ThinMint

Starting soon! If you need a copy, here are a few options: Free online at Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1400 Free audio at Librivox: https://librivox.org/search/?q=great%20expectations&search_form=advanced New or used at ThriftBooks: https://prf.hn/l/kVMJNA9/

If you've never read Great Expectations — and NO, none of the movies count 😵‍💫😅 — we'll be reading it together soon in Gaining Ground and we'd love to have you join us. We'll be reading about 40-50 pages a week for 12 weeks, and you can ask all the questions, join the discussion, share the memes, do all the things. Stop in anytime; we're just finishing up A Little Princess and mostly behaving ourselves.

These hang in our bedroom, installed about the time Felix came home from the hospital. It's a reminder that trusting God is a way we give Him our love. He will never abandon or abuse, or ignore this trust, this love, we give Him. For that, there is much to praise Him, much to be grateful for...

Testimony Tuesday This week’s testimony will be an extension of the Praise and Worship devotional that Kris and I have been featuring. I sense the Lord wanted me to share an aspect of worship that is not commonly known or viewed as a form of worship. Per the dictionary; lamenting; laments: to express sorrow, mourning, or regret. You might think that lamenting is just complaining but the two are very different in my opinion. (And, yes there may be some overtones of complaining in those laments) For instance in the Book of Job you will observe a deep intimate conversation between Job and God. I find it very interesting because all that Job suffered he still spoke to God. He still went before Him. He still worshipped God in his pain. Job trusted God even when his life fell apart, even when Job didn’t know the ‘why’ about his affliction he still honored God. And God saw every tear, every prayer, every moment of endurance. You’ll also see that with David throughout the Psalms. Lamenting is different from complaining, because it is done in relationship, knowing that God is there and hears you, and that there is still hope within that lamenting anger and sadness because you are turning it toward God, and yet you still have hope in God, you still believe. You can question God and ask ‘why me?’, but in the end you still turn to Him. Complaining on the other hand is SELF. It’s all about you. You’re inconvenienced, and bothered, and nothing is working out the way you believe it should go. It’s always negative. And most of the time there is someone or something else to blame. But even in our complaining, sometimes God shows up because He is that good to us especially when we don’t deserve it. That’s grace! But when we lament to the Lord about an unfavorable condition we are speaking to God Himself. We may not always understand the why about most of the events that surround us, but we still go to Him. This pleases God. This is still considered worship because we are directing our emotions towards Him. We are acknowledging the fact that God is worthy enough so much so that we continue to seek Him for answers. When we choose to look toward heaven, and present ourselves, our emotions, our anger even, we are still honoring God. This is a form of worship. He cares deeply when you are frustrated, hurting or angry. Just take it to Him, thank Him and praise Him for all He has done! 'Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.' Job 1:20-22 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. Job 13:15 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 42:11

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2

Read more about how the Swedish view fika. Today is new day and in honor of a fresh week, I have a word for us to focus upon! (And you have to use it in a conversation this week 😃) (I would have posted earlier, but life involving... gardening, making faux wasp nests, hitting up IKEA because the business is closing in Memphis, organizing the pantry, trying not to lose my mind over the messy state of my kids' rooms, and grilling steaks outside -which has not been done in so long. I need some fika, no?) Father God - This week belongs to You because we know You are the One Who orders our steps. Remind us to turn to You when we encounter bumps in plans. Be our Navigator through the hills and valleys. Be our shelter when the unpleasant pelts us. Be our Commander, Counselor, and Comforter. We love Your goodness and mercy. We love You. In the precious name of Jesus we pray to You. Amen.

Courtesy @TruthRoars

Blessed Assurance by Tommee Profitt and Mara Justine

Yesterday I spent several hours working on garden-y stuff. There's nothing like blue skies, breezes on the skin, bright sunshine, and bees visiting flowers. God's creation is simply good for the soul! One of new rose plants I put in is called, "Ring of Fire" —like what you see in the photo above. It's gorgeous! Sadly, one of the issues I've struggled with concerning roses has been Japanese beetles. I've done neem oil and diatomaceous earth, and have used the Japanese beetle trap (with some success). I'm not sure which plant food is the best for the roses or what I can easily make at home. It would bring immense joy to my world to help the roses thrive. Tips for a novice who has been trying her hand with roses for a couple of years would be appreciated!

There is stunning revelation in these verses. Even if we just embraced this one: long-suffering that endures provocation and kindness that proactively blesses - we would live a life free from unforgiveness. Father God, help us to repent and turn away from our sin if we've disobeyed You in "putting away from us these things," and grant us more grace to receive Your Word with meekness and willingness of heart to do all it says and to walk in the ensuing freedom that obedience to Your Word brings, in Jesus' name, amen.🙏❤️ *Definitions taken online from Bible Hub, Blue Letter Bible, and Search Assist (for bitterness feelings). - Fitly Spoken

