AND THEY WERE WATCHING... a poem about integrity

And They Were Watching
S. Bentley

He went to work and did his job
And now and then shared his faith in God
And those around all watched his life
His love for God, his kids, his wife
And they were drawn, not by his words
But by what their eyes could see

And they were watching - they always do
You never notice but it’s true
Watching me and watching you
What is it they see?

He preached the gospel on T.V.
“The Lord shall bring thee victory!”
But many tender souls were crushed
When news arose of his crimes of lust
They were repelled not by his words
But by what their eyes could see

 

She was the mom of one small boy
She taught him faith in God with joy
And as he matured that boy could view
That in fact his mother’s faith was true
And he was drawn, not by her words
But by what his eyes could see

 

He was a man who shared his thoughts
Then lived it out before those he taught
He asked them all to come follow Him
Then laid down His life to free them from sin
And they were drawn, not just by His words
But by His magnificent deeds!

 

And they were watching - they always do
You never notice but it’s true
Watching me and watching you
What is it they see?

LIKE A TREE FIRMLY PLANTED

 

LIKE A TREE

 

My husband and I just had a wonderful vacation in Costa Rica!  It was so relaxing.  We did NOTHING adventurous.  We checked into a lovely resort and didn't tour any farther than our feet could carry us.  We walked into the nearby village and ate lots of (too much) wonderful food.

We took long walks on a gorgeous almost empty beach with aqua blue ocean waves crashing on the white sand. 

On one of our walks we saw this amazing tree clinging precariously to a cliff.

 

 

It's roots have become wooded tenacles stretching, reaching, pushing into every possible crack and crevice in order to survive without succumbing to gravity's pressure to bring it down.

 

How different is the tree described in Psalm 1

How blessed is the man... (whose) delight is in the law of the Lord.  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water...Its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he propers.

 

What am I delighting in?  Am I craving the delicious warmth of my sweet Savior's presence?  Am I comforted and rejoicing in peace with the One who loves me so?

 

Well, maybe ... Sometimes I am.

But I want to more.

 

 



 

 

 



FOLLOWING BY FAITH

Following by Faith

Last Sunday I did music at church.  That always means that my husband and I have to drive separate cars because I have to be there so early.  After church we were going out with a group of friends for lunch.  I took my "gear" to my car while my husband found out where everybody was going to eat.  He got into his truck and waved me to follow him.  He pulled his truck out of the church parking lot and I set my eyes on his bumper and followed.  I had no idea where we were going but I knew he did.  I knew that if I got caught behind a slower vehicle, he'd pull over and wait for me.  He'd make sure I didn't get lost along the way.  He would keep me in his mirror and guide me where ever we headed.

How like this is our walk through this life?

We know the ultimate destination is eternal life in the Lord's presence. 

And the road there - well - Jesus leads us all along the way.

We follow

We don't turn to the right or left

We set our sights on Him

Even when He seems so far ahead

Almost out of our line of sight sometimes

He slows

And leads

Tenderly

Patiently

Gently

Fixing our eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfector of our faith.

A LITTLE PRESPECTIVE - Seeing what matters

   As a little girl, I can remember one summer playing on the front lawn when something on the sidewalk caught my eye.  There was a trail of ants marching dutifully in a line across the pavement.  Some were heading one way and some coming the other.  Some had cumbersome loads of useful bits of leaves and dead bug carcasses that they were hauling into their little ant kingdom down a hole in a crack in the cement.

   So busy … so constructive … so focused.

  They were completely unaware that this little seven year old girl would spend the next half hour trying to make the trip a little more challenging for them.  First I placed my little pink clip-clop in their way.  They seemed a bit distressed but soon found their way around the sides and continued their trek.  Then there was a garden hose, a leaf and finally a little water.

   Very determined little creatures, ants are!

   Never could they begin to understand the complexities of my world.  Ants think that bringing treasures to their queen is all that matters.

 

   We are ants.  No.  Not the bug kind of ants.  The little earthly creatures that hustle about thinking what we’re doing is so very important.  But God looks down and wants us to understand Him.  He wants us to acknowledge Him as Master and Creator.

