March 16, 2026

Fruit Parfaits (to go!)

Here in our little village, we have a community park which fronts on the river which runs through the village.  Twice each week during the summer season, free concerts are held in the bandshell!  This week the Schenectady Pipe Band was scheduled to play!  Oh, I just love bagpipe&drums!!!  (How about you?)  So Robert asked if I would like to go…ummm, let me think…YES!

I thought that he would love it if I made some kind of sweet treat to bring along and enjoy out under the stars listening to stirring bagpipes!  Originally I was planning on making some cookies (his favs!) but we had an abundance of gorgeous berries this week. So then I got ready to make a berry crisp…all yummy warm berry sweetness with a healthy topping of cinnamon-y crunchiness!  But THEN I was talking with my daughter, kassia, about the trendiness of mason jars filled with salads, and suppers…and desserts! My mind was made up—Fruit and Cake Parfaits!

2014-07-31 18.51.46

These were super simple to put together.  I prepared all the components earlier in the day: an easy-peasy yellow sheet cake (gluten free, of course), a berry compote, and homemade whipped cream.  After supper, all that was needed was to layer it all up into mason jars, cap ‘em off, and put them into my picnic basket!  I hope you give these a try!  They would be a great dessert to bring along to a bbq, or picnic…or how about taking them to the drive-in?  Enjoy!

Fruit and Cake Parfaits…to go!

components:
mason (or Ball) canning jars2014-08-03 21.13.26
yellow cake or angel food cake
fresh fruit
whipped cream

note: quantities are at your discretion! For our parfaits, I used a ‘manly’ quart-size jar and a pint-size jar for me. I would suggest “wide mouth” jars, too (much easier to spoon out the yumminess!).

cake component:

  • I simply baked up a plain yellow cake (use a mix…go right ahead!)
  • when thoroughly cooled, cut up into small cubes

fruit component:2014-07-31 14.55.43

  • we had strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cut up peaches
  • sprinkle sugar (I used coconut sugar) over the fruit and gently combine
  • proportions: 1 tablespoon sugar to 1 cup fruit (I used 3 cups of fruit)
  • set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes (or up to 2-3 hours) to allow the sugar to draw out the moisture from the fruit creating a syrup

whipped cream component:

  • please indulge and make your own whipped cream
  • I used a half-pint container of heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, and 2 teaspoons of confectioners (10X) sugar

to assemble:
in this order—cake cubes, macerated fruit, whipped cream—fill up your jars; done!  oh…if taking along with you…don’t forget the spoons!!!  Enjoy!

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Please don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

 

The Shepherd and His Sheep

SeekingHimLogo

Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Have you ever noticed that you are put in other people’s lives for a reason?  My mother always believed that God put her with my father because she has vision problems and he can see (and now I that I am married can see her point).  My father was put with her because he has hearing loss, and she can hear.  In September they will have been married for 36 years.  Now that is a long time by today’s standards!   As for me and my husband, he lays something down, and I can usually tell him right where it is.  The same goes when I lay something down. My husband knows my moods, and I know his.  We have only been married for a few years, but we are still learning about each other.

I am the good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me,
just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15

The Lord is our Shepherd.  He created us.  God knew who we were and where we were going before we were even born.  He knows us better than we do ourselves. That is why our prayers are answered the way that they are when we pray.  We may pray for something, but God may not think that an affirmative answer would be beneficial to us.  God then tells us ‘No.’ for our own good because He knows us.

When we accept Christ into our hearts, we begin to know our heavenly Father.  He knew us before we even turned from our sin and returned to Him.  When Christ went to the Cross, He already knew who He was dying for that day.  He knew us before we were even twinkles in our parents’ eyes. God knows who His sheep are even before they walk this Earth.  God had plans for all of eternity even before He created Adam and Eve.  He already knew who we would be.  It is part of our responsibility to know Him better.

