Brainwashing Day 14

My great-grandmother was known far and wide for her homemade ice cream.  The area farmhands would fight to be one of those that came to work the Powell farm for harvest season.

The men knew that not only would there be fresh homemade ice cream every night, they would get to eat Grandma Pauline’s biscuits and fried chicken too. Those, in addition to the fresh sliced tomatoes, green beans – or whatever other veggie was on that day, mashed potatoes or potato salad and on Fridays her apple pie.  A short second behind her ice cream for fame.

Now, let’s be really, really honest – fried chicken and homemade ice cream for dinner, every night for as long as you were harvesting?  Just how long do you think those boys could stretch out that harvest?!! 

Once Grandpa died, Grandma gave the farm over to my aunt and uncle to run.  It was simply too much for any one woman, devoted helpers in the community or not.  However, despite the lack of farm, there was one aspect of farming we just couldn’t get out of Grandma’s system, no matter how hard we tried… 

Brainwashing Day 13

I promised less work, right?

And today’s “homework” is pitifully easy.  (Work wise.)

Ask yourself if you’re ready to let the Holy Spirit teach you about faith…no matter what that ends up looking like.  If your answer is yes, then ask the Holy Spirit to start the process.  Note anything that He shows you.

This is gonna be a GREAT trip!  

Brainwashing Day 12

Yesterday I focused on Romans 10:17 – “So, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Today, I’m giving you quite the “homework” assignment.  Take time today to look up what Christ had to say about faith.  You don’t have to go through EVERY statement Christ made, at least take a look at 15 of them.  Make notes about them in your journal.  Make note of your response to them as you read them.  (If you can, spread them out.  Don’t get them all from any one book, and be sure to get at least one from each of the Gospels.)

Since faith comes by hearing, you might even want to read what He has to say aloud to yourself.

(I know this is a heavy work  load – but tomorrow will be MUCHO easier.)       (Honest!)

Brainwashing Day 11(kind of)

I made a brilliant discovery yesterday.  B.R.I.L.L.I.A.N.T.

My computer functions better with electricity. 

Sorry for the delay in our latest Brainwashing post.  Yesterday morning, when I had the available time to post, (we had a MAJOR project for a client that required my entire day – like 7:30 am to 10:30 pm…)  we had no electricity.

So, to offer a quick review – our neighbors got busted for meth on Friday, the man of the family got busted in a neighboring city early Friday morning and there was a second meth bust Friday in that city (coincidence?  They don’t seem to think so)  Then on Sunday, our town had a fire that required neighboring fire departments for assistance.  Monday, a good chunk of the town lost power.  Hey, our little hick town is just jumping with activity. 

Let’s get back to faith.

When the Lord impressed upon me my need to know and understand and operate in faith, I grabbed up my unhandy-yet-so-very-dandy concordance and headed out for some time with the Lord…and the word faith. 

Brainwashing Day 10

I shared with you that what started me on this new journey with the Lord was the day that I was crying out to Him asking for something that I could stand on, that I could trust would not change.  Both quickly and sweetly, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will stand forever.”

What I didn’t share was the process that took place from there….because just as fast as I heard the Holy Spirit whisper that to my soul, I thought of Jesus, while He was being tempted, “Man shall not live on bread alone, BUT on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

For some reason that verse hit me differently that day – I mean, I really, really, really read it.  It said that we should LIVE ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM GOD’S MOUTH.

I had heard/read that so many times that, for me, I had allowed my soul to be dulled to it.  It held no power.  It held no instruction.  It held no command.  They were just words.  However, that day it was different.  This time I got it.  I really truly got it.  Jesus said I was to live on every Word that proceeded from God’s mouth.  Jesus said it!  J.E.S.U.S. the Christ.  The Savior.  The One from, through and to whom all things flow.  The only One worthy to open the scroll, Jesus.  THAT Jesus.  If He said I was to live on every word that proceeded from God’s mouth, then I’d better know what those words were.  And fast!

IIIIInnnndeeana

where the sights get weirder every day

Where the HAZMAT suits can sure look cute

By the truck parked in our alley way!

