Lessons from Caleb

I've been reading in Joshua as part of my daily Bible reading. I was reminded of the steadfastness of Caleb.

Joshua 14:8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. (Caleb speaking)
11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the *Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. *Anakims were giants.

How wonderful to be able to say that you wholly followed the Lord! Caleb and Joshua went with 10 other ment to spy on the land God has said they would conquer. They saw the land through the understanding that God was with them and able to defeat the enemy. The other 10 men saw the land through man's power and said it was impossible.

Caleb also continued to serve the Lord even when Joshua was made leader. He did not have a pity party becuase HE wanted to be in charge. Instead, he continued to serve the Lord. He is 85 in these verses and says that he is still as strong as he was 45 years ago. God blessed his faithfulness with good health and strength. Caleb did not lose his zeal to fight for the Lord, here at 85, he is asking for the mountain that has giants on it.

I'm sure that many of us have difficulties in our lives that seem like mountains, even with giants on them. Maybe a situation that seems impossible with people involved that are even more impossible. We can rest assured like Joshua and Caleb that God is stronger than any situation we face. He can help us to get through the tough times and will bless us for our faithfulness.

The Young and the Old--How do you treat them?

The Little Boy and the Old Man

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that, too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.
--Shel Silverstein

This week at work (I am the Director of Nursing at a home care company, so I deal with situations in all of our 6 offices), we've had situations in two different counties, one with a child and one with elderly people in which, as an agency, we reported our concerns for their safety to the county and were basically told that nothing can be done until something "bad" happens. (As an agency we worked hard and went "above" the call of duty and was able to sort out the situations and find help on our own.) How sad, that as a society we have stooped to such a level that we really care very little about the welfare of children or the elderly. I could launch into a long rant about our government's mixed up priorities, but I'll spare you.

I just want to challenge everyone to look at those around you and don't look the other way when you see someone in need of help. Stop and give an elderly person a hug or just talk to them. They have wisdom far beyond our years. Often they just want someone to acknowledge their existence. Take the time to listen to a child's story or answer their list of questions.

Proverbs 16:31 The hoary (white or gray with age) head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Fleas, Lice and Mosquitoes--Oh My

We have a missionary family in Madagascar who are also running an orphanage. They are currently plagued with fleas, lice and mosquitoes. Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of these critters? Remember that they have no electricity and can't just run to the store to buy the latest and newest delicer!

I can't imagine living with this! They also have a 20 month old. This make me so glad to live in the good old USA! Please pray for them.

Cooking with Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

I don't remember how I discovered Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. I had tried to substitute regular whole wheat flour for white flour and often ended up with heavy, non-palatable food!

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is made out of a different type of wheat that has a lighter texture. White Flour is so refined that your body treats is like sugar, so when you bake things with white flour, your body treats both the sugar AND white flour like sugar. I won't go into the evils of sugar, but will say the less we eat the better for us. :o)

When using Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, you can substitute it one to one for white flour. This has worked for me in cookies, homemade roll out dumplings, biscuits, muffins, and even pie crust. I generally add 1-2 tbsp. of freshly ground flaxseed (I use my coffee bean grinder to grind it) also to my baked goods. This adds a little moisture and A LOT of nutrients!

You can find Whole Wheat Pastry Flour at Bob's Red Mill. http://www.bobsredmill.com/product.php?productid=3634&cat=0&page=1

I find in our local grocery store and Whole Foods Coop. It is more expensive, but the health benefits are worth it for me.

For more kitchen tips, go to: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/3134

Blessedness

The Beatitudes--Matthew 5:1-12

Today in my Bible reading, I read Matthew 5. I have a Greek/Hebrew Study Bible and the notes about the beatitudes really touched my heart.

The word "blessed" means "fully satisfied". In other words, we will be fully satisfied as we progress and grow in our Christian life. The beatitudes are a progression of our walk with God.

Blessed are..

vs. 3--"The poor in Spirit"--we realize that we are helpless, not able to do anything for ourselves. We must realize that we are nothing without God and He is our only help and the only way of salvation.

vs.4--"They that mourn"--we must be sorrowful about our sins and the sin around us--no making excuses, treating sin lightly.

vs.5--"The meek"--we must be willing to see ourselves as we really are--sinners saved by God's grace who can do nothing without Him.

vs.6--"They that do hunger and thirst after righteousness"--(can mean "the hungering ones")--we need to realize that we need constant nourishment from God's Word and long to do what is right--It just struck me that I often focus on what food I am going to eat next, but often don't spend as much time feeding my spirit God's Word

vs.7--"The merciful"--we need to care about others; make others' heartaches our own

vs.8--"The pure in heart"--we need to be constantly searching our hearts and confessing our sins to Him, also we need to keep our heats free of evil thoughts

vs.9--"The peacemakers"--we need to have the peaces of God in our lives so that our lives bring peace to those around us.--Even in trials we need to have a peace about us that causes others to see that God is helping us through.

vs. 10-12--"They which are persecuted for righteousness sake..."--we can rejoice when others persecute us, they persecuted many before us and with God on our side, who can stand against us?

As we grow in our Christian walk, we will become more fully satisfied. In each verse, there is also a promise from God. As we do our part, He has promised to do His!

You can learn a lot from the kids...

You know how there are times when the little people in your life can bring you to shame! My kids did that to me last night. It is our month to clean the church and after working all day, I really did not want to go clean. I would have done it, but probably not real cheerfully. The girls ended up having piano lessons. (They are usually on Thursday, but due to the holiday, we had talked about moving them. Their teacher called on Friday morning to ask.) My awesome hubby said he would clean the church if I picked up the kids and took the girls to piano lessons. I thought this was a GREAT deal! But then, on the way to piano lessons, the kids asked when we were going to clean the church. I rather cheerfully said that dad was doing that. All four kids were most disappointed that they did not get to help! I had a chorus of "when will we get to help?", "why can't we clean it tomorrow",etc. I appeased the forces by letting them know that they can help after church on Sunday, so I didn't have full mutiny in my minivan. Needless to say, my kids made me feel really fortunate that they "let" me be their mom. :o)

I also realized that I need to be more cheerful about serving the Lord in even the "little" things. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. Giving of our time and energy is a part of giving to Him.

New Year Resolutions

Happy 2009!

Well, it's a new year and time to reflect on the past year and make some new goals/resolutions. It seems like I set lofty goals each year and then by the second week of January, they are nearly forgotten! I have been thinking about how God does not want us to be failures and wants us to have victory in our lives. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. We need to rely on Him to help us to conquer areas of our lives that we need to work on. I have also been thinking about how (James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.) applies to the goals I have set for this year. If I know that I should read my Bible, eat healthy, etc. and I don't, then it is sin.

This year I am going to stay accountable to my blog readers. On the side of my blog will be a "2009 goals" section and I will post each day how I am doing. I am hoping that by keeping them in the forefront of my mind I will be more likely to work on meeting them.

Here are the goals:

1. Read the Bible through this year.--I will let you know if I am staying on track.

2. Spend time in prayer. (More than 10 minutes)

3. Exercise (20 min. +)five times a week--I will list each week how many times I've exercised.

4. Eat Healthy--I will let you know how many times I have cheated each week.

5. Spend at least 15 minutes a day picking up/cleaning my house.

6. Guard my tongue.

7. Memorize three verses a week. (Will let you know each day if I worked on them)

8. Be better about sending cards/remembering birthdays!!!! (Will let you know if I planned/got the card ready.)