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Dear Heavenly Father, You knew us before You wove us together in our mothers’ wombs.  We are Your children, and You know us like parents know their children. Thank You for giving us the gift of eternal life through the gift of Your Holy Son.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Reign

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Even before there was a drop in the ocean
Even before there was a star in the sky
Even before the world was put in motion
You were on Your throne, You were on Your throne

You reign, glory in the highest, You reign
Let creation testify by Your name
Every knee will bow and every tongue proclaim
That Jesus reigns

Even before Your hand made the heavens
Even before the breath of all mankind
Even before we had to be forgiven
You were on Your throne, You were on Your throne

Yesterday, today and forever
You are God who was and is and is to come
You reign, glory in the highest, You reign

You reign, glory in the highest, You reign
Let creation testify by Your name
Every knee will bow and every tongue proclaim
Let every tongue proclaim, let every tongue proclaim
That Jesus reigns

Co-written by Bart Millard, Barry Graul, and Steven Curtis Chapman

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But You, O Lordreign for ever; Your throne endures to all generations…
Lamentations 5:19
Our God reigns yesterday…today…and tomorrow.  He was there from the beginning of time and He will be there until the last. Every moment, every breath we take, is a gift from our God.
For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Romans 14:11
While we are His children when we pronounce Him as our Lord and King, we are to bow and confess that He is the one true God.  We are to honor and love Him as the Number One in our life. We are to put Him first over our husband, boyfriend, even our children.  When these things are in the correct order, our lives will line up. Now, this does not mean that trouble will not come to us, but we will surely overcome!
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Father, thank You for reigning in our lives. Thank You for loving us enough to pursue us. Thank You for being patient and forgiving us when we try to rule our own lives. Help us to give every detail over to You each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God’s People

SeekingHimLogo

Know that the Lord is God
It is He who made us and we are His,
we are His people the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

This is spiritual knowledge that He created us.  We did not make ourselves.  We are His. And the people of His pasture.

There are times that we, as Christians, tend to forget who created us by:

  • Doing our own things in our own ways thinking we can do without Him when we cannot
  • Worshipping our jobs, our husbands, our businesses, etc. We tend to praise more the material things without attaching it to the steadfast love of our Creator, the One Who made us.

If God was able to create us, is He not the Author of what we call ‘wisdom?’  He gave us this gift of wisdom, too, for us to be able to add or sum up things for our daily living.  And yet sometimes when we prosper, we forget all of this and start praising ourselves, our husbands, our jobs, etc.  Have we ever thought what would happen if our husbands were to die, and we don’t have jobs and the businesses we work for collapses.  God will still be God…all things will pass but He will still remain.

The Word (in verse 3) is saying that we are the ‘sheep of His pasture.’  We are His very own. G od is our good Shepherd; if we are of His pasture then we can lack nothing.  He is able to take us to the green pastures (Psalm 23), He will lead us beside the still waters.  According to Philippians 4:19, He is able to provide to the sheep (you and I) by His riches in His glory.  What shall we then lack?  Nothing.  We have everything in our God.

He even supplied us salvation through our Savior Jesus. Without the Cross of Calvary we would have been dead by now, I guess.

We are God’s people (Luke 1:17 and Acts 15:14 and also Titus 2:14) who He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do for them what is good.

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Knowing that we are God’s people, shall we pray:
Dear heavenly Father, hallowed be Your name, in all the earth You are known to be a Great God, the great I AM, Mighty Warrior, great in battle.  We worship You for who You are, dear God.  You are a loving Father and to You be the honor and glory!  We feel loved more today for we have been reminded that we are Your very own and that You care for Your very own.  However, Lord, we pray for forgiveness for sometimes we have made You too small in our lives.  May You wash us with hyssop; let us be clean from all iniquities.  Bless us and bless us indeed!  Enlarge our territories, Lord.  Knowing You are there to provide makes us boast in You!  Be glorified!  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

Be Exalted

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I stand in awe of who You are
You have overwhelmed my heart
once again
My all in all, my everything
With abandon I have come
to meet You here

Be exalted
Be exalted
In my life above all else
Be lifted up

My eyes have seen
Your majesty
Filled with wonder
Now my soul must sing

There is only one true God
Who is holy
You are holy 

 

 Singer / Songwriter: Ben Cantelon (along with Mia Fieldes, Jason Ingram)

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Throughout the Bible, there are many, many, many records of those who truly exalted God in their hearts and with their words of praise and through their actions!

