A la mode

Proverbs 15:17a: "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is."

I was recently privileged to help serve up a newly tried recipe of pumpkin cake cooked in a crockpot. It sounded wonderful but the hostess wasn't really pleased with her first taste of the dessert. Admittedly, looking on, it didn't look attractive, either. The first taste was a little flat.  Looking back at the recipe , we remembered it was topped with caramel sauce. That did taste better,  but still didn't improve the looks much.  It really didn't look nice enough to serve confidently.

So, of course, we decided to do " a la mode"; in this case, using a dollup of cool whip. Drizzling the caramel sauce over both the cake and the whip, we upgraded the dessert 100%!

Our expectant men were very impressed! One commented it looked like it should be in a magazine. Another was so impressed that he thought it likely the best dessert he'd ever tasted!

With a few simple changes, we had successfully created a very pleasing recipe, both to the eye and to the taste. My thoughts soon compared all this to our lives!

Daily living  often evolves into just a "so-so" presentation to those around us. It lacks the flair or luster to make it what invites others to "taste and see".  We set it out for others to partake of and wonder why people aren't trying it.

Maybe we need to try "a la mode". Perhaps some dollups of smiles and little deeds of kindness would draw attention. We might could drizzle some extra patience and love over it all.  I think we would begin to have people ask about our recipe. And I believe, if we get our lives so Spirit filled, they will want to taste it!

This little lesson was a challenge to me!  I really hope I'm not serving up just plain old "herbs" on my plate!  Sprinkling the love of God on everything I present will improve whatever I'm serving 100%. I've been thinking about what I can improve with "a la mode".

Hospitality

Proverbs 31:15 "She giveth meat to her household and a portion to her maidens." Verse 20: "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor...to the needy."

I grew up in the home of a minister. I feel blessed to have been trained in  hospitality. Maybe it was a given. We never lived in a huge, beautifully decorated home. But it was graced with the beauty of open arms to all people. My bedroom was often filled with guests, bedding me in the living room floor. Many were the times my sister and I were washing and drying what seemed like tons of dishes in the wake of having a table filled with friends who dropped in. The result of this is that I still have friends all over the country!

My parents' hospitality was just as good when it was only family.  My mother was never a gourmet cook, but she wasn't intimidated at setting a table. Our evening meals were filling and personable with lively conversation. My daddy had been raised in very undesirable conditions and he requested good table manners from all of us. It warms me to remember those days. I also note that my siblings and I all love people and don't hesitate to share and give.

For over a week, my husband and I have been guests in our daughter and son-in-law's home. An extended stay in any home can strain the level of hospitality.  On the light side: Ben Franklin said, "After 3 days, fish and company stink!"  Staying in a guest cabin here helps, but I've got to say these people give their heart to making people feel welcome! In addition to us feeling it,

I've watched a steady stream of neighbors and friends drop by. It has a lot to do with training, but more to do with their sharing and caring for others. I commend them for their example.

The Proverbs 31 woman obviously was given to attending her family as should be. But note that she also reached out her hand to the needy. This woman took giving to the next level. I'd like to suggest that neediness isn't always being destitute. It implies a need within of any kind. All of us have a need to feel connected with others. I'd like to label this reaching out of the hand as "hospitality".  It is an extension of yourself to your friends and neighbors.  It simply means to open your house and share your table. It really shouldn't be difficult to do this with those we are comfortable with. It is very rewarding!

Another level of hospitality is bringing in people you aren't well acquainted with.  You may not feel comfortable with this idea, but I can assure you it is a wonderful blessing and can result in great friendships. A way to do this is to start with your church fellowship. Seek out those who live alone or are elderly. They need attention and often get ignored.  Analyze your neighborhood and fellow workers and look for opportunity to form a relationship that you could enhance by extending hospitality. Another hint: we often expect our pastor's family to be hospitable, but rarely do they get invited into the homes of their parishioners.

I observed another of my daughters host a breakfast where she invited 12 or 15 of her very "needy" fellow workers to whom she knew had never experienced that kind of thing.  It was obvious she had established relationships with them where they were eager to come and sit around a fall campfire for pancakes. I benefited from being included in the circle of sharing and caring that morning!

