The Tree of Life By Marla Carter
March definitely came raging in like a lion this year with storms that produced tornados, hail,
strong winds, and left damage across many states. Locally, with winds gusting up to 50 mph for hours, Iam surprised the damage wasn't worse than it was.
I spent much of the day looking out my back windows, watching the trees in my backyard as they swayed and bent in the wild winds. We've been through a lot of storms since we've lived in this house. I've seen those trees bend with the winds before, but never quite like this. I was
amazed at how far the trees could bend without breaking. Tall trees, reaching up to the sky, anchored to the ground below by unseen roots, not in concrete, but in soil. In fact, I read that most trees' roots systems are only 6-12 inches below the surface because that's where there is an abundance of oxygen, moisture, and nutrients.
The Bible has a lot to say about trees. Trees bookend the story of man's relationship with God-
Eden's Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life in heaven. Sandwiched in
the middle, bridging the gap, is the tree on which Jesus died. I heard once that, other than God
and people, trees are the most mentioned living thing in the Bible. That should come as no
surprise since God often uses things in nature to teach us about Himself, and trees are very large visual aid!
One of my favorite passages about trees is Jeremiah 17:7-8: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by
the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Crisco, Biscuits, and the Bible
By Marla Carter.
One morning last week, I decided to make homemade biscuits. I found a video of a sweet, older southern gal making biscuits, and it looked like how I remembered my Granny making them. So, I decided to follow her instructions. I gathered the ingredients and the tools, and then I cranked up the oven to a whopping 500 degrees just as she said.
I watched her carefully. I sifted flour into the bowl. Wait- how much flour? The lady didn't say. So, I just guessed. She seemed to have a lot of flour in her bowl so I sifted a lot into my bowl. Then I used the back of my hand to make a well in the flour just as she had demonstrated. Not too hard. Next she said to get "two wads of Crisco, about the size of a large chicken egg." Hmmm. Exactly how large is that? I scooped up two dollops of Crisco and placed them in the flour well. Then she said to shake up the buttermilk and pour some in the well. How much is "some?" She said "maybe a cup and a half." So I shook up the buttermilk and poured "some" in. What does a cup and a half look like? Hmmm. Not sure.
I watched her use her hand to mix together the Crisco and buttermilk in that flour well, carefully bringing in flour little by little from the edge and working it together until a nice dough formed. After patting out the dough, cutting the biscuits, and baking them in an iron skillet, I took my apple butter out of the fridge, eagerly waiting to try the biscuits. And how did they turn out? They were quite tasty, but flat like a cookie. I guess I'll have to try again. "I need a recipe," I thought as I ate my flat biscuit! "A detailed recipe! Just tell me exactly what to do!" It occurred to me that I often say the same thing to God when I'm having a hard time making a decision. "Just tell me exactly what to do, God! Spell it out for me. Put a big sign in my yard!"
The Bible is, in some sense, our "recipe" for life with God. It tells us of His great love for us and how our sin has separated us from Him. It also tells us how to have a right relationship with Him and with others. Sometimes it has very specific instructions--like how we can be saved. "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:4) It gives us very clear instructions for many other areas of life: "Thou shall not steal," "Go and make disciples," "Do not worry," "Love your enemies," “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, etc.
But of course, the Bible does not describe every single circumstance we face in life with that degree of clarity. It does, however, contain principles, or guidelines, to help us with those less-clear issues. For example, does the Bible say we can't watch R-rated movies? Of course not. But it does tell us in Philippians 4:8,"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." If I spend 2 hours watching an R rated movie, I'm most likely not going to be watching and thus thinking about things that are honorable, pure, or lovely. The more impure, dishonorable, unlovely things I think about and put into my heart, the more my heart will be changed and I may start to act impure, dishonorable, and altogether unlovely.