The Word Uncovered I was recently given a Word study to do on the verses below. I don't know what I was expecting, but it really arrested me. It arrested me in the best possible way. We can read scripture and take it quite lightly. We can pass by it without finding out what the scripture is compelling us to do. The Word of God is amazing. It has step-by-step instruction of how to live for God free and unencumbered  - if we only we will obey it's commands. Let's take a look... Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32, are “how-to” forgive verses. The first part: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice,” must be done in order to fulfill the second part:  “be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Any one of these things: bitterness, wrath, anger, evil speaking, etc.. can cause us to be in a state of unforgiveness. Yet removing these things from our lives with repentance, will free us to forgive. Let's break down what these “stand in the way of forgiveness” things are, and what we must put off in order to forgive: Bitterness: gall of bitterness. (RememberJesus was given gall on the cross. He tasted bitterness for us, so that we could have freedom from bitterness. He went through the most bitter of situations for us). Bitterness is bitter root producing bitter fruit. Bitterness comes from resentment at being treated unfairly, from anger, and from disapointment that has been given time to fester. Bitter things can taste bad and bitterness inside of oneself will make other things become tainted and “taste bad.” It's hard to enjoy good things when you are bitter, because bitterness infiltrates everything in your life. Bitterness is poison. Wrath: Violent passion, agitation of soul, violent emotion. Anger: to teem, swell up, something the beholder considers wrong, internal motion, like a fruit swelling with juice. Clamor: crying, outcry, screaming (shrieking), extremely boisterous, like a wounded person emitting "unearthly" (non-human) types of sounds. Evil speaking: defamation, evil report, slander, detraction, petty criticism, speech injurious to another's good name, reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty. Malice: ill will, desire to injure, wickedness that is not ashamed to break laws. An evil, vicious disposition and a malicious disposition (character) that fosters and fondles evil habits.("malignity") Inevitably showing itself in acts of deceit (treachery). Characteristic of " 'evil-mindedness' that puts the worst construction on everything." Phew! Now let's look at what we must put on in order to forgive and live free: (Be) Kind: to show oneself useful. Expresses active goodness that meets real need with gentle grace. It is more than a pleasant disposition; it is benevolence that takes concrete form. Helpfulness in civic life, kindness to steadfast love. “Love is patient, love is kind.” A complementary pair—long-suffering that endures provocation and kindness that proactively blesses. Kindness listens before speaking, offering counsel seasoned with grace. (See Colossians 4:6). “Unusual kindness” opens doors for the gospel; (See Acts 28:2). compassionate deeds authenticate proclamation. Proverbs 25:15 notes that gentle patience breaks resistance. Pair it with kindness. James 1:27 calls for visiting orphans and widows; kindness moves beyond sympathy to tangible service. Tenderhearted: Well compassioned,  sympathetic. Gut-level sympathy. Forgiving: freedom, deliverance, liberty. Dismissal, release, pardon. Something sent away. Releasing someone from obligation or debt.  - Fitly Spoken

Change of plans, friends, because we roll with the Holy Spirit! And He has been showing us so many incredible things we want to share with you as well. So with the LORD's inspiration, Paula and I will post as prompted. We are asking you to join us on the 15th and 30th of the month as specific times for praising our Creator. What this looks like for you will vary, of course. Join us as we offer gratitude to the One we love most. ❤️

Did you all know God instituted rock bands? Yeah, that’s right! Psalm 150 proves it. Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

-7- When we praise the Lord, you are acknowledging the mighty works the Lord has done, and is doing. You recognize that the Lord God can do what you cannot do in your own strength. It also tends to be public, you want to tell everybody what God has done. This is why testimonies are so important. Praise has a way of keeping self pride at bay. We know only God can do the impossible. When one has walked with God for any length of time, you have to admit, you’ll be able to recall many times when God did something so unbelievable you just had to shout a praise to Him and share with others. When we live in surrender and reverence to God, praise naturally flows, and worship becomes the foundation that allows us to lead lives that reflect and honor God. Prayer of Praise: Lord Jesus, I praise You that You are my light and my salvation. I praise You that when I feel afraid, You invite me to bring all my fear to your feet. Thank You that the darkness of my circumstances cannot overwhelm the light of Your glorious presence. I worship You as the Light that shines in the darkness. I praise You, that You are also my stronghold and safe place and that I can continually run to You. Even now, in this fearful time, Your presence surrounds me. I praise You for the confidence and courage that rises within me as I faithfully worship You. Lord God, You alone are worthy of all my praise. “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:1-3

-6- How do we worship Him? Colossians 3:15-17 tells us. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” It’s easy to praise God when only blessings show up at your door. But what about the times when things in life are not ideal, or when disappointments come knocking? It’s like being a fair-weather Christian. How does that build your faith in God if everything goes perfectly your way? It doesn’t. You end up weak in your faith and knocked over each time a little storm comes through. Compared to worship, which can be harder only because when we are in the midst of hardship and disappoints we begin to question God’s goodness, and start to believe He has forgotten us. It takes a humbled and surrendered heart to worship God even when things look like they are going in the opposite direction. Worship is often tied to covenant faithfulness, obedience, sacrifice, and honoring God as holy. We give up our self and acknowledge who God is despite the setbacks, and disappointments. We posture our surrendered hearts to Him alone during the most difficult times in our life. Most of all we are acknowledging God and His will for us, even when we are suffering. We see examples of this in the Book of Job, and in Psalms when David was hiding from his enemies.