Feeble Fungi

As I reread these thoughts written this week, I thought, What a silly comparison! Everyone knows how weak a toadstool is. It is nothing compared to a tree. But that is how foolish humans are to believe their own strength is all they need to navigate life.

                With the much-appreciated rains, fungi sprang up in the yard. At a distance, those stick-straight toadstools appeared as beautifully-crafted sculptures with such rich textures. My mind imagined them as brilliantly-white, furry structures or nature's mini-cupcakes sprinkled with coconut. As my father might say they were "pretty little things" adorning the summer lawn. 

                With my foot, I gently pushed at the base of one the lovely-appearing fungi. Over the little white toadstool fell. Even if this fungus had been a thousand times taller, I could have easily toppled it.

                Appearances can lead to a deceptive attitude. Paul warned in 1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Prior to this verse, Paul reminded his readers of God’s abundant provision in the lives of the ancient Hebrews. Yet in their arrogance, the people deliberately chose to follow their own desires, disregarding blatantly God’s goodness to them and resisting His commands for successful living.

 That vulnerable toadstool mirrored the Israelites who ignored brazenly the purposeful guidance of the Almighty God who alone knew what would work out for the best for their nation. Their strength qualified as nothing compared to God. Paul stated emphatically in 1 Corinthians 1:25, The weakness of God is stronger than men. Trusting in our own strength will ultimately lead to our downfall.

                Withstanding a drought and even bearing fruit are characteristic of the sturdy tree used by Jeremiah in the simile, He shall be like a tree planted by the river. Experiencing growth and spiritual productivity during the most trying times are the results of trusting in a strong God. Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet, gives the strategy for standing strong – unlike the vulnerable, feeble fungus. This passage stands as the toadstool’s antithesis. Jeremiah 17:7-8 states unequivocally.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,  
And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the river.
And will not be anxious in the year of drought  Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

                This passage from Paul’s third chapter of Ephesians, verses 16-19, serves as a basis for a prayer for one’s self or for loved ones for inner strength along with a rootedness, groundedness, and knowledge of the love of Christ. Praying and meditating or thinking throughout the day on these verses consistently will make one like the strong, productive tree planted by the river instead of a feeble fungus.

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

To be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

That you, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all the saints 

What is the width and length and depth and height-

To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;

That you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The Spokes Must Be Connected to the Powerful Hub

             Lou Brock, whose family were early-day Benders, contacted me concerning the death of Gil Morris. He reminded me my blog posting of August 13, 2017, exactly one year earlier, featured Gilbert Wayne Morris and was entitled Only Two Names Will Do. (This is a link to that blog posting about Mother's relationship with Gilbert Wayne Morris https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2017/08/only-two-names-will-do.html ) For about three weeks, Mother and I had been praying for Gil’s healing and for him and his family to be aware of God’s presence with them. My mother dearly loved Gilbert Wayne and wanted that posting written last year. I am thankful I followed her prompting.

Gilbert Wayne posing for Mother
with an egg he found. Mother
snapped this photograph
on the first Easter the congregation
of the Big Bend Baptist Church
celebrated together. A building had
not been erected yet. (1951)

            This week, I witnessed as a wife, sons, a mother, sisters, grandchildren, and an entire family found themselves in the dark season of grief. As I attended the funeral, I was moved by the example set and reminded of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian Christians.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.  I Thessalonians 4:13

Paul wasn’t telling people to “suck it up” and maintain a “stiff upper lip” and not sorrow over the death of a dearly loved family member. Instead, God inspired the apostle to remind the early day believers that because of their “God-centered” life, they grieve, but with the deep-seated hope of eternal life for their Christian loved one.

             Recently, our pastor, Mike Brock, emphasized being “God- centered” in every area of our lives. He reiterated our focus should not be God first in our lives, but our relationship with Him and commitment to His principles must be the central hub in our wheel of life. Just as spokes connect to a wheel's hub, all aspects of a Christ-follower are joined to Him, with His over-arching influence affecting every part of a life committed to Him. Our family, our entertainment, our financial decisions, our vocation, and even burial of our loved ones are altered by our relationship with God Himself.
             Unknowingly, people live unconnected to the divine hub of the powerful Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. Several decades ago, I recall listening to a doctor express concern about his mother. He said pensively, "She has her faith compartmentalized. It's like she has her 1-hour-duty done on Sunday and puts it in a box to pull out next Sunday, and the rest of her week is unfazed by Jesus or His word." He concluded that his mother was a practical atheist. From his observation, her life was not God-centered. As a god to herself, she remained in a state of anxiety, according to her son, because she was unsuccessfully trying to handle every aspect of her life. Sometimes the self-deified individual only realizes her detachment from God when adversity shakes her world.

In contrast, I heard these phrases spoken this week. “Gil saw the face of Jesus” and “How can someone go through this without the Lord?” These phrases were based on what the Bible teaches.

…to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;

For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

This ongoing relationship with Jesus strengthens our Biblically-based beliefs and directly impacts not just our grief and times of crisis, but our daily decisions. Each day we interact with our loved ones, as well as having brief one-time contacts with people we are unlikely to ever encounter again. The Spirit of God who dwells within those of us who are “God-centered” desires us to allow His love, peace, patience, joy, and compassion to flow through us.

