The Move of Big Beef: Take 2

By on May 11, 2012 in Crunchy, Full of Fruit

I thought it was time that we read this little treasure again because some lessons just don’t get old. This post originally ran in June 2010.

Homemade pizza with arugula from the garden

This year I am trying to be a gardener. I have to tell you, it is not going well. We have a wooded lot, so I am fighting nature, literally. We don’t have many areas that are sunny and those that we do have are, well, the driveway. But I refuse to be deterred. I have planted and had, um, moderate success. We ate buttercrunch lettuce and arugula from the garden. The broccoli and cabbage seem to have given up the ghost, but there is a chance I will be able to get a few small . . . florets? Nevermind that I have busted my hiney out there hoeing, pulling weeds, trying to kill slugs with beer pools, caging off bunnies with chicken wire, and sprinkling Dylan’s recent haircut fuzz to drive off deer. I am sure that it will be worth it.

Won’t it?

But the main thing is, the tomatoes.

Big Beef in the ground with his cage

I planted the tomatoes in pots so that I could move them around to follow the sun because I am DETERMINED to have tomatoes. They are summerness in a juicy red morsel. Three of my four tomato plants are cherry tomatoes, but one is Big Beef.

He became root bound in his tiny pot. Every day when it got warm, that dude just started wilting like an organic farmer in a Costco. Hmmm . . . so I determined that he had to get out of that pot. The Providinator and I dug a big hole and we planted him in it. To keep the deer off, we wrapped him in an old piece of fencing and propped his vines up on the cage.

Perfect!

Or not.

Over the course of the next week, I realized it was a miserably un-sunny spot.  He needed to be back in a pot so that we could sun-chase him around, but of course, he needed a much bigger pot. Spying a huge, seemingly unused pot in my neighbor’s yard, I hatched a plan. My wonderful neighbor agreed that I could have it for Big Beef.

So earlier this week, I headed out there with a shovel. First I got the pot from my neighbor’s, hoisted out the tulip sapling inside that was totally infested with ants and some kind of maggots. Then I washed out the pot with boiling water and got some luverly new soil along the bottom. I headed over to Big Beef to lift him out, but I realized it would be tricky to hold the fencing open because it kept wanting to sproing back together.  The fencing was the inside of a roll and very coiley and had sharp cut-wire ends. Plus Big Beef was draped on it.  I didn’t want him to fall off and drop his tomatoes or break a vine.

So to my peril, I pried open the sproingy death trap and shoveled while getting little scratches all over. Finally I loosened Big Beef up. Then I gingerly maneuvered the plant, the pot and the cage together, trying oh-so-carefully to gently hold the roots and not break a vine or a leaf or a stem.

And then I dropped Big Beef on the ground and broke some of his branches.

“$#%*&#!!” (I just thought it, but I’m trying to keep it real)

I was very frustrated, yet undeterred.

I lifted him back into his new pot, I put up a new cage and replanted his sweet little marigolds around him to keep bugs off. I filled his pot up with more luverly expensive soil and watered him with Miracle Gro and set him right in the sun. Yesterday when Dylan had his haircut, I sprinkled the human smelling yellow Dyl-fuzz all over him to scare away those munchy deer (who dastardly devoured my lovely Husky Cherry that I got for mother’s Day-BEASTS!)

I am worried about Big Beef.

I want him to grow big red juicy tomatoes, but maybe because I don’t know what I’m doing, he will die. :( Will he die? Don’t tell me if you think he will. I will tell you if he does. But I will be very sad.

While I was working my tail off trying to get Big Beef moved to the perfect place, I felt God saying to me something along the lines of . .

“Katrina, this process of gardening . . . this is what I do you with you. And, unlike you, I DO KNOW what I’m doing.”

“When I want you to bear fruit, I go to even greater lengths to put you in the perfect conditions for growth. I prepare and clean out the places I plant you to make sure there aren’t gross maggots or diseases. I try to protect you from influences and people that harm you. I nourish you with my Word and my presence. I prune away habits and behaviors that sap your strength. Your time and effort cultivating this tomato cannot even compare with how I feel about you. I didn’t buy you at the store and plant you. I MADE YOU.”

“But you have free will, so that makes my job even harder because even though I won’t drop you, you could let go of me.”

So I’ll probably be thinking about that every time I go check on Big Beef. . . .

Here’s a couple of passages that He brought to my mind . . .

