"To Tell the Truth"

It has gotten to the point where I really don't care to watch any news on television.  There is always someone claiming something another person denies. . .and who are we to believe?  Today, as I was doing my Bible reading for the day, I came across a passage in 2 Chronicles 6 which made me stop and think.  It is part of a prayer made by Solomon, known to be the wisest man who ever lived.

Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does,

since You know his heart

(for you alone know the hearts of men)

2 Chronicles 6:30b

 

So, there you have it.  Unless we have been a direct witness to a case in question, there is no way of determining "truth" simply by basing our assumption on what is being said.  Because behind every person's outward appearance and speech is a heart that only God sees.

 

Where does this leave us?  How and when will truth prevail?  The answer seemed to come as I continued my reading and came across another verse in 2 Chronicles 7:

 

If My people, who are called by My name,

will humble themselves and pray and seek My face

and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven

and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

 

It seems my duty as a Christian comes not in proclaiming I know who is telling the truth.  No, my duty is to humble myself and pray, to seek God, and turn from wickedness.  In order to determine what is wicked in God's sight, I need to continually be reading His Word, which sheds light on every form of evil.  It sure would be nice if all those who are called by God's name would do the same.  The forgiveness is waiting. . .and so is the healing of our land. . .made possible by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the One who is the only WAY, the ultimate TRUTH, and the everlasting LIFE!

Lasting Impressions

The interesting thing about blogging is the fact sometimes you get an idea, but don't have the time to actually get it developed into an entry.  In my world, when this happens, I generally find a scrap of paper or sticky note and jot down what I think would be an appropriate title.  This is supposed to remind me, at a later time, of the full blog message I had in mind.

Factoring in I am now over 60, there are times I come across one of these notes and have no recollection of what it was I was going to write about.  Such was the case when I noticed the words "Lasting Impressions" scribbled on a small piece of paper and left next to my computer.  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with a story to go with the words. . .until tonight.

Our church has had a ministry to kids for as long as I can remember.  When my husband and I were first married, we called it "Children's Church."  This eventually turned into a program known as Missionettes for girls and Royal Rangers for boys, and several years ago we took on the AWANA program for teaching the kids.

Tonight was our "kick-off" event, which brought out around 50 kids ranging in age from about three on through high school.  I did see some adults who seemed to be having a pretty good time, too.  A church from Minot, ND has a ministry where they provide inflatables at these type of events, so we blocked off the street in front of our church and let the kids loose!  There were also fun treats like cotton candy, snow cones, and popcorn, as well as visits from the police, ambulance, and fire trucks.  Needless to say, there were lots of smiling faces!

 

So, what does this all have to do with my note?  As it turned out, when we came home, my husband decided to install a couple of hooks to hang my ironing board in our recently created laundry room.  While he was doing this, I downloaded pictures of the kick-off night from my camera to share on our church's Facebook page.  And there it was. . .the picture which inspired the "Lasting Impressions" note.

You see, I had purchased a new ironing board cover, and prior to throwing the old one I had to take a picture of it.  There was the outline of part of  a daisy seared into the old cover, reminiscent of the days I taught the "Daisies" group in the Missionette program.  The girls in this group were kindergarten aged, and at some point a daisy emblem ended up making a "lasting impression" on my ironing board cover.

My mind went back in time and I thought about the many children I had taught Bible stories to over the years.  Some have grown up and have children of their own.  In fact, one of these "second generation" kids was part of our group tonight!  I found myself wondering if I had left any "lasting impressions" on the hearts of these children.  For sure, the seeds were planted.  Someone will water them, and God will bring forth the growth!  Is it worth the effort?  You bet it is!  Eternally worth it!!

   

A Misleading Advertisement

Last Saturday my husband and I took a Saturday afternoon drive to Minot, North Dakota.  On his agenda was visiting a place called Val's Cyclery where he gets his saw blades sharpened.  I always thought that to be an interesting combination. . .bicycles and saw blades. 

As for me, there were no pressing items on my list, although with "Back to School" specials happening, it would be a good time to stock up on a few supplies to fill the Operation Christmas Child boxes later this fall.  We found a good deal on 24 packs of crayons at WalMart, and were also on the lookout for blunt-tipped scissors.  As we passed through the front of the store we saw a sign indicating bananas were on sale for 59 cents a pound.  Since they are usually 89 cents a pound in Crosby, I just about grabbed some, but then decided against it.

