Sunday Words of Encouragement March 17, 2024 - We Are Only Pilgrims Here.

Pastor continued his message in Nehemiah 8.
Reminder to be hungry for the Word of God, to learn and do His Will.
God, through the leaders, called the people and directed them to celebrate the Feast of Booths. They were to live in temporary shelters during the seventh month to remember God’s faithfulness to them. Remember where they came from and how God provided for them. Proclaim His Goodness. They didn’t earn what they had. God gave it to them.

Worship is not just good music. It is so much more. It is praising, being grateful, studying His Word. Look beyond the obstacles to see the blessings.

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Psalm 24:1. We didn’t earn where we are, what we have. God has blessed us. Peter notes that the people were pilgrims. We are sojourners in a strange land. We await the time of reaching our citizenship which is in Heaven for eternity.

What it means for us as Pilgrims:

1. Don’t view this world as your home. You have a heavenly home.
2. Don’t live for just here and now. Don’t seek permanent possessions here. Lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth. Matthew 6:19-2. We brought nothing into this world and take nothing out of it. 1 Timothy 6:6-8. God blesses our income not to increase our standard of living, but to increase our standard of giving.
3. Don’t be obsessed with earthly relationships. Luke 18. We should be pleasing God more than man.
4. Don’t be obsessed with this live. Throw off what hinders and set aside the weight of sin that entangles us. Hebrews 12:1. The world society will get worse and worse. The goal is to reach as many as possible with God’s gift of salvation before He brings wrath on the world.

The assembly met for eight days, and they were more dedicated each day. Each day of worship is one step closer to eternity. God has kept us through all our years.

Our ministry isn’t about church growth. It’s about Kingdom growth!

I like this song today: One Day.

Nehemiah 8:17-18 NIV
17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.

Thank you, Lord, for all you have given me from breath to blessing. Help me share Your love and message of salvation to others!

Martha Cooking #9

These are my HelloFresh meals (made seven dinners and four breakfasts) for the first week of March. When I show a plate or bowl it is for one meal, I am noting if it made two or more meals for me. 

HelloFresh Zucchini Pomodoro Penne Bake

with Mozzarella & Herbed Ricotta. 
This is shown in the casserole dish. The recipe fed me four meals. 

HelloFresh Bagel which I topped with 
Avocado, Egg, Bean Sprouts, and Bacon.
Nice soft bagel and the rest is yummy.
Four bagels so four different breakfasts; one shared with my Granddaughter who just wanted cream cheese.

HelloFresh Sweet & Tangy Hoisin Pork Meatballs

over a Gingery Sweet Potato & Green Bean Jumble. 

These were delicious for two dinners.

This is my homemade Tortilla Cream Cheese with Green Onion Pinwheels.
I had a quarter of cream cheese left that I was afraid would go bad.
I made two tortillas with filling and sliced for snack. 

Sunday Post March 10, 2024/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday March 11, 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 am pleased with the office work as it moves along. We have a good mix of real estate closings for the title office and probates, deeds, wills, and consults for the law office. Then I have a handful of litigation files, most of which are uncontested foreclosures or quiet title matters.
My daughter is planning to drive me up for the surgery on Tuesday. I expect it to go just fine.
My computer order was delayed because I used a card that had just been replaced. I should get the new one later this week.

I like this nice flowering tree in my front yard.

I'm not sure but it might be a "service berry" tree.

I started exercises again, alternating walking and chair yoga.

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

Our weather is mostly nice in the 70s although we've had several strong storms run through.

I finished two audios and one of my ebooks. I did short reviews at Goodreads.

I visited 11 blogs again last week.
Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

• Sunday Post March 3, 2024/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday March 4, 2024.

• MarthaE Cooking #8.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement March 10, 2024 - Hungry for the Word.

Finished Reading:

1. Audible on Smartphone (TBR).

The Postman
By: David Brin
Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
Genre: Adventure, Post Apocalyptic.
My Rating 4.0 This is different than the movie but good.
Review at Goodreads.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook goals.
Source: 4/29/2023 Audible Plus Catalog.

2. eBook - NetGalley App on Smartphone (NGeB2024)

If the Boot Fits
By Karen Witemeyer
Pub Date 12 Mar 2024 | Archive Date 21 Apr 2024
Bethany House, Bethany House Publishers
Genre: Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance
My Rating 4.75. I did enjoy this lovely story.
My review at Goodreads.
2024NetGalley, 2024Alphabet, and 2024ebook Goals. Source: 1/12/2024 ebook from NetGalley.
Click on link to see full description.

