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

February 7, 2024

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

The first eight verses of Ecclesiastes chapter three are about there being a time and season for everything. There's a time to be born; a time to die. A time to plant; a time to harvest. A time cry; a time to laugh. A time to be silent; a time to speak.... etc. Throughout our lifetime, we will all experience the various seasons. The thing about seasons is that they don't last forever, and will change.

As I was driving a few days ago I was thinking about this and got a whole different perspective about these verses.

As I look back over my life, I see many different seasons that I've gone through. When I was in high school, I went through a season of grief, after Mama passed away from cancer. I went through a long season of singleness. I went through a season of being in a supervisory position in my job. I had a season where I was very involved in my home church where I played piano, was church secretary/treasurer, sang, taught Sunday school, etc. I had a season of meeting Jon and dating; then planning a wedding and getting married. For the past 18-plus years, I've been in a season of marriage; which within that, has seasons of difficulties, struggles, joys, adventures, etc. We went through a season of both Jon and I working full-time jobs and struggling financially. We've had seasons of financial blessings; and a season where our hard work paid off and we got 100% out of debt. There were seasons of grief again, when Daddy passed away... then when Jon's father passed away. I entered a new season several years ago when I stopped working full-time when Jon got a better paying job. I sometimes am in a season where I teach mid-week Bible study at my church... sometimes others teach and I go learn. I've gone through seasons where I have babysat for the children of my niece and nephew. I now get two of the kindergartners on the school bus in the mornings and keep them if they are sick or need to stay home for some reason. I help out other family members with their kids for various reasons. I am in a season of helping out my mother-in-law; taking her to doctor appointments, handling her finances, picking up prescriptions, etc.

If we look back over our life, we can all see various seasons that we have gone through; and they are all different. Some are hard, some are filled with grief, some are exciting and fun, some are just day to day taking care of "stuff", some are rather boring, some filled with blessings...... Some seasons may be filled with mistakes and struggling spiritually; while others are seasons of spiritual growth and establishing your relationship with God.

In the Bible, David's life probably covers more seasons and changes than anyone.

We first see him as the unimportant younger brother, out in the field tending sheep.

In 1 Samuel chapter 16, the Lord had told Samuel that He had rejected Saul as king, and he was to go to Bethlehem to Jesse's house, for God had selected one of his sons to be king.

Jesse brings seven of his sons before Samuel, one by one, and each time Samuel says no, this isn't the one whom God has chosen. Finally, Samuel tells Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these. Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse replied, "There is still the youngest. But he's out in the fields watching the sheep and goats." He hadn't even thought to send for his youngest son when Samuel showed up, asking to see his sons!

When David walked in, the Lord told Samuel, "This is the one; anoint him!"

Even though Samuel anointed David to become king after Saul, David had to go through a whole lot of other seasons, before he ever served as king! This wasn't something that happened immediately, but years went by between Samuel anointing him and David serving in that position.

First of all, David served in Saul's court, playing the harp when Saul became tormented, in order to sooth him. Then David became Saul's armor bearer.

David went through a season of King Saul trying to kill him, and he had to hide out in caves and live with his warriors there.

There are a couple times when David had a chance to kill Saul, yet he chose to be honorable and spare his life. He could have been crowned king, had he done so. But he knew that wasn't the way God wanted him to handle those situations.

Saul dies, then David enters his season of becoming the king of Judah. Eventually, David became king of all Israel.

Even after he became king, David spent many seasons as a warrior, leading Judah in battle against their enemies. He didn't just sent his armies out to fight, but he went with them and led them in many military victories.

David had a season where he found out about Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, who was Saul's grandson. All of Saul's family had been killed, except for this one heir. He was crippled in both of his feet, and had been since a child. David brought him into his palace, treated him as his own son, and had Mephibosheth eat at the king's table.

David sinned with Bathsheba and they had a son. The Lord was displeased with what David had done and sent the prophet Nathan to confront him. David confessed his guilt, that he had sinned against the Lord, and the Lord forgave him. But that baby died. This was a season that David probably wasn't very proud of; yet he turned to the Lord, repented, and was forgiven. David then went to the Tabernacle and worshipped.

