Fish for Dinner

We are in a raft, on the river on a glorious warm afternoon. We have been fishing for a couple hours now and have caught nothing. The ranger warned Darren beforehand the most people don't catch anything on average. Jimmy, our "wise" 10-year old, has given up on fishing with statements as, "I'll never catch anything!"...."I will never fish again"......"This stinks!"..."I've been out here all day and haven't gotten a thing!"

Darren and I explained to him that when we fish, it is not a guarranteed activity. In fact, you don't choose the fish, the fish chooses you! You just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Jimmy didn't seem to receive this well.

We were almost to the dock, ready to get in the van empty-handed when a tug pulled Jimmy's pole into the water. Out he reeled a 16-inch pike, teeth and all! Jimmy was so excited. As we took the fish off the line, put him on a string, Jimmy's pole dipped into the water again. I grabbed it and started fighting with something on the other end. The line snapped and it was gone. We figure that another pike went for the grub, got snagged and cut the line with his sharp teeth. So, only 1 minute after ultimate defeat, we had a tasty fish for dinner.

I think the disciples had a night like that once out on the boat.....Jesus told them to throw their nets on the other side.."AWE, we've been fishing all night and haven't caught a thing! Lord, don't make us keep doing this! Fishing stinks!" Yet, one more throw of the net, and BINGO.

Planting Seeds

Today I spent some time out tilling and planting seeds in my garden. My garden is not big nor fancy. It's about 10 feet by 20 feet on the side of our back yard. I have a clematis that creeps over the fence. I always plant sunflower seeds so I did dutifully, hoping the squirrels don't find thembefore they sprout. I will add some tomatoes and some hollyhock seeds soon.

I am certainly no master gardener, but gardening is a therapy for me. I'm sure my garden would never make a magazine cover. I believe it is good for every person to plant, tend and enjoy watching something grow. Adam and Eve were placed in a garden. It was God's first home for man. God didn't place us in air-conditioned boxes. That came after the curse. God wants us to deal with the earth, touch it, protect it, and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

How does even a small amount of gardening help us look heavenward?

Here are my top-ten ways:

1) Weeds, bugs, thistles remind us that we live in a cursed world. It reminds us of Adam's curse that work would now be hard, by the "sweat of our brow".

2) Gardening helps us WAIT. Seeds take time to germinate. We can't yell at them and speed up things. It reminds us to take life one day at a time.

3) Gardening involves SEEDS. God calls his Word a seed. ("the seed is the word of God" Luke 8:11.) The Holy Spirit is called a seed ("You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.) Jesus said, "if a seed does not go in the ground and die, it cannot bear fruit". The parable of the sower and the seed shows us that not all that hear God's message will respond.

4) Gardening keeps us out of the house and out in the fresh air.

5) Gardening keeps us watching for good things to come. When I planted the sunflower seeds, I imagine how tall and bright they will be as flowers. When that day comes, I rejoice! Gardening forces us to HOPE.

6) Gardening shows us that bad things happen to good people. One year I planted pumpkins. I had beautiful green vines, large leaves, the start of pumpkins. Then literally, one morning I awoke and the vine was dead. A worm had burrowed into the vine and killed it (Like Jonah as he overlooked Ninevah!). I was so sad that my hard work was spoiled. It would be another year before I could try again.

7) Gardening keeps us reminded that all life, all goodness, all beauty belongs to God. We can plant the seeds and water them, but only God provides the sunshine and ultimate growth.

8) As we prune our flowers (called dead-heading) we are reminded that God prunes our lives to produce more fruit.

9) Gardening reminds us that all things are temporal. All things have their course and then they die. 'All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever.'

10) Gardening cannot be done long-distance. As we hunch over the flowers, touching them, cutting the fruit, carefully inspecting for worms or bugs, we are reminded that God loves and cares for us "closely", not at a distance. He is the Master Gardener in all parts of our life.

Yes, everyone should grow something. Whether it is a small plot of land, a window box, a simple pot in the window, or a box of dirt on the porch. God wants to encourage you and teach you through gardening. Get out and get growing.

Going camping...the simple way

Camping the simple way...... Tin foil cooking over coals.......

I've spent the day getting ready for our camping trip this weekend. We will spend 4 days/3 nights at a state park. We are renting a cabin but will bring along a tent as well. It always amazes me how MUCH I pack for just a few days of "getting back to the simpler things". Boxes of linens, towels, cooking utensils, fishing poles, sodas, coffee pot, blow-up raft, air pump, bikes, first aid, games, plates, cups, food,bug spray, tables, marshmallow poles, axes, knives, ice, coolers, spices, charcoal, soap, flashlights, batteries and chairs line my list. Most people in this world live for years with less stuff that we use for a weekend of camping. My pioneer ancestors travelled in a covered wagon with less "stuff" and made it from Pennsylvania to California! (How did they do it without ziplock gallon-sized storage bags???????)

