He Giveth More Grace

Last night after supper Beloved and I spent some time in the back yard, watering and harvesting the garden.  You see that curved Zucchini in the picture?  When I first spied it among the huge leaves, I thought it was 2 different ones, but was surprised to see it was one long vegetable.

The cherry tomatoes looked like balls on a Christmas tree, there were so many of them.  I've been distracted this week and haven't been out to check on our mini 'farm' since last weekend.  It was a delightful surprise to see how much everything had grown.

But what instigated this particular post was the bounty of green beans we've had.  As I've said before, I think I've got them all picked, I start to walk away, and then I see more of them in clusters from an angle I missed just moments before.  

A wonderful song came to mind as I pulled the beans from the bushes, "He Giveth More Grace."  God gives us more grace, more forgiveness, more ability to endure in the hard times, more love, more wisdom, more of everything we need when we belong to Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  

Here is a link to a video piano version of the song.  I am giving you the words, too, if you want to sing along and be blessed, as I was in the garden last night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHNmWPiE3Qw&feature=related

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.


My biggest fan told me over lunch today (as nicely as he could) that the new way I've set up Grammys Place is unsatisfactory.  He is entirely correct.  I will be correcting it so that the most recent chapter is at the top (not the bottom), but right now I don't have the time to fix that.  Many apologies.  As soon as I can remedy that, I will.   -- Grammy

Sunday Scripture

The grass withereth,

the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God

shall stand forever.

Isaiah 40:8

Benefits of Good Seed

 Be not deceived;

God is not mocked:

for whatsoever a man soweth,

that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

We planted zucchini seeds and now the huge leaves are abundant in our garden.  We've also got a wonderful crop of cherry tomatoes. The green peas are done; and we've had several meals with green beans.  Corn won't be showing up in this year's garden because we didn't plant any.  

I think about what I am "sowing" every day.  If I don't remember what I've planted in my life, all I have to do is look around.  Is my marriage peaceful?  Then kind words and loving actions must have been planted. Are dirty dishes stacked in the kitchen?  Either I've been sowing too much busyness or perhaps some laziness.  

Here is a recipe we enjoyed a few days ago with the zucchini and cherry tomatoes:

Zuccchini Saute'

Slice up the zucchini about 1/4 inch thick and then slice in half.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
Slice and dice some onion (red, white, or yellow)
Crush a large clove of garlic

Melt a half-and-half mixture of extra virgin olive oil and a pat of butter (about 1 Tablespoon) in a non-stick skillet over medium to high heat. Add the vegetables, allowing to cook until a bit of a crispy coating starts to form, then turn veggies over and stir around a little, cooking until desired amount of doneness is achieved.  

This is a wonderful side dish that takes just a few minutes to prepare.

Not a Pretty Delivery

The approach of a blessing

The street pavers are busy, busy, busy at work in my neighborhood this week.  This is the stuff little boys love -- and men, too.  I've seen Beloved stand transfixed, watching this process.  For me, I see it as a black, hot, oily, smelly necessity that has to be endured for the sake of a higher purpose.

You can see where I'm going with this.  How many other things do we have to experience that are not pleasant, are ugly, stinky, tiresome, boring, monotonous, and/or downright painful in order to achieve something really wonderful?  

an education

childbirth

raising children

constructing a building

getting a perm

losing weight

repairing an injured bone

leading a business meeting

orthodontia

learning to ride a bicycle

... just to name a few

All of God's blessings do not come to us in pretty packages tied with silk ribbons with sparklers attached.  As a matter of fact, I've never got a blessing looking like that.  Today I'm getting the benefit of a freshly-paved street in front of my house.  When they are all done, it will be smooth,  black, uniform along the edges, with no bumps or dips, and even the little weeds and grass that tend to grow in the cracks are being cooked by the hot asphalt into oblivion.

For today there is a lot of noise and traffic with these huge trucks passing by, stopping in front of the house to idle their engines until their load is needed, and the scent of fresh tar.  We all live in a world kind of like that as we await the Lord coming back for us.  

For the time being, I'll just remember to be content with the assurance that this 'blessing' is necessary to my future contentment.

Cooperation among workers and vehicles

Encouragement

Deuteronomy 20:1

For the last few weeks I've been distracted with what I think is a pulled muscle in my back.  For a couple of days in particular,  I felt pretty bad physically, and with that (at least in my case) came feelings of discouragement, woe-is-me, and irritation.  

It seems that inevitably this kind of scenario arises when I have made commitments to other people, when it would really inconvenience others for me to withdraw.  Admittedly, there are times when we have no choice and we must back away and give our sincere apology.  

