Sunday Words of Encouragement January 28, 2024 - What is Your Condition?

I don’t have water this weekend as my well pump went out Saturday afternoon when we had another storm and power outage. Fortunately, my well man checked it today and will fix it in a day or two.

I pulled these notes from our Sunday School Teacher’s message in June. During that month we were focusing on movement of youth around the world. Some SS members noted how the OU women's softball team gave thanks and testimony. We need to recognize our joy comes from the Lord. Lift our eyes up to Christ and give Glory to God.  We pray that the Lord raise up a standard!

Our teacher’s message was “I just dropped in to see what condition my condition is” (Song by Kenny Rogers.)
Our condition is beyond just physical. It is emotional, political, and Spiritual, tied up in our personal, family, social, and work settings . What is “conditioning”? Think of things we connect to condition: hair, air, wood. The purpose of conditioning is reinforcement. We adapt, modify, or mold to be conformed.

Our world is being conformed. Christ followers need the precaution to watch, check up on our condition. Determining illness is not always simple. It takes more than self-examination. Many people act with wrong, secret motives. Jeremiah 17:9-10.

Paul recognized that he had feelings that drew him to this life and other feelings that drew him to eternal life with God. He couldn’t trust his own feelings. Philippians 1:20-26. The heart can deceive but Spirit can reveal. We are told to be careful of judging others when we have our own blind visions. Matthew 7:1-5.

Too much propaganda in this world is directed to turn us against each other. Jeremiah 13:10-11.  What we allow in our eyes and ears is processed in the soul. We need to discipline ourselves to run the race God has set for us. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

Check for weaknesses: Superman’s kryptonite, Samson’s hair. Judges 16. Popeye needed spinach, not extra hamburgers.

Have we clothed ourselves with our Spiritual tights and capes? God's armor. Ephesians 6:10-18.
Revelation speaks to seven churches and five get a bad diagnosis. They don't see their true condition.

Be diligent and turn away from your indifference. Find others, like a small group, to keep you accountable. Do not be conformed to this World.

I like this song for this message: All the Pretty Things. 

Verses for Today:
Jeremiah 13:10-11  NIV
10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless! 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’

Lord, help me to focus on You and Your Will. Help me remember that the things of this world are fading in the light of eternity.

MarthaE Cooking #4

I am still enjoying cooking my HelloFresh dishes each week.
These were the first two weeks of January:

HelloFresh Sweet Thai Chili Burger and Sweet Potato Fries

HelloFresh Sweet and Spicy Avocado Toast with Feta - Yummy!

HelloFresh Monterey Jack Un-fried Chicken (panko coating with cheese)

Hello Fresh Jammy Bacon & Gouda Melt 
with caramelized onion & potato wedges.
This is another one I really liked since I am a bacon and cheese lover. 

I am enjoying the cooking and learning seasonings and add ons. 
I am also enjoying the fact that all the ingredients (other than oil and butter and basics like sugar, salt and pepper) are provided in the package. Also, I don't have to go shopping and I am not wasting food. 

#Netgalley Audio Review: The Fish of Small Wishes by Elana K. Arnold

This is a charming story.
The Fish of Small Wishes
by Elana K. Arnold
Narrated by Erin Ruth Walker

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CQHLR68J
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Roaring Brook Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 30, 2024
Print length ‏ : ‎ 41 pages
Reading Age:4-8 years
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0.

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.

Review:
Kiki was too shy to play with the other children. One afternoon she found a giant fish on the hot sidewalk. She knew this wasn’t good and brought the fish to her bathtub. The fish started to swim and spoke to her through bubbly, watery words! The fish offered to grant a wish, but he said he could only grant small wishes.

Even though the fish grew, Kiki’s wishes were still too big. Can Kiki find a wish that the fish of small wishes could grant? Kiki decided to get help to dig a pond for the fish. Kiki’s efforts had a surprising result.

This is a very sweet story. It provides a message showing taking our focus off ourselves to help others might just help us too. I would be glad to share the audio or print with my grandchildren.

Audio Notes: Erin Ruth Walker does a beautiful job on the narration. Her performance matches the sweet story and I totally enjoyed the audio.

Source: 12/11/2023 received at NetGalley. This qualifies for 2024NetGalley, 2024Alphabet, and 2024AudioBook goals.

