Good Gravy

“Now this is really different,” I thought to myself as I watched the gravy drip down her nose and off her chin.  Inside my mind a small question pushed itself forward and raised its hand, “How is it that these things keep happening?”  I actually didn’t have time to answer the polite little question standing  in the forefront of my mind, because I was reaching past my sister-in-law for the paper towels.  “Hmmm…,” she said un-phased, “that is really warm.”  She took the paper towel from my outstretched hand and set to work at rinsing the brown liquid from her left eye.

I would have liked to have been more help, but I couldn’t be because at that moment thick black smoke started to billow out of the oven.  “Fire!”  I yelled to no one in general and opened the door to the oven.  A black cloud of oily vapor escaped but there were no flames present.  “No fire!” I yelled again and set to turning on every fan I could find and opening all windows and doors on the bottom floor of the house.  My sister-in–law didn’t bother responding, she was now cleaning gravy off the wall and muttering under her breath at the rebellious blender who had started all the trouble in the first place.

Ah yes, it was dinner time at the O’s house.  Just another evening where my sister and I decided to get precious in an effort to treat the children and hubbies to Yorkshire pudding and gravy.    That sweet intent to bless had turned meal time preparation into a battle of epic proportion and so far she and I were getting our **** kicked.  The kitchen appliances were winning.   “For the love of…..”  I heard her say as she leaned over and watched gravy flow freely from the rim of her trendy hat.  Again, my desire to be helpful was overcome by another cloud of black smoke.  Be damned if I was going to take the Yorkshire out of the oven now, they were almost finished and I would not have them collapse.  I waved my hands in the air in order to distribute the smoke more evenly.    It didn’t work.  I grabbed a tea towel and set to waving it in the air before the smoke alarm turned itself on.  That way, if my husband walked in the kitchen he might not be able to tell the smoke was billowing from the oven.  I figured the overall effect of a kitchen filled with smoke would somehow put his heart at ease.  

“Cook you stupid things!!  Oh how I hate you!”  Things had taken a personal turn by this point and I was now rebuking my sister-in-laws new oven.   It was a stainless steel beauty with a delicious royal blue interior.  It was a gorgeous, sexy stove capable of convection and conventional roasting.   It had been added to the family last year and looked fabulous.  Problem was, in my book it was the incarnation of Jezebel.  Beautiful on the outside but a heart of a demon lurked with, ready to incinerate all Martha Stewart inspirations with her elements manufactured in the forges of hell itself. 

“Wow, that is really everywhere.”  My sister continued cleaning rubbed the underside of the cabinets.  She was either oblivious to the smoke filled kitchen or was choosing not to micromanage my part of the crisis. I appreciated her confidence in me.  I was at about that time, as I was peering through the hazy cloud at my gravy covered family member that I got the giggles.    

My sister in law and I have been through a lot since the day I married her brother, fifteen years ago. Something about the combination of smoke and gravy launched me on a ridiculous memory trip.  We have spent some really strange time together.  I remember watching her smile at her first born son as he sneezed his way through my wedding because he was allergic to my favorite flower.  Hugging her goodbye on a trip to Canada and having a bee sting her near her jugular vein as it got trapped in between us.  The Christmas dinner we both got food poisoning and had to share a bathroom.  Sitting in an emergency room taking pictures of her entirely stoned on Valium and sending it to our friends.   I had another memory of me, lying on my bathroom floor vomiting all over creation as she made me tea in the kitchen.  Special family time, fifteen years of memories people outside the family asylum wouldn't understand.

It was then that I realized how good at persevering we had become.  Here we were, in the kitchen burning Yorkshire pudding and painting the walls with gravy and no one was crying or having a fit.  No one was blaming the other or screaming.  We were simply fixing the problems as they came, calmly with no fuss.  Okay, well there was some volume and some fuss but the humans in the situation were functioning on the same side.  This was the fruit of something... something good….it was endurance… it was amazing.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5

So take heart Dear One, next time you find yourself in a crisis take a moment to pause and reflect.  What would you have done in this situation 5 years ago, or ten?  God is doing a work in you.  Look how much you are able to endure now.   Look how much you have learned.  When was the last time you turned an entire load of laundry pink or let the baby roll off the bed?  Look how far you have come.  You are amazing.  Take heart when things go wrong,   God is doing a fabulous work and he promised to finish it.

Philippians 1:6 says, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   This does scripture does not guarantee that your blender will behave or that you won’t send another lip balm through the dryer.  It does though, mean that Jesus will see you through.  He will take the bumps and bruises and turn them into precious lessons.   These lessons will develop your character and make you useful in His kingdom.  So even if you do set the Yorkshire pudding on fire, with the Lord on your side you simply cannot fail…… 

Why do you think He invented take out?

My Socially Relevant Sunday

Good Morning Dear Ladies,

Happy Monday to you! I hope you heard a good preach at church yesterday and that your family enjoyed some old fashioned Sabbath rest.

