"For as a man [or woman] thinks, so is he."

~ Proverbs 23:7 ~ 

"Take the risk of thinking for yourself."

~ Christopher Hitchens ~

"We know what a person thinks not when he tells us what he thinks, but by his actions."
~ Isaac Bashevis Singer ~

"Don't think of cost.

Think of value."

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done." ~ Bruce Lee ~

"If you're thinking like everyone else, then you aren't thinking." ~ marc and angel ~

"When you stop thinking of the wrong things,

the right things are easier to discern."

~ Sandra ~

"Self worth comes from one thing - thinking that you are worthy."  ~ Wayne Dyer ~

"If a person wants to be a part of your life, they will make an obvious effort to do so. Think twice before reserving a space in your heart for people who do not make an effort to stay." ~ unknown~

"Care about people's approval and you'll always be their prisoner." ~ Lao Tzu ~

"Casting down imaginations, 

and every high thing that exalteth iteself 

against the knowledge of God, 

and bringing into captivity 

every thought to the obedience of Christ."

~ 2 Corinthians 10:5 ~

Please pray for ~ Rebekah ~ Sandra ~ 

Sabbath Keeping - Forgiveness

(One reason it takes a long while to do barn chores is due to the great help...Mr. Molly climbs on the tractor, burrows into my lap and proceeds to oversee my efforts. The diesel tractor is rattling along and Mr. Molly purrs. When I climb down to pull the Hay Hut over the round bale, Mr. Molly climbs into my seat where he has a cat bird view. Even when he jumps off the tractor, he doesn't go far and I must go s.l.o.w.l.y to make sure he's away from the tires. He is a Very Trusting Boy.)

"Even to my old age and gray hair 

You are the one who will sustain me.

You made me and You will carry me;

You will sustain and You will rescue me.

I will remember the former things of long ago.

You are God, and there is no other!

You are God, and there is none like you."

~ Isaiah 46:4, 9 ~ 

"Our callings could be at stake

 if we don't allow God 

to deal with our chronic insecurities."

~ Beth Moore ~ 

"Embrace and love all of yourself - past, present, and future. Forgive yourself quickly and as often as necessary. Encourage yourself. Tell yourself good things about yourself." ~ Melody Beattie ~

"To forgive is indeed the best form of self-interest since anger, resentment, and revenge are corrosive of that 'summum bonum', the greatest good." ~ Bishop Desmond Tutu ~

"It is essential also to forgive yourself. 

Self-hatred is not pleasing to Me, and it is very unhealthy for you." 

~ Sarah Young, Jesus Always ~

"The more you know yourself, the more you forgive yourself." ~ Confucius ~

"People can be more forgiving than you can imagine.

But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter

and move on."

~ Bill Cosby ~ 

"You cannot travel back in time to fix your mistakes, but you can learn from them and forgive yourself for not knowing better." ~ Leon Brown ~

"Forgiveness is for yourself because it frees you.

It lets you out of that prison you put yourself in."

~ Louise L. Hay ~ 

"When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future."
~ Bernard Meltzer ~

"Forgiving is rediscovering the shining path of peace that at first you thought others took away when they betrayed you." ~ Dodinsky ~

"It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive.

Forgive everybody." ~ Maya Angelou ~ 

"Forgiving does not erase the bitter past.

A healed memory is not a deleted memory.

Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget 

creates a new way to remember.

We change the memory of our past 

into a hope for our future."

~ Lewis B. Smedes ~ 

"We all make mistakes, don't we?

But if you can't forgive yourself,

you'll always be an exile in your own life."

~ Curtis Sittenfield ~ 

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times

shall I forgive my brother who sins against me?

Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you,

not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!"

~ Matthew 18:21-22 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Alison ~ (If you've a name for this list, let me know.)

