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Affording Emergencies

July 31, 2026 By Annette1 5 Comments

Having recently dealt with some cats choosing not to eat, and dealing with emergency vet bills, when I saw the word from Kate being Afford, coming up with a post was easy. Affording Emergencies fits so well don’t you think?

For my part, I put aside 5% of every pay cheque into an emergency fund that every once in a while gets emptied. Usually for emergencies! Car purchase, house repairs, and more recently partially emptied for vet bills. Five percent seemed to me to be a good amount to hold back. It’s less than what I put aside for investing, and less than what is set for tithing, but emergencies don’t pop up THAT often in life (thank goodness).

Affording Emergencies

There’s one I know who
has a vehicle with loads of
issues. Costing a bit to fix,
and we chatted today about it.

I asked, “are you emptying
your emergency fund?
Cause remember, my cats
emptied mine by $1000″.

She laughed and said
that they had it covered.
and so the conversation
moved forward to other things.

It’s hard sometimes talking
money with co-workers.
A number of us are annoyed
since corporate changed something.

It seems that vacation pay
will now to be paid bi-weekly
rather than once a year.
We all said “it’s harder to save!”

And it is.
It’s easier to sock away one
yearly lump sum payment,
then to figure out the rate.

The current hope is it
will be clearly delineated
on our pay stubs to make
the figuring just a bit easier.

Vacation funds, emergency funds,
long-term savings, or just spend it.
It’s easy to spend if not
planned out well.

How do you plan it?
Funds planned for various
things? Do you do a set amount
or a percentage?

Do you include
God in the discussion?
Does trust enter the
conversation at all?

I’ve an acquaintance
who loves God dearly and
plans not at all, since
“God will provide”.

I have a hard time
with that since God
also provides us with the
intelligence to plan.

So in our planning, do
we still leave room for trust?
Or does planning negate
the need for trust?

Something to think
on perhaps? To make sure
you are affording emergencies in a
God-approved way.

Obey God Not Man

July 29, 2026 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Continuing our series in Acts, We now come to Chapter five, verses 27-32. This mini series is called The Apostles were Arrested and Freed, this is part three. So far we have seen God at work in a variety of ways, let’s see what God will do today. But you know what? After finishing this passage I want to change the name of this post to Obey God not Man

²⁷And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, ye t here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Obey God Not Man

A brief recap. When we last spoke the council had been surprised that the jail (where the apostles were supposed to be) was empty. Not only that the apostles were back in the courtyard preaching!! The police of the day went and asked them to come before the council. This way the people listening wouldn’t get violent.

So we have the apostles standing before the council. This council consisted of the high priests and the senate.

²⁷And when they had brought them, they set them before the council.

Now to be questioned. It’s like he’s saying.. what gives man?!?!?!?!?! We told you not to do this! We locked you up. You left the prison and you are right back doing what we asked you not to do!!!! What’s going on!!!!

Do you see the extent to the preaching the apostles did. They “filled Jerusalem with” their teaching. So the apostles were the talk of the town. The message of Jesus was getting out to the people. Isn’t that cool?

And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Now I have to admit I don’t understand the statement “you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us”. Commentaries were not much help though one hinted that it was a fear of the Romans. You see they killed Jesus (they may have forgotten their own part in this), and since the apostles were preaching the message of Jesus…maybe the Romans would take it out on the Jewish leadership. So fear was a real part of their desire to not have the apostle extolling Jesus’ message.

²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

But the apostles said this “we must obey God rather than men”.

Obey God Not Man

How many of us hold to that? How often do we keep our mouths shut because we are afraid of mockery from co-workers, or the government puts laws into place that don’t protect you, or whatever the reason be. Are we not convinced that God will hold to us? That even if he gives us times that are hard that he won’t be with us?

The apostles saw all that God had done. Raising Jesus from the Dead. Exalting Jesus to his right hand as leader and saviour. WHY? So that Israel could repent. So that we could have forgiveness of sins.

Knowing this, seeing this, made God more important to the apostles than anything the Jewish leadership could do. Should we not be the same?

What have you seen?

So what have you seen of God in action that you can speak too?

I know that no one alive today has seen what the apostles did. We haven’t gone to a tomb expecting to see the body of Jesus to find him gone. We haven’t walked down a road only to find Jesus there talking with us and explaining the Old Testament to us, and how it points the way to him.

But those of us who know God, what have some real awareness of Jesus have seen or experienced things that define logical explanation.

For instance, I remember food dropped off at my door when I had need and I hadn’t told anyone about it. I remember God giving me minor car accidents when I needed to stay home and chill out for a few days for my own mental health. Seeing God provide near misses for life ending situations. God has done much in my life to keep me hale and hearty.

What has he done in your life?

Will you extol his goodness to those around you? Will you be brave enough to be obedient to God in this? What truth of God can you let those around you know?

