Happy Birthday, Rachel...

Our youngest granddaughter, Rachel is 4 today. It's hard to believe 4 years have gone by. What a blessing she is to us. She is so excited to have a birthday party this afternoon with a water theme. It's going to be a hot day so the kids will love it. You can read all about Rachel on her blog, Rachel's Journey on my side bar.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

What Kind of Fruit Are You?...

"So then, you will know them by their fruits. "
Matthew 7:20

When my husband and I bought our home 38 years ago, we were surrounded by orange groves. Although we don't have an orange tree in our yard, we know many neighbors and friends that do. So we have been blessed with many bags of oranges and even lemons through the years. It's always surprising how oranges can differ from tree to tree, even from the same tree. Most oranges look good on the outside, but many times, it's after that first bite, that you call tell if it's sour, or even if it's dried up on the inside.

So it is with us. Sometimes, it takes getting to know someone before you realize what kind of fruit they produce. Other people, it is evident from the first moment you meet them. It doesn't take long to evaluate what kind of fruit they produce in their lives.

If we know people by their fruit, in a way we are fruit inspectors. Not judges, but fruit inspectors. That also means that my fruit can be inspected as well. I will be known for the fruit that is seen in my life. I don't want my fruit to rot on the branches because I let things spoil me. Things like unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, jealousy...those kinds of things that rot from the inside out. It would be a sad for any woman to be beautiful on the outside and rotten on the inside.

So I have to ask myself, "Do I produce the fruits of, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? "

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;

against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23

What kind of fruit are you?

Carrying Stones...

A story is told of Jesus and His disciples walking one day along a stony road. Jesus asked each of them to choose a stone to carry for Him. John, it is said, chose a large one while Peter chose the smallest. Jesus led them then to the top of a mountain and commanded that the stones be made bread. Each disciple, by this time tired and hungry, was allowed to eat the bread he held in his hand, but of course Peter's was not sufficient to satisfy his hunger. John gave him some of his.Some time later Jesus again asked the disciples to pick up a stone to carry. This time Peter chose the largest of all. Taking them to a river, Jesus told them to cast the stones into the water. They did so, but looked at one another in bewilderment. "For whom," asked Jesus, "did you carry the stone."

I read this story in Elisabeth Elliot's book, These Strange Ashes. I had to ask myself after reading this story..For whom do I carry the stone entrusted to me? We don't always choose the stone that we carry, but we CAN choose the attitude that we carry it with. A stone, especially a large stone, can get pretty heavy as we walk the journey God puts before us. It can make a big difference if we walk with the right attitude.

Another way to look at this story is...when we pick up a stone to carry, are we carrying it for ourselves or are we carrying it for Jesus? I've been looking back over my life and asking myself, did God ask me to carry that? Or did I pick it up on my own? Was I self-seeking or surrendered?

I only want to carry a stone that Jesus has asked me to carry. If He has asked me to carry it, He will equip me for the journey with grace and strength. If I pick it up on my own to carry, it won't be too long before that the burden is too heavy to bear.Are you carrying stones? For whom do you carry them?

The Greater Good...

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.

The love of God did not protect His own Son. He will not necessarily protect us--not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process."
~Elisabeth Elliot~

God only allows those trials and sufferings that will work for the greater good in our lives. The greater good would be to make us more like Jesus and bring glory to Him. If we want the greater good in our lives, then the heart attitude must be, not my will, but Thine. As soon as the heart has that attitude of surrender, the work has begun.

"It was good for me that I was afflicted,
that I may learn thy statutes."
Psalm 119:71

Encourage and be Encouraged...

"For I long to visit you so I can share a spiritual blessing with you that will help you grow strong in the Lord. I am eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other." Romans 1:11-12 NLT

In this verse Paul speaks of wanting to go to Rome to visit. He had wanted to go for a long time, but he kept being prevented from going. So much of Paul's life is an example to us how to live godly Christian lives. And here we find another example for us to follow.

So many times we look for opportunities to be that encourager to someone. But in these verses Paul not only wanted to encourage the people of Rome and impart a spiritual blessing with them...he wanted to go so he could be encouraged by them as well! Paul admitted, I want to encourage you, but I also want to be encouraged by you.

"As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend."

