Garden of Life

I never cease to be amazed by my itty bitty veggie garden. This schoolhouse of horticulture measures a scant 5' by 20'. This morning's garden walkabout reminded me just how little we are in control. I was raised around gardens, yet gardening knowledge is not something generally obtained through osmosis. It is trial and error lessons. It is reading and planning, pruning and pampering. It is watching our Creator in action as His systems play out before our eyes.

I like to experiment as I learn. I like to try my hand at growing things I've never attempted before. This can be very rewarding or disappointing but always educational. One lesson I have learned was to take my hands off of some things and just leave them to nature and God. I know enough to put a little food on the table every year. I'm learning that I do not know just how much I do not know. So, I watch the Master Gardener and glean what I can.

One lesson I learned was to let things go to seed. This makes room for God's plan when I get my plan out of the way. Things like cilantro and Italian parsley bolt (put on seed heads) early because of our hot weather. I enjoy them while I can, then let them have their way. The flowers of the seed heads attract bees and hummingbirds which help pollinate other plants. Once the plant dries out, not looking healthy with new growth, the little seeds make their way into the soil and wait. Some blow out of the herb garden. My herb garden is in a canoe we found discarded by the side of the road a few years ago. It looked sad when we found it but now it teams with life year after year, season after season. I haven't had to plant cilantro or parsley in years! God's plan for seed time and harvest takes care of all the work. I simply add water and pull weeds. It is common to find cilantro growing in the ground around the canoe. The rabbits love it.

I have butter crunch lettuce thriving in my veggie bed at this very moment. Usually a cooler weather crop, the lettuce I actually planted last fall never produced anything worth harvesting; it failed miserably. After being allowed to go to seed and ignored, I have more lettuce than I planted in the first place!

My best example of accidental gardening was a complete surprise. One year when the kids were still here, I asked grandson Daniel to get some tomatoes from the garden for dinner. He headed out the front door. I reminded him the tomatoes were in the back yard right outside the door. He asked why I didn't want any from the front. I explained, becoming less patient, that dinner was almost ready and I needed the tomatoes right then so please go out back and bring some in. He complied but said, as he exited the back door, that the tomatoes in the front looked really good. I was perplexed. Daniel is a bright child and I didn't understand why we were having that conversation!

When he returned I asked why he thought we had tomatoes in the front. He simply said, "Because we do!" Wanting to clear this up and now extremely curious, I asked him to show me. He took me out to our front deck and pointed over the rail on the steep end. There, below about six feet in what can only be called a wasted excuse of foundation dirt, was a huge tomato plant spilling over the edge of the railroad ties, dropping down the four feet to the ground and running out into what we call yard. It was covered in huge clusters of tomatoes; some brilliant red, others bright green, but tons of tomatoes! They were larger than cherry tomatoes but smaller than a Roma. I was stunned and amazed. I apologized to Daniel for thinking he had lost his mind.

You see, I compost kitchen scraps. That pitiful excuse of a bed is where all that organic stuff is deposited. One day I hope to have real dirt in there and can make it beautiful thanks to those scraps. This includes but is not limited to: veggie peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells, veggie and fruit too gooey for consumption, etc. Apparently, at some point tomato scrapes made their way into that bed; God took over and blessed us with an abundance of healthy, radiant tomatoes!

The moral of this story is that we need to watch and learn from the Master Gardener. We need to learn when to take our hands off of things and trust in God's plan. All our planning and executing can get in the way of the bountiful harvest God wants to pour out into our lives. We have to do our part but the important thing is learning exactly what our part is. In the garden, it's watering and weeding. In life, it's working at the task He gives us. Mostly, it's staying out of His way, trusting enough to give up control and appreciating the harvest. You will be amazed!

Just Like Butter

Every morning I ask God to give me inspiration to write; I submit to whatever He wants me to share. Often I am surprised. They are not my ideas; they come from His inspiration. Today, I made the usual simple request; two words popped loudly into my mind...rendered butter.

RENDERED BUTTER!!??!! WHAT??!!!??

Yep, that was my reaction. I started chuckling because it seems so far from, I don't know..... sane?!! Scripture tells us the Lord uses the foolish the confound the wise. I don't consider myself wise but rendered butter certainly seemed foolish! Where are you taking me, Lord?

Since I was online anyway, I quickly went a-googling. I love cooking and have used rendered butter though for the life of me, I didn't know where God was headed. For those of you that might not know, rendering is the process of separating the parts of butter. Here's what I found on rendering butter:

Clarified butter is pure butterfat. Ghee is clarified butter that has been simmered longer to highly clarify the butterfat. Drawn butter is clarified butter served with boiled or steamed seafood. The purpose of clarifying butter is to allow the chef to cook with butter at a higher temperature than would be possible with whole butter. The milk solids in whole butter scorch easily and lower its smoking point.

Ok, there it is. I've read it several times now. Drawing an analogy in the spiritual realm, God would represent the chef; we would be the butter. The challenges we face certainly can be represented by the heat used in the rendering process. Whole butter, while mighty tasty, isn't very useful in cooking as is. Who among us has not thrown a pat of butter into a hot skillet only to find it immediately turning from brown to black in a blink of the eye while smoking something awful? The heat of the challenges in our lives reveal the measure of our spiritual maturity.

