::this week::

praying:  lifting up lots of requests for friends, family, our church, our city, the nations.

praising:  for answers to a few prayers that I have been praying for friends and family for a month or two... particularly for the provision for medical bills for a friend.

reading:  Psalms, Numbers, Isaiah, The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind

doing:  not too much... another nice, quiet week.  a walk date with a friend.  some 4th fun with some friends.  hosting a morning ladies coffee.  a meeting/ dinner out with our women's ministry planning team.  a birthday party for a sweet little girl.  lots of time at home.

creating:  still working on the baby shower banner, sign for our bedroom, and pillow cover for our living room.

cooking:  un-stuffed shells, curried chicken pasta salad, mongolian beef, sesame soy baked tofu, peanut butter banana oatmeal muffins, spinach pesto pasta, sweet and spicy nuts
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contemplating:  things that I'm learning from numbers... 1) when people came to Moses for counsel he went and spent time with God before he gave them an answer.  2.) Moses was imperfect, at times ungrateful, at times doubted, and yet God still used him in a mighty way.  3.)  the Israelites were guided one step at a time, with no prior notice, by God through the cloud and pillar of fire... they never knew whether they would be moving forward, or camping the next day, and had to rise each day seeing what God was doing.  4.) when the scouts went to check out the promised land they allowed their circumstances (the giants) to cause doubt in them rather than trusting in God's promise and power... and this was after they had just seen Him do miraculous signs in Egypt and on their way (the red sea, manna, quail, plagues...) 5) when we, like the Israelites, doubt God, we find ourselves wandering in the wilderness and not accomplishing anything  6)  we need to stay current with God and have a current word from Him, because yesterday's word may be outdated.... God had told the Israelites to take the promised land, but they doubted and didn't, but once he sent them to the wilderness they repented and tried to obey the old word (take the promised land), rather than the new word (go to the wilderness),  this caused a premature death to many of them.