Every American Needs To Know

https://www.c-span.org/video/?314071-10/book-discussion-every-american-needs-know-quran

Book Discussion on What Every American Needs to Know About the Qur'an William Federer 

American Minute   - William Federer

New Recipes Added

Go to:   To Essen   where you'll find more recipes added.   ;)    Good For You Banana Smoothie, sounds refreshing.... just wish I could drink orange juice. :(

More recipes are to be added..... just hop over to Essen and see what sounds good to you!  ♥

Digital Art update

this post was removed by the admin.

Believing the Lord

When believing the Lord to bring in unsaved loved ones, here are some scriptures to keep in mind when your praying.

"If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is in heaven." - Matthew 18:19

"With God nothing shall be impossible." - Luke 1:37

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." - Acts 16:31

Stand on the promises of the Lord; and believe that He will bring in your loved ones.    Don't give up.   Keep seeking, asking, and knocking.   The Lord loves you!

The LORD looks on the heart

I Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees;

for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.

Feeling distraught?

There are many in this world that feel that they have no hope.

I want to say, that there is someone that cares for you, his name is Jesus Christ.  He loved you so much that He died on the Cross for you.   I hope that you will read these scriptures... let the words minister to your heart.  ♥

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Romans 10:13

"Cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you." - I Peter 5:7

"Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." - John 6:37

False Teaching 101

The Word of God brings life to those in Christ Jesus, and the Word of God is a light to those in darkness. Why then, as children of God, do we seek another way? Such as in the writings of The Purpose Driven Life?

“Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Life

The best selling book has impacted millions of persons. Some of Pastor Warren's purpose involves his recommendations for "Becoming Best Friends with God." The author shares six secrets to become God's friends, one of which is practicing God's presence by being in "constant conversation" with him. After quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ("pray without ceasing"), Warren asks how a Christian can practice unceasing prayer to which he answers, "One way is to use 'breath prayers' throughout the day, as many Christians have done for centuries. You choose a brief sentence or a simple phrase that can be repeated in one breath." Then after providing ten examples of prayers, short biblical phrases that could work as breath prayers, Warren advises "Pray it as often as possible so it is rooted deep in your heart." In this context Warren also cites the book of Brother Lawrence (c.1605-1691), The Practice of the Presence of God, who advocated experiencing the presence of God in the most menial of circumstances, by praying short conversational prayers throughout the day. The Roman Catholic practice of praying the rosary is also akin to breath prayers.

TV sitcoms and reality shows constantly picture people vainly praying breath prayers. They go something like, "Oh, God!" or "Oh, My God!" In their repetition and in the trite situations in which these words are uttered, such expressions are meaningless, vain and even hypocritical. The Law commands, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain" (Ex. 20:7). If in their repetition breath prayers become boring and therefore meaningless to the practitioner, then praying them is vanity, especially if in their personal lives the practitioners are disobedient to God.

Matthew 15:8-This people draw near unto Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. KJV

Can we become "best friends" with God without practicing his presence by praying breath prayers? Jesus admitted to this potential when he told the disciples, "You are My friends, if you do what I command you" (Jn. 15:14).

James 2:23- And the Scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for Righteousness; and he was called the Friend of God. KJV

The Lord never commanded us to pray "breath prayers", in fact, Jesus wouldn't have us to recite or repeat prayers as the heathen.

Isaiah 41:8 “

From Breath Prayers By Pastor Larry DeBruyn 2006

http://web.archive.org/web/20100113063854/http://frbaptist.org/bin/view/Ptp/PtpTopic20060926170150

Do we as Christians believe the Word of GOD? Or is it a matter of not reading and study?

Exodus 20:3 says - “You shall have no other gods before Me”. This is the first commandment given. That indicates that you shall not worship other gods. There is but one GOD, the LORD Jehovah. There is no other god. Exodus 20:4 says- “You shall not make unto yourself any graven image, or any likeness of anything that in Heaven above, or that is in the Earth beneath, or that is in the water under the Earth.”

Exodus 20:5 says- “You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD GOD am a jealous God,...”

The Word clearly states, that there is no other god. As believers in Christ Jesus, we should only be seeking Truth. The Truth can only be found in the WORD of GOD.

