Sights of Summer

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

Our neighbors are no longer nestled indoors and neither are we. Sights we missed in other seasons are showing off. Here are just a few favorites:

  • Yellow sun against a blue sky and sudden storms that hide both
  • Growth—veggies and flowers showing themselves in our gardens and patio pots
  • Children splashing in pools and running through sprinklers
  • Walkers, hand-holders, hikers, and bikers
  • Backyard gatherings and burgers on the grill
  • Colorful birds swooping in for sunflower seeds and spattering in birdbaths  
  • Sandy beaches, rolling waves, and kites dotting the sky
  • Pick-up ball games and busy playgrounds
  • Hopscotch grids chalked on sidewalks
  • The glow of fire pits and gooey marshmallows bobbing on sticks
  • Flittering butterflies and fascinating lightening bugs delighting young and old
  • People on porches, stoops, and decks, chatting and laughing

Look around your neighborhood. What summer sights do you see?

Tastes of Summer

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday summer officially arrived welcoming delicious foods unique to the season. Our kitchens and patios will offer the treats we’ve been waiting for. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Watermelon—sweet and juicy
  • Corn on the cob—salted and dripping with butter
  • Homemade potato salad—a labor of love
  • Strawberries—on shortcake with whipped cream
  • Ice cream—cold and refreshing in our favorite flavors (don’t mention the calories)
  • Jersey tomatoes—in salads and on sandwiches
  • Barbecued meats—hamburgers, chicken, and ribs, dripping on the grill and down our chins
  • Hot dogs—we may shun them every other season but now we load them with relish or kraut, pretending they’re healthier that way
  • Salads of all sorts—fruit salad, green salad, macaroni, coleslaw, bean salad—too many varieties to name
  • Pickles—yes, we eat them year round but somehow they’re now crisper, tastier, more tart
  • Iced tea and lemonade—in pitchers with floating lemons and droplets of water running down the side
  • Smores—though popular throughout the year, there’s nothing like ending a barbecue around a fire, toasting marshmallows

Do you have a favorite?

Does God Taste?

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash
~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

God created us in His image and included the sense of taste—a gift that often gets us in trouble, as our scales will attest. We delight in the tastes of a variety of foods. Does God?

Jesus ate. He dined on the food Martha lovingly prepared for Him. He tasted the catch of the day on Galilee’s shore. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He shared Passover with His disciples. As a Man, He tasted His food. As God, He created food to have flavor. How amazing that He included this delightful detail! Even His provision of the nourishing but boring manna had a specific flavor—it “tasted like wafers made with honey” (Ex. 16:31).

One day we will sit in Heaven at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). We can anticipate a meal as none we’ve ever tasted. While we wait, we not only enjoy the gift of flavorful food, but are invited to savor the spiritual blessing of taste:

  • O taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)
  • How sweet are Your words to my taste… sweeter than honey! (Psalm 119:103)
  • You have tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord. (1 Peter 2:3, AMPC)

Satisfy your soul as eagerly as your physical appetite. Taste the Lord’s goodness, devour His Word, delight in His kindness.

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

God Touches Us

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

This sense is more elusive than the others. We do not physically feel His touch like we do when a friend puts a hand on our shoulder, or when a spouse hugs us, or a child takes our hand. We feel those touches, and relish them. God’s touch is deeper, reaching into our heart and soul. Because they’re not physical, we may dismiss them, especially when they prompt us to take action. These are some ways God touches us.

He touches our pain and brings relief and peace.

He touches our sorrow, figuratively wiping our tears and comforting our souls.

He touches our conscience, convincing us to do what is right.

He touches our compassion, compelling us to respond to a need.

He touches our mind, gifting us with insight and understanding.

He touches our need, supplying us with better solutions than we anticipated.

He touches our soul, satisfying us in unexpected ways.

Our best response is to extend ourselves to touch Him—to reach for His hand for closeness, to touch the hem of His garment for healing, to find the wisdom He gives, to be led in His ways, and to please Him as His child by simply drawing near.

And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 10:16