GOD’S DIET PLAN

(The author of this article is unknown and the inspiration seems to have come from Genesis 1:29-30. Indeed, there is a message here.)

And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach and green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so man and woman would live long and healthy lives.

And Satan created McDonald’s, and McDonald’s brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to man, “You want fries with that?”

And man said, “Super-size them.” And man gained pounds.

And God said, “Try my crispy fresh salad.”

And Satan brought forth creamy dressings, bacon bits, and shredded cheese. And there was ice cream for dessert. And woman gained pounds.

And God said, “I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them.”

And Satan brought forth chicken fried steak from Cracker Barrel–so big it needed its own platter. And man gained pounds, and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.

And God brought forth running shoes, and man resolved to lose those extra pounds.

And Satan brought forth Cable TV with remote control so man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2. And man gained pounds.

And God said, “You’re running up the score Devil.”

And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.

And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also. And man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol.

And Satan saw and said, “It is good.” And man went into cardiac arrest.

And God sighed, and created quadruple bypass surgery, angioplasty, and stints…and Satan created HMO’s.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://willettebelieves.blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHERE HAS REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE GONE?

Sitting at my computer, wondering what a store’s profit margin reveals when employees are scarce, while self-check out registers continue to increase. Something about this whole trend in sales seems off-balance. Let me see if I got this right.

1.  I go to the store to purchase a particular item. There is no one around to explain the details about the product I’d like to buy.  And if I find someone to help me, the person doesn’t know anything about the product I’m talking about and the person attempts to find someone else to help me.
2. When I decide to buy the item, I go to the checkout area and find that I have to check myself out at the ‘automated register’. The store provided a way for the customer to take the place of the check-out clerk! The customer must log into the register, scan each item, bag the item, and insert cash or credit card into the register, and the register spits out a receipt.

If I purchase something from an electronics store, I am prompted to purchase an additional service warranty for the device just in case something goes wrong because the factory warranty expires after one year. This is like paying two or three times more for the product.

Back in the day, a company would be run out of business quickly if a piece of merchandise was found to be faulty because it did not last for a number of years without any problems. Companies were built on quality and honesty, and the customer could depend on and believe what they were told about the product.  Old fashioned, friendly customer service is quickly becoming do-it-yourself or self-service while the prices continue to rise. Is this the new confidence game?

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://www.willettebelieves.blog

 

 

 

 

 

JUST A MOMENT

As I write these words, the present moment of my life has already been added to the archives of my past; and I have moved into the future that was less than a split-second ago. Life in the right now is sandwiched between the past and the future. It takes only a split second for my experience to be modified by what I think, do, and say.

It is awesome that God, in all of His unlimited majestic power, has allowed me to live in the moment, leave the experience of the past, and suddenly find myself in the future that was unknown a split second ago. The present is recorded for my archives, and the future is hope for God’s privileged people.

Every day that God allows me to live on this planet becomes a living testimony of His love for me, but how I choose to live this life will be a reflection of my love for Him. How many things are there in this world that I can do to show my love for Him? Let me count the ways (to myself). The list is too long.

The intent of sharing my thoughts at this moment is to help someone get through the day (or night), and through difficult times in life–and with thanks, emerge through it all with a testimony that will glorify God. And if depression is the word for today, I must remember that the sun will rise tomorrow and will allow just a little time to experience the gift of life that God gave me. I will continue to do my best to place God first in my life, and all other people and things will be prioritized after Him.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://www.willettebelieves.blog

 

 

 

WELL DOING – DONE

There is a grocery store chain where I really love to visit and shop, and it’s located across the state line, in the next county from where I live. When I go there, I actually feel like I’m a guest. There’s a greeter at the door who actually smiles when he or she greets, and the store is orderly and clean at first glance; everything is in its place.

After a customer searches and rummages through neatly folded items of clothing, and moves along to the next thing, a store clerk can be seen restoring the semblance of order. I like to browse, and when an employee sees me wandering as though I’m lost, someone will ask whether I’m ‘finding everything okay’.  And my response is always, “I’m just looking”.

