Our Portion Forever

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Who have I in heaven, but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:23-26

This song was written by Asaph, a leader of one of the temple choirs. Asaph declares his confidence in God's presence and guidance. From birth to death God has us continually in His grasp. But far more, we have a hope of resurrection. Though our courage and strength may fail, we know that one day we will be raised to life in Him in order to serve Him forever. He is our security, and we must cling to Him, as we trust in Him every day. As we go through life, as we become older in this life, as we gain wisdom, we realize as Solomon did that everything on earth is fleeting: wealth, fame, material possessions. None are fulfilling. None can bring happiness. All are temporary. As we spend time with God, we realize that only He and His desires for us are what give our lives true meaning and purpose. We must look to Him for strength today and everyday. He is our portion forever.

God bless you,

J.H.

Sprouted Wheat Tortilla Bowls

3 cups wheatlets
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Seasoning(garlic and green)
1/2-2/3 cup liquid
In a food processor, process the wheatlets on high for two minutes, add the dry ingredients, process another minute or until well blended. Slowly add in the liquid(water works well) until a dough ball forms that rolls around and cleans the sides of the processor, that is when the moisture is correct.
Remove the dough ball, kneed it, divide it into six evenly sized balls.
On an oiled surface roll into 8" tortillas
Oil the outside of nice size oven safe soup bowls and place upside down on an oiled cookie sheet, drape the tortillas neatly over the bowls and bake at 350 for ten minutes or so.
Fill it up with you favorite taco/burito fixings and enjoy!

God's Promises

Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave to his servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us.

1 Kings 8:56-57

Solomon praised the Lord and prayed for the people. The idea behind his prayer can be a pattern for us. We often seek rest and comfort in times of trial, and Solomon is simply claiming God's promise to provide it. Many of the promises to the Jewish people were made through Moses, and Solomon is demonstrating his knowledge of the Scriptures as he claims promises of God as they were made through "our fathers." Based on this promise, you and I have the right to ask for, and the right to expect, God's presence in our lives each and every day. He is with us, in spite of the fact that we feel alone, weak, or disconnected. All we have to do is remember to pray as Solomon did. God's promises are as true today as they were in the time of Moses. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Family

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh, excuse me Please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too;
Wasn't even watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said good-bye.

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My daughter stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked her down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

She walked away, her little heart was broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
But the children you love, you seem to abuse.

Look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers she brought for you.
She picked them herself: pink, yellow and blue.

She stood quietly not to spoil the surprise,
and you never saw the tears in her eyes."

By this time, I felt very small,
and now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by her bed;
"Wake up, little girl, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
She smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."

I said, "Daughter, I'm sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

She said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
I said, "Daughter, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

Trust Him

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Psalm 103:11-14

East and West can never meet. This is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness - when He forgives our sin, He separates it from us and does not even remember it. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets. We tend to dredge up the past, as ugly as it may be, but God has wiped our record clean. If we are to follow God, we must learn to model his forgiveness. When we forgive another, we must also forget the sin. Otherwise, we have not truly forgiven. And we must also learn to forgive ourselves for things we have done. We cannot continue to beat ourselves up over things we know we should not have done. We must accept our mistakes and move on. God's love and care is eternal. Too often we focus on God as judge and law giver, ignoring his compassion and concern for us. When God examines our lives, he remembers our human condition. Our weakness should never be used as a justification for sin. His mercy takes everything into account. God will deal with you compassionately. Trust him.

God bless you,

J.H.

He Will Work It Out

Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen

Romans 11:33-36

This doxology is a prayer of praise to God for the wisdom of His plan. Although God's methods and means are beyond our comprehension, God himself is not arbitrary. He governs the universe and our lives in perfect wisdom, justice, and love. The implication of these questions is that no one has fully understood the mind of the Lord. No one has been His counselor. And God owes nothing to anyone of us. Isaiah and Jeremiah asked similar questions to show that we are unable to give advice to God or criticize His ways. God alone is a possessor of absolute power and absolute wisdom. In the final analysis, all of us are absolutely dependent on God. He is the source of all things, including ourselves. He is the power that sustains and rules the world that we live in. And God works out all things to bring glory to Himself. The all-powerful God of the universe deserves our praise and adoration. Praise Him today for what He has done and what He is doing and what He will do. He will work it out.

God Bless you,

J.H

Living Water

Your love, oh Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. Oh Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Psalm 36:5-9

In contrast to evil people and their wicked ways that end in failure, God is faithful, righteous, and just. His love reaches to the heavens; his faithfulness reaches to the skies; his righteousness is as solid as mighty mountains; and his judgments are as full of wisdom as the oceans with water ("the great deep"). We need not fear evil people, because we know God loves us, judges evil, and will care for us throughout eternity. The vivid image in verse 9: the "fountain of life" gives us a sense of fresh, cleansing water that gives life to the spiritually thirsty. This same picture is used in Jeremiah 2:13, where God is called the "spring of living water." Jesus spoke of himself as living water that could quench thirst forever and give eternal life. Water revitalizes, refreshes, cleanses and brings new life. Allow God to refresh you with a new vitality today that can only come from your knowledge of Him.

God Bless you,

J.H.

He Reigns!

God is our refuge and strength, and an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, those waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

The fear of mountains or cities suddenly crumbling into the sea as the result of a nuclear blast haunts many people today. But the psalmist says that even if the world ends, we need not fear in the face of utter destruction, the writer expressed a quiet confidence in God's ability to save him. It seems impossible to consider the end of the world without becoming consumed by fear, but the Bible is clear - God is our refuge even in the face of total destruction. He is not merely a temporary retreat; He is our eternal refuge and can provide strength in any circumstance. Just when things appear to be at their worst, remember, He reigns!

God Bless you,

J.H.

Snowy cold May 5

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit, and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, oh Lord. You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:1-6

Sometimes we do not let people get to know us completely because we are afraid they will discover something about us that they won't like. But God already knows everything about us, even to the numbers of hairs on our heads, and still he accepts and loves us. God is with us in every situation, in every trial - protecting, loving, guiding. He knows and loves us completely. God is present everywhere. Because this is so, you can never be lost to his Spirit. This is good news to those who know and love God, because no matter what we do or where we go, we are never far from God's comforting presence.

God Bless you,

J.H.

The Power of Prayer II

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and Thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who want all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 1-3

Although God is all-powerful and all-knowing, He has chosen to let us help Him change the world through our prayers. How this works is a mystery to us because of our limited understanding, but it is a reality. Paul urges us to pray for each other and for our leaders and government. Our earnest prayers will have powerful results. Pray for each other today. Prayer does not have to be a long, drawn out, painful process that involves a lot of sweat and tears, but prayer, even simple prayer, is essential for us. The apostle Paul instructs us to "pray without ceasing." We can pray throughout the day, no matter where we are, no matter what were doing, as we call on the name of the Lord. As we remember Him, moment by moment, we are practicing the presence of God. And He is with us. Always.

God bless you,

J.H.