David finally entered a season when his men told him, "You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?" David was too important, in his role as king, to risk him being killed in battle.

Throughout his life, David wrote many of the Psalms. Some are questioning why the enemy seemed to be triumphing; some were filled with weeping; many were filled with praise; and all pointed to God! David always chose to worship God, regardless of the season he was going through in life!

Whatever season you go through, may you always hold fast to God and worship Him! When you grieve; worship God! When you are blessed; worship God! When you are filled with pain and are heartbroken; worship God! When you are overflowing with joy and peace; worship God! When you feel like life is boring and you're in a rut; worship God! When you are struggling and need answers; worship God! When life is filled with excitement and adventures; worship God! When you are sick and your body is in pain; worship God! Just as David did, choose to worship God in any and all situations of your life!

We worship God by keeping our focus on Him and trusting Him. We worship by keeping open, ongoing communication between us and God. We worship by holding fast to faith in God. We worship by walking in obedience to what He wants us to do. We worship by repenting and confessing our sins, then receiving His forgiveness. We worship by letting go of guilt, after we've repented and God has forgiven us. We worship by getting back up, when we fall down. We worship by our love and kindness to others. We worship when we hold a child and sing a lullaby to them. We worship through prayer and reading His Word. We worship by not giving up when life gets tough. We worship by making choices that please God; even though others may not agree or like those choices.

Worship is not just saying the words to God, "I worship You!"; although God loves hearing our praise and worship to Him. But worship is how we live our life, the choices we make, how we treat others; and by always putting God first, above everything else and above all others!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

"Season" is a good word for the phases we go through. Seasons always change in their time. Even at the equator, where they don't have Summer and Winter, they do have seasons of more or less wind or rain. Whatever season you might be in, it will end in its proper time, and a new season will start.

Seasons pass for nations, too. The U.S. went through a season of oppression by a foreign nation, then a season of fighting for our independence. Then a season of trying to establish a new republic. We have been through seasons of war, peace, poverty, boom, etc. And a new season will come soon.

When winter is coming, I would suggest making sure you have a blanket and jumper cables in your car, a good coat, sand or salt for your sidewalk (if you like), some canned food, and other supplies in case you are cut off by an ice storm. When summer is coming, I might suggest getting a swimsuit, lawn chairs, and making sure your mower is in good repair.

Or, if you know someone who is prepared, and willing to share with you, that will do.

The season that is coming for our nation isn't so easy. I honestly don't know the best thing to prepare for. But I know God is prepared, and He is willing to share with us. That will do.

ON THE MENEWE:

Sour Cream Pancakes

Place the sour cream in a medium bowl. Add in the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir together, stopping just short of the mixture becoming totally combined.

Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl. Add in the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the sour cream/flour mixture. Stir gently to combine.

Melt butter in a skillet or griddle. Pour the batter onto the hot surface 1/4 cup at a time. (You can pour more if you prefer bigger pancakes.) Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip over and cook until center is no longer doughy.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Many times kids will go through a stage where they have an imaginary friend. I did this when I was probably around 4 years old. My imaginary friend's name was Loretta Martin. She would come and play with me when I was outside and my sisters were at school or busy. I would talk to her and pretend that she was there with me. Finally, the day came when she left and in my mind I saw her ride away on a horse.... and that was the last I talked about her and in my imagination she was gone.

My great-nephew went through a stage where he had an imaginary brother. He pretended that his foot was his brother and named him "Stickfoot". His foot would talk to his mama.

My great-niece, also, had an imaginary friend when she was young -- and it was Spiderman. She would walk around holding her hand out to the side and would say that she was holding Spiderman's hand.

Having a vivid imagination and pretending is a great, fun thing for kids to do!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

If you feel like giving up because you're not seeing results, remember this:

the last thing to grow on a fruit tree is the fruit. - TobyMac

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org