Grilled Cracked Pepper

Just one quick blog tonight--and then we're off in the morning, headed to Lake Texhoma to go fishing with friends. It will be good to get away. Sure seems like things have been hectic around here. We've been trying to get things planted before we leave, get the lawn mowed, get everything watered, etc., etc., plus getting everything packed to take. So, this one will be short.

Last night, I grilled burgers. I love the way the pepper smells as I grind it and it falls through into the fire below. It is such a Sweet, wonderful smell. As I was enjoying that last night, I thought about the verse that talks about us being a pleasing aroma to God. Funny, isn't it, that just smelling pepper from the grinder makes us sneeze. Now, I can't imagine just sniffing the jar of pepper. Aa-Aaa-Aaaa Chooooo! But add some heat and flame and the smell changes all together. It is transformed from a sharp, pungent smell, to a smooth, sweet aroma that pleases the senses. I find myself dumping a little extra in the fire just to breathe in that aroma.

I think we are like that to God. We go along in life and everything is just humming along fine. God still likes us, loves us even. But then, when the heat gets turned up in life with trials or temptations, and we maintain our Christian integrity, oh then, don't you know, He breathes us in deeply--smelling that smooth, sweet aroma as our lives have been transformed. And not only does He love us, He is pleased with us.

I hope that I can be grilled cracked pepper for Him!

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God." Eph. 5:1-2

I will look forward to catching up with all of you when I get back!

May God continue to bless each of you and give you all kinds of peace in believing!

Rats!

Can anybody tell me what I did to my blog to cause the sidebar info to go all the way to the bottom? And how I can fix it??

Whipped Cream / Chocolate Syrup

I confess--I love Lattes. I even have my own little (cheap) cappacino maker. I grind my own coffee, I have the syrups, I froth the milk. I still prefer to buy Star Bucks, or almost any little coffee house's lattes. But not because my aren't good--my husband says they're excellent and that he prefers them--but he also doesn't have to make them!! *Grin* But I digress from what I was actually going to write about....

Here it is April 29. In Kansas, at this late date, we are usually enjoying weather in the 70's. I think today's high was in the 40's!! Brrrrrr. Hard to believe, but we actually have a fire in our fireplace tonight. After going out to supper, we came home, I watered the plants in my breeze-way that haven't been planted yet, and took the most tender ones into the garage. I watered everything and pulled it far enough into the breeze-way that I think the inevitable frost won't get them.

By the time I got inside, my hands were like ice. Emerson didn't seem to be keen on letting me warm them on his neck, so I stood in front of the fireplace for a bit. Then....I started think about how nice a hot, frothy latte would be.

So, I got everything out. Packed the coffee down into the metal filter. Poured in the water. Turned on the machine. Preheated the milk in the microwave. Frothed the milk. Added the syrup---ummmmmm, carmel (sugar-free mind you)--my favorite flavor. Then, I thought I would make them a little extra special tonight. So I added some choclate syrup AND......
Whipped Cream!!! You know, the kind that you squirt out of the can. (I personally like to eat it just like that--right out of the can! *Blush*) Then drizzled a little more chocolate over the top. MMMMmmmmMMMM!

But.....what I didn't count on was the choclate syrup and whipped cream cooling off the coffee so much. Yuck. How disappointing. It looked so good--but tasted so.....blech. I heated them up in the microwave and at least rescued them to the point of drinkable. But still, they weren't nearly as good as what I had anticipated.

And as I drank it, in front of the nice warm fire, I began to think. We are pleasing to God when we are hot like a really good Latte. But He is not pleased when we are lukewarm. "But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Rev. 3:6 NLT)

What is it that can make us lukewarm? What is the "whipped cream and chocolate syrup" that we add to our lives? It looks so good, and tastes so yummy. Isn't that the way of the world? The way of sin? It looks so tempting--and by itself, it may "taste" yummy. But what does it do to our spiritual lives? It cools us off and makes us lukewarm. We all have our "whipped cream and chocolate syrup". I don't think I have to list what that might be....I know what kind of things it is my life.

I'll not be adding whipped cream and chocolate syrup to my lattes anymore. And I certainly want to be aware of cooling off my spiritual life with things of the world and stop doing that as well. I want to stay "hot" for Him and be pleasing to Him.

