Sunday - March 16th, 2025

Hello, dear Reader, and welcome here (again?) on this day of breathing in and out yet again, the first of many blessings for us to be mindfully grateful for today. Add to that a hot cup of cappuccino and weather like this:

and, so far, it's shaping up to be a beautiful, glorious day and the Sun hasn't even risen yet. 😎

Here is the day's Proverb:

Proverbs 16 ESV

 One of the stand-out verses (to me) today is:

I feel like the Word is challenging me today to strive for better, gentler communication with all people, which also reminds me of these other verses about gentleness:

And, honestly, dear Reader, if Anyone in this Universe can squash someone else like a bug, well clearly that Person IS God Himself, and since He chooses to be so very kind and gentle with us, we are obligated to do our best to show that very same character to each other as well, in emulation of Him.
Anyway, it's truly more difficult (if not downright impossible) to receive harsh words than it is those spoken with thoughtful respect of the hearer in mind. He challenges us to quell frustrations and operate above the realm of mere emotion and, I don't know about you, dear Reader, but for me it IS a challenge. How lovely it would be if gentleness were my default setting, but that's not reality at this moment I'm afraid. No matter, so long as we're doing our best to do better in His eyes, we must be on the correct path and, if not, He's abundantly skilled in making that plain to us in His time. 

Here is another chapter from the New Testament:

Colossians 3 ESV 

See how He's always talking to me directly? By that, I mean just look at this next verse from Colossians chapter 3:

Maybe it IS a very immature way of viewing things, but when one topic is constantly in my face as I search the Scriptures, to me, that's God showing me precisely where He wants me to grow in the area that He's challenging me to do better in, like those verses above today. Of course, themes throughout the Bible are repeated constantly; it's hard to explain, but when I experience it, there's no denying that that's what's going on. 
I feel like a lot of you can relate and would love to hear about it.

So, please pray for me, dear Reader, that I will speak the truth IN LOVE that it may actually be persuasive to the hearer and not hurt them in the process. May God make me more and more like Jesus; I must decrease that He may increase:

Thank you for sharing precious moments of your life today reading these morning thoughts; may God bless you and fill you with such love that you will never be the same! In Jesus' Name - amen. 💜

The Ides of March 2025

Greetings and salutations on a beautiful, dark and chilly Spring morning on the Ides of March 2025 where I sit at a busy desk, listening to vintage praise music, hammering away at a $10 keyboard in the small hours before Dawn (my very favorite part of the day). 
I pray these words find you well, and, if not, I pray the Lord change either your heart or your circumstances, or both (depending on His will and whichever option is best for you). Here's the classic Jars of Clay song currently playing:

Here is a look at our current weather here:

Yesterday when we were in Sierra Vista, I picked up a pretty pastel-striped, fuzzy sweater at the Goodwill and am wearing that for today's chilly conditions. It's oversized and comfy and cost me less than five dollars (score!). 😎 I rarely 'do' retail and contend that I would continue to shop this way even if our financial means were greater. 

Without wasting any more of your time, here is today's Proverb:

Proverbs 15 ESV

I can't speak for anyone else, dear Reader, but there's a lot in today's Proverb to unpack (for me); every verse is pregnant with deep, rich wisdom and insight today and starting with the very first one, several stand out to me today (how about you?) 

Do you want to hear how dumb I am? 👀 I play worship music while putting makeup on so that (more often than not) the music elicits tears and the tears ruin the makeup as its being applied. 😂

Sometimes I even have to start over and do it all over again, too. 😏 And guess what? I get up and do the very same thing again the next day. And that, dear Reader, is the part of it *that is the proof that I am, in fact, dumb. 😶 

No matter: the limitations of this finite, human mind isn't a soul-crushing reality as I know that I'm not alone since all of us besides God are less than Him and pretty much all in the same boat (that of being flawed, finite human beings). In fact, laughing at ourselves is often deliciously enjoyable, I highly recommend it. Now, more random 'feel-good' music:

