Blessings of Abundance (fruit, that is)

I write this post in between rounds at the canner. My husband and I spent 4 hours picking cherries at a not-quite-so-local orchard (although still within WV) and brought home about 135 lbs. of fruit. Of course, the lovely abundance must be worked up quickly so we have been canning since Saturday. I just completed the last batch of cherry pie filling this morning and now have the opportunity to begin working on the sweet cherries!



We have shared our harvest with friends and family, who are delighted to receive these lucious gifts. Having only spent $78 on cherries and about $20 in gas, we are happy to report a savings of more than $670 as compared to store bought fruit of the same amount. That is certainly worth the time and effort to can and process our own food, locally grown.

God has blessed us not only with this harvest but some new friends that own Ruggles Orchard in Levels, WV. We look forward to returning monthly (Lord willing) to pick fruit as well as support our local growers. We certainly are encouraging others to do the same!

Did I mention the bushel of Lodi apples? I can smell the sauce brewing....:)

Banana Twinkies

Last week, I had this inkling for a twinkie. I was at the gas pump, fueling up my '71 Super Beetle, Miss Betsy (who, by the way gets like 40 mpg) and went to check out. I grabbed a paper and the last pack of those creme filled wonder cakes I so enjoyed as a kid. I was the twinkie one, my sister was a ding dong -- haha. Seriously though, she refused twinkies and ate the chocolate stuff.

I slipped back in the car yet kept smelling something odd but just couldn't place where it was coming from. Old cards like Betsy tend to smell more like gasoline all the time but this was more of a fruity odor. Since it was dark and I was trying to get home after Youth, I didn't turn on any lights to investigate. Instead, I managed to open my package of Twinkies while steering and shifting gears - yes, crumbs galore but that's OK. One bite of my twinkie revealed there was indeed something amiss here. The taste was somewhat familiar but just didn't seem right. A flick on of the interior light revealed these were BANANA TWINKIES!!!! ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who on earth invented such a travesty! This was not right at all. Of course, not wanting to be wasteful, I ate them anyway but the enjoyment was so totally NOT the the same.

Original twinkies are the bomb. I know God made them, peanut butter and flip-flops just for me. And now, someone has messed with the Twinkies. I cannot imagine who would actually want to eat the banana flavored fakes, especially not willingly when one had first tasted and enjoyed the best. I was verbally protesting outloud in my car about these "foreigners" who had now smelled up my car, reaking of a banana pudding. Don't get me wrong, I like banana pudding but not with my Twinkies!

Just then, a small analogy was revealed....The Gospel of Jesus day was a non-compromised word that was black and white. Either you were with Christ or against Him, walked with Him or walk in your own 'ability'. Today, there is this no-cost Christianity that speaks of how the Father loves us, forgives us and wants us all to be with Him in eternity. This is truth, yes, but only half truth. The problem with half-truths is that the other half tends to be a lie, if nothing else a lie of omission. This 'new gospel' has all the added bonuses of God's kingdom but has gotten an updated "new look", "new smell" and somehow made more "relative" today's people. But the one thing is lacks is the very TRUTH of God's word that also reveals there is a consequence of rejecting the entire Gospel -- that there is a hell, that is real. Jesus lived with the reality of hell's existence every day He walked this earth. He talked more about hell in the New Testament than any other thing -- more than love and more than angels. If you don't believe me, re-read the entire New Testament!

This no-cost, unaccountable message is much like those Banana Twinkies. It looks like the Original - has all the cake and cream filling, just like before but there is something FOREIGN inside that you cannot easily detect, perhaps only sensing something isn't quite right. The Bible warns us throughout the New Testament about false teachers, preachers and that "other gospel" that will occur in the last days. In order to know the truth, you have to know His Word -- READ THE LABEL and all the ingredients, making sure it is the real thing, not a masked imposter.

In Isaiah 14, the Word talks about how Lucifer (before he became the fallen one, Satan) was envious of the majesty of God.It reads:"WHAT A COMEDOWN THIS, O BABYLON! DAYSTAR! SON OF DAWN! FLAT ON YOUR FACE IN THE UNDERWORLD MUD, YOU, FAMOUS FOR FLATTENING NATIONS! YOU SAID TO YOURSELF, ' I WILL CLIMB TO HEAVEN, I WILL SET MY THRONE OVER THE STARS OF GOD. I WILL RUN THAT ASSEMBLY OF ANGELS THAT MEETS ON SACRED MOUNT ZAPHON. I WILL CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE CLOUDS, I WILL TAKE OVER AS KING OF THE UNIVERSE!" ISAIAH 14:12-14.

