"Family" moments

From now on you are not strangers and people who are not citizens. You are citizens together with those who belong to God. You belong in God’s family. Ephesians 2: 19 NLV

Tuesday evening, we went to see an Altoona Curve baseball game. We sat on the third base line, down in the first section of seats where we had a great view and a fair chance of capturing a foul ball in the stands.

There weren't too many children at the game because it was the first day of school, but in our immediate section, there were a group of four boys with their dads / granddads and another family with a boy and girl.Naturally, each time a ball was hit in our direction, they all scrambled to see if they could get the foul ball.

By the 7th inning, the boys had 2 balls. The little girl in front of us was growing more upset because she didn't have one yet. Then it happened. A foul ball was hit on the field just below where we were sitting. The 3rd base coach trotted over to retrieve it and the kids all gathered at the rail, hoping he'd chuck it to them. The boys kept pushing the little girl aside as they jostled for the best position.
The coach must have had a mischievous streak because he tossed the ball over all their heads into the stands behind us. A woman sitting three seats down from me was able to get the ball before the boys descended on it like vultures.

She grinned and promptly handed the ball to the girl in front of us as the boys expressed their displeasure. All the adults around us hooted with delight and applauded the woman's actions.
"If I'd have gotten the ball, I was going to do the same thing," another fan said.
It was a "family" moment as the people in our small section of the stands were united together, caring about one young member.

We are so privileged to be part of God's family, not tied together for a moment by a single incident at a ball game, but joined together for eternity by the bond we share in Christ!

Father, help me to share that bond with others so they may know the eternal joy of being part of your family as well! Amen.

Lessons from a little dog

Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.” Galatians 3:28 CEV

When my daughter moved from her house into an apartment, she wasn’t able to keep her little chihuahua because the dog barked too much – so we inherited Egggo.

Since we already had an older rescued Brittany Spaniel named Danny, we hoped Egggo would get along with him. The two of them were OK together when my daughter came for visits, but an extended stay might be another thing.

Egggo seemed to get along with Danny fairly well at first. They mostly kept their distance, but over the next few days, it was fun to watch the two geriatric dogs, each with very different, very distinct personalities. Whenever Danny had to go out, Egggo followed. She did her business in the same spot and had to eat at the same times. She even took over his blankets and would have taken his bed too, except that she had to be crated at night to avoid accidents.

Just when it seemed they might start curling up together, Egggo found a pig’s ear to chew on. It was her toy and she loved it so much she was willing to destroy any shreds of friendship she had built with easy-going old Danny Boy. Whenever he so much as looked in her direction, she growled and snarled. If he walked too close to her, she worried that he would steal her chewy toy and lunged at him with teeth bared.

For as little as she is, she rules the roost. There’s no equality in her mind - she’s the queen of this household and she shows it!

But thankfully for Danny, we try to treat both dogs equally. Though she might try to boss him about, he is still on equal footing with his humans, getting lots of cuddling, love and attention – just as we give to her. Because he has specific physical needs, we do some things differently for Danny Boy, but we do care equally for each one.

God treats us the same way. It doesn’t matter to him what our nationality, religion, income status or sex is – we are all equal in his sight. Knowing our individual personalities, talents and skills, he may relate to each of us differently in order to bring out the best in each of us, but we are still equal in his sight. To put it as one Christian psychologist once did, “Wherever the Gospel goes, Jesus raises the status of the slave the poor and women. ” He offers the same salvation to all. And to all who accept that salvation, he offers the same opportunity to grow to their fullest potential in him.

Thank you Father, for caring about me! Amen.

Tomatoes and more tomatoes

Be glad you can do the things you should be doing. Do all things without arguing and talking about how you wish you did not have to do them. In that way, you can prove yourselves to be without blame. You are God’s children and no one can talk against you, even in a sin-loving and sin-sick world. You are to shine as lights among the sinful people of this world. Philippians 2:14-15 NLV

Last weekend, I bought a half bushel of Roma tomatoes to make and can spaghetti sauce. I haven't canned sauce for a while so I had forgotten what a big job it is. About halfway through the process of blanching and skinning the tomatoes, I realized I was grumbling to myself about all the extra work I had taken on. I didn't have to buy those extra tomatoes or make sauce - after all, I still had lots of tomatoes in my garden which would ripen over time. I could freeze them and make sauce later when it was cold outside.

