A Fresh Cup of Coffee: February 2023

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Everyday Images #3

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Welcome to my another installment of my challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I went through past photo challenges and came up with a list of prompts at the beginning of the year and am trying to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week. These were the prompts I assigned myself for the past couple weeks:

February Prompts - Everyday Images #3

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selfie (quarterly)

window view (quarterly)

heart

gold

loud and/or quiet

written

~~~~~

selfie (quarterly) - I shouldn't have put this first on the list! I don't like taking selfies, and having my picture taken is not my favorite thing at all, but I've been trying to include my own face in photos occasionally. I recently got my hair cut so it was kind of a good time to record the change.

window view (quarterly) - This is what I see from the main floor windows. Not terribly exciting, is it? I'm hoping that when that tree is full of leaves and we put a bird feeder out there, it will be a bit more interesting. I guess I should be glad it's not just a wall or a highway or a trash bin!

heart - I saw this declaration of love carved into a tree at the arboretum on Sunday. Not sure how the tree felt about it.

gold - The string used in this piece of art is gold, and is more sparkly than the photo shows.

loud and/or quiet - Back to my dining room window . . . it was quiet when I took this photo, but not long before the wind had been quite loud! And gusty enough to blow the shutter loose, which was also loud.

written - I stumped myself with this prompt! I bought postage last week and now I regret not having written more letters to mail with these cute Valentines themed stamps. Guess I'll have to start some correspondence now!

And a few bonus photos:

We are ready for spring!

Have you been watching Jupiter and Venus in the evenings? Tomorrow, March 1st, they'll be aligned, so I'm hoping it won't be overcast. Jupiter is higher in this photo and has been moving down towards the horizon, while Venus has been moving upwards.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Dawes Arboretum, and a maple syrup walk was part of that. I'll put more photos from the arboretum on Homeschool Coffee Break later today.

I am sharing my photos every other Tuesday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.

February Prompts - Everyday Images #4

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same spot (monthly)

plant (quarterly)

collection

workspace (quarterly)

zigzag

front and back

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This post will be linked at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.

Pictorial Tuesday

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©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/

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Monday, February 27, 2023

Favor or Favorite

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

At this point, I'm not sure how this family inside joke started, but it's been sort of a running gag for years, that as a mom I certainly DO have a favorite kid . . . but it's constantly changing so that everyone gets an equal chance. I have three sons and one daughter and they have all been my favorites. There have been lots of times when I've told one of my two daughters-in-law that she is my favorite, or told my daughter's boyfriend that he's my favorite. In fact, there are any number of my kids' friends that have been elevated to being "my favorite". I have two granddaughters, and of course they are both my favorites.

I know there were times when my boys said that my girl was my favorite, and I understand how they felt. She's the only girl, and she's the youngest, and she and I shared a lot of interests and did a lot of mother-daughter things together. It must have looked to them like I was playing favorites so maybe that's how it started.

Anyway, there was one evening when we were having family prayers before bed, and one of the boys had done something particularly helpful or sweet and I said something about him being "my favorite child right now" and we kidded around about what order of favorites they were. They were not satisfied with "you're ALL my favorite!" so I came up with some random order and my oldest (who was ranked third that particular time) said, "At least I'm not last!" It was so funny that it's been brought up and quoted many times. And that was also when I told them that none of them were really last because they were all my favorites and if they wanted to be ranked it was always changing based on who was in need of my attention at a given moment.

Of course we don't actually play favorites! As parents we have always known that playing favorites isn't beneficial, but practically speaking we humans are not truly capable of giving our full attention 24/7 to any one person - even if we only have one child! So only one can be foremost in our attention at times. Practically speaking, we have more interests in common with one family member or friend than with others, or just have more to talk about with one person than another. The baby of the family, the oldest, the only son in a family of daughters, or the only daughter in a family of sons . . . all of these may seem to be a favorite despite any parent's best efforts to be fair, and despite everyone knowing that all are deeply and equally loved.

So yes, all my kids are my favorites. Which can't be logically explained but I suspect other moms know what I mean. It's a little picture of how we can all be God's favorites too. And God absolutely IS capable of giving his complete attention to each one who needs him without taking his attention and favor away from anyone else.

A favorite is a person who has special favor. God delights to show favor to all his children, but he doesn't show favoritism.

For God does not show favoritism.

~Romans 2:11~

