Ink It Blog

2012-01-24T03:33:00.000-08:00

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the
one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

If God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-seeing, then why
should we need to ask Him for the things we need?

You know what? God does know what we need before we ask or
even realize we need it. He knows what is best for us, even when we don’t. But
He waits for us to ask Him for our needs before answering for many reasons.

1. Asking fosters trust.

When an infant cries and its parents respond in a timely and
consistent fashion, a bond of trust develops. In the same way, we learn to trust God when we
cry to Him and He meets our needs. If I don't ask, I never learn to trust Him.

2. Asking fosters our personal growth.

I chuckle when my daughter tells her kids to "use their
words" when they want something. Most of the time she understands their
gestures or childish grunts, but by making them articulate what they need, she helps
them to grow in their communication skills.

Often we don't know what we really want or need from God. We
react emotionally to circumstances, people or pain rather than responding to
God’s presence in our lives. “Using our words” helps us work through the strong
emotions to an understanding of what we really need from our heavenly Father. We
grow up in Him.

3. Asking keeps the lines of communication open with God.

Little children go through a “Why?” phase, constantly asking
questions. Then they hit puberty and suddenly their parents don’t know anything
at all. Thankfully, they outgrown that phase too and as adults they come to appreciate
their parents’ wisdom. They begin asking
the more honest questions on their hearts which fosters a deeper relationship
based on mutual respect, trust and love. And so it is between us and our
heavenly Father.

Lord, help me to trust you enough to ask the raw, innermost,
honest questions of my heart. Amen.

Joy in the hard places

2012-01-20T04:23:00.000-08:00

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3 NIV

There comes a point in each trial or crisis - a rock-bottom
place - when we are forced to make a
decision. We decide either to let the trial defeat us or to let it better
us.

If we succumb to the pain of the crisis, bitterness begins
to grow in our hearts, eventually darkening our spirits. But a decision to
fight back against the trial brings hope and even a glimmer of joy.

Salvation is a good example of this. Did you know that 99%
of Christians accepted Christ during a moment of crisis or great trial? Think
back to when you first made the decision to accept Christ.

When we make the decidion to let trials change us / grow us,
we begin to experience a sense of our Heavenly Father with us He is the bright
spot in the midst of the pain and grief. He begins to massage our hearts with
the oil of gladness with a sweet aroma that permeates even the most difficult
circumstances.

The events or circumstances around us might not change, but
our hearts and attitudes do - we experience the joy of relationship with Christ
in the midst of our sorrows.

Father, whenever I am going through a crisis in my life,
help me to choose to reach out to your healing, hope and joy. Help me to cling
to that hope and joy no matter how long it takes to get through the trial/
Amen!

Expections and judgements

2012-01-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 NIV

Childish giggles drifted down the stairs, bringing a smile to my daughter's lips. The two youngest children were playing well together in their bedrooms - at least for the moment.

A few minutes later a large thud rocked the house, coming from the upstairs bedroom area. My daughter tensed, waiting for the ear-splitting shriek that would surely follow. When nothing happened, she sent her oldest daughter to be sure no one was hurt.

As Eve peered into the girls' bedroom, her three year old sister Katie looked up at her from the floor, thinking she was in trouble. "I can espain...," she said. "I was trying to fly."

At one time or other, we all try to fly and most of us learn the hard way that we can't.

So why do we expect that others can fly; or read our minds to know exactly what we need when we need it; or perform some other impossible human behaviors - and then judge them harshly when they fail?.

Lord, I don't like being judged when I fail someone. Help me not to judge others either. Amen.

Spiritual renovations and touchups for the New Year

2012-01-01T13:26:00.001-08:00

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

I love watching those TV home makeover programs – especially the ones where they do renovations on a very low budget. It forces the design team to get creative – buying used furniture and recycling the pieces into interesting and serviceable new pieces. They also take inexpensive materials and build custom pieces like headboards or artwork for the walls.

At the hands of skilled carpenters, old cabinets become armoires. With some sanding, recovered cushions and a few coats of paint, mismatched wooden chairs and tables look like they belong together. And with the addition of crystal beads, an old chandelier gets new life.

The key word here is “skilled.” These TV craftsmen know what they’re doing. They can see the potential in a piece of old furniture and they can envision what it will look like when it’s finished, in it’s newly redesigned space.

I look forward to the end of each show when they do the reveal to the home owner. Even if I wouldn’t want that style of make over in my house, I am always impressed at the way the room comes together.

In the same way, Jesus, the master craftsman, takes a broken life and redesigns it – cutting, sanding, reupholstering, painting it, until that old life is almost unrecognizable. It becomes brand new, with new purpose. The old life is no more. Those who see it are amazed at the transformation and beauty of the new life.

Even those of us who have been Christians for many years can stand a little (or a lot) of touchup work to keep our spiritual lives new and bright. Our polish get’s tarnished, the paint peels and our old nature starts showing through again. We’re a work in progress until the day we cross heaven’s threshold.

So, what areas of your life need a little heavenly renovation in this New Year?

Lord, the new year is a wonderful time to reexamine my heart to see what condition it is in. Help me to see those areas where I need some heavenly touchups from the Master Craftsman and help me to submit to your renovations so my life might be shiny and new again in your hands. Amen.

Trusting God through the losses of life

2011-04-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.”
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
~ Job 1:21b-22 ~

Loss and the subsequent grieving process seem to always be a part of our lives. We lose loved ones, jobs, our health, our faculties, relationships, material possessions, status and especially our car keys LOL!

Learning to grieve and work through those losses are the most important tasks of our lives, often determining the extent of our spiritual growth and ministry on this earth. Jesus pointed that out when he shared the parable about the kernel of wheat falling into the ground and dying in order to yield a large harvest. (John 12:24)

One of my favorite Bible stories centers around Ruth and Naomi. (The Book of Ruth, chapters 1-4) Both women suffered heavy losses. Naomi was uprooted from friends and family in Bethlehem to move to a new land where she experienced the pain of being an outsider. Then her husband died, leaving her and her sons to fend for themselves. They were stuck in a strange land because returning to Israel meant a further loss of livelihood – the famine was heavy there, leaving no grazing land for their flocks.

As long as she had her two sons, Naomi felt compelled to be strong – to bear her losses and carry on in this foreign place. She even managed to rejoice and grew to love her new daughters-in-law when her sons married local girls. But when both of her sons died, leaving her virtually alone and unprotected in a foreign place, Naomi’s resolve cracked and a deep depression which had been building up for a long time overcame her soul. She lost her faith in God, allowing the pent up anger and bitterness inside to well up to the point where she wanted to change her name to Mara(bitter).Even returning to her home and friends didn’t help break through her depression.

Orpah coped with her loss of her husband by taking the easier route away from her pain. At the first opportunity, she returned to the safety of her home, despite the fact that she belonged to Naomi’s family through the marriage contract.We can’t really fault Orpah – she was doing what she needed to do for herself to carry on; choosing to be surrounded by family and friends and the potential of remarriage rather than making the drastic life changes involved in staying with Naomi.

Ruth, on the other hand,had discovered something powerful and real through her marriage to Mahlon – she discovered faith in a new God who cared for His people and offered her a way of escape from the hardships of her life in Moab. We don’t know what her life was like before she married Mahlon, but it must have been bad enough to cause her to to be desperate to leave Moab with Naomi, despite the fact that Naomi painted a very bleak picture of the future in Israel for her daughter-in-law.

Through her newfound faith, Ruth embraced the pain of her loss. She worked through it to the point where she accepted the future, no matter what it held, because she trusted God. Sure Ruth keenly felt the loss of her husband, but the thoughts of losing her relationship with Naomi and Naomi’s God hurt worse – a loss she couldn’t bear. So she worked through her feelings of loss with trust in her new God to take care of her even if things got as bad as Naomi said they would.

Her attitude, like that of Job in today’s quote, pleased God. He brought her into a new land where she put down roots and flourished under His care. Her tears were wiped away and her life morphed into more than she ever dreamed it could as she married Boaz, had a son and was welcomed into Bethlehem’s society. God even blessed her by incorporating her into the lineage of the Messiah. Through Ruth’s healing, the lives of all around her were touched. Naomi eventually overcame her own depression and learned to live again.

I wish I could say I always reacted to loss the way Ruth did.But I can’t. I’ve experienced deep depression many times over the course of my life resulting from painful losses. I’ve also coped by taking the easier way out rather than trusting God to walk me through the hard places. But in those times when I have managed to trust Him through the losses, I have seen phenomenal growth and healing in my life. I have reached some of my goals that I never believed possible!

We all suffer loss, but my prayer for you today is that you might know the comfort, strength and even joy of the Lord through those losses; that you might experience the healing, growth and overcoming power of the Lord to bring you to new heights because of those losses like He did for Ruth and Job. Amen!

Today’s In Other Words is hosted by Miriam over at her blog MiPa’s Monologue. If you’d like to play along, blog about today’s quote on your blog site, then hop on over to Miriam’s blog and leave your URL with the Linky tool

Be sure to leave her a comment so she knows you visited and if you have time, visit the other blogs listed there to see everyone’s take on the quote. You’ll definitely be blessed!.

Who’s an April Fool?

2011-04-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know April fool’s day has come and gone, but it was kinda fun this year….

No, I didn’t play any jokes – at least not intentionally. I was baby sitting for my 2 grandkids in Maryland and handing out money to my d-i-l whose birthday was a joke on her mom 37 years ago. But it was a good day nevertheless.

Six year old Avery is in Kindergarten and is such a cutie. We started talking on Friday afternoon after his parents left. I made a statement and in typical six-year-old fashion he asked, “Why?”

“Why?” he asked again after I gave him the answer. After my third reply and yet another, “Why?” I couldn’t help myself; I started laughing out loud. I don’t remember my own children going through the “Why?” stage, but I guess they did. It just tickled my funny bone to hear Avery do it with such a serious expression on his little face.

While I giggled, he looked at me as if I suddenly sprouted bunny ears. Then a grin spread across his face and he said, “Grammy, you’re making April Fools!”

Saturday evening, Avery told me Mother Nature was making April Fools because it was snowing with thunder and lightning outside. I guess so! We ended up with 4 inches of wet yucky white stuff on the ground which the forecasters did not predict. Every bit of it melted away by Sunday afternoon so I could travel the back roads home with no problems.

Once home, I began to get caught up on the weekend mail and noticed an interesting story on the front page of the northern NY newspaper where I used to work. The paper comes out once a week on Fridays (which just happened to be on you-know-what day this year LOL!) The lead story showed a photo of SOMETHING with a head and several humps swimming in the Oswegatchie River. An Oswegatchieness Monster perhaps??????

What a great story. The writer hooked his audience right from the beginning with an outrageous, yet believable story about a trucker passing through town who saw this thing on the river as he crossed the bridge. The trucker photographed it with his cell phone and then called the local paper.

After the interview, the trucker climbed into the cab of his truck and told the news editor, “I’ll be driving slow and looking into the river again…. just in case.”

To which the editor laughed and replied, “I happen to see gullible readers who read this story all the way to the end before realizing it’s April Fools Day.”

Got me again!

Keep a craft room (or household) journal

2011-03-04T05:05:00.000-08:00

Why Bother to Journal? Part 8

Several months ago, I ran across a discussion on a rubber stamping forum about cataloging our supplies. When I walked into my craft room, I nearly suffered a heart attack thinking of the task that lay ahead!

That room is filled with so many cool tools and so much…well…stuff. But it’s my stuff and I do use it. So, I began a craft room journal of all that “stuff” in an organized fashion, listing the items and their use and replacement cost.

As the thread suggested, I started with my markers and coloring supplies. But I soon gave up because I had so many run-of-the-mill dollar variety sets, purchased during those back to school supply sales each summer. However, I did manage to catalog all the more valuable items like punches, scissors, die cutting supplies and non-consumable tool items in the room.

Oh my aching head! Why would I put myself through this tedious torture?

One obvious reason is for insurance purposes. Heaven forbid if a disaster ever struck my craft room and all its contents were lost (No, I’m not talking about those whirlwind creative days when hurricane Bonnie blows through the room. LOL!)

I use many of my craft items on a continuous basis and would definitely want to replace them if something happened. But in the aftermath of a fire or other destructive event, I know I wouldn’t think clearly enough to remember all the items I have. After all, I’ve been purchasing tools and supplies for this card-making passion of mine for over 15 years.

A second reason to keep this type of journal for my craft room is to be able to see at a glance what supplies I have to prevent duplication when shopping.

It’s true. I come from a family of habitual hoarders! When we began clearing out my parents’ home to sell it, we started with only a pathway to get through the rooms. As we worked our way to the outer walls, we found several cases of paper towels and a dozen unopened 3 pound cans of coffee. New sheet sets still in the wrappers and brand new bath towels while the shredded ones hung on the bathroom towel bars.

Groan! I promised myself then that I would never succumb to the family disease, but I do have a craft gadget fetish. If there is a new tool that will do the job more efficiently than one I already have, well….. But at least I’m not buying the exact same tool or Cricut cartridge twice, though I have found some duplicates among my $1 stamp sets.

Perhaps the most important reason for me to keep this craft room journal is to see how much I have invested in my craft hobby (obsession). What an eye opener as I went through my supplies and tools shelf by shelf!

I found consumable supplies I purchased on sale thinking that “someday” I would use them. But someday never came and here they still are taking up space while I buy more sale items to squirrel away! I have wonderful stash of design paper, cardstock, brads, embellishments and other assorted treasures – enough that I shouldn’t have to purchase anything for a loooooong time. And those addictive little $1 stamps…I have over one hundred of them, most of which haven’t seen ink yet.

So the challenge is now to use it or lose it as I streamline things. Not only am I reclaiming valuable space in my craft room by whittling away at my consumable stash, I’m saving money. Before buying new stamps or consumable items, I can see what I have at a glance and peel my fingers off that I’ll-use-it-someday sale item.

I’ve even been able to sell a few of my tools that have duplicate functions. Hmmmm….Florida, here I come!

The Shortcut Less Travelled

2011-03-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

“If you don’t change the direction you are going,
then you are likely to end up where you are headed.”

~ ~John Maxwell~

Every once in awhile, Dan and I enjoy taking a drive off the beaten path, turning onto roads we’ve never travelled before to see where we end up. What a great way to get to know the communities where we live, a chance to see unusual and beautiful sights and time to chat, uninterrupted by phones or the television.

A few years ago, we headed toward home in Maryland after visiting family in PA. There was no rush to get home and the day was gorgeous for driving so we decided to turn off the Interstate onto a less travelled road that went through a state park. We knew generally where we were and where the road should come out so we opted to take the scenic route. We still had about 30 miles to reach home, but we thought the road might offer us a shortcut. No problem.

At first it was a nice two lane, well-maintained road with houses on either side – a typical country road. Then we entered the state forest land. The road was still paved, and there were no signs indicating a dead end, so we kept going. But the farther we travelled, the narrower the road became, turning into gravel, then a packed dirt road.

Since Dan grew up in the country, he wasn’t fazed by the changes and decided to keep going. After all, we knew that a road bearing the same name came out near our home road.

But soon the dirt road narrowed into a single lane, grassy wooded path. There were even muddy puddles from a recent rain which I was sure could swallow us up and no one would ever find us since there was absolutely no traffic. No signs warned us to turn back. I got a little worried and wanted to turn around, but there wasn’t even any place to turn around.

Still unfazed, Dan kept going, slowly but surely down the path, navigating around the water puddles and careful to avoid branches which had fallen on the path. I’m not sure whether the Royal Ranger, explorer side of him kicked in or whether he was just too stubborn to backtrack and make our trip home even longer after wasting so much time on our current path.

Just when I had almost persuaded him to try to turn around, patches of gravel appeared on the path, sparse at first, then more often until we were back on a gravel road. Soon we were back on a real road again, complete with the white no passing stripes down the middle. Whew!

We ended up near where Dan thought the road would come out and with a few minor course adjustments, we soon turned onto our tried and true shortcut road home. It was an INTERESTING afternoon jaunt.

I’ve been on the journey with the Lord long enough to know if He directs me down a certain path, I’d better take it! It might lead me through some interesting, narrow, muddy, tree-strewn places – some places where I’m tempted to bite my nails and feel like turning back, but as long as He’s guiding me, I will come out exactly where He wants me to be. Thanks Lord!

Today’s In Other Words is being hosted by Nina of Mama’s Little Treasures. If you’d like to play along, share your thoughts about John Maxwell’s quote on your blog today. Then, visit Nina’s blog and share a link to your blog.

Be sure to visit the others who have also written on it and leave them a comment so they know you were there! Happy Tuesday!

Why bother to journal?–part 7

2011-02-23T04:17:00.000-08:00

The Family Journal

Time has a way of dulling even the most important memories of our lives.. We don’t intend to forget things, but ultimately we do.We can’t see the faces of loved ones who’ve passed away without a photograph to remind us. We can’t remember the everyday little things that used to give us so much pleasure – at least not until something triggers those memories. So here are some ideas to help keep those family memories safe.

Keep a daily diary of all the funny, important, memorable things from each day. When my mother began showing signs of Alzheimer's, I lived far enough away that I couldn’t visit her very often. I began to write down at least one story from that day to share with her the next time I visited – anything from funny things my children did to memorable sermon points. Sometimes I included photos so she could read and see the family since it helped her remember.

Remember Anne Frank? She left a permanent record of her family’s struggles in World War II in the pages of her diary – a slice of life during a difficult time which has helped countless children and adults remember the horrors of that time in history.

Interview parents while they are still here to get a good picture of what their lives were like and important lessons they learned, family traditions, stories, etc.

Too often we lose a valuable part of our heritage when family members die. Little things like their favorite foods and recipes are lost. How did they celebrate Christmas? What kind of games did they play? Where did they travel?

My father fought in World War II and has many photos of himself and his buddies standing outside his barracks in Hawaii, though he refused to talk about his experiences. The things I learned I had to piece together from his discharge papers and other small snippets of memorabilia I found after he passed away. Sites like www.military.com help to fill in the blanks. but I still feel as though I lost some valuable insights into my family history.

Create scrapbooks with journaling of the family photos and the stories you collect. Include important papers like military discharge papers, old letters, photos, and other memorabilia you can find. One of the best pieces of memorabilia from my mother was an old autograph book with cute rhymes from her 10th grade schoolmates.

Take some family time to go through the old family photos and write down who is in each one, the dates if possible and any memories the photo triggers. It will help to create a visual family tree of relatives long gone or ones you know little about. One of my mother;s relatives put together a genealogy of the family which dates back to the 1700s when the family first arrived in the US. Around the early 1900s they began including photos as well which is a rich source of my Mennonite heritage.

My mother and father kept all the little remembrance cards from the funeral homes. For many of them i was able to piece together small snippets of memories about their lives and family connections.

Keep a record of family illnesses too. For example, I know almost every member of my dad’s family developed diabetes before they passed away. My mother’s family illnesses included arthritis, Alzheimer's and some cancer. The information is important to pass on to my children and grandchildren.

In the days following the death of a loved one, write down all the memories that come to you – not only will it help you to grieve through their loss, it will give you some tangible memories to look back on later, memories that could fade and be lost over time.

As you sort through their things, save their diaries, writings and personal memorabilia that you find. You may not have time or the heart to go through it right away, but later on you will value it and be better able to judge what you want to keep.

I’m not sure why, but the older I get, the more important it becomes to me to remember my family heritage and pass on those memories to my grandchildren. While they are busy growing up and changing their world, I have slowed down and find myself trying to document the important things my generation changed. We need the energy and enthusiasm of youth along with the wisdom of age and creating a family journal can help keep it all in perspective – not to mention give the grandkids a fit of giggles when they look back at our funny hair styles and clothing. LOL!

A Touch of Mercy–In Other Words Tuesday

2011-02-22T05:56:00.000-08:00

“Nothing humbles and breaks the heart of a sinner
like mercy and love.
Souls that converse much with sin and wrath,
may be much terrified;
but souls that converse much with grace and mercy,
will be much humbled.”

~ ~Thomas Brooks (1608 – 1680) ~

A Touch of Mercy
Bonnie Winters © 6/5/2006

A short story based on John 8:1-11 (NIV)

Gritty dust caked on her teary cheeks as she lay panting on the ground where she fell. It mingled with blood seeping from the cut on her mouth where a heavy-handed man slapped her to quiet her protests.

“Get up, harlot. Let’s see how Jesus judges you today.” A rough hand hauled her to her feet and shoved her forward. She willed herself to keep silent against the pain as she stumbled into a circle of leering men. Regaining her balance, she lifted her chin in an attempt at a haughty pose. Her clenched teeth bit back the retort she would have made to the Pharisees who dragged her here.

Fools, she thought, raking the circle with her eyes. She masked her fading bravado as she realized there was nowhere to run. The bawdy crowd blocked her escape, calling for the Master’s decision.

“Stone her. She was taken in the very act of adultery. She is guilty!” A sallow man, dressed in the gaudy robes of richness, stroked his beard with one hand while he shook his other fist in the air. She recognized his beady eyes and harsh features; he was the man who had been spying on her every move, waiting and baiting her.

She spat her contempt in his direction as the crowd took up his accusation. “Stone her! Stone her. It is the law.” She could almost see their fingers twitch in anticipation against the rocks in their hands.

On the fringes of the tense crowd, enterprising young men lay odds on the outcome of the spectacle. Anger and fear warred in her breast as her breathing quickened through her clenched teeth.

The icy bitterness in her eyes focused on the one they called “Master.” Go ahead. Condemn me, just like everyone else. What’s it to you if I die? There will just be one less harlot in the world. Why should you care that a Roman soldier stole my virginity before I was even a woman? You are a man just like all the rest, taking what I offer, then spitting in my face. But at least when I ply my trade, I hold the power.

Jesus met her glare. Like the warm wind of spring blowing over the land, His gaze melted the ice in her eyes. The catcalls and demanding shouts from the crowd faded until He was the only one in her world. Suddenly the air grew thick as she gulped back the tears, trying to steel herself against the searing compassion in His eyes. Her heart burned as though a flame had scorched it - burning away all her defenses, her hatred and bitterness, leaving her soul naked before Him. She pulled her torn cloak tighter around her shoulders, grasping it about her neck. If only she could run and hide her shame from His eyes.

Unable to break the hold of His powerful gaze, images of her life flashed through her mind. She was a cowering child with a tear-stained face, an angry adolescent declaring she would overcome her oppressors, a haughty woman taking control of her life in the only way she knew how. His eyes reflected a frightened and hurting lioness ready to turn back toward her enemy in self-preservation and rip him to shreds. The total love and forgiveness she felt in his visual embrace shamed her to the core of her being.

How can He love me with all the bitterness and hatred I see in my heart? I can never be good enough – never be clean enough to be worthy of Him. She held her body rigid, fighting against His love. The only evidence of her inner struggle was the trembling of her lower lip.

When He turned his gaze away and stooped nearby to write in the dust, the burning faded. The air chilled as though the sun had disappeared behind a gray cloud. Her soul was alone again with its icy bitterness.

She became conscious of the crowd once more. “What is he doing?” Necks craned to read His words. “Why isn’t he doing something?” The crowd began to shift nervously. “He must call for stoning. It is the law!”

When the woman’s accusers continued to badger Him, He rose and met each man’s eyes with a level gaze. “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

“No!” Fear swallowed her last shred of hope as she raised her arms to cover her head for what little protection she could muster. He had deceived her! Lulled her into a false hope that He was different, caring. This Jesus was throwing her to the ravenous Pharisee dogs. She tensed, closing her eyes and waiting for the first stone to pelt her body. But the pain never came.

Nervous feet scuffed the ground, as the crowd dispersed man by man. Silence. She opened her eyes; slowly lowering her arms, daring to glance around her, yet ready to cover herself if needed. The Master still wrote on the ground, but the men were gone.

Her eyes stared at the man drawing pictures in the dust. She willed him to look at her, to face her and explain why – how He could move her heart to repentance in one moment then turn on her the next. But she dare not voice her thoughts. He was after all a man with the power to break her.

Finally Jesus stood and gazed around the empty street. “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

The dragon of self-protection rose in her heart, spewing haughty words. “No one, sir.” As their eyes met for the second time, she flushed with self-condemnation for her shameful actions. She sniffed back the tears. Her lips trembled again, awaiting His judgment.

Why don’t you condemn me? Why don’t you stone me? You know what I am. You know the anger and hatred I feel. Do something! Please don’t just stand there staring at me. I deserve to die.

“Then neither do I condemn you.” He smiled, His understanding and love reaching out to her lonely heart. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

She turned and fled from His presence, running until her breath came in hard gasps. Nausea roiled in the pit of her stomach. Bile burned her throat as she retched onto the hard-packed earth. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Kneeling there beside the road, she poured out her sins and hurts to her God. I am so sorry, God, so sorry. She wept bitterly.

“Neither do I condemn you.” His words reverberated in her mind. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

A feeling of lightness, newness, seeped into her soul. She could never, would never go back to that life again. He had seen the raw nakedness of her soul and showed mercy in spite of it. Behold, He made all things new

***

Today’s In Other Words is hosted by Twinkle Mom at her site SunflowerFaith. If you’d like to participate, share you thoughts on your blog site. Then, visit Twinkle Mom’s blog and share a link to your blog.

Be sure to visit the others who have also written on it and leave a comment for each one as well, so they know you were there.You will be blessed!

Why Bother To Journal? part 6

2011-02-17T04:08:00.000-08:00

Leaving a family legacy

During some lean times several years ago, I wanted to give a special gift to each of my children at Christmas. I’m not sure where the idea came from, but I decided to put together a family cookbook with favorite family recipes. Along with each one, I included some journaling - family trivia like where the recipe came from, who liked it best or stories about when the recipe was served.

Using clip art and some word art from my computer, I printed two to three recipes per page, inserted them into page protectors and categorized them into recycled three ring binders. There was Aunt Alice’s Jewish Apple Cake, the Father’s Day chicken marinade from a friend in northern NY and my favorite chocolate-peanut butter owl cookies from Halloweens past, among others.

When we cleaned out my mother’s house to sell it several years ago, I claimed the family photos and her recipe books. What treasures! I found hand written recipes, many of which will find their way into the cookbook in future years with little anecdotes about my parents. Using the scanner, I can include them in her own handwriting, perhaps with a family photo to go along with it – a kind of recipe scrapbook sharing family food and traditions.

When my children were born, I started a baby journal for each of them. My favorites were the spiral bound ones with pockets for each age group where I could file news clippings, samples of artwork, journalings of important events in their lives – spiritual as well as family events, medical shot records and photos of my kids from each age. I wasn’t very good at organizing the info in these, but when the children grew up, I had a nice fat packet of memorabilia to send with them.

My daughter and sister-in-law both create great scrapbooks for their families. They chronicle everything from important events to physical growth, blending photos, journaling and embellishments on each page to make them aesthetically pleasing. I look forward to receiving these photo journals each Christmas.

Scrapbooking has become so easy these days with all sorts of digital programs, both free and elite which allow you to upload photos, make pages online and have then printed into coffee table type books for a modest fee.

Why do we create these scrapbooks, cookbooks and baby journals? I think it’s because we are wired that way. LOL! The older we get, the more important it becomes for us to leave our mark on the next generation. To be remembered. To help our children know their heritage.

In Deuteronomy, God instructed Moses to teach the Israelites about Him from the time they were small. He knew how easy it was for them to forget the pain and suffering of slavery in Egypt. He understood they would soon forget the 40 year wilderness trek when they settled into their new homes in Canaan. The idolatrous ways of the local inhabitants would infiltrate Israel’s traditions and their worship, distilling it. Eventually the influences of the world around them would lead them away from their dedication to God.

So God used visual things like the furniture of the Tabernacle and food items in the feasts like Passover to remind them of their heritage. Mothers repeated the family stories of their ancestors – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - to their children, beginning when they were tiny infants to help them remember.

