Of Weary Ways or Golden Days

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

But "I know Whom I have believed
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I've committed
Unto Him against that day."

Amen!

God's Good Gifts - Honey

My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Proverbs 24:13 (ESV)

Honey or honeycomb occurs in the Bible 61 times! The majority of these verses are descriptions of the promised land, flowing with milk & honey, indicating God's abundant provision.

Like coffee & tea, I wonder who was the first person to decide to brave stinging insects and taste the gooey stuff in their nest and discover that it tasted good? Somewhere back in the dawn of time, God guided our ancestors to discover honey and all it's beneficial properties - culinary, medicinal and cosmetic. Google honey and be amazed at its history and properties!

I Then Shall Live

I Then Shall Live
Lyrics
Words by Gloria Gaither
Music by Jean Sibelius
FINLANDIA

I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven;
I’ll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I’ll forgive my brother,
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion;
I’ve been so loved that I’ll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I’ll dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationship demand commitment,
Then I’ll be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me;
Your power and glory, let them shine through me;
Your Hallowed name, O may I bear with honor,
And may You living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.
Amen. Amen. Amen.

Text © 1981 Gaither Music Company. Music © Breitkopf & Hartel (Outside U.S.
only). All rights reserved.

God's Good Gifts - Coffee

Every day starts with coffee! Usually I have about 1 1/2 cups, then switch to tea. if I know there's no tea in the offing, then I have a little more. When I first started drinking coffee back in college I put in 3 (!) teaspoons of sugar. I finally decided I had to learn to either learn to drink it black or give it up, so after a few months of making a face every time I took a sip, I finally learned to love it straight out of the pot. Coffee is another one of those daily gifts from God that I am thankful for.

Quite a while ago, the homemaker's club I belonged to had a guest speaker. This man had been downsized from a very good job, so he took early retirement and followed his dream and opened a coffee roasting shop. This was back when fancy coffee shops were just beginning to pop up. His talk took us from planting to brewing and every step in between and gave me a whole new appreciation of what goes into a cup of coffee. There's such a fine line between light, medium, dark or ruined!

For a while, we would buy our beans whole and grind them daily. The novelty of that has long since worn off, so now I buy ground coffee, which tastes just fine to me. We especially like Gevalia but since it is so pricey, tend to only fix it on weekends or when we have company over. Dunkin Donuts has great coffee but even it has become quite expensive lately. Good old Sam's Club has their own brand that quite nice.

God's Good Gifts - Tea

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV)

The other day as I was driving around (and around and around!) on the lawnmower, I started thinking about some of God's gifts, so I thought I'd write about some of them, in no particular order.

Today, I'm thinking of tea. Who thought of taking a leaf, curing it, and then putting it in hot water to make a drink? And which leaf? And how long to dry it, ferment it, or whatever? I just googled tea, and the wikipedia article alone is huge, not to mention all the various tea sellers and their sites. Anyhow, I think that a naturally occuring plant that can be made into such an enjoyable and healthy drink qualifies as a gift from God, one for which I am very thankful.

Tea is THE most popular drink in the world, and is definitely high on my list, right after water. Almost every day, I fix myself a small pot of tea early and enjoy it all morning, at work or at home. Twining's Prince of Wales variety is my absolute favorite, but I also enjoy trying others. Another one that is lovely is Orange Blossom oolong from Tealightful Treasures. I indulge in loose tea sometimes (but have learned to use the paper tea sacs, which make clean up much easier - sorry, I'm not a purist!) but really appreciate the convenience of tea bags. Most afternoons I have a large mug of herbal tea and during the cold months, another cup of chamomile tea is a treat in the evening.

This past Christmas I received some mint tea. I always avoided mint tea in the past, but this was really good, so I've been on a mint kick lately.

I've loved tea for years, but am happy to see it growing in popularity. Hot, iced, caffeinated, herbal - thank you Lord for this blessing!

Christ Be In My Waking

Christ Be In My Waking

As the sun is rising,

In my day of working,
With me every hour.
Christ be in my resting,
As the day is ending,
Calming and refreshing,
Watching through the night.

Christ be in my thinking,
And my understanding,
Guarding me from evil,
Walking in the light.
Christ be in my speaking,
Every word a blessing,
Pure and not deceiving,
Grace to all who hear.

Jesus, this is my devotion,
All my life to know You,
Every day to walk with You.
Saviour, You’re my deepest longing,
You’re the One I live for,
Teach me, Lord, to walk with You.

Christ be in my gladness
For the joy of living,
Thankful for the goodness
Of the Father's hand.
Christ be in my sorrow,
In my day of darkness,
Knowing that I follow
In the steps He trod.

Christ when hope has faded,
Nothing left to cling to,
Every pleasure jaded,
Every well is dry.
Christ the loving Shepherd
Draws me with His kindness,
Leads me from the desert
To the streams of life.

Stuart Townend & Simon Brading
Copyright © 2011 Thankyou Music