Proverbs 27:17

Encouraging someone, be it in small things or big things, hard times or good times, is what a good encourager does. Paul looked expectantly to go to Rome to be encouraged. Encourage and look to be encouraged, should be something we should desire. When we encourage someone, we sharpen them. When we are encouraged, we are sharpened. We spur each other on in our Christian walk when we encourage. Paul wanted to be sharpened in his faith and theirs, when he went to Rome to visit the believers there. Our prayer should be, "Father, use me to be an encourager today, and Lord, I'd be blessed if I could be encouraged today too."

"...those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."Proverbs 11:25

Reflections...

"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man.

"Proverbs 27:10

What do we see when we look in the mirror? If it's a magnifier mirror we can see all kinds of imperfections. I have a mirror that magnifies 8X's bigger. It's scary! It's easy to see the imperfections on our outside body. With a little make up, comb and hair spray we can make ourselves look rather presentable.But what about our inner man? We fool ourselves if we think what's on the inside doesn't show to others on the outside. It's revealed in the way we speak, act and even our body language.

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."Proverbs 23:7

David asked in Psalm 139 for God to search him, and and see if there be any wicked way in him. It's important everyday that we ask God to search us and reveal to us anything that is displeasing and sinful to Him. But also, we must be willing to have a teachable and contrite heart to listen and to change. It can be painful to have God reveal the ugliness of our heart. Too many times we live in denial of that ugliness. But God sees it and so do others

Let's ask God to reveal to us today, "What does the reflection of my heart reveal about me?" And when He answers, let's be teachable and change!

God Is Listening...

"For He has not ignored

the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned

and walked away.

He has listened to their

cries for help."

Psalm 22:24 NLT

Isn't this verse a comforting reminder that God does hear our cries for help? It doesn't matter what the circumstances of our lives are. If we are in need, He doesn't turn a deaf ear to us. God may not answer the way we want Him to, but He does answer in His timing, and in the way He knows is best for our particular need.

"He has not turned and walked away".......We can't always expect people to hang in there with us through our times of need. Some will, but many won't. But that's okay, we have reassurance all through the scriptures that God won't. He will never leave us or forsake us...no matter what!

Some trials go on for many years, it doesn't mean that God is ignoring us. If the mountain won't move, then we are to climb the mountain and bring glory to His name in the climb. How do we do that when the suffering can be so overwhelming at times? We abide in Him and draw close to Him through prayer and Bible reading...two simple things. We can't think for minute that Satan will not try to keep us from the rest and peace that comes as we abide. Be aware!

If you are discouraged and maybe needy today.....find comfort in knowing that God is listening and He has not turned away from you. Look for ways that you can see God working in your life, even if it's in the small things and then, give Him PRAISE!!!

"Don't be overwhelmed...

take it one day and one prayer at a time."

~Stormie Omartian~

Grumbling...

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world...."

Philippians 2:14-15

I have thought a lot about this verse lately. It has become a prayer of mine not to grumble. I have not attained this goal as of yet...but I am trying! It basically is all about walking in the Spirit or walking in the flesh. It is my choice. I can choose to get up and grumble, which is walking in the flesh, or not grumble and praise God for my blessings, which is walking in the Spirit.

Grumbling doesn't necessarily have to be spoken verbally. It can be the mutterings and grumblings that we say to ourselves. Such as, "I am so sick of this hamper being full of dirty clothes. Every time I turn around it is full." Hmm....sound like grumbling? I have muttered that to myself over the years. Funny thing is, I have half the laundry that I once had with children at home and I can still grumble that the hamper is always full. Go figure! It all narrows down to a heart attitude and walking in the Spirit. If I am walking in the Spirit...my heart attitude will be right.

I have noticed that since I am really trying not to grumble that my ears are more sensitive to other people grumbling. Have you ever been around someone who was always negative and grumbling? I think to myself, "God, is that how I sound to you?" I could just picture God having that Fatherly smile and one eye brow raised.... and I knew my answer.

This verse in Philippians says we are lights in the world. Every time I grumble I think my light must flicker. I want to shine bright for the Lord, don't you?

Heavenly Father, give us ears to hear what we say both verbally and in our thoughts. Help us to be children that walk in Your Spirit and not in our flesh. May praises be on our lips and our heart attitudes right, as we strive to be lights in the world around us.