God inspired men to write “journals” if you will, of their history and interaction with Him to be read on each Sabbath or holiday to remind the people of their special relationship with Him. These ancient writings became our Bible of today.

We may have more fancy technology to help us pass our stories and heritage on to our children, but one thing hasn’t changed. We are still charged with the responsibility to be sure our children remember who God is and what He has done for us. Through writing down our family stories, by writing down our testimonies, by sharing our day to day faith in journals and diaries, we can help our children know who God is and His plan for their lives.

It’s a scrappy life

2011-02-15T04:55:00.000-08:00

When I get anxious I know I have gone from God’s time to my time and it’s a waste of time. Charles Stanley

I am an avid card maker. At one time I loved to sew, but can’t do that so much anymore because of my eyesight. Instead, I now merge my passion for paper with my love of quilt patterns to create faux quilted cards.

All that paper piecing! Some think it’s too tedious and a waste of time, but I tell people it keeps me sane. LOL!

Last night I began designing a card with a log cabin pattern in an effort to use up some of my scraps that are threatening to take over my craft room. I chose coordinating colors and began to glue the paper strips onto the card.

When I got done, I wasn’t too satisfied with the results. The card looked plain; just a hodge-podge of paper strips glued onto a piece of card stock.. and I didn’t care for the design at all. It needed “something,” but I wasn’t sure what..

Hmmm. Maybe some faux stitching. I grabbed my pen and added some little stitch lines. That helped.. Next I added some embellishments from my stash .Yes! Now it seemed like it was coming together!

A long time ago, I learned that I can’t judge my cards until I finish them. Often in the middle of the project, I just want to throw up my hands and say, “Forget it! This is UH-GLY!” But if I keep at it, I usually end up with a design I am proud to give to a friend or family member.

My life is a lot like that card. God is designing something wonderful with the scraps of my life, but I can’t see the finished product yet.

I have a tendency to get anxious over the unfinished state of my life’s design. When that happens, I try to add my own design elements to make things better. What a huge waste of time and energy since He just has to redo everything again according to His plan.

Lord, Help me not to get anxious as you piece together my life layer by layer. Create a masterpiece which You will be pleased to use to bless Your World. Amen!.

***

Today’s In Other Words is being hosted by my dear friend Karen over at In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus. Be sure to pop in and see her take on the quote.

If you’d like to participate, simply blog about the quote on your site then add your URL to the Linky tool on Karen’s blog. Be sure to leave a comment for her and visit the others who are participating today! You’ll be glad you did.

Why bother to journal? Part 5

2011-02-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

The Bible Study Journal

Like its sister, the devotional journal, a Bible Study journal helps to get me into God’s Word. This journal often generates ideas for future devotional articles or messages for me as a writer and speaker. It also provides a place to organize and categorize my Bible research. But you don’t have to be a writer to benefit from keeping a study journal.

Here are some hints to begin your own Bible study journal:

1. Study by topic

This is a great way to get an overview of all the Bible says on a particular topic or key word. At one point of my life, I dealt with issues of forgiveness for a wrong someone had done to me. By studying all the verses I could find about the topic, I was able to gain a better understanding of what it meant to forgive and how to work through those issues.

2. Study by Bible characters

I enjoy studying about the women of the Bible and have found them to be wonderful mentors and friends. I like to know what happened to her and find out as much as I can about her personality through her words and actions. Though the bible doesn’t generally show her emotions, I try to put myself in her place to see what she may have been feeling. It helps me to work through my own feelings when I find myself in similar situations. These in depth studies have led to the writing of two Bible novels and many short stories which have blessed my soul and helped me to grow spiritually.

3. Study by passage or chapter

Many Bibles will divide up the chapters into segments with sub headings. This natural division offers a byte size portion of scripture to study. Verses in these portions are grouped together around a common story thread or theme.

This type of study might include the parables, the Beatitudes or the Psalms among many. They are short enough to read and study one portion in a day and meaty enough to speak volumes to our hearts.

4. Study a specific time period.

There are great insights and personal lessons found within each historical time period in the Scriptures. During a time of recovery from some childhood traumas in my life, I studied the stories of the wilderness wanderings found in the books of Exodus through Joshua. Watching how God delivered the Israelites from their slave mentality and helped them grow during that time proved especially beneficial for my own spiritual growth and recovery from the damaged emotions.

5. Study word-byword

This is perhaps the most extensive way to study the scriptures for serious Bible students – taking a verse or chapter and breaking it apart word by word. Studying each word’s meaning from the ancient languages along with its placement in the sentence structure, the context and meanings of words around it can be rewarding, but is time consuming and exhaustive. This was the method most used by Bible scholars and translators and thus bears mentioning here.

No matter what method you choose to use for your daily Bible studies, Always keep these questions in mind:

- To whom was it written?

- What was going at the time on when the author wrote it? You might need to check a Bible handbook for this info or read the verses surrounding it to get the context of the verse.

- What message was he sending to the readers of his time?

Always make your studies personal for yourself:

- What does this verse say to me about this topic?

- Also note any questions it raises for future study.

As with the devotional journal, you might want to include a written prayer for the Lord to help you apply the lessons learned from this passage.

The Bible is a living, breathing book! Even in the dustiest, mustiest passages of the law or the endless genealogies, there are spiritual lessons and treasures waiting for those who dare to delve into its depths. Treasure hunting anyone?

Why bother to journal? Part 4

2011-02-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Daily Devotional Journal

Having daily devotional time is one of the most valuable parts of our day! It is a time of deepening our relationship with our heavenly Father, a time of reflecting on His words and learning from them as well as a time of personal growth as we find guidance and answers from the Word.

But in this hustle-bustle, gotta-hurry-up-and-wait world, we don’t always have time to get into the Word and let it soak into our spirits. Often we pick up a daily devotional guide like grabbing a cup of coffee and sweet roll for breakfast as we rush out the door. We know we need the spiritual nutrition, but we have to get it “on the run.”

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about using a daily devotional guide. Many times God has spoken to my heart through the author’s choice of verse for that day. But a wise writing mentor once said that daily devotionals are more beneficial for the writer than the reader. The writer is studying, living and applying the scripture he or she uses to write the devotional material. It is too easy for the reader to gloss over it and say, “Okay, I’ve had my devotions for the day,” without applying it personally.

So here are some ideas to get the most out of those devotional guides:

1. Keep a notebook or journal with your devotional guide.

A journal is a place to write your personal reflections. By keeping a journal with your devotional guide you give yourself permission and motivation to personalize the message of the day. Over time, it will become a habit to jot down anything that comes to mind during these devotional bytes.

2. Look at how each devotional is written.

There is a formula for writing devotional guides. Most include these three elements: A daily verse or passage, an illustration from the author’s experience generated from that Bible passage and a prayer. Some will also include a core truth - a few words in bold print stating the focus or key thought of the devotional.

You can set up your journal the same way. Jot down the verse at the top of each page, along with the core truth. Under it, leave space for any thoughts the scripture generates like life experiences, testimonies, feelings, questions. Leave room at the bottom of the page for a personal reflection or prayer.

3. Read the Scripture passage from your own Bible if possible.

It’s okay to read the verse from the devotional guide. but if you pick up your Bible and reread the verse, you might see something else that jump-starts your spiritual thought processes, like notes in your Bible from sermons on that passage, or dates from a time when God spoke to you from that verse.

You can also read the context – the verses before and after it, which give you a clearer picture of the setting of the verse in the devotional guide.

At times, the devotional booklet will include additional reading suggestions. If you have time you can read those passages as well for an even stronger understanding of the passage.

4. Ask the Lord to show you something from that verse or the author’s illustration to think about for the day.

Perhaps as you read the author’s illustration, it will trigger memories of a time you felt the same way or had a similar experience. Write that down in your journal. It may be the Lord giving you encouragement that you are not alone in your spiritual journey, or a reminder to trust Him through the day’s circumstances.

By asking God to speak to you about the scripture or illustration, you are taking a moment to connect with Him personally and asking Him to be part of your day rather than just reading about Him. As you take time to open your heart and listen, He will speak – giving you something to take with you that will nourish and sustain you through the day.

5. Jot down a prayer generated from the devotional experience.

Whatever the Lord drops into your heart, whatever you need from Him that day, take time to write down the prayer. it may be just a few words. It may become more of a praise than a prayer. No matter what you pray for, you have taken time to speak with Him one-on-one rather than just rushing off to start your day.

Daily devotions don’t take the place of praying, reading and studying God’s word for yourself. They are what they are – brief moments spent with the Lord, kind of like the good-bye kiss I give my hubby as he goes out the door.

Devotions can become commonplace without meaning; just something we do out of habit or because we’re supposed to. Or they can become a glad reminder of his presence that we carry with us through the day. The more personal we make these devotional times, the more real He will be to us ,

When the timing’s off

2011-02-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

“In Other Words” Tuesday

“Learning to wait on God’s timing –
and having the patience to follow his lead rather than running ahead of him –
is essential to those who are committed
to seeing their faith journey through to the end.
God seldom rushes things along.
Getting used to his pace will help you in the long run.”

~ Essentials for Life For Women by Marcia Ford ~

Two of the largest maple trees I had ever seen stood in the front yard of our new home. Towering over 75 feet tall, their branches provided shade in the summer, helping keep the house cool. They provided a safe haven for many varieties of birds and squirrels and were pleasing to the eyes.

But each time the high winds ripped through our neighborhood, branches littered the ground beneath the trees. At first it bothered me. I worried the trees would eventually become scraggly and ugly with no leafy branches at all, until I realized that those branches on the ground were usually leafless, dead branches which provided no shade or health to the tree. They were almost always dead wood.

Branches which were sap-filled and alive had more flexibility, bending in the wind rather than breaking off. They remained attached to the tree, following the ebb and flow of the seasons as well as the winds.

Staying spiritually healthy is one of my greatest battles in life. It’s easy to switch back to my old patterns of coping and trying to handle things on my own. But when I do, I’m in danger of becoming a dead branch, one that will snap off the tree the minute the high winds sweep across the area.

As long as I stay connected to the Tree of Life, I can stand against the unexpected wind storms of life, maybe badly shaken, but still spiritually intact with His life flowing through me.

God, help me to get so used to Your pace, Your strength, Your life flowing through me that I will survive life’s unexpected storms. During those clear days when there is no wind, help me to be content to soak up your life and strength for the days ahead – always resting in You!

***

Today’s In Other Words is being hosted by Deborah at Chocolate & Coffee. Take time to think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog. Then, visit Deborah’s blog and share a link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it. Be sure to stop by the other blogs and read their take on the quote as well and leave a comment to let them know you were there! You’ll be glad you did.

Why bother to journal? Part 3

2011-02-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

The Promise/Praise Journal

I haven’t seen a promise box in years so I’m not sure if they still make them, but the idea was a good one. It was a small plastic box filled with one inch by 2 inch cards, each bearing a byte of Scripture meant to comfort, encourage or lift you up. The idea was to take a card each day and either memorize it or put it somewhere it could minister to you during the day.

What fun, to reach inside the box and pull out a card, never knowing what verse the Lord would give for that day. It never ceased to amaze me how often those verses fit so well with the events and problems of the day.

Over the years I owned several promise boxes, though now I have a small pocket-sized book containing promises from God’s Word . It’s not as much fun since you can’t mix up the verses and there’s really no element of surprise since the verses are more visible on the pages. But it does serve its purpose – to encourage, strengthen and uplift my heart.

The nice thing about the book is that the promises are categorized. When I a m afraid, I can read verses on trust. When i feel ill, I go to the promises on healing and so forth. But what does this have to do with journaling?

Several years ago, a friend challenged me to keep a blessing journal – writing down all of the things I was thankful for so I could return to it later and remember the good things God had done.

Actually, it started out as a blessing jar – a canning jar with a fancy lid, filled with slips of paper. I wrote on each piece something for which I was thankful, an answered prayer or a comforting word God had given me along with the date. When I needed encouragement, I would take a slip of paper out of the jar and read it and remember the details of the entry on that slip of paper.

Soon I graduated to a spiral notebook which I decorated to make it more personal for me. In it I wrote down each blessing from the Lord along with a more detailed description of events, people and circumstances surrounding the blessing. It always amazed me how the Lord worked out the intricate details of His blessings to me!

In recent days, I have also included the promises God gives me each day. I like to take a promise from my little Bible promise book and write it in my journal. Then I write about all the ways God has fulfilled that promise to me.

What an incredible tool this journal has become! Whenever I feel discouraged, I can thumb through the pages and see personal examples of how God has dealt with me in the past. My faith is built up, I am strengthened and encouraged. I have a weapon to fight against the lies of the enemy because I can see in black and white how much God cares about me!

Here’s the challenge: Try keeping a promise and praise journal for thirty days.

Each day write down one promise God gives you from His word. At the end of the day, look back and reflect on how God fulfilled that promise during the day. Write down how God blessed you through that promise.

At the end of thirty days, go back and reread your promise and praise journal. I believe you will see a phenomenal growth spurt in your faith and your Christian walk! I’d love to hear what God does for you!

Why bother to journal? Part 2

2011-02-02T05:15:00.000-08:00

The prayer journal

Have you ever promised to pray for someone, only to get caught up in your own cares of the day, forgetting to hold your friend’s need before the Lord?

Yikes! I know I have! But over the years I have learned the potential prayer has to get people through the day and help them to survive the storms of life. I know it is important for me – so important I decided to try to become more of a pray-er for others.

Here are some things I have done to help me pray more:

Create a prayer journal

One of the tools that has helped me accomplish this is keeping a prayer journal. At first it was simply a spiral bound notebook – the kind I could buy at Wal-Mart for pennies during the back-to-school supply sales. But since then I have graduated to a computer file, using the notebook only to record prayer requests until I can get home and organize them.

No matter what you use, the important thing is to make the prayer requests visible. It’s too easy to forget to pray when you keep them in your head. Even as I log the requests into my files, I am praying for the need.

Break your journal into sections

Prayer requests come in all shapes and sizes. Some are emergency needs like the person who just had a heart attack. Others are important, but not necessarily urgent like praying for the success of an upcoming outreach event.

If I lumped them all together on the pages of my journal, it would be easy to gloss over an emergency prayer need so I try to categorize the requests: Emergency needs. Family and Friends needs. Church family needs. Missionaries. My Community needs. Global needs. Work and ministry requests. Personal requests.

For the needs that are ongoing, I divide the journal into weekdays, concentrating on one of the categories of requests each day.

Keep a file or section or your prayer journal for resources on prayer.

As Prayer coordinator for our local Christian women’s group, I collect resources on prayer for future reference and to share with the group during our monthly prayer meeting. Anything from illustrations, articles, quotes, or devotionals will find its way into this section. This month I even found a wonderful paper butterfly on a heart shaped background with moving wings to cut out and assemble to go along with our February prayer devotional this month.

Keep a prayer calendar

A prayer calendar works great when friends ask e to pray for an upcoming event like surgery which will happen on a specific day. While I do include the request in my family and friends section to pray for prior to the surgery, I have a special reminder on my calendar to pray that specific day and time for the surgery. It also serves as a reminder to ask my friend for an update after the surgery is done.

Reserve a section of your prayer journal for answered prayers

This might be the single most important section of your prayer journal! Whenever I feel down or upset because one of my prayers hasn't been answered yet, I take a stroll through these pages of answered prayers. It helps me remember what God has done in the past and reassures me that He has this current need under control. In His time He will answer.

Prayer truly is one of our most important resources as Christians and keeping a prayer journal can help us make the best possible use of it. Consider keeping one today! If you already do, I’d love to hear about how you do it.

Feelings are deceiving

2011-02-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

“I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I’ve closed the door.
I will walk the path, I’ll run the race
And I will never be the same again.”

~ lyrics by Geoff Bullock ~

Have you ever seen one of those optical illusions that can be viewed more than one way? Try this one from a site called miss optical illusions:

What do you see? A pretty young woman or a stern old Scotsman or an old hag??

They’re all there if you look just the right way!

In one of the earliest scientific books on optical illusions, Visual Illusions: Their Causes, Characteristics and Applications. Matthew Luckiesh, states that “Seeing is deceiving.”

He attributes our mind’s interpretation of the things we see around us to our “past experiences, associations, desires, demands, imaginings, and other more or less obscure influences….”

When you really think about it, we don’t always get an accurate picture of life based on the things we see around us. Both our eyes and our feelings can deceive us, yet we tend to depend so strongly on them to determine our beliefs about the world around us.

Many years ago when I was a teen, several of my youth group friends got together after watching a Billy Graham movie. As we sat together discussing our salvation experiences, one thing stood out – most of us had an emotional experience when we accepted the Lord. Some felt the burden of sin lift from their shoulders. Others felt a sensation of joy.

One young man gave his heart to the Lord after the movie but doubted the validity of his experience because he didn’t “feel” any different. No matter how many scriptures we shared with him, no matter how many convincing facts we presented, he went home dissatisfied because he had not felt anything. He soon turned away from our youth group activities for those experiences which gave him the feelings he craved.

The same things that cause our minds to interpret optical illusions: “past experiences, associations, desires, demands, imaginings, and other more or less obscure influences…” are the same things that determine how we interpret every day events around us.

The devil understands that and sits on our shoulders lying to us, trying to evoke personal pity parties. This young man succumbed to those lies rather than looking for the truth. Perhaps his father ignored him or failed to give him the love he craved so he interpreted his lack of feelings at salvation to an uncaring God.

No, the resolute life of Geoff Bullock’s lyrics above grows out of a life based on the truth of God’s word. It is a conscious choice to believe no matter what things look or feel like just because God says it is so.

That’s no easy task because we are wounded, emotional beings. It requires daily spiritual warfare:

open, honest sharing with The Lord about how we see the events and actions of others toward us. “He makes me sooooooo mad!”

being willing to pour out our feelings of guilt, shame, doubt, fear, mistrust, until we have laid all before the Lord. We really can’t hide our true feelings from God, though we often try.

taking time to be quiet before Him to listen to His words of comfort, instruction and correction.

allowing His Spirit to give us a fresh, Godly perspective of what is going on around us – seeing things through His eyes rather than through the illusions of the enemy.

being willing to act on what He shows us – offering forgiveness to others and to ourselves. Becoming teachable and willing to work with the Lord to change those things we need to change about ourselves.

We must make a conscious decision to seek intimacy with Christ; getting to know Him so well we aren’t fooled by the illusions, lies and memories the enemy dredges up. Then and only then will we be able to say honestly, “I will never be the same again, I can never return, I’ve closed the door. I will walk the path, I’ll run the race and I will never be the same again.”

Today’s In Other Words is hosted by Miriam at Miriam Pauline’s Monologue . Take time to think on Geoff Bullock’s quote and share about it on your blog . Then, visit Miriam’s blog - Share your link and check out the thoughts of others who have also blogged about it today. You’ll be glad you did!

Why bother to journal? Part 1

2011-01-28T08:33:00.001-08:00

How quickly we forget!

As a young person, I never kept a diary – I’m not sure why, because I did enjoy writing. And now I wish I had because there were so many stories I wrote as a teenager and I’ve forgotten them all. There were also so many good things the Lord did for me back then, in spite of the bad things which happened to me as a child. Though I remember many of those good things, there are details I wish I could remember accurately.

But about 18 years ago when a respected counselor insisted I keep a journal as part of my healing process, I decided to try it. Now, looking back, I realize just how much it has meant to me over the years, as a healing tool, a worship tool and a memory aid.

Journaling as a healing tool

There were no “rules” for journaling except that I had to be honest, writing down everything I was thinking and feeling. At first I wrote tentatively, thinking about events rather than the feelings connected with those events.

But over time I noticed that I began to preface my journaling time with prayer that the Lord would unlock the secret places of my heart – those places I tried to hide from myself and especially from Him. I needed to know the roots of my depression, anger and pain so He could heal those damaged festering places of my heart.

Psalm 139 became a favorite of mine. There was no place I could hide from the light and knowledge of God. He taught me how to become vulnerable to Him and that vulnerability brought trust as I realized He handled those hurting places in my heart with care and love.

The writings showed that trend – though each entry started with pain and shame pouring onto the page, it ended with praise and jubilation. He saw the darkest parts of my heart and still cared! He saw my naked heart and still loved me!

Later, during some counseling training through Dr. Richard Dobbins at Emerge Ministries in Akron OH, I learned why this kind of journaling was so effective as a healing tool. .

Dr. Dobbins suggested to pour out our hearts to God – to basically pray until there are no tears left. Then as we felt the emptiness, he suggested to begin to listen to the voice of God and ask Him to help us reinterpret the painful parts of our lives. He called his model, “praying through.”

Journaling was a form of “praying through” the difficulties of life which helped me identify the feelings I hid inside for so long – a way to empty my heart onto paper.

The act of writing down those thoughts and feelings in a journal involved the additional sense of touch. I often found myself speaking the words as I wrote them with tears flowing down my face as I poured out my hurts, shame and fears.

Writing was slower than praying – which meant I had more time to feel what wrote. Since I had learned to bottle up my hurts and fears from an early age, I needed the extra time to really feel what was in my heart.

When my heart was empty, when all the words were out on the paper, there would be a lull – a silent empty time to regroup emotionally. During that time, I was able to listen to the Spirit of God.

Once again, journaling helped. As God spoke slowly and deliberately to my heart, I wrote down the impressions I felt from Him and the alternative ways to view my past. The message was loud and clear – what man meant for evil and to harm me, God had used to mold me into the unique, special person I was, a person with a message of life I could share with others.

As I reread the entries later, the powerful, overwhelming love and intimacy of those moments spent with God struck me. Being humble, empty and quiet before God allowed room for His Spirit to fill my heart with His healing love and by journaling them I had a permanent reminder of those moments to reinforce His truths when the doubts came!

Journaling has truly been a healing tool!

Stone Soup's On

2011-01-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite stories from childhood is the folk tale of Stone Soup. A poor man becomes hungry on a long journey and stops to fix himself a meal. He has no money to purchase the ingredients for a pot of soup and no one will share their food with him.

So he gets creative. He places a large stone in his pot with some water over the fire. As the water starts to boil, he sniffs at the steam, pretending it is the most delicious pot of soup ever.

At first those passing by scoff at the man. But finally one person stops to stare at the man and his pot of rocks. The man makes a show of tasting his soup and smacking his lips. “Ah such wonderful soup, but it would be even better with an onion.”

The passerby roots through his pockets and finds an onion which he contributes to the soup in exchange for a bowl when it is done. And so the story goes as another person stops, watches the traveller taste his soup and contributes another vegetable. Soon the soup fills the pot to overflowing and the wonderful aroma thrills the travellers and the locals alike. It has become a feast they all can share.

Today, I thought about this story as I put a BIG pot of soup on the stove. It reminded me of the work Jesus does in our lives. He takes our hearts of stone and simmers them together with all of heaven’s good ingredients like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Soon He creates lives overflowing with His love – fragrant offerings which draw the spiritually starving people of the world to Himself. One thing about the Lord – He never does things in a small way. He wants to fill our lives so full of His goodness, that there’s plenty of His love to go around.

Truly, the best part of being a Christian, like making a big pot of soup, is sharing with friends and family. So come on over, there’s plenty to go around. But you might want to bring a loaf of bread or some dessert to make it taste even better LOL!

The Good day/Bad day Scenario

2011-01-25T07:54:00.001-08:00

“”Your worst days are never so bad
that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace.
And your best days are never so good
that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

~ by Jerry Bridges ~
***

Four-year-old Sam followed his mom as she led the way to the kindergarten Children’s Church class. She turned a corner into his classroom and began talking to his teacher, when something on the wall caught his eye – a small red box.

He looked carefully at the box and read the words, “Fire Alarm Pull Down.” Of course he had no clue what the words "Fire Alarm" meant, but he recognized “Down” because of the arrow. So Sam found a chair, climbed up and pulled the handle down.

As soon as the fire alarm began to blare, Sam put his hands over his ears and sank to the floor. Mortified, his mom found him there just a moment later. She groaned, realizing exactly what had happened. It was going to be a bad day….

Fortunately, one of the associate pastors who knew Sammy, arrived on the scene and learned what happened. He ran back to reassure the pastor it was a false alarm and quickly alerted the fire company.

Because the congregation rented the public school building for their Sunday services, the associate pastor couldn’t turn off the alarm. He had to call the school principal to come and take care of it.

So for the next half hour, the senior pastor valiantly carried on the service, ignoring the intermittent, loud blare of the alarm while the congregation politely endured it all.

As mother and son walked back down the hall to exit the building with the alarm blaring, Sam looked up at his mom in consternation and said, "Too many Pull Downs."

Because of Sam’s age and because he didn’t pull down the alarm purposely as a prank, Sam received grace that morning. Except for the extreme embarrassment that it was their son who caused the ruckus, the school principal, the pastor and the congregation extended grace to Sam’s parents as well.

But every day, Sammy’s mother thanks God for His grace to raise her bright, high energy son. She knows it’s only a matter of time before the little guy strikes again. Like the time he tried to make popcorn by himself, almost starting a fire in the microwave because he pushed the automatic start button twice…. Or the time he didn’t want to go to sleep so he figured out how to open his window and climb out to watch the alligators in the canal behind his house….

The point is that we are a lot like Sam, getting into all sorts of scrapes in our lives.There are too many pull downs - too many opportunities for life to drag us down because of our own sins or the sins of others. Yet, even on our worst days, God is there waiting to be gracious to us. No, He won’t prevent us from facing the consequences of our actions. But He will be there to help us through them, making sure we learn from our failures. He brings beauty out of our ash-heap experiences. That’s God’s grace.

He walks with us and even carries us during the worst days so we will want to walk with Him during the good ones.

Father, please help us to remember your love and grace on those good days when we think we can make it all by ourselves! Amen.

***
Today's In Other Words is being hosted by Jennifer at Scraps and Snippets. Why not drop over and check out all the great posts on this quote. If you'd like to participate, blog about the quote on your blog, then leave a link at Jennifer's site so everyone can share your post.

Walking With The God Who Sees

2011-01-21T04:42:00.000-08:00

A Short Story Based on Genesis 16:1-15

“You worthless slave! You have caused me so much trouble; I almost wish you had died out there in the wilderness. If you weren’t carrying Abram’s child… Humph! I would beat you senseless for your insolence.”

Hagar clamped her lips together in a thin line and stood tall in the face of Sarai’s rage.She wanted to blurt out every detail of her experience in the wilderness – how Abram’s God had seen her lying there on the ground with her face covered in muddy tears because of the older woman’s harsh words and abuse. How He comforted her and told her the baby she carried was a son. Yes, she…Hagar… a worthless slave, would bear Abram a fine son when her mistress couldn’t even conceive!

A hint of a smirk played on the young slave’s lips. The old familiar arrogance bubbled up from the pit of her stomach. When my son is born, we’ll see who’s worthless, she thought

“Submit to your mistress.” The force of the whispered words in her heart left her emotions off-balance just as Sarai raised her hand, striking the young slave’s cheek.

Hagar staggered backwards. Her cheeks paled and black spots danced before her eyes. She grasped her bulging abdomen and breathed deeply to keep herself from fainting.

The eyes of her mistress narrowed. “If anything happens to that child because of your foolishness, you will pay! Now, go to your own tent and get out of my sight!”

“Submit to Sarai.” The Voice spoke again as Hagar stumbled back to her own tent.

Shadows crept over her soul, like the darkness swallows the desert at twilight. She feared this inner darkness more than anything her mistress could do t her. Would Abram’s God kill her unborn son because of her foolish pride?