If you hesitate to entertain because you aren't comfortable with it, relax.  It is not an art. A quote from Max Beerbohm: "When hospitality becomes an art, it loses its soul." Use hospitality as a way of giving to others. It is the heart and soul of Christianity.

Here are a few suggestions:
)1. Keep it simple. Its not about competition with anyone.
)2. Do it impromptu sometimes. Its a challenge, but fun and you don't have all the worry beforehand!
)3. Keep your house straightened. You are always ready and don't have to be ashamed.
)4. Accept offers if your guests want to bring food.
)5. Keep cooked meat, fruit, and pastries in the freezer. You can put a snack or simple meal together quickly.
) 6.Welcome help with the cleanup. If they don't offer, sit and visit.
)7. Its not all about food. Food is just a means of getting people to relax and share. Make your guests comfortable with food and then fellowship. Its a perfect mix.
)8. Stay with tried and true recipes when having guests. Its a lot less stress.
)9. Pray together before their departure. It bonds you together.

Again relax, give of yourself and enjoy some great times with friends and family!

Spiritual Selfies

Proverbs 21:13:  "Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor. he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard."

I wasn't surprised when I read that the 2013 word of the year was "selfie". That smacks of over emphasis on "self" which is the root of the word.

I have watched the rise of the popularity of the ""selfie" on social media and have been amazed at how insecure people are. There is an incredible amount of social peer pressure involved in it. The youth, especially girls, frequently post pictures of themselves, trying to conform to impossible standards of beauty, just to get their "friends" to post comments about how beautiful or pretty they are! This requires countless poses and "takes" and also "photo editing" the pictures to improve them to look better than who they really are.

I know a little bit of the effort in getting a good "selfie". Every now and then, I try to snap one to send to my youngest two long distant grandchildren. I don't want them to forget me. I send very few...
I want them to have good memories!!!!!!

I recently have taken note of the newest trend: "ugly selfies". This evolved from the tiresome job of failing to feel perfect. Thus, a switch to the "I don't care" self-expression!

I believe all this is a cry to be seen, accepted, heard and loved! All of us need affirmation from others. But what concerns me is the "me-focused' generation this is breeding and the large amount of time our youth are spending on it!

Surely there are better ways to spend our time!  I think social media is probably here to stay and it is a wonderful tool to keep connected with long distance family and friends. And don't misunderstand me. I love memories passed on with pictures! But it seems the media could be used in a very personal way to reach out and bless. I know there are some who do. I also know hours are spent posting or reading useless information and passing it on.  But a scripture comes to mind in II Timothy that speaks of the last days where people will be " lovers of themselves."

I think if we are truly reflecting a life for God, we are going to be "others" focused.  Maybe we should all take our pulse and see where we are. We spend a lot of time on ourselves; how much time do we give to others? A modern translation of the Proverbs referral to "poor" could be pretty broad. It could be our parents, a spouse, siblings, our church friends, neighbors, or someone who needs sought out. Relationships are suffering everywhere. We are too busy taking to give. We are very needy in our relationships.

"A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for the neglecting of his neighbor's".       Richard Whately

Let's take a  "spiritual selfie".  I think we'll find we are pretty imperfect!  Let's start reaching out to heal relationships or make new ones!  Making contact can  be done at our fingertips.

Selfies can reflect pride, insecurity. or just emptiness. In reality, all of us can be very poor, needy and lonely. Could it be we have become so absorbed with our insecurities that we are continually seeking for approval from others and yet never feeling like we are fulfilled by it? I feel that most of our neediness can be satisfied through practicing Christ's example of giving to others. By doing so, we will have no time to feel like we are impoverished. In giving out to others, our own cries are being answered.

My practice for myself, when I'm feeling insecure or depressed, is to get up and get busy. I will fix a meal, bake some bread, make a phone call, send a text, or mail a card.  In general, I seek out a needy person. I don't have to look far. It immediately answers my inward cries of feeling sorry for myself.

A spiritual " selfie" can be scary. But we can do a little "photo editing" and come up with some ideas how to change ourselves. And, keep in mind, all of us are posting "selfies" every day for others to see!

Vows

Proverbs 20:25 " It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy and after the vows to make inquiry."

