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

March 12, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

We wrote our very first newsletter on March 12, 2007 -- exactly 18 years ago today! That seems crazy that we've been publishing these weekly devotionals for so many years. This is the 940^th edition that we've written and published!!

I will never forget the moment that God dropped the idea in my heart to begin doing this. I had just quit my full-time job and was wondering what was next. I was making our bed one morning and suddenly knew that this was something I was supposed to do. I knew it was God-ordained, but had no idea how it was all going to work out. That evening, when Jon got home from work, I shared the idea with him and he was very supportive. I knew how to write, he knew how to do the online publishing, so we made a great team. Not only does Jon publish these weekly, he also edits what I write and then writes a section himself.

Jon and I have lived a lot of life during the past 18 years. The death of both of our fathers, the death of my brother-in-law, vacations, travel for Jon's job..... things that would have made it easy to think, "It's okay. We'll just skip this week of writing a newsletter. Everyone will understand!" But we had both made a commitment that we would be diligent and consistent about making sure we published weekly. We have never missed a week, even though it was difficult at times.

We honestly have no idea how many read this each each week, but pray that it will have a positive effect on someone and perhaps bring about hope and encouragement.

There's an old song that says, "Little is much when God is in it." So even though this may seem small, we may never know the impact it may have on someone. If it brings about transformation and change in just one person, it's worth it. And we may never know, in this life, whether or not that has occurred.

All of us generally want to see the result of our labor. It's difficult to continue when you have no idea whether or not you're making a difference. We see those who have large followings and whose names become well-known, due to their faithfulness and diligence. Having the accolades would make it worth the time and effort of weekly writing, or whatever it is that you may be doing; or so we think. Doing it, without knowing whether or not you're having an impact on anyone and without a word of thanks, is often hard.

Are we doing it for the accolades and thanks, or are we willing to do it because that's what God has asked us to do? If we are doing it to honor God, then we can have peace that the results are in His hands. We do it because we love Him and want to please and obey what He asks us to do.

Colossians 3:17 says, "Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Then verse 23 says, "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Other translations say to do it heartily or to work at it with all your heart.

1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

I need these reminders in my daily life: whatever I do or so, to remember that I'm a representative of the Lord and do it willingly and with all my heart; whatever I do, do it to bring glory to God. I often allow my own thoughts and emotions interfere and have wrong attitudes that are flesh driven.

Whether I'm writing these weekly devotionals, getting my nephew's kids on the school bus, sitting in ER with my mother-in-law or taking her to doctor appointments, cleaning or cooking or mowing or doing laundry..... whatever I may be doing.... to honor God and do it as if I'm doing it for Him.

I encourage you to live your life accordingly and ask yourself if your actions and words are honoring God. If not, ask Him to help you make the necessary changes in order to bring Him glory. If you are, then continue doing well!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

We do admit, there were a very few times when the server was down, I didn't renew access or the web address in time, or just silly mistakes that caused a delay for about 1 day. But even when one of us has been sick, or unavailable for any reason, we wrote them ahead of time, and set up a time-delayed release.

It has been our honor to provide it. And I hope we are still writing and publishing it when the Rapture comes. It may not stay available through the entire Tribulation, but I hope it leads many to understand who God is, and why so many, many people have left this world.

Honestly, I don't know how the Rapture and Tribulation will look. The book of The Revelation at the end of The Bible gives a very cryptic vision related to both.

In short, the Rapture is when Jesus will collect His servants from throughout the world in a moment. Our bodies won't matter at that point, so I really don't know if our bodies will leave, disappear, or fall lifeless.

The Tribulation will probably be 7 years (there is some debate about that), during which several things will come that are meant to wake people up to see that God is in control. Honestly, they seem like horrible things, but they are each better than eternity in hell.

I pray (and so do Loretta and many others) that the Rapture comes first. But I trust God's wisdom.

If the Rapture has come, please find a Bible and read. It can save your soul.

ON THE MENEWE:

Moist Banana Bread

(I have been making this banana bread for a few years now and it always turns out very moist and delicious. It makes 3 loaves; which you can either share the extra loaves or you can freeze it.)

Mash overripe banana in a bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla; mix well.

Then add in salt, baking soda and flour; mix until well combined. Stir in nuts, if using.

Pour into greased loaf pans. (Recipe says 4 small or 2 large. I generally use 3 loaf pans.)

Bake at 300 for 1 hour or until done in the center. (I check it after an hour, but generally find that it takes longer. I check it every few minutes, until the middle is set and it looks/feels done.)

Note: Using nuts is optional. I generally don't use, because my husband doesn't care for them and my great-nephew, who loves banana bread, always requests no nuts.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

When my nephew was 4-years old, I would pick him up in the afternoons from Head Start. One day it was really windy and I was wearing a long, loose shirt. After buckling him in his car seat, I was getting into the car and the wind caught the bottom of my shirt and was blowing it up a little. I said, "It's really windy! The wind just blew my shirt up." Owen said, "Aunt Orella, your shirt cannot blow up! Blow up means to explode, and your shirt can't explode!"

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Patience is to idle your motor when you feel like stripping the gears. - unknown

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org