Walking On Thin Ice

“I need a camera,” I informed The Farmer last November.

“I thought you had a good camera on your phone,” he reminded me.

“I do, but it doesn’t zoom far enough. I need a camera that zooms so I don’t have to get out in the cold and take pictures. Remember last year when the cow had her baby in the snow? I couldn’t get close enough to get a really good picture.”

I’m not sure he was truly convinced, but since it was right before Christmas, I had a really good chance of getting one. And I did. Doing the research, I got a great deal during the Black Friday sales (online, by the way).

And I’ve taken some great pics. I can sit in my sitting room and zoom in on the McD’s cup that is sitting on the counter and see the advertisement on the cup.

Can you see the cattle?

I’ve also taken some wintery shots off the deck when we had all that freezing snow the last couple of months.

                         

Unfortunately,  after I got the camera, I  lost my muse for a time, because The Farmer hadn’t been doing much around the farm. Well, he has fed hay, and scraped the feed lot, and fixed waterers, and shoveled snow, and chopped ice on the pond, but  it was too cold for me to get outside, and too far away from the porch for me to take pictures. Until the other day when he went out to spread red clover on the pastures.

We re-seed our red clover in our pastures every couple of years, because it’s the natural way to put nitrate back into the ground (nitrate helps the grasses grow). A good time to spread seed is while the snow is on the ground, and right before spring thaw. Since the weather seemed to be cooperating, you can imagine how excited I was to find out The Farmer was going to go do something I could take pictures of and write about. I was also silently hoping to take a video.

Hurrying to get my coat and boots on, I rushed out the door just in time to take a picture of The Farmer pulling away. “Click” (always take two) “Click.” 

Walking along trying to adjust the zoom, I all of sudden found myself lying flat on my back, with a cracked elbow, rattled teeth, and a throbbing backside! The only thing that I was aware of was the fact that I threw my camera as I went down. As I lay there getting my bearings, my rendezvous with The Farmer was forgotten. Completely unnoticed by him, I hobbled into the house to access the damage, and was thankful to realize that nothing was broken. Later, retelling the story to The Farmer, I was amazed to find how much concern he had for my camera. I assured him that I too had come away unscathed.     

Later, as I was again walking outside (being more watchful this time), I thought about how quickly my world was “turned up-side down.” How I was going through the motions of my day, thinking, planning, doing, and then in a split-second my feet were gone from out from under me and I was lying helpless on the ground. All my thoughts, plans, and motions had been changed to something completely different with that one small slip on the ice.

Jonathan Edwards (a 18^th century preacher during America’s Great Awakening) spoke of this very thing in his well-known sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He used Deuteronomy 32:35 as his text, “…their foot shall slide in due time.”

His sermon can be read here >>Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God , or you can listen to a reenacted version >>HERE<<. It’s a long read, but it is so worth the time it takes.

I was reminded of his key statement, “…their foot shall slide in due time.” When I slid on the ice, there was no warning, no flashing lights, no sounding alarms, and no stopping once I began to fall. My feet slipped and gravity took me down.

Edwards compares this with life on this earth and eternity. We all are walking around thinking about our plans and what we’ll be doing tomorrow and the next day, but none of us are promised tomorrow. No one is ever guaranteed more than the second in which we are living in right now.

All of us are one split-second away from eternity. And once that journey begins, all of our thoughts, plans, and motions will cease on this side of eternity. In a lot of cases, it comes without warning; a health issue, an accident, etc., and then we are on the other side of eternity.

Several years ago I made a very conscious decision to place Christ on the throne of my life. In God’s word He told me that I had offended Him; that I was an enemy of His, because I had been born into sin (we all have). And God cannot, and will not, associate with sin.

I read that God desired for me to be adopted into His family for eternity. He said that He had already paid for my sins that I had committed, and the sins that I wasn’t even aware of, because Christ took the punishment on the cross that was meant for me. And although Christ had taken on the sins of the whole world, there was still something I had to do to make this gift of salvation mine. I had to accept it. The work was done, the gift was given, the relationship between a holy God and an unrighteous people had been reconciled, but until I personally accepted His Gift of forgiveness, I could not be reconciled with God. We could never have a relationship unless I acted on His gift. And I did when I was 21 years old.

