Living in the "PROMISED LAND, FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY"

art source:  https://pin.it/4pVhIxUpF

 What Is the Promised Land?

In the Bible, the term “Promised Land” refers to a specific region of land that God endowed to His chosen people, as part of their heritage. The promised land of Canaan, eventually called Israel, was a fertile land with brooks and deep springs that gushed out into the valleys and hills. The rich soil produced wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, and olives. There, the Israelites would lack nothing. Described in Scripture as “a land flowing with milk and honey,” the soil was rich for agriculture and shepherding, the mountains provided security and protection from the elements and their enemies, and the arid climate provided perfect conditions for livestock to thrive. (Exodus 3:17; Numbers 13:27, Deuteronomy 8:6-9)

In Genesis 12:1, God tells Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." God later confirms this promise to Abraham's son Isaac (Genesis 26:3) and to Isaac's son Jacob (Genesis 28:13). In Exodus 6:8, God reiterates His promise, saying, "I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.”

For migrating herders like the Jews, having a stable home of their own would be a true blessing. The promised land was a place to rest from their continual wandering. But this promise came with conditions. First, God commanded that Israel, the name of the new nation, had to trust and follow Him. Second, God demanded faithful worship of Him (Deuteronomy 7:12-15).

After Moses led God’s people out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, the time had finally come for Israel to realize the fulfillment of God’s long-awaited promise. In one miraculous display after another, God had clearly shown Himself mighty to save. Now, the Israelites needed only to believe God and follow His servant Moses into the desert wilderness that would lead them to the promised land. 

The Faith of Joshua and the Fear of Israel

Through their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites had witnessed first-hand God’s provision, His power, and His faithfulness to the promises made to their ancestors (Genesis 15:14, Exodus 15:1-21)) And God continued to provide for all their needs. As they began their journey to Canaan, God provided food and water. (Exodus 16:12-15, Exodus 15:25) He provided clothes and shoes that never wore out. (Deuteronomy 29:5) He gave them His law. (Exodus 5:6-21) And most importantly God gave the Israelites the gift of His sheltering and guiding presence. (Exodus 13:21)

 SOURCE FROM: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/the-promised-land.html

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When I read these promises in the Old Testament, I think of how it so closely applies to some of what I have experienced over the past several years. I think of how I struggled and fought to care for and protect my mother, who was starting to show signs of dementia back in 2015, after my stepfather passed away. I quit my job at my church, in their counseling/community care programs and spent most days with her. When she went into memory care inn 2019, I made sure she was always cared for and did my very best to honor her wishes. That created a lot of anger and resentment in my family towards me. But, I prayed and persevered until her passing in 2023.

All that time, I also prayed that the Lord would move my heart and lead me to where He wanted me to go, once my mission there was finished. My husband and I both have loved traveling. We often traveled to any different states, and our hearts pulled us away from our “home town” and to a possible new land…..a land God was preparing for us way back in 2015(and even before that).

Now, I believe the Lord didn’t reveal to us where or when that promised land would become reality to teach us many lessons in faith, patience, and full dependence on Him. In fact, we were actually looking in different locations, only for each one we found to fall through. Then, when we finally made a decision, the preparations and journey to get to that place was nothing short of exhausting and frustrating. It seemed like one setback after another took place. Everything seemed to take so much longer and cost us much more than we had hoped or anticipated. I have often compared our journey to this “new promised land” to the Biblical journey of the Israelites or the journey of the settlers that took the Oregon Trail….obviously on a much smaller scale. And, I will admit, my faith in His calling for us was pressed and tried, often with me very close to calling it quits. But, in those times I would go into prayer with the Lord and talk with my family about it, who often pulled me back up to hang in just a little longer.

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Fast forward to where we are now….. thankfully, God never gave up on me or ever went back on His promises to me. In fact, He has given me so much more than I could have ever imagined!!

I am blown away by the description in Genesis of the “promised land” God was preparing for His people, and how closely that describes the land we now live on. Similar to the land of Canaan, our property has the following:

~ A fertile land with brooks and deep springs that gushed out into the valleys and hills.

~ The rich soil has vines and fig trees (not mentioned, but also all kinds of fruit trees, berries, and a persimmon tree!)

