Jeremiah 29 Revisited

If you have read one or more of my Blogs, you well know by now, that I have reoccurring themes other than produce. My grandmother’s fifty plus year-old rosebush being one of them. As we speak, it has been dug up again and is being hauled two-hundred miles back home in the back of my husband’s F150 truck. Dodging thunderstorms all the way.

Has the Lord ever required you to let go of something that was so near and dear to you that it had become engrafted deeply in your heart? It could even be considered detrimental to your health to remove it?

If you said no, then pardon my French, “Liar, Liar, pants on fire!”

For fourteen years now it has been our every intention to relocate to the land of our grandchildren. We made all the necessary arrangements to do so. I sent my grandmother’s rosebush ahead to reserve us a spot.

Due to a myriad of circumstances beyond our control that dream seems to be on a permanent hold. I could not bring myself to entrust one of my grandmother’s prized possessions into the hands of strangers who might or might not care for this pale yellow wonder.

The truth is… my heart has been kicking and screaming over this one. You know the old saying, “Keep a stiff upper lip?” Sometimes that simply is not easy. About the time you think you have a grip, your lips start quivering and you look like an Elvis Impersonator. It may become necessary for two of your most trusted friends to stand at each corner of your mouth with a case of super glue.

There were many incidents in God’s Word where God’s greatest men needed assistance to sway the battle. Exodus 17:12 Amplified “But Moses' hands were heavy and grew weary. So [the other men] took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

It was not a sign of weakness that Moses needed help, but a life lesson of agreement, keen discernment, plus, the give and take between leadership.

The Lord gently reminded me of one of my former Blogs/teachings dated August 10th, 2010. (Don’t you hate that?) He told me to dust it off. I have included bits and pieces that pertain to today.

Jeremiah 29: LETTER TO THE EXILES – EXILES!!!

1a. This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.


4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."


10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. [b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

Babel was not only a place of exile, but a place of "confusion." The word 'CAPTIVITY' means, "A FORMER STATE OF PROSPERITY!" CAPTIVE means, "ESPECIALLY IN A DISGRACEFUL SENSE!" Hello, this means your disgrace is going to be on display, made public for all of your friends, family and otherwise to see! Often times God is a God of ifs (requirements) before you can inherit the blessings.

"UH-OH!" PLEASE PASS THE ICE PACK - AND THE SHOVEL - AND THE POTTING SOIL! I looked these passages up in many translations hoping this would say something different. Don’t misunderstand – my roots run deep where I live, very deep, and I love my heritage, but I thought my future was somewhere else.

Can we really trust God when it appears we have lost all manner of control?

As I have chewed, and chewed, and chewed....I have determined that captivity may be far more involved than a prison sentence. Captivity could be our marriages, our health, our finances, our relationships, even our ministries. Captivity could be traditions of men, evil imaginations, strife, and offenses, addictions or unfruitful cycles or fears. Only you can identify the cell block of your soul.

A-h-h-h the wisdom of a rosebush….

They never forget what color they are supposed to be. They never forget their purpose. They are always mindful of their season. Regardless of what storms they have weathered, they can grow in the harshest of circumstances, even when they have been neglected. A little tender loving care, pruning, and water can create an atmosphere where the most timid of plants will venture a bloom once more.

The roots dictate the actions of the rosebush. Roots are roots no matter how you split them or where they are transplanted.

Honestly, when the rosebush arrived home today it barely resembled the pictures I received this past spring. The full blooms were replaced with dry dead leaves. It looked like the life was slowly draining out of it. I remembered when my grandmother once commanded me to get one of my rosebushes out of the garbage because I thought it had died.

I planted it anyway. If the timeless rosebush is anything like my grandmother was… it will just dig its roots in deeper.

At the end of the day I choose to trust my Maker with my future, and trust He knows where the rosebush needs to be planted in order for it to survive and bloom again.

