When Life Gives You Lemons...

...make lemonade!


PINK lemonade!

So much easier if you have one of these babies...

Ingredients (recipe at the end...)

Don't let the squeezed lemons go to waste. Put the cut side, with some table salt on it, to your copper pots and rub till you are out of breath. I polished all the copper tonight, while the kids and dad played a board game. We are so Waltonesque, no?

As the sun was setting, I caught a glimpse. Oh, the handiwork of God!

Blessings on your evening, friends!

Pink Lemonade Recipe:

6 – lemons
2 – teaspoons grenadine syrup
1/2 to 3/4 – cup sugar
4 – cups water
1 – cup crushed ice


Mixing Instructions

Cut lemons in half and squeeze out the juice. If you have a juicer use it, if not just squeeze your juice into a bowl. Remove the seed from the squeezed lemon juice.

Pour lemon juice into a pitcher and add grenadine syrup, sugar and water. Stir vigorously until sugar is completely dissolved. Next add crushed ice and serve immediately.

Oh Yum. Everyone loved it...hope you try it this week!

For Heaven's Sake, Keep Reading!

I'm in heavy preparation mode. I will be speaking at the Master Builder's International Conference, held the first few days of August. If you are going to be in the East Tennessee area that week, feel free to come by the conference - there are no fees for it.

As I have been preparing, I've been finding many other little gems, unrelated to the subject which I am so heavily studying. This, in my opinion, is the beauty AND the bane of a teacher's existence.

So many gems, so little time.

Here is a honking gem for you. Oh, the whack-job ideas we tend to acquire regarding "Christian Perfection"! Please, please don't hear me as pointing a finger at "you", calling "you" a whack job. Only whack jobs are that paranoid.

::cough::

I can't be pointing a finger. When I do, there really are three others pointing right back at me. I'm the whack jobbiest of the whack jobs. I'm the Queen of Whacked. I have been so deep into Christian legalism, as to have spent a short season wearing a head covering - almost twenty years ago, so do give me some credit. I was pathetically young.

We read in Hebrews 6 ~

"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection..."

Right away, the untaught or unstable squeak, "You see? You see? We are to maa-choo-ah. (mature...) To mature means...you know. We have to...do stuff. We have to do better. We have to be disciplined. Harrumph."

No, no, no. Well, to be fair, yes AND no. Please, just keep reading. For heaven's sake, just keep reading. First of all, the Greek for "perfection", ("going on to perfection") denotes a person. "A consummate-er. A completer." As denoted by just one inflection of a different syllable, in that Greek word. With that one inflection, it can go from "complete" to "a completer". I know. It makes me crazy too. But it could easily denote perfection as in something or Someone that has already finished the job.

In other words, we are to move on from discussing-to-death the principles of Christ, and move on into Christ Himself. And dear one, He is such perfection! You just gotta love Him.

Grow up past principle, and into a Person.

What is it we are to understand, as we mature into this Person of Christ? Just this: all the truths that the author of Hebrews elaborates on next, in this letter to the Hebrews.

And friend, it is alllll about Jesus.

Feel free to read the whole thing, but allow me, for the sake of time and blog space, to illustrate the importance of the "keep reading" principle, and put two verses side by side for you. Then, draw your own conclusion. The first one is the one we just read in Hebrews 6:1. The second is found in Hebrews 9 ~


"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection..." (Hebrews 6)

Now, for heaven's sake, just keep reading!

"For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 9)

I keep trying to tell you that your righteousness is a gift. It does not "grow in you", you grow up into the gift. You, beloved, are more complete than you know.

Underlined Bits

From the book by Dr. Stephen Crosby, Silent Killers of Faith - Overcoming Legalism and Performance Based Religion.

"Nothing stirs religious passions to hatred and murder like preaching a message of freedom to people who think they are already free. Performing religionists do not appreciate being told that God is not impressed with Adamic spritual gymnastics (my note: "aka 'spiritual disciplines' - as important as they can be!") done in the name of Jesus. God will not stand and applaud the somersaults of the Adamic nature trying to please Him. Exposing the deluded confidence of the privileged always gets you stoned. People do not use granite anymore - wagging tongues and feet hustling through the back exit door are the stones of choice..."

