What's BUTTER got to do with it?

A few years ago I was invited to speak at a ladies' "Cake Baking Service".  Like many of you, I was asking myself what in the world this was.  Are we going to get together and bake a cake?  What do we bring?  How is this going to work?  The service was made up of many women of God that were given the assignment of speaking on a topic.  Each woman was given a common ingredient included in baking a cake and asked to speak about that ingredient.  This was definitely new to me, though quite interesting, therefore I accepted the challenge.  I was given the ingredient BUTTER!  

The first thing I did was go to the internet!  What is the definition of butter?  A solid emulsion of fat globules, air and water made by churning mild or cream and used as food.  Hmmm.  I then consulted someone with historical familiarity with the process of making butter, my Dad.  First you must have a cow.  Fresh milk is put into a churn and churned until cream separates and curdles on top.  The contents of the churn are then strained with a flour sack.  For those younger readers, flour used to come in a cloth sack unlike the paper sack of today.  The curdles are then packed together and placed in the refrigerator...butter.  Okay, stay with me on this, I know you are wondering what in the world this has to do with the gospel or the word of God or Jesus, but just hold on...it's coming.

BREAKDOWN OF THE PROCESS:

Step 1:  You must have a cow... you must have a cow that will provide the milk, and you have to be willing to milk the cow.  I am not comparing Jesus to a cow!  However, in this process, this walk of obedience that we as Christians are called to , it requires that we look to our provider for our every need.  That provider is Jesus.  He provides our every need.  All He requires of us is to ask.  Matt. 7:7 Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you; 8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Step 2: Fresh milk... milk the cow.  Milking the cow takes an action on our part.  You see, if we ask, seek and knock then we receive, find and the door is opened.  James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given unto him. God's word is our sustenance as Christians, believers. 1Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere mild of the word, that ye may grow thereby;

Step 3: Put into a churn...God's word is our sustenance, we should study it, meditate on it, consume it!  Put it into our hearts, our "churns".  Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against thee.  Be careful what you put into your churn.

Step 4: Churn it... We can put it there by listening, by reading, by studying.  But if all we do is put it there... Joshua 1:6 This book of the law shall not depart from thy mouth; but though shall meditate herein day and night, tat thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein, for then thou shalt make thy way propserous and then thou shall have good success.

What does it mean to meditate?  Meditate is to engage in contemplation or reflection, to engage in mental exercise.  Meditation is to focus one's thoughts on, to ponder over.

Step 5: Churn it...churn it...churn it... Be doers of His word.  Eventually, it will start to separate.  Keep working it, studying it, breaking it down, meditating on it, reflecting on it, and the richness of it will be tangible.  The product of the churning is the fruit of the labor, the fruit of the life of a believer; the kind of fruit that enhances the kingdom of God, the kind of fruit that speaks for itself because it shows in everything that you say or do.  Shouldn't our lives SCREAM to the world that we are a Christian?  Pro. 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Be willing to do His will in all you do.  Rom. 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Step 6: Strain it... This further separates out the product produced by the churning.  Do you want to be used of God?  Are you willing to go and do whatever it is He asks you do do?  Are you willing to praise Him in the storm?  Are you willing to have joy no matter what the circumstances?  Are you willing to just say Yes, Lord? James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.  Cleanse your hands, ye sinners and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Homeschooling 101

Have you ever considered homeschooling your children?  Would you know where to start?  Why homeschool?  What is your opinion on homeschooling?  Join me as I discuss with Cindy, Tina, Devon, their experiences with homeschooling.  We will cover the pros and cons, tips, resources and more involving homeschooling your children.  Society as a whole has a skewed perception when it comes to the success of homeschooling children.  I look forward to hearing from these successful moms, to hopefully gain answers to the above questions and any others that may come to light.

Episode # 12 Sister2Sister

Prop Us Up on the Leaning Side

I read a story once about a man that prayed for God to 'prop us up on the leaning side'.  The story makes reference to an old barn, that as it aged began to lean.  The old man propped up the barn with poles on the leaning side, to keep it from falling.  We all lean at times.  We all endure hard times, weather storms and trials that may cause our old house to lean to one side or the other.  This is pretty much guaranteed as long as you keep saying good morning.    Just like the old song says, the leaning tree's not always the first to fall.  Just because we are leaning, doesn't mean we have to fall. God will be the post we need to prop us up on the leaning side.

 Episode-11-co-host-cheryl-johnson

Striving for Excellence

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. [Col 3:17 KJV]

And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; [Col 3:23 KJV]

 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did [it] with all his heart, and prospered.[2Ch 31:21 KJV]

Shouldn't we strive for excellence in everything that we do?  Doesn't everything we do effect something or someone in some way? Striving for excellence is giving our best to our Master. Yes, I know better than anyone how impossible it is to achieve true perfection, but striving for it is something altogether different.  With the New Year quickly approaching, I have the sense, like many of you, that I should be making better decisions about how I use my time.  I have also been pondering "New Year's Resolutions" and which ones I plan to profess.  What is a resolution?  What are your resolutions for the upcoming year?  Call in and share with us!

 Episode-10 Sister2Sister

Refiner's FIre

Refiner's Fire.  Malachi 3:3 says He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them, like gold and silver.  You can take the heat, because He knows when to pull you out before you are destroyed.  What's the process of refinery?  Why is it necessary?

Episode-9 Sister2Sister

Train Up a Child

Episode #8 Sister2Sister

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6  Who does the training?  The ultimate responsibility falls upon the parents of children for the training in the way they should go.  What kind of training is happening with our children?  What kinds of things are being taught and by whom?  Are we as parents assuming the weight of the responsibility given us or have we somehow discovered how to delegate that responsibility?  Are we being successful in that delegation?  The crime is this, that it has become more and more "common place" for parents to farm out their children to learn about God in our churches, at Sunday School, VBS, Bible Study classes.  Yes, those things are great!  I am not trying to discount them whatsoever, but to highlight the idea that teaching should be ongoing, daily throughout the lives of our children.  They are being taught, maybe.  But are they getting everything that they need from the weekly meetings?  Shouldn't we strive to teach them daily?  What is your agenda?  Do you cherish the teachable moments or do they pass by in the blur of our business?

God Will Never Leave You

God is faithful.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  Listen to Episode #7 as Cheryl Johnson shares her testimony of how God was by her side during the loss of her mother.

Episode #7 Sister2Sister