Sep 01
The Olympics are over, but it was fun while it lasted. We got to watch the accomplishments of devoted athletes who disciplined themselves far beyond the norm. My daughter-in-law was inspired to begin a new biking routine; hours spent at the spectator sport of couch potato had her raring to go.
Training for better things is a worthy goal, but it is indeed not without cost. As many of us were inspired by the Olympics, to get a bit more exercise in, I thought of the following excerpt from my cookbook, From the Land of Milk and Honey.
“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening–it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” HEBREWS 12:11 (NLT)
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Aug 14
There’s a garden trend for tomatoes, and it works. It’s officially called “dry farmed”, and as the name suggests, water is withheld somewhat as the tomato ripens on the vine. The result: Intensely flavored tomatoes. The plant responds to the stress of having less water but putting all of its energy into fruit production.
I inadvertently dry-farmed last summer (just didn’t have the time to water more), and the garden yielded the best-tasting tomatoes ever. Moral of the story: Under stress, the best can be produced. Along those lines, I wrote a devotional for my Milk and Honey cookbook; the following is an excerpt from my book, From the Land of Milk and Honey :
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Aug 07
I wrote a devotional about how excellent God’s plans are; the following is an excerpt from my cookbook/devotional, From the Land of Milk and Honey.
“ ‘I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.’” JEREMIAH 29:11
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Jul 15
An acquaintance of mine, a new Christian, was asking what scripture she might use to win over an unsaved co-worker who was caught up in a promiscuous lifestyle. Ah, I remember my days as a new Christian, full of intensity in seeking to know God’s will, full of fervor for telling people about my salvation, hoping some might “see the light” through my sharing.
As I thought about my friend, I could imagine her concern over the unsaved co-worker. I could imagine her saying, “Because I love you, I want to see you get saved!” I know that was my inner mantra on many an occasion. But as I thought about that mind-set, contrasted with Jesus’ mind-set, I realized: It’s not the wanting to see anyone get saved, that actually saves them. That’s like me saying, “Because I care about my health, I want to eat healthy.” It’s not the wanting to eat healthy that accomplishes the task of improving my health. It’s through the actual eating of healthy foods that I reach my goal!
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Jun 27
I removed some pictures from the wall last week as I redecorated just a bit. At first, I would see the holes in the wall every time I walked by. I’d see them out of the corner of my eye, and do a double-take, thinking, “Oh, a bug”. But I noticed that, as the week went on, I stopped noticing the holes. It just hit me today that sin can be like that.
At first, we might notice something’s wrong; it stands out like a blotch on the wall. But after awhile, if we leave it there, eventually, we become calloused to that sin. After awhile, it doesn’t seem very bad at all. We can successfully ignore it!
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Jun 04
“All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.” – Galatians 5:14
When Jesus was a young man, He had many friends and followers, but he also talked to and ate dinner with people who weren’t very well thought of by others. Jesus didn’t care if people were rich or poor. He didn’t care if they had on the best clothes or wore their hair in a certain way. He loved everyone.
Did you know that God loves and accepts you as you are? It might seem like we should try to be really good and do everything right before God would love us. But the God of the universe wants to have a relationship with YOU!
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Apr 04
“Don’t concern
yourself about what you will eat or drink, and quit worrying about these things.
. . . Rather, be concerned about his kingdom. Then these things will be
provided for you.” Luke 12:29-31
In obsessing over my weight in the past, the more I focused
on it, the less control I seemed to have. I think God was teaching me a lesson,
saying, “What’s more important, what the scale says, or what I say?” If the
scale gave a “bad report,” I’d begin mapping out the day’s plan to tackle the
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Mar 24
So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” GALATIANS 6:9 (NLT)
A few friends and loved ones make me wonder at times, “Is this relationship worth it?” Some relationships feel effortless; others seem demanding. Yet they are worth it. Like the Gerbera daisies in my garden, I can’t give up on them. Although challenging, every spring Gerberas are on sale again, showing off their joyful, cheery, inimitable beauty. So every spring I replant more, hoping this will be the year they “take.” I pamper them, hoping to learn the secret of success with them. My sister discovered a simple thing: Read the rest of this entry »
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Mar 07
Perhaps in this ‘politically correct’ era, a kinder, gentler Jesus
would be preferred. We can try to promote love as expressed through the
many kind, compassionate miracles Jesus performed on the blind and
suffering, but the intense love shown in Christ crucified is
indeed harder to look at. The following devotion reminds me that true
love can come at great cost.
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Mar 02
"Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time to every activity under heaven." ECCLESIASTES 3:1
I must say, our garden’s pretty cool. It didn’t happen overnight, and it could’ve seemed overwhelming to maintain. But in praying for God’s direction to do the right things at the right times, a real economy of labor occurs. The fruit of the labor, a beautiful garden, seems to begin in the dark, damp days that don’t invite gardening activities. That’s when I’ve come to just sit, either in the garden or at a window, relaxing and taking it all in, without an agenda. In those quiet times, I may even get a vision from God. A great though simple verse, Psalm 46:10 (NLT), says, "Be silent, and know that I am God!"
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The Olympics are over, but it was fun while it lasted. We got to watch the accomplishments of devoted athletes who disciplined themselves far beyond the norm. My daughter-in-law was inspired to begin a new biking routine; hours spent at the spectator sport of couch potato had her raring to go.