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worhip him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you inot a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

And then if I might continue with Joyce's version....."Becasue of the privilege and authoirty God has given me (well not me, really), I give each of you this warning--stop with the whipped cream and chocolate!!" Rom. 12:1-2 and a loose version of vs. 3

Hey! Let's meet for coffee sometime! :0)

Fruit Loops

Today I have been packing some things to go in our fifth wheel. We're leaving Monday on a fishing trip for a week. (It will be hard to leave my new blog friends behind!!) I was looking for a tupperware container to put some cereal in. I found one that just had a little bit of cereal in the bottom--a mixture of rice krispies and fruit loops (much to the chagrin of my daughter who doesn't like anything to touch or anything mixed together!). I had put these two bits of cereal together over a month ago thinking we would eat them up. We often mix different cereals together and eat them with yogurt. But here they still were. I opened the lid intending to just dump them out. But those little colored circles were just to tempting! So I very meticulously picked out all the fruit loops and ate them up! The rice krispies were all that was left. Did I eat them? Oh, no! It was easy to dump them out.

While trying to come up with something to blog about, I thought, "Well, this has just been a normal, busy day--nothing profound, no impressive insights. Just a rice krispy day!" We're like that with life a lot. We pick out all the sweet, colorful tidbits to focus on. Just the exciting things. Or the horrible things. No rice krispy things. And then I thought of the following poem that I loved when I was in high school. Guess I still do.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are...
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
One day I shall dig my nails into the earth,
or bury my face in my pillow, or stretch myself taught,
or raise my hands to the sky and want,
more than all the world, your return. "

Mary Jean Iron

It's good just to have a normal day. I can think of days when I have begged and pleaded for a normal day. In my almost 50 years, I have learned that even when days are darkest, or winter is at its bleakest, the normal days WILL return. And what a blessing they can be!!

But whatever "day" I might be having, I know that it is "the day the Lord has made". It is so comforting to know that He is in control. That He cares about what kind of day I am having, and that He has CHOSEN this day for me. It is up to me to choose how to value it. As for me, today, I will "ReJoyce" in today--for the Lord has made it! I think if I can remember that, every day will be a "fruit loop" day!

"Go celebrate with a feast of rich foods [fruit loops] and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!" Neh. 8:10 NLT

Confessions on a VERY, VERY, VERY GOOD day!

This afternoon I went with my daughter and son-in-law (Jayme and Neal) to take their little 3-month old daughter (Ellie) to the doctor to follow up on an abnormal blood test when she was born. It has been a long 3 months waiting to find out if she has some horrible genetic trait that could cause all sorts of horrible things. All of us, and many others, have been in prayer about this since we found out the newborn test was abnormal.

Today the doctor (a specialist) tells us that she is a "silent carrier" as is one of her parents, and that she will live a perfectly normal life with no problems relating to this issue.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU GOD!!!!

Now for the confession.

After parting from Jayme, Neal, and Ellie, I had to run some errands. The first stop was to check to see if my wedding ring had been repaired. It has been over 2 weeks ago that I left it at the jewelry store. Much to my disappointment, the ring was still not back. Apparently the jewelry store owner had not been pleased with the repair, and sent it back in again. After having voiced my disappointment to the clerk waiting on me, I reached into my purse for my keys. That's right. They weren't there. Not in my pockets either. Not even after looking everywhere again. So I said to the clerk (thinking about my disappointment in not having my wedding ring back), "Oh, great. My bad day, just got worse." The next thought came immediately on the heels of the first. What?! WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT can you possibly mean, bad day?????? And my spirit was in a heap at the feet of the Father asking for forgiveness. "What an ungrateful wretch I am!!! Forgive me, Father, and THANK YOU again for the wonderful news we received!"

After the clerk called security for me, I explained to her that I was indeed having a very good day! We all agreed that sometimes we lose perspective. I went on my way "rejoycing"! (And the security guard was able to unlock my van without any problems. Thank you again, God!)

