Since I live in Phoenix AZ one can just about face West anywhere, and as long as there is nothing blocking ones view you will see some very spectacular sunsets; sometimes they fill the whole sky from West to East. If you watch long enough you can see the colors turn more and more until the skies become such beautiful hues of pastel that they can take your breath away!

Our Creator is such an Artist; brilliant in all He does! I just have to give Him the glory, for He never paints the same twice….here are some of His authentic paintings; brought to you by Unsplash Photos. I have my own but on another laptop and that’s in a box put away so I’m using my Notebook now.

Enjoy! Compliments by Glenn Horgan…

This is so beautiful!

A sunset view downtown

And here are more! A picture says more than 1,000 words!

Credit goes to Scott Major, Unsplash

Courtesy of Dulcey Lima, Unsplash…

Let’s see one more! This is short again this time. It’s the one I forgot to do on Bloganuary. Till next one….this is compliments of James Day, Unsplash!

Here’s a picture of the perfect Birthday Cake for me…

Courtesy of Unsplash

Now, this is a group of them but I kind of like the middle cake and the one to our left when looking at this picture. My favorite of course is dark chocolate and the middle one just might be; my second would be the other one, especially if it has cocoanut on the frosting, looks like it does. And here is another one…

Oh YUMMY! Another photo by Unsplash by Umesh Soni

Lets have fun and do one more, shall we?

Of course, that’s my piece!!! LOL!!!

Ok; so ya’ll know, that’s my favorite kind of Birthday Cake, just in case somebody wants to make one for me this year…LOL!

Anyway, in keeping with Birthday cake and celebrating…I threw my own Birthday Party here in Phoenix years ago. Yup! And I invited all my friends at the church I was going to…to Mimi’s; one of my favorite spots. They were so nice in reserving a special room for my Party; and guess what….they all came and some with their families, it was so much fun!!! I didn’t ask for gifts but many brought them anyway….I will never forget it and it made up for the years of no birthday celebrations for me. So here’s a couple of things you didn’t know about me…LOL! Till my next post….If you are celebrating your Birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!!! And have a piece of cake!!!

It’s not just one song, it’s two. I named my Daughters; Renaye and Rhonda after songs that I heard in the 60’s. Renaye was after the song; “Don’t Walk Away Renaye.” I don’t know if that was the spelling but I wanted my spelling to be different and unique and I think I pulled it off. For Rhonda; of course…it was a Beach Boys song! Remember, Help Me Rhonda? I bet most people remember that song, right? I just can’t remember who wrote the song with Renaye’s name but it was a catchey tune and it played in my head at that time.

Courtesy of Unsplash Photos

And…

This one really brings me back to the 60’s! Ok; till next time…told ya it would be short.

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This is one of my shorter missives; Let me tell you who this is and always will be. Among some of my favorites like Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Emily Bronte; they are just some of my favorites…but the best one is Elizabeth Peters who writes in the first person “mysteries” involving THE Amelia Peabody Emerson and her whole family; even the family Cat! Oh, she has such adventures as her family are Egyptologists and very much involved in Archeology in that country.

Every book she writes carries the reader through new adventures with such twists and turns that if one is an avid Mystery reader, they are not that easy to figure out. They are like watching a full color movie that just keeps one on the edge of their seats till the very end.

Here is a picture of one of her books…I highly recommend her books if you are a Mystery lover!

TEAL is the color that describes my personality.

In case one isn’t that familiar with this color, it’s a green-tinged blue. They are both cool colors and I see myself that way; I don’t tend to get all riled up easily so I’m pretty even tempered-takes a lot for me to feel angry depending on what’s going on and sometimes I feel misunderstood and may look like I don’t care but truth is I really do; I just don’t wear it. I believe my feelings run deep and can be gut wrenching…from really caring about someone or something and wanting to act on it.

These are also “water” colors and so I’m a pretty calm person as a rule. TEAL is close to Turquoise and according to its meaning; it symbolizes compassion, calmness, clarity and being able to communicate. (Maybe that’s why I love to write) This is a balanced stable color indicating stability. Yup, I think I’m like this but NOT perfect by any means.

It is my go-to splash of color whenever I want to brighten up my wardrobe or decor. Now I see why…it’s effects on me are positive, especially for concentration. But it speaks of growth, peace and empathy. It has its negative side which would be narcissism, stress, secrecy and boastfulness. Oh my! Lord, help me on that side of things, I sure don’t want to lean in that direction!

Just as a side note, this colors name is from the Eurasian Duck-how interesting!