Sunday Post January 21, 2024/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 22, 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 was glad Monday was a holiday as I slept most of the day due to my head cold. I was still pretty foggy on Tuesday but then it started to clear up. I have gone to bed early every night and I am almost over all symptoms by now.

I had my first night out since coming home early December. A friend from my woman's group picked me up (I don't drive at night) and six of us went to play Purse Bingo at the woman's club in the next county. None of us won but we had fun. And I was surprised to see my daughter there with realtor friends!

I will continue to play catch up on work. We'll see if I get any any blog posts done this week.

I have still enjoying my chair yoga and have lost a few pounds.
I will continue to pray for the Advent messages all year: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

We had three nights of "hard freeze" warnings last week. We are expecting the weather to warm up into the 70s this week. (I hope.)

I finished only two audios and made progress in the ebook. No reviews completed.

I visited only 11 blogs again last week. No shout Out this week.

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

• Sunday Post January 14, 2024/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 15, 2024.

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

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

The Body Reader
Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries, Book 1
By: Anne Frasier
Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
4. This was a satisfactory thriller.
Source: 3-3-2022 Audible Sale $3.04.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook Goals.
Click on link to see full description.

2. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Lady Helena Investigates
Written by Jane Steen
Narrated by Elizabeth Klett
Run Time: 11h 30min
4.0. This was more historical family life and the place of women and aristocracy than mystery. There were several family secrets/mysteries revealed and it is enjoyable for what it is.
Source: 2/19/2023 Chirp Purchase, $1.99
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook Goals.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
A reluctant lady sleuth finds she’s investigating her own family.
1881, Sussex. With a drowned husband—the second love lost—an overbearing family, no longed-for child, and the responsibility of a huge baroque mansion, it’s not surprising Lady Helena Whitcombe is overwhelmed. When attractive, mysterious, French physician Armand Fortier disturbs her first weeks of mourning with his theory of murder, Helena’s reluctant and ineffective attempts at investigation are hardly life-changing—until the resulting revival in her long-abandoned herbalist studies bring her into confrontation with her past and her family’s.
Can Lady Helena survive bereavement the second time around? Can she stand up to her six siblings’ assumption of the right to control her new life as a widow? And what role will Fortier—who, as a physician, is a most unsuitable companion for an earl’s daughter—play in her investigations?
Every family has its secrets. The Scott-De Quincy family has more than most.

Currently Reading:
1. 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 is still reading slowly and made some progress to 33% and I'll give it a bit more.
Source: December 27, 2023 NetGalley.
Archive date 1/11/24 I have it downloaded so I am able to continue to read it.
2024TBR, 2024NetGalley, 2024Alphabet, and 2024ebook Goals.
Click on link to see full description.

2. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Zone War
By: John Conroe
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
Series: Zone War Series, Book 1
Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
I picked this as a Post-Apocalyptic, Military Adventure, and a “Z” title.
I'm enjoying the story; 3 hours left.
Source: December 2023 Audible Plus Catalog.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook Goals.
Publisher's summary
A few short years from now, eco-terrorists unleash the worst attack the world has ever seen. Over 25,000 autonomous combat drones are released in Manhattan from the hold of a ship. Hundreds of thousands are dead, and the entire island is evacuated and quarantined in just a few days' time.
Ten years later, Manhattan is still empty of humans, with the exception of the salvage specialists of the most watched reality show in history: Zone War. Produced live and unedited, the show follows five teams of armored vehicle specialists who brave the active drones to recover lost riches and collect bounties on dead ones. Ram it, slam it, grab the goods, and bull your way back out. And don't break down, because no one will be coming to your aid. Armored entry is the way to go.... Unless...
Meet Ajaya "AJ" Gurung, sniper's son, drone technician, and Zone infiltrator. Following his father's footsteps while forging ahead in ways all his own, AJ has the potential to be the most successful recovery specialist of all time. The drones are changing, the rules have been thrown out, and nothing about the Zone is what it seems. Adapt or die.
©2018 John Conroe (P)2019 Tantor

