Hedges of Thorns

Hosea 2:6-23,    Hosea 6:1-3

For years, almost as long as I have had children, I have prayed "Thorn Hedge" prayers
 over my family.  I've mentioned this before and been asked what is a hedge of thorns?  I learned about thorn hedges, at least by name, when I first really read the book of Hosea.  God called Hosea to do a really hard thing, to marry a prostitute and love her in order to see God's heart for Israel and Israel's unfaithful heart for Him.  Hosea did marry Gomer.  He brought her out of shame into love and blessing.  He made her a mother, gave her “respectability” but time and again Gomer returned to her sin and shame.  Finally God said He would place a "hedge of thorns" in her way so that she would always be frustrated and turned back to the home and heart of her husband.

Thorn hedges are dual purposed.  They do turn us back from the wrong paths and sinful behaviors.  They also frustrate and discourage wrong influences and people who would lead us astray from God's blessing and relationship.    I learned from a friend to pray over my children when they were young, that if they did something wrong they would be found out quickly.  Believing my daughter probably needed this prayer more than my son, I concentrated it mostly in her direction.  I found out years later that my son was pretty sneaky and had fooled me more than once.  Note to self.....hedge of thorns for all.  We all need Him to, as we so often pray, "lead, guide and direct us."  We rarely consider the thorns that may be necessary in His answer to that request. 

God has spoken to me many times about necessary thorn hedges in my life.  Even before I knew what to call them, He was building them around me.  There were thorn hedges that turned me from destructive relationships.  There were thorn hedges that taught me about putting too much stock in material things and thorn hedges that punctured my over blown pride so that I could hear Him singing over me.  God has been good all the time.  

Thorn hedges are not pleasant to encounter but I believe that sometimes, as they were for Gomer, as they have been for me, the thorns and the wounds they may inflict are very necessary for abundant life.  Let's face it, the bible tells us that the heart is above all things deceitful and desperately wicked.  We wander from God; we want our own way and try to force it.   Whatever the issue, like Gomer, we often forget what God has done for us and backslide and return to the mess and the shame.  God doesn't put up the hedges to hurt us; He puts them in our way to save us from ourselves.  Frustration and sorrow always eventually lead me to the place where I know I belong; His side. As a mom, a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend, a grandmother, I will pray for those hedges gently and without malice over loved ones who may need them.  I will pray for them in my own life as well.  In the end Gomer learned that there is blessing in the thorns.  I love Hosea 2:15, “I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.”   Because our God is good all the time, we should remember not to despise the thorns but rather look for the gateway of hope in the Valley of Trouble.


R' 

Free and Thankful

Free World People - that is what the women of McPherson Prison called us as if we were from a far off distant planet.  I guess, for some of them, we might as well have been from Mars.  In their world of fences, razor wire, rules, no exception submission to authority, restriction and blandness, we seemed alien; from a world that would not be seen by some of them ever again. 

“Free World People”- that phrase sticks with me.  It makes me think.  It makes me wonder.  Like the popular hymn of my childhood a question rattles around in my mind and in my heart of hearts…”Why me Lord?” What did I ever do that was worth loving You or the kindness You’ve shown?” The answer simply put…I did nothing to deserve the Grace I have been shown. My sins were different, my life was different, but without His saving Grace, I would be forever lost.

Before I walked into that prison, I had a different mindset.  I saw myself, sadly to say, as the “good girl”, going in to speak Jesus to the morally bankrupt and heathen.   I was certain I would find women with no knowledge whatsoever of Jesus Christ.  I was certain they would be hard-hearted and without compassion or emotion. What I found were many girls who were not that different in culture and upbringing from me.  Girls whose mothers and fathers and grandparents had taken them to church, girls who knew about Jesus from young ages. I found women, in tears, who wanted to pray with me for their children.  They were mommas whose roads and choices had taken them physically from their babies but had not taken them from their hearts. and young women, new to Christianity, who wanted nothing more than to see a friend saved. 

I sat with the drug addicted, murders, sex offenders, who at their core, were women who had made very bad choices and found redemption.  I heard the personal story of a woman from a terrible childhood, a terrifying life, who boldly confessed “I did awful shameful things but now I know Jesus and I am free.”  Her smile lit up the room and before leaving me, she stopped and came back and asked me “how can I pray for you?”  If she only knew.  Some prison walls are unseen.  Some chains are invisible.  And I thought about Luke 7:36-50.  “Which of them will love him more?”

