Tuesday, November 4, 2014
A PLATE FULL
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MORE...MORE...MORE!!!!!! |
Have you ever noticed how a child who gets much, usually doesn't seem to get enough? If you give a child an XBOX, he'll then want a Wii, and once he becomes bored with that...he'll want a Sony PlayStation, and once that device is upgraded he'll want the newest edition. After he's played out a-l-l the games, he'll then want an Iphone, it's never-ending! It reminds me of the children books by Laura Numeroff , "If You Give a Pig a Pancake".
If you give a pig a pancake, she'll want some syrup to go with it. You'll give her some of your favorite maple syrup, and she'll probably get all sticky, so she'll want to take a bath. She'll ask you for some bubbles. When you give her the bubbles...
It starts a vicious cycle of expectation, and greed. This isn't just children. There are adults whose cravings can never be met. Some will just park themselves at the buffet of bountiful waiting to snatch up something before another has a chance. I think of this as we approach "Black Friday". It is ridiculous how people will trample each other over a flat screen t.v. or kill over a parking lot space. You can view the craziness on this site blackfridaydeathcount in 2013 there were 7 killed and 90 injured. What are we doing with the resources, talents, or gifts that have been given us individually or as a nation? Are we building God's kingdom, or our own sand castles of self-indulgence?
Haggai 1-11(NIV)
A Call to Build the House of the Lord
In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest:
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”
Everything we have is given for use by God, its all His! We own NOTHING! Therefore we should gratefully appreciate, and use wisely the resources He has entrusted us with. And it is hard to imagine that trampling another for an electronic device is what God had in mind.
Psalm 24:1(NIV)
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
-Brenda
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Monday, November 3, 2014
A Plate of Provision Please?
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This morning when I awoke, I wasn't feeling 100%. I was already worn out from the weeks task. My awnry child was sick the night before wanting to stay up to play video games. I at barely 8:30 p.m. am begging for bed. I felt the onset of the flu trying to take over my being...like an octopus to squeeze the life out of me. Hubby was out of sorts over an ongoing tooth ache he has put off being treated for YEARS! Oh, and this never acts up until I get sick! Every time I go to schedule him, he says its fine. I was in deep sighs before my feet hit the ground out of bed...knowing I had a mound of dishes to wash, chicken stock to strain from cooking crock overnight, veggies to chop, chicken to shred, laundry to start, pets to feed, a son to home-school, answer emails, blogs, and work on magazine. I caught myself rushing at 6:30 a.m. on a mission to get much done despite how I felt. I stood over my sink fighting off tears overwhelmed at the sight, and thought of what I had to do today. There was no room for sickness! I knew that I needed to also make time to study and pray to be encouraged. I was bitterly upset over the lack of help from certain someones. In the process of fury over the foamy dishes...God reminded me that I could talk to him right there and then. I didn't have to wait till I completed my chores, bow-downed, or got on my knees. I didn't have to be in a state of total silence. Nor in a synagogue, or church pew. I could communicate with him right through my chores, frustration, and foaming dishes. I instantly asked God to just give me the strength, good attitude, and ability to forgive the certain someones and complete what He willed for my day. As I sat down exhausted from the flash final touches on chores...I was brought to this scripture:
Isaiah 26:3
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
It doesn't say that God might guard those in perfect CONSTANT peace whose mind is stayed on Him...it says HE WILL keep in perfect peace!
There was no need for me to fret over the to-do's of the day. As long as I kept my mind on God. I noticed a plaque that hangs above my desk that I rarely read.
It states, "Good Morning" This is GOD! I will be handling ALL of your problems today! I will not need your help, so please just relax and have a nice day!
I was liberated from my self-scolding on completing everything I had in mind after reading it. The grumbling stopped. I realized that if God has given me the vision to accomplish certain missions, whether it be a magazine publisher, writer, designer, homeschooling, a mother, and nursemaid to spouse...then He most certainly will provide the provisions to do so...with or without the help of certain someones.
