The Savage Five

The wonder and excitement of seeing a caterpillar emerge as a moth or butterfly will never become old. Last fall my youngest son brought a caterpillar inside on a stalk of dill, its host plant, and we watched it eat and grow at record speed.  Within a day we discovered a second caterpillar that must have hatched from the dill a day or so after we brought it into the house. The first caterpillar disappeared from the dill and after doing a little research we found that this particular caterpillar travels away from the host plant to develop into a chrysalis. The Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly does not have a definitive span of time that it takes to go through the metamorphosis process.   It could be two weeks or seven months. We were left to wait and see what might happen but the second caterpillar had grown at a rapid rate feeding on the anise and dill that we would replenish every other day. Before we knew it the second caterpillar had formed into a chrysalis on ...

Recently, I returned from service as a church camp counselor.  Because I am a mom of boys it was particularly interesting for me to be a room leader for ten little girls. While I was preparing to go I prayed and asked the Lord what theme He would have me pick for our room.  The camp had an overall "Under the Sea" theme but we were asked to think of a theme of our own.   I came up with Christmas in July and I knew it was from the Lord because I am fed up with the commercialization of Christmas and usually steer clear of marketing ploys.   But as I planned, a friend told me of 3-D snowflakes that were easy to make so I found the instructions and collected my supplies. Each snowflake was composed of 5 diamond-like points.  As the girls came into the room they immediately started hanging the individual diamonds all around their bunk beds. I thought, they are like diadems!  Royal diadems!   Isaiah 62 gives us a picture of the church...

Water has a powerful effect on stones.  As it flows over rocks it smooths and shapes them into precious little stones. Erosion from water can carve deep grooves into the landscape of our hearts just like the word of God, but just like the beaver, we try to set up areas in our hearts to prevent the forceful effect of the word of God on our minds and hearts. Often we think our lives are open and willing to yield to the waves of the Spirit and the powerful force of conviction in our lives. We would much rather wade in the warm estuaries of our deception where silt and debris collect and the water is lifeless. But God desires that we enter into the waters of His word with total abandon. The water in Lake Michigan has been cold this week, hostile to my flesh.  I find myself inching my way in instead of diving headlong. How often do we proceed gingerly through His word running back to the shore of our comfort when it does not feel good to our flesh. As we come to Him i...

There is nothing better than a savory scone.  The salty flavor lends to the flavor explosion. But what if it was not salty?  Have you ever tried to eat food without salt.  There are many foods that taste wonderfully fresh without salt but there are some foods that really seem to require salt in order to enhance the flavor. In bread, salt plays a role in tightening the gluten structure and adding strength to the dough.  This strength helps the loaf hold on to the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation. Salt also slows down the fermentation and enzyme activity in the dough. Just like salt in dough, our lives should prove to provide support to a lost and dying world. Jesus has called us, in Matthew 5:13, to be the salt of the earth. "You are the salt of the earth, ..." Salt is not only important for flavor enhancement, as a preservative, texturiser and fermentation control agent  but salt is a necessary for the body to perform vital functions as...

I was in my back yard a few weeks ago and I noticed a tree growing near my compost bin.  I tried to identify it but to no avail. When we pulled up to our camping reservation this week I noticed we were surrounded by these same types of trees.  I knew what it was!  Sumac! I have a thing for Sumac.  As a beekeeper  I love to use it in my smoker as it produces a nice thick moist smoke. I recall several years ago as my family and I were traveling home from the Indiana Dunes we were traveling along a road laden with this familiar plant. Sumac is very recognizable from a distance because it has distinct whorled pinnately compound leaves. It flowers in a dense spike which forms a dense fruit structure called a sumac bob. My family and I were recently having dinner at a Muslim couples home.  They served a salad with a wonderful lemony spice sprinkled over the salad.  After working through the language barrier we discovered that the spice on the sal...

The enemy of our souls seeks to devour and destroy us.   1 Peter 5:8-9 gives a clear picture of how he seeks to devour us. Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. He is looking for someone to pick off, like the lions of the Sahara that roam about waiting for that weak or aged gazelle to eat. But we are not clueless like that gazelle.  Here Peter exhorts us first to be sober-minded.  This implies that Satan will work to attack our minds.  Often times if he can just get us to believe something that is not true or even take the truth and twist it then as we begin to believe the lie, it effects our view of God. In our weakness God is strong so we can stand against the enemy of our souls just like Jesus did. In Luke 4 , Jesus was full of ...

