Memories, Anxieties and All Things Pumpkin Spice

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Memories, Anxieties and All Things Pumpkin Spice

“When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 94:18-19.

 Your comforts delight my soul. Doesn’t that phrase alone just cover you like a blanket?! When the anxieties of this life pile on us, overwhelm us and our foot slips, the Lord will hold us up.

His comforts will delight our very soul.

This time of year is a comforting time.

  • The turning of the leaves.
  • The cooling of the temperatures.
  • Getting out our sweaters and boots.
  • Snuggling up with a throw and a cup of hot chocolate.
  • Campfires and caramel apples.
  • And plenty of pumpkin spice!

As soon as September arrived, if not before in some places, the pumpkin flavored treats began sprouting up everywhere. We can’t escape it! You either love it or dread it but it is here to stay. At least until the peppermint and gingerbread arrive for Christmas.

But why? What is it about pumpkin spice that causes us to swoon, possibly drool, and get out the cookbooks and cake pans?

Nostalgia. I blame it all on nostalgia.

a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

We may not even realize it, but our first memories of anything containing pumpkin spice was most likely experienced when our families were gathered together for a holiday such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was likely a comforting, “homey” time at our grandparent’s house with holiday aromas that overwhelmed us and made us feel content and cared for. Scientific studies even tell us that the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove does something weird, yet good, to the brain!

Every time we order a pumpkin spice latte at our favorite coffee shop and maybe even a pumpkin muffin to go along or pumpkin bread, pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie and on and on it goes…we are reliving a fond memory even if we don’t realize it and releasing endorphins in the brain that make us want to get out an orange fall sweatshirt appliqued with leaves and acorns.

Many bring in kindling for a fire in the fireplace and burn cinnamon roll flavored candles in their family rooms. Others run to the store to get all of their favorite ingredients for fall baking.

The fully-engaged will decorate their porches with pumpkins, bales of hay, mums and fall wreaths to show they are in the spirit of the season. #ilovefall

As the years have gone by, the pumpkin spice craving has invaded the expected and the absolutely-who-sits-around-and-thinks-of-these-things-the-normal-person-wouldn’t-expect-in-their-lifetime combinations. Take for instance:

Pumpkin Spiced…

  • Twinkies
  • Cheerios & Frosted Mini Wheats
  • Glade Room Spray
  • Mustache wax
  • Peanut Butter
  • Dish Soap
  • Lip Balm
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Pringles
  • Extra Gum
  • Tortilla Chips
  • Oreos (There should seriously be a law)
  • Milk (to go along with the Oreos!

And, of course, we could go on until Jesus comes back with all the new creations but back to our verse…the commentaries explain the word “thoughts” here to mean branches of trees, thick and entwined. Complicated, busy or distressing thoughts. God brings us comfort in so many ways. He relieves us of those anxieties, and complicated or distressing thoughts, with His loving comfort, in an instant, if we will allow Him.

The Comfort of His Presence: “Honor and majesty are (found) in His presence; strength and joy are (found) in His sanctuary.” 1 Chronicles 16:27 AMP.

“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Joshua 1:5.

The Comfort of His Love: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3, NIV.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19, NIV.

The Comfort of His Security: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Isaiah   43:2.

The Comfort of His Promise: “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:28 NKJV.

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ESV.

What kind of comfort do you need today?

Chicken soup is good. A nice cozy blanket is appealing. Even a blazing fire makes us feel warm and toasty inside. And now there is a Maple Pecan Latte just begging us to inhale its sweet, sugary goodness.

But all of those things are temporary and they do not fill the soul.

Only the Great Comforter can do that. He is the One to hold you up, calm the thoughts within and delight your very soul.

Please let me know how I can pray for you today. Embrace the scriptures in this post and claim them as your very own. Insert your name and pray them outloud and allow Jesus Christ to become the Comforter that truly fills the void in your life.

As an extra bonus today…you can view my Pumpkin Spice Creamer and Simple Syrup post here and an easy creamer recipe with variations here! 

