Oh, My Achy-Breaky Heart

Nothing hurts like being hurt by the one, or ones,  you love.

King David loved his son, Absalom.  Absalom’s name means, “papa peace”, but Absalom’s papa didn’t get much peace from him. **

Instead, David’s “most beloved” son betrayed his dad, tried to steal his throne, and forced him to flee for his life. (2 Samuel 15)

Ever had a day like that?

Well, maybe a little like that, anyway, if you’ve ever had someone you love turn on you.

clic pic for source

And when our heart aches from the hurt of it,  it’s easy to wanna throw in the faith towel, and think, “Where are you, God?!  How could you let this happen?!”

Well, take courage from the Psalm King David wrote when he was on the run from his son.

Psalm 3

O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me.  Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.”

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head.

I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain.”

Let’s Pray:

You, O Lord, are a shield about me.  You’re my glory.  You’re the lifter of my head.  Help me to remember to “cry to you”, like King David,  when I’m really hurting and my heart’s breaking.

Thank you that I can pour my heart out to You because You care for me. (1 Peter 5:7)

Here’s how my heart is hurting right now, Lord__________________ (if you’re not heart-achy these days, maybe you know someone who is and you can pray for them.)

King David heard you answering him from Your holy temple, it says in the above verses.  Well, we are your temple now, the Bible says, if we’ve believed in You, and invited you into our hearts.  (Colossians 1:27, 1 John 4:4)

So, let me hear Your voice answering me from deep inside my achy-breaky heart.

And please fill me with the knowledge of Your will in this situation(s) with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Like Legos? Click the pic below to see “Absalom Overthrows David” told with Legos on “The Brick Testament” website. 🙂 (What will they think of next? hmmm?)

"Absalom Overthrows David"

**http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Absalom.html

Banned Foods.

Ready to “Ewww!” and shiver with disgust?  Click on the pic below to see a slide show of Banned Foods in the U.S., if you dare…

Puffer Fish, a Japanese delicacy -- BANNED! I wonder how the Japanese moms would get their kids to eat this for dinner?!

D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G !!!!

Why would anyone want to eat fly maggot cheese, or horse meat? hmmm?!  Ban away!

Fortunately for us, no one has banned the Bible yet.

So here’s a short list of verses you can gorge yourself on — God’s promises!

Remember, with the Bible we don’t wanna  practice “portion control”, so eat up!   The more you “eat”, the more you grow!

Thai fruit carving, click pic for source

“This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life.” ~~ Psalm 119:50

Dijon Pork, click pic for photo source and recipe!

“I love You, Oh Lord my strength!  My God is my Rock in Whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation.  I call to the Lord Who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies.”  ~~Psalm 18:1-3

Weight Watchers Greek Salad, clic pic for photo source and recipe!

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” ~~Psalm 46:1

Do you know the Lord?  Click on the pic below for a quick intro to  the One who’s more satisfying to our souls than chocolate!  Really!

click the link below for the recipe and the source for the Vegan Chocolate Cake above.

Easy Vegan Cake Recipes 

 

September 11th

Here’s the description of the following video from Youtube:

Leonard Slatkin Conducts the BBC Orchestra on September 15 2001 in honor of those who lost their lives a few days prior…

And here’s a favorite article of mine, posted by a New York blogger after September 11th:

Click pic to read: "I love New York"

Anyone there besides me?

photo by Catherine Karnow/Corbis

Ever feel a little alone?

Hello?!

Anyone actually reading this?   I wonder…

I need some feedback!

If you read this sometimes, can you leave a comment and let me know?

In case you’re not sure how, just click on the words, “Add Comment” at the end of the post.

Just a simple, “Hey!”  or “Hello!” will do.

Nothing long,

just a little encouragement that I’m not alone. 🙂

Me and the crickets will be waiting….chirp. chirp. chirp. chirp…..

Thanks.

Bikeride Across America: Arizona City, AZ

Arizona City, AZ. ( 32.755N latitude, -111.67W longitude) click pic for more info from podunk.com

64 more miles down the road on our Bike Ride Across America and we roll into the quiet and HOT! little town of Arizona City, AZ.

My bike riding partner husband and I are on mile 2,005! of “BAA” (Bikeride Across America, or BAA for short, pronounced,  ba-a, like a sheep, ’cause that’s what we are — wooly little bikeriders bringing glory to our shepherd, Jesus Christ!)

NOTE: If you’ve been checking in on my blog lately, you know this is a virtual bike ride.  We ride the miles around our midwestern town and record our progress on a map of the United States as if we were riding from Florda to California along highway 10.

We have 355 miles to go and are hoping to take a real trip (not virtual) out to San Diego in the fall to dip our front tires into the Pacific Ocean at Mission Beach.

One of the advantages of a virtual ride is we get to miss out on all the horrible heat down south.  It got up to 102 degrees today in Arizona, for instance, but we rode in a comfortable 70 degrees up here in the north, with cool breezes.

It was still hard work, 64 miles is 64 miles, after all, but SOOOOO much more do-able with a steady breeze and cozy temps.

Well, sometimes life forces us to ride in the heat whether we want to or not, so I found some verses that can fan our faith with a steady breeze of hope when we’re riding out a hot spot.

I found them using the longitude and latitude of Arizona City, AZ (see caption above)

They are Psalm 32:7 and Psalm 111:6-7:

“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah” ~~ Psalm 32:7

“He has shown his people the power of his works… The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.” ~~ Psalm 111:6-7.

Let’s Pray: Oh, Father, thank you that I’m never riding alone.  You promised to be with me till the very end (Matthew 28:20).

Thank you for being my “hiding place” (Psalm 32) and  surrounding me with songs of deliverance.  Increase my faith so I can hear the music!

No matter how uncomfortably hot my life may get, I can trust that your faithful and just hand is he one that turned up the heat. (Psalm 111)

You are trustworthy!  I will put my hope in You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Are you suffering in the heat all alone?  Click the pic below to meet the only One who can stand in the flames with you and bring you through unscorched:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace

source for photo above, click HERE

Special Thanks to CLIP ART, ETC. for the lovely letters “Y” and “H” above.

Have you eaten your words today?

open mouth, insert foot...

You could say I have an eating disorder, speech-wise, I eat my words so often.

When we talk of “eating our words”, it’s an “oops!” statement. We regret something we’ve said, put our foot in our mouth, etc.

Well, instead of eating our words, why not gorge ourselves on God’s instead?

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. ~ Jeremiah 15:16

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [yea, sweeter] than honey to my mouth! ~~ Psalm 119:103

O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.  ~~ Psalm 34:8

God’s words are perfect; no foot-in-the-mouth, wish-he-hadn’t-said-that statements.

Perfectly good words that he’ll never take back till they’ve accomplished all the good for which he sent them (Is 55:11)

And speaking of “all”, I’m about to serve you a plateful of “all” verses from the Bible.

They’re verses that remind us of all God’s done for us,

all He can do for and through us,

and all the reasons we should just love Him

even more than our daily bread...

or chocolate

or even an ice cream mocha!

No need to grab a fork or spoon, just dig in.  These verses are all calorie-free comfort food from the “God of all comfort”! (2 Corinthians 1:3)…

“ALL” verses:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  ~~ Romans 15:13

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  ~~ 2 Corinthians 9:8

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. ~~ Ephesians 3:20-21

Whew!  That was a mouthful. I encourage you to write them all down and look at them all the times you feel hopeless, joyless, or powerless.

Do you have other verses that encourage you?  Share them with all of us!