However, if God would not have sustained me, if He would not have had mercy to keep my feet on solid ground, if I would have slipped into eternity before I had accepted this Gift, my eternity would have been full of darkness, agony, and total separation from God.

Being a Christian is more than a religion to me, it’s the fulfillment of my purpose in life. It’s the reason I was created, and it’s the reason I wanted to share this with you. I’m not being trite when I ask, but have you been reconciled to God? Have you made a choice to follow God’s law and trust in His gift of eternal life made available to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? I truly hope you have.

When I had questions about eternity, I found my answers in God’s Word. Reading the books of John, Romans, and Psalms answered a lot of my questions. I hope it helps you, too.

“…God commendeth (demonstrates) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life…

We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." 

Romans 5:8-11

I Luuuv You!

Do you remember the goofy mountain prankster from the Andy Griffith Show? In one of the episodes, The Education of Earnest T. Bass, the unruly hillbilly gets swatted on the knuckles by Miss Crump, while he is under her tutelage earning his grade school diploma (which he is trying to get to impress the love of his life—"Romena").

 

Smitten with Helen Crump, after she disciplines him for being unruly, he declares to her, in his distinctive mountain accent… "I luuuuv you! I luuuuv you!"

 

Of course, Helen runs to Sheriff Taylor, who eventually convinces the wild-eyed mountain man that his feelings for Miss Crump are due to her appearing to be a "muther figger". J

Although there are so many great things you can bring out about that whole episode, since it's Valentine's Day, I want to talk about "luv".

 

Love, according to Merriam-Webster, means strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; a person's adoration of God; unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.

 

According to the Bible, love is patient and kind. However, it is not jealous, boastful, or arrogant. Love does not behave inappropriately, does not insist on having its own way, and is not irritable or resentful.

 

Those two definitions definitely fly in the face of how people use the term "love" so flippantly.

We proclaim it, we fall into it, we share it, we lose it, and misuse it.

                                                                   I love my nail polish

                                                                                                                   …I love your hair color

                           …Don't you just love these potatoes?

                                                                                                                                                               …Everyone loves chocolate!

                                                                                              I love to play soccer…

                    He loves to go hunting…

                                                                  We love our home…

                                                                                                                   They love to eat out.

 

When I see what the Bible says about love, I have to ask myself if my closest relationships—with my spouse, my children, my parents—are characterized in that definition. Sadly, I would have to say…not always.

 

If you were to ask me if I loved my family, of course I would say yes; but what do my actions say? We all know that our actions speak louder than our words. I can say "I love you", but if my actions are impatient, unkind, jealous, arrogant, improper, selfish, angry, or resentful—then I am not displaying love.

 

In that same chapter of 1 Corinthians 13, it goes on to say, love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in truth.

This Valentine's Day would be a perfect time to reaffirm my love for my husband, my children, my family, and my friends.

 

In loving my husband, I want to be committed to serving him as I promised on the day we were married; to reverence and honor him whether I'm sitting beside him talking about our secret plans for our life together or I'm speaking in public to a group of ladies.

 

In loving my children and grandchildren, I want to adore them and make them feel special; to encourage them and support them in the wise decisions they make concerning their lives.

 

In loving my family and friends to whom I'm emotionally connected, I want to show them respect and to value opportunities I have to spend with them.

 

But most of all, in loving the Love of my life, the Savior of my soul, I want to walk in a way that would bring glory to him; to show how grateful I am that he gave his sinless life as a payment for my sinful life by dying on the cross and rising from the dead so that I may someday spend an eternity in his presence.

 

 

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

I'll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

William R. Featherston, 1864

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Starting A New Resolution In 2013

Happy New Year!

Have you started your New Year's resolution? Or...have you already broken it?



As far back as I can remember I have never liked to make a new year's resolution. Mainly, because I know myself well enough to know that I don't have the fortitude to keep it. Blame it on laziness, distraction, weakness, or whatever…but I don't like to set myself up for failure.



Last week as I was studying for my Sunday school lesson, I ran across this statement, "Should Christians make New Year's Resolutions?" Well of course we should; there's even a hymn for it:

I Am Resolved

I am resolved no longer to linger,

Charmed by the world's delight,

Things that are higher, things that are nobler,

These have allured my sight.

I am resolved to follow the Savior,

Faithful and true each day;

Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,

He is the living Way.

