FA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA?

Yesterday while driving out of the parking lot of an overcrowded grocery store, I was about run over.  I was just trying to get out of the mayhem of vehicles blocking every section to get home!

"Stop texting and drive will ya!"

There were so many cars!  Everyone was in a frenzy stocking up for the holidays.  You could hear the Christmas music blaring, see some vehicles decked out like reindeer, and spot someone with a Santa hat.  Yet, there was something terribly missing.

As I worked my way through the droves of vehicles, and people walking preoccupied on cells phones... 

 "Yes, technical support, I'm still here..."

I began to notice a trend.  I witnessed people getting in and out of their vehicles with the exact same expression on their face.  I noticed drivers too had become ridden with this strange countenance.  What was going on?  It was as if their bodies had been consumed by alien life, and insanely morphing .

  

It was creepy to watch as drivers turned their surly faces towards me as a warning to not budge in their direction.  

"Don't even think about it!"

I was becoming trapped in the circle of sinister shoppers.  

Where was the joy?  Have we forgotten what Christmas is about?  Why during the most prominent giving season do people become so cynical and self-centered?  

"Hey that was MY candy cane!"

I understand the rushing about trying to get through a store, traffic, and crowds.  It can be quite the merry mood breaker.  Yet, it doesn’t have to be.  ‘Tis the season to be jolly’ is it not?

When I was dropping off items to be donated at the food pantries, and Pregnancy Help Centers this week, I was shocked to find that so few donations had been received during this month.  I was told that despite the greater need during the holidays that this is when donations fall short.  I always believed that giving would increase during Christmas.

It really doesn’t take much to buy a few extra cans of food each trip to the grocery store.  You can set up a stock pile to donate each month. Start a collection at your church. It does make a difference to families in need.  It is the reason for the season as we celebrate Christ birth.  We should be cheerful givers. 

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

This could be in the form of giving away a smile, hug, or the right of way in a crowded parking lot.  We don’t have to shop with scowling distorted faces. 

"Where's the frickin' check-out?"

There is much we can do with little by having the right attitude, and not allowing the commercialism of Christmas consume us.

I heard on the news that a child had been collecting coupons and purchasing items to resell accumulating a profit of $10,000.  He used some of that to donate.  That gave me an idea.  Even if you are not an extreme coupon clipper…and maybe you don’t want a stockpile in your kitchen, or hate grocery shopping…you can still make a difference by collecting them.  Here’s how.  

Send FOOD FOR SOUL MAGAZINE your coupons, and in turn we will gladly clip, shop, and donate!

FOOD FOR SOUL MAGAZINE has been operating since beginning as a ministry of help to those in need.  We make no profit at the present!  We are in need of funding for families in crisis, and becoming a 501C NON-PROFIT.  This can come by advertisers, or donations.  We want to continue to serve the local community and abroad, any gifts would be appreciated, even if mailing us coupons! 

Here are just a few local charities or individuals we recently served:  T.E.A.M., PREGNANCY HELP CENTER OF TOMBALL, and the homeless.  We deliver freshly cooked pizza and water to the homeless in our local community twice a month.  Abroad we are helping to fund wells worldwide through WATER FOR LIFE.   We were able to help several families this past week.  

Another way to help for those who like to shop, would be to visit your local resale stores for baby items, such as onesies, jackets, and baby blankets.  We managed to purchase 17 items at merely .77 cents or less.  These items will be handed to parents attending classes at the Pregnancy Help Centers that have chosen to raise a life rather then dismiss it through abortion.  

The food donations were enough to feed up to 7 families this week.  I would love to do so much more and with your help we can! 

Please mail any contributions and or items to:

FOOD FOR SOUL MAGAZINE

P.O. BOX 304

TOMBALL, TX 77377

If you have any questions, email us at:

inspireme@foodforsoulmagazine.com

All items and donations are tax deductible.

May God keep the ‘jolly’ in your journey out and about this Christmas!  God Bless

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Brenda A. Graff
Founder
Food For Soul Magazine

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO WATER FOR LIFE PROJECT

WWW.FOODFORSOULMAGAZINE.COM

got book?

It does the body good. 

