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Children’s Story – Kathy “Sees” Thanksgiving

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Jeanie awoke the morning before Thanksgiving Day with a happy and thankful heart. Usually she awoke every morning feeling this way because she was a happy little girl, but today she had a special reason for being thankful.

Jeanie and her parents lived on a farm in the United States quite a distance from town or from neighbors. There was a big white house across the road, but Jeanie could not remember anyone ever having lived in it. Then last week Daddy told her and Mother that a family with a little girl Jeanie’s age was going to move into the house today.

Swiftly Jeanie jumped out of bed and ran to her window to peek at the house across the road. Sure enough, there was a moving van unloading furniture onto the front porch.

“Oh, now I will get to meet my new playmate before Thanksgiving!” Jeanie exclaimed to herself as she hurriedly began to dress.

She was almost to the kitchen when she remembered something she had to do today. She had promised to gather the pine cones that Mother always used to decorate the table on Thanksgiving Day. Would she have time to search for them and visit the little girl across the road too?

Then a thought flashed into Jeanie’s mind. I’ll go see my new neighbor first and invite her to go with me to gather the cones.

By this time Jeanie was at the kitchen doorway. “Oh, Mother,” she sang out, “our new neighbors have come!”

Mother looked up from the plate of toast she was preparing and smiled. “Yes, I saw them. I am making some soup for their lunch. We will take it over as soon as it is ready.”

Jeanie nodded. She was glad Mother was making the soup, but she didn’t know whether she could wait so long to meet her new playmate.

“I’m going to invite the little girl to help me search for pine cones,” she told Mother. “Do you think she will like that?”

“Yes, I’m sure she will.” Mother looked a little thoughtful. “There is something, though, I think you should know. Daddy learned about it only yesterday and told me last night.”

Jeanie had been watching Mother and saw her strange expression. “What is it? Is it about the new neighbors?”

Mother nodded. “It is about the little girl,” she answered gently. “She can’t see as you and I see, Jeanie. She is blind.”

Jeanie put down the plates she was holding and stared at Mother. Blind! She had never known a blind person. In school there was Cindy who had to walk with crutches, but being blind was different. Not to be able to see at all.

Jeanie had read about several famous blind people, such as Hellen Keller, but she had never really thought much about them. She had never tried to feel what it would be like never to see the bright blue sky, the green grass, other people—anything at all. Why, it was night all the time in a blind person’s world.

Jeanie took a deep breath. “Then—then maybe she won’t enjoy going with me to look for pine cones,” she managed to say.

“I think she may.” Mother surprised Jeanie by her answer. “You can invite her anyway and find out what she says.”

Jeanie was glad Mother had helped her decide. At worship Jeanie prayed a special prayer for Jesus to help her be friends with her blind neighbor.

Later when the steaming kettle of soup was ready Mother and Jeanie went across the road to see the new neighbors. As they entered the front gate, Jeanie’s heart began to beat faster. A little girl just her age was standing on the porch.

The little girl spoke first. “Hello,” she called. “I’m Kathy. Do you live across the road?”

“Yes, we do,” Jeanie told her. “My mother and I have brought you and your parents some soup for lunch, and I would like you to go pine cone hunting with me.”

“Oh, I would love that!” Kathy exclaimed happily. She turned toward the doorway of the house. “May I go, Mother?”

Jeanie turned, too, in surprise. She certainly hadn’t seen Kathy’s mother come to the door.

After Kathy had gotten her mother’s permission, the girls started for the pasture where the pine trees grew.

“I’ve never seen a pine cone,” Kathy stated. 

Jeanie couldn’t help staring at her. And somehow Kathy knew that she was puzzled.

“I mean I’ve never touched a pine cone,” she corrected. “I see things by feeling them. I’ve never seen many of the things that go with Thanksgiving. My parents and I have always lived in an apartment in New York City. I’ve never seen a pumpkin or an ear of corn. I surely would like to sometime.”

“Oh, you can today!” cried Jeanie. “Daddy has corn and pumpkins in the barn, and we’ll gather cones from the pine trees in the pasture.”

It wasn’t long until Jeanie spied a large cone under the pine tree by the pasture gate. “Oh, here’s one,” she told Kathy and gave her new friend the cone to hold.