My Anniversary was this week. I am reminded that 44 years ago, I stood before people who came to witness my vows. I recall, also, inviting God to be present at that ceremony. Those same people are still my friends today and I am still inviting God to be present in my life. I am thinking I still have great accountability to those witnesses so many years ago.

Those vows were a deliberate, free promise to my chosen life mate. I was also seriously committing to a covenant (legal agreement) that I would stand by this man "in sickness, in health, for rich, for poor, for better, or for worse,  til death do us part."

Whoever initiated those words probably felt they needed to sound poetic for the couple standing  entranced in a romantically charged atmosphere,  not having a clue where the road ahead will lead. And that's okay. What they really need to be very sure of is that they are committing to ride together wherever the road leads and as long as either of them are alive to travel.

I am so grateful that we chose to keep our ceremony simple and desired a strong spiritual emphasis. I wanted people to walk away from my wedding with the comment, " What a beautiful  sacred ceremony!" than one where they felt overwhelmed with the beauty of the wedding but didn't feel it was necessarily spiritual.

I do not regret my vows. I listened closely to them and joyously repeated them. And with all my heart, I also sang the vow  in song: "Whither Thou Goest I Will Go."

It has not been the legal covenant or the paper marriage licence I signed that has kept me faithful to my marriage. It has been the vows I spoke before God and those witnesses that day. I have chosen to never "make inquiry" or question them.

I like the good times. I don't like the bad times. A marriage has both. But I am committed to all times. I vowed to love and cherish my husband til death parts us. I still do.

Kaleidoscopes

"Our days are a kaleidoscope.
Every instant a change takes place in the contents."
                                                              -Henry Ward Beecher

Proverbs 5:21: "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord."

I can remember the first time I looked into the viewfinder and saw a kaleidoscope.  The tumbling of all the colors, shapes, and zigzags of lines entranced me. I was breathless with this beautiful confusion!

Kaliedoscopes make magic with light, color and mirrors.It is a viewing tube with an eyepiece at one end. On the other end, there is an object case containing fragments of rock, minerals, gemstones, beads, glass shell, metal and other trinkets. Inside, are mirrors used to reflect the objects as the tube is turned. No one turn of picture on the kaleidoscope is repeated. Any slight turn of the object case and the pattern shifts to something new. Always falling, jumping and turning are new contrasts and combinations. That is what makes a kaleidoscope so unique. 

My life seems like a big kaleidoscope. Life has and still is emptying into my object case bits and pieces of fragments that really seem meaningless.  Sometimes they don't look beautiful. At best, they are a conglomeration of fragments.

My life is filled with what I think should be beginnings and endings. It seems like that would be a pretty straight line. But God creatively takes me on detours and allows me to come to a stop at dead ends. How tried I can become literally when a planned two hour trip gets interrupted by an hour long delay on the Interstate.

It is amazing to me when my accomplishments are interlaced with failure, that God will take all of it and dump it into my object box and with His big eye, give it a turn. He takes life and death and makes a "blessed be the name of the Lord" combination. The delightful moments of time give bursts of brightness and light. My disappointments add perspective by downward spirals. My confusing moments give complimentary loops to the picture.

There is no straight line in a kaleidoscope. All I can see is a beautiful combination of twists and turns. I don't even try to make sense of it. I just stand amazed at the picture God has created  from my ways with His eyes.

I daily have some fragments of gems added into my object case. I recently experienced a week where I was blessed with smiles and cuddles with my youngest granddaughter.  I enjoyed the giggles of the two year old. I watched my tweens burst into butterflies. I observed strong character in my teenage grandchildren. Though I'm not a big technology expert or promoter, I'm grateful that I can communicate  my love to my long distance children daily if I wish. I am living in a home where I have love and affirmation surrounding me. This week, I connected in some way with my siblings; we still love each other and hold no grudges! I met with fellow believers and was lifted up by their fellowship and testimony.  I have the Word of God at my fingertips.

And then life hands me some negatives like a couple of restless nights, sickness in the household and the hot water heater unexpectedly dying this week. Toss those rocks in with the gems and it seems the picture would be dulled a bit.  But you know what? I took a look at my kaleidoscope today. It's still wonderfully alive with color and movement!  Just as beautiful as ever! God is putting His eye to the viewfinder and still turning it at His will and placing those mirrors in just the right places to reflect an amazing picture!