To quote one of my favorite people, “Nevertheless, not my will…..”

t-t-f-n (ta- ta- for - now)

The Group Hug

Today, I am walking in a different place than I ever thought I would find myself. In twenty-five years of ministry I see myself, the world, and the body of Christ, facing unprecedented challenges. It seems that many of my phone calls come with a cry for help from on High. Where could we go, but to the Lord?

So it is not unusual to find myself in an almost constant state of prayer. When I first read the admonishment from the apostle Paul to pray without ceasing, I wondered how that was possible. Today that scripture holds much more clarity for me.

During the wee hours of the morning…3:00 a.m. to be exact, I was crying out to the Lord for encouragement. I needed a reminder that He was hearing any of my prayers, and quite frankly, a hug would have really been nice.

You might say, “Sister that is a sign of doubt and unbelief!” Maybe, maybe not…it’s OK. The Lord and I are tight. I am His daughter, and He understands the cry of my heart. He knows what I need and where I need to be for that cry to be fulfilled. So of course, He sends me to Wal-Mart! Ok... I know you are shocked!

I was limping a bit, actually a lot, and was pre-planning how to shop quickly and more effectively; therefore, I was going to skip the produce department entirely. I just didn’t have time for any nonsense today! As my husband would say, “ARE YOU KIDDING?” YOU ARE AN EPISODE WAITING TO HAPPEN!”

Hurrumph! I’m sure he doesn’t mean that.

I was heading across the parking lot sure that I had not left an inch of opportunity for the tiniest of episodes. UH-OH…I heard someone yell, “HEY GIRL! WHAT CHA DOIN?” It was one of my all time favorite Wal-Mart buddies!

I am still not sure how we met, but just so thankful we did. We have laughed and cried many a time on each other’s shoulders in just about every department in the store. She is hysterical and we are always comparing adventures. We always say we are going to get our lawn chairs and coffee, park in the meat department, and just watch.

By this time we were standing at the front door arm in arm laughing hysterically. We were oblivious to people having to take a different route around us to avoid getting giggled on.

Before we knew it, the most adorable little lady complete with her curly hair, freckles, and matching hat and tee - shirt stepped into our circle wrapping her arms around us both! We were in a GROUP HUG! She threw her head back and was laughing more than the two of us together. Did she know something we didn’t?

She said, “It’s so good to see you!” I had never met her before! I was thinking she was an angel on a mission. The Lord knew I for sure needed some comic relief and of course, the hug. Then I read the front of her shirt. She held her shirt out for me to read more clearly, “I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR ANY MORE DRAMA. MY SCHEDULE IS FULL!” 
Bahahahahahahaha!

                    Isn’t that the truth?

     t-t-f-n (ta-ta-for-now)

You Can't Get Blood Out Of A Turnip

Who knew you could learn a life lesson from a turnip?

When the Lord gave me this visual I went dashing to Wal-Mart to purchase a turnip. I needed to have time to get it all dolled up for the Banquet! I was in a BIG hurry when I realized I did not know what a turnip looked like! So I asked the person stocking the produce, and she didn’t know either! Luckily, my husband did. He purchased the lonely little turnip and brought her home in time for her debut.

The following is an excerpt from my recent Mother/Daughter Banquet teaching:

How many of you have ever heard the saying, “You can’t get blood out of a turnip?”

How many of you know you can be related, but feel like you live in two different worlds? Surely the other person is the problem.

Grandmop & The Turnip

Gmop: What’s up Turnip?

Turnip: Not much Grandmop…just trying to figure out what to do today.

Gmop: I know…we could go shopping! I have a coupon!

Turnip: I can’t go shopping…I don’t have a driver’s license or a coupon.
           For heaven’s sake…I’m just a turnip!

Gmop: Well…maybe we could go get a massage and a Pedicure.

Turnip: I can’t go get a massage and a pedicure…I don’t even have a back, toenails or polish!
           For heaven’s sake…I’m just a turnip!