I walked from a bland and hopeless world into a barracks known as the PAL (Principals and Attitudes for Living) Barracks.  In this barracks, vibrant murals and scriptures colored the walls and women learned the Word and prepared for battle.  They knew that eventually they would leave the shelter of PAL and return to the general population to be missionaries, salt and light, “cities on a hill”.  I remember thinking “how could you ever return to the awful blandness and despair outside of that barracks?  If I had to be in prison I would want to be where there was hope and color and safety."  Isn’t that the way we do it in “the free world?”  Don’t we prefer our beautiful churches and our safe small group bible studies, where everyone believes like we do and there is little opposition or challenge?  Aren’t we thankful for the missionaries in remote African villages even as we are thankful that it isn’t us being sent?  Don’t we often make beautiful “white washed sepulchers?” Maybe I should speak only for myself…so here it is…I am free world living and yet doing less with life than prisoners I met who will never leave the walls of their physical prison again and I am ashamed of that.  I come from a life of protection and love.  I had Christian parents and extended family support.  I wasn’t allowed to run wild and I knew better than to try.  I knew a thousand eyes were on me watching out for my best interest.  The question remains - "who will love Him more?”  - “the one who is forgiven more I suppose.”  (Lord help me love you more because of all you have done for me.) 

They entered prison already in chains, enslaved and hopeless and found eternal life.  I have Jesus as my savior AND I live where my opportunities and freedoms are innumerable and yet I live with less joy and daily dependence on Him. Do I see myself as one forgiven of little or one forgiven of a debt I could never pay? 

I am going to stop making excuses.  I am going to pray for Him to fill me up with His Holy Spirit and I am going to ask Him to teach me to love Him more and know Him more.  I am going ask Him to teach me to take every thought captive and believe that He is more than able to handle what concerns me today.  I am going to pray, like the words of a song I sing... “ Day by Day Oh Dear Lord three things I pray.  To see You more clearly, to love You more dearly, to follow You more nearly, day by day.” I am going to pray to truly live in freedom and abundance in the center of His will.  I want to be known as a woman who loves Him "more".

Gracious Words

Luke 4: 14, 22, 32

God will certainly allow us to be able to use gracious words when we spend time with Him. It says in verse 22 that they (people who were with Him) bore witness of His Words.

I believe we are more effective witnesses when we use “gracious words” Words that first of all:

1.   Encourage another to keep on keeping on and let them   know they are noticed.

2.   Exhort to keep seeking the Lord and His will.

3.   Offers of help- prayer and practical help.

4.   Presence– sometimes words are insufficient. Just knowing we are there and listening is a thing of comfort and graciousness.

Let us strive in the power of the Holy Spirit to allow us to use “Gracious Words” during this new church year. We can do that by asking the Lord, as soon as we arise, to make that day a day of Gracious Words.

LDiz

When I'm Not Enough, Drowning, Failing - Gotta Change My Focus

Is anyone else here with me: 
Unable to keep up with life.... 
Rarely feeling like I am keeping all of my plates in the air....
One meal leads to the next meal and then the next....
(Why do they want to be fed.every.meal????)
Laundry is finished for maybe five seconds...maybe....
Toilets need to be cleaned.
Floors need to be swept (and they're supposed to be mopped, too?  Stink.)
Dust?  Yes, we have that in abundance.
Garden needs to be planted and tended.
(The list goes on, I just don't want to bore you.)

All of this, and it doesn't even include interacting with anyone! 
Husband needs to be respected and loved,
cherished and made to feel special.
Children, such a joy so much of the time,
are often noise with Pigpen clouds of billowing dirt.
They need a present mother to:
"Watch this!" 
"Help with this!"   
"Read this!"
Affirm me.

I feel overwhelmed, over-extended, and I haven't even left my home yet.

"Calgon, take me away!"

So what do we do?...what do I do?
I can't answer for you. 
I know what I need to do -- change.my.focus.
That's my problem - my focus is on me and what I am doing...
need to be doing...
should already have done...
last week.

