The Heavens

How do you feel when you look at the stars? That is today’s writing prompt. I think after you read the following verses you will say the ONLY thing you can do when you look at the stars is to Praise the Lord!

Genesis 1:14-19 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalm 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Psalm 89:11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

Psalm 96:4-5 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

Psalm 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

Psalm 136:5-9 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 147:4-5 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Amos 5:8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

So, given all of the verses above (and more) all I can do is praise the Lord when I look at the stars in the heaven. The following Psalm says it best:

Psalm 148:1-14 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.

Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

PRAISE YE THE LORD!!!

Like a Tree

Today’s writing prompt is to describe yourself as a tree.

Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I hope I am like the tree planted by the rivers of water! I want to be a fruitful Christian. I don’t want to be a seasonal Christian, hot today, cold tomorrow, drying up and withering away the next. I want to prosper in whatever I do for the Lord.

Lord, help me to be that tree planted by the rivers of water!

How Are You Changing the World?

That is today’s writing prompt. What a question! What a sobering question to try and answer! What a thought-provoking question for a Christian! Can I say, as is said of the believing Jews in Acts 17:6, “These that have turned the world upside down”? I am certainly not seeing the world turned upside down as a result of the kingdom work Christians are involved in! Why not? Is it because we have left off preaching the gospel of Christ? Is it because we no longer meet to worship, praise and give glory to the Lord, but instead want to sit back and enjoy a show that allows the pastor to “preach” maybe 15 minutes an ear-tickling message to make us feel good about ourselves?

I’m afraid that instead of changing the world, we Christians have let the world change us! Shame on us! How embarrassing! How hypocritical! How nauseating we must be to our Lord! He doesn’t want us to be conformed to the world! He wants us to be transformed “by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2

No, I’m not rioting. I’m not robbing banks. I’m not doing drugs. I’m not drinking. I’m not cheating on my husband. I’m not cursing. I’m trying to live a clean life. I attend church regularly. I read my Bible regularly. I pray, although not as I should. I help my neighbor when the opportunity arises. I try to be a witness through my life and the things I write on my blogs and the scrapbooking pages I create. I try to remember to leave a gospel tract at the restaurant. But, I have to confess that I don’t feel like I’m doing much in the way of changing the world! Forgive me, Father!

Music

What is on your music playlist right now? This is today’s writing prompt.

The short answer…..I do not have a music playlist.

The long answer…..Unlike a lot of people, I cannot concentrate and listen to music at the same time. Especially if I am listening to music that I know the lyrics to. Every once in awhile, I will have Alexa play something from a playlist created by Amazon. If I did have a music playlist it would probably be for Christian music. And I would also have one for oldies.

Sometimes I listen to a Christian station if I am in the car, especially on a long trip. Mark and I go to Southern Gospel concerts and have several DVD’s that we listen to when we are driving long distances. But I usually do not listen to music.

Solitude

Where do you go when you need solitude? This is the writing prompt for today.

I have a favorite chair that I sit in, whether it is to do my regular things or be in solitude. Unless I am going out to run errands, or working in the house, I am usually sitting in this chair in my corner of the living room. This is where I do my blogging, my scrapbooking, my checkbook work, my crossword puzzles, checking my email, knitting…..whatever. I don’t need to find a separate place for solitude because Mark is not home through the day….that leaves me with plenty of solitude time.

My Corner

It’s Not About Me

“What is your favorite part about yourself?” That is today’s writing prompt. The short answer is that my favorite part about me is not about me. It is about what Someone else has made me!

The long answer is “in Christ” He has made me what I am today. In Christ alone I am who I am. Without Him I am nothing. I am just a poor, wretched sinner, saved by His marvelous grace! I love every part about me only because of Him! Do I get everything I try to do right? No! But, I love that He is still working on me! I love that He doesn’t give up on me! Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” The rest of the chapter tells us how our fleshly desires are in a battle with our spiritual desires. Every day it is a constant battle. BUT, Philippians 1:6 gives us this hope, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Boy! Am I thankful for that! Because, on a good day, I can mess things up ROYALLY! Am I alone in this? I think not! Take heart, fellow Christian! He isn’t through with us yet!