~ The mountains provided security and protection from the elements and their enemies, and the climate provided perfect conditions for livestock and plants for all to thrive.

~ Described in Scripture as “a land flowing with milk and honey,”

~ Along with all this, we were blessed with a beautiful, warm house, as well as a giant pole building for us to park our RV and our son to park his van/turn into his official music studio.

GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!

Source: https://pin.it/6TBELcp8H

https://pin.it/6ofpZIdGI

❤️❤️❤️

Cultivating Gratitude in the Midst of Suffering

Hello all my lovely friends in the Lord!
I pray you have had a blessed week. Mine has been busy and also full of unexpected news. Last week I met with a new primary physician, due to some physical issues I have continued to deal with. She was very thorough and did several blood tests, most of which came back negative. But one of the test results surprisingly(and yet, not surprisingly) came back positive. It was a test for antibodies that are found with a disease called "Lupus". I had heard of Lupus, but was not aware of what it was. Upon some studying, I found that this can potentially be a very serious disease.  The reason I was not surprised by the test results was that all of my symptoms have been identical to the symptoms experienced with Lupus. I have an appointment in a few weeks to see a specialist, who will confirm whether I do have Lupus or not. With my symptoms, I would be surprised, though, if I don't have it. There is no cure, but thankfully symptoms can be treated with medications. I am praying for relief of my symptoms and for healing. I also am awaiting and preparing for my scheduled hysterectomy surgery at the end of September. This definitely will be a busy month! Please continue to hold me up in prayer!

As I wait for my medical issues to be addressed, I continue to care for my mother, who has dementia. I spend lots of time just being with her, which allows me to catch up on my reading. I have already started reading the book, Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor's Personal Journey through Depression by Michelle Bengtson. I hope to share a review of this book very soon.

Until then, I wanted to continue to share from my gratitude list. This list continues to grow and has helped me stay focused on the blessings God has provided each day of my life, in spite of much hardship and pain.

 This list and the photos I share remind me of the joy and goodness that springs up from God Himself, of which I so often miss in the day to day business and struggles of life. May you enjoy and be blessed by what I share. 

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." 

William Arthur Ward

#1861 - Finding beauty in the small, and seemingly insignificant.

#1862 - Being able to take regular walks through our neighborhood and being able to feel safe for the most part.

#1863 - A tree loaded down with pinecones...upone reading about the pinecone, I learned that there are many evil symbols related to it (read about it here). But, as I looked upon this pine tree with its profusion of pinecones, it reminded me of the multiple blessings in the Lord and how creative He is to come up with such a unique plant. I also learned these things about pinecones:

• Pine cones are the reproductive parts of pine trees
• There are both male and female pine cones.
• Male pine cones are soft and small.
• Female cones are the ones we generally associate with pine cones.
• Maine’s state flower is the White Pine Cone & Tassel.
• Many species of birds and squirrels feed on pine cones, including crossbills, woodpeckers and the gray and red varieties of squirrels.
• Humans also eat parts of the pine cones: Pine Nuts! People usually toast pine nuts to improve flavor and texture.There are around 20 types of pine nuts that are edible by people.

#1864 - A lovely pathway through some trees that my hubby and I take on our walks. Unfortunately, this path will be closed off in the near future, as someone recently purchased the land next to it and built on it. 

#1865 - My hubby's expression whenever we walk by this neighboring house. I think he dreams about one day catching a fish this big...no it's not real, but still...LOL!!!

 A close-up of the fake fish hanging above this house porch.

#1866 - Watching my hubby, who recently obtained a metal detector as a gift, searching for something of great value in the lake. Due to having our pontoon boat out for some repairs, this has been his recent hobby.

#1867 - Even when I come across something scary, the amazing beauty of God's creation amazes me. This GIANT hornet(holding onto a dead cicada) landed on the back of my chair, while I was sitting out on my patio. The size and sound of his buzzing frightened me. 

 Because of his size and threatening appearance, he was definitely not what I wanted to see!! I immediately found a different place to sit, after getting this snapshot, of course!

#1868 - I was also reminded, though, that even in these situations, we need not be afraid, for God is with us. His love truly does cast out all fear!!

