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Montage Moments is a page of blog postings about a variety of subjects, thoughts and opinions..

Bare Feet, an Apron and the Triune God

9/17/2013

10 Comments

 
    I find myself in the craziest situations occasionally. I try to decide later if I cause the ludicrous moments or if God just likes to watch my reaction to mayhem. I have no pictures to accompany this post, which is probably better anyway. 
    Here's what happened:  I rarely wear shoes while inside the house; I do, however, usually wear an apron when I cook so I don't ruin my clothes. I was busily canning applesauce when my 18-year-old granddaughter came running in the front door. 
    "Grandma, come out here."
    "I can't. I'm canning applesauce."
    "Seriously. You have to come right now. I need your help."
    So, out the door I went;  apron on but no shoes, thinking this was some kind of emergency. She stopped by the side of her boyfriend's car (parked at the curb a little way from the house, not in the driveway) and motioned me over. 
    "Okay, Grandma, now explain the Triune God to him."
    Are you rolling on the floor yet?
    There are so many things wrong with this scenario, and so many things right.
    I started with the fact that no one really understands the concept of three Godheads in one, but that the three persons of the Trinity are one God, not three. I actually did a little better job of it than that. I used the concept of the 3 rings and several others I used to use in teaching children. He said he knew God the Father was God, but he thought Jesus was His son, but not really God. 
    Picture this: Luke is out of his car, leaning on the roof from the driver's side, I am standing on the curb, leaning on the car roof from the passenger side and we are discussing God, all the while,  my granddaughter is telling him, "See? I told you so."
    In case you think I am a pious, zealous 'sharer of the faith'...you are wrong. There was a time, many years ago, when the church I attended was delivering new testaments to every home in a certain area. We were sent out in twos. I dreaded it so much that before approaching every house, I prayed no one would be home to answer the door.
    There was more to the discussion with Luke, but my point is this: many times we think we have to be 'prepared' or look a certain way or think long and hard before we discuss our faith with someone or answer their questions. Obviously, that isn't true. You can talk about your faith when you are barefoot, wearing an apron and leaning on the roof of a car.
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What Are YOU Digging For?

9/15/2013

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    Kalisha's dog, Iggy, (he was already named when we adopted him from the shelter, ok?) has recently decided there is something very interesting under a certain part of our deck. It is driving him crazy because he absolutely cannot get to it, what ever it is. Believe me, it isn't from lack of trying. He has nearly scratched the finish off the boards where he thinks the treasure lies.
     His obsession has affected every aspect of his everyday life. The moment the back door is opened, he flies out to continue his quest. Usually, his first order of business is to 'lift his leg.' Not lately. He doesn't even stop to do the necessary things until he inspects the AREA of interest and his bladder complains.
    

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    He doesn't even know what 'it' is. I realize dogs
have a tremendous sense of smell, but I don't think he knows if it is a chipmunk, rabbit, raccoon or skunk. Some days, he licks the boards, trying to get through the crack, 'tongue first' I guess. He's not having much luck with that approach.
    The other thing I keep laughing about is he won't know what to do with whatever it is if he does coax it out of hiding. He isn't a violent pooch, so chasing it might be fun, but if it were a skunk, I'm pretty sure he would have found that out the very first day.
    

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    Occasionally, he tries from a different location. He digs at stones on the ground surrounding the deck or he tries his luck on the upper portion of the deck. Alas, it is all to no avail. He is not going to find a way to get under that deck, no matter what new tactics he tries.
    Will he give up? I don't think so. He's been at this for several weeks. What ever is hiding there has obviously decided it is safer under the deck than making a run for it. Or, it has a family there (even though this is not the time of year for babies) and will not leave.
    The title of this post is: What Are YOU Digging For? Sometimes we think there is something we have to have or our lives won't be complete. It could be a new house, different job, a new degree, children, a mate, money, success or prestige. Any number of things can warp our way of thinking when we become obsessed with attaining them. We even forget to take care of daily business or responsibilities due to our preoccupation with our desires.
    But just like Iggy, we don't even know what we're digging for  and we may not be happy when we do find it. It could be fun or exciting to find but it could also be a disaster (as in a skunk, in Iggy's case). It could be harmful or it could be a wild goose chase and we will be disappointed when we do eventually achieve success.
    I know humans are not the same as dogs and I don't mean to imply we shouldn't try very hard to reach our goals. Of course we should. Perseverance is a wonderful thing.
    My question is: do we always know what those goals are or are we just blindly digging?

    

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Apples, Us and God

9/10/2013

6 Comments

 
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    Apples; aren't they great? As I was peeling some, I was mentally listing all the things they can be used for. Apple dumplings, apple streudel, apple  pie, apple butter, apple crumb cake, caramel apples, baked apples, spiced apples and applesauce, plus some uses I'm certain I've forgotten.
    I was also thinking of the correlation between apples, us and God. (besides the obvious apple in the garden of Eden connection). 
    

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    When I went to my favorite orchard, they had signs posted for each available variety, stating the best use for that apple. Although they are all apples, some are best for baking, some for sauce and some for just eating. Unfortunately, God didn't create us with a permanent sign on our foreheads telling us exactly what we would best be used for.
     While we are all people, God created us with various gifts to be used for different purposes. If I use a McIntosh apple for pie, it will still be a good pie, but not as good as if I had used a 'pie' variety. 
    We have been given unique gifts to be used for God's purposes. We might be great at one thing but we could be even greater at some other vocation.    

    Before I visited the orchard, I had been given some apples by a friend. They weren't the perfect, beautiful specimens the orchard had, but they were still usable. That is like us too. Not all of us are 'beautiful' in the eyes of the world. We definitely have some blemishes; however, that doesn't keep us from being used by God.Just as it didn't keep me from making use of the 'not-so-perfect' apples. God can make good use of the most imperfect person.
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    A few had worm holes. That little worm had eaten his way right to the core of the apple. Sometimes, a pet sin of mine gets through and eats right to my innermost core. It can be jealousy, anger, lies, gossip, all sorts of things. If I don't cut it out, it will spoil my whole being, just as that worm will spoil the entire apple if I don't cut it out. Once it is gone, the rest of the apple is usable.

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    Some of the apples were bruised. I feel bruised occasionally. Bruised by life; battered around and tossed to the ground. But I am still usable, just like the bruised apples. I peeled the imperfect apples, cut out the bad parts and the briuses and used the remainder for pies. 
    The end result was delicious.

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    When apples are not used for eating, they are squished and squeezed until a  sweet, tart, refreshing liquid is produced...cider. 
    And when we think we are absolutely 'squished' beyond help or hope, when we are feeling so useless and bruised and 'worm-eaten' and defeated....our Heavenly Father picks us up and makes something out of us, after all. 
    

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    I would like to thank the wonderful people at Cook's Orchard in Ft. Wayne, IN for graciously allowing me to take pictures of their beautiful apples. None of the wormy or bruised specimens were from their orchard.

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    Author: Gloria Doty

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