Kathy ran her fingers quickly over the cone at first. Then she touched it more slowly. “It isn’t at all like I thought it would be. I thought it would be rough all over, but parts of it are smooth.”

Jeanie laughed and held out a black walnut. “If you want to feel something really different, touch this.”

Kathy was fascinated by the texture of the walnut hull. Then she felt the bark of the trees and the gritty surface of a sand rock. After the girls had gathered enough of the cones, they hurried to the barn, where Jeanie showed Kathy the big yellow pumpkins and the ears of yellow corn.

“Oh, this feels like Thanksgiving!” laughed Kathy as she patted the biggest pumpkin in the pile. “What a pie it would make!”

“One almost big enough to feed all the Pilgrims!” humored Jeanie.

Kathy smiled. Then she looked serious. “I’ve read about the Pilgrims and about the first Thanksgiving in my Braille books, but I’ve often wondered what a Pilgrim looked like.” 

Jeanie smiled, too. “I wish I had a Pilgrim to show you, but I—” Then she stopped right in the middle of her sentence and caught Kathy’s hand. “Come to the house. I do have a Pilgrim to show you. Two of them, in fact!”

When they were inside the house, Jeanie took Kathy to her room. “Here, sit in my rocker, and I’ll get my Pilgrim dolls from my doll collection. Grandmother got them for me two years ago at Thanksgiving. They are a Pilgrim man and a Pilgrim woman.”

Jeanie put the dolls in Kathy’s hands and told her about each doll’s clothing, the colors, and how the man carried a Bible in his hand.

Kathy sat for a long time touching the dolls. Then she turned toward Jeanie with joy and wonder in her face. “Oh, Jeanie, this has been such a wonderful day! I’ve never really been able to know about the things that Thanksgiving means because I couldn’t touch them. But today you really have helped me to “see” Thanksgiving. I think I want to thank Jesus for you.”

Jeanie took the Pilgrim dolls from Kathy and put them back with her doll collection. Then she took Kathy by the hand. “And I want to thank Jesus for you too,” she said. “So let’s thank Him together right now.”

On the rug beside Jeanie’s bed the two little girls knelt down and gave a special prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus, even though Thanksgiving was still a day away.

Heaven, Please! Helena Welch, 122–127.

Health – Defiled Meat/Diseased Meat

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Daniel purposed in his heart not to eat defiled meat. Have you purposed just as resolutely in your heart that you will refrain from eating diseased, meat? If you have, you will be sure not to eat any meat at all; for with the alarming increase of disease among cattle at the present time, you can never be sure that you are eating perfectly healthy meat, even if such a thing now exists. The true Christian never strives to see how near he can get to the danger line, but rather how far he can keep away from it.

The God of Daniel inspired him to take a definite stand upon this question. Are you allowing God to inspire a similar definite purpose in your heart with reference to the diet question, or have you sometimes thought it had no bearing upon your physical or moral nature? Again and again during the last few months I have had the opportunity personally to observe the moral effect of a flesh diet upon men and women who were seeking to rise to a higher level. They would struggle to give up the habits of drink and other evils, and fall again and again; but when they came to the point where they purposed in their hearts to adopt the simple diet of Daniel, then God seemed at once to give them power to rise above the other things.

Not only in this sense, but in an economical sense, those who use flesh foods are spending their money for that which is not bread. A pound of meat contains only a quarter of a pound of food, the remainder being water; while either a pound of peas, beans, or lentils, actually contains more of the very same food elements of which meat is composed, and a large part of the remainder of the pound is made up of useful food substances. The same is practically true of grains, only they do not contain so much of the particular food element of which meat is largely composed. A pound of flesh food costs three times as much as a pound of any of these legumes, yet it contains less than a third as much food, and it has ten times more poisonous substances, which is, after all, the most expensive part; for it wears out human energy to dispose of this. Add to all this the fact that disease is likely to be lurking in the meat, and then we certainly ought to purpose in our hearts not to spend our money for that which is not bread.

The Review and Herald, November 28, 1899.

Question & Answer – Who Judges the Wicked?

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Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters” (1 Corinthians 6:2)?