Walking our Christian walk is definitely a process. As we grow in our knowledge of God - His ways, His will - we learn that through prayer we have an open line of communication with Him. As we stand on our faith when the fires of life engulf us, we are being clarified, made more useful to Him as witnesses. If we crash and burn with the first flames of heat, we're not useful at all and our witness is nothing but smoke.

Here's a bit more of what I found in that article online: The process of clarifying butter is as follows - Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Continue to cook over low heat until the butterfat becomes very clear and the milk solids drop to the bottom of the pot. Skim the surface foam as the butter clarifies. Pour or ladle off the butterfat into another container, being careful to leave all the liquid in the pan bottom. Discard the liquid.

Well now! I don't know about you, but I sure don't want to be skimmed off as foam or discarded as useless at the bottom of the pot! Notice: the heat never stops! Sounds like life to me!

Another tidbit you might find insightful: When whole butter is clarified, some of its volume is lost during skimming and decanting. One pound of whole butter yields approximately 12 ounces of clarified butter. What that says to me is that not all that go through the rendering process of God will make it to being clarified and useful. All will be processed, some will be discarded.

I don't know if this makes sense to you or not. Ask God to show you what He wants YOU to get from it. If you get something different, please share. I do not claim to be an authority on anything, especially things of God. He gives each of us what He wants us to learn. I just share what He shows me.

God has given me things that seem to come from left field before but hearing 'rendered butter' today seemed to come from out of the ballpark. Never underestimate the creativeness of the Lord!!

Now We Wait

Did the title of today's writing cause you to wince? I don't know anyone that's always good at waiting. Different people are stressed by waiting over different things. What bothers one may not bug the next person. I, for one, do not get crazy waiting in line at the grocery store. I figure everyone has the same right to be in line as I and do not begrudge them their spot in front of me. They simply finished earlier.

However, there are times where waiting makes me insane. I hate waiting on things to download on the computer. Auggggghhhhh....can't stand that. I hate to wait for someone to reply to an e-mail question. I read my e-mails all the time. I know people that only check them every 4 days or so. WHY??!! What's the point of having modern technology if you don't utilize it??!! Different strokes for different folks.

Even when waiting on the Lord, some things are harder to wait for than others. I am patiently waiting on the Lord for my complete physical healing. That doesn't stress me. However, in other things I prefer answers and action now. Waiting is much harder in these times. God showed me something many years ago. You see, I'm a planner. I like to plan. I plan everything. God laughs at my plans on a regular basis.

We planners like to know what to expect, a timeline we can count on; where and when the road takes a turn. Can you hear God chuckling even as I write this? What He showed me, queen planner that I am, was that until I stepped out in faith on Step A with a foot in the air in anticipation of Step B, He wasn't going to even show me where Step B is!!! Nope, no way am I getting a glimpse of the path before me without that raised foot of obedient anticipation.

Remember the old kid game called Blind Man Bluff where your eyes were covered and you just stepped in the direction of the voices you heard? God is the ultimate voice to follow. He will guide your footsteps far better than any sibling ever dreamed of doing and He won't get a kick out of watching you fall down like a little brother will. The trick is to wait for the instructions and follow His voice. The sooner we understand that God isn't intimidated by our plans or demands, the better we get at waiting on Him. The more we know Him, the more we can trust Him. Then waiting on His timing can be exciting because we know we have something awesome to look forward to.

I love garden design and any good designer will tell you to add pathways that wind around offering something new and interesting for the traveler around every corner. God created the Garden of Eden; the ultimate garden from the Master Gardener. Stroll down the path on which He places you; enjoy the turns and twists. Makes waiting much more interesting and rewarding!

Lesson from the Garden

If you have followed my writing for any length of time you have heard me talk about my love of gardening. I would like to tell you I have lush flower beds and landscaping but I live in the edge of the hill country, so we have more rocks that plants. The garden I refer to is a raised bed my Honey built so I could put fresh veggies on the table. Any landscaping would be native plantings I've tried to arrange to keep mowing at a minimum.

I grew up with both sets of my grandparent gardening and it just feels natural to me. While I have many pairs of garden gloves, I usually end up with my hands in the dirt. I do not fret over manicured nails; I am more concerned about pulling weeds that steal water from my veggies.

I've learned many life lessons in the garden. After all, where better to see nature play out the dance that is life? Seed time and harvest is God's original concept. God is never out of the garden. He created the very first garden so I can only conclude He has an infinity for gardening.

My Honey reaps the benefits of the garden and he helps but it is not his 'thing.' He does not enjoy the same sense of satisfaction I get from my morning garden walks. He tickled me this weekend with a garden confession. He was out doing the morning watering and pulled a healthy looking plant which was making itself at home in the middle of the tomato plants. He pulled it thinking it was a weed which had gotten as big as it was because I could not reach it easily; his intent was good. Then he had a moment of fear thinking he had pulled up a corn plant, thus the confession. He was correct the first time, I could not easily reach the offender.

