Fall Into It (1)

April 6, 2015March 14, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Fall Into LOVE

Fall into love like you fell into those piles of autumn leaves as a child, or maybe, you’d prefer that snow to make snow angels. Either way, you wanted nothing more than to keep falling over and over and over. You wanted nothing less than to get right back up and fall again. That is just how our love should be, falling deeper and deeper with each new day…with God…with family…with our spouse…with children…with nature…with LIFE.
Our problems with people are not always the people. Too often, when we have a conflict, we like to tell ourselves, it’s because we haven’t loved enough. We haven’t tried enough. We haven’t sacrificed enough. When all we need is more of Him and so much less of us. If we’d just fall into love with Him, He would love through us. He would speak through us. He would reach through us. So, fall into Him; so, your heart can love them.

Answer to Friday’s Angle #7

April 4, 2015March 21, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Did you guess it yesterday??

It’s a computer keyboard!! 🙂

Friday’s New Angle #7

April 3, 2015March 21, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

It’s Friday, and it’s time for a New Angle! 😉
Hint: Looking for the answer to what is BLACK… Have fun!

Never Let Go (of Hope)

April 2, 2015April 1, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

For years, I prayed for a change, for a difference…I prayed for a miracle, really. For more than 20 years, I prayed these two would makes a change; so, we could have the life and the relationships for which I so longed. I knew God could only do so much, for He will never force a man’s will, and the rest would be left to that man. Oh, that human will can be so very stubborn! I was clinging to the last bit of hope in my heart when we got the call…the news was not good; frankly, it was terrible. Shortened days…a shortened life. Surgery impending. Death probable. How could this be? He was bigger than life! He had been the biggest part of my life. He was supposed to be invincible. My sons were supposed to know him and love him like I did. This wasn’t fair! Often, life just isn’t fair. It doesn’t play favorites. It rains on the just and on the unjust. So, we waited. Then, it happened. A vision was seen. His glory was revealed to the heart. A life was rededicated. His faith and his fate were forever sealed. I rejoiced as one lifelong prayer was answered; yet, I wondered, “Could we possibly get another?” Maybe it was just too good of a dream to imagine. Almost 15 years later, my heart had almost given up hope that a change could ever occur. After all, prayers had been sent up for over 35 years. Maybe that human will was going to win out this time… Out of the blue, a mistaken email reveals possibilities, a glimmer of hope. Could it be? Could it possibly be true? I stand in awe to testify of God’s mercy and grace, of His awesome love being shown through a man whom many had counted as forever lost. God is good. Are all things perfect? Are things as they once should have been? Sadly, I must confess, some things are simply lost as the water rushes under that bridge of time. Yet, we will not dwell on yesterday’s regrets, nor will we miss the precious gifts of the present. If we did, we would overlook the beautiful promises of the future! Sometimes, you just have to take the baby steps of grace today; so, you can bask in the love of His tomorrow. So, never let go of hope, for hope is the only thing which brings true life back into our prayers.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Wednesday’s Ode #8

April 1, 2015March 19, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Today, I’d like to give tribute to my grandmother. She and I share the same birthday this month, and since today is April first (and I’m not so crazy about April Fool’s Day), I think she is a much better subject to talk about! 😉

I absolutely love my grandmother! Many people say we’re a lot alike, and I take that as a huge compliment. She is a very loving, peaceful, pleasant, elegant, loyal, diligent, dependable, and noble woman. She is fiesty at times, yet, incredibly feminine. She is enthusiastic and always ready to have a good time; yet, she’s quiet and as easy going as the day is long.

She fiercely loved her husband of almost 59 years, and she loves him to this day; although, she had to say goodbye to him almost 13 years ago. They were best friends, confidantes, business partners and lovers. Together, they faced and survived being married at the young ages of 14 and 17, the death of their only son, several miscarriages, running a business together, politics and even cancer. She stayed by his side, through thick and thin, until the very end.