What happens then, if we don’t study and seek after the Truth? (The Truth being the Word, and what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary). If we don’t allow the Bible to teach us what we need to know in order to grow in Christ; then we become weak, and we seek after what the world has to offer. Thinking then, that the false prophets know more than what the Word of God teaches.

(Of course, if the Child of God realizes he is weak in the faith, he can ask the Lord to help him get back into the Word of God).

There are many false preachers and teachers in the world today; Here’s what the Word of God says in Colossians 2:4- “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words”- (speaks of being deceived by the lure of subtle reasoning). For there are those that twist the Word of God. As in Colossians 2:8 says- “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Anything that is not of the Cross, is of men. If its truly of God; then it will point to the Cross of Christ. This should be your compass-- The Word of God and the Cross. Anything that points you to the tradition of men or of false teaching- will surely lead you down to a path of destruction.

It’s important for believers to continue in the Faith, (in the Cross of Christ). Colossians 1:23 says- “If you continue in the Faith grounded and settled and not moved away from the Hope of the Gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under Heaven...” This verse of scripture simply means if we continue in the Faith; “the Faith” is “Christ and Him Crucified”, which is the foundation of the Faith, which always must be the Cross.

Then this is the means of our salvation. As believers, we must always keep our faith in Christ. For there isn’t any other way to Salvation – but by way of the Cross.

Colossians 2:20 says- “Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world (the way of the world), why, as though living in the world, are you subject to Ordinances (refers to trusting something other than Christ and the Cross for Salvation and Victory), verse 21- Touch not; taste not; handle not- (there is no Salvation or Victory in rules and regulations)”.

If any man or false teaching tells you there is another way to Heaven, (other than the Cross of Christ); then this is a lie of Satan.

Written by Mary S. 2016

Scriptures on Guidance

"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."  - Psalm 37:5

♥

"He led them on safely, so that they feared not."  - Psalm 78:53

♥

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD." - Psalm 37:23

♥

"The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant." - Psalm 25:14

♥♥♥

Missing Something?

If you are looking for the Mary's Recipe Box, page, you'll not find it on this blog.   I felt it necessary to create a separate blog just for the recipes.
Go to:  To Essen .    Hope to see you there and here.  :)

Your Grace

Your Grace - a poem 

For your grace
for all what you have done,
You saved my life
with your sacrifice ~ to save a life like mine.
On the Cross, you shed your blood,
for all, not just one...
You gave your ALL, to save us all, from a life of sin.

written by Mary Smith

Photos ~ A Poem

Photos - by Sherri Langton

My most-prayed prayers are wallet-size:
photos for the Father's eyes,
in purse or pocket tucked away
till some stirred thought on a dreary day.
I forget, though,  when I pull one from its place,
He needs no detail of the face,
no inked reminder of the name
smudged on the back for lack of frame.
With cracked glossy finishes and corners torn
are prayers through intercession worn;
dearer to God for reflecting art
of capturing His cares through the lens of the heart.

Prayer Without Words

Prayer Without Words   -  A poem by Martha Snell Nicholson

Sometimes I do not pray in words,
I take my heart in my two hands,
And hold it before the Lord.
I'm so glad He understands.
Sometimes I do not pray in words,
My spirit bows before His feet,
And with His hand upon my head,
We hold communion, silent, sweet.
Sometimes I do not pray in words,
For I am tired and long for rest,
My weary heart finds all it needs
Upon the Saviour's gentle breast.

Praying for You

I am praying for all the areas of Louisiana that has sustained damage from the flooding.  And I will continue to pray.  

My Thanks - A Poem

My Thanks

My thanks seems so small.

When I think of what you've done for me.

My mind cannot grasp it all.

Jesus died on the Cross for my sins.

And in my heart I let Him in.

He cleared away all the doubt and shame.

He took away my fear and pain.

For He died on the Cross for me that day,

And in my heart~ I confess, He did All...

there's nothing else I can do, but keep to the Cross and believe in Him.

For He paid for All my sin.

There's nothing more I can do....

but keep my trust and Love for you.   Jesus.

Amen!

written by Mary Smith, 2014

Praying for Baton Rouge

We are continuing to pray and lift up those that have been affected by the flooding in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.    The Lord loves you.  ♥♥
He's watching over you.   Our hearts are with you all.