We also found a good deal on the scissors at Staples, but still needed a few more.  On to Target we went.  Headed to the school supplies, we saw another grouping of bananas, only this sign indicated 29 cents.  To me, that was a bargain too good to pass up, and a bunch was added to my cart.

The surprise came at the checkout counter.  It seems the 29 cents was not per pound, but per banana!  At this point, we wondered how good of a deal it would be, but purchased them anyway.  The next morning we decided to weigh the bananas, and figure out their cost by the pound.  Our "sale" was not such a good one after all.  It turned out the cost per pound was actually about 95 cents!  Next time we will be more careful to read the fine print!

As I was pondering the purchase, I had to admit the store had advertised correctly, but in a way which mislead the shopper.  Traditionally, bananas are sold by the pound, so naturally our minds assumed this was the case. 

Later, when my Bible reading brought me to 2 Timothy, I found a section with the heading, "Workman Approved by God".  As Christians it seems we have a job to do. Reading through the verses left me wondering how many times we are a misleading advertisement for the God we serve.  First of all, are we living the way we should, and secondly, are we fulfilling our duty to gently instruct others who have not yet found their way?

The passage warns against quarreling and "godless chatter." Christians are also instructed to correctly handle the word of truth, and not be ashamed of its message.  Turning away from wickedness and fleeing evil desires is countered with pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace.  Finally, we are encouraged to be kind to everyone, and yet be able to teach without showing resentment.

It all seems like a pretty tall order.  But it is what God is asking of us.  In the end of this chapter, God reminds us who we are ultimately up against.  Those who have not found their way to wholeness in Christ are trapped by the devil, and he is holding them captive to do his will. 

"Lord, in the midst of a society where what is wrong is promoted as right, and what is right is said to be wrong, help me to daily seek Your Word, so I will be able to handle it correctly as I work to gently teach those who are being held captive by the enemy.  Help me to avoid quarreling and meaningless chatter, and instead be bold in holding up the truths You have laid out for us.  As a representation of who You are to the world, may I never be a misleading advertisement!  In Jesus Name, AMEN!"

   

Cake Collaborators

Once every three months, our church holds a potluck dinner following the Sunday morning service.  We call it our "anniversary and birthday potluck" since the purpose is to acknowledge those who have celebrated during the previous quarter.  Since every celebration should have a cake, it has become a tradition to have a decorated sheet cake on hand for dessert.

Over the years, my husband's aunt has long been known for her pretty cakes.  Then, several years ago, she suffered a stroke, which affected the left side of her body.  She is a fighter, however, and didn't let anything slow her down.  She found she could still do some of her cake decorating skills, but didn't like actually baking the cakes and applying the base frosting.  That's where I came into the picture. 

It was decided I would be in charge of baking the cakes, and applying the frosting.  Then, the two of us would put our heads together to come up with an idea to "dress it up."  It amazed me how easily she would pipe out the shell edgings, and she had a vast supply of silk flowers and leaves which could be added if we didn't want to make frosting ones.

When my kids were growing up, I dabbled in cake decorating each time a birthday rolled around.  I found it fun a couple times a year, but decided it wasn't something I would want to take on as a side business.  Now I find it fun to collaborate with my "cake sidekick" each time a potluck rolls around.

Tomorrow we were on the schedule to provide a cake, but this time my partner was unavailable to help.  Her sister was in town visiting, and she didn't want to take time out to work on a cake.  So it was, my project for the evening was decorating a cake.

What a blessing to have Pinterest to consult for ideas!  I found one with sunflowers, which I thought would be appropriate for this time of year.  Having to work with what I had on hand, the golden yellow sunflowers turned out more orange than I would have liked, but over all, I was pleased with the results. 

 

 

If you don't have your own church to attend tomorrow, and happen to be in Crosby, North Dakota, stop by the Assembly of God on Main Street and enjoy a piece!

 

 

 

"We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. 

No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. 

This becomes more and more important as you see the Day [when Christ will return] getting closer." 

ERV (Easy to Read Version)

Back to Blogging!

Where, oh where, has the summer gone?  It has obviously escaped us without a single entry in my blog!  Perhaps it is time to get back into the swing of things!  So often throughout the "lazy days of summer" God would bring a thought to mind which said, "It would be good to blog about this!"  Yet, for some reason, it never happened. 