Only God Can See...

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives,
is the perfect prepartion for the future that only He can see."
~Corrie ten Boom~

Wouldn't it be such a victory in our lives if each and everyday we would look at every experience as from God Himself? Knowing that He has a purpose and a plan for every detail and that each one, was hand designed for our lives. We may not know how or why some things happen, but God knows how He will use them one day in our life.

The same goes for every person in our life. Only God knows why our paths cross in life. Could it be so they would see Jesus in us? Maybe it's the sand paper of difficult relationships smoothing out the rough edges on us.We can find such comfort in knowing that our God orchestrates the details of our lives in preparation of our individual futures.

Will you trust Him with that?

2 Corinthians 5:7

"For we walk by faith and not by sight"

Blogging Anniversary...and 300th Post!

Today is my three year blogging anniversary and my 300th post. You may be asking, "300th post? It looks like it's about 288 posts short, to me." You're right I am 288 posts short. My archives are a little lean at the moment. For those of you who don't know, I deleted my entire blog..oh, wait, two blogs, Patty's Pantry too. I thought I would celebrate anyway..I know that when I hit my 100th post I wrote why I blogged. Because I have new people coming here and I have lost some ladies because my blogs were deleted, I thought I would write again, why I blog.

Why I Blog...
It was my daughter Darcy, who encouraged me to blog. It took me several months to get the courage to give it a try. I don't have many computer skills and I type with two fingers...I bet you figured that out a long time ago.....(:

What I do everyday isn't interesting enough to write about. But what Jesus does in my daily life is, and that's why I blog. Maybe one person will be encouraged and lifted up by something the Lord gives me to share.
My greatest desire would that that others would come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior by something that is shared here.

I love encouraging women to love the Lord, to be all that they can in the Lord, to be keepers of their home and to love their families....I have a passion to encourage women in any area that I can. I saw a need to teach younger women some basic homemaking skills and I thought that would be the direction this blog would take. Maybe a Titus 2 theme. Sometimes it did, but most of the time it didn't. I am sure I will do further posts on homemaking and being a keepers of our homes. Patty's Pantry kind of took on some of the topics of homemaking and cooking and thoughts from my kitchen.

I really didn't want Beside Still Waters to be a blog entirely about chronic illness. It is woven through out many posts because my chronic illnesses are a big part of my daily life. They don't define who I am, but they pretty much control what I can or cannot do. My heart is compassionately aligned with women who suffer with visible and invisible illnesses, like I do.

The direction the Lord took me with my blog is more along a devotional line. I found that interesting, because I have always wanted to write a devotional. But, I always thought it would be for those living with chronic illnesses. Maybe that will still happen one day. I hope so.

Why do I blog? I want to give back to the Lord, to serve Him in some way even though I have limited energies most of the time. I can write a blog post in my night gown and my hair uncombed. (: When I taught Bible studies there could be 400 women at our Tuesday morning study. Now when I write, I never know if even one person will read it. I write it for the Lord and He brings whomever He desires.

When I started my blog, I never dreamed I'd see 300 posts written...or that anyone would read them. I never thought that I would make such special friends from all over the world. God has been so good to me.

Thank you to all of you that come and visit Beside Still Waters. Thank you for your many comments of encouragement. You'll never know how many times I wanted to throw in the towel, especially last week with that one little click of the mouse. Thank you to you lurkers who read, I know you are there. To the men who visit, you know who you are...I know much of the time it is girl talk.. thank you for your encouragement.

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.

Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.

Remember His wonders which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth..."

Psalm 105:1-5a

Generation to Generation...

"For the Lord is good, His loving kindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations."

Psalm 100:5

I have a quilt that my great grandma started when she was young. It was passed down to me from my grandma. It wasn't finished at that time but, eventually I finished the quilt and put it on my bed. I was looking at it the other day and running my fingers along some of the pieces. When this quilt was made the pieces were cut from used clothing that had worn out. I couldn't help but wonder whose clothes some of the pieces came from. From there my mind began wander... Did my great grandma know the Lord? Did her children? If so, did she pray for her children or future generations of her family? That the seeds of her faith would be passed from generation to generation.

