Top 100 Praise & Worship Songs 2014

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!

A PLATE FULL

MORE...MORE...MORE!!!!!!

Have you ever noticed how a child who gets much, usually doesn't seem to get enough?  If you give a child an XBOX, he'll then want a Wii, and once he becomes bored with that...he'll want a Sony PlayStation, and once that device is upgraded he'll want the newest edition.  After he's played out a-l-l the games, he'll then want an Iphone, it's never-ending!  It reminds me of the children books by Laura Numeroff , "If You Give a Pig a Pancake". 

If you give a pig a pancake, she'll want some syrup to go with it. You'll give her some of your favorite maple syrup, and she'll probably get all sticky, so she'll want to take a bath. She'll ask you for some bubbles. When you give her the bubbles...

It starts a vicious cycle of expectation, and greed.  This isn't just children. There are adults whose cravings can never be met. Some will just park themselves at the buffet of bountiful waiting to snatch up something before another has a chance. I think of this as we approach "Black Friday".  It is ridiculous how people will trample each other over a flat screen t.v. or kill over a parking lot space. You can view the craziness on this site blackfridaydeathcount in 2013 there were 7 killed and 90 injured.  What are we doing with the resources, talents, or gifts that have been given us individually or as a nation?  Are we building God's kingdom, or our own sand castles of self-indulgence?  

Haggai 1-11(NIV)

A Call to Build the House of the Lord

In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest:

2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”

3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Everything we have is given for use by God, its all His!  We own NOTHING! Therefore we should gratefully appreciate, and use wisely the resources He has entrusted us with.  And it is hard to imagine that trampling another for an electronic device is what God had in mind.

Psalm 24:1(NIV)

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

-Brenda

FOOD FOR SOUL MAGAZINE

A Plate of Provision Please?

This morning when I awoke, I wasn't feeling 100%.  I was already worn out from the weeks task.  My awnry child was sick the night before wanting to stay up to play video games. I at barely 8:30 p.m. am begging for bed. I felt the onset of the flu trying to take over my being...like an octopus to squeeze the life out of me. Hubby was out of sorts over an ongoing tooth ache he has put off being treated for YEARS! Oh, and this never acts up until I get sick!  Every time I go to schedule him, he says its fine.  I was in deep sighs before my feet hit the ground out of bed...knowing I had a mound of dishes to wash, chicken stock to strain from cooking crock overnight, veggies to chop, chicken to shred, laundry to start, pets to feed, a son to home-school, answer emails, blogs, and work on magazine.  I caught myself rushing at 6:30 a.m. on a mission to get much done despite how I felt.  I stood over my sink fighting off tears overwhelmed at the sight, and thought of what I had to do today. There was no room for sickness! I knew that I needed to also make time to study and pray to be encouraged.  I was bitterly upset over the lack of help from certain someones. In the process of fury over the foamy dishes...God reminded me that I could talk to him right there and then.  I didn't have to wait till I completed my chores, bow-downed, or got on my knees.  I didn't have to be in a state of total silence.  Nor in a synagogue, or church pew.  I could communicate with him right through my chores, frustration, and foaming dishes. I instantly asked God to just give me the strength, good attitude, and ability to forgive the certain someones and complete what He willed for my day.  As I sat down exhausted from the flash final touches on chores...I was brought to this scripture:

Isaiah 26:3

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. 

It doesn't say that God might guard those in perfect CONSTANT peace whose mind is stayed on Him...it says HE WILL keep in perfect peace!

There was no need for me to fret over the to-do's of the day. As long as I kept my mind on God. I noticed a plaque that hangs above my desk that I rarely read.  

It states, "Good Morning"  This is GOD!  I will be handling ALL of your problems today! I will not need your help, so please just relax and have a nice day!  

I was liberated from my self-scolding on completing everything I had in mind after reading it.  The grumbling stopped.  I realized that if God has given me the vision to accomplish certain missions, whether it be a magazine publisher, writer, designer, homeschooling, a mother, and nursemaid to spouse...then He most certainly will provide the provisions to do so...with or without the help of certain someones.