And now, some morning prayer:
Dear Lord God, thank You for waking each of us up and giving us yet another day of Life today, God. None of us deserve it but here we are and we give You praise for the gift, Lord. Please work in and through us for Your glory today, God, that the Life You've ordained today will not be wasted in Your eyes, God, in Jesus' Name. Please protect all of the vulnerable today, God, starting with the unborn, God! Please make the murder known as 'abortion' literally unthinkable world-wide God, please, in Jesus' Name! Lord, thank You for sending Your peace across the earth and bringing an end to conflicts across the globe, God. Please show Yourself mighty and merciful to all affected by war, God, in Jesus' Name. 
Lord, please protect all of our leaders, God, and expose any/all who are less than loyal - to you, to others - and bring all deeds of darkness out into Your glorious light, God, in Jesus' Name. Please send a host of angels to protect President Trump and all who serve under him and surround him God, today and always, God, in Jesus' Name, and thank You for using him for Your purposes in this nation and around the world, Lord God. Father we ask You to please remove all wicked rulers from places of authority and replace them with those who love and serve You, God, in Jesus' Name. Father God, please set ALL captives free today, God. Please release ALL who are currently in bondage, God. Please set them free to the glory of Your name that all will know You and You alone are God, Lord. God, we ask You to please recover and redeem 100% of all humans who are currently enslaved and hidden, God. Please release the babies and children, God. Please save the women, please redeem the men. Lord, please convict human hearts of those who currently work inside the human trafficking industry and give them no sleep, no appetite, no peace until they do the right thing in accordance to Your will, Lord God, in Jesus' Name. 
Father, please meet every human need today, God. Lord, please eradicate all Marxist and other satanic 'ideals' and replace it all with Your truth, God. Please subdue the world at Your feet, Holy Lord God. Please answer the prayers that we forgot to pray today, God. Please make us humble, gentle, teachable, holy, and in general please give each of us the character of Christ that You may be glorified. Thank You for all things, Lord, we love You. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Thank you for spending precious minutes of your life here, with me, dear Reader; may all eyes who see these words come to know God in a new and powerful way today, in Jesus' Name, amen. 💜

March 14th, 2025 🙏 a Friday

Hello, dear Reader, and welcome to this sliver of cyberspace to the blog of one Christian, American, middle-aged woman on yet another blessed day above ground. 

Here is the current weather and forecast (and I am dressed warmly for it): 

Since it's such a chilly day without much prospect of getting much warmer than it is right now, I skipped a morning shower today and just went ahead and got dressed; it's something that I'll do quite a bit during Winter, in fact, opting instead to bathe much later in the day or even that evening or night. And, I don't know about you, dear Reader, but I've had at least a half a pot of coffee all by my onesie so far today.
Anyway, here is today's Proverb (first, the text, followed by the audio):

Proverbs 14 ESV

There are lots and lots of effective corrections, prescient warnings, and explanations of God's Universal Laws in application in today's Proverb - so much of it applies to me personally! How about you, dear Reader? Among my many faults and frailties is a tendency to be pretty hot-headed (bad/ short tempered) so several verses today speak to me in that regard - ever a work in progress. Which vaguely reminds me of one of the books that I read while a ministry student many years ago; I'd recognize the cover if I saw it but nothing comes to mind as far as author/title at the moment.

Since finding the next video recently, I watch it about once a week and, so far, always get something from it; Chris Langan's IQ is 200+ and the things that he says will blow your minds! I follow his substack as well as his X profile (and, his wife followed me on X recently😎, so I now have new access to two brilliant people - bonus!) - but I digress; here it is:

Honestly, especially the first time you see this, it will probably blow your mind, no joke - and I don't think it matters what your current faith looks like, either, feeling that the ingenious insights and unconventional wisdom that he shares are expansive and inclusive in nature. Just brilliant, please do see that (video) if/when you can (and feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section). 👍

Well, for your periodic reference, here I am today:

much makeup and filtering were used here 😁

And what else? 
Oh, the tiny, little intelligent, sweet baby turtle is sleeping with Terry; I tried to wake him up earlier but he flat refused to come out of his shell (quite literally). 😂😕🐢 His apparent sentience and ability to comprehend and communicate are sometimes unnerving, he's so clearly intelligent. He's my favorite turtle that God ever made. 💚

So!
Tomorrow is the dreaded Ides of March, also called 'National Brutus Day' it is the anniversary of Julius Caesar's murder on the steps of the Theatre of Pompeii by his so-called friends (senators, including Brutus, his alleged best friend) - hence the somewhat-antiquated saying, "Beware the Ides of March". 

