Author: The WheatandTares

Debris Clean-up

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

Terrible storms and natural disasters have wreaked havoc across our nation the past few months. Hurricanes, tornados, floods and even earthquakes. When storms like this hit land, there are incredible clean up projects that have to be set in place to get things back to normal. If the debris is left, it can cause delays, confusion, more damage and even injuries or death. Trees have to be cleared, power lines have to be restored, roads repaired, homes and bridges rebuilt. The restoration process can take a while, but it must be done if the people desire to live again. 

Storms in our lives will bring lots of debris, too. Anger, bitterness, rage, fear, pain, brokenness. Just as the disaster crews have to clean up the debris from physical storms, we must clean up the debris in our own hearts and minds from crisis that happen in our lives. 

Formulatetv.com

Maybe it’s a new mindset we need. Maybe it’s forgiveness we have to give. Maybe it’s self control we have to learn. Maybe it’s even time we have to wait for a wound to heal. If the debris isn’t cleared, it can often cause even more damage, not only to ourselves but, eventually, to all those around us. Whatever the debris is, if we want to be whole, and we want to live again, we must clean it out. 

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” Psalm 52:10-12

The great advantage we have is we don’t have to do this alone! Jesus is always waiting for us to call on His name. He is right there longing to soothe our weary soul and mend our broken heart. All we have to do is call on His name. All we have to do is lean on Him, and He will pick us up and carry us through! He will help us clear the debris and learn to live whole again. 

The neat thing that also happens when this is done, we can share our story with others, and their lives will be impacted and changed as well! “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalm 52:13 When this happens, not only are our lives cleaned up and changed, but those with whom we’ve shared our story are changed. Then, they begin to share, it starts a domino effect on the world around us! How exciting would it be to see many come to know Him because of our simple clean up?!

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4


Answer to Friday’s Angle #90

/ The WheatandTares

How did it go yesterday? Were you able to guess the photo? 

If you guess a Tervis cup of coffee, you guessed right! 😉


Thanks for playing! I hope you’ll join me again next Friday for another new angle and this Monday a new post! 😊

Friday’s New Angle #90

/ The WheatandTares

It’s Friday again, and it’s great to “see” you! Here’s another New Angle for you!


Check back here tomorrow for the answer. 😉

Need A Little Stretching?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Have you ever watched a taffy puller in a candy shop? Or a bread baker kneading the dough? Or maybe a potter molding and shaping the clay at the wheel?

  

None of this happens in an instant. No, not one of these processes happens without a lot of pushing, pulling, poking, and stretching beyond the original state. All of it, friction of some kind, to bring forth a beautiful masterpiece.

Do you know each one of us were created by the greatest Creator of All as a masterpiece? He has designed each and every one of us to be exactly what He desires.

Sometimes, life is going to feel like a huge taffy puller, drawing out the impurities, extracting what doesn’t need to be.  I don’t know about you, but there are times in my life when it feels EXACTLY like this!! I think, “Wow! I don’t know how much more pulling and stretching I can take!” Yet, when I allow Him to, God, in His infinite wisdom, keeps going deeper and deeper to remove those things which shouldn’t be, those fleshly things that get in the way of who He’s called me to be.

He wants all of me, all of us; so, we can hear with definition, see with clarification and speak and act with precision. He keeps stretching and refining; so, we might become a beautiful masterpiece that isn’t just a pretty piece to sit on a shelf, but one He can use against the enemies of His kingdom! Just like taffy or fresh, homemade bread or even beautiful pottery, it takes a process, and it takes perseverance, patience and a purpose-driven obedience to allow Him to finish what He has started.

Esther went through 12 months of preparation to see the king. David waited over 20 years to become king over Israel. Joseph went through 13 years of trials before he became the second in command to Pharaoh. Jesus waited 33 years of His life to fulfill His destiny here on this earth. When we start to get frustrated in the waiting and overwhelmed in the stretching, let us step back and be thankful for the preparation. God is always at work. The friction we feel is simply the formation of His perfect masterpiece!