For my information I site; http://www.color-meanings.com. For me it’s the biblical side of things. And the name TEAL means morality and renewal and that fits; oh yes, and I’m the creative type.

Just so you know. I don’t know how to make that pic. smaller as I wanted it to be. Not sure I did this correctly but hope someone comments and tells me how or shows me where to go. The tutorials on WP are so fast and I don’t understand this block stuff. I would like to go back to simple.

This is normally not my thing but this is what the Father gave me on New Years Eve. Something has changed on this format but I will do my best to put this out.

Hope everyone is doing good this year so far…we are half way through this month and I can hardly believe it; seems like the days have been cut in half. Well, here goes…

A Year for Me, Clutter Free ……………………………………….Stepping Into 23 …..……… ..A Year for You and Me, for Us To See……………….What’s Never Been Seen Before .A Year for You and ME…………………………………………………………….Finally With ME!.

A Year Like No Other, NO!!!…………………………………………..Not Like Any Other

….So…Believe… in… ME……………..Trust in ME………..Bend the Knee…For it’s the Safest Place to Be!

Oh People in the Land of the FREE- Look to ME!!!…………………………….

I AM—ALL THAT YOU NEED!…I AM THE WAY, THE ONLY WAY!…

I AM—THE TRUTH!…THERE IS NO OTHER TRUTH!...And

I AM—THE LIFE!…THE ONLY SOURCE OF TRUE LIFE!…

A Year for ME, A Year for You; KNOW THAT I WILL SEE YOU THROUGH! A Year for ME, A Year for You—2023!!!

Ok, I’ll try to find an appropriate picture from Unsplash, as it’s my favorite go to…

Until next time….and hopefully sooner than before!!!

Well, here I am again and sooner than I thought. Sometimes people just need a good word and so I got back here to hopefully encourage and help somebody.

It’s been a rough two years or so, hasn’t it? I don’t believe that anyone is the same in this whole world, do you? This has been good, bad, and ugly for sure and personally I feel like I’ve been the ball in the pin-ball game of life. How are you my friends and fellow travelers? How are you faring right now? Is this shaking bringing you into a better place overall or worse; or is it just not easy to evaluate at the moment?

One thing I believe this has done for me is to give me other perspectives on life that I never thought of before, how about you? Another is that I now want more “honest” answers to my questions and I’m running to my heavenly Father for those like never before.

I am not content to just suppose, assume or coast in life. I don’t think I can afford to do that in any sense of the word; life is too short to not want those truthful answers. So, as I had some moments to ponder on life in general this is what I began to hear, and I can’t say that I have thought like this before, but this is what I will share…you check it out and see if it makes sense to you and feel free to comment.

The Father says to His beloved; we don’t have to like what everyone else does, don’t have to go where everyone else goes, don’t have to do what everybody else does; our preferences are our own individual preferences, etc. Are everyone’s taste buds even the same? How about fingerprints? We are different and He likes it that way. He wants us free; right now from other’s expectations; what they think we ought to do, be, prefer, etc. He doesn’t want us living like that…this will be a great weight off of our shoulders if we can receive it.

Some of us have been wound up so tight in others perceived expectations that we have not been who we really are and so we are “off” in our own expectations and perceptions and our view of life in general has been skewed. He desires to correct this so we can walk in His truth. There is a certain conformity, but this is His view of it….”to be conformed to the image of His dear Son Jesus.” Be conformed this way and one can’t go wrong. He wants us to “be” who we are in Him. He made us with our individual tastes, preferences, proclivities and personalities, etc. He desires freedom in who He created us to be! For example, I’m one of a kind like everyone else is. There is no equal in how He created me. It’s not a matter of pride but of honor. It’s what is talked about in His word concerning “preferring one another more than oneself.” We don’t become nothing or less-than in Kingdom thinking, but we let one another shine and come forth as he created them; just like us. He has no favorites-man does. His desire is freedom from that old mind set because that’s the old man nature pushing others aside so that we can be the one in the (what we call) the lime-lite. That’s not how the Kingdom works!

He wants us to see that the worlds mindset produces pride, selfishness, envy and jealously and it’s for attention. One can watch this in little children. (His example, not mine) When a mature adult sees it they try to correct it. We call it when we see it and sometimes we say, “You have to learn to share!” The root of it is attention. It’s “look at me, look at what I got!” See it? The bent is there and it has to be curbed. Why? It will bring trouble in one form or another.