From John 15:4-8

Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. 5-8“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.

From Matthew 7:16-20

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

From Psalm 1: 2-3

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

From Psalms 139: 13-16

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

From Jeremiah 17:7-8

But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers— Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.

Have you learned anything in the garden this year?

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Giveaway Winner

By on May 7, 2012 in Crunchy

The winner of the giveaway for Don’t Compost It, Cook It, is KIMBERLY! (Kimberly, I e-mailed you)

Thanks for all of you who entered. Don’t forget, you can still buy the book here for only $5.99 and have it on your computer in MINUTES. :) It’s a fabulous resource.

 

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Don’t Compost It, Cook It Giveaway

By on May 4, 2012 in Crunchy

Today is my first ever GIVEAWAY, and it’s a cook book!

April from Apple a Day Wisdom contacted me about her new e-book, Don’t Compost It, Cook It, which is chock full of ideas of how to use all those kitchen scraps that we typically waste.  I read the book and have already been putting into practice some of the tips. If you are making an effort to minimize waste, this book is for you! Plus, as an e-book, it doesn’t waste ANY paper. Yippee.

You can buy the book for only $5.99 here or here, but one lucky giveaway winner will receive a free copy of the e-book.  To be entered, please do any of the following things and leave a separate comment for each entry. (You could potentially have 5 entries.)

  1. Share about this giveaway on Facebook.
  2. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.
  3. Share your favorite use of “scraps” in the kitchen in the comments.
  4. Go like Apple a Day Wisdom on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Entries will end Sunday at midnight and I’ll announce the winner on Monday morning, so don’t dilly-dally! :)

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Let Your Roots

By on May 2, 2012 in Full of Fruit

Lately, I’ve done one of my infamous disappearing acts.  Instead of maintaining the charade that I can hold it all together with blog, kids, and home, I have decided to forego “consistent blogging” in favor of other activities like  . . . .gardening, binge watching Burn Notice on Netflix, and making our house all “vacummey.” (Anika actually came out of her room and declared in a suspicious voice  ” Iss all vaccuumey in dere!”)

Evidently, I’m not so great at writing when my muse decides to skip in the garden, so instead of making you suffer through badly written posts contrived in desperation, I just  . . . didn’t.

But now I have something to say.

Each time I bend over my little square foot gardens to pluck out a dastardly weed, bemoan a nibbled spinach, or tuck in another bean seed, there is a little refrain that keeps running through my brain.

Let your roots run deep.

I shouldn’t be too surprised.  In fact, I’ve explained to several friends who were putting in gardens that the “Mel’s Mix” soil mixture used in square foot gardening is specifically designed to “let your roots run deep.”  It is the perfect balance of moisture and porousness, which enables the roots to go STRAIGHT down, maximizing the space you have. You can plant in a small space if your roots can go down deep instead of spreading out in search of water and nutrients.

Now, because I’m a cheapskate and line my beds with paper bags instead of weed barrier, I recently had to dig out all of the Mel’s Mix from last year’s square foot garden and “clean it.”  The paper bags eventually disintegrate and let weeds through.  I dug the soil out. I lay down new paper bags. Finally, I spaded through last year’s soil, sifting out the weeds, hairy little strings, sprouting acorns, and other invaders.   Meanwhile, I sat at the edge of my garden hearing the mantra.

Let your roots run deep.

“I AM! I AM!” I mentally shouted back to mantra-voice. “Don’t you see me painstakingly CLEANING this dirt.” (Like an oxymoronic chump in a paradox.) “I’m TOTALLY letting my roots run deep.”

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”

“Oh great.” I internally said to the voice (which was  beginning to sound like the Holy Spirit). “This is a spiritual lesson isn’t it!?”

“Let the word of  Christ richly dwell within you.“

“Apparently the word of Christ is dwelling within me, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation, now would we?”

“Richly, smart-aleck.” (The Holy Spirit has my number, I think.)

And then I realized that once again Grace for the Good Girl, a book that I studied this winter with some other gals, was out to get me again, penetrating my life even as I cleaned my dirt.  I couldn’t escape all the “letting” that she talked about. That the Bible talks about.  That my own brain and the Holy Spirit within me talks about.

Let. Let. Let. Let. Let.

Let go.

Let in.

Let alone.

Let your roots . . .Let the peace . . . Let the word.

