Weekly Thankfulness & Growth Report #80

#80 - Weekly Thankfulness & Growth Report

If you were following this blog in 2015 then you will be familiar with my "365 Days of Being Thankful" challenge.  I have missed reporting on my thankfulness since I finished my challenge 2 years ago, so I decided to at least give a weekly Thankfulness Report & include a Growth Report also.  Growth in our Christian walk, growth in the garden & growth on this blog.  Finally, I am also including a "Posts From the Past" feature - ENJOY!


This week I have been thankful for first responders down in Texas and Louisiana.  I am also thankful for dry weather here in the north.  I am most thankful that God is there for us during our darkest times.




"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16
Many years ago I started sharing with you some of my favorite Bible verses:

Read: Favorite Scripture Sunday #1


Leaves from the cottonwood trees have started to fall - they are always the first trees to release their leaves.  I have not begun to harvest our root crops.

- Here are my Follower stats:

GFC (Google Friends Connect) - 2,267
Bloglovin - 4,387
Twitter - 6,820

Pinterest - 6,049
Google+ - 2,279
Facebook - 4,455
Instagram - 152
Linky Followers - 108
Networked Blog - 1,242
Activate - 574
That's a grand total of 28,333 followers in some form or another (which is up 24 from last week).

(click on the title to view the entire post)
Five years ago I grew this giant of a beauty:
Mammoth Sunflower Variety


photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower




This week is GARDEN feature week - click HERE to LINK UP & you might just be featured next month!


Copyright, Permissions & Disclaimer


Linked to:
________________________________________________

Take Up The THANKFULNESS Challenge!

I challenge you to thank God for something everyday for one year!  Either write it down in a diary OR share with us on a blog.  If you have a blog & would like to share your THANKFULNESS posts with us, then please fill out this form: 365 Days of Being THANKFUL form - click HERE and you will be added to the THANKFULNESS page.

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Time To Link Up! Tuesdays with a Twist #227

Welcome to Tuesdays with a Twist #227!
Checkout the many great giveaways going on right now!

Click the button below to enter each Giveaway!!:

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Good Morning and Welcome to another No Rules Party!

We're your hosts & co-hosts 

Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Angie @ God's Growing Garden
Checkout my amazing "Featured" Pinterest Board

(click HERE to view & follow)

Features!

Each co-host will be sharing her own picks for Features. This gives everyone a better chance of being featured. Be sure to check all of our blogs to see if you were featured! 

My Features this Week are:

1. "Felt Princess" by A Sprinkle of Joy

2. "Butterfly Feeders" by Dragonfly Treasure

3.  "How To Paint a Pillow"  by My Thrift Store Addiction

If you've been featured we'd love for you to grab a button.

<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank"><img alt="Tuesdays with a Twist Featured" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o501/AngieOuelletteTower/Title%20Pages%20or%20Buttons/TWTfeatured_zpsxgfhxhtk.jpg" /></a> 

The party starts every Tuesday at 7am EST and will continue until Saturday at 11:59pm.  Feel free to stop back any time and "like" your favorites.  Please visit other blogs if you have a moment. 

Share older posts as well as new ones.  No limit on links!

*Pictures should be your own* 

By linking up you give us permission to use these photos

 (with proper link backs) in our features.   And now for the party!

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Your monthly ad could be here!

Click the button to see how

You're the STAR - Week#1 GARDEN (September 2017)

Let's remember to keep the people of Texas in our thoughts and prayers today (and anyone affected by this storm)

Thank you again for joining us!
There are many ways to follow me:

Angie @ God's Growing Garden

blog  |  facebook  |  pinterest  |  twitter  |  bloglovin  |  google+  |  instagram

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WELCOME to the September "You're the Star" Blog Hop!
Before we continue onto the Linky party I wanted to share from my blog:

Receive the Crown of Life by Persevering


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WELCOME to GARDEN feature week of the September "You're the STAR" blog hop!
Meet your GARDEN week Hosts 

This week is GARDEN feature week
Swing by the GARDEN Hosts blogs:
Angie @ God's Growing Garden
Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

This is a month long Linky party featuring YOU!