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Two Book Reviews, My Health, and Gratitude

Hello again, friends in Christ! I pray you have had a blessed week.

I have quite a few things to share with you today, so I will just get started.

Books: I wanted to share about two different books I will be reviewing in the next several posts.

1. The first book is called “Happiness”, by Randy Alcorn. I wrote a few reviews of the book in January of this year, after deciding to make my word for 2016 HAPPINESS and purchasing the newly released book. I want to finish the reviews and also share how God has used this book/my word this year so far to grow my faith. Here is the first post I wrote on the book, called "Our Quest for Happiness" 
2. The second book I'll be reviewing is called “Hope Prevails” by Michelle Bengtson. This book is being released this next week (August 16th). As soon as I receive it and read it, I will be sharing a review on this book, too.

So, I hope you will be returning to read what I have to say about these two interesting and informative books.

My health:

I also wanted to share some things that I have had to deal with. If you have been reading my posts lately, you surely know I have been through some physical challenges and hardships. Some have had to do with my digestive system, which had been compromised due to other prior problems. I have had to make some major changes to my diet, as well as other health choices, which has been difficult for me. I also have dealt for many years with ongoing female hormonal issues. Well, last week I met with my gynecologist and she has informed me that the only choice for me at this point would be for me to have a hysterectomy. I have been struggling a lot more lately with pain and am ready to have the surgery. So, please keep me in your prayers. My surgery is tentatively set for Septbember 27th and will require 4-6 weeks for recovery. This will be a perfect time for me to read and review the books I have mentioned above! Doesn’t God have amazing timing?

Gratitude list:

Lastly, I wanted to continue in adding to and sharing my gratitude list. I have realized over the years that, as I go through some of the most difficult circumstances, remembering my blessings has helped me to stay strong and be reminded of the goodness of the Lord, which, in turn encourages me and others that I have shared with. I am grateful for these things:

#1844 - What I see on this side of eternity is a mere reflection of what is to come. So many times I have been confused or discouraged, but in my limited and imperfect knowledge of eternity I cannot fathom God's ultimate plan. I'm so thankful He sees and knows all and one day I will fully see, also!

#1845 - Our son will turn 24 years old tomorrow - August 13th. Even though we won't be able to see him on his birthday, I put together and wanted to share all the many blessed times we have had with him over the past year. Praying we will be re-united with him again soon!

#1846 - GOD  IS OUR ANCHOR OF HOPE FOR OUR SOULS IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES! We can rest in knowing we are safe and secure, as HE walks beside us!

#1847 - Memories are such wonderful treasures of life! Time spent with loved ones are so precious!

#1848 - Long summer days - My favorite time of the year is summer and I soak up every moment!

#1849 - Meaningful alonetime, which is a powerful need and a necessary tonic in today's rapid-fire world. Time with the Lord is precious!!

#1850 - For a wonderful doctor, who is very caring and assuring me that the next step I am taking is going to be a good one. God will take care of me and heal me fully of my illnesses!

#1851 - Books to read - to encourage us, help us live more godly lives, and educate us!!

#1852 - Catching up with a wonderful friend in Christ who is like a sister to me. True friendship is such a blessing!!

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.

HOLD ON!!

So, there are many thoughts and circumstances that can roll through one's mind and heart in a day...

Today, I'm really missing a loved one who lives far away...

"You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;you encourage them, and you listen to their cry." Psalm 10:17 

"So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." John 16:22 

I'm also suffering from ongoing multiple physical issues that wear and tear on my emotions and make me feel very weak.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor. 12:9-10

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2

"When we experience family problems, physical pain, or suffering...emotional stress...heartache, we are not to think that God has abandoned us and that He doesn’t care about our problems.  He cried out on the Cross–not in despair, but in a moment of sympathy with all {who suffer} throughout the centuries" (Sheen, Life of Christ, 379)

–“My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mt. 27:46). 

His earthly life in the 1st century was as much a “vale of tears” as our earthly lives are for us in the 21st century. 