His moment of panic came from not knowing what he removed because he did not know what had been planted. His relationship with the garden is a casual one. Mine is more intimate. My dirty hands planted the seeds. I know the little plants when they first poke their little heads through the soil. I watch the progress daily. I know which is weed and that which is food because I am intimately involved with the garden. I know what to pull out and what to foster.

Here comes the life lesson......when we have a casual relationship with God we are just as likely to let the weeds of life grow and not recognize that which should be removed from of our life. All that is godly is good but all that is good is not godly.

Without intimacy with God and His Word, we can be fooled and confused; allowing the razzle dazzle of life to lead us into a false sense of knowing what is truly godly good instead of that which appears good.

Again: all that is godly is good but all that is good is not godly. Just being good is not enough. Ponder that for a while.

My Honey pulled a healthy plant from the bed; then because it looked good, thought he may have made a mistake. It did, indeed, look like corn. Sadly, this weed was healthier than a couple of the tomato plants around it. His lack of hands-on intimate time with the garden coupled with lack of knowledge left him uncertain. While this was just a small incident, it is magnified many times over when we are talking about decisions we make for our daily lives. It is paramount when it comes to our eternal lives.

Tightly Wrapped

We live in a world that is all about instant gratification. Can't wait long enough for something to cook on the stove or oven? Microwave it! When heating food in the microwave, we have to use plastic wrap as opposed to foil. There are practical reasons for that, but that's another story.

However, for our hearts, minds & souls, we have the choice of see thru plastic wrap or aluminum foil. The Bible tells us to be transparent before the Lord and one another. Our 'true self ' should be visible to anyone looking. That's a lot easier to say than to do. We are more a foil kind of people. We wrap our true selves up in the vision blocking foil and only let show what we want to show and to whom we want to show it. Ever do this with God? A true waste of time.

This example comes from a time when our grandchildren lived with us. I witnessed my granddaughter making the foil or plastic wrap choice. She had to keep a journal for her counselor (plastic wrap kind of stuff). The counselor and I were the only ones allowed to see it. One night the child wrote some very angry, hate-filled words about her brothers. Her anger came from them not believing her. At that time, it was no secret she had trouble telling the truth; the end result was that it was hard for anyone to believe her. Usually, her anger was more 'vocal' when she's lying and last night was one of those times. To take the focus off of herself, she projected it on to them.

Sound familiar? Do you try to redirect the focus onto something or someone else when you don't want to face your own accountability? It's easy to point a finger at someone else when we feel we're in the hot seat.

The next morning, she got up and erased all the ugly things she said about her brothers in the journal so her counselor wouldn't see them. She basically wrapped that part of herself up in foil in an efforts to present a better image to the counselor. The situation hadn't changed, the end result was still the same but she made very sure she was foil wrapped. What she had not considered was that both the counselor and I knew her well; all the foil in the world wasn't going to change that. Just as God knows us.

We can make a pretty, shiny foil covered package for the world to see but God knows the inner feelings, thoughts and actions regardless of all the foil. She was a child and thought as a child. We, however, are supposed to have put away our childish ways and think as an adult. We, as Christians, are suppose to be maturing in our walk with Christ; becoming less and less the spiritually childish human as we become more Christ centered. We are to be more like Him and less like our old pre-Christian self.

Basically, we are to lose the foil and grab the plastic wrap. So, that's my prayer for us today. I pray that we will all take our comfort from Christ instead of the foil wrap in which we've covered ourselves. I pray that we peel away the foil and ask God to help us be more transparent with Him and one another. I pray that as we step out of the darkness of foil we are able to feel confident and strong; trusting in Jesus to keep us safe, instead of our own abilities.

There's a lot more 'light' when you look through Saran Wrap. As a Christian that 'Light' is Jesus.

"This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine..............."

Mr & Mrs Hindrance

Time and again we are faced with decisions we don't want to make. If you are reading this, you are alive and LIFE will require such from you as well. I've found the agony of resisting the action of making the decision is usually far more traumatic than the actual aftermath. Face it, making some decisions can just flat out cause pain in your life; especially if you are swayed by the thoughts and opinions of others. What WILL "they" think of us we if we go this way or that? This torment, boys and girls, we bring on ourselves. We may think it is the infamous 'They' causing the stress but 'They' only have the power you give them.

It is wise to seek godly counsel from those in your life that are tested and true to listening for the quiet whisper of the Holy Spirit's guidance. It is not wise to share your dilemma with everyone you know. People view situations through the filter of their own experiences. While they may have good intentions, their view is determined by the color of their life filter and rarely is unbiased. Sometimes we think we know what specific others will say, giving power to unspoken words. No wisdom there! When God is not consulted, not sought out, we are placing hindrances in our own path. Seriously, do we really think mere mortals have better insight than God, the Creator of everything?!

Were we to let these opinions, voiced or unvoiced, affect our decision, we would be giving those opinions far more importance than the direction we could and should be getting from God when He is left out of the process.

There have been times when I knew I was hearing direction from God, yet I resisted. It didn't fit in with what I wanted. I have been the biggest hindrance to God's will in my life. I have told God I was too busy and my plate was too full to take on the responsibility it would require from me. A virtual host of excuses are available with little thought whatsoever.

