The Whore in My Heart

Yesterday was my week for Prison Ministry. As usual, my dear husband got a few jollies at the expense of unknowing acquaintances with his usual, “she’s in jail’, or “she’s getting out of jail” remarks. God love him.

I’ve taught on women in the Bible for years. It’s a good fit for what I do as there are so very many “bad” (thank you Liz Curtis Higgs) women in the Bible. The message behind the story is always the same: Jesus loves broken women, Jesus loves YOU, and died to get you back.

So yesterday’s spotlight was on the wife of Hosea, Gomer. The story is never easy for me as I can’t relate to a woman who would leave her husband and children for any reason. And it’s tough because of the way it’s written. The verses in the book jump back and forth from Gomer and Hosea to God and Israel, then back again. Another reason it’s hard is because a precious family member is going through the fire in his marriage because his wife thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, very similar to Gomer.

And it’s tough because the wild life and lovers and desire for independence that called to Gomer call to me.

Don’t get the wrong idea - I don’t know any bad men seeking unholy fulfillment. But just like Israel left her God to go chasing (whoring) after the pleasures and false gods of the world, I find my own heart pulled every day away from God in more directions than I care to confess.

“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love!”

I’m sure Gomer had no way of knowing that her decisions would ultimately lead to an auction block, her beauty gone, hands tied and barely looking at the ground as people bid on her. The humiliation had to be excruciating. I wonder how she felt when she heard a familiar voice in the crowd outbidding everyone else . . . and I wonder what went through her mind as she heard fifteen silver pieces deposited with the auctioneer, and watched a years worth of food traded as her husband bought her back. Was he going to beat her? Would he invoke the ancient law and have her executed?

No. She was restored, and cherished.

“Such love constrains me.” Gomer reminds me again that nothing, absolutely nothing, will fulfill my heart and my life except relationship with my God. The price he paid to get me off the auction block was heaven's ultimate sacrifice. How can I not love him?

Loving my Weeds

I spent a little time outdoors today. It was nice to get some fresh air as our temps have been pretty low recently and even though it was overcast, it was warm enough to be enjoyable.

My mission was chickweed. A few weeks ago an angel of mercy disguised as a bank rep called, and upon hearing my cough and learning we were recovering from the crud offered some down home advice: Chickweed tea. Actually, chickweed tea with lime.

It wasn't the first time I'd heard that this lowly pest had value. Initially learning that it was rich in nutrients and edible didn't promt me to go out and eat it, but this time I had a need. I was hacking like crazy trying to clear my chest, and nothing was coming up.

God knew, and had a huge wad of chickweed waiting by the door, hanging out of a flowerpot, when I got home. I rinsed it and laid it on a rack over the broiler pan on the wood stove. It was dry in no time.

Making tea was a bit frightening. I used a tea ball and full well expected it to taste like crap, but it didn't. It had sort of a greenish taste, but a teaspoon of lime overpowered it . . . and of course I sweetened it with honey.

It worked! It worked great, and it didn't take long to learn to like the stuff! I'm hooked now, and don't want to be without a good supply of dried chickweed in case we ever have that need again . . . which is why I was searching around the property for a good stand of the stuff.

My search was not in vain. Not only did I find a good amount of chickweed, I was thrilled to find a few stinging nettle growing by a rock pile at the edge of the garden. I left them alone for the time being as I don't have an immediate need. That way they can grow nice and big for me, and hopefully reproduce.

The other thing I found was dandelion. Lots and lots of dandelion. I'll be gathering some of it in the near future too as my dh is already talking about getting the garden dug up for late winter planting.

Those last few moments outside provided a kind of epiphany. As I surveyed the mess left over from the last garden I realized that many of the plants inhabiting that space now are every bit as valuable as the vegetables we had harvested months earlier. Any other year I would have used roundup on them or tossed them root and all in the garbage. Now they were like gifts from God that I had never wanted, let alone appreciated. And they were everywhere.

Yeah, I love my weeds.

Wednesday Thoughts

It’s cold outside, a chilling 33 degrees to be exact, and just a few minutes after 10 am at that. This is extreme for south Alabama. I count my blessings though. I spoke to a friend in Indiana who was working outside in 2 (yes, two) degree weather. God bless the sunny south!

Its winter in a lot of ways. Our house is quiet again after a rollicking Christmas break. I’m ok with that as the still makes for good meditation and prayer. I sometimes think God gets tired of trying to get things through our thick heads in the midst of the noise and clutter of life we surround ourselves with.

I think the winter that bothers me most is in the struggles I see my children dealing with. All the merriment did not fend off the routine (and some not so routine) issues of life, and outright satanic attack.

