My Grandma's "Plumgranny" tree

 

My "plumgranny" tree is blooming!

And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.

And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;

 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the Lord commanded Moses.

Exodus 39:24-26

Grandma had two trees along her back walk, a chinaberry tree and a "plumgranny tree." The Chinaberry tree was for climbing. It had nice low spreading limbs we could climb without worrying about falling out and breaking something. The "plumgranny tree" wasn't for climbing. It was for eating. 

You've never eaten a "plumgranny?" It's sour and sweet with lots of tiny seeds just right for spitting. That's all there is, seeds and juice. Just put your fingers in the crown, that's the blossom end and pull the tough skin apart. Sections of bright juicy seeds will squirt juice all over your hands and clothes. 

I heard that! Someone said "They're not "plumgrannies". They're pomegranates." I know that but I didn't know until I was plum grown. Pomegranates are one of the seven species of the Bible (Deuteronomy 8:8) They are native to Iran and India but have naturalized throughout the Mediterranean. Pomegranates are associated with fruitfulness, knowledge, learning, and wisdom. They also have many health benefits. The whole plant from bark to flower to fruit is edible. 

Tradition says there are 613 seeds in the fruit the same as the 613 commandments of the Talmud. Though the actual number of seeds varies greatly, there can be quite a bit of symbolism associated with the fruit. God commanded that representations of the fruit be sown between the bells on the priest's robe. There is no flesh in the fruit, only seeds and juice. When we leave flesh behind, there is no more self in our actions. For a seed to produce more fruit it must die. To be of service to Christ we must die to ourselves and live unto Him. The red juice surrounds the seed and stains all it touches. So the blood of Christ must cover the seed planted in the hearts of others and the blood stain of Jesus left to water it so that others come to know Him as Savior. 

The juice - tart and sweet. I wish I still had the picture of my grandchildren eating their first pomegranates. Following Christ is not all sweetness, but the end results are eternal blessings.

Heavenly Father, help me remember to leave the thoughts and actions of the flesh behind and always be vigilant in planting and watering the seeds of the gospel in the hearts of others. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

Do you know the seven species of the Bible?

Read Deuteronomy 8:8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

Have you eaten all these foods? In the fall Judaism celebrates the new year. On the second day, they introduce a new fruit. Often that fruit is a pomegranate. 

Why not introduce yourself to a new species during the seven weeks of summer? 

Week 1 - Explore your neighborhood or vacation spot for a mill or store that provides fresh ground grains.  Help mom bake a loaf of bread from fresh ground wheat. 

Week 2 - Explore a new breakfast food. Barley makes great muffins. I found a good recipe on the package of barley I bought at the grocery store. 

Week 3 - We all love a handful of grapes but have you made grape jelly? 

Week 4 - The figs will begin to come in between June and August. I love to pick them straight off the tree on a hot summer day. They always taste cool and refreshing, much like a peach. 

Week 5- Pomegranates may not be available until September but the juice is readily available in most grocery stores. Be sure to try to whole fruit once they come in.

Week 6 - Drag a piece of crusty bread through a plate of olive oil. It's as good as butter.

Week 7 - Explore the farmers' market for local honey. The taste is wonderful and the health benefits far outweigh the store-bought brands. 

I'm wondering why God made these foods and recommended them to the Israelites. Got any ideas to share?

Worldviews in Children's Literature

 We often recognize stories as having a beginning, middle, and end but do we recognize the smaller points of the Gospel, the pointing to God in literature and storytelling?

The Beginning: What happens in the beginning? The characters are introduced so we know who to look for in the story. The Main Character is introduced with flaws. This character's flaw(s) will lead us to the conflict, the struggle in the story. Fairy tales, picture books, children's books, and novels all contain the flaws of the main character. We relate to this character because we too are not without flaws.

• Red Riding Hood - disobedient to mom, talks to stranger
• Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle- poor diet, overeating
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen - immaturity is implied
• Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - disobedient to parents, sneaking breaking cultural norms
• Code of Silence by Tim Shoemaker - lies
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The Middle: Here in the middle the consequences of the flaw begin to show themselves. The turmoil and struggle to overcome those consequences.

• Little Red Riding Hood - confronted by the wolf in Grandma's bed
• Very Hungry Caterpillar - becomes sick and tries to fix his problem by eating well
• Owl Moon - The child puts a hand over his mouth to keep any noise from escaping.
• Little House in the Big Woods - spanking
• Code of Silence - teens are confronted with life-threatening consequences if the truth is told.
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The End: In the end, the main character has overcome the struggle. There is a new person with a new vision in the end.