And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19
-Brenda
Saturday, November 1, 2014
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You made me so happy, God HOW MAGNIFICENT your work, God! I saw your work and I shouted for joy. -Psalms 92:4 |
www.foodforsoulmagazine.com
Friday, October 31, 2014
Yesterday, while putting away something in my china cabinet I ran across something that had been left behind by my grand daughter. It was a broken ceramic piggy bank she had left one Sunday after visiting. I hadn't thrown it out, because I knew it was precious to her and wanted to somehow fix it or find her another one just like it. As I held the broken pieces in my hand I became suddenly reminded of how many times God had held mine...the broken relationships, broken dreams, broken homes, and sometimes my broken children. He kept me held together though this vessel had cracks so large it almost shattered the very core of God's purpose in me. My God faithfully repaired, reconstructed, and replaced all the sorrow, sadness, sickness, and loss with more then I could ever have imagined. I may have not gotten back my original pieces shattered everywhere, but what HE gave me is worth so much more. He gave me a new life, with a new love, and the ability to appreciate every broken vessel I see. -Brenda
Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
www.foodforsoulmagazine.com
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
GOD MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR
This past Sunday as I was going through the normal ritual of frantically rushing the kids out the door to church, I immediately stopped and thought, "Hmmmm...did I grab the hand sanitizer?" Well you know with all the greet and meet hand shaking and Ebola and stuff...I just wanted to be prepared. While I am driving to church, I am giving my children a germ and illness prevention speech. One that my kids hate, and I usually receive an eye-rolling in the back of the head epileptic fit before I ever get the last word out..."No putting fingers in eyes, ears, nose, or mouth! As these are all gateways to infections and disease!!!! Use the hand sanitizer after someone shakes your hand. Don't eat the donuts, someone probably used bare hands to place on platter, and you don't know if they sneezed in that hand. Don't hold the bathroom door handles without a paper towel or the sleeve of your shirt, don't turn off water faucets with bare hands, use paper towel, and for goodness sake NEVER use hand to flush toilet, use your foot!" I know...maybe I've gone a little overboard, but after raising six children, and countless emergency room trips over the course of 29 years, and treating ungodly amounts of vomit spewed through my carpet...as a child can never manage to ever make it to a bathroom to do that! After nearly 60,000 in medical fees, and strains of the flu never heard of...YES, I AM CAUTIOUS! NOT PARANOID! JUST CAUTIOUS! If I can prevent sickness I will at ALL cost! Anyhow, back to the Sunday scene. I remind the children once more as we exit the vehicle to enter church. I run up to door to open it so they don't have to touch anything. I quickly use my sanitizer to clean hands. I make my way across the sanctuary to sit with not one hand shake no need to sanitize... "Whew, I'm safe". As we prepare for communion a thought popped in my head, "I wonder who placed the bread on the plate, did they use gloves, and shouldn't there be separate pieces instead of everyone handling it and ripping a piece off?" I hesitated to take communion..really! I told myself, "This is crazy! Trust that everything is going to be okay and no one in the congregation is suffering from Ebola, Entrovirus, Flu, Strep Throat, Hep A, Hep B, Stomach Bug....etc... Well, as I bravely approach the table to gather my communion of bread and wine, I courageously eat my bread, and then before I realize it downed the washed-back remains of SOMEONE ELSE'S CUP by mistake!!!!!! UGHHHHHHHH! I immediately ran to bathroom and ceremoniously began washing my mouth out, and wiping tongue off with a paper towel as if I had ingested antifreeze! A church lady came in the bathroom and witnessed my shear panic of it all, and asked what happened. I hoped to have found some comfort from her as I explained in a gasp, "I accidentally drank from another's cup at the communion table"...sniff...sniff. She replies, "OOH GROSS!" and steps out of the bathroom quickly, as if I had already contracted a deadly infection. Here it is four days later and I am still alive. I didn't contract some awful infection, the only thing I caught was an explosive room of laughter when I told my kids as my teen stated, "Oh wow mom, fail". She thought it was so humorous she text her entire classroom at school. I am just waiting for her to post some YouTube video of this incident where I will be viral in the virtual world of most paranoid moms!
Friday, October 24, 2014
Platter of Patience Please
ONE PLATTER OF
PATIENCE PLEASE?
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Have you ever
had a day when you felt like no matter how hard you tried to finish a
project…something got in the way? I
recently had one of those days. One
morning as I awoke, knew I had much on my plate even before the main course was
served. Between chores, taking precious
pooch to Vet, getting teen to school, preparing dinner, answering emails, writing
articles, designing lay-out, and marketing, I was already overwhelmed. Our dear canine was so hesitant to enter the
clinic, we were delayed thirty minutes...she had to be picked up and dragged
in on hind legs. I really felt bad for
her, I knew she was going to hate me when I picked her up that afternoon.
