Good morning, the air is crisp, the sun is out and God is on His Throne!. What a glorious day to celebrate the blessings which we have received.  Read this morning about “patience” that in Hebrews 12:1, it says, “let us run with patience”. We associate patience as sitting, waiting and being in a “still mode”. But this verse instructs us to “run” with patience. It is in the everyday life of errands, work places, families and even church work that we need to show His “patience” to others. The joy that we have should flow over to others when they are in a valley, or when we are in a difficult place in our lives. The “patience” which can only come from the Lord to see that even when we cannot see His hand, we know we can trust His heart. So run with not only endurance, but with patience today and let others see that there is hope, there is joy and we can have a “perfect peace” no matter the circumstances in our lives because of His abudant saving power! Now  lets all of us get out there and be a blessing to someone today.

Would love to hear back from you. As I share thoughts and stories with you, I would love to hear some from you. Please write some of your favorite cooking stories, funny or a great memory….would enjoy hearing back from you.

As many of you know, we have a tradition of going to El Fenix every Wednesday night for the $4.99 enchilada special. We meet friends down on Beltline and it has become a weekly bright spot. (does that tell you how boring our lives must be when the enchilada special is a bright spot, ha)

Anyway, my mom had left to go back home to Corpus this afternoon and I was excited about going home tonight to a quiet and empty house, just Randy and myself. So when we pulled out of the parking lot of El Fenix, I was laughing and telling him some funny story about my mom when I noticed out of the corner of my eye the young man who faithfull guards the parking lot every Wednesday night. We always speak to him and smile and he smiles back. I knew that there was a little pocket Bible which my mom had left here. She knows that I love to give these out to people that the Lord lays on my heart. But I didn’t want to do it. I kept telling myself that I could give it to him next Wed, but my heart, oh it kept nudging me to go back. So finally before  Randy pulled onto Beltline, I told him to “go back around, I need to give that young man this little pocket Bible” so he did. We pulled around and I got out of the car and told him that he might think I’m weird, but that the Lord had told me to come back and give this to him. I handed it to him and told him to please read it and he said to me, “I Need to read it” I asked him his name and he said that it was Riley. I will be praying that he reads it and that the Lord will speak to his heart. When I feel the Holy Spirit telling me to do somthing like that, I feel assured that it was truly God leading me to do this. Some of us are planters and some of us are the harvesters. I think I have been called to be a planter. God continues to open doors for me to do this in so many strange places. It seems that I am “led” to do this in airports, hotels, restaurants

or grocery stores. Each time, it seems that it gets easier and easier to do. It use to really be hard for me to do this. I was afraid of what people thought, the ones receiving the Bible, but also the ones watching me give it. It has become truly a blessing for me to hand out something that could impact a person’s life. Each time I hand one out, I get excited about praying for them to have their eyes opened to God’s saving knowledge. What a priviledge to be a part of someone we might see in heaven, just for handing them a Bible. Riley, “I hope to see you one day.” You can continue guarding the parking lot right beside the pearly gates, it will be a joy to share heaven with you.

or

The day began meeting 3 friends for brunch and just sat and talked and enjoyed the moment. It was cold outside this morning, so we decided to go where there is a fireplace and just had a great time. They made fun of me because when Randy and I first married, I asked him to take me to buy a pumpkin but it couldn’t just be any pumpkin. We went to about 3 pumpkin patches before finding just the right one. When “Patti Pumpkin”  got a little should we say “moldy” we had to say goodbye. But……I couldn’t just throw her out since she had been a big part of our dinner table for two months, so I told Randy he was just going to have to go bury her. We lived in a townhouse by a golf course, so he took her over to the golf course one evening and “disposed” of her. Somehow that made me feel a little better than just thinking about her being in a stinky old garbage can…….So the girls got a good laugh about that. I think at this point it is appropriate to share another Pumpkin dessert recipe. You are going to love these. Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies! Yum……..