So many times I have been ready to let go of my grasp of Jesus' hand. Somehow, I find a "little" bit of hope and strength to HOLD ON....The struggle is real. When my strength is almost gone, He grabs my hand and tells me again...HOLD ON!

So, for at least another day, I am holding on. I have found strength to make it through THIS DAY...Tomorrow may bring more pain or it may finally bring relief. Whatever happens, only Jesus can rescue me as I HOLD ON!

I am continually sharing some of the many blessings God has given to me...and  continue my list.(Getting closer to 2000 gifts!) May you be blessed and encouraged and strive to see the many gifts the Lord has placed in your own life!!

"Giving thanks is that: making the canyon of pain into a megaphone to proclaim the ultimate goodness of God when Satan and all the world would sneer at us to recant." ~Ann Voskamp 

#1837 - Friendship! I met with one of my dearest and long-time friends! We live a few hours away from one another and with our busy schedules, hadn't been able to meet up for a couple of years. What a joy to spend some time together!

 #1838 - Family!! From immediate to distant relatives. I attended an improptu mini-family reunion this past week. Had a great time.

 #1839 - My silly dogs...I always seem to end up posting pictures of them. I am so grateful that God gives us pets to love us and entertain us! 

#1840 - Catching a LOAD of fish this past weekend. Having my mom come along and showing off one of the BIG ones she caught! 

#1841 - God's continued presence in my life, even when I am going through painful and stressful circumstances.
#1842 - Finding the strength to HOLD ON, when I think I have no more strength!
#1843 - A new song by Chris Tomlin. A very moving description of who Jesus is and how He works in our lives. So uplifting for when we feel alone and defeated in life.

You may find me linking up at any of the blog parties listed on the left sidebar.

Slow Healing Process

It has been awhile since I've posted here, but I have a good reason. You see, I've been pretty ill for the past 3 weeks, the sickest I've been in many years. And I'm actually not fully healed yet. First, I thought it was a severe case of the stomach flu, but the flu doesn't last weeks. So, last week I ended going to the local ER and they pretty much eliminated any major organ issues, and it looks like I have had a stomach ulcer. I have received some meds to help heal it. On top of the ulcer, I've had a number of other totally separate physical issues and some flair ups associated to the ulcer. So, needless to say, this has been a slow healing process. I've had to slow down, eat cautiously, and get plenty of rest. This 'ole body definitely is not feeling as young as it used to be. But, I know that through it all, the Lord is healing me and walking with me. 

I just wanted to stop by and once again share some of the many blessings God has given to me over the past 3 weeks or so...and  continue my list.(Getting closer to 2000 gifts!)

#1824 - This is one of those beautiful-ugly gifts. The beautiful pergola that my hubby got me for Mother's Day was put up. The ugly was that we had to take it down(at least for now) due to a jealous neighbor and unfortunate circumstances. 

 #1825 - My flower planter pots look beautiful! Gladly, I was able to keep them.

 #1826 - My hubby got me a bouquet of flowers, too! I love my man!!

 #1827 - Spending precious time with my mom, who has dementia. Each day is different...some easy and enjoyable, some more challenging.

#1828 - A beautiful afternoon spent out on our patio...me with my laptop, hubby working on his fishing poles.

 #1829 - A beautiful evening fishing, ending with a gorgeous sunset!

 #1830 - Some more flowers that had new blooms on them. I'm so blessed to enjoy so many different flowers that God has made!

 #1831 - Getting to spend time with some cousins/family who live far and near.

 #1832 - Spending July 4th with Ken's daughter and her family, having fun being part of our lake's flotilla parade.

 #1833 - Getting to see my son and his girlfriend before they took a long roadtrip.(Even though I was feeling VERY sick at that time.)

 #1834 - Spending a hot, hazy afternoon swimming and relaxing with my hubby.

#1835 - Feeling SO much better after a long 2 weeks of illness! Thankful for God's healing power!

#1836 - Having a date day with my hubby...going to the movies and dinner at a new Italian restaurant in town. LOVED IT!!

Thanks for stopping by, friends. May you find joy and a grateful heart each day of your life.

“Dare to Be"

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.

When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.

When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.

When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.

When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.

When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.

When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.

Dare to be the best you can –

At all times, Dare to be!” 
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

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