The Flower Gardens - Patricia Jordan

Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 1 Kings 6:29 NKJV

Walking through the flower gardens brings me immense joy. These are special trips to be remembered, and I notice every flower the gardeners grow.

Trips to the local nurseries, especially in the early summer, excite me as much as planning for our vacation. I have three flower beds that I sow every year: zinnias for butterflies, marigolds to keep gnats and other bugs away from our deck, and daisies and black-eyed Susans because they’re dependable. Blooming hydrangeas line the side of our house, the lavender I cut back last fall is coming back, and the bees love my hyssop. The deer can’t wait for my daylilies to bloom. I barely enjoy them before Bambi and her extensive family find them and bite off the beautiful orange flowers. 

For me, a peaceful walk around my flowers, including butterfly weed, yarrow patches, and hostas that dot our yard, is a peaceful way to start and end my day. I ensure the sand in each of the pie tins is moist enough so that butterflies and bees can drink water. I also refill the birds' water daily with clean water so they can bathe and stay hydrated.

My mother always grew something. Sometimes, it was just house plants in our rented houses. When we five kids were almost grown, my parents launched a successful business. With their profit, they built their own house on a spacious acre and a half. That’s when Mom’s green thumb really took off. My oldest brother tilled her flower and vegetable gardens, and together they planted everything. Mom’s yard was always beautiful.

In the design of Solomon’s Temple, God directed the builders to include open flowers in the interior design. The Temple flowers were carved into the paneled walls, which were made from the cedars of Lebanon. Flowers are a part of God’s plan for a beautiful area, whether it be small or large. 

When possible, practice smelling flowers daily. And plant some, too. 

Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing us with landscapes that hold so much natural beauty. And yet how much more have you provided for us than you do for the flowers. 

Patricia Jordan is a writer. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

 

 

Life’s Unexpected Turn - Martin Wiles

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 4:14 NLT

When they got out of bed that morning, none expected life’s unexpected turn.  

The Pentagon Memorial commemorates the 184 people who were killed on American Airlines Flight 77 and inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Small illuminated concrete benches—representing each of the victims--are arranged so that reading a Pentagon victim’s name requires facing the Pentagon, while reading a plane victim’s name requires facing the direction the plane was traveling. 

Regardless of their ages or life circumstances, none of the victims expected terrorists to board their plane and direct it into the side of the Pentagon. Nor did those working in the Pentagon expect a plane to shatter their building.

Fog wasn't the issue that day. Terrorists were. Yet, fog can pose problems when flying. Thankfully, morning fogs generally only hang around until the sun burns them away. 

My wife and I once flew out of August, Georgia, on our way to see friends in Denver, Colorado. Our flight was delayed because of a thick layer of fog blanketing the area. Although it seemed as if we waited forever, we were only delayed one hour.

Life is like a fog. It doesn’t hang around long, and it often takes unexpected turns. Even if I’m fortunate to live into my nineties, my life is comparatively brief. What I need to do, I need to do now. 

The most important thing for anyone is to trust Christ as their Savior. But there are other things we also need to do. Deciding to trust Christ will assure us of heaven, but we may be on earth for quite some time, so other decisions affect our futures here.

When Jesus said he came to give abundant life, he wasn’t talking about life in heaven but rather life on earth. Obeying God’s commands and making serving Christ the centerpiece of our lives will usher in a type of existence that everyone searches for—but typically in the wrong places.

Spending time on endeavors that will outlast our lives makes sense. We can leave writings or spiritual journals. We can teach honorable trades or a Sunday school class. We can also leave an example that will affect our children, grandchildren, and others. But we only have a brief time to do it. Soon our lives will lift like the fog.

Decide to do something that will outlive your brief life.

Father, help me to live each day with purpose, so that when my brief life ends, I can die knowing I have served You and others well. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

Ham and Potatoes

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 PACK CUBED HAM

2 1/2 POUNDS RED POTATOES

1 ONION (CHOPPED)

1 STICK BUTTER

SALT/PEPPER

 

Directions

SAUTE HAM AND ONIONS WITH 2 TABLESPOONS OF VEGETABLE OIL.

WASH AND CHOP POTATOES INTO SMALL CHUNKS.

PLACE HAM MIXTURE AND POTATOES IN AN ALUMINUM LINED PAN.

SPRINKLE WITH SALT AND PEPPER.

CUT THE BUTTER INTO CHUNKS AND PLACE ON TOP OF HAM AND POTATOES.

 

COVER WITH ALUMINUM FOIL.

BAKE AT 375°F FOR 40 TO 45 MINUTES.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

Dealing with a Difficult Audience - Martin Wiles

They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says!” Ezekiel 2:4 NLT

God never promises that what He asks us to do will be easy, and it wasn’t for Dad.

Other than when I was a small child, I only knew Dad as a preacher. Living in a preacher’s home makes one privy to information that the typical church member might not know. One thing entailed getting the inside scoop on how difficult some people can be.

I recall one church my father pastored. Mom, my two brothers, and Dad loved the area and the people. It was country living at its finest. I loved it too and soon decided to move to the area. No sooner had I settled in than Dad decided to move.

Dad and the members got along well, but one thing bothered him. On the Sunday of his resignation, he said, “I’ve been here two years, and no one has ever come forward during an altar call.” In Dad’s mind, this made them a difficult audience to preach to. Perhaps the needed decisions were all made in the pew, but Dad wanted to see action.

