Mashed Potatoes

While preparing the final dishes for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, my daughter, Kerrie, asked me to check the potatoes. So I did. She asked me if they were ready to be drained and mashed. Not even! I told her that I stirred them but they had not changed. She then ask how high she had set the heat. Oh it was on high but the potatoes were still hard. A little longer in this heat should do it. This will soften these potatoes and we will be able to make these things into what we want them to be. Mashed Tators! Yes!

I thought about that while I was going about making the rest of the dishes. Sometimes we are like those potatoes. God speaks to us through the preaching of His Word or through the reading of His Word. Sometimes He will speak to us through someones testimony. There are times that He will speak to us through a friend. Other times He will impress things upon our hearts. We KNOW when God has spoken to us. We are stirred in our hearts but we are not changed. We are tossed about like those potatoes in a pot of boiling water. We are moved for a moment of time with what we hear but not enough to change our life and become pliable in His hands. Moved but not enough to become what it is He wants us to become.

The potato has to go through extreme heat in the oven or microwave in order to reach perfection of "Baked Potato". Once again reaching that place of soft and pliable service. To become a french fry the potato must go through the process of extreme boiling in grease. This will soften said potato into a tasty dish which most people can not turn away. However you want to eat your potato, it must first go through the fire and become soft and pliable so that it can be made into what ever dish it is you want it to be. So it is with us. Before we can become whatever it is God wants us to become, we must go through the fire. We have to have our hearts softened. We have to have things removed from us that ought not to be there. You see, the fire also purifies and removes things. It cleanses as it softens. The longer we stay in the fire the more pliable we become in His hands. Yet He will NEVER force you to become pliable in His hands. He will try you and test you and if you choose not to become pliable in His hands He will then release you and let you go. He can only work with a soft, willing heart.

Hard baked potatoes are no good! Hard undone french fries are no good! Mashed Potatoes with hard lumps in them, to me, are no good! A hard heart to God, is a heart that He can not work with. It is not pliable in His hands.


I want to be pliable in the hands of God. I want my heart to be right before Him. Psalms 139:23-24; "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Heart - Who Can Know It?

Jeremiah 19:9

"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? New American Standard Bible

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? KJV

The heart is a twisted thing, not to be searched out by man: who is able to have knowledge of it? Bible in Basic English

Wesley's Notes
The heart - There is nothing so false and deceitful as the heart of man; deceitful in its apprehensions of things, in the hopes and promises which it nourishes, in the assurances that it gives us; unsearchable by others, deceitful with reference to ourselves, and abominably wicked, so that neither can a man know his own heart, nor can any other know that of his neighbor’s.

Trust in one's own heart is as foolish as in our fellow man (Pr 28:26).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
17:5-11 He who puts confidence in man, shall be like the heath in a desert, a naked tree, a sorry shrub, the product of barren ground, useless and worthless. Those who trust to their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do without Christ, make flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts. Those who make God their Hope, shall flourish like a tree always green, whose leaf does not wither. They shall be fixed in peace and satisfaction of mind; they shall not be anxious in a year of drought. Those who make God their Hope, have enough in him to make up the want of all creature-comforts. They shall not cease from yielding fruit in holiness and good works.

The heart, the conscience of man, in his corrupt and fallen state, is deceitful above all things. It calls evil good, and good evil; and cries peace to those to whom it does not belong. Herein the heart is desperately wicked; it is deadly, it is desperate. The case is bad indeed, if the conscience, which should set right the errors of other faculties, is a leader in the delusion. We cannot know our own hearts, nor what they will do in an hour of temptation. Who can understand his errors? Much less can we know the hearts of others, or depend upon them. He that believes God's testimony in this matter, and learns to watch his own heart, will find this is a correct, though a sad picture, and learns many lessons to direct his conduct. But much in our own hearts and in the hearts of others, will remain unknown. Yet whatever wickedness there is in the heart, God sees it. Men may be imposed upon, but God cannot be deceived.

Because the wicked always have some excuse to defend their doings they show that their own lewd imaginations deceive them and bring them to these hardships: but God will examine their deeds by the malice of their hearts.

Jeremiah 17: 10
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

I Corinthians 10:12
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! New International Version

Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17

"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18

Dear God, in these last days help my heart to be right before you.

