Sunday Words of Encouragement January 14, 2024 - Pray and Be Bold!

Pastor preached and prayed this morning from Nehemiah 2 - Pray and Be Bold.
God had placed a burden on Nehemiah’s heart. It wasn’t a fleeting idea. Four months after Nehemiah 1, the king noticed Nehemiah wasn’t ‘good’ – his visage showed his sadness. Along with the burden, Nehemiah prayed. He prayed boldly and he walked in boldness.

It takes boldness to submit to God to fulfill the burden. Nehemiah was able to move out with confidence and boldness that God was with him. There will be opposition.

Nehemiah secretly went at night to inspect the gates. He had to wait for the right time to share his plans with others. Sometimes God puts you in a holding pattern for where you have to land and connect. Both the “ground” and the plane have to be ready at the same time.

The good (or gracious) hand of God was on him v 8 and v 18. God wants you to tell others how good God has been to you. The people responded, “Let us start rebuilding.” When one member doesn’t do what they should, it hurts the whole work. Don’t be just consumers but be the server doing the work.

The enemy’s attacks will increase as you start the work. Nehemiah continues to pray to keep his motives right. This isn’t about the king (or the church), it’s about God. Rebuke the opposition and the enemy with God’s strength. We put the enemy in his place when we are following God’s Will.

Pray to rebuild and revive. Lord you do the work through us. Breathe the breath of the Spirit over us.

I liked this song for this message: Our God Will Go Before Us.

Verses for Today:
Nehemiah 2:16-20
16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”


Almighty God, thank you for holding me in your gracious hand. May I always look to You and be willing to do the work You direct.

Sunday Post January 7, 2024/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 8, 2024

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)

What Are You Reading? is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I started the month medium busy. I enjoyed my Monday at home and took my time going into to the office at about 10am each day. Now I do stay usually until 6 (or later).  I do plan on trying to go in earlier this week but I'll probably still come home at 6 or later.

I'll be busy this week with some signings and one staff member out two days for personal business.

I started chair yoga and am enjoying the streching exercising.

I will continue to pray for the Advent messages all year: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

We have some warmer days Friday and Saturday but then the rain brought in the cold again. I won't complain about my 50 degree weather when those in the west and north are having snow.

I've finished two audios this week. I have one review posted this week and the other I will review this coming week.

I visited only 11 blogs last week. Shout Out this week to D'ANN MATEER. D'Ann is an author (published through Bethany House Publishers), editor, and reader. Check out her website and blog.

Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

• Sunday Post December 31, 2023/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 1, 2024.

• MBS First Book of the Year 2024 - The Josiah Manifesto by Jonathan Cahn.

• MarthaE Cooking #3.

• First Book of the Year 2024 - Audible Book Review: The Josiah Manifesto by Jonathan Cahn.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement January 7, 2024 - Burden and Prayer.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

The Josiah Manifesto
By: Jonathan Cahn
Narrated by: Lawrence Richardson
Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
I did enjoy this as my FIRST BOOK of 2024.
Source: 9/17/2023 August Audible Credit.
Click on link above for description and review.

2. NetGalley on Smartphone (NGA2023).

The Fish of Small Wishes
by Elana K. Arnold
Narrated by Erin Ruth Walker
Pub Date: 30 Jan 2024
This is a charming story.
Source: 12/11/2023 received at NetGalley.
 Description
Fall in love with a modern fairy tale inspired by a Jewish family memory in this magical picture book by award-winning picture book creators Elana K. Arnold and Magdalena Mora.
Once, there was a girl named Kiki, who found a fish on the asphalt.
The fish was very hot and very dry.
But when Kiki put it in the bathtub, it started swimming, and growing, and . . . speaking?
"I want to grant you a wish for saving me," it said.
A wish-granting fish!
Alas, this fish was only a fish of small wishes, and Kiki’s wish was too big.
Unless . . . there was a way for both their dreams to come true.
Follow Kiki and the wish-granting fish in this contemporary fairy-tale perfect for fans of A Big Mooncake for Little Star and Carmela Full of Wishes.

