The Farmer’s Grace

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The story belonging to today’s title is laid out below. It came to me from a friend via email, and like most things that inspire me, I’d like to share…

THE FARMER’S GRACE

An out-of-town pastor had been invited to a men’s breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area, and found himself charmed by the company and atmosphere. Before they all dug into the hearty meal, the group’s leader asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace.

“Lord, I hate buttermilk,” the fellow began. The pastor opened an eye to glance at him, wondering where this might be going.

“Lord, I hate lard!” the farmer proclaimed. Now the pastor was growing concerned.

“And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw flour,” he went on, without missing a beat.

The pastor once again opened an eye to peer around the room, and noticed many of the other men shifting in their seats uncomfortably.

“But Lord,” the farmer added, “when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love them warm fresh biscuits.

It works out not makes sense 3.jpg

“So Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing and baking. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.”

How about that for great, down-to-earth wisdom worth considering when it comes to complicated situations?

While we find ourselves in a mix-up of so many things we don’t understand, like the farmer, ‘really care for’, as we pray, trust and believe surely—as surely as God is God—something good will result.

Courtesy of The Anglican Parish of Haliburton.

A Broader Range

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While watching the birds go about their busyness of finding food this morning, this poem formed in my mind about how some things never change and how some things do.

A BROADER RANGE

As the birds were having breakfast

tiny bugs were being eaten,

floors were being swept

while rugs were being beaten.

The men about their business

were bringing home the pay

while women reared the children

whose job it was to play.

Birds still eat bugs for breakfast

the housework still gets done

the men still go to business

the children still have fun.

The moral of the story is

though some things do not change

the women in society

have gained a broader range.

A Must

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Our sermon today is the last in a series on forgiveness and features the story of the prodigal son. It has been an eye-opening, heart-stirring, mind-opening series. Yesterday I found this picture and thought, how fitting for this Sunday’s post. To my way of thinking, to have a peaceful life, forgiveness is a must. Happy Sunday.

Fully Forgiven, Fully Free – J.S. Park: Hospital Chaplain ...

Is an Owl Really Wise?

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One of my great-granddaughters loves owls so whenever I come across one of these wise old birds I take notice. But is an owl really that wise? It appears that he lags behind other birds, particularly ravens, in having the smarts, but the message today sounds wise to me. Happy Saturday.

Dying With Dignity

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Sadly, another one of our church members has died after a very long illness.

It never ceases to amaze me how these dear people deal with end of life issues when they get their prognosis.

Diana told me, “I am supposed to be dying but I don’t know what dying feels like.”

Recently Sue told one of our Pastors that she realized that she had to wait in line in order to “go home!”

These ladies have been an inspiration to many, many people as they courageously met life’s final task of dying.

We will miss their courage and inspiring ways along with their presence in our midst over years gone by and in years to come.

It will always stay with me how, after living full, rich lives, the way that both of these ladies accepted their end days and their final accomplishment was dying with dignity.

Searching for Quotes

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It is a ton of fun researching quotes…just another Covid19 pastime. Here are some I found yesterday:
“When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. I’m beginning to believe it.”– Clarence Darrow
“We stopped looking for monsters under our bed when we realized that they were inside us.” Charles Darwin
Diapers and politicians should be changed often…and for the same reason.” Mark Twain
“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would rather have talked.” Mark Twain
That’s it for today, who knows what tomorrow will find?

Call on Your Power

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It is my belief that deep within each of us is a Power to be used for the good of all as indicated by the following people including me.

You are never given a wish without also being given the Power to make it come true. Richard Bach

Never measure God’s unlimited Power by your limited expectations. Our Daily Bread 2010

Call on the Power inherent in you…(My poem, All Things are Possible)

The beginning of Power is consciously opening our minds to God and being receptive to his presence, his spirit, his voice and his will. Charles L. Allen

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of Power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

And then there is the poem I wrote in 1998:

THE POWER OF YOU

If you would be more powerful

release your ego

let it soar

let the roar of you subside,

look inside,

see the power of you

released

to empower others.

1998

Our Power is not to be mistaken for the power wielded by those who use and abuse it because they feel basically powerless in their own right. That power is actually a weakness.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty Power. Ephesians 6:10

 

Prayer for Protection

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In 1977, while on vacation in Trinidad, I was introduced to Silent Unity, a 24/7 prayer ministry using affirmative prayer to provide others with faith, courage and strength. A delightful old woman named Miss gave me their devotional magazine, Daily Word, to take home. I subscribed to it for many years and have recently been re-introduced to this wonderful organization. The following prayer has been in my possession for over forty years and is within my daily vision. Happy Sunday.

“The light of God surrounds me; The love of God enfolds me; The power of God protects me; The presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is!” James Dillet Freeman (March 20, 1912 – April 9, 2003)

Where Am I From?

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On Thursday I picked up a library book, Memories of Heaven, by Dr. Wayne Dyer (one of my favorite authors) and Dee Garnes, who was his assistant at one time. It is a collection of short stories about very young children remembering where they were before they were born. It is a fascinating and easy read.

Many of the related memories are of being with God and choosing the parents they wanted to be born to. Some are of being here for a short time in another life and deciding to leave at an early age, (child deaths). Some related to changing their minds in the womb and not completing their journey, (miscarriages).

Because I have an open mind about so many things it is easy for me to read this book and consider the possibilities of these tiny testimonies. Besides, when my youngest son was just over two years old, he suddenly stated during a nap time, “I died you know, Mommy.”

I had had a miscarriage three years before he was born.

It makes it easy to wonder where am I from? Happy Saturday.

What the Thinkers Think of God

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I’m always interested in what others think of God and so it is that I convey the thoughts of some top thinkers today.

The beginning of power is consciously opening our minds to God and being receptive to his presence, his spirit, his voice and his will.  Charles L. Allen

To know God is to live.  Leo Tolstoy

Never measure God’s unlimited power by your limited expectations. (Our Daily Bread Magazine 2010)

I want to know God’s thoughts; the rest are details.  — Albert Einstein
People see God every day, they just don’t recognize him.  Pearl Bailey
“I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”  Abraham Lincoln
I’ll leave it at that and perhaps visit this subject another time.

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