I looked up the word resolution and the definition that I liked best was "a firmness of purpose". So yes, I decided, Christians should make resolutions. Like the hymn says, be resolved not to be charmed by what the world has to offer…things that are higher and nobler should be what we try to obtain.

Then I began thinking about the new year and making changes. My thought pattern (if you dare to listen in) went something like this (imagine me talking to myself):

As a Christian, maybe I should "resolve" to do some things differently.

    --I don't make New Year's Resolutions.

But as a Christian, I should be resolved about some things.

    --I don't like New Year's Resolutions.

Have I ever lost weight, or read my Bible in a year, or stopped any bad habit, or started any good habit?

    --Well… probably, I just can't think of anything right now.

Maybe if I make one New Year's Resolution that I was going to do anyway, like lose weight (yeah, right).

    --But it's a New Year's Resolution.

Oh, come on! What's it matter what I call it? It's the same thing!

    -- I don't like New Year's Resolutions.

But losing weight would be a good goal, and I know I will be able to keep that.

    …Oh good…there's still some cookies left from Christmas…

I wonder where that fudge is that Mom made.

...I had better get that eaten if I'm going to make a resolution!

Actually, that was one of my more sane "conversations". But the point is, that statement about Christians making resolutions got me thinking. When I make a decision to change something about myself, why do I want to change? What's the reason behind the change?



Well, there are a lot of things we (I'm including you now, so I don't have to be out here by myself) all could change. Maybe it has to do with weight, punctuality, finances, attitude—you could insert a thousand things. But what are the reasons behind the change?



Let's take weight—you may want to lose, or gain, weight to improve your looks, or for health reasons.



Or finances—maybe you want to try to learn to save money so you can take your dream trip.



Maybe your attitude needs to change so you can be polite and considerate.



Although these changes, and the reasons for them, are good, the center of all the reasons is "I".

"I want to change so I will be better".

As a Christian, the changes I make should bring honor to God so I can be used for his glory.

• Does God want me to manage my weight? Yes, but I should seek out his will in that area.


• Does God want me to be more financially responsible? Yes, but I should find out what he wants me to do with my finances.


• Does God want me to have a loving attitude? Yes, but I should desire his way over mine.
  
   

Proverbs 16, verses 3 and 9 says, "Commit thy work unto the Lord, and thy thoughts will be established; A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps."



Christians should be resolved, we should have a firmness of purpose, but our goal should not be self-improvement, but God-honoring—"Heed what he saith, Do what he willeth…" However, we don't have to wait until January 1^st, we can be resolved to change anytime of the year, month, week, or day. Just pick a starting point and make sure the hub of that decision wheel is God and he will establish your steps.

By seeking to be more like Christ, I'm becoming a better me.

The Christian’s Low-Carb Diet

Matthew 16:5-2

"And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

Then Jesus said unto them, 'Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.'

And they reasoned among themselves saying, 'It is because we have taken no bread.'

Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, "O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?'

Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

 

Bread has been a long time no-no in the low-carb diet world, and it appears here that the disciples thought Jesus was warning against bread, too. However, historically, leaven has been synonymous with sin, which is the context in which Jesus was using it.

 

I find it a little humorous when I read these verses. Jesus had just lambasted the religious leaders for being hypocrites, and then he and his disciples sailed over to the other shore where Jesus admonished them not to be like the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, not understanding the Lord's lesson (this is the part that makes me chuckle J) , their thoughts centered on the provision of food, or lack of.

 

Can't you see them? Jesus, in his concern for the spiritual lives of his friends and disciples, lovingly warns them not to allow sin to taint their beliefs, as the religious leaders were doing. And here may be where the problem originated…"they reasoned among themselves". Well, that is always a danger, but maybe they were hungry and food was the only thing on their minds at the time?

However, we know that's not what Jesus was talking about. The Lord was warning against leaven, or sin in their lives. He was cautioning his followers not to be like the religious leaders of that time, who knew the law, but didn't recognize the Truth. He did not want them to allow sin, hypocrisy, complacency, and self-righteousness to hinder them and to influence what he had taught them.

