Wednesday Hodgepodge: Peaches, Sunsets & Allies or Enemies

Joyce

has again given us some thought provoking questions for our Wednesday.

1. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week...what's one thing you could do this week to qualify as a participant?
Since retiring, I have done nothing but simplify my life.  I think I have about simplified all I can at this point short of simply stopping.

2. It's also National Peach Month...peach pie, peach cobbler, or please pour me a Bellini?  What's your peach pleasure?
Peach cobbler!  However, a friend did share her delicious fresh peach pie with us the other night.  But, I still prefer a juice laden, crisp crust, cobbler any day.  And in the south, it must be topped with Blue Bell Ice Cream.

 

3. Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, "Do one thing every day that scares you." Agree or disagree...explain.
I don't know about every day, but I do think it is good to be challenged.  When I worked, I was constantly being challenged to go beyond what I thought I could do and sometimes, beyond what I wanted to do.  But this was a growing time for me and I can now look back and say with confidence, "I did it!" That being said, my matra or life verse is, "I am nothing without Christ!"  As a retiree, I think it is still necessary to challenge myself, to continue expanding, but maybe not e-v-e-r-y day.

4. What's your favorite household chore?  Yes-you have to name one.
I enjoy cleaning my kitchen.  I can't stand clutter, so I try to keep the counters clear, and polished; the appliances shiny, and cabinets well organized.

5. Fodors recently listed (what they've dubbed) the ten most beautiful sunset spots in America. Click here to read more and see the pretty pictures, but this is their list:

Butterfly Beach in Santa Monica CA, Mount Haleakala in Maui HI, Old Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe NM, Laguna Beach CA, Hopi Point in Grand Canyon AZ, Four Seasons in Miami FL, Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica CA, Gay Head in Martha's Vineyard MA, Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City UT, and Mallory Square in Key West Florida.

Have you seen the sun set from any of these spots?  If you could choose to watch the sun set this weekend from one spot on the Fodors List, which would you choose?  Where was the prettiest sunset you've ever seen?
Although I haven't actually seen a sunset from Old Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe, NM, the most beautiful sunsets I have seen were in Santa Fe and other locales in New Mexico.  I have seen spectacular sunsets off the California coast, but nothing compares to the glorious depth of color and huge expanse of God's color palette than in NM.

We were invited to dinner at a home overlooking the city of Santa Fe.  This was our view from the veranda:

Artist Georgia O'Keeffe also loved the brilliance of New Mexico sunsets

6. What's your favorite or most used app?  If you don't use apps how about your favorite or most visited website?
I use my Bible app every morning, and sometimes in Sunday worship.  But, the most used app is Kindle.  This is where I do all my reading of ebooks.  I have quite a library storehouse of books I want to read.

7. We've recently passed the halfway mark for 2013...write a seven word sentence that sums up your year thus far.
Filled with joy, excitement, stress, lessons learned.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
My heart is burdened, my mind confused, my faith challenged, as I think about where we are as a nation, and where we might be headed.  I plan to write more about this at some point in the future, but right now this excerpt from a fellow blogger and student of Bible Prophesy, pretty much sums up my thoughts today:
  
          Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Yesterday's allies, today's enemies, really?

It seems like just yesterday when the occupant of the Oval Office was making the case for intervention in Libya where Muslims were in danger of humanitarian crimes by long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It was then that the occupant worked closely with al Qaeda in providing air support, supply lines and on-ground advisors to overthrow Gaddafi. He also supported al Qaeda in other countries as part of the Arab Spring uprisings that began in December 2010. His foreign policy partner the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) provided political organizational structure and al Qaeda the military aspect to spark civil unrest and threaten governments throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. Curious how things change.  Or, stay the same......

What do we make of the current headlines that al Qaeda is now a threat to all US embassies and that the occupant's drones have killed four al Qaeda operatives in Yemen? There is great deception taking place. The current White House is in league with the MB, which is in league with al Qaeda. What seems to be is not. 2 Timothy 3:13 says, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." The riddle before us is what is the motive of one who appears as both an ally and an enemy? Jesus says in John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." The ultimate thief is satan. The thief before us is an elected official who is deceptive and treasonous.

Resources:   The Daily Jot

Never the less, I believe in the Sovereign God from whom nothing is hidden, and rest in His Word that His truth will prevail.

I leave you with the beauty and promise of a new day.

Sunrise - Georgia O'Keeffe

Also linking up with The Wise Woman Builds Her Home