At four foot eleven inches, she is a strong, independent woman; yet, she is there when you need her, and she loves deeply. She is quick to smile and always the first to shed a tear of joy or sorrow. She is kind and gracious, and she is a woman of deep character and deep faith. She trusts in her God to take care of her, and she gives Him praise in the tiniest of blessings. She always looks to the brighter side of things and is able to keep a positive attitude through some life’s toughest storms. She reads her Bible and prays everyday and, even, many times throughout her day. She is faithful to her church family; even when she’s out of town visiting me (or others), she spends some time connecting with those back at home.

She can spruce up the dullest of rooms or ceremonies with her elegant Victorian ways, and she can bake a “mean” pound cake, fried shrimp, fried mullet and even Thanksgiving dressing! She, also, makes an awesome sweet potato casserole for me during the holidays, and she doesn’t even eat sweet potatoes! She loves to decorate for every season of the year and even keeps a Christmas tree up in her rec room, which is transformed into a “whatever holiday it is” tree throughout the year. …yes, that tree has been a snowman, an Easter bunny and a pumpkin man! Haha.

I stayed with her and my grandfather many times, as a youngster, and I cherish every memory I have with her. Oh, and she’s definitely got “young genes!” She sure doesn’t look like she’s about to celebrate her 86th birthday! (…this picture was taken two years ago!)

I am thankful that God saw fit to have me born on the day of her birth, and I will always cherish this honor and this blessing. I pray that I can carry on the legacy she has set before me.

In the Depths of the Falls

March 30, 2015March 29, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

I saw a glimpse of something today. We took a little hike to Amicalola Falls and were standing on the bridge, looking up at the falls when I saw it. Looking up, this song started rolling over and over in my mind, and before I realized it, I was softly singing:

Peace, peace, wonderful peace

Coming down from the Father above

Sweep over my spirit forever I pray

In fathomless billows of love

As I stood there, listening to the waters rush over the rocks and tumble down below, I began to really see it…The rocks were solid, strong, unyielding. There were sharp places and dark places…green, squishy patches and dry, splotchy parts…even some spots with crackly, dry weeds. Yet, where the water flowed, the rocks were smooth and even shiny, almost like jewels glistening in the sun. The waters rushed over the edge at one place and trickled down, hardly noticeable in another. Sometimes, it would bounce and jump, almost seeming to dance in laughter off the rocks, and in others, that same water swirled and pooled, making little collections of shimmery basins in which you could’ve cooled and refreshed your feet. The falls were simply beautiful, invigorating and peaceful, inviting and overwhelming, all in the same breath.

As I stood there, tears streaming down my face, I could see the depths of my very soul. The rocks are the image of my soul. It’s solid, strong, and unyielding, sometimes for very good reasons, sometimes for not so good. The water is the Living Water of God. It washes my heart, cleanses my mind and purifies my soul. It causes the green patches of soft, squishy grass to grow.Those are the places where I’m tender and soft toward the things of God. I’m pliable, moldable, easily moved and quickly changed. These are the places where I long to stay, to learn, to grow.

Yet, there are other areas where it’s not so sweet. His water has to smooth out the sharp, ragged, painful places, those places we’d rather not talk about, those pains we’d just as soon forget. He pours over those jagged rocks of my soul to bring life, restoration and joy.

I was reminded, in that moment, all our souls are in this similar state of being. Some are more, some are less, but we all have sharp, jagged rocks that need His soothing. We all have dark places, those things which are ugly and hidden from the world that need His cleansing. Each one of us has a dry spot or two that needs more water and oh, those pesky weedy areas that are in such need of His purifying. Every one of us has a need for so many more of those soft, squishy, green patches, those places where His love and mercy abide. Our soul longs for those times when we are fully immersed in His goodness and grace.

You see, when we let Jesus into our soul, His rivers of Living Water rush into our lives to show us His love, His grace, His mercy, those things which He’s just been waiting to pour out. Sometimes, the water is so loud, so consuming, we can’t even contain it or comprehend it. Other times, He lets it trickle down a forgotten path, one we thought we’d pushed far into the past to a place never to be seen or remembered again. Yet, He gently lets His waters flow, washing over those places, drawing us back, soothing our soul.

Just as these falls towered before me, His Living Water towers over our souls. He cleanses us, changes us, and transforms us into a beautiful spectacle for all to see. As we allow His water to wash over the depths of our being, we will know He is God. We will know He loves us; we will experience His grace, and we will be transformed into a new creation. We will become a beautiful waterfall that others will gaze upon and feel refreshed, invigorated, challenged and changed. They will gain strength and wisdom as they see what the Lord has done in our life. Many will long for the same as they see the place where He abides. All we must do is allow His Holy Spirit, His Living Waters to flow into and through our lives. Will you let Him flow today?

“…And let anyone drink who believes in me.” As Scripture has said, “Out of him (or them) will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38

Answer to Friday’s Angle #6

March 28, 2015March 21, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Did you guess it right yesterday??
That one might have been a little tough…

It’s white legal envelopes photographed from the side!

Friday’s New Angle #6

March 27, 2015March 21, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Friday’s the day…A new Angle’s our way! 😉

The Road

March 26, 2015March 25, 2015 / The WheatandTares

Up, down, down, up
Go, go, go

Around the bend.
Wheels grinding.
Lights blinding.

Where do they go?
When will it end?

Meaningless motion.
Mindless emotion.
Mindful potion.

Where do they come from?
Who will they send?

Thoughts grimmer.
Hearts dimmer.
This road that never ends.

Go, go, go
Up, down, down, up.

Only you can make it stop.

Wednesday’s Ode #7

March 25, 2015March 14, 2015 / The WheatandTares

This week, I’d like give my ode to books. I love books, and I love to read! Books can take you to lands unknown. Books can take you to places of which you’ve never even dreamed. Books can give facts, and books can give fiction. Books are wonderful!

I guess you could probably call me a book hoarder. I have always loved books, old ones, new ones, little ones, big ones. I buy them in bookstores, online and in antique stores. I’ll even find many treasures in the Goodwill and thrift stores! These are incredibly cheap, too. I love it!! I find those I can actually sit down and read, and some I just buy for a collection. We’ve decided, when we have a “forever home,” a place where we will someday retire, we must make one room a library. My husband loves books, too; so, we have quite a growing stack.

I just love to read. Reading can take you away to distant lands; it can instill wisdom and grace to your weary soul. Getting immersed in a book can teach you new things and can sharpen your skills. It can expand your mind to imagine and dream. You can ask any teacher or scholar, reading books WILL make you smarter!

My heart’s desire has been to instill this love I have for reading and for books into the hearts of our sons. I have bought books for both of them since they were babies (actually before they were born!), and I buy them even now that they are nine and thirteen. I am grateful they have grown to have a love for books and reading as well.

Our, now thirteen year old, got the complete Sesame Street alphabet board books on his one year birthday. He sat in the floor, amidst all those toys, looking through and ‘reading’ each individual book. There were 29 in the series! He now still enjoys some reading. However, school requires quite a bit of textbook reading; so, he has a limited interest, at best. He is reading the Hunger Games series; so, at least the desire is there a little! 😉 Our nine year old loves to read about all kinds of things, but he especially loves his Action Bible, The Hobbit, the Magic Treehouse series, and How I Survived series. My husband is an avid reader. He favorites are The Lord of the Rings trilogy, all Louis L’Amour westerns and most John Grisham novels.

My reading spans from fiction to non, self-help to leadership and mentoring, biographies and autobiographies, and so on. On my nightstand (actually within my Kindle) right now, I have two books in which I am immersed, and about twenty-five, or quite a bit more, which are waiting “in the wing.” These days, I put most of the books on my Kindle; so, I can take them wherever I go. I absolutely love that Kindle! Oh, but that ode can be given on another day!

How about you? Do you love books? Do you love to read? What is on your bedside table right now? What are some wonderful books you have found lately? Which is your favorite?