The best pimento cheese!

My husband makes the most delicious pimento cheese. It is a dish that he takes seriously when preparing and he doesn't do it "nilly willy". Russell uses a particular brand of pimentos, which he crushes only by hand with a fork on a small plate...just a little at a time, he will only use Kraft mayonnaise knowing that some brands have a little more sweetness to them, which he doesn't want, and he hand grates his cheddar cheese into a large pile. He then mixes it together, gives it a dash of pepper and a shake of salt and VIOLA! a dish that will make your tongue slap your mouth!

I watch him sometimes while he makes his pimento cheese and guess what!? He actually BREATHE...he trusts in his ingredients, he has faith in his recipe, and he just goes into action with confidence. In fact, he shared with me a statement that he wholeheartedly agreed with, that he had heard from a chef this weekend. She stated that "any good southern knows that REAL pimento cheese is made from cheddar cheese...that we southerners don't need to add cream cheese, Gouda cheese or anything else to make REAL pimento cheese"! Well, I can't remember the exact words but you get the point. He knows he "has this!"

You know where I am going with this...I want to BREATHE and BE! I want my faith and trust in God to be so strong that that is who I am! I don't want to be holding my breath all the time. During those few minutes in the kitchen, with my husband watching him make his pimento cheese, I saw happiness, contentment, relaxation and the Lord pointed it out to me. It started me thinking about depth of flavor...depth of faith, a smooth texture...smooth transitions, boldness of ingredients...boldness of trust, marrying of flavors...marrying of hearts, development of dish...development of faith. These are the things I have to work on to be able to breathe more often and be...these are the goals I am striving for! My goals, God's goal for me, is to develop my faith to the point that God and I are always one, that our relationship is so deep and married that it is the odd time that I hold my breath. Breath and be...with my Lord and at peace. And so I will be working, I will be praying to God, reading about God, and speaking His words to myself to build my faith. My heart's desire is for my faith to be bold, robust, hearty, full-bodied, and smooth. And with faith I can tell you one thing. I will never look at a bowl of pimento cheese in the same way again!!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Breathe and Be...in the arms of our Father!: A lesson from Naaman a Commander of an Army!

Breathe and Be...in the arms of our Father!: A lesson from Naaman a Commander of an Army!: How many of you know the story of Naaman from the book of 2 kings? I didn't know his story and when I read about him I knew I had to sh...

A lesson from Naaman a Commander of an Army!

How many of you know the story of Naaman from the book of 2 kings? I didn't know his story and when I read about him I knew I had to share it with you. So let's see what Naaman can tell us about breathing and being at the feet of our God!

Naaman was the commander of the army of the King of Syria which is north of Israel. He was famous and powerful because he had won the many battles. But even though it seemed he had it all, he had one big problem. Naaman had leprosy. During one battle, a battle over Israel he took a young girl to be a servant to his wife. This girl knew of the one true God.  This young girl was talking to Naaman's wife (her mistress) one day and expressed her desire for Naaman to go to Samaria to see a prophet (Elisha) that she knew could use God's power to heal Naaman's leprosy. This is interesting...this young girl had heard of the miracles wrought by Elisha, and didn't doubt that at the request of her lord, he would be willing to cure him of this disease. Well,  Naaman's wife went and told Naaman about the conversation between her and the servant girl. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 2 Kings 5:3

Naaman then went to the king and told him what the servant girl had said. The King instructed Naaman to go to Israel accompanied with a letter to the King of Israel. The letter read; "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." 2 Kings 5:6. And just in case you are ever on Jeopardy...Naaman also took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of god and ten sets of clothing...about 1.2 million dollars today.

So Naaman gets to the king of Israel, King Jehoram, who was a worshiper of false Gods. When he read the letter he became very angry, tore his robes and said, 2 Kings 5:7 "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick  a quarrel with me!"  Well, that didn't go so well!

But in verse 8 we find that word of all this gets to Elisha...don't know how but we know why...God wanted Naaman healed! So when Elisha hears that the King has torn his robes and is angry Elisha sends the King a message and tells him to have Naaman come to him.  2 Kings 5:8 "Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."

