The Christians

I've been slowly reading through the book of Acts. Even though I've read it many times, I still pick out lots of new gems, and this time it seems that I have learned many new things.  After the stoning of Stephen, the message of Jesus began to spread like wildfire, and the believers scattered because of persecution.  The Lord was working through many people, not just Jews!  The church in Jerusalem heard of this and they sent Barnabas to check it out.  When Barnabas arrived on the scene he recognized the grace of God working in the lives of these new Christians and he urged them to remain faithful to Jesus and maintain an enduring, unshakable devotion.
Barnabas himself was a good man, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and many people were brought to the Lord through his words and his devotion and encouragement. It was with Barnabas and his work with Paul in Antioch that the term Christian was first used to identify disciples of Jesus!
It is my prayer that God will use me to encourage others to have an endurable, unshakable devotion. It is my prayer that I will have an endurable unshakable devotion deeply rooted within me, and be that example to others, the way Barnabas was. The Holy Spirit worked through him in miraculous ways, and thousands were saved. Christians were made!
Say That Again, Jesus, You work through Your people and develop endurable unshakable devotion!

The Firm Foundation

I haven't been feeling the best the last few days, the flu caught up with me and sent me down fatigue lane. I've been going to bed before my eleven year old, and when I arise in the morning, I'm not always able to stay up, sometimes I go back to bed! If I have a chance, I nap during the day. My body has the aches and feels like its been run over by a big old truck. It hasn't been very fun.
Today, I am staying home. Hopefully, today I will sleep.
When I opened my bible this morning I read from Isaiah 40; it's one of my favorite chapters. Verses 10-12,  I especially love:

If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, 
quit gossiping about other peoples sins, If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down and out, 
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed  in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places-
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. 
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, 
rebuild the foundations from out of your past. 
You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, 
make the community livable again.

Sometimes, when I'm sick, it's harder to know that the sun will shine again. So, I have to read verses like this and focus on His promises, because He says the shadows will be bathed in sunlight and He will always show me where to go. He will bring firmness, and water, and He will fix everything through me.
Today is a day to rest under the shadow of His wing so I can be in His Light. Today is a day to rest so He can build and restore, and speak to me about the renovations to come.
Say That Again Jesus, You Are my Firm Foundation, the Restorer of my life, the Builder, Renovator, and the Life inside of me.

The Big Birthday Football Game

We celebrated my son and my husbands birthday today. It was fun. We had almost the entire family here, we missed one daughter, who was sick.  When we asked our son what his wishes were for his birthday he said he wanted to have an energy drink (his first ever) and play foot ball all day! So, at 5:30 this morning he woke up and sat on the couch beside me drinking his energy drink. He liked it.

It was exciting to him when his brothers arrived and the game was on.

Our son is richly blessed with a lot of brothers, sweet sisters, and a great dad. He is growing so fast, and becoming a pretty cool big brother himself. Once again, God is reminding me of my blessings, and they are numerous, especially on birthdays and football days!
Say That Again, Jesus, You have blessed me with a great game of football!

The Boots for Two

My daughter in law and I ventured out in the crazy world of shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. We were not early birds like so many people, but rather more laid back with a leisurely cup of coffee first then a trip to the mall. We had a great time poking through little girl dresses and frilly things for my grand daughter.  And, enjoyed dreaming about sparkly shoes on our own feet.
We both have a love for boots,  but our budget right now does not allow us to treat ourselves with all the boots we desire. But, when we saw a pair of black lace up boots with soft supple leather and lined in fur, we came up with the perfect plan! Why not split the cost and share the boots? So, we did. She has the boots for two weeks, then it will be my turn, back and forth we will go! It'll be fun!
It brought a spark of joy to my day, and once again confirmation of how truly blessed I am. God blessed me with four wonderful sons and a sweet daughter. Now, I have three lovely daughter in laws to add to the mix, and yesterday He added boots! It was a bonus day.
I looked up joy this morning in my bible, and this is the first verse I came across, it seemed fitting for today:

More joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees.
Psalms 4:7

God walked around with us yesterday and He infused some joy into the day. He took me out of my normal busy day and gave me some one on one time with my daughter. It was a joyful, ordinary day in the mall!
God, Say That Again to me, You will bring more days of joy to me, ordinary days, boot days, sparkly shoe days, daughter days. You have promised, and You do what You say!

The Grilled Thanksgiving Turkey

We were certain that our turkey would take at least 3 hours to grill, so we promptly got it on the barbecue in record time this morning. My husband kept a close eye on the temp and he continued to comment that the barbecue was not hot enough, so he decided to heat it up a bit. After about 2 hours I went outside to check on our turkey and much to my surprise our bird was totally done, perfect to be exact!  We were not ready for our turkey to be done!
I turned the burners down to warm and wrapped him up in foil, and hoped for the best.
When it was time for dinner and my son started to carve the turkey, he commented on how tender it was. When we started to eat it, there were plenty of comments on how good it was! Thankfully, the long wait on the grill did not dry it out.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day, with the perfect grilled Thanksgiving turkey. We had a delightful meal, great family and friends, and more memories created. It was a day full of blessing.
I am thankful for days like today. It reminds me of the verse in Colossians 2:7

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness,

Jesus, Say That Again, You will grow my roots down into You and You will build  me deep into  You. Then my faith will be strong in Your truth, and I will overflow with thankfulness in You.

The Turkey in a Bucket

Our Turkey has been soaking in salt, sugar, lemons, oranges, rosemary and thyme, all night long. This results in a tender, flavorful turkey!
Every Thanksgiving I go through the process of looking for my recipes, trying to figure out what I do every year, and looking for a bucket big enough for the turkey. This year, our oven is smaller than what we have had in the past, so our bucket turkey gets to go on the barbecue. I'm wondering what else can go on the barbecue, brussels maybe?
I didn't have the greatest day yesterday, I felt like a turkey in a bucket. This morning as I was thinking about my turkey in a bucket dilemma, God whispered to me that He is still beside me, soaking me in His solution. He is working on me putting His flavor in me, making me tender, loving, and more like Him. Adding His salt, His sweetness, His fruit, all of His flavor. Sometimes, this process is not easy, there are times that this process gets, well, uncomfortable and scary. I don't like it. It's like being squished in a bucket, unable to breath. Yet, at the same time, there's the soft arms of Jesus around me encouraging me, prompting me, loving me. He sends His people to tell me I am loved.
This morning I read this verse in Psalms 91:4

His huge outstretched arms protect you-
under them you're perfectly safe;
His arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing

Okay, so I'm in the bucket with the turkey. But, His arms are around me, even there. I have nothing to fear. I'm being salted, and sweetened, flavored for Him.
Say That Again, Jesus, You are in the bucket with me!

The Day Before Thanksgiving

It's the day before Thanksgiving. The house is full of food. The kids are out of school. There are many hours of cooking stretched out before me---stuffing, turkey, potatoes and yams.  In the morning, family and friends are due to arrive and contribute to the cooking frenzy.
This year, we plan to barbecue our turkey on the grill outside. I think it will be a great adventure. First, I plan to brine it with lemons, oranges, and herbs.  My daughter in law will roast the brussel sprouts and make pumpkin cheese cake. My husband and son always make a broccoli dish. Thanksgiving is a great family and friend day, and I'm thankful for the love God has brought into my life.
Jesus, thank you for the gift of family and friends. Thank you that you give us opportunities to be together and to love each other. Thank you for feeding us. You delight in us and take pleasure in Your children, giving them good things, thank you.
Say That Again,  You delight in me, You love me! Jesus, I thank You.