Updated Holistic Living in the Mountains

Just a small glimpse of the beauty of spring in the mountains.

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! Spring has arrived in full color in our beautiful mountains. The view outside my window is a stunning array of pastel colors from the blooms and a luscious green from the trees. It’s breathtaking! I started this webpage as a means of tracking my own eating habits, helping others, and sharing recipes that I developed that are clean and align to clean eating and holistic living. Over time, my diet/food intake evolved to vegetarian, and gradually to a vegan/plant-based lifestyle, which I have maintained for over six years. I also wanted to share methods of preserving food that we/my family have used for decades. Preserving by canning, freezing, and drying have been a way of life for us since I can remember. It helps us maintain a holistic way of life. It’s a lot of hard work, but the rewards exceed the work by far. I have a desire to maintain this lifestyle for myself, my family, my readers, and to preserve the culture and beliefs and memories of my ancestor’s.

Last year’s garden mid-spring.

Holistic living can mean different things to different people. For our family, it means that we grow and preserve the majority of what we consume, we live as close to nature as possible, and we work to nourish our body, mind and soul. Plant-based eating and clean eating is a large part of our diet. Does my entire family follow a plant-based life? No, not everyone eats totally plant-based. For those that do not follow a one-hundred percent plant-based diet, we raise our own chickens, which provides eggs and meat, and recently added ducks to the flock. We also purchase fresh whole cow’s milk from a neighboring farm, as well as fresh Kentucky raised angus for those who are beef eaters. We grow our own herbs, veggies, and fruit.

Basil from our herb garden.

Holistic living also consists of using healthy clean products for our personal hygiene, cleaning supplies, and our water. Is it a hard lifestyle to maintain? No, it’s a lot of work, but work is part of the plan of exercise, and it’s fun to plan new recipes, discover new products that are clean and create our own healthy cleaning products that we use in our homes, and that we feel safe and confident in using. No harmful chemicals, non gmo, no harmful food dyes, or animal byproducts. Clean holistic living helps nourish your body so that you feel like working, getting up and having fun. It helps provide better sleep, all while ensuring that your body is devoid of toxins, thus increasing good health, and stamina.

Holistic living for nourishing the mind for our family involves a prayer life, meditation time, relaxation time, and social time with family, friends, and church family. We love to share ideas, recipes, food, and prayers with others. When our mind is healthy and our mindset is positive, the body responds well. When the mindset is positive and our prayer life is rich with conversations with our savior, assembling and worshiping with our church families, our soul is nourished; thus leading to a better whole self.

Drying peppermint for teas.

I hope you’ve enjoyed one of many of my posts for our adventures and daily life of holistic living in the mountains. I will be adding a posts soon about how we use our organically grown herb, micro-greens, and essential oils for cooking, preserving, our health, and as teas. Feel free to like, follow, and or leave a comment. I love to read your comments, and answer your questions. For now, God bless, from the mountains of Kentucky!

Friday in the Mountains “Sound the Alarm!”

Good afternoon, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s a windy spring day in the mountains. The trees are beautiful! All of the blooming trees are in full color. Friday finds me busy with assignments that signify the spring semester is winding down. During this time, there is always extra work consisting of year end meetings, various writing assignments that need to be scored, classroom observations, and numerous interviews with students entering the education program. Thus, comes added stress to complete work in a timely manner. So, how do I deal with this added stress?

First and foremost, I like to rise early to pray and spend time in the word. Anything we need or questions we have, can be found and answered in His word. Secondly, I love to cook and bake. Cooking and baking are both therapeutic and help relieve anxiety and stress. While in the kitchen, I find it to be an opportune time to focus on Him. I love to listen to good gospel music, inspiring podcasts, and videos about the goodness of God. Today, I listened to a good friend of mine speak about sounding the alarm! This was the topic of the sermon at church yesterday! It’s time to sound the alarm. Time to be about our Father’s business. it’s time to be out in the highways and the byways and asking others to come to church, get to know Christ, and form a relationship with Him. During my time in the kitchen listening to and being inspired by others, it was also a wonderful time to pray.

Spending time in the word is a way to grow and learn.