It is at this point that Naaman travels to Elisha's house. Elisha sends out a messenger to tell Naaman to go wash himself seven times in the Jordan River and his flesh will be restored and he will be cleansed. vs. 9-10.

What a simple task to receive full healing but, and isn't life funny, Naaman went away angry! He was angry because it wasn't cure he WAS wanting. Read vs. 11-12...Naaman is upset because he wanted Elisha to come out, stand before him, call on the Lord his God, wave his hand over the him and cure of his leprosy...that way! He wants it done his way, he wants to be in control, so he fusses even more! He names several rivers and asks, "Are they not better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" vs.12.  Yep, been there, done that!

Thank goodness there were others that Naaman listened to that knew how to Breathe...how to take a moment and Be! It tell us in vs. 13 that Naaman's servants went to him and reasoned with him. "if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you 'wash and be cleansed'!"  So Naaman goes and takes seven dips in the Jordan River like the man of God instructed him and "his flesh was restored and he became clean like that of a young boy!" vs. 14.  Naaman is now a believer in the one true God...the God of Israel, the God who heals and he goes back to Elisha with his servants to declare that!

I am grateful that there is this story to teach me. In Naaman's life and in my life there are similarities. Mankind has a self-will. By our reasoning, by our own experiences and desires, and by our egos, we want things to be our own way. We tend to fight against what God desires for us, large and small, because of our will. But when we submit humbly to the wise (and simple) plans of God there is deliverance, fruitfulness, joy! I can't count the times that I have encountered problems and difficulties and the answer was to BREATHE...and BE...go to God, pray, and seek an answer from him. Instead I held my breath, went to everyone but God, and was all over the map. Doesn't work well. Yes, your situation might be resolved with an okay outcome but the stress, the frustration, the worry and anxiety that comes with the lack of faith and obedience is not worth it.

And another part of the story that shone a light on my life was how simple the answer for the healing was. Just go down to the river...but no! I don't see how that could be the answer! Questions, defiance, rebellion instead of obedience..."for my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are neither are your ways my ways." Isaiah 55:8

So, like I talked about on Monday the first step of surrendering all the stresses and worries, anger and frustration in life is to submit fully to God. FAITH...in Him. A complete pouring out of your will into his hands and trusting God fully. Naaman was not there. But that is where we all, as Christians, should aspire to be. Week by week, day by day, hour by hour. And as we release more to the Father, we can accept where we are in our trials and tribulations, BREATHE and BE and listen for the whisper of God to direct us. "Hear my cry. O God, give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:1-2

It is then that we can jump into action and open the box of blessings that God wants us to have as his gift to us! I thank God for the story of Naaman and I thank God for brothers and sisters like you that are traveling on this journey with me...that we can learn together, pray for each other, and rejoice with together as we BREATHE...and BE...in the arms of God!

If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Numbers 14:8

Blowing winds

Tomorrow, at least here in the South, we are finally going to feel a taste of fall! I love fall. I can hardly wait to push open all my windows and feel a nip in the air, the cool breeze filling the rooms of my home. Watching the wind blow the leaves off the trees and then, when almost to the ground, the wind catching them and making them swirl is something I could watch for hours. It makes me happy! ""Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days." Leviticus 23:40

Wind is an interesting part of nature. When I was a child we lived in Taiwan. I remember several typhoons (same thing as a hurricane but in the Pacific) hitting the island while we lived there. Recently, I found a journal entry my mama had made about a cat 3 typhoon named Carla from October 1967. Her two page entry sparked my interest and so I looked up the particulars. What struck me the most was the winds...185 mph. I remember being so scared of the wind and the debris that swirled around...anything and everything that was outside. I have a vivid memory of seeing a large metal sign being tossed about like a leaf from a tree. It brought back memories of how afraid I was as a child and still afraid today of wind associated with storms. The howling and whistling, the trees bending like their branches want to touch the ground, the water that is pushed down the road and everything that is not tied down blown to a new location. And just writing about it I am sitting here holding my breath. BREATHE  Trina BREATHE! When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth, He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from his storehouses. Jeremiah 10:13

The visuals of the wind swirling leaves to the ground and the wind being even more forceful to the extent of picking up metal signs, pulling trees out of the ground, blowing off roofs of buildings, and even reparking cars can be compared to some of the tough times in life. In those weather storms we need to breathe and be...breathe and be prepared in the appropriate ways. And as with stormy weather, in those stormy seasons of life we need to breathe. We are able to breathe when we are prepared but what does that mean? We all know what we need for those weather events...water, gas, flashlights, canned goods, extra batteries...we all know the items on the list.