Don’t Move The Goal Posts

/ The WheatandTares

Have you ever watched a football game where they moved the goal posts after a tough first quarter? How about a soccer game when the odds are stacked against the home team? Oh, maybe it was that last basketball game, when they moved the goal post over a bit to be more accommodating to the competition. 

No? Well, God doesn’t expect you to move the goal post either. We started this walk of Christianity to finish. We got in this to win the good fight of faith. If He told you to do something; then, it’s in your best interest to do it. When He said to finish the race, He wasn’t kidding. He will help us to finish well. 

Sometimes, we step into this Christian walk, passionate, all consumed with faith and exuberant obedience, and then, all of a sudden, life happens. Things get a little harder than expected, or maybe a lot harder, and we slow down. We question. We doubt. We might even argue with God that this was not what we bargained for. We begin to wonder if it’s worth the struggle, and we’re tempted to lay it all down for a moment of sinful pleasure and for, what seems like, a breath of relief.  

Yet, just because life didn’t unfold in the the easy way we expected, doesn’t change what God has told us. It doesn’t alter His plans or His direction in which He first told us to go. We can’t change the goal posts in the middle of the game, simply, because our opponent is gaining ground. No, we are commissioned to carry on. We are commanded to persevere, to endure till the end, and to take as many with us as we can! 

Remember, the Book is already written. The end is already confirmed. WE WIN! Don’t move the goal posts when you’re this close to scoring the winning point! 

Romans 5:3-5, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Tuesday’s Treats #40

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The Peddler

Location: Gatlinburg, Tn If you are vacationing in Gatlinburg, and you’re looking for a great steakhouse, don’t waste your time on those franchises and “hyped-up-advertisement” buffets that claim they have a great steak. Save your money and your appetite, and go to the Peddler. You will not be disappointed!

They have the best steaks around, and you get to choose the cut you want. Yes, that’s right. They have a “peddler” who comes by your table with a cart of covered meat. He/She removes the cloth and asks you which steak and how much you would prefer. Then, it is taken to cook exactly as you requested.
You then go to help yourself at the “all you can eat” salad bar, which is included with your meal. This salad bar is always fresh, and it has almost any topping you could imagine, including artichoke hearts, anchovies and fresh fruit and croutons. The waiter will then bring warm yeast rolls to your table, as you enjoy your salad, awaiting your entree. (*I do apologize for not having a pic of the meal! We were so distracted by the yumminess that I forgot to pull out my phone until it was almost gone!)
Then for dessert, if you happen to have room, there is always a seasonal dessert, like the delicious blackberry cobbler, pictured above, as well as, several other incredible desserts from which to choose. We always leave here so full and satisfied. … Just writing this review makes me want to head north to see the foliage and enjoy a delicious meal!

Oh, please note, they do not open till about 4:30; so, please don’t try to drop by for lunch as we did one time, because you’ll have to leave disappointed, or just want to wait around, starving to await dinnertime! 😉 Also, if you do show up a little later in the evening, and the wait is simply too long, go just up the road to their sister restaurant, The Park Grill, where you can enjoy another incredible meal!

Here is the website to find location, menus, and other needed information.

Lean On Me

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

I had a ladies board meeting, with 6 other women, this past week and another leadership meeting, with ten of them, at the end of September. They are all incredibly different from me, and yet, we have so much in common. I said to them, “It is amazing and such a blessing to be in a church with a group of ladies who can be so strong and confident in the person God has called them to be, and at the same time, be so humble to love, accept and help one another to become a great team who works together in unity.” We didn’t become this kind of team by chance. It has taken a lot of love, a lot of grace and a lot of truth to bring us to this point, and most of all, it has taken us being there for each other when someone hits a “low spot” along life’s journey.

In Galatians, Paul tells us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ…Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” I wonder, how well are we carrying one another’s burdens? I’m not talking about just being all caught up in this one’s latest drama or that one’s most recent crisis, and I’m not referring to how much gossip we can share with our neighbor. I’m talking about genuinely carrying a friend’s burden, coming along side that person who is hurting and weary from the journey and helping to share his load.