Now, get this!! On the way home, after completing my other errands, a car went around me and the license plate read: BGR8FUL Mmmmm, MMmmmmm, MMMmmmm! How very humbling. I know God sent that car around me because I really intended to stop one more place, but it was getting so late, I decided to come on home. Had I done that one more errand, I wouldn't have seen that tag. "Oh, to Grace how great a debtor!" I am so glad He loves me still.

"Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen."
Jude 24-25 NLT

The Garden Pond

Saturday Morning. Getting ready to go on weekend trip. Husband, Emerson, calls to me from the bedroom, "What happened to the garden pond?" WHAT??? I go outside to investigate. Something has knocked over the Pump/fountain. Racoons? The wind? A large bird? Who knows--but the damage has been done. The fountain had tipped over against the edge of the pond and pumped out nearly all the water. Our 5 goldfish (who had managed to survive our Kansas winter) were swimming in a couple of inches of water. I manage to net all 5 in a relatively short amount of time and take them next door to a neighbor who also has a small garden pond. We leave for the weekend.

Monday morning. We wake this morning to cold wet rain. Since the pond is nearly empty, I know I need to go ahead and clean it out before refilling it. I wait until afternoon so that it is a little warmer outside. I pump the remaining water out as best I can. Then I begin to scoop out the rocks to clean them. Ungh! The rocks are sititng in foul-smelling sludge. I take the rocks out a small bucket full at a time and hose them off, then make a pile of the cleaned rocks. Finally all the rocks are out, but there is still a lot of the foul-smelling sludge. I use the hose to clean the sides and stir the remaining gunk around. A shop vac is then pulled into service to get out all the rest of the water and sludge. The rocks are replaced. The filter is cleaned and repostitioned with the pump/fountain. I refill the pond with water. It is clear. I can see the rocks in the bottom. I go next door to retrieve our fish--thankfully they are still alive. I release them back into our newly-clean pond. They seem happy to be home. I know I am pleased with the fresh gurgling water.

As I worked at this unwelcome task, I began to think about how the pond is like my heart. Last winter, when we turned the pump off, the whole pond became a black-water refuse of rotting leaves and debris. That winter the fish did not survive. If I turn Jesus "off" in my heart, it becomes black and full of foul-smelling debris that leads to death. If I leave him "on", although the leaves and debris continue to fall, He filters the bad stuff out and keeps the water fresh and full of life. Without Him, my heart is full of sin and there is no hope of life. But with Him, He filters the sin (through His own blood) and provides the way of hope. And the really good news is that the "Jesus filter" is always clean--it never needs cleaning or replacing. He is a one-time for all time filter. The only way it stops working is if we unplug it, or if we continue in willful sin to a point that our own ugly foul-smelling debris clogs it up.

Father, I thank you for the living water that fills my heart--living water because it has been filtered by your Love through His blood. Please help me to walk in His ways so as not to allow the rotting debris to collect in my heart and clog the filter. Let me always bubble-over with your living water and bring pleasure to you and life to others. Thank you for loving me. I love you.