“Then I saw thrones, and Jesus and the redeemed saints sat upon them; and the saints reigned as kings and priests unto God, and the wicked dead were judged, and their acts were compared with the statute book, the word of God, and they were judged according to the deeds done in the body. Jesus, in union with the saints, meted out to the wicked the portion they must suffer, according to their works; and it was written in the book of death, and set off against their names. Satan and his angels were also judged by Jesus and the saints. Satan’s punishment was to be far greater than that of those whom he had deceived. It so far exceeded their punishment that it could not be compared with theirs. After all those whom he had deceived had perished, Satan was to still live and suffer on much longer.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 212, 213.

“After the saints are changed to immortality and caught up together with Jesus, after they receive their harps, their robes, and their crowns, and enter the city, Jesus and the saints sit in judgment. The books are opened—the book of life and the book of death. The book of life contains the good deeds of the saints; and the book of death contains the evil deeds of the wicked. These books are compared with the statute book, the Bible, and according to that men are judged. The saints, in unison with Jesus, pass their judgment upon the wicked dead. ‘Behold ye,’ said the angel, ‘the saints, in unison with Jesus, sit in judgment, and mete out to the wicked according to the deeds done in the body, and that which they must receive at the execution of the judgment is set off against their names.’ This, I saw, was the work of the saints with Jesus through the one thousand years in the Holy City before it descends to the earth.” Early Writings, 52, 53.

Pen of Inspiration – Rejoice in the Lord Always

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In this life we shall be tempted and tried. Friends may prove treacherous, enemies may be inspired by Satan to cause sadness. In these trials let us turn to the Strong for strength. There we shall find comfort, consolation, and tender sympathy.

Christ interposes between us and the difficulties that appear so formidable. The flame and the flood are behind Him. Then lift Him up, with voice and song, and let the melody of thanksgiving and praise ascend to heaven in your life service. Keep cheerful, full of faith and courage and hope. Elijah was subject to like passions as we are, yet the Lord was his strength. He prayed most earnestly, and the Lord heard his prayer. Let us, under all circumstances, preserve our confidence in Christ. He is to be everything to us—the first, the last, the best in everything. Then let us educate our tongues to speak forth His praise, not only when we feel gladness and joy, but at all times.

Let us keep the heart full of God’s precious promises, that we may speak words that will be a comfort and strength to others. Thus we may learn the language of the heavenly angels, who, if we are faithful, will be our companions through the eternal ages. Every day we should make advancement in gaining perfection of character, and this we shall certainly do if we press toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. Let us not talk of the great power of Satan, but of the great power of God. We are to speak even as Christ spoke, allowing no harsh, impatient words to fall from our lips. Thus we shall be a savor of life to all with whom we come in contact.

In every soul two powers are struggling earnestly for the victory. Unbelief marshals its forces, led by Satan, to cut us off from the source of our strength. Faith marshals its forces, led by Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Hour by hour, in the sight of the heavenly universe the conflict goes forward. This is a hand-to-hand fight, and the great question is, Which shall obtain the mastery? This question each must decide for himself. In this warfare all must take a part, fighting on one side or the other. From the conflict there is no release.

Paul says to those who are fighting on the side of truth: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). We are urged to prepare for this conflict. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10, 11). The warning is repeated, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (verse 13).

He who is mighty in counsel, to whom all power in heaven and earth has been given, will come to the help of those who trust in Him. In the Scriptures we read that in certain places Christ could not do many mighty works, because of the unbelief existing there. It is of great importance that we have a faith that will not wait for the evidence of sight before it ventures to advance. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:3–6).

The Youth’s Instructor, January 10, 1901.

Keys to the Storehouse – Grace Be To You

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Paul sent a most meaningful greeting in most of his letters in which he said: “Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:2). This salutation from Paul’s heart has much more meaning than many realize.

“To learn of Christ means to receive His grace, which is His character.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 271.

With the character of Christ, there would be no complaining because you would be satisfied with what God’s will was for you knowing “… that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

When Paul asked for healing in 2 Corinthians 12:9, God replied, “… My grace is sufficient for thee [My character is sufficient for you]: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. …” Paul then says, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Whatever your “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7), God’s grace is sufficient. “The divine grace which He alone can impart, is as living water, purifying, refreshing, and invigorating the soul.” The Desire of Ages, 187.