Seek His Face

The Lord will provide for everything you have need of, when you seek His Face.
Whatever it is that you are facing today, He will guide you through.   He loves you.   
Place your whole trust in His Word; in the Cross of Christ, there is nothing too hard for Him.   
He is your peace in the midst of the storm. 
Call on Him in the night; call on Him in the day.  No matter the time... He is always there.  
Rejoice in the Lord always...  Again I say rejoice!

God's Promises financial matters

"My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:19

"Seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.  III John 1:2

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days."
Eccl. 11:1

"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty."  Proverbs 11:24

Continued prayers

Prayers are going out for those in Baton Rouge.  For the areas surrounding Family Worship Center; for the ministry team there; for the pastors and their families.   May the Lord watch over and protect you all, and keep you safe in His loving arms.   
I will continue to pray that the rain will stop and that the flood waters will recede.

In His Precious Name, Amen!

Praying for Lousiana

My heart goes out to all, that are in the areas of flooding.   My prayers are with you.    May the Lord protect and keep you, during this time.  

Big Hugs,  Mary ♥

The Land of "Pretty Soon"

A poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox- 1902

I know a land where the streets are paved
With the things we meant to achieve.

It is walled with the money we meant to have saved,
And the pleasures for which we grieve.

The kind words unspoken, the promises broken,
And many a coveted boon
Are stowed away there, in that land somewhere --
The land of  "Pretty Soon".

There are uncut jewels of possible fame
Lying about in the dust,
And many a noble and lofty aim
Covered with mold and rust;
And oh, this place, while it seems so near,
Is further away than the moon;
Though our purpose is fair, yet we never get there --
The land of "Pretty Soon".

The road that leads to that mystic land
Is strewed with pitiful wrecks,
And the ships that have sailed for its shining strand
Bear skeletons on their decks.
It is further at noon than it was at dawn, And further at night than at noon;

Oh, let us beware of the that land down there --
The land of "Pretty Soon".

Do A Kindness

A poem from 1902, by Helen K. Chace

Do a kindness, do it well;

Angels will the story tell.

Do a kindness; tell it not;

Angel hands will mark the spot.

Do a kindness; count no gain;

Angels sing it in refrain.

Do a kindness; through no story

It may grace, 'twill ring in glory.

Do a kindness; though 'tis small.

Angels' voices sing it all.

Do a kindness; never mind!

what you lose the angels find

Do a kindness; small or great,

'Twill come back in double weight.

Do a kindness; never fret!

No good deed has been lost yet.

Do a kindness;  Do it now!

Angels know it all somehow.

Do a kindness any time;

Angels weave it into rhyme.

Kindly deeds, and thoughts and words,

Bless the world like songs of birds.

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the original post removed by admin.

Sunflower Praise

Sunflower Praise 

Free to download

Snow wonder blank note card

this has been removed.

Mary :)

Let Freedom Ring Card

"Let Freedom Ring" Note Card

Original size: 5x7

Save and print.   (Free for download).

Don't sell or keep in a collection on your website.

This is my own work.

Examples of using cards: Shopping lists, to-do lists, use in scrapbooking... etc..

Better Printing Guide

When printing out the cards or tags- I would suggest using Microsoft Word or another free program is Libre Office .    

Example: Right click to save "tag".   Take the saved picture and hit copy to clipboard.   Next- open up the office suite of your choice.  Open up a new writing document.  Then right click on the page and select paste.   The picture of the tag or card should show up.   Then its easy to re-size it too.   Say you liked the Apple Slices Card, but wanted it to use it for place cards, then you would want to size it down.  

Here's my copy that I printed out earlier.  This was my test print just to see what it would look like.   (Ummm...we need new printer ink, hinting to my husband.) ;)   That's if he even reads this post.

As you can see by the photo not all of the boarder showed up.  Not sure what happened there.    Also, I did not use a program in which to print.  

So there you have it... hope this will help with printing.   

If you have further questions just slip it into a comment.  :)

From my Garden

Dressed up in Pink
From my garden

Designed by Mary Smith 2016

Do not copy.

Take a Note

Dimensions for Autumn Note Card: 680 x 520 ; size: 26.4 KB
(Free for downloading).

