Abba's Girl

Maybe I have not had enough coffee this morning, but as the Swine Flu story seems to be the lead story on every newscast and in every newspaper I have to laugh at this: People in the Holy Land find pigs offensive and want the name Swine Flu changed. Does anyone else find that ridiculous? The flu is named Swine Flu because it comes from a pig virus...How has humanity become so sensitive and PC? Should we call each other offensive names? No!!! But to change the name of a virus, give me a break. My county has at least 30 cases, I suspect schools may close next week. I will shop early in the a.m. when the grocery store is not crowded. I will sanitize my hands when I get into my car. I will wash them when I return home. I will not touch my face. I will sleep, eat well, take my vitamins and minerals, drink plenty of water, and probably not hug and shake hands at church or in public for the next couple of weeks. But my number 1 strategy is this: I will plead the Blood of Jesus over myself fro...

Ever wonder what to do with left over brown rice? I found this breakfast recipe: here's a great, healthy recipe for left over brown rice... for 1 serving 1/2 cup cooked brown rice 1/4 cup soy, rice, or regular milk 1 tablespoon dried cranberries or raisins 1 teaspoon sliced almonds 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon combine all the ingredients in a saucepan (I stored the left over rice in the pot I used to cook it and used the same pot right out of the fridge to cook it the next a.m.) heat over medium heat until warmed through, about 5 min tastes great...

To my knowledge there has been 1 other Swine Flu outbreak in my life prior to this outbreak. I have noticed many of the articles printed in newspapers across the country as well as articles I read last week on websites seemed more about scaring people than informing people. Do I think we need to take the possible epidemic seriously? Yes! Do I think we should be shaking in our boots? No! If we have loved ones in a weakened physical state or with a suppressed immune system, we must take extra care when it comes to them. As of last night, Swine Flu is in TX, OH, KS, NY, Mexico, Canada, Israel, and New Zealand. People are calling for the Texas border to be closed...it's kinda late - you know the cow out of the barn thing. We would have to ground planes, trains, buses, cruise ships, close all businesses, and schools for 7 to 10 days at least to stop the virus from spreading. If the flu comes to my area, I will resume shopping at the least crowded times, I will eat more meals at home, I ...

May we be aware of our Lord's holiness, power, might, love, and forgiveness.

Every mother knows how to spot a teenager up to no good a mile away...even when the teen is not your child, related to you, or a friend of the family. Yesterday as I returned home from the post office around 11:00am, I noticed a teen riding her bike at a furious pace down the street...I see her roller blading, walking her dog etc many times a week, I helped her when she fell one summer day a couple of years ago. I do not know her name, she was crying so hard when she fell (it was a bad fall) I didn't understand what she said. I see her with the other students each morning as they wait for the school bus, I thought maybe she missed the bus and had to ride her bike, or did she ride it to skip school? My suspicion was confirmed when she did not go to her house but another house in the neighborhood and hid her bike. Then she saw me and turned a pale, PALE shade of white. I waved. She sorta waved. What she did in secret was out in the open for God and apparently a neighbor to see. We th...

Tonight I am going to a surprise party, Mike Kidda turns 87 today. The party is during the weekly small group meeting at their house, so he won't think anything is unusual as people begin to arrive. Mike and his wife Ann moved to Richmond from Shreveport about 4 1/2 yrs ago and have been a huge blessing to me. Ann is one of my best friends. I wrote about them several months ago when their son died. Mike is 87 today, still active in prayer ministry, he is an Eucharistic minister (a fancy way of saying he assists with Communion during Sunday services.) He is a lay reader. He mows his lawn with an electric mower just like mine. He jogs 1 mile a day and rides his bike to the grocery store. (I pray for him when I see him riding his bike across FM 762.) Mike exudes the love of Christ in all that he does. I hope all of you have a Mike and or Ann in your life. And now we count down to their 65th wedding anniversary party in a few weeks. 65 YEARS...I can't imagine!

2009 has been a great year in many ways for me and in other ways, it has been stressful and filled with grief with many serious prayer needs. My father died at the end of January...that definitely tops the stress and grief scales. My mother is doing well, she has Alzheimer's and thankfully lives 6 blocks from me. My husband is the legal guardian of his aunt Margaret. She will be 90 in Sept. She resides in a nursing home about 60 miles from us and is completely senile. She fell last Sat. and was rushed to the hospital, thankfully she was not seriously injured...I sped on the way to the ER with tears at the surface, memories of 2008 and Jan. 2009 were flooding into my mind, my husband resisted the urge to tell me to slow down, he knew (we thought hospice was being called in for his aunt) I wanted to get there in time for him to say goodbye. I have attended 6 funerals since 01/01/2009 plus my father's and skipped 3 others because I just could not do it. I talked to my friend's...

