My Divine Assignment: To Encourage Others

A dear friend who has gone to be with the Lord once told me I was her Barnabas which Biblically means "encourager." I never saw myself like that, but as I've grown in my walk with the Lord it seems that is my desire. I hope that what I share here will be an encouragement to you as we trust the Lord - for great is His Faithfulness.

My Divine Assignment: To Encourage Others.
In Christ's Love, Shelley



KEEP His JOY IN TRIALS, TEARS & TRIUMPHS ~~ A WOMAN'S HEART SHOULD BE SO COMPLETELY LOST IN God THAT A MAN MUST SEEK Him TO FIND HER ~~ Our desire to learn God's Word must be greater than our need to breathe ~~











Wednesday, October 24, 2012

My Little Margie

     Some of you will remember this TV program, others won't have a clue.  As I searched for a photo, I read that it ran from 1952-55 so I must have seen reruns of it since I was only 3 in '55.  The premise of the show was 21 year-old Margie Albright, who lived with her widowed father Vernon in a New York City penthouse, an executive for the investment counseling firm Honeywell & Todd, and was perpetually in fear of losing "the big account" because of Margie's meddling.
     I actually have a Marjie in my life - a life long friend.  We were re-connected through Facebook a few years ago.  As I was doing a devotional the other day, it took me back to my growing up years in Columbia City, IN.  We went to school together 12 years, well except for 7th & 8th grade when my family moved to the country.   Marjie & I went to Brownies & Girl Scouts in our early years & hung out at the pool in the summers.  We even double dated throughout our high school years.  Our Mom's bowled together on Thursdays and our Dad's often ate at Dues restaurant together.  Marjie's dad was a lawyer and my dad was a plumber.
       My devotional brought to my mind that I never thought there was a status difference between her family & mine.  We were just normal families living in a home-grown town.  As I look back, I realize the different financial statuses in my classmates, but I never went to one of their homes wishing I had a nicer home or that mine was better than someone else.  Because our High School was made up of the city kids and the township schools our class was over 250 kids.  I don't remember ever thinking "lowly" of others - we were all the same. 
       And that's how it is with God - we are all the same in His eyes.  We have all fallen short of His Righteousness and there is nothing we have in material possessions or can do to make ourselves right with  Him.  It has all been done through God's sacrifice of His Only Son Jesus Christ - our part is to accept the Gift that was freely given.
     For God so LOVED the world, that He GAVE His One & Only Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have life ETERNAL.  John 3:16

     I am grateful that the Lord allowed Marjie & I to reconnect after all these years along with other friends from my "younger years."   As singer/songwriter Michael W. Smith put it, "Friends are friends forever when the LORD's the Lord of them."   Now that's a gift for eternity.

photo from amazon.com
     
     

Saturday, October 13, 2012

How many ?

     That question reminds me of how we did math growing up - if you have 3 apples in a bowl and 5 apples in a box, how many apples do you have ?
     I have been making some Pear/Applesauce these past few days.  I love doing this because it's a Crockpot recipe & way too easy.  My Autumn Harvest Applesauce, also done in the Crockpot, is a big hit as it has cranberries in it.  REAL cranberries (not like those hard, pale things in a bag) from Wisconsin where Kirby, my cousin & his wife Anne live & graciously send them to me.  (These recipes are on my Living Naturally linked above on this page .)
     I was given some pears from my sister-in-law Ann who told me about the Pear/Applesauce recipe.  Hers added vanilla & cinnamon but the one I'm using has Cardamon (Chai spice) in it.  Having never used Cardamon I was a bit shocked to see how expensive it is - $12.48 for a 2.3 oz bottle at Walmart- YIKES - so I checked online. NOT any cheaper but I found some at The Old Thyme Pantry  in smaller amounts although it comes out to $67.00/lb.   The end result is worth it !!!
     Needless to say I've used lots of pears and apples lately - how many?  At least 20# of apples and maybe 10# of pears but I'm not sure just how many that was.  Thank the Lord for whoever invented the Apple peeler/corer/slicer gadget though !!!
     Here's another how many question - How many clothes, CDs, DVDs, cars, toys, trinkets, electronic or digital gadgets do we really need before we wake up & realize that half the world goes to bed every night with empty stomachs and naked bodies?   This question jumped off the page as I am reading the book, No Longer a Slumdog- Bringing Hope to Children in Crisis,  by K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia  I really DIDN'T want to read it because I knew what it was about - the horrible conditions of India for those who are called Dalits.  There are at least 11 million children who have been abandoned, 90% are girls & 3 million of them end up living on the streets.
    It is not my intent to ever judge anyone for what they have or where they are in their walk with the Lord. I simply want to encourage those of us who call ourselves Christ Followers to truly live for Him.  There is a purpose for each of our lives far beyond the comforts we have here in America.  As K.P. says, "God is sad when He sees His people living selfishly, only concerned about "me and mine."  The Lord is looking for those who will share His Heart for those who have no voice, who are held captive and oppressed."
     Whether it's giving to Gospel for Asia, Compassion International or being the Hands & Feet of Christ in our communities, "there is a special blessing for those who share the heart of the Eternal Father for His children."
     Matthew 18:10  Jesus said, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angles in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in Heaven."
No Longer a Slumdog  the book is free and in it is a card for another free one if you pass yours on to someone else. 
Christmas Gift Catalog  give a chick, a bunny, a goat, clean water, sewing machines, blankets, Bibles, radios and more to those in need.  This is one of my favorite ministries and I let the grand-kids help pick out what we will do.

photo: whatscookingamerica.net