Friendly......Bacteria

I was scanning some of the sites online that I frequent and the term "friendly Bacteria" hit me funny this time.

Terrorist activity, bombings, war, divorce, shootings, kidnappings, strikes and the like are at the top of the list of topics in the news today. It was nice to come across something "friendly" even if it was just "bacteria".

Why not try a batch of kefir!

Fresh strawberries are available even up here in the cold country, so I will start a batch soon myself!

Testing

Just found scrib.......... Raising sons
© Monika Hardy

It's the little things in life...

A list of the little things in life...

1. A grandbaby's smile.

2. The smell of coffee brewing.

3. The cool breeze on your face.

4. The taste of a good cup of tea.

5. Just the right Psalm to minister to the soul.

6. Sunlight streaming in the windows on a winter day.

7. The voice of my Beloved calling.

8. A phone call from a friend.

9. The laughter of little ones.

10. Moments of silence.

11. The sight and smell of flowers, especially roses.

12. A beautiful thank you note.

13. A handmade gift made with love.

14. Time to watercolor paint.

15. A call or visit from my sons.

16. Knowing my friends and family are safe in the hands of God.

17. Dark Chocolate!

18. Fresh sheets dried outside in the sunshine.

19. A happy hubby.

20. Knowing my God will never leave me or forsake me.

21. Taking Great Grandma to the lake to "Feed the Birds!"

22. Reading my Bible sitting by the fire.

23. The smell of fresh baked bread in the house.

24. Tea with my daughter in law.

25. Holding my grand daughter and watching her sleep peacefully.

Amazing Coincidence!

Yes, I know this is a strange sort of post. One written to an individual. I tried to post a reply to the article but there was no way to leave comments, so I began to email and realized this would make a wonderful story to tell.

Dear Lady Lydia,

You recently left a comment on my blog, Domestically Inclined, and I went to your site today to catch up with you. Much to my pleasant surprise I read "The Sleeper". I had to laugh out loud considering the possibility of two such wonderful young men alive in our lives at the same time. My son also turned 25 this year on Feb.4th. I call him Stevie and he has married a tiny little wife, who says she feels like she is in the land of giants at our home and she the Lilliputian. It's cute to watch her feet dangle from the chairs like a little girl's. These two just had our first little grandchild. Had I had time I might of thought of posting a poem and a similar picture for our Stevie's 25th, but he does read my posts, and the week of the birthday which marked a quarter of a century for him, we were busy welcoming their first child into the world. So thank you for the visit and the laughs, and the uncanny resemblence to our sons situation.
Best Regards,
Domestically Inclined

Altough to you my Stevie, for your 25th, celebrated in a hopsital room/rooms/hallway/ but for a very good cause...

May you make it through tax season Mr. CPA,
to praise God another day.

As you trust in the Lord to care for your new family,
Jesus will hold you all tight and oh so tenderly.

Look to Him for all your needs,
and He will direct your path.
Your wife who loves you dearly will be waiting
to serve your dinner after a long day of math.

Your little one will smile and coo
as she hears your voice and looks up to you.

Your dad and I are proud to say you are our son,
and trust God to keep you in His care.
For none other can love you more
than the One who knows the number of your hairs.


Especially since you might lose a few during tax season :)

PS: Dear Daughter in law you and baby girl are welcome anytime!... Of course you are as well Stevie. Love you and congrats to you both on the new little one!
Link to "The Sleeper"

Out of the mouth of babes You have ordained praise!

Out of the mouth of babes You have ordained praise!

I was driving home from Bible study late one night during a snow storm when I listened to a message my sister left on my cell phone. Thank God I turned it off before service...(don't you just haate having your's ring during service, how embarassing!)
My sister is not a believer in Jesus, yet, but she thought I might be interested in hearing what my niece said. Their family is packing to move and while taking a break from the work my niece who is 4 years old, sat down at the piano bench in the garage and began to plunk away at the keyboard. She has not had any lessons, but loves music. She can still recall the words to many praise songs, that she heard us sing and play to her when she came to visit a few years ago. Her mom listened intently and when the music was over she told her "Honey that was beautiful".
Very thougthfully my niece replied..."thanks, I know mommy, I wanted it to be, because I was playing for my Jesus!"
My eyes teared over so quickly listening to the message I almost couldn't see between the snow flakes. It was so sweet to hear what was in the heart of that little one. I miss her dearly, but I know that even though she is far away, Jesus loves them, and is drawing them to Himself.

Submission...a beautiful thing?

