A humble, “broken” heart (the kind that God speaks of in scripture)
is NOT a heart that walks about feeling crumby & putting itself down.

It’s a heart that is aware of its own faults & inheirent sinfulness,
but depends on God for forgiveness, strength & joy!

Instead of saying, “Whoooa is me!” it says…

“Wow! God!”

The people who recognize their need for God are blessed.

MONDAY
Lunch- Taco Bowl
Dinner- TBA

TUESDAY
Lunch- quesidillas,  veggie tray
Dinner- Hamburgers, Corn, fresh tomatoes

WEDNESDAY
Lunch- Asparagus Frittata
Dinner-  Chicken Rice Soup (make extra for nxt wk)

THURSDAY
Lunch- Italian nachos
Dinner- Broccoli Chicken Almond Stir Fry over brown rice

FRIDAY
Lunch- Chili over Pasta (make extra for Monday)
Dinner- Sandwiches

SATURDAY
Lunch- Chilly’s one dish Wonder
Dinner- Roast Beef, Potatoes, carrots in Crockpot

SUNDAY
Lunch- TBA
Dinner- Homemade W. Wheat Pizza

Lots more idea may be found at orgjunkie 

Mom & Me. It's an older pic, but I really like it.

Ruth… the lady in the Bible with a book named after her. She’s one of only two with that honor, you know.

Mom… well, my Mom! The lady who raised me & still loves me, prays for me & cares.

They are both dedicated, faithful ladies. Hard workers with a work ethic that far exceeds that of other people. Both ladies have helped shape my life… past, present & future.

In honor of Mother’s Day I’m sharing a few thoughts from my journal; just some notes I’d jotted down after reading the book of Ruth; notes that reflect BOTH of these women.

————————————-

Be faithful to God in the “everyday” stuff.
Then, when a crisis arises, you’ll be equipped.

Our struggles with faithLESSness, when added to
God’s unending faithFULness,
causes the everyday and the ordinary to have
breathtaking, eternal results.

Society calls it, “paying it forward,” but
God calls it, “Loving like Jesus.”
Be a giver, sharer, friend, encourager!

————————————-

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!  I love you!

Did our Pastor  just give us homework?  How dare he!  

Oh, wait… I totally like “homework”, cuz it challenges me & helps me apply the truth!

The following did not start out as the “assigned Psalm,” it was just a few lines of praise that I started writing in my journal after reading the WORD and talking with Jesus. But then… more came.

My Own Psalm

Lord God, You speak to Your people, to me.
You see me where I am and understand the mess I often find myself in.

You help me look up, to see You,
to see Your face, to hear Your voice,
to know You are there.

Yes, You see where I am, but you don’t leave me there,
neither do You shake your head in disgust.
My cries for help make Your heart leap.
My prayers of submission cause You to rejoice.

Then You swoop down into my mess and
surround me with Your powerful but tender hands,
walking me through the hardship.

All the while You’re changing things -
not always the situation at first,
but I can count on You to change my heart-
the heart & attitude of me, Your child.

Hey everyone who is called by His name,
praise the Lord God!
He alone hears us and is able to manage our lives
according to His purpose.

Yes, please speak Your purpose to me, Lord,
for You hear me and see me.

I love you, Lord Jesus!

Some other people have linked up their Psalms, too. Click here to read them.

I can’t help but give you the opportunity every now & then to be involved in what Jesus is doing in this wonderful place. Click here to see what you can do and/or give to the ministries in which we are involved.

Ukraine Express

Mosque

This IS America

What everyone thinks ALL of Detroit looks like

Henry Ford Hospital

Oasis in the city…one of many in this city

“Shiloh”

You can get a LOT of house for the price in Detroit….
Are you sure you’re not supposed to be here?

Have you asked God?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY
WORDLESS WEDNESDAY of MOMS

Then, for no apparent reason she texted me back… finally!  YAY!!!!
She thanked me for noticing that she’d not been in church service for a while. She appreciated my love and concern.
She assured me that she was OK & that she’d  be there on Sunday.
YAY!  YAY!!

Sunday came. Tons of hugs. Great conversations. Encouragement. Jesus did beautiful things in so many peoples’ lives. Such a lovely time together…
But she wasn’t there. She missed it all… again. Sigh.

So I called her. No answer. No call back. No response to my text. I don’t wanna bug her…
But what if she’s not OK?

Then she texted again… “Thanks for thinking of me. I’m just really going through somethin’ right now.”

What?  That’s her reason for not being with other people who love her & love Jesus?
That’s why she’s staying away and feeling alone?  oh, NO!