He says, “As your Father, I know this. I desire to correct it in My children. Do you see?” If this attitude is not corrected it will bring trouble, and on an adult scale. A child’s scale could be that another child gets wounded; literally and emotionally…depending on the child. That wound could go deep in one while another isn’t that bothered. I look at it all-I see it all. It is not My desire for my children to wound one another as all My children are equal in My eyes and important to Me. I desire all My children to shine as the stars in the heavens do. No one is greater than another in their creation but “positionally” they are or can be placed according to the design I gave them.” The examples are also in what I created. No star is the same and no snowflake-it doesn’t matter…for a star is a star and a snowflake is a snowflake and a snowflake will never be a star and vice-versa; and that’s not all. There are many examples of such creativity and design if one just looks.

“I have a point I’m making as your heavenly Father. I desire unity and harmony in My children but not conformity as the world system defines it. There is no need to walk in pride. For what do you have that I did not supply? No, there is no need to be selfish, envious or jealous of one another. These are attitudes in the world and in the “old man” of the flesh. I teach you to put off the old man and put on the new, so that you My children will not be wounded by one another anymore than you have been. My heart wants you healed and whole and walking free from the old mindsets. In the new man that I have made you to be through My Son’s sacrifice; you can! He has made it possible for you to walk in love and in the honor of the “new creation” man. You really can because I have given My Holy Spirit to help you. He has the fruit, all you have to be is willing to carry it and give it out in His power.”

Can you see that this is the better way to walk? Wow! It frees us up from guilt and feeling inferior or superior to someone else, right? What a relief that is! He was showing me that there really is no comparison because each of us are really different and unique and have value in His eyes, even identical twins. He went on to show me that His word says not to compare ourselves with one another because it’s not wise. I can see why, can’t you? And He also showed me that He has room in His heart and Kingdom for all. He said; “We do not compare.” Can you imagine that? No comparison, no judgement, no unhealthy measuring…I have a hard time imagining that, really.

Now I know this but it’s good to be reminded, that Jesus died for all mankind. And He said, “Do you fit that description?” Of course! “Well then, if you do, you qualify for all of Our love and attention!” How about that? No one is left out of the picture or out in the cold! He went on to say that His Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in His Son Jesus as Savior. There is equal access for all who would receive it; it is a choice. There is opportunity to grow in grace and in faith in His word and Spirit. What a conversation we had! He just kept talking and it was from His heart…I can still feel this as I write! And He said…

“I know how to bring My children along. Thus all of you are in different stages of growth and in this knowledge learn to walk. Let the fruit of the Holy Spirit manifest in you, not the old works of the flesh. Can you see how this leads to peace–and yes, even a unity in spirit and truth?”

So then He ended this lovely time with Him this way; this is what He is after. He desires to see this and in abundance…right now and in this world. For us to walk in love and in unity of the faith, and we will have such peace, harmony and fruitfulness-and the world will see it and will know that His Son Jesus really came and by His presence and glory within us, that He came for their salvation too. He said to live the word and live in the word and They (talking about the God-head) will be glorified. Wow, wow, wow!!! What beautiful words of truth; it encourages me to really be “me” and appreciate the way He designed me to be. That just lifts my spirit, soul and body!!!

Well, I really hope that this really encouraged you and in some way you feel better about who “you” are in Christ and we are in this journey together even if we are in separate lanes. So let me find the appropriate picture here or maybe two; I just like to do that…till next post…there is plenty of scripture hiding in this word, see if you can find it.

I’m going to write in this right now. It’s already the 18th of February and it’s flying right by me! I set up a Calendar because I wanted to be a bit more organized but it isn’t even panning out. Practically nothing of what I put there worked out the way that I planned it and it’s surprising because I’m not that kind of person.

Somebody said recently; “It’s in the spontaneous this time, not the calculated or planned.” Boy is that ever true this year!

I did manage to do my homework-yes, I’m in school again online and love it….and forwarded my first assignment to my teachers. This picture I’ve posted just gives you a little idea of how organized and minimal my work area needs to be. I don’t need much but I do want it to be comfortable and not cluttered.

I’ve given myself a whole year to take this course so that I can be a “Certified” Copywriter. I’m really not thinking that it will take that long because when I went to college online for a two year degree in Business I had it in one with a 4.0 and on the Honor Roll too! I was surprised myself because I enrolled as a Senior; over 50…my…my! Oh what fun! I give the glory to God because He really helped me through that. I was working full time and often up till 3 A.M. And come to think about it, it was a spontaneous choice then too with the same amount of money; that’s interesting. Looking back I wonder why on earth did I do that?