"It takes no courage or faith to join something that already seems a success. It takes great faith and stamina to stick with something to make it a success."

"A friend of mine once gave me some advice that, at first blush, seemed a little extreme, but I think actually captured a fundamental reality: "If you are not accused of promoting a casual lifestyle, you are probably not preaching apostolic grace." Folks who emphasize the "high standard" are frequently the most difficult to awaken to the depths of Biblical grace. They are the most likely to accuse those who emphasize grace as having a "low standard". "

Truer words are rarely written. I have always said that you have to look at the depth and body of a pastor's preaching over the course of years, not mere months, to get the full balance of the man. Time has more than proven that no one in Harvest Church is in any danger of being led by a pastor who has quote-unquote "low standards". Nor are they in any danger of being led by a pastor who puts confidence in the flesh of Gentile legalism. This is cause for real rejoicing, in my opinion. My husband, though far less than perfect, has the heart of a spiritual father, and of a shepherd who will not ever leave his post.

Granted, sometimes saints don't have the luxury of getting to know a man over the course of years, but this loss just magnifies the inherent value of continuity in relationships! To get to know a pastor's life and body of teaching over the course of years is the worthy goal - building relationship. To not have that is a deficit, indeed. When we don't have those years with which to discern the leader, this is when we defer to the Biblical concept of authority. When we trust God, when our spiritual leaders exhibit good character, we can trust that all these processes are working themselves out for our good. We can stick and stay for the sake of relationships....that is, when we actually understand the grace of God!

More underlined bits from Dr. Crosby's book next week...

A Most Happy Saturday

Youngest son, who left home awhile back in a not-so-good attitude, spent the night with us last night. (Funny how he swears our rules and values are too strict, but apparently we aren't such hard-nosed, boring parents that he stays away. He "drops in" often enough!) After letting him sleep in, he woke up and left for his apartment he shares with his brother. My husband (aka "grandaddy"), daughter Hannah, and I finally had the chance to run out to grab lunch and do some baby shopping while her husband Justin was working. Well, we didn't start out to buy a crib....but we came home with one!

::can you hear those angels singing??::

Grandaddy and I went in half with Hannah and Justin on a bee-yoo-tiful crib today, as part of Hannah's birthday present...

Justin got home shortly after we did. Here's grandaddy and daddy putting the crib together...

Figuring it out...

TA-DA!

Mom and dad arranging the canopy...

I was swooning, right about now...

Justin's sense of humor...

Skunk now gone - and the precious "Wendy blanket" draped and waiting for baby...(Wendy - life long, dear friend of the family, who crochets the most amazing things!)

All in all, such a fun day. For reasons too complicated to get into in one blog post, I never got to really decorate a nursery. (Even though I had four babies!) Hannah is so very sweet and gracious to allow me into her process of getting their baby's nursery ready.

God is incredibly good to this soon-to-be grandmommy.

::waving at my new-found blog friend, "Love,Granny"!::

The (Real) Bird Cage As Design

Home decor stores are full of little fake bird cages. This, I do not understand. Why have an empty, fake bird cage sitting in your home when you can have a beautiful real one, with a beautiful real bird in it?

I have a canary, and a pocket parrot, and I dearly love both of them. A canary, in particular, is the ultimate in low-maintenance pet, with a very high emotional return. A male canary's song is beautiful. I seriously cannot imagine my home without my canary.

I have developed an interest in unusual bird cages lately - an interest bordering on obsession. Most cages, including the ones I own, are very boring and utilitarian. They are wonderful at keeping my birds safe and contained, but don't add a thing, visually.

Much, much research on my part has uncovered this sad fact: you almost cannot find a beautiful, safe, vintage looking, unusual bird cage suitable for a real bird. Well, not for under many hundreds of dollars. My sweet man is very, very close to taking it as a personal challenge to design and build one. Here are some inspiration pictures I plan on showing him:


In this picture, I love the idea of the vintage trunk and suitcase stacked, with the bird cage on top.