The process of life consists of death, life, growth and deterioration.  All of creation continually shows this cycle. In order for new things to come to life, the nutrients locked up in the dead organisms must be released. Here is where decomposers come into play.  Microbes and fungi are decomposers that play a primary role in breaking down dead and decaying organisms. Like decomposers, as we consume the Word of God, we release the potential life stored up in the written word of God and at the same time get rid of old decaying lifeless patterns of thinking that hinder growth and spiritual production. We must die to our will and our way before we can be born again. This kind of death seems like foolishness to the world but in this upside down kingdom that we are a part of, death is the only  way to true life Jesus tells the Greeks in John 12:24-25; "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if...

As Christ's followers we are called to be in the world but not of the world.  Often times this poses a dilemma in our minds.  We try to be relavent to the culture but need to maintain a consecrated life to God. The world is forever trying to encroach on the church like weeds vigorously entering into a garden crossing a boundary. We are so prone to buy into some of the false ideologies and doctrines of the day and so we must stay vigilant and watchful that we do not conform to the ways of the world but that we offer the light and glory of Christ. Jesus gives us insight in John 17 as he prays to the Father on our behalf. But now I am coming to you,  and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.   I have given them your word,  and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.   I do not ask that you take them out of the world,  but that you kee...

In the mundane of life I often reflect on how, what I am engaged in is like my walk with Christ. This morning as I swept the kitchen for what seems to be the 10 millionth time, I realized several parallels to my walk in this life. As we follow Jesus our feet will get dirty.  We will walk over terrain that we never anticipated and as we do will most assuradly step into things that we would rather avoid. Because we accumulate dirt, grime and stench on our feet, we must continually sit with Jesus and allow Him to be our servant. Just like He washed the feet of His disciples, He wants to wash away the debris of our lives. I find myself very slow to sit and take time to care for my own physical needs.  I take more of a reactionary approach to my physical problems.  I seem to only address things when they become unbearable. Imagine with me if you will, you have been walking through a football field of thick, mud that is clinging to your bare feet.  You continue...

There is so much frustration among differing people groups and nations.  Ethnic unrest seems to be at a high.  Each group vying to maintain their distinct heritage. Although there is much to be learned and enjoyed from our distinct differences, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we are all of One Blood. As Paul is addressing the pagan people of Athens he first compliments them on how devout they are in their religion. In Acts 17 , Paul values their devotion and their objects of worship, however, he does not condone them.  He uses their own cultural background to make light of the God of all creation. He tells them, in essence, that we are all part of the same family established by the one true God. And he made all of mankind from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth... He reveals to these men that the true God can be known: In him we live and move and have our being; Then he drives the truth home as he speaks as their r...

Nehemiah 2 Prayer Eternal King of Heaven!   We thank you that Jesus has gone before us as a cupbearer,   drinking the cup of Your great wrath so that what was intended to be poured out on all of mankind was absorbed by His perfect love toward us!   The truth of this great love will allow us to be forever smiling in the direct light of your countenance for which we are so grateful that we have found favor in Your sight because of Jesus! We thank you that we can see the redemptive work that You do as You rebuild the temples of our hearts as your resting place.   We see your favor, pleasure and delight over our lives as we rebuild our minds in the truth of Your word, taking back what the canker worm has stolen.   We know that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us but we ask, “How long will He be gone?   When will He return?” We are mindful that while You are away we are Your ambassadors here on Earth to build Your church.   We ask ...

Nehemiah 1 Prayer Abba Father, You are the God of Heaven and Earth- Great and awesome are You.   You are a covenant keeping God and You keep steadfast love with those who love Jesus and are doers of His word.   We are your royal priesthood, a remnant chosen to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. We ask that you would incline Your ear today and look down on us, Your children. WE acknowledge our sin before you today and stand naked and exposed before you.   For you know the cracks and crevices of our lives where debris collects for nothing is hid from your sight. Father, we have given ourselves over to lesser lovers forgetting that You are the Lover of our souls.   Time and time again we have exchanged our souls for the pleasures of this world.   We have been unfaithful and continue to be unfaithful.   Our hears are scattered before You.   We return to You this day and thank You that You even though we are a faithless people...