Friends, a new energy and excitement can replace dread, exhaustion and complacency. When outside of God's will we were losing sight of His provision and functioning under fear. With God, it's as if new breath fills us and we have direction with purpose once again. The sad part of this whole situation.....we bring all the negative on ourselves. We became Mr & Mrs Hindrance.

Say, NO MORE!!!! Check to see where you may be allowing hindrances in your life to keep you from all that God has for you. Say NO MORE to those things and get on about business. I assure you, you will see and feel the difference!

The Promise

If you've known me any length of time, you've heard me say I don't know how people that don't have Jesus make it at all. Seriously, Jesus is the only thing that has kept me going when things were bad. I feel so sad that people have the opportunity to have Jesus in their lives, yet choose not to. Not ever hearing about Him is one thing, but to know He's available and still not turn to Him, is 'plumb dumb'.

It amazes me that some will practically drool in anticipation for their next paycheck which will only last as long as it takes to get to the bank and pay a couple of bills. There are those who proudly stash money away in retirement plans so they can take care of themselves when they are old; yet they do not think of the eternity they will spend somewhere. Their 'promise' of security is the paycheck and retirement check, both of which they take credit for having. I'm not saying planning ahead is a bad thing. I'm not saying having money put back is a bad thing. What I am saying is that all the comfort or promise some people ever have comes from those sources.

In our country, you don't have to look very hard to find a church...or a bank; they are everywhere. We are blessed to be able to have so many from which to choose. Still, there are people that choose not to make Jesus a part of their lives. Their faith is in financial planning. Enron, Madoff, bailouts; these words should be a wake-up call to those with that mindset. Many unfortunate people are jobless and bankrupt with nothing to fall back on. They worked all their lives for the promise of that money and "poof" it was gone.

Jesus will never be a puff of smoke that will blow away in a poof. That's a promise you can hold on to. When the Enrons of the world tumble and fall around us like the wall of Jericho, we will still have our Rock on which to stand where others will be stumbling on the rubble. My prayer for each of us today is that we MAKE the opportunity to tell someone about our security, our promise, our Jesus. Ask the Lord to place someone in front of you today that needs to know there is a real promise they can trust; to give you a divine appointment for you to share.

He is faithful. How faithful are we to follow the Great Commission and tell every nation, tongue and creature of the Good News of our Promise? Your mission field may be your work place, your neighborhood, your children, your extended family & friends. The Great Commission did not say to do this only if it feels comfortable to you or if you have extra time or if it's not going out of your way. YOU reap the benefit of the Promise because someone somewhere shared with you about Jesus. Pass it on, it's a promise for all generations for all times. How blessed are we??!!

Magic Mirror

I think the large mirror in our master bath is a magic mirror. A magic mirror that has a cracked sense of humor, that is! You see, when I have finished my daily grooming, the reflection in the mirror looks decent enough. Bad hair days notwithstanding, I can clean up and be presentable. A least that is what the magic mirror would lead me to believe!

However, once out in the world when it is far too late to do anything about it, I often catch my reflection in a store front glass and am appalled by what I see. What made me think I looked decent enough to go out in public? Same with pictures! I have gone to events that I wanted to make a concerted effort NOT to embarrass a loved one by my appearance. In fact, I admit, I have had the rare occasion when I actually thought I looked pretty stinking good, felt good about the whole appearance thing.

Let’s take the baby shower for my Daughter-in-Love as an example. That was a day I felt I would do my son proud by looking, if not the unattainable chic, at least like someone he wouldn’t run in the opposite direction not to be seen beside! THEN, I saw the pictures! Oh my!! My daughter even prefaced the pictures with the warning that none of us in our family looked good. That was not exactly true…kind, but not true. Daughter and both Daughter-in-Loves looked lovely! Then there was the blob that was me! EKK!!

My hair that looked so good in the misleading mirror had lost all resemblance to the coiffure I thought I was sporting as I left home. Stinking mirror got me again! What happened? How can there be such a vast difference between what the mirror shows me and what others actually see, as evidenced by the pictures? I’ve pondered this at length. I’ve considered that, perhaps, my self-esteem is soooooo good that I see the image of me that once walked the earth; a much younger, slimmer, more trendy me. I’ve also come to terms with the concept of self-delusion. Maybe I just think I look okay, ignoring the facts and reality. Maybe the dim lights (a result of unscrewing most the bulbs) create an atmosphere where lying to oneself is possible. Maybe it actually is a magical mirror! I don’t know if it is a mean magic mirror that laughs at me behind my back or if it is incredibly kind, only allowing a reflection I can live with at the time.

Regardless, I think it is time to remove the mirror. It covers most of the room. Who needs that? I’m thinking a small square mirror. A round one would only make my round face look even more round. Square it is! Small, for sure, about 8 inches by 8 inches. That will eliminate having to focus on my curves in places there really shouldn’t be curves. Yes, a small square mirror will be just the thing!

Maybe that will end that leering, maniacal laugh that echoes off the walls……

Fathers

It is almost Father's Day. I hope all you fathers out there are duly appreciated and feel loved. My father has been gone for 31 years but the memories are still fresh in my mind and heart. Fathers are important and not just the biological ones. There are spiritual fathers, those that help train us up spiritually, lifting us emotionally, hold us accountable and are willing to incur our wrath by telling us what we need to hear when we need to hear it.

