Run, Run as Fast as You Can

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: I Peter 5:8

 There are probably still a few of these left around your house. You probably read or told the story to the children while they nibbled on the leg or bit off the head. But have you thought about how much we are like gingerbread men? 

The little old man and woman were childless so they decided to make a gingerbread boy. Different stories will have different ways of creating the eyes and buttons and jacket but at the very outset, the gingerbread boy was determined to run away. He even made fun of the little old man and the little old woman and all those who tried to get him to stop along the way. Where was he running to anyway? 

Then the fox entered the scene. He didn't act like he wanted to eat the gingerbread boy. He seemed helpful. He was going to get the boy across the river that otherwise would have melted the cookie boy. The deeper the fox went into the water, the farther up on the fox, the gingerbread boy had to ride until — the gingerbread boy had to ride on the fox's nose. When all finally seemed safe, the fox flipped his snout causing the cookie to go right in his mouth. End of story. But is it?

Almost from the time we are born we try to run away from our Creator and all those who would try to stop our running. Where are we going anyway? We laugh and make fun of those who try to warn us not to run to the world. Sadly many allow that old sly fox to trick us into thinking the best life is the free life, the life to live as we please. Then when the things of this world have taken their toll, we are left defeated, addicted, or worst of all dead. 

As we enter into a new year let's evaluate where we are headed. Are we running in the wrong direction? Will we turn around like the Prodigal son and return to our heavenly Father? He's waiting to receive us with open arms if we will only turn and run to Him. Look again at the picture of the cookies. The gingerbread men are holding their arms wide open. They are not in running motion. Maybe they too are trying to tell us to open our arms and hearts to God and return to Him this year. 

Blessings for the New Year,

Gail

A Different Kind of Christmas

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.  I Corinthians 1:18

 

A few years ago a family whose dad was laid off and a mother with three toddlers found themselves without a Christmas tree and without money to purchase one. The family did have some land with a few scrub pines. So they set out that Saturday morning wrapped in scarves, hats, and gloves to find the perfect tree.

Some trees looked perfect but they were too short. Some were beautiful at a distance but up close they were far too tall. Finally, the dad stood beside a tree slightly crooked and sparsely branched. "It's perfect," the children squealed. The dad took his saw and cut the tree as close to the ground as he could while the mom and children held back the limbs. Dragging the tree across the red dirt hill, dad with the trunk, mom, and the children each with a limb, they loaded the tree into an old rusty pickup. 

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2

After struggling to get the crooked tree into a dollar store stand, the dad set the tree in front of the picture window in the living room. All it needed now were the decorations of which they really had none. But first to string on the lights. Around the middle and down the limbs until the tree sparkled with white.  

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12

There was popcorn in the cabinet and the mom had purchased a bag of cranberries at the grocery store. So they set about popping corn and trying to figure out how to get a few more pieces on the string than in their mouths, adding in the cranberries here and there. The string was too long and tangled. They tried to tie it all together like storebought garland before they decked the tree but it tangled worse. Finally, with sore fingers from needle pricks, they managed to shorten the strings and tie them around the tree. But now what?

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! John 19:5

There were flour and sugar in the cabinet, cinnamon, and ginger on the spice rack. The family decided to make gingerbread men. Toothpick holes for strings were too small and cooked together. Crotchet hook holes looked huge but cooked up to the perfect size. With red and green curling ribbon they hung the gingerbread people on the tree.  

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:32

The mom had purchased some red styrofoam apples at an after Christmas sale. There were only a dozen but the balls of red made the tree pop with color against the white lights. Still it needed more. There were white pines in the woods behind the house and though it was not their wood they thought it not robbery to pick up a sack of cones. The curling ribbon was perfect to tie on the base of the cones and tie to the tree. Still, something was missing.

And in thy (Abraham's) seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Genesis 22:18

Dad bought a box of red and white candy canes from the dollar store. The children hung them around the tree with the promise that after Christmas the candy would be their treats. 

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9:22

The family stood back to gaze at their finished work. With smiles from all the family, the Dad concluded that it was the prettiest tree he had ever seen. And indeed it was. Though the family tried every year to make their tree look like the straggledy pine it was never as pretty as the first tree born out of necessity. But still to this day, the grandma hangs popcorn and cranberries on the live tree and the grandpa buys candy canes for the branches and says, "It's a nice tree but it isn't as pretty as that first tree." 

This year Christmas may seem a little different for various reasons. Jesus is still the Light of the World. How will we make meaningful memories for our families that last a lifetime? 