Beyond that, in three days from today, here in the United States at least, we observe St. Patrick's Day. If it's warm enough, I plan to wear this: 

but, if it's too chilly, I've got a shamrock-green baby-t-shirt to wear under a warm hoodie with leggings. Either way, it's all good; we'll see. I appreciate all the seasons, but am ready for warmer weather now.
I apologize that there's not much depth or substance to this blog entry; just sharing some 'random thoughts' as they occur.
I found this very encouraging:

That's about it for now! I hope to have subjects of more substance for you next time, dear Reader; in the mean-time, thank you for spending some precious, fleeting moments of your life here with me; be blessed and have a wonderful day. 💜

March 13th, 2025

Good morning (et cetera) dear Reader on yet another beautiful, (so far) peaceful day above ground, with Life being just one of the innumerable, undeserved blessings being poured onto our heads by a loving, all-powerful God today. 💖

Be encouraged!

Let's read/ listen to Romans chapter 8. 

I'm not crying, you're crying. 😍💖👏

And, here is today's portion from the book of wisdom:

Proverbs 13 ESV

I'm suffering from 'imposter syndrome' big-time lately and suppose I'll have to get back on the path to a law degree at some point in the relatively-near future; the idea simply will NOT leave me alone.

I don't always write mine down here, but as well as praying the easy prayers (for family and friends, for our leaders, et cetera) please also try to pray the hard prayers, too (for our enemies, to forgive those who've hurt us, for truth to remove deception far from us, et cetera). Thank you for spending precious minutes of your life here today and may everyone whose eyes see these words experience God in a new, powerful, life-changing way today, in Jesus' Name, amen. 💜

Morning Thoughts - March 12th, 2025

Hello (again?) dear Reader, and welcome to an obscure American blog on a dark, chilly Spring morning where I write to you from a remote location in the Sonoran desert near the US/Mexico border. 
Here is our current weather - it hasn't changed (I checked) since I took this:

And I could hear a gentle rain when I first rose from bed about an hour ago. 
Well, in today's Proverb there is much readily-available, targeted correction for me personally (see verses 13 and 16 and 18 as huge stand-outs to me today, among others):

Proverbs 12 ESV

Although there is a lot to assimilate from today's Proverb, here is some more reading, this time from the New Testament:

James 1-3 ESV

Because I have a weakness for anger and also (unfortunately) using my words as weapons, many corrective verses pierce my heart with conviction (thank You, Lord, for correcting me!) these verses offer hope and provide a goal to strive for, giving encouragement and life:

Thank you for spending some of your time here today, dear Reader; no matter your own imperfections, always know that our God is so much bigger than our failures! Yes, even yours. 💜

❤️ Tuesday, March 11th, 2025 in the Morning 🌅

Good morning, et cetera, dear Reader, and welcome (back, if applicable) to this temporary wisp of virtual smoke in the cyber-Universe on a chilly Spring morning somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, USA.

here is shown my Lord, and me (or you), holding the hammer and nail. 💔

Well, the rubber meets the road again, and I am now in a place where I am either forced to repent (of hatred, judgement, anger and the like) or choose the other option and that is to continue to indulge in all of those things as though His sacrifice meant nothing to me. Even in light of putting it that way, you'd think the choice would be an easy one, but no: I'm very human and my feelings have far, far more sway with me than I prefer to admit even to myself, let alone to you or anyone else, Dear Reader, but here we are, and as I love to tell you all the time: facts ARE, indeed facts. I can never repent of a thing unless I'm willing to first acknowledge the reality of that thing for what it is: sin IS sin, and by indulging in mine, I am wrong.
(Remember: 1 John 1:9 is step one, I've got to call that spade a spade and then He can do something about it). Rather than rendering the confession worthless by trying to couch it in justification or trying to deflect any of my responsibility onto others, I must own it completely, just as Jesus owned these same sins Himself when He died to redeem me, and to redeem you, and HE of all People would have been completely justified if He'd put that blame back onto us, the ones who DO deserve it, but no. He didn't, and He is the One I seek to emulate. 

So, no, the responsibility for my sin IS 100% ON ME and no one else, no matter what he or she has done - to my way of thinking - none of that matters here. All that matters is that I own my sin, my part in it, before God, so that is what I now choose to do. Those paying attention will notice that I do this constantly, like a hamster on a wheel; it is the Christian process. 