I pray we have a blessed Sabbath and are a blessing this day.

I had narrowed down my 04/15 Siesta Memory Verse to 1 of 3 verses from Psalm 118 on Sunday. Today I chose it around 6am. My friends on Facebook can attest to this fact. I went to the Lproof.org blog this morning to post my verse and lo and behold before my very shocked face was my verse. Beth Moore had chosen 3 verses from Psalm 118. I think my mouth fell open and my eyes opened very wide. I feel kinda like a slacker but not enough to add 2 more verses because I don't quite have my 04/01 verses down, I know them in so many versions that I have not learned the version I chose this time. Psalm 118 is so beautiful, I want to share a few verses with you: 5 In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. (the verse I chose to memorize.) 6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 9 It is better to tak...

Our weekend was a little strange. Friday afternoon I came home after church and did a few chores around the house and went to get my hair cut. Saturday I was tired, just pulled most of our belongings out of the closet and was going to decide what stayed and what left the house, when my mother called to see if we were going to the nursery, I asked her to delay it. I was dressed in very grubby clothes, even too grubby for the nursery. The phone rang again, I almost didn't answer it. It was the nursing home in Bay City, my husband's 89 year old aunt had fallen. I said does she need to go to the hospital? The woman on the phone said yes, I said we are on the way. I looked around my room trying to decide what to wear since I had mounds of stuff from the closet sitting everywhere. I grabbed a blouse and a pants and called my husband and said we need to get to the hospital. As we drove to Bay City, I could feel that knot trying to form in my stomach. I was praying for Aunt Margaret. W...

So many people have the opinion God the Father Almighty hates women and created us to be 2nd class citizens. If that is a fact, why did He trust women to prepare Jesus' body after the Passover and why did women, the original spice girls, discover He was not in the tomb? If God, thinks women are 2nd class citizens don't you think men would have discovered the tomb was empty? John 20: 1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, ...

He is Risen! He is Risen! He is Risen! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia... Happy Easter... Love, Annette

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." 5Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you." While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I w...

For God so loved the world...

Matthew 6: 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ' 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 18: 21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times 23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[b] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I...

This is not what I had planned to post today,in fact I was going to e-mail it to someone, but I realized someone else needs to read it as well. The names have been changed, though the woman who was healed has given permission for her testimony to be shared. I have noticed over the years in prayer ministry many women with severe and ongoing back problems are survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Many of them also have autoimmune diseases and are perfectionists as well as have the desire to control all things in their home which is because they had no control as little girls when they were abused, usually by a "loved one". Ellen was going to a prayer appointment once a week for 2 hours at a Christian ministry which has licensed psychologists and psychiatrists on staff. You have prayer then see your therapist. Ellen's back was a mess, she had severe scoliosis and her vertebra's were disintegrating. Her internal organs were being crushed. So her friend talked her into goin...

I loved singing this hymn at chapel in school and on Palm Sunday.

Sunday is the day on which most churches with the exception of a few Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Palm Sunday. Many churches have processions with the congregation carrying palm leaves and the much of the music is festive compared to other music played during the Lenten Season. If you grew up in a liturgical background before services were modernized you sung a few dirge like hymns each Sunday. The words always pierced me, the melody usually made me want to yawn. I was too young to understand the purpose behind the dirge like melody. I urge you to ponder Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, His ultimate betrayal and arrest. The mockery of a trial and His execution this week and then celebrate Easter with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Jesus died for me, He died for you. He died for every person on the planet - past, present and future. He loves you, He loves me...His love is perfect and whole. Please receive His love and receive His promises. And he took bread, gave th...

On my other blog which details my thoughts and impressions as I read through the Bible chronologically this year, I often state (emphatically) that I am glad I am a New Covenant girl. I stated it frequently through out our readings in Leviticus and probably Numbers as well. As a result of this statement, my newest Siesta Memory verse is from Luke 22: 19-20, in the New King James Version: And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. I pray as we enter Holy Week on Sunday, we really reflect on the New Covenant and what the Lord did for us. He was humiliated, beaten to a pulp, mocked, scorned, took on every sin that was ever committed and every sin that would be committed as well as every illness and disease that people had suffered and would suffer as He experienced an ex...