Trust Me

Looking for a way to earn some extra money; my husband decided to purchase a used pick-up truck so he could do odd jobs.

He shopped and compared prices and finally decided on a used truck that was in excellent condition. The car dealer was having it checked out, and we had not yet taken delivery.

A few days later around noon time, my door bell rang. When I opened the door, it was the car salesman, who I recognized as the person who had sold us the truck.

In his hand he held a contract and a pen, and asked if my husband was home. Naturally my husband was at work, he was not available and I told the salesman so.

The salesman suggested that I could sign the contract for my husband. I hesitated mostly because the contract was blank. I told him of my uncertainty to sign a blank document because it was not filled in. He explained that the girl at the office would type it in as soon as he returned and all he needed was a signature.

“Trust me,” he said, as he offered me the pen. I was young and gullible, so I took the pen and scribbled my husbands name to the paper. The Salesman was happy, and he left.

A few days later, a payment book arrived in the mail and as I inspected it, I realized something was not right. I told me husband that the amount was not what we had agreed to pay for the truck and instead a much larger amount was due.

My husband made a quick trip to the dealership and asked for the manager. He tried to control his temper, but he told the manager that in no uncertain terms, we were not going to pay what we were now being charged. The manager smirked and went to his filing cabinet and pulled out the contract, and holding it out to my husband, he said, “Is this your signature?”

My husband emphatically told him, “NO it is NOT.”

To make a long story short, we eventually took delivery of the truck, and a new and better payment book, after they received a bonafied signature on a new contract.

Perhaps you have learned to hesitate when someone says to you, “Trust me.”

I certainly have! I also have become skilled at researching things out and may I suggest that you do so also.

Spiritually we should be aware that it was Satan that told Eve to “Trust me.”

If someone tells you a “new truth,” it would be a good idea to search it out in the Bible to be certain it lines up with Scripture.

When we do our research into the Word of God, we discover His truth revealed as it is written there, a Word that we can always trust.

God is the one who is always Trustworthy.  When God says," Trust ME," we can take it to the bank!

This post has been shared at Bonnie's Faith Barista site
http://www.faithbarista.com/2013/02/why-the-smallest-movements-can-bring-god-the-greatest-pleasure/

 

Grab and Hold or Release?

Not far from where we lived in Oakland, California was a small bargain Thrift store that helped in the support of the Fred Finch Home.  I took my girls to the store, many times and we would find lovely articles, many were brand new, that we could enjoy for a small price.

The store was located at the edge of the property belonging to the Fred Finch-Youth Center. A home like setting was provided by the Youth Center for hurting youth who required services not available from other agencies.

I found this interesting that one of its most prominent early residents was Pulitzer Prize winner and academy award winning writer: William Saroyan, who wrote about his experiences while living with his siblings at the Fred Finch Center in the early 1900s.

At the Thrift store, I discovered two lovely carnival glass bowls that I purchased there. The volunteer told me that they had gone through the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. I still have one of the bowls today in my possession.

One day, it seemed the Lord was telling me to give one of the two bowls to Ethel, a young girl that I worked with, becaise I knew that she was interested in old carnival glass. Ethel was being transferred to another department, and the team members were giving her a little going away party, so I brought the dish all wrapped up nice, and gave it to her.

She was very surprised and asked, how could I part with such a treasure? I hesitated a bit, and then I told her, “You may not believe this, but God told me to give this to you.”

She accepted my answer without question, because she knew I was a Christian and that I listened to the Lord.

There are many things (possessions) we hold dear, and some belongings we tend to clutch more tightly. It is the holding that which is ours, in an open hand that will bring us peace if we find it suddenly snatched from us.

Another way of saying this would be to “Let things go with no regrets.” To enjoy them while you have them, but to be willing to release them, if the need arises that they are taken away.

I am reminded that God released his very own son from the glories of heaven and allowed him to become flesh, and to eventually be crucified as a sacrifice for our benefit.

Were it not for God’s open hand to give us His Son, we would be lost, but because of His love, we have been found.

As Jesus prepared to return to heaven, He released to us His Holy Spirit so that we, each and every one of us can enjoy daily, His presence within our heart.

I Failed the first Test

Our Drivers Ed class at my High school consisted of learning the rule book so we could pass the exam for our learners permit.  At that time, the age to obtain your drivers license was 18, but it has since been lowered to 16.  Many schools now offer an instructor and special cars to teach the students to drive properly.