Gmop: I’ve got it! We could go out for a quick bite! We could go have Sushi and coffee from Starbucks!

Turnip: I can’t go get sushi! I don’t have a Sushi Bar in my neighborhood and I’m allergic to caffeine!
           For heaven’s sake…I’m just a turnip!

Gmop: Turnip this is so frustrating! I need so much more love, attention, and time than you are    
           giving me! YOU NEVER CALL ME! YOU NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME! IT’S ALL   
           ABOUT YOU! YOU DIDN’T EVEN COMPLIMENT ME ON MY NEW DRESS!

Turnip: Grandmop…I’m sorry….this makes me sad. I don’t seem to be much help or any fun. God 
           designed  me completely different. If you plant or cook me, I could give you nutrients to help you
           stay  healthy or I would look great in your purple kitchen! Besides…I don’t even have a watch.      
           Plus, I  live on the ground and I can’t see above your ankles!
           For heaven’s sake…I’m just a turnip!

Thank you Turnip…please take a bow.

Isn’t this ridiculous? In reality this is no more ridiculous than the outrageous demands that we place on the people closest to us. For me…. lesson well learned.

After the banquet, during our drive home, our daughter just shook her head and said, “Of course, my mother painted a turnip!” (Poor girl…imagine having me for a mother)

      t-t-f-n (ta-ta-for-now)

God Loves Fruit Too

Did you realize ... God craves fruit?

As you may well know by now, several of my Blogs deal with my ongoing episodes with produce. I have so many that I actually asked the Lord about this. Yes, really.  He, of course, took me back to His Word.

Genesis 1:11 “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.


12: And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

The fruit trees were among God’s first creations. Fruit was used throughout the Word as a token of the blessing or curse and judgments in your life. Children were compared to fruit. Fruit was the prize of the promise land. Nehemiah declares that fruit trees were a portion of the enemy’s plunder. Psalms sings songs about fruit. The wisdom of Proverbs warns that men’s deeds will produce fruits of righteousness or destruction. The poetry of Song of Solomon uses the metaphors of fruit to describe the love between King Solomon and his beloved Shunamite. Jesus had no patience for trees that did not produce good fruit. The Word commands us to bring forth much of it and encourages us to be fruitful in every good work. Fruit can be peaceable. The fruit of our words generates life or death.

Fruit can be used to measure our spiritual growth. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

God compares fruits to our different levels of giving: Deuteronomy 18:4 - First Fruits -Leviticus 27:30 Tithe.

I think you would agree the most notorious fruit was connected to the fall of man.

Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

We as a nation, have sent men to the moon, but still have not understood or harnessed the full healing power of raw fruits and vegetables. The Prophets of old knew the earth’s secrets. Isaiah 38: 21 Isaiah had said to Hezekiah’s servants, “Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover.”

Seeds, crops, harvest, Parable of the soils, vineyards, seasons, break up the fallow ground…you get the jest. God is the Master Gardner, and He loves fruit too!!!

From Genesis to Revelations there are 253 references to just fruit. Wshewwww! Who knew there were so many life lessons in the humble fruit basket?

Sooooo…with that said this is the beginning of our summer season and I already have two more episodes under my belt. Never mind the fact that I drove around this past Sunday for two hours with 5lbs. of lettuce in the back-end of my 76 degree SUV. At least it gave the cantaloupes a break!

With fear and much trepidation, I purchased a new Smoothie/Juicing book. The recipes are sure to carry me through many new adventures and much riper life lessons. So if you see me perusing up and down the produce aisles with ear buds on and I fail to speak, please forgive me… I’m just singing ‘Silly Songs’ with two of my favorite fruits and vegetables “Bob and Larry.”

One more thing before we go…just couldn’t resist!

Q. What is a ghost favorite fruit? Boonanaa !

Q. What do you do if you see a BLUE banana? Try to cheer it up!

Q. What do bananas do best in gymnastics? The splits!

Q. Why don’t bananas snore? Because they don’t want to wake up the rest of the bunch.

t-t-f-n (ta-ta-for-now)

P.S. I think I'm being stalked by my produce....this was in my pickle jar!

