If this don’t melt your heart, nothing will

July 15, 2016July 15, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Recently, I clicked on my local Facebook interweb page & saw a wonderful story I wanted to share. Click on the picture to read this truly heartwarming story.

Two important lessons I want to bring out of this story.

When the cop found this teenager he did not get all racist on him, he did not brutally attack him, he did not gun him down. Because he took time to listen to the teenager, the officer was the beginning of a beautiful life changing situation for this young man.
This young man gave God the glory for his newfound situation.

This could just have very well been just another frightening & sad event for the media to hone in on to discourage us. But because the police officer took the time to listen to the teenager & because the police officer took his job to protect & serve seriously, we are reading a happy ending instead of a terrible one. I’m not sure how well publicized this story is, however, I bet you it doesn’t get the attention all the negative in the world has been getting. And you know something I find so heartwarming about this? After all the money this teenager has gotten on his GoFundMe page, all the donations kind folks have made to him, the free health & dental care that was promised him, the job, the new bike, all the tangibles, you know what he said meant the most to him?

THE RELATIONSHIPS he had made through all this.

It looks like this young man is wise beyond his years. I know people with much more years & experience on him, that has yet to realize this. Relationships are everything. Jesus talks about love for one another as a commandment, not just a good idea.

Mark 12: 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.(NKJV)

Mark 12: 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”(NKJV)

I believe the morale to this story should be : God will provide.

God provided for this young man & He will provide for you, as well. Don’t you just love it when God steps right in & blesses people? It just give you that deep down good feeling. Like chocolate gravy & biscuits good.

I hope you are having a blessed day. We have had a smidge of rain & our little container garden has runneth over. I’m really enjoying having some fresh summer vegetables. What are you enjoying this summer? I want to hear all about it. But until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

10 ways to pray for your family

June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

Hey y’all! Just wanted to pop in to say I hope you have had a wonderful Tuesday. I came across this little jewel & just had to share it with you. This was something I saw over at imom.com It’s a beautiful way to pray for your family.

(If you are having trouble reading all of the print on the picture, click on it. It will take you to imom.com’s website. There is a better copy on the download.)

Thanks for stopping by today. It’s been hotter than blue blazes here in northeast Mississippi! Hope you are having nice weather where you are. Until next time, I must be going, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: http://www.imom.com

For goodness snakes no! & things that happen when you buy dirt and containers

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

My people ready for summer.

Mr. Sweetie Pants ready for summer & looking all dapper for church.

When it gets to being the hot part of the year, y’all, I have so many things I think back on. Sipping red Kool-Aid on my Mama Boyce’s car porch ( as she referred to it). Playing outside in the yard. Catching lightning bugs. Eating too many strawberries out of my Papa Clyde’s strawberry patch. Swimming in the branch at my Mamaw & Papaw’s house. And going to the garden at both sets of my grandparents’ houses.

My Papaw & Mamaw Austin were very well versed in growing gardens. They worked so hard to make sure we had our freezers full for winter. I remember one steamy summer morning, I was about 7 years old. The daily plans included, going to the garden. My Papaw had already been to the barn, that morning, to milk the cow, feed the mule Kate, & other farmish related duties. When he got back to the house, he perhaps made mention that one of the barn cats had had kittens. Well, don’t you know that perked my ears up real quick. Then, y’all I started with the begging to go see them. Goodness Gracious why would they expect me to wait around whilst there were things at the barn that I needed to be looking at? Mamaw said it was time to go to the garden anyway, so off we went.

The barn was situated right beside the garden. So, once we made it down there, it didn’t take long until I had worried Mamaw down to a frazzle & she said I could go in the barn to search for the newly born kittens. However, she wanted me to wait for Papaw to go inside with me. Being the obedient & always minding child I was, I started to sneak off to the barn by myself. Papaw was just taking too long. I walked up through the dirt rows & when I about got to the end, I heard Mamaw holler. I turned around & looked & Papaw was beating the ground with his hoe. Right in the spot where I had been walking. Well, needless to say, he wasn’t just beating the ground for nothing. There was a black racer snake that was chasing me up the garden row. I didn’t even know it. My Papaw had come in & killed it to protect me. Even when I was being disobedient.