Our High school did not provide us with a real car and a trainer, so my dad became my instructor. Dad worked for the railroad and he often did switching of the box cars at the Safeway warehouse. Their parking lot was large and he knew that on the week end it would be empty.

One week end, Dad drove me there in our old Chevy, with its clutch system, and started my lessons. Naturally I jerked the old car many times before I learned to gently release my foot slowly from the clutch pedal.

When Dad decided I was ready to drive in traffic, he taught me to safely make a left turn and how to judge the distance of other drivers. The hard part was learning to back into a parallel parking place. We practiced with only one car that was already parked, and I learned to pull in behind it with only a few smooth moves.

My mother took me to the DMV for my scheduled driving test, and the lady seemed nice as I took her for my test ride. She had me make a left turn, and in those days, you stuck out your arm to signal your directions. I did fine. Then she had me do the parallel parking and I made some stop and go attempts that did not please her.

Sorry to say, I failed my first driving test, and was rescheduled for a later date; at which time I did pass with flying colors.

Just because I failed once, that did not stop me from trying again. I was determined to leave behind any fears, and to press on until I reached success.

That sort of attitude is a good one to latch on to. If you fall, get up!

If you spill something clean it up and make a new effort.

If at first you don’t succeed, Try, and try again; is an excellent truism to keep in mind.

If you fail at something, it may be time to study some more, and do extra research on your project.

Your part is to study, to learn and to practice, and God promises to help you. God’s part is that He will bring to your remembrance those things that you need to know.

Failure doesn't mean you are a failure... it just means you haven't succeeded yet. ~Robert Schuller

You always pass failure on your way to success. ~Mickey Rooney

Dirty Hands

Why are your hands so dirty?

The words came flowing from the mouth of a three year old child in the beginners Sunday school class. My husband was substituting for a vacationing teacher that Sunday, and he had no ready answer for a three year old to help her to understand why his hands appeared so dirty.

My husband worked in the roofing industry and the sharp sandpaper like granules of the asphalt shingles bit hard into his flesh leaving asphalt scars. The tar and gravel roofing also did its dirty work on his hands, and at times would burnt parts of his body.

No matter how hard he scrubbed and rubbed, with Lava Soap, or his mainstay, “Sta-Lube Cleaner,” there was always a residue that remained on the palms of his hands.

Children often speak what is on their mind, and there was no embarrassment for this child to ask him this simple question. Why are your hands so dirty?

I hesitate to consider this, but does God ever ask us, “Why are your hands so dirty?”

Hopefully we are not dabbling in something, touching something, planning something, to get our hands dirty - - in a manner of speaking.

I won’t elaborate, but we could go a long way to illustrate situations that would demonstrate how our hands could get us into myriads of trouble.

God knows our actions, and our very thoughts, and he sends the Holy Spirit to ask us the hard questions that may startle us. When He does, we do need to stop, sit up and listen!

Is there something you are allowing in your life that is soiling your hands?

Understand that it is not too late. You can come to the Lord, repent, and request that he use his best cleaning solvent to clean up what should not be there.

The blood of Jesus will wash you whiter than the snow, and you can present to him your clean hands!

1John 1:7 But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Aprons by Hazel

Aprons by Hazel was submitted to Food On Fridays.

There they hung on a hook behind the free standing stove in our large family kitchen. Home made aprons.

My mother sewed and made most of our clothing. One item she made for both my sister and me were aprons; and she wore one herself as she cooked.

For each meal, we slipped our apron over our head and enjoyed our eating as we kept our dresses clean. Our wardrobe was limited and it was simpler to launder an apron than it was to wash and iron our dresses.
I can remember back in sewing class in High School, one of the first items we made was an apron.

I don't wear aprons much anymore, and I have one tucked away somewhere. It would probably be a good idea for me to get it out and use it especially when I bake!!

My daughter tells me that her granddaughters, and even her grandsons, know what an apron is for. She informs me that they love to use them especially when baking or cooking. The children love to assist and the aprons keep their clothes clean as they help.

Although the myriad of uses have dwindled, aprons are still a needed item in our home! I will slip on my apron as I create my famous Date Nut Cake.

Submitted on Food on Fridays at http://annkroeker.com/
Check out the many great recipes recorded there:

Best Date Nut Cake

2 cups sugar, ½ tsp salt, 3 T Cocoa, 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1 cup real whole egg mayonnaise, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup chopped dates or raisins, 1 tsp soda, 1 cup boiling water, 2 cups sifted flour.