                

I love to read!  Reading exercises your mind, and depending on what you fill it up with, can encourage, strengthen, and enhance your character.  This in turn can do the body good.  How?  When you are taking in content that is inspiring, or helpful, don’t you want to share it with someone?  

If it impacts your life, don’t you want to spread the good news?  If you had a long standing medical illness, and finally discovered the cure, would you hoard the information, or share it with another suffering?  In sharing it helps somebody!

Personally, when I discover something that works, I can’t get the info out quick enough.  I seek after authors that are intelligible, inspirational, and God-minded to aid in my ministry and raising of my family.  Whether the topics be on spiritual, or practical living.

I’ve stood in long lines waiting for autographs for some of the most well-known authors and speakers.  Once on crutches, sweating profusely in pain after moving most of the night, waited for hours to meet Joyce Meyers.  

Most recently had the pleasure of meeting the well-known former  atheist now pastor, speaker, journalist, apologist, and Christian author,  Lee Strobel.

I have a collection of autographed books from over the years I plan to hand down to my children, and pray they appreciate and read them.  These are books that have in so many ways, changed my life.  The words in my collection are influential.  They leave a mark of Christ on every page, but most of all an imprint on the soul.

However, I think the greatest author of all is still God.  Who but God can write pages exploding with adventure, mystery, action, romance, drama, history, and yes, even comedy.  

It is the book that has changed lives for over 1500 years.  He wrote 66 books!  There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. 

The bible was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

It was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.

The entire New Testament as we know it today, was canonized before the year 375 A.D. The Old Testament had previously been canonized long before the advent of Christ.

"Canon" is derived front the Greek word "Kanon," signifying a measuring rod. It had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. 

It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. 

The first translation of the Bible was made into English 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.  The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. 

It was the FIRST BOOK EVER printed!

The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages, with countless more partial translations, and audio translations (for unwritten languages).  

The Bible is still the best-selling book 

in the world!

Some scholars have found indications in the scriptures, that Jesus Christ had a sense of humor. Yet, there is some that believe that humor and Christianity don’t mix.  Some look at religion so seriously, that they skip over the really good parts of this magnificent book.  Their still stuck in the legalistic chapters of ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ to further read the pages full of joy, promise, hope, redemption, and yes even laughter.

There are many episodes and dialogues in scripture where irony and sarcasm are used.  I was told once that sarcasm really had no place in Christianity, that it was not a fruit of the spirit   (Galatians 5:22-23)

This baffled me since I was created in God’s imagine, a God who experiences feelings, and emotions such as:

Anger – Psalm 7:11; Deuteronomy 9:22; Romans 1:18

Laughter – Psalm 37:13; Psalm 2:4; Proverbs 1:26

Compassion – Psalm 135:14; Judges 2:18; Deuteronomy 32:36

Grief – Genesis 6:6; Psalm 78:40; Isaiah 68:10

Love – 1 John 4:8; John 3:16; Jeremiah 31:3

Hate – Proverbs 6:16; Psalm 5:5; Psalm 11:5

Jealousy – Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14; Joshua 24:19

Joy – Zephaniah 3:17; Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 32:41

I am sure that God doesn’t want us to use sarcasm to hurt others.  It can be used in expressing a point across to an audience needing laughter.  God loves laughter, after all He created it.

A cheerful heart is good medicine. -Proverbs 17:22

A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life. -Proverbs 14:30 

The One enthroned in heaven laughs. -Psalm 2:4 

Here are just a few examples of comical episodes in the Bible:

Judges 7:13 -Gideon had a dream of a giant loaf of bread destroying the enemy camp.

Matthew 21:18-19— "Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered."

God upset with a tree?

Just imagine Jesus yelling at a tree while the apostles all stand about awkwardly.

Numbers 22 - When Balaam’s donkey inexplicably started talking and explained why animal cruelty is wrong.

"Dude! Have you ever seen Donkeys Gone Wild?"

Isaac's very name means laughter in Hebrew, and was chosen because of the joy his parents Abraham and Sarah experienced when he was born.

In Genesis 17- Abram was 99 years old, when God declared his new name: "Abraham" – "a father of many nations". Abraham was told that Sarah would have a son. 