...The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life. John 4:14b NCV

Lessons From a Child

Stubborn. Strong Willed. Just like her mother. And....if truth be told....probably just like her Nana. After an idyllic week, it came down to a battle of the wills tonight. I woke Addy early from her nap this afternoon...and I'm sure that was the beginning. At supper time she was hungry. I wanted her to eat the left-over chicken nuggets she didn't eat for lunch. She insisted on a peanut butter sandwich. Loudly. Nana caved on that one. I made the sandwich (to her specifications, of course). Then, guess what? I'm sure you know. She wouldn't eat it. Or anything else. Tears. Crying. Sobbing. Then, with all of that, the nose-thing she's had going on this week really kicked in. So I suggested medicine. Oh, wow! So she ended up sitting on a wooden stool (same one I sat on as a child--both for good and bad--and I still love it). She must sit there until she can say "I understand, Nana". That, after having explained the virtues of eating what you asked for and taking medicine that would make you feel better. She, of course, refused to say those 3 words--sobbing, "No, I can't!". Very hard for this Nana not to cave on this one. Even Grandpa came to see what all the fuss was about. He shook his head and wandered back out to quieter realms. Finally, Addy managed to get the words out. I immediately scooped her up and held her to me until the sobbing subsided. She sat on my lap and ate 3 chicken nuggets and part of the peanut butter sandwich. Until one bite. Which she didn't want to swallow. Oh, my. Here we go again. I talk. I plead. I offer her a drink of milk. In defiance, she blows in the straw (yes, with the bite of sandwich still in her mouth). Last straw. Back to the wooden stool. Much crying. Drooling. Running of the nose. Still the sandwich bite remains in the mouth. I clean out the dishwasher. I encourage her to swallow. I load the dishwasher. I encourage her to please swallow. Grandpa appears at the door again. And leaves again. I come to the computer. I plead, PLEASE swallow. I half-heartedly try to concentrate on what is on the screen in front of me. It is VERY HARD not to let her spit it out. I clench my jaw. More time passes. Finally, she swallows. Once again, I come to her immediately and scoop her up. She drinks some milk. We watch part of Aladdin. We look at a quilt book. Until she says "Turn the page", but won't let me turn the page. She is tired. Very tired. We have a bath. Which she very happily participates in. Even washing her hair--which used to cause hysterical screaming. We have a snack after bath. We brush teeth. Put on jammies. We lay down in her bed. We read 2 Pooh books. We sing "Jesus" songs. I sing "Nana, loves Addy, Nana loves Addy, Nana loves Addy, Yes, she does!" Addy hugs and kisses me. Many times. I hug and kiss her. She pats my face. I stroke her cheek. She puts her little arm around me and I hold her. She finally begins to drift off to sleep. So does Nana.

What a paradox. One that just blows me away. I would have thought that having made her sit on that wooden stool (TWICE) until she did what she was asked, that she would not have wanted anything to do with me. But in her childhood way, one moment was forgotten in the next. "I yuv you, Nana". Oh, how that makes my heart sing!!

Why can't I be like that. To forget one moment in the next. Yet, I struggle with events that happened years ago. And it isn't forgiving someone else. It's forgiving myself. But if Addy can "Yuv" me after all of the evenings events, surely I must be able to let go of those past things that haunt me. Lord, please help me to let those things go and feel the freedom you would have me to in your Grace. Help me to be more like Addy. "I Yuv you, Father."

After she had been asleep for about 2 hours, Addy came looking for me. Once again in tears. Her leg hurts, she tells me. "I need some B-12 and some Goo," she says. (We truly think she suffers from Restless Leg Syndrome--it runs in our family--the B12 helps). Having already given her the nightly vitamin, I managed to calm her with Goo (lotion) and rubbing her leg. We go back to her bed. She is still sniffling. I try my best to comfort her. I snuggle close to her. She snuggles back. I pat her. She pats my hand as I pat her. "I yuv you, Nana". "I love you, Addy". And the comforter is comforted.

Do you suppose we are ever a comfort to God? I know he comforts me. He holds me in His hand. He wraps His arms around me. He strokes my cheek. He encourages me. "I yuv you, God."

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. II Cor. 1:3-4

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On Wednesday, this week, Addy went with me to my Physical Therapy appointment. They are helping me with "Tennis Elbow". She was very good while we were there. She watched everything. They were doing an ultrasound treatment. They put the gel on my arm. Addy asks what it is. I answer, "Blue Goo". Much giggling ensues. She continues to watch. Today, she is standing beside me while I was at work on the computer. There is a USB cable hanging loose from the CPU. She takes it and begins to rub the end of it over my elbow and says "We need Blue Goo!"

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Do you think Mr. Bubbles is a laundry detergent?

Now What???

Well, Jayme.....
What have you gotten me into now!! I just finished reading your blog and really like it. So, here I go. First scrapbooking and now this!! Emerson will think I NEVER have time for him!!

I am so impressed with how my daughter, Jayme, is maturing. What a blessing to watch!

And to have 2 such beautiful granddaughers.

Little Addy has been with me all week. What a joy--and how fast the time has gone! We are going outside in a few minutes to plant more flowers. And what a big help she is!! She helps me dig and put compost in the hole, then puts in the root started, and waters the plants after I've put it in the ground. Then she proclaims "I'm watching it grow!" And then I think how much she is like a beautiful little flower and I get to watch HER grow!