Black Bean Dip

 

 

Ingredients

1 CAN BLACK BEANS (DRAINED AND RINSED)

1 TABLESPOON JALAPENO (CHOPPED)

1/4 CUP DICED ONIONS

1/4 CUP SOUR CREAM

1/2 TEASPOON SALT

2 TABLESPOONS SALSA

1 1/4 CUP SHREDDED CHEESE

TORTILLA CHIPS

Directions

MASH BEANS WITH FORK.

ADD JALAPENO, ONION, SOUR CREAM, SALT, SALSA, AND 1 CUP CHEESE. MIX WELL.

POUR INTO A BAKING DISH.

TOP WITH REMAINING CHEESE.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 20 TO 30 MINUTES.

SERVE WITH CHIPS.

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.

Fed by God: Words That Nourish the Soul - Martin Wiles

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. 

~Psalm 81:10 NLT

When I heard the chirping, I knew their mouths were full. But they couldn’t receive words that nourish the soul as I could.

After settling into my new position as pastor of a small rural church, I placed a few things on the office building’s front porch. Among them, a bird house. Within a few days, a mother bluebird began building her nest. I looked from my office window as she carefully selected materials and brought them to the house. When she started entering the house, I knew she had laid her eggs.

Two weeks later, I knew the eggs had hatched. I heard small intermittent chirps. As the days passed, the chirps grew louder. I peeked out of my window and saw little mouths extended from the small hole as mom and dad bluebird hung on the outside of the birdhouse, stuffing food between those eager beaks. When they had filled their mouths, they flew off again to retrieve more food. It seemed the little birds couldn’t get enough.

Deliverance from Egyptian slavery was a landmark point in Israel’s history that God didn’t want His people to forget. After reminding the psalmist of this rescuing, God told him to open his mouth, and he would fill it with good things.

I’ve missed good things from God on countless occasions because I didn’t open my mouth. Somewhat like not getting things I could have had from God because I didn’t ask. When Jesus knocks, we must open; if we want, we must ask; and if we desire good things, we must open our mouths.

God is filled with love and mercy. He has wonderful plans for his children. He desires to give us more than we have, but he has conditions. Opening our mouths is one. As the baby birds eagerly received their parents’ food, we must accept what God offers. He offers instruction and encouragement from his Word. We’ll never go hungry or wrong when we receive it. He offers daily guidance from his Spirit. We’ll never make a wrong turn when we take it. He gives abundant opportunities. We’ll never regret taking them. All we must do is open our mouths.

Open your mouth, and let God fill it with good things.

Father, I yield my mouth to you and ask you to fill it with the good things you have in store. 

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.

Finding the God You’ve Been Chasing All Along - Abigail Skelton

“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” 

~Ecclesiastes 1:2 NLT

“And suddenly I realized everything in life is fleeting, and only God is eternal.” – Unknown

Occasionally, an inspirational Pinterest quote catches my attention. While scrolling through recipes and seasonal fashion suggestions, I paused to consider the truth behind the aforementioned quote. 

All too often, I get in a comfortable groove and think I have everything figured out. I have a job, I’m in good health, and I have a plethora of family and friends. But then, even just one loss sends everything into a tailspin. As it turns out, I have little control over anything. And even the surest things I have—my own body included—won’t last forever. 

There is a book of the Bible that frequently leaves my non-Christian friends in an existential crisis. Even for believers, the book of Ecclesiastes is a rather gloomy wake-up call, reminding us that everything we chase is temporal. Fleeting. 

If "everything is meaningless," as King Solomon writes repeatedly throughout the book, I probably don’t need that picture-perfect fall sweater, or that cozy book-nook that pops up in my feed and makes me dissatisfied with the home I already have. 

In fact, if I’m chasing anything but God, I’m guaranteed to wind up disappointed. Material things are all meaningless at the end of the day. We take nothing with us. Even our descendants will forget us after a couple of generations.

Yet the book of Ecclesiastes still ends in hope. “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (12:13). God is still in the picture, despite everything. Our lives do have meaning if we fear him, for God is eternal. 

