Monday, July 28, 2025

Murmuring and Complaining

 From Be Still and Know...

"And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness." (Exodus 16:2)

In crossing the desert area of our country occasionally, I see oases with a few trees, a limited water supply, and a filling station.  These provide "rest stops" for the traveler on his journey.

As the Israelites started their march across the desert, they soon began to experience the rigors of wilderness travel.  After three days without water, they began to murmur and complain.  Suddenly their spirits rose as they discovered water, only to be disappointed when they found the water to be bitter.

Instead of trusting God, they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron.  Indirectly, they were murmuring against God, who was their real Leader.  However, in spite of their complaining and lack of trust, God sweetened the bitter water so they could drink it.

God may schedule a wilderness journey for our lives.  We may encounter bitter waters.  Possessions may be taken from us, dear ones forsake us, plans crumble in our hands.  Disappointments may come, confidences be betrayed, cherished ideals shattered.

We, too, may begin to murmur and complain.  Bitterness may creep into our lives.  It is easy to be sweet when everything is going our way, but when it becomes difficult, we begin to complain.  God's Word reminds us, "Neither murmur ye."

Murmuring and complaining can lead to self-pity and criticism.  They show a lack of faith in the Lord.

He can sweeten the "bitter waters" of our lives.  It is the Lord Jesus who sweetens them for us.  He doesn't always remove them, but He gives us the sweetness of His presence and blessing in the midst of them.

We can expect "bitter waters" on our wilderness journey, for God uses them as a "proving ground" to test us.  Through them we are brought to the end of ourselves and into a closer relationship of trust in the Lord.

May we not be like the children of Israel, guilty of ingratitude.  Instead, may our hearts and lips be filled with praise.  "I will praise Him with my whole being."

Friday, July 4, 2025

A bit of a catch up

 It's certainly looking very wintery at the river...


Even though, on a recent trip to Devonport, there was still plenty of blue sky around...
I did NOT test the water!

It's cold and grey today.  I went for my walk earlier and then made a Cold Tea Loaf...


Sorry it's a bit hard to read... 
 but if you click on the picture it will bring it up clearer

I'm still working on Marnie's birthday blanket so I can't post a picture.  I have 2 weeks to get it finished.  I ran into a bit of a problem as I needed more of two of the colors but they had been discontinued, so I had to change my original idea a bit.  But all is well...

When I can't work on the blanket, I have this, what I think will be a baby blanket using left over yarn from other projects, on the go...



I finished reading The Long Winter.  And now I'm living it! :))

It was so
 cold this morning, even Freya didn't want to get out of bed...

So I thought I'd warm up a bit and read Summer at Fairacre.

"Dolly Clare must be the best loved person for miles around.  For years she taught at Fairacre School ... 
Ill health forced her to retire to the little thatched cottage at Beech Green, some two or three miles away... 

I have always loved the cottage, and not so long ago Dolly staggered me by telling me that she had left it to me in her will...
On this fine spring afternoon, I took with me a posy of polyanthus and a pot of freshly-made lemon curd.  There was a scent of spring in the air, and the lane between Fairacre and Thrush Green wound between hedges hazy with young leaf...
Miss Clare looked as pretty as ever ... despite her great age.  
'Now sit down and tell me all the Fairacre news.'...


Me thinks it is time for a cup of tea and a slice of cold tea loaf :)

xx

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

The Summer Garden

 Even though it's winter here for us at the moment, it's good to remember summer is coming.  Or not remember if you are like me and don't like the heat and sun :))

From A Year's Journey with God...

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow ... For we are fellow workmen - laborers together with God; you are God's garden and vineyard ... under cultivation." - 1 Corinthians 3:6,9, AMP 

I never get over the miracle of July!  All the tiny seeds I planted in the greenhouse during winter are now filling my garden with vivid color.  'Isn't God clever,' remarked my three-year-old granddaughter.  She is right, but not yet old enough to realize how much human hard work is involved in making a garden beautiful!  I had certainly played my part in the miracle!

If we are God's garden, I suppose keeping our spiritual lives beautiful is also a partnership and often hard work on our part.  I remember once helping my son move into a 'student house'.  It was clean enough inside, but the garden had not been touched in years.  As I fought my way through the jungle of weeds I realized someone had once filled that garden with roses, but bindweed had wound itself around the bushes, strangling their beauty, while giant nettles stole their light.  I shuddered as I realized how easily my own garden could look like that.  I pounce on weeds as soon as they show their ugly heads because they are so easy to pull when they're small.  Surely it's the same with 'spiritual weeds'?  Those resentful thoughts, discontented grumbles and negative self-pity can be removed comparatively easily if we 'yank them out' quick!  If we ignore them or even 'water them' with encouragement they soon 'take over' and start spoiling everything that is beautiful and valuable in the rest of our lives.