No one yells across thirteen or fourteen aisles to the other side of the store, to a relative or friend, when all the while they have a mobile phone in their hand. Out of my many visits there, only once did I see a person get into trouble. The man was hungry and he was caught eating a prepared sandwich sold in the deli–while no one was looking, he thought. Anyway, security is visible from time to time. I suppose he didn’t see him.

It is always a mixed crowd there and everyone is polite and respectful of each other; some with a smile, and some with no smile and will simply go away and return when others move away. When I saw how orderly this store was and still is, I knew that the residents of that county had been educated on the subject of tolerance. If only everyone could have access to the kind of training needed to help the growing negative behavior all across this country, there would be less crime.

When I need something from the store in a hurry, I shop at one of the chain stores in my county. That means my attire will be a bit different–matching the environment I’m in. Instead of a purse hanging on my arm or shoulder, it is a cross-body purse so that my two hands and arms are free to do whatever I need to do in case of emergency. It’s not a glamorous look, but who cares about glamour when you’re concerned about your safety. Some stores have very little security; some banks have been robbed more than once; and some retail stores and businesses seldom, if ever have problems–hmmm–interesting.

And then, there is the business of the check-out process. I am really sad for those cashiers who lost their jobs because of the ‘self-service’ check-out machines. I resented those machines when they were introduced into the stores, and I still resent them. What I continue to do is stand in line to be checked out by a human being. I see the handwriting on the wall.

Robots and machines are categorized as ‘progress’–maybe Aldous Huxley thought this could be the brave new world–for a moment at least. Who knows.  I can only speak for myself; I prefer to interact with the living–not machines and robots. As a matter of fact, robots are being trained to mimic humans. That’s too much to digest. But it got this far, it will go farther given a few more years.

And then, there is the matter of brick and mortar–all kinds of stores going out of business. As a consumer, I’m beginning to feel abandoned. However, common sense tells me that it’s an opportunity for small business entrepreneurs to listen up to the whistle of the wind to see which way it’s blowing. I’m listening to it myself. Direction is what we all need once in awhile.

“Let us  not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://www.willettebelieves.blog

MY INVISIBLE FLYTRAP

One of the things that really annoys me is the fly; any kind of fly, no matter how small. If a fly can’t find enough garbage to feed on, it will fly to the next destination wherever that might be. And it loves to follow people into their homes if they happen to be cruising nearby as a door is opened. They will  come on in and check out each room, one by one as if they were invited. It seems that one will show up especially when we run out of pest-control supplies, and most of us are not swift enough to swat one down. But oh–how sweet it is to know that there is a way to fix those little troublesome creatures so that they will cease to be.

Fly termination will work best in a small home of no more than fifteen-hundred square feet. The smaller the home, the better, and it should have doors to most of the rooms. An open floor plan may not work as well. In order to deal with the fly, it is necessary to take control of the fly’s environment. Designate a room where the “guest” can stay for a few days without being disturbed. Give it all the privacy it needs!

A fly came into our home one summer looking for food crumbs and a place to stay, and it  received only part of what it wanted. I welcomed it in so I could try out our new idea, instead of trying to chase the fly out of the house. We got a chance to turn the table on the fly to our own advantage. It buzzed around until nighttime arrived.

We left one light on in the house, and that light was in one of the bathrooms that has a very large mirror on the wall. Yep–the fly went straight to that bathroom and I quickly closed the door. We didn’t need that bathroom, so we did not open the door for anything. From time to time, I heard the fly buzz as loud as it could and I could hear it run into the mirror over and over and over again. The fly thought the mirror was the door. Two days went by. I took a peek just as it was flying toward the mirror. It hit so hard that I thought it should have lost consciousness, but it did not. About three days after that, the “house guest” was good and deceased!