Mix first 4 ingredients into a bowl. Add mayo and blend. Add soda to boiling water. Pour over nuts and dates and let stand a few minutes. Add to the mayo mixture. Gradually add the sifted flour and mix well. Bake in 12x8x2 glass pan at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. This cake is a collectors item.

LA LA LA LA LA

Have you ever seen a child (or wife) put their hands to their ears and cry out La La La La La La La?

They simply did not want to hear what was being told to them.

The words were probably good words and worth hearing.

In the case of children it was probably something they needed to hear.

In the case of wives – it is often good to listen to a husband’s wisdom!

Have you ever said La La La to God when he is speaking to you?

It may be that God is speaking to you through the Bible and definitely it is worth listening to.

OR it may be the minister at church who is giving out a good message that strikes to your heart.

OR it could be a friend just sharing; what ever the case – next time you are tempted to put your hands over your ears and say La La La, it might be better to stop and listen to what is being said. Because - - -

It could be just the very thing you need to hear.

Check out our other site at: http://moonsview.wordpress.com/

Butting Heads by Hazel

Entered into the “One Word at a Time Carnival.” The Word is: Reconciliation.
Please check out the other great entries at: http://www.bridgetchumbley.com/ 

Butting Heads

It must be normal for some mother-in laws and daughter-in-laws to butt heads from time to time.

In our case, my sweet mother-in-law and I got along quite well, because she always did everything I told her to do!

I remember one time, my young 4 year old brother in-law who was just a tad older than my own children, and he spit out the F word, at my mother-in-law. I grabbed him up, turned him over my knee, and gave him three swats quick as your eye can blink.  His mom, (my Mother-in-law,) said, “He doesn’t know what he is saying, and he is just a baby.” I told her, he knew enough that it was disrespectful, and as I looked him in the eye, I told him to never speak to “B” like that again.  All of her children called her “B”, and I think it was because she thought she was too young to be called mom.  Anyway, that is another story.

Then my children grew up, got married, and I found that I was now the Mother-in-law.

I have always been good at telling people what to do and taking charge, and I really do not plan to change, but things were different with my new daughter-in-law.  She had been raised in a rather large family, with brothers to tease her, and hurt her feelings.

Some of the things I said, were not taken lightly, and were misinterpreted.  In her way of thinking, she was certain that I did not like her; and that I thought she was not doing a good job of raising my grandchildren. Those were her thoughts, not mine, although I did have some good suggestions.

As it was inevitable, one day without realizing it at the time, I spoke in haste, and hurt her feelings deeply. The next trips to our place, she found an excuse to stay home, and only the boys and our son visited.

Sometimes, I am dense, because I tend to give others the benefit of the doubt, but I finally realized that I had offended her, and she was not about to forgive me. Thinking back, I could even point to the event that must have triggered the whole thing.

Finally in desperation, I knew I must at least take action on my part to bring about reconciliation. If she did not respond, that would be “her problem and not mine.”

So, one day, I called her cell phone, and left a message for her to return the call. Shortly she did, and I proceeded to remind her of the event, and told her I realized that I had hurt her feelings, and I asked her to please forgive me. I told her I missed her when she did not visit, and I wanted her to understand that she was always welcome at our home.

“Yes, I forgive you,” she said, and that was enough for me.

I must recognize that she is the mother and I am the Mother-in-law, and there is no reason for us to butt heads.

White and Bright

In the early 1950s I went to work in the office at a Chemical Company that produced Laundry detergents in large 50 pound bags.

The enterprise was new, and had started in the owner’s garage, but when the business grew, he was forced to move to a larger location. The warehouse was usually full of smelly dust from the grinding machine and even though the worker wore a mask, his eyes were always red.

Our records could not be in alphabetical order because almost every customer was named Launderette, so the simple answer was to file by address.

In those days, the launderette businesses would wash and fold your clothes, using the soap purchased from our company.

The bags were heave and bulky, but after sampling the detergent, I discovered my white laundry came out much whiter and brighter than ever before.

Times have changed and now most Launderettes have vending machines with small boxes of supplies available for the customer at a price.

When I left the chemical company job, I continued to purchase their soap.

My friend asked me to care for her baby while she worked, and we were both surprised as her babies dingy diapers began to change to white and bright from the use of my soap.

In life, there are dingy wrongdoings that may cling to us, but the Bible tells us that if we come and confess to the Lord, that He will WASH us whiter than the snow.