I mean, really. It doesn't get any clearer than that. God doesn't show favoritism. And yet throughout the Old Testament, we see stories of God showing favor to certain people - Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and others. They ask God for his favor. In the New Testament, the angel greets Mary calling her a "highly favored one" and there are other mentions of earning favor or asking for favor. But as graciously and abundantly as God shows favor, he does not show favoritism. And we mustn't either.

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

~James 2:1~

You are God's favorite. So am I. Even when it doesn't feel like it during our times of sorrow or despair and things not going our way, we can count on God's favor if we are his children. He always gives us his full attention. Even when he disciplines us, it is because he loves us. And nothing can take his favor away from us.

Sing the praises of the LORD,

you his faithful people: praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

~Psalm 30:4-5~

Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day. ~A.A. Milne

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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Sunday, February 26, 2023

Scripture and a Snapshot - Conquerors

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What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all―how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died―more than that, who was raised to life―is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~Romans 8:31-39~

The Christian's response to threats must be to trust even more in God for protection. This isn't easy, and it usually doesn't come naturally. But there is nothing that any enemy can throw at us that can stop God from loving us or that can come against God's power.

There are threats that are pretty scary, even in our supposedly strong and free country. There are rumors and threats of war; there are worries about our country's involvement in conflicts elsewhere; there are concerns over the safety of air and water (especially after events like the Ohio train derailment disaster); there are worries about the safety and stability of our food supply; threats to our children's safety in schools; worries over the stability of the economy; and even threats of cancel culture coming after anyone who doesn't fall in with the godless agenda of the day.

Even writing out a paragraph like that disturbs me. I know I'm not brave enough to handle all those threats. Most of those things are completely beyond my control. So I do what I can, and trust God for the rest, because He IS in control. The proper response to a threat must be to trust him.

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;

protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,

from the plots of evildoers.

The righteous will rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him;

all the upright in heart will glory in him!

~Psalm 64:1-2, 10~

Now. Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

~Acts 4:29~

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

I also link up at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Simply Coffee & Jesus.

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Share Four Somethings - February 2023

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

February is a short month, but it still seems like it went by really fast. I've been really busy, at least here at my screen and keyboard, because I've been participating in the Write 28 Days blogging challenge. I'm even going to try to tie that in as I share Something I Loved, Something I Read, Something I Learned and Something I Ate this month. Right now I'm sipping my cup of coffee as I write, and I hope you have a cup of your favorite beverage to enjoy while you read.

Something Loved

A visit from old friends and hope for new friendships!

We actually had friends from Canada visit us on their way south on a road trip, and it was so much fun! Oddly, even though this was my husband's high school friend and his wife, the visit may have meant the most to me. Because while my husband interacts with other adult humans at his work, I don't interact with others during the weekdays at all. Well, not in person. So being able to socialize was quite a treat!

We also feel pretty good about the church we've been attending, and are quite sure that it's a good fit and we'll become members. We've been attending Sunday morning services and have been to the midweek dinner and Bible study a couple of times. Last Sunday we stayed for a membership information type meeting, and although we're not going to join right away, we'll probably do it fairly soon. We've met some good people and are hopeful that we'll make some friends as we continue attending and start getting more involved.

Something Read

Interesting articles from here and there:

The Bible Project: 3 Love Stories in the Bible That Help Us Rethink Romance - I always find a lot to ponder in videos, podcasts, and articles from The Bible Project, and this focus on love was no exception.

Jodelights: How Beautiful You Are - This is just one of many Write 28 Days articles from many participants that I enjoyed. I saved this one because I liked the different takes on the symbolism in Song of Songs.

Here are the books I'm currently reading:

In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel

The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham

Shirley, I Jest: A Storied Life by Cindy Williams

I'm really enjoying the two novels, but I wish I'd been able to read them a little quicker. Both are for reviews, and my goal was to have the reviews done by the end of February. That's in a couple of days. I might be able to do it. I also have so many other books that I'd like to read that I don't want to dawdle! The Cindy Williams memoir is not as good as I anticipated. So far it's cute and conversational, and an interesting peek into Williams' early career; it's just not grabbing me as an absolute must-read.

The rest of my reading news is at Just A Second if you want to see what I've recently reviewed and what I have coming up.

Something Learned

I'm learning a lot from all the other bloggers who are participating in the Write 28 Days blogging challenge, and I'm learning a bit more about the writing craft for myself as well. I blog as a hobby and I want to write well and provide interesting and encouraging material for others to read. But at this point I don't feel any particular calling to write a book or even to pursue making money with my writing. I am open to considering that, but it's not a goal for me now. Most of the participants in the challenge are writing devotionals or inspirational material based on the word prompts we've been given. There are some very gifted writers with wonderful and creative insights that I'm following and sharing with!