Have you ever noticed that Father's Day is THE lowest attendance Sunday the whole year long. Look around at the sparse congregation if YOU are there this year; it isn't hard to believe. The most influential person in a child's life is the same sex parent. When father's do not step up and take their God ordained place as the spiritual head of the family, families break down. When fathers not only do not insist that their children go to church and do not set the example themselves, the message is loud and clear. When following God is THE priority in the family, the children are having a spiritual foundation planted in them they can build on.

As one who did not come from that background, I have to admit I did not give that to my children when they were young. I did not experience it or even know of it. You can not share what you do not know. They were raised in church after a point and they each know Jesus, but can not say they had a home where Jesus was Lord. I can lead by example now but they are all adults, accountable for their own choices and actions.

Moses was a reluctant spiritual father to millions. Like you and I, he could list all the reasons he was unqualified to lead anyone, much less an entire nation of folks. Like you and I, God chose to use him anyway. Obedience is the key! Excuses for disobedience have not changed much since Moses' experience withthe burning bush. He tried to hide behind the same faith barriers believers use today: poor self-image , ignorance of God, self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy, and fear of failure.

Thankfully, God's response to faith barriers has not changed since Old Testament days. Each time Moses protested that God asked the wrong man-a slow-tongued shepherd of slavery lineage, who murdered a man and became a fugitive-God responded with a firm but gentle rebuttal. The theme of His answers is one we all need to understand as Moses finally did-when we are called to serve (and we are ALL called to serve), God does the work through us. The Lord does not seek out the best person for a job. He calls men and women who are willing to surrender themselves to Him.

So, Fathers, you can wait for a burning bush experience if you want to but remember, obedience delayed is disobedience. You are the spiritual leader of your home and family. No one else can fill that position; it is God ordained that YOU fill those shoes. Serving the Lord doesn't mean you have to leave the country, it starts fresh every morning the moment your feet hit the floor.

Rise up, mighty men of God. Let the Lord lead you as you lead your family!

Waiting on the Lord

Points to Ponder

I've always been baffled by, what seemed to me, extreme measures God took when fighting the enemies of Israel. To wipe out entire people groups always made me shudder. Being the literal thinker I am, in my mind I actually see the carnage, blood, feel the terror and hear the screams. Hence the shudders. On the flip side, I can feel the relief and overwhelming gratitude Israel must have experienced standing on the hill looking at the multitude of bodies of their enemies. Who among us has not wished from time to time that any and all that come against us would be defeated before our very eyes without our having to lift a finger? Still, the imagery of such battles bothers my soul.

I feel less stress battling in the spiritual realm because I know my Lord is already the victor! I do know such battles are equally dangerous and debilitating. I have, in the mission field as well as in life, been in places and situations where you could actually feel the oppression of demonic forces. It's equally unsettling and can mess with your head. This is why inexperienced missionaries struggle in the field just as those young in their faith walk. As the spiritual forces become more prominent, people take their eyes off of Jesus. This opens the door for satan to play in their heads. If satan worked to tempt Jesus, be assured he will work to tempt and distract you and me. We are a cake walk, comparatively speaking.

Our strength and comfort comes, as with the people of Israel, from keeping our eyes and minds on the Lord. Circumstances can look very bleak and nothing make sense to you whatsoever. More than ever, in those times should we lift our eyes off of the circumstances and wait for the Lord. This is the time for prayer and praising God, not stepping out in our own pitiful efforts; but waiting, believing and trusting in the Lord to take care of our enemies. Unlike Indiana Jones, we can't pull on an old raggedy leather hat and jacket and think we're ready to take on the world.

Symbolically, he was quite the humble, mild mannered professor in his real world. That's where we should be, humbly walking out our lives, trusting in God, praising His majesty and glory, waiting in faith that our enemies will be laid out in the fields before us by His hand. Persecution always comes. God always is. As for me and my house, we shall wait upon the Lord.

Color My World

I am old enough to remember when color televisions became available for every day people. It was a big deal! Early on, not many people had them so an opportunity to watch one was exciting. My grandpa was a mountain of a man and had stubborn streak just as large. He took a stand against color TV and refused to get one. My Auntie was an innovative woman and lived next door to said mountain man. I remember her telling him how great it was and how he would like it if he would just give it a chance. I don’t know if she remembers this or not but I remember her opening the curtains and telling him life was in color. This made a significant impression on me.

My world is saturated in color. Not being a ‘pastel’ kind of girl, we are talking about COLOR. There are no white walls in my home. A decorator in perpetual motion, things change in my home on an ongoing basis. I receive an online newsletter from Better Homes and Gardens. The latest newsletter had a quiz about finding your color personality. This thought made me laugh. I took the quiz to see how they would define my propensity for color. I was not surprised to find I did not fit into any one classification. In fact, though my home is small, I have drawn from every category they listed; crossing boundaries every where you look.