Where should my focus be?  My Jesus.
When my focus is on Him,
He helps me to get off Facebook,
to prioritize,
to do the important,
not just the urgent. 
Am I still facing all that I was facing before? 
Ummm...yes. 
(For some reason, He has yet to send a laundry or dishes fairy.) 
Will I get it all accomplished today? 
Highly unlikely, but at least now I'm closer to being ok with that.

So here I go, Girls. 
I'm off to adjust my focus and let Him be my focus. 
It's His day, after all. 
"This is the day that the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it!" 
Even if my floors are still dirty,
my laundry remains undone,
and I haven't started dinner yet.

Any dinner fairies out there?  ;-)


Trusting Him,

Carrie

But God....

Ephesians 2:1-10

“BUT GOD is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much….”  Ephesians 2:4

I love this verse. Paul is reminding us as to what we once were before our salvation – that we were once dead, destined for eternal separation from God. Then Paul says, “But God….”  Sweet words to a yearning hungry soul!  He then goes on to explain in verses 5-10.  Think of it, life forever with God the Father, Jesus Christ, His Son and our Savior and the precious Holy Spirit. What a future we have!!!  And to think it is none of our “doing” and all of God's, as verses 8-9 declare.  Our only work is that of “faith.”  Just to take Him at His word and believe that He has saved us. As someone has said, “God said it and that settles it.”

But Paul also reminds us that He created us for “good works” that we might walk in the ways He has prepared for us (vs10) after we accept His sacrifice for us. That is, to “behave what we believe” as Mrs. Wesley told her boy John.

Verse 4 says He has great love and mercy for us even while we were yet sinners, and He still does after we believe. What a word of assurance!!!  With grateful hearts, we can walk in those good works and tell what Jesus has done for us.

Yes, I love the words, “But God...”

LDiz

Oh, What Love!

John 3:16, Revelation 13:8, Ephesians 1:3

Today as I sit in my sun room, I am acutely aware of God's love for me. As I pray and thank God for my salvation – how in the council of God before the foundation of the world it was decided that Jesus would die for the sins of mankind – I am a grateful soul.

The Bible states that Jesus knew what was in the hearts of men (John 2:25). Yes, God is all knowing, and He created us even though He knew we would sin and need a Savior and that He would send His Son. Jesus knew also the agony He would experience on the cross, even before He came to earth, but He came to earth anyway to save us.  (Read Psalm 22 – it is considered a prophetic Psalm of the crucifixion.) So all glory and praise is due a Savior who, the Bible says, “set His face like flint” to go to Jerusalem, even though it meant agony and death (Isaiah 50:6-7).

I hear the words of a song rumbling around in my mind reminding me, “He could have called ten thousand angels.”  The song goes on to say, “to destroy the world and set Him free,” and then the last line says, “but He died alone for you and me.”

I can just picture Heaven and all the angels standing in awe – some with swords drawn, ready to come should God give the word, but God knew that this was the only way mankind could be restored to fellowship with Him, so He permitted it. He even had to look away when the sin of the whole world – past, present and future – was placed on His Son, because God cannot look upon sin. That was the real agony of the cross for Jesus.

How could we not love and serve God and a Savior who were willing to give their all for the likes of us, so undeserving?  Even afterward, He sent us the precious Holy Spirit to indwell us, to live His life through us and guide us into all truth.  Are we listening?  Are we loving with God's love and serving our Savior and others?  OH, what a love He has for us!

LDiz

Gingerbread Oreo Truffle Recipe

What a fabulous time for a truffle post!  How do you plan to show love to others this Valentine's Day?  It may be sharing these yummy truffles or a sweet note of encouragement.  We have a couple of days, Ladies!  Let's get going!  :-)

1 Thessalonians 4:9  "Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other."


At one of my first Sunday School class parties at FBC, almost 10 years ago now, I was introduced to Oreo Truffles.  They've been a family favorite ever since.  The original recipe calls for basic chocolate Oreos with the cream centers.  In December, we discovered Gingerbread Oreos, & I snagged a package before they were gone along with the holidays.  It's been hidden away from the Oreo eaters so I could pull them out & try making gingerbread Oreo truffles for Valentine's Day.


Here's the recipe for you to try.  Next time, I may try Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles!

