marvelloustime

You're right there. She wouldn't like that type of heat. Hope your dog is keeping nice and cool somewhere indoors, or wherever it is cooler than in that heat outside. Please give him / her a pet for me too. Thanks.

Amen to that!

Hiya, I also struggle with anxiety, and have done most of my life. Thank you to Jesus, mine is getting a lot better, although it's a daily conscious thing I battle with, to stop allowing anxiety to take over my mind. I focus on thinking of Jesus instead, and not allow anything else to ponder in my mind. @turtletwo gave the same advice I'd give, that does also help me. Listening to praise music I find a tremendous help. And listening to an audio bible is a great way of getting the Word into your heart as well. These bible passages helps me a lot: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Colossians 3:1-4

The one true teacher is Jesus, and by reading His Word, He will teach us the truth, through His Holy Spirit. I've learnt so much, and He has revealed so much to me by reading the Bible.

Hi @Sower I'm really sorry to hear about Toby. My love and prayers are with you, your wife and family. It is so painful and heart breaking when this happens. I have been there, so know what it's like. My husband and I had a lovely dog that we suspect passed away with heat stroke in 2013. The symptoms you explain, and the way Toby passed away, reminds me of what happened to our dog, Scruffy. I will pray for you all, and again I am very sorry. Becky.

I've just had a look at the U.S weather forecast. Gosh, you do have it hot right now. High temperatures nationwide, but the southern states look hotter than an oven. Mainland Europe are going through very high temperatures at the moment. A "heat wave" is due to hit the UK this week, but nowhere near the temperatures of the U.S, or mainland Europe. Up here in the north of Scotland, we've got rain. We had to walk Izzy the dog this morning with our coats on! Hehe. I agree, the climate in Heaven will be perfect. Becky.

Hi @frienduff thaylorde Yes, your exteme high temperatures do sound unbearable. I'm not surprised your dog doesn't like it. I can well imagine it. lol.

Thank you @frienduff thaylorde That's a lovely post.

Hi Jen, In your heart if you feel that is the right decision then you've done the right thing. May God Bless you. Becky. X

My favourite type of weather is a dry cold, snowing, and some sun.

Hi @Neighbor Ah golly, no that is too hot for me as well. I don't like hot weather, it gets too much. I quite like it cold and sunny.

Hi @ayin jade The balance of weather and climate is not evenly spread round the world. (Daft thing to say I know). If I could bottle up our rainy days and send them to you then I would. Mind you, to have it at those type of temperatures that you've had, that must be unbearable. Becky. X