Grace be to you! But it is not only grace that Paul wants you to attain. He adds, “… and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:2).  As Peter also states in 2 Peter 1:2, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you …” This word peace is a state of quiet or tranquility, free from agitation or disturbance, being calm. It also means an absence of strife or discord—a state of reconciliation. Paul knew God’s desire to give to all grace and peace.

There was much strife, discord and agitation in Paul’s day but he knew that if they would obtain that grace and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son, they would have such tranquility and calmness in their hearts that others would be drawn to them.

God is talking to you through Paul and Peter and other writers. As you read their words, hear His voice talking to you. He says, “Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ask for His grace! Ask for His peace! These gifts are for you and for me.

How do I multiply these gifts? 2 Peter 1:2 tells us how: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord … .” Spend quality time in His word and the Spirit of Prophecy. As you grow in knowledge, so will the grace and peace of God swell within you.

Heavenly Father: I did not realize that Your grace is Your character and how much I need it. I understand now why Paul knew that Your grace was truly sufficient and that he was satisfied with his “thorn in the flesh.” I pray for Your grace and Your peace that I may reflect Your character at all times and under all circumstances even amidst all of the thorns, because I now know that Your grace is truly sufficient.  Amen.

Current Events – Nearly every Continent of this earth has been hit by climate and weather disasters

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Zimbabwe—Hundreds of people have been killed due to the severe rains in the first few months of the year.

China—1 million people were displaced and over 200 people killed due to severe flooding and other natural disasters in the first half of the year.

Peru—Flooding triggered by unusually warm Pacific waters off the coast killed 150 and affected more than 1 million.

Afghanistan—Avalanches caused by heavy snowfall caused deaths and loss of homes.

Democratic Republic of the Congo—A horrific landslide killed hundreds, leaving 280 children orphaned.

Sri Lanka—Heavy rainfall and strong monsoon winds left hundreds dead and affected another half million. Hundreds more have died from dengue fever since the disaster.

Mexico—A major 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City on September 19, killing at least 225 people. The earthquake struck on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake that killed thousands in Mexico. Twelve days earlier, the even larger Chiapas earthquake struck 400 miles away, off the coast of the state of Chiapas, killing at least 96 people.

Colombia—A massive landslide in the southern city of Mocoa killed at least 300 and injured hundreds more. Two weeks later, 17 more people were killed and dozens more injured in another landslide set off by heavy rains.

South Asia—Flooding and landslides resulting from monsoon rains have affected at least 41 million people in Bangladesh, India and Nepal during the summer with a death toll of 1,200.

United States—Three hurricanes in quick succession have caused unprecedented havoc and devastation. Hurricane Harvey was an extremely destructive Atlantic hurricane which became the first major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since 2005. Harvey was the wettest tropical hurricane on record in the U.S., causing widespread flooding. At least 75 were confirmed dead from the flooding along its path of destruction. Hurricane Irma with its deadly storm surges and Maria with her catastrophic high winds that totally devastated Puerto Rico followed in quick succession leaving a trail of death and destruction.

Las Vegas, USA—October 1. Thirty thousand people were gathered on the Las Vegas Strip for a music festival when a lone shooter opened fire on them from the 32nd floor of a hotel building. Initial reports say 59 people are dead with more than 500 injured in the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Might this be what has been described “as the beginning of sorrows”? If ever there was a time to get on your knees and pray for the inhabitants of this world to turn to their Creator it is now. The devil is “enraged” and enlisting all in his power to destroy, for he knows that his time is short.

In the midst of all of this disaster was an amazing display of God’s creation when the moon eclipsed the sun.

August 21, 2017—Eclipse Day

The people of the United States looked in wonder as the lunar shadow entered the United States near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 9:05 a.m. before totally eclipsing the sun at 10:16 a.m. Many had travelled from abroad to see this phenomenon while others were transfixed to their televisions for the next couple of hours to follow the lunar shadow until it left the U.S. at 4:09 p.m. EDT.