Feeling Strong

January 25th’s prompt is to write about something that makes me feel strong. The very first thing that came into my mind was a line from the song, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” It says, “I am weak but thou art strong. Jesus keep me from all wrong.” If I’m strong, I don’t need anyone’s help. But, in order to be strong, I can only be so in Christ. He is my strength. Without Him I can do nothing. When I am strong in Christ I can do everything! No matter what life throws my way, I can handle it when I am leaning on Christ Jesus my Lord!

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be

When my feeble life is o’er
Time for me will be no more
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom’s shore, to Thy shore

Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be

Dreams

The prompt for today is to write about a dream you remember, which I cannot do. I rarely ever remember a dream that I have had. Even if I do, that memory is gone not long after I’m awake. I would have to write it down immediately upon awakening in order to remember it.

Mark and I read about someone in the Bible tonight who remembered his dreams. Genesis 37 tells about Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, having a couple of dreams that didn’t make his eleven brothers very happy when he told them about the dreams. They already hated Joseph and were jealous of him because their father favored him. When Joseph told them they were binding sheaves in the field when Joseph’s sheaf arose from the ground and stood while their sheaves arose and then began to bow down to his sheaf they hated him even more! They said, “You think you will reign over us? Not if we have anything to say about it!”

Then Joseph had another dream. And this one included mom and dad. He said, I dreamed that the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me. This time Joseph’s dad rebuked him and said, “You think you mother and I and your brothers will bow down to you?” His brother’s became that much more jealous, but dad continued to think about it.

To make a long story short (and I do mean VERY abbreviated!), through a bunch of God-ordained circumstances, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, bought by the captain of the guard in the Egyptian army, was falsely accused of attacking his wife, thrown in prison, ends up being in charge of Pharaoh’s house, put in charge of the land of Egypt to put aside food for a famine that would happen in the future (according to a dream that Pharaoh had and that Joseph interpreted).

Joseph’s family had to come to Egypt to buy food from Pharaoh’s court because of the famine and guess who they have to come and bow down to? Joseph! Read chapters 37 – 50 to get the nitty gritty details of everything!

This is just one example of how God used dreams to reveal things to people in the Bible. I wouldn’t take much stock in someone’s dreams in this day and age. We have God’s word today. He reveals what He wants us to know from the Bible. If someone says God spoke to them in a dream today, I would say it should be compared to what is in the written word.

So, while I didn’t reveal a dream of mine to you, I did tell you about Joseph’s dreams. Do read those chapters, if you never have! It is quite a story!

The Kitchen Fairy

Today’s writing prompt is, An Interview with a Fictional Character. It took me a bit to figure out what in the world I could conjure up for this theme. And then I remembered that my husband and I are always talking about “those lazy kitchen fairies who never seem to have time to clean up the dirty dishes.” And my brain kicked into gear……

A Conversation with Dishturbed

I always have trouble with my kitchen fairy, Dishturbed.  It seems she doesn’t like her job very much.  So I decided to get some input from her to, hopefully, make life better for both of us!

Me:  Dishturbed, I’ve noticed that on more than one occasion (almost every day, in fact) the dirty dishes from the previous day are still in the sink in the morning.

Dishturbed:  Yes, I know.  And, I’m sorry.  But I’ve decided I don’t like doing the dishes.

Me:  What do you mean?  It’s your duty!  I cook and you clean!  That’s the deal!  You should be thankful you don’t have to clean up after Mr. has been cooking!

Dishturbed:  Oh!  Trust me!  I definitely AM thankful for that!

Me:  And, I try to make it easy on you.  I line the roasting pans with parchment paper or aluminum foil so the cleanup is minimal.

Dishturbed:  Yes, and I appreciate that.

Me:  And, I only cook one meal a day for Mr. and I!  Maybe two meals a day on the weekend.