Without listing the colors in each grouping, their breakdown was:
Natural & Serene, Passionate & Regal, Warm & Vibrant, Classic & Sophisticated
My bedroom is largely Natural & Serene accented with Passionate & Regal AND Warm & Vibrant. My kitchen is 50/50 Warm & Vibrant with Natural & Serene. The office, in mid-transition, is Classic & Sophisticated peppered with Natural & Serene, accented by Passionate & Regal.

The point I’m trying to make is that we cannot be stuffed into a box, defined as a color personality or any other sort. God made us unique individuals. Color does have an emotional pull on people and we gravitate toward those that make us feel good. Sure, you may prefer one set of color grouping over another but that does not define you. We are not locked into one set by definition which, by the way, will change with the coming season. Fads come and go quickly but your fingerprint will remain the same. Be who and what God created you to be without apology to any commercialized industry that tries to dazzle and lure you into a false sense of belonging by running to keep up with trends and fads. If you happen to love pink checks with purple polka dots and your heart skips a beat over them, run with it! I believe God gave us eyes that can see in color so we can appreciate the glory of His colorful creations. Be true to you, not some fad guru.

Life is in living color…..color your world.

Friends

There are many types and variations of friendships with differences in depths and commitment levels. There are friendships that weather many storms and come through intact. There are friendships that are far more fragile and do not withstand the harsh winds of adversity. Some friends are friends because you make the commitment to love them in spite of themselves and them you.

There are casual friendly-ships, like those between neighbors on a first name basis that lend a helping hand or garden tool from time to time, but really know little of one another personally. These are similar to coworker-ships. It is possible to work with someone for years, being cordial enough to look at the occasional vacation picture and listen to one another’s weekend adventures in Little League without ever getting to any level of intimacy at all.

In your school years, you believe friends will last forever. You change ‘Best Friends’ many times in one year of elementary school alone. By middle and high school, you are convinced that your closest friends will be by your side all the days of your life. Their opinions carry the most influence in these years. When cultivating college friends, the high school friendships dim a bit, but never really lose that sense of belonging somewhere in your bank of important relationships.

There is a poem out there about friendships that basically says there are friends for a reason in your life that just go away when the reason no longer exists. Then there are friends for a season of your life. They, too, are there for a purpose to fulfill before moving on. The last type of friend was the ones that are lifetime friends, there for the duration. Each type was to be appreciated and cherished for the role in which they play.

It always seemed pointless to me when a friend faded away. I could not understand why that was necessary in this day of instant communication. To some degree, I still feel that way. I know life evolves and with it, friendships can take on another, unfamiliar form. The crux of the issue, I believe, is that people just do not make the time to maintain relationships and that is exactly what it takes. Friendships require maintenance, as do family relationships. You cannot retain a healthy, robust relationship if you are not willing to invest yourself. If a relationship is one sided, it limps around in circles. You can not walk through life with someone if you’re going in circles alone, watching from a distance. So, then can you call that particular relationship a friendship? Can you even call it a relationship?

Perhaps evaluating what qualifies as a real relationship/friendship for us personally dictates those we can actually call friend and which fall into the friendly-ship category. I once had a friend that divorced me, not literally divorced ME but divorced the relationship; the loss was monumental. We had been best friends for over nine years, sharing pregnancies, secrets, dreams and pretty much any thought that bounced around in our heads. I was devastated and mourned that relationship a long time. She had been married to my brother-in-law and felt the need to terminate all family ties when they did literally divorce. Nothing I said or did broke through the wall she built around herself, no appeal to the memory of all we shared over the years. Silence became the only thing we shared…….I was limping around in a circle with a broken heart.

Years later I called her to let her know my mother had passed away. She was once close to my mother and I knew she would want to know. I had to chase down information to find her. The first words out of her mouth when she got on the phone realizing I was on the other end were, “I’ve grown up a lot since we last spoke.” Not hello. We talked for a long time. We met at a later date for coffee and sharing pictures of the kids. Later still, we had lunch at her new home. It was never the same. We still laughed a lot but the trust that makes up the character of friendship was never recovered. The lack of maintenance rendered us a friendly-ship at best.

I believe there is a direct correlation between the quality of your relationships and the quality of your life. If you are not investing in one, the other suffers. They are mutually dependent. Invest yourself today in a relationship you deem valuable. The dividends are remarkable.

Breakfast in the Treetops

This morning I dined on the front deck. I love it out there early in the mornings; coffee cup in hand. The breeze was delightful; the birds in full motion and a rabbit joined me for breakfast by munching on the Wandering Jew nestled between rocks in one of the few shady areas of our front yard. I didn’t realize rabbits had a fondness for the prolific purple plant. It was a very idyllic and picturesque moment in time. I was enjoying myself immensely; grateful for my ringside perch.

Life in the treetops is full of avian escapades. I was pondering the excessive Mockingbird activity; wondering why they all seemed so agitated and combative this pleasant morning. As I continued to observe their antics, I realized they were not being particularly feisty, they were engaging in the flight of romance. The aerial dancing and accompanying arias were a part of the elaborate ritual of Mockingbird love! The rabbit was not phased but I was enthralled.