 And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.    -Philippians 4:19

-Brenda

You made me so happy, God HOW MAGNIFICENT your work, God! I saw your work and I shouted for joy. -Psalms 92:4

What a beautiful, crisp, cool morning here in Texas!  Woke up to a low of 45 degrees!  Now that makes me happy!  If you don't live in Texas...you just don't understand it gets HOT! Really...really hot. It is a rarity to celebrate Thanksgiving with cool weather. Whether this weather last long or not...I am just thankful!  My dogs are running around like something great has happened...YES...YES...YES no more panting in sweltering temperatures!!!!! Fall is finally here! It is my absolute most favorite season of the year.  The smell of fireplaces burning, Christmas lights begin to shine through the streets, hot cocoa in the mornings, a steaming pot of chicken an dumplings sits on stove for the first time of the year, bread making aroma permeates the home front, and the parks and byways are decorated with unbelievable beauty with every changing leaf....Thank you God for your expressive works of art! -Brenda

www.foodforsoulmagazine.com

Yesterday, while putting away something in my china cabinet I ran across something that had been left behind by my grand daughter.  It was a broken ceramic piggy bank she had left one Sunday after visiting.  I hadn't thrown it out, because I knew it was precious to her and wanted to somehow fix it or find her another one just like it.  As I held the broken pieces in my hand I became suddenly reminded of how many times God had held mine...the broken relationships, broken dreams, broken homes, and sometimes my broken children.  He kept me held together though this vessel had cracks so large it almost shattered the very core of God's purpose in me. My God faithfully repaired, reconstructed, and replaced all the sorrow, sadness, sickness, and loss with more then I could ever have imagined.  I may have not gotten back my original pieces shattered everywhere, but what HE gave me is worth so much more.  He gave me a new life, with a new love, and the ability to appreciate every broken vessel I see.  -Brenda

Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

www.foodforsoulmagazine.com

GOD MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR

This past Sunday as I was going through the normal ritual of frantically rushing the kids out the door to church, I immediately stopped and thought, "Hmmmm...did I grab the hand sanitizer?" Well you know with all the greet and meet hand shaking and Ebola and stuff...I just wanted to be prepared.  While I am driving to church, I am giving my children a germ and illness prevention speech.  One that my kids hate, and I usually receive an eye-rolling in the back of the head epileptic fit before I ever get the last word out..."No putting fingers in eyes, ears, nose, or mouth! As these are all gateways to infections and disease!!!! Use the hand sanitizer after someone shakes your hand.  Don't eat the donuts, someone probably used bare hands to place on platter, and you don't know if they sneezed in that hand.  Don't hold the bathroom door handles without a paper towel or the sleeve of your shirt, don't turn off water faucets with bare hands, use paper towel, and for goodness sake NEVER use hand to flush toilet, use your foot!"  I know...maybe I've gone a little overboard, but after raising six children, and countless emergency room trips over the course of 29 years, and treating ungodly amounts of vomit spewed through my carpet...as a child can never manage to ever make it to a bathroom to do that!  After nearly 60,000 in medical fees, and strains of the flu never heard of...YES, I AM CAUTIOUS!  NOT PARANOID!  JUST CAUTIOUS!  If I can prevent sickness I will at ALL cost!  Anyhow, back to the Sunday scene.  I remind the children once more as we exit the vehicle to enter church.  I run up to door to open it so they don't have to touch anything.  I quickly use my sanitizer to clean hands.  I make my way across the sanctuary to sit with not one hand shake no need to sanitize... "Whew, I'm safe".  As we prepare for communion a thought popped in my head, "I wonder who placed the bread on the plate, did they use gloves, and shouldn't there be separate pieces instead of everyone handling it and ripping a piece off?"  I hesitated to take communion..really!  I told myself, "This is crazy! Trust that everything is going to be okay and no one in the congregation is suffering from Ebola, Entrovirus, Flu, Strep Throat, Hep A, Hep B, Stomach Bug....etc...  Well, as I bravely approach the table to gather my communion of bread and wine, I courageously eat my bread, and then before I realize it downed the washed-back remains of SOMEONE ELSE'S CUP by mistake!!!!!!  UGHHHHHHHH!  I immediately ran to bathroom and ceremoniously began washing my mouth out, and wiping tongue off with a paper towel as if I had ingested antifreeze!  A church lady came in the bathroom and witnessed my shear panic of it all, and asked what happened.  I hoped to have found some comfort from her as I explained in a gasp, "I accidentally drank from another's cup at the communion table"...sniff...sniff.  She replies, "OOH GROSS!" and steps out of the bathroom quickly, as if I had already contracted a deadly infection.  Here it is four days later and I am still alive.  I didn't contract some awful infection, the only thing I caught was an explosive room of laughter when I told my kids as my teen stated, "Oh wow mom, fail".  She thought it was so humorous she text her entire classroom at school. I am just waiting for her to post some YouTube video of this incident where I will be viral in the virtual world of most paranoid moms!