BIBLE LESSONS FROM BEEF TIPS, BOOKSHELVES AND BIRD NESTS

I have been pondering a lot lately. My ponderings have led me to think more deeply about things, especially spiritual things, than I normally do. God has shown me several things lately that have come along in some strange ways.

THE BEEF TIPS~
I have a recipe for beef tips that I LOVE!!! Here's the funny thing: I never really liked beef tips much growing up. When Mark and I were dating there was a certain restaurant that he would order beef tips from. I found a recipe in an American Heart Association Cookbook a few years ago that I thought looked tolerable. So I tried cooking it for him. It takes about two hours to prepare and during that time the whole house fills up with this wonderful aroma. I loved it!! Him...not so much. As a matter of fact, he cannot even stand the smell!! You might be wondering, where is the point to this. Okay, here it is. There are certain points of scripture that some people do not like. Churches end up splitting over someone not liking how the preacher teaches. One of those is the doctrine of election. "That's not fair if God chooses SOME but not ALL people to go to Heaven!!" That is what you hear from a LOT of people. They think that people who believe those verses like Romans 8:29-30:For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. and Ephesians 1:9:He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, are stuck on themselves idiots. Which may be true in some cases. Let's face it, you don't have to believe any doctrine to be a stuck on yourself idiot. ;-}
The truth is, where is the fairness in God choosing anyone? We sin against a holy God and then have the audacity to think that we hold weight in our salvation. Our filth and blasphemy sent Jesus to the cross. Think about something: Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. So are you ever not sinning???? Was it fair that Jesus had to take that punishment?
Knowing that God chose me is a comfort to me. It is also a bit humbling. I'm pathetic enough that God in His mercy saved me with no effort on my part!! I did not seek God, he sought me. That is comforting to me. Just like the smell of my beef tips is comforting to me
and repulsive to Mark.

THE BOOKSHELF~
Many moons ago (when Mark's dad was a teenager) Mark's grandfather built a bookshelf. Fast forward to the time when Granddaddy died. Mark's aunts thought that this bookshelf was not worth anything, so they were going to burn it. Mark's dad did not want that to happen. So he took it home. Mark's mom painted it white. A few years later, they gave it to us. Some paint got peeled off as it was being moved. Benjamin discovered that the paint peeled off very easily. When we moved into this house, almost two years ago, I was going to refinish the bookshelf. I got started, while we were still trying to get settled in. Mark got very sick, the kids started a new school and I ran out of the stuff that removed the paint. So, for a very long time, we have a a really ugly bookshelf sitting in our living room. Mark has started refinishing it. Wow, it is really coming along. He bought a sander. You can really get more accomplished with that than with the stuff you paint on and scrape off. As all the ugliness of paint and old varnish are being removed, you can really see the beauty of the wood. Isn't that like us??? God saves us from the fire, then cleans us up to get the layers of ugliness off. I am pretty sure that if the bookshelf could talk, it would would say that that the sanding does not feel too good. Sometimes as God is teaching me a lesson, it does not feel too good, either. But what is left behind is so much better than what was there before.

THE BIRD'S NEST~
I have been glad to see signs of Spring bouncing their Springiness back into life. This winter has seemed about ten years long. And so cold!!! One good thing is that the geese are gone back to Canada. They are very loud!!! So the other birds are back. One such bird has taken it upon itself to build a nest...RIGHT ON OUR FRONT PORCH!!!! At first I thought this would be a neat thing for the boys to see. We had some birds in a box of blue jeans last year on the back porch, so I thought it would be nice to have "birdy friends" again this year. The only problem is the poop. They are pooping on our porch. I am by no means a neat freak. A porch full of poop is not something that I can handle, though. How many do we find something (or someone) in our lives that we first think is great and adds beauty to our lives, only to find later that all it gives us is a bunch of poop to have to deal with? God used poop to help me think about some of the poop that I have in my life wasting my time, that I need to be rid of.

So now you know what has been on my mind. Sometimes a very strange place, but now and then useful for something.

Are you humbly grateful....or grumpily hateful????

Things have been kind of rough around here lately. Nathaniel spent most of last week in bed with a horrific stomach virus. The doctor said it usually lasts around five days!!! VERY early Friday morning I heard footsteps coming toward my room. Benjamin said "Mom, my stomach hurts....bleh..." I shot up and told him to go to the bathroom immediately. (keep in mind that there is another bathroom, right outside his bedroom door. Yet he chooses to walk all the way across the house, just to share with his dear old mom)So of course I get up.

Nathaniel is basically over the stomach bug by this point, but his throat is killing him. He had a strep test done but we may have to go back for a mono test or something. We did not get school done but one day last week. I dreamed one night that we ended not having a break between finishing this year and starting next year. I love homeschool, but that dream was not cool.

So I get up Sunday morning. This weekend was one where Mark had to work. So I have to, uh...I mean get to teach the youth for Sunday School. And do the chidren's message. And have my children's church lesson. At 9:20 I realized that I had not prepared a children's message. I like to be at church by 9:30. Not good. Fortunately, I had been reading in my Tapestry of Grace curriculum. I was able to pull together a lesson on how the Bible talks about plate tectonics long before scientists ever thought about it.

So, I go to church, having to leave two sick kids in the bed. (not something I would do if we lived anywhere other than in the churchyard) I already knew that our sound system person was going to be out due to pneumonia and that a Sunday School teacher would be out. The Sunday School teacher called and told me that she has vertebrae that are hollowed out to the point that her doctor told her they are basically like papier-mache. She has to quit her job cleaning houses, because bending could literally break her back. Through this she said, "Praise God it is not cancer!!"

When I got to church, I found out there are so many people in our church and our community that are going through very rough times. Family feuds, health issues, job losses, deaths. There was so much going on. It made me stop and realize how blessed I am. Yes, my kids are sick. They are not incurable. They are not dying. They feel bad and as a result are whiney. I am having to do a whole lot of extra cleaning to get rid of germs. I am also having to prepare more than one meal at a time most of the time. Thankfully, there has not been a lay-off or job loss, so we have the money for groceries. God blessed us Sunday by giving us a house so close to the church so that I was able to fulfill my obligations(He even blessed my unpreparedness)

This is a week where I have two choices. I can choose to grumble and complain about having to do a little more to keep everybody happy. Or, I can choose to be happy that my children are not seriously ill. I can be the one to say, "Praise God its not __________ " (________ can be filled with many things; cancer, leukemia, AIDS, abuse of any type, sudden death.... the list could go on.)I am going to choose the latter. My theme for this week (especially when things are going badly and I am likely to get whiney) is Psalm 188:24-This is the day that the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it.