I wish I had more knowledge of the variety of birds in our area, able to identify by song alone; we tend to hear more than we actually see. I’d like to have that knowledge but it seems I’m not very vested in seeking said knowledge. However, once back at the computer, thinking it was late in the spring for the mating ritual; I did some research on Mockingbirds. I didn’t know how much I didn’t know. I was incorrect in my assumption, as happens frequently when we assume. As nature would have it, May is the beginning of Mockingbird mating season and so the dance continues…….much to my delight.

The Art of Living

Quote: Cooking is the deepest of the arts of living. It touches us daily more profoundly than any other ritual. ~ Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pepin is an acclaimed chef on television. I love Jacques. My Honey likes him, as well. He’s French and his accent alone makes the food taste good! I shared this quote because I believe what it says. It is a truism in our home. As a chef wannabe, cooking is more than just putting something on the table for me. Yes, there are times that I have done just that but for the most part, I put a lot of thought and study behind meals. I watch several cooking shows. I, the willing student, consider them classrooms. Loving to try new dishes, watching a seasoned chef walk through the process gives me confidence to try.

Food, it seems, means different things to different people. To my husband, it is a Love Language. My Honey is a man that loves to eat! It is more than an occasion to tickle the taste buds while fulfilling a primal need. He is the most appreciative person I’ve ever had the pleasure for which to cook. Believing that presentation is everything, I take care to plan meals that delight the eye as well as the palate. I am rewarded for this effort by his reactions when presented with a plate made especially for him. His eyes literally dilate in anticipation and appreciation. He notices the detail of color; the aromas that greet and delight his nose. He lights up; making all the effort worthwhile. As he eats his meal, he comments on how the different dishes compliment one another. This, in turn, feeds my chef-self and continues to inspire me to delight him. As Jacques stated, he is profoundly touched by my efforts and I am profoundly moved to please him. The look on his face alone would be enough but I am rewarded by the fact he notices my efforts and derives pleasure from them. We have a mutual admiration society over the dinner table.

Cooking is the deepest of the arts of living. It touches us daily more profoundly than any other ritual.

I contend the arts of living have fallen by the wayside in our hectic world today and special effort need to be made to rekindle the grace of days gone by as a means of nurturing our souls; to reinstate them in our day-to-day rituals. To that end, I have made a practice of having tea in the afternoon. I initially began making the point of stopping all activity to sit down and a savor a cup or two of my favorite hot tea before the kids got home from school. It was a time to regroup and re-energize myself before the evening chaos. Regardless of what I am doing, I still stop and have tea at two every afternoon. It is a moment in time dedicated to the endangered art of living, not just existing.

If you do nothing else today (yeah, right), take a few minutes and think about one thing you can do to nurture yourself; one thing that profoundly touches and enhances your art of living. You are worth it. God thinks so, why shouldn’t you?

Getting What You Ask For

This morning, I had to stop and ask God to forgive me before my first cup of coffee. For many years now, the first thought in my head has been, ‘Thank You, Lord, for this new day. Thank You that we are alive and Your mercies are new.’ This morning, however, I jumped straight into thinking about what I wanted to write about today. In my efforts to develop those new writing habits I discussed, I made a huge mistake in trading the good habit of first thanking God for one of jumping into ‘busy’. How often do we mistakenly think the issues weighing on our feeble minds are so very important that we absentmindedly push God to the back burner? Thankfully, the Holy Spirit weighed in with a quick reminder and I was able to repent; getting my priorities in the proper order.

When asking God to reveal things in your life that are unpleasing to Him, asking for HIS help in removing them from your life; you get what you ask. It seems to me the longer you have been doing this; the more quickly the offending behavior is pointed out. While I am grateful for that, I don't always like having the offending behavior highlighted. If it's something I'm about to say, it may not have completely left my mouth before I get that familiar tap on the spiritual shoulder.

I am most grateful when an offending behavior is brought to my attention while still in the thinking stage. I'm grateful because it keeps me from doing it and I'm frustrated because it keeps me from doing it! My flesh is screaming to behave a certain way, make a pointed comment and ...wham....here comes the holy reminder that says I shouldn't.

I say a daily prayer asking God to guide and direct me as I step out in writing as a profession. I ask God to never let me forget that all accomplishments are His. I am humbled by and thankful for the holy tap on the shoulder this morning. Thanks, God, for never giving up on me. Thank You for the real wake-up call this morning.

Empty Nest to the 2nd Power

My husband, John, and I are in a new phase of life. Having spent the past several years raising grandchildren, we are now living as a couple in a much quieter home where the echoes of kids-no-longer here bounce off of walls. I can’t tell you how many days that grew into weeks that became years I had wished for and waited somewhat impatiently for this time to come. Now it has and I’m not so sure I’m crazy about it.

I do like being able to come and go as I wish without timing everything around the school bus schedule. However, I find I still listen for them to pass by. One of the drivers honk each morning to say hello to me, it's bittersweet. Sitting in a cramped auditorium to watch our grandchild do or receive whatever it is he/she was doing or receiving was not always fun but I seem to miss it. It was with great sadness that I checked each child out of his/her school when they moved back with their mom. Waiting in the hall to speak with the Principle when your charge was in trouble can be a humbling experience but waiting to withdraw them, knowing you will have no other reason to ever wait in that hall again is a bit emotional. Who knew? Our four live-in grandchildren left at different times, so this experience was repeated three times. It never got any easier.

