Encouraging Deep Roots

Matthew 5:6 ~  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. Isaiah 55:1-3 ~ Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. Thanksgiving is coming!  I love the turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes & gravy and of course, the pies.  There is always so much food and of course, we probably all tend to overdo it in the eating department.  Without fail I'll think, "I'm stuffed!"  "I don't need to eat until tomorrow."  And yet, just a few hours later I begin to feel hungry again.  Our bodie...

Why do we give thanks?  Simply because this is part of God's will.  We make everything so complicated in our lives, don't we?  And yet, if we simply did what we should it would certainly make things easier. I Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) ~ "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Reminds me of the saying, "God said it."  "I believe it."  "That settles it!"  It's so simple, and yet we try to make it more. Give thanks.  Period.   It doesn't matter what is happening in your life.  Be thankful no matter what the circumstances.  Give it a try and you may find your attitude will change! This week I'm thankful for blessings #2241- 2250. 2241.  A fun day at a local craft fair. 2242.  Humming Christmas tunes. 2243.  Talking with my mother on the phone. 2244.  A great week of orders. 2245.  Returning visitors at church. 2246.  Meeting new pe...

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV) ~ Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD." Do you ever feel weak? Powerless? Useless? Not good enough? I know I feel that way many times in my life. It also seems like those who are strong, powerful, and perfect always seem to get a...

  I feel like my life is spent putting out fires.  The little fires that if they go unattended can grow into a large forest fire.   There are the "canning fires."   The cabbage I bought last week and turned into sauerkraut was ready to be sealed into canning jars so that's what I spent yesterday morning doing.  I have a half a bushel of apples sitting in the kitchen that need to be dealt with some of today will be spent with that.   As you can see my pantry shelves are kind of a mess! :-)  I really need more space so I can make things neat but I'm making do with what I have.   There are the business fires.   I worked on some candles for an order.  These are pumpkin spice and so yummy smelling! I received an order for 12 bars of rise and shine soap for a Christmas gift, so I made some of that yesterday afternoon too.     Every single inch of space in my kitchen is taken up with so...

November is the month when most people turn their hearts towards giving thanks.  It's a wonderful reminder that we should be grateful for the things we have in our lives instead of always looking to the negative.   I've been counting my list of blessings weekly for the past several years and it truly is a wonderful way to keep my focus where it should be.  I'm trying to be grateful for God's hand on my life.  In the little things and in the big things.  In the good things and the bad.    Thanksgiving isn't just being thankful for the abundance of blessings but being thankful for God's hand on us even in the hard times.  And that is not easy.  But I find the hard times are the very things that cause me to grow more or cling to Jesus tighter or follow where God leads.   Thankfulness should permeate every single aspect of our life.  Not just in November, but all year long.  And that's why I count.   This we...

Psalm 90:12 (NIV) ~   Teach us to number our days,      that we may gain a heart of wisdom.   My days often feel like they are counted out in canning jars.     In loaves of bread.   Or bars of soap. Or a host of other things I do in any given day. But I don't want my life to just be about checking items off a to-do list.  Is that what really matters in this life?   Isn't it about relationship? Shouldn't our life be about counting out our days in kindnesses done and in the amount of moments spent connecting with others. Lord, help me count out my days in the things that matter.  Let me count them in the times I've helped my neighbor.  The minutes spent listening to someone share a burden.  Let me count my days by the times I stop what I'm doing and spend time just being in the moment as my children share something with me or my husband wants to chat. Father, help me numbe...

The smell of dry, dead leaves reached my nostrils as I walked through the woods.  I have to be honest and say I actually love that smell.  I had my camera, fresh air, and peace and quiet.  All that was necessary to clear my head and reflect on different situations in my life. As I shuffled through the leaves, I realized that there were not many things to photograph.   That can be a bit depressing to this woman who loves color. Yet, dying leaves form a function.  They lay rotting on the forest floor and turn to mulch.  They fertilize the soil.  Trees actually reserve their energy for the winter by shedding the dying leaves.  This allows them to save up the energy to produce new greenery in the spring.  And as I ambled along I realized that the trials in our lives are a lot like that. Things feel dead, dying, depressing and discouraging when we are going through a trial.  Yet, those trials cause us to turn to the On...