As I chopped vegetables for a big kettle of homemade soup I called out the names of neighbors, friends, and family. I lifted them up to the Lord for their various needs, and most of all for their salvation. It’s time to sound the alarm! While I kneaded dough, I thought of the process of baking bread. We should follow the instructions in the recipe. If a step in the process is overlooked, the bread may not rise. Likewise, we must always follow the Lord’s instructions. If we overlook others whom the Lord is bidding us to invite to know Him, they may not be saved. If we don’t follow what He asks us to do, we may not grow to our full potential in Christ. Let’s follow His instructions. Sound the alarm!

Homemade crusty seeded yeast bread fresh from the oven!

Homemade vegan beef less veggie soup

So, for now, I’m off to bake my bread! I’m anxious on this rainy spring day to enjoy a bowl of homemade vegetable soup with a slice of crusty homemade bread. This has been a prosperous and insightful Friday in the mountains. I’ll leave you with the message from our Thursday night service! Sound the alarm! Work while there’s time! Sound the alarm! Invite those you may see in the grocery store, witness on social media, encourage all those whom you meet. During her live, my friend shared about a young couple she recently invited to church. They were anxious to come, and they came. It was sad to find out they had wanted to go to church before she asked them, but hadn’t been invited by anyone and didn’t know where to go. Be that person who loves and invites others to get to know Christ. You never know when the person behind you in the checkout line at the store, may be waiting for someone to invite them. Don’t pass opportunities up, instead, sound the alarm! Jesus is coming back! God bless! Feel free to comment and follow.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mookies

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s been a busy Saturday of baking and spring cleaning! I’ve been on decluttering journey for a couple of weeks. I’m nearing the homestretch of decluttering. Baking for the week ensures I have fresh bread for breakfast toast, lunch, and for supper. It also ensures I have snacks for the week. I also enjoy sharing with others at work, family, and church. But, the biggest reward is that my bread and snacks for the week are healthy, clean, organic, and not processed!

I have baked what I call mookies for years. You might be wondering what a mookie is. It’s not quite a cookie and it’s not quite a muffin. It’s kind of somewhere in between a cookie and a muffin. It’s a mookie. I anxious to share this recipe with you. It’s a great snack, a healthy snack, awesome with coffee in the morning or tea in the evenings. Our grandchildren love them too. There made with minimal ingredients and takes a total twenty minutes to mix and bake. Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

• 1 over ripe organic banana
• 1 cup organic all purpose flour
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/4 cup organic pure maple syrup
• 2 tbs non-caking baking powder
• 2 tbs organic natural peanut butter
• 1 tbs organic miniature unsweetened chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mash the banana and add syrup and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and baking powder and mix. Fold in peanut butter and mix. Finally food in chocolate chips.

Mookie mix

Drop mixture by tablespoons to the lined cookie sheet. Leave a little space between the mookies. Bake for fifteen minutes. I like to brown mine slightly under the broiler. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Peanut butter chocolate chip mookies

These are great without the peanut butter for more or a banana taste. They’re great with chopped walnuts for a take on banana bread flavor. They’re also great with a bit of cocoa powder for a chocolate mookie. The possibilities are limitless.

They’re airy, light, and delicious.

I hope you and your family enjoy this delicious treat as much as our family does. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky.

March Porch Book Review: Before We Were Yours

My porch, one of my favorite places to read!

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky. It’s a beautiful sunny morning in the mountains. I am loving these spring temperatures and all the colorful blooms on the trees. The mountains are beautiful this time of year. I am also loving the warm temperatures for porch reading! I am a firm believer that daily reading is a simple task that is all to often shelved as a pass time or a hobby. Reading is healthy. Reading is healthy for our brain and keeps us alert. It is also a time for relaxation, and a time of escape from daily worries and overscheduled days. Excuses is on the of the biggest factors in why people are not reading. I hear it often. The excuse of, I don’t have time. If you make time for television, browsing your phone, and playing games, you have time to read. So, when do I read? I love to read in the early morning, late afternoons, while I eat lunch, and before I retire for the night. The truth is that I love to read anytime of the day. I’ll say it again, reading is a vital part of our overall health. Plus… it’s enjoyable.