 

 

 

 

Jesus Uses Broken Things

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When The Sweetheart and I first arrived in the country of Latvia in 2011, we were part of a team; a team we had never even met. We were of varying ages, from different areas of the United States, most married, some not, others with small children, some conquering life with teenagers. But, we all discovered we had one thing in common, we had been through STUFF. The Sweetheart even fondly called us The Misfits. Why, we wondered, with our different backgrounds, did God bring us all together to start churches in another country, another world to us? (You can read part of my story here.)

If grace is a kingdom
I’ve stopped at the gate
Thinking I don’t deserve to pass through after all of the mistakes I’ve made

The Apostle Peter experienced plenty of STUFF on his own. As a follower of Christ, he was able to see so many of the miracles of our Lord and vowed to follow Him to the very end. We know that instead, out of fear of the people, he actually did what Jesus said he would do: he denied Him, not once, but three times!

But I heard a whisper
As Heaven bent down
Said, “Child, don’t know you that the first will be last and the last get a crown.”

Peter’s mistakes didn’t keep him from being used of God, and in a mighty way! He preached the first message after the Upper Room Outpouring at Pentecost and saw 3,000 people saved in one day. He didn’t stop there, but right along with Paul and many others; kept preaching the Gospel until his death.

Now I’m just a beggar in the presence of a King
I wish I could bring You so much more
But if it’s true You use broken things
Then here I am Lord, I am all Yours

King David was christened with the title, Man after God’s own heart. Yet David committed adultery and murder! Of course we know sin is sin but David paid dearly for his sin against God and Uriah, the Hittite, with the death of his infant son, born from his relationship with Uriah’s wife, Abigail.

The pages of history they tell me it’s true
That it’s never the perfect; it’s always the ones with the scars that You use

Did that mean it was over for David? No, David repented and God forgave because David desired to please God, he loved the law of God! David is credited with writing over half of the 150 Psalms in the Bible. Most of them were born out of trouble and over and over David repeats how much he loves God’s Word. Psalms 119:47–48: “For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” 

It’s the rebels and the prodigals; it’s the humble and the weak
The misfit heroes You chose
Tell me there’s hope for sinners like me

There are many, many other people in the Bible who failed God.

  • Jacob cheated
  • Peter had a short temper
  • David had an affair
  • Noah got drunk
  • Miriam gossiped
  • Martha worried
  • Thomas doubted
  • Sarah couldn’t wait
  • Moses stuttered
  • Zaccheus was short! (there’s hope for me!)
  • Jonah ran away
  • Gideon was afraid
  • Rahab owned a brothel
  • James and John wanted special seats beside God
  • And Lazarus was dead

True, they, and many others too numerous to mention, made mistakes, they fell down, stumbled and maybe even involved others in their mishaps. But, the good news is they got back up and allowed God to take their slip-ups, their bloopers, gaffes and outright sins and forgive, forget and then empower them to do great things in the Kingdom.

I hope you haven’t missed reading the lyrics in this post. They are from a powerful song, Broken Things by Matthew West. The first verse grabs me because he stops at the gate. Why? He didn’t feel worthy to enter, the enemy was whispering in his ear his past, his many mistakes, and it hindered him from being all God wanted him to be.

It’s never the perfect that God seeks out! It’s the ones with the scars, those that have been through STUFF, such as our team in Riga, Latvia. Maybe just like you. But who better to reach broken people than people that have been broken?! We have learned, we have persevered and we have compassion for others who may also be struggling. (I could turn this into a series on my mistakes alone!)

It is said that if God chose the perfect, those that seemingly have no mistakes in their past, then the credit would go to them, not to God. But when He chooses the imperfect, those that have humbled themselves before God, discovered that they can’t make it without Him, have needed Him to bail them out, save them, deliver them, etc., then God receives the praise and the glory!

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 ESV.

Do you feel as if you belong in the band of misfits? That maybe you have made too many mistakes for God to forgive? Or maybe you have accepted His forgiveness but think that you can’t be restored to ministry? Remember these heroes of the faith that believed GOD was able to take their mess and turn it into ministry.