So on this very cold day, my heart is on fire and I’m pleading with God on behalf of those I love. PA, CA, Montgomery, Troy, Dothan, FL, NC, Memphis, the UP, Afghanistan, . . . I've got kids in a lot of places and prayer has no distance. God would hear just as well as if I was in the next room.

You know who you are and you know I love you.

Wild Life

Life around here is usually pretty tame. We've got our routines and all the animals pretty much know what to expect. The cats have their regular times for going in and out. The chickens pretty much leave the coop in the morning, roam all day and go back to the coop at night. The cows and horses have their favorite hangouts and we all exist peacefully together.

Till today! I woke this morning to a ruckus just outside my bedroom window that would wake the dead. The chickens were having a holy fit about something and I made it outside and around the corner just in time to see a hawk flee from a bush the chickens were hiding behind.

Tonight on the way home I saw the biggest, most beautiful buck I've ever seen just beside my pasture fence. I couldn't believe my eyes and slowed down and just stared at him. Obviously I spooked him because he turned around, jumped the barb wire fence and went back into the pasture. I've got a few more days to maybe put him in the freezer.

I was still in shock over the deer when I drove around the corner of the house to my favorite parking place. What should I see but my dear kitty, Stitches, face to face with a possum about double her size. I don't know if she was staring it down or what, but the nasty thing ran like a son of a gun when it saw me. I blessed my kitty for being a good guard cat.

So maybe it's an illusion that things are tame around here, or maybe it's just that it's winter and the wild critters are hungry.

Early Morning News

So it's about 4:30 am and I'm up. After a couple of hours of tossing and turning miserably after taking a double first dose antibiotic, here I am, trying to take my mind off my poor churning stomach, surfing the net, laughing over some, and getting sick over other things. I've never been one to stay on top of current events. My world is cluttered and messy enough - more than enough to keep me out of trouble. So I rarely take on the rest of the world's problems. But this morning I've ventured to find the late breaking news, and . . . .

1) The only thing keeping a cease-fire from happening is that Hamas refuses to stop sending missiles into Israel.

2)Add to that that some are putting pressure on our president-elect to initiate low level talks with these thugs . . . .

3) UFO's are being blamed for the destruction of a 66' windmill blade in the UK. Ok, E.T. wasn't really in the photo!

4) A doctor in NY is asking for the return of his kidney (or 1.5 million $) in a divorce.

5) Tom Cruise talks out of both sides of his mouth about health and scienteology. Read the commentary .

6) The Marvel/ Obama/ Spiderman comic coming out, while it may be a collectible, is not highly regarded by insiders . . . One writer refered to it as "depressingly crass."

7) Burger King is giving away Whoppers to Facebook users who will drop 10 friends.

8) Los Angeles was just hit with an earthquake and Yellowstone expereinced 252 small earthquakes the last 5 days of 2008.

9. Google is working on a new and improved search engine called Google Chrome.

10) Continental Airlines successfully demonstrated the use of algae as an aviation fuel yesterday.

11) A 42 state outbreak of salmonella is under investigation by the CDC.

12) Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio will be released in a "bleak drama" set in the 50's called Revolutionary Road. Sounds to me like a sinking ship.

I think that should do me for being savvy on current news for a few days. I have prayed for all the mentioned movie actors, the sick people from the outbreak, our president elect, the peace of Jerusalem and the situation in Israel. Also for everyone on the west coast that they won't disappear into the ocean.

I'm not really sure what I should pray for in connection to the UFO's or the Spidy Comic's. Some things are probably best left alone. While I hope none of my Facebook friends sacrifice for for flame broiled delights, I won't lose any sleep if they do. It's only Facebook.

Taking it all In

OK, I really don't think I've taken in nearly as much as I wish I had, but I'll just blame this daggone sickness for that. This is the third, fourth (?) day of the great earache. Warm salt compresses and mullin bloom infused olive oil have become my constant companions, and as bad as I detest our healthcare system, I'm wondering if I should just break down and go. I don't like the looks of my options either way.

But being convalesced does have its perks: lots of sleep, much needed down time, piddle time, movies I wouldn't have otherwise watched, and reading. I finished The Shack (by Wm Paul Young) this morning through tears and a hungry heart. WOW.

I'll spare you a book review. Suffice it to say the website will give much more than I could say here, but if you're up to a rubber meets the road, and to borrow a phrase, where tragedy confronts eternity, kind of book, this is an emerging classic that can stand a place in the Christian library. The youtube video is good. Be warned, the book has stirred a theological hotbed of debate, so nitpickers should probably steer clear. As a metaphor, it takes a lot of literary, and even theological license in order to drive home blibical truth. I personally think the underlying message of the love of God is worth the effort for those grounded in sound doctrine. Let me emphasize that last point . . . for those grounded in sound doctrine. Even God's own book, the Holy Bible, can be misconstrued and twisted by those who are not.

I need to go repent of some stuff now.