Be Thankful – Good Medicine for the Troubled

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There are many man-made formulas for peace of mind, but none is so effective as the command of God to be thankful. Paul in writing to the church at Colossae encouraged the believers with these words:

“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Colossians 3:15

Once a year in the United States the President sets aside a day for thanksgiving. He calls upon the people of the nation, as he did in a recent proclamation, to consider the “richness of our blessings,” “our bountiful harvests,” “our productivity of goods abundant,” and the privilege “to walk as free men unafraid.” Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, Harry S. Truman, 1948. It is good to remind ourselves of such things once a year. But it is far better to set a time each day to ponder the things for which we should be thankful.

The spirit of thankfulness is like a tonic. It causes one to lift his head, to walk more erect. It smooths the ruffled brow, and places a smile upon the countenance. “Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise.” The Ministry of Healing, 251.

Thus we are admonished by the prophet Samuel, “Consider how great things He hath done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24); and our hearts should respond as did the psalmist, “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3).

Just the uttering of praise and thanks sends the blood coursing through one’s veins faster, cleansing out the impurities of the mind and the heart, and giving health to the bones.

Again we are told, “It is a positive duty to resist melancholy, discontented thoughts and feelings—as much a duty as it is to pray.” The Ministry of Healing, 251.

Certainly we have much to be troubled about, for there never was a time when so many demands were made upon us. Life becomes more and more complicated and uncertain every day. We seem to be hedged about by unpleasant events over which we have no control. We often feel disconcerted in the face of issues that must be settled without delay. How can we remain calm and collected in such a time as this?

The best way to do it is to have a background of confidence that we have an Almighty Helper at our side every moment, and that He will not permit any circumstance to overwhelm us. We need constantly to remind ourselves of this, and be thankful for it. This is what Paul meant when he wrote the words quoted before. Weymouth’s translation reads:

“Let the peace which Christ gives settle all questionings in your hearts, to which peace indeed you were called as belonging to His one Body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15, literal translation).

The consciousness that we are not alone in the daily conflict, that we belong to a body of people who are called to peace through Christ, tempers every trial and helps to settle all our questionings. This is one of the greatest blessings that the Christian way of life has to offer. We not only look forward to the day of salvation, when we shall be delivered wholly from earthly conflicts, but we are promised daily deliverances here and now. That is why Christ bade us pray, “Deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). This freedom comes not by its removal, for this is impossible in an evil world, but by God making evil powerless over us, even as rain is repelled by a waterproof garment. We can then say with Paul, “None of these things move me” (Acts 20:24).

How thankful we should be for these spiritual blessings that moderate the trials of life. And the more we are thankful for them, the more they can do for us. Of this we read:

“It is for our own benefit to keep every gift of God fresh in our memory. Thus faith is strengthened to claim and to receive more and more. There is greater encouragement for us in the least blessing we ourselves receive from God than in all the accounts we can read of the faith and experience of others. The soul that responds to the grace of God shall be like a watered garden. His health shall spring forth speedily; his light shall rise in obscurity, and the glory of the Lord shall be seen upon him.” The Desire of Ages, 348.

When we think of our material blessings we may not have as much as some for which to be thankful. We may be poor in this world’s goods; we may have afflictions of the body and be restricted in our activities. It may seem, as we compare ourselves with others, that we have little to call forth thankfulness. But all have the same access to the storehouse of heaven, and we are only limited by our faith in laying hold of the spiritual blessings God so freely offers to all. If it is money you need, God can bless the little and make it sufficient. If it is health you need, God can give you the grace to endure the trial. There is no material need of man that some spiritual grace cannot match. Just take the key of faith and open God’s treasury, and there you will find all that is necessary for a life of happiness. Help yourself to the riches of joy and gladness stored up in Christ Jesus.

There are two ways to multiply our blessings. One is to recognize them. The other is to share them. This is an axiom of life in general, and of Christian life in particular. To let money lie idle often defeats one’s purpose. But to put it into circulation, and let it produce something useful to others, is the best way to increase one’s own benefits. This law of economics is recognized in the business world. It was recognized by Christ in the parable of the talents. The man who buried his one talent in the ground, thinking he would have wherewith to meet some future need, learned to his great regret that even that which he had felt was so secure was taken from him.