When my children were very young I began praying for their future spouses. Not everyday but regularly. If the Lord tarried in his return and it was His will for them to marry, then I would pray asking God to be shaping and molding my children, as well as their future spouses. It is weird to think when you are praying for a five year old that possibly their future mate was somewhere in the world that very moment. I didn't have names or faces, but God did. I prayed all the things a mother would want for her children. Through all those formative years God was working in each of them, making them into the spouses that each would need. God hand made them for each other. By God's grace, good kids and a hopefully a Mother's prayers, each of my children married Christians and their homes and their families reflect that.

I have four young granddaughters. If the Lord should tarry and if it be His will, they too will marry one day. And my mind is wandering again....Will I one day be a great grandma? Will those great grandchildren ask, "Was she a Christian, I wonder if she prayed? Did she pray for us?" The answer will be "Yes! She prayed!" Maybe they will ask those questions as their fingers run along the pieces of one of my quilts. And the seeds of her faith were passed from generation to generation. Lord, please let it be so.....

Cherish What You Have...

"Make the least of all that goes, and the most of all that comes.
Don't regret what is past. Cherish what you have.
Look forward to all that is to come.
And most of important of all, rely moment by moment on Jesus Christ."

~Gigi Graham Tchividjian~

We should make the most of all the things that come into our lives... we shouldn't live in the place of regret...what is past, is past. Look forward to all that is to come. In each new circumstance, there are opportunities for God to show Himself strong on our behalf. It's another opportunity to live for Him! Moment by moment reliance on Jesus Christ, is trusting Him with your past, present and your future. He was with us yesterday, He is with us today...and our future? He is already there waiting! Cherish what you have...

Best Use Of Our Time...

Reading our Bibles is the best use of our time of anything we do. It is never a waste of time. It's filled with all that we need to live. Consider these examples of what can be found in God's Word.


* If you are impatient, sit down quietly and commune with Job.
* If you are strong-headed, read of Moses and Peter.
* If you are weak kneed, look at Elijah.
* If there is no song in your heart, listen to David sing.
* If you are a politician, read Daniel.
* If you are getting sordid, read Isaiah.
* If your heart is chilly, read of the beloved disciple, John.
* If your faith is low, read Paul.
* If you are getting lazy, watch James.
* If you are losing sight of the future, read in Revelation of the promised land.

In joy and sorrow, in health and in sickness, in poverty and in riches, in every condition of life God has something stored up in His Word for you.

Adapted from D.L.Moody

Gratitude Leads To Joy...

"O come let us sing for joy to the Lord;
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
Psalm 95:1-2

I have mentioned before that I love to keep journals. Just writing my thoughts, prayers, and the all the things God shows me on a daily basis fulfills something in me. It helps to write it down because God does so much for me every day, that I fail to even notice all the things He does. And I forget. Yes, we all can take His goodness for granted , but for me I fail to recognize all the daily little things from God, that are a part of my normal day. I want to be more aware of his workings in my life not only in the big things but the daily small things as well.

If I fail to recognize the goodness of God to me, it means I also forget to thank Him. It makes me think of the person who receives a very nice gift and yet fails to thank the person that gave it to them.

We can't help but be joyful if we are thankful. They run hand in hand. Have you ever known a person who has lost their joy? Could it be that they stopped praising God or thanking Him? There is such power in praising God. To praise God for all He has done for us is the healing balm that can restore our joy. Joy is the result of obedience...and we are told to Praise Him!

Won't you join me in writing down all the things we are grateful for and then Praising God for them? It only needs to be a sentence not an entire paragraph or page. Keeping a journal or notebook is just a tool to help us to be ever mindful to praise God and be thankful. Try praising God with an attitude of gratitude and watch the JOY well up within you!

"True Christian joy is both a privilege and a duty."
~Jerry Bridges~

His Eye Is On The Sparrow...

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
So, don't be afraid; you are worth more than sparrows."

