Daily Scripture

Romans 8:1-2 (NAB)

(1) Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. 

Daily Scripture

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NAB)

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Daily Scripture

Philippians 4:19 (NAB)

My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Daily Scripture

Proverbs 10:22 (NAB)

It is the LORD's blessing that brings wealth, and no effort can substitute for it.

HEAT WAVE!

This is how we are all feeling over here in south eastern Wisconsin due to the unseasonably warm weather today!

I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped outside this evening.  The weather immediately reminded me of late spring or early autumn.  I checked the weather and saw that it was near 50 degrees.  Not bad for the second day of winter!

Hopefully we'll get some more days like this.  I remember it being 60 degrees in January one day, about sixteen or seventeen years ago.  So hey, you never know!

I'm hoping you are also nice and toasty wherever you are today.

Until next time...

The Dancing Badger!

The Wisconsin Badgers' Mascot (Bucky) is at it again so I had to share this video with you.  It's pretty fun to watch.  Hope you enjoy!

Daily Scripture

Psalm 5:1-3 (KJV)

(1) Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. (2) Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.  (3) My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 4:7-8 (NIV)

(7) You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. (8) I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 4:6 (NIV)

Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"  Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 4:4-5 (NIV)

(4) In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.  "Selah" (5) Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 4:3 (NIV)

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call him. 

Daily Scripture

Psalm 4:2 (NIV)

How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?  How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? "Selah"

Daily Scripture

Psalm 4:1 (NIV)

For the director of music.  With stringed instruments.  A psalm of David.

(1) Answer me when I call to you, O  my righteous God.  Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 3:8 (KJV)

Salvation belongeth unto the LORD; thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 3:7 (KJV)

Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou has broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 3:6 (KJV)

I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 3:4-5 (KJV)

(4) I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.  Selah. (5) I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.

Photo of The Week

I was driving by Lake Michigan yesterday and was absolutely enjoying the view.  So of course I had to take pictures!  I absolutely love when I see scenery like this... when it looks like the water meets together with the sky.  

Here's another one below.

The best things in life truly are free!

Daily Scripture

Psalm 3:1-3 (KJV)

(1) LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.  (2) Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.  (3) But thou, O LORD art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 2:10-11 (RHE)

(10) And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.  (11) Serve ye the  Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling

Daily Scripture

Psalm 2:8-9  (KJV)

(8) Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (9) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 2:6-7 (RHE)

(6) But I am appointed king by him over Sion, his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.  (7) The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 2:4-5 (RHE)

(4) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them. (5) Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 2:1-3 (KJV)

(1) Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?  (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, (3) Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 1:6 (RHE)

For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

Photo of The Week

This picture was taken right before it started to rain.  It was actually drizzling outside when I took this.  I thought it was really odd that the sky looked like this while it was beginning to rain.  The odd thing is that it actually looked yellow outside.  It just looks pink in the picture.  My sister even sent me a text asking me did I see how creepy yellow it looked outside. lol

Here are a couple more that I took at the same time.

Would never be able to tell that it was drizzling outside.  Really weird!

Daily Scripture

Psalm 1:3-5 (KJV)

(3) 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. (4) The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 

Daily Scripture

Psalm 1:2 (RHE)

But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.

Weekly Inspiration

I came across the video below and figured it explained things much better than I could.  So I thought I'd share it with you.  It's a little over 30 minutes long so you might want to view it when you have some down time.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence --RHE

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. --KJV

A Month of Psalms

Starting tomorrow, Daily Scripture will be featured from the Book of Psalms for the entire month of August.  I will start from the first verse of the first chapter and will take it from there.  If I come across a verse that I have already featured, I will simply go to the next one.  Feel free to follow along with me!

Photo of The Week

I decided to post this just for fun.  This was part of a gift basket I received for Valentine's Day some months back.  I swear I'll grow up one of these days! LOL

Daily Scripture

Psalm 42:2 (NAB)

As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.

Daily Scripture

Proverbs 12:21 (NAB)

No harm befalls the just, but the wicked are overwhelmed with misfortune.

Daily Scripture

Psalm 95:1 (KJV)

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  

Daily Scripture

Jeremiah 10:23 (RHE)

I know, O Lord, that the way of a man is not his: neither is it in a man to walk, and to direct his steps.

Daily Scripture

Philippians 2:3 (RHE)

Let nothing be done through contention: neither by vain glory.  But in humility, let each esteem others better than themselves.

Happy Independence Day!

Jurassic World and Legos

My Dad and I went to see Jurassic World over the weekend.  I actually had forgotten that it came out but he called me and asked if I wanted to go with him and of course I took the opportunity to spend time with my Dad.  

Overall, the movie was very good.  There were some eye rolling moments that made me say "really?"  but it definitely kept the action and suspense going.  I think I may have enjoyed it a little more than my dad.  I say it was very good and he says it was just good, lol.    

Oddly enough, I also went to see the very first Jurassic Park movie with my dad years ago and actually fell ASLEEP during the first few minutes!  Don't even ask me how that happened.  At least when I woke up I enjoyed the rest of the movie, lol.  Luckily I didn't fall asleep during this one!

