Monday, January 29, 2024

From My Journal

 TODAY IS:  January 29, 2024

AROUND ME: Inside the home it is nice and cozy...outside the ground is white again and the snow is still pouring down.

I AM PONDERING:  how quickly the words of one person can spread across the internet.  I'm also pondering how important it is that our words be full of grace.

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  this Scripture, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING:  The Gospel's Power and Message by Paul Washer, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs, A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner and continuing on with this year's devotional Refreshment for the Soul by Richard Sibbes.  

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  my pastor who preaches the whole counsel of God expositionally and how God works through His Spirit and questions that I have are answered in the sermons that our pastor preaches.

NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN:  always check my ingredients before I start a recipe. I know that it is an elementary rule of cooking and baking, but sometimes when I clean out my cupboards I do it a bit too thoroughly. 

FROM THE KITCHEN: I came across a recipe that I think would be fun to try just once...it's called Cottage Pie Baked Potatoes.  But then I think about the Cottage Pie recipe that my friend Lauren sent me from Scotland and it gives me second thoughts.  I will let you know next week which I decided to do.

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:  the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  It's such a blessing to be able to wallk up to a sister in Christ and say, "I need you to pray for me" and share a burden that's on my heart.

A QUOTE TO REMEMBER: "Help me to take lightly this world's judgments and to take seriously your call and your cross."  Elisabeth Elliot

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY Laundry, ironing, plant care, catching up on a bit of correspondence and do some reading.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12

23 comments:

  1. I'm wondering how those words are going to impact things in a tumbleweed fashion. (I think we are talking about the same words). I'm grieving and praying and waiting. I, too, am so thankful for our Pastor and his faithfulness to the Word of God as written in the Bible. Hope you have a wonderful week, Dianna.

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    1. Yes, dear Ellen, I am sure we are talking about the same words. I, too, am grieving.

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  2. Yesterday was our first time back at church this month, with all the sickness we've had going on. I love that online services are available, but it's a blessing to be able to be there in person. Our pastor preaches expositionally, too. Even though he's a younger man (we're getting to the age where our pastors are likely going to be younger from now on :) ), God has given him a lot of wisdom.

    It is amazing how words spread these days across the Internet. One good thing though, is that often a challenge or correction or opposing view will spread just as fast in response. But a lot of damage can be done in the meantime. We truly do need to watch our words.

    I need to be careful about checking ingredients beforehand, too. Too often I've been right in the middle of something and realized I was out of an ingredient. Often it's something that I don't replace often and is "always" there--until it isn't. I try to write things down on the grocery list as soon as I realize I need it or it's getting low. But sometimes in the thick of meal preparation, I forget.

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  3. I’m happy to see that you still have that recipe! We do love our cottage pies.
    I’m so glad you are in such a good church. What a blessing it is to have a good church family.

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    1. Oh my dear friend....I still have ALL of the recipes you have shared with me. 😋😋
      We certainly are thankful for our church and church family

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    2. Could you share your cottage pie recipe? Thank you!

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    3. I will be happy to share the cottage pie recipe.

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  4. I am so thankful for our Pastor too!!

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    1. I'm so glad. It's a gift from God when we are blessed with a man of God who stands on His Word.

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  5. My pastor teaches from scripture and I'm so thankful for that. Alan used to make Shepherd's Pie a lot - a dish he learned from his mother. I always loved it!

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    1. We really enjoy cottage pie here too. Lauren's recipe is so good.

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  6. At my church, our lead pastor (who is an excellent preacher) often shares "his" pulpit with other men who also preach the Word well (including my husband), so we get different ways of seeing Scripture.
    I hope your weather moderates soon and warms up.

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    1. Thank you, Willow. I think we are in for a warming turn before much longer and no precipitation.

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  7. What a lovely Daybook post! I'm so happy to see people still doing it. I'm about to try to compose a new one myself, after an almost 4 year absence. I miss the old blogging days, and old message boards too. The social media platforms of today can just be so horrible, and exhausting.

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    1. Thank you so much, Kathy, for your kind words. This isn't the original Simple Woman's Daybook, but when I started back to blogging after several years absence I did check Peggy's website and saw that she hadn't done one for a while, so I just made up my own prompts. :-) Please know that I am praying for you and your family.

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  8. The blog inspirations are wonderful... thank you,
    also to you Dianna.
    I'm curious which of the dishes you chose and hope you'll share the recipe... today I made mashed potatoes and mushrooms.
    A hug to you.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Viola. I will share the recipe for whichever one I choose. Your mashed potatoes and mushrooms sound wonderful. My husband actually grows our own mushrooms. It was so wonderful to have them during the warm months and I've really missed them this winter. Hugs.

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  9. I adore your favorite things quote, I agree that it's nice to have fellowship and know that there are people out there who will pray!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Karen. They mean a lot.

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  10. I enjoy your "From my Journal" posts.
    I often fail to check whether I have what I need for a recipe I want to make. BTW, how did you manage to ice your cookies without powdered sugar?

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, GM. Fortunately, the cookies have plenty of flavor on their own so I took them without icing. ☺️

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  11. Hello, my friend. I love the cozy feel of your space here. I am quite interested in the recipe! Have a lovely evening.

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    1. I just came from visiting you! 😊. I love it when that happens because it means we were thinking about each other at the same time. Thank you for your kind words. I will post the recipe next week.

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