And so, when we chase after God, first and foremost, we have the promise that we will never come up empty. We never have to say goodbye to his love and goodness. He is still with us, even when our jobs fail, our health vanishes, and our relationships crumble. 

Only God is eternal. That fact alone is a blessing beyond anything this world can offer. 

Abigail Skelton is from beautiful Southern Oregon, where she grew up with an avid love for Jesus, chocolate, and writing. She has lived in three countries while involved in missionary work and frequently travels and studies foreign languages. You can connect with Abigail on her website: https://abigailskelton.com.

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.

Garden Conversations with the Creator - Martin Wiles

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 

~Genesis 3:8 NLT

Walking in the garden was a Sunday-afternoon tradition, but it was nothing like garden conversations with the Creator.

Edisto Gardens is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the only town the 250-mile-long Edisto River passes through. The river is one of only a few Blackwater rivers—so named because decaying vegetation falls into the river, giving it a black appearance. A smaller pond filled with fish and turtles idles near a rose garden where prize roses show off their sparkling blooms. Several paths meander on either side of the paved road, snaking through the middle of the gardens. Moss-covered oaks keep most of the garden shaded. Several small covered sheds provide a place to rest for those who want to sit and admire the beauty.

When I was a small boy, my paternal grandfather took me there every Sunday afternoon. It was our alone time. We stopped in the sheds so I could read the names of those who had disobeyed park rules and carved their names in the wood. We ambled along the river’s edge to the waterwheel. It served no purpose but continued turning as if it did. And my granddaddy held my hand as I walked along the rock wall, trying to maintain my balance. Spending time in the garden with my grandfather was always enjoyable.

Walking in the cool of the Garden of Eden with God must have been even more enjoyable for Adam and Eve. Wondering how two people could walk with God—or questioning whether he was physically present —misses the point. They had garden conversations with the Creator. How long this continued before the tempter showed up, we can’t be sure. I suppose growing older interrupted my walks with my grandfather. Disobedience did for the first couple.

God wants nothing more than to enjoy these garden walks with us. It begins when we accept what Jesus did on Calvary’s cross, and it continues through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers. Sin, misplaced priorities, busyness, and any number of other things can disrupt our garden walks, but they don’t have to.

Although God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, he still walked with them when they confessed and sought reconciliation. He’ll do the same for us when we copy their behavior.

Don’t let anything interfere with your garden conversations with the Creator.

Father, thank you for your willingness to walk with me daily. 

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.

Crockpot Chicken and Dressing

Ingredients 

2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix (cooked)

4 Biscuits (cooked)

2 Eggs

1 Onion

2 cans Chicken Broth or the broth from the chicken

3 Boneless Breasts (Boiled)

2 Tablespoons Sage

2 Tablespoons Butter

Salt/pepper

2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup

Directions 

Mix cornbread, biscuits, eggs, sage, salt/pepper, and butter in a large bowl. Set aside.

Boil chicken and onion together. Once the chicken cools, pull it apart and place it in a separate bowl.

Pour chicken broth into the cornbread mixture and mix. If needed, add the chicken broth.

Grease crockpot and add one can of chicken soup.

 Add half of the dressing mixture, then the chicken, and finally the remaining dressing.

 Top with the other can of Cream of Chicken soup.

Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. If needed sooner, cook on high for 1 hour.

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.

When Losing Sight Helps Us See More Clearly - Martin Wiles

Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he was blind. Acts 9:8 NLT

I’m not blind, but I fear becoming that way one day.

At a young age, I was told my eyesight was poor. I needed glasses. Since then, my eyes have progressively gotten worse. Every four years, the optometrist would tell me I needed stronger lenses. Now, at sixty-five, I suffer from chronic dry eye disease, nearsightedness, and glaucoma risk. Additionally, I must wear bifocals. As a young child, I feared going blind. My fear is greater now than then. I muddle through most days with on-and-off blurred vision, not because I need stronger lenses—the ones I have are new—but because the glands that lubricate my eyes are damaged beyond repair.