But maybe much of the time what we really need to do is to find a quiet place alone where we can read Scripture, pray, and then just think quietly.  When the body is weak, sometimes a restoration of our spirit will lead the rest of our being to revive.  It's amazing how that works.

I was sitting in my chair reading in Deuteronomy when the answer I needed hit me.  Chapter 20, verse 1:  When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do no be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.

While I was not facing a war or even an enemy, I was facing my own obstacles to a peaceful and productive day.  I felt like defeat was almost inevitable.  But this verse reminded me that God is with me.  Because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit (God Himself) actually lives inside my body.  He is, indeed, with me!

I thought about previous experiences when I have felt defeated.  Had I only remembered that the ALL POWER  of God was with me, the outcomes could have been so much different [better].  

I also thought about previous experiences when I did remember God's intimate Presence with me, and how He sustained and aided me through it all.  

Our "enemies" are not always invading military armies -- they can be physical illness, irritating circumstances, personalities that rub us wrong, rowdy children, noisy street pavers, interruptions, and many other things.  But when we remember the Lord is with us, we can proceed knowing He's going before us and that it will be okay, however He allows it to go.

Time spent in solitude with God in Bible reading and prayer is never wasted.  We need this more than food because our physical bodies are wasting away, but our spirit lives on for eternity.  Defeat is inevitable when we neglect to feed that God-shaped vacuum within us.

Comforting Scripture

Photography by Grateful Grammy

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Like a Flower in a Cage

Probably everybody has the need to express themselves.  I think it is a part of our human nature.  Even as I am typing this post, our Creator is expressing Himself with loud thunder and hard rain drops on my study windows.  

Genesis 1:26 says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ..."  With that, I conclude that we are okay with expressing ourselves -- with the caveat that we do it in a decent and orderly manner.  

Recently I read an article on the Internet by a strong-feeling Christian woman about blogging, Internet security, manners, abusive comments on the blogs of others, and many other things along that line.  It was lengthy, scary, convicting, and made me want to shut down, erase much of my self-expression, and cautiously peek out from under a rock.  Yes.  

And in a way, that's just what this highly-impressionable gal did.  Erase.  Delete.  Shut up.  

As the days followed, I sniffled a little, wondered what to do with myself now, and felt just odd about a lot of stuff.  

I read more articles (by other people), talked to some real Internet-savvy people, looked for God's direction in my daily Bible study, sat quietly just listening, and wondered.  Had I done anything deliberately wrong, or was I perhaps just guilty of ignorance?  Would it be alright for me to go back to what I had been doing, but perhaps with a wiser, more educated mind?  

Of course.  

In the process of all that, I gave serious consideration to using a different blogging platform (my current one is Blogspot, as you see in my website address, above).  I even took an Internet class from another platform (which shall go unnamed).  

My conclusions came to the following:

1) whatever we do, it is to be only if we believe God allows it and will bless it

2) have a teachable spirit in all things.  We don't know it all and there is always something new to learn.

3) use good sense.

After reading that harsh article, I felt like a caged flower, free to express myself only within  tight confines.  Unhappily, some followers of Jesus Christ can be really narrow in their opinions, to the point of making one wonder if it's sinful to stick one's head out at all.  

But do we get anything accomplished for good if we never stick our head out, take chances?  I look at the example of our Savior.  He didn't take chances, so to speak, since He is God and He already knows the outcome. But He did stick His neck out to do the unusual and sometimes he even did what was unacceptable to the current culture because He had a higher purpose in mind.  

I may have lost you several paragraphs ago.  I've written all this to say that I'm back with blogging. I missed it terribly in the week or so that I was silent.  Blogging is a method that God uses to not only share the message of the Gospel, but also to encourage one another, to keep on keeping on.  Maybe next year blogging will be dated and not the best method for reaching people.  But for now I support wholesome, wise blog-writing for the same reason I support Christian radio stations.  

There are hurting people out there who want help; they need answers. But they either don't know where to turn or they are too afraid to make themselves vulnerable by speaking up. Radio, TV, blogs, books, and many other forms of communication can reach those hurting people with the message of hope they desperately need.  

My blog-writing is not "in your face" but it does tend to lift spirits and at the least give my readers a reason to smile about something silly -- something to lighten their day.  As my husband has told me many times, with all the garbage out there it is good to know there are "safe places" to read on the Internet.  I promise to be that for you.

So again, I'm back.  I'll see you the next time you stop by.  Tomorrow, perhaps?