Exaggerated self-interest leads sooner or later either to poverty of material things or poverty of soul. What, then, should be the response of one to every blessing that is received? “Freely ye have received,” saith the Master, “freely give” (Matthew 10:8). And the psalmist asks, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits” (Psalm 116:12)? There is no peace for one who simply offers thanks for what he receives. He must likewise be glad for the opportunity to serve. To give is life; to stop giving is death. To Abraham, God said, “I will bless thee, … and thou shalt be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). The one who stops being a blessing will soon lose the blessing.

There are too many people today talking about the Bill of Rights and forgetting the bill of responsibilities. We love our freedom to do as we wish. But does what we wish include the desire to be of some help to others? No nation, no people, no individual, would have any freedom at all if no consideration were given to human relationships.

Above all, spiritual life is absolutely dependent upon the act of sharing. One concerned only with his own salvation is doing the very thing that will keep him from receiving what he desires.

So let us be thankful for the faith that helps us lay hold upon the eternal riches, for the hope that keeps us patient until we fully realize all that God has promised, and for the love that prompts us to give thanks for blessings bestowed and leads us to share them with others. This is the way of peace to which we are called. Let us walk in it.

Thoughts of Peace, Frederick Lee, 1950, 24–27.

Reader’s comment: “This is a wonderful ‘nugget’ to help a person find true peace in this turbulent world that we live in. Even though it was written in 1950, it is very relevant to today. If you are struggling with finding peace, this book will be a great source of comfort and direction in finding it.”

Food – Spice it up

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A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Sometimes a spice is used to hide other flavors. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy, green plants also used for flavoring or as garnish.

A spice may be available in several forms: fresh, whole dried, or pre-ground dried. Generally, spices are dried. A whole dried spice has the longest shelf life, so it can be purchased and stored in larger amounts, making it cheaper on a per-serving basis. Small seeds, such as fennel and mustard seeds, are often used both whole and in powder form.

The flavor of a spice is derived in part from compounds (volatile oils) that oxidize or evaporate when exposed to air. Grinding a spice greatly increases its surface area and so increases the rates of oxidation and evaporation. Thus, flavor is maximized by storing a spice whole and grinding when needed. The shelf life of a whole dry spice is roughly two years; of a ground spice roughly six months. The “flavor life” of a ground spice can be much shorter. Ground spices are better stored away from light.

To grind a whole spice, the classic tool is mortar and pestle. Less labor-intensive tools are more common now: a microplane or fine grater can be used to grind small amounts; a coffee grinder is useful for larger amounts.

As a general rule, the flavors from a spice take time to infuse into the food, so spices should be added early in preparation.

Vegan recipes often use more spice than conventional recipes, since spices are plant-based and a great way to add flavor to a non-meat dish. It can be tricky to cook a full range of recipes under strict limitations, but with a little creativity vegan food can be as delicious and satisfying as any other diet.

Children’s Story – The Little Lost Lamb

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Judy did not know Bootsie was lost until she went upstairs to get ready for bed. Bootsie was Judy’s favorite doll. Bootsie was a fleecy, little lamb with soft, white wool all over. Every night for several years Judy had tucked Bootsie under the covers beside her and pulled his soft, little body against her cheek before she went to sleep. But tonight she couldn’t find him.

“Mother, have you seen Bootsie?” Judy called down the stairs. “Did you look under the bed?” her mother answered. “He must be somewhere in your room.” But they couldn’t find Bootsie anywhere.

“Judy,” said her mother, “you were up at Mrs. Garland’s house this afternoon playing with Ann. Did you have Bootsie with you?” “Oh, yes, Mother; I believe I did.” “Do you suppose you left Bootsie at Ann’s house?” her mother asked. Judy could not be sure, so her mother phoned Mrs. Garland.

“No,” said Mrs. Garland, “Judy did not leave Bootsie here. I remember distinctly that she had him in her arms as she started home. She also had two story books and her roller skates. It was quite an armful. Do you suppose she dropped him on the way home?”

“Judy,” said her mother, after she had finished talking with Mrs. Garland, “can’t you sleep with one of your other dolls tonight? We will see if we can find Bootsie in the morning.” Just then Judy heard the sound of rain on the roof, and the tears came to her eyes. “Oh, Mother,” she said, “if I lost Bootsie on the way home, then he’s out there in the rain. He’ll get cold and wet. Please let us go find him. I can’t go to sleep without my Bootsie.”

