just a dash

February 17, 2013 at 10:02 am · Filed under just a thought

when many of us cook we use a recipe. sometimes these recipes call for a ‘dash of salt”. why a dash? because it matters. that small amount of flavor makes a difference. this minuscule amount is missed if not included. if it were to be omitted, one might taste the dish, pull away the fork and say…needs a bit of salt. this small effort and small detail can complete the dish and not leave folks wanting for more or searching for the shaker! so what we may consider an insignificant ingredient, a puny addition, a miniature effort could make the chefs concoction a memorable experience. and so are our lives…these small efforts and simple decisions do make all the difference in whether we are left wanting for more or satisfied with what we have  been served. there are a lot of days for a lot of us that we feel in order to be better or give more it is just too overwhelming and so we do not begin. my challenge is to start with just a smidgen. a bit more than nothing and see what you can accomplish in your life or the life of someone who needs you.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

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a·men: /äˈmen/ -’so be it’.

January 29, 2012 at 9:42 pm · Filed under just a thought

a·men: /äˈmen/ - exclamation: uttered at the end of a prayer, meaning ‘so be it’.

did you know that? so many of us just truck on through the words of the Gospel, and even the words of our own prayers, without allowing them to penetrate our souls and impress on our minds. but words do have meaning and when it comes to the word “amen” this couldn’t be more true. really…the word itself means…”so be it; it is true”.  Jesus uses the phrase, “Amen, I say to you” at the beginning of his own teachings, rather than in response as we do. it is not a “the end” or a response to someone else’s thoughts, but literally a proclamation, a “here ye, here ye”, a “I am about to tell you the greatest truth”. and so, when we pray and give God our deepest desires, when we are on our knees begging for the peace and comfort of His grace to surround our days, we say amen. and when we are asking for His protection over us and the ones we love, and for His guidance with whatever may be coming our way…we will finish, as we always have, with the “amen”. but this time we will mean it…we will mean ‘so be it’ Lord. we will mean…i have said my truth to you Lord, and we will mean… it is now in your hands God…’so be it’.

“Amen, Amen, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life” John 6:47

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