It is such a relief to know that even though there is a fly in the house, we aren’t at the mercy of the fly and its buzzing noise that is such a nuisance. While the fly was in captivity, we were able to not only enjoy the serenity of our home, but peace at the dinner table–all because we were proactive by taking control of the situation.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http:www.willettebelieves.blog

THE JACKLEG

When I was a teen, I heard my dad talk about someone who didn’t measure up to his expectations. If he paid a mechanic to fix his car and the job wasn’t done right, he’d have a fit and say “That jackleg mechanic ought-a quit lying to people–lying wonder–having folk believe he can fix cars–taking their money like that. It’s highway robbery!”

One Sunday we were at church and the Pastor let a guest preacher deliver the message. All the way home, my dad kept saying “Pastor let that jackleg preacher in the pulpit and the man can’t even preach. Pastor ought-a stop letting these folk come and pretend to preach just to get an offering.”

My mom never had anything to say when he went off on a tantrum. He never cussed but it was a certainty that he’d call somebody a jackleg if he was unhappy about how things turned out.

As an adult, I’d catch myself calling folk jackleg for the same reasons. When I pay someone to mow my lawn, and it turns out worse than what I can do on my own, I call them a jackleg mower. Actually, I can mow my own lawn–it’s great exercise–but sometimes I don’t have time to do it.

Here’s my beef: If I have to pay someone to do what I already know how to do, I expect the finished job to look better than the work I can do.

One day I went shopping with a friend, and I hired someone in the neighborhood to mow my lawn. My lawn was lush and looked like a golf course. I received many compliments at that time. All the lawn needed was a little off the top, and that’s what I explained to the man. When I returned from the store, I couldn’t believe what I saw. My beautiful, thick carpet of grass was unevenly cut; and the first thing out of my mouth was “Jackleg! lying wonder!” Even neighbors did a double-take when they saw my lawn. I was embarrassed.

And then, when I settled down, I reminded myself that it was really my fault that things happened the way they did,and I needed to take responsibility for what I created. I should have seen his work up close, or inquired about his work before I hired him. With that realization, I had to let go of being upset about the matter, and I stopped saying jackleg and lying wonder.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://www.willettebelieves.blog

 

IS IT IN THE BIBLE?

Occasionally, someone will say that if what they do is not in the Bible, then what they are doing must be okay, right? And the answer is this: the Bible is life’s instruction book and all kinds of problems and situations are in it. It is a book that has to be read and studied in order to reap the full benefits from it. Just because the evilness (sin) of choice is not listed, one can be sure that it is spelled out by example or by preaching–in detail, taken from one or more of the books and chapters in life’s guide. In other words, the specific word for the deed may not appear in the Bible because of language differences (Hebrew, Greek, and Latin interpretations), but the definition does when it is described.

The meaning could be in a Proverb, or it could be wrapped up in a parable or historical event. The Bible also presents history in it, and it is important to read it (all 66 books) and find out what God says about the good times and the bad times in life. People who look to use the Bible to justify their evilness (sin) have missed the purpose of the Bible. Their question should be: “Where can I find my concern in the Bible?”  One should never assume that an evilness is not pointed out in the Bible.

The Bible addresses different subject matter in different books and chapters. There would be no need to review the base of a message if the people already received it in a different chapter or book. Therefore, every fine detail is not mentioned in every chapter. Every unacceptable behavior is not mentioned in every chapter. This is another reason why it is important to read the WHOLE Bible. It is similar to how one can make progress in school by passing on to a higher grade. The subject of mathematics is a most excellent example. Try understanding a problem in algebra without understanding the basics in mathematics and see what happens! Before taking Algebra, a prerequisite class is required. Before picking a scripture to quote, there has to be some knowledge about what that scripture was referring to.

If someone wants to know more about God and what He expects of His people, then Bible Study is the best place to begin. It is dangerously misleading to try and understand without help from someone who knows. An example is this very popular verse that has been misquoted many times–even on TV sitcoms: “Money is the root of all evil.”