Another question I am often asked is about what I read. I like to read almost anything. I read the book of choice with our university’s book club each month. We read various books, from murder mysteries to fantasy science fiction. I read books suggested by friends and students. I read a novel per bi-term with my students. I read the bible daily and love to study the word for a closer spiritual walk and daily guidance. I love to read spiritual books about characters from the bible, past spiritual leaders, and books about hope for tomorrow. I love to read fiction books that are based on historical events, which leads me to March’s review of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. I have read several of her books that are worthy of mentioning before I review the most recent. I stumbled on one of her books at a local Good Will store while thrifting with my daughter. The title, The Prayer Box, leapt off the cover at me and I quickly tucked it in my cart with other valued treasures that I had found. This book is amazing and lead me on a path for two more books that are actually in a trilogy. The funny thing is… I read the three books backward with The Prayer Box actually being the third book in the trilogy, which I read first, then I read the first and second book, The Sea Keepers’ Daughters, and the Sea Glass Sisters. Once I finished the last book, which was the first book of the series, the suggested book Before We Were Yours intrigued me. I recalled seeing the book Good Reads, on Amazon, a d as a suggested read from a friend. I immediately ordered it. This was a purchase I found well worth paying full price.

Cover of the book!

Before We Were Yours, is a multi-plot story that takes the reader from the time of the great depression in the thirties to the 1990’s. You will travel down the Mississippi River on a shanty boat filled with love and laughter that quickly turns to desperation, deceit, and lives that will never be the same. You learn about a twelve-year old character named Rill, and her four siblings who fall victims to the fate of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, an Orphanage in Memphis Tennessee, that was ran by Georgia Tann. Through this time travel back and forth from the time of the depression the reader is also introduced to the character of, Avery, who is is from the 90’s. Avery, accidentally stumbles onto a deep dark family secret that leads her on a mysterious journey filled with trails of adventures, love, loss, joy, and sorrow all the while uncovering mysteries that were thought to have been locked away forever. The reader also meets two elderly ladies, May and Judy, who are living in total opposite types of care facilities. Their characters will forever linger in the heart of the reader. Will the mysteries change Avery’s life? What are the connections between Rill and Avery? Where does May and Judy fit into the mystery? Read the book to discover the answers to these questions and more. The reader will meet diverse rich characters that you will come to love, mourn, and characters that you love to hate. This is was one book I could not wait to make time to read each day, as I too, was as interested in how the mystery’s were going to unfold. I couldn’t wait to travel with Avery along on the trail to solve the mystery’s that others wanted to leave buried in the past. This is one book that I will be suggesting for my students and friends to read.

As you know, our daughter, and I love to thrift for antiques, and unusual items. On our last thrifting excursion, she actually found a hard copy of Before We Were Yours, at a local Good Will for 99 cents! What a steal! Don’t forsake browsing the shelves of the books in thrift stores, your next great read might just be shelved within the numerous books that are often overlooked.

Now for my rating of this wonderful book. I rated it on Good Reads and Amazon as a five-star book. It kept me engaged, there was no foul language, it contained rich characters, developing plot(s), and also I learned a little about a part of history that occurred only one state away from me that I never knew about. It was entertaining, well-written, educational, and held my attention throughout. I recommend this book for someone who is searching for a summer read, beach read, or a book to pickup and read periodically throughout the week as being the one that you will enjoy.

For now, God bless from the Mountains of Kentucky. Enjoy this beautiful Easter weekend and reflect on what our Savior sacrificed so that we could be born again in Him and live! He is risen!

Delicious Organic Granola

Hello, from the mountains of Kentucky! It’s a rainy day in the mountains, which always puts me in the cooking and cleaning mood! So, today I decided to begin cleaning the pantry out and realized that I had an abundance of oats and nuts that I needed to do something with. I went down a rabbit hole and started planning granola! The pantry didn’t get cleaned completely, but I did make some delicious granola! I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Ingredients:

• Three cups of organic old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup organic chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup organic chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup organic chopped pecans
• 3 tbs organic raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbs organic sunflower seeds
• 1 tbs organic chia seeds
• 2 tbs organic ground flax seeds
• 3 tbs gogi berries or raisins
• 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1/2 cup of organic pure maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 cup smooth organic peanut butter
• 1/2 cup organic olive oil
• Agave or honey for drizzling not mixing.