Shortly after, Abraham were visited by three men and told by one that upon his return next year, Sarah would have a son. 

Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed to herself about the prospect of having a child at their ages.  Sarah was W-A-Y past child bearing years, and well Abraham at his age must have felt some pressure to perform, and we all know Viagra didn't exist back in those days. 

For Sarah, the thought of giving birth and nursing a child, at such an old age, brought her much laughter, as she declared, 

"God hath made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear will laugh with me."  -Genesis 21:6

"Pa, your going to have to baby-proof the tent"

If God didn’t have a sense of humor then how in the world would He have made Sarah laugh so hard, she named  her child after it?

If you took on the Bible like a Stephen King fiction, with anticipation, mystery solving, and action you could never get bored.  You would desire to spend time in it and discover meaning and purpose in ways you never imagined, and yes, occasionally laugh.  It would build strength, character, and joy.  You would want to share it with the whole world. 

The Bible would become your food for soul.  You would crave the stimulus it brings to the table.  You would savor every spoonful of words jumping off the page.  You would experience the presence of the greatest Author ever known as the crescendos of hope spring up in your soul.  

Read the Bible, it really does do the body good!

But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  -Matthew 4:4

WANT A GOOD READ? CLICK HERE

QUENCH A THIRSTY SOUL - CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW

Brenda A. Graff
Founder of Food For Soul Magazine
www.foodforsoulmagazine.com

References

American Bible Society, 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023

Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1927, 1965).

Maxwell, Arthur. Your Bible And You (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1959).

Mickelson, A. Berkley and Alvera. Understanding Scripture (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1982, 1992).

Unger, Merrill F. TH.D., PH.D. Unger's Bible Handbook (Chicago: Moody Press, 1967)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/feb/16/books.italy

ANGRY BIRDS

It’s barely 7:00 a.m. and I already managed to topple over hot, steaming, BURNING chicken broth ALL o-v-e-r my kitchen.  I grabbed the paper towels to soak up the mess, but wiping this up was like using toilet paper to dry up liquid soap in carpet, the more I wiped, the more it spread.  Paper towels were stuck to everything, including me!

The greasy grossness was spreading like a plague!  

My can opener, and coffee pot were drenched with drippy remains of chicken fat!  And let me tell you, paper towels are not the “quicker picker-upper” when it comes to dealing with a crisis of this magnitude!  

I call it a crisis, since chicken by-products are one of the worst for spreading salmonella, and IT was NOW everywhere in my kitchen!  It was sliding down my dishwasher, dripping on my rug, land sliding down the cabinets that were open just enough for the slithering mess to crawl inside under the sink.  

I spent nearly an hour trying to get this disaster cleaned up before having to call in Hazmat!

Everything I touched was slippery, slimy, and soaked in sludge!  In the mayhem of it all, I was quickly grabbing items off counter to prevent further spread of this epidemic and placing them on my table which only spread the goo further.  

The stuff was spreading like an erupted volcano moving  downstream faster by the second.

  

In the meantime, I tried to put away some chicken in fridge, when a small saucer comes flying at me with half a stick of butter and lands face down on the ground.  

What the heck?  Why was my kitchen violently attacking me this morning? Did the chicken re-incarnate and come back to haunt me?  

That was my brother you boiled...Man!

All I wanted to do was make some simple soothing chicken soup for someone ill.  I wasn't trying to perform for the Food Network “Chopped”, "Cutthroat Kitchen" or "Throwdown with Bobby Flay".   

I just wanted to finish the soup process like I had seen on "The Pioneer Women", where her kitchen is immaculate, her children rise and call her blessed, Hubby never ever leaves his briefs on the ground, and the atmosphere is ridden with giddiness and perfection while she smiles the entire time her thumb is in pieces under a meat cleaver.  That’s all!  

I didn't like being forced to spend an hour cleaning up this HUGE mess, when I could have been doing something else more valuable and pleasant with my time, like digging candy wrappers out of the dryer, picking up wadded trash on floor beside trashcan, scrubbing a toilet, or feeding our NAGGING feline for the FIFTH time this morning.  I don’t understand how something so simple could turn into such a catastrophe. 