   Sometimes, I look up.  And I begin to understand HIS world.  It’s huge and amazing.  It’s wonderful … mostly because …

  He loves this little silly ant; this worthless, pitiful   …and busy ant.

 

Colossians 3:1-3 Reminds me –

   Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Click HERE to hear us sing it (may take a few minutes to load) 

THE (not-so) GREAT WALL OF COARSEGOLD - a cautionary tale



~****~

In a little town down the mountain from us, a retired couple bought a lot on a hill to build their dream.  They thought if they could spend all their retirement savings and build a storage facility it would bring them good income for the rest of their lives.  Of course the county made their dream more difficult because they would be required to build a huge retaining wall to assure the business below them no danger of landslides.  So they did what was necessary to make their dreams happen.



That was ten or eleven years ago.  Now the wall is crumbling away, it started buckling at the base and eventually it has become an unsightly nightmare.  A small wall of cement rails keep auto & foot traffic away from imminent danger of being crushed by it.  Twisted rebar and crushed cinderblock protrude from the base like some kind of disemboweled dinosaur.  A few years ago they began to cover it with plastic in hopes that slowing the rain erosion might prevent  the destruction.  Instead, plastic sheeting is being shredded as the falling block rips and tears at it.

How much like this is a person whose intent and purpose is to build all their hopes and dreams on anything less than a foundation with eternal solidity.  You work, scrimp and save to build a dream.  You pour your blood, sweat and tears into designing it and you give shape to the structure of your imagination.  The only problem is, it’s being constructed on the weakest, most vulnerable of undergirdings. 

The God Who created us, designed a rock-solid foundation for a life to be built upon.  He could have no friendship with sinful man so he became sinless man to bear the cost for that sin.  He invites the lost, the blind, the dying to build where our structure will stand, unharmed by the wind, floods and earthquakes of life.

Why do people not understand this?  I simply don’t understand what is SO great about a life that is destined to end up like the Great Wall of Coarsegold? 

Whenever we drive through that little town, it reminds me to pray for those who don’t understand; the lost, the defiant, the confused, the rebellious.

Oh Father, please open their eyes!  And please use me in any way that might help!

 ********************************************************************************

Matthew 7:24 – 27  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

I SURRENDER ALL - with a new bridge and chord arrangement

Click https://valleybible.net/MusicMinistry/Music/Audio/ISurrenderAll.mp3 
to hear us singing it at Valley Bible Church

All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give

I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all

All to Thee my blessed Savior,

I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow

Worldly pleasures all forsaken;

take me Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus I surrender, Make me Savior wholly Thine.

Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.

Is there anything I wouldn't do, if You asked me to?

Is there anyplace I wouldn't go? Tell me if it's so.

All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee;Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me.

SALLY'S BACON JAM SPREAD

Yup, that's right. Bacon Jam Spread

I saw that you can buy it on the net for some ridiclous price so here's my version of the same thing - for a LOT less.  And it's pretty darn good.

It goes in sandwiches, burgers, on toast or eggs.  It can be tossed in a salad.  Get creative!

Ingredients:

1 pound of bacon

1 yellow onion

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

Unwrap the bacon and cut the whole block in four pieces across the slices.  Place in large skillet.  Chop the onion and toss in with the bacon to brown together.

  Cook over medium heat until bacon is done.  The pan will get sticky but we'll deglaze it later.

Toss in the brown sugar and sprinkle in the cornstarch while stirring.  It looks like a goopy mess.  Don't worry, it's supposed to. 

Now stir in the water and the balsamic vinegar scraping the pan until it's  deglazed.  That's the good tasting stuff so scrape it good.

It should look something like this:

When the glaze is thickened pull it off the heat so it doesn't burn.  Now at this point I spooned out some of the extra clear fat.  This stuff is certainly not lowfat but I got several tablespoons out of the mix that doesn't end up in our veins.

Now let it cool a bit...stop nibbling!

Now just spoon it into your food processor bowl.

And give it a few spins to grind up the big chunks. Remember that this is spread so it needs to be ... spreadable. Not smooth but spreadable.

Like this:

I put mine in a sealable plastic container and place it in the fridge but it's really best at room temperature.

ENJOY!