What is Your Choice?

Prayer – Lord, every day I have to make choices…everyone does, but where is my choice? Other people make decisions that impact my life—I want You as my Shepherd. I want You to guide me and provide for me as You have promised. Thank you. 

Is this a path of righteousness?
It leads to the chapel at the Holy Family Shrine.
Summertime view - all snow covered now!
Gretna, Nebraska

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. Psalm 23:1-6 NKJV

 

Meditate. What is your choice today?

 

Are you choosing who influences your life?

 

Like a lot of other people, I continually find myself going back to Psalm 23. It restores my hope—and as I pray each verse, it calms my anxiety. I choose. I choose the Lord to be MY shepherd. I want Him to be the Lord of my life…and to lead me. Where He leads me, I will follow.

I recently started reading a book, “Breath as Prayer” by Jennifer Tucker. Breath in…The Lord is my Shepherd. Breath out…I shall not want (or her example, I have all that I need.) Do you feel the release of the stress? I did. I know that the Lord is going to take care of me—and this once again was like feeling the Lord put His arms around me and saying, “I’ve got you. I’ll take care of this—no worries.”  Ahhh. What a great promise and such reassurance. Jennifer uses verses common to us all and puts together the science of breathing and praying scripture. I am looking forward to breathing more prayers in the coming days. For now…I’m visualizing the green pastures, the still waters, the path of righteousness, and a table overflowing with a bounty of food from the Lord, and the Lord with me, protecting me from harm and the tribulations of life…that appear as the Valley of the Shadow of death. Yes, God is good. I feel I can trust Him. Breath in... breath out. That is my choice today. What is your choice?

Verse of Salvation ~ And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:32 NKJV

 

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

Today would have been my parents 77^th wedding anniversary. In honor of them here’s my mother’s favorite dessert that she would frequently have us kids fix for dessert on the weekends. Just the smell of it brings back fond memories. 

 

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

¼ cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

9 slices pineapple in juice (from 14-oz can), drained

9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired

1 1/3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

1 egg  

 

Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven, or microwave if it is a glass pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.

 

In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

 

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm, with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Store cake loosely covered, if there are any leftovers.

 

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted. 

New King James Version, © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Harper Collins Publisher. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

New Living Translation (NLT) copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

 

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