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Springtime Outside Our Kitchen Door

 
Today’s post was contributed by my mom, Lorraine Strohbehn.
It’s extra special that we get to read her post today,
because it’s her 82nd birthday!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

___________________

Lorraine Strohbehn

Happy Birthday, Lorraine Strohbehn!

Springtime in the country as I was growing up was such a refreshing time. Mother had perused the seed catalogue that came during the winter and had already placed her seed order for a generous garden beyond the kitchen door. In the spring, we enjoyed the first rhubarb pie or sauce, and we brought in dandelion greens for some yummy salad with bacon drippings and some vinegar and sugar dressing.

Most of all, I recall the sweet-smelling lilacs that loaded the round tree that stood about four times as high as I was. It was just outside the kitchen door between the house and the garden. In the early evening, the fragrance was so pleasant that I spent my time playing with our dog, Nellie, as close to the lilac tree as possible.

Each blossom of the lilac is made up of four petals. Clusters of the blossoms form along a straight stem, and often there are several stems together to make up what can seem like a bouquet. Because of this, they are ideal for fresh-cut bouquets. We had a pretty blue vase that we filled with fresh lilacs—did you know that the lilac is the first flower to have a color named after it?—and displayed that on the kitchen table from the beginning to the end of the season. We exchanged them for new lilacs about every other day, so even inside the house, we enjoyed the sweet-smelling fragrance of the beautiful lilacs.

Often, as I see that blue vase (now in my china hutch), I can almost smell the lilacs—as I am reminded of being near enough to enjoy the fragrance—and I ask the Lord to make my life a sweet-smelling fragrance for His glory. Ephesians 5:2 says: “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor [NIV: a fragrant offering].”

May our lives be a “sweet-smelling savor” to our Lord and to those with whom we live, work, and play. The lilacs will soon be in bloom, and they will once again serve as a beautiful reminder from our Lord!

____________________

Thank you for reading “Springtime Outside Our Kitchen Door.”
It would be extra-special to my mom today if you have a quick moment
to leave a birthday greeting in the comment section below! 
____________________
 
If you’d like to read, The Death of a Dream, also by Lorraine Strohbehn,
you can now purchase a downloadable PDF e-book copy for 99¢
from PetalsfromtheBasket.com. Click here for more information.
 
 
By Petals from the Basket | March 15, 2013 | Bible Reading, Family, Guest Posts |

The Unexpected Rose

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “Being engulfed in the debris of a shattered dream unleashes every emotion and stage faced by someone mourning a death.Therefore, the understanding and encouragement so needed by someone who is mourning the death of a loved one is also vital for the one who has had the death of a dream.” —Lorraine Strohbehn, The Death of a Dream

Petal 2: “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others; when they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4, NLT)

Petal 3: I am surprising my mom (and all of you) with two special announcements today: (1) instead of waiting until the last Friday of the month for her “contributor post,” I’ll be posting mom’s post tomorrow—on her 82nd birthday, and (2) as my birthday gift to her (which she’ll find out when she reads her subscription e-mail of this post today), her little booklet, The Death of a Dream, is now available for download on this website! The cost of a Kindle download for the booklet is $1.99; however, on this website, you can now download a PDF of the booklet for 50% off—$0.99—starting today! This little booklet will be invaluable to you in your own life and as you help encourage and comfort friends who are facing “the death of a dream.”

Petal 4: Simply click this link to go to the page (under “Recommend Reading”) for The Death of a Dream to read more about it and to have the option to purchase your PDF copy of the booklet.

Petal 5: The idea/tip for today is to feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail greeting to give to my mom for her birthday tomorrow. I’m praying for 82 copies of the booklet to sell in honor of her 82nd birthday!

Click this link to learn more about The Death of a Dream.