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies (NOT double-stuffed)
1 8ounce package cream cheese (softened)
chocolate almond bark
(mixed nuts are for leftover almond bark)

 

• Crush the package of Oreos until you have fine crumbs.  I've done this in a plastic bag with a hammer or rolling pin but it's much faster in a food processor.
• Add cream cheese & process in food processor or mix well by hand.
• Form mixture into walnut size balls.
• Lay the balls on a baking sheet & place in the freezer for at least 60 minutes.
• Melt the almond bark according to package directions.  Dip the balls in the almond bark & set to dry on wax paper.
• Let dry at room temperature.  That's it!

These will keep well in the fridge for a few weeks or in the freezer for a few months - if they last that long!  Depending on the how big or small you make your truffles, it should make 4 to 6 dozen.  The chocolate Oreos seem to make more than the gingerbread.

This is the first time I've made these with gingerbread Oreos.  The cookies are more moist than the chocolate, so the filling is much softer.  You have to work a little harder making crumbs & mixing in the cream cheese, & you have to work quickly dipping them because they are softer - just be sure you freeze them well before dipping. After taste tests, we decided the chocolate Oreos are our favorite flavor.

A few tips:

• To dip the truffles use a fork & let the chocolate drizzle back into the bowl then slide off the fork onto the wax paper.

Reheat almond bark as needed.

 

Have some mixed nuts &/or dried fruit on hand when you make these. Toss in the leftover almond bark & spread on wax paper to try dry for a yummy treat & no wasted chocolate.

 

 

Enjoy!

Jenny

Hand of Hope

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

^“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

Thirteen years ago, I learned my 16 year old son Marc's battle with cancer was about to end. The doctors said there was nothing more they could do. As hard as my dear and close friends tried to understand my pain and anguish, they couldn't. They had never lost a child. I needed a friend who understood. Then I was introduced to Pam, a mom who had lost her 16 year old son to cancer the year before. Pam understood and was able to walk with me (through email) during those last agonizingly painful months.  She was a source of support, strength and comfort because she had navigated the path I was on. Her friendship was priceless, and the amazing thing is, she said being there for me proved helpful to her healing too.

God is so good!!!

This is the idea behind Hand of Hope.  All of us have faced challenges in life that leave us wanting someone who understands, that we can talk to. Maybe you have gone through a divorce or had an eating disorder or have lived with drug abuse and or alcoholism. Maybe you had an abortion when you were a teenager or lost a husband or have faced severe health and/or financial challenges.  The list of life's challenges is endless and the ability to comfort others with the comfort God has provided for us is priceless. We invite you to consider offering a “hand of hope” to a hurting woman.  Hand of Hope cards are available on the Heart Life table in the ministry hall.  All information provided will be kept in strict confidence.  Offering a Hand of Hope does not mean you are making a huge time commitment.  We only ask that you agree to meet one time with a hurting woman.  

Come to our Hand of Hope Orientation on Sunday evening, March 3, 6-7 pm to learn how you can offer hope to a hurting woman. Amazingly, God may use this to bring healing and redemption flowing back to you.

Childcare is available upon request.

 

Southwestern Meat & Potato Stew

This year our HeartLife ministry theme is "Living Sent, Loving Others."
'Love one another deeply, from the heart.' I Peter 1:22b

As a mom & a wife, my favorite way to show love to others is cooking. Here's a recipe that is very easy to make & share. I hope it will give you some encouragement to "Live Sent."

I love one dish suppers, & this is a favorite at our house. We eat a lot of soups & stews during the fall & winter months. I like this one because it is so flexible. I rarely follow the recipe but use up leftovers or whatever I have on hand. I found it years ago in a Taste of Home magazine & have made it every winter since.

Here are the ingredients as they're listed in the recipe.

2 pounds ground beef, chuck, turkey OR sausage (your choice)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup water, divided
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes with liquid, cut up
1 bag (16 oz) frozen corn
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup salsa
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, brown meat & onion.
I used ground chuck & ground sausage this time.  I often just use one pound of meat instead of two, or I use leftover taco meat.

Drain

Add 3/4 cup of water & all remaining ingredients except flour.
This time, I used a bag of frozen tomatoes from last year's garden instead of canned & a partial bag of frozen corn. You can see it's a mix of yellow pear tomatoes & red cherry tomatoes. I just use what I have. When I'm not following the recipe, I don't add the water until later.  Sometimes you don't need the water or you may need more, depending on the leftovers you're using. For example, sometimes I use canned corn with the liquid so I don't use the water.