Mix all the dry ingredients and preheat the oven to 320 for convection. Mix the remaining ingredients over low heat until it comes together smoothly. Pour the wet ingredient into the bowl of dry and gently stir with a rubber spatula. When mixed spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread evenly and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and mix the granola with a metal spatula. Return to the oven and bake 20 more minutes. Take out of the oven and drizzle your choice of honey or agave and put under the broiler for just enough time for the granola to brown up lightly. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

Mixing the ingredients.

Spreading the granola in a baking sheet.

Using the spatial mix the granola gently once it’s cool. Store the granola in a glass jar. Keeps for a couple of weeks if it is in an air tight container.

This is a two gallon jar! I’ve got another batch of granola to add to it.

I hope your family enjoys this tasty granola. I think it’s great alone as a snack and wonderful in a parfait. I also like it in a bowl with almond milk as a cereal.

Dinner

Just for fun! A picture of dinner this evening. Fresh beans, corn, potatoes, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes with sautéed portobello mushrooms with peppers and onions and a slice of cornbread. Nothing better than veggies from our garden!

For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky! Don’t forget to like, comment, and or follow! We

Vegan Italian Spinach Wraps

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky! I hope your day is a blessed one. I am excited to bring to you my new spinach wrap recipe that I’ve been working with for a couple of weeks. Saturday’s wraps were the success that I’ve been working toward! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh organic baby spinach
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur unbleached or wheat)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• 3-4 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup cold filtered water (this can be modified if needed)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground basil
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon organic ground garlic

Add one cup of spinach and one cup of flour to a food processor dicing it to allow room for an additional cup of each. Dice again and add the remaining spinach and flour. Add spices, and process adding oil slowly as the mixture mixes. Add water until you have a dough consistency. Sometimes the amount of water varies. Only add what you need. If the mixture is too wet, add an additional spoon of flour and mix. You can’t go wrong on this mixture if you achieve a doughy consistency. You can play with the oil as well. If you need more, add a tiny bit.

Fresh spinach is the best!!

Preheat a cast iron skillet. I use ceramic cast iron for this and it works great. Add a tiny spray of organic extra virgin olive oil to the pan to heat. While the pan is heating spoon out a large spoon of the mixture onto a floured dough sheet or parchment paper. Using flour on your hands roll the dough into a ball and then begin rolling the dough flat.

Ball of spinach dough.

Second rolling of the wrap.

A second rolling of the wrap ensures the desired thickness of the wrap. You can sprinkle flour over the wrap to prevent it from sticking. Once you have achieved the desired thickness, lay your bread in the hot pan. It only takes about 1 1/2 minutes per side. While my bread is browning, I usually roll another piece of dough. Parchment paper, coffee filters, cheese cloth, or white paper towels between the wraps will help prevent them from sticking until they’re cooled.

Preparing the wrap!

This is the thickness that I like!

Remove the bread and place on your choice of liner. Once the wraps are completely cooled, I place mine in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for fresheners. This recipe usually yields eight to nine wraps. They taste great warmed with fresh veggies, a smear of peanut butter, as a side for Italian dishes, and extremely good with no dairy cheese melted on them.

You may substitute seasonings for Mexican seasonings, plain with a little salt and pepper, or with curry seasonings. The possibilities are endless. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. I look forward to posting new wraps. I am currently working on a high fiber flax wrap. I would love to hear how you eat yours! Feel free to like, share, comment and follow. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky!

Garden Time

Garden Time!!!

Good morning from the mountains of Kentucky! Cold air invaded the mountains last night. It was a chilling 28 degrees when I awoke this morning. I was thankful that I had covered my ferns up last night. We have several mountain winters in March and April in Kentucky. With so many of the trees and bushes blooming early this year, it’s difficult to determine which winter it is. I’m not sure if this cold snap is redbud winter or dogwood winter. Nevertheless, hope remains as these small winters only last a day or two and then it’s mild weather again.