Psalms 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

God makes it simple, just your desire to be free from the dirt and smelly filth; and to talk to him like you would talk to your friend. Tell Him all about it and ask Him to clean you with his special cleanser

It will seem like magic, as in no time at all you will be white and bright.

Revelations 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.


John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Quitting Cold Turkey - Hazel

This story was submitted to Food on Fridays at: http://annkroeker.com/  Please check out Ann’s site for some great recipe selections.  My Recipe for Turkey Squares will follow, and it is an excellent “Hot” dish for left over turkey.

Quitting Cold Turkey

This was something that I had to do. Beings it was New Years and a time for resolutions, I was impressed that I needed to give up Coffee for at least a year. I will not say that “God told me to quit.” But it was sort of like that.

I decided to quit cold turkey!

What holds you in its power? Coffee held me. I was always with a cup of coffee in my hand, and it was my comfort and stay.

I made this a quality decision, that I would quit coffee, and only drink Hot water as my substitute to begin with the New Year and to last all year.

What happened next was a surprise to me.

Wow, I never have head aches, but by nightfall, I had a dilly. For the next days and into weeks, my joints ached, and I suffered terrible withdrawals.

Only slightly I might understand those who go through withdrawals with other fixed habits when they attempt to quit cold turkey.

I made it through the entire year, and after the year, I began to allow coffee when out to a restaurant, or every now and then.  Mostly I drank tea.

One thing I desired was for coffee not to control me, and I still must watch that carefully.

Are there things in your life that are controlling YOU? One of our Bible professors once told us the secret to breaking a “Habit.” 

That was to simply DROP it to BREAK it.

That sounds like Cold Turkey to me!!

Turkey Squares
6 T butter, 6 T flour, 2 cups milk, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, 4 cups finely chopped turkey,
1 cup soft bread crumbs or stuffing, ¼ cup finely chopped parsley. 1 small onion chopped 4 large eggs, salt and pepper to taste.

Make a white sauce of the butter, flour and milk and remove from heat, add the bouillon cubes and mash them up. Add the meat, bread, parsley and onion. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, stir in the seasonings. Place in an 8x8 baking dish and bake 45 min at 350.

This is a yummy way to use that left over turkey from Thanksgiving, so save this recipe for future use.

Show Me Yours’ and I will Show You Mine!

The message that Elijah gave to the prophets of Baal was clear! He challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest ! Each side would make a sacrifice to their God without building a fire. The strongest god would light the fire!

“Show my your God, and I will show you mine!” was Elijah’s strong message.

They danced! They yelled! They even cut themselves to get their god’s attention. They continued to do their “Thing,” until early in the evening, with no results! There was absolutely no fire in sight! The prophets of Baal were not able to call down fire from heaven.

When it was Elijah’s turn, he did one better! He instructed the men to dig a trench around his sacrifice. After that, he had them carry 12 barrels full of water and pour it over the sacrifice, soaking it extremely well. When all this was done, Elijah prayed a simple prayer,

1Kings 18:36 “And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word”

- - - and the fire fell! Not only was the sacrifice consumed, but along with it, all the water that had been poured into the ditch. When Elijah prayed, first the fire fell, and then came the much needed rain!

Now, wouldn’t it be lovely if we could see some of these types of miracles occur today . . . say, fire falling to devour our tightly held sacrifice of hurts and pain?

When we discover that our past has NOT been burned up by the fire of God, we still find ourselves hurting. Though we pray, scream, cry and clinch our teeth, our fists, and even our toes, there is no peace!

Is there any hope to conquer our fears and our dreaded memories? God waits for us to admit our own weakness and failure, so HE can show us His power.

Oh may I ask, Lord God, show me your face and I will show you mine!

This is my prayer today,

“Oh Holy Spirit of God, you who possess the Fire to burn away the chaff and all the misery that goes on in our thoughts and minds. I ask that you first wash us with Your Living Water, and then send the fire from above to bring us to nothing before you. As nothing, take us and re-create us to become a new person in You. May we be that one who stands bold and triumphant knowing we have now been placed INTO Christ? It is in Him we become more than a conqueror.

God, we ask that you totally burn up our weakness, and leave only the strength that is in YOU. Reduce to ashes our fears and our failures and raise up in us a person of courage with confidence, as You take our hand and lead us into Your eternal truth. May we walk and talk strong in the “power of Your might.”