FFF-07.06.12

Happy Friday!  I hope you have had a wonderful blessed week as I have had.

On Fridays, I join a great group of bloggers over at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story.  Our objective?  To focus on the positive aspects of our week by listing at least 5 highlights.

1.Let me just say that I am now a smoothie addict.  My latest concoction is to die for:  peanut butter smoothies.  I take 8 oz. coconut milk (NOT cream of coconut which has a bazillion calories), one frozen banana, 1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter and 2 ice cubes made out of coconut milk.  Quick, easy and delish!  (I've been chopping up my bananas into slices and freezing them.  Then when I make a smoothie, the frozen slices chop up so easily.) I've been using  these as my breakfast, and it just starts my day out with a smile.

2.We've also been eating a lot of fresh strawberries this week.  Sliced strawberries over angel food cake and a trifle made out of blueberries, strawberries and lemon pudding have been seen on our table recently.  I certainly do love summer's produce - just don't love the heat!

3.  Family dinner - our family from Arkansas was in town last night and came for dinner.  Jim grilled out the traditional hot dogs and hamburgers while I whipped up pasta salad, fresh green beans and "taters" and that berry trifle I spoke of earlier. Love eating together with loved ones!  After dinner, we spent time visiting until bedtime.  Sharing our lives together - just a foretaste of heaven.

Okay, enough about food!

4.  Independence Day - of course, I love love love a day off, but July 4th is a special holiday to me in spite of  being a no-work day.  It's a sobering yet thrilling thought to think of the sacrifices that have been made to live in a country where I am free to worship as I want.  Oftentimes, Christianity is looked down upon instead of treated with respect in this country.  I am sad about it, and really concerned for the future.  Yet, I am so blessed to be here where I can worship God as I feel led. I believe whole-heartedly that the founders of our country were Christian as well.  I hate that parts of their stories are being left out of history books and that today's generation does not know of their strong convictions! I'm climbing off my soapbox now and dwelling on the highlight of this holiday - celebrating freedom.  Long may it last!

5.  Feasting on spiritual food - this week, I've been reminded of Zephaniah 3:17:

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Isn't that an awesome scripture?  So much to meditate on!  I'm especially struck by the line, "He will quiet you with His love."  Could it be that when we truly get a glimpse of how much He loves, our fretting and worrying and anxieties will "quiet down."  How can we be agitated and wound up when we know that we know that we know He loves us?

Something to think about!