Feeding Time

       
                                                                     

  

          Feeding birds off our patio has been enjoyable for many years now.  We get quite the variety appearing to eat their fill each day.  They have been learning when and where to eat, and I do even believe they tell their feathered friends to come on over.  Here we have an Evening Grosbeak, a Steller's Jay, and a California Quail - all beautiful creations of our Lord who is the Master of design.  It is the idea, though, of learning where to eat that I focus on here.  Spiritually speaking, where do you eat?  Where do you feed?  Who do you listen to?  What do you read?

          Have you noticed that there is today a gigantic amount of books floating around?  Do you wade through the shelves or the website and then quit because there are just too many to pick from?  How do we even pick a book to read with so many choices?  It is a difficult thing to do.  The one thing we can know is that reading our Bible is the best and first book to read and absorb.  But after that, what or who is going to mentor you?  That is really what to think about.  You become like who you spend time with, whether movies, books, media, or people.    My challenge today for you is to ask God what He wants you to be like, to become.  What has He designed you to be?  The decision on what to read follows thinking about what you want to become, and that cuts down a lot of book choices.  And, if your life is like mine, you do not have an overabundance of time to read in the first place.  There again, that cuts down a lot of book choices.  We want to use time wisely and invest it so that we get good returns for our choices.  We want to become that person of character that fulfills God's design for us.  This makes picking books or speakers much easier for us.  We then eat what God wants us to eat and become what He wants us to become.   Where we eat matters.                       K.C.                                                                                                                                                          

       

Logging Together

          Afternoon at the pond logging together - Brenda (missionary friend) and I were walking through the park and came upon this scene.  I thought this was so cute and so reminded me of us as people.  Looks like quite a session of chatting, comparing notes, pushing each other around.  And one of these critters is even at rest!  It is a firm bet that all these on the log do not always see eye to eye.

          Studying Hebrews 10:24 - 25 this week has reminded me of this picture taken in the fall when it was still beautiful and sunny.  "Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."  Definitions of words create visual pictures that go beyond the mere words.  Here's the meaning of the verse using word definitions.    Unless we are together there is no way to provoke, agitate, stir up each other to agape love - love that is not self-seeking, but whose pattern is the Cross of Christ.  That is the kind of love we are to help each other attain, and it cannot be done unless we are in community activity.  This is not a leader led activity but is supposed to be what we do together all the time.  Interesting that when we are together friction happens occasionally with different opinions, focuses, and giftings.  So we as people tend to withdraw or leave, but when we do we are missing the very thing God intends to accomplish!
God means to create a Body of believers with one heart.   He does this with totally different kinds of people that center their lives, activities, and interests on making Jesus King.

          This week have you "considered" how to log together?                                                     K.C.

Glory Shed

               





 

          Our little Ginko tree down the driveway has shed its glory.  It was so vibrant, almost fluorescent.  The leaves are now puddled beneath shining with residual light.   Now the tree is just a little skeleton, waiting for the fresh sap to run through it next spring.

          Reminds me that I am just the frame on which Jesus Christ can bless and rest a bit of His glory.  And that is a freeing thing!  I am to just abide, trust, and stand waiting for the next working of God in my life.  He will take care of the growth and the glory in His time.  The glory He sheds on me is just to bring attention to Himself anyway and remind others of who He is and what He has done for them through the cross. Where we mess up is when we want to retain some of that glory for ourselves.  That makes a lot of work and stress in life.  But to just be available as the frame for Jesus is restful.  Being a follower of Jesus and watching what He does in people's lives is amazing!  His Words are alive and bring life, even to the deadest looking tree.  The branches aren't the life.  It is the life-giving Sap that flows through them.  It is the same with us.  We don't bring life to ourself, it is Jesus' Spirit who brings life.  And oh, is that not freedom!                                                                         K.C.

In the Midst of Storms

                     








                                                                                 

          In the midst of rainstorms today the sun shone brightly, so I quickly ran out to snap this picture of amazing beauty against the dark sky.  The colors of fall are vibrant and striking in themselves but especially so when the sun shines through the clouds.  God's seasonal colors are truly awesome, just coming down from His throne as gifts to us.  "Splendor" is a word that captures the scene for me.  These fluorescent colors against the dark sky pull my heart to lessons the Lord Jesus is trying to teach me about His love for me.  Today just happened to be one of those days He spoke.