The scripture says :”For the love of money is a root of all kinds of  evil…”(1 Timothy 6:10). Things don’t get us into trouble–it’s the love of things that takes us down the wrong path in life.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://www.willettebelieves.blog

REMINISCING ABOUT COUNTRY BUTTERMILK

I wonder whether anyone who has ever had the opportunity to stay on a farm in the old days remembers what real buttermilk tastes like. There is no taste in the world that matches homemade buttermilk that is made by using milk that comes directly from the cow on the farm–and the cows seemed glad to give it up when their bags were full.

Before daybreak every morning, the rooster crowed as usual and woke everyone up. Then I would hear Grandpa and Grandma rustling about. On milk days, I’d hear the metal handle on the milk bucket clank as Grandpa picked it up and headed out to the barn to milk the cows. Grandma opened the mildly scratchy sounding iron door to the old wood-burning stove and arranged the wood inside of it before starting the fire to cook breakfast. She made hot biscuits every morning.

Grandpa had a contract with a milk company that year and on the days he milked the cows, he would bring the bucket back to the house full of milk, and empty it into a milk can. The milk pick-up was once a week and Grandpa did the milking the day before. On pick-up day, he would hitch up the wagon, load up the milk can, and take it down the hill to the designated spot by the side of the road. Soon the milk truck arrived and an exchange was made; an empty can for the full one.

From time to time, milk was set aside for table use. Grandma never used it in its original form. She let it set for a few days until it formed thick, curdled, sour milk she called  clabber, and clabber is archaic for curd. When the milk curdled enough, it was ready to be churned. Today, there is a more refined version of clabbered milk; it is called yogurt which is processed clabbered milk.

I always wanted to help Grandma but I was too young and got in her way most of the time. However, when she was not in a hurry to get something done, she would let me churn the milk for a little while. I liked watching little bits of film and bubbles form on the top of the milk, and over the course of roughly an hour, coagulation was visible. The little bubbles turned into butter right before my eyes. When the consistency of the butter was complete and had accumulated across the top of the milk, the churning was accomplished. It was time to gather the butter. What remained was pure unpolluted milk with little tiny dots of butter floating throughout. And that is how buttermilk got its name.

The milk that is sold in the stores today still goes by the name of buttermilk. However, based on the taste, I am not convinced what percentage of it is actual milk. Food specialists have mastered the art of taste, color, and dehydration so well that I would not be surprised if it was just as artificial as some cheese I heard about.

A number of years ago, I tried to churn a quart of store-bought milk. My friends kept telling me, “It ain’t gonna happen,” but I kept going. I yearned to see fresh butter come to the top. They were right. It didn’t happen no kind of way. No sign of butter ever surfaced.

I came to the conclusion that if anyone wants real old-fashioned, homemade buttermilk today, they will have to visit a vegetarian-type farm, milk a cow, let the milk clabber, and then churn it.

I believe ‘progress’ and  ‘civilization’ should be renamed. Any benefits realized from these two styles seem to be momentary, while working towards a disaster for the future.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http:/www.willettebelieves.blog

PLANET EARTH

Photo by B4wellness58

Planet Earth is a beautiful work of art, suspended in space, populated with many types of living beings and things–including human beings–and also non-living things according to a few religious beliefs.

The sun and moon release just the right proportions of themselves to Earth that insures its survival in order for matter to exist, whether living or dead. Earth cannot be the gorgeous planet that it is without it being divinely endowed by God Almighty. There is plenty of light, darkness, heat, coolness, air, water, soil, and various nutrients contained within some of them to sustain all that inhabit this planet. And water is a forgotten miracle that is taken for granted. It can be in the form of steam, mist, dew, snow, or ice, and still be necessary for survival.

The theory of evolution will always be a theory in one’s mind because it cannot prove itself to be true. There is not enough time in many lifetimes to travel all the way to the other side of the universe, which will take at least several thousand years (or even a million years) traveling thousands of miles a second (by Earth’s time) through space without God’s GPS. God made provisions for all on this planet; and I believe He will not allow man to mess up another planet–even if scientists discovered another one with provisions like Earth.