3. Audible on Smartphone (ATBR).

Winter World
By: A. G. Riddle
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Amanda Leigh Cobb
Series: The Long Winter, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
This is a “Winter” title, sci fi.
Source: October 2023 Audible Plus
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, 2024Audiobook, and 2024Season Goals.
Publisher's summary
The ice is coming. It was the last thing we expected, but the world is freezing. A new ice age has dawned and humanity has been forced to confront its own extinction. Billions have fled the glaciers, crowding out the world’s last habitable zones. They can run from the ice, but they can’t escape human nature: a cataclysmic war is coming.
In orbit, a group of scientists are running the Winter Experiments, a last-ditch attempt to understand why the planet is cooling. None of the climate models they build make sense. But then they discover an anomaly, an unexplained variation in solar radiation...and something else. Close to the burning edge of the sun, they catch a fleeting glimpse of something that shouldn’t be there....
Suddenly humanity must face the possibility it is not alone in the universe. And the terrifying possibility that whatever is out there may be trying to exterminate us.
©2019 A.G. Riddle (P)2018 Recorded Books

I expect to get to one or two more audios but haven't chosen yet.

January 21, 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.) We are now reading in Genesis.
I am also enjoying a 21 day Fast, Read, Pray, Acts Challenge.

I finished two books, no reviews done.

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I continue on an ebook. I now have two more ebooks. 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.

No new review titles.
I found another 10 or so Audible Plus titles - to be listed when I get time.

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

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

I did find another 10 audible plus titles but I still have a backlog from December that I hope to list before the month is over.

No new free title 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 21, 2024 - Take Your Place At the Wall!

I enjoyed our worship praise the morning and a wonderful sermon by our Pastor. Before the service he noted: “When we give and serve it is an act of worship. Be thankful in giving.”

Today Pastor taught on Nehemiah 3. I developed the title from my notes: Take Your Place At the Wall!

Nehemiah 3 starts by naming families working side by side all along the walls of the City. We all know that genealogies can be boring as we read the Bible. But they are part of inspired Scripture. Why is this important? The scripture here shows us that God notices everyone doing the work.

Nehemiah tells the story of rebuilding and reviving… restoration. Both the northern and southern kingdoms sinned and went into exile. Now God is having them return. God is in the business of restoration. Jerusalem has to be rebuilt to be part of the prophecy of Jesus riding into city.

Luke 2:19 tells believers to occupy until He returns. We are to be about His business which is important to remember as we go about whatever business He has called and prepared us to do in life. God wants a gorgeous, radiant church upon His return. Ephesians 5:27, Ephesians 3:20.

We - the local church and The Global Church - need rebuilding. We need to be a life growing church. Philippians 2:14-16. Christians are to be salt and light which are agents of change. The Church needs good seasoning. Peace and presence should be with the Christ followers and noticeable to those around them.

Serve as the Church, not just in the Church. We need to be getting the Church ready for the return of Christ, working towards Kingdom expansion. Make a list of those you want to find Jesus and pray for them.

Nehemiah had a mind and burden to rise up and build. The Church is stronger when each is doing their part of the work. Each person has a place to work. Each of us needs to take our place on the wall. Even at the Dung Gate. The body needs each part, including armpits. We each have unique gifts and placement.

God notices. He noticed the families working on the wall. He noticed the widow who gave her last two coins. He noticed the sacrificial gift of perfume by Mary Magellan.

The modern world today’s focus on consumerism is an obstacle to God’s work. We are to be servants and we need to “improve our serve” (Chuck Swindoll).

We serve by:

 Giving. The Church needs leaders and supplies.
 Encouraging; lifting up each other from the leaders to the janitor and the person who arranges the flowers – all tasks.
 Praying. Become an intercessor praying for each other.
 Prioritize your sacrifice. The Sheep Gate where sacrifice and worship occurred was the first area to be worked on. We are living sacrifice to be giving to God. Do it unto God.

God Notices. Serve. Build the Kingdom.

In Haggai 1:2 The Lord questions why the people rebuilt their homes first instead of the house of the Lord. The people were called to repair throughout Nehemiah 3. Sooner rebuild, sooner repair. Repair is to necessarily to restore but to fix and make strong.

The rebuilding will be greater than it was before. The glory of the latter house will v exceed the glory of the former. Haggai 2:9.

Our churches need to be about “presence” not presentation.

Do we want Him, His Kingdom, His glorious presence? Start with revival at home and beyond.

I like this video song for today: These Days by Jeremy Camp

 

Verses for Today
Nehemiah 3:4-5 NIV
4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

Lord, guide me and help me take my place at the wall!