Today might be a good day to start again. . .but first I have to deliver some "Meals on Wheels".  After that, I need to pick up my great nephew (from my side of the family), who will be joining us as we take another nephew (from my husband's side of the family) out for supper.  This nephew has been working with my husband and son this week, and will be heading back to Minnesota tomorrow.

The great nephew will spend the evening at our house until later when his grandparents pick him up.  Meanwhile, the two of us will have a "Game Night".  I'm not sure who likes playing games more, but it always makes for an enjoyable time for both of us!

Perhaps TOMORROW will be a good day to get back to blogging!

The Many Birthdays of Daniel

Over the past two weeks, our youngest grandson, Daniel, has been getting a lot of attention.  It was his 6th birthday on the 26th, but circumstances stretched his birthday out for over a week.  First, he had a pirate themed birthday party with a dozen of his little friends on the Saturday before his birthday.  Grandpa Bert, Uncle Ryan and I, were on hand to help his parents pull it off, although it was more about seeing it unfold.  They do an awesome job making their children's birthday parties extra fun. 

Each year, the birthday child gets to pick a theme, and  mom creates a cake to match.  They go all out with decorations, and devise games to match the theme.  This year, Daniel chose to go with a pirate theme, and the cake was a treasure chest.  Isn't he about the cutest pirate ever?

 



Uncle Ryan even brought his Lego "Ship in a Bottle" to add to the decorations.  Dad and Mom dressed for the occasion, and party guest were given the opportunity to wear a pirate head scarf, if they so desired.  Daniel's siblings and even Uncle Ryan got into "pirate mode."

 

Games included keeping black balloon cannonballs in the air as long as possible, tossing gold coins into a treasure chest, going on a treasure hunt using various creative means of getting around, (plus even having to walk the plank!)  Water balloons were used to "attack" chalk drawn ships, and everyone got a whack at the pirate chest piñata.

 

 

 

 

Lunch included summer sausage and cheese cubes, and red and green grapes poked on pirate swords, as well as crackers and pirate themed cupcakes.  The treasure chest cake would be saved for a party on his actual birthday a week later.

 

It is tradition for the grandparents to attend a supper on the actual birthday, but this year it was not possible for us to attend.  So Daniel not only got a supper with the other grandparents on his birthday, but another "cake only" party when we were able to come a couple of days later.

 

He is one special boy, and we are so thankful he is part of our lives!  Here he is with the last of his presents, which included some "spiffy clothes" from us, and a new scooter from Uncle Ryan. 

 

 




We also got him a water rocket, which he and his brothers had fun breaking in!

 

"Happy Birthday, Daniel!  All done celebrating until next year!"



Mother's Day Blues

It has been one of those "frumpy" kind of days, and I couldn't quite figure out why.  Part of the reason might be the sun isn't wanting to shine today, but as I contemplated the possible reasons, I settled on the fact I once again have come down with a bad case of the "Mother's Day Blues".

About this time of year, everyone starts posting pictures of their mom, along with memories they have shared.  Today on my Facebook page, the memory which popped up was a picture of me with my mom, grandma, and daughter, likely taken on a Mother's Day in years gone by.  Memories are wonderful, but having them with you in person is an extra sweet blessing.

The little girl in the picture grew up, got married, and now is a mom to four wonderful children who call me grandma.  Hopefully we will be able to spend a little bit of time with them on Sunday, although most of the day will be spend in the car on our return from South Dakota where we are celebrating the college graduation of our nephew.

At the age of 68, my mom passed away from a brain aneurysm. I was 35 at the time.  Grandma lived five years longer, and made it to the age of 100, and was blessed with a clear mind until the end.  Lots of years have passed since then, but I still feel their presence with me, especially on days like today.

Come to think of it, I just might whip together a batch of "Della Bars" as my friend, Charlene calls them.  They are a yummy concoction of graham cracker crumbs, miniature marshmallows, and nuts with a butterscotch/peanut butter frosting.  My mom used to send them to us when we spent our first semester of college together at UND in Grand Forks. 

"Thanks for the recipe, Mom!  Give Grandma a hug, and imagine me there with you!  Looking forward to the day you will both welcome me to my eternal home!"