Struggling with submission? You are not alone, although it wasn't really an issue just a few generations ago. It's just that the culture around us is causing us to question the order that God has set in place, as well as questioning His entire Word! Even the popular books of our day can lead us astray.... Let's take a look at what God says on the matter.

“What? Do you expect me to be a doormat”
“What me, obey him?

Paul reminds me in the book of I Corinthians…why do you not suffer the wrong
The book of Peter reminds me…be subject one to another, clothed in humility
The book of James reminds me…Submit to God, resist the devil
The book of Hebrews reminds me…to submit to those in authority above me
The book of Colossians and Ephesians reminds me… to submit to my husband as unto the Lord
The book of Ephesians reminds me…that we are all to submit one to another.
Jesus reminds me…Nevertheless, thy will be done Father.

Submission should be based on Mutual Surrender to the Lord.

Now I am speaking to those who have husbands that are not asking them to do anything directly against God’s word. We will all stand before God to give an account of what we have done with our lives and our works will be judged by fire to see whether they be wood, hay or stubble, or gold, silver and precious jewels. That does not mean that we will always agree with each other, but we will be in the unity of the Spirit. Our husbands will be held accountable for what they do, but so will we. Only in Christ are we saved, not by our church, not by our husbands.

We cannot submit in our own power. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, which means we cannot be walking in the flesh.
I have seen book, after book, that leads women astray in this matter of submission.
It is not gold and silver, hairdo’s, make-up and outfits that fix these matters, but the heart of a women that matters. To quote a Pastor... if the barn needs painting ladies, by all means paint it (not to attract other men, but to please your own)
But remember... favor is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall praised. Proverbs 31:30

We can be taught by “books” to be charming, and alluring, even deceitful, but it is the heart of a submissive women, a women whose heart is SURRENDERED completely to the Lord that can say…nevertheless, THY WILL BE DONE LORD.
It is a matter of surrendering our will to our Father’s.
Submission/Surrender comes hard to those who do not TRUST God with all that concerns them.
Submission/Surrender is hard when SELF wants it’s own way. We are to die to self, take up our cross and follow JESUS. Jesus gave up everything, and died to self for me.
We know there is sin in the world so it will not be perfect but, as a wife, and husband surrender/submit to Jesus, their wills will align with the will of God.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Ephesians 5:17-24

God has set this order up to be a testimony to the world, and even to the angels! As you obey you bring glory and honor to God. You have been bought with a price..the precious blood of Jesus! That salvation is free to us, but it came at a very high price! We are expensive ladies! It cost Jesus everything. So why do we live as we belong to ourselves? Jesus has every right to pound and chip away at what is not right in our lives. Some times he uses our husbands, or situations to do that. By refusing to surrender and taking matters into our own hands we are telling God that we do not trust HIM. Not to worry we are to mutually surrender to Jesus and serve one another. God took care of it all!

By trying to wriggle out from under the circumstances of our lives we may loose the benefit of the refining fire for the sake of our own will.
God will work out the details with a surrendered heart attitude.
Submission… total heart surrender… really is a beautiful thing!

Originally published by Lady in 2005

© Monika Hardy

To stay at home or not to stay at home...that is the question?

The pressure to become a woman of the world's making is incredible. It is taught through the schools and universities, through the media, and even from worldly enlightend educated mothers as well. Stay at home women are bombarded with the influence of an ungodly society... "Go out and make something of yourself", what are you doing wasting your life sitting around at home?" "Become a productive member of society."

The enemy has become very slick in his dealings with God's children, but his tricks are not new. Ladies we need to stand in the full armor of God and fight for our families and our marriages in prayer. It is the goal of our enemy to steal, kill and destroy, and if he can remove the wife and or mother from the home, he has got his foot in the door and will be much more likely to creep in. It is the enemy's goal to "captivate" women and use them as he did Eve...(he has no new tricks)

God's word remains the truth....
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:4-5

The first line of defense is prayer. Put on the armor that God has provided and get on your knees and fight, then get up and live as God leads. If He has lead your heart to be domestically inclined then live it and teach these good things to others.

~Teach them the heart of God, teach them what His love letters say...
to be sensible, and to love their husbands, and their children, not just to put up with them until he finally takes off for work, and you can ship the kids off to day care or school.
~Teach them to be discreet or "reserved" in matters of speech and lifestyle and dress and conduct.
~Teach them to be chaste or modest or pure in all things, which is the exact opposite of all the magazine adds and clothing that is offered up today.
~Teach them to be "keepers at home" or domestically inclined. If we are not in our homes we cannot "keep" or rather "guard" them as a soldier guards his post as we ought to.
~Teach them to simply be good, and obedient to their own husbands, and the reason for this is so that it will not give the world a reason to speak against God's word.