I hope this article helps some of our members here. I read the thread "When Life Isn't What You Thought" by @naominash so I thought this might help you when you think you haven't done in life what you hoped to do. Lord, Spare Me from Success Article by Greg Morse Staff writer, desiringGod.org I failed as a collegiate athlete. For some years now, I’ve looked back with regret on wasted potential and childhood dreams that were so close to coming true but never did. Why didn’t I work harder? What if I had known what I do today? Why didn’t God allow me to utilize the gifts he gave me? It still bothers me from time to time. Even if you’ve never spent time on a football field, you may relate. Your passions outpaced your progress; your gifting never realized its full potential. But as you grimace considering the success that never came, has it ever crossed your mind to actually thank God for your failure? Thank God for Failure? It hadn’t crossed my mind until recently. Lost in a daydream of what could have been, words from Spurgeon sent arrows deep into my fantasy: There are very few men who can bear success — none can do so unless great grace is given to them! And if, after a little success, you begin to say, “There now, I am somebody. Did I not do that well? These poor old fogies do not know how to do it — I will teach them” — you will have to go into the back rank, brother, you are not yet able to endure success! It is clear that you cannot stand praise. Without a moment’s hesitation, that success I pined after so long had soured in my mouth. Like Dr. Frankenstein, who obsessed for months over his creation only to shrink in horror the moment the monster animated, I saw my idol with sobriety. The “success” I longed to embrace — for me — was as much the celebrity I longed to embrace. I had a healthy love for the sport, but I had an unhealthy love for my own name, which meant that my budding faith in Christ may not have survived weeds of worldly acclaim without consequence. I’m doubtful that I could have endured the mere seeds of the second temptation Jesus overcame in the wilderness: The devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory. . . . If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:5–7) I thanked God for sparing me from my dreams of greatness. In my mediocrity, he protected me. In allowing me to fail, he fathered me. In keeping me from success, he kept me for himself. Children of Babel Now, some mature souls indeed can bear what Calvin called “the fiery trial of popularity.” And while some can endure it without injury, it seems true enough that there are very few men who can bear success. The fulfillment of our earthly dreams, the praise we still secretly hope for, the recognition we’ve come to trust might make us into somebody, could, if we actually received it, arouse a nightmare. Success hides its price, and some of us live chasing the flame. Many since Babel have been trying to “make a name for [themselves]” (Genesis 11:4). They harbor selfish ambition and live for what Paul termed “empty glory” (Philippians 2:3, my translation). This is dangerous because Jesus himself asked, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44). Man cannot serve two glories. Some, John tells us, even believed in Jesus’s miracles but did not confess him, because “they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:42–43). They chose to sit comfortably in the synagogue rather than walk with God incarnate. To the hypocrites who advertised their fasting with disfigured faces, sounded trumpets when they gave, and prayed long prayers on street corners in order to be seen by others, Jesus said, “I do not receive glory from men” (John 5:41 NASB). Now, this is not to confuse carnal success with spiritual fruitfulness. We pray to influence souls, fight sin, proclaim Christ, and live for God’s glory in our families, callings, and careers. He has promised those things. Rather, we renounce the visibility of success — the longing to not only achieve great things by God’s strength, but to ensure that everyone else knows we’ve achieved great things. The obsession to have our faults forgotten and our triumphs published. The temptation to pray blasphemously in our hearts, “I wish them all to be where I am to see my glory.” You Cannot Bear Success Alone God must fortify us against the sharp edges of success. Paul teaches that he needed to be strengthened by Christ to endure the bad and the good. We need God to walk us through the valleys and guide us safely on the mountaintops. “I know how to be brought low,” he said, “and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12–13). All things includes the good. The apostle needed Christ to stay content in Christ when life went horribly wrong, and when it went surprisingly well. Verse 13, as the Christian athlete’s favorite verse, speaks not as much to Christ strengthening him to hoist the trophy up in victory, but more to Christ strengthening him not to bring that trophy and applause down into his heart and make them his christ. We need divine strength to trudge through the wilderness, and also to eat our fill in Jerusalem. If we have not learned this, then our abounding — and the praise that comes with it — becomes unsafe. Fed to Worms Consider the contrast between Peter, Paul, and Barnabas — men who learned this secret — and Herod, who did not. When Cornelius bent low to worship a mere human, Peter grabbed him, lifted him up immediately, and said, “Stand up; I too am a man” (Acts 10:24–26). When Paul and Barnabas healed a paralytic man in Lystra in Acts 14, the people proclaimed, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” (Acts 14:11). Once Paul and Barnabas heard this and discovered that they planned to offer sacrifices to them, the two men tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” (Acts 14:14–15) These esteemed men of God shunned Satan’s original temptation: to be like God — if only in the eyes of men. Herod did otherwise. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. (Acts 12:21–23) Three could bear to be used of God and not seek to rob him of glory. The other died of worms. Not to Us In college, I had not yet learned how to abound. The success I longed for endangered my soul. I was not like William Wilberforce, who, upon the passing of his bill to abolish the British slave trade — which he spent his life on — marked the momentous victory by meditating on a single verse. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1) He was branded with this verse. God seared it onto his labor and calling. And in time, he knew how to abound. This verse is the banner over the man or woman who has learned Paul’s secret: “Not to me, O God, not to me, but to your name give glory!” And should we fail to get noticed while living for God’s glory, we count it joy that God sees us and spares us from the dangers of praise. Lord, Spare Me Infectious Success Consider afresh what we have in Christ. We are sons and daughters of God. What else do we need? Let that free you. Christ is yours. Heaven is yours. Eternal glory will soon be yours. Rejoice not that you have done great things, and do not lose sleep that no trophies collect dust on your banister. Rather, rejoice that your name is written in heaven. Let us be content decreasing in this world that he might increase, content ourselves walking the path of the nameless donkey that carried the Son into Jerusalem. We are freed to be no-ones on earth because we are known in heaven. May God make us bold enough to pray, Lord, spare me from the success that would threaten to undo me. Not all victories are good victories; not all triumphs will lead me home. Keep me from those achievements that would puff me up, those accomplishments that would tempt me to forget you. You’ve taught me to pray, “Lead me not into temptation” — how slow I’ve been to realize the wisdom in all that might mean. But now, seeing my goals and hopes in proper scope, I ask you to do what is best, even if that means the death of my dreams. Not to me, O God, not to me, but to your name give glory, that your steadfast love and faithfulness might be put on display. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lord-spare-me-from-success?utm_campaign=Daily+Email&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=73943592&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_6P5f7u2xaTxcN9G52Yi12SQP4KeB_WczysclaEO9La8qZ2IRp3xCogPK8L4BmPpQSCNKFxvZZef5C5QhPsGfbCWEY9Pvd7PVoKDqOuLv_lZfGNLo&_hsmi=73943592