“Forgive me Lord. I know you told me I must come back and submit to Sarai, but you see how she goads me. I don’t know how I can bear her abuse until this child is born. “

Tears pooled in her eyes as she sank wearily into the pile of goatskins in one corner. Though she was able to maneuver her body into a comfortable position, her heartache increased. Sleep refused to come. “I guess I thought it would be different. I hoped you would change her heart and things would be better. But she hasn’t changed at all! Why did you make me come back here?” She sobbed, unable to stem the flow of her tears.

“Things will be better Hagar. You’ll see.”

El Roi, the God who sees, was still watching her, hearing the cries of her heart! An overwhelming shame blanketed her soul and she wept bitterly. “I am unworthy of Your care, my Lord. After all You did for me in the wilderness, my only thought was to flaunt it in the face of my mistress. Help me to lay aside my foolish pride and arrogance. Help me to please you with my attitude.”

Once again, the Voice spoke to her heart. “You cannot come face to face with the God who sees you and remain the same. Your mistress has not changed, but you have.”

Hagar struggled to sit up, dashing the tears from her cheeks as a cocoon of love enveloped her. A sense of wonder swelled inside for His words to her heart rang true. El Roi was not just the God of Abram; He was her God too! He saw the ugly condition of her heart and cleansed it, made it new again. He forgave her!

The young slave knew what she had to do. She bowed her head and surrendered her will wholly to her God. “No matter what my mistress does; no matter how she treats me; even if she never changes toward me or the son I carry, I will serve Sarai as an offering of love to You.”

by Bonnie Winters – January 21, 2011

The Ice Storm

2011-01-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

“God loves you.

He loves you so much that He’s allowed this trial to push you to the point where you have no choice but to look to Him.”

~ When Life is Hard by James MacDonald~

I’m not sure what woke me. Perhaps it was the cracking of a tree limb outside the window, an eerie sound in an otherwise silent night. I lay there wondering what was happening when I heard a loud sizzle-pop and all went dark.

Power’s out again, I thought, rolling over and hoping it would be restored by morning so I could get to the office on time.

Not so. Several hours later with the power still out, I knew it was bad. The battery powered weather radio droned out the news of a catastrophic ice storm blanketing the northeast.

Outside, the yard wore a layer of bubble wrap with each blade of grass cocooned in its own ice bubble. Even the dog hesitated to venture off the porch. No traffic dared navigate the streets because of downed tree limbs and power lines.

As the town’s news reporter, I was one of the first cleared to be out and about. Throughout the week I watched in awe, writing story after story, as people banded together in the face of catastrophe to care for each other.

It forced us as a community to accept the helping hands of others to get through the trial. Electrical linemen came from as far away as Hawaii to replace the downed poles snapped like match sticks by the weight of the ice.

Truckloads of food and clothing arrived to help feed and house those who were forced from their homes because they had no heat against winter’s deep freeze. Local churches, schools and even the local prison became shelters.

The trial of the ice storm caused people to work together, to pool their resources to care for one another. What seemed to be a catastrophe, turned into a blessing as neighbors forged new bonds, uniting their community as never before.

It’s true in the spiritual realm too. When things are going well, we wander through life on our own, not trusting the Lord. It’s during the trials of life when we realize how much we need him to carry us through those devastating times. It’s during the dark times when our faith grows and our hearts forge an intimate bond with him.

Life’s trials change us. Either we admit our frailty and reach out trembling hands to embrace God’s help, or we curse him and die a little more inside our dark and lonely hearts. The choice is ours.

Father help us to choose life during those trying times – to embrace your power, love and help, rather than pushing you away, isolating our hurting hearts. Amen.

Today’s In Other Words is hosted by Debbie on her blog, Heart Choices. Take time to think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog. Then, visit Debbie’s blog and share a link to your blog. Be sure to visit the others who have also written on it. You’ll be blessed!

Drowning in complacency

2011-01-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

" . . . to refuse to bend our shoulders to carry a load is to miss a new opportunity for growth."
J.R. Miller from Streams in the Desert

Several years ago, we visited a water park with our children. The water slides were great, but my favorite thing was the “Lazy River.” Even though I knew it was foolish to stay in one position for too long under the summer sun, the refreshing of the cool water and the warmth of the sun against my body lulled me into complacency. I bobbed along the course several times that afternoon, basking in contented bliss.

I ignored the prickles of heat on the tops of my thighs. I overlooked the slight pink tinge – warning signs that I’d had enough sun. The sunscreen would protect me, I reasoned. As you can imagine, I looked and felt like a boiled lobster later. Ouch!

No one I know wants to suffer pain. And yet crisis and pain seem to be a tried and true tool for producing growth in our lives. Without it, we bob along with the current of life in a stupor. We get comfortable and don’t want to change or grow. Even when we recognize the danger signs, we would rather overlook them than leave the place of complacency.

But then the crisis comes. We are jolted from our reverie by the turbulent emotions of confusion, pain, shock. We have to do something or die. Suddenly we feel like we’re drowning so we thrash around trying to save ourselves while sinking once, twice….

These are the times God offers us a chance to shoulder our responsibility for personal growth and change. He knows that until we hurt bad enough, we won’t choose to change – it’s human nature. But He is wise enough to know we can’t make those life changes alone even though we may want to. So He comes alongside us and offers to tow us to the shore, provided we stop thrashing around, trying to save ourselves.

Drifting and complacency are not the same as resting in Jesus. To rest is to trust. It’s difficult for many of us to stop thrashing around and allow Someone else to be in control. It requires a conscious choice on our part.

As we make the choice to trust, we are really taking on a load of responsibility to grow spiritually, mentally and emotionally. We learn true contentment as opposed to complacency. We learn intimacy with God and others rather than wearing masks to protect ourselves. And we are buoyed up by the truth about ourselves in relationship with Christ rather than drowning in the lies we were taught to believe from childhood.

Jesus loves His creation too much to let us bob through life singing, “Whatever will be, will be.” He gives us a purposeful life filled with opportunities to shoulder the load and grow on a daily basis.

The question is, are we done thrashing around on our own?

**************

Today’s In Other Words is being hosted by Tami Boesiger over at her blog, The Next Step.

What thoughts does this quote inspire in you? Feel free to participate in today’s In Other Words by blogging about the quote on your blog site - then leave a link at Tammy’s site to share with the other participants. Take time to be inspired today by this great quote.

Human Trafficking Victim’s Advocate Dies in Car Crash

2010-04-27T07:30:00.001-07:00

It's a sad day in the fight for the lives of victims of human trafficking as we mourn the loss of Sandra Bass-Palmer, founder and director of Home of Hope-Texas.

Home of Hope-Texas is a refuge home which is being constructed for girls rescued from human sex slave trafficking in the United States when law enforcement officials break up the trafficking rings. The girls receive medical care, legal help and counseling to heal from their ordeal. If possible, they also receive help to return to their families.

Sandra was to be the Saturday evening speaker at Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown, PA for their women's Spring Celebration. Home of Hope Texas is the Assembly of God women's special fundraising project this year. The pastor's wife, Gloria Budzowski, from the Middletown church had just picked Ms. Bass-Palmer up at the Harrisburg airport on Friday afternoon and was heading back to the church when their van was struck from behind by a truck and forced into a tree. Both women were killed.

Please remember to pray for the families of the accident victims as well as the Middletown church family and those involved with the operation of the Home of Hope.

Heartaches For Humanity

2010-04-21T04:04:00.001-07:00

I’ve never considered myself an “activist.” Yet of late the issue of human trafficking has weighed heavily on my heart. So much so that I have to “do something” about it.

Several years ago, I watched a video clip about young girls being lured from their poverty stricken rural homes by promises of good jobs in a far city. Upon arrival they were taken to the brothel owners, imprisoned and beaten into submission until they lost the will to fight. They became victims of the sex slave industry.

That brief video clip has haunted me ever since. So much so that I began to pray about what I could do to help. Of course, God had a plan – as He always does. He gave me the idea for a second Bible novel , this time about Rahab, protraying her as a victim of human trafficking. God aslo spoke to my heart, directing me to dedicate the profits from this novel to missions organizations which work with victims of human trafficking.

It’s been a long journey to the completion of this book. – one that has forced me to face many of my own writing demons, especially fear. But God is good! The book is completed and in the final stages of preparation for publication. That which has burned inside is becoming a reality.

I pray that your heart will also be stirred to prayer, and ultimately to action for the Kingdom of God. Your burden may not be the same as mine. Seeing people come to Jesus may be your passion. Perhaps the hurts of those around you will spur you to action. The important thing is that you listen to the heart of God and respond with whatever tools and talents He has given you!

Be sure to check out the video link in the post below featuring Lisa Bevere discussing the scope and devastation of human trafficking in the lives of its victims. Your heart will be moved.

Heartaches for Humanity

2010-04-21T04:00:00.001-07:00

This video clip from Life Today features James and Betty Robinson with guest Lisa Bevere discussing the devastation of human trafficking and sexual slavery in the lives of its victims.
May your heart be moved to action as you view it!

LifeToday Video

Posted using ShareThis

I Am A Light

2009-07-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

There was a time when I first started to write when I felt like I had nothing to share. There were no experiences others would be interested in reading; no words of wisdom I could impart to make a difference in their lives. In my imagination, I rehashed the same old tired plots. When I tried my hand at non-fiction, that too seemed dull and lifeless.

"Why are you asking me to write, Lord? I just can't do this!" Like a hot potato, I dropped the $300 correspondence writing course I was taking and ignored the flicker of God's light from the dream He placed in my heart.

His light frightened me because it exposed the shadows of my heart - things I had hidden away because I was too ashamed and hurt to look at them; things about myself I frankly didn't want to know, much less to share them with others.

But God nurtured the tiny spark, gently blowing on it year by year, slowly adding kindling until the it burned small but steadily. He began to teach me about the darkness in which I hid, uncovering the pain and shame that bound me. The more things He helped me uncover about myself, the brighter my writing dream shone - I wanted and needed to share Him and the healing His spirit brings to a wounded heart.

I began writing again, haltingly with clumsy fingers around the pen. The words tangled in my mind and straggled onto the paper, but at least they were there in black and white. The halting flame of a dream inside my heart intensified to shed light to others along the path.

I learned that in order to be a Matthew 5 light, I had to understand the darkness inside myself. The more God teaches me about the person I once was and the person He is shaping me to be, the more His light shines through me. He gives the ideas, the words and the wisdom to share.

I no longer worry what I should write about - He has given me a whole heart full of darkness-to-light experiences to share. He has taught me that the emotions, thoughts and problems I struggle with are common to my sisters. I only have to be obedient and share from my heart. He will take care of setting that light on the hill so the ones who need His light the most will see it and respond.

Are you struggling with the dark issues in your life? Allow Him to illuminate and heal those issues - He will use His light to teach you what you need to know and them spread it to others. That's just the way Light works!

I am Blessed!

2009-07-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

Psalms 84:11-12 For the Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O lord almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

As I drove to visit my son on Friday, the sky was gray and overcast, full of long banks of clouds. Though it was mid morning, it felt like twilight because of the dimmed light. True, the clouds blocked the heat of the sun, making it a pleasant enough trip, but I found my muscles were tense and my thoughts somber, matching the grey skies. Though I prayed throughout the trip, the prayers felt dismal, centering on the problems my family and I were currently facing.

Nearing the Maryland border, there was a break in the clouds. In places the sun peeked through and created patterns of light and shadows as I drove through the heavily wooded areas. I suddenly realized that my thoughts had lightened too - I was concentrating on happier things and praising God for the sun's breakthrough. My hands no longer clenched the wheel and my shoulders began to relax as I enjoyed the ride once more.With each passing mile, my heart lifted until I was singing joyful praise songs to the Lord.

When we are in the throes of discouragement, it is difficult to remember how blessed we really are! Discouragement is like that overcast sky. The clouds or worry and care dim the sunlight. The size of the problems build, growing darker and more ominous causing torrential tears or resounding anxieties.

This discouragement/depression sequence can be debilitating. A tiny problem can mushroom in our lives, feeling so large until all we see are the dark sides of the situation. All we can feel are our tears and heavy hearts.When we reach this point, we've lost our hope. We just can't see how the situation can ever get better and we begin to sink into the muck and mire of a full-blown depression.

It's not something we can lift ourselves out of by just "pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps" and moving forward. We usually need help to overcome the debilitating defeat, discouragement and depression.

That's why God gave us the spiritual weapons of prayer and praise. He asks us to trade our threadbare garments of discouragement and to put on His beautiful garment of praise. It has Sonlight woven right into the threads and when we put it on, His light begins to lift our spirits. Just like the sun can lift our mood after the dismal rain clouds.

It is the power of God's Word and His Light that lift us up spiritually, mentally and emotionally. We can help the process by taking time to count our blessings each day. Each blessing is like a single beam of light. As we remember each thing God has done for us, we allow one Sonbeam then another and another into the dismal places of our heart until His powerful beams drive away all the darkness. No shadows can encroach on His light!

Like other areas of our Christian walk - it may sound like an easy "cure" for depression. But it's not easy at all. We may need to consciously and even forcibly direct our minds away from our worries and toward Him. Sometimes we sink so far into the mire of it all that we don't have the strength left to even direct our minds toward Him.

We need the help and prayers of our Christian brothers and sisters to encourage and lift us up. We may sometimes need medication to mellow the depression so we can function and begin to take the steps we need toward wholeness. The important thing is that we take positive steps toward overcoming the depression. Once we can begin to get God's Light inside us, the darkness will flee.

Though He is powerful enough to heal depression instantly, I think God prefers to do it slowly, In the slow step by step healing process He draws so close. He strengthens our relationship with Him and we learn to hear His voice more clearly.Those things can only be taught as we are held in His loving arms. Healthy sheep struggle to run and play. The tired and sick ones are more content to lay in His arms.

My prayer for you today is that you will learn to lay quietly in His arms, listening to His heart. There you will see and feel and hear His love for you. The dismal dark clouds will begin to fade and His love/Light will shine in your hearts and on your face!

Love to you all,
Bonnie

I am set on a rock!

2009-07-01T04:14:00.000-07:00

I am set on a Rock

Psalms 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. he put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Amen

I have visited several beaches along the Eastern seaboard of the United States. Each one is unique and beautiful in its own way.

Most recently we visited the Gulf Coast in Florida. There the sand is powdery white, very fine in texture. The water is the most amazing shade of teal I have ever seen. The gentle waves lapped the shoreline and we were able to wade out several yards before it became too deep.

On the Atlantic coast of Florida, the sand is coarse, made up of the pulverized shells of long forgotten mollusks.. It certainly made a great abrasive for smoothing the skin of my ankles as I waded in the surf.

As a child, my family went to Wildwood New Jersey every year until I was ten. There the sand was a light eggshell color and fine in texture, similar to the Gulf Coast sand. The long, flat beach stretched for miles in either direction, but the water had more of a dirty green hue and was rarely above 60 degrees in June when we swam there. Occasionally a low, flat rock protruded from the surface of the sand, worn smooth by the pounding surf.

During my Bible College days, I visited the beaches in Rhode Island and Maine. What a sharp contrast to the beaches of Florida, stretching for miles, level with the water's edge. Here the surf smashes against cliffs, wearing the edges smooth. In some places the rock formations are riddled with holes from the tidal barrage. There is a lot less sand along the northern beaches - and the sand that is there is pebbly, bits of crushed rock worn smooth from eons of tumbling waves.

I think of this New England beach picture when I read Psalm 40:2 - walking out on an outcropping of rock and watching the surf smash at its base . Even though the water has smoothed the rocks below with its incessant pounding, it is still strong, secure, a sure foothold.

The Lord has given me a firm place to stand while watching the waves of life roar around me. He will endure over time, in spite of the barrage of sin, of sorrow and death. He is the only sure thing in my life and I can feel His resolute strength under my feet. Above the crashing of the waves, I can hear and sing a new song of trust. I don't have to worry or fear anymore because my God is strong - a rock, a firm foundation!

Praise Him!

I am the head, not the tail!

2009-06-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 28:13-14 "The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them."

There's an old Pennsylvania Dutch saying: "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

Some days I realize just how true that old adage is. I have so many things to do, I just never seem to get caught up. I feel like I'm at the tail end of the line all day long. And when I look back over my life at the end of the day, I wonder just what I accomplished?

Those are the days I need to look at my priorities. Am I a head - really putting God first in all my "busyness" or am I a tail - engaging in things that are unnecessary in God's grand scheme of things?

According to today's verse - there are conditions to becoming the "head and not the tail." Moses instructed Israel to pay attention to God's commands and carefully follow them.

So what are these commands of God that we are to pay attention to and follow? Moses reminded the Israelites of God's commands in chapters 12 through 26 - covering everything from their worship to daily food preparation, to how to treat others. These instructions were an expansion of the basic ten commandments God originally gave him on Mt. Sinai.

In the New Testament, Jesus boiled down those 10 commandments to two - You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

The common thread through all these references to God's commands is that of relationships. How we treat God, others and ourselves is the most important thing to Him.

If I measure my daily activity against Jesus' yardstick, I begin to see that the things I do are only important if they nurture relationships between myself and God or myself and others. Also, they must nurture my own spiritual growth.

Ok - I'm not advocating that we women go on strike and refuse to clean house! But perhaps we need to consider our motives for all the mundane tasks we do. As Christian women, if our motive cleaning furiously is so we can become puffed up by our spotless house, we run the risk of being the "tail."

Consider the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus chided Martha because she was so worried about propriety and duty that she missed a deeper relationship with Him.

Mary on the other hand loved Him so much she was willing to risk her sister's ire to sit at His feet and bask in His presence. Mary definitely got the "head" position.

But I wonder - if Martha's attitude had leaned more toward offering the best food and a restful environment for Jesus because she knew that His teaching, healing and ministry activities tired Him out -would His response have been different? Perhaps He would have had a word of praise for her because of her loving service to Him?

When I feel overwhelmed by my busyness, I wonder how much of my activity is motivated by a need to control, to feel needed or to avoid something else?

If these attitudes drive me, I lose my joy in serving. It becomes a burden rather than a joy to do my tasks. Things take longer to accomplish and I feel disgruntled in the process, often missing opportunities that would bring me even greater joy - just because I'm using up my emotional energy on bitterness and self pity. I will always be "behinder" when my attitudes are off kilter.

Father, examine my heart today. Give me eyes to see my activities as You see them. Teach me to make changes in my attitudes and motives so I do them because of love for You, for others and for myself. Help me come out on top at the end of my day, both spiritually and in all other areas! Amen!
Bonnie

I am empowered with inner strength!

2009-06-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:16-18 (New Living Translation)
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

Which chicken wing is healthier for you?

A. Don Pablo's Buffalo Chicken Wings
- or -
B. KFC's Boneless Fiery Buffalo Wings?

Hmmmm. Ok - I'll bite! Which one?

According to the nutrition experts at Spark People in their daily Food Showdown e-mails, an order of KFC Boneless Fiery Buffalo Wings is the healthier choice. One little wing has 87 calories and 4 grams of fat so the whole order of 6 pieces would have 520 calories and 25 grams of fat.

Don Pablo's wings on the other hand have 129 calories and over 8 grams of fat EACH! That's 1036 calories for an 8 piece order and 78 grams of fat. Wow! That's over half of my daily allotment of calories if I want to continue losing weight!

I've been counting calories and measuring portions for over a year now and have learned how to make healthier choices both at home and in the restaurant. So far it has paid off with a weight loss of over 57 pounds! I'm learning which foods are full of empty calories and which ones contain nutrients that will strengthen my body from the inside out.

Coupled with making healthier food choices, I'm exercising more which helps to tone muscles and improve strength. But the increased activity and healthier eating habits have also paid off in other ways - I am feeling more content - I feel less depressed and anxious than I felt a year ago. Plus I'm enjoying life more.

Just like these healthy lifestyle changes have strengthened me physically, mentally and emotionally, there are changes I must make in my spiritual life to become strong and healthy.

1. I must choose to put my relationship with Jesus first on my list of spiritual priorities.

As a child I learned the way to happiness was to follow the anagram J-O-Y (Jesus-Others-You). But as an adult, I am realizing there are times that doesn't work.

As a Super-mom, I used to think I had to do things for everyone else first and if there was any energy left, I could look to my own needs. You know - "Never say no." My needs weren't important. Consequently, there was rarely time for my own spiritual nourishment. I grew weaker and weaker spiritually until I burned out.

God finally got through to me. I need to keep my relationship with Him open and functional at all times. When I keep that vertical channel open and clear, I am happier, easier to get along with and more productive for Him. Rather than putting my spiritual needs last as I had been doing, I must put them as top priority so all other areas of my spiritual life are healthy and strong. Then I can and want to do more for others.

2. I must eat a healthy "meal" from His Word daily.

I'm active in children's ministry so I'm not in adult church on a Sunday morning. It strikes me as funny when people say, "I can't teach Sunday School or Children's Church because I need to be fed."

Those poor souls! My best meal of the week is seeing the hearts of children open up to Jesus and blossom under His care! As an adult, I am perfectly capable of opening God's Word and reading His truths for myself. I know how to pray and listen for His voice. When I do those things daily, I am strong and ready to minister to others whenever the opportunity arises. I am healthy, not so weak and sickly that I need to be spoon fed each Sunday!

True, there are times when I need the spiritual strength and support of others. We all go through trials which weaken us for a time. That's when I need to call on those around me who are spiritually strong. I can lean into their strength until my own strength is restored.

3. I must exercise my spiritual muscles daily.

Without exercise, the physical body grows weak and flabby. The same with our spirits. If we are not running with endurance the race He sets before us; if we're not putting on our spiritual armor daily to meet the challenges of the day; we will ultimately lose our ability to make it as Christians in this world.

Things are changing - getting more difficult as the days pass. Will we be strong and healthy spiritually, ready for the battles that lay ahead? The answer is "Yes!" - When we learn to make healthy spiritual choices and become empowered by His strength from the inside out.

I Am Still

2009-05-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am still

Psalms 46:10-11" Be still, and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (NIV)

"No more laughing, no more fun; Quaker meeting has begun!"

With those words, my young cousins and I pasted deadpan expressions on our faces. Lips clamped tightly shut as we silently vowed not to utter a word or crack a smile. The object of the game was to see who could keep still the longest.

I'm not sure where the game originated. We played it often as we sat on the back porch of my Mennonite Grandmother's home on a Sunday afternoon while our parents visited in the parlor. Because Sunday was a day of rest, we weren't permitted to play active outdoor games like tag or hide and seek. Instead, we contented ourselves with board games like Chinese Checkers and quiet indoor contests.

Inevitably, our Quaker meeting game only lasted a moment or two as the giggles attacked. We usually ended up laughing so hard, one of the adults would cast a frown in our direction to remind us to be quiet on the Lord's Day.

Being still was difficult for me as a child and that never changed as I grew into an adult. Each time God spoke the words to my heart, "Be still and know I am God," I would paste a reverent expression on my face and quiet my heart.

But just like our childhood game, the stillness didn't last as my mind began to whirl with worries. "Will God really do what I've asked Him?" "What should I do about this situation?" I conjured up a thousand reasons why I ought to step in and try to solve the problem myself because I lacked trust in the sovereignty of my heavenly Father.

It was easier to do things myself rather than to sit idly by and wait on Him. This attitude of controlling busyness originated from my inner fear that somehow I wasn't good enough for God to guide, protect or provide for me.

I wish I could point to a specific instance where God finally broke through and taught me to be still, but the truth is, I'm still working on the issue of being still before Him and trusting Him fully.

Whenever I feel the old controlling mechanisms kick in, I have to consciously stop what I'm doing and manually work at changing the way I react. I try to lay the situation out before God and ask for His help so I can wait patiently before Him for the answer.

Sometimes I have to do it several times a day because my heart wants to revert right back to worry mode. During those times, I do what I know to do - I place scriptures in plain sight and stop to focus on Him and His words frequently. I pray a lot - exposing my willful desire to solve the problem in my own feeble strength. Then I make a conscious effort to still my mind and focus on Him so I can hear what He is saying with His still small voice.

My cousins and I couldn't "be still" for very long as we played our childhood Quaker Meeting game. But with His help, today I am learning to quiet the anxieties of my heart and to be still in His presence.

Father God, I know I'm not alone in this. So many around me are suffering from anxieties and worry born of the inability to trust You fully. Help us to work each day to focus our eyes and hearts on You - to relinquish our need to control our lives. Help us to learn to be still and KNOW You are God, our strength and fortress. Amen.

I am a treasure!

2009-05-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today: I am a treasure

Deuteronomy 26:16-18 "The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is you God and that you will walk in His ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands, and laws, and that you will obey him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possessions as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure." ~ author unknown

My daughter, sister-in-law and I spent Memorial Day cleaning my mother-in-law's front porch. Ugh - what a dusty job as we sneezed our way through piles of old cardboard boxes containing fabric, craft supplies and yarn.

My first inclination was to cart the filthy cardboard boxes and their contents to my house where I could toss them in the dumpster without offending Mom. But as we began pawing through them, I discovered many real treasures! One box contained pre-cut quilt squares, just waiting to be stitched together. We also found a few already stitched into pretty pillow tops that just needed stuffing. Of course, they needed to be washed to get rid of the slight musty smell, but someone had gone to a lot of trouble to cut and sew them all. I can always use new throw pillows - or perhaps sell the squares at a yard sale.

Another box held pre-printed fabric panels with designs perfect for making baby quilts for gifts. Again, they had a slight musty smell from being packed away for so long, but the box had protected them from dust and unwanted critters. As I examined them, I refolded the panels and laid them aside, trying to figure out where I could store them. As a pastor's wife, there are always new babies being born to church members and I like to give them gifts.

On and on the afternoon went as we found boxes of stuff - from whole skeins of yarn to small balled up remnants, rolls of quilt batting and even several unfinished quilt tops that were pinned together with batting, ready to be stitched. Cammie found one she loved and asked me to please finish and launder it for her bed.

We never did get to the cupboard that held lengths of quilt fabric and the boxes under the game shelf. That's a job for July 4th when we gather there again! But the point is that the boxes we did manage to sort through held things that were treasures to Mom. As her arthritis became worse, more items were moved to the enclosed porch because she needed the room for her motorized wheelchair, hospital bed and clothes downstairs. She asked us to sort through them hoping her treasures would be passed down to people who would also value them.

While we can't and won't keep everything for lack of storage space, many of her treasures will be valued and used up eventually - not just thrown in the dumpster.
God created man in His image, originally intending him to maintain the earth; to please and enjoy His presence as well as the world He created forever. Sin separated man from God. Much like Mom's treasures which were boxed up and moved to the front porch, sin caused man's heart to become dirty and unusable.

But God isn't content to let His treasures disintegrate with age or disuse. He constantly goes through the dirty, dusty, musty piles of refuse, looking for His treasures so He can wash them and restore them to places of use and honor in His kingdom. He turns the musty, cut up fabric of our lives into beautiful quilts and then uses them to wrap others in His warmth.

How often Satan's trash becomes God's treasure! Consider a person, like the woman taken in the act of adultery. Those around her wanted to trash her life - to stone her because of her sin. But Jesus forgave her and restored her sense of value and worth.

Without His restorative power in our lives, where would we have ended up eternally? Because we have been redeemed, we are privileged to share that trash to treasure story with others. The challenge is before us. Let's get to work!

I am valuable!

2009-05-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

TODAY: I am Valuable

Matthew 6:25-26 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?"

"Oh look! There's a yard sale sign. Pull over quick!"

My husband tells me the car won't stop at yard sales, but when I'm driving - it does. LOL!

I'm not sure why I enjoy pawing through other people's cast offs, except that maybe I'm hoping to find just the right "treasure" - that one thing I really need and can't live without at a real bargain price.

Over the years I have found some neat treasures too - all kinds of bargain children's clothes to help clothe my 7 grand kids; toys to keep at my house for when they come to visit; furniture to overhaul so I can change my home decor, kitchen gadgets and so on. These things were useless items to their owners, but now occupy places of honor in my home.