But I am not afraid! I know Who forgives, and heals, the same One Who will take the ashes of my wretched sin and give me Beauty for them in exchange. But to get the miracles of peace, wisdom, discernment and all of those other beautiful gifts, I first have to be willing to let go of the counterfeit things, of Pride, Anger, Judgement, and the like - and be content to remain empty-handed in His Presence and before the world until He decides otherwise. 
If you find yourself in that kind of place today, Dear Reader, I pray now that the love of Jesus Christ fill your entire being and remove all fear, silencing all lying spirits who try to dissuade you from the light and love of His truth, in Jesus' Name, amen. 💜

I looked up Isaiah 6 today because of this verse that rose to my mind when I first sat down to share these thoughts with you today:

And it's a short chapter, but full of Life and Wisdom and other miraculous treasures:

Isaiah 6 ESV

And here is today's Proverb from the Book of Wisdom:

Proverbs 11 ESV

Behold, the Word of the Lord. I don't know about you, dear Reader, but I see myself in both chapters, ways where I am weak, things in which I am continually wrong and sinful. May God deliver me; may He deliver you from your troubles as well, whatever they may be.

Dear Lord, thank You for yet another day of Life today, God! None of us deserve it, but here we are: thank You. Please deliver us and make us holy, useful to others by You, to accomplish Your will, Lord, whatever that is. God today we ask You to please create a new heart in each of us, O God, as stated by David in Psalm 51, this is the prayer of our hearts before You today, Lord God. Father, please protect every vulnerable human today, Lord, starting with the unborn! Please create maternal love in the heart of all expectant mothers that the idea of murder is abomination to them one and all, in Jesus' Name! Please continue to pour Your peace over the earth like a blanket, smothering the ravages of War and Destruction, in Jesus' Name! Father please release ALL who are currently in any and all forms of captivity: the children, women, and yes the men, who are there not by their own choice, God! Please expose ALL done in darkness and bring those deeds out into the light, God, as You set every captive free, in Jesus' Name! God, please introduce Yourself to ALL who do not yet know You, God, in Jesus' Name. Please protect President Trump, Elon Musk, and everyone else in leadership, Lord God! Please protect them and all who surround them now and always, in Jesus' Name! Please protect ALL servants of righteousness from harm, God, including the entire administration and all who serve in public office from the Senate all the way down to our local offices, God, and replace all wicked rulers with righteous ones of Your choosing, in Jesus' Name! Please redeem our friends and family, Lord God! Please also pour Your abundant love and grace out like a flood onto our enemies, God! Please overwhelm them with Your goodness that they will never be the same, God! Please subdue our human passions and give each heart a song of praise today and we give You all glory and honor for You alone are worthy, God. Thank You again, Lord, and please answer the prayers we forgot to pray today, in Jesus' Name, amen. 💜

Monday, March 10th, 2025 in the Morning 🌅

Hello, dear Reader, and welcome (back, if applicable) to this almost-completely unknown American blog, a tiny bastion of faith and free speech amidst all the lies and propaganda (and other unsavory content) available online, all of course depending on what one searches for.

Here is a link to Matthew chapter 15:

Matthew 15 ESV

And today's Proverb:

Proverbs 10 ESV

March7th, 2025: some morning thoughts

Hello (again, if applicable) dear Reader, and welcome to this unassuming American blog; free to read and rife with good ole American FREE SPEECH. 😎

and THAT, dear Reader, is WHY they can NEVER be allowed to take our 2A rights away! 

And, have a patriotic tune for this beautiful morning above ground; I love both of these talented, fierce patriots:

March 14th should be made an American Federal Holiday. Why, you might wonder? I'll tell you: that is the anniversary of the DEATH of Karl Marx, the one and ONLY part of his entire existence worth celebrating.
His satanic ideals only LOOK GOOD ON PAPER but have never, and WILL NEVER, translate into any real, concrete success in real life. That's just the truth. Now, handle the disappointment the way you did as a child when you learned that humans cannot fly; childhood lessons are meant to continue to be with us for life; we learn most of the very important things first (as children). Now, in this consumerism/instant-gratification/zero attention span society, I know that it's socially more acceptable to abandon foundational tenets as you hear 'new' concepts, but everything about that mentality is deeply, fundamentally flawed at best. 

