Sometimes when I have happy feet that are happy to roam about the countryside, especially now in these pandemic days, something around the house needs to grab my attention to anchor me here at the homestead. The day was a little too warm for gardening and I was holding up hope that Mike the Mower man would make an appearance but as the afternoon continued and the itch to get out could only be remedied by one thing, Texas Sheet Cake. Dena had sent a care package several months ago with two kits to make sheet cake. It was easy enough using one pan to assemble it all to pour into the ever present and always used baking container, a 9 by 13 baking pan. This was a new pan so what better dish than Texas Sheet Cake to inaugurate its use and service. Oh my, the cake, delicious and so good.
Yesterday morning, while praying about a decision that I was feeling a yes to in my spirit, I asked God, could you give me a confirmation today that yes is the decision. Can you still use me? Then, I went on about the morning. A friend came to mind and I texted her asking about an appointment and decisions wrapped around that appointment. She responded but I had left for the grocery store and didn't get a text off to her. Once the groceries were loaded into the trunk, I stopped and read her reply and felt compelled to respond to her then even though it goes against every safety moment and precaution about sitting in the car and texting...in a parking lot. She responded but since I had left the parking lot and was driving, thank goodness I still had some safety instincts, I didn't write back until returning home. While putting up groceries, she sent a text saying God just used you, will get back later and here, just as I read that, the phone rang. My 2:30 phone call was about an hour early. Taking the call with an answer of yes, I knew that the seconds before the call, the text was that gift of confirmation I had asked the Lord about. Then when I finally got to read the story of how God had used me, it was a story of minutes and seconds, just like what had happened here. He is an on time God, He uses everything to encourage us, even texts.
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The sound of Saturday morning, lawnmowers and weed eaters. Although technically that is a sound that can be heard almost everyday out here in the country. Well, the sound of tractors and chainsaws might be a better description. More little stick houses are being built down the road but thankfully a big bank of trees and firs cover our view of the houses being built. The wind has picked up a bit too this morning. We may or may not get rain.
This morning on Twitter I read an interesting and insightful thread started by Rhyne Putnum. I don't know who he is but he wrote from the heart not being the "biblical man" by definition that Christians have used culturally. Out of his thread he wrote something that Roy has said for years about Jacob and Esau. Roy doesn't go to a lot of the men's conferences or retreats because in his mind all they are trying to do is make men into being better Esaus than Jacobs. Professor Karen Swallow Prior responded to his Twitter thread, giving a woman's point of view in the same context. She said, "Imagine being female in this same conservative context, growing up not that pretty, pleasing, or sweet; unable to cook or sew; loving reading philosophy, and debate... Not to mention being unable to have children." The responses to this thread is filled with testimony after testimony of not feeling like they fit in or that programming was designed for them. Oh my, I found my people group. If you have read Monablog for any period of time you know that the cutie women's ministry has not been something that I have enjoyed. The leaders will always choose a former anorexic woman, who happens to be beautiful to share at a gathering or retreat. You don't see too many former bulimics on the stage cause they tend to be overweight and goodness knows that is not the image one wants to project or portray. There are women who have wonderful stories of redemption but they don't fit the pattern and sometimes, just maybe, their language is a bit off color. On Twitter person after person shared their struggle. I will say that being 6' tall and being a woman does not help when many a time you tower over the man in charge. One time after being verbally torn apart by one of these men, I casually told him, I am going to respond in kindness cause your anger comes out of a jealousy that you aren't as tall as me and there is nothing that I can do about it. Many times I have written something to the effect of, if nothing else, and believe me there is a lot of else, Beth Moore delivered us from teas, fashion shows and crafts in Women's Ministry. She has brought the Word of God for study and truth to women. There is nothing wrong with teas, fashion shows and crafts, but it doesn't have to be the main theme when women gather. Every once in a while the subject of having a tea comes up and I would go, only I'll be wearing a gardening hat or gimme cap and gardening gloves. Every meeting doesn't have to be strictly serious and every meeting doesn't need to be fun...wow, that hurt to write cause fun many times is the motivation for me to get a job done, but there needs to be a good mix. Serve and fellowship.
Twice this afternoon, I beat the rain. Once with the top down on Mustang Sam and the other time I had already put the top up. We actually got some rain and it looks like we may still be getting a little bit. The feral fam has gone someplace dry. That little Hector Protector is taking a liking to me. More on this later.
The luxury of being a good weather Baptist while we are not having Sunday School may come into play tomorrow morning...depending you know, on the weather.
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