October This and That

1.) You've noticed some celebrities coming to Christ, right? To me, that's exciting and such an answer to prayer!

But it comes with a warning: 

Please, give them time to grow. Do not expect them to obey in months what God gave us years to learn (and do). Normally time, Bible study and experience with God are required to become the examples He created us to be.

And although I believe in these last days, we'll witness many accelerated things--still--may we:

Be kind. 

Stay patient. 

Pray for folks with joyful expectation.

And zip our lips of criticism.

I'm thinking doing the opposite just might grieve the Holy Spirit.

2.)  When the temptation's strong to stay stuck, may we choose to move forward with God, instead.

3.)  Does anyone else feel your head begin to hurt when you're watching a tv show or movie and suddenly a camerman waves a hand-held camera back and forth like it's some cool new way to film a scene?

Eegads. Sometimes we've even 'turned the channel' (old school term, I know), but yeah. I guess we could've tried fast-forwarding to see if he eventually knocked it off.  (Perhaps while on the verge of a full blown headache I can't think straight.) シ

4.)  Movies we've enjoyed lately:

The Firing Squad

The Present

Unsung Hero

Tornado Valley  --if you're in the mood for a not-too-cheesy disaster film.  heh.

5.)  I placed a miniature rose bush outside in a hanging basket and soon-ish the poor thing looked anemic-as-unto-death. 

Somewhere I'd read roses like tea so I seeped four bags of tea in two cups of water, let it cool, then watered the roses. The next week I repeated that and wow! Ever since, the rose bush has rallied and given me sweet yellow roses galore.

6.)  Here's something to remember: Politics is no longer 'just politics' when it affects our daily life.

May we choose wisely and do whatever God asks so to keep our life (and our childrens' future) as free and godly-inspired as possible.

7.) And as I added at Facebook:

Succinct things like these are a good place to start searching for answers. So often just making simple changes will fix our health--

8.) If you enjoyed Meg Ryan's apartment in You've Got Mail, you may like this recreated tour of it here.

7 Ways to Make Money as a SAHM

Woodstock Vermont Autumn Foliage

9.) Truly, when I began my own Autumn season in July, it changed everything for me. Helped me focus on beautiful things rather than the hot, muggy and miserable ones. And now? It feels as though Autumn is a huge, peaceful, beautiful part of my year. It goes on and on and --

Really, the Bible even tells us to think about right, pure, lovely and of a good report things and if that's not Autumn, what is?  ツ

10.) At Youtube someone titled their video, "The American Dream is Dead. There is Only Survival."

Good grief! Please don't let that be your attitude, ok? 

Instead, I hope you'll speak what you'd like to see happen rather than the bad times of your present or past as though they're stuck in dried concrete forever.

Seriously, I'd rather be struck voiceless rather than ruin another person's hope for their future. 

Always may I be careful with my words and choose to believe God has wonderful things ahead for me and all who long to follow His ways.

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Where Her Lifestyle Diet Must Change AGAIN

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul."   --- 3 John 1:2

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So good ol' Debra has to tighten-up her lifestyle diet again. 

She's got an annoying (yet at least pain-free) 'lady problem' (sorry to my male readers) and after research, now knows certain foods will help. Exercise, also, but what is new about that?

Anyway, in my research I keep spying the term 'cruciferous vegetables' which I don't recall hearing before:

"In general, cruciferous vegetables are cool weather vegetables and have flowers that have four petals so that they resemble a cross."

You know, cross. Like Jesus Christ, crucified. That's not hard to remember nor easy to forget. 

The bad news? There really isn't any except, ok, sugary foods are out. Well, not my homemade morning cocoa without which, hey, life would hardly be worth living.  シ Oh, and also no (regular)bread, milk or cheese and very little red meat.

But the processed junk, yeah. Gone. Currently I'm searching for healthy desserts which actually taste like a treat--and with this blessed Internet? That's easy.

The good news? I love (no, really) the list of these-will-fix-you-right-up foods. A few are here:

Berries                       Green salad                   

Garlic                         Chicken

Cauliflower                Tuna

Turkey                       Walnuts

Tomato                      Sweet potatoes

Broccoli                     Beans

Peppermint               Apples, pears

Peanuts                     Avocado, pumpkin

Truly, this getting older stuff is not for wimps. I mean, if we're going to whine about every change we must make, well, we'll experience more downer days than lovely ones--and who wants that?

What I recommend is to ask for Grace. 

She reminds us of what we have rather than what we lost. 

And what is still worth celebrating. 

And how much stronger we'll be at the end because we accepted what couldn't be fixed, then fixed the rest with God's incredible help.

All while stepping through Life trusting and singing.

More good news? After just a few days of tweaking diet and exercise, the annoying-ness of the problem is disappearing. I feel terrific, even, so color me grateful! 

Also, checking out the comments after Youtube videos I'm seeing many women were helped making these same simple changes. Many.

I bought some cruciferous extracts supplements. They're awesome.

