Welcome, 2023

Happy New year 2023

I’d like to remind all you ladies who are “a little older,” like me, of something our friend Maxine once said: “Any woman can have the body of a 21 year old as long as she buys him a few drinks first. LOL Just kidding, kids, Mom’s behaving…

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Thank you, Clipartix.com for sharing with us.

Welcome, 2023!

Happy New year

And you ladies who are “a little older,” like I am…remember what our friend Maxine once said…”Any woman can have the body of a 21 year old as long as she buys him a few drinks first.” Just kidding, kids…Mom’s behaving. Thank you, Clipartix.com for sharing with us.

Walk Diligently To Heaven With Him

Moving onward and upward with Psalm 119 (ESV)

Daleth

My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! Oh, but how my soul used to love to cling to that dust. I just couldn’t let go of some stuff. You know what? Once i did, and got comfortable without it, I realized how mistaken I was in thinking that what goes on here is life. I had so much more joy, peace, and power in life, and real life, without those things, I could hardly believe it! Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way; and He is the resurrection and the life. What was I thinking?!
When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes! I remember my words: “Lord, you know I’m going to smoke them unless you make them taste and smell so nasty that I can’t”
Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. This leads me to the parable of the sower and the seed. Open your heart to receive God’s Word; His admonition, His prompting. It is then, when it takes root in your heart, that you can begin to work with it.
My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! How vital is joy then? How powerful is a godly word, a word of encouragement? How strengthening can one touch be?
Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! Blame denial, evasion, gossip, hurtful words, lying, manipulative ways, negativity, malice, slanderous words, violent words, bitterness, envy, etc. These are false ways. We hurt, not only others, but also ourselves, when we operate in them.
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O LORD;
let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart! Cling to His testimonies! Jesus said often, “Truly I tell you…” Every word He spoke is an important one to your life as a Christian. You can also find many of God’s own testimonies in the Old Testament; especially in the prophets. God sets our heart free; which gives us the strength, courage, momentum, power, and peace in each one of those facets. God is faithful to us. When we are faithful to obey, to seek His face, and to walk with Him, we can be faith-FULL!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Remember Who & Whose You Are

I apologize for the lapse in posts; the heat got to me Saturday, and I got ill and needed to recouperate.

On with our ascent. We are in Psalm 119… (ESV)

Gimel

Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. God wants to be in every area of our lives, and want us to want Him to be in every area of our lives. We need His instruction, correction, encouragement, guiding and leading.
I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times. We are just passing through. We may be here, but we’re not supposed to live here (according to the world’s standards, etc.) We are to live according to God’s standards, boundaries, rules/laws; so much so that our soul craves them above anything in this world.
You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments. Mostly, this pertains to mockers of God; but it’s easy to get insolent when we’re going through stuff-especially when we don’t think we should be going through that stuff. We have to be careful. Don’t get insolent. Don’t even get petulant.
Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies. This is a two-fold thing. First, God can, and will remove scorn and contempt from you (His love and truth shield us against them, so they don’t have power over us). Secondly, we need to ask Him to remove it from us when we begin to feel scorn and contempt for others. This is a sign of soul/spirit weariness, and we need to heal that by spending some time alone with Him.
Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. Know this: Without a shadow of a doubt, Satan, the powers and principalities, and the hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies are crouched and ready to jump on your every thought, emotion, situation, opportunity, etc. Makes me think of that song by the Police…”Every move you make, every bond you break, I’ll be watching you…” That’s why we need to keep our minds and hearts fixed firmly on God’s Word, and Ways. At the end of the day, we need to still have His joy and His peace, both of which He gave to us, within. We need to still be delighted to be a child of God.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – July 10, 2021

Ah, yes…July is summertime in full swing…dog days of summer run from July 3-August 1th, everybody’s going camping, so much going on! Today is Teddy Bear Picnic day, and I found a couple of pics that just say it all.

I don’t know what it is…but it’s GOOOOOD!

Then there’s this one. They picked him to get the drinks for the picnic. It had me reminiscing about my teen years… This was actually a little cub that wandered into a store in Lake Tahoe. Courtesy of FoxNews. Can’t you just hear him?

Bears search for food inside Lake Tahoe convenience store, supermarket | ABC7 - YouTube — “Oh…what if they card me?”

Oh, one last one. Are you ready? Thanks to Waggle TV.

Pin on VENDETTA FUNNY VIDEOS YOUTUBE CHANNEL — “There’s nothing in here but Mary Kay!”

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Take Delight In It

Today’s message comes from Psalm 119, as we are ascending to a stronger walk with God. Reading from the ESV.