“If you love Bootsie that much, we will go try to find him.” A few minutes later, with raincoats, overshoes, umbrella, and flashlight, they started out in the rain to look for Bootsie. “Judy,” her mother said, “you try to remember exactly which way you walked home from Mrs. Garland’s.”

“I came the short way down the hill through Mrs. Garland’s back yard,” said Judy. So together they walked up the hill in the direction of Mrs. Garland’s house, toward her back yard. About halfway up, beside a rosebush, they found Bootsie. Judy all but cried for joy as she gathered her little lamb into her arms. Back home a few minutes later, she carefully wiped the cold rain from Bootsie with a towel, wrapped him in a nice, warm blanket, then tucked him under the cover in the bed beside her.

The Story of the Good Shepherd – Luke 15:1–7

In the time of Jesus there were many men who made their living by raising sheep.

There were no fences in the pastures, and good grazing land was scarce. Often a shepherd would have to tend his flock many miles away from his home to find grass for his sheep, and sometimes one might fall behind or wander away and be lost from the flock. Each night the sheep were kept in a place called a “fold” – a closed-in space where they would be safe from wolves and robbers.

One day Jesus told the following story to the people who had come together to hear Him teach.

There was once a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One night as he brought them into the fold he missed one. Quickly he counted them again. Yes, there were only ninety-nine.

He started back to hunt for the lost sheep. It was a long journey back to the valley where the sheep had been grazing that afternoon and it was growing dark. Robbers and wild beasts might be lurking along the way. None of these things mattered to the shepherd. He was thinking only of his lost sheep. Could it have fallen into a pit? Perhaps its leg would be broken. He hoped and prayed that the wolves would not find it before he did.

Troubled by these thoughts, he hurried on. Ever so often he would pause, and over the hills his voice would roll, calling his sheep. At last an answer came, a pitiful bleat from the distance in front of him. The shepherd ran the rest of the way, guided by the bleating sounds that became clearer and clearer as he came closer. Yes, the lost sheep had fallen into a pit. Apart from a few scratches from the rocks and briars, it was unharmed.

Gently the shepherd lifted it to his shoulder. All the way back he carried it, his heart bursting with joy and gratitude because he had found it safe and sound. Back home he rubbed oil into the wounds made by the rocks and briars; then he put the rescued sheep into the fold with the others.

However before he went to bed that night, he called in his friends and neighbors to tell them what had happened. “It meant much to me to find my sheep,” he said, “that I wanted you to know about it and share my joy.

Jesus told this story as a lesson that God loves and cares for each one of us as this good shepherd loved and cared for his sheep.

Parables from Nature, by J. Calvin Reid.

Love, the Law and Heaven

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“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.”  Psalm 119:2, 3

Understand the most basic requirement of heaven, the deciding factor of entrance into heaven.

If I am seeking something with my whole heart, it must be something that I value above all other things. It is something that I love. Why is this so important in whether I am seen fit to gain entrance into heaven? I believe that answer to this question is stated very succinctly, in fact in three words: “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8, first part). This is not speaking of human love, but divine love as is defined in the preceding verses.

Let’s think about this for a moment. If I am motivated to do something from any other motive than pure, true principled love, I believe that it is a given that sooner or later that motive would change, and as the motive changes, the action also changes. However, God never changes. His character is love, the basis of His government is love, His law is love, and we are told that He never changes.

If our lives, our words and actions are based on love, divine love, true love based on principle, will we ever change? No, so if my motivating factor is love, then I am safe to be in the kingdom of glory restored. If I live, speak, act, make decisions based on God’s principle of love, I will be a safe citizen of that heavenly realm. If the motive power for my obedience is not love of the purity, holiness, righteousness of God’s government, law, kingdom, I will not be a safe subject for that kingdom.

The universe has endured over 6,000 years of sin, of rebellion, of spurious, self-centered love. It can be unequivocally stated that God will not allow it a second time. And as He is not a God of force, the only option He has is to restrict entrance to only those who are motivated by the unchanging principle of divine love. Because as the Bible says “love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13 elaborates on this: “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (verses 1–3 NASB).