          You do know words of love may come in different forms, right?  It did today for me in the form of that flash of sunlight through the storm clouds.  The last 5 years have held some difficult trials for our family, and the Lord has walked with us closely through these years.  Skies looked pretty stormy and dark, yet God was our strength and upheld us.  What I find now though, is that I am almost holding my breath waiting for the next trial.  With all our children grown and married, I don't see them everyday.  So when I do see them I breathe a sigh of relief.  When my husband comes home I breathe a sigh of relief.  That flash of sunlight today spoke;  you are walking by sight.  Seeing my loved ones brought rest.  That's not faith.  Oh, Lord, I repent, I hear what You are saying!  The sight of brilliant light exposed the colors of the trees, and it also exposed my heart.

          Jesus' lovingkindness worked deeply in our hearts during the trials so why am I dreading another dark day?  His lovingkindness will also keep on working and holding us up no matter what comes.  Faith is seeing with the eyes of Jesus all He will do and resting there.  Psalm 116:7 says, "Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you."  The definition of rest there is, "a time or place of security; rest for the soul because of the Lord's mercies and blessings; it points to a location where something  settles down and remains there or cessation of work in order to refresh oneself."  God wants my faith to settle down and rest in Jesus, not on what I see with my eyes.  It is refreshing my soul in Him.  And leaving the rest to Him.  His Sonlight will shine on me then, creating His colors in my heart and life.                                                                   K.C.                                                                                                                

 

Hammock Heart

          This lovely hammock taught me a few lessons this past summer.  After spending massive energy all summer on a long list of items, I was over-ready for vacation.  Aren't we all?  Our idea of vacation though, is not to go, go, go, see, see, see.  Our idea of vacation is to screech to a complete halt!  It is to have hours upon hours of quiet, solitude, peaceful surroundings with a view of nature that God has created with utmost detail and care.  It is to have endless hours to read and chew on God's Word.  It is to admire our most Beautiful Jesus Christ and His lovingkindness, mercy, and grace.  But, normal life is not made of such hours, so we end up having to return home.  

          Back to the hammock.  Nothing accomplished, nothing checked off my list, nothing cleaned, ironed, cooked, weeded, studied, written, read, or fixed.  Seems like a waste doesn't it?  Hammock time with no expectations.  What a refueler, refresher, rewinder!  Not even expecting any extraordinary word from the Lord is  is a breath of heavenly air!   In our daily times with the Lord we have lists and expectations of what we want to receive or express to Him.  But extra special time with Jesus is when I can just be with Him.  Period.  You know how it is when someone just wants to be with you without needing anything from you.  It is so refreshing!  That's how it is for me in the hammock with Jesus.  Filling up with His presence.  Experiencing the peaceful joy of His love.  This is what I wanted to take home with me.  

          So, coming home from vacation,  I purposed to set aside more time in the hammock -  to grow a hammock-heart.  When times get overly busy, I can get overwhelmed with lists and tasks.  Or I can purposely slow down, simplify, and get un-busy.  Why am I trying to accomplish so much in such a short time?  What is the purpose of my long list?  Who am I trying to please?  Who will it help?  Where will it end?  No.  It will not end, unless I choose to stop.  I desire to spend more time in the Lord's presence - with no agenda other than enjoying Him.  What a goal!  What a joy!              K.C.

Toothless

       

     On the lookout for some tasty bird, our old Musket poses for me on the birdbath.  He gets a closer view of the seed platform above his head, and remembers the old days of bird hunting.  He is really like an old dog more than a cat, but the birds don't know that.  It has been many a day since he caught a bird.  For one thing, the birds don't know that he has just a couple of teeth left.  He still looks like a cat to them.  And Gary has a soft spot in his heart so that he buys soft food for Musket.  Don't tell the other guys though, since they would laugh at him.  We will be sad to see him go to "cat heaven".