The more I complained to myself, the harder the job seemed to become. My back started to hurt between my shoulder blades and I felt really tired. But then I decided to put on some praise and worship music so I didn't have to listen to myself complain.

As the music seeped into my soul, the job became easier and the tight muscles in my back relaxed a bit. No - not because the job had become easier, but because I had a change of attitude. I remembered why I wanted to make all that sauce; how good it would be to have a taste of summer in the dead of winter and to have some to share with my children who had families and jobs that prevented them from canning.

After I got all the tomatoes in my big roaster to cook, I remembered I needed to run some errands. On the way home, I ended up at a roadside farm stand where I bought another half bushel of Roma tomatoes to make more sauce.

No, I'm not a glutton for punishment. I know the amount of work that lies ahead. But because I can already see, smell and taste the goodness, I'm motivated for the work ahead. This time I'll start the process with praise and make the big job a lot easier!

Lord, help me to do everything without arguing and complaining. Thank you that a spoonful of praise makes everything easier! Amen.

In Pieces...Part 2

“Each one of us has one body, and that body has many parts. These parts don’t all do the same thing. In the same way, we are many people, but in Christ we are all one body. We are the parts of that body, and each part belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 ERV

I'm a crafter, not a mechanic. But, I do find it interesting to see how things work. As I took apart my die-cutting machine last week to replace some damaged parts, I began to see how each gear and bearing fit together to create the machine.

The machine is made up of a steel frame to which heavy rollers are added. The top and bottom rollers are turned by two gears that fit together on one side. A smaller gear at the top fits on a crankshaft which is attached to a handle so that when I turn the handle, the two gears turn the rollers. The works are encased in a plastic and metal covering which has a flat platform and a housing for the rollers/ cranking mechanisms.

By sandwiching a piece of paper between two texture plates and sliding it on the platform between the two pressure rollers, I end up with a fancy, embossed paper that adds texture and interest to my paper crafting projects. If I use a die instead, I will end up with cut pieces which can be glued together to create a design.

The point is that my die-cutting machine is made up of many parts which each have a different job to do. Each part is important - as I found out when a small bearing in the handle mechanism broke and wouldn't turn the rollers. I had to take the machine apart, labeling each part so I could put it back together again after the replacement parts arrive. After all, I don't need to end up with "extra parts" after I reassemble it. LOL!

In Christ, we are all part of one body - one "machine" whose purpose is to glorify Christ and carry out his design plans for this earth. We don't all have the same function - but as we fit together, we do the job he created us for. We all belong to each other - each one with equal importance in the over-all design.

Lord, help me to see and understand my function as part of this wonderful "machine" of yours! Help me to see how I fit with others in the accomplishment of your awesome design plan. Amen.

In Pieces...

“Those who love Your Law have great peace, and nothing will cause them to be hurt in their spirit.” Psalm 119:165 NLV

Yesterday I wanted to make a special thank you card for a friend who recently gave us a wonderful gift. I decided on an idea that matched her personality and assembled my supplies.

As I started working on the card, I decided it needed more texture - a bit of embossing perhaps, for the background of my focal image. So I pulled out my die-cutting machine and a favorite embossing folder. But when I got ready to run the folder through the pressure rollers in the machine, the handle wouldn't turn at all. I'd been having some problems with the handle mechanism for a while, but now it was totally frozen.

Of course, my warranty had recently expired and I didn't have a clue what the problem was. All I could see were dollar signs to replace one of my favorite crafting tools. And I wasn't happy at all!
So I did the unthinkable - I began to take the machine apart to see how it worked. I wasn't sure what I'd find or even if I could fix it, but since I'd probably have to buy a new machine anyway... I decided to risk it to satisfy my curiosity.