Now, does that not sound like the Lord? Even though we may be on a path He told us not to go on, He still watches over us. Even when we don’t deserve it. That’s called grace. The dictionary.com simply gives this definition of grace:

favor or goodwill.

The Lord takes care of us when we have done nothing whatsoever to deserve it. I have heard it called “unmerited favor”. That’s what the Lord does for us. He steps right in & protects His children whether we know it or not.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, NKJV

The Lord is really good at working behind the scenes. As a matter of fact that’s where He does some of His best work. So, today, if you feel like you are going through a hard time by yourself, you aren’t. The Lord is always there watching over us & keeping us from harm.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe. NKJV

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” NKJV

So, we have done our little version of a garden this year. It’s a container garden on our back deck. Because who doesn’t want fresh vegetables? I reckon we do.

We started out planting. This is the peppers.

This is just when we got finished planting. There are tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, & herbs.

This was the cucumbers one day this week. These guys have grown right before our eyes! Don’t that beat all?

And what about these? We may be fancy gardeners, yet.

I am so glad you came by to visit with me today. Summer has come in full force here in northeast Mississippi. We are going to reach the high 90s this weekend. Along with that comes humidity & mosquitos! It will be so hot we won’t be able to let our kids go outside & play. Y’all, it will be hotter than blue blazes. There is no wonder there are so many Christians in the South. 🙂

Hope you have a blessed day. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

And here is a random picture of my brother & mama, just because I miss her.

June Scripture Writing Plan

May 31, 2016May 31, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

It’s the last day of May! Can you believe that? Now, where did that guy go? Time is not waiting for anyone, that’s for sure. I am excited, though. Shannon over at Sweet Blessings put together a wonderful Scripture Writing Plan for June. It’s all about Forgiveness. And who doesn’t need some reminding, instruction, & study on forgiveness? I know many people struggle with this. I am for sure one. So let’s dig into the Word & see what sweet blessing we can receive from this month’s Scripture Writing plan.

I hope you have had a blessed day. We I am recuperating after a long weekend of holiday eating, fun, & family. I hope you have had a wonderful holiday. I also want to take this time to remember my family who has made freedom possible for us- My grandfather, my father in law, my uncle, my cousin, & currently my son in law & a 2nd cousin are serving in the military. I want to say a humble thank you for all you have done, & are doing for our country. Until next time, I should be going because I should be washing clothes.

credits: http://www.swtblessings.com

Tuesday encouragement

April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Just wanted to pop in for some encouragement today. Hope you enjoy these little things I found on the local intranet.

Hope you are having a blessed week! Come back for a visit soon. I have LOTS to tell you about what all has been going on with us. Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: Pinterest, knowing jesus

Wednesday night blessings & I didn’t know what day it was until today

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

LORD HAVE MERCY. Is it Friday, yet? On Wednesday, at work, I sent out a cute little meme about it just being Tuesday. One of my sweet friends, from Ohio, was kind enough to say,

“But it’s Wednesday, right?”

It’s just been these past few weeks, that all the days are running together. SO, I would like to officially say to Friday,

“Thank you for showing up. I appreciate that.”

Wednesday night at church, I got some sweet news. There are 2 little girls in my Wednesday night Bible class that are living at our local children’s home. They are twins. And precious. And spunky. And are so smart in God’s Word. I fell in love with them the 1^st time I met them. They told me before class started, they were being adopted. They were so excited. They told me what their new name would be. They hugged me & I told them I was so proud & what great news to have in our class that night. One of the girls said,

“Yeah, but who’s going to bring us candy now?”

We sorta have candy, gummies, chocolate, cookies, or whatever else I can come up with, every class. I reassured them I knew they would have a wonderful Bible teacher at their new church & hopefully, she would bring candy to class. What a joy for these kids. They told me this would be their forever family. Goodness gracious. What a true blessing.