It's just about adultery, but here's a link to the day's Proverb:

Proverbs 7 ESV

Some morning thoughts on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025

Hello (again?) dear Reader, and welcome to this obscure sliver of American cyberspace in the middle of the week on a cool, sunny day in early Spring where I currently sit, writing my late-morning thoughts/prayers/observations et cetera, from a remote segment of the Sonoran Desert. 
First, here is today's portion from the Book of Wisdom (in correspondence with this being the fifth day of the month):

Proverbs 5 ESV

And, because "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the Word of God" (Romans 10:17 KJV), here is the audio version as well:

Elsewhere online, I saw this Psalm referenced, and that caught my attention:

I am compelled to admit to you right now, dear Reader, that, at the time of this blog entry, I AM an abject FAILURE at verse 3, FULL STOP. No excuses, no justifications. It's just sin/ failure, pure and simple. I'll make no excuse for my behavior, nor will I deny it. And, no I'm not bragging, but merely owning what is fact because facts are not altered one iota because of how I 'feel' about them. 

Ok, so there's step 1, taken from 1 John 1:9

Now, for the second part (prayer and repentance):
Dear Lord God, thank You for this, yet another day of life that I was not promised and do not deserve; please see that I do not squander it, God! Thank you for making my sin apparent so that I can lay it down and seek You for healing and the empowerment to do better going forward, Lord God. Please always, always show me when I'm wrong that I may have that chance to do better the next time, God. Please create the strength of Your Gentleness within me, Lord Jesus, and further please imbue me with Your compassion for all, leaving none out. Thank You, Lord!  
Father, I am compelled to ask that You please protect all the unborn from medical murder, God, in Jesus' Name! Please give a deep love for every unborn baby to that baby's mother, God, in Jesus' Name. Father, please end all war, globally, God; please settle Your Peace over the land, God. Please bring clarity where there is confusion; please dispel conflict with understanding, God. Lord, we ask also that You please protect President Trump and everyone who surrounds him, God, now and always, in Jesus' Name. Father, please remove all the wicked from places of authority and replace them with those who truly love and honor You above all else, Lord God. Also, Father, please feed every hungry mouth as well as every hungry soul today, Lord. Please protect all of the most vulnerable among us, God. Please dispel the insanity of partisan politics, God, not only in the US but globally  - please erase the division, God. Father God, please bring all of the currently unsaved to the saving, miraculous inner knowledge of Christ and remove all of the scales from the eyes of all who are presently deceived, God. We ask that You embolden saints across the land to speak and to live in Truth that will be a light to the lost. Please heal the sick; please deliver the bound and all held in captivity, God! Please end the entire human-trafficking industry world-wide, God! Please cause people involved in the industry to encounter You and cooperate with the right global authorities to bring the demise of that unspeakable evil about, God, if it be Your will. Please, meet all of our unspoken needs and the prayers that we forgot to pray and lead us every minute of every day, by grace, in faith, and strengthen every heart to cry "though He slay me, yet will I praise Him!" and we thank You for all of these things and more, our heart, our Love, our Everything, God. In Jesus' Name, amen. 

I always go way off the starting topic in prayer, but, the point that I am trying to make here is that prayer and repentance (I think, should) always follow confession.
One more quick note about confession: I think that it's important to confess TO the person harmed by the mistake/ your sin whenever possible. It's my experience that yes, it's the most difficult option (emotionally, psychologically speaking) but I find that it's also the most effective, truly-cathartic option as well. Of course, I feel like you are still absolutely forgiven by the Lord if/when direct-confession is not an option (and, not that I can speak for Him, I'm just what the Bible says about it). So, if you - for whatever reason - cannot confess directly (to the object of that offense), it's not the end of all things. 

I AM the latter here - the evil one in dire NEED of Him

Getting back to the prayer and repentance part:
For me, I find that repentance is impossible UNTIL I've prayed. Like, I just do not have it in me, in/of just my human, finite self, to repent without praying for it to even become a possibility first. Sometimes the substance of that prayer is a whispered "God, help!" and sometimes the prayer is a morass of unarticulated tears, in a language that only God can understand. Just honest prayer, from the heart is all that He asks. In fact, God calls David "a man after My own heart" even though David had Uriah the Hittite killed and then took Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, for himself. Don't believe me? Read 2 Samuel 11, 12 and I Kings 1, 2. 