Finally, Gil left us the pattern to carry on his legacy of gracious compassion grounded in daily communication with God by reading the Bible and praying. Russ Hughes, his nephew, who delivered the message at his funeral, selected one of Gil’s favorite passages from Proverbs 3:5-6 as his text.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Lord, may we be “God-centered” as we trust You with all we are. Enable us to refrain from strategizing, fretting, and scheming our way through life. In our “God-centeredness” may we look to You, knowing every step will be guided by You. Then when our time comes to follow Gil, may we, with confidence, know You will lead us through death just as You have faithfully led us each day here on earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pam Morris Felix, Patricia Morris Chaffin, Merlene Morris, and Gilbert Wayne Morris
May 2008 - one of my mother's  favorite photos of the Morris family

I Don't Need Any Pickling Cucumbers This Summer

We don't use many sweet pickles, but I have never been able to find any that rival the flavor of the ones that Mother makes from a recipe labeled "Ruby Rice's Lime Pickles." Mother pickled more cucumbers than she ever had at one time last summer at age 92. Angie had purchased them from the farmer's market frequented by her each summer. Mother reminded me a few weeks ago, "I DON"T need any pickling cucumbers this summer!" (To read more about Ruby Rice, go to: https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2017/04/she-taught-me-almost-everything-i-knew.html)

Making Pickles 

  Put 7 pounds of sliced cukes in lime solution (2 cups of hydrated lime dissolved in two gallons of water).

Mother uses her vintage crock for soaking.

After soaking 24 hours, rinse well and cover with fresh cool water for 3 hours. 

 

                                                                                         Then spread out for one hour.

 Boil together 8 cups of vinegar, 10 1/8 cups of sugar, 1 tablespoon pickling salt with a bag of spices comprised of 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 teaspoon mixed pickling spice, and 1 teaspoon celery seed.

Put the cucumbers in a clean 2-gallon crock and pour boiling hot vinegar mixture over them. Soak at least overnight. Leaving the cucumbers in the mixture for several days will not compromise the quality of the final pickle product. Mother uses an old plate on top of the pickles, ensuring they remain immersed in the solution.

Remove cucumbers in pickling mixture from the crock. Boil cucumber mixture for 40 minutes. 

              

Sterilize the pint jars you will be using. Fill a sterilized pint jar with pickles and then ladle pickling juice within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar and seal. Continue until all pickles are in jars.

        

        

Label jars with date of pickling and enjoy the results for years to come.  

Mother modeled for Angie, my sister, and me the "Proverbs 31 Woman" throughout our lives. As I recalled her pickling adventure of 2017, these phrases from Proverbs 31 came to mind:

...willingly works with her hands...

...provides food for her household...

...her lamp does not go out by night...

...Strength and honor are her clothing...

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed...

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Couldn't Get the Gate Open

 I heard a retelling of this family story from Mr. Sparks, my former high school principal, and his wife, Sue. The impact of this little boy's obedience struck me as a profound example of why Jesus commanded us to be as little children. As these great-grandparents answered my inquiries about Little Kaddo's obedience, I ingested the story and soon asked for permission to share it in a blog post. I am indebted  to Sue and Marvin Sparks for sharing the story, to Kaddo's parents for their permission to retell this powerful illustration of unconditional obedience, and to  ASC/Photography64 for allowing use of their photographs.

Resolute Little Kaddo 
Photography by
ASC/Photography64 

                Can a two-year-old follow a directive and accept responsibility? You bet! Here’s proof of it from a real-life happening.

                Sometimes parents give their firstborn child more responsibility - especially after the birth of a second child. Frequently, this occurs unconsciously from needing a little extra help with the second child. Who better to do this than the older child?

                Recently, a set of great-grandparents recounted an event in the life of their little two-year-old great-grandson. From stories told about little Kaddo, I could tell he was a precocious child, functioning well beyond his years.

                One night not long after his baby brother arrived, his dad told Kaddo to go let his running buddy, their dog, into the barn with the goats. The dog provided security each night for the little nannies and billies.

                Time elapsed and young Kaddo had not returned. His mother expressed concern over her two-year-old taking the dog to his nightly sleeping quarters. His dad assured her their older son could do the assigned task.

                Finally, after an uncomfortably, lengthy amount of time passed, my friends’ grandson strode to the barn to find out why his two-year-old son was delayed.

                Upon reaching the gate to the barn, he spotted Kaddo perched silently on the fence. His father queried, “What are you doing?”

                “Couldn’t get the gate open,” the astute little boy replied.

Whereupon, his father questioned, “Why didn’t you come to the house and get us?”

Without batting an eye, the perceptive little man fired back confidently, “I knew you would come.”

As his great-grandparents related their “Kaddo” story, my eyes widened and my voice responded softly, “What a powerful example of trusting God explicitly and waiting patiently for Him!”

When God gives us a directive as Kaddo’s dad gave him, do we immediately move to obey Him? When we arrive at the place He has indicated for us to be, if everything is not in place as we had envisioned, do we continue endeavoring to do what we know God wants us to do? Or does our complaining begin, coupled with hand-wringing and whiny prayers questioning why God isn’t acting as we anticipated?

Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;

And therefore He will be exalted that He may have mercy on you.

For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Isaiah 30:18

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.

My soul waits for the Lord more that those who watch for the morning –

Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

Psalm 130:5-6

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Psalm 131:2

Lord, may I be like Little Kaddo in my explicit, patient obedience to You. May I trust You as I go through my day-to-day tasks with such wholehearted obedience that only You will get the honor.

Kaddo and one of his goats
Photography by ASC/Photography64