I’ve felt Dad’s concern. Having pastored several smaller membership churches, I, too, have preached hundreds of sermons and witnessed little, if any, movement to the altar. Maybe they, too, made their decisions in the pew.

Ezekiel, however, didn’t have to label his audience as difficult to preach to. God made the judgment for him. Stubborn. Hard-hearted. But God sent him anyway.

Whatever the audience God sends us to, our responsibility is to be faithful to His call. God doesn’t hold us responsible for their decisions—whether many, few, or none at all. Or whether the decisions have been made publicly or privately. Our job is to deliver the message God gives.

Sometimes, God has to remind us that even though we don’t see the fruit, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been produced. Seeing matters of the heart is difficult. Our job is to trust God to give us the strength to do whatever task he assigns. And he will. As he does, he’ll walk by our sides, giving guidance the entire way.

When God calls you to deliver a message to a difficult audience, remember he’ll be faithful to you if you are faithful to him.

Father, enable me to trust you to guide me and give me the strength, regardless of the audience you call me to speak to. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

Keeping the Vessel Clean - Martin Wiles

If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21 NLT

Keeping silver clean is no easy job.

As one-time antique dealers—and as recipients of my mother’s silver--my wife and I know a little about silver. One, it’s valuable, and two, keeping it clean is challenging. Before my mother gave us her silver flatware set, she would sit for hours, shining each piece until she could see her reflection in the forks, spoons, and butter knives. Then she separated the various utensils and placed them in a plastic bag where air could not touch them. So far, we have kept them in the same zip lock bags she placed them in. We know if we expose the set to air, we’ll soon have to repeat what she did before she gave them to us.

We’ve also owned silver tea sets, which we displayed on antique buffets. When shined, they made an attractive addition to our antique furniture. But after a short period, tarnish crept over each piece. We either had to polish them and put them away or leave them out and shine them every few months. Leaving them out and tarnished wasn’t a choice. Doing so ruined the look of our décor.

God requires purity to use us. Exposing silver to air means it will turn and eventually require cleaning. Living in the world exposes us to sin, whether we want it to or not. Even monks and nuns who withdraw from everyday life and environments still face the inner pull of sin. Cleaning silver can be challenging. So can keeping ourselves pure and holy.

Maintaining purity is easier when we recognize that we possess an inner power that enables us to be successful—the Spirit of God within us. Holiness is not something we can accomplish on our own, but it is possible when we allow God to perform it in us.

Just as silver exposed to air requires regular cleaning, so does maintaining holiness. If we neglect tending to holy living, the tarnish of sin will take over. But if we spend time in spiritual disciplines and make obeying God’s commands a priority, our vessels will remain pure.

Do whatever it takes to keep your vessel clean.

Father, I depend on your Spirit’s power to help me keep my vessel pure so I can be ready to be used by you. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

Submitting to the Potter - Martin Wiles

When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? Romans 9:21 NLT

He was a restless individual, rarely staying at one place of employment for long.

In his younger years, one of my uncles changed jobs numerous times. I always wondered why he never stayed at one place long. When I asked my grandparents, they had no answer either. I assumed he didn’t like anyone telling him what to do. However, my uncle finally resolved the issue. He purchased his own feed and seed store. Until they retired, my aunt and uncle worked tirelessly and earned a good living in the process.

Evidently, the apostle Paul encountered some who were struggling with God’s control over them. He compares God to a potter and then reminds his readers of the similarities. Just as the potter has control over what he makes—having the ability to destroy the item and start over—so God has authority over His creation. We may think we’re doing our own thing--and we do have free will--but our thing stops where God’s sovereignty begins.

Like my uncle, I, too, have at times bucked others’ control over me. I attribute my resistance to a Type A personality, which makes me love being in control, setting the rules, and not having to answer to anyone. The trouble is, everyone has to answer to someone. Even though my uncle owned his own business and established his own rules, he was still accountable to the Internal Revenue Service and also had to abide by town and state ordinances.

God is our Potter. What makes this comforting is knowing that the person who controls us is not mean, angry, or unloving. He is a loving heavenly Father who has an excellent plan for the lives of his creations. When we submit to his plan, he will lovingly guide us to his desired end. When we mess up, either he has an alternate plan or the ability to reconstruct the mess we’ve made. He formed us in love initially, and he will continue to form us the same way throughout our lifetimes. But we must submit to his sovereign control.

Submit to the Potter’s control and be amazed by what he’ll do.

Father, I give my life to you and ask you to accomplish your will. 

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.

Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole

 

 

Ingredients

1 BAG FROZEN TATER TOTS

        

1 POUND GROUND BEEF

SALT/PEPPER

  1 BELL PEPPER (CHOPPED)     

1 ONION (CHOPPED)

                 2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
                 

¼ CUP KETCHUP

 1/4 CUP WATER

                                                                    

Directions

COOK GROUND BEEF, ONIONS, AND PEPPERS. DRAIN. 

MIX WATER AND KETCHUP, AND ADD TO THE MEAT MIXTURE.

IN A 9 X 13 CASSEROLE DISH, PLACE ONE-HALF OF THE TOTS ON THE BOTTOM. 

TOP WITH MEAT MIXTURE, AND ADD ONE-FOURTH OF THE CHEESE.

ADD THE REST OF THE TOTS, AND TOP WITH REMAINING CHEESE. 

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 25 TO 30 MINUTES.

(Photo courtesy of recipeshubs.com.)

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing. No one escapes life's hurts, but we can move beyond them to hope and healing. 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.