At least they do until I need to clean house or pack up the moving van! Then they go out the door into my own yard sale and bring in a few extra, much-needed dollars to purchase something else.

The point is, the things others think of as expendable trash have become useful and enjoyable to me. Sometimes they need a little TLC, but they are treasures nevertheless.

Think for a moment of where you were before Christ found you. What kind of crisis were you going through at the time? What hardships or trials drew you to Him? Did you feel like a heap of trash - with no value to anyone?

According to one Christian psychologist, 99% of people who seek Christ are in a crisis situation at the time they call out to Him. Many feel worthless and hopeless. Only 1 % of Christians can actually say they "grew" into the family of God. That's a staggering statistic!

God saw us among the enemy's trash and bought us back, took us home, and put us to use in His Kingdom. Yay! He fixes us up, repairs the broken parts of our lives and loves us because He sees value in us - He sees what we CAN be.

True, even after He works on us we may bear scars of sin or of our poor choices down here on this earth, but He finds ways to bring beauty and wonderful things from those scars. They become our personal experience evidence of Christ's love and care in our lives. As we share those experiences with the hurting around us, they too allow Him to rescue them from the "trash." What a beautiful trash to treasure story!

As one Christian bumper sticker put it:

"I know I'm somebody 'cause God don't make no junk!"
Our value isn't determined by our perfection, but rather by His grace.

Thank You Lord!

Don't be afraid to share your story just because of your scars or imperfections. The hurting around us need to see those things to know He can minister to them too, right now, right where they're at. Just as He still bears the scars from the cross, He values the scars that remain from our hurts and mistakes. He redeems them by using them to touch the lives of others. We are VALUABLE to Him.

I am Heard!

2009-05-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Today: I am heard

Psalm 69:33 (Amplified Bible)

For the Lord Jehovah Shama (Shaw-Mah') hears the poor and needy and despises not His prisoners (His miserable and wounded ones).

Have you ever been talking to someone and realized they weren't listening to you? Maybe their eyes darted back and forth watching everything else going on in the room. Maybe they were zoning out, planning what they could say next. Whatever they were doing, you knew they hadn't really heard a word you were saying.

Moms tend to do this too with their kids. Johnny will come home from school and be so excited he will burst if he can't chatter a hundred miles per minute about his day. Meanwhile Mom stands at the stove trying to concentrate so she doesn't burn dinner.

Or have you ever noticed how the kids seem to need your undivided attention when you're on the phone? All day long they played just fine in the other room out of your sight, but when the phone rings, they're right there needing your listening ears?

We all need to know that the people we talk to are listening to us. Being heard helps us feel validated, like we are important, not merely afterthoughts or nuisances.

With people, we can tell they are really hearing us by their nonverbal cues like how they stand before us with an open, accepting posture. They will not cross their arms or legs and will lean slightly forward toward us or lean their head toward us. Making direct eye contact is another way to let us know they hear us.

A good listener gives verbal clues too - like repeating back what they heard us say. They will nod and say "yes," "That's right," or "Uh-huh." They will also respond appropriately when we pose a question or pause for a response.

So if we rely so heavily on verbal and visual clues to know we've been heard by a person a we talk to them, how do we know an unseen, formless God hears us?

In Psalm 69:33, the Hebrew name for God - Jehovah Shama - is used. The name means "I Am the One who hears you (listens to you). By His very nature God is a Listener. Knowing He cannot lie, especially when speaking of Himself, we know He listens when we call.

We know He listens because of the scriptural examples He gives us. I'm thinking of the story of Hagar. Twice she encountered the God who sees and hears. She named her son Ishmael which means "God has heard" based on her experience with Him in Genesis 16.

We also know we are heard by our own past experiences with God. At times He answered our prayers instantaneously. Other times, He gave us assurances that the answer was on the way - like a "hug" through a scripture, a friend who knew exactly what we needed or maybe even a physical sensation of being held and comforted in response to a prayer we prayed or a need we expressed.

Still, during my 34 years in ministry, I've heard so many people say, "I feel like my prayers aren't going any higher than the ceiling. God's not listening to me." The problem isn't that God has failed to listen to us. It's that they don't FEEL heard or validated. And because they don't feel Him, He must not be listening. So they pull back from Him and begin to wallow in their feelings of low self worth.

In other words, they begin to listen to the lies that they have believed most of their life. "I must not be good enough for God to answer me." "What have I done wrong to make God hate me?" They begin to turn their eyes inward, rather than upward and miss the little hugs and reassurances God sends along the way.

In counseling with these women, I usually try to encourage them to work at drawing closer to the Lord, rather than worrying about the answers to prayer. As they begin to focus on Him, they can see the little signs all around them that encourage and fortify their hearts.
"God really does listen to me," they say with an incredulous smile as they relate the littlest details where they see His hand at work.

We know we are heard when we turn our eyes on Jesus and look full in His wonderful face. The things of this earth really do grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!

I Am Victorious

2009-05-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

Today: I AM VICTORIOUS

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them,because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall say: Hear O Israel, today you're going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.
I am a visual learner so the Lord often helps me understand His presence in my life through visuals - pictures of His relationship with me.

Many years ago when I started on my journey toward wholeness, God showed me a picture of how I saw myself. I was dressed in Roman-type armor - you know, the sandals that laced up the calves, a skirt of leather strips which covered the thighs, a leather breastplate, etc.

I had removed the helmet and stood with one foot balanced on the helmet. In my hand I held a long Roman spear with the butt end planted in the ground. My other hand perched on my hip.
I stood there on my cliff poised for battle, my long hair whipped back away from my face as the winds of adversity buffeted me.

I saw myself as a strong, fearless warrior for the Lord. However, I failed to see how alone I was on that hillside as I tried to handle the battles on my own. I didn't know how to trust Him through the battles. I was afraid of being a "bother" to Him so I stood firm on my own two feet, fighting FOR Him.

Twila Paris sang a song many years ago called the "Warrior Is A Child" As God began showing me this picture of Bonnie, the warrior princess, I began hearing the refrain of that song : "deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child" - a broken, wounded, hurting child. God dismantled that visual in one fell swoop. I was reduced to a small frightened child with no armor at all, naked and exposed to the elements.

Thankfully, God never leaves us in a place of brokenness. He always heals and works with us to bring out the beauty and strength He sees in us. For me it meant a long process of healing as He slowly changed my picture of myself from warrior princess to warrior bride.

What does a warrior bride look like? That picture of Christ is still evolving in my heart and life. But as of now to looks something like this: I am riding on the back of a strong white horse, but I am not alone. Christ rides on that same horse, right in front of me and I am comforted as I hold on tightly to Him.

I can feel the strength of His armored breastplate as I rest my cheek against His back. Even though I know we are at the forefront of the battle, I can't see the enemy because He fills my immediate vision. He feels strong, safe, secure.The muscles of His arms ripple with strength. I can hear His war cry ringing in my ears and I'm not afraid though I sense the enemy is quaking.

As His warrior bride, I fight with Him instead of alone, though most of the time, I must admit, my energy is spent clinging to Him so I don't fall off the battle steed! Because of that, I don't carry a spear. Instead, my weapon is prayer - watching the works He is doing and praying for those I see in the battle all around me. At times, He deposits me on the ground so I might minister to the fallen in battle, like Lucy of Narnia with her Aslan-given gift of heavenly cordial that has the power to heal those who drink of it.

How do you see yourself in this battle?

As Christians, we are definitely warriors on the forefront of the battle. He has given each of us a work to do to bring healing, encouragement and victory! Allow our Warrior King to give you the necessary training and weaponry as you fight this battle with Him.

After all, I've seen the end of the book - and WE WIN! Hallelujah!

I Am Chosen

2009-05-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

I am chosen
Ephesian 1:3-6

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. (The Message)

When I was a small child, there was a large portrait of Jesus and the children at the bottom of the stairway leading to my Sunday School class. It portrayed a smiling Jesus seated among a cluster of children. I loved to envision myself in that group of children and thought how wonderful it was to be loved by Him.

As an adult I am awed by the idea of being "chosen" by Him. It's not because I'm good enough, or flawless enough. Rather, it's because He chooses to love me - to want me. It's His choice. He sees my innermost being - my naked real self - and He likes what He sees. It's because He sees past the destruction of sin to the innocent being He created.

Wow! His choice gives me value.

What a priviledge to write this message so other women who are hurting might learn to know they are chosen too - to be lifted from their own inadequacies to the knowledge that His love gives them worth!

I Am Born For A Reason

2009-05-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, a fellow pastor's wife began a series of e-mails about who we are in Jesus - the "I ams" of scripture. While I have seen similar lists over the years, this list once again challenged me to begin a series of e-mails and blogs of my own to encourage my Christian friends. Understanding who I am in Jesus has lifted my heart so much, I decided to share them here as well.

Day one:
I am created for a purpose Psalm 139:16 (The Message)

13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

In Bible college many years ago, our class song was written by a gifted music ministry student.The chorus to our class song has always stuck with me:

I was born for a reason
Not just by chance
God has a purpose
For letting my breath last
If I seek Him I will find HIm
He will see me through
For with the help of God
There is nothing I can't do.

It had been an eventful year for me. I went off to Bible college convinced I would one day go to the jungles of South America and translate the Bible into the native tongue of some remote Amazon tribe.

But somewhere along the way, I began to believe that I wasn't good enough, my motives weren't pure enough so God couldn't use me as a missionary. I abandoned my teenage dreams in a pool of crocodile tears.

Thankfully God didn't abandon me! He continued to work with me, bringing experiences across my path to help me discover the writing ministry He had in store for me. That year, the class leaders came to me and asked me to write the dedication pages of our college yearbook. I was to write about Sister Mary Campbell, an intrigal part of Zion's history and a shaper of many young college students.

What an honor! And I felt so insignificant and unworthy of it.

I argued with God saying, "I'm not a writer!" And it was true. At that time, I had never written anything for publication. I had never even dreamed about being a writer. But because I couldn't say no to anyone, I told my classmates, "Sure I'll try."

I sat and stared at the blank piece of paper. I struggled to put something down - anything - all the while fearing it would be horrible and ruin the whole yearbook. I wrote sentence after sentence, scratching them out and crumbling the paper into trash can missles. As the deadline approached, I finally was able to draft 4 simple sentences that described Sister Mary Campbell. I turned in my feeble attempts, feeling like it was a big flop.

But when I saw the finished page with the words embellishing her photo, I knew the words were just what they needed to be. They fit Sister Campbell, her life and her ministry:

To be born for a reason is to live a life of dedication.

To be born for a reason is to live a life of self-sacrifice.

To be born for a reason is to live a life of quiet waiting before the Lord.

To be born for a reason is to live a life of faith.

As the years passed, God began showing me He wanted me to write. I fussed again, believing I was inadequate and untrained for such a profession. I even quit a writing training course after only 5 lessons because I was too intimidated about the process of writing, revision and submission.

God took me back to that yearbook page and reminded me of the struggle to get those words down on paper. "That's what a writer does," He said softly. "She works to find just the right words to bless, inspire and move the hearts of her readers. You already have the heart of a writer and I will teach you what you lack."

And He has!

Each one of us has a purpose in God's plan. He orchestrates every event of our lives to educate us, to develop the necessary skills and bring us to the place where we can fulfill that plan.

What is God's purpose for your life today? If you don't have any idea, begin by praying for the Lord to reveal His purpose to you. Then sit down and look over the past events of your life.

What lessons have you learned? What people have inspired or encouraged you? What obstacles have you overcome? All of those things are signposts to guide you toward the fulfillment of His purpose.

Share your heart with someone today!

A sweet smelling fragrance

2009-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I actually made my second batch of laundry soap. I concocted the first batch at my daughter's house in Florida, after everyone had gone to bed. After all, there's no sense trying to do it with several curious little helpers!

I can just imagine my conversation with my grand children:

Eve: "What are you making Grammy?"
Me: "Laundry soap."
Eve: "Can I help?"
Jack: I want to help too. Ew! It smells and feels like slime."
Me: "Jack, Get your hands out of the slime!"
Eve: "Mommy! Jack got yellow slime all over me."

Anyway, you get the idea.

So there I was at 11:30 PM, wishing I had a clothespin to put on my nose because the smell of the melting soap seemed over-powering at times. The bar of Fels Naptha soap had to be grated and then melted/dissolved in a pot on the stove over medium to low heat while stirring constantly. That process took about a half hour and by the time I was done, my arthritic feet and knees really were protesting.

Hm, there had to be a better way!

Last night when I started making my own batch here at my house, I decided to try the crock pot which took a lot of drudgery out of the process. So here's my adapted recipe.

Grate 1 bar of Fels Naptha bar soap into the crock pot. Add 4 cups of hot water, cover and turn crock on high. Stir occasionally until all soap is melted/dissolved. This will take an hour to an hour and a half but is soooooooo easy! And since it's covered, there wasn't a lot of the soapy smell through the house.

Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot water and add 1 cup Washing Soda and 1/2 cup Borax. Stir until powders are dissolved and then add the melted soap. Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water and stir thoroughly with a long wooden paint stick or long handled spoon (Plastic preferred). Cover and let stand overnight.

In the morning, stir again. Mixture will be thick and jelly-like. Pour into plastic storage containers using a ratio of half soap mixture and half water. The five gallon bucket of concentrated soap will make 10 gallons of ready to use detergent. That's about 180 loads for top loading machines and 640 loads for front loaders. Shake the containers each time before use.

To use your homemade detergent, add 5/8 to 1 cup of the liquid soap to a top loading machine -OR - 1/4 cup of the liquid to a front loader.

Optional - you can add 5-10 drops of any fragrance essential oil to each plastic gallon container of the mix for a fresh laundry scent (we're so spoiled by the perfumy pre-made brands). I like lavender essential oil for sheets and fresh linen for most other loads.

I haven't tried mine yet, but my daughter likes the way hers works and it only costs about 3 cents per load to make.

Fund Raising - Gospel Tabernacle Kids Church Style!

2009-03-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last week in our Children's Church we started a fund raising project which will take the boys and girls through the whole process from making the product, to selling it and donating the proceeds. At the end of the time, we plan to visit the project site which is in a nearby town and see firsthand what the kids accomplished!

For our project, we purchased Easter candy molds and make pretzel rod chocolate pops and chocolate lollipops. It sounded like a great idea at the time, but after I purchased the supplies, I began to feel a little leery of how it would work. Thankfully we have a small group and were able to recruit enough adults so there was one adult for every 2 children to supervise the activity.

I placed the chocolate pieces in small squeeze bottles and melted it in warm water in the crock pot ahead of time. Then we lined the children up along the island in the church kitchen and allowed them to squeeze the different colored chocolate into their molds.

What fun! The children became enthused about the candy-making project and all of them worked hard the entire time. It was one of the best class times we've had! We even sold several pretzel pops immediately following church to one of the dads who came to pick up his kids.

This week we'll be adding homemade labels and bows letting everyone know the boys and girls made them as a fundraiser. We'll be selling them to family and friends as well as at work and at a small craft show at one of our sister churches.

Then the money will be donated along with some of the boys and girls offerings to a mission project in a neighboring community. I'm making an "It's Time to share Jesus clock" to show how close they are getting to their goal. I'll let you know how this turns out when we reach our goal. I should have taken pictures of them at work!

In the end, I think this will turn out to be a valuable lesson in giving for the boys and girls. Not only are they giving their time and energy to the Lord to make the candy, they're also earning money to give to the Lord for missions. I definitely will be doing this lesson again!

Frugal recipes for a more beautiful you!

2009-03-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

For a long time now, I've tried to be frugal with health and beauty products. Over the years I've turned my shampoo and conditioner bottles upside down and drained every last drop into a new bottle. Those last few drops are hardly enough to do anything with, but they do add up over time. I can usually can fill my travel sized bottle over a few months so its full and ready to go when vacation time rolls around. It may contain several different scents so I just call it my fruit salad shampoo.

After I stopped working outside the home, I needed to be more economical when it came to purchasing beauty products like shower gel. I found I could lather up my bath pouf just as well with a bar of soap as I could with that nice gel - so I stopped buying the pricier shower gels and settled for a simple bar of soap.

But even with a bar of soap, there's waste - that little sliver that just isn't big enough to use effectively. Did you know the average person uses 656 bars of soap over their lifetime???????

This weekend I found some new frugal "recipes" I want to try - making my own shower gel and designer bath soaps from old soap slivers.

Boy was I impressed when I found this video showing how to make new designer hand soaps from stuff I already had on hand like soap slivers, olive oil, food coloring, oatmeal and oranges!

How To Turn Soap Slivers Into a New Bar Of Soap - These bloopers are hilarious

Sooooooo easy! I have some great cookie cutters that might work for molds and if I really wanted to get fancy, I could purchase some fancy soap molds to match the decor of my bathroom to make cute designer soaps. Or maybe for Christmas gifts (using new bars of plain soap instead of slivers of course!)

Of course, if you don't want to go to all that trouble of making these cute little soaps, you can always just put y our soap slivers in a sock (one of those mateless ones you can't wear anymore) and use it in the shower. Or another suggestion I found was to cut one leg from a pair of pantyhose that has a runner and put the slivers in that. Knot it and hang it from the shower. Not the most attractive way to do it, but it works.

I also made an amazing discovery - in all the recipes I found for shower gel, the main ingredient was unscented shampoo! The best recipe I found was on eHow.com

It uses equal parts of unscented shampoo and water, adding up to a quarter cup more or less water to get the consistency you like. The scent comes from inexpensive essential fragrance oils that are available in craft stores like A. C. Moore, JoAnns or Michaels. The other ingredient is regular table salt which acts as an exfoliating
ingredient.

I like citrus scents in my bath products so I used inexpensive citrus shampoo, added the water and salt and a few extra drops of citrus scented oil which made a great mix! However, if you have sensitive skin, you might want to purchase the unscented shampoo - even unscented baby shampoo.

Developing a frugal lifestyle is an adventure. Each day brings new discoveries - new things to try. Have fun on your adventure today!

Frugal Tips - Wow! This stuff works in the dishwasher too!

2009-02-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

I sent my husband out to the store today to buy the ingredients for homemade laundry soap. Since I started reading about making my own, I couldn't resist giving it a try - especially if it works! According to the estimates, it can save a bundle over time and does just as good of a job.

Then while I was cleaning up from breakfast, I realized I forgot to put dishwasher liquid on the grocery list this week. Hmmmm! If it's not on the list, Dan won't get it.

So back to the computer I went. I found several ideas to try including a recipe on The New Homemaker. According to editor Lynn Siprelle, the main ingredient in her recipe is the same one I just sent my husband out to purchase - one cup of the 20 Mule Team Borax, along with one cup of plain old baking soda. This recipe can be found on many sites, but Lynn adds a common "secret" ingredient to hers for a great lemony smell.Click on her link for the full recipe.

The neat thing is that she stores that same powder in a metal shaker can and uses it to scour her sink. According to Lynn, it works like Bon Ami - a polishing cleanser powder and it smells good too.

Ok - my dishwasher has a compartment for Jet Dry rinse aid. So what can I put in there? Every site I checked out said the same thing - white vinegar. Once the Jet Dry is used up,I can fill that compartment up with white vinegar and let it do its thing. So easy!

Help! I'm having a Frugal Friday!

2009-02-20T11:22:00.000-08:00

It all started last summer when my sister-in-law brought me some little pears from a neighbor's yard. I promised the Lord, I would try to use them up because it was such a shame to waste them.

Well, I decided to make pear butter because they were tiny, hard and full of gritty spots. but they made the most wonderful pear butter. I washed, cut and cooked them in my crock pot over night, then put them through the food mill to remove the gritty spots, seeds and skins.

That left a wonderful sauce which I returned to the crock pot with brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of ginger. It cooked all night long with the lid off to thicken it and then I canned it. I got about 2 pints from each crock pot load after it cooked down. Everyone has commented on how good it is!

Now each time I receive a food "blessing" the Lord challenges me to use it up!

Yesterday I cooked a turkey and of course, there were giblets in that little paper sack in the bird's neck. No one eats the liver, heart, neck and gizzard here at my house so I was set to throw them away.

"Why not try a recipe for dog cookies," the Lord suggested. "That way you won't waste them."

Groan. "Well, I did say I'd try not to waste things." So I put the giblets and neck into my little 1 quart crock pot and let them simmer away. By this morning, they were well done and cool enough to chop up. But I didn't want to heat the oven just to bake dog biscuits - that's not very frugal! So I decided to make my dessert for the meal we're having at church on Sunday afternoon. And, oh yes I almost forgot - I needed to make some cornbread for the soup I was supposed to make.

Ok! This was beginning to look like an all day affair. I got my recipes ready and put them in order - the chocolate zucchini bread first because the oven needs to be at 350 degrees.

This is a great Spark People recipe which has only 114 calories per slice so I know I can enjoy it on Sunday.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
3 eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups packed, grated zucchini (if you use frozen zucchini-thaw and drain well first)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 loaf plans with nonstick spray.
In large bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, egg, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir in zucchini.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Fold in Chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly in prepared pans.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on wire rack before serving.

Number of Servings: 24

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user RAMZEE.
Number of Servings: 24

After the chocolate zucchini bread finished, I turned the oven up to 400 degrees and started on the doggie cookies. I couldn't find a recipe that matched my ingredients, so I improvised and created my own.

Turkey Giblet Treats

2 cups of flour
1 cup bran

Then mix in:

3 Tablespoons of oil
1 egg
The broth from the turkey neck and giblets (About 1/2 cup)

I chopped up the giblets and neck meat in my food processor which came to about a cup and added that to the rest of the ingredients. It made a stiff dough. I used a teaspoon for each biscuit and rolled it into a log shape, flattening it slightly, then baked it for about 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Oreo must have known they were for him because he plopped down in the kitchen and didn't move the whole time they were baking.

While the doggie cookies baked, I mixed up a double batch of cornbread using the recipe on the back of the package. The oven temp had to go up to 425 for the cornbread. Soon that was in the oven, making my mouth water!

Oh well - I might have been frugal, not wasting the giblets and about making several things in the oven at one time, but now I have a mound of dishes to finish up.

I'm so glad God loves to surprise us!We got an unexpected invitation to dinner tonight so I didn't have to cook after my baking marathon. I guess it does pay to listen when He suggeste we do something!

Frugal Living - Wash Day Blues

2009-02-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

I remember my mother-in-law doing wash every Monday morning with her old wringer washer. Rain, snow, sunshine - it didn't matter. If it was Monday, it was wash day!

Clothing was gathered on Sunday night and sorted so mom could begin washing at the crack of dawn on Monday morning. All of the children had to strip their beds and make sure their bedding was in the back porch mud room by the washer right after they got up.

Since she used her wringer washer, she washed from light to dark clothes, using the same water for several loads to conserve on water.(They had a shallow well which made conservation a necessity.)Dad's clothing from the coal mines was the last load of the day. She changed the water once during the process so she could add bleach and do whites, towels and bedding.

With my washer and dryer, it doesn't matter what day I do laundry; or even what time of day I do it, as long as it gets done. But I have found some frugal ideas to help me get it done.

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm considering it - making my own laundry detergent. I found a lot of resources with recipes for this including the book by the Duggars - The Duggars: 20 and counting I just can't imagine the mounds of laundry their family has to do each day! I've helped my daughter with her family laundry for a family of 7 and even that seemed endless!

Other homemade laundry soap recipes can be found on Tip Hero - these are all recipes submitted by readers.

Another great blog was one written by Trent at The Simple Dollar Trent gives his recipe, a cost breakdown for the product he makes and even a video of how it looks and the steps to make it! Great resource. According to his blog, he gets 312 cups of laundry soap for about $7 and in his own stain tests, it works as well as the brand name laundry detergent.

Ok - the wash is done and it's time to dry it. The most frugal way to dry clothes is on the wash line. I love blankets and sheets hung on the line on a spring day. The smell is so relaxing at bedtime. But practically speaking, I don't always have time for that.

But I have cut costs by making my own dryer sheets. Old towels can be cut into small squares and drizzled with liquid fabric softener. Old or mismatched white socks work well too. These can be tossed in with the rinse cycle of the washer if you're hanging your laundry outside, or tossed in the dryer with a load. I like to put the softener on the cloths and then let the air dry before using them so the fabric softener doesn't leave spots on my clothes in the dryer.

Of course, if dryer sheets and fabric softeners cause allergies or problems for you, vinegar is a safe alternative - just 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle will work as well as fabric softener - but don't mix use with bleach - since that may cause toxic fumes.

Tennis balls work well in the dryer too (rather than those pricier dryer balls) at helping to keep down static. Since static is produced by synthetics more than by cotton fabrics, you might want to air dry your synthetics.

I will say this - my mother in law had the right idea - when she did laundry, she did the whole process from start to finish - washing, drying, folding and putting it away. Sometimes I get too busy and the clean loads pile up for a few days before I can put them away. That makes extra work since they tend to get wrinkled and need pressing. If I can hang and put away each load as it comes out of the dryer or off the line, it is more frugal time-wise for me than if it piles up.

Who knew laundry could be so complicated??????

Savoring Jesus

2009-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.”
~Frederick Buechner~
Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale

If you popped a Hershey Kiss into your mouth right now, how would ou eat it? Would you chomp it down in one bite or would you let it melt slowly in your mouth?

Personally I'm a chomper from way back. I eat the Hershey Kiss quickly and go back to have half of the bag before I'm satisfied. Then I end up with a tummy ache and feeling guilty for eating so much chocolate.

But over the last few years, I've been consciously working to learn to savor the velvety chocolate flavor of the Hershey Kiss, though it's hard! I've found one Kiss that melts in your mouth is more satisfying than a dozen chomped ones - and I can even enjoy one Kiss occasionally on my diet with no guilt!

When I thought about today's quote, the Hershey Kiss illustration came to mind. I have moved so often as an adult, it was difficult to put down roots - difficult to form lasting deep friendships with those around me. It was like chomping on the Hershey Kiss - enjoying surface friendships briefly, then leaving empty, unsatisfied, wishing for something deeper.

Real lasting and deep friendships take time to develop and nurture. They are the kind that leave you satisfied, even when you are apart and pick back up almost as if no time elapsed when you are together again. Thankfully I do have several friends like that. Even when time passes, our relationship is still full and sweet. They are friends I can pour our my deepest heart to and they still care and accept me - warts wrinkles and all.

The sweetest relationship of all is my relationship with Jesus. I have to admit, I often "chomp" in that relationship, failing to savor the time one-on-one with Him. When that happens, I find myself getting up off my knees feeling unsatisfied. That's when I succumb to the world's attractions and distractions because I haven't satisfied my need for the sweetness of His presence.

I have to consciously work at savoring Him, savoring His awesome presence. It takes time to be quiet before Him, touching Him with praise and listening to His voice and knowing His touch on my heart. After those precious times, I get up from my knees feeling loved, feeling joy and peace. I am full, whole and completely satisfied.

This week, Nina is hosting “In ‘Other’ Words” on her blog, Mama’s Little Treasures . Be sure to visit her site and the links to the other women who have shared on this quote.

If you'd like to play along, simply blog about the quote on your blog site and leave your URL in the Mr. Linky Box on Nina's site.

Frugal Convenience Mixes

2009-02-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

When I was a young pastor's wife, I have to admit I was a little envious of other shoppers as I saw their carts piled high with all sorts of premade convenience foods while I had to stick to the basic staples to keep within my grocery budget.

I knew I could make things like pancakes, biscuits and cake cheaper from scratch since I already kept the basic ingredients on hand anyway. But it always seemed like a real chore at the time to get out all the ingredients, measure everything, and then clean up all the bowls and utensils at the end. Oh how wonderful it would be to just open a box of cake mix, dump it into one bowl, mix, bake and enjoy!