Thank you, Lord, that I don't have to clear all these weeds from my life on my own.  I pull them out but you burn them at your cross.

Friday, June 27, 2025

Catch the Little Foxes

 From Our Daily Bread...

Read: Song of Songs 2:8-15

"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyard." (Song of Songs 2:15)

"It's the little foxes that spoil the vine," my grandmother use to say.  Then my mom repeated the same thing.  And now I say it to my own children.  But what does it mean to beware of "the little foxes"?

After planting grapevines, it can take several years before they bear fruit.  The vines require a lot of patience, care, watering, pruning, and protection.  Foxes - even though small - can cause major damage by destroying the roots, eating the grapes, or chewing the stalk.

In the poetic love story of the Song of Songs, Solomon warns, "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards" (2:15).  Some scholars believe this refers to seemingly small problems or behaviors that could threaten the young man and woman's relationship if left unchecked.

Likewise for our spiritual journey, little things like bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), "unwholesome talk" (Ephesians 4:29), or even harmful influences from others (1 Corinthians 15:33) can slip into our lives and hardly be noticed.

My grandmother understood that little things can cause great harm, and her wisdom spoke volumes to her grandchildren.  As we spend time in prayer and reading the Scriptures, the Spirit will help us "catch the little foxes" - the temptations or habits that might spoil our relationship with others and our walk with Christ. 

- Brent Hackett

What little things do you need to catch before they cause harm?

How can you warn others to watch for "little foxes"?

Dear Father, please help me to be alert for and deal with the little stuff that causes great damage.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Let's Talk About Modesty.


Here is another lovely video from Tanaya on Modesty. Grab a cuppa, sit down and enjoy!


"Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." 
- 1 Peter 3:3-4

If you'd like to watch more of her videos, you can go to her YouTube channel HERE


Monday, June 23, 2025

P is for Paul and Pretenders

In these troubling times, it's good to remember...

From Beside the Still Waters...

Read: Philippians 1:1-20

"What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." - Philippians 1:18

For Paul it must have been a hard pill to swallow.  Earlier in his life, he had dragged Christian men and women to prison.  But now Paul himself sat in prison for the Christian faith, called to be an apostle but seemingly hamstrung in his efforts.  Meanwhile, outside the prison walls, men who hoped to feed Paul's frustration were faking evangelism - preaching Christ with a twist which they hoped would cause people to follow a faction that contradicted Paul.

But Paul did not choke on that pill!  At least Christ was being preached, so he rejoiced and intended to keep on rejoicing.  But how can we rejoice when a pretender, out of a wrong motive, does something that only appears right?  Paul rejoiced because God supervises the sowing of His Word.  Neither a scheming motive nor any other pretense in handling the Word will keep God's Spirit from wielding it like a two-edged sword.  The power of the Word is not entirely dependent on the man who presents it.

God receives the most glory when those who preach the Gospel also live the Gospel.  But God is fully capable of using messages preached by pretenders to start a man on a search for truth.  God can even use a page ripped out of a Bible and thrown away as trash, to feed truth to a seeking soul.  Let's rejoice with Paul in that power!

In 2 Timothy 2:9 Paul wrote, "I suffer trouble ... even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound."  The Gospel is not constrained by prison or by pretenders.  So Paul was joyful not because of pretenders but in spite of them.  Who can tell what great things God will work when people hear His word - even from pretenders?

Jay R. Martin - Castorland, NY

A pretender may seem to have power in his hour,

but God will have sway at the end of the day.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." - Matthew 7:15

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." - Matthew 7:21

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to the library I go....

I had a couple of hours to fill in at Burnie last week, and what better place to do it than at the library!

We only have a very small library in our town, so this was a real treat...



But first, coffee and cake in their little cafe...

Then a lovely browse of the bookshelves...



I borrowed these for crafting inspiration...

And bought this one from the 'withdrawn from circulation' shelves for 50 cents...

  I haven't read any of these books, and apparently this is the second of many Elm Street Quilts novels, although I think they are stand-alone stories but with many of the same characters.
 
I'm still reading The Long Winter but hope to read the Round Robin book next...

What are you reading?

xx