That's it. 
No need for a PhD or any other degree from men. You don't have to be a genius, you don't have to be wealthy, you don't have to be a rousing social success, no. What you do need - what we ALL must have, that is - to approach God, is honesty, first with ourselves and then with Him. This is about the only time you'll ever hear me recommend that we put ourselves before God in anything and the simple reason is this: if we are not first honest with ourselves, we make it therefore impossible to be honest with anyone and everyone else afterward, and that includes God. 

Enough about that; next time I hope to talk some about partisan politics, but will go and rest a bit for now, thanking you, dear Reader, for these minutes of your time and I ask You, Lord God, for the salvation of the souls of all whose eyes see these words, in Jesus' Name, amen. 💜

March 4th, 2025 in the Morning

Hello! Greetings and salutations, dear Reader, on yet another day above ground (a tremendous blessing in and of itself, meritorious of much gratitude and responsive humility). Today is March 4th, getting very close to the official start of Spring (here in the northern hemisphere) and, right now, it's a wee bit before dawn. Here is our current weather:

Here is today's portion from the Book of Wisdom:

Proverbs 4 ESV

If you know me in real life, even if you only know me at all from social media, then you are well aware of the fact that I am NOT, in any way, shape, form, or fashion, by any means 'perfect' no matter how hard I try. Knowing that we're all in the same "less than perfect" boat, though, I live with the understanding of it being a matter of WHEN I am mistaken/wrong (rather than fooling myself with the concept of IF instead). 

But, generally speaking, WHY are humans so afraid of being wrong? What is it that prevents us from wanting to learn what IS true and correct so that we can rightfully reject everything else? Only God Himself knows the answer to that, I suppose.

Dear Lord God, thank You for yet another day of Life today, God. Please move in and through us to accomplish Your will today, Lord. Father God, please end all human trafficking around the globe today, God! Please release all who are currently in captivity, Father God. Please eradicate evil with Your wrath and mighty Justice, Father God! Lord, we ask You to please settle a blanket of Your Peace over the entire earth, God, and extinguish all war like water douses fire, God, in Jesus' Name. Lord, please protect all of the unborn today and give all mothers a deep and undying love for their babies, God, in Jesus' Name! In fact, Lord, we ask You to please give revelation to all who are currently deceived and open the eyes of their understanding as only You can, God, in Jesus' Name. Lord, please protect President Trump and all other godly leaders from evil and harm, Lord God, and please expose any and all traitors who are currently in the trusted inner circles, God, in Jesus' Name. Please bring ALL deeds of darkness out into the light God, and please bring irrefutable, undeniable truth to eradicate the lies of satan, God. Father, please empower all forces of good and deflate all 'powers' of darkness, God! Please silence and bind every lying and/or other demonic spirits today, God, and let all hear the voice of Truth, God, in Jesus' Name. Father please draw all lost souls unto You for salvation as only You can, God, and please meet all human needs today according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 

A sunny Sunday on March 2nd, 2025

Good morning (et cetera) dear Reader, and welcome (back?) to this obscure American blog where I sit in the splendor of a beautiful sunrise, shining through the window as I take a third breathing treatment for the day so far; therefore thankful not only for the gift of another day of Life itself (which I don't deserve and was not owed to me) but the gift of every breath as well. Soon, in a shower, I will also thank Him for the pure luxury of clean, hot water on demand as well (and the day is just getting started). 😎

Without any further delay, then, here is today's portion from the Book of Wisdom: Proverbs 2 ESV and the same again, but in audio format:

And some reading from the New Testament today: John 1 ESV

I think that, if anything, I'm maybe similar to John, in that, I am NOT 'the Light' but exist solely to point others to Him. Seeing how winking at evil in the name of tolerance has only lead to the perpetual degradation of humanity, I take a firm stance against compromising with evil or entertaining it. And, perceiving how society has come to value FEELINGS over all FACTS, I care nothing about feelings: not yours, and not mine. The primary goal, the real value in life, IS TRUTH. 

Which verse/s stand out to you from today's chapters, dear Reader?
Remember that the truth WILL set you free. 💜

March 1st, 2025 Thoughts

 Proverbs 1 ESV

Good morning, dear Reader; greetings and salutations. Today is the first day of the new month which is why I went ahead and skipped ahead to Proverbs 1. 