I seem to pack what I need and what I "might" need. I actually made a "camping notebook" to save my camping recipes, check lists, great campfire ghost stories, and first aid (which has pictures of poison ivy in spring, summer and fall....that stuff does change its look).

We as contemporary humans have a hard time doing anything "simply". Stores have things, gadgets, coolers, and everything else under the sun to make our lives easier, yet at the same time these things clutter and lose their usefullness over time. Go to any garage sale if you don't believe me.

It amazes me when Jesus sent out disciples and said not to take more than a cloak and the sandals they were wearing. Could I have done that? Could I just "go" in the name of the Lord with no suitcase, no make-up bag, no credit card "just in case", no SECOND SET OF SHOES? I doubt many women were in that group.

By the way, I have found the secret to camping cooking....TIN FOIL. It's the best way to cook! No clean up, no mess, no dishes to do. Everyone fixes what they want, sticks it on the fire, and eats it how they like it. All you need is a large box of Reynolds tin foil, a bottle of Pam cooking spray, a sharpie marker (to mark their names) and you are set to go! Here are some of my favorite recipes:

Breakfast in Tin Foil:

On two layers of foil, place two English muffin halves. Butter and add a layer of cheese, canadian bacon, and crack two eggs on top. Salt and pepper, seal up foil and place on coals. Done in about 10 minutes. You could also add a layer of frozen hash browns instead of the english muffin.

Hobo Dinner in Tin Foil:

On two greased layers of foil, place a hamburger patty. Add onion, seasonings, green pepper, garlic, chopped canned vegetables, or canned sliced potatoes. You can add cheese also if you wish. Seal up foil and place on coals for half an hour.

Upside Down Cakes:

On two greased layers of foil, put a pat of butter and a scoop of brown sugar. Add a sliced pineapple ring. On top of this place a cake doughnut. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon. Seal foil and place on coals about 7 minutes. This tastes like the real thing. Day-old dougnuts are fine.

Banana Boats:

Place a banana (unpeeled) on foil. Slice open, not cutting all the way through. In the slot add some chocolate chips, sliced marshmallows, and some cinnamon. Wrap in foil and place on coals about 5 minutes.

Ham Dinner:

In foil pockets, put ham (cubed), sweet potatoes (cubed), and a half of a chopped apple. Place on coals until heated through.

Apple Bake:

Take an apple, (don't peel), cut in half and core. Inside each half, stuff butter, raisins, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, etc... place apple back together and double-wrap in foil. Place on coals about 25 minutes.

Campfire potatoes:

Clean and cut up 6-7 large potatoes (don't peel). Place on double layer of foil. Pat with butter or oil, add garlic salt, salt/pepper, and a chopped onion. You could also throw in a couple slices of bacon for flavor. Seal up foil, set on coals for about 30 minutes.

Lost Key

"...or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?" Luke 15:8

A friend of mine called me last night upset as she lost her car key while walking her dog. She was not at home but a public trail and could not get into her car or access her purse, phone and house keys which were locked inside her car. Plus omnious rain was overhead. The situation was definately not good. My husband and I drove to the trail to find her and her dog waiting under the tree. Come to find out the key had fallen out of a hole in her pocket. My husband tried to "break into" her car, as she and I retraced her steps on the trail.

She had gone over that (2-mile) trail 5 times looking for the black and silver key. She and I went back on the trail, hoping that a set of fresh eyes would help. I strained on every inch in front of me, hoping the key would show itself. No luck.

We gave up halfway into the woods and decided to turn back. At this point I said a simple prayer, "Lord help us find that key". No grand words, just simple faith. We started to talk and did not continue our intense search. The key was gone, washed away by some water or picked up by another jogger. We would loan her our truck for the weekend as she ordered a new key to the car.

As we walked, I felt a strange urge to look to the side of me. There, down, just behind my shoulder, was the key, bigger than life, sitting smack dab on the pavement. How could have both of us missed it???? And what possessed me to "happen" to look at just the spot behind me? Well, the Lord did.

Some walkers came by as we rejoiced over the key. We said to them, "We found the key! It was lost but now it's found!" They were courteous but looked at us as if we'd been dipping into the moonshine as we were so giddy about it.

The Lord of the the universe, who keeps planets, stars and galaxies from running into each other, cares about a simple car key. Imagine our joy when we found that key. We were laughing, hugging and jumping like school girls. We imediately thanked the Lord for allowing us to find it.

In the small details and complications of life, don't ever be afraid to give God your issues. He hears, He cares, He answers!