One day at the grocery store, I indulged and bought a cooking magazine put out by Family Circle called Easy Budget Meals. It was published sometime in 1979 or 1980 - I can't tell because I used it so much the cover got ripped. I found lots of great recipes I used for many years including recipes to make convenience food mixes like homemade cake mix, homemade cookie mix and an oven fried coating mix.

Pantry Shelf Cake Mix - makes 4 cakes
8 cups flour
5 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cups shortening
Optional - 1 1/3 cups cocoa for chocolate cake mix

Stir the dry ingredients until well blended and then cut in shortening. Divide the mix into 4 parts (about 3 1/2 cups each) and store in quart size freezer bags in the freezer.

To use, add:
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat at low speed for one minute, then medium speed for 2 more minutes. Pour batter into greased and floured pans.

Bake at 350 degrees:
For 8" layers - 25 minutes
For 9 x 9 x 2" square pan - 35 minutes
For 24 cupcakes - 20 minutes

Pantry Shelf Cookie Mix - makes 3 batches of 3 dozen cookies
2 cups shortening
3 3/4 cups sugar
9 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon of salt

Cut shortening into sugar until crumbly, then add other dry ingredients and stir until mixed well. Divide mix into 3 parts (about 4 1/2 cups of mix) and store in zipper storage bags in the freezer.

To use, add:
4 1/2 cups mix
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
This makes a stiff dough

Optional additions:
1 cup pared apple
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter chips
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup peanut butter

For rolled cookies, shape in a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Then roll and cut with cookie cutters in desired shapes.

For dropped cookies, add 1/4 cup milk or 1/4 cup orange juice or 1 large mashed banana to the dough and drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

For bar cookies, add 1 cup of fruit, flavored chips or nuts to dough. Spread in 9 x 13" pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack and cut into 36 bars.

Oven-Fried Coating Mix - Makes the equivalent of 4 packages
1 - 16 ounce can of bread crumbs (or 2 cups of homemade bread crumbs)
2 Tablespoons of Onion salt
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients, then drizzle on the oil and mix well. Divide into 4 portions and store in a zipper storage bag.
When ready to use, add any of the following:
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
or 2 Tablespoons of chopped parsley.

Place chicken pieces in the storage bag with the coating mix and shake to coat. Arrange chicken on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

For pork, try adding:
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon thyme

For fish, try adding:
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (1 teaspoon dried dill weed)
or 1 teaspoon savory

I've enjoyed making homemade biscuits and pancakes for years. Recently, I found a recipe from cdkitchen for Copycat Bisquick Pancake/Biscuit Mix. The recipe makes 8 cups of Mix
6 2/5 tablespoons baking powder
9 3/5 teaspoons sugar
7 1/5 cups flour
16 tablespoons canola oil

When ready to use, measure out 2 cups of mix, add 1 egg and 1 1/4 cups of milk to the batter for the desired consistency for pancakes.

For biscuits, use 2 cups of the mix and about 2/3 cup of milk to make dough Roll out and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

I'd love to hear from you with other suggestions for making your own convenience foods at home!

Frugal Baby Food

2009-02-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Babies are wonderful! As I sat here this morning missing my new grand baby, I decided to do the next best thing - write about babies!

When my children were small, we pastored a small town church which couldn't pay my husband a large salary so it became an adventure in creativity to find ways to make ends meet. Around that time, I bought a cook book called "Feed Me, I'm Yours," by Vicki Lansky (first published in 1975, newly revised in 2004 so it's still available) with all sorts of healthy recipes and helpful hints on feeding my babies. That book became my child care"Bible" and by the time I passed it on to my daughter to use with her 5 little ones, the cover had fallen off and pages were oil stained.

One of Vicky's suggestions was to cook the family's vegetables without salt so they could be pureed for baby at the table using a baby food grinder. The baby food grinder I used (back in the good old days LOL!)was available in the baby section at the larger department stores for about $5. It was plastic tube with a hand cranked grinder mechanism on the top. Food was inserted into the tube and forced through the grinder. It was completely washable and easy to use.

Now the same manual food grinder costs $14.99 online. There are also electric baby food grinders available at $29.99, though you could probably purchase a small electric food processor or smaller containers for your regular electric blender for less that would do the same thing rather than buying a "baby" food grinder.

So EASY! My babies ate the same veggies and later meats as we did so it saved me the expense of buying jars of baby food.

After the meal, Vicki suggested pureeing leftover veggies and freezing them in a plastic ice cube tray. The tray created perfect baby-sized portions that could be popped out of the tray after freezing, labeled and stored in a freezer bag. When I needed a meal for my babies, I could pop out a variety of "cubes" and heat and serve.

Vicki Lansky also offered ideas for healthy finger foods and even recipes to make baby biscuits for teething. I found this recipe which was adapted from her cookbook at another online baby food site:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/teethingbiscuits.htm

Teething Biscuit Recipes - Try These Banana Bread Sticks

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 3/4 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a combination)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Combine ingredients and stir only until smooth. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour or until firmly set.Cool, remove from pan, and cut into sticks. Spread sticks out on a cookie sheet and bake at 150 degrees F for 1 hour or longer until the sticks are hard and crunchy. Store in a tightly covered container.

Adapted from Feed Me I'm Yours by Vicki Lansky **Freezes Well**

The folks at Wholesome Baby Foods also suggested making teething biscuits from your favorite healthy breads ( like carrot, pumpkin, zucchini or apple bread) by baking the bread as usual, then slicing, cutting the slices into sticks and returning them to the oven to bake until hard and crunchy. I wish I'd have known that trick when my children were small!

Even after my children grew up, I loved making the recipes in Vicki's book - especially the craft recipes for play dough, finger paint and other crafty recipes which I adapted for my children's ministry.

So what resources have you used to live "green" or frugally as you raise Baby? I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Baby Wipes

2009-02-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

Oh the joys of being a Grandma! I can hold 'em and spoil 'em and hand 'em back!

Honestly though, I just returned from my son's house where I was privileged to help out after the birth of their second child. Little Autumn was born on Groundhog Day and weighed in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces.

So with a newborn granddaughter, my mind naturally turned to ideas for frugal living that involve babies. Recently I found a great frugal website called Tip Hero filled with all kinds of great tips for cutting costs. While looking through all the tips, I found this "recipe" for homemade baby wipes which was submitted by a reader.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. baby wash
1 tbsp. baby oil
1/2 roll of strong paper towels
1 3/4 - 2 cups of water

Cut the roll, including the cardboard tube, in half. Add all liquid ingredients to a plastic container (about 6 or 7 inches in diameter, and about 6 inches high - or reuse an empty baby wipes container). Put in the cut roll of paper towels, place top of the container on and turn the container upside down until the liquid absorbs. Remove the cardboard center, and pull wipes from the center.

Since you're only using a tablespoon at a time of the baby oil and baby wash, the bottles last a long time. If you wanted to, you could purchase soft terrycloth wash cloths for use at home with this solution and keep the paper towel wipes in the diaper bag. The cloth squares are washable and re-usable, a great green alternative.

One reader commented that she used a serrated edge knife or an electric knife to cut the roll of paper towels more easily since they are difficult to cut without shredding them.

Other readers suggested using the Viva brand because they are thicker and softer to use for the baby. Viva makes a "select-a-size" paper towel so you can tear off a smaller piece at a time, making them last longer.

Another reader makes her own moist towelettes by pouring a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide over squares of cloth which she cuts from old tee shirts or other cotton type fabric. She keeps them in an opaque container in her purse. She places the used ones in another container or baggie and washes them at home so they can be used again.

I plan on passing this suggestion along to my daughter in law ans my daughter who also has children still in diapers. What other helpful baby money-saving things have you tried? I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal living - There's nothing like a big pot of soup!

2009-02-06T04:37:00.000-08:00

Mmmmm! There's nothing like a big pot of soup or savory stew simmering on the stove on a cold winter day. Couple that with the aroma of fresh baked bread and my mouth starts watering right away.

The great thing about soups and stews is that they work well for big batch cooking - as a matter of fact, they even taste better when made in a big batch, simmering slowly to blend the flavors.

I have a large electric roaster to cook my soup and by the time I finish adding ingredients, it is usually 3/4 full of delicious soup bubbling away. We always eat some of the freshly made soup, keep enough for a second meal or a few lunches and freeze the rest. That way, I only have to cook once to make several meals which is a real time, money and energy saver.

One of my favorite frugal soups is Bean Soup.

1 package of dried beans, soaked and drained according to the package directions.
1 small chunk of ham or a ham bone
4 large carrots,
3 stalks of celery,
1 medium onion
Seasonings to taste.
Water to cover the vegetables and ham.

Throw all the ingredients in a large pot (I like to use my large crock pot so this soup doesn't scorch)After cooking on low for 6 hours, I add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and cook on high for several hours to blend the flavors. This usually makes 4 to 6 quarts of soup which freezes well.

Another frugal tip for soup making is to save all your leftover cooked vegetables from other meals - you know - that spoonful of peas which doesn't seem like enough to bother with? I put the leftover veggies in a freezer bag each day and when I make soup, just take it out of the freezer and toss it into the pot. That way, nothing goes to waste. You can do that with little bits of leftover meat too. Keep a separate zipper sandwich bag in the freezer with each kind of leftover meat and use it to help flavor your soups.

I freeze my soup in meal sized containers - our empty margarine containers hold about 2 cups of soup, just right for a single lunch meal.

For cream or milk based soups, you can make the soup and freeze your portions BEFORE adding the cream to it so it will keep better. Just thaw and reheat later, adding the cream at that point.

A frugal use of time

2009-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hurry up and wait!

In the supermarket, the store manager had to cut back on cashiers due to the economy so now ten people are ahead of me. All of them are irritated, grumbling about the length of the line and how many "important" things they have to do after they leave the grocery store.

Meanwhile, the harried clerk tries everything she knows to do to ring up an item with a damaged bar code. After about five minutes, she gives up and calls the manager for a price check which takes another five minutes as the line grows longer.

Breathing a sigh of relief as the customer finally pays for her purchase and moves toward the exit, the poor cashier is faced with a red-faced, not-so-gentle-man whose clipped words and short manner let her know "she" is to blame for all the world's ills.

And so it goes as she muddles her way through the angry impatient line of customers. When I finally reach the register, the poor girl looks like she'd rather be anywhere else at the moment.

Standing in that line, I have a choice to make about the way I will spend my time. I could get angry, decide I really don't need the item in my hand and storm out of the store. I could join my fellow shoppers in complaining all the way to the register. Or I could redeem or "buy back" the time so it isn't wasted by a bad attitude or simple inactivity.

So what can I do during that waiting time?

1. Being a "fixer" I like to diffuse the growing tension in the line by chatting with my fellow customers. By observing those around me, I can usually find something that makes me smile or a compliment I can give. By turning the attention away from the "wait" to pleasanter topics, the people around me will often relax a bit, enough to prevent them from taking their irritation out on the cashier.

2. If you don't feel comfortable talking to others, you might carry a book with you or even a pocket Bible which you can pull out and read during the waiting time. It's also a great time to memorize a scripture verse. Not only does it get your mind off the wait, it will improve your attitude in general and help you keep spiritually "fit."

3. You can always use the time to pray. Since prayer is conversation with God, you can carry on a mental conversation with Him anywhere. Picture Him standing in line with you and begin talking to Him about any of the needs on your heart - both for yourself or others. Or pray for those in line. You may not know their needs, but He does.

4. Being a writer, I try to keep a pen and notepad with me. Waiting in a long line is a great place to jot down snippets of conversation I hear around me or ideas for a scene in a short story or novel. Who knows? The ire of the customers in line may spark an idea for a blog about anger management or things you can do while waiting in line. LOL!

5. Get organized. Waiting in a line is a great place to organize my life. I can make lists of things I need to do, develop plans to achieve goals, make a list of Christmas gifts I want to buy or make for the grandchildren, make a wish list of craft supplies I need and prioritize it - anything that might need to be organized.

Any of the suggestions above could end up fitting into category #1 as conversation starters or openings to witness about the love of Christ as you wait - definitely a great way to frugally "spend" your waiting time.

So as the lines increase all over town, how do you frugally spend your time? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Don't worry - be spiritually frugal

2009-02-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

I received an e-mail today - one of those "forwards" - so I haven't got a clue who wrote it originally. But it was filled with wonderful advice on keeping yourself spiritually, mentally and emotionally fit.

One of the best pieces of advice in this e-mail dealt with learning to tell the difference between worries and concerns. Now, I'm an expert "worrier" with years of experience so I'm writing about this for my own benefit, though I know I'm not the only one out there. LOL!

Worry prevents creativity. It's like trying to fit an object into a box filled with Styrofoam peanuts. Until you take the peanuts out, the object just won't fit!

When I worry, the thing I am anxious about ruminates around and around in my brain. It becomes larger and larger until there's no room for any other thoughts. Like the Styrofoam peanuts, the thing that I'm worried about has little eternal weight, but takes up more space than it's worth.

It steals my time - time I could use to be praying, waging spiritual warfare against the situation or circumstances, or figuring out creative solutions. Worry wastes my physical energy as well as I pace and wring my hands. Because it is based in fear, worry raises my blood pressure and causes sleeplessness which affects my health. It uses up a lot of mental energy to remain focused on the object of my worry, keeping it at the forefront of my mind so I can continue to see it at all times, leaving me mentally drained.

I like how this anonymous author put it:
'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

Since one of the most important principles of frugal living is not to go into debt, it makes a lot of sense not to go into spiritual debt by worrying about something that may happen tomorrow - something I have no control over. Simply put - worry "borrows" trouble - and that's not being very frugal!

Jesus understood the tendency of human beings to worry. In the Gospel of Matthew, He uses several illustrations to show the futility of worry. "Don't worry about food," He said, pointing out how God takes care of the simple house sparrows who don't plant gardens or gather food into barns. "You are more valuable than they are." (Matthew 6:26 paraphrased)

He continues on. "Don't worry about what you will wear. The wildflowers in the field are glorious to look at - I provided all their finery. Don't you think I will take care of your needs?" (Matthew 6: 28-29 paraphrased)

So the key is to learn the difference between worrying and being concerned. Concern is rooted in love. When we look at the world around us, our concern for the things we see should spur us to action - both heavy duty praying and doing what we know we can do. It means loving enough to be committed to obedience and trusting Him for the knowledge and strength to do His will.

It's like taking the object of our concern, packing it in an empty box and surrounding it with Jesus' love and compassion rather than those empty worries. Then we take that box and give it to Him , allowing Him do what He will. If He asks us to do something with our concern, we do it. Otherwise, we let Him handle it.

Matthew 6:34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (The Message)

Lord I give my empty worries to You. Show me the things I need to be concerned about - what things I need to act on and what things I need to leave in Your capable hands. Help me to become spiritually frugal for you!

Creative Opportunities Ahead!

2009-02-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Amy over at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 for supplying this week's quote for "In Other Words."

Caution: Road Slippery When Wet

Eleven years ago, my husband and I pastored in Northern New York. In January that year, the area was hit hard by one of the worst ice storms they had ever experienced. The Governor declared a state of emergency because the heavy ice toppled electrical poles in a domino effect, causing the area to lose power. Roadways were covered with ice, slush and downed trees. A nearby river flooded, affecting a low income and Senior Citizen complex.

Though the storm crippled the area, some pretty amazing things began to happen. As a reporter for our local newspaper at the time, I wasn't housebound. There was no time for getting discouraged or sitting around waiting for the power to come back on. I had a wonderful job to keep me upbeat and encouraged - I was able to travel around and see firsthand how people were coping, giving and sharing with each other. Then I had the opportunity to encourage my community by writing those stories.

The temperature had dipped to -20 degrees Fahrenheit after all the rain, which forced those without power to seek other shelter. Several of the large local churches, the schools and even the local prison opened their doors as shelters for those without electricity and heat. Others who had alternative heat sources like fireplaces or wood stoves opened their doors to their neighbors. Families shared the contents of their refrigerators and freezers to avoid losing all their food to spoilage. I still chuckle when I remember how our neighbors "borrowed" our shower because we had hot running water.

For me, it was a unique lesson in giving out of our own need. We all faced the same circumstances, but everyone who was able, gave and shared with those who were in greater need. We all learned to get by without TV, without the things we once considered necessities. For me, it cemented the joy of giving firmly in my heart. Even when things were tight, it became an adventure to find creative ways to give and share what I had.

As I see the signs for slippery economic roads ahead, I remember those days of the ice storm and know in my heart that giving is a part of frugal living. I suffer from less stress when I stop focusing on my own needs and focus on the needs of those around me. I am energized as I look for creative ways to help meet those needs. As I found out during the ice storm, writing is an awesome gift God has given me which allows me to give encouragement as well as materially to those around me.

If I were to post a sign on this leg of my life's road, I think it would read:

"Rejoice: Creative Opportunities Ahead!"

If you'd like to share your thoughts on today's quote, simply blog about it on your site, then visit Amy at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 and leave your URL in the Mr Linky Box! Then take a few minutes to read some of the other blogs and leave a comment.

Have a blessed day!

Frugal Living - Bread Crumbs of Wisdom

2009-02-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Since I started eating healthier last June, I have probably eaten the equivalent of a whole produce aisle of dark leafy greens.

Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I have learned to like salad and I eat a large one almost every day. But I do have to confess, the greens are more palatable with 2 tablespoons of fat free salad dressing, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a few seasoned croutons sprinkled on top.
Without those additions, I doubt I could get the greens down.

So as I continue writing about living frugally, I thought it was time to share a few salad secrets to make a healthy and less expensive tasty green salad. And yes - I have done these!

With the rising cost at the grocery store, I make more things from scratch at home. But there are some things I really like - for instance Kraft Catalina Salad Dressing. I just wasn't sure I could duplicate the taste, especially the low fat or fat free variety. That's when I discovered there are sites with "copy cat" recipes where I can make my favorite taste-alike foods from ingredients I usually have on hand at home!

CDKitchen is one of these sites where I find a lot of my favorite recipes like this Kraft Catalina :

1 cup of sugar
2 tsp. salt
a dash of paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
grated onion to taste
1/2 cup vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
1 cup oil

It's easy to make too - just put all ingredients in the blender, mix and store in the refrigerator. The recipe makes 3 cups.

Since this is not the "diet" version, I tweaked it a little and added Splenda instead of sugar and only 1/2 the oil with 1/2 cup water. It's really good!

Seasoned bread crumbs and those tasty croutons can also be made at home just as easily.

For years I've been storing my broiler pan in my oven. I just lay the crusts of each loaf of bread on that pan and leave them inside my oven until they dry out completely. The pan catches any extra crumbs and allows air to circulate around the bread. Once dry, I just chop them up in my food processor and add the desired spices to the mix. I store the crumbs in an air tight container and always have them on hand for breading my oven baked fish and chicken.

To make the croutons, I cube several slices of bread (it's a great way to use up older bread or sandwich buns that are starting to dry out.) I lay them on top of the broiler pan as well and allow them to dry thoroughly, usually a day or 2. I like to do this right after I get done cooking something else in the oven since a hot oven will speed the drying process.

When the cubes dry, I mix 2 Tbsp of olive oil and the desired spices (garlic powder, a pinch of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, etc) and drizzle it over the croutons on a baking sheet, tossing them lightly to coat them all. It goes back into the oven on the lowest heat for an hour or two until the cubes are thoroughly dried out. Then I store the croutons in a plastic container.
Just a few of these on my salad make all the difference. They taste every bit as good as their restaurant counterparts. Yummy!

Frugal Living - Spicing Things Up a bit

2009-01-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ever since I started looking for creative ways to cut costs, even my dear hubby has gotten into the act!

I have a lot of pumpkin in the freezer and in jars on my shelf here at the house so I needed some pumpkin pie spice from the store for several of my recipes. Dan pulled it from the grocery bag and remarked how expensive that little jar was.

Then he got this goofy grin on his face and said, "Look! Now you won't have to buy any more of this - you can just read the label and make your own!"

His idea does have merit, since several places in our local area sell bulk spices. Buying them in bulk is generally cheaper - but only if you can use what you buy in a reasonable amount of time. Spices have a good shelf life, but they won't retain their peak flavor forever. Nothing is a bargain if you end up wasting half of it!

So how about making your own spice blends and gifting what you can't use yourself?

Over the Christmas holiday, I found these two great articles with interesting spice blend recipes:
Enhance the flavor of your food
Healthy Homemade Gifts

I've tried the Ranch dressing mix from the homemade gift site and found it to be a great alternative to the packets of Ranch seasoning mix at a fraction of the cost.

Ranch Dressing Mix:
4 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon dry dill weed
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper (or to taste)

There's no salt in the recipe so you can add it to your taste and cut the calories by using light sour cream or low fat yogurt.

Since my DH suggested making my own pumpkin pie spice, I googled it and found this great recipe at All Recipes .

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground allspice

Simply mix well and store in an air tight container.

I'm definitely going to be looking up more spice blend recipes as I continue on this frugal lifestyle adventure!

Do you have any favorite spice /herb blend recipes? I'd love to hear about them.

Frugal Living - Downsizing

2009-01-29T14:57:00.001-08:00

Well, we finally took the plunge - after having cable for many years, we decided to try satellite for our television service.

When we first moved here, we invested in the television/Internet package with the cable company. But wow! When the introductory offer expired on the Internet hookup after the first 6 months, our Internet payment rate skyrocketed. Six months later, the cable TV rates went up as well.

In order to save some money each month, we switched to DSL with our phone company when they offered a really great deal on a fixed rate for Internet service for the life of our account. It has worked just fine, despite the turtle-slow claims the cable competitors make about DSL.

Finally today, we parted ways with the cable company all together, switching to the satellite service. Everyone we talked to in our neck of the woods seemed satisfied with their service which costs less than half the price we were paying for cable.

Many of the people I have talked to over the last several weeks have said the same thing - they are considering downsizing the services they already have in order to live more frugally as things tighten up economically. Many are limiting the use of their cell phones and going to "pay-as-you-go" plans. Another friend is giving up her land line and using her cell phone exclusively rather than having two payment packages.

Others are switching from higher priced Internet and TV services to lower priced ones or downgrading their service to a less expensive package. Many of the folks I know are even shutting off their TV all together and using the mail order video plans or upgrading their computers so they can watch movies or television shows online.

Many of my friends who watch a lot of movies have found it is more cost effective to go with a video mail order service like NetFlix rather than pay the extra cost for pay-per-view movies or the higher rate movie channels. Some have decided to shut off their TV service all together and just use these video rental services.

No matter what options you choose, downsizing is a good way to cut back. Not only will you be able to save money, you may just find yourself exercising more, learning new skills like cooking from scratch, finishing projects that have waited for a rainy day or just spending more quality family time.

Frugal living will be what we make it - a hardship because of all the things we feel we must "give up" or an adventure where we enjoy each day in Christ as He helps us find creative ways to cope. The choice is ours.

Frugal Living - I've got the gardening blues!

2009-01-28T06:50:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again - when the seed catalogs arrive in the mailbox, stirring memories of the aroma of freshly turned earth, seedlings erupting through the soil and mouthwatering fresh veggies.

Last year, for the first time in many years, I had a small garden. It whet my appetite for an even larger garden this year; partly because it's a frugal thing to do, but mostly because I just enjoyed planting it, caring for it and especially eating it. But planting a larger garden presents a problem - with the arthritis in my knees, I can't kneel down to plant the rows, especially the tiny seeds like carrots, lettuce and spinach.

Last year my back ached from bending down to try to get the seeds into neat, narrow rows. I ended up with 1 spinach plant in the 7 foot long row and about 5 mystery plants in the area between rows. I lost about 3/4 of my romaine crop to the birds because I didn't put them in right. My 2 small rows of carrots grew so close together, even after they were thinned out, I still harvested many tiny deformed tubers.

My failures haven't dampened my enthusiasm for trying again this year, but I did learn from my mistakes. So this year I decided to make my life a little easier. I remembered hearing about seed tapes - strips of biodegradable paper with seeds attached at the proper intervals. You just dig your furrow, unroll your seed tape and cover. Voila! Painless, neat rows of veggies.

The problem is the price of such modern gardening marvels. Two 7 foot rows of seed tape cost an average of $4.95 as opposed to a seed packet which would make several times that many plants. And not all seeds are available as seed tapes.

But thankfully, the Information Super Highway (a.k.a. the Internet) had an alternative answer - make my own seed tapes! With my seed packets, a roll of toilet paper and a little flour and water "glue" I can use these long snowy pre-Spring days to create my own seed tapes and be ready for the April gardening start date. For a FRACTION of the price.

Here's how to make your own tapes: Mix a thick flour water paste - you'll probably have to measure out 1/4 cup of flour and add water slowly until it gets to be a pasty consistency - not too thick, but not runny. (One gardener I saw recommended using Elmer's glue instead of the flour paste, but I think I prefer the flour).

Tear off a three foot length of toilet tissue and cut it into one inch wide strips. Lay the strips on a flat surface next to a yardstick. Follow the directions on the seed packet for spacing and place a small dot of the flour/water glue at the proper intervals. Dip a toothpick into the "glue" and pick up a seed, placing it on the glue dot on the toilet tissue. Allow the strip to dry thoroughly before rolling the tape. Store in an envelope until ready to plant.

After the danger of frost is past, just dig the furrow, unroll the strip and cover with the proper amount of soil. The flour paste and paper will degrade, leaving the seeds to germinate in beautiful properly spaced, even rows.

Not only is this a money saving solution, it will save my knees and back a lot of agony. Let's see - I think I'll make some tapes of beans, carrots, peas, lettuce.....

It's healthier to take the stairs!

2009-01-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks for joining us for In Other Words Tuesdays! Denise over at Shorty Bear's Place has chosen this quote for "In Other Words" today:

Making lifestyle changes is like taking the step of faith onto Martin Luther King Jr's stairway in the quote above. Whether it's learning to let go of control and trust the Lord more fully; to reign in excessive spending and live more frugally; or to lose weight, exercise and make healthy food choices, that first step is probably the most difficult one you'll ever take!

It is a commitment that you must make by faith because you can't see the whole stairway. And the neatest thing about it is that once you make the commitment in one area of your life, all other areas will eventually be affected.

Seventeen years ago, I took the first step of faith on my stairway to overcome the depression that plagued me most of my adult life. Though I was a Christian from the time I was 8 years old, I had grown up with damaged coping skills from childhood abuse. I tentatively reached out and took His hand to take the first step on the stairway - emotional healing.

Over the years, I have been amazed at the changes He has made in my emotional and spiritual life. Joy and confidence became part of my inner life and I began enjoying the journey with fewer dark cloudy days. But my life journey was still an upward climb.

Over the last few years, though I was coping much better, there seemed to be one life struggle after another without a break. I found myself dealing with aging parents who were also becoming incapacitated. My husband and I experienced some difficult church situations that wounded us deeply. We made a major move and became "empty nesters" for the first time. It wasn't long, however, before we found ourselves faced with the need to open our home to help our grown children and grandchildren. On top of all that I developed some back problems and severe arthritis in my knees which caused me to retire early when we really needed the income. Then we moved again, leaving behind our 5 sweet-faced grandchildren and faced more loss as my parents both died.

My journey ground to a halt as I stood there on the stairway, hanging onto the golden handrail and breathing hard. Though God allowed me to catch my breath, He wasn't going to let me stand there for long.

This time, He began working on my physical issues - namely weight. He knew I was finally ready to let go of the protective wall of excess weight I had always carried as I took His hand and took another tentative step up the staircase.

My spirit has grown lighter because with each upward step, I'm not only shedding pounds, I'm leaving behind the remnants of that stony protective wall I once built around my heart - a wall which I thought kept me safe, but really only kept me isolated from His Love.

