Month: January 2017

Embrace It All

/ The WheatandTares

I walk down this broken road of memories

The dreams that once were, crashed along the side

The joys filled the hours and the laughter rang out for days

I could glory in those moments that once were

Yet I would be mistaken, for those were days filled with smiles and with pain

As time moves on, we seem to embrace the sunshine and push away the clouds

We forget the misery of which we survived

We put away the those heartaches, praying they will never come again

If I only grasp the good and never the bad, I cheat myself and I cheat you

For in the sorrow, wisdom can be found

In the brokenness and the tragedy, grace is remembered

Throughout my agony and distress, that is where His strength and love is deepest know
Penned – MG – 1/2/17

Moving Forward

/ The WheatandTares

Pinterest


The New Year can often be filled with regrets and remorse over the things of the past. Sometimes, it can be filled with so much trepidation that it might even impede you from moving beyond it. Yet, can I tell you? With God, all things are made new. 

Knowing Christ and surrendering our lives to Him can give us a fresh new start. He simply washed away all sin, as if we have a brand new, clean slate. Isn’t that awesome? 

Now, please understand. Committing your life to Christ doesn’t mean your relationships are instantly made perfect or that traffic ticket is somehow demolished or even that your past due bills are miraculously paid off with no effort from you. No, sometimes, the consequences to or wrong actions are still there, and we have to walk through those painful experiences still. However, as we commit our lives to Him, all of a sudden, we are not alone anymore. We don’t have to be fearful anymore, and we don’t have to dread the future or lament over the past. Our past no longer defines our future when Christ is at the center, because He now defines it. 

He gives us a second chance, a chance we don’t deserve, and we can’t earn. He gives us grace, meaning we have unmerited favor simply because He loves us. He shows us His mercy, not because He needs us, but because we so desperately need Him!

Now, that is something to look forward to. That is something that should make your New Years a pretty good one! šŸ˜‰

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Tuesday’s Treats #49

/ The WheatandTares

Bub’s Burger Barn

Location: Gatlinburg, Tn

This place is a great place to grab a burger while you’re in Gatlinburg. It’s up a little ways on Highway 321, right before you get to the Arts & Crafts Community. As you’ll read on the Trip Advisor reviews, it’s a little pricier than your average burger place, but the food is definitely tasty.

The burgers are juicy and full of flavor, the fries are yummy, and the sweet potatoes fries are delicious! The sweet tea is made just like it should be in the South, too. The staff is pretty good, but we have run across a “dud.” The place is usually pretty clean, and the atmosphere is nice.

So, if you’re looking for a great burger while in G’burg, and you don’t mind paying a little more than fast food, this will be your place.

PS. I think they’ve possibly changed the name, but I do know it’s still “Burger Barn,” and it’s in the same location. It may just have a new name tagged on the front…

New Year, New Resolution

/ The WheatandTares

This is the day of new chances, new goals, new resolutions, new goals and dreams. So many of us decide on January 1st or 2nd to write a list of resolutions for the new year. We make the decision to change from what we’ve been, and we set out for a better diet, a better home organization, a better attitude or just simply a better outlook on life. This is the day. This is the moment. This is the hour.

So, what is yours for this year? What will you do differently? What will you alter? How will you change?

What if we changed our “resolutions” to “improvements?” Look, I’m not against resolutions, and sometimes, we really do need one or two that we can work hard toward and accomplish only with accountability and daily diligence. Yet, so many resolutions are simply dropped after a few weeks or months, and we go through the disappointment and regrets of those failed achievements. Why don’t we forget trying to change and morph into someone we never can be and just improve some things we are already accomplishing?

For example, I eat veggies now. I don’t eat a lot of them, and I probably will never get awarded the “Best Veggie Eater” award, but you know what? I definitely canĀ improve on the amount of veggies I eat. Another thing on which I can improve is walking. I walk all over the place, but I don’t do as much as I should. So, I can make a point to walk more everyday. I can park my truck a little farther from the store entrance and walk a little farther. I can get off the couch and take a walk around the block. Another thing that I do now is I try to display kindness when I’m able. Well, what if I tried to improve that aspect about myself? Maybe I can stretch myself just a little more with each new day to be more aware of moments in which I can share a little kindness. Maybe I can go the extra mile a little more often to give a little more love to those around me.

So, instead of making so many grand resolutions that we probably won’t keep, what if everyday we all tried to improve on our acts of kindness, our eating habits, our increasing motion (exercise) and, basically, anything else in our lives that we would really like to be different?

“You’ll never be tomorrow what you are not becoming right now.” – Pastor Joey Grizzle

Happy New Year 2017!

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

2016 is done. We can not go back. We cannot make those anything better or anything worse. It is over. 

We might as well make peace with the past, or it will eat us alive. Lay down those regrets. Let go of those missed opportunities, and look ahead to what is ahead. 

Today is a new day. Today is a new year. We have 365 new days to approach, and that means 365 new chances to grasp. We can do this. YOU can do this. 

Make the best of it. Give it your best effort, and you may not always reach perfection, but you will be further than you are today. 

Happy New Year to you!