That's a rather simplistic example, but hopefully you can see what I mean. When we're faced with a choice or decision and we don't know what to do, even if the Bible doesn't spell it out for us completely, we can be sure it speaks to the principles involved. Then it's up to us to act in light of those guidelines. Think about my Crisco example: I may not know exactly what size a chicken egg is, but I'm certain it's not as big as a basketball or as small as a penny. In the same way, we use the guidelines in the less clear passages of scripture to help us make choices. We have freedom in Christ to make choices with the help of God's Word and the Holy Spirit. That is yet another reason why reading our Bibles is so important. We have to read God's Word if we want to know what He's instructing us to do.
Here are some other verses you may find helpful:
"Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." Psalm 119:37 (*Ouch! Oh, the hours I spend looking at a screen.)
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (Think, "Should I smoke? "Who cares if I eat junk food all the time and never exercise?" etc..)
"Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:10
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
Tree of Life By Marla Carter
March definitely came raging in like a lion this year with storms that produced tornados, hail,
strong winds, and left damage across many states. Locally, with winds gusting up to 50 mph for hours, Iam surprised the damage wasn't worse than it was.
I spent much of the day looking out my back windows, watching the trees in my backyard as they swayed and bent in the wild winds. We've been through a lot of storms since we've lived in this house. I've seen those trees bend with the winds before, but never quite like this. I was
amazed at how far the trees could bend without breaking. Tall trees, reaching up to the sky, anchored to the ground below by unseen roots, not in concrete, but in soil. In fact, I read that most trees' roots systems are only 6-12 inches below the surface because that's where there is an abundance of oxygen, moisture, and nutrients.
The Bible has a lot to say about trees. Trees bookend the story of man's relationship with God-
Eden's Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life in heaven. Sandwiched in
the middle, bridging the gap, is the tree on which Jesus died. I heard once that, other than God
and people, trees are the most mentioned living thing in the Bible. That should come as no
surprise since God often uses things in nature to teach us about Himself, and trees are very large visual aid!
One of my favorite passages about trees is Jeremiah 17:7-8: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by
the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
March definitely came raging in like a lion this year with storms that produced tornados, hail,
strong winds, and left damage across many states. Locally, with winds gusting up to 50 mph for hours, Iam surprised the damage wasn't worse than it was.
I spent much of the day looking out my back windows, watching the trees in my backyard as they swayed and bent in the wild winds. We've been through a lot of storms since we've lived in this house. I've seen those trees bend with the winds before, but never quite like this. I was
amazed at how far the trees could bend without breaking. Tall trees, reaching up to the sky, anchored to the ground below by unseen roots, not in concrete, but in soil. In fact, I read that most trees' roots systems are only 6-12 inches below the surface because that's where there is an abundance of oxygen, moisture, and nutrients.
The Bible has a lot to say about trees. Trees bookend the story of man's relationship with God-
Eden's Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life in heaven. Sandwiched in
the middle, bridging the gap, is the tree on which Jesus died. I heard once that, other than God
and people, trees are the most mentioned living thing in the Bible. That should come as no
surprise since God often uses things in nature to teach us about Himself, and trees are very large visual aid!
One of my favorite passages about trees is Jeremiah 17:7-8: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by
the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Crisco, Biscuits, and the Bible
By Marla Carter.
One morning last week, I decided to make homemade biscuits. I found a video of a sweet, older southern gal making biscuits, and it looked like how I remembered my Granny making them. So, I decided to follow her instructions. I gathered the ingredients and the tools, and then I cranked up the oven to a whopping 500 degrees just as she said.
I watched her carefully. I sifted flour into the bowl. Wait- how much flour? The lady didn't say. So, I just guessed. She seemed to have a lot of flour in her bowl so I sifted a lot into my bowl. Then I used the back of my hand to make a well in the flour just as she had demonstrated. Not too hard. Next she said to get "two wads of Crisco, about the size of a large chicken egg." Hmmm. Exactly how large is that? I scooped up two dollops of Crisco and placed them in the flour well. Then she said to shake up the buttermilk and pour some in the well. How much is "some?" She said "maybe a cup and a half." So I shook up the buttermilk and poured "some" in. What does a cup and a half look like? Hmmm. Not sure.