Currently Reading:
1. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Armageddon
Expeditionary Force, Book 8
By: Craig Alanson
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins
I have a little over an hour left and have laughed out loud at times but am holding my breath near the end as a serious battle occurs.
Source: 11/16/22 October Audible Credit.
Click on link to see full description.

2. NetGalley App on Smartphone (NGA2023)

Deep Freeze
by Michael C. Grumley
Narrated by Scott Brick
Pub Date: 09 Jan 2024
Archive Date: 16 Jan 2024
I'm not too far in yet but this is intriguing.
Source: 12/11/2023 received at NetGalley.
Description
From the bestselling author of the Breakthrough series: In his next near-future thriller, Michael C. Grumley explores humanity’s thirst for immortality—at any cost...
“A fast-paced juggernaut of a story, where revelations pile upon revelations, building to a stunning conclusion that will leave readers clamoring for more.” —James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sigma Force series
The accident came quickly. With no warning. In the dead of night, a precipitous plunge into a freezing river trapped everyone inside the bus. It was then that Army veteran John Reiff’s life came to an end. Extinguished in the sudden rush of frigid water.
There was no expectation of survival. None. Let alone waking up beneath blinding hospital lights. Struggling to move, or see, or even breathe. But the doctors assure him that everything is normal. That things will improve. And yet, he has a strange feeling that there's something they're not telling him.
As Reiff's mind and body gradually recover, he becomes certain that the doctors are lying to him. One-by-one, puzzle pieces are slowly falling into place, and he soon realizes that things are not at all what they seem. Critical information is being kept from him. Secrets. Supposedly for his own good. But who is doing this? Why? And the most important question: can he keep himself alive long enough to uncover the truth?
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Forge.

3. Kindle (/NetGalley )App on Smartphone (NGeB2023)

The Altered Moon 2: The Tyrant of Unity
By James McGettigan, Jingjing Huntley (Photographer), Fabiana Granado, Kyle Davis, Jason Frank, Serena Lucatero, Jacqui Corn-Uys (Editor), Anthony McGettigan (Editor), Judy McGettigan (Editor)
This looked like a good Sci Fi. I am engaged but it is reading slowly compared to my audios.
Source: December 27, 2023 NetGalley.
Archive date 1/11/24 I have it downloaded so hope I will be able to continue to read it.
Evil comes in many layers…
The Planet Galiza is under siege from an alien threat that blocks out every ray of light from the sun and twinkle from the stars. Scrambling to find a means of defense against the invaders, the humans conjure a solution by manipulating the biology of an alien corpse retrieved from the Lunar Clash.
Through the utilization and advancement of quantum suits, fueled by the blood of the invaders, the humans have steadily come to match the speed and fighting tactics of their cosmic adversaries. But even after two years of war, both sides appear to be at a stalemate.
After an aerial combat that nearly almost bests him, Amat Luciph Criptous has been granted a way to regain control of his own psyche.
With the help of his cousins and sister, Lara, Amat devises a plan to offer salvation to the greater part of his kin left to rot and fend for themselves in the wasteland that is Galiza. Together, the four of them conceal Skivs and Warvs within the various underground militia bases. A luxury granted only to those tied to the militia.
When the Diramal discovers Amat has slipped from his grasp, the devious tyrant has no choice but to relay his findings to an even greater enemy set before Amat. One who would seek to use Amat as a means to grow his grand army, forcing the rival foes of the Jinn-hid and the Diramal to work together.
394 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2023.

January 7, 2024 - I am enjoying a new Bible in a year study on the YouVersion App called The Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble. (The link is to the plan online.)
I also enjoyed a four day study New Year, Same God.

I finished two books, one review is linked above and the other will be reviewed this coming week.  

