Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Worth the Wait

 

Spring is coming! The proof is seen in buds peeking out from seemingly barren limbs, brown landscapes yielding their somber hues to green, and blossoms suddenly bursting alive with all the colors of the Master Painter’s palette. The evidence of renewal is showing clearly and making the case—spring is coming around again.

 

I find it hard to imagine that only a short time ago, the same world looked rather dull and lifeless. Yet in the dark reaches of soil and branch, seeds were preparing for their seasonal debut. In a world filled with desire for instant gratification, we are usually more interested in the finished product than in the preparation. This brings back pleasant memories of my grandmother.

 

Grandma had an orchard that produced about every kind of fruit one could imagine. At harvest time, she would call us each Sunday morning and say, “Come out and get a pie, I have some cooling in the window.”

 

It was so easy just to go and pick up a warm, juicy pie for our dessert. Eventually, as I learned about the process of making those pies, I gained a whole new perspective about them.

 

First, Grandma gathered the fruit from the orchard, peeled and pitted it, if needed, and washed it. Then, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, she would get up, stoke the kitchen stove with wood, mix and roll out the dough, pat it into the pie pans, fill them with a mixture of fruit, sugar, and flour, dot the sweetness with butter, place the top dough over it all, brush each with milk or more butter, and then put the creations in the oven to bake.

 

The precious time she spent in making the pies was the most wonderful ingredient in the gift. Each apple, peach, or raspberry pie (my favorite) was filled with love. When I considered the whole process, the pies became even more delicious in my heart.

 

And it is the same with spring—the preparation is part of the gift. Time is the necessary element in every process of growth; learning to appreciate that makes us savor the end result all the more. Spring is worth the wait.

 

. . .for behold, the winter is past;
    the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
    the time of singing[a] has come ~

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Excerpt from “Seasons in the Garden” – a look at the parallels in our seasons of life and those of nature - www.amzn.com/0996838007

 


 

Monday, February 15, 2021


Two Book Special - Signed copies of both for $29 - includes shipping. Simply email me your request. 

 

Friday, February 12, 2021

 

“Love Letters”

You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from

Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

~ 2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Love letters have changed. Once written by hand on fine stationery, now they come in all kinds of digital forms. But one kind of love letter will never go out of style. It’s the one Paul spoke about in his epistle to the Corinthians. “You yourselves are our letter. . .from Christ. . .written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God.”

All people are “letters” of some kind, conveying “messages” to others, expressed in words and deeds. As Christians we are letters too. What do others “read” from our speech and behavior? Do they see us as “love letters” of Christ or something not befitting the love He gave for all people? When we lay claim to Christ, we are making ourselves “known and read by all,” as His representatives. “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

As God’s “living letters,” He is using us to appeal to those who do not know Him, so they will want to know Him too. He’s also appealing to other believers to see Christ’s love living in us, an encouragement in their journey of faith. If we show the love of Christ through the overflow of the Spirit inked in our hearts, we will be “living love letters” to everyone we meet.

Has someone ever been a “love letter” of Christ to you? How can you show what the Spirit has inked on your heart to someone today?

This is an excerpt from my new book - "My Faithbook Messages--Devotions to Like and Share." Here's the link to it; take a look:

http://www.amzn.com/0996838023