Well, as it’s being brought to my mind…I think it has to do with right now; don’t ask me why but I believe so. I’ve signed up for classes this year and I believe that there’s a reason and God has it up His sleeve, as it were. Mmm; I have to think-where has all of this come from and how fast. Thinking backwards, I never planned it or even thought of it; the opportunities just popped up! I’m either crazy or I’m tracking with God in a more creative way. Is it possible; why not?

This picture fits. And thinking about this whole thing excites me! I’m not one who can sit still very long unless I’m studying. My face is in the Bible in various translations, a book, or I’m studying something online. I stopped watching TV in 2017 and I don’t miss it at all.

So where am I going? I know I’m going to “what & where” God promised but not in a route I would take myself or even see it-not in a million years! Like I posted last time, a roller coaster ride for sure and very unpleasant to the senses (2020 & 21); the crappiest years of my life and not because of the people, because for the most part I’ve met some really genuine, lovely and generous fun people, but the hardest most ugly circumstances. It’s either that or I never noticed them before to that extent. It’s a very long journey I’ve been on and God isn’t a Liar. I just flat-out believe that if I ask Him to lead and guide me into all truth, He will. It’s not complicated. It’s in the word somewhere where it’s written; actually it’s Luke 11:11-13 (AMP) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will he give him a snake instead? No! And according to your faith be it unto you. Yes!

Now I just can’t help but believe that I was born for this time on the earth and alive for a reason. I may not yet know what that is specifically but I see pieces that my Heavenly Father has in His hands. There is something He put in me before He sent me from Him in the first place. It’s a mystery and I’m supposed to discover it but I see that it’s only revealed through knowing God’s Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit-the Spirit of Truth and Jesus is the Truth, and He reveals my Father as I cultivate that kind of relationship. That’s why I see pieces…..something like this—

and not the whole picture “yet” just like this puzzle. I will, because He wastes nothing…broken pieces of my life coming together like dry bones….and oh how they will come together, meeting with other people who have been broken, have broken pieces too-who would guess? And what is Father God going to do with us—well, He specializes in Masterpieces! He makes real beauty out of ashes and makes us jewels in His crown! Isn’t that wonderful? He also makes us a mighty army in His arsenal; ferocious and fearless!!! I also believe that we are being honed and sharpened right now….for this Kingdom Age and Era. This is biblical; the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and Jesus said this the most when He was on this earth operating as a man-in the flesh. He is our pattern and blue-print to go by.

My my, I just sat down to do a little writing and all of this just flowed from my heart! Ha Ha; it’s been a while but I love to write! So I hope my scribing brought a little encouragement to someone out there in cyberland who needed it. It’s past midnight in Arizona so time to call it a day! Just one more picture……MIGHTY WARRIOR FIT FOR BATTLE!!!

Oh folks, it’s been too long…..I never meant for such a long time to go by between posts but so much has changed since 2020 and lives have been topsy-turvy ever since. Do you relate? My idea was to just keep writing away and never fail to have something to write about. Oh I think I did but not what I wanted to. Has it been a tough, hard and super challenging last couple of years for you too, my fellow travelers, friends, family, etc.?

I have wanted the world to stop so I could get off more than a few times!

Here’s a picture of where I have been sometimes, how about you? Does this picture kind of give us a frame of reference?

When I was little I rode the old fashioned roller coaster, there are probably few of those left. I can hear the rails creaking, clacking and cranking as this one goes slowly up the track before it takes that fast plunge to the bottom; oh, I can just hold my breath thinking about it-which is what I used to do. For some reason I could ride one of those and the ferris wheel too even though I have been subject to motion sickness all of my life. I thought I would outgrow it but nay, that did not happen physically. Look at this picture, does that bring memories or what?

My goodness, doesn’t look that safe to me. Just that bar holding one in with some little handle to hold on to, I’m surprised that I got into the thing. And the next one? NO WAY!!!

Well, I just wanted to check in the first part of the year because despite everything I am still here and I have stories to tell but not yet, I bet you do too! I don’t feel so much the roller coaster effect as much as I did at the beginning but if you know me, you know it’s because of my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I will give Him the glory and credit Him for my safety and help in time of need……so many times and just at the 11:59 or 55 hour too.

It’s my intention to keep at this now since there has been a “pause” button pushed by my heavenly Father and He’s regrouping, re-aligning, refreshing and restoring me from this rough ride I’ve been on….yes; and He is faithful to finish what He started.

With that I will leave you with happy pictures of 2022!!!

Credit goes to Joseph Chan

With that I bid you good evening till next post…