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Vanilla Pudding

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vanilla puddingToday, I had a lot of milk to use.  Our cow makes about 11 gallons/day.  I cannot use it all, but I do want to be creative in using it.  Today I chose to make a triple batch of vanilla pudding.

It occurred to me that supplying food for my family might have a parallel message in it for me to learn.  Here are my observations.   It may be that they will benefit you, too.

I hope these few tidbits quicken helpful thoughts in for mind that will help you live your life to please our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

  Supplying Food                   Parallel Lesson for Life                           

To make pudding:                To live a life pleasing to God:

    1. Get the idea                 1. Pray, ask the Lord for His idea for your life.
    2. Find a recipe                2. Go to the Book, the Holy Bible, for directions.
    3. Read directions            3. Read His Word. (A recipe is a tried & true way to do it).
    4. Note adj., adv.             4.  Adjectives, adverbs describe.  Be attentive, comply to them.
    5. Do things in order        5.  Go step by step.  Out of order will not yield best results.

 

The main ingredient of pudding, milk, is represented on our designed card called “Milk by the Pint”.

photo credit: bochalla Sweet simplicity via photopin (license)

The Heavenly Event

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On August 21, 2017, we witnessed a total solar eclipse. People enthusiastically sought to see the event. Many went out of their way to camp in a total blackout area. News networks made special reporting of the event a priority. Scientist’s gleefully planning their observations, used technology to study the heavenly beings as they maneuvered. One little town in Oregon hosted thousands of travelers awaiting the rare sight.

How much money did our society spend to be witness the activity taking place up in the heavens? Travel time, gasoline, vacation time or time off of work, motel accommodations, food and groceries for the crowds are but a few possible things on which folks spent their money. It is hard to imagine the economics of it all.

Scientists have already predicted another solar eclipse will grace the North American skies in 2024.

Science aside, there will be yet another heavenly event. Ponder this one predicted in the Holy Bible.  “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one anther with these words.”                I Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NKJV) 

Would it not be great if many people would make arrangements to participate in this one? 

I found a song that may lift your spirit today.  Jesus is Coming Again!

photo credit: Skakerman Total Solar Eclipse 2017 via photopin (license)

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The Lord Spoke to Me Today

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Among my tasks on the farm as bookkeeper, cook, homemaker, tractor-driver, artist and musician, I have the opportunity to care for and elderly individual.

I spend time reading the Bible to her, I prepare her meals, I am a companion at times when my other work does not interfere. I do her laundry and keep her room swept and orderly. I get to change linen and help with bathing. I also get to wash and set her hair.

Today, I sought to soften the dry skin on her feet. Now, feet are not the most inviting place to touch anyone, especially if that one is ticklish. But the lotion was a needed luxury, so I set out to get the job done.

As I rubbed these tired feet, the Lord whispered in my ear. It was a Bible verse that you may recall. It goes like this, “In so far as you have done this to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” Here I was warming and soothing a pair of well-worn feet. And He reminded Me that I was doing it unto Him. His Word, the Bible, comforted and encouraged me with my task and He showed me how important tasks like these are.

As it is said in Colossians 3:23, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”  So even a foot rub can be done as unto the Lord and will please him.  Keep up the good deeds!

photo credit: BrownPolyester Day 107 – Luke And Sandy – September, 2008 via photopin (license)

Trespassing

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Ka-BOOM!!  I heard the gun blast outside my window this morning.  As the sun rose and exposed the gray landscape, my husband spied a trespasser.  He surveyed our garden and there it was…a Rabbit!

garden, young plants, Last week we planted our garden.  Several of our crops included plants.  Young tomatoes, cabbages, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli had been neatly placed in rows. 

Following that, we went away for a long weekend and came back to the bad news.  It had not rained enough to make the plants thrive.  Besides that, several young plants, were missing leaves, the work of a ravenous rabbit. 

I spend time watering plants in an attempt to help them recover.  It became obvious that varmints had “bellied on up to the bar” (my garden), so-to-speak, and got a snoot full of greens.  I dusted the surviving vegetables that had been a part of the bunny’s smorgasbord. 

The prime offender, the trespasser, is gone now, but there may be others waiting in the wings to move in on her territory; CORRECTION…my territory. 

The World Book Dictionary defines trespass as, “1. to go on somebody’s property without any right 2. to go beyond the limits of what is right, proper or polite 3.  to do wrong; sin”.

The rabbit did not have a right to my food.  She went beyond the limits of what was right and did wrong.   And she paid for her misdeeds.