The Secret Of Creating Riches

Top picture - Timothy & Marc. Bottom Picture - Jonathon & Zack. Participants in one of our S.S. skits

"Never forget: the secret of creating riches for
oneself is to create them for others."
— Sir John Templeton:

"You know the story of Bill Gates. From a score of 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT to dropping out of Harvard. Then founding Microsoft and becoming the world’s richest man. But there’s something that’s usually forgotten about his story. He didn't climb to the summit of success alone — he carried millions of people with him. People from all walks of life who were able to prosper because of him. Find your own path — but make sure it's wide enough to handle all the lives it will change. Your Future You awaits."

As I read the quote above and the comment following it, the first thing that came to my mind was the future of my Sunday School kids. Teaching S.S. has always been my heartbeat. For a few years I was out of service in this department due to numerous reasons, my health being one of them. Now I am back and it feels so good.

After about three weeks of teaching, three children started coming up to me before and after class giving me a quick hug and saying "I love you Sis. Jolene." Oh the joy that brought to my soul. I must be doing something right. To date there are several children who now do this. :)

I was at the school the other day waiting to pick Caleb up when I hear some children yelling across the school grounds "Hi Sis. Jolene" I turn and look and there are a couple of my S.S. children just waving away at me and smiling. My heart leaped and I yelled back a hello to "my girls" and waved. Yesterday while waiting for Caleb I was attacked from behind. I felt these little arms circle me with a hug and hear this sweet little voice say "Hi Sis. Jolene" I turned to look into the eyes of one of my precious S.S. Children. This pleased me for this little guy is very shy and never says anything.

Two Sundays ago I had one young child approach me and say "Can I be your helper Sis. Jolene?" Oh for sure! You see this child is one who never sits still. Always out of his seat and never listens. He has noticed how those who help, listen, and participate in the lesson get little rewards. I now have his attention. Oh Absolutely! You most definitely can be my helper as long as you listen and participate. :) Last Sunday this child was an absolute angel! "Can I help you next week too Sis. Jolene?" You sure can! You can be my helper every Sunday if you want. I guarantee I will find something that he can do. When I first took the class I had about 5, I think it was, of these young boys that were like this. Now everyone one them are doing their best to be my helpers. They want to get a little something out of that goodies bag at the end of the class. Bribery you might say. I don't care what you call it, I have their attention during the lesson and that is all that matters to me because now they can answer the questions at the end of the lesson where before they couldn't.

If I have a child that starts to get a little out of line I don't need to yell at them or call their name out loud and draw attention to them I nonchalantly walk over to them as I am still talking and gently lay my hand on their shoulder and give a gentle squeeze and say their name and say what do you think about that? How would you feel if that happened to you? and some how I draw them back into the lesson. I make them feel a part. That is all they need is to feel a part, to feel important.

You see, I'm on a journey. I'm climbing the stairway to Heaven. That's where my path lay. My riches are not here but laid up in Heaven. So I must make sure that my path is wide enough that I can lead these children down that path with me. I have to make sure that my path is wide enough to handle all the lives it will change. Children of all walks of life who will be able to prosper spiritually because I was not afraid to share this life changing Gospel with them. Peter said it best in Acts 3:6 "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee..." What better gift could I give these children than the eternal words of God. Words that will give them hope of a better life. Words that will lead them and guide them to a glorious city that will be without sin, pain, sickness, heartache, and will forever be full of joy and happiness, love, and peace and where we will forever be with the one who saved us by His grace.

I must "Never forget: the secret of creating riches for
oneself is to create them for others."

Lovest Thou Me?

My youngest daughter says to me: "Mom, A sacrifice is not real unless it involves giving up something/someone you truly love."

I read her text and think, "You are wise beyond your years baby girl!" What a blessing to have you to encourage me at this time in my life. You are not only my daughter but my friend as well. I love you so much!"

God says to my heart 3 days later: "Lovest thou me more than these?"

Pastor preaches last night: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:37

Yea Lord I love you. I love you with ALL my heart, with All my soul, with All my mind and with ALL my strength. I not only love you Lord, but I am IN love with you! You are my everything. You are my all and all and I can not live one moment without you.