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I have finished one audio; started another audio and ebook. I still have an older audio on my shelf I need to listen to.
I still have the two old NetGalley ebook titles.

Other Sources: I have a dozen or so books that I received from Facebook links and newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests. plus many titles through InstaFreebie over the past few years.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Me. Emma has retired so we are looking for another person willing to assist.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

One new review title from NetGalley.
I've listed 12 of the 35 (or more) Audible Plus titles picked up in December. 

No new Kindle titles this week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

1/4/2024 One new title from NetGalley:

The Wild Lavender Bookshop
by Jodi Thomas
Pub Date 23 Apr 2024 | Archive Date 07 May 2024

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

Here are twelve of the Audible Plus titles I picked up in December.

Deathstalker
By: Simon R. Green
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
Series: Deathstalker Series, Book 1, Deathstalker, Book 1
Length: 22 hrs and 45 mins

The Color of Law
A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
By: Richard Rothstein
Narrated by: Adam Grupper
Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Dragon Heart
By: Kirill Klevanski, Valeria Kornosenko - introduction, J. Kharkova - translator, R. Mansurova - translator, E. Kornilova - translator
Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
Series: Dragon Heart Series, Book 1: Stone Will
Length: 17 hrs and 1 min

Hunted by Shadows
By: Erin O'Kane
Narrated by: Anais Inara Chase
Series: Shadowborn, Book 1
Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Zeb Carter
By: Ty Patterson
Narrated by: Adam Verner
Series: Zeb Carter Thriller Series, Book 1
Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins

Warstrider: Warstrider, Book 1
By: Ian Douglas
Narrated by: David Drummond
Series: Warstrider, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Doomsday Book
By: Connie Willis
Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
Series: Oxford Time Travel, Book 1
Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins

Forged by Desire
By: Bec McMaster
Narrated by: Alison Larkin
Series: London Steampunk, Book 4
Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins

Blue Moon Rising
By: Simon R. Green
Narrated by: John Keating
Series: Forest Kingdom, Book 1
Length: 19 hrs and 25 mins

Blood and Honor (1 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation]
By: Simon R. Green
Narrated by: full cast, Terence Aselford, David Coyne, Andy Clemence, Richard Rohan, Elizabeth Jernigan, Nanette Savard, Michael John Casey, Kate Foster, Peter Stray, Eric Messner, James Konicek
Series: Forest Kingdom, Book 2 [Dramatized Adaptation] Part 1
Length: 5 hrs

Blood and Honor (2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation]
By: Simon R. Green
Narrated by: full cast, Terence Aselford, David Coyne, Yasmin Tuazon, Andy Clemence, Richard Rohan, Scott McCormick, Tim Getman, Michael John Casey, James Konicek, Michael Glenn, Eric Messner
Series: Forest Kingdom, Book 2 [Dramatized Adaptation] Part 2
Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins

Down Among the Deadman [Dramatized Adaptation]
By: Simon R. Green
Narrated by: full cast, Terence Aselford, Michael Glenn, Yasmin Tuazon, Elizabeth Jernigan, Danny Gavigan, David Coyne, Andy Clemence, Joseph Thornhill, Casie Platt, Tim Getman, Mort Shelby
Series: Forest Kingdom, Book 3
Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins

More Audibles to be listed later. 

No new free titles added to Kindle library.  Free titles might be found at Bookbub, Book Adrenaline, Ereader News Today, Inspired Reads, or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement January 7, 2024 - Burden and Prayer.

We shared in worship and giving and then our Pastor shared the message: A Burden and a Prayer from Nehemiah 1. The message of Nehemiah is to “Revive and Rebuild”. We are beginning a time of fasting and we need to understand how and why.

Take stock of who and where you are. Make an accurate assessment of your condition. Get a real, realistic, report of where you are.
A lost soul can’t be saved until they admit they need a savior.
A change can’t be made until you admit there is a need for a change.
If we look realistically, most of us will realize that we are not where we ought to be. The Church, locally, nationally, and globally, is not where it needs to be. People need to see that they need God.