It made me think of how many blessings you can have, that comes out of trials. No matter how grim a situation may seem, God has a plan. The Lord promised Abraham & Sarah a baby. (Genesis 18:10) They waited about 25 years, after that promise was made, before Isaac was born. The apostle Paul was locked up in prison for preaching the gospel. He still found a way to write letters to the churches & help them, even while he was in jail. (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, & Philemon) Lazarus died, while they were waiting on Jesus. However, Jesus turned sadness to joy, when he raised Lazarus up. (John 11:43-44) Joseph was thrown in prison & waited 2 years for the king’s butler to remember he interpreted dreams. After all that time he was released from jail & gained Pharaoh’s good favor. (Genesis 41:12) And do I have to even mention Noah building the ark? It took him about 100 years to build the ark. Then he gathered everybody up & God shut the door. (Genesis 7:16) Then, he waited for it to start this raining stuff that no one had ever seen or heard of. That took about 7 days. (Genesis 7:10) Talk about some good endings to bad situations. God can & will take care of us. Sometimes we may just need to wait through the problems in life. God uses hard times to develop us into the people he needs us to be. So, don’t get too discouraged with hardships. They won’t last. I saw this saying one day & loved it.

God recruits from the pit, not the pedestal.

I love this, because it lets me know, even when I am in the valley, God’s plan is still at work. I know God has been at work in my 2 little friend’s lives. He is putting them in fertile soil to grow & bloom. They may have had to wait, but the Lord has always taken care of them. I hope you know today that the Lord loves you. I hope you know how blessed you are & how God can make any mess a beautiful message! You just have to be looking for the good, not the bad.

Can I end by saying THANK YOU LORD FOR FRIDAY??? The sunshine is glorious. I am very delighted that you decided to stop by today. I hope you have an amazing weekend. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

**For those of you keeping up with my Dad, he is still in “rehab”. He has good days & bad days. His blood has still not thinned out to the doctor’s liking. His sugar is getting better controlled for the moment. We are hopeful he will be able to go home at some point. Prayers are much appreciated! Love y’all.

photo credits : clipart panda, http://www.imighthavestolethat.wordpress.com, pinterest

5 things to do when you don’t know what to do

February 2, 2016February 1, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Do y’all ever have those days, weeks, years, that you wonder why

you haven’t given up yet? I’m talking about just a good ol’ throwin’

your hands up in the air & saying,

“Y’all can have this, I quit!”

Sometimes, it just seems like nothing is going right. When there’s

too much month & not enough money, not enough time in the day

to do it all, piled up laundry, stacked up dishes, legal problems,

deteriorating health (whether yours or a loved one), relationship

problems, or worse- you may feel like you don’t know where to turn.

It’s sadly a reality that people are hurting & sometimes the grief of

life can overwhelm us. However, sweet friends, I wanted to share

with you how you can get through these things in life & oddly

enough, come out ok.

Here are my 5 reasons not to go hollaring and screaming into the

sunset:

1. Remember that everything in life is temporary. If everything is going good,enjoy it, because it won’t last forever. And if things are going

bad, don’t worry, that won’t last either.

James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (NKJV)

2. Know you have to trust the Lord. When God says you can do this,

you can. Know that the Lord will not let you go so far, you

can’t see your way back.

I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (NKJV)

God’s team is the winning team. Be on that team.

3. Don’t forget the prize. Keep your eye on the prize (heaven). Do

all you can to be faithful, so that you may be able to have that

prize. God’s plan for your life, far exceeds the circumstances

of your day. So, know if you just hang on there, the Lord’s

going to come right in & take care of it all. But we have to do

our part, too. Be sure you don’t forget to continue to be a beautiful Christian like example. God won’t forget you for it.

Job 23:10 But He knows the way that I take,

when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. (NKJV)

4. Be aware that with the good, comes the bad. Hard times are a fact of life.

How we view them & handle them is up to us.

Job 2:10 Shall we indeed accept good from God & shall we not accept

adversity?(NKJV)

5. Most of all know you are not in this by yourself. There are billions of people on this ol’ earth. Know when to ask someone for help. I had a dear friend tell me once, “You can get through anything with a lot prayer & a lot of Paxil.” I love her light hearted take on life. It’s reality that sometimes we have to ask our medical care providers for help. Don’t be afraid to do that. But do know that Jesus is right there waiting to help you no matter what. If the Lord does not seem close to you, seriously, who moved? It wasn’t Him. Just seek Him, because He’s there. Acts 17:27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; (NKJV)

Let me stop here & say something about Job. He lost everything he ever worked hard for. His wife turned against him. His friends gave him bad advice. He had health & financial problems. In one day his whole world was turned upside down. However, it was in his attitude, his God fearing, God loving, God trusting attitude that helped him make it through. It seemed like sometimes that God had forgotten Job. But He didn’t. It was over years before Job’s life ever turned around. What did he do during the mean time? He was faithful. Don’t get me wrong. He was upset & didn’t like what was going on. However, he never turned his back on God.He knew the Lord would deliver him. And guess what y’all? He did & Job was more blessed in the end, than the beginning.