By Petals from the Basket | March 14, 2013 | Bible Reading, Books, Ebooks, Events, Family, Ideas, Life Changes |

The Rose of Refuge

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “Our arms are not strong enough to hold us up in times of grief and suffering, and neither were Job’s. God invites us, as His children, to rest in His strong, everlasting arms.” —Betty Henderson, Grace for Every Trial

Petal 2: “The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.” (Deuteronomy 33:27, NLT)

Petal 3: After major surgery a few years ago, my parents and I took daily walks at the Henry Ford Museum. The first day, I was surprised at how weak I was after all that my body—and spirit—had been through; I hadn’t gone very far before I had to sit down. The next day, I made it quite a bit farther—not because I was suddenly back to full strength, but because my parents let me loop my arms through their bent elbows as they “escorted me,” and they held me up with the strength of their arms as we walked around the museum’s perimeter. God promises that no matter what the trial, His everlasting arms are there (just like they were for Job) to hold us up when we run to Him for refuge!

Petal 4: Studying the book of Job doesn’t have to be scary. Grace for Every Trial, a Bible study book written by my dear friend Betty Henderson, focuses on the incredible grace of our sovereign God (as seen in the life of Job)—making it today’s must-read book!

Petal 5: Call, e-mail, or send a card to a friend that you know is going through a trial and let her know you are upholding her weary spiritual arms by praying for her today!

By Petals from the Basket | March 13, 2013 | Bible Reading, Books, Family, Friends, Ideas |

The Rose of Debris

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “We cannot make headway in seeking God without first tearing down the accumulated junk in our souls; rationalizing has to cease. We have to start seeing the sinful debris we hadn’t noticed before, which is what holds back the blessing of God.” —Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

Petal 2: “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles.” (2 Chronicles 14:2-3, NIV)

Petal 3: This past Saturday, I sliced some fat off of a piece of meat and accidentally dropped it down the opening into the garbage disposal, but because I was busy stirring something, I completely forgot about it—until I noticed a horrid smell coming from the sink this morning! Even though the offending piece of meat was out of sight, I had not discarded it completely. The same is true of our lives when we hold on to the debris of sin: our spiritual lives “stink” until we—like Asa did with the altars—remove the sin completely from our lives so that we can rejoice in the complete cleansing that God offers!

Petal 4: Though I recommended another of his books yesterday, I also highly recommend the very convicting and life-changing book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens when God’s Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People, by Jim Cymbala.

Petal 5: This is a great day not only to purge our lives of the known sins we are clinging to but to also purge our closets. Set a timer for 15 minutes and rid your closet of any winter clothes you didn’t wear this past winter; then, bag them up and toss them, donate them, or sell them!

By Petals from the Basket | March 12, 2013 | Bible Reading, Books, Ideas, Life Changes |

The Rose of Prayer

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “Seeking God with our whole heart is the kind of Bible praying that secures not just answers but the blessing of God that we all need. If Jesus Christ himself prayed with ‘loud cries and tears’ at times, then I can certainly feel free and unashamed in pouring out my own soul to God.” —Jim Cymbala, Breakthrough Prayer

Petal 2: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.” (Hebrews 5:7, NIV)

Petal 3: I’m reading through the Psalms right now, and I am blown away by the number of times we are told that God hears us (34:17; 55:17, etc.) and that He answers us (34:4; 65:5, etc.). Seriously, seeing how many times the word “answers” is in the Psalms—look it up; your jaw will drop!—should give us the ability to set aside doubt and cling to faith “with our whole heart” as we pray to Him. Then, and only then, can we watch with wonder as the rose of prayer blooms, because we have watered it with our tears of fervency and belief!

Petal 4: This is one of my favorite books on the topic of prayer because of the impact it has had on my own prayer life: Breakthrough Prayer: The Power of Connecting with the Heart of God, by Jim Cymbala. Many of you know that I have memorized page one hundred word-for-word from this book—you’ll understand why when you read it! (Kindle version—only $6.64!)

Petal 5: Don’t wait another day to set up your weekly prayer list; in fact, I’m attaching a PDF of my actual list (as a sample) to give you an idea of how you might categorize your days. Once you’ve established your list, pour out your heart and soul before the Lord who hears and answers prayer!

Click these words to view the sample General Prayer Chart

By Petals from the Basket | March 11, 2013 | Bible Reading, Books, God-and-I-Time, Ideas, Organization |