Christmas blessings, 

Gail

Is There Meaning in Modern Decorations?

 

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.Luke 2:18 

I didn't decorate my mantel this year with my traditional picture handed down since the early 1900's of the Wisemen following the star. Though maybe I should have with the news calling attention to the aligning of the planets and their guesses that it might be the Bethlehem star. Instead I chose a more modern mantel that I saw somewhere online. I felt guilty that maybe I was removing the true meaning of Christmas until . . . .

Decorations on the Tree

 

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1

Putting up the tree is often a family time filled with traditions - Baby's First Ornament, hand-made ornaments, and great grandma's Victorian ornaments. 

Nostalgia fills the air as we settle down in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and gaze at the sparkling tree. But WAIT! Did we miss the point? What have we instilled in our traditions that show our families the true meaning of Christmas? 

Candy Canes with a Love Story

 

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 NIV

I'll tell this the way it was told to me, though I am sure there are others who would disagree with the story, surely no one will disagree with the message. So grab a candy cane and enjoy this sweet tale of Christmas with the whole family.

In the seventh century, when kings and queens declared and enforced the laws with the sword, a law was made that Christmas would no longer be celebrated. It broke the heart of an old candy maker who loved to see the smiles of children as they enjoyed his sweet Christmas treats. He also loved Christmas traditions and the telling of the story in churches and homes.  No one was allowed to own or read a Bible except the priests and now that was questionable under the rule of this queen. He wondered how this generation would grow up without the knowledge of Jesus if the laws forbade the telling of the stories.

As the old candy maker locked his doors for the evening and knelt by his counter for prayer, the Lord gave him an idea. It was not illegal to make new kinds of candy and he knew just what kind of new candy he would make.

All night the candy maker tweaked his candy recipes to fit the story of Jesus. As the new day dawned he set out for his shop anxious to get a start on his new candy. He would start with pure white candy and spice it with peppermint. Then he would layer it with red candy, making a pattern of a wide red stripe and three thin red stripes. As he rolled and twisted the hardening candy, he sliced off lengths of candy and bent them into a crook at the top. The next day would be Christmas and he would be ready to share his Christmas story. 

As families entered his shop the next day with faces long and sad because of the canceled holiday, he offered them a new candy and an old story. "See this crook?" he said. "On a night long ago, shepherds stood on a hillside watching their flock by night. Angels announced the birth of a baby born to a virgin. The baby would be pure and sinless like the white of the candy cane. His father would be God the Father. The baby would be the Son of God and He would give us the Holy Spirit." The old candy maker pointed to the three thin stripes going around the candy cane. "The baby's name was to be called Jesus." The candy maker turned the cane upside down, making the J. "The big red stripe," he said. "is the blood Jesus would shed on Calvary for our sins. Taste the candy now children. The peppermint reminds us of the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus and the spices used to prepare His body for burial when He died upon the cross. His blood covers our sins and offers forgiveness. This, children, is the real story of Christmas, not the toys and candy, but the coming of the Savior of the world as a baby in a manger, not just visited by shepherds but to be our Shepherd, guiding us to eternal life in Christ."

The parents were grateful their children were able to hear the Christmas story that morning and take home a reminder of the true meaning of the season. 

Now as you have receive a candy cane, examine it for the three thin stripes, the large stripe, the taste of peppermint, and the pure white candy that makes the body of the cane. Turn it to make the J and the shepherd's crook. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Merry Christmas, 

Gail

Picture credit to Pixabay.com

Legend of The Candy Cane - Sacred Literature Ministries, Taylors, SC

M is for Manger

 

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

So many things compete for our children's attention. Sometimes we need to be purposeful even in the things we intend for enjoyment. There is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying time spent teaching our children. I recently ordered M is for Manger by Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley. My grandchildren came to help decorate the tree and set up the nativity scene on the coffee table. Our youngest loves to pretend with figurines so she moved the people and animals around several times until she was satisfied she had them placed just right. Then the girls settled down to read. They chose M is for Manger. The oldest is nine. She read it alone. The little one "read" the pictures. Then I sat down to read the book to her. She made it all the way to V is for Village until she got sleepy. Then she jumped up and ran over to the tree to check on the decorations so she could stay awake! Even children are purposeful in their actions. 

My grandchildren and I found the pictures to be inviting. The words are easy for young readers and listeners and carry the message in rhyme well. There is also a scripture on each page to connect the story. As I read the book I tried to think how I could use it to make a lasting memory of scripture since so much of Christmas now revolves around the secular.