     On a different "tooth" level, I was thinking about the enemy of our souls this morning, and all he tries to do to derail and harm us, as well as eat us alive.  A friend recently has been wrestling with all the destructive thoughts the enemy plants.  But, as evil and destructive as he is, he is now "toothless" and has lost his power over believer's lives.  Jesus Christ has "wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us....And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."  (Colossians 2:14 - 15)  The enemy may still scare us and try to hurt us, but he is "toothless" and has been disarmed.  As my friend came to the Word, it shouted to her, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"  (Philippians 4:13) 

     Yes, our protection and safe refuge is in God's Word to us.  It sounds too simple.  It sounds too naive.  It sounds too easy.  But God does not ask us to do anything other than trust Jesus Christ and all His work at the cross, to trust His Word.  Psalm 119:114 tells us, "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word."  Jesus Christ will strengthen me each time I go to His Word.  I will be camping there.  How about you?                                                                              K.C.

Wrestling and Praying

                                                                                      

 

 

          This is my view from my chair each morning when I read God's Word and spend time with Jesus.  It is a beautiful view, peaceful and restful.  Kind of opposite of my inner soul right now.  I read the headlines and grieve for what I see happening in the world.  Wrestle with how to rightly respond and rightly pray.  Here I sit seeing with my eyes the beauty of God's creation, yet seeing with my soul the conflicts and sorrows of a lost world.  How to reconcile these two?  Only through Jesus' eyes.  He is outside of "time" and sees the end from the beginning;  He knows how to weave all things together for good for those who are His children.  Waiting for the end product is a difficult thing to do, something we aren't very good at.  In waiting, I pray and I stay close to Him, I speak His name and serve His children.  In waiting, I trust and pray for the world to know Him.  He takes the "rags" of our lives and weaves them together on His perfect loom in order to bring glory to His name.  He does this also for His children who are undergoing great persecution, and I must pray and believe for them that He is seeing and is doing so much more that I can't understand or "see" with my eyes.  Believers are bound together and what hurts one hurts the another.  So I stand before the throne with them before our great and mighty God who is our help and refuge.  The same One who created the striking colors of petunias, zinnias, and roses is the same One who will make all things right soon.  Come, Lord Jesus.                                                                                                     K.C.

Cantaloupe Perspective

     Isn't this the cutest cantaloupe? It is growing big  and hopefully it will ripen this month and be juicy and luscious.  There are a good number of them on my vines and they are getting special care and treatment.  Just like caring for a growing cantaloupe,  growing in our love for Jesus  purposely takes time and special care.   Just wishing for spiritual growth or thinking it will come automatically is a delusion.   Special care in reading and meditating on God's Word, special times of prayer, purposeful hours set aside with the Lord, along with a listening mind and heart are what we would call fertilize and nurture to our soul and spirit.  It is not so much that I am working on my spiritual character and growth;  it is that I am seeking the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes we get the two confused.  I am just the vessel that God is seeking to fit for His Spirit, and remembering that leaves no room for spiritual pride.

      I don't want to just be all vine and show.  I keep trimming off the new blossoms and vine growth so that some of the cantaloupes mature and ripen.  My human nature constantly fights for attention to get the upper hand just like those blossoms.  I want to be fruitful and bear fruit, which means resting and abiding in Jesus as He trims me.  And when I am abiding in Jesus I am free from myself, free for Father to fill me with His fruits.  No credit to me, for it is all Him.  Keeping this perspective is so important in our lives.  Perspective that keeps the focus on Jesus' work and not on mine.  Perspective that keeps the glory shining on Jesus and not on me.  So my purposeful care in the spiritual disciplines does not make me spiritual.  Jesus does.  It is about Jesus in me.

     Notice the perspective in the whole picture.  All of a sudden this large cantaloupe takes on a different appearance.  All because of perspective.    Let's don't take ourselves too seriously, but let us do take Jesus Christ seriously, praising Him for all He does in us and for us and through us.  Let us keep our perspective on Jesus.                                                                                                                                                      K.C.