Matthew 10:29-31

It was an early, summer Southern California morning, with the sun coming up over the mountain at the end of our street. Everything was quiet and still. All the windows were open, letting in the morning coolness. The heat of the day would soon settle in and the air conditioners would begin humming. This was the day the reports would be back from a biopsy taken on our Cocker Spaniel's ear. She was 13 years old and she had been a part of our family ever since she was a puppy. As I spent time with the Lord that morning, I prayed for our pet and asked God to touch this growth on her ear. Was it silly to pray for a pet? Would it matter to God? What was this growth on a pet's ear in light of eternity? As I pondered these thoughts, Matthew 10 came to mind, and I remembered that God cares for the sparrows and He knew when each sparrow fell to the ground. Yes, I could pray for a pet! Not only did God care for the sparrow and my dog, but He cared because it was a concern to me. Nothing was insignificant to the Lord, if it concerned me.

In the stillness of this morning, I heard whistling. I sat still and strained to hear. Who was up and out this early? As I listened, I recognized a familiar hymn. The whistling continued to get closer and closer. I walked to the screen door. As I stood listening, I saw an older man out for his morning walk and he was whistling, His Eye Is On The Sparrow. I knew instantly God had planned this moment just for me. My heart was over whelmed at the goodness of God. He wanted me to know that He had heard my prayer, and if it mattered to me, it mattered to Him. I didn't know what the outcome would be with our dog, but what I learned that morning would stick in my mind forever. Nothing was insignificant to the Lord, if it concerned me. He may not always answer in the way that I would desire, but I could come to Him with any need.

It was nine years later, and I was standing at my kitchen sink praying, asking the Lord what to do about the care of our Yellow Labrador Retriever. The Vet said a decision would have to be made. I turned from the sink to turn on the radio.....and once again, God wanted me to know that He had heard my tearful prayers. The song playing on the radio was, His Eye Is On The Sparrow. Oh, the goodness of God!

Don't we at times have difficulty asking God for the little things in our lives? Aren't there things in our daily lives that we could go to the Lord with, but we don't take the time to ask? Or maybe think that those things are too insignificant to ask God for?

"You do not have because you do not ask God" James 4:2

"The Lord will accomplish what concerns me." Psalm 138:8

Our Heavenly Father loves us more than the sparrows in the air. Won't you take the concerns of your heart to Him today and allow Him to meet those needs, no matter how insignificant they may seem? The chorus of this old familiar Hymn rings true in our hearts today.....

"I sing because I am happy, I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me."

The words of this hymn were written in 1905 by Cirvilla Durfee Martin. When visiting their friends Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle, DR. and Mrs. Martin asked Mrs. Doolittle how they kept such an attitude of cheerfulness and brightness despite their afflictions. Mrs. Doolittle who had been bed ridden for almost 20 years and Mr. Doolittle who was wheel chair bound replied, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me." Mrs. Martin said, "The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn, His Eye Is On The Sparrow, was the outcome of that experience."

The Waves...

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying,
'Thus far the Lord has helped us."

I Samuel 7:12

~Pismo Beach 2008~

One day a short time ago, I was thinking how the waves of trials just seemed to be coming one right after another. Before I could catch my breath another would come and knock me down and take my breath away.The trials seemed to be compounded by living daily with chronic illness and pain. Small trials seemed bigger and big trials seemed enormous. As I was pondering these things, I remembered a time when I was a teenager growing up in Southern California. I had taken my three younger brothers to the ocean. It was a beautiful summer day. The California sun was bright and the surf was high and strong. We were having a fun day in the sand and water.
It wasn't long before I found myself being caught in the crushing surf and I thought I was going to drown. My brothers, on the other hand, were having fun, but were being taken out farther and farther in a rip tide. I thought for sure we would all drown. My brothers were rescued by the life guards, and as I let myself relax in the pounding surf, I eventually washed onto shore. I fought to catch my breath with each crushing wave, fearing they would never stop coming.

Later, as an adult, my family and I were vacationing on the coast of Central California at Pismo Beach. It was there as I walked the beach, that I found a smooth yellow stone in the sand. There were no rough or raged edges, but a stone smooth from years of the surf and sand wearing it down. As I remembered back to those times, I thought to myself, that the waves that kept crushing me down years ago, were like the trials of today, living with chronic illness and pain. Sometimes things come one after another, at times taking my breath away. And just like that smooth yellow stone that was smoothed by years of the surf and sand, God too will use those things to smooth out my rough edges and perfect His beauty in me.

