballot will close (and has already closed in some cases). His own Party will be forced to apply the 25th Amendment. What is going to be the trigger to for the 25th Amendment? I don’t know though I suspect it will be something dire. Which leads me to…

Good morning!

Father God – We humble ourselves before Your glorious goodness. Your holiness makes You administer perfect justice on behalf of those who love You and call on You to intervene. We submit to Your sovereignty and ask for Your hand to move on our behalf. We ask for You to heal our country, Father. We ask for You to bring about a profound and lasting change. Only You can eradicate the evil that has wrapped its tentacles around America. We know You blessed the hands of the Pilgrims and You made promises to them about this land. We belong to You and You belong to us. Thank You for always keeping Your promises, Father! Thank You for keeping us protected as You go before us preparing a bright future for the generations who love You. In Jesus Christ’s name we offer this prayer.

-2- The LORD has placed on my heart to again pray Psalm 91 for the 30 days of July. Please consider talking to Him about doing this, too. What He wants you to pray for and what He asks you to do will look different from how He instructs me. It may even look different from what your spouse does if they join you! The battle is His, this is true. It’s also true that we are told to pray –with humility, and with boldness and expectation. As His children we are to rebuke, intervene, call forth, and call down!! I plan to make July 17th a special day of fasting if you would also like to partner with me. I am fasting for supernatural protection and provision for my family, and I am fasting for God’s hand to bring about lasting, godly change for our nation. This is the LORD’s land! And we have been set apart! He is moving, friends! Keep praying, prepping, and praising!

-1- There are times our prayers make us feel so deeply connected to the LORD. The 40 days of praying Psalm 91 did that for me. At times, our quiet moments together were sweet and gentle, and I felt so incredibly encompassed in His peace. Other times, our quiet moments together were intense and fervent, and I felt so incredibly empowered in His presence. I share the following not to vaunt, but to inspire. As I read and prayed Psalm 91, I placed hands on every window and door and almost every wall: in our living spaces, bedrooms, office, pantry, garage, attic and deck. I placed hands on my husband and children, reading Psalm 91 and praying over them. The kids joined me and we prayed Psalm 91 in each of their rooms. I prayed around our property at different times. I laid hands on our vehicles, phones and electronic devices, and on our mailbox, praying. The kids and I went through our neighborhood reading Psalm 91 and praying. I read Psalm 91 and prayed at the entrance to our neighborhood. I have prayed for our neighbors, community, state and nation. I have prayed Psalm 91 over my friends and family, and over you!

-4- We know there is something coming, something that will break the dam, something that will shock and surprise, something that will test our faith like never before. Ask Him how to prepare. Today. Now. Ask Him for supernatural strength and wisdom and calmness. We must be spiritually ready to face the darkness –figuratively and literally. Until we need to really hunker down, we are working hard to make our home cozy comfortable, a safe reprieve, and a place that is filled with delightful memories. Yes, there is much to be done and yes, it can be easy to become mentally tangled in the affairs of the welfare state. We choose not to focus on the ludicrous and outlandish, the shocking and disturbing. We pray and feast together. We laugh and love the best we can. Our goal is to learn and improve in every capacity. Life needs to be punctuated with enjoying good things right now like shopping at farmer’s markets and chasing fireflies, and eating summer fruits and looking at colorful greenery, and savoring homemade ice cream and splashing in water. Pray. Prep. Praise. The life God gifts us is good because He is a good, good Father.

-3- Can you feel it? It’s like darkness has crept in to the places that were once warmth and light. It feels like there are few of the faithful left (those who love the LORD and all that is His Truth) willing to keep fighting on the ramparts as the enemy tries to engulf us. I think this is why God called me to get down from the bulwark and He lead me to a quiet place to pray Psalm 91 in new and unique ways for 40 days straight. The darkness is angry. And scared. And it’s lashing out in strange ways. But the feathered wings that shield and shelter us has worked it all out for our good and His glory. We need only to pray and praise, and believe and trust. The world feels crazy and chaotic because it is and there is only One Who can set it aright. Our home feels upended because it is and there is still only One Who can set it aright. And He is. With each baby keepsake getting tucked away, with each melancholy sigh, with each quiet tear, with each step bringing us closer to a new path… He is already there. Waiting. Patiently. Asking to be a part of the grieving process, to be a part of the adventure, to be a part of the new season in our lives.

-2- This tiredness goes beyond the physical exhaustion that can be remedied with a good night’s sleep. There is a spiritual component running in the background. The realization that your little girl is a young woman has hit particularly hard. More so, when she eagerly wraps her baby keepsakes to be safely put away and removed from her once pink room. She believes she is ready to put distance between now and then, but… I’m a little more emotional about it. I know the world and I want her to stay here, her head gently resting on a soft pillow at night for as long as possible. So I am helping to make her room, her room. Compromising, guiding, suggesting. I am doing this for all the kids. We want them to know love here and feel safe here –with us– for as long as possible. Yes, part of the desire to protect them is innate parental dedication. But honestly, part of that desire to keep them close in body and mind is because our enemy is raving mad and has given his minions marching orders to raze, “whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy.”

-1- I am tired. Weary tired. No, that’s not quite it. I feel… slightly abraded and bruised. There has been a different tempo this summer. The other months had hummed with the busyness of familiar tasks and appointments, a steady rhythm of predictability, the usual commotion that comes with homeschooling, activities, and grownup obligations. When the air became too hot outdoors, we postponed the exterior projects to focus on all the indoor projects we want to complete before mid-July. I’m sure you understand it’s no easy goal when we are constrained by time, energy, and money, right? We are re-doing the kids’ rooms. Painting, new drapes, a few new, small pieces of furniture. There is the rearranging and organizing, and donating and purging. And all the dusting and wiping, sweeping and spraying, patching and repairing. Plus, the kids’ bathroom and upstairs hallway needs painting. It is tedious and time consuming and finishing stretches beyond estimation because of all the youngling interruptions. My night owl ways have been pushed aside as I crawl into bed at a time most consider normal. I’m too tired to read, too tired to write, and too tired to post.

Kris, what do you think about a special edition comedy Friday or comedy weekend in honor of the debate while it's still fresh on our minds?

Please share all the good & inspiring, delightful, awesome, beautiful things: stories, memes, music, news, images, bible verses -all the goodness you see! 🕊

-3- It’s not easy to let go of the pain others inflict. More so when it’s not a slight or unintended inconsideration. But, it’s so freeing when we cast these cares upon Him, ask Him to work on our hearts, and we accept His comfort. All the other yucky stuff? It fades. And when we walk and talk with our Creator there’s no elbow room for the enemy to intrude. The enemy’s lies cannot trespass under His wings.

-2- How can we possibly not just survive but thrive through the onslaught of whispers behind our backs, the cringe-y looks we get, the feeling that we’re less than? It’s imperative we chat with the LORD about it. All of it. There is no friendship on earth compared to what we have with Him. He truly is the great Comforter. I was struggling in this area of, “Why do some people disapprove of me?” The Holy Spirit reminded me there is only one thing that matters: that my heart aligns with God’s. He advised me that if I am earnestly living to please Him, if I am sincerely kind and helpful to others in my sphere of influence, if I am dedicated to having Christ’s servant’s heart, then the disdain of someone’s arrogant heart ought not impact me. God will hold them accountable for any harshness they exhibit towards me/my family.

Truth Be Told by Matthew West and Carly Pearce