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 20, 2023

LIFE IN THE FOLD

In January, Jon and I decided that we would like to try something new for this year, so decided that once a month we would go out on a date and try a new restaurant or cafe that neither of us have eaten at before. We have both enjoyed doing this and overall have had good success. There has only been one restaurant that neither of us particularly cared for. It's been fun and we've found a few new favorite places where we now like to go out to eat.

It's easy to find yourself in a rut where you do the same things or go to the same places, over and over again. That's where we had found ourselves, so made a choice to do something about it. Some of the places we've eaten at have been recommendations from others, some have been places we drove by and thought we should try it sometime, and others are places I found online.

This has been something that both of us have enjoyed. My sister told one of her friends what we had been doing and she and her husband talked and said that sounded like a lot of fun, so have decided that they want to begin doing this, too. I sent her a list of new places we've tried, which ones we really liked, which ones were not our favorite, etc. I hope that they enjoy doing this as much as Jon and I have.

Probably three or four years ago my nephew and his wife decided that they needed to do something to make sure that they got an occasional date night. Having four kids at home, it's hard to do at times. So they decided to buy season tickets to the Performing Arts Center Broadway Shows, which would guarantee that they would have scheduled dates. Often they will go out for dinner beforehand, and I generally will go stay with their kids for the evening.

Several years ago, I decided that once a year I would get all my sisters and as many of their daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters who could come together for a Christmas party. I have it at my house the second Saturday in November each year. I decorate my house for Christmas, everyone brings finger foods, do a gift exchange, and we have a great time. There are generally around twenty of us who get together. While we girls party, the guys get together and go out to eat somewhere; then come back to my house later for dessert and to pick up their families. It's a way for us to stay connected in a busy world. For those of us who attend, we look forward to it each year and enjoy being together.

Do you have a way that you stay connected to family and friends? It's easy to think that you'll get together and stay in touch, but too often, time gets away from you and months or years have gone by without really having any quality time.

Even spouses can live in the same house, where you would think it would be easy to make time for one another, but busyness of life can put them running in different directions. Kids, activities, schedules, jobs, errands and so many things can cause time to go by without there being any real connection between the two. They sometimes don't have that time without distractions. That's important that they choose to stay connected and set aside time to do so.

Adult kids need to set aside time to spend with their parents. When you have your parents with you, you don't always realize how quickly the time will go by until they're no longer here. Take the time to call, stop by for a visit, go out for a meal, email if they enjoy getting messages like that, and listen to the same stories that you may have heard numerous times.

I don't have my parents with me anymore. My mama passed away in 1981 and daddy in 2007. I remember when I was single my dad would sometimes call and say, "I haven't heard from you in a while, so thought I'd call to let you know that I'm still alive!" He was joking, but it was his way of saying, "Hey, I'd really like it if you'd stop by for a visit and spend some time with me!" When that happened, I'd often realize that with work and church activities, more time had gone by than I'd realized since I'd last gone to visit him. He only lived about 20-30 minutes from my house. I'd set aside time and go over to visit him. Even though I'd think, "I need to not let this happen again and come more often," there would be times when too much time would slip away before I'd stop by again.

If we aren't careful, we can also find ourselves disconnecting from God, at times. We love Him, we want to spend time with Him, but we get busy and find that time has slipped away and we've not taken the time to really set everything else aside and focus on our Father. Perhaps we begin having that empty feeling inside or just feel blah or wonder why our joy or peace is not as strong as it once was. It may be because we've not spent time reading His Word or praying or just sitting and meditating on Him for quite some times. We've not backslid or stopped loving Him or turned away from our faith; but we allowed busyness and activities and just "stuff" to take up our time.

Just as a husband and wife, or a family, or friends, have to set aside time to stay connected and make that a priority, we need to make sure that we make spending time with God a priority. We need to set aside time to make sure that we do that. It sometimes has to be a conscious choice that this is important to me, so I'm going to make sure I do it.

Honestly, there are times when my time with Jesus is in the shower, while I'm driving by myself in the car, or while I'm mowing our lawn. It's quiet, and I can either allow my mind to wander from one thing to another, or I can take that time to talk to Jesus and listen to what He may want to say to me. But I also like to intentionally set aside time to read the Bible and talk to Him and be still in His presence. However I do it, I know that God loves hearing from me and loves when I take time to spend with him.

I encourage you to set aside time for those people whom you love and who are important to you. Don't allow busyness and activities and work or whatever to be your priority and focus; but let it be on those you love. Find time to be spend with them. Most importantly, consciously make time for God! Make that relationship priority for you. When your relationship with God is strong and secure and solid, it will make your relationships with others so much better and stronger!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

I have to spend many hours every week working. I also have to spend a lot of time sleeping. And I have quite a few other things that take up my time. But I do get to enjoy quite a bit of free time, too. I wouldn't say I 'treasure' my free time, but that's not too far off, either. Many people do treasure their free time.

There are two particular verses in Luke that tie in with that idea. Luke 12:34 (and Matthew 6:21) says, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." It can refer to collected wealth and treasured items. It could include our TV, photo albums, family keepsakes, or money. But it can also include our free time. How we use our free time shows where our hearts are.

Luke 6:45 says, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of the evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." If our treasure is something good (like our relationship with our Heavenly Father), then we will speak and produce good.

So, if you treasure your free time, how do you spend it? Is it for good?

ON THE MENEWE:

Kraut Soup

(This is a new recipe someone recently shared with me and I will definitely be making it again!)

Salt and pepper pork roast and place in crockpot. Add the thinly sliced onion. Pour about a cup or so of chicken broth over the top. Cook until meat is tender.

Remove meat from crockpot and shred; remove any bones or pieces of fat. Place shredded meat in a large pot on the stovetop. Pour in juice with all the onion from the crockpot.

Add in 1 can of sauerkraut that has been somewhat drained. (I had a quart jar of German sauerkraut so just dipped out about a cup to a cup and a half.) Add caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, and any other seasoning you might want. (I added garlic powder and smoked paprika).

Add in potatoes that have been thinly sliced -- I used 4-5; but quantity depends on how much you want to make.

Add in more chicken brother to cover everything in the pot really well.

Cook until potatoes are tender.

Pour in some heavy whipping cream (I added probably a cup or so.) and stir well.

Leftovers are still delicious and reheats well.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Fourteen years ago Jon and I were in Singapore for three weeks! He was there for work and I was able to tag along for pleasure. That was the first time either of us had ever traveled internationally and we were amazed and a little stunned that we had that opportunity. The worst part about the trip was the incredibly long flight!

Here are some of the highlights from our trip: We were told, before going, to be sure and visit the zoo. It was rated one of the top zoos in the world. Jon and I never go to the zoo and thought, "Really?!? The zoo?!" It was truly amazing and we both loved it! It was beautiful and we saw the animals in areas that looked like their natural habitat and there were gardens all over. We also rode the Singapore Flyer, which is a giant glass observation wheel, which is 541 feet tall. It ended up that Jon and I were the only two in the glass capsule so had it all to ourselves for the 30 minute ride. My very favorite was the orchid gardens! I have never seen so many beautiful flowers in all my life! I had no idea there were even that many different varieties and colors of orchids. It was probably one of the most breathtaking places I've ever visited.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

When you do something beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad.

For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleep. - unknown

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org