Salty Zebra

  Last year I cashed out $1,100 from Swagbucks. That's not nothing, and I thought you might be interested to hear about how I earned so much and how you could too! ** Note: most of the links in this post are to specific pages on Swagbucks that you can only see if you have an account. It's free and if you haven't signed up yet, I'd really appreciate it if you used my referral link so I can get credit for sending you to them!** How it Works  Swagbucks rewards your activities with, well, swagbucks (SBs). That is their portal currency. One swagbuck is the equivalent of one cent (1SB = $0.01). Most of the time, these awards will "pend" for a period of time (that will be listed on the offer) and eventually they will be deposited into your account. Once there, you can cash them out for a variety of awards from gift cards (at a 1SB = $0.01 redemption rate) to PayPal cash transfers if you have saved up at least $5 worth, or 500 SBs. Bank Bonuses  The vast majority of ...

  As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12  Last month I wrote a post that will likely never see the light of day. You see, someone did great harm to one of my close loved ones, and to me by extension, and I was writing about the impact it had on me, the collateral damage I had become. But, of course, that initial hurt was done to someone other than me, and it is not my story to tell. The thing is, within that, I still have a story. I still have an injury. The trauma is real, but it is not mine to share, so how do I deal with it?   I guess I defaulted to my old ways of dealing with it initially and just stuffed it down. That does no one any good. Our verse today shares the incomprehensible blessing of God’s forgiveness for us and reminds me that He has called me to forgive as well. Forgiveness is crucial in relationships because whenever two or more humans get together, someone will mess up. But what role does...

  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12  I am a fiber artist, I have been most of my life, but it wasn’t until about 15 years ago that I began spinning. My Mom got me started by handing me a drop spindle, a very similar concept to what was used back when this verse was written, one evening when I was over to visit. She walked me through the basics of its use and once I got going I couldn’t stop.  I used a drop spindle for months and then “graduated” to a spinning wheel when my husband bought me one for Christmas that year (with my Mom’s help of course).  When you spin, you are lengthening the wool fibers and twisting them into a (typically) fine thread. The fibers have microscopic barbs on them that tangle with one another, keeping the thread, or single, intact. But if you pull too strongly on this thread, accidentally or on purpose, it will usually fall apart. While the fibers are...

  A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1  Almost three years ago now, I was facing brain surgery. I had been diagnosed with a tumor blocking my 4 th ventricle and it needed to be removed right away. I read up on the type of tumor they thought I had (they were wrong), the location, the surgery. I tried to prepare without inducing too much fear, but one fear took shape in the back of my subconscious that survives today – the fear that my personality would be inextricably changed. I had heard horror stories from friends and family of their loved ones who, typically through traumatic brain injury, went from loving, kind, grace filled people to nasty, bitter abusive ones. I was terrified that would happen to me. At first, I thought I had been spared this outcome, but now I’m not so sure.   The first 25 years of our family, this verse was my job. In fact, when my health had brought me to a place where I literally couldn’t contribu...

  As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17  My son has been sharpening my knives for many years now. He meticulously slides the blades across the stone and gets the edges just right. But still, he reminds me frequently to “steel the blade” before I use it to cut. Chefs always do this on tv, and I’ll admit I have had thoughts that it was just done for drama – crisscrossing the knife and the steel back and forth, but there is real value in it! Using a honing steel does not sharpen your knife, it simply realigns the blade’s edge. You see, when you use a knife to cut, the thin edge bends microscopically, beyond what we can see with our eyes. But over time and use, these bends become more and more pronounced, making the knife dull. You might not realize it, but a dull knife is a dangerous one. It can slip or require more force to do it’s job, which can lead to injury. A sharp knife slides through food easily and is both a joy and a safety. But sharpen...

  Do not let truth and mercy leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and good understanding, in the sight of God and people.  This morning as I consider our SOAP verses for today, for some reason God is bringing our country’s immigration issues to mind. I wasn’t thinking about it before doing my study today, so that’s why I credit it to God. I see that the two sides of the issue are each focusing on one of the values discussed in verse 3: mercy and truth, but neither side seems to embrace both. In fact, it seems impossible to hold both equally in our hearts, but with God, all things are possible ( Philippians 4:13 ).   The right wing/conservative side of our country has been touting the importance of truth. They are citing the letter of the law, stating that by entering the country illegally, all illegal immigrants are law-breakers. While that is technically true, I would be quick to remind you that we a...

 New year, new study! I'm really looking forward to getting started on this one next week. Three weeks off is TOO LONG! Only God knows all that lays ahead of me this year, but at the very least I see my husband starting a new job (also next week) and my youngest son buying a house, making us officially empty nesters. Lord knows there will be health questions, there always are. There will probably be relationship issues and financial questions. Where do you go with all that? Do you let it take up space rent-free in your mind, distracting you from the present and stealing your joy? Or, do you take it to your Heavenly Father and lean on His wisdom and guidance?  That's  what I want to do this year, every year really.  In this study, we're seeking to be intentional about incorporating prayer and scripture together. Praying God's Word back to Him positions us uniquely to be assured of His perfect answers. If He says it, we can trust it! Each week we'll have a different f...