One of the ways I thought to use the book is to make it an advent story, reading one page of the story each day and then creating something from the page to hang on the tree.  Pinterest is full of Advent crafts for those of us who need a little help. The first page is A is for Angel. A child with the help of an adult could easily make an angel. B is for Believe. It may be a little harder to capture in an advent picture but maybe something like praying hands or something meaningful for your family could be a symbol for believe.

Each day the child(ren) could review the story using the ornaments before reading and adding to the story. After Christmas, box up the ornaments for next year. It's likely the children will enjoy pulling them out and remembering their Christmas advent crafts, adding new ones, and recounting the story for others. 

Another idea is to use the book with a child-friendly nativity set like my granddaughter rearranged for half an hour. Rehearsing stories in a hands-on way is always a great way to imprint a learning experience. 

In whatever way you choose to teach your children about Christmas, I highly recommend M is for Manger as part of your Christmas experiences. 

Christmas blessings,

Gail

Blessings in Disguise

 

O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 
Psalms 105:1

You know that picture in our minds we all get of the Indian brave who walks into the Pilgrim village in the spring of 1621 to show the Pilgrims how to plant corn, and beans, and pumpkin? Wasn’t his name Squanto? Or didn’t anyone ever tell you about Squanto?

Thank You Veterans

 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

My dad was drafted in WWII but was turned down without explanation. He was drafted again during the Korean Conflict and sent to Germany as part of occupation forces. Thankfully he didn't have to give his life, but every person who enters the armed forces faces that possibility. 

Fall Blessings

 

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness endures forever. Psalms 136:3 (AMP)

I want to share a beautiful children's book I received the other day. Before I even opened it I was impressed with the artwork, at how well Olya Bodulina, who lives in Russia, knew our animals and our scenes. 

There is lots to share with your child. Author Jean Matthew Hall's child-friendly rhythmic language invites the reader/listener to share in God's blessings. The words and pictures are well matched to invite children 4-8 years old into the world of fall.

The blessings God has provided for the animals and us will help open children's eyes to the happenings around them. Some of the scenes are familiar, others will be new but intriguing to young minds. Parents can use the story and pictures to help children notice the animals and the changes in their own backyard or on trips to apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and leaf-peeping adventures. As a parent, I would love to make a checklist or a bingo game for my children to look for the animals and the blessings God has provided for them and for us. 

Blessings are all around us this fall. Taking time to notice brings joy in the midst of our craziness. I want to encourage my family and others to give prayers of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the fall. 

God's Blessings of Fall is available on Amazon and other booksellers. Be sure to watch for more of Jean's books to come in the Blessings series. 

I give God's Blessings of Fall 5 stars! 

Fall Blessings,

Gail

Feral

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:27,28

 I love kittens. I love cuddling them and listening to their soft purrs telling me they enjoy being loved. My dad had a friend with a big barn. Feral barn cats were always available to any little girl in need of a kitten but feral barn cats are not trusting animals. I think they are a lot like people. I'd like to share a story of one of my kittens. 

You came to me in a shoebox from Patti’s barn. You were a feral kitten, afraid of your own shadow, and especially of mine. I held you on my lap as Daddy jerked the stick shift over the rough country roads. I turned you loose in a basement filled with greasy car parts, Mama’s washtub, and clutter. You made a mad dash for the cover of Daddy’s long workbench. I called, “Here Kitty, Kitty” and brought you a bowl of warm milk. You were tucked deep under the bench. I could barely see the white tip of your orange tail as you curled in the corner. “Here Kitty, Kitty.” You didn’t move a muscle. 

I wanted to feed you and give you a soothing rub. I longed to hear your kitty purr. For hours I sat and waited. Sometimes I spoke soothing words but mostly I just called, “Here Kitty, Kitty.” You must have been hungry. Late in the evening, your green eyes shone in the shadows as they peered out into the darkening basement. “Here Kitty, kitty.” You retreated to your corner. Perhaps tomorrow, I thought, as Mama called me to supper. I slipped out the door and left you to your own devices. 

In the morning, the bowl was empty. I brought fresh milk. “Here Kitty, Kitty.” You turned as if to sniff the fresh warm milk wafting in the musty basement air. You padded to the edge of the workbench. I must have moved. You quickly retreated to your corner. There I sat again, waiting hour after hour. Sometimes calling, mostly sitting, just letting you know I was there. You crept to peep from under the workbench again. Gingerly you placed one paw into the sunlight streaming from a window onto the cement floor. I barely breathed. Then you ventured another paw. Your eyes never left me, questioning the safety of the open space. You crept out to the warm bowl of milk that by now was only lukewarm. Your tongue lapped into the milk but your eyes were on me. I smiled and reached to touch your ruffled orange fur. You skittered back under the bench. 