Rest in the Midst

     
                                   
     Those raised beds are producing a harvest!  With harvest comes other tasks - shelling, snapping, canning, freezing, drying, storing.  I picked the peas last week and started shelling them.  A slow process.  But in the midst of peas rolling hither and yon, a revelation dawned on me.  God has built into the whole growing season times of rest.  You must sit down to shell peas or snap beans.  Isn't that just like Him?  Gardening is hard work and time consuming, and since God knew that it was going to be hard work, He built into the process times of sitting and resting.  That thought gave me new opportunity to marvel at the wisdom of our Lord.  He is so good!

     Growing up in the home of two hardcore gardeners brought many summer days of harvest.  We would sit in the shady backyard snapping bucket after bucket of beans, shelling peas, husking corn.  Those buckets seemed never ending to me as a kid.  But as I look back and think about it, those were times of conversation with Mom teaching us and listening to us.  Rest in the midst of labor.  This rest was full of value, both for body and spirit.  God accomplishes much in our resting.

     God has me looking for other built in times of rest in other chores or labors.  I am watching for God's wisdom in the cycles of life and opportunities to use His wisdom and rest for eternity.  Now my grandchildren are picking peas, and I am enjoying the pleasure through their precious eyes.   Looking for times of conversation with them about Jesus and eternity.   Looking for rest in the midst.  Looking for Jesus in the midst.  Are you looking?                                                                        K.C.

Those Sons-in-Law

..............................

 

     We have the nicest son-in-laws!  Their Christmas gift to me was to build some raised beds.  The first sunny day in March the five of them came and built two L- shaped boxes for me to fill.  Their labors together resulted in the best raised beds I have seen!  Sturdy thick lumber, 16 inches deep, and solidly built - they did a great job!  Loads and loads of mulch and soil later, the beds were ready to plant.  Wow!  Do they grow huge, healthy plants!  It has been so much fun to fill the beds and eat veggies all spring.  Planting, weeding, and picking is so much easier.  Those son-in-laws have been a joy to us and to our daughters.  What treasures they are in our family! 

 

     Makes me think about investing.  Not money, but myself.  Time, prayer, interest, love, care, help.  The things we pour ourselves into, we love.  If you are having a problem or irritation with someone, do something really nice for them.  Interesting -  all of a sudden your irritation melts.  So, instead of avoiding that person, move toward them with an act of care.  You will be amazed at what God does to totally change your heart!  Hmmm, now I wonder if I irritated those guys?

    And it works the other way around, too!  Those son-in-laws are the best, but when they invest in something for me, it is really special!  I even love them more! 

     The end product is really incredible!  Look for yourself.  And remember the end product of investing in others - encouragement in both of you!  Isn't God good!!!                                  K.C.

 

 
 

 

 



 

 

 

Making Salad

     Two of my cherubs decided to make salad one afternoon recently.  Bringing their play dishes and utensils into the living room corner, they proceeded to "trim" the maidenhair fern.  It had been one of those challenging plants to coax into lush beauty and was doing very well.  Well, it is now half-lush and has quite a few black slender stalks sticking straight up.  Walking into the room, I caught my breath, and went blank.  What does one say?  Hmmm.  Listening to the cherubs giggle and serve their salad to each other was quite the scene to behold and left me speechless.   I'm thinking we children of God enjoy quite a few things that cause our Father to wince.   Our earthly choices sometimes reveal our immaturity, even though we enjoy making "salad".  What is so amazing to me, is our Lord's patience with us!  He doesn't yank us back or yell at us or discipline us all the time.  He teaches us through His Word, He draws us by His lovingkindness, He understands that we are but a flower fading.  As we grow in Christ's love, sometimes we look back and wince at the salad we played with.  Let us be patient with those who are still making "salad".  We were there once.  And today we are making a new "salad", just a bit different from the one we made 10 or 20 years ago.  But it is still "salad" to God.  I guess the challenge here for me is to humble myself and realize that my Lord is patient with me, and so I should be toward others.  I grabbed a garbage bag,  gathered up the remnants of the fern, and went to play with the cherubs.                                                           K.C.

