Author: The WheatandTares

Happy Father’s Day to You!

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As I sat there preparing for Father’s Day weekend and enjoying a great lunch with my little family, we received a text from a precious friend who is about to say goodbye to the love of her life who has fought valiantly in his battle with cancer. Just an hour prior, I was speaking to a mom who tragically lost her husband last fall and listened while she shared her heart of the struggle, challenges and faith to which she clings. My mind thinks of so many more who will shed tears instead of celebrating this Father’s Day…

We are never guaranteed tomorrow. We are not even promised our next breath. Cherish the moments you have. Make the encounters account for more than just whispers on the wind…

Almost fifteen years ago, I said goodbye to the one man whom I loved as a Dad. He was my grandfather, but he was with me every step of the way. No one will ever be able to take his place in my heart. I miss him to this day, and I will always cherish the memories we made. 


After 40+ years of brokenness, my biological dad and I have a reconciled relationship of acquaintances being built. It will never become what it should have been, and even though, my heart still aches for the little girl who had dreams for what could have been, I appreciate the reality of what is. My soul breathes a little deeper with the hope we now have. 


Thirty-two years ago, a man walked into my life and became a father he’d never had the chance to be. To many, a stepdad is just a man, one who lives in the house, pays the bills and sets the rules. This man came in and became a father. He had his own mistakes, and I had mine. We kind of grew into this thing together. It might not be the best father-daughter scenario, nor one of perfection, but it is one of love. For that, I am grateful. 


No matter where you find yourself today, whether you are in your Daddy’s arms, or at the graveside, saying goodbye one more time, or saying hello to a new relationship, or trying to figure out what to do with all the pain and sorrow of those yesteryears, there is One who will be there for you always. Place your heart in His hands, for, He will carry you through, and He will never leave you. ❤️

Friday’s Friends #20

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Today is Friday, and that means it’s time for me to share a new “friend” with you! I love this time of the week, because there are so many incredible bloggers out there, and I get the privilege of highlighting one each Friday. 😊

Today, I’d like to share with you Let The Spirit In. Rev. Beene has a unique way of sharing a spiritual truth within her everyday living experiences. I only came across her blog this week; so, honestly, I cannot say I know, understand or even agree with all of her Biblical standings, and I will not pretend that I do. However, the few posts I have read thus far, one on the Spirit, one on gratefulness, and one on spiritual discipline, have been incredibly encouraging to me. I hope you will check out her blog and be encouraged as well. 😊

Tuesday’s Treats #72

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Tannery Row Ale House

Location: Buford, GA

This is a cool restaurant in a cool little town in North Georgia. The downtown of Buford has been restored, and this eatery is in the old Tannery Building just a block beyond the town. It began as a pretty small restaurant with seating for probably less than 50 people; however, they’ve converted much of the open warehouse into an “open patio” seating area with giant screens for movie nights and a stage for local bands. The atmosphere is great. Every once in a while, they will have a/c issues in the warehouse area; so, it can get pretty toasty. However, this happened the other day when we were there, and they had those giant floor fans which we directed our way; so, it wasn’t too terrible (and it was a hot 85+ day, too😉).  

The food is tasty, and the service is friendly. The fried pickles are a must, and the fried grouper fingers are a must most days. (Every once in a while, the grouper doesn’t taste so fresh.) They have a wide selection of burgers, sandwiches, pizza and specialty items. The shrimp and grits are a favorite of mine, as they make it different than I’ve had anywhere else. They start with a grit cake, melt pimento cheese on top and layer the shrimp and sauce on top of that. Yum! There is a brisket pimento cheese on Texas toast that is definitely a fork and knife meal, and my son says the ribs are pretty tasty, too. 

This is also an event hall; so, if you need a really cool, large building for a big gathering, give them a call. I’m sure they’d love to book your event. Here’s the website for more info and contacts. 

Looking For A Sign

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Read this Scripture today, and even though, I’ve read it before, it seemed to come alive to me once more. “Lord, You are my portion and my cup…” He not only is what fills me, but He is the vessel which holds the filling, the portion. He is truly all we need! 

Our pastor’s sermon this morning was titled, “Surrounded by Miracles While Still Asking for a Sign.” He talked about how everything around us is a miracle. We live on this little blue marble, which circles this great big ball of fire, while a sphere of rock illuminated by that ball of fire controls and maintains our ocean tides, all hurling through space, while all surrounded by rock and death and other masses of fire. This tiny blue marble has the perfect conditions for life and oxygen, wind and rain. All the while, we have this heart beating within our chest over which we have absolutely no control, and we still sit here demanding God for a sign. We keep saying, “God, I don’t see any miracles today. I don’t see Your hand moving as it once did. I can’t see any miraculous acts declaring Your glory and power.” 

How blind are we? How wicked is our wayward heart? There are miracles all around us, we just fail to see them. Our eyes are not given to us to see. Our eyes are given to us to look through. We must allow Him to give us the right perspective. We must allow Him to cause our eyes to see. 

2 Kings 6:17, shows us how the Lord does this. Elisha was surrounded by the army of Arameans who were commanded by the king to kill him. Elisha’s servant saw this army and was afraid while Elisha didn’t fear. He knew God was on his side and would win the battle. Elisha prayed this prayer for his servant, ““Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17) That’s a pretty big difference in just a moment of time. God gave him a new perspective. 

Sometimes, we must have a new perspective to see clearly. There are times in our lives when God isn’t going to answer the prayers we pray the way we believe they should be answered. There are going to be moments when things don’t make sense, and we wonder where God is and if He has forsaken us. There will be other days when we get into the mode of comparing our lives with someone else’s and wondering why God is blessing them so much, and we just seem to get the skimpy leftovers of life. 