Since I was out, decided to stop
and eat breakfast with my son, hoping to have a brief but meaningful moment to
relax and chat with him. As we were
about to enjoy our feast, a shady scene happened.
We noticed a suspicious character enter the
establishment with a women wearing an unfitting long hair wig. I noticed the man whisper in his accomplice's ear as he took a guarded glance around the restaurant. For all I know, he
could have been asking her to order him an extra side of bacon or whispering sweet nothings. She quickly went to the counter, while the
male made a mad dash to a far corner. Who knows?
Maybe he suffered from social anxiety disorder and wanted to be far from other patrons. I don’t know…all I
know is I suddenly felt uncomfortable with their presence. He was wearing a jacket that said police, but
he sure didn't look like police to me. At first I thought, maybe they were
there after finishing an undercover stake-out...or maybe they came from
a Halloween party, but Halloween still had a bit to go and this was on a work
day early a.m. My son actually said he felt uneasy and wanted to leave. I too had that gut feeling that something was about to go down. We
quickly grabbed our items and left the building. I thought to myself, I've watched too much
CSI or the news. I must be paranoid. Yet, my son said, "Mom...if they were
undercover then they were doing a bad job of hiding their identity, since her
wig was barely holding on her head, and the police jacket looked like something
bought at a dollar store".
Now that breakfast was on the run,I decided I would knock out grocery shopping for the week. I was thankful
to find the parking lot mostly empty at that hour, I'm thinking… “AWESOME!” We won't have to fight the crowds. We will be
able to race through the store in a flash!
Well, tis' not to be. Problems
started the moment we entered the store…I was ecstatic to find a slew of
scooters available (I use these often with a botched ankle surgery). Scooters
available and charged up are always a challenge. I quickly hopped on one to get busy shopping
to find that it wasn't charged. I looked
down the line of them to find that NON OF THEM WERE EVEN PLUGGED IN! Oh, this aggravated me so...that some
pin-head was too lazy to plug these in for the sake of the others! Do they
not realize how much profit loss they lose when someone cannot shop in one of
these? In my case, I usually leave
and shop at their competitor. I did find
one barely working, but managed to get through most of my shopping before it broke
down. Delayed again, had to wait for my
son to go find me a working one.
We had
to transfer the items from one basket to the next before finishing the
task. I was irritated. I don't like delays. I admit, I'm not the most patient person in
the world, but I am learning. My son always chuckles and
says, "You must have prayed for patience this morning"....even he
knows that to learn patience, you have to have delays, stand in long lines,
listen to long-winded people, wait at a table for over an hour… wondering if
your waitress has amnesia as your stomach growls to order. Sometimes it’s the
obnoxiously slow turning driver with signal on for a mile who is busy finishing
their text. Patience on the phone with
Technical Support is almost unbearable, be prepared to take a Xanax, or maybe
a Nitrate to ward off chest pain, with the exacerbation of it all.
And last but not least the proverbial waiting
room of a doctor’s office. I usually
picture my own funeral procession being held in the center of the room while
waiting to see my doctor....as my skeletal remains seated upright are still
holding a magazine.
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Foodforsoulmagazine.com
2014© Cody B.
|
Nevertheless, we made it to check
out after almost two hours. I knew I had
a construction crew showing up at house and we had to hurry it up. Oh, I said hurry? NOT! I
noticed on my receipt that I was overcharged for an item. My son made his usual sigh, "Mom...can
we just go?"... “NO”, I spouted. I
was determined to have this taken care of since this happens too often...this
took an additional twenty-five minutes as the checker had to bring a supervisor
into it in order to find the $1.25
GOOF…UGH.
'TICK TOCK' I am
thinking...I'm losing daylight...I won't get these wasted moments back...I'm
aging by the second, I can feel a new wrinkle form on my forehead…the nursing
home is scheduling my bath...PLEASE CAN WE GET THE LED OUT???? But no, no one was in a hurry today, not for
Brenda Graff.