Beth (Verses 9-16)

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!
With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Here’s a reminder of the power of hearing the Word spoken. (Romans 10:17) Speaking that word sends it out, or into your heart. It’s also a little like a mantra that affirms our relationship and faith in God and His Word. When we meditate on God’s Word, His ways, and statutes, God can open up the scriptures to us, and empower our lives in various different ways. My example of this would be when I realized that I am Zion, spiritually. The Bible makes reference to a man being like a city, and when that revelation hit me, it changed my life. It is the revelation of God, more and more, in His Word and through His Word, that brings us delight. We are to serve the LORD/Lord with joy, and oh, what a joy it is to see more and more of God’s face through His Word.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Ah, The Ascents

We begin with Psalm 119 today. It is also called the Psalm, or Song of Ascents. It is quite a long one, and each different part brings us a revelation of God and His love for us, and affirmation or confirmation of what His Word does for our lives. Reading from the ESV.

Aleph (Verses 1-8)

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!

Why are we blessed when we walk in God’s law? God decreed it in Deuteronomy. We’re blessed because His testimonies are seed that is implanted in our hearts. God’s Word is alive and active, filled with power, and never returns void to Him. It accomplishes that for which He sends it. That one statement there taught me to actually pray the psalms.

When we keep His Word/His Precepts diligently, we are surrounded by them; protected by them. Praising God with an upright heart is actually a lot easier than some folks realize. Your heart is upright when it does not fear (be afraid) Him. Don’t fear (be afraid of) God, fear (respect) Him. It is a bold heart, that knows God’s love is unconditional, and His every intention toward us is love. Your heart, when you learn about God’s love for you, gets bolder and bolder as you grow closer to Him. When you have that kind of relationship with Him, you, in your spirit, will gladly run and throw yourself into His waiting arms.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

So Much Better To Trust Him

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 118. It’s a long psalm, and I hope you’ll read the entire thing for yourselves, but I want to focus on just a few verses.

Psalm 118:5-9 (ESV) “Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

it truly is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man, or princes. When I read that, I think about our ways of doing things, of handling things, even of processing things internally. Jesus always judged rightly. He was always right on target. Jairus and his daughter come to mind here. First, Jesus assured Jairus that his daughter would be alright. Then, when they got to Jairus’ house, Jesus put all those unbelievers/doubters out of the room where the little girl lay dead. There’s one key for us. We have a tendency to run to family or friends, to seek their opinions, approval, support, etc., and all too often, right when we need to be turning to the LORD/Lord instead. Then, you get fifty different opinions, a whole bunch of weird looks, and confusion…LOL. That’s exactly what the LORD sets us free from when we’re dealing with adversity. He sets us free from all that confusion that causes chaos within us.

Sometimes it’s very hard to just hang in there and walk it out with Him, but believe me, it’s worth every effort. And, you shall look in triumph on those who hate you-which would be those powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness. Yes, I know; sometimes it is other people too. Turning to the LORD in those situations, we truly can find a refuge. In prayer and praise, peace and power are released to us. These two are critical when we’re dealing with any adversity; any crisis. And, when we’re working out a life recovery, (addiction, abuse, weight struggles, etc.) they are equally as important to have on a daily basis. Peace empowers clear thinking and strength to follow through. Therein lies our victory.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Oh, How Great, Indeed

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 117, and is a short, but powerful praise. It truly is something to think about too. I’m reading from the ESV.

“Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!”

When I think about just how vast, deep, awesomely faithful, and persistent God’s love toward us is, it just overwhelms me. This psalm is a great reminder to look through the scriptures and find some of God’s attributes, some that describe the works of His hands, and then there’s Jesus. He said when we see Him, we’ve seen the Father. Doing this little exercise can bring you so much closer to the LORD/Lord, and strengthen your faith so much.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Simply Put

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 116. It’s one that reminds us to just stand up and tell the truth. Simply put, “Get real,” it says. LOL I want to focus on verses 5-7, but I hope you’ll read the entire psalm for yourselves. It’s a good check point.

“Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”

Did you get that part about God being righteous and merciful? The one reason we’re afraid to get real with Him, I think, is because we don’t get that. God always judges rightly. He sees our hearts. God is always merciful. It may not seem like it when the stuff hits the fan in your life. but God is always merciful. All that stuff is what you’re reaping from something you’ve sown. Even then, God is merciful to us and deals bountifully with us. He gives us the strength to get through it, and the wisdom to learn from it, if we allow Him to. That’s where that “get real,” thing comes in. You can’t play games with God; He knows everything! So, if you’re not fooling Jesus, who are you fooling? That’s right; you’re fooling yourself. I’m speaking from personal experience. It works so much better and so much faster when you just get real; with Him, and with yourself. Then, your soul can be at rest (peace) to learn, correct, and overcome that thing that got you. Before you know it, the mess is cleaned up, God loves you and has you loving yourself even more than you did back then, and it’s all good. LOL

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu