I brought my friend in the hospital a couple little plastic frogs, she had me rest them on the flowers so beautiful. Today is her birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND!!! She’s out of the woods from her condition, but still trudging through the mud fields of recovery. You know who loves mud fields? FROGS!!! Yes, a F.R.O.G. is an acronym for “Faithfully Relying On God”. Amen to that!

Thank you everyone for prayers!!! This friend (and all of you faithful readers) were placed in my life by God I am so sure. It is my praise to have people of praise who understand my praise who praise in their own way too. And what a blessing to have a pocket of people who F.R.O.G… RIBBIT!

The plastic frog is a toy from winning skee-ball tickets, trading them in, at the arcade last month for go-kart racing. It was my joy to share in this fun with people who took me skee-ball and go-karting – they are a great bunch and the people I did my sabbatical with – they were a gift (are a gift) from God for me and my career and my joy in the science and knowing I am supposed to be partners with them. I know this and I feel it and it is not “my job” but “God’s job for me” to be an encourager there. God hired me to smile and be an encourager everywhere.

And my F.R.O.G. Ribbit-ing Praise there included how things all seem to come together when you need them to – or at least give direction to the next step…

And my new F.R.O.G. Praise was a 3am idea the Lord gave me last week – and I quickly made an acronym – R.I.B.B.I.T. – which includes the name of the experiment and the intention “Reduction In B. – B. -I. – Timeline”. This plan pieced together two unusual thoughts for 3AM – an experimental approach that surely didn’t come from me thinking about it but having it connect like God’s Lego pieces in my life – an idea which woke me up and so I wrote down. This showed me (again) that God gives me direction for work too – and it is right in my wheelhouse – this is a GIFT of an IDEA for sure. 

This could have a big impact – or simply it is just an good idea to tinker with and then know if we can run with it – but it depends upon the results – and that is up to God too – I will do the work and if it works or not, He will hear my RIBBIT praise either way. Life is like that – we can’t expect instant results –  that is why we need time for DATA – for the knowledge that where we are being led is going to be fruitful or not. DATA is DATA we say – it is what it is – we will learn either way!

ONE BIG PRAISE – the nurse who came in while I was visiting and heard my friend’s life medical history just in our conversation and pinpointed the direction she should take with getting the right doctor for a particular cause – and wow, this nurse said she was doing a dissertation on that direct issue – wow – this nurse has studied the DATA  – and we sat there in amazement – and we knew that God put her there. We knew that this angel of a nurse as a gift from God. A direction to go – a path to follow – a Lord to praise for it all!

My DATA for watching and knowing the Lord in my life and in so many people’s lives – is this: THE LORD PROVIDES!!!  We have seen this provision with stuff but really we have HIS PROVISION with direction of life, advice to listen to, hope to have, fun to enjoy, people to meet, life to live. Be the Lord’s because He does have this all figured out!!!

If we are in the MUDs of life (“Make-do Until Directions) then let us FROG (Faithfully Rely on God) – and “RIBBIT” in praise… praise praise praise…  and remember the muds of life – keep us looking TO Him…  Keep an eye on God’s plan.

Let us all FAITHFULLY RELY ON GOD today and every day and be F.R.O.G.s Ribbit-ing Praise.

Happy Birthday my friend – God’s got you right where He can keep an eye on you in the mud. Get better and better!!!

Amen

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Psalm 147

Praise the Lord.

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How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

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The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

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The Lord sustains the humble

but casts the wicked to the ground.

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Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;

make music to our God on the harp.

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He covers the sky with clouds;

he supplies the earth with rain

and makes grass grow on the hills.

He provides food for the cattle

and for the young ravens when they call.

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His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

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Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion. He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

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He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.

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He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

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He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.

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Praise the Lord.

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Psalm 148

Praise the Lord.

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Praise the Lord from the heavens;

Praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels;

Praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;

Praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens

and you waters above the skies.

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Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever – He issued a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children.

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Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

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Praise the Lord.

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Psalm 149

Praise the Lord

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Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

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Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

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May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people.

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Praise the Lord.

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Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

Praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

Praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

Praise him with the harp and lyre,

Praise him with timbrel and dancing,

Praise him with the strings and pipe,

Praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath PRAISE the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

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AMEN!!!!!