As the staircase vanishes from sight, hidden by the stories above, I know this: Each step builds on the one before it, making it possible for me to take the next one. He is there to support me when the climb gets tough. I can let go of control and trust Him more each day because the staircase has spiralled far above the place of fear and despair where I started. Though I can't see it yet, I know I'll reach the top landing someday and step off the stairs into His home at the journey's end.

Ever wonder why God doesn't have an elevator to heaven? Because it's spiritually healthier to take His stairs - one step at a time!

If you'd like to participate today, Just blog about the quote on your site, then hop over to Shorty Bear's Place and leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box. Hope your day is Blessed!!!!!

Frugal Living - Trimming the Fat...

2009-01-26T05:48:00.000-08:00

You're definitely living a more frugal lifestyle when you start trimming the fat out of your budget and other areas of your life. But I recently ran across a really neat way to visualize the fat you're trimming!

Many of you know I've been dieting since June last year and have lost 47 pounds. Yay! So I've "trimmed" quite a bit of fat from my dinner plate which in turn has saved on the grocery budget. I've had lots of help and support from a website called Spark People.

For starters, Spark People is a free site which is a frugal choice in itself since many other dieting sites which offer the same level of support and help come with a membership fee attached.

Once I log in, I have access to food and exercise trackers which help me keep on track. The Spark Teams and message boards are another great feature of the site where I can share the ups and downs of the weight loss journey with others. I found and am enjoying the fellowship of pastors' wives, writers and rubber stampers as well as a few other interesting groups.

Recently I read one of the daily Spark e-mails which contained an article about a "Canned Fat Drive." For every pound of "fat" the team members drop from their waistlines, they set aside some kind of food staple.

One of the gals places hers in a canvas bag in a high traffic area of her home. Each time she passes the bag of food, she lifts it a few times before continuing with what she was doing. The bag of food serves as a powerful visual reminder of the "fat" she is trimming from her body. It also is a motivator to keep going toward her goal.

Once she has collected several pounds of food, she donates it to a local food pantry. Again, it has become an interactive weight loss too so she can mentally imagine herself shedding those pounds - never to see them again. The added benefit is that her shed pounds will help others in need.

Giving is an important part of life, both for the receiver and the one who gives. When I choose to give, the satisfaction and joy I receive far outweigh the cost. By incorporating the suggestions I've learned from the canned fat drive, I have found myself being doubly blessed as I learn to live more frugally, eat healthier and see the visual results of my choices while being a blessing to others.

Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Frugal Living - Learning the art of giving

2009-01-23T05:20:00.001-08:00

Like most people, I have a "wish list" of things I'd like to have someday. But it's just that - a wish list. Most of the things on that list aren't really necessities. As I look around, I have what I need to live comfortably, especially when compared to others.

A friend recently forwarded an e-mail that contained the testimony of a 70 year old widow living in an African nation. This woman not only lost her husband, but her home when he died. Once she lived in comfort, but with his death, everything changed.

Since she didn't receive any inheritance, she survived by selling what she could - all the remaining household furniture and even the precious gifts her husband had once given her. Medical and dental care are non-existent for this woman so she pulls her own teeth and stitches up her own wounds with a needle and thread. She supports herself by painting and selling her work, gardening and limiting herself to one meal per day.

Yet somehow, in the midst of her own need, she has found a precious secret - that of giving to others, even when she doesn't really have it to give. She banded together with another family of seven, even more destitute because they have no income at all. A small family of four with two infants and a young man with limited resources also comprise her "family." Together they look out for each other, doing what they can to survive.

In the midst of her loneliness, she finds her joy by helping others - at 70, she hopes to share her nursing skills in areas of the country where cholera runs rampant, but government officials think she is too old to help and refuse to allow her to go.

"I am still here and refuse to let go. There are too many people left in this country who need compassion, care and hope to go on. Although there are organisations and charitable groups who try to help, there aren't enough of them. But the solution lies with all of us here - black , white and coloured, to start caring for each other. It takes more than courage, it takes fury and grief to explode into action," she writes.

"To all those who live elsewhere and who have never experienced this deprivation, let me tell you, it is a testing experience. Above all, learn from it, because - but for the Grace of God there goes You."

Father, help me learn to live frugally so I may give to others - not only sharing Your words which are rich beyond measure, but also to give tangibly, doing what I can to ease their hurts and desperate needs. Amen!

Conquer Impulse Shopping - Use it to buy it

2009-01-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

Like most avid crafters, I have a "stash."

It used to be a stash of fabric - after all, you NEVER know when you'll need a certain type of fabric to make something for your home, for a gift, for the grand kiddos or for yourself. I loved to shop at discount fabric stores and no matter where we lived - I knew where all the best fabric buys were.

Several years ago, I fell in love with paper crafting. Paper takes up lots less room than bolts of fabric and you don't have to thread needles to make things out of paper LOL! So I began collecting anything to do with paper crafting from tools to various types of paper and embellishments.

Whenever I got a 40% off coupon to a craft store, I HAD to use it. After all, you never know when something will come in handy to make a card or for a craft for children's church. And so my stash grew.

When we moved 18 months ago, my craft supplies filled a room in the new house. After settling in, my husband built a wonderful wall unit to fit around my craft table to store all of my stash. Of course, with all that extra new space, there was even more room for more paper crafting goodies.

I did make some cards, probably about 250 of them last year, mostly for wedding and shower gifts. But I must confess, I continued to accumulate more than I used. My stash strained at the boundaries of the craft room, threatening to drive me out of my creative space.

So what is a girl to do?????

I found s great web site dedicated to rubber stamping. Each week they featured new card crafting challenges which tickled my creative fancy. But still I had trouble getting motivated to create, though my stash kept growing.

Shortly before the new year one of the message boards featured a challenge called "Stamp to Spend." Each of the participants vowed to allot themselves money to spend on their rubber stamps and paper supplies based on the amount of cards, scrapbook layouts or altered items they made. The idea was to cut down on impulse buying by earning an allowance to spend on their craft.

This challenge has some real advantages:
1. It gets me motivated to use what I have on hand.
I have stamps that have never been inked and a stack of paper and cardstock almost 2 feet high! I purchased tools to create many of the trendy looks, but my good intentions just never happened. Now, if I want to buy new tools and paper, I need get creative first.

2. It makes me prioritize my "wish list." Since I must earn the right to spend money, I think twice before just buying something because I "might be able to use it." Now I have a purpose/goal to save up for so I can buy specific items in a specific order.

3. It cuts down on impulse buying. It's like going to the grocery store with a list -It saves money because I only buy what's on my list. Thank goodness for craft store coupons which help me go through the items on my wish list more quickly.

4. The challenge holds me accountable too since everyone keeps a spreadsheet to record how she's doing and reports back. So far in the month of January alone, I've made 108 cards - a third of my yearly total for last year! Though I have bought some necessary supplies, I remain in the black so far.

5. It is challenging me to use the cards I make so they aren't just sitting around in the craft room. So far, I've started making my Christmas cards for next year (that's another challenge, LOL!) as well as making sets of gift cards to give as wedding and baby shower gifts. I've often wanted to send handmade birthday, encouragement, get well and sympathy cards, but just never got around to it. Now...

This is a great strategy to help conquer impulse buying. Instead of buying because "it's on sale" or I "might be able to use it" someday, I now buy it because I've already used my supplies and I need to replace them. It's also helping me to defeat the dark clouds of depression which engulfed me last year after the deaths of my parents.

So what tips do you have for conquering impulse buying? I'd love to hear from you.

Good to the last drop!

2009-01-21T04:45:00.000-08:00

Many years ago as a young pastor's wife, my motto was, "Necessity is the mother of invention." When I looked at home decor items, I tried to figure out what I had on hand to create a similar look. Sometimes it worked and sometimes....well, let's just chalk it up to "lessons learned."

In one of the rural settings where we lived, I had a wonderful next door neighbor who always had an open back door. We visited frequently, just talking about anything and everything. To show my appreciation for her, I made a kitchen wall hanging with the old saying on the card above:

Use it up.
Wear it out,
Make it do...
Or Do without.

I painted a silhouette of an Amish buggy on red fabric and carefully printed the verse above it, framing it in an embroidery hoop and finishing the edge with lace. (I think those types of fabric hoop pictures were a crafting "trend" at the time!) She hung it proudly on her kitchen wall until their home was damaged by fire.

Over the past few months with the financial woes facing many, I was reminded of this old saying again and began a list of other "frugal" things I have done in the past to save money and stretch our family resources. I asked other friends for their suggestions as well and have been amazed at the response. I already have a list of 4 pages of easy suggestions to save money and stretch the family budget.

Starting with this post, I'd like to pass along those suggestions to my readers with the hope you will find them easy, fun and useful.

Blessings to you from a Frugal Pastor's Wife!

Tip #1 "Use It Up"

I'm not sure where I first heard this, but I have been doing it for several years. When I reach the bottom of a bottle of shampoo or conditioner, I turn the bottle upside down and rest it in a funnel overnight to drain the last drops into another bottle. I collect the drips and dribbles until I have a full bottle. I usually collect enough over the course of a year to make a half to a full bottle of shampoo or conditioner. Talk about it being "good to the last drop!"

Cold feet and warm hearts

2009-01-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

The thermometer read -4 degrees Fahrenheit, though it felt like -21 when I took the dog out this morning.

"I'm only going to be on the porch for a few minutes. I don't need my boots," I reasoned.

So I zipped up my jacket and pulled my knitted cap over my ears. Oreo bounded off the porch happily into the snow eager to finish his business and get back inside.

As I turned toward the door again, I accidentally kicked my foot out of my blue fuzzy slipper, stepping into a small patch of snow on the deck floor. What a rude awakening! It took me 10 minutes inside the house to get my foot warm again.

As I rubbed my foot with a warm towel, the Lord reminded me He is always with me. Though my feet felt the chill of the outdoors through my slippers, they were still protected from the full force of the wintry cold. When I kicked off that covering, my foot became totally vulnerable to the cold.

Even though He cradles me in His loving embrace, I am not immune to the troubles of life in this world. I may still feel the pain of loss and heartache of the world's problems. It's when I slip out of His grasp and try to handle things on my own that I feel the full force of the icy chill of sin.

Father help me to stay snuggled in You so I can bear the harsh realities of the world that surround us daily. Amen!

Trust is the only option

2009-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today I'm privileged to be hosting In Other Words. I ran across this quote in a Bible Study I'm participating in with several writing friends and knew this was the one I needed to share today.

"Real life in the real world is a tough, nitty-gritty journey that every pilgrim on planet earth must make. Moving to Disney World is not an option. There will be tribulation; Jesus said so. But be of good cheer. He's still in the business of guiding and strengthening and healing and overcoming."

~ When the Glass Slipper Doesn't Fit by Claire Cloninger and Karla Worley~

"Disney World" was always my residence of choice when I was a child.

When I was 4 years old, I used to embarrass my parents whenever we went to visit relatives on Sunday afternoon because the moment they announced it was time to go home, I would throw myself on the floor and have a hideous temper tantrum. I don't remember doing that, but heard my parents tell the stories many times.

Each year when Labor Day Camp came to an end, I grieved inside - wishing it could last forever. When I travelled to Tennessee at age 14 to be a junior camp counselor for a week, I phoned home and begged to stay another week, even though I had no idea how I'd get home.

Homesickness just wasn't in my vocabulary. In the real world, I did anything I could to minimize time spent at home. When I had to be at home, I remember spending hours sitting in a swivel rocker next to our dining room window, daydreaming about running away from home. I had it all planned out - how I'd sneak back at night to get food out of the refrigerator and hide in the nearby wooded area in the daytime.

As an adult who has worked hard through the process of healing for my damaged emotions, I understand why I felt that way now. Home wasn't a safe place. And because I couldn't cope with the things that happened there, I escaped any way I could - either by becoming active in all sorts of School and church activities or by retreating into a world of daydreams.

God knew I couldn't live in my own private "Disney World" forever so when the time was right, He began teaching me how to cope with the real world. I discovered just how tough and nitty-gritty the journey really is and how much I need to trust Him for guiding, strengthening, healing and overcoming.

Trust is the core issue behind the ability to cope with the real world. But how can trust be built or rebuilt once it is damaged?

Learning or relearning trust requires us to become spiritual infants. When a baby cries, it learns to trust its parents as its needs are consistently met. I had to journal about each need the Lord met for me in answer to my prayers. Being able to see His blessings in black and white went a long way toward fortifying my trust that He had met my needs in the past and would continue to meet them in the future.

I also had to learn to empty my heart of all the emotional turmoil inside by praying and crying out to the Lord until all the tears were spent; much like a parent quiets a weeping child. Once all the confusing and hurtful emotions were emptied out, I could hear His voice and receive the comfort He had to give. It was a process that occurred over and over again until trust began to take root.

It isn't an easy fix, but He is patient and gentle as He works to rebuild broken trust. The Disney World way of coping with life won't work for long, but a life of trust will always get you through!

If you'd like to participate today, simply blog about the quote on your site and then leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box below. Please fell free to visit the other great blogs to read their take on today's quote!

Twas A Month Before Christmas

2008-12-19T06:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It has been quite some time since my last blog. I've been on a writing "sabbatical" of sorts, getting some things straightened out and doing quite a bit of praying about what to do next and where to go with things. Thank you to those of you who asked what was going on! I really appreciate your care and concern. I'm not sure how soon I'll be blogging regularly again, but wanted to share a chuckle with you today. God Bless!

Bonnie

Twas A Month Before Christmas

Twas a month before Christmas
And all through the house
Everyone was salivating
Including the mouse.

The heavenly aroma
Of warm chocolate chips
Caused even the finicky
To lick hungry lips.

The cookies were laid
On wire racks to cool
While children hung ‘round
Beginning to drool.

And Ma in her apron
And green oven mitt
Scraped the glass bowl
To get every bit.

When in the living room
There rose such a clatter,
She raced in to see,
Leaving her batter.

The old Christmas tree
Lay bent on the floor
While Pa sat there laughing
And laughing some more.

A string of white lights
Hung from one limb
While several more
Hung all over him!

He blinked and twinkled
And chuckled with glee
As he rose to his feet
And righted the tree,

Ma started to speak,
Choosing words with care
Then she stopped and turned
And sniffed at the air.

“Oh no,” she cried
And started to choke
For out of the oven came
Billowing smoke.

“My cookies,” she yelled,
And turned with a flash
Flung open the shutters
And threw up the sash.

Hard lumps of coal
Lay where cookies had been.
Ma crying, Pa laughing,
Oh my what a din!

“At least I have some,”
She thought to herself.
But not a cookie remained
On the rack or the shelf.

The children all scattered
Each to his room
When Mama turned red
And reached for her broom.

And I heard her exclaim
As she plopped in her chair,
“Honolulu for Christmas.
I wanna go there!”

©Bonnie Winters 2008

Hope you and yours have a very wonderful "Christ"mas!

Fiction Friday - The Parable of the Quilt

2008-10-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

Time seems to have gotten away from me again and here it is Friday already!

I didn't have time to write a story this week (and I'm visiting my son for the weekend - Yay!!!!!), but a new story of mine just came out in the October issue of 4 Him 2 U, an e-zine where I have a monthly column called Patches of Grace. This month I digressed a little and wrote my column in the form of a slice of life vignette rather than a devotional thought.

It's called the Parable of the Quilt and is set in an Amish home where several women are gathered round a quilting frame sharing slices of their lives as they work on a wedding quilt for one of the community's girls.

So if you will indulge me, click this link - the Quilts and Quills page of 4 Him 2 U to find my story this week. Enjoy!

Commercial: While you're there, you might also check out some of the other stories in the 4Him2U e-zine written by the Sonrise Writers and their guests.

Back to Fiction Friday. Yvonne is our hostess today over at her site My Back Door Ministry. If you enjoy reading short stories, be sure to visit Yvonne's site and read her story today. Go ahead and leave her a comment to let her know you stopped by and while you're there, click on some of the other authors for more good reading.

If you like to write, simply post your story on your blog site, then leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box on Yvonne's page.

Happy reading and writing!

Spreading the Light

2008-10-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to "In Other Words"

Thanks for joining me as I host IOW today. If you'd like to participate, please share your thoughts about today's quote on your blog site, then leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box at the end of this post.

You're also invited to visit the other participants' blogs and leave them an encouraging comment.

*****

“There are two ways of spreading light;

to be the candle or the mirror

that reflects it.”
~Edith Wharton~

Several years ago I was being interviewed as a candidate to participate in a therapy group made up of women who were going through a time of healing from some traumatic life events. One of the questions the group's facilitator asked me was "what will you contribute to the group?"

It seemed like a strange question at the time, but I replied that I was a good listener and would give whatever I could to the group. After all, I was a Martha - a fixer. I could never be content to just sit and soak up the light and healing from everyone else.

At the time, I had no idea how intense the healing process could be. But as we met together week after week, sharing our stories, our hurts, our concerns, our failures and successes, I learned some valuable lessons about being Christ's light as well as how to absorb it into the darkest hidden places in my own heart:

1. A mirror is coated with silver or other reflective coating on the back. It cannot absorb the light shining on it - it can only reflect it back. Like that mirror, I was good at reflecting Christ's love back at others, but I had never allowed His light and love to penetrate into the deepest recesses of my life where the most hurtful memories lurked in the shadows.

It took all the candle power in that room to finally illuminate my hurts. Their words and actions became the candles that burned away my excuses, my denials and unproductive ways of coping with life so Christ could begin His healing work.

2. After I learned to open up to His light, I learned how to better reflect it back to others through the honest sharing of my heart. I found even when I was at my weakest, His strong light was able to shine through like a candle in a dark room. More than once, I was told that my courage in sharing what I never dared to share before had encouraged and strengthened one of the others in the shadowy places of their journey toward wholeness.

3.There were times when each of our hurts seemed so overwhelming there were no words adequate enough to bring comfort. Those were the times when we took turns mirroring Christ's love to each other- forming a supportive circle of light around the one whose hope and strength seemed to fail. A comforting hug, a listening ear, unconditional acceptance and love reflected His light during those deeply emotional times.

Whether we are the candles or the mirrors that reflect His light - we can only give to others what is inside of us. We have to guard our relationship with Christ so that His light glows in us. And when that light dims, we have to replenish it through prayer, His Word and the support of others around us. Now more than ever before, we need Him and each other in the darkness of the world around us. Lord help us to keep on spreading Your the light to those around us and to future generations.

***

Fiction Friday - Beggars Can't Be Choosy

2008-10-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

Beggars Can't Be Choosey

"Another donation." Shara muttered under her breath while poking through the large metal bin purposely left outside the back door of the agency. "More stuff the rich recycle for the poor.

She launched into her sarcastic beggars-can't-be-choosey diatribe as she lifted items out of the bin. "This metal garbage can only has a few dents and the handle is missing from the lid. If some poor person doesn't have a garbage can, they'll be glad to get this one, even with the dents!"

Shara laughed - the forced kind of laughter she used to mask her anger as she ditched stained onesies, a pair of ripped canvas sneakers and a frying pan with most of the non-stick coating worn off. With a loud huff, she smashed the lid down on the bin.

Next to the bin was a big box of donated cans and old boxes of cereal. "This isn't even supposed to be here. Do people want to attract rats?"

Shara fished out a half-used bag of sugar and snorted in disgust. "Well, if someone is so poor they can't buy sweetener for their cereal, this will be a real treat."

"Humph! I'd be ashamed to offer a dog leftovers and expired food like that." She trundled the sugar and the rest of the outdated food to the dumpster at the back of the lot.

She locked the door behind her as she returned to her desk, grumbling to any of her co-workers who would listen about how wasteful people were now-a-days and how inconsiderate they were to offer their castoffs to others simply because the recipients were "poor."

Back at her desk, she settled down and dug in her pockets for two quarters. "Boy could I use a pick-me-up right about now." The snack machine still had her favorite candy bars for 50 cents.

Realizing her pockets were empty, she checked her desk drawers. "No, I guess I spent those two quarters last week and forgot to replace them."

She picked up her designer bag and began rummaging for her change purse. That too came up empty with only 2 pennies and some lint. "Uh-oh. I guess I'm broke 'til payday tomorrow."

In a last ditch effort to satisfy her cravings, she turned her purse upside down, dumping the contents onto her desk. Still no change.

As she swept her makeup bag back into the purse, she found a half-eaten chocolate bar deposited there by her four-year-old daughter during church two Sundays ago. It was a little mangled and linty on one end where the paper had been ripped, but otherwise intact. Triumphantly she held it up and grinned. "Can't let this go to waste. It's chocolate!"

***

To read more great short stories, visit our hostess Betsy for Fiction Friday today at her site Just Another Clay Pot. Scroll down and click on the other authors names to read their offerings today and be sure to leave a comment to let them know you were there!

If you've written one you'd like to share, place your URL in the Mr. Linky box on Betsy's site.

Happy reading and writing!

Blessings Journal

2008-10-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

As promised in my Monday blog, I made a cover for my Blessings Journal and wanted to share it with you. It seems a little plain right now, but I have a feeling as I fill the inside with all His blessings, the outside will continue to be embellished as the joy spills out!

I chose the image of a canning jar because the original conversation with my online study group was about creating a blessings "jar" or basket. Since I have been canning a lot this year, I liked the idea of a jar, but it would take up more room than a journal on my already crowded desk.

The scripture on the jar is Isaiah 26:3 NIV "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

I can't think of any better way to experience God's peace each day than to log the blessings He gives just like I log my calories. It keeps His love in the forefront of my mind and heart which does give me a sense of peace and joy. It has been an amazing week so far with God turning bad things into good things that glorify Him and so many other little blessings. I don't know why I didn't start this a long time ago - but I do know I plan to keep it up!

Have you started your blessings jar/basket/journal yet?

Will Power?...NOT!

2008-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

"My, you have will power!" said a friend at a recent church dinner as she glanced at the small portions of healthier food choices on my plate.

Inside I cringed, not knowing how to reply. I saw the dessert table laden with yummy blueberry cake, some kind of cheesecake type truffle and all sorts of brownies. Ahhhhhh! Chocolate, my true weakness. I really don't have much will power when it comes to resisting sweets.

The apostle Paul said it well in Romans 7: 17-20 "But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. " (The Message)

Honestly - I've been dieting long enough that I know what foods are healthy to eat. And I know that a serving of vegetables about the size of my fist is approximately a cup. I know what foods are high in fat, carbs and calories. But as I stand in that food line at church and look at all those succulent goodies, something happens to all my resolve - it disappears and I just want to taste everything in sight, regardless whether it is healthy or not - just like Paul said.

So if it isn't will power that keeps me going, what is it?

It is a combination of many things:

a. Knowledge - knowing what foods to choose.
This learning curve is a constant process. Each day I get e-mails from Spark People with new recipe ideas to help me eat better, new exercises I can try to help me with strength training and information on the latest medical news about conditions like my high blood pressure. The more I stay informed and keep that information in front of my face, the more it helps me say no to the unhealthy food choices around me.

b. Motivation - wanting to lose weight and knowing why I want it so much.
I set mini goals for myself, then each day I log my food intake. Once a week I log my weight loss to see where I am at or what I might need to do to change my eating and exercise habits so I can reach my goal. Again, by keeping my goals in front of me, it is easier to stay on track and I am motivated to make better choices.

c. Support - knowing I am not alone in my weight loss struggles; knowing that there are others praying for my success and especially knowing the Lord is there to help me whenever I call.
Support brings accountability as I meet with others who are working to lose weight too. We report in to each other, sharing our successes and failures. We reward each other with encouraging words and sometimes little tokens that say, "Way to go!" When I fail, they're there to say, "It's not the end of the world. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start again." When they are down, it is my responsibility to do the same for them.
Likewise, the Lord is there cheering me on with forgiveness for my failures and loving encouragement as I learn to be a better steward of this wonderful body He has given me.

These principles apply to my Christian life too. It is my goal to grow and develop a more intimate relationship with the Lord. But I can't do that by sheer will power to avoid those things which aren't pleasing to Him or aren't good for me spiritually. When I try to do it on my own, I fail miserably every time.

I need to continually immerse myself in His Word and pray to keep Him close at all times. I need to WANT TO change and live for Him. And I need His constant presence and help through the dark times along with support from fellow believers who will pray for me when I can't pray for myself, lift me up when I fall and encourage me when I succeed. We so desperately need each other in the body of Christ!

Thank You Lord. It's not by my own strength and knowledge; it's not by my own will power. But rather it's by setting my sights on You, learning all I can and accepting help from those supportive others around me that I will succeed both in my weight loss efforts and in my spiritual growth. Help me to be an encourager to others on their journey as well! Amen.

Do I really need a whale, God?

2008-09-30T03:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to "In Other Words!"

Today's Quote is:

It was Christmas vacation week for the children. We had just moved to NY state to begin a new pastorate in a small rural church near Binghamton. Our son was in 6th grade and we knew it would be hard for him to adjust mid-year to a new school and to make new friends. So we prayed.

God made a way for Dave to have a Christian teacher and even though we arrived mid-year, this teacher saw to it that Dave was able to participate in the class trip - a whale watchin g trip to the New England coast near Boston. He loved it and came home with such glowing reports of his trip, we decided to take a family vacation to the same area and see the whales for oursleves.

The humpback whales showed off for us that day, rising to the surface, spraying watery mists into the air and showing off their tails in awesome fluking maneuvers. Several even swam alongside the boat before disappearing into the depths. Though I know the humpbacks are too small in size to swallow a person, they are huge when they swim right by the boat. Watching them speed by did make the nervous butterflies dance in my stomach!

One of the most interesting facts I learned on that trip was that each humpback whale's tail fin markings were different - as unique as fingerprints are to us. Because of that, scientists were able to name and study individual whales in their respective pods.

I am awed by the creativity and love ouf our God. Not only does He create each of us with different appearances and abilities, He also takes the time to nurture those abilities so we can reach our fullest potential in Him!

I'm sure Jonah didn't appreciate the experience he had in the belly of that great fish God prepared to save his life, but that experience affected Jonah's future growth and ministry in a profound way. He left the beach where the whale vomitted him up and went to Nineveh. There he preached with such conviction and authority, that the whole city repented. Before his inner-whale experience, Jonah was wishy-washy and fearful. God knew this man needed the whale to fully develop his God-given abilities.

I may never be swallowed by a literal whale like Jonah, but there have been things of whale-like proportions that have swallowed or threatened to swallow me. But God used each experience to create growth and strength in me so I am able to minister for Him. If He thinks I need to experience the whale to grow, I will trust Him in that.

Thank You Lord for creating me as an individual and for taking the time to personally nurture that individuality so I may become the best me I can be for You!

***
Today's hostess is Deborah at her site Chocolate and Coffee. If you'd like to participate, blog about the quote on your site, then visit Deborah and leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box.

While you're there, leave her a comment and click on the other authors' blogs to read their perspective on this quote. There's always lots of good reading!

Blessing Journal Challenge

2008-09-29T06:21:00.001-07:00

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always!

Saturday began with a sense of discouragement for me. Even during worship team practice, I just felt "blah." There were some pressing concerns on my heart, some dark clouds over my head. No, nothing major - just enough to leave me feeling blue.

That afternoon, I was to meet with my online writing group for our weekly Bible Study. As I reviewed the week's lesson, I was challenged once again to consider the circumstances in my life which gave me reason to rejoice.

In past discussions, we talked about creating "blessing jars" or baskets. Each time God blessed us in some way, we were to write it on a slip of paper and place it in the basket or jar. Then when we felt down, we were to revisit those blessings. Of course, I had good intentions but hadn't created my own yet.

As I thought and prayed about the lesson, the Lord had me take out a clean spiral notebook from my stash and begin a blessings journal. I dated the page and began praying the Lord would show me what blessings He had given me that day. Not past blessings, but the immediate ones, right then and there. It didn't take long to have several written on the page. The blues lifted as my heart filled up with His presence and praise for His wonderful love and care.