A few who quickly come to my mind are,

  • Jesus
  • David
  • Esther
  • Moses
  • Job
  • Paul

But one example that I just love is Mary, the mother of our Lord.  Oh, what a heart she had!  She is a great standard for having the right type of heart and life. Mary was so very humble!  (Check out Luke 1:38.)  Her pure and praise-filled heart for her God is shown in many ways.  One illustration is found recorded in Luke chapter 1.  Upon hearing her cousin Elizabeth confirm what the Angel Gabriel had told to Mary, she was filled with praise! Listen to these words of hers…

And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
Luke 1:46-50

And she continues in her praise to exalt her God, the Almighty One.  But what does it mean to ‘exalt’ God?  One reference I checked, defines exalt as

EXALT‘, v.t. egzolt’. Low L. exalto; ex and altus, high.

  1. To raise high; to elevate.
  2. To elevate in power, wealth, rank or dignity; as, to exalt one to a throne, to the chief magistracy, to a bishopric.
  3. To elevate with joy or confidence; as, to be exalted with success or victory. We now use elate.
  4. To raise with pride; to make undue pretensions to power, rank or estimation; to elevate too high or above others.
  5. To elevate in estimation and praise; to magnify; to praise; to extol.

We can see through these definitions and practical usages of the word exalt that clearly it is to ‘raise…elevate…magnify…praise…extol.’  And it is easy to see how and why our God is THE One to be exalted!  As Ben Cantelon sings, ‘You alone and no one else, be lifted up!’

The following psalm suggests another important perspective to exalt that includes our own bowing down.

The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on His throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!
The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,
exalted above all the nations.
Let them praise Your great and awesome name.
Your name is holy!
Mighty King, lover of justice,
You have established fairness.
You have acted with justice
and righteousness throughout Israel.
Exalt the Lord our God!
Bow low before His feet, for He is holy!
Psalms 99:1-5

Notice in verse 5 the difference between the two exclamations made: “Exalt the LORD our God!” is given in comparison to “Bow low before His feet.”  In studying this verse and looking at the Hebrew words used, I read that the word translated as “bow low” is one of the basic Hebrew words for worship.  Literally it means “to bow low” or “to prostrate” oneself before and worshipping a sovereign, a king.

Wouldn’t you say this could apply to how we can exalt God, figuratively, by not only by raising our voices in praise to Him, but also by humbly bowing low before Him in worship.  Truly,  at times, we are literally bowing before God as a response to His incredible and awesome greatness!  This physical act can help our hearts to humbly bow before Him.  But whether we kneel or are prostrate on our faces before God or not, we can exalt Him within our hearts as we recognize and praise, “Be exalted…in my life above all else, be lifted up!”

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May our prayer and our praise be to always exalt Almighty God whether we be standing with arms raised in praise, or singing joyfully out our praises, or kneeling humble before Him, or flat out before Him in submission to Him!

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
Psalms 34:1-3

Be Exalted, O God

SeekingHimLogo

I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your mercy and loving-kindness are great, reaching to the heavens,
and Your truth and faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.
Psalms 57:9-11

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As our Ann so succinctly laid out in the devotional she wrote earlier this week …

Why do we exalt Him?

  • He is a great God who created the heavens and the earth. His supremacy is beyond our imagination. He must be glorified.

Be exalted O God above the heavens and let your glory be over all the earth
Psalm 108:5

  • He is Holy.

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool, He is holy.
Psalm 99:5

  • He is my God in whom I trust. For He is faithful and loves us unconditionally.

You are my God and I will give thanks; You are my God and I will exalt You.
Psalm118:28

  • He has done great things. You know God has done so many great things in our lives. We are alive today because of His grace and mercy and favour, protection. He must be exalted for all this.

Lord, You are my God;
I will exalt You and praise Your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
You have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
Isaiah 25:1

  • He is a God of justice and covered with righteousness. And this righteousness it was imputed in us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The Lord is exalted for He dwells on high, He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
Isaiah 33:5

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I pray that as you listen to the following song that your hearts will be drawn to rise up and praise and EXALT our Great God.