I love Sundays. It has long been my custom to stop at the corner store and grab a newspaper on the way home from church. After feeding my family a tasty lunch, I announce to all within earshot that I am retiring to my bed and that I expect to be woken at 3:30 for teatime. It is a brilliant system and it has not been known to fail. At 3:30 on Sunday, there will be a knock on my bedroom door and in will come my hubby and or child carrying a cup of tea and a cookie just for me. It is the closest thing to magic that I know of.

Sunday afternoons my center of operations becomes my bed. After banishing children from my presence, I organize my domain. Pillows fluffed behind me, bible study to my right, mail beside that, newspaper on the left, diary on my lap, hankies and contraband potato chips on the bedside table. System or science? You decide.

When comfortable, I will start the process of reading the newspaper in a desperate attempt to remain intelligent and socially relevant. If I do this with any degree of success, I am certain to become overwhelmed at the state of global affairs. It doesn’t take me long, about one hour.

Once I have myself completely bewildered by the American political system one of two things will happen. I will start my bible study in order to reduce my panic and remind myself of God’s sovereignty or I will curl up in the fetal position and take a nap. I generally do both but will not confess the order of operations. I said I was attempting to remain socially relevant, I did not say I am ever successful.

If you had been sharing a cup of tea with me on Sunday, we would have discussed raising children in a world that worships celebrity. We would have used like “face book” and “social media”. You might have been impressed with my ability to balance a tea cup while waving my arms about and shouting. “How,” we would ask each other, “do we raise our children to be successful at real life in a world that measures success by the number of hits on YouTube or your number of followers on Twitter?” We would have had a really good time.

 But you weren’t there and by evening I was feeling blue. It was then that I started to pray and peace started to speak to my agitated and socially relevant mind. What started as an impression grew as the week progressed and two scriptures came to my mind. The first was the from Mark 12:28-33,

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[b] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”


I am more inclined to worry about things that involve my children. My inability drives me to my knees daily. I had no idea, when I conceived the little critters, that they would continually challenge my faith and sanity. I continually need to remember to pray and not worry. God has a plan for their lives; regardless of how I feel about the world they are living in. If I can teach them the guiding principle of loving God success will be theirs.

The other scripture came from the book of Colossians 3:23-24. 23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Surely, if I try to keep these scripture in front of my eyes, the Lord will be able to guide my efforts to mold my children. But can simple efforts yield solid results? Are the simple things enough? Below are two stories I encourage you to view with your children. Both of these women simply worked hard and yielded exceptional results.

The first is the story of Florence Patrick. She chose to wait tables part time when her children were at school. Flo however, was no ordinary waitress. She was so successful the owners of the restaurant where she served for 39 years had to build an addition on the restaurant to accommodate her regulars. Imagine being so skilled at your job it caused your employer to expand their business. Does this sound freakishly similar to kingdom work?

Find her story here: http://roadfood.com/Digest/480/enjoy-your-retirement-flo

The second is the story of Olivia Neubauer. Olivia turned 100 in March but that isn’t the impressive part. Olivia is a teacher, America’s oldest teacher, she started in 1935. Watch this video and see if every ounce of bad attitude doesn’t melt in the presence of true devotion. If I posses a quarter of Mrs. Neubauer’s composure at the age of eighty, I will consider myself successful.

http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=9EDC23DE-6E03-11E1-9205000C296BA163

I hope that these stories will encourage you not to grow discouraged dear Teacher. Slow and steady wins the race. I know the Lord is with you as you teach your children daily to make their bed, put the dishes into the dishwasher and to put their shoes by the front door neatly. Such diligence pays dividends in time. Faithfulness in simple things delights the Lord’s heart. Habakkuk 2:3 says,

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.”

So don’t give up dear friend. Though today your children are causing chaos and mayhem making you want to cash in savings bonds to fund a trip to Tahiti, tomorrow they might surprise you. Tomorrow they will hang up the towels after they shower without you reminding them. Tomorrow they will put their underpants in the laundry hamper. Tomorrow they will develop into radically functional adults that love Jesus. You will be thrilled, you will be astonished, and you will rejoice…..you might even tweet about it.