Did you happen to pick up on the center theme of his character? If not, just count how many times the words, "I WILL" are spoken -- like five times! Jesus' only wanted His Father's will, not His own. He demonstrated this in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was praying so hard He sweated drops of blood. His will was crushed to fully allow His Father's will to be made known to the world.

I don't mean to be preachy, just another day of Holy Frustration brewing. :) I need that too of late, lest I fall into a complacent mode of existence. Lord, help me to walk in Your will, not my own this day and always.

So, I guess the weirdo analogy with the Banana Twinkies was just one of a reminder to always test the word against THE WORD, looking for the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. The real Jesus is never self-seeking, never one operating out of his/her own will or so-called ability, only relying on God above for the daily needs to be met. For we are never promised tomorrow, only today and life can be truly but a vapor -- choose wisely.

Going thru the motions....

March was a weird month....just odd really and feeling a bit out of touch recently. I guess "blogging" does not have to contain some profound revelation every time I post so I hope to jot some lines more often, unless God directs otherwise. My prayers have been HIS WILL, not mine and sometimes this has come at my own "disappointment". I use that word because I still have live flesh hanging around in my God-walk and it pains me to sacrifice what "self" still lives. As Paul said, "I die daily..." and this proves to be a much longer process than I ever imagined.

Normally, this is a busy time of year around the farm with active lambing but we did not breed our ewe flock in the fall -- first time in eight years! Drought conditions last summer and slow sales contributed to our decision but so have high hay and supplemental grain prices. This fall looks to have soaring corn prices, among other grains and we have to make some additional flock reductions over the spring and summer months. Since some of our Jacobs took breeding matters quite seriously, we still had a few lambs born at the beginning and the end of the month. Blessed to have had easy deliveries, healthy babies and all mom's doing well. I miss having lambs here this year but know our decision to hold off was the right one.

Here in WV, the daffodils are blooming, along with the forsythia. I can detect some small blossoms on the apple trees but no blooms just yet. Weather forecast indicates a snow/rain mix by week's end. And such is the likes of Spring! My bush cherries are in bloom and some new seeding bushes need transplanting. I lost one of my mature bush cherries over the winter. :( Looks like excess water may have built up around the roots and possibly froze the poor thing solid. There are many perennials I have to divide this spring, some to share and some to transplant at the cabin. I don't have near as much shade there as I do around the house so some of my favorite one's have limited space there. My bleeding hearts are a personal favorite -- I can see a few inches of their foliage above ground now. Now if I can just complete my spring mulching....:)

I am also missing Honduras very much these days. I visit the ME website (www.mehonduras.org) frequently to see familiar faces, read up on the recent newsletters, look at the base camp (for the umteenth thousandth time) and all the while longing to return. Somewhere deep in my spirit, I know I will go back and hopefully, for a longer time period. My family thinks I'm nuts and that is OK. I would love to spend Christmas in Tegucigalpa, experiencing different "traditions" and have something other than ham or turkey! Fresh pineapple comes to mind...oh, wait! Maybe that was dessert. At any rate, I am sure anything Nubie (sp?) prepares would be a blessing. The thought of seeing Christ, in Christmas and in Honduras is an amazingly awesome thought. Your Will, Lord, Yours alone.

Praying today and thanking the Lord for another beautiful day of life. It seems easy to do today with warm sunshine, chirping birds and watching the wild turkey flocks above the pond. Why is our thankfulness always so seemingly "tied" into our own emotions rather than directed from our hearts out of adoration of our Heavenly Father? Lord, forgive me for being so shallow and relying on feelings or emotions of late in my praises to you. You alone are awesome and deserve the highest praise. My worship is to You alone and I honor you, Holy One.

Reading the Word and just hovering in the Book of Matthew recently. One particular scripture has been on my heart so much lately and I know the Lord is calling me to purge "self" even more.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself, disregard, lose sight of and forget himself and his own interests, and take up his cross and follow Me, cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living, and, if need be, in dying also. For whoever is bent on saving his temporal life, his comfort and security here, shall lose it, eternal life; and whoever loses his life, his comfort and security here, for My sake shall find it, life everlasting." Matthew 16:24-25, Amplified Bible

Examining my own life in this light of scripture reveals to me how much of my life rests within my own interests and within myself. Oh, how this pains me to know how I failed Him in this so many times and how desperately I need His Grace! As I give Him my heart, my whole everything, my prayer is only that He give me His heart, His desires, His wants in its place. Nothing more, nothing less -- just you Jesus.