Corn Bread Salad

 

Ingredients

       1 BOX JIFFY CORN MUFFIN MIX         

4 TOMATOES (CHOPPED)

12 STRIPS BACON (FRIED BROWN)

1 ONION (CHOPPED)

1 BELL PEPPER (CHOPPED)

             

1 CUP MAYONNAISE

½ CUP SWEET PICKLES (CHOPPED)

        

¼ CUP PICKLE JUICE

Directions

COOK CORN MUFFIN MIX AND LET COOL.

MIX ALL VEGETABLES AND BACON TOGETHER; SET ASIDE.

CRUMBLE CORN BREAD AND SET ASIDE.

MIX MAYONNAISE AND PICKLE JUICE. BLEND WELL.

PUT HALF OF CORN BREAD AND HALF OF VEGETABLES IN DISH; DRIZZLE HALF OF MAYONNAISE OVER IT.

REPEAT LAYER. CHILL OVERNIGHT.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

The Kindness Finger - Martin Wiles

The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. Acts 28:2 NLT

While driving down the road, my granddaddy gave the kindness finger to every driver he met.

Down South, we pride ourselves on friendliness. Some parts appear friendlier than others. During a particular time of the year, everyone I pass in their yard will probably be waving frantically. (In reality, they probably aren’t any friendlier. They’re just shooing away gnats.) I’ve had the privilege of talking with many people who have moved from other regions of the United States and had them tell me how friendly we are—a welcome relief.

My granddaddy fell under the category of friendly. He drove first an ice truck, second a milk truck, and finally an ice cream truck for more than forty years. When I was old enough, I spent the entire summer helping him deliver ice cream. Every vehicle he met coming down the road, he gave a kindness finger to—the index finger. In the South, that’s the finger we give. Rarely do we throw up a hand; we merely lift one finger.

Before I knew any better, I often wondered how my granddaddy knew so many people. Then I discovered he hardly knew any of the people he offered a finger to. He was simply being friendly and living out what he had learned from residing in the South.

Paul and those with him on the ship encountered friendliness after their ship ran aground. He was on his way to Rome to stand trial for his faith in Christ. While on this unexpected stopover, he and the crew encountered friendly islanders who gave them a kindness finger. In return, Paul showed them a kindness finger by healing the chief official’s father.

So how do we give kindness? Kindness is not genetic, but it is learned and free. If we want friends, we must be one. Coming from an environment where anger and rudeness were shown is no excuse to act the same way. God considers us his friends when we accept his Son as our Savior. Since he accepts us as friends, he expects us to return the favor. While having more than a few good friends in a lifetime is rare, we can show a finger of kindness to everyone we meet—even our enemies.

Ask God to help you give a finger of kindness to the people in your path.

Father, I accept your friendship through my relationship with Christ and ask you to help me to be friendly to others as well. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Being God’s Man - Martin Wiles

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7 NLT

Everybody has a father story, and they run the gamut. But being God’s man isn’t as easy as just saying I am.

I grew up in a traditional family. My father was present, supportive, and loving. Many families aren’t as fortunate. Some fathers drink to excess, abuse or run around on their wives, spend the family’s money on addictions, or simply aren’t present.

Noah certainly wasn’t a perfect man or father, but he was good enough that the Bible holds him up as worthy of emulation. In a time when everyone was going the wrong way, Noah went the right way. In a time when water came up from the ground, Noah believed God when he said it would soon come from the sky for forty days and nights.

So what does it take to be a good father? From the life of Noah, we can build an acronym for FATHER.

F-aithful

Noah was faithful to God, his family, and others. His faithfulness to God is what saved him from the flood. He wanted his family on board with him, and he also warned others of God’s impending judgment.

A-vailable

Among the world’s population, Noah was available when God told him about the flood and when he gave him directions to prepare for it. Noah was available to anyone who wanted to hear about what he was doing and why.

Jesus was continually available to others, too, and, as his followers, we must represent his interests.

T-houghtful

Thoughtfulness involves being helpful, trusting, considerate, and mindful of others. Noah must have thought of the thousands who were ignoring what he was telling them about the upcoming flood. He paid close attention to the details when building the ark. Failing to do so could have resulted in his family’s demise.

H-ardened

Noah was solid and dependable. Fathers should be the foundation of the family. God holds them accountable as spiritual leaders.

E-ffective

We all want to see results. Noah did. Animals came. The ark came together and withstood the flood. God preserved him and his family. Noah put his faith into practice and used effective fatherly methods. The foundation my father laid also led me in the right direction.

R-esponsible

Noah demonstrated his responsibility by obeying God, caring for his family, tending to the animals, and warning others about God’s judgment. A responsible father fulfills his obligations and duties in life. He cares for those to whom he has been given responsibility.

God can give the strength needed to be a good father. Depend on him.

Father, transform me into the father and husband you want me to be.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Family Reunions - Martin Wiles

He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken! Isaiah 25:8 NLT

Family reunions. We have to love them. At one, I walked over, shook my youngest brother’s hand, and said, “Good to see you.”

Almost four years had passed since my family had seen my youngest brother. And not because he had no way to get there, was mad at anyone, or was too busy. Mom had remarried. My middle brother and I were okay with her remarrying, but our younger brother wasn’t.  

One day, I received a text from him, saying he would be in our hometown. He was bringing his two girls, who wanted to see some of the places where he had grown up and visit some of the cemeteries where our relatives were buried. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to visit him, my wife, two of our grands, my other brother, his son, and I headed out.

