Monthly Archives: October 2018

God: Our Father Who Knows Best -By Karla

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My Favorite TV Shows

I love old television shows. The 70’s and 80’s, with Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, were great, but I even enjoyed the older black and white ones. Father Knows Best was one of my favorites. Betty, Bud, and Kathy were always into some situation that needed solving. For the most part, the mom and the dad worked together to solve the problems. Robert Young played the family’s wonderful dad. He always thought he had an answer to everything. Wise as he was; he was human and made mistakes now and then.

The Best Father

Our heavenly Father is not human. He is not flawed. In fact, the only way that He is limited is when I limit Him!

Real Life Living

More like the TV shows from modern times, real-life happenings seem to sneak up on us, hit us from the side, and even smack us head on. We get passed over for promotions, leaving us to wonder what we did wrong? Friends can treat us so disrespectfully that they sometimes even abandon us. Meanwhile, we are in total confusion.

Our personality weaknesses can cause us such frustrations, even when we strive desperately to overcome. Death in general either comes as a shock, leaving us to pick up the pieces. Other situations can cause us agony, watching a loved-one suffer so badly while our insides are retching. When you add a young-age factor to the equation of death, the grieving process seems unbearable. Business endeavors can rise and fall in a heartbeat. In today’s world, some adults abandon their young like savage animals. Is it easy for us to be in a continuous world of disbelief and in a why state-of-mind.

The Patient Heavenly Father

Two-year-olds are so precious with their little mannerism and immature letter pronunciations. However, their why’s often drive me crazy after a time because I grow tired of trying to explain everything. But don’t we do that with God? Why this, and why that? Day after day after day.

When we are suffering, we often revert to our two-year-old selves. “Lord, I wish you would explain?”, “God, seriously, why?”, “Lord, I don’t understand?” “Why would you let this happen?”, “Enough is enough, Lord.”

Do we really have the audacity to think we could handle our lives better? Hey, God, come over here a minute, and let’s talk about a better way to handle this situation.  

God’s word amazes me! He can even illuminate new revelations that we have studied several times before. Studying the book of Job over the years, I have learned different lessons.

  • The Lord giveth and He taketh away, but as we remain faithful to Him, He restores.
  • Be careful who we seek as our encouragers.

Job faced many of the obstacles; He was left, trying to understand the why. I think he is like many people, including me—explain the why, and I can probably deal with the situation better.

God’s Word Asks Us to Trust Him with Our Why’s

Psalm 34:9 says, “O fear the Lord, you His saints; For those who fear Him there is no want.  

Later in Psalm 103: 11 it is written, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His loving-kindness toward those who fear Him.” Bible scholars share there are about 300 verses that address the need for us to fear God.

In fact, when we study the idea of suffering, without Jesus dying on the cross, aren’t we doomed to an endless anguish? It is by Our Father’s grace that we have any hope of joy in the first place.

As we journey through our life on earth, we would do well to fear God in reverence to His sovereignty. We should remember the idea from my World of Life quiet time book: Life does not help us understand God; Our Father helps us understand life.  

For our Father Knows Best!

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Left-Handed: Slice and Dice -By Karla

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Left-Handed Meat Cutting

When I was eight, Dr. and Mrs. Lee were good friends with mom and dad. One Sunday, Mrs. Lee asked me to go home with her after church. They had a missionary family staying with them and this would give the daughter someone to play with. Mom said yes, but promptly gave me the “Karla, you’d better be on your best behavior” speech.  I remembered to put my napkin in my lap when I sat down at the table. But, I was not prepared for the pork chop that adorned my plate, and I knew I was in trouble! Ugh! Being left-handed.

I had NO idea how to cut meat! In fact, I had little abilities to cut much of anything at that time of life – including paper! Those stinkin’ left-handed elementary scissors with the green rubber molded grippers! My fingers got twisted and stuck in there.

I sat at the table staring at it. Mrs. Lee must have noticed and asked if I liked pork chops. I remembered to say yes ma’am, using the manners I was taught. Then I went back to eating all around it. Finally, she leaned toward me and whispered, “Would you like me to cut your meat for you?”

To say I was grateful was an understatement! As I think back on my meat-eating days at home, I can share with little doubt that I bet Mom cut my meat until I left for college! I think watching me holding any kind knife is always scared the right-handers of my family.