Hi everyone, Have you noticed that most people, believers in Christ or not, like to see the sun? Most of us love to have a sunny day. Where we live, we don't see a lot of it, due to having lots of solid clouds over us, becase of being in a cove and near mountains. The irony is not lost on me when I often say; "Oh, I hope we see the sun today!" Even though, when I say it in that context, I am meaning the yellow thing in the sky, but I do also think; "Yes I would LOVE to see the SON in the sky today!" Wonder if it is in built in all of us, that the reason us as humans like to see the sun, is because, even non believers, without knowing it, long to see the SON? (Jesus). Just a thought. Becky.

Ways in which God is great when Life is not. Michelle Lazurek 1. He has everything under control. When life seems to be falling apart, we can be assured God has it all under control: “I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, “You are My servant.” I have chosen and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.”(Isaiah 41:9) Scripture can shift our perspective when we realize we are one small person in a big world. That God can hold us in his hand tells us just how small we are in this great big world. This should give us peace in knowing God can fix our problems even when we think it is impossible. 2. His grace is sufficient for us. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”(2 Corinthians 12:9) God loves it when we are weak, because that is when His strength shines through. But in this verse, it is important to note God has given us His power so we can continue to do His work here on earth. Even when we fall into sin, we can know for certain God’s grace is sufficient. When we have some sort of illness or injury derailing our plans, God’s grace is sufficient. When the world around us tries to silence our message, we can know God is good and will bestow upon us His grace. 3. He works in ways we cannot understand. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” I’m notorious for trying to rush God. Because of my impatience, I try to do things in my own strength rather than leaning into His. Even in the silence, God is working on our behalf. The key to figuring out what He is doing, however, is to be silent and wait on God. While that is a hard lesson for me to learn, God works in ways that are not always revealed to me. The best thing I can do is believe and trust God is working behind the scenes in ways I may not understand but are in my best interest. 4. He does everything in his timing, not mine. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”While I would love to know God’s plan right now, I have to trust God will make something beautiful out of my crummy circumstances. Although I may pray and ask God for something to happen right now, it is easy to get discouraged when my prayer requests don’tget answered when I expect them to. God still wants me to pray and present my requests to Him. However, he does want me to trust Him and believe that even when things don’t go the way I want them to, God has heard my prayers and is faithful to answer them based on what He knows is best for me. 5. He is faithful, even when we are not. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” God embodies faithfulness; it is a part of who God is. Even when we fall away on account of our wandering hearts, God never wavers. This is good news! He is the constant even when our lives are thrown into chaos. When my life is falling apart around me, I can know God will still be with me. Even when I fall away and put other parts of my life ahead of Him. 6. He is slow to anger. James 1:9 says, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” As soon as circumstances in my life go awry, my default is to get angry at God. After all, if I am busy serving God and making sacrifices for Him—couldn’t the least God do be to give me what I want? Fortunately, it does not work that way. When my life becomes difficult, my default should not be one of anger but one of contentment. Contentment is the enemy of anger. Contentment helps me to accept circumstances as they are; not wishing for them to be something else. When we are content, we can see God for the good God He is. 7. He turns our pain into His glory. God does not waste pain. His nature is all goodness. Even though God didn’t create pain, He allows us to experience pain so we can cling to Him and cry out to Him when we are hurting. When we cry out to Him, He is glorified, because when we are in pain, God moves in ways we can never imagine. We just have to let Him. 8. He is strong when we are weak. 1 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." We are weak anytime life doesn’t go our way. When we surrender our lives to God, He can do the impossible. Exodus 13:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” It is when we are silent, not trying to control our outcomes, when God acts in great ways we don’t expect. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean a life of blue skies and perfect circumstances. Sometimes we go through trials that test every fabric of our lives. Yet God is still a good God even when things aren’t so good. By adopting an attitude of trust and obedience, God can do the impossible in our lives. https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/8-ways-god-is-great-when-life-is-not.html?utm_source=iBelieve Daily Update&utm_campaign=iBelieve Daily Update&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2854240&bcid=5da31583941ac0436f866785e89f41c2&recip=547950175

Hi @Spock Yes, chips is the same as French Fries. My mother's ancestors originate from France, so although it would be bonkers for me to call myself French, I do speak a fair bit of French. Although it is very rusty now. I think I could pick it up again quite easily if I lived over there, but its difficult to do so when you're not surrounded by the language it is that you want to improve on.

