When Your Sails No Longer Have Wind
by Os Hillman
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven (Ps 107:29-30).
Imagine for a moment you began an exciting sailing adventure. You've been trained to navigate and sail on the ocean and be ready should trouble arise. You are confident you can handle the challenge. However, midway in the journey your resources have dried up. It almost seems God has intentionally destroyed all the skills you have to deal with the weather and the obstacles and your sails are now damaged. Even your engine has broken down. And to make matters even worse, your oars were lost overboard. You are stuck in the middle of the ocean and there is no wind to propel your boat. You are, as they say, "up the creek without a paddle."
All of this leads you to the end of yourself and you say, "Lord, I don't know why you brought me out here only to die." The silence is deafening.
Finally, the Lord speaks, "Yes, you are right. I did bring you out here. I did destroy your sails. I did break your engine. And yes, I do want you dead. Not in a physical sense, mind you, but in a spiritual sense. In order that you may LIVE."
"You see my child, you are nothing without Me. You cannot do anything without my grace and power in your life." The sailor quietly yields. Suddenly, a gentle wave lifts the front of the boat. An easterly wind blows through the broken sail moving the boat in the right direction. You realize God is moving your boat! Your role now is to steer it.
Do your sails no longer have wind to move you? Is your engine broken? Does it feel like God has propelled you into the open sea only to stop midway with no options? Perhaps He is saying it is time to die in order that He might live through you. Give the Lord total control today and you will see His wind moving through your tattered sails.
Today's Devotional Sponsor:
Simple Trust
by Karen Lubbers
Psalm 20:7 – Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (NIV)
Isaiah 12:2 – Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. (NIV)
Recently, I took some neighbour kids to the pool. The six-year-old twins showed absolutely no fear in the water, especially because they've trusted a few adults to hold them and teach them. I was super-excited to see their joy for learning, but I was shocked when I turned around to see one of the boys jump off the ledge and start "swimming" towards another adult. No adult was aware that the child was going to jump, but when we noticed that the boy was moving towards us in the water, the man held out his arms to assist the young learner. The young boy was full of smiles.
Oh, how I wish that I had that same, simple trust in God. God is always there. His plan for us is rarely what we expect, but He has promised:
Isaiah 43:2 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (NIV)
Trusting God means that even during the bad, sad, hard, and miserable times, we still believe that He loves us and that He is good. He will teach us the things that we need to know.
So often, I feel like it's safer sitting on the edge of the pool, maybe dangling my feet in the water. How many times I have jumped into a plan, without God's wisdom! Thankfully, God is always there to pick me up from my worldly choices or unwise ventures and to put me back into His trusting arms.
We need to trust God through all things. He sees our tears and fears; He knows the plans that He has for us; and He wants us to dive into life's situations with the full knowledge of His presence. Trust Him and find joy!
Trust and obey,
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
– John H. Sammis
Prayer: Trustworthy Father, we thank You for always being there for us. You never slumber nor sleep. You know our comings and our goings, so help us to have the faith to trust You with joy! You are ever-present, and we love You. In Jesus' holy name, we pray. Amen.
JUICY LUCY
Summer isn’t summer without a good burger.
Er, scratch that. Summer isn’t summer without a good Juicy Lucy.
What is a Juicy Lucy?
A Juicy Lucy is a delicious hamburger stuffed with molten, bubbly, waterfalling cheese. That’s it. A burger stuffed with cheese.
If you are Minnesotan born and raised, you FOR SURE have eaten enough Juicy Lucys to have an opinion on all fronts: what kind of cheese should be used, should they be grilled or pan fried, and which dive bar does it best.
I am, conveniently, from Minnesota! And I have opinions:
- What kind of cheese? Straight up American. YOU NEED A SMOOTH MELT. Yes, you can use sliced cheddar or pepperjack in a pinch (or throw some jalapeños in with your American for a hybrid). A lot of people also like to use blue cheese, which makes it a Blucy. But the essence of a Juicy Lucy, in my opinion, is a creamy, smooth-melt, almost-liquid-like center of cheese. This isn’t the time for Mozzarella cheese pulls, okay?
- Grilled or pan fried? We do both in our house. Just depends on the day.
- Which dive bar does it best? I vote for The Nook. It’s in our little neighborhood corner of St. Paul and the dingy ambiance is everything a good dive bar should be. Plus, bowling alley in the basement. Seriously.
Juicy Lucy Ingredients
Beef, spices, American cheese. And some good brioche buns.
But, like, how do you stuff it with cheese?
It’s zero percent hard.
Make one smallerish patty, and one largerish patty.
Put the little hunks of cheese on the largerish one.
Put the smallerish one on top, and pinch up the edges.
Yadidit.
What do you put on a Juicy Lucy though?
Whatever the heck you want.
I prefer a simple Juicy Lucy:
- bun
- Juicy Lucy (the beef and melty cheese part)
- pickled jalapeño
- sometimes tomato
- always ketchup
- maybe mayo
- and often ranch because, yes, I really am that Minnesotan.
Juicy Lucy Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 2 tablespoons burger seasoning
- 6–12 slices American cheese
- 6 brioche buns
- Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles
- Sauces: Ketchup, mustard, mayo
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix the spices into the ground beef (I just mix by hand). Divide the beef into 6 even sections.
- Form each section into two thin patties (a smaller top patty, and a larger bottom patty). Place 1-2 folded pieces of cheese on the bottom patty, and place the smaller top patty over it, pinching up the edges to seal.
- Grill or pan fry for about 5 minutes, or until cooked to your desired doneness and cheese is melted. We usually sacrifice one Juicy Lucy and cut into it to test the doneness of both the beef and cheese.
- Let the Juicy Lucys rest for a minute or two. This is essential, otherwise the cheese will be so hot that it will literally come exploding out all over the place. I’m very serious.
- Serve on buns with your favorite toppings!
NOTES
I find it very difficult if not impossible to go for a medium-done Juicy Lucy because if you limit the cook time on the burger, it’s hard to get the cheese hot enough to melt. Plus you don’t want to be sticking a meat thermometer into these because you’ll lose your delicious melty cheese. We usually just go for a more well-done burger (the patties on either side are thin so this happens relatively quickly) since we are chasing that delicious melty cheese center.
Definitely recommend toasting the buns! Just spread them with a little butter and either pop in the oven for a few minutes at 350, or place on the upper rack of a grill while the burgers finish.
DAILY SMILE:
Put Your Umbrella Up
Misc Jokes
Submitted by Egbert
Two ladies are walking to their local County Fair, when it starts to rain. One says to the other, "Put your umbrella up, it's raining."
"I can't," says the other, "it's got holes in it."
"Holes in it?" the first lady asks. "Why did you bring it with you?"
The response, "I didn't think it would rain."
Please Share The Link Below With Your Friends on FaceBook, Twitter and Pinterest...
"Spreading GOD'S WORD,
One Post At A Time"...
No comments:
Post a Comment