More practically, I'm learning my way around the Plan to Eat app and website. I mentioned this last month and said I was sampling the free trial version. Well, I figured it was a good price and worth me trying for a full year so I subscribed. I don't use it to plan every single meal, but I'm finding it to be so very useful in consolidating the ingredients lists so I can plan dinners and make it easier to know what specific ingredients I need to buy and combine that list with the staples list of things I buy regularly. Give it a look if you need some help organizing your meal planning and grocery lists! Using my link - Plan to Eat - will get you 20% off your first annual subscription! (And of course, full disclosure - the referral link will earn me a commission on your subscription as well.)

Something On My Plate

This month started out great with some new recipes that we liked. We were big fans of this copycat recipe for Chicken Costoletta (Cheesecake Factory), even though I got it a little darker than I wanted. This recipe went into the rotation as a keeper!

We love chorizo, so I tried this chorizo skillet that has sweet potatoes and beans and rice and cheese. It sounded outstanding, and it was good, but not actually outstanding. Not quite as flavorful as I'd expected. Will try again, but tweak the seasoning and proportions to take it up a notch. Bam! As Emeril would say.

We are officially at the empty nester stage where we can eat ice cream right out of the container! Who needs dessert bowls?!

We tried a couple of new restaurants and the donuts from the Chinese place brought back some good memories.

We also tried takeout from the local pizza place and it was really good! Little wonder they've been in business for so many years!

Then we got to this past week. And ran into a problem or two. First, my husband had to have some bloodwork and other medical diagnostics done so he spent about half the week fasting. I didn't mind because it saved me planning and cooking meals! I was quite happy to eat cereal for dinner. (I love cereal. Don't judge me.) And right after he was given a clean bill of health and could start eating again, I ran into another problem. A very uncomfortable one. One of my teeth broke. Or a filling broke out of the tooth, to be more accurate. At this point it's not genuinely painful, but it is uncomfortable, and the real problem is that I really can't chew. So I guess I'm on a soft food and liquid diet until I can get to the dentist. That's also a problem (not the pudding, soup, and yogurt diet - I also love pudding, soup, and yogurt) because we don't have a dentist here yet. So I'm a new patient and I'm in a hurry for an appointment. And the tooth broke on a Friday. The dental practice I prefer isn't even open on Fridays. I tried my second choice, which has weekend hours, but they haven't responded to my calls so I've pretty much given up on that. I guess I'll stick to my restrictive diet for the weekend and hope that Monday brings a good response from my first choice dentist.

Believe it or not, "problem" is the Write 28 Days word prompt for today. As I was wondering what to write about, I kept thinking about my dental problem - which is really a minor one in the grand scheme of things - and a little searching brought me to this proverb:

Like a broken tooth or a lame foot

is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.

~Proverbs 25:19~

Isn't that the truth?! Even though a broken tooth doesn't always hurt, it still prevents me from being able to chew food. I don't have any confidence that I'll be able to eat anything that requires chewing, because the tooth might break again, might start hurting, or even get bits of food stuck in it and that would cause even more problems!

I also have some experience in lameness, with my arthritic knees and ankles, and the resulting pain and instability. I got my left knee replaced and after all the recovery and physical therapy, I'm happy to say that my knees are now in good shape and I have a lot more confidence in their stability. But the flexibility in my knees and ankles is still somewhat limited, and if I found myself in trouble? Like needing to run for some reason? That would be a problem.

I don't know why the second choice dental office didn't return my call, but I'm no longer considering that practice, because I don't feel very confident that they are reliable.

Thankfully, no matter what kind of problems you or I face, we can always rely on God to answer our calls!

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him."

~Jeremiah 17:7~

I thought it really interesting that in Jeremiah's lamentation, one of the descriptions he uses of God's judgement on Israel is about broken teeth! Now, I don't think God literally broke my tooth to discipline me, but I think it's quite possible that God wants to teach me something as I'm thinking about my discomfort. So look at Jeremiah's declaration just a sentence or two after his complaint about broken teeth:

He has broken my teeth with gravel;

he has trampled me in the dust . . .

I remember my affliction and my wandering,

the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

~Lamentations 3:16, 19-23~

I hope you aren't facing any big problems today! But whatever problems come your way, big or small, I hope you remember to pray about them and trust God to help you through.

This post will be linked at Overflowing With Thankfulness in the Share Four Somethings link party.

This post will also be linked at the Final Friday link party hosted by Marsha In The Middle.

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Friday, February 24, 2023

Five Minute Friday (Assume) God's Peace - Your Sanity Saver

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

you know what happens when you assume

assume the worst

assume the position

