Finding the More

Nothing says “Home” like the smell of fresh bread from the oven.  We can spend hours preparing the dough and baking it the traditional way, or we can get a quick recipe and have it ready in no time.  If baking is not our thing, then we quickly go to the corner shop and buy it fresh.   What does the smell of fresh bread have to do with the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible?  Perhaps more than you might think.  It can be found in the Book of Luke Chapter 10 from v38.  Here is a short summary: Jesus is visiting their house in Bethany and Martha is busy in the kitchen.  The Bible says that she was distracted by all her serving responsibilities.  It doesn’t say exactly what she was doing but if she had people in her house, I would imagine she was preparing a meal for them.  Nowhere is it mentioned that the Lord asked her to do so though.  In fact, this story takes place shortly after Jesus miraculously fed 5 000 people with five loav...

Getting a valuation for something can be easy.  Getting it sold for that price might be a totally different story.  Reality check of the value of something, is the price someone would actually be willing to pay to obtain it.  Have you ever wondered about our value to God, the Father?  I heard a sermon on Matt 13:45-46 the other day which made me think.  Here are the verses: 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it. What stood out about these verses was that it was a merchant who was searching for fine pearls.  Merchants are trained and experienced to know what to look for.  They won’t just buy any old pearl but can find a great and valuable one among many.  Once they find it, they are willing to pay anything, to get it.  In this case, the merchant sold all he had so he could afford to buy that one precious pearl.  ...

You will be absolutely forgiven if you don’t know what springtails are.  I didn’t know either until a few months ago.  I grew up loving everything about nature and so when the opportunity came to buy a terrarium late last year, I jumped at the chance.  I have never had a terrarium before, so this was an interesting adventure.  A terrarium is an open or closed glass container with a variety of plants.  Closed terrariums circulate the moisture and forms its own ecosystem.  The one I bought was closed.  One of the first things I noticed about the terrarium was the green mold that started to grow on the inside of the glass - this was not good.  I read up about terrariums and found that springtails were the answer.  They are tiny white insects that eat the mold and other rotting plant material.  They are called the friendly clean-up crew in any closed container that houses plants.  They are about the size of a pinhead and are opaque whit...

I can hear you as you complete the rest.. “It would be fun, she said..”  This is not exactly how it started, even though it is close. But, you have to agree it makes for a catchy opening title.. As it turns out, something I never even considered doing, is now quite the adventure.     In the last few years, I have often heard people ask how to find their destiny.  This is a question I grappled with myself. I think one of the biggest mistakes we as Christians make is to compare ourselves and our gifts and callings to that of others.  I have come to understand that each one of us were created totally unique with amazing gifts and talents so we can have a positive impact where we live and in the sphere of influence God has placed us.  There is no one like you who can do what you do, in the way you do it.  If I look around me it is evident how different the Lord created the people around me, those who I share my life with.   My mom is a...

A friend shared a Facebook post a few years back of a short video clip a young lady posted.  I don’t know her name or I would have added it here.  She was talking about the Bible study she attended the night before.  One of the things that she wondered about was this scripture: Malachi 3:3 - He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi [the priests], and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord [grain] offerings in righteousness.  The part that stood out was the phrase “ He will sit as a refiner..”  She pondered the use of the word “sit” and decided to visit a silversmith to find out more.  He explained that the process to purify or refine silver takes place over extreme heat, in excess of 800 degrees C.  The piece of silver is placed in a porcelain crucible and melted.  As it becomes a liquid, the impurities start to drift to the top from where it can be removed.  This le...