Don’t focus on what you are hungry for but focus on what God wants. Revival comes when we seek the face and will of God, the Kingdom of God. If you are ready to stop being a “status quo” Christian, fast and seek God’s will.

Nehemiah 1:5-11. Nehimiah prayed day and night. First Nehimiah acknowledges God’s power and greatness. Then he acknowledges the sin of the people, including himself. Then he reminds God of His own word - that God agreed to be merciful and deliver those who turn back to God and obey His commands.

Nehimiah recognized that the Israelites had been scattered due to their unfaithfulness. Now he wants to lead the remnant in being obedient. Nehimiah went to the eternal king before he went to the earthly king to ask permission to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Stand on the promises of God. Ask God to work in you to remove the disobedient and renew the right spirit. When we mean business with God, He is ready to mean business with us.
God does more abundantly than we can even ask. Ephesians 3:20.
God has more for us and our community than we know.

Declare a Holy fast.
1. God search me and convict me of things to remove from my life.
2. Consecrate our fast to God. God show me what sacrifice you want from me.
3. Ask God for your personal needs and for revival in our church and community.

If God is going to do it, take your hand off of it!

I like this song video for today: God of Revival.

Verses for Today:
Nehemiah 1:4-9 NIV
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said:
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’


Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, please show me what to sacrifice in my life for you and show me Your will!

First Book of the Year 2024 - Audible Book Review: The Josiah Manifesto by Jonathan Cahn

Cahn shares amazing confluences that are God incidences, not coincidence. I always enjoy this author and I saved this to be my FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR for 2024.

The Josiah Manifesto

By: Jonathan Cahn

Narrated by: Lawrence Richardson

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
Release date: 09-05-23 Publisher: Frontline
Genre: Christian Eschatology, Christian Living
My Rating: 4.75 overall; 4.75 Text; 4.75 Narration.

Publisher's summary
Is there an answer, a guide, a blueprint that reveals what you need to know to survive, to stand, and to prevail in view of what’s coming in the days ahead?
Has it been revealed to us in the appearing of a sign from an ancient mystery playing out in modern times before our eyes?
After seven explosive New York Times Bestsellers, Jonathan Cahn now releases his newest blockbuster—THE JOSIAH MANIFESTO - The Ancient Mystery & Guide for the End-Times—as mind-blowing as all his bestsellers—and with something different: the Blueprint, the Answer—the Manifesto!
The Josiah Manifesto opens up the stunning mysteries that lie behind the dramatic events of recent times that have changed our world—and the message hidden within them with regard to what lies ahead.
Could a 3000 year-old calendar of appointed days provide the secret to the most dramatic year of our lives—even ordaining a plague, a national lockdown, days of fire, and the changing of the Supreme Court?
Could an ancient temple, an ominous prayer, and a mysterious template lie behind the event that overtook Capitol Hill and shook the nation?
Could an enigmatic ancient king reveal the secret of a modern American president?
Could an ordinance given in the middle of a desert 3000 years ago have determined the rise and fall of a Latin American dictator?
Could an ancient array of mysteries from the Middle East have converged on Washington DC in a single hour to change the history of America?
What does the future hold? Is America heading for calamity? Is the world?
Is there hope? Have we been given a last chance? Is it possible to change history?
And is there a blueprint for what you need to know to survive and stand with regard to what is yet to come—even a guide to the ‘end-times’?
The Josiah Manifesto will take you on a prophetic journey from a Caribbean island to the Washington D.C. to the ancient Valley of Hinnom to the Supreme Court to a desert mountain to an ancient Middle Eastern temple to the gates of America—to uncover an ancient puzzle that lies behind the events that have altered our lives—Including …
The Island of Mysteries – The House of Fallen Children – The Heavenly Court – The Child of the Nile – The Agents of Heaven on Earth – The Stranger in the Living Room – The Mystery of Days … And Much, Much More!
And could these mysteries give you the key to what you need to know to prevail in the days to come—even a guide to the end times?
It will all be revealed in THE JOSIAH MANIFESTO – The Ancient Mystery & Guide for the End-Times!
The book you can’t afford not to listen to!
©2023 Jonathan Cahn (P)2023 Frontline

