Just like Dad... Monday moments with God

My Dear Children,
Nothing pleases me more than knowing you are growing up in your spiritual lives to
become more like me. You must be controlled by love, showing love to others just like I have shown it to you.

Though it's hard, you must love those who hate you and hurt you. Allow the things they do to you to bring out the best in your character and your responses. Anyone can love those who do good things for them, but only my children can love like I do - responding in a caring way in the face of evil.

When you love as I do, you can pray for others who hurt you - not just pray that the hurt will stop. You can forgive them, even when the things they do threaten to snuff out your very life, even as I did on the cross.

When you show the same love to others that I have shown you, people will recognize that you are my children - that you belong to me! Nothing makes my heart swell with joy more than that.

Love,
Jesus


Ephesians 5:1-2 GNT, “Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.” 
      
Matt 5:44-47 The Message “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

John 15:9-17 (CEB) As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

Luke 23:34 NIV Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Second chance tomato soup

The recipe for tomato soup was typed on a piece of onion-skin typing paper, in the days before we used personal computers. An older pastor's wife had taken the time to type it out for me when we tried out for the youth pastor position at their church, MANY years ago.

The soup she served us was excellent, but when I tried to make it a few years later, I took a shortcut, pureeing the tomatoes in my blender without slipping the skins first. I loved the flavor of the soup, but I kept getting pieces of tough skin in every jar with each bite of the soup. Ewwwww!

Considering it a failure, I tucked the recipe away in my stash. But I kept it because of the memories of the sweet woman who took time to mentor me - both in canning and as a pastor's wife.

I dug that old recipe out last week and tried it again with the frozen tomato juice from this year's garden. This time, I followed the directions - no skin on the tomatoes. Wow! It tastes phenomenal - better than tin-canned tomato soup. I will definitely not forget about this old recipe again.

It reminded me of an important life lesson: Listen to those who take the time to mentor you!



Thank you Lord for being patient with me, even when I try to do things my own way. Help me to eventually get it right and do it your way!

“Come, let’s sing out loud to the LORD! Let’s raise a joyful shout to the rock of our salvation! Let’s come before him with thanks! Let’s shout songs of joy to him!” Psalm 95:1-2 CEB

Home-canned Tomato Soup

by Sister Barriss from Jeanette, PA
Cook and puree:

• 1 Peck of tomatoes (about 15 pounds)
• Or use 6 quarts of home-canned tomatoes
• Or 6 quarts of home-canned tomato juice (use half the recommended salt and sugar if you used them to can the tomato juice)

Cook well and blend, then add pureed veggies to the tomatoes:

• 2 large ribs of celery
• 2 green peppers
• 6-8 onions (small to med)
• 1 Tbsp parsley flakes

Add to mixture and heat until all are well blended:

• 1/2 pound of butter or margarine
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of salt

Make a paste with 1 cup of flour and some of the tomato juice. Blend well then stir slowly into the tomato soup. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.
Ladel the soup into your jars and process for 20 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure for a pressure canner

Blue Ribbon Babe

“Follow the pattern of true teachings that you heard from me in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. Protect the truth that you were given; protect it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NCV

I'm so proud of my granddaughter - I
 hope you'll forgive me if I brag on her a little today.

At almost 13 years old, Eve is an accomplished seamstress. She enjoys sewing for herself, as well as for her sisters. Eve can even look at things and duplicate them without a pattern. She recently joined 4-H, just in time to enter some things in the local county fair. She won a first place ribbon for an outfit she made for her baby sister as well as a 3rd place ribbon for a skirt she made for herself. Way to go Eve!

I think one of the reasons I feel so proud of Eve and her sewing talents is that I helped to teach her, way back when she was 8 years old. We were visiting her family in Florida and I needed to borrow my daughter's sewing machine to fix an article of clothing. Eve was curious about the machine and wanted to learn how to use it so of course, Grandma had the privilege of introducing her to sewing. After I finished with the machine, I helped her to cut out and sew two aprons - one for herself and one for her sister, Abby. After that, she was hooked!

Once she learned to read, she was able to follow directions on the patterns by herself and now she can make almost anything. When I visited several months ago, we cut out 4 summer sundresses for Eve's new infant sister, Lily, and we spent several hours sewing together to finish them.

It's important to take time with our young people - to teach them skills they'll need to survive in the adult world, and to help them develop their individual talents and abilities. Equally important is to teach them the eternal truths of the Gospel. They need to know how to protect those truths in their hearts, especially today when Christian values and Biblical teachings are being attacked on all sides.

Father, with the help of the holy Spirit, help me to always be ready and willing to teach those around me - not only practical skills, but spiritual lessons as well. Amen!

Why bother to journal? Part 1

How quickly we forget!

