Patricia's Principles for Living

We sit laughingly around the huge mound of presents under the tree in the big living at my parent’s home on High Street in Philadelphia. The doorbell rings. In bounds the ones for whom we’re waiting, my sister and her husband and children from Virginia. . Here we all are, all of us together. My own husband, sons and I have flown in from the West Coast to spend the holidays on the East Coast. Tons of presents together with squiggly grandchildren and aunts, uncles and grandparents make for a memorable scene. For me it’s a golden moment in time. All is right in the world. Christmas tree lights twinkle. Someone takes up the task to start calling names. Will we ever get through all of these presents? As the presents are picked up for distribution they seem to uncover another dozen hiding underneath. Well, there are eight brothers and sisters who have produced 12 grandchildren at this point. Such delight from squealing boys and girls and agreeing oohs and aahs from parents aunts and uncles...

Something is Out of Order in Christ Geneaology. Wasn't the line of Christ supposed to pass through the oldest sons? Shouldn't Christ's ancestors be as pure as the driven snow? This just doesn't seem right. Why is Jacob here? He was not the oldest He schemed to get the birthright Why is Judah here? He is not the oldest. His brother oldest brother Reuben, sinned against his father, but he is not even the second one. He is the 4th child. his father was a polygamist too. Why is Pharez here? He was technically not the oldest He had a sketchy beginning, a mother who pretended to be a prostitute to get pregnant in that family line. Why is Boaz here? Boaz's mother was a citizen of Jericho a former counter espionage agent and a former prostitute. He doesn’t have the right background What’s Solomon doing here? He was not the oldest nor was he the child of David's first wife. His father,David, murdered his mother’s, Bathsheba's, first husband Urija...

The rules of good nutrition states we must have fruit every day in order for us to keep our bodies in good workking order. If this is done in the natural how much more should we doing this in the spiritual? Daily we should be getting our Fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such as there is no law." I wonder what happen if we all got out fruit on a regular basis? Your feedback is welcomed.

On that seventh day when the Israelites shouted, and those big old stout Jericho walls started to shake and reel back and forth. Inside Rahab's house they felt it too. Rahab's house reverberated with the sound of falling boulders. They could peek out and see the neighbors' houses on the wall going down. They could hear the crashing all around. Inside Rahab's house her younger brother said, "Rahab are you sure that we can make it."Her sister shouted, "Rahab even if we survive this are you sure that they wont kill us." Through the din Rahab shouted, "Yes, I have a promise." "Is the cord still there?" she asked her father who was closest to the window. "Yes," he shouted over the roar of crumbling walls. "Yes it's there," cried her frightened mother. One terrified uncle was trying to get to the door to get out. "I dont feel safe." he said as the house shook violently. "I can see Baleema's hou...

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" I Kings 17:9 Well look, the "Great" Elijah in the cave. A prophet of God is hiding from Jezebel. Elijah wanted to die. Doesn't the New Testament tell us that Elijah was like the rest of us? Sometimes when people have done great things or have been used greatly by God I tend to think of them as superhuman. But, here's the proof that Elijah was like me. There have been times when I've wanted to be in cave or craved a quick end to my existence because the future just looked so bleak. I prayed to God just take me, and end this for me because no matter how hard I pray nothing seems to be going right. Two times in this passage God asked Elijah what he was doing in that cave. When God has a job for us to do God doesnt expect us to go hide out in a cave. However God was and is merciful. God told Elijah to go back the way that he came. Go bac...

I attended a very nice luncheon at a friend’s house. However while I was sitting at the table I started to feel really sick. Not telling anyone of my condition I soon left and drove home. Dragging myself out of my car I made my way up the stairs. I tried to eat a little something but I was too tired to even chew. I made myself go to the couch in front of the television. I tried to watch Seattle’s Torchlight parade. I sat there in a near catatonic state not looking at the parade. When I woke up several hours later I staggered to my bedroom. I was still nauseous. I stumbled into the bathroom holding on to the walls and lay down hugging the cold toilet crying out to God to help me. I didn’t know whether to call 911 or not. I just felt if I could vomit I might feel better. My stomach churned. I longed to vomit and be rid of what ever was ailing me. However I could find no relief. The nauseous feeling just made me weak and tired. You see I had eaten, for me, the forbidden food. Several year...

God has put great people in plain view but often we don’t see them for who they are because they are children. We walk pass these children every day. For example in the book of Exodus in the Bible Moses was put right in Pharaoh’s house. Pharaoh was walking pass Moses every day, but he did not know who he was seeing. This was just a little boy, a little toddler named Moses hanging onto Pharaoh's daughter's skirt. He had no idea he was housing and feeding and educating the biggest threat to the economy and future of Egypt. I imagine Pharaoh greeted him from time to time and asked him how he was doing. He asked about his studies. He bowed his head before Pharaoh as taught by his tutors. Moses was courteous, and spoke fluently in the Egyptian tongue. Moses knew the great works of Egyptian art and literature. He could read the hieroglyphics and knew their meaning. No one thought anything about it. Moses dressed in the Egyptian clothes. His eyes were lined with the black that de...