Review:
Jonathan Cahn has shared other works with remarkable events in history that are mirrored in the modern years. He often shares on the Jubilee years and in this book he makes it clear that the Year of Jubilee (every 50 year anniversary, starting in the 49th year) brings punishment and restoration. Cahn shares extraordinary events on a Jubilee visit he made to Cuba in 1999. 

Cahn then makes a parallel with the downfall (punishment) of Israel due in part to accepting the pagan practice of sacrificing babies to pagan gods with the Covid pandemic and potential fall of America as a result of years and millions of deaths of babies through the practice of abortion, particularly since the case of Roe v Wade was decided in 1973. This was a Texas abortion case ruled on by the United States Supreme Court of that year which said that the Constitution of the United States generally protected a right to have an abortion. Over the next 49 years his case was interpreted to allow abortion ‘on demand’ in America.

In addition to connecting ancient threads with modern events, Cahn connects detail after detail between the 1973 Roe case with the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which was ruled on by the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 -during the 49th year, or the Year of Jubilee. Dobbs, which involved a challenge to a Mississippi ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy, overturned Roe. 

[*Side note: Many critics said the Dobbs' ruling ended “the federal constitutional right to abortion in the United States.”  The Court in 2022 said this is not a correct statement as the constitution does not contain such a right. The Roe decision was inappropriate by the 1973 Court as they attempted to make federal law instead of leaving the matter in the hands of the States as is provided by the constitution. The Supreme Court is a judicial branch to interpret laws, and should not be used to make law, which is the province of Congress, our legislative branch. Dobbs returned the issue to the province of the States in accordance with Amendment 10. https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization.]

The connections made by Cahn are once again remarkable, and in my opinion, clearly a God thing as there are so many ‘confluences’ that match the Jubilee template. There is some repetition but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the work. After providing these many remarkable connections, Cahn spends the last several chapters promoting salvation and exhorting believers to be like the church in Acts which didn’t just sit and pray but took action to promote the gospel and living as God calls His followers to live.

I am always impressed by the insight that Jonathan Cahn offers. I encourage everyone to read his books with an open heart.

Audio Notes: Lawrence Richardson provides clear narration and consistent emphasis to this work. I enjoyed the audiobook.

Source: 9/17/2023 August Audible Credit. This qualifies for First Book, 2024Audiobook and 2024Alphabet goals.

MarthaE Cooking #3

I have continued to cook through the holidays so here's what's been cookin' in my kitchen.
Before Christmas:

HelloFresh Tex-Mex Enchiladas.

Puff pastry Mini Cheesecakes, some plain and some with cherry topping.

I made package sugar cookies for Christmas too but forgot to take a picture. 
I gave them to the family in baggies as a stocking treat and they liked them enough to take the rest home!

Egg salad with avocado and cheese on the side.

I was surprised that I went to six cookbooks and could not find a recipe for simple egg salad. I ended up getting a recipe on line.

HelloFresh Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Bolognese
I made this Christmas Eve as a nod to my mother who always made a sausage dinner on Christmas Eve which could keep if my father was late doing his last minute Christmas shopping.

The Week after Christmas:

HelloFresh Sesame Soy Beef Bowl
and

HelloFresh Italian Chicken & Pepper Sandos

The cooking times are a bit longer for me since cooking is still new to me. But I am enjoying the time, creativity and good flavors. I am also learning cooking techniques and ingredients and seasonings. AND - I have lost eight pounds in the past month!