The Bible speaks of how man trespasses against God.  Jesus encourages us to pray to the Heavenly Father to forgive us our trespasses.  Have you ever thought of how you may have trespassed against Him?  Have you gone onto his property without any right.  Have you gone beyond the limits of what is right, proper or polite (fitting) in your relationship to Him?  Have you done wrong…sinned?

If you have trespassed in any way, you have sinned.  In fact, the scripture in Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  We are guilty.  There is a penalty to pay.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death”. 

The good news is also in Romans 6:23.  It says, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Jesus is the answer to our sin problem, our trespass-problem.  Come to him for  forgiveness and the eternal life He has  promised.

garden, corn crib,

This little card pictures a new growing garden.  It is available in our store.

To get information on a real garden try this site.

 

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Meditations on “Average”

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In the farm field driving tractor, I have the chance to notice what God has done out in the small piece of earth that He has entrusted to us.

The past few weeks have been highly devoted to baling hay. Sometimes I crimp hay, other times I rake hay. Still other times I drive tractor for the baler.

29478779702_45fee3cd02_nOur fields vary in their sizes and shapes.
One such field we have a trapezium  in shape.  A trapezium is a four-sided shape where none of the sides are parallel.  Hence, one side of the field has a very long row.  The other side has a short row.  The row lengths vary gradually as we process the hay.

As I drove round and round on that field, I pondered the center rows.  They tended to be average in length.

Average is a term that I heard as a youngster.  As a student I learned that average was nice.  If I was average I was similar to others.  If I had average grades, I was just as smart as most other individuals in my class.   Average was a “safe”  place to be.

Yet as I pondered the term in the field, I noticed that the long row was noticeable.  The short row, also was notable.  The average rows were rather hard to distinguish from the other rows since their lengths were so close in appearance.

One tendency for us as individuals is to want to be like the rest of the world or to fit into a crowd, to be like them.  Yet if we do, we cannot be noticed very well, just as the average rows in my field.  As a kid, I stood out.  My freckled face made people notice and call me, “Freckle-face.”  It was not something that endeared me to them, it separated us.  I longed to be like them.  But the difference was noticeable, and I stood out in a group.

For a child this was difficult, but I got over it.  I like my freckles now.  Some might even admire them these days.

The lesson I learned from the field was that the things that make us not-average display God’s creativity.  He makes each of us different.  We don’t have to be like everyone else.  We wear the badge of “Unique” and “Specially-Made”.  Which perspective are you living in . .  . God’s or the world’s?

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SaveSee our store for some “Specially-made” designed cards that may suit you.

photo credit: Untitled ABCD via photopin (license)

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Marriage: Part 1

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wedding, dolls at wedding, wedding teddy bears, bears,Many facets of life exist. Since I have not heard much chatter publicly about the facet of life that resembles mine, I am eager to reveal my side of marriage.

I came from a family of one mom and one dad.  There were 4 of us children and I am the eldest.  Growing up at home was not perfect, but comfortable enough that when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my heart said, “A wife and mom.”

My mom and dad made a commitment to marriage and spent over 60 years loving and caring for each other.  My maternal and paternal grandparents each celebrated their golden anniversaries before death separated them. So you could say I had good examples to follow.

Over the years I matured.  My attitude toward marriage was formed and became established.  I saw it as a Holy Institution set forth by God to bless us and society with godly children.   My conviction as to the permanence of marriage became well-entrenched in my mind.

By the time I had committed my life to living for Jesus Christ, my hopes were to find a godly Christian man who wanted to glorify Christ with his life.  Some folks might think my standards were pretty high, narrow or impossible.  The Holy Bible says that, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

It is my experience that God gave me the “delight of my heart” (Psalm 37:4) with bringing a godly, Christian man into my life.  As it happened, we sought the Lord’s will in our relationship.  Through prayer, godly counsel, and waiting for God’s leadership, we determined that it was indeed God’s plan for us to honor Him with our lives as a married couple.

I did not have to “shop” around for a husband.  I did not have to cheapen myself to be like the world which hailed the “so-called benefits” of immorality.  I did find satisfaction from learning of God’s ways, of His design for my life and of loving and obeying Him.  God did the rest.

Trusting God is easier to do when we get to know Him through His Word, the Holy Bible.  We also benefit from being with other believers who can encourage us as we set our hearts to know Him.  I hope you will make it your heart’s desire to learn about God’s will for your life and to know Him personally.  Search for Him in the Holy Bible.  It will be your spiritual food.

See our sketched reminders in our catalog.  Look for the “Fillmore Free Methodist Church” and “Family Bible”.

For a personal testimony of how God’s Word can affect marriage, check out this website. http://www.gideons.ca/blog/post/how-the-bible-redeemed-my-marriage-this-week

 

He That Hath Ears

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big ears, fennec, ears, dog, dog face, dog profile, husky, Tabby cat, cat face, cat ears, ears, child face, girl,Ears are an important part of the body.  They come in a variety of sizes and shapes.  Hearing is a precious sense.

Have you  ever experienced plugged ears?  I did once.  The onset was gradual.  Each morning I tried to open my ears.  I jiggled and wiggled my ear.  It worked most mornings.  But then, the day came when the unplugging took real effort.  Oh, how I wanted to hear.

I did not hear well due to the build up of cerumen.  A wax plug had come between me and a world full of sound.  It could not be ignored and had to be removed.

I flushed my ears several times with a large syringe of warm water.  Impatience set in, but after flushing several times, at last, wax began to come out.  My opened ears let in oodles of sound that I had temporarily lost.  What a great sensation, stereo sound!  What wonderful relief!  Why didn’t I do this job sooner?

In the Holy Bible, God speaks of a hearing loss that He experiences.  It is not a physical condition, but one that is spiritual.  It is not a wax build-up, but one of sin.  He says in Isaiah 59:2 (NKJV), “But your iniquities have separated you from your God,  And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”  To have God not hear us is indeed grave.

Oh, that we would not ignore the presence of sin.  Should we not be zealous and self-disciplined to remove our sin in order to correct the hearing loss?  Just as the removal of wax reaped a good reward, forsaking our sin will end our separation from God.  When did you last invest time and effort to confess your sin to the Lord and to forsake it?

The Holy Bible has comes down to us from God Himself.  One such example is illustrated in our card selection. This drawing is of the German Bible which our ancestors brought with them when they settled this land.  It is called, “The Family Bible.”

photo credit: 31:365 Wiley via photopin (license)
photo credit: Balto via photopin (license)
photo credit: Inquisitive fennec via photopin (license)
photo credit: She’s a deep pool. via photopin (license)

God’s Voice

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ocean waves, lone bird over waves, Did you ever want to hear the voice of the Lord?  If so, Psalm 29 tells about the voice you are wanting to hear.

“The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;

The God of glory thunders,

The Lord is over many waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful,

The voice of the Lord is majestic.”

Psalm 29:3, 4 (NASB)

ocean waves on the deep, ocean waves, splasing waves, Further this Psalm reveals in verse 10:

“The Lord sat as King at the flood;

Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.”

One thought one might ponder today is:

Why does the Scripture say He sat as King at “the” flood.

Could it be referring to the Great Flood, the world-wide flood of Noah’s day?

It may be that many people who wish to hear God’s voice, have rejected the truth of the Great Flood.  If one rejects the Great Flood, he or she might be deaf to the majestic and powerful voice of God.

In rejecting or ignoring the truth in the Holy Bible, there is much in life that cannot be revealed to us.

Spend time in His Word, listen to His voice.  “Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.” Psalm 29:10b

If the ancient flood is of interest to you, try this website to see the research and evidence that you will not want to miss.  https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/

You may like to view a card in our products list.  It is called “Standing on the Rock”. It pictures a lone tree growing from a rock on a wide and rugged lake shore.

photo credit: Winging It via photopin (license)
photo credit: Waves in ocean via photopin (license)

One Christmas Present Came Early

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small Christmas presentThis winter began in early November. Fields and ditches covered in white made up most of the landscape.  Roads covered with ice and snow punctuated the countryside.  Cloudy skies, frigid temperatures and snowy days continued most of the month.

Now it is December and we have experienced warming temperatures.  The white blanket of snow has turned into a combination of green and brown. Often the skies continued with clouds, dropping drizzly rain and sleet.  Other times, thick fog hung over the land.

These weather conditions do not make good conditions for making my family’s traditional anise cookies for Christmas.  At this late date I almost despaired of making any. With my children returning home for Christmas, it has been my wish to have some available for our holiday.

So, today, imagine my delight when I saw the sun shine.  Granted a few wispy clouds passed by the farm, but the sun has been a constant.  I whipped up a batch of Anise Cookies quickly and set them out to rest on my cookie sheets.  Tomorrow morning they will be popped into the oven.

I think that this high pressure system rolling through our area is a Christmas present that came early.  How kind of the Lord of heaven and earth to send  it my way.  He looks after big things and even the little things in our lives.

If you want to try anise cookies for yourself, look for the right weather conditions and follow this link to the recipe you want to try.  Or check out this link for another recipe that could bring you delight.

photo credit: MIKI Yoshihito (´･ω･) via photopin cc