Left-Handed Watermelon Cutting

My cutting stories have accumulated over the years. In my late twenties I was in Oregon for a wedding. When I arrived, most family was in town bustling around for the ceremony that was to occur the next day.  My aunt’s friend, who I had never met, was there preparing food for the rehearsal dinner. Attempting to be the southern lady that was instilled in me, I timidly walked into the kitchen and offered to help, because manners should always trumps shyness. I guess I did NOT think that one through because it NEVER occurred to me that someone would ask me to cut!

Apparently glad that someone had offered, the lady politely turned around with the biggest watermelon I had ever seen. I grew up in Granddaddy’s eight-acre garden where watermelons grew regularly. So, I had seen my share of large melons–This one was BIG!

She smiled and said, “Sure!  Will you cut this into little chunks?”

I went into panic!  But, there was no way I was going to tell her I couldn’t nor that I did not want to. That would have been impolite! So, I commenced as Nana would have said. I had to get towel after towel because there was juice running all down the cabinet into the floor. I butchered that watermelon, and it took me two and a half hours to chunk that bad boy! There is no telling what that lady thought as she was watching me, but I can venture to think it might have been something on these lines: Good grief, you left-handed girl! You’re going to cut your fingers off as you are slaughtering that melon and causing a sticky flood in here!

Left-Handed Wedding Cake Cutting

I’d like to say that is the end of the slicing and dicing stories, but that would be a lie. At Donna’s parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, somehow Donna and I ended up behind the cake!  Just so you know, Donna is a lefty too, and she cuts about as good as I do! We started giggling simply at the thought of slicing and serving the cake. It was as if we were teenagers back at her house. The more we tried to stop our snickering, the worse it got.

Neither one of us could get up the courage to start dividing up the cake into sections. Instead, we kept trying to convince the other one that she could do it better. Then we’d laugh some more. Finally, her daddy came trotting over, smiled, and scolded us for not getting on with the task. “Gals, get to cuttin’, these people done drove a long way for cake.” With that, we straighten up, and the slaying began.

Left-Handed Potato Peeling

A couple of months ago, I was preparing dinner for the ladies’ small group that meets at my house weekly. Peeling potatoes with this handy-dandy, peel-o-matic thing I brought from a kid’s school fundraiser, I hulled a hunk right out of my pointer finger. It did not quit bleeding for three hours! Sadly, I loaded my bloody finger and my embarrassed pride into the car and headed for the ER.

Now, I share all the above to say I wish Mom could have seen me serve the wedding cake last Sunday for my sweet friend’s daughter. I sliced the moist pieces like a pro!

   

Disclaimer:  Okay, well…
  1. I was thankful it was dimly lit in the beautifully decorated room where the cakes were displayed.
  2. I was equally thankful there was a trashcan nearby so I was able to scoot up to the table when no one was looking and rake all the loose chocolate crumbs into it!

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The Red Tide -by Donna

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Last weekend I was asked by Karla to join her ladies’ small group on a trip for the long weekend. Saturday morning the seven of us headed to the beach. We ranged in age from late twenties to early sixties. Some of us rented chairs and others laid on the sand. We cranked up the Eagles Pandora station and enjoyed the sun.

Karla and I coughed occasionally, and while she worried her allergies were starting to act up, I was concerned I was getting the upper respiratory infection I get every fall.  When our bodies had toasted nicely in the sun, we headed down to the water. As we walked in, we found it was difficult to breathe. Jumping into the cool waves, our eyes began to burn immediately as did our noses. The water tasted awful. But despite of the toxic air we had a blast floating and around swimming.

That evening we went to eat at Runaway Island. We sat on the deck eating seafood watching the sun set over the ocean and listening to the live music. After we went back to the condo and played one of my favorite games, “Imagine If…” We laughed until it hurt.

Karla knows I love to research things, so she wasn’t surprised that curiosity got the best of me. Earlier that day we heard someone say something about the Red Tide, but my comment was, “I can’t look it up until we are done at the beach. I am afraid I won’t get in if I do.”

The next morning about 6:30 am I went for a walk on the beach. As I walked and listened to my praise music, I noticed the dead eel and several deceased fish. About 20 minutes into my walk, I began coughing thinking that I might have to go back because I had no water. Thankfully, I was able to continue and enjoy an hour and a half walk.

Day 2

The seven of us spent another day on the beach. As we walked into the water, it was as if you were breathing in hot vapor. We could feel a heavy sensation coat our lungs. Our eyes burned like fire!  We laughed when the young boy ran out of the water, up to his parents, yelling, “I’m going blind.” But we certainly understood his thoughts. Karla had to flush her eyes out with her water bottle the day before. Our noses felt like they were searing on the inside. As we lay on the chair at one point I began laughing to myself. Karla, who was dozing, woke up and said, “What’s are you laughing at?”