The smell of yesteryears lingers in the air as the garden was turned this week. The smell of fresh soil always reminds me of growing up only a few miles from where we live. Papaw plowed with a mule and plow from morning till evening. He would wipe the sweat from his brow, fan with his hat, rest a bit and return to his work. The smell of the rich dirt lingered in the air just as it does here today. The chickens are enjoying the freshly plowed ground as well. They love to scratch and search for worms in the loose dirt.

As I prepare breakfast this morning, I am reminded of eating oatmeal with my Papaw. I felt an unction to prepare a hardy bowl of oats, as he called them. I like to use a half cup organic oats, filtered water, fresh honey for the sweetening, and whatever fruit I have available. This morning I added a half of an organic banana, and some organic blueberries. I include a tablespoon of organic walnuts, a teaspoon of flaxseed, hempseed, and chia seeds. White serving I drizzle with almond milk and a tiny bit of honey. I toasted a slice of my homemade seeded bread with breakfast this morning. It’s a hard breakfast that will sustain me until late in the afternoon.

Delicious plant-based breakfast for a busy day!

I’m excited about planting this year. The manure has been spread and the first turning of the garden is complete. Seeds have been sewn in miniature green houses, and in the hydroponic garden. Fresh vegetables are a joy in the summer months. Fall is a time of harvesting and preserving for the winter months ahead. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for those who enjoy eating what they’ve grown from seed to nourish their bodies.

Spreading natural fertilizer.

Gardens can be as large or as small as you want them to be. For us, a large feeds our families all summer and sustains in the cold months. We usually have an abundance to share with neighbors, extended family, and church family. It seems the more we give to others, the more it grows.

Organic lettuce in one of the hydroponic gardens seven days after seeing the seed.

Eating healthy is a large part of being healthy. Eating organic, plant-based, and clean is a foundation for overall health. Get up and get moving! Being active helps prevent and fight many diseases that plague people across the world. Make it a point to know the ingredients in the food that you put in your body. Know the vocabulary of hidden toxic ingredients. Do your research, and start small and make changes weekly. For example, I no longer buy bread that is deemed healthy, but is it really when you can’t pronounce fourteen of the twenty seven ingredients. I choose to bake bread for my family on Saturday mornings. My recipe has four ingredients, of which one is water, and I add various organic seeds for the crunch and fiber. The following is a link to my bread recipe. It’s easy, doesn’t require an abundance of time and tastes delicious. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Living a clean and holistic life is very gratifying. The rewards are great and exceeds the long days and time spent prepping, preparing, and growing, foods that nourish your body, not poisoning them a little at a time with toxic ingredients found in processed foods.

The first turning of the garden!

I would like close with a great book suggestion for young readers, as a read aloud, and great for the primary classroom. It is written by our daughter and it’s beautifully written and illustrated. Check the book out at the following link;

http://My Magic Boots https://a.co/d/bcIP0sC

Link is added above.

God bless from the mountains of Kentucky! May your day be filled with joy, hope, the love of Christ, and good nutritious foods that can help heal you from the inside out. Feel free to leave a comment, like, and or follow by blog for more posts on clean and holistic living.

First turning of the garden complete! Awaiting a second plowing and plants!

Moist Vegan Banana Bread

Hello from the mountains of Kentucky! I am super excited to share a new recipe that I have been experimenting with and finally perfected it last week. I love a good moist banana bread. I have tried several vegan recipes with little to no luck with the right amount of moisture and sweetness. This recipe fits the bill for both. It’s quick, easy, and requires minimal ingredients and those that you probably already have in your pantry. It’s also delicious with a cup of hot tea!

Ingredients:

• One large overly ripe organic banana or two small overripe bananas
• 2 cups all purpose flour (I like King Arthur’s unbleached flour)
• 1/2 tsp pink organic Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp anti-caking organic baking soda
• 1/2 tsp organic all spice
• 3/4 cup organic cane sugar
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp good quality Non-GMO vanilla extract
• 1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup chopped organic walnuts
• Add in options can be; chocolate chips, pecans, raisins, or cranberries.

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or butter a glass 8×8 baking dish. Line it with parchment paper and then spray or butter the paper.

Mash the banana, vanilla, and sugar and mix well. Add salt, baking soda, flour, vinegar, and applesauce and fold the ingredients together without overmixing. Add the milk a little at a time and until the batter well. Fold in the walnuts. Add the bread mixture to the lined glass baking dish. I baked my bread for 45 minutes. I checked it at 30 minutes and determined it needed fifteen more minutes to be baked through and through.