That is when we need to remember this scripture in Psalm 16. This is when we must remember the story of Elisha and his servant. This are the very moments when we must ask God to give us the right perspective that we might see His miracle right here within our own chest.  

I pray He’d give you eyes that you might see. 💗

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Friday’s Friends #19

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Oh my goodness! I completely forgot to schedule this for posting yesterday! 🙄 … So, I know today is Saturday, and it’s very late, but we’re gonna go ahead and share our Friday’s Friends. 

I just came across this blog the other day, and I love it! Jeffrab is a father who has raised a few and who seems to have some good words to share about parenthood, faith and life in general. I look forward to reading more, and I hope you will, too! 😊

The Day of Promise

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As I share moments with one of my best friends this week in her preparation of being the Mother of the Bride this coming weekend, I am reminded of this post I wrote a little while back about another sweet friend’s wedding day…

The WheatandTares's avatarthe grizzle grist mill

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I sat in the back, ever the silent observer. I watch. I speculate. I admire. I reminisce. They stand at the front facing one another. The stress of the day is falling off as they interlock fingers and get lost in one another’s eyes.
Stone
Brick
Burlap

Tomorrow is what they’ve longed for all their life. They think. They plan. They rejoice. They dream. They reach for that sacred ring. The weight of the promise spreading wide and becoming light as they remember the One Who keeps their hearts true.
Gold
Silver
White

She walks the aisle for all to see. She blinks. She smiles. He stares. He desires. They gaze and wonder for the days to come. The realization of hopes coming true and revealing the love forever sealed.
Happiness
Covenant
Faithfulness

Embraced with Hope.
Sealed with Love.

This Day of Promise.

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Forgiveness With A Boundary

/ The WheatandTares

Reading a friend’s FB post this morning reminded me of this post. I hope you are encouraged as you read this today. 💗

The WheatandTares's avatarthe grizzle grist mill

 Sometimes, we just have to forgive, simply, because He says so. It may not be easy. It may not be what we want, and it may definitely not be what the other person deserves, but God is very clear in this fact: We Must Forgive. Yet, forgiveness does not always mean reconciliation…

Many times, it may take years to find the ability to forgive, and sometimes, it will come instantly. Some of the hardest moments to forgive are those when someone continues to cause pain and wounds on top of the scars you have already endured. That’s when the real test comes, “Can you forgive…again?”

However, I think, oftentimes for me, the harder test comes as I struggle with the balance between learning to “forgive and walk away” and “forgive and reconcile” when someone continually wounds me, especially when it’s someone for whom I care deeply. It’s…

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Tuesday’s Treats #71

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Fortify Kitchen

Location: Clayton, GA


Fortify Kitchen is AMAZING! People drive from all over to eat here, and often, you will be greeted at the door as a friend. It has a wonderful atmosphere, and the food is to die for!

Some of our favorites are the fried green tomatoes with blackened shrimp, the shrimp and grits and the steak. Oh. My. Goodness. I am getting hungry just thinking about it! You can tell by the pics above that it LOOKS good. However, Fortify doesn’t deliver only on presentation, the taste is almost breath taking! From the bread, homemade hummus and maple butter to the homemade desserts, everything is farm to table and absolutely fabulous! 

They also have a sister restaurant right next door, Fortify Pi. More casual atmosphere, same delicious food in homemade pizzas and the sort. 

Hope you will check them out and make a trip soon! They will not disappoint! 

Website for more information. 

Fight the Good Fight

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This life will have it’s ups and downs. We will have our good days and our bad days. We will have our moments when we feel on top of the world and then the very next moment, we can feel as if our world has come crashing down around us. This is the journey called LIFE. It is what it is.

Sometimes, the lows will be in physical form, maybe a ridicule from a friend, a sickness/disease or an actual assault from an enemy. Other times, it will be an emotional conflict or a spiritual confrontation that we must face. However, the times I have found to be the most difficult are those mental battles the devil will try to wage.

He knows our weak spots, our vulnerabilities, our tender places we try to hide. You know, the ones we so eloquently maintain and cover up that they seem to no longer exist. Yes, when we are allowing Christ to be strong through us, these sensitive areas are shielded by His strength. These liabilities are covered by our shield of faith. However, sometimes, we can start listening to the enemy’s lies, accusations and doubts of our identity in Christ. This is when we lower our shield, and he takes a shot to wound us.

1 timothy 6 12

Just because we serve God, and just because we have been Christians for a long time doesn’t mean tough seasons in life never come. The truth of our faith and Christian maturity is what we do when these hard times come. When we’ve been knocked down on the canvas again, the referee is starting the count, and the crowd believes it’s over, THIS is when it all comes down to truth:  THE TRUTH OF OUR CHARACTER.

These are the moments that matter the most. Will we fight the GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH and lay hold on eternal life, or will we lay down our weapons and quit? Will we finish what we’ve started when we made the confession of our faith in the beginning, or will we walk away and give it all up? It is up to us to decide.

1-timothy-6-11-12

What we decide will not only effect OUR outcome, but it can leave a legacy behind that affects many generations to come…

Friday Friends #18

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It’s Friday, and that means I get to share with you a new blogging friend I have found! I love Fridays! 😊

Today, I thought I’d share a blog I found, as she like one of my Tuesday’s Treats. Caitlin’s blog is full of helpful hints, travel experiences and beautiful photography from those travels. One post, in particular, is intriguing to me, because the place she stayed was Patitnum Suites, and the picture of the city looks just like a Platitnum city. Her blog is very informative, as well as, enjoyable, as you can follow her in her adventures and learn something along the way. 

I hope you will check out her blog today. Enjoy! 😊