It's sort of a long story, and (to be honest), I don't know the full-origin of it, but a (fun!) cousin of my dad's who lived in California, used to bring a box of chocolates when she visited our family in Ohio.  I remember the square and round chocolate-covered delicacies, and the box said: See's Candies.   My heart remembers that box...and now and then when life's travels blow us westward, we will sometimes visit a city that boasts a "See's Candies" chocolate boutique.  I like to stop in and look around, and if nothing else...I love to sniff the chocolate air. But when we visited a Sees's Candies shop recently in Arizona, we had the blessing of doing more than just breathe the candies.  The (kind and generous) lady at the counter seemed to be waiting  to give us samples to enjoy.    Yes, I said samples , plural, and even as we entered the store, I saw her scoop up a piece of dark-chocolate goodness for each of us as we walked toward the glass-wi...

Look out .  ...God's on to us.   We might say the right things and we might even be doing  the right things, but are we sincere and reverent  and sold out  for our Lord today? The answer (for some of us) is " No ", and God knows it.   I was convicted and inspired  when God called me (us?) on the carpet about this in His Word today.   The prophet Malachi does not mince words because God has instructed Him to speak His Truth, and so Malachi  does.   Malachi brings it , and look out , because it's apparent from what we read in the Bible today that  God's on to us.   If we are not fully living-for-Him, (and that means respecting Him and honoring God  fully )...then we need to know that God knows. And He is not  pleased with our half-hearted offering to Him.  ( I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies  ~Malachi 1:10). Malachi Chapter 1 and 2 might  not apply to...

Our family enjoys eggs, and we eat them quite often.  Early in the morning...or late at night as a (teen) snack--I am often opening up the egg carton at our house.  And every single time  I open that carton...my mood changes for the better, and for God .  I can be rushing, or mad, or sleepy, or happy...but on the inside of our (store-bought) egg carton there is always a Bible verse that greets me, and without fail, it encourages me.   This is the day the Lord has made; W e will rejoice and be glad in it.  ~Psalm 118:24 Question : Who would think to put a Bible verse on the inside of an egg carton? Answer : The egg farmers and followers-of-Christ at GoldHen Eggs , that's who.  Their business is eggs, but their God is the Lord, and they proclaim Him boldly for the rest of us to see (and be encouraged by) on their packaging.   It's encouraging in our faith to know that there are other Believers being bold in theirs.   Be vocal, ...

My papa planted a different apple tree in his yard when each of his grandchildren were born.   And we have a beautiful peach tree in our front yard. We've all seen fruit trees laden with their specific fruit, but I never considered that a fruit tree might be p raising the Lord from the earth with its fruit, until I read the Bible today. P raise the Lord from the earth , you creatures of the ocean depths, ( 8) fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him, ( 9) mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars...  ~Psalm 148:7 ~~~ Do we know why we are here today? For the same reason that the twinkling stars  are here, and for the same reason that the fruit trees are here. To praise the Lord  (Psalm 148:1) !  The Lord has called everything He created to praise Him...from the stars, to big  wild animals and all livestock ...to  small scurrying animals ... to fruit trees. God forgets nothing and He has made every thing.  ...

Don't take the easy way out today.  No matter what.   We know better...we were created for better, and so we should do better today   Sometimes it can be hard to do the right thing, and sometimes that might just mean  living -out the rest of today or the rest of this minute.  But let's make the choice to do just that today.   We live for the Lord once we ask Him into our hearts and lives...and so why would we compromise on that (holy) privilege (and permission) that God has granted us, once we have united with Him?    I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  ~Galatians 2:20 This world offers many distractions and even addictions to withdraw us from our present reality and in attempts to tether us to alternate worlds where we don't belong.  Let's not  get distracted today...