Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

Ya’ll there just ain’t something right about a “fat free hot dog.”  I’m sorry.  I’ve boiled it, microwaved it, baked it…Chris grilled it… and the thing doesn’t change color or consistency.  Chris said the only thing that it did on the grill was when he left one on there too long it formed this enormous bubble that never really popped… it just sort of went away when he took it off.  Hmmm…. now, somethin’ ain’t right about that.  Nonetheless… I’ve been eating these tasteless little weenies….I probably would do better by stuffing paper in my hot dog bun and dousing the thing with ketchup, mustard and relish… would be less calories… probably same taste.  Perhaps one day when the kids are all grown and I have too much time on my hands I might actually try that experiment… well… maybe I’ll subject my husband to it… He’s my tester.  I ALWAYS have him taste things in the fridge to make sure they are still good… the man would die for me… AND he’d gladly go down drinking some sour milk if needed.  When Will had to be put on Miralax, I was so worried that it would cramp his stomach that I asked Chris to take a double dose…and of course, he obliged…(however… I will never do that again… not going into any details… but….gross.)

Anyway.. don’t really know how I got on that tangent except for the fact that these fat free hot dogs have me thinking……..and here is what I’m thinking………

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  2 Corinthians 4:7-10

I’ve grown up listening to the words of this verse… loving the band “Jars of Clay”….but I’ve never really sat down and read it…esp. as a mother.  I am hard pressed… I’m tired…I’m perplexed..esp. when my children are sick… or I don’t understand why they are acting as they are….but I am not abandoned…though at times I’m lonely… I am not destroyed.. though at times I feel undone.  I “ALWAYS carry around in [my] body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed…”  PRAISE THE LORD!  It is finished.  We are a done deal as we place our hope and faith in Jesus Christ..our Savior.  I would NEVER in my WILDEST dreams have thought that the Lord would teach me something from His word through a fat free hot dog!  But I suppose today… that’s what I want to be like.  Something that remains the same under ALL circumstances…perhaps the secret ingredient in those things is Jesus, himself.. (soooo jk!)….. Anyway… all joking aside… the Lord has placed on my heart a desire to  live for Him… no regards to the cost…I wrote this little poem as I was eating my hotdog.  I pray this encourages you today. 

I am not crushed

am not abandoned

may feel persecuted

but loved beyond imagined

I am not destroyed

am not despaired

may be perplexed

but never left there

 Oh sweet and precious Savior

as you hung upon the cross

you held the nails within your hands

you stayed as sin for the lost

Oh sweet and precious Jesus

place those hands upon my life

hammer and shape, mold and scrape

’til I take the form of Christ

–Jenny Pruitt

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not– to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of HIM that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.”  1 Corinthians 1:27-30.

I have an extremely small amount of time this morning to write.  I hate when I feel rushed…BUT  I really feel like the Lord wants me to write this morning… so I write… .. Emma Faye has just learned how to eat cheerios..so I am presently feeding her cheerios as I type… the boys are in the living room watching the Disney channel… I’m trying to keep my thoughts collected amidst Goofy’s ANNOYING voice!  So… here I am this morning.  There has been at least one person up since 4:40am this morning… so as that verse in Ecclesiastes goes…”and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies..” (11:3)….and here WE lay this morning.  I am praying through the morning… I don’t want to be discouraged today….  I don’t want to have a “rest of the day”… as I’ve had this morning.  We are all very tired, but Christ is in me… there is power in the Cross.. AND wisdom.   Through Him… I can still have a blessed day. 

Last night on my email I received a very discouraging link regarding Oprah and her new book.  I let Chris see it… and of course his first response was… “are you surprised?”… I mean.. I’m not… but it’s just sad.  I have never been party to someone so blatantly throwing blasphemy in the face of God.  I’ve included it here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA

….it just goes along with what I’m reading in Corinthians.  I kept asking Chris… “Can’t people see that this is messed up!!!  That what she is saying is WHACK!”…but he responded..”Well, you know that because your have the Spirit interpreting for you……”  It just made me see the need in remaining in the Word and in Christ.  People WE NEED THIS WISDOM!!  Satan is out there and ensnaring anyone he can…..We need our ammo.  So that is what is on my heart today… I’m not trying to get all political or anything….that is NOT what THIS blog is about… I just thought it was a perfect example of what Paul is talking about in the above passage.  I leave you with the words of a song Will started singing at the table while we were eating dinner last night.  I was moved to tears.  I just love how the gospel is so simple… even so little ones can understand… (i couldn’t really make out the verses, but the chorus went something like this….)

It’s too high, you can’t go over it

It’s too low, you can’t get under it

It’s too wide, you can’t get around it

YOU GOTTA GO THROUGH THE DOOR!!!!!!

(everytime he sang the last line, it was always sung pointing his finger and screaming…so cute)

” I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9