Another hour and you crept to the edge of protection again. When you came to the bowl, I sat still. I waited to hear a purr. When after a few slurps, your motor began, I reached out again to touch, not to rub but to touch. Just the light touch of my hand on your back sent you scrambling again. This time it took only a few minutes and you returned to the bowl. I tried again when you cranked up your motor. This time you allowed my hand on your back. You allowed the light rub across your head. Your eyes were on the milk. A trust, a bond that belonged to no one but the two of us began. 

You were a good kitty, using the tray of litter I placed near your hide-out from the beginning. You didn’t climb or scratch or destroy. Dare I let you into the yard? Only when I could put you into my lap and hear you purr because of us, did I trust that the door could be opened. 

You were a good kitty who came when I called. You caught the mice as your country mom had taught you. You scratched up trees to escape the dog or chase a squirrel. You wound around my tanned legs and rubbed your soft head against my hands. I fed you and played yarn-ball. You allowed me to dress you in doll clothes. I held you, read stories to you, stroking your fur, and listening to your purr. You were my kitty, and I was your person. We had bonded in a musty basement with a bowl warm of milk. 

God calls us coaxing us with tender love just as I called my kitten. In our heads we know we should respond but our human instinct is to fear and shy away. Often Jesus has to wait patiently for us to turn loose of ourselves and trust Him. 

Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? Have you given yourself to His will? What are we waiting on? Jesus waits patiently with loving arms to hold us, feed us and calm all our fears. He longs to hear us speak to Him from our hearts. He longs to bless us from His word and bond our hearts together eternally.

Trusting Him for daily blessings, 

Gail

Finding the Trinity

  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20

Ahh, Autumn, my favorite time of the year. Leaves, mountain apples, pumpkins, and cooler weather, what could be better? We often use pumpkins to explain the plan of salvation to children (See Pumpkin Time). But that is not the only thing we can learn from the beauty of Autumn. 

What do we find when we cut open an apple or pumpkin or practically anything? On the outside is the skin. Just inside is the flesh. At the core of the fruit, we find the seeds. Did you notice the trinity?  Seeds that are most often thrown away are the heart of the fruit itself. Those seeds will produce more plants and fruit just like the parent plant. Even the seed is a trinity. The outer coating, the food store inside, and the embryo that contains the leaf.  

It seems so hard to understand how God is a Trinity yet He shows us daily through His creation. He shows us how we too are created in His image. We have a body, a mind that thinks, and a soul that is eternal. The soul is actually the heart of our being. Have you ever thought about how we feel things? We say "my heart is broken." when there's nothing wrong with our heart, it's our feelings, the core of who we are. God, too, is a being who thinks and yes, who feels. Love is a feeling. God showed us His love by sending His only Son to die in our place for our sins. 

When we show our children what it is like to be a Christian we are instilling in our little seeds the understanding that will reproduce itself to the third and fourth generation. In contrast when we distort or confuse or don't recognize the importance of instilling Christian doctrines in our children we still teach them. We teach a lack of importance for the things of God. That too will reproduce itself to the third and fourth generation. 

Take a walk with your children today. Notice the beautiful sun coming up or setting. Notice the light, how it colors the sky, or brightens the day. Feel the warmth of the sun. What a delight to enjoy another trinity God has created for us to know more about who He is and the love He has for us.

Autumn blessings,

Gail 

Singing in My Head

 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Have you ever listened to a baby "sing" himself to sleep? There were no words and very little tune, just the sweet soft "la, la, la" of sleep. 

Often I wake in the night with a song in my head. Not the kind that gets stuck and rambles around forever like "Baby Shark" but the Lord's songs of rest and peace and even strength. Where do they come from? I haven't listened to the radio before bed. The alarm isn't going off with music. I'm not dreaming, — just singing. Or is it me?

The Lord says He will joy over you with singing. In this troubling, disquieting, crazy time we live in, could it be that the Lord is singing over me peace and rest? Is it His singing I hear? Whatever has awakened me, the voice of singing calms me, relaxes me, and I drift off to sleep again. 