May He be exalted above all else in our lives!

From The Inside Out

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
A thousand times I’ve failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I’m caught in Your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing You praise

My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out, Lord
Let justice and praise, become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

From the inside out, O my soul cries out
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
From the inside out, O my soul cries out

Singer-Songwriter: Joel Houston  /  Performed by Hillsong United

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My Bible study lesson today was “Inside Out” by Beth Moore from Children of the Day.  At first I didn’t relate the title to this song.  The lesson is based on 1 Thessalonians 4:9 AMP:

But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians],
you have no need to have anyone write you,
for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another.

Did you catch that last phrase, “…personally taught by God…”? The Thessalonians didn’t need anyone to instruct them on how to love other Christians for they had been PERSONALLY TAUGHT BY GOD!  This thought blew my mind.  It totally captivated my attention.  The Thessalonians had learned to love FROM THE INSIDE OUT!  They learned it straight from God.

And you know what?  We can too!  When we made our decision to surrender to Jesus and follow Him, we literally received the Holy Spirit into our beings.  Look at John 14:26 HCSB:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—
will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

The Spirit of God resides in us and will teach us all things!  Our learning does not have to be from the outside in. Beth Moore puts it this way:

“God’s Spirit bypasses all formal routes of the learning curve and the lesson comes straight from Him.”

(If that doesn’t excite you, I’m not sure anything will.)

Then this song came to mind and I looked at it in a whole new light.  What if we truly gave God control—complete control?  What if we allowed Him to teach us, to “consume us from the inside out” instead of being stuck in our preconceived ideas?  What if we truly learned to love as the Thessalonians did…”from the inside out?”

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Father God, Thank You so very much for placing Your Spirit within us.  Open us to His teachings.  Teach us, O God, for we cannot learn as much on our own.  My soul cries out to You in praise.  Teach me, O God, from the inside out.  In Your Holy name, we pray, Amen – so be it!

Summer Vegetable Curry

Summer Vegetable Curry resize

If you think about it, there is a lot of overlap between summer produce here in the United States, and what shows up on Indian food menus.  That’s because what grows where it’s hot there is also what grows in the summer here.  Lots of Indian dishes feature zucchini (also called courgettes), onions, eggplants, and tomatoes – all things coming into season now!  Why not try this Summer Vegetable Curry?

You really can’t mess this up or go wrong.  Don’t like garbanzo beans?  Use another bean, or switch them out for green peas or bite-sized green beans.  Like it spicy?  Add some chopped jalapeños or another chili of your choice.  Use whatever curry powder you have.  Out of coconut milk?  Use water or broth instead.  I didn’t have any cilantro, or I would have chopped up a few tablespoons to stir in right before serving.  See?  There is no wrong way.

For a vegetarian meal, double the amount of beans and serve over basmati rice.  Paleo?  Skip the beans altogether and serve this curry as a side dish to your favorite protein.  Ready?  Let’s go!

Summer Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

  • 1 large onion
  • 2 tablespoons ghee, butter, or oil
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder (or more, to taste)
  • 1/2  can coconut milk
  • 2 skinny eggplants
  • 3 zucchinis
  • 1 can garbanzo beans or 1 cup of rehydrated and cooked dried garbanzos
  • cilantro, raw tomato, and rice (optional)  for serving

Directions:

  1. In a very large pot, heat the ghee or butter.  Chop the onion and add to the pot, along with the mustard and cumin seeds.  Fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent.  Then add the curry powder and coconut milk and reduce heat.
  2. Cut the eggplants and zucchinis into thin half-moons.  Add to the pot, stir to mix, and cover.  Cook over low heat for about 25 minutes until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
  3. Taste for seasoning – add salt or more curry powder if you like.  Stir in the garbanzos and heat through.
  4. Serve with chopped tomato and minced cilantro.  Serve over rice if you like.

This is definitely one of those recipes that is even better the next day, and it’s easy to reheat.  Have some for dinner tonight and save some for lunch tomorrow!

