Month: May 2016

Tuesday’s Treats #18

/ The WheatandTares

Madison’s

Location: Highlands, NC

Madison’s is located inside the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands. They have inside seating, a wine garden with outside seating, and even a rooftop terrace where you can choose to have your meal. We have eaten both inside and on the rooftop terrace and enjoyed both immensely. We have friends who had lunch in the wine garden and just loved the patio feel with the sound of the waterfall trickling nearby.

Let me stage for you and tell you about one of our favorite moments here… Now just imagine: a lovely rooftop terrace, with beautiful shutters, table settings and cushioned seating, overlooking the little town, and a gentle summer breeze blowing in the “heat” of summer with ceiling fans gently rolling. The temperature gauge rising no more than about 70-72 degrees, because you’re at such a high elevation! The waiter brings you a pleasant cheese and cracker tray for an appetizer, “just right” sweet Southern tea, mini biscuits and cornbread made fresh daily, and your meal consists of fish and chips and the best shrimp and grits you’ve ever tasted. You sit around the table with family and friends and feel like royalty… Yes, it was that wonderful!

The food is incredible, and we haven’t had one thing yet that we didn’t like! As I mentioned before, their fish and chips are great, and they serve it in a really cool style. (See pic below) Their fries are more like miniature potato logs, and the dill/tartar sauce is great. I don’t have it pictured, but they also have a great cheese tray which comes with several cheese, currant and several other delicacies that are just fantastic. They have a pimento cheese burger that is just as fantastic, too.

As I’ve also mentioned, they have some of the best shrimp and grits I’ve ever put in my mouth…and being a Southern girl, that’s quite a bit! They serve the dish in a cute little crock/skillet; so, your grits stay nice and warm throughout the duration of the meal. However, they’re usually gobbled up so quickly, it’s difficult to let the grits grow cold anyway. Haha. The grits are so creamy, and the shrimp are just right, never chewy.

It is simply a fine Southern meal to remember! If you have time, and can afford it, be sure to stay a night or two at the Old Edward’s Inn, too. It is breathtaking!

I will include the whole website on this blog; so, you can find all your needs. When you go to the site, if you just want info on Madison’s, click on the little circle icon in the top right hand corner, and a drop down menu will appear they has “dining” listed. Click there, and it will direct you to the restaurant. If you’d like to know more about the town of Highlands, you can read one of my past Wednesday’s Odes telling all. It is a delightful little town!

Fight To Win

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We, as Christians, are often called “soldiers of the cross;” yet, I wonder sometimes in today’s society, if we know what that really means. We get so caught up in fighting with our children to obey or fighting with our spouse to see things our way or even fighting with our fellow man to follow our opinions and our judgements that I think we might have forgotten where the real battlefield lies and what the real spoils and consequences are.
Just last week, I read a blog by a straight, conservative, preacher’s wife, someone who could be a lot like me, who spent a whole article telling me why she didn’t care about the new bathroom policies at Target, and how “I” (or those who disagree) am not necessarily showing love by boycotting them. I read comments by Christians who hated her for it and atheists who praised her for it. Can I tell you BOTH are wrong?? The one party is killing their own and the other isn’t challenged to change. 

I read other articles in which Christians were ‘killing each other’ with their words and demanding their way to be the right way, while I turn the page in The Voice of Martyrs to read of the pastor’s family who pray for their little church meeting secretly in their war-torn village. I hear of the Body of Christ “fighting and clawing” at each other over this opinion or that, this politician, that official, this viewpoint or that, all the while, reading again in The Voice of the Martyrs, of the pastor who has been arrested for his belief in God and the workers in foreign lands who are desperately sharing the Gospel with the lost, even as it costs them their very lives.