Just a Phase

July 27, 2026 By Annette1 6 Comments

I had a yardsale this weekend, the second one I had this year. I did not expect to do as well at the second as I did at the first. You see, I didn’t have the “draw people in” items for this sale. BUT I still sold a fair amount of stuff and met some fun people. Afterwards I started to wonder, as I was packing stuff up and thinking, I’ll not do this again. Is this just a phase? Will I choose to never have a yardsale again and just post stuff on facebook? Or kijiji or just give stuff away?

I would miss the funny people. Like the lady who came through and talked to herself as she went through what I had out. “oh, this is a pretty quilt, oh look, she has Christmas stuff… what fun. Oh no, remember, you don’t have money for Christmas stuff. ‘ and then when she reached my books “OH DELIGHT! She must have been an educator, just look at all these books!?!?!?” To my delight she actually picked some of them up. 🙂

Or the lady who obviously came from a background of bartering. She and I had a whole lot of fun bartering back and forth about the value of an obviously fairly new purse from my mom. She tried so hard to get me to completely drop my price but she alas didn’t succeed. 🙂 But to thank her for giving me so much fun I let her take a small plant home for free. Her poor hubby got kinda caught in the middle and left looking a little shell shocked but… he bought the knife he was interested in. 🙂

I will never miss the nickle and dimers, or the sour looks of people not getting their own way, or the people who refuse to have a bit of fun. It’s a yardsale, a time to have brief connection with folk, not a time to get mad or mean. Be friendly, smile, and realize it’s the best way to get a deal. 🙂

So whether or not how I’m feeling right now is just a phase or not. There are pros and cons to holding a big sale all a once. So time will tell how it is in the long run eh? 🙂

Just a Phase

i have to wonder
is it just a phase,
is it something that
everyone goes through?

but then i think no,
i have a sis who would
rather give something away
then to try to sell it.

for i know another lady
like me (but a few years
ahead) who loved to
sell her stuff.

and now in her older years
would rather give things
away then deal with
the buying public.

and i am finding myself
reaching for that
same mind set.
people are weird,

do i really want
to deal with the
weirdness of people
being anywhere near my house?

still though, i love
that barter aspect, the
people knowing, smiling,
the joint satisfaction.

my lands, at the same time,
all the work and the prep,
and all that “other” that
goes with it all.

there i feel it and
think it’s best to copy my
friend and just give anything
i don’t need/want away.

it is so much
easier to do that eh?
to find a thrift shop of
choice and say done.

Contemplating….

being in a contemplative
mood this of course makes me
ponder, do i do the same
with my faith?

starting with the strong desire
to connect and make smiles,
life changes, and what not, and
then overtime say meh, it’s easier

to not worry about connecting
with people or helping them
discover needs yet unmet
it’s easier not to you know?

so hmm….what now?
i was challenged today by
a Instagram post about
defining self-control

and how easy it is to
turn our lack of it into
something that truly it
isn’t so…. isn’t this

kinda the same?
not working out our
faith in fear and trembling
but it’s easier not to.

it’s easier to rephrase
it as “i’m getting older”,
“it’s not my gifting”,
and such like.

shouldn’t we continue
pressing on? remembering
it’s a race we’re in and
every step counts in the winning.

What Route Should I Take?

July 18, 2026 By Annette1 11 Comments

Kate has had a bit of a week according to her post to us. Switching around her servers, dealing with a heat wave (with smoke from fires) and more. All that to say she’s given us the word route. I started this post Friday night but was falling asleep so here I am on Saturday morning trying again. I’ve come up with what route should I take?

What Route Should I Take

Yesterday afternoon I
had my route planned out.
First I’d go to mom-in-law’s
and then to the mission store.

Delighted to know of course
the store was open til 7!
The mission store you see
has a large homeschool section
I thought I’d boost
the area a bit.

Let’s just say, things
did not go as planned.
Turns out the Mission
Store does not accept
donations after 5 p.m. and
I’d missed by just a bit.

ANNOYING.
Even more annoying that
the girl at the desk
didn’t tell me this.

Oh the way home I had
a chance to reflect.
Was there a better
route I could take?

Should I have gone
there first?
Should I have perhaps
called first to confirm
all the details?

Did I spend too long
talking with mom?
Could I have, even though
I didn’t talk to the girl
afterwards, considered better
my frustration with her?

What route I take in how
I handle myself and the
world around me matters.
God calls me
“Be holy as I am holy“.

Can’t say my frustration
was a fine example of
holiness…. now was it?

So now’s the challenge
of improving myself
for the next frustrating
event in my life….
can I do better?
More reliance on God
is a necessity for sure.

The Apostles Arrested and Freed, Part Two

July 15, 2026 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Continuing in this series where the Apostles are arrested and freed, this is part two. Acts 5:21b-26. We seen the miracles and the arrest, followed by the get out of jail free card. We’ve also seen the apostles being obedient to God’s will. Let’s see what happens next eh?

Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. ²²But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ²³“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” ²⁴Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. ²⁵And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” ²⁶Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

The Apostles Arrested and Freed, Part Two

Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

This was not a casual get-together. This was a serious judgment time. Calling together the high priests, the council, and the senate. Calling for the apostles in for questioning.