Indiana, ev’ry morn, my honey lamb and I

Hang the laundry up and sip a cup

Of what we thought was leg-a-lly dry!!!

(Apologies to Mr Rodgers and Mr Hammerstein)

This is in honor of walking out our back door, to hang clothes on the line, only to see the alley filled with cops and guys in HAZMAT suits.  And we were just in jeans and tees.  Ever feel underdressed?!!! 

Edit Note:  I should be whipped!!!  A theatre student that left out the “d” in Rodgers?!!!  Quelle NIGHTMARE

Brainwashing Day 9

I am a word addict. I love words.  I can’t seem to help myself.

There are some books I read for content, some books I read for fun and some books I read simply because I love the pictures that they paint with their words.

If you ever read a book after me, you will find that I am an active reader.  I consider all books friends waiting to be written in and discussed.  You will find that I write notes to the author of the book in the margins, not to mention covering it in highlighter.  (I am a very messy reader.  Some people read books and they look pristine when they are done.  I say, books are meant to be enjoyed like the first grilled hamburger of the summer – with gusto – and if you have to use a napkin or two when you’re done, so much the better!)  

Give me just a few….

Just a super quick note to tell you I’ve not forgotten you – you’re very much at the forefront of my mind, however, I have a project for a client that MUST be completed today.

So I will attend to that first, so that I can give my full attention to you, because, it’s such a joy and an honor to share with you all these delicious morsels that the Holy Spirit has been teaching me over the past year.

See you soon!

Apparently So

This isn’t really a Brainwashing post – consider it something like the toy in the bottom of the box kind of thing. 

The other night, we were looking for some kleenex.  From our health battle the week before, we had made quite a dent in our supply.  I asked the Littles (daughters 4 & 5) if they had any in their room.  Daughter 4 said that they did not and she offered to serve me by running to the basement to get them.  (This was QUITE the offer, as it was after bed time and we sleep on the second floor.)

As she headed down the hall, I heard Burt, daughter 6, bounding about in their room.  I was giving thought to going in and telling her to get her wee behind back into bed when her ringletted head appeared in my bedroom doorway.

Blond curls and pink jammies are too cute to begin with – but blond curls, pink jammies, a huge grin and a box of kleenex are captivating.      “How’s THIS Mommy?”  “Oh Burt, that is WONDERFUL!  Where did you find them?”  “They were in the closet”  (We have a very thin hall closet, that runs under the attic stairs.  Think OLD house.)  “Well, thank you.  You are amazing.”

With that, she grinned even wider and said, “Apparently so!”, planted a kiss on my cheek and skipped from our room.

We laughed ourselves silly over that.  But, it’s remained in my heart.

Dear One, “as a child” -  that is how we’re to approach our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  Can you see yourself skipping from His “room” having responded “Apparently so!” to Him telling you He thought you were amazing?  Can you imagine Him telling you that you are amazing to Him?

I think therein lies the issue.  When we don’t have a right – proper, based on Truth – relationship with Jesus, we aren’t aware of His delight in us. Do you remember that He is your Bridegroom?  Do you think on that?  Do you consider how an earthly bridegroom waits for his bride?  Do you understand that is how He feels about us?

Ponder on this today.  Consider the love that He has for you.  Too often, I think, we want to make it about us.  “Oh Lord, we just love You so.”  We want to make OUR sacrifice of love so grand, when in fact, it’s His that should take our breath away!

“…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Brainwashing Day 8

My paternal grandfather grew up in the hills of Tennessee. (We are the same Rices of Rice’s Grist Mill “fame”) 

His life in the hills was very simple while he was young, but somewhere along the line, his father was hired to be the grounds keeper at the University of Tennessee.  His youth was spent wandering through all those hallowed halls of pedagogy and hiding on the campus grounds.  Since he was the youngest of twelve, his impressions of the campus were much different from those of his older siblings.

The older Rice clan saw their time at the University to be more than an opportunity to explore all the history and magic of the old campus, they saw it as a doorway.  A doorway into all the education that had not so long before this been outside the realm of their grasp.  One brother in particular had a passion to move beyond “son of the grounds keeper” to Dr of Agricultural/Botany.  And that is just what he did.