This, I am not totally fond of, but I could be, with some design tweaking. Looks almost like a small, upside down table, with a bird cage inside. I don't see anything resembling a slide-out tray - a design flaw which would have to be remedied forthwith.


This image is from Martha Stewart, and is my favorite of the most doable bird cages. This is made from old windows! You simply keep a removable metal tray in the bottom. My man could have this put together in a day, if I get him the windows.

::sniff:: Want! Love! Need! This one is my favorite of "can't ever have" bird cages. Veeeeeery expensive. Don't remember where I saw this one - if you know where, be sure to inform me. I will be thrilled to share the link!



This image is from a blog I enjoy so much - "Dreamy Whites". The blogger's name is Maria, and she has taken the design blog world by storm! I want this cage, so bad!

home design

This image from www.houzz.com - sort of looks like a baker's rack, redesigned and repurposed into what COULD be a bird cage. Thing is...I have something almost just like this, only without the chicken wire. I'm wondering...

Soon, friends, I am going to take you with me to a local design shop I've discovered. Oooooh, this place is A-mazing. The manager brings her two sweet, sleek, graceful dogs to work, and while I was there, I saw the most beautiful, wall-mounted bird cage I have ever, ever, ever seen. Inside this wall-mounted cage, I saw Gloster Crested Canaries. Be still, my heart!

Of course, I struck up a brief conversation, as I pretty much compulsively do everywhere I go.

Bird cage is theirs. Bird cage not for sale. Bird cage not made anymore. Customers have come in her store, seen it, fallen instantly in love as I did, and have offered good money for it, and the birds. No deal.

But I can at least get pictures for you. And I'd love to interview the owner, for blog purposes, along with taking lots of shots of this cool store.

Moral of this post: if you see a beautiful, unusual, vintage looking bird cage, suitable for a real bird, one that could be a design element all by itself, one that is not hundreds of dollars, contact me ASAP!

Linking to the lovely Melissa at The Inspired Room - another blog I love!

The Doctor is In

The Doctor is In...

...at my house. At least for tonight.

We have been enjoying the good company of the Doctor and his Missus - having dinner and playing a board game. Doc got an emergency call from the dad of a teenage girl in our church. She'd injured her toe pretty badly, yesterday. After a night of pain, it was no better today, and in fact seemed worse.

(By the way - I am so very proud of our church's Parish Nursing Ministry!)

Dr. Doug knew he had the freedom to tell dad and daughter to come on by my house...where he did an initial (and painful) examination. Being the whack job that I am, I took pictures.

Anybody else need anything? Better come quick....Doc is headed home soon.

Add It To My Resume - I am a Church Planter

(my grandbaby...)

Why is it we tend to focus on what we have not (yet) done, as opposed to what we have done?

I remember when I first realized that I am a gardener. For the longest time I actually thought that since I didn't tend to large expanses of lush gardens, that I was not a gardener.

This sort of bedeviled thinking has crept into my thoughts on ministry. My husband and I have planted one church, so far - the one he currently pastors. We and a few (a very few...a reeeeeeeally, really few) stalwart souls planted it from the ground, up. One church. More than most people ever plant in a lifetime. It has grown to be a thing of beauty.

To think that I am not yet a church planter because I've planted "only" one church is like saying I am not yet a mother because I have had "only" one child. Ridiculous. The fact that I have had four children does not make me more of a mother than the woman who has had only one child.

Now I'm not talking about stretching the truth. I won't be calling myself a photographer just because I've snapped a few pictures, or an artist because I've painted a landscape. (Well, I've almost painted a landscape. I have yet to finish my first painting. Shoot - I am compulsively honest.) But most of us aren't into stretching the truth. A lot of women I know tend to sell themselves too short, rather than the other way around. (There are a few who oversell themselves, but I usually can smell that a mile away, and I avoid those few.)

My daughter is no less a mother, just because her child is yet unborn. Now that is a concept! That concept speaks to all things yet unborn in our lives - things that God sees, but we don't. Much like the way He called Abraham the Father of Many Nations. Much like the way He called Gideon a Mighty Man of Valor.

Because your God has better plans for you than you know, you yourself are more than you realize.

Who are you?