No more junk food! I promised myself I'd do better, so I went to the farmer's market. Intrigued by a lush display of green sprouts, I made the decision to grow them myself and found a seed-sprouting kit on clearance. The tag read, "$2.48 As is." Was something missing? I opened the box, inspecting the contents: 1 lid, 2 sprouting trays, 1 water reservoir. Nothing was broken and the seed packets were intact. The only thing missing were the instructions. However, as I turned the box over, I saw small photographs showing how the seeds were placed in the trays. When I got home, I spread the tiny seeds in the growing trays, sprinkled water through the lid, and watched it drip into each chamber. There. In a few days, I'd have my own delicious sprouts. Each day, I watched. And waited. Day 1: I kept the seeds moist, rinsing them at two different times. Day 2: Two tiny seeds sprouted! I added water to the trays. Day 3: Disappointment! Only a few more seeds had sprouted. What was taking so long? Day 4: Double disappointment! According to a website, the seeds should have sprouted by now, but less than a handful of mine taken root. Having saved the packaging, I found the problem: the seeds were expired. No wonder they hadn’t grown! My sprout-growing experience reminded me of Jesus' parable about seeds in Matthew 13:27: “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?” Jesus told them an enemy did this. The servants asked Jesus if they should go pull up the weeds, but Jesus told them not to, for in doing so, they might pull up the wheat with the weeds. He said the two would grow together until harvest, when the weeds would be gathered and burned, and the wheat would be gathered and brought into the barn. I didn't realize until it was too late that my "As is" sprouting kit was defective. I had not sown good seed. Perhaps the seeds might have been good at an earlier date, but now, they had been dormant too long. The next time I went shopping, I was careful to look for good seeds and I succeeded in growing the sprouts—good nutrition to my body. "Good seed" is a reminder for my spiritual life, too. I don't want to be "spiritually dormant" like the expired seeds that will not grow. May God's Word continue to sprout in our lives to keep us spiritually healthy! (And a bit of greenery in our diet will serve us well, too!)
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Marshmallow peeps, creme candy eggs, and chocolate bunnies line store shelves—such sweet sugary-laden treats children love (as parents cringe at the thought). But these worldly items offer no explanation or representation of the real message of Easter. The real message of Easter can be simply stated: Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God, paid the price for humankind's sins so that we might have the freedom of new life through His death and resurrection on the cross. (But clearly, Jesus' path to the cross was not simple). Like newborns, we are made new though our faith in Him. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17 The candy peeps and chocolate bunnies will never represent Easter. However, the "real" baby chicks, bunnies, birds, and other baby animals born in this spring season, along with the blooming of flowering plants and trees, are a reminder that God brings new life to earth. And He has brought new life to us through Jesus Christ, who offers us salvation from the darkness of the sin of the world. May your Easter be a day of celebration as you indulge in this beautiful, sweet message of spiritual food for your soul: "Jesus Christ is risen! He has risen indeed!" My prayer for you: May you rejoice in the rebirth of your spirit and be renewed in faith today and each day, and may the light, joy, and love of the Lord guide you in all you do. <><<><<>< "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 NIV I woke up suddenly from a deep sleep with an image in my mind: I was holding out my hands in front of me with my palms up, but my hands were empty. For weeks, I’d prayed fervently for people with serious medical issues. I couldn’t help but worry about their diagnosis, how it was affecting their physical and mental health, their quality of life, and what the coming weeks and months would hold. When the image of my open hands appeared in my mind, it happened at a particularly odd time: 11:11 p.m. At that moment, I felt I was being helped, guided, and persuaded—all at once. I was certain this was an answer to prayer about all of the concerns. But in that answer to prayer, I realized my job was not to worry but to trust God. The worry lifted, and my hands felt suddenly light as a sense of peace washed over me. God had removed the weight of my worries and fears and taken them unto Himself. There were not mine to hold onto. God’s message was clear. It was as if He was saying, It’s Out of Your Hands. End of story. Period. It was time to quit worrying—and trust Him. # May you, too, be at peace, knowing that God is only a prayer away—give your worries to Him. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 NIV photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com Story adapted from a December 2019 blog (N. Johnson) “Can I have the “rool-uh, Mommy?” our youngest daughter asked. She’d grin as I’d hand her the old wooden ruler we kept in the kitchen drawer. Beverly excitedly ventured from one room to the next, measuring everything to her heart’s content. I gave her a tape measure for the oversized items. In school, Beverly had an affinity for numbers, excelled in math and earned excellent grades. But even with this ability, advanced courses subjected her and her classmates to complicated and challenging problems. Such is life: complicated and challenging. At such times, how we wish the answers we seek would be as easily obtainable as a child's measurements with a ruler! Mathematicians prove answers to equations. Scientists prove theories. But there is much in our earthly existence that defies explanation or measurement. For example, how does one explain—or measure—love, faith, or the capacity of the human heart? Despite the wealth of knowledge humankind has accumulated throughout the ages, there are some things science is unable to prove. Just as children depend on their parents or teachers to answer their many questions, so, too, we seek answers to difficult questions. We yearn to know the truth; yet, when we have exhausted our resources at hand, how do we seek beyond our capacity to know or understand? There is one thing we can do—have faith and a belief in a Higher Power. There is One who knows all—God, the Master Designer, Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Source of life, the reason for our existence. Verses about God's Creation (Intelligent Design) are found throughout the Bible. A few verses relating to God's use of "measurement" in His Creation are found in the Book of Job: “Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.” – Job 11:9 “When He imparted weight to the wind and meted out the waters by measure,” – Job 28:25 "Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?” – Job 38:5. And a favorite verse of mine from Ephesians 3:19 about love: “…to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” There is much in this world that is beyond our understanding, but there is one thing we can be assured of: God gives us the full measure of His love—the extent of which is immeasurable! <><<><<>< (photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com) It's that time of year again when we celebrate love. Valentine's Day is just behind us, but the heartfelt sentiment expressed for our loved ones goes beyond a specified day or hours. Your presence, the traces of "you" are found in many places, but do you ever wonder about the unseen marks you leave in your world? If someone were to look for evidence of where you've been (let's exclude GPS in this example), you would easily be tracked by your fingerprints. And, speaking of fingerprints, isn't it amazing that there is no one else on earth with fingerprints just like yours? You and I leave fingerprints everywhere. But what if we left "Heart prints" every time we expressed love, care, sympathy, or concern for others? What a visual expression that would be, extending throughout the world! Hopefully, our Heart prints would be even more numerous than our fingerprints. With the earth "stamped with love," might it look like one giant Valentine? The God of Creation long ago set His "Heart print" on you, fashioning you with utmost detail, and creating you with His everlasting, indescribable love. Now, that's something to celebrate, not only on Valentine's Day, but every day. Love shouldn't have an expiration date! Wherever you go and whatever you do, know that you are loved more than you will ever know. <><<><<>< "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." - John 15:12 "Do everything in love." - Corinthians 16:14 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (Adapted from a blog post on 2-14-2017 N. Johnson) Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com |
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