I Hate the “P” Word!

I HATE THE “P” WORD!
The “P” word?
YES, THE “P” WORD… PROCESS!”

P-R-O-C-E-S-S ..."fact of being carried on" - "journey" - “to yield”
  a. series of actions that produce a change or development
  b. a method of doing - of producing something
  c. a forward movement
  d. the course of time

To even whisper the word “PROCESS” evokes a range of emotions. The word makes the stout of heart weak in the knees. We scream, “Oh-h-h No-o-o!” Spin around three times, and swoon with the ‘vapors." We immediately bemoan the fact that we are not getting our supposed needs met NOW! (Stomp foot for emphasis)

Side Note: This term was used by polite 19th century women to mean (ahem) becoming emotionally overcome. Beginning in the 15th century, doctors thought gases from your stomach, called "vapors," could waft up to your brain, causing headaches and ill health. By the 18th century, these vapors had become "the vapors" and referred to a more general class of disorders that could include depression, hypochondria, nervousness, and excitability. Sometimes a person with the vapors had a lasting or chronic condition, but sometimes "getting the vapors" meant just having a brief headache or a fainting spell to be cured with smelling salts.

With my poetic license I could imagine this being a statement from Gone With the Wind. “Oh, Rhett, I am et up with the vapors!”

The word “PROCESS” is synonymous with an extended period of time that we don’t believe we possess, or delays to much needed answers. It is often associated with pain and prolonged distress.

Quote: “So then disappointment is the undoing of any given or hoped upon appointment. In other words our expectations were not met for one reason or another.”

About a year ago, I felt the Lord gave me this word for ‘SOMEONE’ else. “Do not curse the process.” All of nature knows and understands these laws. Without the proper processing time malformation or premature death can occur. It is God’s most willful creation, man, which is unwilling to yield to this code. We kick, scream and try to manipulate or microwave our way out of it.

Don’t you just hate when a well-meaning friend reminds you that you just have to go thru the “PROCESS?" Tell the truth…you feel the overwhelming urge to stuff an argyle sock in their mouth! It is a very different matter indeed to hear these words directly from your heavenly Father.

The duration of "PROCESS"can be a very dangerous, vulnerable time. Our Adamic Nature is quick to believe the lies that God has forgotten us, or worse, forsaken us.

Proverbs 13:12 (New Living Translation) "Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life."


Proverbs 13:12 (The Message) "Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,
but a sudden good break can turn life around. "

The Word of God is overflowing with the Prophets of old cries for mercy during their times of "PROCESS." None more poignant than from the lips of King David after his long wait for the throne that had been rightfully his for 20 years, and the prolonged battle that ensued for his life.

Psalm 18:4-6 (The Message) The hangman's noose was tight at my throat; devil waters rushed over me. Hell's ropes cinched me tight; death traps barred every exit.
6 A hostile world! I call to GOD, I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call;
my cry brings me right into his presence— a private audience!

Unfortunately, revelation often comes only by way of suffering through the ‘Plan of Process.” Leo Tolstoy, the Russian Author of War and Peace, wrote that “It is by those who have suffered that the world has been advanced.”

Even history’s perfect example, Jesus the Christ, begged for a Plan B more than once.

Matthew 26:40-44: "Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?

41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”


42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away[a] unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. 44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again

A precious friend and I are currently sharing a ‘time of process” together. She recently encouraged me with these words, so aptly put; she had successfully made it from the fetal position (place of hopelessness) to her knees (place of faith). It is my prayer that I don’t force my own agenda for myself and those I cherish dearly. Prayerfully, in God’s timing we will all emerge mature and whole once more having survived the "PROCESS."

The Easter Season is the perfect time to reflect on the fact that even out of death, the "PROCESS" works.

t-t-f-n  (ta-ta-for-now)