Cover & simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. If you're in a hurry, you really don't have to let it simmer more than about 20-30 minutes. You can use canned potatoes with leftover or precooked meat for a shorter cooking time.

Combine flour & remaining water and then stir into the stew. Cook and stir until boiling & slightly thickened. The flour is optional at this point as well. If you like your stew more like soup, leave it out.

Yield: 6 servings.

I like to serve it with cheese wedges, grapes & crackers, but it's great all by itself.  It's even better the next day.  Don't you love recipes that save you a day of cooking?!?  I usually freeze half of it to pull out on a busy day & send some to work in my husband's lunch - make sure to save some for your own lunch too!

Here are some hospitality tips:

• Make it on Saturday & serve it for Sunday lunch with guests after church. Just pour it in your crock-pot before church & let it simmer on low until you get home. It would be great served with crusty bread!
• Double the recipe & take it to a working mom to give her a day off cooking supper for her family.
• Divide into single serving sizes, add a cornbread muffin & deliver to some single friends, elderly neighbors or a college student studying for finals.
• Invite some girlfriends over for a quick lunch while your family is out during the day.
• Take it to a family going through a hard thing & let them know you care.

Enjoy!
Jenny

Forever Stamps & Forever Stamped

John 3:16, John 5:24, John 6:40

Some time ago, stamps increased to 45 cents. I was not aware of the change, so I mailed several letters (some bills), and then the next day I read of the increase in the paper. I became very frustrated and wondered why our mail lady did not put the mail back into our box for correct postage. She is usually great about this kind of thing. I fussed around and made comments about getting our mail back and having to send it again. I then mentioned it to my son-in-law, and he asked, " Did you use ‘forever’ stamps?”

Then it hit me – Yes, I did!  I only buy "forever" stamps to avoid this kind of thing. I had forgotten!

This episode reminded me of God’s love. Do I sometimes forget salvation is "forever" and that God is always present with me?  "Forever"!

The satisfaction of knowing that I would not have to re-mail all the letters was calming. The fact that I could count on the post office, though, paled when I thought of always being able to count on God. The post office is managed by humans, and they err, but my future is managed by God and He has never lost one of His and He promises never to leave me alone.

He says in John 10: 28-30 that I am saved forever, and no one can snatch me out of His hand.

I can count on God keeping His Word. He promises to be with me no matter what: joy, sadness, difficulty, pain, disease, at times of worship, and at times of sowing and harvesting. He has "Forever" stamped by my name.

 

LDiz

It's Our Choice

As we start this New Year, now's a great time to evaluate -- what choice have you made for your life?  Have you chosen to follow Christ? or do your own thing?

Deut. 30: 11-20

To serve Christ is not a mysterious thing but is plainly taught in the whole Bible – not like some magic formula or demanding service of self-abasement as in so many other religions. To serve Christ is to have a relationship with a God who cares more about us than any could ever imagine and Someone who wants the best for each one of us.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells us of God’s love for us and how He made provision for us to spend eternity with Him. But it is our choice to believe what He has said and promised. This is true, not like so many other things that sound “too good to be true” and really aren’t. From the beginning and from the day of Moses, until now, mankind has been reminded of His love.  But He is also the God of Justice, and the Justice of God demands a sacrifice of perfection. Jesus was the only One who was, has always been and always is perfect and could satisfy that sacrifice for sins. Our works can never be good enough to reach God’s standard. We can freely accept Jesus’s atoning sacrifice for us and spend eternity with Him. It’s our choice.

But after we make this choice, we are not free to choose the consequences of that choice - so in a way our choice determines our choices! As a Christian, after we choose Him, He will take the circumstances of life to make us more like Him. We’re to submit and allow those circumstances to mold us so He can use us to draw people to Him, just as He and others down through the years have drawn people to Him by our transformed lives (Rom 12:1-2).  Then we will be able to say that we will spend eternity with Him (Deuteronomy 30:20).

People often say that they believe the Bible from cover to cover, but many seldom read it and learn to count on the promises.  They really do not know what it says, except for what they have heard others say it says. It is a book that brings us closer to Christ because it is all about Him. It’s His Story.

 

May we all want to know Him more intimately beginning now for this New Year.

LDIZ