Grace is a kingdom
With gates open wide
There’s a seat at the table just waiting for you
So, come on inside

He calls the broken because they are dependent on Him, they rely on His power and His might and when they turn it over to Almighty God, no one can turn them away from the King’s table. They are not perfect but continually chase after the One who is.

Enjoy this song, let it be a blessing to you today or pass it on to a friend. God is ready to restore and use you again! And be sure and comment, share with us someone in the Bible that may have messed up or had a past to overcome that God was able to use regardless of circumstances.

Korey and Alicia: A Guide Post for your Wedding Day

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Korey and Alicia: A Guide Post for your Wedding Day

This post is too long for a #fiveminutefriday submission but today’s word prompt and the occasion is my excuse to tie in my youngest son’s wedding today and the word, Guide.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye Psalm 32:8.

No one likes to be called a baby but the youngest in the family takes on that title role rather unwillingly, for a while unknowingly and hopefully wears it proudly, as mine likes to say, “Why have any more when you created the best?!”

Korey Ross Elkins came into our lives almost 26 years ago and has been guided and protected by his brothers from Day One. They are each a little over five years apart so there was quite a spread between the oldest and the youngest. But, it never seemed to matter, especially as they have all grown into adults, I have seen the three of them be angry, even furious with the other but you better not let anyone else do the same or you would have all three of them to tangle with!

When we first made the decision to sell all and move to Latvia, for what was initially a long-term adventure, Korey decided to go with us for the first six months and make sure there was a music team for outreach and church planting. He was 18 years old. It forever changed him and was such a great time for all three of us learning to be guided and even protected by The One True God, Jesus Christ. We have gone through things together that others may or may not understand and we will forever have those memories of the big and the little things that God did just for us…right on time…every time.

But today isn’t all about Korey, because Korey has found Alicia Melynne Hudson, who just happens to be the baby of her family too. (I didn’t look up statistics on the possible day-to-day pitfalls of that arrangement.) If you follow them at all, you have heard that they can create beautiful music together. Understatement! Alicia has the voice we all wish we were born and blessed with. She sings with passion, anointing and allows her ministry to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Walking a pathway of brokenness, she has a ministry to the hurting, the lost and the lonely, giving assurance that this great God we serve never, ever leaves us even when we are sure we can never rise above our circumstances or our past. You can see some of her writings here on her blog, So Far, So Good and her newest recorded Spoken Word here.

Together, they are allowing God to use them, however He chooses, putting Him first and their ambitions in His hands. And with them they bring a pure bundle of joy that has won our hearts from the very first day, Lark Lynnette.

 

This precious, bouncing, never-know-what-she-will-say two year old beauty is the icing on the cake. There was no doubt  from our first meeting that The Sweetheart and I would love her and spoil her rotten because that is what Nana’s and Poppy’s role is.

But we also want to be part of the influence and guide in her life, along with her other grandparents. (She is blessed with so many!) What we do and say in front of these little ones impacts them for the rest of their lives and I want her to have memories of us with her in church, hands raised to God, and even more importantly, I want us to live it out in front of her. The best teacher is LIFE and what she sees at church, and around church people had better be what she sees when she is in our home. Let it be, Lord, let it be.

So, we will be thankful today, even with happy tears, that what God has brought together, no one can put asunder. I finally looked that up after hearing it for 56 years! The common definition is to tear apart, into pieces.

The Middle English used to know the word asunder as distinguish or tell apart. And that makes today even more special, whether those words are actually spoken over them or not, that as they are united in marriage, that they will truly be one, as the Bible declares, that no one can distinguish them apart from the other, no one can tell them apart because they forever belong together. “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Mark 10:7-9

The NKJV says it like this:

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:7-9 NKJV

Korey, Alicia and Lark, as you begin this journey as a family, may you always put God first and your family as the utmost second, let nothing get in the way of allowing Him to guide your every thought and purpose and then no one, absolutely no one, can tell you apart or tear you apart.

Love,

Mom