I finally make it
back home to get my son on his school work to find that his focus was so thrown
off it was almost impossible to light a fire under him to get 'er done! I had to make myself wait patiently as we went
over each math problem...as it was taking what seemed like forever to get the
answer. It wasn't because he didn't know
it, he just wasn’t interested. He isn't
fond of math. Well, I decided to give
him a break and me too, but my break consisted of trying to do dishes. As I was doing my least favorite chore....I
somehow managed to cause water to stream across my counter and down the side of
the cabinets and form a mini pond around my ankles…heading straight to the
electrical plugs and near computer! Ugh…as
I rush to stop the stream of doom!
I vowed I had had
enough. I know I may have felt like I
had enough, yet it isn't like I suffered a major crisis today...I just wanted
to get some stuff done. I’m not a
procrastinator...and rarely deal with those that are very patiently… “Jesus
help me” and I know too easily how I can become distracted if I don't jump on
things immediately. In retrospect, I
know that just because I set out to do something, doesn't mean that it was
God's plans for my day. I seem to
remember that morning rushing out of the bed without sincerely asking God what
he would chose for me to do that day...it is vital that we ask Him what His
plans for us are, especially since we are not our own, but we are His to use as
He wills.
Are we good stewards
of our time? Did what we spend time on
make a difference in the life of someone other than ourselves. Just the other
day as I was in the process of writing an article, and in between going over Social
Studies with my son, I received a call, and almost let it go to voice
mail. I really didn't want to be
interrupted. I needed to focus. Yet, I knew this was someone I deeply cared
about, and thought it must be important.
I took a deep breath and answered the call. The first words asked me were, "Are you
busy?".... “YES...YES...YES...When am I not?” I wanted to scream! However, that is not what this person needed
to hear. They needed a listening, caring
soul to vent to.
The Holy Spirit
jolted me and said, "Be still!" take the time to listen..."Okay...okay,
I will".....and I did for over an hour.
Yes, it was a delay in working on what I had planned, but within the delay
it actually gave me more insight to the article I was writing as the very
conversation coerced some of my thought processes. Some delays are good, they have reason, and
it is not a cruel act under heaven. Nor
is it Murphy’s Law. It isn't the
unfairness fairy flying around with her magic wand to zap you of ever
finishing.
Sometimes we are delayed in our plans because we may not be prepared to operate in them. It’s like giving a 15 year old a credit card
and sending them in a mega electronics store all ALONE to purchase whatever
they want! They don’t care about the limit, nor do they understand the
magnitude of theft prevention needed to exit store safely with the overload of
items.
God doesn't work on our time
table, but we are to work on His. If we
push a plan or desire before we are ready to handle it, we stand to lose much,
get hurt, or fall into traps. Patience
is of virtue…it changes your character.
James 1:4
But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Once we learn to be
patient, often God surprises us in a special way with something we didn’t even ask for.
James 1:4
But let
patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.
Hebrews
10:36
For ye have
need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive
the promise.
We have to learn delay will be
regulated by God, otherwise we will be at a constant tug-of-war with the Holy
Spirit, and ourselves.
Luke 21:19
In your patience possess ye your souls.
The
word (possess) in Hebrew means”
'achaz
aw-khaz' - to seize, bar, catch, take, hold back, fasten, handle.
That means get THY SELF under
control!
Control yourself before blood pressure begins to boil… as you wait
patiently in line at the grocery store so long…. that your milk is curdling,
and ice-cream has melted.
Control your tongue when in traffic and you've been driving for nearly
20 miles with blinker on and NO ONE will let you over!
Control when you find that the umpteen loads of laundry you folded
have somehow landed on the floor scattered in your child’s room or wadded in
drawers within ONE day!
Control when you pick up that empty milk carton in fridge that someone
was too lazy to toss.
Control when your dog has eaten a crater size hole through your sofa.
Control when someone in customer service treats you rudely, they may
be having a bad day too.
Control when those you love do not reciprocate the same towards you.
We do not own our bodies, life,
time, or even money. God does, and
Jesus
purchased us with the price of His blood.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
So why do we go into a tangent
when things don’t go as planned? If we
start our days with asking for God’s will, and actually adhere to
it…AMAZING…things happen! We can avoid
all the unnecessary stress, heavy sighs, heart palpitations, and embarrassing
verbiage scenes when we choose to live as God wills, and let him schedule our
calendar.
When we do this, we grow wings
that soar over these situations. We pick
up momentum and accomplish much!
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall
renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.
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