Can you imagine their surprise?

²²But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ²³“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.”

SHOCK

I’m betting those guards were scared witless. Back in the day letting prisoners escape wasn’t exactly met with a slap on the wrist. But at least the prison doors were securely locked and the guards were still on duty. I’m guessing that might have helped, but I don’t really know. The prisoners…. GONE. Can’t you just picture the absolute shock everyone must have been in?

²⁴Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.

And then to discover that the apostles didn’t run away but were doing the very thing they were locked up for! Preaching to the people.

²⁵And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

The end result, brought before all the muckety mucks. Not forcefully, because the police of the day, were afraid of the crowd using force against them.

²⁶Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

So in the end nothing really changed.

The guards probably frightened, but there was proof they did no wrong.
Mob control had to be maintained, a quiet “can you come along with us” rather than a forceful dragging along.
They ended up standing before the council, high priests, and senate.

What was the point then?

Putting the fear of God into the leadership?
Testing the apostles and their determination to preach to the people as God told them to?
Showing the Jewish leaders that God is more than?
Helping us to see the benefits of obedience?
Showing us the power of God through the preaching of his word.

Hmm… consider this.

The police of the day asked the apostles to come rather than forcefully compelling them to come along. Because they were afraid of the potential voilence from the crowd. A crowd of people who “were so fully persuaded that a divine power attended the apostles, that they held their persons sacred, and would not have borne any open attack upon them.” (Hub) Eye-opening I’m guessing for the police force eh? When the head-honchos want a job done… you tend not to mess around. But here they took their time and played nice.

So God’s power at work.

God’s power shows up all the time.

We saw the miracles and works of wonder.

We saw the apostles arrested, jailed, and then walk out freely.

The amazement of the Jewish rulers at the locked jail and empty cells. we’ve seen.

Also seen in the fervour of the crowds with the apostles that the police had to be careful.

Isn’t it so cool to be aware of the might of God to move in the lives of his people?

a black and white photo of a prison cell — Photo by Héctor Berganza on Pexels.com

Follow Along

If you are interested in the rest of the series you will find them here eh?

The Long and The Short of It

July 10, 2026 By Annette1 4 Comments

Shakespeare’s 1602 comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, first gave us the line “the Long and the Short of it”. What does this line mean? Can it lead us to discern a greater truth? Or does it just leave us living in the now?

Anyways, it’s an idiom. I remember having a French student once who was struggling with Canadian expressions or idioms. I looked up a bunch of well known expressions and had him research them. Discovering the history behind expressions such as “throw your hat in the the ring” helps us to better understand the expression itself.

Do you truly understand what’s behind this particular idiom? Let’s suss it out a bit eh?

the Long and the short of it

The long and the short of it
is how to start a tale,
a story with a bit of fib,
and a lot of truth to tell.

Or the long and the short of it,
could simply be sounded
out reasoning for why something
may or may not work.

Renovating the bathroom
we need to know the
long and the short of it
Ordering enough material important.

The long and the short of it
is sometimes an idiom used to
define the salient points of
an argument or a meeting.

The Long and the short of it
is made clear to us when
Jesus spoke to Nicodemus
“you must be born again”.

Without rebirth,
salvation is not possible.
Without being born again
We cannot truly know God.

The long and the short of it
is God wants no person to
be without him, but the truth
remains, we MUST be born again.

Make that choice today
Thread the eye of the needle
Be smarter than a camel
And find your salvation today.

sewing needles — Photo by Nic Wood on Pexels.com

John 3:1-8

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

⁴“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[

What’s the Outcome?

July 3, 2026 By Annette1 10 Comments

Okay, so it’s like 10 p.m. I’ve had a long day and tomorrow might be busy too! 🙂 I didn’t want to wait until Sunday to suss out an appropriate response to Kate’s word prompt Outcome. I got to thinking how funny it was at work today when I rearranged the pickle section at work. I maintained the same spacing for everything, and yet I ended up with 3/4’s of an empty shelf. It made no sense! My manager (not feeling well today) came walking by and asked how I was doing. I said “I’m done and I’m so confused. Why do I have empty space?” She double-checked everything and agreed it made no sense. What’s the outcome? The most favourite pickles got more shelf space. I’m still shaking my head over it….

What’s the Outcome?

What’s the outcome
I have to ask
What do you want to see,
as a result of this task?

Today I decided
pickles needed to move
I thought it was funny
helping them to groove.

All that moving
and shuffling about
Lots of empty space so
My manager used her clout!

This makes no sense
was her confused cry!
You moved them about,
This change makes me sigh!

It was decided that
despite exact spacing
We’d give the pickles
an increase in their spacing.

It’s made me think
at the end of long day
what other shuffling
needs to have sway?

Are there things in our lives
that aught not to be
things that God
might find unsightly?

Just like the pickles
that had to moved
Give God a chance
to help you find the right groove.

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Affording Emergencies

Affording Emergencies

Obey God Not Man