Just print it out and use for your next note! ;)

Please do not store on your website.  Do not sell or keep in a collection.

These take time and love to make.

Thank you for visiting, leave a comment.

Mary ;)

Sliced Apple Card

Dimensions for Sliced Apple Card: 660 x 500 ; 31.9 KB

Print this out for use as a recipe or note card!
(Free for download).

Just perfect for the autumn & harvest season. :)

Leave a Comment, I would love to hear from you!

Mary ;)

More tags!

God Bless America 

Snake Skin

These are created by me (Mary)
My own work.

Tags are Free for downloading.

You may use it for crafting.  Just do not alter it using a design program.
After printing out the tags you may write; or attach it to your craft work.
Do not store my works on your web site or collection.

Would love to hear from you!

Thank you.

Green Swirl Tag

Swirl Tag

Created by Mary Smith

Free to use on your crafting projects.

Please do not use on your site.

Right click and save.

Then print out.

:)

1900's Tag

1900's Tag 

Free for the use in your card making or scrapbooking.

Right click and save to your computer.

Please don't save this image to your site.  

I do ask that you respect my work.

Thank you.

My Crafting Space

Here's what my crafting area looks like. ;)

This table is super nice to work on and it was "free".  The neighbors were about to throw it away.    I could hardly believe it. 

All it needed was a good cleaning.

Speaking of cleaning 

This needs cleaned off of stuff.  So I can get to crafting again. :)

So now its twitter....

Okay folks... I've stepped into the twitter twilight zone!   You may choose to follow or not...  just whatever your heart desires.   Just trying ways to get  my blog out there.    You can find me here:  Mary@bluejeancards

Trying to locate one of those cute little birdies badge to say follow me on twitter...but nothing do I find.  

Haa!  Now I have a button to click on at the left top side of the blog in which you can send a tweet to me.  

late summer...

Seems like Autumn around these parts... the ground is broken the grass dried up and brown.   The garden is hanging on with every ounce of strength.   Flowers once beautiful...are leggy and turning brown with each passing day.   No amount of water from the garden hose seems to help.    The late evenings are graced with a loud chorus of chirping, buzzing sounds from crickets and katydids.. high in the treetops.

Just a funny little post.... letting everyone know I'm still around.  ;)

Shabby Blogs

Love the new background I picked from Shabby Blogs dot com!

Thoughts

Just popping in to say, hello.

There's so many backgrounds to choose from its difficult to make up my mind just which ones will "fit" the best for this blog.    So the next time you visit there could be some changes.

I may be offering more "free" images to use in your crafting.  I just won't be offering any of the digital artworks that I used to in the past.   That's been placed on hold.   ;)
You'll find free digital images on my other site -- http://abloginthyme.blogspot.com/    these are outlined drawings made by me, using pen.  They are great to use on your greeting cards... if you enjoy creating cards.   Just don't modify the drawings.  Keep original, please!   Lots of love for drawing & creating goes in to each one.   Thank you.

Well, as usual I've stayed up later than I had planned.   Hope your day goes well.
Mary :)

Craft Vintage Tag

I'm offering this "free" Vintage Tag, for your crafts, card making and scrapbooking.   So just click to "save" then download it and print it out.

My thoughts.. on Prayer

Whether you have been a believer for several years,... or just beginning on a new path with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.... Prayer is an important part of your relationship with the Heavenly Father.  

When  starting  a friendship with someone, our first instinct is to communicate with them.    Whether it be by phone, or just sending a friendly text... its just a way to say... "Hello".     You wouldn't start a friendship to be silent.   Its the same with our relationship with the Father in Heaven.    He is aware of your needs, even before you ask.   But, he wants you to ask anyway!   He wants you to spend quality time with Him.    

Are you troubled?   Then He says to:  "Cast all your care upon him; for he cares for you." - I Peter 5:7.
He is a Big God, he is able to take on your cares, no matter how large or small.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.   And the peace of God, with passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  - Phil. 4:6-7.

Be careful for nothing" simply means to not fret or worry.   Give all your cares and worries and fears, and lay it all at his feet.  
Worry does nothing to help the situation.   Allow the Lord to take control.

Trust in the Lord

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.   In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
~ Proverbs 3:5-6