Paul’s blindness had nothing to do with poor eyesight—unless this episode led to poor eyesight being his thorn in the flesh, as some have suggested. He was a staunch advocate of Judaism, hated this new sect called The Way, and spent his days hunting down Jesus followers. For him, they deserved persecution, jail, or death. Until God blinded him so he could see. He was like the other religious leaders Jesus rebuked. Jesus told them they needed to be blind (spiritually) so they could see. Unfortunately, most of them wouldn’t trade the legalistic sight they had for the spiritual blindness they needed.

I may have come into the world physically sighted, but I was spiritually blind. God things weren’t on my mind. Although at some point, I recognized there was something or someone greater than I was, I never bothered to search out this Being until he blinded me as he did Paul. Unlike Paul, I didn’t lose my physical sight, but I did have to become blind to my own ambitions and wants so I could see the proper way. Paul did too.

In Paul’s blindness, the risen Christ spoke to him. He believed, and his sight was restored—literally and spiritually. From that moment, he became the greatest proponent of what he once violently opposed.

Believing I was a sinner who needed to see clearly—and then turning to Jesus Christ, who paid for my sins—was how I received my sight. It’s the only way any of us can see.

Be willing to go blind so God can restore your sight.

Father, I praise you for providing for my salvation. Blind me to myself, so I can see your plan and purpose. 

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.

Thanking God in the Darkness - Martin Wiles

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

Ours had been a year where giving thanks in all circumstances challenged us. It required thanking in the darkness.

The storms began in March when Mom fell and broke her wrist. The doctor had warned her not to go outside or bend over, whether inside or outside. We had repeated his warning to her numerous times. She wouldn’t listen. Sure enough, the inevitable finally happened. Knowing my stepfather, who was a small man and who also had Alzheimer’s, could not care for her, we started the process of getting Mom into a skilled nursing facility.

With Mom gone, my stepfather’s cognitive ability rapidly declined. He could no longer care for himself. The doctor informed us that he, too, needed to be in a skilled nursing facility or have round-the-clock care. He couldn’t afford the latter, so we began the process of getting him into the same facility—and perhaps the same room—as Mom. But when we informed his children—most of whom had been disengaged from his life for more than a decade—they disagreed with our decision.

In short order, they hired an attorney to revoke my POA, made accusations against us to the Department of Social Services, and sued to get full inheritance of his and Mom’s house. So Mom had to hire an attorney to defend herself—only she couldn’t take care of any of those legal matters, so it fell upon me as her POA. As of this writing, the legal battle continues.

To add to our struggles, my mother-in-law, who had lived with us for almost two years, had a mini-stroke and fell, hitting her head in the process. By the next day, we had to move her to the Hospice House, and within four days, she was gone.

Amid the challenges, fall arrived—my favorite time of the year. I watched the leaves turn vibrant colors, felt the temperatures fall, and enjoyed the crispness of each morning and evening. One morning, as I filled the bird feeder on the fence at the back of our yard, I noticed a lone doe feeding on the acorns among the leaves. She stared at me, but made no effort to run. I returned to the house to get my phone to take a picture. When I returned, she still stood there. I took several photos as she posed.

Suddenly, my perspective changed. Despite the year’s challenges, I had much to be thankful for. I worshipped the Creator of all the beauty I witnessed. My wife and I experienced a few minor health issues during the year, but nothing major. We had two wonderful children and seven rambunctious grandsons to enjoy. We had a wonderful church family and numerous friends. Our son had given up an unhealthy habit he had indulged in for many years. Our income paid the bills and gave us a little leftover for short vacations. God loved us and accepted us into his family.

The list could go on, but Paul was right. Even if our year’s circumstances had been worse, I could still find myself thanking God in the darkness. The little preposition “in” makes all the difference. God never tells us to thank him “for” all circumstances, just in them. This we can do when we remember that a good and loving God controls those circumstances and will forever work them for our good and his glory.

This Thanksgiving and every day, thank God. Doing so will change your perspective on life.

Father, regardless of how the darkness appears, lead me to thank you in all things. 

 

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.