To me, let is a word that basically means . . . .something or someone else with the power does the work.  All the while I just stand or sit or watch and

do NOT do . . . .

one.

dang.

thing.

Right??

Let is passive.  And I am not a big fan of the passive. I am a big fan of The Control. I am a fan of The Doing. . . . .of The Serving and Moving and Forcing and Enacting.

So I dig and I think and I weed and I think.

I pull out one gnarly knot after another of useless, old dead tendrils of past life.  I purge all the skinny, starved, winter-wrecked remnants of a plant that is forgotten. I make room for a new life, which will just miraculously stretch new roots down into a rich, deep, newly composted abundant soil where it will dwell. . . . and grow.

It is made to grow. It is meant to produce. It is designed, under the right condition, to be beautiful.  (See the verse at the top of page by the header if my metaphor is not clear enough.)

It dawned on me suddenly, and even now that the good, strong, miraculous and powerful work is NOT mine to do. I am just to LET it be done by the life-giver to whom I have relinquished control. Haven’t I?

I am to allow, to make space, to make the conditions right for the gardener to come along and do WHAT HE DOES.

Sigh.

Quite often I think that I am the gardener. But I am the plant. The sheep. The follower.

This is not to say there is nothing for me to do, such as ridding my garden of old dead inhibiting tangled roots from the past.  Perhaps sometimes my only job is in preparing to LET my roots run deep. Hmm . . . I wonder how to do that.

What does LET mean to you?

 

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Is Gluten-Free Poorganic?

By on April 16, 2012 in Crunchy

You don’t have to be a very long time reader of The Poorganic Life to pick up on the fact that I LOVE BREAD.  I’m pretty sure that every recipe that I’ve posted has flour in it, but I know that there are increasing numbers of people who cannot tolerate gluten.

My friend and fellow blogger, Shelly, from My Coupon Teacher recently switched to a gluten free diet WHILE maintaining her strict grocery budget, so she’s agreed to write a little guest post sharing her story. I hope you will ask her any questions you have, and check out her blog where she features lots of poorganic and food-allergy related coupons. :)

Why  Gluten-Free?

I was recently re-diagnosed with a chronic health condition.  Some of you know the kind.  The kind where they suggest  you change your diet.  “Stop eating acidic foods,” they say.  They offer you medicine to help the pain.  They say, “Oh, you poor thing” and send you on your way.

Being the teacher I am, I headed straight for the books.  I found some of my own treatments, and some even worked really well.  But the problem was still there.   Another book said to try gluten-free, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go that “extreme”.

Back at the doctor, I found out that I had a vitamin D deficiency.  If you google vitamin D deficiency, Celiac disease comes up pretty quickly in the results.

I think all things happen for a reason, so I decided to give it try.  I also picked up another book called Wheat Belly, which I recommend as reading for anyone with similar health problems.

4 months later and gluten-free, I am pain free, 25 pounds lighter, and feel much better.  Am I sure it was the gluten?  In a word, no.  Could it be the fact that removing gluten from my diet removed many, many processed foods too?  Probably, yes.

Is it for everybody?

I am not a doctor.  I am not recommending everyone try eating gluten-free.  I’m just sharing my experience here!  If you have any type of auto-immune disease or inflammation, I would highly recommend trying it out for 3 weeks.

I can tell you that now that I am feeling better (and gluten-free) that I have been able to reintroduce tomatoes and other more acidic foods back into my diet with no problems.

Is it Poorganic?

It depends on how you go about going gluten-free.  There are two ways to do it in my opinion:

  1. Go gluten-free and search around finding gluten-free alternatives to your favorite breads, pastas, and cookies. (Not Poorganic)
    If you are eating processed food without wheat, it is still processed food.  Oh, and as for being inexpensive?  You can give up that dream.  You can expect pay twice as much or more for your gluten-free processed foods.
  2. Go gluten-free and replace bread, pasta, and snacks with vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
    Is that not the whole point of eating pooranically?  I can tell you for sure, I would not have lost the weight if I had done option #1.  The weight lose comes from taking this step.   Think about it.  If you stop buying processed foods, you have lots of money left for veggies, fruits, and nuts.

This is a guest post by Shelly from Coupon Teacher.  She is offering a Saving On Real Food series, and she has been posting some of her own gluten-free recipes.

Are you gluten-free? What caused you to try it? What’s your favorite gluten free meal?

