Stay on Mission

July 18, 2023July 17, 2023 / The WheatandTares

Keep going.

Keep striving.

Keep achieving.

Their words don’t matter.

They didn’t call you.

He did.

Stay on mission.

We’re not home yet.

And we have a battle to win.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14

Yesterday or Today?

April 17, 2019April 15, 2019 / The WheatandTares

I saw this quote while at lunch the other day, and it triggered me to purpose and a challenge of heart. It made me think of so many I know who constantly live with regrets, remorse and shame. It reminded me of my own tendency to return to what could’ve been, should’ve been, and would’ve been, had it not been…

It brought me, once again, to the recognition that yesterday is what it is, today is here, and as long as there’s breath in your lungs, everyone has a shot at tomorrow.

The question is not whether today will come, rather, the question should be, what will you do with what you have received?

Use it well. Make the memories. Cherish the moments. Savor what is yet to be.

And as my husband loves to say, “When it comes to living life, ‘Drive it like you stole it!'”

Wednesday’s Ode #21 – Oops!

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

My apologies for this late Ode! I have been sick over the last week, and yesterday, I just simply forgot to schedule this post. Ugh. I couldn’t believe it when I finally remembered late last night! Now, this was supposed to post earlier today, and I’ve had one technical difficulty after another! …the new update doesn’t seem to be so great. 😁 I’ll try to not let that happen again!

So, what I’d like to give ode to today is dates with my man. 😊 Ok, now, don’t tune me out thinking this is going to be a mushy-gushy post. I promise, I’ll stay focused (or at least try 😉) on the dates themselves and not how much I love him…I really do love him! Ok, focus… I absolutely LOVE dating my husband! I know, that may sound silly, strange, or even quite foreign for some marriages, but for us, we just love being together. We love going places together, exploring new things, hanging out and even going on “old, been there, done that” adventures together. When I say he’s my best friend, it’s actually for real. We just LIKE each other…even more than we love each other.

We will go to little country towns and shop for antiques, or we can go to the city and enjoy a fancy meal and the theater. We love to go to Highlands, NC and Ellijay, Ga., and Atlantic Station and the Marietta downtown square. We love to travel to places we have visited often, and we even love to find old gravel and dirt roads and “off road it” for a while. We’ve found all kinds of beautiful sights and new areas this way. One of our favorite little towns to visit is Dahlonega, Ga. I told a little bit about this in my Wednesday’s Ode about North Georgia. This is a great mountain town filled with lots of character (and characters from time to time, too! Lol). We love to pick from one of our favorite restaurants, like Bourbon Street Grill or The Oyster House, and then walk over to Paul Thomas’ Chocolate shop for dessert, then, just meander through town, looking in all the shops. We always have to include a trip to the General Store to kind of culminate the day. It’s a great little town. We love going on hikes and exploring new trails, finding waterfalls or just sitting beside a stream. We love finding great new restaurants and trying out any yummy new dish or dessert. We have even been known to just go for a drive to look at houses at Christmas time, looking for beautiful light displays or just going out for a quick little lunch date. Some of our most fun times have been when we’ve had an unexpected moment to have a date! Those are some real adventures. We just love being together, and that’s how a good relationship should be. If you’re the kind of person that can’t wait to get away from your spouse, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Why?” Now, I know, we all need a little space sometimes, and we need to enjoy an activity or two with the girls (or guys, respectively). I know we can’t spend 24/7 by our partner’s side; that might just lead to a little bit of codependency. However, if you can’t stand to be with your husband or wife, or you just can’t wait to get with the girls/guys all the time, or you’d rather be with you friends more than you are with your spouse, that’s when you need to step back and reevaluate some things. Marriages come and go too quickly in today’s society, and I think, often, it’s because of self-centeredness and a lack of remembering “why you got into this thing to begin with.” There was a reason you fell in love, and sometimes, you just need to remember why. Now, if it was simply out of lust, and you don’t care anything for that person now, that’s a whole other issue, and you might need to go back to the beginning and make things right with each other. However, too often, a man and woman just need to put away the petty issues, step out of the busyness of life, and take some time together to remember why they fell in love. I challenge you to try it. You might find I’m right! 😊

Dating is one of the biggest reasons Joey and I still have fun together. Our boys have asked us about our dating from time to time, “Why do you date?” “Why can’t we come?” “Why is it so important?” Our answer has always been, “It’s important, because it helps me love him/her more, and in turn, it helps us be better parents for you guys.” You may not know it, or even understand it, but the best thing you can do for a child is to love that child’s mother (or father, respectively), and that’s the truth!

So…let me go find my man, and see if we can schedule a little date for tomorrow! 😉

*just a few pics from the wonderful dates we’ve had…

One Moment

May 4, 2015April 27, 2015 / The WheatandTares

One moment with the King…

What would YOU do to have just one moment with a king? I wonder if it might be like the first date you ever went on? Do you remember how long it took to get ready? How many outfits you tried on? How many days in advance you started planning?

What about that first prom…or maybe your wedding day? How long was that planning? How much did you spend? Ladies, what kind of beauty treatments did you endure? …maybe a message, a wax, a deep facial, a medi and a pedi?

Guys, how ’bout it? Well, most of you probably didn’t splurge on a pedicure (ha!), but what about that first hunting day, a day at the races, a boxing match or maybe that champion golf tournament? Hmmm, I might be getting somewhere now… How much did you spend on that new rifle, those new shoes, or even the fuel in the car to get there? How early did you set your alarm? How long did you go without sleep?

What about you, teens? Maybe you still depend on your parents to buy most things; so, you might feel this little post doesn’t really apply to you…but how much time do you spend texting on your phone, scrolling through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or just simply surfing the Internet? How much money are you saving for that new car, that new outfit or, maybe, that special gift for your new sweetheart?

Think of your time, talents and temporal means…or to put it more simply: your thoughts, your sight, your speech, your actions and your money…how much do you spend on the things of this world? How much time do you lose everyday doing things that aren’t really going to matter 150 years from now?

Sure, we do live in this world, but God said not to be of it! What does that mean for us? Does that mean we can’t “have fun?” Does that mean we can’t use technology, can’t go on a date, can’t play a game on the Internet, can’t have an Instagram account?? I can’t quite tell you what it means for you; sometimes, what’s a conviction for one family, or person, may not be the same for another. You have to work those “not-necessarily-sin” issues out with the Almighty, but I can tell you what’s going to matter for eternity: our relationship with the King of Kings! If you’re not preparing now, you’ll not be ready when the time comes!

Esther prepared for 12 months, of an intense regimen, to have one night with the king. David prepared 15 years to be king. Joseph was in preparation for 13 years to become second in the land to Pharoah. Jesus prepared for 33 years, on Earth, for His moment on the cross. That’s a lot of preparation for one moment in time!

How much are we preparing? How much are we planning? Will we be ready for that encounter with the King of Kings? He is God. He is awesome, and He loves us so very much. He wants to give His best to us, and I wonder, sometimes, if we might miss it, because we’re too busy preparing for other things rather than His return… One moment of decision is all it takes…

Looking Back…Moving Forward: Growing Pains and Pleasures

February 8, 2015February 9, 2015 / The WheatandTares

**Spoiler Alert: this post is a little lengthier than others, but still about 1000 words….I’m so sorry if you’re looking for a shorter read today. I’m catching up on a week’s worth of “assignments,” or challenges, given by The Daily Post for Blogging 201… Please, feel free to peruse through some of the Poetry or Lessons Learned categories (widgets to the right) to find a little shorter post.**

Well, here I am again trying my hand at Blogging 201… I did this back in October, but I thought, “Hey, what can it hurt to attempt it again and see how much I’ve “grown” in blogging over the past four months?” If you’re curious to read those first notes on blogging, back in October, you can catch up here. This is the weekend, and yes, I’m playing a little catch up, as I didn’t start on Monday, and the week simply got away before I realized Blogging 201 had started again; however, that’s sometimes, just what the weekends are for, right? …to catch up. So, here we go. Hope you have fun reading!

Day 1 of Blogging 201 – Goal Setting

To do a short recap..my goals back in October were: “3 Goals to Accomplish by January 31, 2015”: (1) Consistently post on my blog at least twice weekly. (2)Gain 100 followers by January 31, 2015. (3) Spend one hour each week visiting my followers’ blogs, reading their posts, and commenting on their work, from now until January 31, 2015. Thankfully, I was able to be consistent to blog twice and, sometimes, more than twice a week; however, I did run into a snag here and there when I would go several days without blogging at all; so, I will probably keep this goal on my next list. Thanks to YOU, my nice followers and those who drop by from time to time, I reached the 100 followers long before January 31. That was a sweet moment in time! 🙂 I was pretty consistent with spending an hour each week visiting other bloggers; however, once Christmas time rolled around, and I had the boys home fulltime for a few weeks, I got quite distracted with other priorities. That will return to the goals list, as well, for this quarter.

2015 Goal Setting – This time, I think I’ll set 5 goals to Accomplish by May 31, 2015:

1. Consistently post on my blog three times a week.

2. Gain 20-25% more followers by May 31.

3. Spend at least one hour weekly reading other blogs and sending “encouraging notes” to as many as possible.

4. Create a new weekly feature, for reader’s pleasure and just for fun, by March 1, and post each week through June 1. (feature title to soon be announced!)

5. Create a separate blog for my husband’s posts, thoughts and musings by April 1. …We’ve been thinking about this but have yet to put it into action.

Whew! Okay, that is completed… I don’t know why goal setting, sometimes, can be so difficult for me. I can make a checklist and plan out things to accomplish today, tomorrow and all next week; however, to set long-term goals, I always have in the back of my mind, “What if I fail?” “What if I let someone down?” So, often, I will struggle to push the hesitation and fear aside and keep the determination and focus at the center. When I actually do set the long-term goals, and I set my mind to accomplish them, I always end up with incredible results: I either succeed with “flying colors,” or I realize the areas in which I need to improve, and I’m able to see that a little learning and hard work will help me to succeed again.

Day 2 of Blogging 201 – Audit Your Brand

Looking over the checklist, I think, maybe, I’ve got this one covered…theme matches blog’s intent…font and color choices are congruent with the “grist mill” theme. My title and tagline compliment one another. My post titles, about page, username/nickname, and widgets all seem to correlate with the blog’s intent, or rather, my brand: this is a grist mill. Every word I type is a tiny grain needing to be “ground,” in order to bring forth a pure thought and a wholesome content upon which others can be encouraged and uplifted, and then, ultimately, that these simple “grains” might bring glory to my God. As far as the visual identity being consistent with the elements of this blog, they seem to support my brand…So, what do you think?? (*Please, do respond! I’d love to hear your thoughts about it! 😉 )

Day 3 of Blogging 201 – Get Read All Over

Mobile-friendly and responsive design? It seems to be…

Day 4 of Blogging 201 – Give ‘Em What They Want

I’m still getting the hang of stats and editorial calendars…Looking over the stats, aside from the home/archive page, and the About Me and Why I am Here pages, the top 3 most viewed posts for 2014 were Beautiful Praise, Life In The Little Things, and Eyes of Mercy. The most likes seem to be on categories “Lessons Learned” and “Poetry,” while the most searches seem to be on tags of “grace” and “eternity.” So, even though, I don’t think I’m ready to tackle the editorial calendar quite yet tonight, this does give me a good idea to know where to start focusing my different blog posts, thoughts and ideas. Over this next week, as I have more time, I will look over these stats more and see what days of the week and which weeks of the year seem to have higher traffic, and this will help me with posting times and consistency.

Day 5 of Blogging 201 – Make the Most of Your Archives

Bring your archives “back to life” … I think I might have done this pretty well by linking to several in this blog, as well as, creating widgets on the right side of my blog which can direct the reader to my archives, as well as, give a running list of “Fresh Grounds” (most recent posts), and “Your Favorite Grains” (reader’s most liked posts)…So, yea, I do believe that one might be covered, too! 😉

Okay, so “Operation: Catch Up” seems to be complete…Now, maybe I can rest tomorrow and get ready for the rest of next week! If you stuck it out for the duration, I hope you enjoyed your reading!

A Child’s Perspective

January 5, 2015January 2, 2015 / The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

I love to see pictures that a child has taken, especially a younger child, like maybe between the ages of four and ten years old. Have you ever taken a moment to look? My son took this picture the other day, and I thought it turned out incredible. The cabin is totally focused; yet, all of the surroundings are completely blurred.

This picture created a thought within me… “What if we approached our lives like this?” Living life with one focus and one focus alone. Carrying on through our daily routines with one main goal, one desired end. Living a life in which the central goal is in complete focus while the surroundings are just sort of out of focus. Having that main focus being Jesus at the center of our life.

Too often, we go through life with so many goals, so many desires, so many ambitions that, too often, it seems the central focus gets blurred, and we get tuned into one thing and then another. We move from one agenda to another, many times, forsaking the real purpose we are even here on this planet. When we have too many agendas, too many goals, too many desires to be met, we become scattered, distracted, even chaotic in our witness and our testimony.

When we keep “the main thing the main thing,” HE is able to bring all the other things into the right focus. HE is able to show us the things which are needed and those things which are not. He is enabled to be the Lord of our lives, and the world turns to gray as it loses its hold on us.

In this new year, let us remember Who that central focus should be. Let us remember Who the one goal of our lives should be. Let us start this new year with one main thing, one goal, one central focus, JESUS, who will take us to higher heights, deeper depths and wider opportunities than we ever thought possible!

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” Philippians 3:13