The part that makes this true story even sadder is that i’ve heard the “I’m-really-going-through-somethin” line many, many times! From many different ladies.  It makes no sense.

But, I DO understand this .. when we’re hurting we don’t want it to be obvious & we don’t want to wear it on our faces.
We certainly don’t want to have to talk about it. Or worse yet, we don’t want to get around the warmth of God’s love & let our guard down & then melt into a mess of tears… in front of everyone!  Horror.

Seriously. As backwards as it sounds, when difficulties threatens us, we should get with other Christians even MORE often!  It says it all through the Bible… and it’s true!
Chilly pointed it out in Psalm 53.
In Hebrews 10:25 is says to meet together all the more.

And…Many more places!

When life dishes out yuckiness, we cannot run away from the people who will remind us of the truth, and encourage us, help us and literally fill us with courage. And we shouldn’t feel silly when we show up when things are less than dandy… our own honesty may very well be the strength someone else needs at that moment.

As temping as it may seem to hunker down when we’re hurting;  to shut people out when we’re struggling…
go to church. Be involved.
Talk. Be honest.
Lower your guard & praise Jesus.
Let Him speak gently to your heart.
Help. Serve. Hug.
You might even laugh!
Then you may just find that your somethin’ has turned into something better. 

MONDAY

Lunch- Oatmeal pancakes

Dinner- TBA

TUESDAY

Lunch- Steak French Fry Salad

Dinner- Grilled Chicken, corn, veggie tray

WEDNESDAY

Lunch- Chicken Chopped Salad

Dinner- Corn Sausage Chowder

THURSDAY

Lunch- Italian Nachos

Dinner- Grilled Pork Chops, Iceburg Wedges

FRIDAY

Lunch- Sandwiches, fruit

Dinner- Hot Dogs on the grill, veggies & dip

SATURDAY (Cinco de Mayo!)

Lunch- Chilly’s One Dish Wonder

Dinner- Street Tacos, Rice, Black Beans

SUNDAY

Lunch- Chicken Enchiladas, Corn salad

Dinner- Homemade Tortilla pizza

For other ideas see orgjunkie

]]> http://realnetta.com/menu-plan-monday-april-30-2012/feed 0 http://realnetta.com/am-and-pm http://realnetta.com/am-and-pm#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:41:28 +0000 Netta http://realnetta.com/?p=2847 From the moment I wake up I’m making a point to talk to Jesus about His great love…
even before I settle down to read His Word…
it’ll keep me my motives & attitudes on track
and cause me to be quicker to share His love with other people.

As I fall asleep I’m purposely praising Jesus for the specific ways He was faithful to me.
(Note: If it were possible for me to actually remember ALL His faithful ways
I’d be awake all night…
but I’m doing my best to gratefully list them until I drift off to sleep in His arms.)

Psalm 92:1-2

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to the Most High.
² It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the evening”

]]> http://realnetta.com/am-and-pm/feed 6 http://realnetta.com/earth-day-shmerth-day-2012 http://realnetta.com/earth-day-shmerth-day-2012#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:00:28 +0000 Netta http://realnetta.com/?p=2829 Being resourceful & finding new uses for things is a normal way of life for us. I grew up that way & those skills were sharpened as the size of our family grew. Every year I share another practical way to be smart with what you have… and this year is no different.

NOTE:
This project wasn’t planned as an “Earth Day Project.”  This is the way it came to be…

The bridal shower of our sweet friend was just a week away.
Trips to the fabric store for “gift-making supplies” continued to be thwarted by various events.
I was running out of time!

A venture into the “less-than-organized” basement.
Items found:

-A dress never worn
- Decoration fabric from last year’s July 4th party
-Old jean scraps from denim projects,  donated by several friends (including the groom-to-be!)
-Fabric from projects of Christmas past
-Pillow fabric (that was never used for pillows… or anything else)
-Ikea curtain panel that had been dyed green (that once hung in the house where several bridesmaids now live!)

Add to this strange collection of materials the bin of “this & thats” from my Mom… and the outcome is an
APRON FOR EVERY SEASON!

Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter

We don’t wait until Earth Day to do something smart with what we already have…

We don’t recycle just cuz it’s the politically correct thing to do…

Earth Day, Shmerth Day!  We just live this way.

(Special thanks to the apron model, my youngest daughter.)

We all wear jeans… and they wear out. Here’s more ideas for reusing that denim.

Sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is allow someone else to do it.

Sometimes people don’t need our opinion, they just need our cheers of encouragement.

Sometimes we say too much.

Sometimes we listen to our head and forget that our ears are meant for that.

Sometimes a few words say more than a speech.