I’m talking about taking about taking the load, NOT upon ourselves, but joining in prayer with that person, and helping her to lay that burden at the feet of Jesus and helping him to see a ray of sunlight through his storm. Maybe it’s a note of encouragement, maybe it’s a little gift, or maybe it’s just sitting by her bedside for an hour simply sharing in the moment, even when you could really be a thousand other places getting a something done. 


This is the kind of burden-carrying that fulfills the law of Christ. This is the kind of load-lifting that reveals His love to the world around us. When He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It wasn’t just a cute cliche. It wasn’t just a nice follow-up statement to His command to love Him first.

He loves each and every one of us, because we are His children, regardless, of our differences or similarities to each other. He longs for us to love each other as He has loved us. One of the best ways we can do this is to pray for one another and help each other with the loads we carry. The more people who help in lifting a heavy load, the lighter the load is for each individual.

Answer to Friday’s Angle #89

/ The WheatandTares

How did you do yesterday?


If you guessed steering wheel commands, you guessed right! 

Thanks for playing! Come join me again next Friday for another New Angle and Monday, I’ll have a new blog posted! 😊

Friday’s New Angle #89

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Happy Friday!! 🎉 To celebrate, we’ll play another New Angle! 😊


Remember, the answer will be here tomorrow! 

To Be More Like Him

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

I read a post the other day of a lady who was in a store parking lot and witnessed a young mom place her two young children (both under the age of five) in the car, roll down the widows just a bit, lock the vehicle and return to the store for a five minute span of time. The person posting simply stood a ways off, watching over the vehicle, until the mother returned. 

There were various comments following, many on either side of choosing right or wrong for this situation. On the one side, the comments ranged from how terrible that mother was, how she should have been reported, and how dangerous the situation was for those children. The opposite side stated how the mother was obviously going through a tough time, how she must be a single parent doing her best, and how judgmental those persons must be who were against her.

This scenario and posts got me to thinking, and it caused me to realize one thing: we are all human, and we all have incredible opinions for each scenario we encounter. Each one of us looks at things from different perspectives, and that’s the way God made us. We all enter the viewpoint of a situation from our own judgmental advantage.

Who’s to say what that young lady was going through? Who’s to say she is or isn’t a hard-working single mom or a selfish, neglective parent? We don’t know her, and we don’t know her situation; so, all we do is assume onto her situation what we want and proceed to get mad at someone else, because they don’t agree with our “right” (or self-righteous) opinion.

As Christians, why don’t we look to Jesus and pray for this young mom and her kids? We don’t know what she’s going through, AND we don’t know what those kids are going through. We have no idea if she needs a ‘bucket full of grace’ or a good ‘kick in the bucket.’ Truth is, it’s not really our judgement call to make on either side.

Truth is, she probably needs a helping hand (or a guardian to watch over her littles), a good talking to AND a lot of love, but it shouldn’t be up to us to decide which of those is more important. What is up to us is to look at the situation with wisdom and grace. Wisdom would say, “Report that incident; so, it doesn’t happen again.” Grace would say, “Love her and give her a second chance that she may not deserve.” 

Too often, we are too quick to assume into a situation our own opinions and conclusions that, sometimes, have no bearings on the truth of the matter. Look at the various moments in Scripture when Jesus had confrontations with people: the woman at the well, the Pharisees, the adulterous woman, the rich young ruler, Blind Bartemaus… When Jesus reached to those in need, He gave truth AND love. He responded differently and the same to each one. He never used their situation, nor their pain, as an enablement for sin nor an excuse for self-righteousness. He confronted the sin, gave grace for repentance and hope for change. He’s called us to follow in His footsteps. That’s our job: to be more like Him. 😉

My prayer is to be more like Him each and every day. Sometimes, I feel as if I do pretty good, and other days, I wonder if I will ever get it right! However, the goal is all about Him, and if we can keep Him at the forefront, we will be able to reach more than if we simply rely on our own opinions and perspectives as our guide. 💕