I have that yellow stone on my desk as a reminder, that be it the trials of life in general or the trials that accompany living with a chronic illness, "That thus far the Lord helped us". I know that this very day, He will help me to deal with anything that comes my way and I know He will do the same tomorrow. How do I know that He will? His Word says so.

"Your mercy O Lord is in the heaven and Your
faithfulness reaches to the clouds."

Psalm 36:5

The waves may come, they may knock us down, and maybe even take our breath away, but we know that God is faithful to us and He is smoothing us and shaping us
into what He wants us to be...more like Jesus.

Let us continually meditate on His goodness and His faithfulness in both the big things and the small things......Thus far the Lord has helped us!
Praise His name!

Dear Heavenly Father,
Great is Your faithfulness to me. You are constantly working in my life smoothing out all the rough edges. Thus far You have helped me, O Lord. Help me to always remember that when the next wave comes crashing down; it is your perfecting process making me more like Jesus.

Originally written July 28, 2000. Edited note: Even though this devotional was written 8 years ago the Lord reminds me every day that His faithfulness never fails me. Thus far He has Helped me!

The Battle...

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

James 5:16b

In a newsletter from Anne Graham Lotz, she stated that prayer has always been a struggle for her. She said, "In fact, I would describe it as the fight of my life." I know I shouldn't find comfort in the struggles of another person, but when I read that I did. At times I think I am the only one that struggles in my prayer time with my mind wandering, being sleepy, trouble concentrating and I can day dream and get totally sidetracked. So to hear that someone I respect says she struggles with the same things, encourages me that I am not alone.

"Prayer is the front line of the battle...it has been said that Satan trembles when he sees even the weakest believer on his knees. And for those of us who are not weak believers, he must not only tremble, but be enraged. I believe he launches a serious, all-out offensive to dismantle what the source of our peace and power and wisdom--the very heartbeat of our relationship with Jesus..which is our personal, private time of prayer."

~Anne Graham Lotz~

Why do I forget the spiritual battle that goes on for my prayer time? I am so quick to think it's me. It is me in part, because I forget that Satan comes to rob, steal and destroy and the best place to start is with the lack of prayer altogether or distract me when I am praying. I am more determined than ever to pray against those distractions. This was a good reminder for me. Thank you, Lord.

Thank You...

Before I went any further on my blog, I wanted to thank everyone for their encouragement to continue on blogging. It blessed me tremendously.

A big thank you to my daughter Darcy, for helping me put it all back together. She knew how bummed I was on Monday. She helped me get it back up and running. Thank you Robbie, for helping me contact Google and showing Darcy some tricks of the trade.. Click on their names and it will take you to their sites.

Thank you to Kim, oh my gosh, Kim is Darcy's sister in law and she lives in Oregon. She called me yesterday and said she was deleting some RSS files?? and realized they were posts from both of my blogs. She sent me 25-30 emails with devotionals and recipes that she had in her RSS feed. Forgive me if I don't use the right terminology. Thank you so much!

If anyone else has any of my most recent devotionals in their RSS feed, would you let me know and maybe you could send them to me?

Blessings,
Patty

Oops....

Yep, I accdently deleted my blog. I was just sick. My daughter posted it as "user error". Terrific. I just kept saying..No, no, no...as I looked at the screen when it said.."this blog has been removed." I debated back and forth whether to even continue blogging. But for now I have decided to continue. Maybe Google will restore my old one...maybe not. It's been four days, no sign of life on the old blog. Next week would have been my 300th post and 2 year anniversary blogging. What's in numbers....all that matters is that God be glorified here on my blog.

"If we are ever in doubt about what to do,
It is a good rule to ask ourselves what we shall wish on the morrow that we had done."
John Lubbock

If you have a blog that I am on your side bar, will you please change my address and forward this new address along to any of the people that read my blog. I couldn't get my old address back..it's mine, but I can't have it..no one else can either...DUMB. This address is only one letter different. Click on the link. of course if you are here..you already know that!

http://pattys-besidestillwaters.blogspot.com/
You'll be able to link to Patty's Pantry from Beside Still Waters...not like the 257 recipes are still there, but I will try and put some up soon. Thank you faithful readers, bear with me as I get this back up and running.

Blessings, Patty