Perhaps my kitchen is still worn out from marathon cooking Thanksgiving week. It is negating any negotiations of functioning properly. It would be much easier if I could just set the kitchen ablaze and move!  Yet, in reality, I knew I would have to deal with cleaning it up.  

I have to preserve the items damaged.  They still have value, and purpose, their just a mess.  I caught the lesson in this as I was spouting off my displeasure of dealing with this desperate situation. 

I wake some mornings in unbearable pain, limping my way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.  This is usually the most difficult part of getting up.  I feel decrepit, old, and washed up during those times. There is nothing wrong with growing old, I love the elderly, I just would like to age more gracefully. 

My body refuses to acknowledge my young heart, the one that wants to run marathons, climb mountains, play basketball with my son, jog with my daughter, dance across a room, leap with joy, walk the sands along a roaring ocean, roller blade my way through reality, and run to the aid of every needing soul.  

It refuses to react as my thoughts reach heights no one can comprehend.  I felt that because of my sometimes physical inabilities, I was useless.  Yet, God never sees us as useless.  He sees His perfect creation despite our distorted view of imperfections.

He has use for every one of us.  Even if you are broken, disabled, abandoned, addicted, divorced, single, diseased, depressed, rejected, or lacking courage.   You HAVE purpose!

Just like the misery of my mess this morning, it may be there, but it doesn't make the kitchen inoperable.  I just had to maneuver around some things in a different way until it was cleaned and perfected.   

We all have ways we have to operate.  Some have to use wheelchairs, some with prosthetic, others with anti-depressants, coffee, or snickers bar…whatever keeps you going!  Just keep going and be willing to be used for His kingdom.  We won't reach perfection until the day we reach eternity.  

God doesn't toss out His children as if they were a toy tanker truck missing a wheel.  He replaces that wheel with something greater to keep it in motion.  Sometimes God's focus isn't so much on the physical mending. Sometimes He just wants to repair the heart.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”  –Psalm 147:3 Brenda A. Graff Founder of Food For Soul Magazine CAN WATER SAVE A LIFE? CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW HUNGRY FOR INSPIRATION - CLICK HERE AND BE INSPIRED!

EVIDENCE OF ARI

One Sunday afternoon my husband was putting away laundry, when he came up to me with three mismatched socks.  This isn’t unusual.  Seriously, after doing laundry for nearly half a century, I still don’t understand where socks disappear to.  

We have to purchase socks almost as often as toilet paper!  Where do they go?  And worse, if my eldest does laundry, we never find evidence of socks entering the washer, because they mysteriously disappear prior to loading.

"Come on...HURRY!"

  

"I have come to the conclusion that dryer lint is the cremated remains of all my missing socks."

-so.relatable.tumbir.com

If we are fortunate to find a matching clean pair, and it actually makes it into the children’s dresser, they will disappear within the hour like Houdini; not even the FBI could find them. 

Anyhow, my husband was determined to find the matching socks, until he ran across one that was almost toddler size.  He held it up and said, “Whose is this?”  I said, “Ari’s”, and with a slight twinkle in his eye, he grinned and went back to his task to track down those socks.  Ari is our granddaughter.  She is a very precocious and beautiful bundle of joy.  Often when she comes to visit overnight, she leaves something behind.  This could be a stuffed animal, book, pony tails for her hair, tooth brush, and her socks, which is now matchless.  And she’s not even a candidate to be the prime suspect in this mystery, since she's been gone for a few weeks.  

I love running across Ari’s things, it reminds me of her smile, hugs, and never-ending request “Grandma?”  It makes me smile, it causes me to remember the earlier days when our children were small, and toys were scattered throughout the living room alongside their toddler table set.  I recall the beanbag chairs, scattered sippy cups, and endless Barney, Blues Clues, and Dora the Explorer television sessions.  I remember the squeal of giggles resonating throughout the house.

When I hold Ari’s items left behind it brings relentless joy.  It causes me to brighten up, especially when I am overwhelmed with thoughts of this sometimes very cruel world.  It brings solace to my soul.  It changes my disposition regardless of my environment.  For a moment I can forget the pain and reality of chaos in this life. Suddenly, my to-do list is on hold as I recollect.  