But spiritually how can we be prepared so that we can breathe? The most important is our faith. We need to trust God so much that we just know that he has whatever we are going through. And that is a continual work, day by day, hour by hour. We need to believe that God always has a reason for our trials and tribulations and it starts with that. We need to know that there is always a reason...it may not be a reason we can comprehend with our current level of understanding but God has a reason for everything. Okay, take a breath with me! We need to believe that as much as we believe we are going to wake up in the morning!

And then we can accept where we are. Is it an illness, a loss of a loved one, a bad marriage, no marriage at all, wanting a family, loss of a job? And this applies to the smaller things in life that keep us in knots...fears and anxiety...of crowds, of the dentist, of big city traffic, of storms, of things that go bump in the nigh,. If we truly believe God has a reason for everything then it is much easier to accept where we are. When we accept where God has us in life then we can surrender that to him. We can give over that illness, that bad marriage, and yes, those storms with their powerful winds to God. And then, my dear brothers and sisters we can feel ourselves breathing. We can take a deep breath, get our hearts out of our throats and breathe!

This starts to open us up and we can then pray. Prayer is so powerful and I know this from experience. And pray a loud!! You can't speak out loud and hold your breath; you just can't. Prayer honors God but it also helps you as a release. It opens you up and gives God a chance to minister to you so pray...often and consistently.

While you are praying, and even when you aren't, look for the help of the Holy Spirit. Look for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, acknowledge the Holy Spirit and be fully open to where his leading takes you. Let the Holy Spirit blow across you like those wonderful fall breezes and let him stir things in you that will grow you just like you stir the leaves to the ground.

And finally, on our preparedness list is ACTION! We need to take action instead of holding our breaths but I said action not control. Leave God in the control seat and work with God in our thoughts, actions, and behavior.  The smallest change in our thoughts can make a world of difference, and the same with our behavior and actions...and whose mother hasn't told us that when we were being raised! LOL! And when we get busy jumping into action you will find you are breathing and your heart isn't beating out of your chest.

So, I realize that this is another long post. Not all my posts will be as long as these first two...or maybe they will be. I just write what God puts on my heart so please continue to read because I have assurance that even if my post is long God has a purpose and a reason for leading me in the words contained in this post. Let's pray for each other. Let's pray that our faith will grow into something big, and deep, and wide and that with each passing day we can breathe and be...in the arms of our Father and that will become our norm.

"For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness and treads on the high places of the earth, the LORD GOD of hosts is His name." Amos 4:13

Joseph and his dream

Breathe... breathe and be at the feet of Jesus! Today could not be a more appropriate day to launch my new blog and post what God is whispering in my ear and stirring in my heart.  Standing smack dab in the middle of the stress and uncertainty of my child being in the operating room for a major surgery and long recuperation I need to take a deep breath and fill myself with the peace of God...not that easy!

Sooo, how do I start!? Well, this post is a good start and having you, my brothers and sisters, joining me with your prayers, thoughts, encouragement and insight is the icing on the cake! And what girl doesn't like cake?!!!! The next step is to start typing and let the Lord speak to us...you have to breathe if you want to listen, type, and pray at the same time...LOL!

God has given us so much to learn from. He not only gives us a manual filled with instructions He includes in that manual real life experiences and accounts of God's people. Each chapter of the bible is filled with tools for us to find peace in the midst of chaos, anxiety, fear, and disappointment. Help in how to breathe and be. Let's start by taking a look at one of those real life people accounts. A man who really needed to breathe and be. A man that needed to sit at the feet of Jesus and take a deep breath... Joseph.