Ladies it is a big responsiblity to walk in mutual surrender with your husband before the Lord. The husband is not to lord himself over the wife, but as God has set up an orderly fashion to our lives we as wives must defer the final decisions to our husbands. The obedience of our "surrendered hearts" in this matter shows the world and the angels the power and majesty of the very breath of God spoken in His word to us.

Should the enemy make you doubt the uselfulness of your presence in the home run into the arms of Jesus, drop to your knees and fight for our battle is a spiritual one.

Leave the Politics of the world to others....

for the king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Proverbs 21:1
© Monika Hardy

Servant of all?

Proverbs 31:11-12

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

An early breakfast was done, morning Bible reading was done,the snow shoveling was done, and dear husband and I were watching the snow still falling and it was to continue all day and did.Right then, I had a moment I thought to be creative, and wanted to write, so I asked my dear Husband, "What should I write about"? His reply..."tell them how to make wonderful delicious meals for your husband."

I know my Husband... that meant..."what we gonna eat and I hope it will be soon?"

No sooner are the dishes done, and the chores done and it's time to cook again.
I suppose if we ate prepared foods it wouldn't take so long but lovingly preparing healthy nutrious meals take time.

Needless to say, I got up from the computer and proceeded to make Broccoli and Beef over brown rice, one of DH's favorites. I suppose I could post the recipe, but maybe another time. It is more important to point out that as a domsetically inclined woman, it is important to me to please my husband. You know your husband and the little things that make him happy.

Here are a few of dh's...
favorite things... I think I hear Julie Andrews now :)

~Quite time in the morning to read his Bible with a cup of fresh coffee
~The smell of garlic in the air when dh walks in the home after work
~A pile of fresh socks to choose from each morning.
~A wife who walks away from the computer when it's time to make a specially requested meal
~and many more.....

Choosing to be a wife that God sees as admirable is work. It is work that the Holy Spirit does from the inside out. After awhile it does not seem as work anymore, because after so many years of marriage...25...I should know the things that please my husband. When I asked my dear husband what I should write about I was really looking for an extememly spiritual topic to share with you ladies, and for a moment was shocked to hear him answer as he did. But then, as I cooked I realized the importance of his answer.

I guess it is because I was brought up by a mother who came from the Old country (Deutschland)...Germany, with old fashioned ways, who taught us girls to cook and clean and to think of and serve others first, that my life seems "normal" to me.

But when I look outside these walls, and see many young ladies rushing kids to day care, and rushing to work and rushing to pick up dinner everyday from one place or
another that I appreciate the path that God has laid out for us.
It can't be easy for moms who have to work, and Lord helps those that have to, but for those that choose to throw away the years on seeking to satisfy self with a career loose out on so very much. If you have the heart to want to change, start today. Begin to simplify your life, and bring it back to serving others and do them good and not evil all the days of your life.

Warming the home...

Love is the best thing to warm your home, of course on a cold Northwest winter day the oven helps as well. My own recipe of Pumpkin Biscotti will help bring some much needed heat with the temps in the single digits, and makes the house smell wonderful. I try to keep a tin of these for those who pop in for coffee.

Father God...not mother earth.

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?

These verses came to mind as I looked at the pictures in the new slideshow I posted, of my trip to Europe a few years ago, at the bottom of this blog today. What is man that you are mindful of him? God of all creation, who made the sun and the moon and the stars, loves.....you and me!
Who are we that God would even think of us? I know there is much talk these days of spirituality and embracing mother earth, but I'm not talking about those lies.
I speak of the truth of the Bible. Yes, there is such a thing as truth if you cast aside the bologna of "relativisim" brought on by the emotionalism of Postmodernism created to give those that don't want to face the "truth" of God a way of escape.

But escape they will not, for every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. You can do it now, by choice, or be made to before you go to the eternal place you chose for yourself by rejecting Jesus. A place called Hell that was not created for man, but for the devil. But if the blood sacrifice of Jesus is rejected by a soul here on earth, that soul is choosing hell for themselves.

So the next time you think hugging a tree or not having a baby to reduce the carbon print on the planet will make the godless powerless idol of mother earth "feel better"...think again. Almighty God is in control!

Man has a tendency to worship creation, not the Creator of all. Lift your eyes, and bow your heart to the Creator of heaven and earth and enjoy the beautiful creation around you that was created for our pleasure and benefit, but... worship the Creator....Father God, through His Son Jesus Christ.