Now that’s a beautiful reason to keep your head up & keep

going. I have been through times in my life, that it was day by

day, minute by minute that I had to try to focus on getting

through something tough. The good news is, I did it. I know I

prayed a lot, stayed faithful to the Lord, & just kept going.

Sometimes that’s all we can do.

I am so glad you came by to visit me today. It is SUNSHINING here. Am I really here in NE Mississippi or is this heaven? So glad to see the sun after all the cold & gloomy days. I hope you have had a blessed week. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: pinterest

28 Day Scripture Writing Challege

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

What would February be without LOVE?? Well, Melanie’s done it again. She made another beautiful writing plan for us! Won’t you join us as we seek God’s love in our lives together?

ScriptureWritingChallenge_LOVE You can visit Melanie at http://www.southernmelle.com Her blog has truly been a blessing to me. I know it will be for you, too!

I knew 2 of the lottery winners!

January 18, 2016January 18, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

With all the hoopla about the lottery this past week, I wanted to let y’all know, I knew 2 of the people that won the lottery. I really didn’t think about it until I talked to my cousin. We had a good friend, who was like family to us, pass away last week. I was talking to my aunt’s granddaughter.

She said,

“On Monday I told my grandmother we need to go buy a lottery ticket. Then, we found out about her friend. I was over here worrying about winning the lottery, when he won the real lottery, He got to go home to be with Jesus.”

Tears flowed & we agreed that was the best lottery there was.

There was another sweet lady, that I had grown up knowing, that passed away, also. She was a school teacher, my school bus driver, an author, a mother, a grandmother, & wonderful Christian. As long as she could go, she was always at church. Another lottery winner.

It all made me think of this scripture:

Matthew 16:26

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

I am so proud for these “lottery winners” this week. They finally gained their home in heaven. I talked to my uncle & aunt, while at the funeral home. My uncle pointed out that he hated to see our friend go, however it was an appointment all of us were going to make. I pray all of us will be ready to make that appointment. We never know when it will be. However, as long as we hold that lottery ticket in our hand, we still have time to prepare. Every day God gives us breath, we have the chance to live for Him. So, let’s do all we can, daily, to be sure we are prepared to have that big win with the lottery one day.

I hope everyone has had a blessed weekend & are ready for a cold week ahead. It was a balmy 21 degrees in our neck of the woods this morning. Miss Neenee has started basketball. I will post some pictures on that soon. She’s already had a couple of games. I am so proud of her. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Yes, weekend again, please.

And these two. I can’t even begin to describe the vast amounts of sweetness in this picture.

Photo credits: http://www.10tv.com & lollywollydoodle instagram

Some things to think about for twenty sixteen & one of my favorite past times

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

As I get older, I begin to realize many truths in life. I don’t claim to have all the answers. However, I do have a few. As my Mamaw used to say, “I know what I know.” Here are a list of truths in life that you need to ponder on & accept. Because, well, they are the truth.

Just remember through everything, there is a God, our God, my God that wants to take care of you. Let Him do that.

I Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (NKJV)

Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest. (NKJV)

On another totally related note, My Miss Neenee did a hunting gig with her Daddy last week. She looked too cute!

And while they were gone, I indulged myself in looking at a couple or 53 baby pictures on instagram. They are so adorable. I could look at them all. day. long.

Ok, I am going to stop it with the precious baby pictures now.

babie christmas No, really I will stop now.

babies smit Sorry, I just had to get this last one in.

I hope you all have a wonderful 1st week of 2016. Love you like turnip greens, blackeyed peas & hog jowl on New Year’s Day! Until next time, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: country living on instagram, lifehack