As a young person, I never kept a diary – I’m not sure why, because I did enjoy writing. And now I wish I had because there were so many stories I wrote as a teenager and I’ve forgotten them all. There were also so many good things the Lord did for me back then, in spite of the bad things which happened to me as a child. Though I remember many of those good things, there are details I wish I could remember accurately.

But about 18 years ago when a respected counselor insisted I keep a journal as part of my healing process, I decided to try it. Now, looking back, I realize just how much it has meant to me over the years, as a healing tool, a worship tool and a memory aid.

Journaling as a healing tool

There were no “rules” for journaling except that I had to be honest, writing down everything I was thinking and feeling. At first I wrote tentatively, thinking about events rather than the feelings connected with those events.

But over time I noticed that I began to preface my journaling time with prayer that the Lord would unlock the secret places of my heart – those places I tried to hide from myself and especially from Him. I needed to know the roots of my depression, anger and pain so He could heal those damaged festering places of my heart.

Psalm 139 became a favorite of mine. There was no place I could hide from the light and knowledge of God. He taught me how to become vulnerable to Him and that vulnerability brought trust as I realized He handled those hurting places in my heart with care and love.

The writings showed that trend – though each entry started with pain and shame pouring onto the page, it ended with praise and jubilation. He saw the darkest parts of my heart and still cared! He saw my naked heart and still loved me!

Later, during some counseling training through Dr. Richard Dobbins at Emerge Ministries in Akron OH, I learned why this kind of journaling was so effective as a healing tool. .

Dr. Dobbins suggested to pour out our hearts to God – to basically pray until there are no tears left. Then as we felt the emptiness, he suggested to begin to listen to the voice of God and ask Him to help us reinterpret the painful parts of our lives. He called his model, “praying through.”

Journaling was a form of “praying through” the difficulties of life which helped me identify the feelings I hid inside for so long – a way to empty my heart onto paper.

The act of writing down those thoughts and feelings in a journal involved the additional sense of touch. I often found myself speaking the words as I wrote them with tears flowing down my face as I poured out my hurts, shame and fears.

Writing was slower than praying – which meant I had more time to feel what wrote. Since I had learned to bottle up my hurts and fears from an early age, I needed the extra time to really feel what was in my heart.

When my heart was empty, when all the words were out on the paper, there would be a lull – a silent empty time to regroup emotionally. During that time, I was able to listen to the Spirit of God.

Once again, journaling helped. As God spoke slowly and deliberately to my heart, I wrote down the impressions I felt from Him and the alternative ways to view my past. The message was loud and clear – what man meant for evil and to harm me, God had used to mold me into the unique, special person I was, a person with a message of life I could share with others.

As I reread the entries later, the powerful, overwhelming love and intimacy of those moments spent with God struck me. Being humble, empty and quiet before God allowed room for His Spirit to fill my heart with His healing love and by journaling them I had a permanent reminder of those moments to reinforce His truths when the doubts came!

Journaling has truly been a healing tool!

I am Heard!

Today: I am heard

Psalm 69:33 (Amplified Bible)

For the Lord Jehovah Shama (Shaw-Mah') hears the poor and needy and despises not His prisoners (His miserable and wounded ones).

Have you ever been talking to someone and realized they weren't listening to you? Maybe their eyes darted back and forth watching everything else going on in the room. Maybe they were zoning out, planning what they could say next. Whatever they were doing, you knew they hadn't really heard a word you were saying.

Moms tend to do this too with their kids. Johnny will come home from school and be so excited he will burst if he can't chatter a hundred miles per minute about his day. Meanwhile Mom stands at the stove trying to concentrate so she doesn't burn dinner.

Or have you ever noticed how the kids seem to need your undivided attention when you're on the phone? All day long they played just fine in the other room out of your sight, but when the phone rings, they're right there needing your listening ears?

We all need to know that the people we talk to are listening to us. Being heard helps us feel validated, like we are important, not merely afterthoughts or nuisances.

With people, we can tell they are really hearing us by their nonverbal cues like how they stand before us with an open, accepting posture. They will not cross their arms or legs and will lean slightly forward toward us or lean their head toward us. Making direct eye contact is another way to let us know they hear us.

A good listener gives verbal clues too - like repeating back what they heard us say. They will nod and say "yes," "That's right," or "Uh-huh." They will also respond appropriately when we pose a question or pause for a response.

So if we rely so heavily on verbal and visual clues to know we've been heard by a person a we talk to them, how do we know an unseen, formless God hears us?

In Psalm 69:33, the Hebrew name for God - Jehovah Shama - is used. The name means "I Am the One who hears you (listens to you). By His very nature God is a Listener. Knowing He cannot lie, especially when speaking of Himself, we know He listens when we call.

We know He listens because of the scriptural examples He gives us. I'm thinking of the story of Hagar. Twice she encountered the God who sees and hears. She named her son Ishmael which means "God has heard" based on her experience with Him in Genesis 16.