3. Audible on Smartphone (TBR).

Outrider: A Novel
By: Steven John
Narrated by: Matthew McCollum
Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
Genre: Adventure, Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic
My Rating 3.75/4.0. I liked the primary character but the pacing was slow to get through.
My review at Goodreads.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook goals.
Source: November 2022 Audible Plus.
Publisher's summary
Within a few decades, solar technology will evolve to the point where power is endless - unless someone wants to stop the flow - which someone does.And the only men who can stop these high-tech terrorists are on horseback. In the near future, the New Las Vegas Sunfield will be one of many enormous solar farms to supply energy to the United States. At more than fifty miles long and two miles wide, the Sunfield generates an electromagnetic field so volatile that ordinary machinery and even the simplest electronic devices must be kept miles away from it. Thus, the only men who can guard the most technologically advanced power station on earth do so on horseback.They are the Outriders.Though the power supplied by the Sunfield is widespread, access to that power comes with total deference to the iron-fisted will of New Las Vegas’s ruthless mayor, Franklin Dreg. Crisis erupts when Dreg’s quietly competent secretary, Timothy Hale, discovers someone has been stealing energysiphoning it out of the New Las Vegas grid under cover of darkness.As the Outriders investigate, the scale of the thievery becomes clear: these aren’t the ordinary energy leeches, people who steal a few watts here or there. These are high-tech terrorists (or revolutionaries) engaged in a mysterious and dangerous enterprise and poised to bring down the entire energy grid, along with the millions of people it supports.The pressure mounts and fractures appear within both the political leadership of New Las Vegas and in the tight-knit community of Outriders. With a potential crisis looming, the mysterious goal of the Drainers” finally comes into focus. Only then do the Outriders realize how dangerous the situation really is.
©2014 Steven John (P)2014 Audible Inc.

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

You Have Been Judged
Series: Judge, Jury, & Executioner, Book 1
By: Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Narrated by: Chloe Cannon
Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
Genre: First Contact, Space Opera
I like these authors and the blurb, plus it is a "Y" title for my Alphabet Challenge.
I was thrown off by the first minute that is full of cursing. But once past that I am enjoying the story.
2024TBR, 2024Alphabet, and 2024Audiobook goals.
Source: 10/29/2023 On Sale at Audible $4.99.
Publisher's summary
Rivka Anoa has a gift and a galactic mandate.
She's a lawyer accused of a murder she did commit. She stands ready to accept her fate, even though her victim was a murderer. A second chance appears. Become more than a lawyer. Be one who judges and punishes the guilty.
Could she look herself in the mirror after meting out justice? She's about to find out. Rivka heads to space to be the Judge, Jury, & Executioner. Criminals have nowhere to go.
You Have Been Judged . . .
©2018 Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle (P)2023 Tantor.

2. Audible on Smartphone (TBR).

Wild Horses
By: B. J. Daniels
Narrated by: Graham Winton
Series: The Montana Hamiltons, Book 1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
I decided to work on some books from my older TBR lists. I also wanted a change from space or post apocalyptic.
2024TBR and 2024Audiobook goals.
Source: 2018 Audionooks.com.
SUMMARY
It took only one impulsive moment on an empty two-lane highway to cost her everything. A man's responsible for his own prosperity-especially if he's Cooper Barnett, the most determined cowboy in the West. No one knows what he sacrificed to claim a piece of Beartooth, Montana, for himself and his beautiful fiancée, Livie. No one knows what he's willing to do for love…until a stranger's twisted vendetta threatens the happy ending they should've had long ago. One fateful mistake isn't the only secret Livie Hamilton is keeping from her fiancé. Victimized during a treacherous blizzard by a man she thought she could trust, she's pregnant … but unsure who the father is. With an unknown blackmailer threatening to expose her, she must confess to Cooper and trust he'll still protect her. But when the truth falls into place, she may lose the only man she's ever loved-or worse.

Sort of ON HOLD. 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)
Genre: Alien Invasion, Space Sci Fi.
This is still reading slowly. I have reached 70%.
Although I am reading the other NetGalley ebook, I open this each day to read on the Kindle App.
Source: December 27, 2023 NetGalley.
2024TBR, 2024NetGalley, 2024Alphabet, and 2024ebook Goals.
Click on link to see full description.

I only have one letter left for my Alphabet Challenge: X,  

March 10, 2024 - I am enjoying the YouVersion App called The Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble. (The link is to the plan online.) We finished Numbers and started Deuteronomy today. I appreciate how Tara Leigh Cobble's discussion points out each day that "God is where the Joy is."
I am 25 days into a 40 day study for Lent: Hillsong: 40 Days of Revival.

I finished three books, rated with mini reviews at Goodreads.