 

Aren't we like that, too? How much time do we spend considering the spiritual world? How often do we meditate on the temporal (our physical needs) instead of the eternal (our spiritual needs)? We Christians are always fussing over the food. Some would not even have a prayer time if they didn't say "grace" before a meal. Then of course, all of our church programs revolve around food. We have a birthday dinner for the preacher, an outdoor BBQ to celebrate the founding of the church, an ice cream social on the 4^th of July, VBS snacks, fall festivals, Thanksgiving dinners, and Christmas cookie parties. Sometimes our priorities get so mixed up, like the disciples, we allow our physical needs to take priority over our spiritual needs, or like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we allow some leavening to infiltrate the truth we have learned in God's word.

 

Jesus reminded his disciples that they had no need to think about what or when they were going to eat…ever, because he was more than able to provide. He cited the two occasions when he miraculously provided food for thousands of people out of a few loaves of bread—and had leftovers!

 

Heeding the warning taught by our Lord, we should think less on what is provided for our temporal existence and be careful not to allow leaven in our lives that hinder our spiritual walk.

 

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…"

Matthew 6:31-33

Have We Cancelled Thanksgiving?

Why Should We Celebrate Thanksgiving?


With Black Friday starting on Thursday, and Cyber Monday turning into Cyber Week, the time to celebrate Thanksgiving has almost been lost. Christmas decorations go up before Halloween and Christmas music begins to play shortly after.

 

Why should we celebrate Thanksgiving, anyway? If we got rid of that day, then the holidays wouldn't be so crunched. We could go to Halloween parties, pumpkin patches, and trick or treating in October, in store shopping, online shopping and office parties in November, and squeeze in a plethora of gift exchanges in December, without the crunch of a Thanksgiving gathering.

 

Too Busy to Be Thankful


Well of course, I'm being facetious. Like others, autumn is my favorite time of year. The trees turning shades of yellow, red, and orange; the smells of drying leaves and wood-burning stoves; the sounds of leaves crunching under foot and acorns dropping to the ground; there's even something about the cool bite of the autumn air early in the morning that brings a feeling of nostalgia. I must have had a wonderful childhood (Thanks Mom and Dad!).

 

But why must we rush through the celebration of Thanksgiving? Is it because we don't care anymore about America's history? Are we too busy to sit down with family and friends to enjoy a feast? It seems that all the holiday rush is overshadowing Thanksgiving.

 

Abundantly Blessed


Taking time to remember where America started and the hardships that our ancestors faced is important, and we should be teaching it to our children always. Taking time to gather as a family and remembering all the great things we have been blessed with is equally important. But Thanksgiving Day should be just that—a day of giving thanks.

 

We should be giving thanks to God our Creator, who provides all things in abundance to every one of us. If you are an American, you should be thankful for the blessings that you have received merely by your presence in this country. If you are a Christian, you should walk in a thankful spirit always, remembering the grace of God that has separated you from death to life everlasting.

 

 

Be Thankful—Psalm 100


Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

What Say You?

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

My faith is the most important aspect of my life. At age twenty-one, I accepted God’s provision for my sin debt and made Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of my life and soul. From that point on, I have never looked back nor have I ever regretted my decision. Jesus is my Redeemer.

 

One of my favorite episodes in the Bible is found in Mark 8. Jesus asked his disciples a very important question--“Who do men say that I am?”

 

The disciples gave various answers, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and some say you are one of the prophets”.

 

Jesus then asked the most important question, “But who do you say that I am?”

 

What a great question! What a great way to make it personal. Jesus is not interested in hearing our theology of –anything--, he wants to know what you think, what you believe.

 

Who do you say Jesus is?

That’s a personal question; one that is answered in your heart—in the deepest part of your being. It’s an answer that, no matter what your words say to others, your answer will be known at the end of time (at the end of your time here on earth).

 

Who do you say Jesus is?

Peter answered the Lord rightly when he said, “Thou art the Christ”. The Bible says he is the Son of God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, The Bright and Morning Star, The Lion of Judah and The Lamb of God; He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He has been given a name above all names, and that all will eventually bow before him. His name is Jesus, the only begotten of the Heavenly Father. He is our Mediator, the Rock of our Salvation, and the propitiation for our sins.

 

Who do you say Jesus is?

Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

 

Who do you say Jesus is?

 

Mark 8:34 says that Jesus called his disciples and the people who were with them together, and said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever shall save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

 

So what say you? Who do you say Jesus is?