"Mulching"

 

     Yup, this is a pile of mint compost.  Can't ya smell it?  Our massive flowerbeds and garden are starting to feel the smother of compost.  And it takes yards and yards of compost to even make a dent.
Yet, when it is applied to the beds, the difference is incredible!  Compacted soil once again becomes rich and grows trees and plants quadruple what they would have been without it.  Common soil will grow plants, but they will be stunted and will not spread out with growth and beauty. Seeds will sprout in common soil but will burn up in compost.  Compost is not applied until after the plants start growing.

     In the Gospels Jesus talked about sowing seed on good soil in order to yield a crop.  I think the thirty, sixty, hundredfold yield had to do with compost.  The one who hears the Word and understands it bears fruit and produces. Young plants don't just automatically grow and neither do Jesus followers.   Our Lord "mulches" us out of His lovingkindness.  The more we understand how the Word penetrates our very inner being to bring nutrients to our souls, the more we receive correction from the presence of the Word in our hearts, the more we embrace difficulty as our friend placed there out of love, the more we will grow in Christ Jesus with gratefulness.  "Mulching" is just what we need though sometimes it feels heavy and heats up, stinks or takes time to work.  While patiently waiting on the Lord to do His deep work in strengthening our roots, we learn to love Jesus and trust His wisdom and grace.  How is Jesus "mulching" you?                                    K.C.

What is holding onto you?

     Such a beautiful quiet, peaceful scene we enjoy each day!  Especially since the horses are not ours.  Neighbors use our pasture, and we get to enjoy the scene without the work.  We were sitting at dinner with some of our granddaughters watching the horses.  All of a sudden Cicily noticed there was a bucket tied to the leg of one horse.  Within 30 seconds of that comment chaos ensued.  The horse started running around the pasture on high alert!  Two rounds and then it raced right through the fence flattening the woven wire and ramming a T-post down flat!  Down the drive and onto the main road the horse barreled!  The bucket came off and cars stopped and the horse finally came to a halt.  Whew!  What an evening!  It is a miracle that the horse wasn't killed or terribly hurt, but wounds and scratches were all that it suffered.  We are beginning to wonder what next week holds for another animal story. 

     This story, though, gave us a picture to ponder.  God has provided us forgiveness from sin through Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Sin made us enemies to God, but His love and grace has brought us near to Him.  He brings peace and works healing in us giving us new life and new desires.  Sometimes, though, we choose our old ways and turn back to things that we think will fulfill us, tying that bucket to our soul.  God's mark for us is pictured in the pasture - beauty, peace, quiet, safety, fulfillment. 

     But we miss His mark when we turn from His ways.  Missing the mark is sin, and it cuts our closeness to our Heavenly Father.  When we allow sin to continue in our lives  until it grabs a firm hold of us, we suffer unimaginable consequences.  Seldom do we think about the cost of sin and the wild driven ride that will force us from that peaceful pasture.  Jesus set us free, and yet we allow ourselves to be tied to sins which cause havoc in our lives. Secret, small, big,  hidden, or open;  any sin held onto is like that bucket tied to your soul; it steals your freedom and joy.  Is the sin of complaining stealing your freedom?  How about savoring a different life?  A grudge you are holding?  Think more seriously about the consequences of holding that sin dear to your heart.  Think about the quiet, shady, peaceful pasture Jesus has provided for you instead.  Let go of that sinful hold which binds you.  I read a quote on my daughter's blackboard that I have been thinking about this week in light of these thoughts:

                  "The good life, the one that truly satisfies, exists only when we stop
                    wanting a better one.  It is the condition of savoring what is, rather
                    than longing for what might be."                         (Chuck Swindoll)
                                                                                                                                                      K.C.

Visitors

We've had visitors this week.  Wildlife week!  Sitting in the breakfast nook, suddenly seeing ducklings crossing the yard brought us to life.  Grabbing the camera and running out to capture the moment in the crisp morning air we were disappointed as the ducklings crossed into the field out of camera range.

