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 1, 2021

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

This summer my sister, Janie, and I have done some home canning and freezing. I cut corn off the cob and froze it in freezer bags. We both made and canned tomato sauce, using our water bath canners for that. We also both canned peaches; and I froze a few bags. Janie used her pressure canner to can green beans and potatoes. We both used her pressure canner to can pinto beans. We are excited to have all of this home canned/frozen foods on our shelves and freezer.

I grew up in the country and Mama and Daddy always planted a big garden, from which Mama would always can vegetables. She would also pick cherries from a neighbors trees and can to have for pies. We'd have home canned peaches, homemade blackberry jelly, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables put up to eat throughout the winter months. They also would butcher chickens each fall (which was a stinky, messy job!) to put in the freezer. Often Daddy would fatten a cow or pig for butchering. So I grew up on delicious home cooking!

Jon and I buy pork and beef from my nephew, who raises them for butchering. After being used to quality meat, we have become spoiled! Then we have the home canned and frozen fruits and vegetables that I've done this year. There is something very nostalgic and special for me having farm raised beef and pork and home canned goods.

I have recently ordered a pressure canner for myself, but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. Up until now, my sister and I would always can together and use hers.

Here are a few things that I've learned from watching Janie and being with her when we've used her pressure canner.

In a nutshell, how a pressure canner works is that you place your filled jars inside the canner, with some water, and close the lid. You turn the burner on and allow steam to build up inside the canner. When steam begins to come out of the hole on top of the canner, you put a little vent cap on it to trap the steam inside. The steam begins to build inside and there is a pressure gauge on top of the canner that tells you how many pounds of pressure there is inside.

So for instance, when we were canning the beans, we had to allow the pressure inside the cooker to build up to 10 pounds. Then we have to keep it regulated at 10 pounds, by adjusting the heat of the burner the cooker is sitting on, for a specific amount of time, depending on the size of the jars inside.

When the time is up, you can't just open up the canner and remove the jars, as you would with a hot water bath canner. But you have to turn off the heat and allow the steam to depressurize inside the canner. When the pressure has come back down to zero, you remove the vent cap to let the last of the steam to escape; then it is safe to open the lid and remove the jars.

The jars will be incredibly hot, so you will need to use some grippers or a cloth to grab onto them. We set them on a towel on the countertop and allow to cool for several hours before putting them away on our pantry shelves. If everything works as it should, you will hear the lids pop as they seal; which is always a happy sound and a good feeling.

The purpose behind using a canner for fruits and vegetables is for preservation, so that the jars will be sealed and the contents will be safe to eat weeks and months down the road. If a jar happens to not seal, then you can't keep it on the shelf, because it won't be preserved and could make you sick upon eating it. They can be put in the fridge and eaten right away; but can't be preserved for eating at a later date.

Have you ever gone through a time in your life where you feel as if you are being pressurized? If you are like most people, it happens more than once; in fact, it can happen over and over again. In fact, scripture tells us that we will go through difficult times. We are not promised a life of ease, with everything always going our way and us getting everything we want. What we are promised is Jesus being with us.

Consider the idea that perhaps the reason we go through those times of difficulty is for our preservation. It is never the intend of the Father to bring us harm or to weaken us; but to strengthen us and cause us to grow and mature in our relationship with Him.

The person canning cannot walk away and ignore the canner; but has to be vigilant about regulating the steam to make sure it remains at the proper number of pounds for the right length of time. If they don't monitor the canner, then the steam will continue building and building, until it becomes too high and the jars inside will explode. Then all their hard work and labor will be in vain and they'll lose whatever it is that they are canning and have a huge mess.

It is never the intent of Jesus to allow our situations to build and build until we explode and are of no use and lose our value. He never walks away and takes His eyes off us, but watching us during those times of being pressurized and when we are enduring hardships. He knows when we are to that perfect point of being preserved, and He will start backing the heat away and cause the situation to become better and better. Finally, we are removed, fully preserved and ready for use. We are ready to be poured out for His glory. Perhaps that may look like us sharing our story with others in order to encourage them and bring them hope. It may be showing kindness to someone who doesn't deserve it. It may be a new ministry that He opens up for us. Or it may just be Jesus strengthening us, personally, and drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him. He may be preserving us so that when difficulties of this world feel overwhelming, we won't be shaken in our faith.

Isaiah 43:2 says, "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you."

"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." Psalm 121:7-8

It is the will of the Father that we all be preserved. He has promised to be with us, no matter what we are going through. He's promised that we won't drown or be burned up or consumed, by the various circumstances of hardship that we endure. We are promised that He will preserve our soul. Now throughout all eternity, He will preserve us when we are coming and going.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Being in the pressure cooker is hot. In fact, with 10 psi, it's about 238F instead of 212. But it's even hotter below, in the fire.

A lot of people have complained about the hard times now, and persecution against them or the church. If you have a hard time with circumstances today, don't read The Revelation. It goes into a lot of details of how the world will end, and the destruction, death, and real persecution that is to come.

It will be difficult to face. And many people who believe in God and follow Jesus will give up and turn away. But others will become stronger, and embrace God through the entire ordeal. It is the precursor to Jesus returning. So, as John put it, "even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Rev 22:20)

ON THE MENEWE:

Potato Wedges

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Children are generally very blunt in what they say, sometimes to their parents embarrassment. At times the kids are just repeating what they've overheard their parents or family say; not realizing the child has heard their comments and will repeat it in public. Over the years I've had kids say things to me that I thought was funny because of the innocence in which it was said; but knowing that their parents would be embarrassed if they knew.

Many years ago I was babysitting my cousin's son. The two of us were eating dinner, and he reached over and started playing with the flab on my upper arm and commented, "This is fun to play with; it reminds me of my grandma's arms!" I was probably in my late teens or early 20's at the time. Just what I wanted to hear, that my arms looked like his grandma's!

Another time, during children's church the leaders had the kids make cards for their parents, and also for those in the church who were unmarried or didn't have children. I think the kids got to choose who they made their cards for. I was probably in my 20's at this time. My cousin's daughter made a card for me. I thought it was funny and still have it. On the inside the message she wrote was, "Dear Loretta, You are very pretty and special. I don't understand why no one has married you. You're very special. Everyone loves you, especially God and me." I wondered if she had heard her grandparents (who were my uncle and aunt) or some of the other family members talking about me. I could just imagine the conversation; "Loretta's not that bad looking; I wonder why nobody has ever married her yet?"

My aunt used to babysit years ago, and one day the mom of the little girl she was babysitting told her, "I won't believe everything she tells us about you, if you won't believe everything she tells you about us!"

Watch what you say around kids, because you never know who they'll tell!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start,

anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. - Carl Bard

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org