• Red Riding Hood - the woodcutter (Jesus) enters the scene to kill the wolf (Satan) with Red's realization implying that disobeying and talking to strangers can cause her and others to become entangled in dire consequences. She and Grandma are thankful for the woodcutter.
• Very Hungry Caterpillar - the caterpillar must become a cocoon (die to self) and become a new creature never to return to its old way of life (salvation).
• Owl Moon - the child receives a slight shush from the father but is warmly invited into a conversation after the "hunt" signifying the child has matured, has become "grown-up" like brothers.
• Little House in the Big Woods - Father tans his own jacket as well as that of the boys. A picture that we all suffer the consequences of our sins, sometimes because we choose to impose legalism instead of God's love.
• Code of Silence - there is far less consequences when we tell the truth.

Perhaps as we read to our children beginning at that very young age we can begin to point out more than just the beginning, middle, and end. There is so much more to the story, so many twists and turns just as there is in our lives. It takes a dire consequence to wake up the characters in the books to make a change. Even if that consequence is just missing out on a hunting trip until they are mature enough to follow the rules. It takes a wake-up call to our sins for us to see the need to change and let Jesus have charge. Beginning to show an author's purpose opens the doors to our children's understanding of the gospel.

Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalms 119:160

Heavenly Father, please teach me to view everything through the eyes of the gospel so I am not deceived by the ideas of man. Let my mind be renewed with the truth of your word. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Fishers of Men

 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. Mark 1:17

My son is a flyfishing guide. He studies the weather, the hatch of the insects, the water levels in the rivers and streams and notices what type of insects the fish are biting on this week. 

He ties his own flies. They have to look as near the same color and size as the actual insect as possible. He also has to hike miles through rough terrain and wade slick rocky rivers to give the best guides in natural waters. This is a lot of hard work but he absolutely loves the studying and hard work. 

When Jesus called his disciples he told them to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. It wasn't an instant transformation any more than my son became an instant expert on flyfishing. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and following, Jesus took his disciples up on the mountain away from the crowds and began to instruct them. They followed him and just like my son guiding on a trip, Jesus showed the disciples how to fish for men. They began to practice "fishing" before Jesus ascended so they would know how when they had to go "alone". 

There's a pattern to become a fisher of men. Mark 1:15 says repent and believe the gospel. The first part of learning to fish for men is to know that we ourselves are sinners in need of repentance (a change of heart about ourselves) and we need to believe the gospel (Jesus is the sinless son of God who died for our sins and was resurrected again). 

Jesus then called the disciples to follow Him. Following is probably the hardest part. That's the study, the understanding of scripture, the talking with the Master. Along with all the study comes the practice, the little by little learning to talk to others, teach others and go into all the world with the gospel (Matthew 28:19,20).

The transformation into a fisher of men doesn't happen overnight. It happens over time. If my son were not a continual learner and follower of flyfishing he wouldn't have his own business today. If we are not faithful and continue in our study of God's word, faithful in prayer, and faithful to reach out to others we will not be effective fishers of men reaching all nations. 

Heavenly Father, help us be faithful followers who study your word daily and pray for guidance in reaching others. Help us practice lives of dedication to your calling. In Jesus's name. Amen.  

Hey Kids:

Do you like to fish? 

Who taught you? How often do you get to practice?

Can you bait your own hook? What type of bait do you use?

Can you take a fish off?

Is fishing your passion? 

Maybe fishing isn't your thing but God has given you interest and talents that He wants you to use for His glory. 

How can you go into all the world? Do you speak another language? Can you draw or write? Do you contribute to kids' magazines? In our day of technology, going into all the world can mean reaching them at home, but it doesn't mean it's easy.

How can you improve your talents so you can use them to be "fishers of men"?

Blessings,

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

For Such a Time As This

 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Esther 4:14

Yes, we are in a crisis, but God knew this was coming long before anyone including China knew what this virus could or would do to the world. God also knew you before you were born. He had a plan for you then and He has one for you now. You were born for such a time as this. 

"I don't know what I'm suppose to do," you say.

"I'm afraid," you say.

"If I go somewhere I may be risking my life."

Esther had the same reaction when Mordecai asked her to plead for her people before King Ahasuerus. She was so much safer in the palace, staying quiet, hiding her identity. Besides if she went before the king she could be killed! Would we have felt differently?

Mordecai's answer to Esther was that God would deliver His people with or without her help but if she refused she and her father's house would be destroyed. He reminded her that she was in her position for such a time as this. So here you are, born within the last 100 years. Why? What's God's purpose for you since you are right here, right now?

Esther sent word back to Mordecai. She told him to gather everyone in Shushan. Then fast and pray for her for three days. She and her maidens would do the same. Then she would go before the king saying, "If I perish, I perish." 

There is power in the name of Jesus. We are in need of health, jobs, family, and HUGS and there is a world out there in need of the Gospel. We must gather ourselves together and come before the Almighty God with our petition. Then we must follow God's lead in whatever that entails. If we stay hunkered down people will perish, not just from the virus but because they will not be able to hear the Gospel. They will not be able to see your loving pleading face for their salvation. They will not feel the hugs of fellowship with the brethren. 

We are here for such a time as this. How will we answer? 

Blessings,

Gail