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When “Better for You” Isn’t Better

By on April 12, 2012 in Crunchy

A few months ago, my husband and I were driving home from a dairy in PFE (Poorganic Freakin’ Egypt). We had spent our Saturday morning picking-up and delivering raw milk to friends in our raw milk co-op.  The back of our car was finally cleared of coolers, ice, wads of cash and the 30+ gallons of milk we had dropped off to our other poorganic friends. We stopped at my mom’s to pick up our littler kids before a milk drop off at our house before heading to Charlotte to pick up our oldest daughter from a sleepover.

Carting the kids and our raw milk inside, the ProvidinaTOR and I were both wiped out and glad that our turn as deliverers would only come every 12 weeks. It was then that I, um, . . . . observed that my two year old needed her diaper changed.

I took her to back to her room to discover, lo and behold, another horribly runny, enzyme-full diaper.

You may know that raw milk contains enzymes and pro-biotics that, though preportedly better for digestion and gut-flora, are a bit, well, activating. Ahem. (Don’t you love it when I start talking all  . . . REAL FOOD on ya’.)

Theoretically, our bodies adapt to the increase in enzymes, but after 3 months on raw milk, our daughter, who is totally a dairy-aholic, wasn’t comin’ around. Also, I was suffering adolescent-like acne issues that had seriously tested my vanity.

It was then and there, elbow-up in enzymes, when I had a lightening bolt-like break-through.

Sometimes what is “better for you” isn’t better for you.

Since starting into real foods, I’ve heard a lot of things that are “better.”

  • Raw whole milk is better.
  • Freshly ground grains are better.
  • Sprouted grains are better.
  • Local is better.
  • Organic is better.
  • Sucanat is better.
  • Coconut oil is better.
  • Grass fed is better.
  • Wild caught is better.

That is just a tiny, eensy weensy list of things that are better than . . ., you know, . . the diabolical evil that will overtake your life if you settle for what isn’t better.  But just in case you haven’t yet arrived at this point, I am going to list a few things that are NOT BETTER.

  • Driving insane distances to obtain a single food item.
  • Paralyzing fear of food that isn’t real
  • Helicopter-moming your family’s diet in an obsessive way
  • Months of changing diarrhea diapers
  • Frenzy
  • Manic paranoia
  • Depressive inability to concoct a meal out of the 6 whole food ingredients: spelt, asparagus, unsoaked lentils, kefir, kale, and wheatgrass
  • Fear, worry, and fearful worrying
  • Delusional belief that controlling your food will give you god-like sovereignty over your family’s health and wellness
  • Fighting with your spouse about food
  • Fighting with your spouse about money spent on food

If you can identify with any of the items on the above list, you probably know at least one or two things that are “better for you” that aren’t actually better at ALL.  Some aspects of your real food lifestyle might be making you crazy, which means that they aren’t BETTER FOR YOU.

In our case, I realized that raw milk, the drive, the co-op, the persistent runny diapers, and the perpetual acne was making me crazy, which meant that it is NOT better for us.  The mental and emotional health of our family is JUST AS important as our physical well-being.

I’m going to repeat that. The mental and emotional health of our family is JUST AS important as our physical well-being.

We are back to drinking regular milk that is not even organic. (You can read our whole dairy story here.  There are some good comments about conventional dairies too.) But one thing I have concluded is that the milk we are drinking now actually IS better for us in the long run.

What have you found isn’t really “better for you” after all?

 

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When Dreams Change

By on April 4, 2012 in Sweet

Seven years ago, all my dreams changed. Read the story. :)

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Crisp Poorganic Waffles

By on April 3, 2012 in Crunchy

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for MONTHS, so you can thank my friend Megan for reminding me.  These are THE BEST. I adapted them from an Eggo style recipe. These are great to make on the weekend and then have on hand for the kids to grab from the freezer and toast all week. Addie loves them with peanut butter on them. :) Click on the title for a printable version of the recipe. :)

Crisp Poorganic Waffles

 Makes: 20-24 4 inch square waffles

3 eggs Beat until fluffy (Use 2 if halving recipe)

3 ½ c. water or milk (I prefer milk)

¾ c. coconut oil

3 ½ c. white whole wheat flour (4.c if you use all purpose)

1 tsp. salt

2 T. sugar or honey

3 T. scant baking powder

1 t. vanilla

 

Mix wet ingredients. Stir dry ingredients. Blend together and let sit a few minutes.

