Pear Tree

For worship this evening, Karl asked everyone what was something they were looking forward to about heaven. Since we were at the home of friends who invited other friends as well, we had lots of children to participate. We got amazing answers such as riding on an orca and climbing through the city.

Matthew said he wanted a pear tree of his very own. He loves pears. He devours them! It reminds me of a time I met a neighbor at the grocery store months ago, when we still lived in Arkansas. She was preparing to have her grandchildren visit and she said she was struggling to find foods that she could put on the table without guilt and still be something her grandchildren will eat. I mentioned that as soon as I cut into a pear, my kids come running. Her comment was that my children were raised to enjoy good food.

I nearly laughed, because my kids love pizza and mac and cheese and snack cakes like other kids do, but they have also learned to appreciate the lovely foods that nature has provided. I've heard before that you don't eat what you like, but you learn to like what you have to eat.

Jesus said those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are going to be really blessed because they will get filled up. How hungry are you? Have you tasted lately of the Lord to see that He is good?

Was Am or Will Be?

Karl's sermon today was about where God is today in our lives. Do we see Him as the great "I was" as Gideon did when the angel first appeared to him? Gideon even asks why aren't we seeing the miracles that our fathers have always told us about? This is of course after Gideon is hiding in the winepress to thresh his wheat so the Midianites won't take it and the angel greets him and says Yo, valiant warrior! God does have a sense of humor.
Then there is the story of Mary and Martha. Their brother is dead, but Jesus could have changed that if only He had been there. Now they're talking to Him and they say yeah yeah yeah, we believe in the future. They believed in the "Great Will Be" God, not fully comprehending that Jesus, in their midst could fulfill all things at that moment.
So today, I take my husband's challenge to consider my thoughts and actions (because thoughts lead to actions) about Who God is. Do I seem God as the Great I was? The Great I will be? Well, He was awesome in the past and He will do awesome things in the future, so there's nothing wrong with that, but am I allowing Him to be the Great I AM in my life right now? God is still working miracles, we see them all around us if we'd just take the time to look. So, I'm choosing to believe in the Great I Am. God is present tense with me and I want to be a willing servant and watch the miracles happen!