Can I tell you, our battle is NOT against flesh and blood, and it will not be won by our seeking after man’s approval, worldly possessions, or cultural agreement? Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

We cannot fight these enemies with just our opinions and judgement calls, nor with our monetary means, nor by simply being tolerant and kind when they demand us to be. We cannot fight them with the conventional words or actions of man’s wisdom. God’s kingdom doesn’t work this way! Just as David didn’t win the battle with Goliath by following the instruction of Saul (he told him to wear the king’s armor), we cannot win this battle for the next generation by following the instruction of this world!

We must stop focusing on tearing each other down, or even tearing down the sinner in his sin, and focus on the REAL battle. We must return to our prayer closets and get on our knees in prayer! We must return to our days of fasting and our meals of His daily bread. We must redress with God’s Armor and join forces with our fellow brothers and sisters to win this battle! It is up to us to pick up our shields of faith, swing out swords of truth and win for the King of kings and the Lord of Lords! It is time for the Redeemed of the Lord to say so! It is time to let GOD be the victor!!

I believe God is stirring His people back to this. I believe He is rising up an army who are not fighting as the world is fighting. They are fighting this battle in private prayer and with public words of truth. It may not be a popular stand, and it may not win you approval ratings with the crowd, but the lives of our children are at stake, and the lives of those who can be won for the kingdom are weighing in the balance.

We must fight this battle God’s way, and we must fight to WIN!

 

Appreciate the Price of Freedom

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Memorial Day is the day we honor our fallen soldiers, and in paying honor to them, I thought I would reblog this post. 

Those who live in this country while hating it have forgotten the price that was paid for this great nation. The ONLY reason they have the freedom to mock and shame this country is because these men and women DIED for that freedom! This nation may not be perfect, but it is the one nation who has been the greatest force of GOOD! 

As we celebrate today and enjoy our BBQs and our days off of work, let us remember to appreciate those who have paid the ultimate price for this freedom.

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Today, I would like to give my tribute to America. Yes, the land of the free and the home of the brave. I love my home, America.

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There are many in this world who would scoff at those words, many who would sneer at my homeland, believing they would be better off without it. Yet, for those who long for freedom, those held under tight regimental control, where do their hearts long to go? Where do their dreams take them when they think of freedom? Yes, it is AMERICA! This land was chosen to be a place where “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”* This is the land of the free and the brave. This country was founded on freedom, on liberty…

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If we were having coffee 5/28/16…

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  If we were having coffee, I’d ask you to join me in the living room, because we’re having our deck redone, and there’s wood and nails everywhere. I’d open the blinds and let us look out into the backyard full green leaves and trees with the evening sun beaming gently through the branches. It’s been a gorgeous day today.

How has your week been? Has it been hot your way? If you got kids at home, are they out for the summer? What are your summer plans? Are you writing anything new? Does summer inspire you or kind of wear you out?  …

Honestly, I spent the first several days of this week longing for a repeat of our week in Daytona last week. It’s been a week full of getting ready for the last day of school, looking toward summer and thinking about summer vacation. It’s been a little busy, but it’s been a good week. 

Something fun happened for our oldest on Friday. He went “on the road” with a local Christian rapper. That was really neat, and he had a lot of fun. He had to work his tail off, but it was great experience for him. That is the dream he has; so, it really gave him an idea of what it might be like one day. He’s looking forward to the next time he hets to go. 

That same day, our youngest was invited to someone’s house; so, we, in turn, got a free, kid-less Friday. That was fun. We went on a spontaneous little date. I love spending time with my man! 

Well, I guess, we’ll call it a wrap tonight. I’ve got loads of laundry to get done, and I know you don’t care to see all that. I hope you have an awesome week ahead! Try to stay cool, and I look forward to catching up again next week! 😊

Thank, Diana at Parttimemonster.com for hosting this wonderful #coffeeshare. It’s always a delight. 

Answer to Friday’s Angle #67

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How did you do yesterday?

  
If you guessed a wooden post, or more specifically, a wooden pier post, you got it! 😊

   
 

Friday’s New Angle #67

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Guess what today is…FRIDAY! 🎉That means it’s time for another new angle!! 😊

  
Remember, the answer will be posted here, this same time, tomorrow! 

