hope

Peace Like A River

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

What brings you peace?

Things in this life that bring me peace are waterfalls, and a child’s laughter, and mountaintop sunsets, and the breeze rustling through the trees.

But truly, there is only one thing that can bring me true inner peace.

And it’s not found in a magazine, or a shopping center, or material possessions.

It’s not discovered in a song or a conversation or an atmosphere of friends or family.

It’s not even realized in a moonlit stroll or an early morning city run.

Truthfully, it’s not recognized in these things because it’s not a thing.

My peace is revealed in the One who created peace, in the One who designed those mountains, sunbeams and starlight that can swirl around in our moments of peace.

My peace is unveiled by the One who IS peace.

His very name is The Prince of Peace.

And when I have Him within, I find that peace is wherever I go.

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

What’s the Rush?

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

What is the rush?

We run to get dressed. We hustle to get the kids ready for school. We hurry to get to work. We scurry to get our jobs done.

We dash to get the kids home, to eat, to practice, to do homework and off to bed. We bustle to get ourselves to sleep to start the new day all over again.

We rush, rush, rush like a hamster on a wheel.

Even our breaks and our vacations seem to fill up with more scheduling and more doing.

But why the rush? What is so important?

Our breathing, our health, our expressions of love?

Our legacies, our memories, our impressions of care?

What is really vital? Our advancements or our investments?

What really makes a difference? Our successes or our impacts?

Can we take a breath and inhale a little peace and exhale a little gratitude?

Can we take a pause and look around us and reach to the ones coming behind?

Slow down a minute and really see who is watching you.

Stop seeking the approval of those who won’t matter tomorrow.

Seek the One who will be there for eternity.

Encompass those who await your calm.

Envelope those who need your adoration.

Take a rest and make a memory for life.

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10

The work of righteousness will be peace,
and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, though hail comes down on the forest, and the city is brought low in humiliation.

Isaiah 32:17-19

Practice Makes Permanent

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

I always heard as a child that practice made perfect; so, I practiced playing the flute, and I practiced riding my bike, and then, I didn’t.

Because I wasn’t practicing accurately. I was just putting into rhythm the actions that wouldn’t make me better.

Practice truly makes permanent what you are doing, but it doesn’t make perfect if you’re doing it all wrong.

If your words are bringing pain, the continuation of those will only continue to wound and harm.

If your actions are bringing trouble to your life, to your family, or legacy, that turmoil will not stop as you continue the same steps.

We must change our practice to change our outcome.

We must alter our path to alter our destination.

Actions become habits. Habits become lifestyles. Lifestyles become character.

So, if change is to come, change is the action that must be taken.

You’ll never climb a mountain if you don’t start hiking.

You’ll never succeed at anything until you first, begin the task.

And today is a great day to commence!

Be consistent in truth. Be faithful in love. Be reliable in kindness. Be dependable in joy.

These are some great places to start.

Let’s get ready! Let’s go!

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 3:17

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…

Hebrews 10:22-24

Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace

/ The WheatandTares / 9 Comments

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

The most important thing I can carry with me at all times is peace.

But peace can be hard to come by in a culture that is full of chaos, in people who are full of flaws, and certainly in a self that can be up and down like a yo yo.

Material possessions can come and go. This world cannot be counted in for my security.

People whom you thought were dependable can let you down, both intentionally and not.

Family and friends are wonderful, but they are still people, still human.

They’re not meant to be my stability.

Anything of this world can fail tomorrow. Nothing is truly perfect or reliable.

But I have found One.

There is One who is ever faithful, ever dependable, and ever stable in all His ways.

Jesus.

Some hate Him. Some love Him. Some choose not to know Him.

But I have found He is all I need.

He has peace beyond our imagination that will surpass our circumstances.

He has love that is unconditional and will sustain us in spite of ourselves.

He has joy beyond our emotions that will consume us regardless of our environment.

And all that He has is free. It costs nothing. It requires no work. It demands no sacrifice.

All we have to do is believe.

…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of theLord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:9-13

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

I’d Like to Teach The World

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

Immediately when I read the question, what change would you like your blog to make in the world, I thought of that old song, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.”

I hadn’t thought of that song in ages.

If you’re a child of the 70s or 80s, you might be hearing the jingle chime in your head right now. (You’re welcome. Lol.)

If you’re younger, you’ll get the pleasure of hearing it in the video below.

I’d not actually want my blog to buy the world a coke or to teach it to sing, per se, but rather I’d like to convey those kinds of feelings and thoughts to all those who take the time to read something in the Grizzle Grist Mill.

“All is grist for the mill.” — a Proverb

I chose that old Proverb as the theme of my blog because I believe that’s just what it is. I have a lot of thoughts, words, stories and even strong beliefs I share here, but in the greater scheme of life, they may just be as sand on the seashore, or grist for the grinding mill.

This blog may not change the world. It may not even change a nation, or a race, or even a whole gathering of people. I’d love for that to be the case, but I’m not foolish enough to believe my words can be that impactful; although, every true writer has that dream.

Yet, if something I’ve written might leave you with a feeling of hope, of love, of joy, and of peace, then I will believe they have been worth something.

If these words might create a memory to hold onto, or a thought of things to come that you can run toward, or maybe a faith that keeps you coming back for more, then I will know I’ve done a good job.

If these letters converged together by pen and paper (or rather by computer and keys these days), if they mean anything to you, the reader, if they make an impression in any way, then I will consider my time, my effort, and my desire to make a difference can be effective, even if it’s only in my little corner of the world.

These heart notes may be as small as the grains of sand, but when piled up in one place, they might just make a beautiful sand dune to be enjoyed or an intricately designed sand castle that will capture a picture in your memory for a lifetime…

It’s funny. I never remembered the beginning of the song until I replayed it today…

Oh What A Day That Will Be

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Describe your life in an alternate universe.

In that alternate universe, I will not grow old. And in this current life, hitting half a century this year has been one of both joy and a slight irritation.

In that alternate reality, I will not feel pain, sorrow, or grief. I will not deal with disappointment, aggravation or even the threat of disenchantment.

In that new world, there will be no anger, no hatred, no violence, no death.

Can you imagine?

The tears will be wiped from our eyes, and we will never experience agony again. We will never feel heartbreak, regret or brokenness.

Everything will be made new.

Everything will be healed.

Everything will be refreshed, revitalized, restored to it’s beginning.

I will have no failures, no blemish, no flaw.

I will be made perfect, and you will, too.

Can you even imagine?

Oh, won’t it be grand?

And it will all last for eternity.

And to top it off, it won’t be an alternative.

It will be true reality.

You want to come?

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

Revelation 21:1-5

And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Revelation 21:6-7

Don’t Worry. Be Happy

/ The WheatandTares

List 30 things that make you happy.

Here’s a list of 30 things that make me happy. Some are in specific order but some are not. You can probably guess which ones are which…

1. My Savior, Jesus Christ

2. My husband

3. Holding his hand and saying, I Love You.

4. My boys, both of them.

5. Hugging our boys.

6. Family

7. Friends who stay and stand the rest of time.

8. Worship music that lifts the soul, connects me to Him or just reminds me Whose I am.

9. Coffee, flavored, with cream

10. The little things often more than the big things.

11. A rosebush blooming.

12. A walk in the woods.

13. Sunsets and waterfalls.

14. A hike up a mountain.

15. Having a hope in an eternal life in eternity.

16. Walking along the beach.

17. My cat purring and wanting to be loved.

18. Watching someone give their heart to Jesus.

19. Watching someone’s life being transformed for good.

20. Giving orphans Christmas presents.

21. Holding a sweet baby, no matter the age.

22. Preaching and seeing that someone actually connected with Him.

23. Listening to our almost grown boys talk about God, life, and things they will do, and realizing they have made good choices.

24. Hearing my husband and sons tell me they love me.

25. Having coffee with a good friend.

26. Cooking a good meal or delicious dessert for my family and knowing they enjoyed it.

27. Traveling to distant lands, flying in a plane, or just taking a road trip.

28. Antiquing in a small town.

29. Having deep conversation, light hearted fun, or anything in between with my love.

30. Being able to bring a smile to someone else.

There’s a ton more I’m sure I could share. And probably tomorrow, I’ll look back over this and realize I’ve forgotten to list something oh so very important.

So, please don’t judge. Just enjoy. And maybe take a moment to think of your own listing.

I wonder if you can now tell me your 30 things that bring such joy?

Defeat that Demon

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Too many people claim they’re gonna live better, gonna do better, gonna act better, but they’re still holding onto that which brings them down.

Some assert they’re gonna eat right, but the cabinets are filled with junk, and the menu is filled with fast food and calories.

Some proclaim they’re gonna get fit, but the weights gather dust, the shoes stay in the box, and the gym membership rolls through a year with the door never opened.

Some declare they’re gonna speak right, yet the music is turned to trash, the podcasts are filled with perversion, and the languages are covered with cussing and crudeness.

Some affirm they’re going to act better, yet the friends stay the same, the words ramble on with no change, and the actions are as redundant as the clock hand.

If you desire change, it must be proven within.

It you desire an alternate path, it must first be evident in your walk, then the journey will follow.

If you’re still entertaining the demons from which you claim to have been freed, then your receptivity will be the burden on your own shoulders.

It will be the nightmares of your own dreams.

Wake up!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Matthew 16:24-27

Be Like Jesus

/ The WheatandTares

So many say, “ I want to be like Jesus.”

So many preach, “You must be like Jesus.”

And so many more believe it’s such an easy task.

They claim we simply must be more kind, more loving, and more peaceful.

Yet, when love is proclaimed so elementary by pointing fingers at others and declaring what you must do,

I believe we are neglecting to look in the mirror at our own souls to see what we must do.

When kindness is demanded from others so readily, and it is said to be performed so smoothly,

I believe we are avoiding the reality that our flesh never truly desires to be gracious and kind.

No one is born good. We are not birthed in righteousness.

Our natural tendencies do not lend themselves to be like Christ without first dying to self.

If we long to truly be like Christ, we must remember He had a wilderness where He was hungry, tempted and had to be bold in faithfulness.

If we truly long to be like Christ, we must remember He had a Gethsemane where He was alone, discouraged and had to be brave in love.

If we long to truly be like Christ, we must remember He had a cross by which He was broken, disgraced and had to be truthful in kindness.

If we truly long to be like Christ, we must remember He had a Judas by whom He was betrayed, ambushed and had to be confrontation in peace.

When we profess others should be Christlike, we need to actually know who Christ is and what He did.

When we confess a desire to be Christlike, we need to actually recognize who our Savior is and what He did.

When we assert there is a common ground with a mighty King, we must acknowledge and embrace what must be crucified within us to become someone we are never capable of becoming

Without first, surrendering all to Him.

This is to be Christlike.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:9-11

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32

Disagreement isn’t Hatred

/ The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

In our modern age, it seems there are becoming more and more polarizations to right and wrong.

Yet there also seems to be more twisting to truth than I believe I’ve ever seen before.

Too often, good is being called evil and evil is being called good.

Too often, those fighting for justice will de over and connive to achieve their purposed goal rather than seeking for truth no matter the cost.

And for certain circles, if you disagree with the relative truth they’ve created, you are relegated as hateful, rude, and even wicked.

Where is the logic in any of this?

Where is the sanity to this altered reality?

There is none.

And my statement of fact will send many into a tumultuous and relentless battle of words.

What happened to the days when truth was sought above all?

What happened to the lives who sought truth at all cost?

There has to be an absolute truth on which to hold firm.

And even if you disagree with that truth, it doesn’t make you a demon of the abyss.

And it doesn’t make you freakish, deformed, or necessarily of a nonredemptive evil.

It just simply makes you wrong.

An absolute truth does not move for modernity.

And absolute truth doesn’t change with new winds of doctrine, opinions or even popularity.

An absolute truth stands firm in it’s truth.

An absolute truth stands true through the tests of time.

And an absolute truth is a rock upon which you can fall and it will sustain you.

I have found this absolute truth.

I will hold on to it.

I will bind myself to it.

And I will run to it in torrential times.

It is a truth that with change you forever.

And unless you’ve found it as well, please know that when my absolute truth disagrees with you, it is not hatred I bring.

It is a love, a peace and a hope that will transform you, heart, mind, body and soul.

He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.

Deuteronomy 32:4

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:2

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Isaiah 5:20-21