Often I find myself singing in the day. When the TV is off and the house or garden is quiet I notice there's a song in my head. Sometimes I begin to openly sing but more often I just enjoy the music while I clean or pull weeds. I rest in the Lord knowing He never leaves me or forsakes me whether in the day or in the night. All I need to do is Be still and know that He is God and He joys over me with singing. 

What song is the Lord putting in your heart and mind this week? 

Be blessed.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Ephesians 5:19

Gail

Autumn Rainbow

 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Revelation 4:3 NIV

When we went out on the playground, the children wanted to know if they could go on a leaf hunt. In just a few minutes they returned with handfuls of leaves. As they sorted, they began to form an arc. We were studying a unit on colors and it was spilling over into their play. They were creating a rainbow with leaves. Yay, teacher! But more importantly, I saw the connection between God's creation and His promises in His word. 

The first rainbow in Genesis was to remind Noah that God would never flood the earth again. It was beautiful. Even now when a rainbow appears we point it out to others and take pictures to share on social media. Rainbows fascinate us even though we understand how they are made with sunshine and water droplets. 

Have you ever seen a complete rainbow? Once when we were on the Blue Ridge Parkway I looked down through the leftover clouds of a storm and saw a rainbow make a complete circle. The last rainbow is in Revelation. It encircles God's throne. Its beauty creates awe of God and His throne. It's a reminder that God is a promise keeper. He takes care of us in every situation whether on earth or in eternity. He has power and to Him belongs all glory. 

This has been a tough year with COVID and all that it has entailed. In our area, there have been lots of rainbows. God has tried to remind us that He is a promise keeper and He is in control even when it looks like the world is spinning out of control. This past month there was a Day of Prayer and Return in our capitol. There were clouds and even a clap of loud thunder just as there is thunder and lightning around God's throne. 

God is listening to our prayers. Are we listening to His pleas? Are we repenting of our neglect of Him and His word? Do we serve Him with our lips but serve ourselves with our actions?  God is our promise keeper. He will see us through if we return to Him. He reminds us with His rainbow that He is still watching and still caring. He is still in charge.

May your life be filled with rainbow reminders,

Gail 

Leaven

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Numbers 14:21

 Awhile back, a long while back, I took my Grandmother a quarter cup of fast acting yeast. I was getting into bread baking. I wanted bread like she made. She said she hadn't made bread in a long time and was afraid she had forgotten. I encouraged her. "You've got a bread recipe around here somewhere." 

We talked a little about how she remembered her mother making bread. Grandma told me her mother would make her own leaven for their bread. Well, I thought I knew what leaven was. To me, leaven was just her old fashioned word for yeast. It was in the Bible about a woman who took leaven and hid it in three measures of meal until it leavened the whole lump (Matthew 13:33). In my mind that was a tablespoon of yeast in three cups of flour. But Grandma said they made their own yeast. They took the leaven and spread it out on pans in the sun and let it dry. It was then broken in pieces to be used to leaven the bread. I asked for the recipe for making my own. She didn't remember if she had ever known. She helped as a child.

After I left, Grandma tried to use the yeast I'd brought. Her bread was hard and inedible. She had used it all in one loaf. It was not the leaven she knew how to use. 

Grandma has been gone for twenty years. I've learned to bake bread in different ways. I've learned to make sourdough bread from a starter that can be refrigerated, frozen, and DRIED! If you stir about a cup and a quarter into three cups of flour, add a little water and it will begin to spread and rise. I don't have to knead it. Every hour I simply fold it over four times and let it rest again for another hour. I do this four times and let it rest a complete seven hours from the beginning. This longer rise time allows the WILD yeast to consume many of the carbs that regular bread contains, thereby giving me healthier bread. 

When Jesus told the story of hiding leaven in three measures of meal there was no fast acting yeast. These are modern inventions supposedly to make bread faster, but the kneading is a real workout for the baker and the bread. I think Jesus was talking about sourdough. The baker takes the growing sourdough and mixes it into the flour. Finally after seven hours, it's ready to be baked. 

The gospel can't be like a package of yeast that is worked into flour and worked and worked and worked. After the shorter rise, it is shoved into the oven. The gospel needs to be well delivered, revisited, and gently turned, never punching it down, but lovingly turned and allowed to incorporate on its on by the Holy Spirit into a person's heart for the complete work. Remember the seven hours — seven — a number of completeness.

Scripture says when the fullness of time has come the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. That's what the Lord is waiting on (II Peter 3:9) He's not in a hurry. He wants us to fully understand and our hearts permeated with the gospel so we don't turn away when things aren't perfect, when suffering comes. He wants us fully matured, filled with the gospel, being a witness through thick and thin until the whole earth is filled with the glory of the Lord. 

