Saturday Mornings...

Today I was reminded about some of my favorite Saturday morning traditions and memories from many years ago. Why was I reminded about them today, as today is Sunday? Well...I spent the night at a friend's house last night, and due to the icy roads, church was cancelled, so we had bacon, eggs, and biscuits this morning for breakfast. As we were cooking and then eating, I was reminded of making Saturday morning breakfasts every time I'd spend the night with one of my friends. She and I would get up on Sat., make pancakes, bacon, toast, eggs: the works, and then everyone would sit down and have breakfast. Recently, another friend told me that their Sat. morning tradition was for her husband to get up and make breakfast for the kids.
I can remember special things, as a child, I either ate or learned to make on our Sat. mornings. We had blueberry pancakes. And we always begged Mom to make pancake teddy bears. (They'd have either blueberry or raisin eyes.) I learned that the best way to make scrambled eggs is to add a little milk and use the skillet after cooking the bacon. Or we could have omelets. Mom is really good at flipping them perfectly. Occasionally we'd have fresh squeezed orange juice, ('cause there was some big craze about fresh juice back then. Pity it just takes alot of work for a tiny cup of juice.) And on your biscuits, there is nothing like "Kentucky Jam" as my grandad called it. You mix a little bit of butter with sorghum (aka "sorgrum" as we kids called it) or molasses, and it's delicious !! We really didn't use too much jelly. OH! And on special occasions (Christmas morning or birthdays) we had country ham. I still like to put a slice of country ham in my biscuit to make a little sandwich.
I LOVE Sat. morning breakfasts!! I had completely forgotten all about them. I have to work most every Sat. now, and my family doesn't really do the whole family-get-up-and-cook thing. Cereal or a smoothie is usually what I'm having for breakfast these days. And I hate that I'm not even really sure how to make sausage and gravy (another southern breakfast tradition.) Cooking is something that I enjoy but that I don't really do if I'm cooking for just me. You know? Anyway...I'm hoping to change all that in the near future. I'm told that planning a menu and actually cooking those foods is a great way to save money and have homecooked food. SO...that's what I'm going to start doing. (I hope.) I want to be able to cook effortlessly. And that isn't how I cook now. I've told myself in the past that I'd wait until I'm married, or until I have a bigger kitchen, or until I have that KitchenAid mixer I want, or until "put condition here" to learn. All of those are just easy excuses to justify living off of ramen noodles and sandwiches. So...I'm saying hello to my pots and pans. I'm taking that microwave rice maker back to Wal-Mart. (Really, that was just a lazy purchase. I know how to make rice; I'm just impatient.) I'm going to crack open one of the 10 cookbooks that I have, and I'm going to start cooking. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
And maybe, someday, I'll have more fun Sat. morning breakfasts with my family. If you haven't had one in awhile, I hope you'll take the time to do it. The memories are priceless.

Scripture Memorization

I read this on Jordan Thomas's blog back in December, and it has really helped me out. Recently, I felt burdened to memorize more, and I've started attempting James. SO...I hope this helps all those who struggle to memorize God's Word. It's amazing to me how much it helps to say the verse number prior to each verse. My brain really functions much better to recall the verse accurately when I learn it that way. The site is by First Baptist Church in Durham, NC. Click on the link, then click "writings," then "An Approach to the Extended Memorization of Scripture."

Lessons from a shepherd...

Currently, we are going over Psalm 23 in church. I was told some interesting things about that psalm in relation to actual shepherding, and I have seen with my own eyes some other characteristics of sheep that explain how we as people are described as such in the Bible. I may add more as Bro. Gary goes along, but here is what I've learned thus far:

1 "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want."
Sheep are totally dependant upon the shepherd. Sheep are not very bright creatures. Without a leader, they scatter. I watched a professor in school one time training his dog. There were four sheep. The dog cut the leader from the group, and the other three were clueless. They all ran together, but each in different directions. (It was like one of those vector equations in geometry. The one in the middle ran straight, and the ones on each side ran towards the other side.) Sheep are helpless. So are we. And because the LORD is our shepherd, we shall not want for anything. He has promised to provide all we need for life and godliness. If He clothes the lilies and feeds the birds, how much more will He provide for us? Jehovah Jireh: God Who Provides. The LORD is my shepherd. I shall not want.

2 "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters."
Sheep do not drink from fast-running water. They cannot rest when there is stress. The shepherd leads them to peace and nourishment. It is the same for us. He is our Sabbath rest. Without Him, there is no peace.

3 "He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."
When a sheep was prone to wander, the shepherd would break it's leg and set it straight again. Then, during the healing process, the sheep would, by necessity, stay close to the shepherd. For it's own protection, some pain must be encountered, but the end result was a closer walk with the shepherd.

4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and staff, they comfort me."
The rod and staff were used both for defense and discipline. Who would have thought that the discipline of the Lord would be a comfort, but He says that he disciplines those whom He loves. What a comfort to know that we can trust Him and be grateful for His protection and His discipline.

5 "Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou has anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows."
The shepherd would go into the fields ahead of the sheep and plug any holes where predators (snakes, etc) may be dwelling. A table prepared in the presence of enemies. He would also put oil on their heads to keep insects away. How much does the shepherd care for his sheep?! Of course the cup overflows.

6 "Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Amen.