Crown Him With Many Crowns. 1 Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne; Hark! how the heav’nly anthem drowns All music but its own! Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King Through all eternity. 2 Crown Him the Virgin’s Son, The God Incarnate born, Whose arm those crimson trophies won Which now His brow adorn: Fruit of the mystic Tree, As of that Tree the Stem; The Root whence flows Thy mercy free, The Babe of Bethlehem. 3 Crown Him the Lord of Love: Behold His hands and side; Rich wounds yet visible above In beauty glorified: No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight, But downward bends his burning eye At mysteries so bright. 4 Crown Him the Lord of peace, Whose power a scepter sways From pole to pole, that wars may cease, And all be prayer and praise. His reign shall know no end, And round His pierced feet Fair flowers of glory now extend Their fragrance ever sweet. 5 Crown Him the Lord of years, The Potentate of time. Creator of the rolling spheres, Ineffably sublime. All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me; Thy praise shall never, never fail Throughout eternity.

This is another one I often listen to. Above All Above all powers Above all kings Above all nature and all created things Above all wisdom and all the ways of man You were here before the world began Above all kingdoms Above all thrones Above all wonders the world has ever known Above all wealth and treasures of the earth There's no way to measure what you're worth Crucified Laid behind the stone You lived to die Rejected and alone Like a rose trampled on the ground You took the fall And thought of me Above all Above all powers Above all kings Above all nature and all created things Above all wisdom and all the ways of man You were here before the world began Above all kingdoms Above all thrones Above all wonders the world has ever known Above all wealth and treasures of the earth There's no way to measure what you're worth Crucified Laid behind the stone You lived to die Rejected and alone Like a rose trampled on the ground You took the fall And thought of me Above all Crucified Laid behind the stone You lived to die Rejected and alone Like a rose trampled on the ground You took the fall And thought of me Above all Like a rose trampled on the ground You took the fall And thought of me Above all

1. Dog 2. Read a book 3. Changing the bedding 4. Ah, my name is not the same as my birth name! 5. Depends on my mood. We currently have a fad for eggs, chips and sausages.

Hiya, I used to do a lot of travelling. I've done a fair bit of over seas travel many years ago, but haven't done that for quite a few years now. I've travelled to many places in my own country, the UK, and have lived in quite a few different areas. Just kept moving north!

@angels4u I can remember singing that song "Soon and very soon we are going to see The King" at church, with my parents, when I was a kid. And... where are my parents now? With "The King"! Amen.

Hi @frienduff thaylorde Amen! Yup, she's Izzy. Ah she would enjoy that. Full of energy that girl! Haha.

The first few seconds of waking up in the morning, can be difficult for a lot of us. The "flesh mind" wants to run through a list of things that it is we have to do that day. It also wants to run through all the things that happened the day before. Allowing our "flesh mind" to just carry on and do this whilst we're waking up can cause us anxiety, low mood, and to just want to turn over and go back to sleep. I try to counteract this, and it works, by consciously stopping myself from thinking like this, and even though I'm a bit groggy first thing, I try to keep it simple. So, I say the Lord's prayer to myself before I get out of bed. Therefore I've thought of and spoken to Jesus before I've done anything that day. Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Oh Amen to that @angels4u One of the things I think to myself when I wake up in a morning is that I'm a day closer to seeing and being with Jesus. Be it either Him calling me Home, or Him returning. One or the other, we're a day closer to that day when we are with Him for eternity. And, life is going fast. Each year seems to go quicker and quicker. We will be there with Him before we know it! Becky.

During the day I often have a Praise Song / Hymn going round in my mind, without me even consciously thinking about it. I then go and listen to that song later on in the day. Here is one that I often listen to. In Christ Alone. In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand. In Christ alone! – who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe. This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save: Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied – For every sin on Him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live. There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain: Then bursting forth in glorious day Up from the grave He rose again! And as He stands in victory Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me, For I am His and He is mine – Bought with the precious blood of Christ. No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me; From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand: Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.