Maybe your family or your Sunday School group would like to experience a more Biblical bread, a healthier bread, a bread of purpose, and remembrance. Enjoy the taste of good bread as we taste and see that the Lord is good as He fulfills His purpose through us filling the whole earth with the glory of the Lord. 

Blessings, 

Gail

Under the Shadow of Our Steeple

 

And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8:11

Do you remember reading The Scarlet Letter? When I picked up my granddaughter from school the other day, she asked me if I had read it. Then she said her teacher told them a song by Casting Crowns talked about it in some song lyrics. I remembered the song but misnamed it. I remembered the part about "under the shadow of our steeple." There was a tragedy in the shadow of our steeple just about the time the song was released. I remember thinking I hadn't gone to visit or invite the family to church before the tragedy. 

Actually, the name of the song was "Can Anybody Hear Her?" It was more about a girl with an unexpected pregnancy. It was about how the church looks down on these girls. The past couple of weeks I've trained with the Carolina Pregnancy Center. Part of the training is Life Issues which includes Biblical Sexuality. Our God is a God of second chances. Remember the woman at the well? No one in her town wanted to openly have anything to do with her. Neither did the disciples — but Jesus. There's always the — but Jesus. Remember the woman taken in adultery? There were many accusers but because of Jesus, there was no one to cast the first stone. Neither did He cast a stone but told her to go and sin no more. Jesus spoke truth and love to both women. It made all the difference in both their lives. In the Samaritan town of Sychar, love and truth made a difference in the whole town in two days (John 4).  

How are we as Christians helping others see the truth in love? How do we show them we care about them and their unborn baby? Abortion in the US is used in over 95% of the cases for social and economic factors, "my boyfriend will leave me", "I have to go to school", "I've got a scholarship", and the list goes on. Less then 5% are for rape, incest, life of the mother, health of the mother, or health of the baby (produced by Lisa Van Riper, President of SC Citizens for Life. You will need to type in www.sclife.org).

Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see her? She needs support from Christians, from the church, and from her family. She needs to know Jesus will forgive her. She needs to know He wants to change her life and lifestyle, even if her pregnancy test is negative. The only way she can know Jesus loves her is if Christians love her, support her emotionally, spiritually, and physically, giving her a hand up. 

Those girls who are post-abortion need exactly the same love and truth. Probably no one told them the truth about their baby. Jesus still stands ready to forgive and renew their hearts as well. 

Friends, she is running in all the wrong directions. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see her? There is a Crisis Pregnancy Center near you. Will you and your church find out how you can help? 

Blessings,

Gail

Hidden Treasures

 

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 

Amazing what a little investment will produce! Last spring I found purple sweet potato slips at the farmers' market. They were three dollars for twelve plants. 

I brought them home, dug a trench, placed the slips, watered them and that was pretty much all I did. The vines spread everywhere. By the time the bush beans were finished the sweet potatoes were taking over their spot. They were climbing into the rose trellis and creeping into the squash vines. Finally, in September, they began to bloom pretty purple and white morning glory type blooms. 

Yesterday was my only free Saturday left in October to harvest the potatoes. Wow, was I surprised! Under the first hill were huge potatoes that more than paid for the investment. As I dug the hills, I was rewarded with lots more. I wonder how many more I would have found if the ground had been softer or if I had taken the tiller to the area and turned the soil with the turn plow. 

Digging all these potatoes got me thinking, as it always does. Just a little effort in God's word will turn up some "hidden treasures" if we only invest a few minutes of our time. 

I was saved as a teenager. From that time I began to invest a few minutes each day in reading my Bible. I would only read one chapter each day when I came in from school before I started my homework. 

I started with the New Testament and in the next 5 years, I read the New Testament 4 times and the Old Testament 3 times. There were some dry years I didn't read, but for pretty much all my life, a chapter a day has been my reading plan. 

Though I have read the Bible many times, each time turns up something new and interesting that I missed before. I often wonder why I never saw that before. God gives us what we need when we need it and if we are willing to invest a little time and do a little digging. 

Hey Kids:

My grandkids love digging root crops! It's like finding hidden treasure. 

Carrots, sweet potatoes, and other root crops also hold hidden treasures for our health. The carotenoids in these vegetables help keep our vision strong. 

God's word has its hidden treasures as well. It will take a little digging to find them, but it will improve our spiritual vision.  Reading is like eating. Eating the best foods makes us strong. Reading the Bible makes us spiritually strong. 