We also know we are heard by our own past experiences with God. At times He answered our prayers instantaneously. Other times, He gave us assurances that the answer was on the way - like a "hug" through a scripture, a friend who knew exactly what we needed or maybe even a physical sensation of being held and comforted in response to a prayer we prayed or a need we expressed.

Still, during my 34 years in ministry, I've heard so many people say, "I feel like my prayers aren't going any higher than the ceiling. God's not listening to me." The problem isn't that God has failed to listen to us. It's that they don't FEEL heard or validated. And because they don't feel Him, He must not be listening. So they pull back from Him and begin to wallow in their feelings of low self worth.

In other words, they begin to listen to the lies that they have believed most of their life. "I must not be good enough for God to answer me." "What have I done wrong to make God hate me?" They begin to turn their eyes inward, rather than upward and miss the little hugs and reassurances God sends along the way.

In counseling with these women, I usually try to encourage them to work at drawing closer to the Lord, rather than worrying about the answers to prayer. As they begin to focus on Him, they can see the little signs all around them that encourage and fortify their hearts.
"God really does listen to me," they say with an incredulous smile as they relate the littlest details where they see His hand at work.

We know we are heard when we turn our eyes on Jesus and look full in His wonderful face. The things of this earth really do grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!

You Want Me To What - Mentoring Part 2

At age 32, I was elected to become a sectional leader in our denomination's girl's program. When I say "elected", I really mean all the candidates stood in a line and I was the only one without sense enough to take a step back!

Being a sectional Missionettes rep meant planning activities and training ops for the girls and leaders in the program across our state and in my local area which included about 20 churches.

Twice a year the reps met together for planning sessions. All of us were pastor's wives and for the first time, masks began coming off as we gabbed late into the night. As I saw their hurts, I began to pray that God would allow me to help. But I didn't know how.

When the opportunity arose to take lay counseling training, I jumped at the chance. Here was a tool I could use to minister to the hurting pastor's wives around me. God must have smiled, eve snickered a little because the deeper I went into the course, the more I began to see my own insecurities and hurts - those things I struggled to keep buried since "pastor's wives shouldn't have difficulties - we need to be strong as an example to those in our congregation."

I wanted to help, but I was the one who needed it! God began a deep healing in my life, forcing me to examine deep-seated hurts which I had covered in order to survive. He began by uncovering them, then cleaning the wounds, repairing elements of trust and finally giving strength to grow up in Him.

During that time I learned the first 3 principles of mentoring.:

1. A mentor is someone who has walked a similar path before you, who's familiar with the rough terrain of that road and understands how to get past those rough places victoriously.

In order to be an effective mentor or help to my fellow pastor's wives, I had to face my own hurts and begin the process of overcoming them. I also learned that I didn't have to be completely "healed" emotionally to help. I only had to be willing to share openly what God was doing inside me to that point.

2. A mentor doesn't have to be through the experience or totally finished with her journey to help.

The most help I received on my healing journey came from the other gals I sat with week by week in my therapy group. We were all at different points in our healing journey. Some weeks I helped them as I shared my victories. Others helped me to get past difficult places as they shared with me.shared their stories with me.

3. A mentor helps by giving of herself. It is the honest sharing of experiences that brings healing and the most help on the journey. Our wise Heavenly Father designed it that way! None of us walk in a vacuum. We need each other, not only to survive, but to conquer for Him.

Not everyone is willing or ready to accept the mentor's hand, but that's another blog!

You Want Me To What?

When I was a young pastor's wife, I felt people expected me to be a leader, but I didn't have a clue how to teach them or "mentor" (guide) them on life's path. Now that I fit into Paul's definition of an "older" woman in Titus 2:3-5 (the KJV uses the term aged, but I refuse to go there!), I feel more comfortable in that role.

About 14 years ago, I returned to college as an adult learner. My Heavenly Father who knew just what I needed, led me to Empire State College - a college level program designed specifically for adult learners who may not be able to sit in a classroom situation due to work schedules or family responsibilities - kind of like College level home schooling!

For each class, I had a different mentor, an expert in that field of study. It wasn't the mentor's job to teach me the things I needed to know. Rather, each one helped me define what I wanted/needed to learn, how I would learn it and how I would evaluate that learning. They suggested textbooks to read and assigned topics for written assignments to evaluate what I gleaned from what I'd read.

I was so interested in the mentoring process itself, my college major became adult learning and mentoring. I learned the hows and whys of mentoring - becoming more of a coach and guide rather than a "teacher." I learned that I don't have all the answers, but I don't need to - rather, I need to be an encourager so others can seek the answers they need and learn for themselves.

Now I have a better understanding of what Paul was instructing the older women to do - not to preach to the younger women on how to live, but to mentor, guide, coach them, helping them to discover for themselves the hows and whys of their lives in Christ. What a neat opportunity!

Tomorrow I'll share some of the principles I learned about mentoring. Come back and visit me here!