There will be 4 different features each week and 4 different feature categories.  Just to be clear - this is NOT a themed party - you may link up ANY family-friendly blog posts any day of each month. 
The "theme" occurs in our weekly features:
WEEK#1 GARDEN - gardening, homesteading, recycling, outdoor activities &/or preserving (this can include any type of green living,  repurposed ideas, outdoor concerns, posts relating to farm animals etc all while remaining family friendly)




(All features were chosen from the August 2017 "You're the Star" blog hop)

Beautiful Surprises in a Small Suburban Yard by Run Ran Fam


The Serpentine Style of Garden Design by Sweetly Dreaming of the Past

Infatuated with Window Boxes by Gwin Gal Adventures

Mount Goliath & Ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees by Mille Fiori Favoriti

If you've been featured then please grab a STAR button below:

<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/p/youre-star-blog-hop.html" target="_blank"><img alt="You're a STAR" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o501/AngieOuelletteTower/Title%20Pages%20or%20Buttons/YourAstarFEATURED_zpso7ovwjyt.jpg" /></a>

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We are in need of more Cohosts (click HERE to view a list of our current hosts/cohosts).

If you are interested in joining us as a Cohost then please click HERE & fill out the form.

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All Hosts/CoHosts will post this blog hop on every Monday of each week.

Please link up your family friendly blog posts below!

It wouldn't be a linky party with YOU!

(IMPORTANT NOTE: by linking up you understand that you might be featured next month and if so, we will use some of your photos from your post - rest assured - we will always link back to your lovely blog.  We might also share your fantastic posts on social media.  Also, you may link up as many family-friendly posts as you like & YES - other blog hops &/or giveaways are welcome {giveaways and blog hops will NOT be featured though}  Thank You & ENJOY! )

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Click the button below to enter the Great Giveaways going on now!!:

The Bible is NOT Hate Speech

The Bible is NOT Hate Speech

"Hate Speech" is a modern term that means: "speech which attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability or gender."
Have you noticed lately that many Christian groups are being labeled as "hate groups"?  This unjust, one sided labeling has gone so far as to even label the Bible as hate speech!  This is blasphemous and hypocritical.  Since Christianity is a faith/religion - by labeling Christians and the Bible as hate groups/speech because of what Christians believe is, in and of itself, hate speech (attack based on religion).
This shouldn't be surprising since Jesus warned us that we would be hated:
"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."  Matthew 10:22
So let's focus on what the Bible tells us about what our response should be when we are unjustly labeled or attacked.  Luke 6 (the featured verses above) show how Christians are actually the exact opposite of the definition of "hate speech/group".
1.  Love your enemies - somebody who unfairly labels you is an enemy and we must love them.  God loved us first and He also loves our enemies.  We (just like Jesus) can hate the sin or their sinful actions but we must still love that person.
2.  Do good to those who hate you - many times we just know when someone dislikes us but we must be kind to them and show them Jesus' love through our kind actions.
3.  Bless those who curse you - verbal abuse affects us emotionally and mentally.  This is definitely one of the harder responses - to bless those that curse us.
4.  Pray for those who mistreat you - having our words and actions twisted into nasty lies stabs at our very core;  our soul.  Praying for these abusive actors will change not only your enemy but it will help you.  The greatest thing about prayer is that nobody can forbid prayer.  Yes, maybe they can prevent verbal, public prayer but never the fervent prayer that takes place in our thoughts - that is only between God and yourself.



The Bible is God's Word:
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  2 Timothy 3:16-17
So, by labeling the Bible "hate speech", you are actually labeling God himself!
God's word is definitely convicting - it exposes our sin and the realization of our sin might make us feel guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, hurt, frightened, depressed, nervous and more.  Admitting that we have sinned is tough and painful work.  Like it says in the verse above "sharper than any double-edged sword" penetrating our soul - God's Word is able to affect and change the attitudes of our heart.  Since Jesus died for all of our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead - all of our sins are forgiven!  All you have to do is accept God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
Holding others accountable for their actions is NOT hateful!  It is very difficult but does NOT constitute being labeled as hate speech.  Admitting that there is sin in our life is the first step and then we must repent or put Scripture into practice and do what God's Word says (see Bible verse below).    



The Bible (when properly used) is God's Word in action through us! 
It is full of God's LOVE.

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Linked to:
Happiness is Homemade
Over the Moon Party
Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party
You're the STAR
Tuesdays with a Twist
Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
Thursday Favorite Things
Pretty Pintastic Party
Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Friday Feature Linky Party
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"Prayer Warriors United" is a google+ Community where Christians come together in prayer. 

