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

August 20, 2025

LIFE IN THE FOLD

There is a program for girls in the Assemblies of God denomination called National Girls Ministries. Within that is the Stars program, for girls in 3^rd to 5^th grade. If the girls do all of the required work, then at the end, they will be crowned Honor Star. Bible reading, memorization, projects and testing are all part of completing the achievement program.

My niece was crowned Honor Star when she was a young girl, her two older daughters (who are now teens) were also crowned. This past Saturday, her youngest daughter, who completely the 5^th grade this past May, was crowned Honor Star. It was very important to my niece that all three of her daughters completed the program, as she had.

The ceremony included all girls in the state of Oklahoma who had completed the Honor Star program. The girls all wore white dresses, of their choice. They received a bouquet of roses. As their name was called, they walked to the front of the stage where they were crowned, then they received a trophy in recognition of their accomplishment. The Oklahoma district of the Assemblies of God try to make it a special day for the girls.

Jovie really does not like being in large groups of people, and the thought of being the center of attention for those few moments when her name was called, was not something she particularly wanted to do. But she did it; and afterwards was happy that she had done so.

It was a special day for Jovie. Her parents bought her a ring with a cross on it, one grandma got her a necklace with a star on it, and the other got her crown-shaped earrings. All gifts represented her Honor Star crowning. Jovie told my sister that the ring represented being a christian, the necklace the star in the Honor Star program, and the earrings being crowned.

Honestly, I had been busy and hadn't even thought about buying her a gift for her special day! But later, when Jovie was with her grandma (my sister), she said, "Well, I got all jewelry for gifts for my Honor Star crowning. All I need now is a bracelet, so Aunt Loretta can get that for me." She was then trying to figure out what kind of bracelet I could get her that would represent her Honor Star crowning. My sister told her that I could probably come up with something on my own. Then both she and my niece told me what Jovie had said about me buying her a bracelet; knowing that I wouldn't mind and would do so.

Of course, I got online and started looking for a bracelet that would have significance. I found something and have it on order. I'm happy that Jovie said what she really wanted from me and asked for it. When I saw her on Monday, she told me that she would really like for me to get her a bracelet and was trying to figure out what kind I could get that would be special to her Honor Star crowning.

Thinking about that, a scripture came to mind, found in James 4:2 that says, "You have not, because you ask not." Other versions say, "You don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it."

In context to that passage of scripture, it begins by asking, "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them."

James is like, "What is wrong with you people?!? You are so filled with jealousy for those things that you don't have that you're willing to scheme and kill to get it, anyway you can. You fight and quarrel with those around you, because of this."

"Have you thought about this? You don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it."

They were trying to get things that their own way, all the while, leaving God out of it. Perhaps some of the things that they were wanting were not bad things, but things that God could have provided, had they only asked.

If you feel that stirring of jealousy or something not being fair within you, stop and ask yourself if you've consulted God about this. Sometimes we want something, when God wants to give us something better. Sometimes we may pray, but we're asking God with wrong motives. Other times, God may say no, because He knows that what we are asking for is not in our best interest.

God wants to hear from us. He doesn't want us to feel afraid to ask Him. He desires that we feel the freedom to talk to Him and ask for good gifts. If we ask for something that He knows we don't need or shouldn't have, He has the wisdom to say no.

Matthew 7:11 says, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"

Jovie knew that she had the freedom to ask me for a bracelet. In her 11-year old mind, that would complete her jewelry set that she received as special gifts for her Honor Star crowning. When she asked, I had the freedom to say no. But I wanted to give her a good gift. I wanted to do something that would make her feel special.

God is a good, good Father! He wants us to ask Him when we need or want something. He wants to bless us.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Children can react in a wide variety of ways to gifts. If a kid opens a beautifully wrapped gift for their birthday, but finds plain white socks inside, they'll probably act disappointed. It isn't because they won't use the socks, but because they were expecting something more exciting.

Sometimes, kids act as though they deserved the gift. If you give a kid a weekly allowance, some of them will begin thinking they deserve it, and throw a fit if they aren't given their allowance one week. Even if they are denied the allowance for bad behavior. Those kids won't give thanks for the allowance, or tell others that it was a gift.

Some want gifts more to puff up their own egos. Imagine a kid who asks for an ice cream cone, but when someone gives them one, they run to other kids bragging that they got ice cream, and the rest didn't.

As adults, we may behave the same way with God's gifts. He gives us a means to earn money to buy food, rent, electricity, phones, etc. But we open the box and just set it aside without saying "Thanks." Often, we think we have earned His gifts, so aren't thankful. And sometimes we use His gifts to us to boost ourselves up.

Let's all be like the kid who smiles with every gift, and honestly says, "Thank You!"

ON THE MENEWE:

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Use a sharp knife to cut each chicken breast in half, horizontally to create two chicken breast halves.

Place the chicken breast halves between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them into thin pieces (be careful not to pound so hard that the meat tears).

Top each piece of chicken with a slice of ham and a handful (or slice) of Swiss cheese. Roll each chicken piece tightly, tucking the sides a little, then place on a piece of plastic wrap.

Wrap the chicken tightly in the plastic wrap, pinching the excess plastic on the sides to create a tootsie-roll shape and twisting them to create a firm chicken roll. Refrigerate the wrapped chicken bundles for at least 30 minutes or up to one day in advance.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Remove the chicken from fridge, unwrap and seaon with salt and pepper. Crush Cornflakes into a bowl. Melt butter in a separate dish. Dip each chicken bundle in melted butter, and then into the Cornflake crumbs, pressing lightly to help the crumbs stick to the chicken. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

You can make a traditional sauce, or make the following dipping sauce: Mix 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1-2 teaspoons of yellow mustard together.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

I love reading memories that I have of my nieces and nephews, or memories of their children. Some are funnier after the fact than they were at the time that they happened.

When my niece's daughter was around 3-4 years old she brought a sopping wet towel and put on top of her mama's head and said, "Surprise!" She wouldn't say how she got it wet. Her mama was afraid to ask; but suspected it may have gotten wet in the toilet water.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God

is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough

to take care of what's happening in our lives. - Frances Chan

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org