I know this works. I've been a Christian for 47 years. But I don't always make spiritually heart healthy choices to do what I need to do to keep myself spiritually fit. I still spend way too much time wallowing in the problems rather than leaning into Him. It's a matter of spiritual discipline, just like exercising is a physical discipline to get and stay fit.

Like a willful child who clamps her mouth shut and won't eat the veggies that are good for her, I refuse to do the very thing that will lift my inner child out of her doldrums. But thankfully, once I open my heart to Him, He is right there to fill me and preserve me. I have to make the choice to accept His peace and joy.

If you're feeling blue, depressed or down today, make the choice to open your heart to Him. Begin a blessings jar, basket or journal. Write down the here and now things God has done for you or given to you. Take it out and reread them whenever you need to. In the distressing times in which we live, we need to have those written reminders every day to keep us strong in Him.

This week my project is to write down at least one blessing each day and to decorate my journal with my scrapbooking supplies to create an inviting place to visit when I need encouragemment and reminders of His love.

I'll post a photo whe I get it done, If you create a basket, jar or journal, why not share a photo of yours? I'd love to see it and hear what blessings God has given you this week!

Fiction Friday - Grandma's Pressure Cooker

2008-09-26T04:44:00.000-07:00

Grandma's Pressure Cooker

The stainless steel pressure cooker gleamed as Grandma took it out of the box, but not as brightly as her smile. Grinning like a schoolgirl, she thanked Grampa for the birthday gift."How did you know? I've always wanted one of these! It will make cooking and canning so much easier!"

She pecked him on the cheek as the family clapped and hooted their approval.

"Grammy, we all helped to buy it," little Jimmy blurted out. "I gave Grampa a quarter." Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you all! This is the best birthday present I ever got!"

Like a child with a new toy, she had to try it out. For the next week, she cooked everything in that pot. On Monday she made pot roast and called Tanya and the boys over for dinner. Tuesday it was beef stew with the leftovers for Shirley and her husband Dean.

Spaghetti sauce bubbled in the pot on Wednesday which she ladled into jars to give to each of the grandchildren and on Thursday she made pea soup according to her prize-winning recipe.

She soaked the dried peas overnight, then drained off the water early the next morning before adding carrots and ham with just the right seasonings. She fastened the lid, careful to be sure it was secure and turned up the heat. With supper on the stove, she headed outside to collect the dry laundry flapping on the line.

The breeze cooled her flushed face after the heat of the kitchen. As she hung each towel and sheet on the line, she lifted her face heavenward and breathed a prayer for each of her children.

"Thank you Lord for such a wonderful family." She lifted her eyes toward heaven and beamed. "They are so good to me."

A loud crash in the kitchen interrupted her reverie. She dropped the sheet she was hanging up and threw down the clothespins as she raced back inside to see what happened.

Pea soup dotted her curtains. Carrots stained the ceiling and the cat lapped bits of ham off the floor. Grandma looked around in dismay. "What happened here? My soup...my new pressure cooker!"

She picked up the lid lying on the floor and wiped away some of the gooey green mess. The once shiny lid, sported a nice dent. She blinked away the hot tears threatening to spill out as she surveyed the mess.The glass door of her corner cupboard would need to be replaced and her favorite souvenir salt and pepper shakers from Niagara Falls lay shattered on the floor among the soupy remains.

"This will take all afternoon to clean up! And what will I make for supper now? Everyone was waiting for my pea soup." Exhaling forcefully,Grandma gulped back her frustrations and set to work on the mess. She shooed the kitten out of the kitchen before mopping up. Three hours later, her curtains hung on the clothesline and floor sparkled from the vigorous scrubbing.

Grandma got out the fixings for macaroni and cheese and soon had the mixture bubbling in the oven. She plopped down in her recliner and fanned herself with her apron, breathing hard and holding her aching head. She examined the lid from the cooker to see what had caused it to explode. A clogged vent had prevented the steam from escaping, causing pressure to build up dangerously high. After a brief rest, Grandma went to the basement and found the box for her pressure canner. She packed it away and toted to to the attic.

We all wondered why Grandma never used her pressure cooker again, our mouths watering at the memories of her culinary treats. When we asked her, she just smiled and said, "It's just too much work!"

***

Can you tell I have been canning and preserving a lot these days - even my Fiction Friday story is geared that way!

Fiction Friday is being hosted today by Joanne over at her site An Open Book. To participate, post your story on your blog, then visit Joanne and leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box.

Be sure to check out the other great stories this week! And don't forget to leave a comment for the authors.

Happy Reading!

***

Fanciful Fall Leaf Card

2008-09-25T04:42:00.000-07:00

I love the colors of fall and creating fall themed cards. Maybe that's because I grew up in rural PA where the landscape blazes with fall colors. I love the scent of wood-burning stoves, burning leaves and the crisp frosty freshness of the mornings.

So here is a fall wish from me to you!

This card pattern comes from Splitcoast Stampers card sketches # SC52. The focal leaf on the card front is embossed with 4 different colors of embossing powder which is very easy to do. I stamped the leaf image with clear embossing ink, then sprinkled embossing powder on one "stripe" portion at a time until it was covered. I used a claret color, brown color, copper tinsel and green color.

It's a little bit of work because I had to clean up each powder after I applied it so I wouldn't mix them up, but the effect is worth it. When all the powders were applied, I heated them to set the embossing powders.

Check out the Weekly Inklings - Splitcoast Stampers weekly newsletter for lots of great ideas.

In Other Words Tuesdays - The COW Sisterhood

2008-09-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

“Hospitality is becoming an almost forgotten Christian virtue in our style of life today… In the New Testament, however, hospitality was a distinctive mark of Christians and Christian communities.”

~Alexander Strauch
from The Hospitality Commands~

I'm not sure what it stood for - I figure it meant "Crafts Or Whatever" - but I proudly wore the stamped "C-O-W" letters to church on my right arm. Whatever the letters stood for, to me, they signified a bonding time together with the young teen girls in our church.

These girls love crafting.

We don't have a lot of programs for our church kids right now and God laid the girls on my heart. Since I have a whole room full of supplies that I use to create cards and other items for sale, I invited the group of giggly girls over to the house for a "play date".

No rules - just be careful with the tools and put one thing back before getting another out so I didn't have a huge mess to deal with later. Every scrap of paper, every tool and every crafting supply was available to use.

What a fun time! The girls quickly busied themsleves with projects and just talked all afternoon. When suppertime rolled around, we carried the fun into the kitchen and decorated pizzas.

All too soon it was over, but before heading off to church, we each received the "C-O-W" stamp on our right arms and a promise to do it again. Of course, the ink smudged and got on everything else, but to me, it became a symbol of bonding with the girls.

I became a Christian at age 8, following an episode of abuse. Throughout my teenage years, Jesus was there, along with other significant adults, to help me through the tumultuous teenage years of the 1960's with the expanding drug scene, free-love flower children and the threat of potential global annihilation hanging over our heads.

It's even worse for our teens today. These girls are precious in God's sight. They are the future of our church, yet what is there to keep them pure, safe and strong in Jesus? It will take open hearts and homes where they are welcome to come when they are struggling with today's issues - for counsel, for acceptance and approval, for guidance and love.

Lord teach me to be hospitable - to have an open heart and home where "my girls" and others can come in times of need and know they are loved -just as You have opened Your arms to me and folded me in the safe haven of Your breast.

***
Today's IOW hostess is Chelsey over at her site Joyfully Living For His Glory. If you'd like to participate, simply blog about the quote on your blog page, then visit Chelsey and leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box.

Feel free to visit the other sites and read all the great takes on today's quote and when you visit, be sure to leave a comment for the writers to encourage them.

Fiction Friday - Resurrections

2008-09-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

Resurrections
Bonnie Winters
Based on Luke 8:40-56

My head ached so much; I could barely hold it up. The last thing I wanted was to be sick, especially on my birthday. Mother promised to make her special barley cakes sweetened with honey if I would grind the grain. But the stone grew heavy in my hands and my muscles felt like mush.

“Mother, my head hurts.” I tried to ease the pain by massaging my temples.
She lifted my chin and peered at me. “I see the pain in your eyes. Your head is hot too. Here, let me help you to bed.”

The room spun in circles and I panicked as my knees buckled. “Hold me tighter, Mother.”

She tightened her grip around my waist. “Lean on me. You’ll make it.” The firmness in her voice calmed me a little.

After I lay down, I struggled to slow my breathing, inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly. The dizziness eased, but my head still ached. I wanted to cry, but that would only make the pain worse.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.” Mother crooned the words of a Psalm while she laid cool cloths on my head. It helped a little, until I began to shiver and couldn’t stop.

“I j-just w-want to get w-warm.” My teeth chattered so hard that I could barely force the words out. “W-why can’t I g-get w-warm?”

“The Lord is my shepherd...” Mother continued to sing as she tucked wool blankets around me. Gradually, my shivering lessened and I began to relax.
The sound of voices in the room roused me. Midday sunlight streaming through the window hurt my eyes, so I squinted to see who was there. Father stood in the far corner of the room talking with my mother.

“Please, Jairus, we have to do something.” She seemed upset. Why was she worried? Perhaps she needed my help.

“Help me up and I’ll...” I tried to call out, but only managed a weak moan. My tongue felt thick and heavy in my mouth. “Thirsty.”

Mother hurried to my side and dribbled water down my throat. “Your father went to see Jesus to beg Him to come and heal you.”

Jesus. Who is this Jesus? His name sounds familiar, but it hurts too much to remember.

A tear formed in the corner of my eye. “Head hurts,” I moaned.
Why does my head have to hurt so badly?
***
Loud crying roused me some time later. I forced my heavy eyelids open a crack and saw my aunts and cousins huddled around my mother.

Please stop crying. The noise hurts my head.

Though I tried to move my parched lips, no words came. I gasped for air, but it felt like a large millstone rested on my chest, squeezing the air out but not letting any back in.

So tired. Just want to sleep. Please let me sleep.
***
Delicious warmth seeped into my body. I stretched, breathing deeply. My eyelids fluttered open, the heaviness gone. My eyes adjusted without effort to the brightness around me.

“My head doesn’t hurt anymore!”

I sat up slowly, pinching my arms and legs to be sure this was real and not another dream. I laughed as I stood, stomping my feet to be sure my knees wouldn’t give out under me. Just because I could, I danced around in circles with my hands raised in the air. I sucked in great gulps of air and shouted “Praise Yahweh!” at the top of my voice.

From far away, I heard the sounds of wailing and mourning, but it didn’t matter anymore. Was this Abraham’s Bosom my father spoke about? I searched my mind for words to describe this place, but I found only one – it was Paradise! I couldn’t contain the laughter gurgling up from inside my heart as I basked in the pure wonder of it all. I wanted to stay here forever.

From somewhere behind me a voice called my name.“Where are you, Lord?” I turned around, searching for Him.

“Daughter, arise.” He spoke with irresistible firmness.

I didn’t want to leave this place – this Paradise – but I knew I had to turn around and go back. I cast a wistful glance at the fading brightness.

My eyes fluttered open.

The same warmth and light I knew in Paradise greeted me, shining from His eyes. Instantly, I recognized Him. “Jesus.”

When He smiled, my heart fluttered with excitement. My whole body tingled with His strength, as He took my hand and helped me up. I felt loved, cherished. As I gazed into His eyes, I promised I would love Him forever.

***
“You were thinking about Him again, weren’t you?” Mary startled me from my reverie as she touched my shoulder.

“I can’t stop thinking about Him. It’s so hard to believe He’s gone.” Tears brimmed in my eyes. I bit my lower lip and willed my tears to stop, but they slipped down my cheeks.

“I know. I miss Him too.” She wrapped her arms around me and we sobbed together for what seemed an eternity.

“When I was sick, He touched me and made me live again. Now He’s gone.” I sniffled back more tears. “It doesn’t make sense. He was a good man. Why did they want to kill Him?” I couldn’t hold back the flood of memories. “Jesus healed my friend Thomas from palsy that caused him to fall into the fire. He made Jonathan feel special when He used his lunch to feed five thousand people. Can you believe it? Feeding five thousand people – with just two little fish and five loaves of bread. Another time, the disciples tried to shoo all of us away. They said Jesus was too tired to be bothered with our childishness, but Jesus called us to Him and told us stories about His Father. He laid His hands on the little ones and blessed them.”

I hesitated when we reached the edge of the garden near the tomb. “Mary, I can’t do this. I can’t help wash His body and wrap it with spices.” I felt the scarlet flush of shame creep up my cheeks. I was a young woman now and responsible enough to help prepare the dead for burial, but... I lowered my eyes and wept again. “He did so much for others, and I want to do something for Him, but I can’t bear to see His lifeless body lying there. I feel like I’m letting Him down.”

Mary tried to comfort me. “It will be all right. Sit here and mourn. When you are ready, you may come and help us.”

I sat alone with my back toward the tomb. Voiceless groans swelled from deep within me, as I covered my face with my hands. When the wave of agony passed, I tried to remember the beauty of Paradise and to imagine Him smiling in that place. Even those thoughts brought little relief from the crushing grief. I missed Him. My heart was torn in two and I had no desire to go on living.

Anger trod on the heels of my grief. I swiped away the tears with the back of my hand. Clenching my teeth, I looked toward heaven and shouted, “Why did You have to leave me, Jesus? I wish You had never made me come back to this life. Then at least I could be with You in Paradise!” I hugged myself and rocked back and forth until the next wave of grief passed.

“I’m sorry, Jesus.” I repented of my anger and wished I could feel His comforting presence. “I know that’s not true. If You had not touched me, my heart would have been dead forever. You gave me life and hope when I saw Paradise in Your eyes.”
“It’s a miracle!” Mary ran down the path as if her hem was on fire, waving her arms. “He’s alive!” she shouted over her shoulder at me as she sped by.

I turned back toward the garden. He’s alive? A shiver crept through me.
“Mary?” I looked back down the path, hoping to catch her, but she was gone.
He’s alive. Is that what she said?

I stood rooted there with my mouth open, hardly daring to breathe as His words came back to me: “I am the resurrection and the life... I am the life... the life...” The words pulsed in my veins, quickening my heartbeat.

Jesus said He would rise again. I heard Him say it. Is it possible?
I had to know. Hiking up my robe, I skirted the rocks at the side of the path and ran into the garden.

I stopped running when I saw a man standing behind the tomb with His back to me. I gulped a breath of air, hoping against hope. “Jesus?”

As He turned to me and smiled, the warmth and light of Paradise flooded my soul. My heart fluttered with excitement. “Jesus! It is you – You’re alive!” I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy – I didn’t want to.

I felt like a young child again. Sniffling back the tears, I admitted my deepest fear to Him: “I was afraid You had left me.”

“My Child, don’t you know I will never leave you? I’ll always be a part of you.” My whole body tingled as Eternal Life touched my heart. I felt loved and cherished, like a child safe in her Father’s arms.

I brushed away my tears and smiled. “I understand now – not even death can separate us. My heart belongs to You forever.”

© 2006 by Bonnie Winters

To read more great short stories or to participate in Fiction Friday, visit Patty over at her site Patterings!

Happy reading and writing.

2008-09-16T03:45:00.000-07:00

Today's Quote Is:

“Still, accepting God’s existence is one thing; honoring his command is another matter entirely, especially if we’re required to go back when we’d rather go forward.”

~Liz Curtis Higgs
from Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible~

***

I don't make a very good patient. Following our car accident several weeks ago, I was told to rest for a few days because of the problems I had from whiplash.

Rest? How could I REST! There were still dishes and mounds of laundry to do. My garden was having a hey-day producing squash and green beans that needed to be picked and put away. I still had children's ministries to plan and prepare for. We had bought a half bushel of peaches just before the accident that were sitting there waiting to rot if I didn't can them.

So I went to work. It was slow going - I was having difficulty focusing on what I was doing and had to reread the directions several times in spite of the fact that I had canned for years. The process took me twice as long as it used to and when I finished, I had a whopper of a head and back ache, not to mention dizziness.

I had accepted the doctor's diagnosis, but didn't honor his commands because I didn't want to waste all those wonderful peaches. After all, that would have been extremely WASTEFUL not to mention that we had spent $16 on the box. So who can afford to dump $16 down the drain these days?

No, I didn't listen to my doctor and I paid for it in physical discomfort. I HAD to rest then.

Now, I have to admit I don't always listen to God very well either. He knows the plans he has for me (Jeremiah 29:11). He always plans things out for my good (Romans 8:28). He loves me and wants the best for me, though sometimes the growing/learning process to get through things is painful. I can accept that. I know it in my head.

But my human nature wants to avoid pain and suffering. It directs me to skirt the issues I need to deal with, to run away from the problems or to bury my head in the sand and pretend they don't exist.

Rather than taking His hand and walking through the circumstantial or emotional fires, I try to press on, avoiding them or tackling them on my own. Of course, I end up falling back and having to regroup with Him before I can make true forward progress.

The whole learning/trusting process is like a spiral. Yes, I still have difficulty honoring His commands, but each time He works through the process with me, my trust is strengthened, the bond of intimacy between us increases and I grow an inch or two toward maturity in my Father.

So will I ever fully honor His commands in my life? Probably not in this lifetime. But through the process, I hope to spiral ever closer to Him.

***

Our IOW hostess today is Miriam Pauline at her site Miriam Pauline's Monologue. Join us there to read her take on the quote and to leave your URL so we can read how you feel about today's quote on your blog.

Critter cards

2008-09-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

With another round of birthdays starting, I had to come up with an idea for my grandkids' birthdays. Eve celebrates hers in September, Abby in October and Jack in December so I'm all ready!

All the animals are made with my Paper Shapers round circle punch so they're fun to make and super easy too! The wiggly eyes add a lot of personality to the critters as well.

Their mom has a birthday in November too, so of course I had to make one for her too! If you're reading my blog today Allissa, Don't Peek!!!

Counting our spiritual calories

2008-09-10T03:32:00.001-07:00

I have been dieting for about 3 months now and lost 25 pounds. It has been a good experience this time around (Yep - I'm a yo-yo...dieter that is LOL!)

One of the things that has helped is that I am logging everything I eat. It's a lot of work and a pain in the neck at times, but now that I've got a list of foods I frequently eat on my food tracker, well, it takes a lot less time.

From the articles I've read, the research shows that those who log their intake each day have a higher percentage of weight loss and more often reach their goal. Why? Because logging their food gives them a sense of accountability - they know what they are actually consuming each day and are more motivated to stay within prescribed limits.

When I first started logging calories, carbs, fat, etc, I was amazed at what I was actually eating each day - far more than I needed that's for sure. Too often I just ate without even thinking about it and conveniently overlooked the calories or brushed them aside as inconsequential. By writing things down, I am aware of how much I am taking in and how much I actually need.

It got me thinking about my spiritual diet. As a pastor's wife, I am involved in church activities and my daily writing routine here at home. But how is my spiritual diet coming along? I wonder if I began logging all the spiritual "calories" I took in during the day and the spiritual exercises I did, would I be a spiritual anorexic or would I be a satiated Christian?

How much time do I spend exercising my spiritual muscles in prayer, witnessing or caring for others? How much of Him do I consume daily through reading the Word and personal worship time each day?

Even if I don't have a lot of time to devote to devotions, are the spiritual calories I am able to consume the milk or strong meat kind? Are they empty calories, nutritionless nothings that aren't able to fortify me in times of distress or despair?If I were to log each prayer heavenward, would there be many prayers or just a few during my day? Would they be the garden variety of "Bless so and so?" Or would they be sessions of true interceding?

That's a lot of tough questions and I'm not sure how I measure up. I know I am spiritually healthier than I was when I first started out in ministry, but I doubt I am as healthy as I could be. So maybe it's time to start logging my spiritual "calories" and exercise along with the logs I keep on my physical diet. That way as I take off the unwanted body weight, I will become more accountable to God to build a healthier relationship with Him and stronger spiritual muscles.

So how are you doing?

Healing Laments

2008-09-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to In Other Words Tuesdays! Loni has selected the quote for today and is hosting over at her site Writing Canvas.

Today's Quote:

“For at least when we express our anger to God, our wrestling keeps our skin pressing into His. God is still present. When we honestly expose our inflammation, express our soreness, we are still staking our commitment to our relationship with Him.”

~Ann Voscamp~

from her blog post,

Even if He doesn’t: Learn to Lament

***

As human beings we frequently get angry with God - anger for the unfairness of life, especially for the things we have no control over - but He does.

"Why did You let that happen?"we rant, shaking our fists at Him. Or worse yet - the silent anger we hide deep in our hearts so He won't see it; the kind of anger that eventually turns our hearts into an icy bitter rock.

It takes child-like trust to vent our anger toward God - to get all the anger and hurt out in the open so He can begin a healing work. It is a necessary part of our growth as Christians. because if we don't, it will cause a rift in the most precious relationship we have. That rift will continue to separate us until over time, our hearts are as solid as the pillar of salt that once was Lot's wife.

If you haven't read Ann Voscamp's blog post where today's quote originated, I would strongly suggest you do. I love her take on "lamenting."

Several months ago, our Sonrise writing group was also involved in a study about lamenting. As we talked about what lamenting was, we were asked to each write a lament of our own. Though it was a personal thing for me, I decided to share mine with you today because it fits with today's discussion:

Oh God, you have known me since the day of my conception. You have planned for me and guided my steps each day of my life.

When I cried out in pain and fear as a small child, You stood at the foot of my bed with your arms open wide, inviting me into the comfort of your arms, offering me a place to forget the shame of my heart. I wrestled with the fear and confusion each day and with the lies it bred.

My heart said, “You are ugly. You are to blame. You are bad.”

Still you came to me in the night and whispered words of comfort. “You are my child, You are my beautiful creation. You can know my goodness in your wounded heart if you only trust me.”

When my enemy enslaved me, You were there, walking with me , lifting up my soul to the heavens so that his yoke would be broken in my heart. When my enemy stood firm in his strength, unyielding toward my pleas for mercy, my heart crumbled within me.

I wrestled with You when You said no man could serve two masters. I wanted the earthly relationship - to be able to touch and be touched, but that led to pain. I had difficulty fathoming the heavenly relationship, the true touching of the soul and Spirit because it was invisible.Though I loved You, my heart was torn in shreds by the claws of the lion.

Yet will I turn to You, though I cannot see you for You are righteous and true. You love beyond measure, though my heart is confused. You have been a Father to me all these years, providing, caring, protecting and encouraging – all the things a father does and yet my heart cried for what I could never know – an earthly relationship with a human father without shame and pain.

You have been the strength of my heart and my portion forever! I will rejoice in you. Oh Lord, teach my heart to seek you. Teach my heart to long after you. Cradle me in your arms and teach me to know your joy – for you are not a God of shame. You will not break my heart in pieces. You will only build it up and encourage trust. Oh that my heart will learn to trust you fully!

Learning to lament - to beat on His breast when I feel frustrated, angry or hurt has helped me trust Him more fully. It has taught me to be content in Him, even when I can't change or control my world.

Lamenting has helped me to accept who I am and to be confident that I am the person I am because of His working in my life through the bad times. When all the anger, confusion and frustration is spent, I can relax in His embrace and know I am loved fully, unconditionally.

I pray for all who read this today - May they learn to lean on You, to trust You fully so they may experience Your healing, loving touch in their lives.

Join us today - blog about the quote on your site, then visit Loni at Writing Canvas and leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box. Be sure to visit the other participants for more inspiring reading and leave a comment so they know you were there!

An unforgettable rendition of the Lord's Prayer

2008-09-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

I saw this and just had to pass it on!

Have a blessed Weekend!

Fiction Friday - Stained Glass Lives

2008-09-05T05:06:00.000-07:00

The serenity of the hospital chapel numbed Sharon’s grief-stricken soul. Sunlight dancing through the stained glass windowpane created lilting patterns on the carpeted floor, contrasting with the gray shadows of her heart. “I should be getting home,” she said, puffing out her cheeks as she exhaled forcefully.

Driving through the winding streets toward home, she recounted the events of the long day. Memories of the tubes, the beeping monitors, the parade of doctors in and out of the room and the ominous silence as life stopped all blurred in her mind as tears filled her eyes.

She pulled over to the side of the road and let them fall unchecked. “Lord, I can’t imagine life without Dad. I feel like my heart is broken into a thousand tiny pieces. Life will never be whole and beautiful again.”

Jeanne, a widowed friend of the family helped Sharon make the funeral arrangements. Placing her arms around the younger woman, she said, “When my Charlie died, I felt so lost and alone. I still miss him, but the intense pain has passed. It takes awhile to get back to living.”

Rather than diminishing as the days passed, the black cloud surrounding her life intensified. Sharon barely left the house. She sat on her father’s bed, surrounded by empty boxes, trying to pack up his closet full of striped ties and button-down shirts. Each one she folded brought a new sense of grief.

“You were always there for me, Dad. You went to all my high school plays, and all my volleyball games. We did everything together.” She shouted through tightened lips and brushed angrily at the tears. “Why did you have to leave me now? I still needed you.”

Feeling alone and overwhelmed, she closed the door on the mess and looked for something edible in the fridge. The meals from well-meaning church ladies were gone. She pulled out a half-empty carton of milk, wrinkling her nose at the stench as she checked the expiration date. “I really need to get to the grocery store. Maybe tomorrow.”

Rummaging in the cupboard, she found canned chicken noodle soup, dumped it into a large mug and heated it. A heel of bread along with the soup would have to do for supper. Why bother to cook? There’s no one here but me.

Ignoring the dishes piled in the sink; Sharon slumped into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. Grabbing the remote, she flicked through the channels as she sipped on her cup of soup. Settling on a game show rerun, she tucked her feet up under her and buttoned up her emotions as she would her parka against the wintry chill.

When the doorbell rang at 3:00 in the afternoon, she shuffled over, opened the door a crack and peered out. Jeanne bustled past her with a cheery smile. The smile vanished as she looked at the younger woman. “Look at you! You look like you slept in those sweats for a week and there’s a tomato soup stain on the front of your tee shirt. When was the last time you washed your hair? It’s sticking up all over the place.”

Sharon grunted. “Go away and leave me alone. I’m trying to clean out Dad’s room.”

“Sure you are. That’s why you have that game show on TV?” Without waiting, the older woman propelled Sharon toward the bathroom. “You climb in the shower and I’ll go find something for you to wear,”

She dug in her heels at Jeanne’s persistence. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“We’re going out to dinner, and then we’re going to the craft show at the mall. Your Dad wouldn’t have wanted you to waste away to nothing like this.”

She wanted to shout at Jeanne, but managed to keep her tone level. “How do you know what Dad would have wanted?” She regretted the bitter question immediately as a dark shadow passed over the older woman’s features.

“I’m sorry,” Sharon mumbled. “I know you were close to Dad since Charlie died.” She fled into the bathroom and turned on the hot water full force. She needed to warm the numbness in her soul, but it would take more than a hot shower.

On the drive to the mall, she stared out the window in an effort to discourage conversation but Jeanne persisted. “Did you know I started keeping house for your dad shortly after your Momma died in the accident? That was long before I met Charlie.”

Sharon shook her head, still focusing out the window. “No.”

“You were such a bitty little thing.” The older woman smiled, clicking her tongue with a sympathetic sound. “Only a month old, with no Momma. He hardly knew what to do with you. At one point he considered putting you up for adoption because he was sick with grief over your Momma’s death and scared silly about raising you alone.”

The younger woman turned to stare at her friend. “He never told me about that.”

Jeanne nodded and continued, her voice soft and comforting. “I answered his ad for a housekeeper and moved into the garage apartment to help care for you while he worked. I only stayed for two years – until he introduced me to Charlie. Then we married and moved away.”