“Listen.” As she held her head up and looked around, she heard and saw it. “Oh my gosh! This is crazy! People are coughing everywhere!” People in the water, on chairs, in the sand–coughing until they could catch their breath.

As we headed back to the condo, even people sitting on their balconies were coughing. “This is like something in a Stephen King story….The Red Tide.”

That evening, three of the younger girls went crabbing. They came back talking about how they had to walk with their noses under the neck of their shirts because of the smell that was comparable to sewage! One even moistened a Q-tip and cleaned out her nose, so it would stop burning.

A Phenomenon

On the trip back home, I researched it. The Red Tide is a phenomenon that occurs when a species of algae blooms out of control and puts off toxins. “The toxins get up in the air and if you go down to the beach, you’re breathing it in. It’s a neurotoxin. It’s like a tear gas.” (USA today)

A hurricane was heading toward Panama City beach, I wondered if it would make the Red Tide better by washing it away or make it worse because it would come ashore. I researched that and found out it could go either way. I thought of how life can be like this Red Tide scenario.

Sometimes when we are dealing with a difficult situation, we carry on with life, laugh and have a good time. Yet we are burning on the inside. At some point the burden is more than we can bear and we want to go running and screaming, like the little boy. And then comes the storm. Life seems to fall apart. It may be a storm as devastating as Hurricane Michael, and it tears apart not only us, but those around us. What happens then is up to us.

Like the Red Tide, our reactions can go either way. We can stand, look at the destruction, and continue to let the storms in life bring us down, burning and irritating us. On the other hand, we can let wash away and make a choice to move forward. Yes, life’s storms can cause damage, and there will be repairs that need to be made. But just like the people in the gulf area, they will rebuild, and given a time for healing, they will flourish. Will things ever be the same as before? No. But sometimes we just have to accept change. Let the past wash away, and with God’s help welcome the new.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

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Transformation: Pearls – By Karla

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Recently at school, one of my reading groups and I were previewing a book about oysters. Some were grossed out at the thought of eating a raw one. A few students knew that pearls came from oysters, but all were amazed at how they were formed.

The Very Idea

Like really, what in the world made God think of such an incredible idea. Okay, He is God, so I won’t put too much thought into how He came up with the process, but seriously, I find it very cool. According to pearls.com, pearls usually form when some parasite works itself into the oyster, or other shelled sea creature.  Out of defense, the oyster produces a fluid to coat the invader. For the next six months to seven years, the coating process continues as it forms this valuable beauty.

Life’s Parasites

In everyone’s life, we face little pesty situations. We also face more serious circumstances where we have either allowed irritants into our lives or Satan weasels his way into our lives, acting like a parasite.  When these nasty things enter our bodies, it makes us feel bad, cause us to get sick, or even worse.

Transformation to a Pearl

How cool is it that God allows the parasite in an oyster to transform into such a beautiful gem! Isn’t that the way God wants it for us? He desires for us to bring the “parasites of our lives” to Him in prayer. He wants to protect us when we are vulnerable and need to shut out the harshness of the world around us. Like the physical forming of a pearl, our trials can last for what seems to be a lengthy time span. But we can rest in His arms, knowing He is our defender.

When we turn inward to God and bask in His word and wisdom, He can slowly soften the sting of our hurst and sorrows. As time passes and we continue to allow Him to be our fortress, He makes us stronger. If we persist, remaining in His glow, He will totally transform our parasites into pearls.

Transformation of Pearl after Pearl

We should strive always to stay in a daily walk with God. Thus, each time we encounter life’s leeches we don’t have travel great distances to find our Defender. Trial after trial, we have the opportunity to transform what Satan meant as destruction into pearl after pearl after pearl.

Alone these gems are magnificent, but when strung together into a necklace, it can represent strength, grace, and wealth. When Satan strived to tear you into a million pieces, God rebuilds you with surpassing strength. For when the world tried to make you bitter, God grants us grace for others. As ones around you tried to trapped you in poverty, the King of Kings provides you with wealth.

As you adorn yourself with the strand of pearls that God has tailored specifically for you, He will allow you to be His witness sharing your pearls with others who need His encouragement.

“God intentionally allows you to go through painful experiences to equip you for ministry to others.” -Rick Warren

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