 

Brush hot waffle iron with light coat of oil. (I don’t do this because my waffle iron is non-stick.) Ladle on waffles. Cook fully to eat immediately.

 

To make for freezing and toasting later, cook 3 minutes each. Place on wire rack to cool. Then place rack in freezer to chill. Then stack up to freeze in Ziploc bags.

Enjoy!!

 

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Untie Your Ass[ets]: Palm Sunday Edition

By on April 1, 2012 in Full of Fruit

If I’d had any patience, I would have waited to run this post until today, but I posted it in January with the hope that it would make for a good Palm Sunday rerun. Thus . . .

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We all remember why we are here, right? I mean, if you are still reading this blog, you know that I am a reluctant real foodie who has a secret (not-so-secret) agenda to talk about how we can save to give. Real foods is just the bandwagon by which I get you all to travel with me to my little corner of Crazy-town.

Before you’re tempted to click away because I have not yet mentioned soaking grains or condemned some kind of delicious and packaged food treat, WAIT. Read on. I promise, you’ll be glad. (Or highly offended.) Remember, I have given you free printable recipes in exchange for which I respectfully demand request that you attempt to read my real REAL food posts. ;)

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I’m trying to read through the whole Bible this year, so I’m using The Message paraphrase of the Bible because I find it more accessible. The other day I was reading Luke 19.

I got to the part just before Jesus rides the donkey through Jerusalem and all the people wave palm branches and shout “Hosanna.” (I probably should have held off on this post until Palm Sunday, but seriously, that is months away and I just couldn’t wait that long. Call me impulsive.)

I noticed something I had never noticed before. Check this out.

28-31After saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When he got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: “Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you’ll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says anything, asks, ‘What are you doing?’ say, ‘His Master needs him.’”

32-33The two left and found it just as he said. As they were untying the colt, its owners said, “What are you doing untying the colt?”

34They said, “His Master needs him.”

35-36They brought the colt to Jesus.

Did you see it? Did you? I’ll give you a hint. I BOLDED it.”His Master.” That is, the disciples were told BY JESUS, to go take a donkey. Just untie it. And take it.

(Don’t ask. Just take.) If the owners ask why, just say “HIS MASTER needs him” . . . . to the people who own and think and are earthly masters of the animal.

Ahem. Awkward.

It struck me as kind of crazy and even a little weird that Jesus would tell the disciples to “Untie it” first, and then tell the OWNERS that “His master” needs him. I mean, really. That’s pretty much asking forgiveness instead of permission, right??

I started imagining a verse 34b. Which one do you like?

  • Then the owners said “I”m sorry. Who needs him?? That’s my ass!”
  • Then the owners said, “Say what!?!?”
  • Then the owners just shrugged and were like, “Sure, okay. Just bring him back.”
  • “When pursued, the disciples dragged their ass out of town before the owners caught up.”
  • Then the owner said, “Needs him for what?”

“Here’s where it’s about to get all nerdy up-in-heah, so you just have to hang with me.

I looked up this passage in a couple of other translations, all of which used the phrase “The Lord needs him” rather than “His Master needs him.” I wanted to know WHY The Message used “His Master.”

I called upon the aid of some of my genius, nerdy friends who speak Greek and have Greek Lexicons. (Everyone must have this type of friends.)

I found that, in most translations, the phrase “His master” appears numerous times earlier in this same chapter in the parable of the Ten Minas. My friend told me that the SAME Greek word “KURIOS” is used throughout the parable and here in verse 19. According to her Greek Lexicon it means either:

- one who is in charge by virtue of possession, owner

OR

-one who is in a position of authority, lord, master

So basically either way, the disciples were told to go take someone’s donkey and then tell the owners that they were taking it to its actual, factual owner, Jesus, who needed him.

*******************************************

SO????? What is my point?

Well, let’s just see if we can apply this story to ourselves as either the owners or the disciples.

Owners, I’m going to talk to you first. Do you have an ass(et)? Are your ass(ets) tied up? Do you have any money, time, opportunity, ability, friendships, or possessions that are currently tied-up?

Let’s just imagine for a second that Jesus sends someone to untie yo’ ass(et). (Sorry, I just broke into talking jive. It happens.)

You stop them and say, “Why are you grabbing my ass(et)?”

And Jesus messenger says, “The MASTER of your ass(et) needs it.”

