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

November 2, 2022

LIFE IN THE FOLD

Romans 12:11 says, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." Another version tells us to "be on fire with the Spirit."

Growing up, we always had a wood-burning stove, for heat, in the wintertime. That was fine as long as daddy cut the wood and kept the fire burning. But when my sisters and I had to be involved, we weren't so thrilled. Daddy never cared for cutting wood and only did it out of necessity. Sometimes he would cut the wood and haul it home, then would cut it into the right sized pieces to fit our stove. When he did, we girls would have to pick it up and stack it on the porch.

I remember hearing Daddy get up in the middle of cold nights to put more wood on the fire to keep it burning. It was easier to do that, instead of letting the fire go out and having to rebuild it in the morning and the house be cold. And it made it easier for the rest of us to get out of bed when the house was warm, too.

After my mom passed away, when I was fifteen years old, I was the first one home most afternoons; unless the weather was rainy and daddy couldn't work. If he could, he would stop by the house during the day to put a couple sticks of wood on the fire, but most days he was unable to do so. So it became my job, in the winter, to come home from school and get the fire going to heat the house up.

This wasn't my favorite thing to do, but I became fairly well skilled at it. I learned that you have to empty the ash box, be sure the damper is turned on so the house doesn't fill up with smoke, start with small pieces of dead or well seasoned wood to get the fire started well before adding larger pieces of wood; and that it is much easier to start the fire if there are coals still burning in the stove. Once the fire starts burning well, then you can add on larger pieces that will burn longer. It wouldn't take long for a cold house to start warming up and it would feel nice and toasty.

When we begin our relationship with Jesus, we are often passionate and have a deep love for Jesus. The fire in our heart is burning brightly and we are anxious to tell others about our experience. But it's up to us to keep that spiritual fire burning. If we don't continue feeding the fire by reading the Bible, praying, fellowshipping with other believers, and listening to teachings from a pastor or spiritually mature christian, then our fire will begin to die down.

There are times when we may go through difficulties and it feels as if our fire is burning low and perhaps even going out. Perhaps it's because our focus turns to our problems and we grow weary and anxious and fearful. We fail to fully trust that God is with us and able to take care of the situation; so begin relying up ourselves and trying to figure out a solution. But as long as there are coals burning, a belief and faith in God, then we can shift our focus and God will fan those flames so that they will grow hot once again.

If we try to throw those large pieces of green wood on our fire, then it will die out. What's that? Listening to the thoughts and ideas of unbelievers or those whose lives aren't spiritually mature and seasoned in their walk with the Lord. We allow them to crush what remaining fire we have in our spirit and our commitment to God grows cold and lifeless. But even then, it's not impossible to get the fire burning once again, by coming to the Lord and asking Him to help us.

Ash is wood that has already been burnt. What once was a tree, got cut down and cut into sticks of wood, that got burned to create heat, and ended up just gray ashes. There are some ashes left in the wood box where the coals lie, which is vital to keeping the larger pieces of wood burning. But then there are ashes that fall down into the bottom of the stove into a container, which needs to be emptied in order to keep the fire burning.

Ashes represent things in our past. Sometimes we can hold so tightly to the past that we forget the importance of the present and future. Our past may have things of importance that is vital to keeping our lives on track and the fire burning spiritually. But there are things that we often need to get rid of, so that we can be passionate and focused on what God is doing right now; enjoying the blessings and journey that He has set us on. Just as the Father forgives our transgressions and doesn't remember them anymore, once we repent, we need to move on and stop beating ourselves up over things that God has said are forgiven and forgotten. When we can do that, then the fire of the Holy Spirit will burn fervently and brightly and cannot be extinguished.

Heat from a wood stove can spread out and heat the area around it. You can walk into another room and feel the affects of a good fire. It's comfortable and comforting and wards off the cold that may be outside. When we serve the Lord with zeal and His fire is burning within us, it's going to be noticeable to those around us and they will feel the warmth of God's love flowing from us. Even though situations in the world may be cold and distressing, the fire of the Holy Spirit is comforting and people will be drawn to us; wanting to know of the hope and warmth that radiates from within.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Like most smaller churches, ours has a time each service to ask for any prayer requests. People will usually share some need in their lives or their families. But we also have a time for praise reports. Some people will usually share some of the blessings or miracles God has given them.

At times when our fires have been weaker, hearing about how God is working in others' lives helps stoke the coals. It is encouraging, and helps us to hold on to our own faith. So we also try to remember to share when we receive blessings, so others can be encouraged.

That is one of the most important parts of fellowship with other Christians. We don't have to study the Bible, or get very deep in religious conversations. Simply mentioning that I've been very blessed lately with the strength and finances I need to build a new shed may help someone else if they are waiting for a blessing in their own life.

ON THE MENEWE:

Sausage, Potato, Kale Soup

(This is one of my favorite soups!)

Wash and prepare the kale; set aside.

In a medium pot, boil thinly sliced potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, crumble and brown the Italian sausage with the onion; drain. Stir in the red pepper flakes, oregano (could use Italian seasoning), chicken broth, milk, and half-n-half. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add in potatoes and a splash of heavy cream. Stir in the kale. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes.

Can serve with shredded cheese on top, if desired. Leftovers warm up great!

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

My two oldest sisters, Joyce and Linda, are two years apart in age. When they were kids, Linda (younger sister) was always begging Joyce to wrestle with her. Joyce said she had no idea why Linda liked it so much, because it was no challenge at all for her to take Linda down.

The two of them would often play church together. One of them would pretend to be Sister Oak and the other would be Sister Pine (made up names!). They would sing and testify. The two of them would even go to my dad's pond and have a baptizing. They would get a couple of mama's hankies and wet them in the pond water, so that they could put water on their face and pretend like they were getting spiritually emotional and crying.

When it snowed, they would put empty plastic bread bags on their feet to keep their shoes and feet dry.

Such special memories sisters can have of time spent together! Mama and Daddy had three more daughters (no boys), and the five of us were always very close -- still are! There is 14-1/2 years between me and my oldest sister, and we are spread out about 5 years between us, except for the two oldest. We love one another dearly and are best friends -- always have been, always will be!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Courage doesn't mean you don't get afraid.

Courage means you don't let fear stop you. - unknown

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org