Study with Sara-Seasons of Life

Are you grieving over the end of Summer?
Are you missing the joy of planning for Autumn?
Does the thought of Winter give you dread?
Does the Beauty of Spring make you sneeze?

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

I love the month of July offering us the feeling of summer, the smells of the watermelons, cantaloupes, and the taste of fresh vegetables. The beaches are in full bloom for sun and fun.

It is so easy to relax and forget that I must stay steady with the planting of seeds for Autumn. For ‘due season’ will come and I want to see the pumpkins and the corn and other colorful and bountiful beauty that will even put a spring garden to shame.

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My Prayer

Dearest Heavenly Father,
I want to come close to you, once again. Speak to me, once more that I may hear Your voice of Wisdom, of guidance, of exhortation; Your sweet counsel, warning and admonition.

Who cares for me like You do? Who is concerned for my welfare like You are? Who plans and directs for my good like You do? Who has resources and supplies in abundance like You do? Who has creative, futuristic ideas as forward-looking as You do? Who has healing in His wings and beams?

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Perception verses Perspective

I keep thinking about the recent retreat we just had on relationship, friendship, and fellowship. We learned that we must “throw our light forward”, so God’s message can be known, and relationships, friendships, and fellowships can be a success.

“Throwing our lights forward” can be done many different ways. One way is the use of “WORDS”. The question is…does the listening person, perceive (understand) what is being said? I have reviewed some scriptures and would like your input/comments, on perception and perspective. Here are the following scriptures…(Is.6:8-13, Matt.13:14-17, Mark 4:11-12, Acts 28:25-28, and Ps. 139)

Butterfinger Delight

1 Angel food cake (broken into pieces)
1 box powdered sugar
4 egg yolks
4 large Butterfinger Candy Bar
1 small cool whip

Mix powdered sugar and egg yolks. Gently mix in cool whip. Crush candy bars and mix with above. Add cake pieces and refrigerate. Top with pieces of candy bar for decoration.
Enjoy!!

Quote for the day

Duty of Encouragement . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Barclay, Daily Study Bible, “Letter to Hebrews,” p. 137-138

“One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement.…It is easy to laugh at men’s ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.

”

We Did It

We canned 8 qts tomatoes and 5 qts pickles and 1 qt juice for Pastor Gary. The temperatures outside were well over 100 and inside was a little hot as well. We were so joyful and happy that we could remember the lessons our Mother and Grandmother has taught us related to this craft. Thanks for the encouragement you gave us to do this.

Take a look at our ‘show-off’ results.
Cukes For Pickling-1Peeling Tomatoes

Pickles 1Hot Water Bath!

Making Tomato JuiceGetting Started

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Home Canned Tomatoes

There’s nothing like being able to reach for a jar of home canned tomatoes from your own cupboard on a wintry day when you want to make chili or spaghetti. Years ago I did quite a bit of canning as I didn’t have a freezer and I wanted to make good use of my small garden’s harvest and the vegetables and fruits that neighbors shared. Seasons of life and circumstances changed and I let the canning fall by the wayside. However, when doing some cleaning in my garage this spring, I found a box of canning jars from days gone by. Instead of throwing them out, I said, ‘I may need these this summer.’ Sure enough I am going to use them.
This year I experimented by planting tomatoes in 15 gallon black nursery containers in April and growing them in the greenhouse, fertilizing regularly. Results…jungle plants! And as a by-product, lots of tomatoes. So my friend, Rena, and I will try our hand at canning some this week
Tomato VinesTomatoes In Basket

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