NETGALLEY STATUS--
I have started my next ebook. I still have an older audio on my shelf I need to listen to.
I still have the two old NetGalley ebook titles I might get to this year..

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.
No new purchases or picks but I am listing the Audible Plus titles I got in January.

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

Review Titles

NONE

Won

NONE

Purchased

NONE

Free

Here are 12 titles from Audible Plus that I added in January.

Sirocco
By: Dana Haynes
Narrated by: Victor Bevine
Series: St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking, Book 2
Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

No Ordinary Killing
By: Jeff Dawson
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
Series: Ingo Finch Mystery, Book 1
Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins

How to Lose a Guy Before Christmas
By: A.J. Pine
Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Jason Clarke
Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins

Borough of Bones
By: John Conroe
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
Series: Zone War Series, Book 2
Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

The Culling
By: Tricia Wentworth
Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
Series: Culling Series, Book 1
Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins

The Day after Oblivion
By: Tim Washburn
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Dark Age
By: Pierce Brown
Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds, John Curless, Moira Quirk, James Langton, Rendah Heywood
Series: Red Rising, Book 5
Length: 33 hrs and 58 mins

Long Road to Survival
By: Lee Bradford, William H. Weber
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
The Complete Box Set: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller
Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

The Downloaded
By: Robert J. Sawyer
Narrated by: Brendan Fraser, Luke Kirby, Vanessa Sears, Colm Feore, Andrew Phung, full cast
Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Before It's Too Late
By: Sara Driscoll
Narrated by: Angela Dawe
Series: F.B.I. K-9, Book 2
Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Midnight Caller
By: Leslie Tentler
Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin
Series: Chasing Evil, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Call Me Maybe
By: Cara Bastone
Narrated by: Luci Christian, Neil Hellegers
Series: Love Lines
Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins



I still have more Audible Plus titles to list from February, and now March, 2024.

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 March 10, 2024 Hungry for the Word.

I enjoyed good worship, prayer and a word from God this morning. Then Pastor started a message from Nehemiah 8. This narrative shifts from the building of the wall to the call to the people to spiritual focus as they return from captivity. The people gathered and asked Ezra, the teacher of the law, to read the word of God. The people were eager, hungry, to hear the Word. Ezra read from early morning till midday and the people listened attentively. Nehemiah 8:1-3.

All scripture is given by God and is instructive and authoritative. 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Here are four reasons to hunger after the Word.

1. It teaches Doctrine – what we are to believe. We are disciples, not just experiencers or learners. Our spirit will respond to the Truth of the Word.
2. It is good for Reproof = examine, test, or bring to light areas that God wants us to work on. The Word is alive and powerful. Hebrew 4:12
3. It provides Correction and direction. That we might not sin against God. Psalm 119:10-11.
4. It guides us in Righteousness. It teaches us how to be in right relationship with the Lord.

They worshiped with the Word. They stood in reference. Ezra praised. They bowed and worshipped. Nehemiah 8:5-6. They came with expectation. Reading the Word should be a worship event. The Levites helped to instruct so the people could understand. Nehemiah 8:7-8. The people were weeping because of the sin of the past. But the leaders proclaimed the day “Holy” and said, ‘do not grieve.’ Nehemiah 8:9-10. “For the joy of the Lord is your strength.” V10. Serving the Lord in obedience brings joy.

“…to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:1-3.

This wasn’t my initial song choice, but after listening to it I chose it for the Joy is my Strength and Praise.

Verses for Today:
Nehemiah 8:1-3, part of 10 NIV
1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
10. ... Do not grieve, For The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength."

Lord, please keep me hungry for Your Word so I might know You better, be closer to You, and do Your Will.

MarthaE Cooking #8

These are my HelloFresh meals (made seven dinners) from the end of February. 

HelloFresh Cranberry Thyme Chicken

with Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Carrots & Onion.

I am learning to enjoy the roasted vegetables!
The sauce for the chicken was good too.

HelloFresh Brown Sugar Bourbon Pork Chops,

with Apple Pan Sauce, Scallion Mashed Potatoes & Broccoli.
Mine doesn't look quite like the photo.
My apples were darker and I cut my meat in bite size pieces rather than the pretty slices.

And my broccoli was a bit too well done, although it was still tasty. 

HelloFresh Garden Spinach Ricotta Ravioli
with Zucchini Ribbons, Tomato & Creamy Lemon Sauce.
My servings never look quite like the photos but they are still good!
I only had one small tomato for this so it is lost in the picture. 
I enjoyed the zucchini but I didn't plate the ribbons as well. 
Still, this was a bit easier cooking and I sure liked the ravioli and sauce.