I watched her use her hand to mix together the Crisco and buttermilk in that flour well, carefully bringing in flour little by little from the edge and working it together until a nice dough formed. After patting out the dough, cutting the biscuits, and baking them in an iron skillet, I took my apple butter out of the fridge, eagerly waiting to try the biscuits. And how did they turn out? They were quite tasty, but flat like a cookie. I guess I'll have to try again. "I need a recipe," I thought as I ate my flat biscuit! "A detailed recipe! Just tell me exactly what to do!" It occurred to me that I often say the same thing to God when I'm having a hard time making a decision. "Just tell me exactly what to do, God! Spell it out for me. Put a big sign in my yard!"
The Bible is, in some sense, our "recipe" for life with God. It tells us of His great love for us and how our sin has separated us from Him. It also tells us how to have a right relationship with Him and with others. Sometimes it has very specific instructions--like how we can be saved. "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:4) It gives us very clear instructions for many other areas of life: "Thou shall not steal," "Go and make disciples," "Do not worry," "Love your enemies," “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, etc.
But of course, the Bible does not describe every single circumstance we face in life with that degree of clarity. It does, however, contain principles, or guidelines, to help us with those less-clear issues. For example, does the Bible say we can't watch R-rated movies? Of course not. But it does tell us in Philippians 4:8,"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." If I spend 2 hours watching an R rated movie, I'm most likely not going to be watching and thus thinking about things that are honorable, pure, or lovely. The more impure, dishonorable, unlovely things I think about and put into my heart, the more my heart will be changed and I may start to act impure, dishonorable, and altogether unlovely.
That's a rather simplistic example, but hopefully you can see what I mean. When we're faced with a choice or decision and we don't know what to do, even if the Bible doesn't spell it out for us completely, we can be sure it speaks to the principles involved. Then it's up to us to act in light of those guidelines. Think about my Crisco example: I may not know exactly what size a chicken egg is, but I'm certain it's not as big as a basketball or as small as a penny. In the same way, we use the guidelines in the less clear passages of scripture to help us make choices. We have freedom in Christ to make choices with the help of God's Word and the Holy Spirit. That is yet another reason why reading our Bibles is so important. We have to read God's Word if we want to know what He's instructing us to do.
Here are some other verses you may find helpful:
"Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." Psalm 119:37 (*Ouch! Oh, the hours I spend looking at a screen.)
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (Think, "Should I smoke? "Who cares if I eat junk food all the time and never exercise?" etc..)
"Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:10
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
Tree of Life By Marla Carter
March definitely came raging in like a lion this year with storms that produced tornados, hail,
strong winds, and left damage across many states. Locally, with winds gusting up to 50 mph for hours, Iam surprised the damage wasn't worse than it was.
I spent much of the day looking out my back windows, watching the trees in my backyard as they swayed and bent in the wild winds. We've been through a lot of storms since we've lived in this house. I've seen those trees bend with the winds before, but never quite like this. I was
amazed at how far the trees could bend without breaking. Tall trees, reaching up to the sky, anchored to the ground below by unseen roots, not in concrete, but in soil. In fact, I read that most trees' roots systems are only 6-12 inches below the surface because that's where there is an abundance of oxygen, moisture, and nutrients.
The Bible has a lot to say about trees. Trees bookend the story of man's relationship with God-
Eden's Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life in heaven. Sandwiched in
the middle, bridging the gap, is the tree on which Jesus died. I heard once that, other than God
and people, trees are the most mentioned living thing in the Bible. That should come as no
surprise since God often uses things in nature to teach us about Himself, and trees are very large visual aid!
One of my favorite passages about trees is Jeremiah 17:7-8: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by
the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."