THE NEW EWE
THE NEW EWE"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"
Luke 15:4-6
September 2, 2020
LIFE
IN THE FOLD:Throughout the years I have heard individuals make comments along the lines of God having more important things to deal with, other than their piddly little problems. They seem to feel as if their needs are too small for God to care about or that they have to have a really major problem before bringing it to God's attention.
The truth is, God is our Father and cares about every single detail of our lives. There is nothing too big, too small, too insignificant, too difficult, too unimportant for Him to care about. If we compare our needs to those of others, we will always find someone facing something tougher than what we are. But that doesn't mean that what we are dealing with or needing doesn't hurt or need an answer.
My daddy liked knowing what was going in my life. He wanted to know about my job, my house, my car, any needs I might have, financial difficulties, victories, when I was sick, how my garden was doing, if I was having any problems, and any other small mundane things going on. Daddy never had the attitude of only wanting to hear from me when I had a need that he could help me with or when I needed his advice. But he loved me and cared about both the big and small details.
If an earthly father cares that much about his child, we need to realize that our Heavenly Father is the same. He adores us and wants the type of relationship with us where we share our thoughts and dreams and problems and victories and every single detail of our life. In fact, He longs to have a close Father/child bond with us where we run to Him with everything.
In our world today, there is so much chaos and upset and stress where we often become spiritually distracted. We get caught up in all of the opinions of others, then it makes us feel that we need to share our opinion. There is constant turmoil and upheaval and strife and riots and racism and hate and judgement. The world accuses the church of being bigoted if they are unaccepting of everyone and their lifestyles; then the church feels pushed into a corner and feels that they either need to compromise or constantly be defending themselves. We forget that God is still God and has never changed; that nothing that happens or has happened ever catches Him off-guard or surprises Him; and that God still answers prayer and performs miracles!
I would like to share a true story that recently happened as an example:
My sister, Janie, pastors Praise Assembly Deaf Church. A couple weeks ago, she was on her way to church and was riding with her son and another lady. They stopped at a convenience store for bottles of water. My nephew, Devin, had got out of the truck and then went around to the passenger side to get my sisters card so he could buy her water. She handed the card to him, he closed the truck door, and was back within three minutes. He handed her card to her, she reached down to put it back inside her wallet, only to find her wallet was missing. They searched inside the truck, outside the truck, pulled the truck out of the parking spot to look underneath, and went inside to see if anyone had turned a wallet in. It was nowhere to be found!
The only thing my sister could figure out was that when she handed Devin her card, she placed her wallet onto the top of her purse in her lap; the purse had a slick surface and it must had slid off and out the truck door in that split second before the door was closed.
That morning at church, we prayed that the wallet would be found with everything intact. Following the service, they went back to that store and asked again if the wallet had been turned in, checked inside the trash cans outside the store, and looked around. They got home and used flashlights to check underneath the seat and searched the entire truck.
To compound the problem, my sister had cards inside the wallet that she normally didn't carry, due to enrolling my nephew in school that week. She had his social security card and Indian card; both her and his checkbooks, the church credit card, $8 cash, stamps, and her drivers license. So much information where there could have been identity theft. And where it had been stolen is in more of a seedy area of Tulsa that is not particularly safe.
Janie went to the bank the next morning and closed the accounts and opened new ones, got a new drivers license, and called about the church credit card. Not only had there been a lot of things inside the wallet gone, but that happened to be her very favorite wallet that she had ever had.
Fast forward a week and a half later. Last week on Wednesday, Janie and I were outside in the backyard with her grandkids, whom I was babysitting. Jon happened to stop by to borrow a trailer from my nephew during that time. He was starting to pull out to leave when he saw a car parked at the house and three girls standing at the door of the house knocking. There was a lady inside the car and he pulled up and asked if he could help her. She asked if he knew who lived there and he gave my sisters last name and told her that she was his sister-in-law. She told him that she had found a wallet, and he told her, "Oh yes! She lost it at QuikTrip a week ago on Sunday." This lady and her family were getting gas and she had found the wallet. Due to the roughness of that area, she didn't trust that my sister would get the wallet back if she left it at the store; so she kept it with her. As soon as they got back into town, she hand-delivered my sister's wallet back to her. And every single thing was still inside!! Not only did Janie get her favorite wallet back, but also everything that was inside! That is a miracle!!
There are many living in that area who think nothing of stealing. Yet, God sent an honest woman, who saw the wallet and kept it in safe-keeping, until she was able to deliver it to my sister's home.
There may be those who would get lost in the details and think, "Well, if God truly loved her, He would have worked it out so that it would have been returned back to Janie before her having to open new accounts and getting a new drivers license!" If God doesn't answer exactly when we think He should, or as we think He should, we can miss out on the miracle, if we aren't careful. The truth is, Janie was so excited to get her wallet back that she shared about it in church on Sunday as a testimony of thanksgiving and praise.
Be encouraged today in knowing that God loves you and cares about every single detail of your life! He loves hearing from you, loves answering your prayers, and loves it when you take time to talk to Him and share your heart. Never underestimate how much God loves you! You are His special treasure and everything that concerns you, He wants to hear about.
JON'S
PERSPECTIVE:It is important to talk to God. It's also important to talk about God. I don't mean you should be pushy, or obnoxious about it. Maybe the next time you're tempted to say "I'm lucky", say "I'm blessed" or "God sure has blessed me more than I deserve" instead.
I sure know that I'm blessed far and above beyond anything I deserve. I don't think to say that as often as I should.
ON
THE MENEWE:Mama's Vegetable Soup
Peel and chop potatoes into bite-sized pieces; also chop onion and carrots. Place in a soup pot and cover with water; boil until tender. Add any leftover vegetables you may have in the refrigerator. If you don't have any, open cans and pour into pot, without draining the juice. You can use pinto beans, corn, green beans, peas, etc.
Add a jar of tomatoes. Salt and pepper, to taste. Add a chunk of green pepper, which is to add flavor only; remove before serving.
Turn down the heat and cook on low for a while. Right before serving, add in about 1/2 cup of milk, then heat through. Do not boil again.
Serve with cornbread.
THIS,
THAT AND THE OTHER:When my nephew, Jared, was a little boy, his parents would read a Bible story to him and his brother and sister each night before they went to bed. Afterwards they would ask the kids questions about the story. No matter who the story was about, Jared's standard answer was always, "Moses".
When my great-nephew, Jax, was three, he moved up from being in the church nursery to attending the beginner Sunday School class. One Sunday, the story was about Jonah and the whale. His grandma later asked him what Jonah did and Jax answered, "Get wet!"
THOUGHT
TO PONDER:The razor blade is sharp, but can't cut a tree. The axe is strong but can't cut the hair.
Everyone is important according to his/her own unique purpose. -unknown
OUR
HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:We love you!
Loretta & Jon