 

    Turning back toward the house, suddenly a lone duckling came right toward me peeping loudly.  He joined his siblings who were calling him from the field, and then mommy came down the        driveway calling her babies to her side.  The ducklings were only too glad to hear mommy's voice and follow her back to safety and protection.  Watching the scene unfold brought some thoughts to my mind about my "hearing".  In Hebrews 3 and 4, God says, "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."  John 10:3 - 4 says, "...the sheep hear His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice."  Do we quickly follow the leading of Jesus?

     Or do we have to be driven and chased to follow His voice like the next visitors a few days later?

 

 

     Our next visitors were two escaped llamas barreling down the driveway ahead of their owners.  The next hour held quite the chase!  These llamas were intent on running from, not toward, their master.  Hearing the voice of their master increased their running to and fro, through the garden, through the field, around the woodlot - anywhere but toward their master.  Is this sometimes how we treat Jesus when He calls?  Do we resist and go our own way, trying every avenue but His?  Oh, how we are missing the rest and peace He is desiring to give us!  Instead, we frantically try to fix our problems, increase our pace, and just run at high speed, when all the while Jesus is waiting to give us rest.  I think this is why Hebrews 4:11 exhorts us to be diligent to enter the rest.

 

 

     Finally, Adam roped the biggest and most belligerent llama after a circus of chase around the wood.  Whew!  Do I really want Jesus to have to harness me with bit and bridle, like the horse or mule which have no understanding and will not come near? (Psalm 32:9)  Rather, "I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace..."

     What a contrast in "hearing" and what an illustration to us this week!  I don't want anything to come between me and my Savior.   Lord Jesus, I don't want you to have to rope me in,  When You speak I want to be like those disciples on the road to Emmaus.  "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"                     K.C.

    

 

                                                                                                                            

 

 

Thirsty?

The battle of hoses!  Hoses look so calm and orderly when hung up - but, in use they can be outright rebellious and difficult!  And frustrating!  Have you ever been hit in the head or face while dealing with a hose that wanted to go its own way?   Building good habits in a hose takes patience, persistence, and practice.  It's like one has to train the hose.  New hoses, especially, are stiff and not pliable, often not wanting to curl in the right direction.  Reminds me of a lot of things in life, and also about Jesus working in me.  Learning to know Jesus is a lot like learning to deal with hoses.  God has to work in us, with us, and for us.  He has to train me to listen to His voice. To get to know Jesus means that I must spend time with Him in His Word.  I am a lot like that hose and need patience, persistence, and practice in God's Word.  I can give God difficulty by letting life take hold of me.  The battle is raging against me, and when those worrisome  thoughts, sleepy mind early in the morning, daily cares and tasks, etc. try to take over, God reminds me that the MOST important thing in my life is to love Him, learn to know Him, lean on Him, and live for Him.  Psalm 143:6, 8 speak my heart.  "I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land.....Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust;  cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You."  Oh Lord Jesus, I long to have your living water flow through me!  I am that rebellious hose in great need of Your good hand to tame me so that Your water can flow through me.  Thank You for never giving up on me and leaving me in a messy pile, like I sometimes leave my hoses because of my impatience.  I praise You for Your lovingkindness to me.  I praise You for Your Word that teaches me about Your greatness.  I thirst for You -  let the water flow!         K.C.                                                                                                                  

Fresh Growth

Beautiful fresh growth!  Beautiful creation!  Beautiful change!  We are looking for fresh growth and continuing change in our hearts as we follow our Lord Jesus Christ.  Our women at CBC have as their purpose in life:

LOVING the God of the Word

LEARNING the Word of God

LEANING on the character of God

LIVING in light of God's Word
 

As we grow in this purpose, it affects every relationship with the presence of our Lord.  We long for the fragrance of our Lord Jesus to penetrate not only our lives but also those around us.  Our Lord Jesus has made us all very different, and yet we need each other.  The graceful lilac in this picture would not be nearly as striking if the perky chives were not there creating a contrast.  And so it is with each of us.  God's handiwork is shown in much variety through His creation and through us.  You never know what beauty God will create in you when you grow and learn together.  We are so grateful for God's Word that teaches us His wonderful lovingkindness sought us for fellowship so that we can live in fellowship together.  Keep asking for fresh growth in your heart!                K.C.