Spur Them To Love

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What do we do to spur others on toward love and good deeds? Are our words full of truth that brings them toward God or turns them away? Are our words full of conviction or condemnation, love or hate? 

What are our words saying about our fellow man? What do they say about sinners? What do we say about fellow believers? What do they say about God??

Sometimes, as Christians, we can be so bent toward our own opinions and standards that we push “outsiders” away rather than draw them in toward God. We speak our view so forceful and with so much anger that they wonder if there’s any love for them in the message we give. However, more often these days, we can be so passive that we allow them to feel completely comfortable in their sin that they feel no need for a different way or a different outlook. This, I believe, is also to what this Scripture is speaking. 

As of late, I hear fellow Christians “biting” at one another claiming the others don’t show enough grace to the sinner, the message is too hard, that they need to be “nicer…more accommodating…more tolerant.” No, actually the message of Christ has never been too accommodating nor too tolerant. They ended up killing Him for the message He brought! No, the truth doesn’t have allowance for sin, but rather the messenger has to show love will telling the truth. When Jesus spoke to the adulterous woman, he didn’t condemn her of her sin, but His words were convicting, for He said, “Go and sin no more.” He showed her love while telling her the truth. The woman at the well was not congratulated for the numerous marriages she had had nor the current shack-up relationship she was currently in. Christ showed her love while telling her of her need for change. 

What are we telling the world that is spurring them toward love and good deeds? We must show love while maintaining a message of truth and holiness to spur them toward the same thing. We cannot expect them to do what we are not. We must show them Christ in all we say and all we do. Does this mean we must tolerate sin and condone wickedness? For grace’s sake, NO! 

God’s message brings about conviction. It brings about repentance. It brings about change. We must share this message with the world. This is the message that spurs others toward love and good deeds. This is the message that challenges hearts to repent and lives to change. We must be conscientious of our purpose. Their lives depend upon it. Their eternity depends upon it. 

What are we saying to our fellow Christians that is spurring them toward love and good deeds? We must show love to our fellow brothers and sisters, for this is how we show the world we love God! If we are biting, scratching and killing each other, why in the world would the want to be a part of what we have?? Love one another, for this shows the world the love of God… We’ve just been convinced in today’s culture that love is synonymous with agreement, but I digress. That’s another blog for another day… 😉

  

Find Your Rest

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I came across this scripture today, and it really spoke to me. Too often, we can get so busy in life that we drift away from God, and soon, we stop and wonder where He’s gone. Yet, it’s never He who has gone away. It is in our busyness and clutter of life that we fail to find Him. He’s right where we left Him. 

Have you ever stood before a waterfall and felt the pressures just wash away? Have you ever stood on the top of a mountain and it seemed the cares of yesterday were flying away with the wind? Or maybe you’ve sat at the beach at sunset, and it feels as if the coming tide is beating away the worries?

That’s how God does it. When we get alone with Him, especially out in His creation, He reminds us of His love, His strength and His promises. He draws our hearts back to Him, and He speaks to our very soul. He refreshes our mind and renews our fortitude. 

“In repentance and rest is your salvation…” This isn’t a suggestion. This is a promise. Too often in today’s hustle and bustle, we don’t stop, repent, and find rest. We just run, run, run from one appointment to the next, ever finding one more item to check from one checklist to the next. Yet, it is in the repentance and rest that we find our salvation…

It is in the quietness and trust that we find our strength. Everytime that I walk to a waterfall and just stand there, looking up at its beauty, or when I walk in the woods and look among the trees and just breathe the fresh air, I find my strength for whatever I am facing. Everytime. Without fail. He is faithful. His Word is true. 

He gives us the promise. I wonder why we don’t trust it more often than we do?

  

Dream BIG!

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If you’re going to dream, by all means, dream BIG! Go for broke! Don’t settle for second best, for what is just simply good and practical. Dream the big stuff! Dream the impossible! Dream the unfathomable!