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipes, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

The Condition of the Heart

SeekingHimLogo

My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise You, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of You among the peoples.
For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.
Psalms 57:7-11 NIV

The first two lines of this week’s passage struck me the hardest. It wasn’t about what God was doing for me or about my enemies or the adversities I was facing. It was about me. It was about my heart.

I looked at some other versions of this week’s selection and saw other descriptions of the condition of our heart—the word, steadfast.  Some of these other descriptions were“fixed, ready, confident.” Although they have different definitions they sum up well what we need to possess in order to be able to live out the rest of the passage.

Steadfast
• firmly fixed in place
• not subject to change
• firm in belief, determination, or adherence

Now here in other versions, ‘steadfast’ is translated a little differently:
Fixed (KJV)
• placed or attached in a way that does not move easily
Ready (MSG)
• prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action
• prepared for immediate use
• willingly disposed
• likely to do something indicated
• displayed readily and spontaneously
Confident (NLT)
• having a feeling, belief that you can do something well, succeed at something
∙ having confidence
• showing that you have confidence
• certain that something will happen or that something is true

As with most instructions God gives us, along with the directives He places on our lives, there is one thing we need to make sure of— that our hearts are where they need to be. And that the condition of our hearts allows for the task to be completed. That is an example to others of the love of God and of His influence in our lives.

This week I want to focus on my heart.

I want to focus on what it looks like…to God and to others.

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Dear Heavenly Father,
The condition of our hearts may not be something we look at on a daily basis, it may be something that we take for granted. But Lord, this week I pray that we take a closer look. I pray that we take the steps needed to have our hearts be a reflection of You. I pray that we work towards becoming steadfast, fixed, ready, and confident. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Encouragement Comes in Many Forms

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This morning I’ve been meandering around FaceBook…noticing oh-so-very-many encouraging posts.  This—the encouragement—is a wonderful use of social media such as FaceBook, don’t you think?  Encouragement comes in MANY different forms; for example,

  • beautiful photographs of God’s gorgeous Creation that are shared
  • quotes that nurture our souls and motivate us to go and do
  • prayers that are offered to sisters in need
  • and (my favorites!) Scriptures that you post to remind another of God’s goodness, His grace and mercy, His faithfulness, and His love.

It is through the history depicted in the Scriptures that we come to know so much about our great God and His heart for all mankind.

For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope.
Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance (steadfastness) and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
That together you may [unanimously] with united hearts and one voice, praise and glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

Romans 15:4-6

Truly it is by and through the Scriptures that our hearts and minds are encouraged. In the Bible we read of God’s promises, we hear of the Hope of eternity spent with Him (and each other) in His Kingdom, we learn of our Father’s unconditional love. All intended to encourage us!

Here are definitions for the words encourage and encouragement from Webster’s 1828 dictionary:

ENCOUR’AGE, v. enkur’rage.

  • To give courage to; to give or increase confidence of success; to inspire with courage, spirit, or strength of mind; to embolden; to animate; to incite; to inspirit.

ENCOUR’AGED, pp.

  • Emboldened; inspirited; animated; incited.

ENCOUR’AGEMENT, n.

  • The act of giving courage, or confidence of success; incitement to action or to practice; incentive.

Each of us knows by experience…some more than others, it is true…that there are days when we simply feel that we don’t have the courage to endure. There are times when the stresses and pressures of this world cause our little hearts to cave and we doubt we can handle them. There are life situations that we struggle through worrying and being overwhelmed at times. These are all situations and circumstances in which we must find a way to seek the One Who has made us promises, the One Who is faithful, the One Who loves us unconditionally…the One Who desires to encourage each one of us!

There is SO MUCH that is good and joyful and righteous and blessed and a blessing  to think about!  When we set our thoughts on THESE things, we will be encouraged!

Finally, brothers,
whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

It is our’s and our’s alone…a constant choice we have to work towards being encouraged!  We are not alone in this!  We have each other…we have the Scriptures…we have Jesus…we have the Holy Spirit…and we have God Almighty!  We CAN do this!  We can become encouraged and live with joy and rejoicing!  So…

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4, 6and7

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My prayer and desire for each of us:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…
but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25