Showing posts with label Heavenly Father. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heavenly Father. Show all posts

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Listening? - What's Getting Your Attention?

 
 



 
 
Behold the fowls of the air, they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Matthew  6:26
It’s blackberry season here on God’s Two Acres. The grandkids helped me pick the first day, but today I had to pick alone. I love picking with the kids. I dreaded picking this morning. There was no one to make the work go faster. No giggles, no complaining, nothing, I thought as I walked to the overgrown edge of a field. Then I saw all the black among the red. The big, black, juicy berries speckled among the ripening red berries and green leaves. I was suddenly ready to dig in. First one goes in the mouth.
As I settled in to picking, I began noticing all the noise around me. Not traffic and car horns, or sirens and loud voices, or the ping and swish and ring of technology. No, this noise was peaceful, soothing, comforting. Crickets made a constant chirp. Praying mantis whirred among the grasses in search of prey. Red birds told me to cheer-up, cheer-up. A turkey hen chucked to her chicks. Wrens fussed from the trees.
When I paid attention, the quiet of the country was really full of noise, but not a distracting noise. It was in the midst of all this noise that I could truly listen to the voice of God, the voice of my heavenly Father. He reminded me of the first garden, full of the sounds of birds and animals, insects and trickling streams. He reminded me of the food, free for the picking. Ouch! A blackberry thorn just scraped my arm. The blood oozed to the top and made a puddle. Yes, He reminded me of sin that had entered that peaceful perfect garden and the blood that was necessary to recover us from sin. There along the edge of the road lay a thrush probably struck by a car. A sacrifice to man’s life in the fast lane. Again, I thought of the first animal slain because of man’s sin.
My thoughts drifted to our heavenly Father who created a perfect world for us. He supplies all our needs. He cares about the thrush who falls to the ground, the wrens who fuss, the crickets who chirp for their mate, the hens who care for their chicks. He cares for us even more. He proved it by the sacrifice of His only Son.
Take a little time this week away from the noise of the world and enjoy the sounds of God’s creation. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Cast all your care upon Him because he cares for you. Take a little time to bless the Lord for all His goodness.
May you be blessed as well.
Gail
Hey Kids!
If you picked just a handful of ripe berries, here’s an idea.
Berry Parfait
I carton of plain yogurt
I/2 tsp vanilla
A handful of ripe berries (a mix of black and red makes an even prettier parfait)
1 Tbsp of granola
Mix the vanilla with the yogurt. Then place a heaping Tbsp in the bottom of a clear cup.
Add a Tbsp of berries
Top with more yogurt, then more berries.
Put on the last bit of yogurt.
Sprinkle the granola on top.
Now dig in!!!
 
If you’re enjoying the Hey Kids section, please let us know what you like and how we can improve.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Between Twelve and Thirty-three

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Today one of our teens sang a song popularized by the McKameys titled Between Twelve and Thirty-three. The chorus says eighteen years of  Jesus’ life is a mystery. In the last three, He made history.  It reminded me that we know about the Christmas story and His trip to the temple, but then everything is lost in time except that Luke says “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” He was preparing Himself for the three years of ministry and Calvary. I thought back, as a teen, how did I prepare myself for life? I made good grades. I tried to make good choices in my friends. I prepared to go to college. I got saved at fifteen. That was a new chapter of preparation.

At fifteen, I became serious in Bible reading. I won’t say study because I didn’t know how to study the Bible, but I did read a chapter every day. I began a daily prayer life. I evaluated situations to make sure they were the best choice for a Christian. Did I always make good choices? No, I am a sinner saved by grace like everyone else, but Jesus expected and expects me to be a light for Him in a dark world. I was preparing for the work He had for me to do, though I had no idea what that work was. It turns out, I had more than three years to make a difference in my world. I became a wife who influenced my husband’s salvation. I became a mother of three wonderful children who we tried to raise in a Christian home. I became a teacher. That, like family, is a mission field. Now I write blogs and historical fiction with the purpose of glorifying my Heavenly Father.
I’m not meaning to toot my own horn. I am just saying that at fifteen I began to allow God to prepare me for a work that goes on yet today. It’s satisfying and fun.

Teen years should not be lost years though they may be hidden to the world. May God use those years to prepare Christian teens for a purposeful and meaningful life. It will be the best life anyone ever experienced.

If you would like to hear the song please join the McKameys at :

Join us by leaving a message of how God is preparing you to do His work!