May 7 2016

Greetings My Friend My journal entry reads "Faith is what changes me, by believing God I have faith. Through Jesus I am redeemed and by Abraham I am a child of the most High God. like this phrase for some reason and then most often I follow it with "there is only one God.) Lord Jesus I believe." For the longest time I felt alone in this world. I felt it as a child because I never truly knew my Dad's family. I adopted a connection to the old family pictures Grandma C had some of the tintypes and some pictures of her father's parents and of her when she was a child. I felt connected to the past and to the future as I lived life, married and had children. One of the things I am learning in the NT is Jesus' lineage, how we are now related to the promise that was given to Abraham. "Christ redeemed us from the law be becoming a curse for us-for it is written cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree....for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith....if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's offspring heirs according to the promise." After reading all of the passage even the parts I left out I had that connection I have longed for. I belong, I have lineage and I able to pass on my faith to another generation whether they are my bloodline or not I have other children waiting to be born into the faith to share life with. Life in Jesus. Today it is raining and Junior and I are cleaning out the spare bedroom. Brenda stays at our house very little these days so we have decided to make it into a gym. We are cleaning, I made us lunch, some ice tea and did a little picking up this morning. As I do, my mind questioned "How is this living my faith?" I loved making lunch for Junior and I it is a necessary thing eating and we need to do it each day not only one time but throughout the day. Like I do I took my thoughts elsewhere which led me to some programs on TV I watch. I enjoy watching programs where people live off the grid. They spend their day searching for food and preparing for survival during the winter months when fresh food is not as available. It is a very focused way of life and these people choose to live this way. In Alaska they need to have a way to heat their home which often entails getting enough wood cut up and stored where they can get at it fairly easily since it is dark for a few months. These people are always busy, there is not time to slack off. My next turn of thoughts looks back over history where people made their own food, hunted for their meet and grew their fruits, vegetables and grains for flour. Labor tended to be divided between women and men. I like having my life defined like this. I see that many times males were not born into the family so the women had to do some of the males work and vice versa. Here goes another switch in thoughts, this time I am thinking about how much I am enjoying my days. I don't know how far I can go with the back to the old way of doing things but I do know I am enjoying living a more simple lifestyle. I am slowly getting away from the hectic pace I used to keep. I am making my own household cleaning products. I use vinegar and lemons to clean with a lot more now. I make my own toothpaste and frankly it only takes a few seconds to combine baking soda and hydrogen peroxide together. I don't see me making lye soap anytime soon but I am buying it and I am saving on body wash and shampoo. My sensitive skin is responding to this soap rather well. Aloe Vera gel is the gel I am using in my hair. Lastly I am making no knead bread. With all of my day working at preparing food and living healthy I enjoy the richness of life. I like things like indoor plumbing, electricity and even my cell phone. I am not ready to go totally off the grid but I do enjoy a much simpler life. Lastly I think about how all of this is living my faith. With my mind occupied on day to day living I don't have time to let it wander in the gutter, to live old hurts for long and to be a gossip. I like this. When I do talk with people then I am able to focus on the conversation and the needs others have better. I have quiet time to study God's Word and to listen to the promptings God places on my heart. I think I will keep working on this new way of doing life. I truly do like it. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet