inspiration

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…

Faith Over Fear Brings Freedom

/ The WheatandTares

Sometimes, you just have to saddle up and ride the horse scared.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to take a deep breath and dive in deep.

Sometimes, you’ve got to put one foot in front of the other and keep climbing.

If you don’t, you may never see the landscape from the mountain too.

If you don’t, you may never experience the exhilaration of exploring the utopia of the abyss.

If you don’t, you may never realize that he courage you had hidden deep within.

So, take the plunge.

Take the ride or die.

Chase the dream and see what is to come.

You never know the freedom of success until you do.

And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 28:20

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Be the Hero That You Are

/ The WheatandTares

Stand up.

Stand tall.

Stand proud.

You mean something to someone.

And you can make a difference!

Seize the moment.

Be present.

Love, guide, confront, guide and nurture.

Reach a life to change a life.

You can do this.

Because there’s a hero inside of you just waiting to fly.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

Let the Lion Roar

/ The WheatandTares

Each one of us has a purpose here.

Each one has a place.

You may not believe it, but maybe you simply need to receive it.

You may not have found it yet, but maybe you just need to look around.

It may be a burden of responsibility that makes your knees quake.

It may be a cross of strength that causes your heart to shake.

Today it may not seem heroic, and it may not feel significant.

But find your niche and settle into your target.

Take your aim and discover your point.

Stand tall. Be stable and become tenacious.

Find your roar and call out to the generations.

Someone is awaiting your achievement.

Someone is longing for your legacy to find theirs.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.

Isaiah 54:13

The wicked flee when no one pursues,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1

A Note On Success

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

I saw this posted the other day, and it caused me to pause…

“Cancel telling kids college is the only way to be successful.”

I’d have to somewhat agree a bit, but might I throw a bit of a curveball and some kindling to that line of thought?

Success is an attitude of the heart and mind as well as the actions of the body and emotions.

It’s a lifestyle that begins when you wake up everyday by the thoughts and choices you choose, which in turn, can create successes or failures.

It can last for a lifetime if you think well, choose well and have determined follow through…

So, I guess I’d personally say, “Don’t cancel the thought of “college only”, and don’t cancel the thought of “trade only.””

My suggestion would rather be, the better approach is to decide to be successful by who you are more than what you choose to do, and THEN, what you choose to do, do it well and with purpose and watch successes come more easily!

How Grateful Are You?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment
I do not own or possess this pic. (Google search)

It’s that season when everyone is “supposed to be grateful.”

There are commercials, radio broadcasts, and talk shows proclaiming who’s grateful and why.

There are magazine articles and social media posts sharing the gratitude of the heart or how to show it.

But it always makes me wonder, “Why do we have to show our gratefulness only at this time of year?”

That may sound like a ridiculous question, but let me take a moment to explain…

Gratefulness is not simply a coat we should take out of the closet one season a year.

It’s not something we should dig out if the winter clothes to cover our shivering hearts.

It’s not a trinket we should wrap around our necks for the he holidays for all to see so beautifully.

Gratefulness should be a chosen lifestyle.

It should be an attitude we allow to arise in our souls with the sunshine and to glow through the night as the moonlight.

It should be as a keepsake with which we can’t depart.

Something we must carry with us at all times, whether there is someone to see the display or not.

Gratefulness should be a lifeline that sustains us on the highest mountain tops and the darkest valleys below.

It should be the countenance of our face that glitters in every season.

It should be our very heartbeats that remind us of every blessings, every beauty, and every gracious moment that has touched our lives.

It should be the very breath we breathe for every day we remain on this revolving planet.

…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving…

1 Timothy 4:4

A merry heart does good, like medicine,

But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

Monday Musing on Tuesday

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments
[*I do not own nor possess this pic.
Simple google search.]

Sometimes, you’re going to appear insane simply because you disagree… or at least, those in the River of conformity will say.

Sometimes, you’re going to sound crazy simply because you won’t comply… or at least, those in the push for an agenda will claim.

Sometimes, you’re going to wonder if you might be going nuts simply because you won’t say yes… or at least, those in the camp of trend, popularity and fame will declare.

Never allow those around you, and especially those against you, to convince you to jump off the cliff simply because every sheep on the planet has.

Make up your own mind.

Choose one Sovereign authority and follow Him.

His Truth is Absolute, and absolute Truth is, itself, exclusive.

Don’t lose it.

Don’t give it away.

And certainly, NEVER sell it to the highest bidder!

Truth is a precious gift. A precious commodity.

Hold on to it.

No matter the cost.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:31-32

Friday Fun Day

/ The WheatandTares / 8 Comments

Sometimes, Friday Fun Days may not be exactly as you plan, but how about just making it the best you can?

We had to return to my home state to honor a great man whom we will miss dearly.

We couldn’t stay at our “regular places” due to the recent hurricane that had left devastation in its path.

We couldn’t eat at our “favorites” due to the same demise.

We couldn’t take time to spend with all the loved ones with whom we desired due to having to come and go so quickly and staying at a further distance.

But we took the hours that we could just to make the best of the trip that we had.

We sat out on the beach in the early morning hours and just soaked in the wind and the surf.

We took an adventure to shop for some fun souvenirs for our boys.

We enjoyed an amazing dockside seafood fare and savored every morsel.

We stopped at a fun little coffee roaster and drank in the delightfulness.

Then, we said our sorrowful goodbyes, packed our bags, and headed back home.

Sometimes, Friday Fun Days might not seem so enjoyable, but if you search hard enough, you might just find a little sunshine peeking through those clouds.

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Ephesians 5:15-16

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28

Monday Musings

/ The WheatandTares / 6 Comments

There is so much truth in this statement, it almost hurts to embrace it.

If you’ve never hiked a strenuous trail, this may not be a reality for you.

If you’ve not experienced the deep exhale of stiff action after a treacherous climb, you might not quite understand.

But if you’ve climbed Brasstown Bald in Georgia for the first time on a hot August afternoon…

If you’ve used your trekking poles to achieve the heights of The Chimney Tops in the Great Smokies…

If you’ve had to take a break as you traveled toward the top of Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge…

If you’ve had to slow to catch your breath as you stretched toward the heights of Pike’s Peak in the Rockies…

If you’ve questioned your abilities as you pushed toward the peaks of Mount Rainier in the Cascades…

And if you’ve ever struggled in life to achieve more than the day before… if you’ve stayed up all night and the next day just to get the job done… if you’ve beat your chest through the turmoil, the heartache and depression just to reach the other side of sanity…

Then, you might just understand and appreciate this statement.

Because if you’ve ever climbed the malicious mountain to experience the refreshing breeze and behold the overwhelming landscape of the summit , you’ll fight and claw to encounter the next ascension.

“Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong…”

Psalm 30:7a

Friday Fun Day

/ The WheatandTares / 8 Comments
I do not posses it own this pic. (Google search)

I know it’s a day late, but…

Sometimes, it just doesn’t seem like a Friday Fun Day.

As a family member, a great man who made you laugh till you cried, suddenly breathes his last…

As a hurricane, that’s not traumatic in size but traumatic in results, rips through your hometown wreaking havoc and demise…

As distant family members try to pick up the pieces of their lives and dreams…

As church family members die or become deathly sick, and all involved wonder if that precious saint will suddenly walk those streets of gold…

As calls of desperation filter in from various places, each needing help, restoration, healing in some form or fashion…

Sometimes, it just doesn’t feel much like a Friday Fun Day…

However, this is that thing we call living…

And you either put on your hat of perseverance and move forward with a strain and a push, or you’ll get trampled in the gate of ambition and determination…

Or worse, you’ll garnish that cloak of heaviness and despair and enter your grave while walking on your feet…

So, you look up and glimpse the sunlight peeking through the clouds…

You look beyond the debris and see the sunset light up that western seashore…

You look through the demise to find a hidden treasure, a cherished heirloom, a forgotten dream…

You look into the eyes of that neighbor, and despite the pain, you smile and embrace…

You remember the good times of friends, the memories of the fun, the love of family, and the sweet goodness of God…

You see the resilience to repair, the fortitude to rebuild, and the temerity to thrive again…

You watch the horizon of dreams as they creep over the surf as bright as the sun, brightening the path to another day, another aspiration, another hope…

And you smile…

For the Friday Fun Day will return…

If only for this moment held deep within your heart…

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.”

Psalm 147:3-5