Since you can find just about any kind of information on the Internet, I went to my favorite craft forum, Splitcoast Stampers, to see if anyone there had ever had trouble with their die-cutter. Lo and behold, I did find several crafters whose machines had developed problems similar to mine. Following their links, I arrived at one site where the photos showed a dismembered die-cutter as the crafter shared her problem and how her wonderful hubby fixed it.

Like my friend's machine, my problem was a little bearing inside the handle mechanism which rusted and broke, preventing the crankshaft from turning to move the pressure rollers. My hubby confirmed the diagnosis. But because I didn't realize it when the problem started, I had forced the handle, causing the crankshaft to twist as well, making it almost impossible for me to get it out.

To make a long story short, the owner of a local machine shop was able to get the twisted crankshaft out for me. I called the die-cutter manufacturer and was able to get inexpensive replacement parts - so in about a week, my machine will be as good as new!

Often, it's little things in life (like those tiny bearings) that build up to cause us big problems. We try to force our own solutions, without God's help, causing even more problems. But if we keep focused on God and our relationship to him, trusting in the advice from his divine "fix-it" manual, we will function smoothly, no matter how much pressure life puts on us.

Thank you Lord, for your Word that gives us peace and keeps us on track in the mists of life's pressure. Amen

Relish

“But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.” Psalm 42:8 NLT


Yesterday I finished a marathon 2-day canning project – homemade Relish!
My Mother-in-law taught me how to make her recipe many years ago and it is so much better than the commercially made product. It’s a combination of

• 20 pounds of cucumbers
• five pounds each of peppers (red and green), onions, cabbage and green tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. each of mustard and celery seeds
• 3-4 Tbsp of turmeric
• 1-2 cups of sugar (to taste) sugar
• 1 quart each of vinegar and water.

On day one, the veggies are ground up and salted, then left to stand overnight. The next day the excess water is squeezed off the veggies until they are almost dry before cooking them in the fresh water and vinegar-spice mixture.

I have changed things up over the years. For example, I don’t stand over a hot stove and cook the mixture for one and a half hours. After I burned a batch a few years ago, I decided to let my crock pots do the cooking! The crock pots keep the mixture moist and I only have to stir things up occassionally while they cook for 4-5 hours on high. Sure it takes a bit longer, but I’m free to do other chores while the pots do all the work. LOL!

This year’s batch was about 2/3 the size of the recipe, but I ended up with 14 pints. I thought it would be enough to last for 2 years for my husband and I, but when I told my daughter about the relish, she immediately said, “I gotta have me some of that!” Oh well… I guess I can always make more next year.

Relish is a condiment – not something people usually eat by itself, but something they use to help enhance the flavor of other foods. I love the thought that God can make me into a condiment for his use. He takes all the trials and hurts that I’ve gone through and adds lots of learning experiences, interactions with others and a little heat to make me into a person who will add just the right touch to help to bring out the best in others.

It may be a marathon process, but I suppose God loves the process just as much as he loves seeing the finished product all ready to enjoy – just like I enjoy making and seeing my relish all canned on the counter!

Thank you Lord, for my relish and for preparing me to spice up the lives of others. Amen!

It's a good day to pray

How often have you neglected to pray because you were having a good day?

Our good days are truly a blessing from God - but they are also an opportunity to pray for others who may not be having such good days. I belong to an online group of prayer warriors who are also writers. Each week there are prayer requests in our in-box as one or another of the group members goes through a difficulty.

But the neat thing is that not all of us have prayer requests at the same time. It kind of cycles around so that there are always a few of us who are feeling spiritually strong who can pray for those members who are having a rough time.

So next time you're having a good day - stop - and begin to pray for those around you who are going through trials.

After all, what comes around goes around. Wouldn't you like to know there are others praying for you when you need it?

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 New Living Translation (NLT)