if you know someone in the military....

if you know someone in the military, please take some time to send them a letter and/or a care package along with thanking them for defending our freedom, protecting the rights of those they do not even know, and risking their lives for us all. say some extra prayers for their safety each day and for the comfort that only the Lord can provide to those that miss them.

my friend is serving in iraq right now and she said that she gets a lot of packages from home but that not all of the soldiers and sailors are so blessed.

today i thank God for the freedom that we have to worship as we believe and for everyone who has served, and a special prayer for the families of those who have laid down their lives for what they believe. God please wrap Your loving arms around them and let them feel Your comfort and peace.

you may not know God or have a relationship with His Son Jesus, you may not even believe in God. we all have a choice to make in this life about what we believe about eternity. in the Bible, we are encouraged to seek the truth - Jeremiah 29:13 says "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." in John 14:6 Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." pretty straightforward.

you can look up any passage of scripture at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage in most of the different English translations and you can even read the Bible in different languages.

mocha java pie and then some!!!!

on a lighter note...
it is HOT in memphis so i searched for a good dessert recipe to take to some friends house for dinner.

this is the link to the recipe i found online...
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art25453.asp
(which has several good recipes)

but of course i had to change a few things...

i had to substitute for the chocolate wafers which were nowhere to be found oddly enough (i could find 20 different brands of vanilla wafers!!!) but this turned out to be a good thing because i got a couple of boxes of nonni's chocolate biscotti decadence instead! so i followed the directions with the butter for that. then i layered on the starbucks java chip, then more crunched up biscotti, then some haagen daas vanilla ice cream, then more java chip.

what happened to the leftover java chip ice cream? well...my husband sacrificed his diet - and it would not be for the last time over the next few days...

made the whipped cream the next day - i did not use the powdered sugar and cocoa - i just used some raw sugar and some godiva hot cocoa powder that was laying around the pantry.

we had some for dessert at our friends' house and left them several large pieces.
then we had some for dessert after lunch on Sunday (when i made some broiled tilapia marinated in orange sesame marinade from 'Drews', stir fried veges and couscous).
and there is STILL some pie left over.

then...today i forgot my gym bag at home and so i ate pizza at lunch instead of exercising...this is sooo NOT a good thing...

new life in the world

it is incredible, but a 2 lb 9 oz little baby girl came into the world last friday night. so far she is doing well and God has all the details (no surprise there!) thank you Father for hearing our prayers and for loving each one of us completely, unlike any other love we will ever know.

Psalm 139:13-14 says:
For you formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

and Romans 1:20 says:
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

[we should all stand in silent observation of the many miracles of life. pray for the revelation of the truth of existence. this is not accidental nor coincidental. each life has a purpose...]

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

Revelation 4:11
"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of your will they existed, and were created."

prayer for a family

today prayer is requested for a very sweet family. they were traveling and the mom is 6 months pregnant and started experiencing a lot of pain and had to go to the hospital. doctors were unable to stop the premature contractions... so they are away from home and their baby may be born in a strange place. but God has them in His hand and that we know for sure.

in times like this we all come to realize what is really important and we are able to look away from the petty anxieties we may have been contemplating in our own lives and join together in praying for someone who faces something more serious.