Dishturbed:  True.

Me:  And lots of times we are eating leftovers, so there are no pans to clean that night.

Dishturbed:  Yes, pans are my LEAST favorite!

Me:  And when we decide to eat out there are even less dishes, almost none, in fact!

Dishturbed:  About that…….

Me:  About what?

Dishturbed:  Eating out.  If you and Mr. would eat out more often, I would have NO dishes to do!

Me:  Well…..I mean, that would not hurt my feelings at all.  The only problem with that is we would need to reduce your pay to cover the extra meals at the restaurants.

Dishturbed:  You would have to START paying me first before you could reduce my pay…..

Me:  Oh, that’s right.  Well, I’ll talk to Mr. about it.

Dishturbed:  About my raise or about taking you out to eat more often?

Me:  Both!

Dishturbed:  Good!  I’m glad we had this conversation!

Me:  Me, too!

Bloganuary

I did a thing yesterday. I joined the Word Press “Bloganuary”. Prompts are given to spark inspiration for topics to write (blog) about. The prompt for yesterday was, “If you could, what year would you time travel to and why?” My response (which I thought would actually be connected to this blog) was as follows:

“If it were possible to travel in time, I would want to move completely out of “time” as we know it. I would want to move forward into eternity. I have a home beyond the sunset. Heaven is my eternal home. This time-laden life is a journey with many burdens. Yes, there is happiness and joy, too. I think about the births of my children. I think about the births of my children’s children. Those were joyous occasions, for sure. But the older I get, the more I think about that land beyond the sky where I will spend all of eternity with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And the older I get, the more loved ones there are gathering on those shores. Once there, time travel possibilities are gone because time will be no more! My mind cannot fully comprehend the idea of eternity in a land without time, but I cannot wait to get there! I hope and pray that you are going there, too!”

Today’s prompt is, “What is your favorite quote and why?” My response follows:

“I have a favorite quote, a.k.a. verse, from the Bible. It is a reminder to me that, no matter what is going on in my life, God is in control, and He is working ALL things for my good and His glory. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28″

“Romans 8:28 is a connecting verse to the ones preceding it. We know this because it begins with the connecting word, and. I won’t get into all that is in the verses prior to this one, other than to say that when we have things going on in our lives that cause our hearts to become fearful and our faith to falter so that we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit is there to “make intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” And I know that the will of God is the best thing that can ever happen to me! The worst thing that can happen for me (which, ultimately, is the best thing) in this life is to die! Why would that ultimately be the best thing for me? It ties into yesterday’s post about time travel…..eternity with my Savior will begin at my death! Hallelujah! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!!!”

The Reason for Bloganuary

Part of the reason for this activity is to draw more people to read my blog, which really isn’t the purpose of my blogs, but I am OK with the possibility of more people reading this and/or my other blogs. They were each started with a different purpose in mind, but they also intersect one another, too. They all three tie together different areas of my life. “Today’s Scrap” was started when I began designing digital scrapbooking kits. I no longer design kits. Now I use Today’s Scrap blog to “advertise” the O’Scraps’ designers’ kits as I use them in my digital scrapbooking. “Project 365” was started when I took on, for the first time, the photo-taking, digital-scrapbooking, daily-blogging project as a way to keep the family up-to-date on our activities while living away from them. I keep up with that blog more than the other two.

This blog, “she was unwilling, but God…..” was started to give my kids a “history” of my life and then the story of the love and life of their father and I. I never finished that project after their dad got very sick and then passed away from his battle with melanoma in 2017. All of my blogging pretty much came to a halt at that point in my life. The title of this blog denotes the God aspect in my life. Without Him in my life I would have a completely different story to tell in all three blogs! So, I guess I would have to say that this blog covers the spiritual part of my life for the most part. It’s time to continue that story.

Tomorrow I will be back with the day’s prompt. I don’t know if the prompts will continue throughout the year or not. It does help, sometimes, to have the promptings. I may or may not follow them all. We shall see how far I travel this road! 😉