Blackberries

I have a “thing” about blackberries, brambles really. I think it is a gift, but I possess a super human ability to demolish bramble patches. My idea of a perfect summer afternoon involves a pair of sharp pruning shears, a perpetually full teapot and an endless supply of 30 gallon yard waste bags. Eerie I know, but being a superhero isn’t all about conformity. Ask my last landlord, and he will tell you that while I was his tenant, I cleared one third of his entire property. And not those baby brambles that goats munch either. We are talking about monster brambles that eat storage sheds, climb trees and devour small children and their Frisbees. It took me two years, but when I had finished a beautiful lawn replaced land that had been unusable for 10 years.
To tell you the truth, no one knows that I am a superhero posing as quasi-rumpled homeschooling Mum. Most of my friends just think I’m weird. The question I get most often when I finish recounting epic tales of bramble domination is, “why on earth are you doing all that work? You don’t even own the property!” My answer is simple; I am taking my place in God’s economy.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.Colossians 3:23

Jehovah-jireh is one of the many glorious names of our Risen Lord. “The Lord will provide,” is the name that describes the heart of our God who is interested in meeting the needs of His creation. As many families feel the pinch of economic uncertainty we must continue to walk in faith and invest in God’s economy, for only the things of God are unshakeable. We are directed “not to worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things (Matt 6:31-32).” The Lord is interested in supplying the needs of His people, and if you are willing to listen to the word of the Lord, you too, can take your part in His generosity.

A friend of my husband recently invited us to spend several weeks at her beach home. As our friend took us on a tour of the grounds, it took me all of five minutes to find the blackberry patch. “And this is my dad’s, but he doesn’t use it anymore,” she said, pointing to a large greenhouse on the corner of the property. The greenhouse stood about 10 feet high and the south side was covered with huge blackberry trailers. “In fact, if we ever get it out we’ll take it apart and give it away. It still has some good life in it.” She pointed to the 30x30 patch of scrub land, “If we napalm this stuff first.” I had stopped listening by this point. I was already envisioning my angle of attack. If I started cutting prickles from the south west side, my children could bring me tea without dying in an accidental performance of Brer Rabbit.

The weather did nothing to cooperate as I set to clearing the land. It was rainy and cold on the days I started clipping but I didn’t care. I was a pioneer clearing land, noble and valiant in my efforts to feed my family before winter set in and killed us all. I was learning important lessons, wrought by experience. Lessons such as: don’t swing a pick axe over your head in an uncontrolled manner. That sharp end will fair near crack your spine when it makes contact. Or more importantly, make sure you tie your shoes properly when clearing land. Because if you should accidentally fall into a hole in your blackberry patch and lose your shoe; the word regret will take on a depth of meaning you never knew possible. Important information all pioneers need to know.

It didn’t take too long to get the land cleared, and when I was finished, I let our friend know I had cleared out the blackberries. She was equal parts amazed and perplexed when she came across to view the yard. “You really didn’t need to do all of that! What a lot of work. Do you know someone who wants the greenhouse?”

…the righteous gives and does not hold back. Proverbs 21:26

Actually, I did know someone who wanted the greenhouse, someone who had wanted a greenhouse for as long as she could remember: a fabulous Canadian, whose humble life quest was to stop Americans from making tea in the microwave. Sadly for me, I knew the greenhouse was to go to someone else the instant I saw it. I had the sense I was to do the work because the greenhouse was not to sit rotting in the corner of the garden. It was a matter of stewardship and my friend was being a good steward. The Lord wanted it to go to a family that would be blessed. I was enjoying the privilege of staying at a waterfront home because someone else had worked hard to provide it. I was taking my part in providing a blessing for someone else.

I wish I could tell you that I happily praised God when I realized I was going participate in a greenhouse adoption. I didn’t…at first. First, I called my sister-in-law and lamented that I was going to help give away the $4000 greenhouse of my dreams. I pouted, fussed and generally acted like a twerp for about ten minutes. Then, I dutifully prayed, repented for being a selfish piggy monster and released my sister from my pity party. I had a greenhouse to place.

And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

I had quite a few inquires when I posted the greenhouse, most of which fell through within the first few hours. This was a grown up greenhouse that needed a full sized yard. Then I received an email and I knew the greenhouse had found its home. A dear friend, who I hadn’t seen in 6 months, would love the greenhouse if it was still available. This precious woman has been in the Refiner’s fire for more than a year now, and all she could do in her email was praise the Lord for His provision. She and her girls had asked the Lord specifically for a greenhouse two weeks previously, and her children were astonished that the Lord would answer their prayers so quickly. Aren’t children awesome? God loves little people.

What followed was one of the loveliest Saturdays I have spent in more than a year. My husband and I spent the morning honing our communication skills as we dismantled the greenhouse. That afternoon, my friend and her family came over and spend a fabulous afternoon by the beach, munching cookies and drinking coffee. We shared tales of life’s unexpected turns, overcoming disappointed hearts, and the provision of God. I experienced refreshment that I never could have imagined and received far more thanks than I ever could have deserved.

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:24-25

And so Dearest Mummy how is your heart this spring? Has winter been long and dreary? Do you have closets to clean? Are there clothes that no longer fit, dishes that you love but don’t use? Do you have fears in the corners of your heart and worries about your future? May I challenge you to dare to be generous and surrender all these things to your Risen Lord? Allow Him to lighten your load, sow in faith and reap in joy. It really does work.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

Happy Spring!!
With many blessings to you and your family,
KB