Digging root crops won't do us any good unless we eat the vegetables.

Reading the Bible won't do us any good unless we think about it and then do whatever it says.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

Sharing God's word is like sharing your garden crops. It helps everyone, good food, and good fellowship. This week, find a friend who will be a spiritual treasure hunter with you.

Blessings,

Gail

Experiencing Eden

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
... we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

II Peter 3:13

You know the feeling that you just need to get out and away, just forget about everything and have a day of refreshing? Yeah, we all know that feeling. This past week we took a day trip just to get away. We rambled around buying fall flowers and discovering a little new territory but after lunch we ended up heading toward Cataloochee. 

We spent about thirty minutes winding back through the mountains and on a dirt road finally topping out the ridge and making that final left turn. The road led us to scenic vistas, trails, old barns and a settlement with a church, a school and an old house. The road to the house was washed out so it was only open to foot traffic. We walked maybe a quarter of a mile along the road passing grassy pastures and signs to old graveyards before we came to a huge barn and a footbridge on the left across the creek to an early 20th Century house. An older lady sat on the bridge picking grasses and platting a crown like we used to do as kids. Her husband was walking back from the house. We spoke as we passed and rambled on through the yard and the house, taking pictures of butterflies on wildflowers and listening to goldfinches twitter about the thistle seeds. 

Now the gentleman sat on the bridge and pointed with a stick, talking with his wife about the birds. "I've never seen a yellow bird like that." There was also a cedar waxwing, a bird I'd rarely seen, joining the goldfinches in the flowers draping over the water. We enjoyed a neighborly talk. I just wanted to cook a pone of cornbread and get some cold buttermilk from the spring house for our supper, but that wasn't to be in this 21st century.

The walk back to the truck was hot but pleasant. As we passed a field near the creek I saw her. "Bear!" That's not my usual reaction to a bear but the unexpected sighting had startled me and apparently I startled her too. She raised up on her hind legs and looked in our direction while I fumbled with my camera. She must have decided she and her cub might need to head toward the creek.

Now, in the road near the creek stood a big bull elk. The signs say stay fifty yards away. Well now what, with a mama bear to our left and a bull elk to our right? He noticed we needed to pass so he kindly ambled off into the woods out of our path. 

When I got back to the truck I noticed a type of euphoria. Actually, I had been experiencing it most of the afternoon. There was joy and peace there on the mountain. There was excitement in the birds and bears and elk. Maybe it was because I'm part of the older folks my thoughts drifted to the future when God places me in the new heavens and new earth, a re-creation of the Garden of Eden. I think I got to experience just a little bit of that garden this week. The Lord surely knew I needed it on a hot summer afternoon. 

How is God giving you peace and joy in the midst of craziness? How is He preparing you for His future? Your future? 

Blessings, 

Gail

One Person Under God

 

For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Deuteronomy 4;7-9

We've all recited the Pledge of Allegiance and we are often reminded of the words "one nation, under God" but have you considered that you and I are one person under God? We want our nation to recognize God, but are we recognizing Him in our daily lives? 

In Deuteronomy 4,5 Moses is recounting how God gave the children of Israel the Ten Commandments. He is reminding them of how they promised God to obey His laws. The Israelites had heard the voice of God, the thundering and lightning, the smoke on the mountain, but they were afraid, so God had Moses go up on the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. When Moses left, the people forgot their promise. By the time Moses came down in just forty short days, they were worshipping a golden calf! They had completely lost their fear of God. 

Where are we today? Are we not a nation so great with God so nigh in all the things we call upon Him for? Are not our statutes and judgments and laws righteously based on God's Ten Commandments? Have we failed to take heed? Have we forgotten all the things we have seen that God has brought us through? Have we failed to teach our children and our grandchildren? 

I won't be so pessimistic as to think there is no hope. I refuse to believe that we can no longer be "one nation under God". Beginning with the Mayflower Compact, it is He that hath made us and not we ourselves. Moses led the people of Israel — one man under God. William Brewster drew up the Mayflower Compact — one man under God. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote for the abolition of slavery  — one woman under God. Are we not each one person — man or woman — under God who can be leaders in our homes, in our churches, in our communities, and in our nation? These and so many others have taken it upon themselves to be that one person, to make that difference, to lead their nation to be united, one nation under God. 

O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deuteronomy 5:29

May each of us be that one person under God's direction to change the direction of our homes, churches, communities, and nation so that God will bless America.