Finally having the time to devote to the career I have dreamed about in writing, I have been going through my missives and ramblings to put together a portfolio to show perspective clients. Thanks to the age of computers, they are lined up like soldiers in My Documents. As a frustrated writer, I have accumulated many documents, a lot of which were written for the purpose of educating the kids and creating more harmony in our home through structure. For instance, there is the outline for Making Your Plan. I’m a planner, so making plans comes naturally to me but that is not necessarily so of everyone. So, one year during our in-house summer school, I taught a class on how to organize your thoughts and make a plan for any task before you. In spite of the kids looking at me like I was insane, a regular occurrence, we utilized this plan making outline. It still lives on in My Documents but I doubt the kids even give it an occasional thought. Why does it make me sad to see it standing at attention, all neglected and forgotten by the people it was intended to serve? So many similar well intended albeit a waste of time attempts to touch lives of the little ones stand in line as well.

I’d like to believe we made a difference in their lives, more than just providing a roof, clothing and food. I’d like to know the foundation we believed in and fostered will stick with them. Maybe that’s where part of this uneasy sadness comes from. I don’t know. I just know we are thankful they are able to live a normal life with their mom again. This is a good thing. They live two hours away now, too far for attending regular ceremonies in crowded auditoriums. Too far for morning and bedtime hugs and kisses. Life with mom is different than life here. They all seem to be doing well. That should be enough. At least that is what I tell myself when the silence becomes so loud I can’t think.

This is not my first experience with the Empty Nest Syndrome. I did raise and watch my kids leave after all but somehow this time it is a wee bit harder.

Something From Nothing

I’m supposed to be writing anything that comes to my mind this morning. Nothing is coming to mind. So, I will write about nothing.

Nothing can be frustrating. Wanting and waiting for something, anything, but finding only nothing is, indeed, a deterrent to writing. I do not know why there are days that story lines and ideas seem to burst onto the scene in my mind like spring wildflowers and other days that looking around the mental play ground I find absolutely nothing. It is a virtual feast or famine of creativity.

I have not yet fully developed the habit of writing down the tidbits of inspiration as they come to me. Consequently, when floundering in the lean famine times, I do not have the handy well of words and ideas from which to draw. I can remember many times thinking the thought passing through was fodder for future writings but I can’t tell you what they were. I am left with just a memory of recognizing the creative moment in its time of flight through my mind.

Developing new habits is not for the faint of heart. At least it’s not something that comes easily to me. I am such a creature of habit in so many ways, maybe too much so. Perhaps that is why sculpting new a habit is so difficult. I’ve read that we do not change habits only replace them. Sometimes they need to be replaced or remodeled or just made to be more flexible.

For example: At one time in my corporate job phase of life every morning my dressing routine was the same. I had not planned it all out; it was just done the same everyday for so long that the habitual routine was deeply ingrained. One Sunday morning dressing for church I was interrupted by a phone call. After ending the call I was dashing about trying to make up for lost time to get out of the door on schedule. I detest being late to anything. I habitually get up early to give myself ample time to ease into my day and so rushing is not required. It creates a sense of chaos that I find unbalancing. The phone call from a loved one was a delight but now urgency replaced my morning calm; I was rushed.

I did get to church on time to my relief. It was only during the singing I realized that in my rushed departure I had forgotten to put on a certain under garment. My routine had been broken and undies left behind….no pun intended.

Fortunately, this was a fashion time when we wore long skirts so I was in no danger of dishonoring myself but I still recall the moment of realization and feeling my face turn red. Fortunately, I doubt God cares. It was at that moment I realized I was a serious creature of habit and messing with my routines messes with my head.

In my desire to become better in my craft, I will take the time to do some spring cleaning on my habits and routines to determine which help or hinder my quest; working to make the changes necessary. Thankfully, writing is a clothing optional pursuit.

Welcome and Hello!

Welcome to Truth in the Morning! My name is Lynn Bermea and I must write. Yes, I MUST write, it bubbles inside of me and I think I might just explode if I don't have an outlet. I have chosen this blog as an additional outlet. Not wanting to limit the scope of topics, I will cover a wide range of subjects.

What you can count on is the comfort of knowing you will not find lewd or unsavory subject matter on this blog. I am a woman of faith and try to walk the narrow road. My husband and I have been involved in ministry work for many years. Mission work is my heart and calling while my husband, John, is a Children's Pastor. We have six grown children and ten grandchildren at this writing. We live on the edge of the Texas hill country and love it. Wish it were cooler but......

I'm looking forward to sharing and hope you are encouraged and motivated by the articles you find here. Don't be surprised by the frequent God stuff. I write what I'm inspired by and God stuff is not far from my mind at any time. I hosted a daily email devotional for many years and learned a long time ago that God can use personal experiences to teach and reach others. Any and all references to my personal reflections are not to say, "look at me!" It is simply an opportunity to use what I have learned, sometimes the hard way, to help others.

Till next time, be a blessing!

Lynn