Joseph was the 11th of 12 sons born to Jacob and his beloved wife Rachel, whom he loved more than all his wives. Because of his great love for Rachel, Joseph was his father's favorite son. Due to the favor that was shown to Joseph, the other brothers in the family were very envious of him. Not just jealous but so jealousy that it turned to hate. At the age of 17 two dreams came to Joseph and he shared the dreams with his beloved father and brothers.  In Joseph’s first dream, he was working in the field binding sheaves of wheat with his brothers. His sheaf stood upright and their sheaves bowed to his. When he told his brothers, they were angry with him. Joseph had a second dream where the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowed to him and he was quick to share this dream with his brothers and his father. After telling his brothers and father, his father questioned him, asking if he and Joseph’s mother along with his brothers would come to bow down to him. While his brothers envied  Joseph, his father noted what Joseph had told him. The animosity, hate, and envy grew to the point the brothers devised a plan to kill Joseph. They were going to kill him and put him in a waterless pit. But Joseph's oldest brother. Reuben, countered and instead of killing him they sold him into slavery for 20 pieces of silver to a caravan that had come along.  

Joseph is now headed to a foreign land as a slave. Quite a change from a favored son in the land that is familiar surrounded by your family. BREATE! As soon as he landed in Egypt he was sold as a servant to the Pharaoh's captain Potiphar. Because of Joseph's great work ethic Potiphar put him in charge of all the household affairs. "The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master” (Genesis 39:2 ) God had given Joseph administrative and organizational gifts. We see these gifts given by God blooming even though nothing going on in Joseph's life is like the dreams of fields, suns, moons and stars bowing down to him.

And things for Joseph get worse. There arose a situation between Potiphar's wife and Joseph. Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph to sleep with her and because of his refusal she falsely accused him of rape and our poor Joseph was thrown into prison. I don't know about you but I wouldn't be able to breathe at all. I would be an all out mess! But there again, those gifts and talents that God had blessed Joseph with were used. While in prison Joseph was interpreting dreams. Pharaoh is now having dreams that his guys cannot interpret and word get back to him about Joseph. He sends for Joseph and has him interpret the dream. Joseph tells him there will be seven years of abundance followed by  seven years of  famine. Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of preparing for the famine. Even though the journey looks different from the one that a young seventeen year old boy had God had given him gifts and talents and put him in a place to use those gifts and bring about God's plan.

As you read on through the story of Joseph we see that God uses him to save thousands of lives in Egypt and the surrounding regions. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:39-41). Joseph was able to be reunited with His family and use his position to save them during the famine.  Joseph also offered them forgiveness and they all lived in Egypt together for the rest of their lives.

This blog is dedicated to helping us navigate the bumps and turns, the disappointments and the failures, the chaos and the uncertainty of life. What can we take from the life of Joseph to help us breathe and be in the arms of God instead of holding our breath and drowning in anxiety, frustration, chaos? One thing that jumps out at me is how long and how many roads it took to get to his original dream. Joseph had a dream when he was just 17. That dream came but it came many, many years later...probably more years later than he would have ever thought. Remember that there is no mistake where God has you. You are where God wants you to be and so go with it, embrace it, praise God for it and seek God peace and provision instead of working against His planting of you..."Whether in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:6)... Joseph had to be faithful enough to follow God where ever that road took him. Whether tending sheep with his brothers, being  in a pit, riding in a caravan to an unknown region, in the Pharaoh's house, or in prison Joseph remained faithful to God's vision not his own. He followed God in obedience and integrity no matter what..."I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13)

And sometimes that only comes after we are broken down, stripped of what is comfortable. There are those times when, like Joseph, he was taken from a pretty good life. A life where he was probably a little spoiled, coddled and privileged to some degree and thrown into the worst of circumstances. Betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, accused of rape, and imprisoned.  When we are taken from what is comfortable we are forced to rely on God. This is vital to our spiritual growth and gives us the opportunity to grow our faith. I am here to tell you that your growth in faith is a lifelong work. It is a day by day, year after year process of changing how we view things, how we let go, and how much control we hand over to Him. But as we work on it our faith becomes deeper, stronger, sweeter...we are able to Breathe when trials, hardships, struggles come our way. We are able to see peace instead of chaos and live a more peaceful life.

I hope that this post helps you take out your bible and read more about Joseph, a wonderful example in the book of Genesis of a man that had faith in God no matter how his dream changed. He was able to breathe, be in the place God placed him and ride out his circumstances doing God's will to fulfill God's vision for him and "the entire land of Egypt".

"My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." Psalm 17:6