Now I'm going to dive in and teach you, dear Reader, just precisely how the media tries to tell you what to think and how to feel. I used grok.com, gave it the link to this article by the AP and first asked it:

And, from the very start, watched grok initially respond several times about not having access to the full article.  (as in "Tell me you're blocking AI from exposing psychologically manipulative language without telling me" kind of thing). Anyway, here is a snapshot of the synopsis for those results:

Here is the second (and I think, better) question that I asked grok about that very same article:

Here are the final grok results for that second (better, more targeted) query:

But I encourage you to read the entire thing here:
Grok results experiment analyzing an AP "news" article

And please DO let me know what you think. 

Memes Drop, February - 2025

 

Good morning (et cetera) dear Reader, and welcome on a beautiful day on this side of the grave, alive and given the full advantages of 24 hours to make good choices and do good things, if we will. You may or may not realize it, but there is tremendous power in Free Will. 

Here is today's Proverb:

Proverbs 28 ESV

Today I feel like sharing some recent memes that I've made (in no particular order). 

Well, those are all of them, the memes I've made recently in response to current events. 
And that's about all I've got for now; thank you for stopping by, dear Reader, and may you be abundantly blessed.

Thursday, February 27, 2025 - Morning Thoughts

Good morning (et cetera) dear Reader, and welcome to this unassuming little sliver of American cyberspace in the quiet hours before Dawn. 

In today's news, actor Gene Hackman, his wife, and even their dog were all found deceased in their home. I pray the Lord bring Justice to this situation as well as comfort all affected survivors, in Jesus' Name, amen.

Here is today's Proverb:

Proverbs 27 ESV

And Psalm 92 ESV, full-text:

Today they're supposed to be releasing the infamous, long-awaited Epstein list; I heard AG Pam Bondi say that there are 250+ victims. 😡
I don't know about you, dear Reader, but sometimes I long for God to show Himself to us again as He did in the Old Testament, with His righteous fury and instant Justice, especially when it comes to meting Justice for the most vulnerable. Nobody is perfect and all of us sin, but there are some sins that are wholly inexcusable (in my opinion, that is; of course God may do as He pleases, period). 

Dear Lord God, thank You for waking us up for another day above ground, God. We appreciate the miraculous gift of life and breath today and ask You to use us for Your purposes, God, in Jesus' Name. Father, please protect all of Your chosen servants in authority, God, globally and please expose any and all traitors, removing them from positions of power and/or authority and/or influence, Lord God. Father please magnify the cry of the innocent! Please get Justice for all innocent victims of evil, God, in Jesus' Name! 
Lord, please place a hedge of protection around President Trump and everyone in his administration as well as everyone else who surrounds him, God, and send Your angels to protect them one and all, God, and we give You praise in Jesus' Name. Lord, please end all wars currently raging across the earth and replace them with the soothing blanket of Your Peace, God, in Jesus' Name. Father God, please protect every unborn baby and give every expectant mother a deep abiding love for each one, in Jesus' Name! Lord God please move in and through us to the glory of Your Name; please give us each the health and soundness of mind we need to be of any use to our fellow man, God. Please give us each the courage and capacity for true humility and continue to teach us how to follow Your Word above our own feelings or desires, God. Please meet all unspoken or forgotten prayers and fill our hearts with praise; may the eyes of our hearts be focused Heavenward, ever seeking the beauty and majesty of Your Face, and we ask all of these things in the sacred Name of Jesus, our Lord, amen. 💜

February 26th, 2025 - Lemonade

Hello (again?) dear Reader, and welcome to this humble, unkown American blog. I would have written earlier but I'm not feeling my best today (health-wise, but no complaints). Oddly I feel an obligation to maintain mostly-consistent communication out into the ether for 'whosoever will' and it's not even 'a job' (particularly, it pays literally zero dollars, so it's a good thing that I'm not money-motivated). I'd love to go back to work and only wish that health and other factors allowed for it.
But enough about that. 

Here is today's portion from Proverbs:

Proverbs 26 ESV

Wow, today's Proverb is 🔥🔥🔥

It's so relevant, just right out of the gate imparts concentrated morsels of life-giving, soul-saving Wisdom! (Thank You, Lord!) 

