The Dirty Ones

Have you ever felt dirty?

Like after working out in the garden on a 90 degree day? Mud caked onto you knees and hands. Dirt crammed into your fingernails. Sweat drenching your body. Hair sticking to your face and neck.

 

Imagine that feeling.

 

Now, internalize it.

 

That feeling is real. Many people we see and meet, though they look clean and kept, are filthy and covered with grime on the inside. Guilt haunts them. They struggle to paste on the artificial smile. Painful memories rush through their minds. Every day they struggle with the past.

They are dirty.

 

They want hope and freedom. So, they step into the church. Perhaps, just perhaps there truly is freedom in Christ. Maybe, it's true that there is forgiveness. And there is the slightest glimmer of hope, that there will be acceptance.

But everyone inside the church is so clean. Their lives so perfect. They've never done anything compared to the crimes that these souls have committed. They've never messed up that bad. Of course there is freedom, forgiveness and acceptance for them. Why wouldn't there be?

 

And the destitute souls flee, for the fear that someone will see how dirty they are.

They run because if the clean people saw the dirt and grime, they would shudder with disgust and turn away. The scars are too deep and the filth too thick to hide.

There is no acceptance at the cross, they decide.

And they never return.

 

The woman caught in the act of adultery was dirty.

She was brought before Jesus after being caught in the act.

But, Jesus loved her.

He did not condemn her. He did tell her to go and sin no more, but He did not condemn her. He freed her from her accusers, forgave her of her sins, and accepted her.

He cleansed her.

 That's what Jesus does to dirty people.

 

Do you want to know the truth?

The truth is, all these clean looking people are just as dirty and filthy as that woman was. Probably even more so. The only reason a single one of them is different is because Jesus did for them what He did for her. These perfect, sinless lives are a farce.

There are NO GOOD PEOPLE!!! None!!!

 

We are all DIRTY, FILTHY, VILE people.

 

Jesus was the one and only clean person.

And the only reason any one of us can be clean, is because God took all of the filth and grime that we had on us, and He put it on His Son that He loved.

Do you get that?

I struggle to understand this kind of love. I ask myself how God could possibly love someone as dirty as I so much that He would put my filth on His wonderful, perfectly clean Son.

 

Those people, you know the ones with all the dirt.

God loves them

 

Do you?

There's a Fungus Among Us!!!

So, about a month ago I read Debbie Pearl's book, "Preparing To Be A Helpmeet." It was the second time I read it, but after reading it again, I decided that I must have been asleep when I read it the first time. :-) Either that or I was just enjoying the stories so much that I missed the whole point of the stories....*guilty*
Anyhoo, one of the things that Mrs. Pearl strongly suggested was to take the time to study a new subject each week. It keeps you learning new helpful things. I thought, "Hey, I can do that. In a typical week I go to the library about three times, plus I have a basement full of books. No problem-o!"
Thus, I decided that in this new year I would try to study a new subject each week. I will admit that I didn't "officially" start until this last week, but I'm just going with the fact that this new year started on a Tuesday so, I'm good. Mrs. Pearl said that the first subject she studied was mushrooms and since I have a love for mushrooms (especially when they're sautéed to death in butter) I figured that they would be a perfect subject to study. The first book I went through was....well frankly, it was bland. Then I found this book called "Mushrooms; For Health and Longevity." It's by Ken Babal, and if you're looking for a quick, easy and very informative book about mushrooms, this one is great! I had no idea how many health benefits there were to mushrooms, plus they have incredible medicinal value!

Did you know that mushrooms were the only vegan source of vitamin D besides sunlight and ultraviolet exposure? I didn't! And since I hardly ever go outside in the winter, I'm thinking that I need to be eating some more mushrooms. Not only that, but they also help you lose weight.
One of the most amazing things that I learned is that there are several different mushrooms that have cancer curing qualities. Most of these are more commonly used in Asia, but some are used in America. Actually, all of the mushrooms that I learned about help fight cancer and boost your immune system. Different mushrooms help with different things. Some fight breast cancer, some help shrink tumors, some help with hormonal imbalances, some help cure hepatitis B, and some even help lower cholesterol levels up to 14%.
Here's a list of the mushrooms covered in this book:
Agaricus
Chaga
Cordyceps
Coriolus
Enoki
Lion's Mane
Maitake
Meshima
Reishi'
Shiitake
Temella

I can't wait to try some of these. I just need to open a new account and start saving some mushroom money, cause these babies aren't the cheapest fungus in the forest. :-)

My subject for this week is not very practical, but I saw a book at the library about it and I just couldn't resist! Hopefully, I'll be posting about it this weekend.......

The Way God Speaks

I am not a poet.
In fact, I am an utter fail when it comes to poetry.
If the poem is meant to be deeper than a rat with a hat and a baseball bat, then I just can't seem to write it.

Last night, as I was struggling to do a poetry assignment for my English class, I was reminded of God's infinite greatness. Throughout Scripture we see all different styles of writing, some very poetic and some simple prose. Each book, sometimes each chapter, has it's own way of speaking to us because of the way it was written. This is a beautiful thing.

I love reading the words of Jesus especially. He spoke in such a simple, yet colorful and vivid way. His words place pictures in my mind that help me understand, in a truer sense, what He is saying. He is the Shepherd, the Door, and the Vine. Each of these pictures shows a different aspect of our Savior. The thing I love the most is that He did this in a simple way, with common language that even children could understand. He did not use unpronounceable words to impress the people with His great vocabulary. He spoke so that they could hear and be taught. I love that about Christ.

I pray that even in my un-poetic state, I can reach people through writing.
I suppose the best thing I can do is to keep learning from my Master.

Food.....

Just a quick thought....
Can you think of anything quite as wonderful as preparing a glorious meal for your family?
At the moment, I can't think of anything quite as wonderful.
The salad looks like a painting full of vibrant colors.
The pot roast is filling our home with a heavenly aroma.
And suddenly the thought of a basil pesto just sparked an idea for the pasta.....

Ahhh, the bliss of cooking!

:-)