I am renewed with hope once again with the simplicity of a child’s belonging, reminding me of life, God’s precious creation and the happiness she brings when she lights up a room with her big bright eyes and smile.

Pondering on this I wondered, what will others think when they run across my things left behind?  Will it bring joy? Will hope find its way to their hearts?  Is integrity going to be found?  When they read my manuscripts, letters, or journals, will they be renewed in their minds?  Are they going to find evidence of God’s eternal love? 

I pray so.  

What evidence will you be leaving behind? 

 "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble."  -Charles Spurgeon

Brenda A. Graff
Founder of Food For Soul Magazine

WATER FOR LIFE CAN CHANGE LIVES - CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW

BE INSPIRED - CLICK HERE!

Einstein the bird

Teamsters

Having a pet is rewarding in many ways.  Aside from the affection and unconditional love, lessons can be learned from them.  For instance, I’ve witnessed teamwork unlike anywhere I’ve ever seen.  My precious pooches, Dixie and Millie, work very well together in accomplishing their goal, whether it’s to feverishly dig a hole to China in backyard...

smear doggy dander all over my clean comforter...using it as a back-scratcher, 

sneaking off with and devouring a whole chicken carcass,

 or barking insanely at every leaf that blows by the window.  

It’s all collaboration.  A group effort to drive me insane.  They are like teenagers who are influenced by each other.  Team tagging trouble. One time, they got out the front door, and next thing I know, their off running straight towards a freeway, and I know Dixie was the leader in this joy journey.

I raced after them before they became roadkill. We only snagged Millie the youngest, Dixie felt she wasn't quite ready to come home, being all grown up and all, snubbed her face at us when we stopped the car, took a quick glance back at me and then obnoxiously took off again.  When we arrived home later that day, there she was just like the prodigal son, sitting in our drive-way, tail between legs, with a lowered head in shame, “I’m sorry”.  

Those two can be a handful to say the least.  

My cats, Tiger, Bella, and Holly show team work every day, as they chime in together excruciatingly requesting a meal.  

"Feed me, I haven't eaten since 3 minutes ago!"

We have witnessed them work impetuously together tackling a field mice scurrying across our yard.  Not a pretty scene.  And they always leave the remains right under my chair outside to show me their good work, ugh!  I do try to save the little critters when I catch the cats in the act, but they always manage to make it back into to the food chain. 

Our birds are such a treasure to watch, Dodie and Spencer, our two new parents of four finches.  It was amazing to watch them work non-stop to build the nest months before conception.  The nest was neatly tucked with cotton, hay, and grass feed all intertwined and mastered in such a way, it was just incredible.  Who but God give them the skills to build in such fashion?  Remarkable!  

The couple prepared, conceived, and then took turns warming the eggs.  They worked together forming a union of protection for their purpose.  The purpose of birthing those babies.  Our family watched in amazement as the miraculous almost as small as a fingertip finch opened their beak for feeding.  Spencer would swoop down to his meal bowl, and quickly soar back into nest to feed the babies.  Such dedication, such care, such inspiration as I think of how devoted this little tweeting fowl and his mate is. 

Does our households work with such determination?  Do we flock together? Do we work in harmony accomplishing the purpose God has created for us?  How do we encourage one another to endure, run this race our Creator has set before us?  What kind of nest have we built in our homes?  Is the environment uncomfortable, rocky, and spiking with attitudes of anger, resentment, or bitter jealousy?  

When our household gets too loud with gaming, music, or someone raising their voice, my birds are the first one to let us know to pipe it down.  They will squawk, until you shut it off.  They enjoy peace.  

Are we being careful to shut down the noise of discord in our households?  Are we squawking above the sounds of Satan trying to destroy the family unit?

We can take a lesson from these finches by working as a spiritual squad, flocking together to smooth out a foundation for birthing a blessed future.  It just takes some teamwork. 

Romans 15:5

"Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus."

Hebrews 10:24

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."

Click Here to see finch feeding babies

Brenda A. Graff
Founder of Food For Soul Magazine

How can water change a life? Click here to learn how.

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