Though there are several excellent verses today, I'll talk briefly about this one, the second verse. It means that, if (you believe that) something doesn't apply to you, then you won't be bothered by it. Like if someone calls a genius "stupid" or a supermodel "ugly" - that kind of thing; in each (obvious) case, the person will easily shrug off what was meant as a stinging barb of insult because they know better; these are easy, obvious examples. 

Let's say that someone says something to you that doesn't feel great to hear. 

What I like to do is ask myself, soul-searching, as well as ask the Holy Spirit "Is (any of) that true, to a degree or other? What's my part in it?" - truly an excellent habit I learned about from the wise people in my life. Often, I'll see my own mistake or failing (evidence that there is at least some degree of truth to what was said); if I lean into it, that turns the comment into a stepping stone that can help me get closer to Truth and the freedom therein. 
Other times, a sharp/hurtful comment serves to bring an insecurity or wounded part of my soul to the fore-front instead. This is still good to know and productive as I've then a chance to ask God for His healing in that area. 
Either way, it's all good. Literally, making lemonade from the lemons of life.

What verse/s stood out to you though, dear Reader? And, do you agree/disagree/have anything to add to my thoughts about Proverbs 26:2? I'd love your comments below if you like. 
Either way, I appreciate these minutes of your time and pray that all whose eyes see these words are blessed, in Jesus' Name, amen. 

Tuesday Morning - February 25th, 2025

Hello, dear Reader; greetings and salutations, and welcome to this obscure American blog (again?) in the dark, quiet peace which precedes every glorious Dawn. Those minutes are so incredibly beautiful and filled with such awesome grandeur - and so very, very fleeting. Which brings to mind this favorite poem by American poet Robert Frost:

Nature's first green is gold

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower, 

But only so an hour. 

Then leaf subsides to leaf; 

So Eden sank to grief.

So Dawn goes down to Day - 

Nothing gold can stay. 

Without any further ado, though:

Proverbs 25 ESV 

I'll disclose today that I'm having an especially difficult time with breathing so far, since first waking up and (not to be gross - sorry in advance, but) I also just came back from vomiting, minutes after taking morning meds with milk (and I have no idea why). Oh well! I'm doing another breathing treatment right now and that finally seems to be helping. I'll take the win. 

I don't know about you, dear Reader, but for my part, it seems that if I have failed epically at a thing, the failure itself ends up eventually becoming my most effective teacher. Of course it's not ideal to learn that way, it's best to instead make wise choices from the get-go, but no: I'm me 😂 
Maybe someone out there can relate? 😏

Anyway.
At least I can be used as an example to others of "what not to do" like this hilarious despair.com poster, "Mistakes"

On the one hand, we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves (I'm actively working on that, in fact) if for no other reason (which I'm recently realizing) because it inevitably bleeds out in the way we address others, from those in our inner circle to the way we make statements meant to be seen by the world. 
There is value in honesty; a person of strength is better able to reign in fiery emotion and answer calmly: again, I'm a work in progress and that's alright. This applies to you, too, dear Reader: none of us is perfect and that's 100% okay. What matters is a perfect heart, and only God Himself can make that determination for any/all of us.

Toward that end, please absorb this encouragement from His living Word:

Psalm 51 ESV

And let this plea ever be the cry of your heart, dear Reader, remembering also this:

Dear Lord God, we thank You for waking us up again for another day of Life, God - a day not owed to any of us, another day to make good and right choices to serve others and please You, Lord. Please give each of us the grace to make the most of this day and please You, Father God. Lord, please protect our leaders: President Trump and all who surround him, Lord; please expose any and all in his circle who are anything less than loyal to him, in Jesus' Name. Please protect all of them with a host of Your Angels, Lord God, and defeat any and all foes who would seek to harm any of them, God, in Jesus' Name. Father, today we also ask that You please cause Hamas to release every remaining hostage in their custody, both living and deceased, God, and that you either completely remove hatred from their hearts, God, or empower us to defeat them completely to the glory of Your Name but let Your will be done, in this and all things. 
Lord God, please protect every unborn child in the womb today, God, and impart an everlasting love for each one in the mother's hearts today, God, in Jesus' Name. We thank You for every life saved. Lord, please deliver us from sin that is born in our own hearts, God. Please empty us of pride and anger that we are useful to You, dear Lord. Please heal broken families, God. Please save every lost soul, Jesus. Please show Yourself mighty today and always and we give You praise, Lord, in Jesus' Name, amen.