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

May 18, 2022

LIFE IN THE FOLD

One thing I've found to be true over the years is that not everyone's idea of clean is the same; but most feel like their way is right.

I mostly keep my house picked up so if someone stops by I wouldn't be embarrassed. But as far as deep cleaning, I am not as good at that as I could be!

One thing that I always do every day is make my bed. That's generally the very first thing I do as soon as I get up in the morning. If it's not made, it's usually because I'm washing sheets and going to put the same set back on the bed.

I also try to keep my kitchen clean. Most times I will clean as I go when cooking, which helps with that.

I have a friend who has told me numerous times that a normal part of her cleaning routine in the kitchen is to wipe down the fronts of her cabinet doors. Her mom did that, so she grew up seeing that being done. In her mind, that is normal and you should always wipe your cabinet doors down every time you clean your kitchen. I will admit that I do not do that!

Another close friend has told me that she wipes down her baseboards once a week. What?! Mine are lucky if they get wiped down once a year! That is something that she grew up having to do, so to her, it is normal. On the other hand, her bed never ever gets made!

We each have different routines and ways of doing things. That's fine! Really, we shouldn't expect everyone else to do things exactly like we do.

Growing up, potluck dinners at my church were the very best!! They were amazing! All of the women in my church were excellent cooks. They would all bring a boxful of covered dishes to share and there was always plenty of food. Everything was homemade and no one dared bring anything store-bought. Fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, potato salad, cobblers and cakes and all kinds of delicious food. I thought all churches had dinners like that!

The church we attend now is a good church, but they don't know how to put on good potluck dinners. There have been times in the past when I looked at the amount of food brought and wonder if it would be enough for everyone. Most people, except for my sister and I and maybe a couple others, bring only one thing. They are getting a little better at this. But other than what 3-4 people actually cook, almost everything is store-bought. A lot of the women in our church aren't cooks.

That was so surprising to me, the first time I attended a dinner at our church. I was expecting an abundance of good home-cooked food; and instead, saw just a minimum amount and a lot of it being purchased from a store.

It's the same way for family get togethers. My goodness, but all of my aunts on my mom's side of the family were excellent cooks! When the Parton family got together, there was a ton of delicious home-cooked food!

Mama and all of my sisters knew how to cook well. I grew up eating home-cooked meals that were delicious! My sisters and I all learned how to do good country cooking. When I spent the nights with cousins, there were always good home-cooked meals. I thought all families ate like that!

Then I married Jon. I discovered that I was wrong. The first meal that his parents invited me to at their home, after Jon and I started dating, I was so surprised. And I'm laughing as I type this, and am not being mean.... just being honest! Jon's mom had fried the four of us each a hamburger patty for the meat. Then had warmed up a can of peas (which Jon and I both hate canned peas!!) and had a saucer with 4 pieces of white store-bought bread on it. So Jon and I ate a hamburger patty with a piece of bread.

When Jon and I got married, I cooked meals for us like I grew up eating. Jon thought he had hit a gold mine!! When he introduced me to people, he would tell them that I was his wife.... then add, "And she is a wonderful cook!" At first, it kind of bugged me that that was always what he'd tell people about me. I thought, "Is that all I am to him? A wife and good cook?" Then I finally realized that meant something to him and he was grateful to be married to someone who cooked well.

Family gatherings for Jon's immediate family is either us all going out; or me cooking for everyone. It's not like the Parton dinners I grew up attending! That's fine.... it's just different than what I had ever experienced before.

I, also, thought that all families were loving and close and had godly parents; because that was all I knew from my own family, and all I ever experienced from my relatives and close friends. I was an adult before I truly realized that wasn't true. Really, it's only been in recent years when a couple members of my immediate family became involved in foster care and adoption, that I truly understood the trauma many young children experience and the affects that it has on them. I just didn't know!

In churches we can have differences. I grew up singing hymns, and that's still where my heart and mind goes when I need a song for comfort or encouragement or just singing around the house. There are others who dislike hymns and only like modern worship songs.

Some clap and raise their hands in worship, while others are more quiet and dignified. Some pastors are more boisterous and passionate, while others follow their notes point by point and word for word and are more reserved. They can all have good things to say, but their presentation is very different.

Some love it when people wave colored flags as a part of worship. It means something to them and is an expression of worship. Personally, I don't. I think it is distracting and it means nothing to me. But for the sake of those who do love it, I try to focus elsewhere and not let it hinder my worship.

With all of our differences, in so many varied ways, isn't it amazing that God created us each to be so unique and special?! Each individual, each family, each church, each community.... all have their own personalities and uniqueness, but are all equally treasured by the Lord. Our world would be boring if everyone were clones of one another and each person was exactly the same. Instead, God gave us each different likes and dislikes, different gifts and talents, different personalities, different thought processes, different speech patterns where we pronounce words different and have unique sayings according to where we grew up and our families. It makes our life and our world interesting and so varied.

Instead of focusing on those things that irritate us about others or becoming frustrated because of our differences, perhaps we should try being thankful for one another and see how God made each of us unique and special. No, we're not going to be best friends with everyone and some people will just rub us the wrong way. But we can try seeing them like God does, even those who are deep in their sins, and pray that God will send someone that they can relate to into their path to draw them to Him. We are each on our journey through life, at the same time on earth, and God has placed us all here for a reason for this period of time. Let's just make sure that we are doing our part and fulfilling His plan.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

One of the members of our church was raised in a much bigger church. The pastor was a full time pastor because they could afford to pay his salary. In fact, there were several staff members who were all full time, salary employees of the church. Now, he goes to our church where we can't even afford one real salary. Our pastor gets a little housing allowance, but even that isn't much help.

There are advantages to having a full time staff at a church. They can drop everything to visit someone in the hospital when that is needed. They can invite members or even non members to stop by if they have questions most of the time. They can be more supportive, and more available. On the other hand, the staff usually don't really meet anyone, and may not even recognize members who have come for years.

But in our church, if someone visits, we all notice. Most of us will take time to welcome them, and let them know a little bit about our church, our pastor, and what we have to offer. It might be a little intimidating for someone who prefers to slip in unnoticed. But it is much more welcoming and friendly.

Different people are looking for different things in a church. Just as people aren't all the same, churches come in a wide variety. If you are looking for a church, please visit a few, and look for one that teaches from the Bible (not just someone's opinions), and one that you encouraged in. There will be one out there.

ON THE MENEWE:

Cherry Fluff

Stir all ingredients together. Sprinkle with nuts on top, if desires. Refrigerate.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Sometimes it's the little things in life that can make our hearts happy! I have a relative that isn't raising their kids to know about Jesus; which is heartbreaking. A while back I was taking care of a couple of the small children and putting them down for a nap. Like I do many times, I will sing each kid a couple songs after putting them in their separate bedrooms for nap time. This particular day, the little girl wanted me to hold her for a few minutes first. When I picked her up to hold her, she asked, "Can you sing 'The Bible Tells Me So' (Jesus Loves Me)?" My heart leaped for joy and I thought that perhaps in some small way, I am planting a little seed for Jesus in her heart.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. - Corrie ten Boom

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org