ThinMint

Today is my best friend's birthday. I won't tell you how long I've known her, but I can say she was there when I was skinnier and when I got in trouble with our biology teacher for goofing off. (Some things never change.) She is one of the smartest individuals I've ever known. And not just because I'm her best friend. She can figure out anything that I throw at her. She's steady, reliable, and offers me unconditional love. The kind of love that has her grandpa bring her back to school (after the school day is done and you're waiting for your mom to pick you up) so she can comfort you crying over a boy's puerile behavior. The kind of love that picks up the phone when you call her at work to ask how to spell something and the kind of love that doesn't point out your atrocious grammar (unless asked to edit). The kind of love that drives two hours to your house to bring you a map that couldn't be found locally, but you really wanted to give it to your husband for your 1st wedding anniversary. The kind of love that laughs with you and at you. The kind of love that comforts and calms. The kind of love that is unbelievably precious to you. Happy birthday to someone I love more than chocolate.

Worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31

Courtesy @CallToBattle Does this resonate with you, friends?

Praying for my friends out there, going through what appears to be a tremendous winter storm. We are expecting ice/snow mixture in our area (Memphis/Shelby County). Even though tons of tree limbs and branches were cut over the summer, we live in an older, rural'ish area and have prepared as best we can for a power outage. Please check-in, report, or share photos of what's happening in your neck of the woods. I'll do the best I can to report, too. Remember to stand expectantly on Psalm 91. Love y'all!

https://charlenenotgrass.com/george-washingtons-prayer/ This was encouraging and sweet today. Maybe we should all pray George Washington's prayer for our nation, as often as we remember, especially over Minnesota and other places where we are discovering fraud and illegal behavior. From the article: "After Washington retired as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, he sent a circular letter to the thirteen states, dated June 8, 1783. This letter included a prayer. This is the prayer read each day at Washington’s tomb. The only difference is that where the prayer now says United States, Washington wrote the word you, referring to the recipients of his original letter. 'I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Devine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.  Amen'"

Something to consider.

We build up or tear down through our words. People have been taught to say things so flippantly, like: "they're losing their mind," or "it's all down hill from here." Many speak negatively about their children, their spouses, their jobs, their bosses, and then wonder why things continually go bad. My friends, we're eating fruit. We're eating fruit that we planted as seeds when we spoke them and they grew, and supplied us with a abundant supply from the abundance of words we spoke. I needed to let this sink in, and maybe you do too: we will have what we say. So let us speak life, and eat that fruit! Will you pray this prayer with me? Lord, set a guard over my mouth, and keep watch over the door of my lips. Let me speak life and not death. Let me encourage instead of discourage. Help me to understand and believe that my words cause and effect things to happen in my life. My words. I take responsibility for my words and ask You to equip me to speak words of life from Your Word over my family, my job, my future, and my life in Jesus' name, amen.❤️ - Fitly Spoken

We're Eating Fruit Mark 11:23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. The other day at work, I had a "bear the consequences" of my words kind of day. At the time, I didn't know that that was what was happening.  I work with kiddos that have a special needs diagnosis. Part of my job is to support the children so they can stay in a functioning/regulated state while aiming to remove hindrances to their learning/connecting with others at school. I also report "how it's going" to those that have these children on their case load, or under their instruction. This particular day, for the second day in a row, one of the kiddos I was working with was struggling with some destructive type of behaviour. I noticed things were getting worse instead of better even though I was employing the skills I have that can be helpful in de-escalating a child in such situations. I had already asked the Lord for help,  but now I found myself asking Him: "Lord, what's going on?" The Holy Spirit replied to me: "you will have what you say." I thought on that. I wrestled with it a bit....could it be that simple? I mean, I was simply reporting what had happened...but then I realized: I had asked the Lord for help, I had prayed for the children and confessed that they do well, they listen well, they are able to learn, etc...yet now I had been saying: they weren't doing well, they weren't listening.........and I had what I said. The more I reported what had happened, the worse the listening/following my instructions from the kiddo got. It was like watching the Biblical words being fulfilled in real time. That day, I had a chat with the Lord. I repented and asked Him to forgive me for giving an evil report. (Which is essentially speaking negatively). I had a chance to see the kiddo again that day, and I started right away to speak life to them. I told them that they are a good listener. I told them that I thought it was so kind how they worked with a younger child and showed them how to follow instructions and were a good example to them. I spoke life, and gave them a place to rise up to. And guess what? They immediately started listening better. It was a day of words being fulfilled in "real time." Have you ever found yourself saying repeatedly that you feel tired, and you find that you feel more and more tired? Or you've discussed a bad situation in depth with someone, and realize that you feel much worse after the conversation? Or you find yourself starting to complain; and a flood gate unleashes, and then you feel as though there really isn't much good at all in your life? King David poured out his complaints to the Lord, but then he did something very important after that. Psalm 142: 1-5 I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” King David "cast his care" on the Lord, and then encouraged himself in the Lord. He spoke life to himself. We will eat the fruit of what we say. We will have what we say - for good or for bad. This may be why we read in Psalm 141:3: Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. - Fitly Spoken

Oh, a girl can dream!

Road to Liberty: Intolerable Acts "... it's time." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VKAmX7odTQ