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If you're a parent, you have probably learned that one of the most dangerous things you can do is assume things about your kids. This ranges from the annoying and ridiculous to the truly frightening and disastrous. There are quite a few jokes pointing out that when your preschooler has been really quiet in their room, you cannot assume he's napping. It's at least equally possible that he's found a permanent marker and is writing on the walls.

You also shouldn't just assume your child knows what to do if they get lost in a public place, or that your middle schooler will remember to tell you about ALL the homework they have, or that your teen will text you their change of plans when they are with friends. Even if you've brought your kids up in a Christian home and taken them to church, don't assume that they are solid in their faith and can withstand the onslaught of lies and godlessness in the world, or that they can discern between God's truth and the world's lies.

Now imagine that you've been given the job of parenting the Son of God. This kid is literally perfect in his behavior, and even though he's your firstborn, you've recognized that his level of obedience and respect and goodness is really unusual among his peers. So you can assume he'll never give you anything to worry about, right?

Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn't show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

~Luke 2:41-44~

Everything is going well, and Mary and Joseph have been doing all the things they are supposed to do in bringing up their children to observe the Jewish feasts and laws. After this particular yearly trip, they started back home with their large family group on schedule, and assumed their twelve-year-old was hanging with the cousins. After all, he was a very good boy, extremely responsible, and knew when they were leaving. Besides, he'd never caused them a moment's worry!

When they couldn't find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later . .

~Luke 2:45~

Hold up . . . three days?!?! Can you imagine how frantic they must have been? My three-year-old got lost in a hotel complex once, and I think he was gone for a total of thirty minutes tops but I can tell you it was the longest and most wretched thirty minutes of my life up until that point. And we had the advantages of cell phones and a security staff at the resort that had a specific and immediate lockdown and search protocol. I feel Mary and Joseph must have been in a state of panic and despair, and probably promised themselves and each other that they would never again just assume they knew where their kids were.

When they couldn't find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents didn't know what to think. "Son," his mother said to him, "why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere."

"But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they didn't understand what he meant.

~Luke 2:45-51~

What great relief when they found him, and in arguably one of the safest places he could be! He was in the Temple, discussing and debating with the rabbis. And not just eavesdropping quietly on their conversation either. He was participating with knowledgeable responses and insightful questions that demonstrated a deep understanding well beyond his years. This amazed all the adults in the room, but of course the Son of God would be intimately familiar with the Law that he himself gave! Other than his birth story, this is the only story from his childhood given in the Gospels, and it's interesting because it's essentially an indicator that he was beginning to assume his position as an authoritative student and teacher of the Scripture. Jesus assumed his role in his Father's house, and interestingly, he also assumed that his parents should have known where he'd be.

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

~Luke 2:51-52~

Jesus returned home with mum and dad and continued to be the best son ever. And for the second time, we're told that Mary treasured up all these things in her heart. I imagine her making a scrapbook in her heart and mind of all the wondrous and miraculous events in her son's life, and maybe all the everyday things as well. Maybe the memories she treasured also included how kind and gentle her boy was with his younger siblings, how eager he was to help his dad around the house, and how compassionate and generous he was in caring for grandparents and neighbors.

I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

~Psalm 119:11~

I'm speculating, of course, but I think Mary's sanity saver was meditating on God's Word and on all the ways she could see God's faithfulness to his promises. She pondered everything that had happened to fulfill prophecy when Jesus was born, and no doubt she marveled that God had chosen her to play a part. She remembered the prophecies of Simeon and Anna, and all the words of the ancient prophets and considered what fulfillment might look like. And she wondered what it might mean that a twelve-year-old was engaged in doctrine and theology discussion with the learned teachers in Jerusalem.

I believe that Mary knew Scripture and hid it in her heart, drawing connections between the Law and Psalms and Prophets and her own daily experience with Jesus. I believe the promises of God that she believed wholeheartedly carried her through the times of worry and fear and grief that she would experience as Jesus began his ministry and continued to the cross. The peace of God that passes all understanding comforted her and shaped her into a woman that could provide wisdom and leadership to the early church. She wasn't perfect. She was a human mother that made mistakes but was doing her best.

"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

~Luke 1:45~

The promises of God are the sanity saver every parent needs to hold onto. God loves your kids way more than you do and he knows exactly where they are and what they need. You can trust God with your kids. Be at peace.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:6-7~

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I used a lot more than five minutes, but my excuse is that I combined Five Minute Friday with the Write 28 Days prompt for today!

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This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt "Assume".

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.