God says it doesn’t matter how great the deed, how wonderful the gift or talent, how mighty the power. If it is not motivated by love, it profits me nothing. Why? It is because of those three words we read earlier from 1 Corinthians 13:8 – “Love never fails.” That is the only motive that is sure. That is the only motive power that is safe. All other motives will eventually fail.

Immediately after these words “it profits me nothing” follows a description of true love. In our world today, basically what we know and see is Satan’s counterfeit for God’s true principle of love. So we need to be educated as to what true love is. 1 Corinthians gives a definition of true love, principled love. It is this divine, principled love that is expressed in the Ten Commandments. It is this love that is the basis of the government of God. It is His very character.

This principled love is the basic requirement of entrance into heaven. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 NASB also sheds some light as to why this is the case. It says, “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.” The love of God and of Christ are steadfast.

What does steadfast mean? Here is the first definition from Merriam-Webster: “firmly fixed in place; immovable.” Does that sound like something based on that love would be secure? Something based on that kind of “steadfast love” will not be changed.

Two more scriptures among many state clearly God’s requirement for those who would be citizens of His kingdom of glory.

Mark 12:30: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 10:12 NASB: “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The most basic problem of the human race is whether or not I sin. I would like to propose to you that love is involved in the motive of everything I do or choose. It is either self-love or love of God. Think about that for a moment. When man sinned he lost the natural goodness, the propensity for good, that total lack of propensity to do evil which was the condition in which he was created by God. He lost the ability to do good and became wholly depraved, evil, wicked. The Bible teaches that, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it” (Jeremiah 17:9)? As a result of that first sin, mankind is now under the power that is the exact opposite of love, the epitome of hatred, evil and death. There is one power alone that is stronger than death – love, pure, divine love. Therefore, there is only one power that is stronger than sin. In other words, there is one power alone that gives us the power to overcome sin – love.

“If God has given His only begotten Son to die, the just for the unjust, He wants every voice to proclaim it; for this is the truth that is to work counter to the lies of Satan. Christ’s death for man shows that his compassion and love are without a parallel. Christ’s resurrection proves that He has power over death and the grave. He is willing and able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.” The Review and Herald, August 13, 1889.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

These are wonderful attributes – wonderful ability of speech, prophecy, understanding all mysteries and knowledge, faith even so strong as to move mountains, giving all you have to give to others, and even martyrdom. But God says all these are worth nothing without the motivating power of love.

There is another Scripture in the Bible that gives this exact same principle, but stated in the negative rather than in the positive, and in another setting. You all know these famous words of Christ. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23 KJV).

Again we have a description of someone doing wonderful things in Jesus’ name. But Jesus says, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” What? Doing all these wonderful and good things, and Jesus says, “I never knew you?”

The problem here is one of motive. The issue is self-love, rather than love of God and the principles of His kingdom.

Inspiration says it this way: “No matter how high the profession, he whose heart is not filled with love for God and his fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith and have power even to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality; but should he, from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr’s death, yet if not actuated by love, he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.” The Acts of the Apostles, 318, 319.

Why? Why is this attribute of love so important? The crux of the matter is stated in these few words of Jesus recorded by John the Beloved. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15 NASB). God does not say if you are afraid of Me, or if you know I exist, or if you obey because you have to, and the list could go on. Satan has myriads of counterfeit reasons. God says, “If you love Me.” Period.

Let’s think about this in a logical way for a moment. Would you want to be in heaven if heaven is like this earth? Of course not. In that case, you and I must change. Think of this from the perspective of God. Think of the extreme cost of putting into effect the wonderful plan of salvation by which alone you and I have hope of eternity. Will God allow sin to rear its head again? Never. If we are to be in that kingdom of glory restored, we must have the attributes that would make us safe to be there—for eternity. That means obedience from that most basic principle – love for God and for the principles of His kingdom.

Do you have that kind of love? How do we get that kind of love? The answer is very simple.

The inspired writer says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV). What is that glory of the Lord? It is self-sacrificing love.

“It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love. In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which ‘seeketh not her own’ has its source in the heart of God; and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto.” The Desire of Ages, 20.

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NASB).

All quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.