A lump formed in Sharon’s throat and tears stung the back of her eyes. Dad thought about adoption? She shivered as the thought chilled her heart.

The older woman reached across the console and patted her hand. “When my Charlie died, I moved back here. You were fifteen and your dad didn’t need me then, but we were still good friends. I’ve always cared for the two of you.”

Sharon turned her head toward the window to hide her tears from her friend and rode in silence the rest of the way to the buffet. Too numb to care about food, she pushed bits and pieces around her plate with her fork.

Jeanne lightened the chatter during the meal, sharing humorous “terrible-two” stories from the younger woman’s life as a toddler. She dabbed the laughter-induced tears from her eyes. “Your Dad doted on you. I’m sure you will find a scrapbook somewhere filled with all his treasured memories.”

As the women left the restaurant, Sharon could hold her grief no longer. “He never told me he thought about adoption.” She covered her face with her hands and wept in the car.

“Oh, honey, he loved your Momma so much. You were the only thing keeping him alive back then. You were his world. Though he considered it briefly, he couldn’t have given you up. You were his connection to her.”

Jeanne hugged the younger woman and handed her a tissue. “I remember the day he turned the corner on his grief. I was holding you while he talked to your Momma at the gravesite. He thanked her for giving him such a special little girl and he promised to raise you to love Jesus.”

She smiled, rubbing the younger woman’s arm. “From that day on, he devoted himself to raising you. He was the best Daddy – he gave his life to you. Don’t let him down by withering away.”

Sharon sniffled and dried her tears. She nodded and breathed deeply as she repaired her makeup in the car mirror.

“Come on; let’s go enjoy the crafts in the mall. It’ll do you good.”

For the next hour, the two women walked the mezzanine examining homemade afghans, refrigerator magnets and every imaginable craft. Though Sharon still felt numb inside, she managed to smile at Jeanne’s stories.

As they prepared to leave the mall, a pattern of colors danced on the floor by the exit. Glancing over, Sharon noticed they came from a craft stand selling stained glass sun catchers. She walked over and began to examine the pieces fascinated with the intricate patterns. A white-haired man looked up from the piece he was crafting and smiled at her.

“You like stained glass, yes?” His accent and his smile warmed her heart.

She nodded. “Your work is beautiful.”

He beamed at her compliment and brought the piece over to show her. It was an eagle with wings spread, ready to fly. “This is my favorite pattern,” he said. “I make it in memory of my Anna – she drew this eagle on paper. Now I create it in glass so I can see the sunlight shine through it. It reminds me of her.”

The man broke into a wide grin. “Come I’ll show you.” He motioned Sharon behind the display table. “See, I must cut each feather out of this big sheet of brown glass.” His workplace was littered with dozens of brown shards of glass. Sharon realized they were the feathers, each one carefully shaped and ready to be put together.

She watched, a smile of wonder beginning to curl at the edge of her lips. The man showed her how he scored then purposely tapped the glass to break it into the proper shape. He sanded the edges and fit a piece of lead caning all the way around each piece.

When several pieces were ready, he placed them in position according to the master pattern and melted small drops of solder at intervals along the seams to hold it together. Beaming, he turned to Sharon once again.

“When it’s finished, it will look like this.” He held up a completed pane depicting the eagle in flight against a blue glass sky, soaring over white-capped purple mountains. As he held it up, the sun danced through the glass, splashing color on the floor.

“Oh. Thank you for showing me! It is so beautiful.”

He smiled and said, “I sorrowed for my Anna for a long time. My heart felt like many pieces of broken glass. But in time, God put all the pieces together according to His plan. I stopped seeing the sorrow and saw the beautiful memories He gave me instead.”

“You’ll never know how you’ve helped me today,” she said, reaching in her purse for a tissue.

“You grieve for someone too – I see it in your eyes.” The man nodded and patted her hand.

“My Father. He passed away a few weeks ago. I don’t have any other family.” Sharon wasn’t sure why she was sharing her hurt with this stranger.

He smiled and held up his index finger. “Wait here.” He walked around his table and found a small eagle sun catcher, similar to the large pane he was making. “For you – so you can remember the beauty too.”

Tears spilled down Sharon’s cheeks. She held the stained glass eagle up for Jeanne to admire as the women walked back to the parked car. A genuine smile lit her face for the first time since her father’s death as a beam of sunlight filtered through the glass. She breathed a silent prayer of thanksgiving. Lord, Thank You for the beauty of Your spirit as You shine through my stained-glass life.

© March 2007 Bonnie Winters
***
Fiction Friday is being hosted at Patty's site Patterings today. Be sure to visit her site and click on the linkd to read more great short stories.
If you have a story you'd like to share, add your URL in the Mr. Linky box!
Happy Reading and Writing!

Canning peaches

2008-09-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know how some women do it - single-handedly managing to put up dozens and dozens of jars of produce. Maybe if I did it more often, I'd get faster, but it took me all day yesterday to do 14 jars . I ended up with 11 jars of peaches because one broke in the canner (What a mess!) and 2 jars of tomatoes.

Several years ago when I began to work full time, I sold my canner at a yard sale and bought a freezer telling myself I'd NEVER can again. LOL! But for some reason, this year, the desire to do it was back. Maybe it's because I'm trying to be frugal since I'm not working now. Maybe it's because we are pastoring Dan's home church where he grew up - these are the women who taught me HOW to can things so many years ago. Maybe it's because we planted a garden for the first time in years?????

I don't know what the reason is, but I decided to start again. After investing in a brand new canning pot and raiding my mother-in-law's basement for empty jars, I set to work. The first thing I made was relish using my mother-in-law's recipe. She's not able to do it anymore and her supply is dwindling. Since Dan likes it, I made a batch.Yay! All 10 pint jars sealed and looked so good on the shelf.

Then came the green beans. I froze 8 quarts from my garden, but they just taste better when canned so I filled 12 pints of beans. For the last 3 weeks I've done a half a bushel each week of peaches, ending up with 31 quarts.

Yes, it's a lot of work, but I had forgotten how satisfying it felt to see those fruit and veggie filled jars lining the shelves in my pantry. I forgot how much better that food tasted than store-bought tin cans of food. I forgot the sense of accomplishment it gave me when all the jars sealed with that little "pop!"

As I look at the visible fruit of my labor, it is a subtle reminder that I am responsible to the Lord of the harvest to help "preserve" the souls of those around me through my actions and words.

Lord help me be a good steward of Your Word, sharing it with those around me who are hurting.

Kindergarten Pirates

2008-09-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

Great to see you here for "In Other Words" Tuesday. Today's hostess Michelle has chosen a great quote to ponder:

“The key to either great purpose or great destruction lies in where we choose to sustain our focus. Knowing this fact should move us to jealously guard our intimacy with the Lord.”

by Bill Johnson
Sr. Pastor, Bethel Church - Redding, CA

(from “Strengthen Yourself in the Lord“)

I was a kindergarten pirate.

From the time I was three years old, my parents were concerned that I had developed some serious vision problems. At first they thought it was humorous because I kept bumping into doorways or chairs which didn't get pushed all the way under the table. But soon they realized the problem was ambliopia - "crossed eyes."

I don't remember it but we made several trips to the famed Will's Eye Hospital in Philadelphia about an hour away from our home where my eyes were examined and I received a hefty prescription for glasses. I was a tiny three year old with glasses the thickness of soda bottle bottoms resting on my little nose.

At the age of five, the doctors decided I needed to wear an ugly black patch over my right eye to force my left eye to focus and to strengthen the muscles so it would become straight.

What a sight I was as I entered first grade. I wore a my right arm in a sling because I fell from a tricycle while playing with my three year old brother and a big ugly black patch over my right eye.

Our eyes, when they work together properly, send signals to our brain in "stereo." Each eye records a slightly different image and the brain puts the two images together to give us a three dimensional picture of the world around us.

Unfortunately, when one eye turns inward like mine did, the images sent to my brain were confusing, blurred and skewed. My brain had difficulty interpreting the conflicting images transmitted by each of my eyes, causing me to run into objects. Often my brain simply "turned off" the images transmitted by my weaker left eye so I no longer was able to see things three dimensionally. That's why I was clumsy and constantly running into objects.

Like my physical well being depended on how my eyes focused as a child, my mental, emotional and spiritual well being as an adult depends on how and where I focus my spiritual eyes.

When I try to focus on things going on inside me, the world around me and on Christ too, it sends my heart confusing, blurred and skewed images. In order to make sense of it all, my heart may "turn off" the less prominent images or sensations. When that happens, all I see are my fears or debilitating memories or emotions because they tend to be the stronger perceptions.

At that point, I need to take time to stop, realize what I'm doing and refocus my eyes consciously on Him. It may mean I have to spend time in deep sharing with the Lord, telling Him how I really feel about things until all my emotions are spent. When my heart is empty, I need to listen to His voice and hear how He sees the situation.

It's like wearing a spiritual eye patch - purposely covering up my heart's stronger perceptions in order to strengthen my weaker God-perceptions. As a child, I had to wear the patch for many months until my left eye grew stronger. As an adult, it means I may have to step aside at times from my "busyness" to get alone with my Friend and Father to focus solely on our relationship. Though I have many excuses, it is NECESSARY for my inner well being.

Thankfully, the glasses I wear today are a lot more lightweight and MUCH thinner (state-of-the-art no-line bifocals with anti-reflective coating and transition lenses that darken in the sun so I don't need special sunglasses. Woohoo!) But the fact remains I still have problems with the way my eyes focus.

As long as I live I will have problems with my spiritual focus too - it's a fact of life that we battle daily with our old nature. But by guarding our relationship with our Friend and Father jealously, and consciously refocusing on Him whenever we realize our vision is becoming skewed, we will continue to strengthen our hearts and walk in intimacy with Him.

***
Michelle is our hostess today. If you'd like to participate, share your thoughts about this quote on your blog, then visit Michelle at her site Because I Love You and leave your URL in the box with the other participants.

Be sure to leave a comment for Michelle and visit some of the other participants as well to see their take on today's quote.
Happy Reading and Writing!

The ministry of hand-holding

2008-08-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today's Quote Is:

“Dear Lord,I do not ask that Thou shouldst give me
some high work of thine, some noble calling or some
wondrous task. Give me a little hand to hold in mine.”
~Anonymous~
***

We all need a hand to hold.

Last week my husband and I were involved in a little fender bender. I say "little" because I didn't think anyone was seriously hurt at the time and it appeared our car had suffered minimal damage.

We had gone to a larger nearby community to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary at a nice restaurant. Of course, since shopping is limited in our small town, we visited the WalMart first before heading to the restaurant. After we finished, we got on the Interstate to go to the next exit where the restaurant was located.

As we pulled into the lane to exit the highway, a young man hit our car in the back. He was going fast enough to give us a hard jolt, but thankfully it was right in the center of the back bumper so no one spun out or flipped over.

I remember sitting in the car thinking I should go to my doctor the next day because I felt some soreness in my back and I wondered why I was so calm through all of this. From experience, I knew this wasn't a normal reaction for me - I would have been an emotional wreck, having trouble holding back the tears and shaking like a leaf. Apparently I was in shock.

The next morning I followed through, making an appointment with my chiropractor, all the time wondering if I really needed to go - after all, it didn't seem bad enough to bother. But by that evening, the emotions and other symptoms had begun to hit me full force. I began to have a lot of difficulty concentrating, forgetting little things and dizziness in addition to the headaches and upper shoulder/neck soreness.

What I thought wasn't "bad" turned out to be enough to throw me for a loop. I needed the help others could give - both the emotional support of friends and family and the support of my doctor. Thankfully I am doing better and some of the symptoms are easing up.

Through this accident last week, I realize what a healing the Lord has done in me over the last 15 years. There was a time I would have hesitated to ask for that hand because I didn't want to be a nuisance or to "bother" anyone with the needs I considered trivial - even if those needs turned out to be legitimate and big. I would have put on my Eeyore mask and struggled along telling everyone in that slow drawl - "I can make it, I'm all right."

Now I am able to ask for a hand to hold when I need it and I find I have built up a good support network of trusted people to provide those hands.

One of the best things about God's work in my life is that I am able to hold the hands of others and offer support when they need it too. I've found a ministry of support is one of the highest works God can give us to do. There is so much suffering and pain in the world that being able to offer support to those in need is akin to showing God's love in person (or with "skin") to others. It is one of our most valuable witnessing tools as well.

Even when we can't physically hold a hand or offer support, we can pray! That is very similar to holding a hand for someone in need because when we pray, we place them in our Father's Hand and allow Him to hold them, support them and love them.

At any rate, I wonder if the author of today's quote had a low self image because it would seem like she asked the Lord for the largest, most important job in the universe and never even realized it - that of being a support and hand-holder .

***

"In Other Words" is being hosted today by Nina at her site Mama's Little Treasures. To play along, simply blog about the quote on your site then visit Nina and add your URL to the list in the Mr. Linky box! See you there!

Fiction Friday - Grandma's God-Simle

2008-08-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

Grandma’s God-Smile
by Bonnie Winters

“Gramma, Gramma, tell me a story.” Four year old Ashleigh bounced up and down with excitement.

Grandma Minnie chuckled as she gathered her rambunctious granddaughter in her arms. “If I tell you a story, you have to promise to go right to bed. What story would you like to hear?”

“The smiley story!” The little blonde head bobbed, with no sign of fatigue.

For a moment the little white-haired woman frowned. “Smiley story?” she asked, mentally ticking off the children’s books on her granddaughter’s shelf.

“Honey, I don’t think I know any smiley stories.” She patted the child’s hair affectionately. “How about one of your bear stories?”

“No, Gramma.” Her little lip stuck out in a pout. “At church, I heard Pastor say you have a story hiding behind your smile. I want the smiley story.”

“Oh.” The old woman smiled. “I guess we better start from the beginning then, hadn’t we?”

Ashleigh cuddled close and tucked her first two fingers into her mouth, a sure sign she was beginning to relax.

“Well, honey, Grandma didn’t always like to smile. No, sir. When I was a girl, a little older than you, my front teeth were so crooked, I tried to hide my smile.”

Two concerned brown eyes gazed up at the old woman. “Why, Gramma? When you smile, it makes me feel all warm and happy inside.”

“Well, there were some mean children in my class at school who used to call me ugly names whenever I smiled, so I just clamped my lips shut tight and covered up my crooked teeth. My mother and father were poor and couldn’t afford to send me to the dentist to fix my teeth, so my teeth just stayed the way they were.”

“I wouldn’t have called you names, Gramma.” The child frowned and shook her head hard enough to make her curls bounce.

Her actions made Grandma Minnie laugh out loud. “I should hope not! I pray Jesus will live in your heart, little one, so you are kind to others.”

“Does Jesus live in your heart, Gramma?”

“Yes, He does. But I was pretty mad at Him when I was a girl because I kept praying and praying for my teeth to get straight and He never answered my prayer. I sat at the back of the church and just grumbled and complained at God every Sunday. I figured He didn’t love me because I was ugly with my crooked teeth.

“One day, the pastor came over to me and asked me why I looked like an old sour pickle all the time.” Grandma stopped to chuckle at the memory.

“He said, ‘Young’un, I know there’s a God- smile in there somewhere. I dare you to find it!’” she said, using her deepest voice to mimic the pastor’s tone.

“A God-smile?” The child stifled a yawn as she looked up into her grandmother’s face. “What did he mean - a God-smile?”

“Well, I wondered the same thing, Child.” The old woman grinned and shook her head. “But for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what he meant. But he dared me to find it and I was not the kind of girl who’d ever back down from a dare. I started looking everywhere for that God-smile.

“That week, my mother sent me over to my Aunt Agatha’s house to help her with her canning. She liked to tell funny stories and sure enough, she started telling me some of her best ones. Since I was embarrassed about my teeth, I usually tried to keep my mouth clamped shut, but somehow, this time, I just couldn’t help myself. I busted out laughing so hard, I almost wet my pants.”

“Gramma! You smiled.” Ashleigh giggled and before she could help herself, she yawned out loud.

“Yep, I sure did. It felt so good; I smiled all the way home. I grinned at Old Gus who was sweeping the sidewalk at the butcher shop. I even grinned at Pop Harris who was pumping gas for John McGee who owned the grocery store.

“Pop Harris winked at me and said, ‘Girl, you‘ve got such a pretty smile, you ought to use it more often.’”

The child cuddled closer, her breathing becoming shallower and her eyelids heavier.

“Honey, I felt so good when Pop Harris said that, I grinned for two days straight. That Sunday in church, I went to the altar and told the Lord I was sorry for being such a pickle-faced Christian and if He would help me, I would never hide my smile again.”

Gramma shifted, trying to get more comfortable under the weight of the sleeping child. In the quiet twilight of the room, she smiled as several recent memories flooded back. There was JoAnna, dying of cancer in the hospital who reached out and said, “Thank you for your smile. The Light of God inside you always shines out from your smile. It has always encouraged me when I was down.”

She remembered how Elva, her neighbor, had grabbed her hand two weeks ago and said, “Minnie, you’re always smiling. It’s a real smile. The kind that shines out of your eyes, not one of those fake put on ones. How can you smile, even during the bad times?”

Tears pooled in the old woman’s eyes as she relived the joy of sharing Jesus, the Light of the world. She had prayed for Elva to become a Christian everyday ever since she moved next door thirty years ago.

“I got my smile from my Heavenly Father’s side of the family,” she whispered as she bent down and kissed her sleeping granddaughter before picking her up and carrying her to bed. Looking up toward heaven, she smiled again and prayed. “Thank you Lord for helping me find my God-smile.”

This week Fiction Friday is hosted by Joanne over at her site An Open Book. To read more great short stories by Christian authors, visit her site and click on the author links.

To share a story of your own, leave your name and URL in the Mr.Linky Box.

Happy writing!

IOW Tuesdays - Trust Him to order your steps

2008-08-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

In Other Words Tuesdays
Today's Quote Is:

Order my steps, in Your word
Order my tongue, in Your word
Guide my feet, in Your word
Wash my heart, in Your word
Show me how to walk, in Your word
Show me how to talk, in Your word.

(refrain)I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill

Please order my steps, Lord, and I’ll do Your blessed will

The world is ever changing, but You are still the same

If You order my steps, I’ll praise Your name.

~A hymn by Glen Burleigh~

***

If God ordered your steps right into a lion's den would you still be willing to follow Him?

Into a lion's den? Whoa - wait a minute God, I've been a good person, I've followed you all my life - I don't deserve to have to go through the pain and suffering of a lion's den. I mean, come on, God. Those lions have sharp teeth and it would hurt if they bit me.

Sure it sounds a little humorous, but the truth is, those who become His greatest servants are those who walked through the fire with Him by their side first. Christians do go through hurricanes and tornadoes and lose everything they own. Their houses burn down and their loved ones pass away through tragic circumstances. Bad things happen to good people.

What makes the difference is the way we handle those circumstances. I've been in some painful situations and my first reaction isn't usually pretty. I get angry with God and rant like a frantic child, beating on His breast because of the pain and unfairness of the situation. Like Jonah, I've tried to run from the uncomfortable places He wanted me to go. But after I cry out the grief and hurt, after I let go of my own desire to escape pain, I reach a place of emptiness.

In that place, He can come by His Spirit and comfort or help me see what He is trying to say to me. I can sense His presence and I get a glimpse of the bigger picture of life. It's not all about me. There are those around me who will be directly influenced by the pain and suffering I experience, both while I am going through it and after the healing has come. It's about trusting Him to order my steps.

One of my favorite scenes is from the book, Hinds Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard. The main character Much Afraid is on her journey to the High Places where she will receive Hinds feet to replace her crippled deformed feet. She has come through loneliness, isolation and disappointment - each time she thinks she is about to start upward into the high places, her path has turned in the opposite direction.

At long last she comes to the foothills of the high places, only to find herself at a dead end. Her heart aches with disappointment as she cries out to the Shepherd. After He allows her to express her anger and bitter disappointment over yet another dead end, He points out a small path that zig-zags up the face of the cliff before her. A path it seems only the deer can navigate.

Poor Much Afraid becomes faint just thinking about it and is ready to turn around and flee home. But the Shepherd ropes her securely to her traveling companions and helps her onto the path. Once she begins her ascent, she realizes it isn't really as treacherous as it appeared from the ground. She had to learn to trust Him to order her steps.

I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill
Please order my steps, Lord, and I’ll do Your blessed will
The world is ever changing, but You are still the same
If You order my steps, I’ll praise Your name.

***

In Other Words is being hosted today by Lori at her site All You Have To Give

If you'd like to participate, simply blog about the quote on your site, then visit Lori and leave your blog URL in the Mr. Linky box. Be sure to check our Lori's take on the quote and leave her a comment. If you have time, check out what some of the others have to say too. There's lots of inspirational reading here!

Fiction Friday - Love Never Fails

2008-08-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

This week, I've chosen a story that appeared in the online e-zine "Reflections" published by Janet Lynn Erikkson in 2006. I learned a lot from Janet and had several stories published there before she stopped publishing it last year.
***

Love Never Fails
Bonnie Winters

Jenny inhaled and exhaled forcefully as she worked up her nerve. She had never done anything like this before, but that insistent nudging in her heart convinced her she must follow this through. She gripped the photo album in her right arm and raised her other hand to knock on the door.

No response.

Good, no one is there. She poised to turn back down the carpeted hall to make a silent escape.
“Come in.” The voice sounded so feeble that she almost missed it. She gulped and gently pushed open the heavy wooden door.

The old woman sat in her wheelchair, her head tipped slightly forward as though her neck muscles had little strength. One corner of her mouth drooped.

“Hi, Mrs. Turner. My name is Jenny.” There was no turning back now. Her words rushed out in a flurry. “You don’t know me, but I feel like I’ve known you for a long time. May I sit and visit with you for a little while?”

The woman seemed to struggle as she nodded her head. With gnarled fingers, she motioned for Jenny to sit in an upholstered chair close by.

Jenny tried to smile as she eased herself into the chair. She clutched the worn photo album and forced her breathing to slow. Unsure where to begin, she stared at her scuffed sneakers for several minutes.

“Why are you here, dear?” The woman’s crooked mouth gave her the appearance of frowning and her words slurred, making her speech hard to understand.

Jenny looked up from the floor into her faded blue eyes. “Nadine asked me to come…” She hesitated as she noticed a tear forming in the old woman’s eyes. “I mean, before she died, she asked me to return this album to you.”

When the woman didn’t respond, she scooted her chair closer to the wheelchair. “Nadine loved you very much. She planned to come and tell you herself, but before she could get away, the accident…” She reached for a tissue on the windowsill and blotted the tears from her cheeks. She retrieved another and handed it to the old woman. “Let me start at the beginning.”

Mrs. Turner nodded.

“I met Nadine at the diner where she worked. I was a scared kid. I had run away from home and only had a few bucks left. There was nowhere to turn except maybe to become a… well, you know. I had to support myself somehow.” She nearly choked on the words. Heat rose in her cheeks.

“I sat way back in the corner booth so nobody would see me.” She fiddled with a button on her sweater as she studied the floor again.

“Nadine waited on me that day. She got my lunch, then took her break and sat with me – asked if I wanted to talk.” She gave a half-hearted laugh before continuing. “She said she knew I was hungry by the way I stuffed my face. Then she shoved her sandwich over for me to eat too. As I ate, she told me she had run away from home when she was fifteen.”

A groan from the woman startled Jenny out of her reverie. “Hey, are you okay? Do you need a nurse or something?”

The old woman shook her head. “Just water please.”

Jenny got up and fumbled with the wrapper on the plastic tumbler, and poured water from the pitcher on the bedside stand. Poking a straw into it, she held out the cup. “Want some ice? I could … ”

Mrs. Turner took the glass in her right hand, shaking as she took a sip. She handed the glass back to Jenny. “Please sit. Tell me more.”

“You loved Nadine, didn’t you? She told me you loved her a lot.”

“She told you that?” A hint of wonder lifted the old woman’s voice.

“Yeah.” The tightness between the girl’s shoulders eased. “She said the two of you fought the day she left home. She said you begged her to come home, but she left anyway. Said it was the dumbest thing she ever did.”

A tear trickled down the leathery cheek. “Did she tell you I followed her to the city, to try to make her come home?”

Jenny nodded. “Nadine cried when she told me that. She said she was so scared about being on her own, but she was too stubborn to let you know.” She opened the photo album, holding it for the old woman to see. “Nadine showed me the pictures of the two of you together when she was a kid. By that time I was really missing my mom. Nadine told me I was a lot like her; you know, stubborn. Too proud to give in.”

With her good hand, Mrs. Turner stroked the photo of seven-year old Nadine in her Easter dress. “We used to go to Sunday school. My Nadine was such a good girl. She loved Jesus so much. I just don’t know what happened.”

“Yeah. She told me about that too.” She reached over and patted the old woman’s hand. “She said she got in with the wrong kids and started drinking. She didn’t want to go to church anymore. Then she met Billy. They started messing around and she got pregnant.”

“No!” The hand that held the cup trembled. Her voice was an agonizing whisper. “I didn’t know. My poor Nadine. She never told me.”

“She was afraid to tell you. That’s why she ran away. She was afraid you’d be so disappointed that you’d stop loving her. She ran away and had her baby but gave it up for adoption.”
The woman’s head drooped. Tears slipped to the album pages. “I could never stop loving her. Love never fails…”

“Here.” Jenny lifted the woman’s chin and dried her wrinkled cheeks. “Nadine read me that chapter about love in First Corinthians. She told me about Jesus. Did you know she started going back to church just a few months ago? Said she needed Jesus back in her life, because she just couldn’t live without love anymore. She missed her daughter and you so bad. She figured you probably never stopped praying for her.”

The woman’s eyes lost some of their dullness. “She did?”

The young girl grinned. “Yup. She showed me how to know Jesus’ love too. That’s how I know it was real for her.”

The right side of the woman’s mouth tilted up into a smile.

“After she got to know Jesus, she wanted to come home,” Jenny said. “Before she came, though, she wanted to find her daughter and tell her all about her grandmother.” She turned the page and showed Mrs. Turner an old photo of Nadine with her newborn baby girl, then one of the baby by herself. “She called her Gracie, after you.”

As Mrs. Turner gazed at her newfound granddaughter, joy and grief played across her face. Reaching out, Jenny laid her hand on the old woman’s arm. “Gracie is twenty-three years old now. Nadine found her and went to see her a week before the accident. They made plans to come and visit you together. She was going to call you the day she met me in the restaurant. She invited me home to her apartment because she didn’t want me to end up scared and alone like she did.”

“Why didn’t she call?” Her voice trembled.

“She never got the chance. We talked all that evening and into the next day. By that time we were both hungry so she went out to get something for us to eat. She crossed the street in front of the house and was hit by a drunk driver.” Jenny grasped the old woman’s hand and held it to her tear-stained cheek. “I’m so sorry. I feel like it’s my fault. She was going to the store to take care of me when it happened.”

The woman covered her hand with a strong grip. Jenny stood and stumbled into her embrace. They wept together. When she sat down again, she reached for two fresh tissues and handed one to Mrs. Turner.

“I rode in the ambulance with her. Before she died, she made me promise to bring you this album. Gracie’s picture and phone number are here in the back. Tour granddaughter loves Jesus too and wants to come and see you – if you want her to.” The girl’s heart pounded as she waited for the woman’s response.

“Thank you.” Tears of joy glistened in the older woman’s eyes.

Jenny rose to leave, wanting to give the woman time to digest the news.

“Jenny.”

She turned.

“Jenny, what about you?”

A smile trembled on the girl’s lips. “I stopped here to see you on my way home. Mom’s waiting in the car for me. She said she loves me and never stopped praying for me…”
Mrs. Turner smiled her crooked half-smile as she caressed the photo of her granddaughter. “Love never fails…”