Mixed ingredients

I removed my bread from the parchment paper and set it on a baking rack to cool for thirty minutes. Once the bread was cooled, I placed it in an airtight container. I have enjoyed this bread all week as a snack with my lunch, toasted for a light breakfast, and in the evenings with coffee or tea. It is tasty, moist, and not overly sweet but flavorful.

You may add more sugar or even honey for a little more sweetness. If you’re not a fan of walnuts, pecans are a great substitute. I like to toast this bread for breakfast. It’s delicious with a smear of honey or plant butter. Unsweetened dark chocolate chips are a great addition as well. Either way you eat it, as breakfast, a snack, or dessert, it’s a delicious bread.

For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky. Feel free to comment, like, and subscribe. I look forward to hearing from you.

Tea Time Tuesday

Fresh peppermint tea in my favorite tea mug!

Good afternoon from the mountains of Kentucky! Today feels like spring in the mountains. Easter Lillie’s are bloomed, some of the trees and bushes are budding, and I see green plants emerging through the flower bed covering. I am excited about spring as it always feels like an opportunity for new beginnings, time to plant, and time to enjoy the beautiful mountains that we are blessed with.

Summer in the mountains!

For those of you who are serious tea drinkers, and for those who enjoy a cup of tea from time time… you’ll enjoy my series, Tea Time Tuesday. It will be a reoccurring blog post that will include random topics ranging from making teas, uses of teas, to recipes that include tea in them, and occasional recipes for goodies to eat while drinking tea. I will also review books I’ve read while enjoying a cup of tea. While some posts might be simple ramblings or inspirational words. However, today’s post is about a topic that is worthy of conversation. Loose tea verses tea bags.

I’ve been an avid tea drinker for years. I like almost all flavors of teas. But, I do have a few favorites. I love a good chai tea with oat milk, and lavender. I drink peppermint tea almost every day. I like black teas and love a good chamomile tea with either honey or lavender and sometimes both. Regardless the tea I drink, I prefer loose leaf to tea bags. The tea that I grow and dry does not even compare to purchased teas, but there are times when I buy loose leaf, especially black tea and chamomile tea. So, why do I prefer loose leaf to bagged tea? Loose leaf is more flavorful, I don’t have to worry about how long it’s been shelved, I don’t have to wonder if the bags are good quality or could they be toxic. There are so many different reasons, but flavor and the ability to use a tea ball of loose leaf tea a second time, which is a great money and tea saver, especially if you purchase tea. If you don’t like a tea ball, you can always purchase organic tea bags that you can fill yourself. The organic tea bags are great for tea on the go. They store easily in my lunch bag that I carry to work.

I’m curious about your preferences. Which do you prefer bagged tea or loose leaf, and why? I would love to hear from you. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky. I think I’ll enjoy a cup of tea and porch sit a little while on this beautiful spring-like day!

The Voice of God

Good Monday from the mountains of Kentucky. I awoke early this morning to make time for prayer, reading scriptures, and a little quiet time before preparing for the busy day ahead. There’s something about the early morning hours that brings a sense of renewal to my spirit. The stillness of the still dark sky, a quiet house, and the ability to meditate and truly listen for the Lord’s voice. Having a healthy relationship with God is part of being physically happy and being spiritually happy, which helps us be better prepared for the day or days ahead.

Our pastor’s wife once spoke on the voice of God. It was inspiring, reassuring, and confirming. The voice of God can be heard, sensed, and felt. It can be heard through His word, anointed preaching, the stillness of the night, a distant cry of a Hawk, in our thoughts, through words of wisdom given from others, and many other ways. His voice can be loud, soft, bold, and it can also be sweet and tender through prophetic words. We cannot put limitations on God. He is the Great I Am. He is the Alpha, the beginning, the first, the Omega, and the last. He is everything in between. We must recognize Him and reverence Him for who He is. To hear Him, and or recognize Him, we must calm the voices in our heads.

God’ promises are the same today as they were yesterday!