Hmmmm. . . . this gives me pause. I feel uncomfortable. I feel stingy and seriously I just want to hold tightly to my ass(et) and run. Yet, I have given lip service to the idea that everything I have belongs to God.

Maybe you think I am talking about money because I often do. But when I read this, I definitely did not think of money as what is “tied up” in my life. I thought about my time and my abilities. I say that God is the MASTER of them, but dang-it-all if I don’t feel pretty possessive of them. I only like to think that I would stand mildly by as someone informed me that the MASTER NEEDS THEM. But I know it would be hard. It is HARD.

Lately, God has been telling me that my blog and my time need to be devoted to Him more fully. Sheesh. Can’t I just post recipes?

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Disciples, now I’m going to talk to you. Has God told you to go to someone and untie their ass(et)? Has he given you permission to just get up in someone’s space and tell them that their stuff is just not really theirs at all.

In the teensy-weensy way that I have done this in blogging for OneVerse, I have been so nervous. I LOVE advocating for missions, but I LOATHE telling people to give their stuff to God. Even though I know that Jesus says it countless times in Scripture, I feel so inadequate, and even, ashamed to ask.

Disciples, are you totally and utterly freaked out?!? Untying and claiming ass(ets) is pretty much the worst possible mission EV-AH! Owners aren’t always eager to part with their ass(ets)? What if they resist? What if they say NO? What if they don’t even KNOW Jesus? Can Jesus still be glorified by the ass(ets) of people who don’t know him?

I ask myself these questions all the time. I am a reluctant disciple. These disciples don’t even get named. I mean, I’d like some credit. Some acknowledgement at least. If I’m going to be an ass(et) grabber for Jesus, I want some kudos.

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Alright. I know I’ve extrapolated this passage about as far as it can go. Sorry if I indulged in a bit of juvenile behavior. But, hopefully a few of you will see some of what I saw the other day when this seemingly insignificant section jumped off the page. (Nothing is insignificant in Scripture). When Jesus’ disciples obeyed Him, and the owners relinquished their possession, Jesus was GLORIFIED in Jerusalem. In fact Jesus was glorified in a prophesy fulfilling way that we celebrate to this day on Palm Sunday. Here’s the rest of what happened . . .

37-38Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:

Blessed is he who comes,
the king in God’s name!
All’s well in heaven!
Glory in the high places!

39Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!”

40But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”

Obedience. Willingness. Submission. Praise.

or, if it is easier for you to remember . . .

Untie yo’ ass(ets).

 

(I would LOVE you to share this post with other disciples and owners that you know.)
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Five Minute Friday: Gift

By on March 30, 2012 in Full of Fruit

Photo credit: cohdra from morguefile.com

Well, this is just kind of unfair. The word for today’s Five Minute Friday Writing Prompt at the Gypsy Mama is “gift.” Really? Really?

Last weekend I spoke on this VERY topic at a women’s retreat and so the very idea of condensing my thoughts to five minutes is just HAHAHA, laughable. As you probably know, I’m not much for self editing. :) I spoke on “Courageous Joy as I Bow my Gifts,” and I encouraged the women to BOLDLY bow their gifts to God.

Thus, the fact that the prompt was “gift” has, ironically, given me a tiny bit of courage to share my talk with you all instead of hiding it on the backside of my blog where it has lived all week, cowering from anyone who might say that I’m showing off.

See, even though I KNOW unequivocally that my love of teaching God’s word is a gift from him, I still get nervous saying “Hey, look at how God’s using me!” Yet, as I said in my talk and as God says in His word, we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him.  We aren’t suppose to cower and assume that God can’t use us.

Am I actually crazy enough to presume that my weaknesses are bigger than God’s strength?

Do I assume that he equipped me with gifts and passions, but has no plans to use me? 

Do I really think that he cannot get past my giant ego and show himself?

No. No. I’m going to have courageous joy as I bow to God my gift and pray that HE will be glorified.

I’m bragging on God now. Here is the talk. It is 50 minutes of mediocre Youtube videos that you might find it easier to listen to than watch unless you delight in seeing my overly dramatic hand gestures. :)   I’d love for you to watch it and see what God teaches you.

I’m linking up with The Gypsy Mama’s Five Minute Friday.

PS: I really did write this in five minutes, thus there is no flow. That is not a disclaimer. Just a reminder. :)

 

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