Now, does that mean all those dreams will come true? Does this mean you must hold out for that dream until the day you die? Does it mean everything you dream must come to pass in order for you to have a happy, fulfilled life? Can I answer honestly here? NO, NO, and NO! Just because you dream big doesn’t mean each and every one has to become reality, and just because it’s a great big dream that doesn’t come to pass doesn’t mean it’s the end of your happy and meaningful life.

Sometimes, we can get so fixated on a dream that we miss the real stuff that is right before us. I’ve seen parents who are so filled with wanderlust and so focused on the unfulfilled dreams they had growing up that they forsake the very lives of their children for what they thought they would become. They miss out on the beauty, wonder and joy of their children’s love and “big sky thinking,” because of their own selfish grasp on the “should’ve/could’ve/would’ve” regrets of yesterday. That’s not the kind of dreaming I’m encouraging here. I’m talking about the kind of dreaming that pushes the limits while also drawing others in to join you!

dr seuss quoteWe should dream big simply because it makes us a better person. Dreaming makes us more interesting to those around us and makes us see beyond the reality of today, which sometimes, is a very difficult one to face. There are a few keys to dreaming big: (1) it is to not just dream for yourself, but to dream for those around you, and to allow them to dream big, to imagine the impossible for themselves; (2) to realize it IS a dream, one that may or may not one day be fulfilled, but its purpose is to stretch your imagination to see beyond the practical sensibilities of your present state, to give you the fortitude to reach beyond to where you can be; and (3) to realize the dreaming isn’t always for the realization of the dream, but for the possibilities, the growth and the learning in the process. Unrealized big dreams, sometimes, are more fun to imagine than the actuality once they arrive. Think of Peter Pan. He was always dreaming, always scheming, and even though, all his dreams weren’t completely realized, he had such fun while traveling on his journeys! (Yes, I know this is a fictional character, but work with me here! 😉 )

So, dream with me while living this reality in which we live. Dream big for your family, for your children, for your friends. Encourage them to dream big and to seek after those dreams. Most of all, dream big for YOU. You might be surprised at where it takes you! 🙂

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Daily Prompt:  Dream

Just A Phase

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“It’s just a phase.” Some people use this phrase to describe a little tyke who’s going through the terrible twos and needs to learn a little discipline. The little guy is just young, and he has a lot to learn about manners, tempers and self-control. You excuse so many things for him, because, after all, he’s just little. He simply needs a firm, loving hand, a parent who will help him grow up into a wise, spirited, and strong individual.

“It’s just a phase.” Some people use this phrase to describe a young woman who’s going through the turbulent teenage years and needs freedom to explore while learning her boundaries within the contents of house rules, school requirements and civil obediences. You don’t quite excuse as many things as you once did, because, after all, she’s a little older, but she still does have so much more to learn. She simply needs a firm, loving guide, a parent who will help her grow into a conscientious, yet tenacious and dauntless individual.

However, when “it’s just a phase,” is used to describe men and women who are well past the age of accountability and who are, now, quite capable of having self-control, who are quite able to follow rules set by any organization, and who are just defiant against any form of authority in their lives, this “phase” is simply beyond ridiculous!

I am so tired of those in our culture today who continually give excuses for people who don’t deserve this faulty alibi. Just because someone grew up in the wrong family, wrong town or on the wrong side of the world, does NOT give them the extenuating circumstances of just “falling into” a crime because “they just can’t help themselves!” You may not be able to choose your heritage, your upbringing or even your environment. You may have really been given the “raw end of the deal,” but that does NOT give you reason to abuse everyone and everything around you! It does NOT excuse you to being a jerk your whole life! Everyone has choices they must make. Everyone has to decide whom they will become. As Forrest Gump says, “I happen to believe you make your own destiny. You have to do the best with what God gave you.”

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“…and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.” 😉

Daily Prompt:  Phase