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Books I Finished Reading in September (what a month of terrific books!)--

Put Out to Pasture by Amanda Flower

Truly, Madly, Sheeply by Heather Vogel Frederick

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold

Bodies and Bows by Elizabeth Penny

In Farm's Way by Amanda Flower

Spurgeon Gems by Charles Spurgeon

Mystery of Hurricane Castle by Joan Lowery Nixon

Crime and Cherry Pits by Amanda Flower

If Life is a Bowl of Cherries--What Am I Doing in the Pits? by Erma Bombeck

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A movie we enjoyed:

The Author, The Star and The Keeper. (But oh my, when I realized who played the (old) dad, I felt ancient. We used to watch him in the 90's when he and we were young. Sigh.) Oh, and I'll add: this movie, like other Christian ones, starts out slowly and made me wonder, "Do we truly want to watch this?" But yes. Yes, I'm thankful we did.

Around five days a week I go driving through America's small towns with Joe. Well, via Youtube. heh. His videos (he travels with wife, Nicole, but she's only sometimes shown) feel so comforting, not to mention educational, sobering and enlightening--

--plus, I'm able to see the comments on our tv and folks often tell stories of what it was like growing up in these towns. So interesting!

Here are a few to get you started (his latest ones about the state capitols are just clips of longer ones and don't include his drives through Small Town America)--

Nebraska: Forgotten Rural Towns

Wisconsin: Remote Towns

Abandoned Texas: Rural Towns

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Oh, and speaking of cocoa, lately I'm adding a tiny pinch of allspice to each cup and wow! Perfect for this autumnal time of year.

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And as I shared at Facebook:

"After 56 hours of non-stop search and rescue, he found 40 people alive under the rubble.

This is a canine hero, Husky."

--@CreasonJana

Not sure I'll ever be actually 'retired', but I love this shirt anyway!

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

 *** 

 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Where It May Be True That No One Is Coming To Help You

"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest."   --- Proverbs 6:6-8

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So I was waiting till the righteous anger within me de-escalates regarding how the devastating Hurricane Helene situation is being handled by the government. But it's still here. The way FEMA and some local sheriffs are threatening to arrest volunteers and not let them distribute food or fly their own helicopters is maddening! Makes me livid.

I'll try to remain calm today, though.

And let's approach it this way: right now, today, please make plans to survive alone if you and your home are ever involved in a catastrophic situation. Do not count on anyone to help you. Oh, maybe your kind neighbors, but definitely not the government. Not anymore. Not like the good old days decades ago.

And maybe not even your neighbors, because hey! What if their homes are destroyed and heaven forbid, they are injured or worse? What if they decide to drive away to safer ground?

Sigh.

Years ago I blogged much about prepping for emergencies. Some folks listened, heeded the warnings. Stocked-up. Others just rolled their eyes and clicked on the next blog.

But at least I tried and that's what matters to God. That we obey Him and leave the results to Him, as well. And then move on in the joy of obedience.

Of course, with this hurricane situation, some folks had their prepping supplies washed downstream along with their homes. There will always be that chance. But hopefully they'd created back-up plans, had bug-out supplies ready and got out early if God nudged them.

Yet others still have their homes, but ran out of food, water and resources fast because for 4 years after that dicey 2020 (especially) they insisted they could not prepare ahead. Perhaps some even laughed at our prepper intensity.

Anyway.

Today I'll include links to some past prepping posts in memory of those who are either no longer with us, or who, while sitting in their lightly damaged homes amongst disappeared stores (or ones with empty shelves) --

--now wish they'd respected the warnings heard across our ever-changing American soil.

Seriously? In Today's crazy world I've accepted prepping as a necessary part of my lifestyle. A little at a time adds up quickly and isn't difficult. Oh how important these days to stay ready for anything.

"You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone."   --- James 2:24

It's vital to pray for others, but just as important to give whatever physical help that we can.

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While searching for past prepper links, I discovered my post, Presents for Preppers. Now, it's from 2015(!), so some links are broken. Yet you can use the titles there to help you with additional Internet or Youtube searches.

There are many links in that post. Check them out here.

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Had some good news this morning. 

My favorite booktuber, Mitzi  (from South Carolina), replied to my comment at Instagram to let me know she was ok and appreciated my prayers. I'd thought about her much this week.

With so many horror stories regarding the storm coming via Twitter and Youtube, please forgive me for not being my usual light-hearted self here today. There's a time for everything and this just doesn't seem to be that time.

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Spencer Smith 

@BroSpencer

Things I’ve learned from the TN/NC flood: - the federal government has billions to aid illegals, but $0 to help American taxpayers - don’t count on FEMA to come rescue you, you are on your own - be ready to die anytime, trust Christ to be truly ready - know your neighbors, and be ready to help your elderly neighbors - be involved with a local church, because they are the only ones that you can count on to help - have guns, and know how to use them - know first aid - be physically fit - have 90 days of food and supplies always - American Christians are the backbone of disaster response, and always have been

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"This is a list of some organizations currently helping in Western North Carolina.
Please consider supporting them."
Robert W. Malone MD

Oh, and always have some cash on hand. While watching videos of life in the towns after destruction, I'm seeing many "cash only signs" at the shops.

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

 *** 

 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15