We are in a spiritual warfare with the enemy. The only place he can access is our thoughts, which if we allow his ideas and discouragement to linger, can become toxic. At this point we have allowed the enemy’s voice to overpower His voice. I have learned to pray for a watchman over my heart and mind. The enemy has no right to invade our peace. We must command him to go in the name of Jesus! He trembles at the name of Jesus! Speak the name of Jesus with boldness. You have authority of the enemy. I have countless testimonies about the voice of God but will only share a few of those with you today.

Years ago a friend of mine was having a difficult season in her life and was praying for answers. She prayed, trusted the Lord and waited on Him. One evening as she was checking her mail as she did on any given evening, she asked the Lord for confirmation that He would work this situation out. She needed help. She needed answers. And an answer came. She described how a gentle soft wind suddenly swept over her. She knew in her heart the gentleness of the unexpected breeze was God reassuring her that it was going to be okay. She worried no more but waited on the hand of God to move in what seemed like an impossible situation. And… He did.

He is with us even in the eye of a storm!

During a horrific spring storm a couple of years ago. The trees were swaying in the wind, rain was pouring down, and the creek water was rising fast. The sky was dark and we were under dangerous storm warnings. I was at home alone and was walking the floor praying for protection for myself, my family, for our homes and for our neighbors. I began speaking the name of Jesus. I quoted scriptures and continued to pray as the storm around our homes was raging. It felt as the storm was mocking me and trying to intimidate me and dissipate my faith that the Lord would take care of us. As I quoted Psalms 91, while peering through the window of the back door, I saw a sight that stopped me in my tracks and words. Hovering ever so gently near a set of wind chimes was a tiny hummingbird. Beyond the porch the winds lapped, the rain poured and the creek waters raged. The wind chimes were stilled and tiny bird hovered gracefully. I knew at that moment that the Lord was saying, “I’ve got this, trust me. I will care for you as I care for the fragile hummingbird. Trust me.” I snapped a quick picture of the hummingbird and as quickly as it arrived, it was gone. I relaxed as I knew the Lord was in control. The storm finally ceased leaving behind little to no damage. Since that day, when the enemy tries to scare me or intimidate me, or make me doubt, I think about the tiny hummingbird and words of comfort that I felt. We now have feeders gracing our porch to feed the tiny birds that God used to show me that He was in control of all. He is our protector, our guide, and God almighty!

Taken through a screened window during a raging spring storm. The creek was a small stream minutes before this picture was taken.

Many years ago, when we were praying about buying our home, there was chaos surrounding the situation. Some family members wanted to sell their parents home place, while others didn’t. I knew the home that had been their home was supposed to be our forever earthly home. I prayed and was continually being pulled to and fro. First we could buy the home and then others would change their minds. I continued to pray for His will. I felt compelled to visit a church one Sunday evening that I visited occasionally. Not really knowing why I felt lead to go, I went. During the worship service an elderly lady came to pray for me. She had no reason to know that I was praying about the home.

As she prayed for me, I felt an instant comfort and a closeness to the Lord. She spoke in my ear and said the Lord told her to tell me that even as soon as the morning, He would move in this that I had before Him. The peace resonated throughout my being. I can’t really recall what happened in the remainder of the service, or what the sermon was even about. I was enveloped in His presence and already planning how I would prepare for the move! The move to our new home. The next morning a family member who was an heir of the land we wanted contacted us to let us know they had made the decision to sell the home. A few months later we were living in our new home where after twenty seven years, we still reside today. God is faithful!

Early spring garden on our forever earthly land. God is good!

The voice of God can be soft, gentle, loud, clear, concise, and sometimes He uses the simple things such as the hummingbird to speak to us. Nevertheless, we must be willing to hear and receive what the Lord is telling us. Once we recognize it, we have to stand firm in our faith that He will do what He says He will do. Keep in mind the Lord spoke to people throughout the Bible through animals, nature, audible voices, angels and much more. We are no different than those that heard the Lord’s voice all those years ago. We, too, are His children. Finally, God don’t change. He was, and is, and is to come. He is the Great I Am.

God’s creation. Fall in the mountains.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my testimony’s about God’s voice. Feel free to comment, like, and or follow. I am excited to share more testimony’s of His voice next week. For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky.