Looking for The Lord Himself

 Worth repeating.

A friend of mine expressed her concern recently about how focused many Christians are on the approaching time of great tribulation (also called Jacob’s Trouble, Jer. 30:7). I know what she means. It is disconcerting to hear believers being preoccupied with all the terror and trouble while totally losing focus of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 

It’s also unsettling to hear Americans talk as if the fall of America must signify the beginning of the tribulation and end times. There is no guarantee that this will be so.  America may fall years before the tribulation starts. Or it may fall after our gathering unto Christ has already occurred. We don’t know.

But, having said that, there is one thing I firmly believe and that is that we should be looking for Jesus Christ – not the fall of the U.S., not the tribulation, not the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3), not the end of the American dream, not a great economic crash, not….well, you get the idea. While I think it is good to look forward to the many promised blessings that Christ will bring with Him and cause to happen, at the same time I agree with the following poem that we should be looking for the Lord Himself. It has been said that the gift without the giver is bare, and in this case it is surely true. Without the person of Jesus Christ Himself our hope of the future would be bare.  It is He Himself that is the embodiment of all good – past, present and future! Let us keep our eyes on Him!

The Lord Himself

It is not for a sign we are watching...
For wonders above and below,
The pouring of vials of judgment,
The sounding of trumpets of woe;

It is not for a Day we are looking,
Not even the time yet to be
When the earth shall be filled with God's glory
As the waters cover the sea;

It is not for a King we are longing
To make the world-kingdoms His own;
It is not for a Judge who shall summon
The nations of earth to His throne.

Not for these, though we know they are coming;
For they are but adjuncts of Him,
Before whom all glory is clouded,
Besides whom all splendor grows dim.

We wait for the Lord, our Beloved,
Our Comforter, Master and Friend,
The substance of all that we hope for,
Beginning of faith and its end;

We watch for our Saviour and Bridegroom,
Who loved us and made us His own;
For Him we are looking and longing;
For Jesus, and Jesus alone.

- Annie Johnson Flint

Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1 John 3:2-3  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

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First published here Dec. 2012; edited.

Evening Song - Jesus Paid It All (Schaffer and Beazley version)

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

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The Thousand Word Project - Simple Beauty

 

Pretty Edible - Mixed Berry Muffins

 

To make these colorful (and delicious) muffins simply replace the frozen blueberries in your favorite blueberry muffin recipe with frozen mixed berries. Yum! :-)

In A Small Place - A Poem by Annie Johnson Flint

Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things?...

In a Small Place

Fret not because thy place is small,
Thy service need not be,
For thou canst make it all there is
Of joy and ministry.

The dewdrop, as the boundless sea,
In God's great place has part;
And this is all He asks of thee;
Be faithful where thou art.

In thee His mighty hand can show
The wonders of His grace,
And He can make the humblest room
A high and holy place.

Thy life can know the blessedness
Of resting in His will;
His fullness flows unceasingly
Thy cup of need to fill.

His strength upon thy weakness waits,
His power for thy task.
What more, O child of all His care,
Could any great one ask?

by Annie Johnson Flint

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 

Evening Song - Come, Thou Fount (Warrenton)

Psalm 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. 

Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 

Jeremiah 17:13-14 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. 

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

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Worth Repeating - Breakfast Bars

A recipe "Worth Repeating." This was originally published here in Oct. 2010. I would make them now with the GF flour since I learned I have a gluten intolerance. I would like to try making them again with add-ins that I can eat now. It would look a little different, but I'm sure they would still be good. :-)

I got this recipe for breakfast bars from my friend, Beth. I thought they were so delicious I could hardly stop eating them!

 
She made them with the Gluten Free flour as the recipe calls for. I didn’t have any, so I made them with whole wheat, oats and oat flour. I also used a different mixture of nuts and dried fruit. I have included her (slightly altered) recipe and my version as well. Make them to your own taste and family needs. The choice is up to you. :-)
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Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

1 ¼ cup GF flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey (or agave nectar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup peanuts
¼ cup raisins

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, combine oil, agave and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients into wet. Mix in nuts and raisins. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with oil. Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with oil to help pat the dough down evenly if necessary.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes (or till golden brown). Cool and Serve. Note: They are also good warm (with milk over them if desired), but will be crumbly when served this way.

My version (use same instructions as above):
1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. oat flour
1/4 C. old fashioned oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C. oil (grape seed)
1/4 C. honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 C. sliced almonds
1/2 C. peanuts (salted)
1/4 C. raisins
1/3 C. dried cranberries
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It will look something like this in the pan before you bake it.

These turned out really well, though I got mine just a bit too dark. I loved the nutty looking texture with the bits of red cranberry peaking out.

I ate some of it with milk on it like cereal. It was very good this way too! :-)

From Mom’s Collection: Thoughts On Being Kind

Another item "Worth Repeating" from my Mom's Collection. This one was first published here in May of 2015. I was working on a series on the Attributes of God that year and it is mentioned in this post. 

Ephesians 4:31-32  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

It is really easy in this life to get preoccupied with the troubles and trials, the hurts, the ugliness, the disappointments that we experience from other people. It is easy to resent other people’s faults and accuse them, especially when those faults affect us. I think we all feel it at times if we are honest.

This little poem from my mom’s collection struck me when I read it.

Why Not Be Kind?

So brief a time we have to stay
Along this dear familiar way;
It seems to me we should be kind
To those whose lives touch yours and mine.

The hands that serve us every day
Should we not help them while we may?
They are so kind that none can guess
How soon they’ll cease our lives to bless.

So many faults in life there are
We need not go to seek them far;
But time is short and you and I,
Might let the little faults go by.

-- Author Unknown

This reminds me of Proverbs 19:11, The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Yes, there are surely things in this life that need to be dealt with. There are offences that need to be addressed. But, in all honesty, there are so many things we think we need to straighten out that either don’t need to be touched by us at all, or that need to be approached with more kindness than accusation or judgment. Some may error on the side of letting things pass that should be taken care of, but I suspect that many of us tend toward dissecting other people’s faults that we could let go by.

From my own experience, I know there have been times when I wanted very much to say something to someone about a specific problem – as I saw it. For one reason or another – perhaps a caution from my husband or family member, lack of opportunity, or just deciding to wait – I have sometimes not done so when I thought I “should”, only to find out later that either that person was not ready at that time, was hurting or overwhelmed by life, or that the Lord took care of it without my meddling! Oh, how humbling to realize that my concerns and intentions to “correct” were totally unneeded by my Lord or were thwarted by His sovereign will.

We’re told that it is glory to pass over a transgression. 

I know.  Someone may be thinking that some things shouldn’t be passed over. This is true. But we need to examine scripture to be sure that what we think worth addressing is something God would want us to deal with.  Sometimes, even things that seem very important to us really are not in the economy of God.

But, it is to our glory to pass over some things, to let them go without comment, to cover them in love. 

Proverbs 10:12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Proverbs 17:9  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

How quick we are sometimes to speak and expose! This is something I need to work on myself.

Think how many things Jesus must have passed over while He was living with his disciples those three years of His ministry.  Surely He did not spend all His time with them picking apart everything they said, or they would more than likely have given up and left Him along with all the others who did. He did correct them at times, but there is a great deal we can learn from His kindness, both to those He lived among and to ourselves. We don’t get the correction that we justly deserve. Why can’t we pass some of that kindness forward in the name of Jesus Christ?

Psalms 130:3-4  If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

This, of course, brings us back to our attribute of God for this month – Forgiveness.  And, after all, aren’t kindness and forgiveness unbreakably connected?

Colossians 3:12-13  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Evening Song - The Way that He Loves

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Ephesians 6:23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jude 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

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Pretty Edible - Cauliflower with Cheese

 

This is so easy to make. Simply cook your cauliflower whole. Make sure it will sit flat by checking it on the counter/bench. Trim the stem if necessary. Place in a pan big enough to hold it without crowding it in tightly. Add enough water to come up about half way. Add salt to taste.

After it is cooked, carefully remove it to a bowl where it will look pretty and immediately sprinkle generously with grated cheese. You may also sprinkle it with paprika or black pepper if desired. Serve hot. 

This is obviously a great side dish for a meal, but it could also be a meal for a few by itself with maybe some crackers or chips to accompany it.

L. M. Montgomery - Delightful or Dangerous?

Over the last few years I have done fresh research and rewritten this article. It does not make me happy to have to address this as I have enjoyed L. M. Montgomery's Anne books very much in the past. But, what we like or love should always be subject to the word of God and truth, so no one and nothing is above examination.

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Lucy Maud Montgomery is perhaps best known for her classic Anne of Green Gables series. While these stories have generally been accepted as sweet and decent reading for children (girls in particular) there are some serious questions that arise about this author's life and the things that she presents in her stories.

Many people who were not familiar with the books before, were exposed to the Anne of Green Gables story as it gained renewed popularity in the U.S.A. and Canada through the mini-series on T.V. in the 1980s. More recently Anne with An E on Netflix has gotten its share of attention, partly because of its heavy-handed high-jacking of an old classic to turn it into a propaganda vehicle for political correctness, especially the LGBT agenda. (This was a wide departure from Montgomery's own writings and should not be held against her personally.) The books themselves have also been embraced by the homeschool community in general which generated a lot of interest. Also, in the 1990s Road to Avonlea, a program which aired on the Disney Channel, was loosely based on a number of Montgomery's novels, including Chronicles of Avonlea and The Story Girl books; and Emily of New Moon was aired in Canada and based on her books by the same name.

Having been given my grandmother's set of the Anne books as a girl, I grew up with them and they were among my favorite childhood stories. However, as I grew older and came upon some further knowledge of the author, I realized that there were problems. It does not make me happy to have to address this, but all things must be examined by the scripture, even our favorite sources of "entertainment."

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

It was in the late 1980s that my mom and I began to collect some of the other books by L. M. Montgomery. These were books that my grandma and my mom had never read. Some of the things in them bothered me as I knew that they were very contrary to scripture. Because of this I eventually began to examine and reconsider the Anne books as well, and the Lord brought some disturbing things to my attention.

Continue Reading.

Evening Song - When We See Christ

1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

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Tennessee Memories - Too Cold?

As a rule, man is a fool.

When it's hot, he wants it cool.

When it's cool, he wants it hot.

Never wanting what he's got.

Always wanting what is not.

- Anonymous

Letter Writing Challenge for February

 

A fellow named Eric has started a February challenge based on NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month in November). His idea is to write one letter or note to someone every day in February. It is called InCoWriMo - International Correspondence Writing Month. 

Laura at Harvest Lane Cottage extended the challenge to her readers here: Snail Mail Excitement - Let's Spread Some Joy.

Yes, you read that correctly. The challenge is to write snail mail - a good old fashioned letter on paper...or a notecard or postcard or a greeting card. You get the idea. You can mail them or deliver them by hand. I'm guessing a note sent by carrier pigeon would be acceptable too, even though I don't expect any of us would actually do that. Just covering all the bases here. ;-) 

The point is not to use electronic devices. He stipulates no typewriters, but if someone wanted to write to me on an old fashioned manual typewriter I would find that delightful. :-) I sometimes wish I still had mine...except when I think about how heavy it was. But, I digress.

My love for writing actually was birthed in letter writing, thanks to the example of my mom, so this seemed like an appropriate challenge to share with my readers. If you are interested, give it a go. If 28 letters or notes in one month seems overly ambition to you, make adjustments. You can write short notes. You can do 14 instead. You can write several a day and not write on every single day. I have a lot of letters and notes that I have been meaning to write for awhile, so maybe this will inspire me to actually get some of those done. :-)

I am sure there are a lot of people out there who would be extra delighted to receive a snail mail right now.

If you would like a copy of the graphic above to make your own notecards or postcards, you can find it here.