Click HERE to view or join this community

If you need prayer please fill out this

Prayer Request form

Blackberry Syrup - Homemade & Home Grown

Blackberry Syrup - Homemade & Home Grown

Five years ago I received some blackberry bushes as a Christmas gift (click HERE to read a post about that gift).  Normally it takes 2 to 3 years before blackberry plants are established enough for harvesting any berries but it actually took 5 years for my plants to mature.  Also, I was supposed to be picking 10 gallons of berries per plant and I only picked about 2 cups of berries total from both plants.  Needless to say that I am not impressed by these "miracle" berry plants but I am loving the flavor of these berries.
My recipe is a small quantity but it was enough to make syrup for waffles and for drizzling on ice cream (I also had a little left over for making a lemon blackberry cheesecake pie).

 
Printable Recipe

There are 2 steps to this syrup - first you must make the juice.

Blackberry juice

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries (rinsed and drained)

1 1/2 cups water cups water (preferably filtered water)

Prepare the blackberries as described above.  Place the blackberries and water in a medium pot and bring to boil.  Simmer on very low heat for about 30 minutes to an hour  Now you will need to strain the juice to separate the blackberry seeds/pulp from the liquid (see pictures above).  Allow the juice to drain out of the colander for an hour (you should have 1 cup of juice after straining out the seeds).

Allow juice to cool and continue on to make syrup or place in the fridge for other uses.

 

Blackberry Syrup

1/2  blackberry juice from the previous step (cooled)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a medium sauce pan combine the sugar and cornstarch - stir until mixed.  Add the blackberry juice and whisk together gently until there are no sugar/cornstarch clumps remaining (see pictures above).  Place on medium heat and cook until it boils slowly and thickens (you must stir the entire time).  Remove from the heat and you have blackberry syrup! (see picture below).

Serve while hot on waffles.

Or allow to cool and serve on ice cream. 
ENJOY!

Copyright, Permissions & Disclaimer


Linked to:
Happiness is Homemade
Over the Moon Party
LouLou Girls Fabulous Party
Tuesdays with a Twist
Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
Pretty Pintastic Party
Friday Feature Linky Party
Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
________________________________________________

Take Up The THANKFULNESS Challenge!

I challenge you to thank God for something everyday for one year!  Either write it down in a diary OR share with us on a blog.  If you have a blog & would like to share your THANKFULNESS posts with us, then please fill out this form: 365 Days of Being THANKFUL form - click HERE and you will be added to the THANKFULNESS page.

Weekly Thankfulness & Growth Report #79

#79 - Weekly Thankfulness & Growth Report

If you were following this blog in 2015 then you will be familiar with my "365 Days of Being Thankful" challenge.  I have missed reporting on my thankfulness since I finished my challenge 2 years ago, so I decided to at least give a weekly Thankfulness Report & include a Growth Report also.  Growth in our Christian walk, growth in the garden & growth on this blog.  Finally, I am also including a "Posts From the Past" feature - ENJOY!


This week I have been thankful for the beautiful state of Michigan.  I am thankful for daily garden produce.  I am most thankful that God is such a wonderful teacher and I enjoy learning more about Him everyday.




"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."  James 3:9-12
As we have seen recently in the news, what we say and how we say it can be the cause of either peace or violence.  I talk about the four "Ts" having to do with controlling our tongue (our speech) in the following post:

Read: Taming Your Tongue


The nights are starting to get cooler and our daily garden produce intake is starting to slow.  Soon we will be raking the leaves and saving them for our compost potato patch for next year.

- Here are my Follower stats:

GFC (Google Friends Connect) - 2,267
Bloglovin - 4,385
Twitter - 6,806

Pinterest - 6,047
Google+ - 2,278
Facebook - 4,458
Instagram - 144
Linky Followers - 108
Networked Blog - 1,242
Activate - 574
That's a grand total of 28,309 followers in some form or another (which is up 93 from last week).

(click on the title to view the entire post)
This is a great way to use all those tomatoes overflowing from your garden:
Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich






This week is HOME feature week - click HERE to LINK UP & you might just be featured next month!


Copyright, Permissions & Disclaimer


Linked to:
________________________________________________

Take Up The THANKFULNESS Challenge!

I challenge you to thank God for something everyday for one year!  Either write it down in a diary OR share with us on a blog.  If you have a blog & would like to share your THANKFULNESS posts with us, then please fill out this form: 365 Days of Being THANKFUL form - click HERE and you will be added to the THANKFULNESS page.

<a href="http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/p/thankfulness-challenge-365-days-of.html" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank"><img alt="THANKFULNESS Challenge" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o501/AngieOuelletteTower/Title%20Pages%20or%20Buttons/THANKFULNESSchallengeButton_zpsievqkttd.jpg" /></a>