Evolution might randomly synchronize something, but only God can bring all elements together in harmony repeatedly so that people and things can survive. Everything on earth operates on a cycle that does its job perfectly if the cycle is completed without interruption. All living matter is sustained by things processed within its own cycle, and blends together with the whole of  something known or unknown. For example, the heart depends on a tiny bit of ‘electricity’ to make a pulse beat that will pump blood in rhythm  while performing the miracle of transporting and distributing nutrients throughout the body.

Seasons rotate in a time span of one year; clouds collect water and then release it when it is time, and then collect it again; ocean tides know when to be high and when to be low; undercurrents in waters and air in clouds above know when to do the jig; seeds produce crops when the rules for planting are followed correctly; bees know when it is time to pollinate; and the wind expresses itself randomly.

Sometimes I think the wind is slightly schizophrenic because of its unpredictability. It can present itself as a soothing, gentle breeze, or it can cause dangerous living conditions for everything in its path. Jesus talked about being born again and He used the wind as an example. He said, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes…” (John 3:8).

There is no doubt in my mind that Planet Earth would last forever if all living creations in the world worked together in harmony. I believe that was God’s intention; it can be seen daily through the smooth coordination and synchronization of all things because they are under His control.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://www.willettebelieves.blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEEDS

Photography by wbfreelance

-Abridged Version-

A seed is something that can be planted; and something that can reproduce itself. That is all I remembered before a book about seeds mysteriously landed in my hands. It was the kind of book with color pictures in it that showed an example to match the instruction that was being given. Okay–it was a kid’s book. So what. And then I remembered some of the things that were presented in my elementary school science class; things pertaining to the needs of a seed that I had totally forgotten. Books and magazines on gardening give invaluable information on how to plant  a seed, and how to nurture it to fruition; but the journey of a seed itself is somewhere hidden in the background.

A seed is the thing that keeps life flowing in all living persons and things. A type of Noah’s Ark is going on right now somewhere in the Artic where seeds of many kinds are being preserved and protected in the event of a major catastrophe.

If seeds have been able to reproduce themselves down through the centuries, what did Jesus mean when He said, “…unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain”(John 12:24).

Seeds that have not yet been planted are dried up and dead on the outside but they are very much alive on the inside, though not activated. There are two very small leaves, a stem, and the beginning of the first root, none of which can be seen by the naked eye most of the time. With the help of a magnifying glass, imagine seeing this “DNA” stuffed inside a mustard seed! After the seed has been planted, there is enough food around this little plant to sustain itself until the plant is big enough to make its own food.

When a plant dies while it is struggling to make the transition to become a plant, it is because one or more life-sustaining elements is missing; water, nutrients from soil, sunlight, air, chlorophyll, or, because of its slow growth, it ran out of life-sustaining food before it was capable of taking care of itself. Like all living things, seeds too have been given time to develop themselves after they are planted. The possibility of death of some seeds is why farmers plant more than one seed in a space. And when several plants emerge, the weaker ones are cleared away.

But, can a seed really die? It has been reported that seeds can survive almost anything; fires and forest fires, freezes, droughts, chemicals, and years of waiting to be planted. Scientists found a group of one-thousand year old lotus seeds buried under a dry lake bed. After the seeds were soaked, they sprouted and grew beautifully. Something else–after certain animals eat specific seeds, and the seeds pass through the animal, the seeds will grow.

A seed will be dormant until the right conditions evolve for that particular plant. For example, springtime–after the last frost–is the best time to sow seeds in the southern part of the USA, provided all the elements necessary for plant survival are in agreement.

Jesus used Himself in the parable of the grain of wheat (John 12:24). He can be seen as the seed that was planted in the field of the Israelites. The body of the seed died, (Jesus on the cross, buried, and then resurrected), and the plant that was inside of the body made the transitiion from physical to Spiritual, and is still alive today as the Spirit continues to enlighten those who want to be enlightened.

The miracle of seeds reproducing themselves continues, and most of us humans never give it a thought about what would happen if the process stopped.

Seeing more clearly,
wbfreelance
http://www.willettebelieves.blog