Blessings,

Gail

Back to the Future

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Numbers 14:21

"Grandma, do you think we'll ever have time travel? I'd like to go back to the Civil War just to see what life was like." 

"Well, everything we touched would affect and change the future. I'm not sure that's a good idea but I've always wanted to be an interpreter at a national park."

This was the beginning of a conversation with my teenage grandson on the way back from the gym. Our family loves history. We've lived in Spartanburg county since before the Revolutionary War. We are surrounded by family history and when we vacation we visit historic sites. Our conversation ended by concluding that God placed us here in this time and place for a specific reason — "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). So does our lives affect the future? 

In Numbers 13 the Lord had Moses send twelve men into the land of Canaan to spy out the land. Ten of the men brought back a bad report — bad news. They wouldn't be able to take the good land because there were walled cities and giants. Only Joshua and Caleb were ready to go into the land and take it believing God's promise. The people chose to follow the ten spies who gave the bad report because those spies were the majority. Their choice affected their future. God was ready to destroy the people and start over but Moses' talk with God affected the future.

God agreed to let the people live but those over twenty years old would die without seeing the promised land. They would wander in the wilderness until the younger generation grew up and the faithless died off except Joshua and Caleb. We live in a troubling time. Our thoughts and actions affect the future. God sent revivals in the past. The Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th Centuries were victorious times for God's people. Then several things happened to affect the future of God's people. 

Do you think God could send revival again? Do you think He will? Our thoughts and attitudes toward God's purposes affect our future. God's purpose in leading the Israelites into the promised land was to bring the gospel to the whole world. They were to be the people used by God to bring the Messiah. Their fear and disobedience delayed God's plan. How is our obedience or lack thereof affecting God's plan for our future? 

Take the time to look back at the preaching of the Great Awakenings. Google search should bring up the preachers and their doctrines without too much trouble. Look back at Christmas carols like "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear". Think about how people thought about the future. What was their vision? Life wasn't easy but they had a hope. 

We can't and shouldn't go back to the past, but we do need God's vision for the future — that all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Blessing,

Gail

 

Writing God's Vision

And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Habakkuk 2:2,3

God's creation is filled with illustrations and you've probably used a few. But have you written them down? What about the lives of your parents and grandparents? Are there stories you'd like to share with your children, grandchildren, and others? You may think no one would want to read your writing. Read the verses from Habakkuk again. 

The Lord says write the vision. What vision has the Lord given you?

He says to make it plain so the runner can read it. When we are gone, the race will not be over. Others will need to read the vision God has given you. 

Then the Lord says the vision is yet for an appointed time. Wait for it. It will surely come. You may not see the fruit of your vision but wait for it. Pray for it. God will use it. 

Never be discouraged. God has given each of us talents to use for His kingdom. He expects us to use them, not hide them. Sometimes we all need encouragement, a little honing of our skills, or just to know we're on the right track. I'd like to invite you to the Write2Ignite Virtual Conference. Below is the information for registration. Pray about it. Let me know how I can help you pray. Let the Lord move your heart for His vision. 

 Write2Ignite Goes Virtual

 

If you write fiction for children, young adults, or even adults you are invited to join Write2Ignite for our first ever Virtual Master Class. On September 19, 2020, multi-published author Joyce Moyer Hostetter will help us master four big elements in writing fiction.

·       Creating Memorable Characters — Tried and true strategies for creating characters.

·       On Writing Plot: What’s the Problem — Structure and the power of conflict in creating a great plot.

·       View Point and Dialogue— Dialogue that works overtime and strategies for creating an authentic narrator.

 

At W2I we provide Christian writers of children’s and young adult literature with:

·       Instruction

·       Inspiration

·       Encouragement

·       Challenges

·       Community

 

Our focus is on those who write for youth.

Our foundation is Christ and His Word.

Our Master Class format provides one-day workshops designed to help writers build specific skills. If taking your writing to higher levels is your goal, you will benefit from these Master Class features:

·       Instruction by master authors like Joyce Moyer Hostetter

·       Guided hands-on practice of new writing skills

·       Immediate feedback

 

This Master Class will be an online event using Zoom. If you’re not familiar with using that platform, no worry! We’ll have a practice session on Friday, September 18, 2020 just for you.

 

If you’re not familiar with Joyce check out her Youtube video here. Her books are available through any bookstore.

We’re excited about this innovative opportunity. Hope you’ll join us on September 19, 2020.

Registration is just $79 for a full day of instruction, practice, and encouragement.

Click here to Register.

Blessings,

Gail