Although it was only our immediate family, being together was like a family reunion—something our family hadn’t experienced in four years. We ate together, visited old homes where we once lived, stopped by a few cemeteries, and even saw two more cousins along the way. The drive and the day were long, but the experience was worth it.

So what does it take to experience a joyful family reunion? The prophet speaks of a time when things that divide now will not anymore. And of a time when unpleasant experiences will be wiped away forever. Death will be non-existent. No more tears shed over the things that make us shed tears—death, broken relationships, immorality, crime, loss. No more attacks on God’s people.

Heaven isn’t just a pie in the sky dream by those who tire of earth’s complications. It is an actual place inhabited by angels, believers, and a real God who wants everyone to live there. Things that separate us on earth will be wiped away. We will enjoy fellowship with God and each other forever—with no sinful tint to our relationships.

The only catch is effort. I had to drive two hours to see my brother. God requires that we repent of our sins and place our faith in His Son’s sacrifice for our sins. Once we have done that, we can anticipate having the most incredible family reunion ever.

Don’t miss God’s family reunion.

Father, thank You for preparing a place where we can live with You forever. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Broccoli Casserole

 

Ingredients

3 CUPS LIGHTLY STEAMED BROCCOLI

1 CUP MILK

1 STICK BUTTER (MELTED)

1 SLEEVE RITZ CRACKERS

2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

         

½ CUP MAYONNAISE

1 CAN CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP

      

2 EGGS (BEATEN)

SALT/PEPPER

Directions

MIX BUTTER AND CRUSHED CRACKERS TOGETHER.

 SPRAY CASSEROLE DISH.

PLACE ONE HALF OF CRACKERS ON THE BOTTOM OF DISH.

MIX SOUP, MAYONNAISE, EGGS, MILK, AND SALT/PEPPER TOGETHER.

LAYER BROCCOLI OVER CRACKERS, SOUP MIXTURE, AND CRACKERS.

TOP WITH CHEESE.

BAKE AT 350 FOR 30 MINUTES OR UNTIL BROWN.

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent or just want to hear grandparent stories, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Series: The Things We Say - Best Meal Ever - Martin Wiles

This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19 NLT

According to my wife, I eat some strange things.

My wife and I come from different regions of our state and have different eating habits. On one of our earlier dates, she was fixing my dinner plate. Out of habit, I said, “Make sure you put some liquor on my rice.” A saying and practice foreign to her (liquor being the juice in the pot with the cooked vegetables). Nor did she understand putting vegetables over white rice—until she spent a few years in the Lowcountry and was served white rice with every meal. And some of the things I had grown up putting together—such as grits and fried cubed steak—she had never experienced. Getting her to add vegetables to the gravy she had just put on her rice was out of the question.

Since I love to eat, I enjoy almost any meal. But I suppose the one Jesus served to his disciples was strange. Not the bread and wine, but what he told them about it. Eating the bread entailed eating his body, and drinking the wine involved drinking his blood. The practice led others to accuse early Christians of cannibalism. And some church traditions teach that the wine and bread become Jesus’ blood and body when consumed.

Early churches observed the Lord’s Supper every time they met. I’ve been more accustomed to churches that do so quarterly. Dad always gave the biblical warning to examine oneself before partaking of the elements. Paul said Jesus reminded them that they proclaimed the Lord’s death every time they observed the tradition.

So, what’s the big deal about Communion or the Lord’s Supper? Of all the meals we might enjoy, this should be the most pleasurable because of what it represents. Other meals merely fill our bellies, feed our muscles, and then leave our bodies. God’s meal, however, sticks to our ribs and gives us continual spiritual nourishment. Eating the bread reminds us that Jesus was our substitute. His body was broken as he paid for the sins we had committed, were committing, and would commit. Drinking the wine or juice reminds us of the blood he shed for our sins because, without the shedding of blood, no forgiveness exists.

Enjoy a good meal, but don’t neglect the best meal.

Father, thank you for allowing your Son to give his life so I might have life.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

God Remembers Me - Anita van der Elst

But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish. Psalm 9:18 NIV

“Oma has a walking stick!” 

The announcement by my grandson, not quite three years old at the time, stated the obvious. Not a random branch found where it fell from a tree, but a designed and carved wooden staff made special because it was given to me by my son. It still serves a necessary purpose. On unlevel ground, it keeps me balanced as I walk.

As my physical body ages, my need for assistance in strength, stability, and endurance increases. My afflictions are not severe, but they do restrict me in some ways. As time passes, these will continue to worsen. Mentally and emotionally, I find that my own thoughts attack me and cause me stress and shame. But my spiritual need is the greatest since I can do nothing to save myself.

Therefore, I am grateful for my neediness and affliction—conditions that let me know God remembers me. He remembered that I desperately needed a Savior. He sent his Son, Jesus, to bear the punishment for my sin. He suffered death on a cross so that I could experience forgiveness. The Holy Spirit reminds me to carry my sins, shortcomings, and hurts to the foot of that cross in my prayers. In leaning on that cross, I find freedom, stability, and assurance of eternity in heaven.

Put your trust in Jesus and lean on him as you walk.

Anita van der Elst finds joy in creating with words, believing God gifted her with the desire to do so. Married to her best friend, Edward, since 1976, she is a proud mom of four adult children and Oma to three of the most delightful grandchildren ever. Other joys in her life include bringing beauty to Facebook through photos she takes on her iPhone, exploring the state parks in the PNW, facilitating a small group of women, and participating in a Bible study.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.