Now on to the Legos!

While walking through the mall on our way to the theater, we saw multiple building replicas  made out of legos.  I came to find out that The "Lego Americana Roadshow" started on Friday and will last for  about 2 weeks.  The three buildings I saw were the Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial and Independence Hall.  I wish I would have known ahead of time so I could have taken my camera. It sucks that I wasn't able to get any pictures.  The roadshow lasts until the end of the month so who knows, I may just make my way back up there!

The Roadshow will be taking place in different areas of the country until the Fall.  I have included the link to the Lego website with the tour information.  You can click on the link below to see when the Roadshow is coming to your area. 

CLICK HERE for the tour schedule.

I'm actually glad I ended up getting out of the house over the weekend.  It was a better alternative to my original plan of being lazy and doing absolutely NOTHING!

Until next time....

Daily Scripture

Psalm 25:1-2 (KJV)

(1) Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. (2) O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.  

Daily Scripture

James 1:22 (RHE)

But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Daily Scripture

Proverbs 10:16 (RHE)

The work of the just is unto life: but the fruit of the wicked unto sin.

Photo of the Week

My mother obviously knows how much I love cows.  She was originally looking for one of these for herself but she said when she saw one in cow print, she just HAD to get it for me, lol.  I'm glad she did!  

Daily Scripture

John 14:23 (RHE)

Jesus answered and said to him: If any one love me, he will keep my word.  And my Father will love him and we will come to him and will make our abode with him.

Daily Scripture

Genesis 2:3 (NAB)

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

Weekly Inspiration

Only God Can Fill The Void

I've been having this subject on my heart for awhile now but have been putting it off because I just didn't quite know how to put it into words, so I'll try my best.

I'm sure many of us at certain times in life have felt like something was missing in our lives, felt an emptiness or have felt like things just weren't quite right.

Most of us have felt or know others who have felt like things would be so much better if "I just had a new car"... or a bigger house... or more money, or...fill in the blank!  A lot of people have even felt like things would improve in their lives if they could just find a husband/wife or start a family.  Whether a person feels a material void or an emotional void, the underlying cause is usually the same.

A lot of times we will go after those things that we think would make us feel better but if we actually end up getting them we will realize that after the excitement has worn off, we're right back to feeling "empty".  Even after someone finds the spouse that they want or finally starts a family, he or she will often realize that he or she still feels like something is missing. 

I can honestly say that I have gone through similar experiences in the past where I felt like "Things would be so much better if I only had...".  However, I eventually realized that nothing externally can fill an internal void.  No thing, no place, no person...only GOD! The bible even tells us to be content with what we have. I know this to be true because I've noticed over the years that it was once I finally "accepted" my circumstances for what they were, that they changed. 

When people continue to chase after things day after day and focus on what they don't have, it can cause a very anxious or unhappy life.  Sometimes when they feel that things in their lives don't change as quickly as they would like, they unfortunately do the only thing that they can think of which is try to ease the pain.  This can lead to alcohol, cigarettes, promiscuity or drugs (legal and illegal).  I know some people in those situations and my heart truly goes out to them.

When someone feels that something is "missing" it's usually a disconnect from God.  We go through so many things in life that can pull us further and further away without us even realizing it.  Also, with society the way it is today, it's not hard to accidentally start focusing on the wrong things.  When this happens, we need to get closer to God.  I won't claim to be an expert but I will share with you what worked for me.

The thing that has allowed me to be content in life is prayer and meditation.  I started religiously doing this and it completely transformed my life.  It didn't happen overnight but it really didn't take as long as I thought it would.  I notice that a lot of people pray but don't really meditate.  When I say meditate, I'm not talking about a lot of the New Age stuff which tells you what to say and do.  No, I'm talking about simply having alone time with God. Don't ask for anything, don't say anything, just be quiet.  Prayers of thanksgiving and praise are great. They should be done as well but it's the quiet time alone with God that truly allows us to listen and hear him.  That's why Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2 in the bible tells us to meditate.

In addition to prayer and meditation, I also read at least one verse from the bible when I wake up in the morning and another before I go to bed at night.  This has been my routine for the last few years and I can honestly say that I am a changed person because of it.  It was actually while I was meditating a couple of years ago when God revealed my life's purpose to me.  It was December of 2013... I will never forget!  Not only have I received peace and contentment, but it has also changed how I interact with other people.  It has allowed me to be a lot more patient, a lot more loving and a lot more accepting. 

I can imagine that if you have small children (or any children), it may be a challenge for you to find alone time but I encourage you to try. Maybe wake up a little earlier or work something out with your spouse to look after the kids for about 30 minutes so that you can have that time.  Everyone's situation is different so of course you have to do what works best for you.

If you are feeling an emptiness or void in your life, let my testimony allow you to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Just know that God is waiting to fill that void for you and make you whole! 

God bless.

Daily Scripture

Genesis 1:27 (NAB)

God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.

Daily Scripture

Matthew 7:21 (RHE)

Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.