The Grapefruit Story

I didn’t always like grapefruit.  I don’t remember when I started to like it.  It probably had something to do with a diet.

My brother Bill has a beautiful grapefruit tree in his backyard.  When he told me about it, I was looking forward to nice fresh, (free) grapefruit.

You know the grapefruit is like the Word of God.  Yes really, let me show you.  Look at these verses that have always remained favorites.

Ezekiel 3: 1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it." Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
And also. Psalm 119: 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Just as the grapefruit provides nourishment to our bodies, the Word of God provides nourishment to our souls.

It’s a wonderful beautiful tree that was planted here by someone, probably a few years back.  My brother waters it with just a nearby hose.  The tree has beautiful leaves and can provide very much shade. It has a large amount of fruit on it now!
When I wanted to get a grapefruit, I had to use a tool to pick it.  It just didn’t fall on my head. I had to make an effort just as we have to consciously make an effort to pickup the Book and open it.

I easily picked about 8 grapefruit.  I put them in a dish to admire them for a few days.  They also added a wonderful aroma to the house. 

If you want, you can go on-line to Christianbook.com and find 4,570 Bibles to choose from.  But the important one is the one in your home.  It is probably a very nice book, some are hardcover or leather, it could be a study Bible or reference Bible, and it could be very large or very small.  Your Bible can be admired sitting on the coffee table or on the shelf.

So now comes the work.  You cannot just bite into a grapefruit like an apple.  You have to peel it. I used 2 tools in my work – a little plastic peeler and a knife.

Sometimes when we want to peel away at God’s Word we need tools to help us.  It could be a Bible study guide or even another person to explain it.  To get to the fruit, it takes an effort.

The fresh fruit tastes delicious plus the vitamins and nutrition we get from the fruit are wonderful. 

Have you had your fruit today?

It's a beautiful day!

I was just wondering if I would say this if I were back in PA at 24 degrees. (Ok, it is going to be a high of 74 here in Arizona today.)  My conclusion is YES.  The weather does not make the day.  I woke up this morning and talked to my Lord the same as I always do.  That is what makes a beautiful day.

Our trip out here was great.  We had such a wonderful visit with our friend Joanie (some may know her as Laurie Avery's mom.)  She is so much fun and so sweet to be around.  Again, friends make a beautiful day.  We didn't have to do anything else but enjoy each other.

We stayed in Arkansas an extra day because of snow.  We just didn't want to drive on wet roads and we had no deadline.  On Tuesday we drove about 14 hours.  The road was straight and the speed limit was 75 and there was very little traffic.  So we stayed in Albuquerque NM.  Going west as sun was gong down was a beauty.  I tried to capture some as we drove.

We took our time on Wednesday since we were only about 8 hours away.  We decided to take  I-25 south and then I-10 over to Tempe.  It was a wonderful ride. Frank did most of the driving. We listened to a podcast from James MacDonald and I have to mention one thing he said.  The subject was how to find the will of God.  "God's will is about who you are, not where you are."

After 2387.6 miles, it was so great to see my brother Bill.  He has a very nice house and has made us very comfortable.  (Of course I will reorganize the kitchen. He doesn't cook very much.)  We are really going to enjoy spending time with him because as you might have guessed, being with family also makes a beautiful day.

Thoughts on the new year

Just read the funniest thing from a FB friend.  Pam said, "Wow it's almost noon....this year is flying!  But you know she is right.  We can depend on the fact that this year will fly by as last year did.  

Did you get everything done you planned on doing in 2010? Of course not, we never do.  But isn't it great to make plans and have visions of what we want to do? Don't give up.  I am going to finish an afghan I started 9 years ago for my grandson.  I was going to make one for each grandchild but at this rate I am not going to live long enough!

But really the main things for me this new year are:

1.   Grow in my spiritual life - am I living a life pleasing to God?
2.   Be more sensitive to others needs - family, friends or even strangers - am I willing to put them first when needed?
3.   And I want to take care of myself mentally and physically so I am able to do one and two.

No matter what the new year brings, (little did I know last year at this time I would soon have a broken shoulder) I know that the Lord will take care of me.

Psalm 27:4-5

 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

PS. I really do want to finish the afghan.

Happy New Year, Nancy