MAJOR WHINE with run on sentences: This past week, Rebekah told me moving was toward the top of most stressful life events. (Perhaps this is why God didn't let me move soon after Dave died; He knew I couldn't handle two such stressful events...wry smile.) Boxes are still 3 deep in the basement (including kitchen goods, bedroom things such as nightgowns, personals....you know...necessities!), the plumbing in the barn still isn't working because the plumber said he'd be here last week but not only didn't show, he didn't call, the studio has no insulation, heat, etc. and I'm waiting on John R. to return my dining room furniture he's had since May of last year. He's supposed to be restoring it but, thus far, I've only seen the Singer treadle sewing machine (he delivered about ten days ago). I'll show photos of the Singer this week and he did a wonderful job but he also told me he was bringing else everything last Wednesday. Now, he won't return phone calls, e-mails or texts and I'm sorely frustrated. Until I get the dining room chest, dish cupboard and 1800's "tall boy", all dishes are in boxes, the mantle is deep in candle holders, book cases are loaded with things that need a better home...on and on. Then...
BCBS decided to drop me January 1 and deigned to let me know February 2...how kind. BTW, did you know the CEO of Anthem BCBS makes $17 MILLION a year?! No wonder premiums are +$1000 a month with a $6,000 deductible! Then...
VAFB decided the truck didn't need to be insured and dropped it plus they STILL haven't changed my address. The old agent wants the commission so he's playing fast and loose with my new agent.
So, I've forgiven myself for the (many, many) wicked thoughts I've had this past week plus. However, I'm still working on forgiving the aforementioned for their misdeeds.
One thing at a time, eh?
P.S. I'm stopping now because it's getting depressing...all over again.
LOL

Sabbath Keeping - Redemption

(If you know to whom credit should be given, please advise.)

"Do not fear.

I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name.

You are mine."

~ Isaiah 43:1 ~

"Jesus took the tree of death

so you could have the tree of life."

~ Tim Keller ~

"God creates out of nothing. 

Wonderful you say. 

Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful:

He makes saints out of sinners."

~ Soren Kierkegaard ~ 

"Mere improvement is not redemption although redemption always improves people."
~ C. S. Lewis ~

"I thought I could have leaped from earth to heaven when I first saw my sins drowned in the Redeemer's Blood." ~ C. H. Spurgeon ~

"We want to avoid suffering, sin, death, ashes. But we live in a world crushed and broken and torn, a world God Himself visited to redeem. We receive His poured-out life and being allowed the high privilege of suffering with Him, may then pour ourselves out for others."
~ Elisabeth Elliott ~

"It is not so true that "prayer changes things" as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things, externally, but of working wonders in a man's disposition." ~ Oswald Chambers ~

"I take literally the statement in the Gospel of John that God loves the world. I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. I believe that divine love, incarnate and indwelling in the world, summons the world always toward wholeness, which ultimately is reconciliation and atonement with God." ~ Wendell Berry ~

"If man had his way, the plan of redemption would be an endless and bloody conflict. In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus' fist, but by His nail-pierced hands; not by muscle but by love; not by vengeance but by forgiveness; not by force but by sacrifice. Jesus Christ our Lord surrendered in order that He might win; He destroyed His enemies by dying for them and conquered death by allowing death to conquer Him." ~ A. W. Tozer ~

"Non-Christians seem to think that the Incarnation implies some particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician. Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it."
~ C. S. Lewis ~

"To be in Christ--that is Redemption;

but for Christ to be in you,

that is sanctification."

~ W. Ian Thomas ~

"By Christ's purchasing redemption, two things are intended: His satisfaction and His Merit; he one pays our debt, and so satisfies; the other procures our title, and so merits. The satisfaction of Christ is to free us from misery; the merit of Christ is to purchase happiness for us."
~ Jonathan Edwards ~

"The Son of God became a man 

to enable men to become sons of God."

~ C. S. Lewis ~

"In Him we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of our trespasses, 

according to the riches of His grace."

~ Ephesians 1:7 ~ 

Please pray for ~ Karen ~ Vicky and Dave ~ Steve ~ Rebekah ~ Kimberly's MIL and family ~ Debby ~ Sandra ~