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

December 1, 2021

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

A few years ago I was driving back home from Springfield, MO by myself. It was a really dark night, not a lot of traffic, and the drive seemed to go on and on and on..... It was close to a 3 hour drive and probably somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00 at night.

After driving for a while I thought, "I am really thirsty!" I was on a stretch of interstate where there were no towns or anyplace to stop. For probably thirty minutes I kept debating with myself on whether I should stop and get something to drink or just continue driving. I wanted to make it home, yet my mouth was dry and I needed something to drink. Do I stop and take up time that could be spent driving towards home; or do I keep driving and wait until I got home and then get a drink.

I had this ongoing dialogue in my head about this. I didn't particularly want to stop and get out of the car, when it was so dark outside, and get something to drink. If I did, then that would likely mean that I would then have to make a bathroom stop at some point before getting home.

I'm sure that some of you might be reading this, thinking, "So what did you end up doing?" Others probably read and think, "This is boring! I really don't care!" Some may have wondered at first, but soon lost interest.

We have likely all found ourselves in each of these three thought patterns, at one time or another, when listening to someone telling a personal story. It isn't about a very exciting subject to begin with, then the person goes on and on about it. We may wonder about the outcome enough to pay attention; or we may tune them out and never really hear the ending.

Here's the quick ending: After driving and debating this for probably half an hour or longer, I happened to look down and saw that I had a bottle of water in the cup holder between the front seats. I had completely forgotten about having it! As I had been leaving to head home, someone had handed me the water to have for the drive. I had gotten sidetracked and completely forgotten about having it! There had been no need for me being thirsty all of that time, because I had a solution right beside me.

Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

Jesus is speaking in John 6:35 and says, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty."

David writes in Psalms 42:1-2a, "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the living God."

Within every person who is born on earth is a hunger and thirst for God. Some recognize that and willingly and eagerly submit themselves to Him at a young age.

Others spend their lives struggling with having a relationship with God. They want Him in their lives, but don't want to fully commit their heart and life to Him. They want to partake of earthly pleasures and make choices that cause them to always be at war between good and evil. Others feel a deep emptiness within, but spend their lives searching for things to satisfy and fulfill that longing; resisting the wooing of the Holy Spirit to come to Jesus and allow Him to fill that void.

All of us have the Living Water and Bread of Life right beside us. But we have to recognize that He is there and choose to submit ourselves to Him. He will fill us, fully and completely, if we will allow Him to do so.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

I'm sure most of us can remember times when we have hunted all over for the right kind of screwdriver only to find it in my pocket. Or look around for glasses that are on my head. Maybe the younger readers have never done that, and a few older readers may not remember that. But most of us do.

Many people spend years looking for God. They may not understand who He is enough to use the name "Lord" or "Jesus", so they might call Him "Love", "The Universe", or something like that. So they search and search. But He is right here.

Psalm 19:1 says "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork." I try to remember that each time I see a beautiful sunrise or sunset.

Romans 1:20-21 is pretty blunt. "For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

We all need to pay honor to God. We don't have excuses like "well, no one ever told me" or "no one taught me the 'Sinner's Prayer'." We might not get all the details right, but we must all honor God, acknowledge His power and gifts, and be thankful.

ON THE MENEWE:

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Add everything, except the noodles and cooked chicken, into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add the uncooked noodles and cooked chicken, turn heat to high and cook for 1 additional hour.

Makes 4 servings. Adjust amounts if you want to make more.

**Note: If you want, you can use 2 cans of canned cooked chicken. Personally, I prefer using rotisserie chicken, deboned and shredded.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

My 14 year old niece has a new boyfriend at church (they only ever see one another at church). Recently, the two of them tried to sit together at church, but my niece's 11 year old sister planted herself in between them and told the boy, "Don't talk to my sister!" When her parents ask her about it she said, "Well, they were being weird, so I scooted them apart and sat between them." To clarify, "weird" to her means that her sister and the boy kept looking at each other awkwardly during worship. They tried to hold hands, but my 11 year old niece said, "Nope!" and pulled their hands apart. With her around to keep an eye on things, the mom and dad don't even need to parent! The mama said that the boy seems super nice, but this age is just awkward all around. Having an 11 year old sibling doesn't help the situation!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

When thinking about life, remember this:

No amount of guilt can solve the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future. - unknown

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org