The Perfect Recipe

The Perfect Recipe

The holidays are heading our way fast. I can fancy recipes being pulled out of three by five file boxes, cook books opened up to stained and well used pages. There are family favorites spoken and handed down from one generation to the next to be enjoyed all over again.

Looking for the perfect recipe this holiday? Perhaps not one for pie or cookies or turkey but one for life that has been designed especially for you! One with steps easy to follow, so simple a child can follow and understand them. A recipe with the promise of perfect results every time?

"Teach me your decrees, O LORD; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. (Psalm 119:33-35 NLT).

I love to bake and create in the kitchen. Sweet memories rise up in my heart of kitchens past filled with camaraderie and good cheer. Where victories were applauded, traumas and trials cut up to size one could managed. Where all was covered in prayer, sprinkled with love and laughter too. When each thing shared was clasped with understanding, and caressed with compassion.

How interesting that a recipe is fashioned much like God's Word with step by step directions tried and true if adhered to.  

When we read our Bible and follow the instructions carefully the results are miraculous, quite amazing and always in good taste. God’s perfect recipe for life is heart healthy, soul restoring with His promise for a perfect heavenly outcome.

Old Tried and True Recipe

Take a dash of water cold. And a little leaven of prayer

And a little bit of morning gold, dissolved in the morning air.

Add to your meal some merriment, and a thought of kith and kin'

And then as your prime ingredient a plenty of work thrown in.

But spice it all with the essence of love and a little whiff of play;

Let a wise Old Book and a glance above complete the well-made day.

(This is from my grandmother's old recipe book-author unknown)

“Perfect Recipe” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 26, 2013

 

One Little Torn and Spotted Leaf

Golden Tree Delight by Dee Kamp

 

One Little Torn and Spotted Leaf

There is music, there is Scripture and there is this weeping view of God’s majesty all before me on my big screen television. The camera zooms through deep forests then dizzily sweeping over fields of beautiful wild flowers.  I am thrilled with the grand beauty of it all. That is until the camera draws closer and closer to focus on one torn and spotted leaf.

What on earth? I wait for the camera to continue on for more lovely views, but to my amazement all one sees is a not so perfect leaf. Why this leaf? It has spots and something has chewed along one side of it. The little leaf is flawed and not one bit lovely at all. Then I sense God wanting me to understand something bigger― but what?

That’s when I hear Him whisper in my heart, “You focus on the one thing you feel is wrong with you and others too much, too long. You look on faults and failures in one place, but I see beauty. I see more than one leaf I see the whole beautiful tree.”

 

“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

festive praise instead of despair.

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks

that the LORD has planted for his own glory.”

Isaiah 71:3 NLT

 

In John 17:13 Jesus’ prayed his disciples would experience the full measure of His joy. Jesus’ joy has a divine purpose: to reveal Himself to the world. He desires to fill us with His overflowing love and joy to proclaim His victory to world over all our sins.

We are forgiven and unconditionally loved by our Father who sees us perfected and beautiful through His Son

Jesus never focuses on our faults or failures but on our hearts and all the beautiful, joyful possibilities we will enjoy in our life through Him.

Not one little spotted and torn leaf are we,

But a beautiful full leafed tree.

We are planted by His love and set free,

To grow in great joy for God’s glory

 

“One Little Torn and Spotted Leaf” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 25, 2013

Call On Me First

 

 

Call On Me First

When we need help, advice or comfort, the first thing we seem to do is to call someone we know and can trust. This drive to call on our phone, text or write on the internet for help kicks our emotions into action faster than a strong bolt of Starbucks coffee. But the question is—who does one call first and who will answer first?

 “I will answer them before they even call to me.

While they are still talking about their needs,

 I will go ahead and answer their prayers!”

 Isaiah 65:24 NLT

When I was a teenager (well before cell phones) and I was about to go out with friends or on a date my father would say, “Here’s some money to call me. Call me first thing, call me from any place, at any hour I’ll be there.”

God is eagerly waiting for us to call Him first. Our Heavenly Father is never out of reach, range, nor ever out of touch. Quicker than our fingers can text, faster than we can punch in a name in speed dial God is here for us. By His Word He speaks gently to remind us―“Call on Me First.”

Oh, I used to talk to Him when I was very small.

Then I grew up and got too busy

And felt I didn’t need Him much at all.

 The days went by and there was so much to do,

New friends, new things and adventures to try

And yet, I had an empty feeling inside me too.

I was unfilled in my soul, sad in my heat and my life caved in

But the moment I met Jesus and I was freed

I became like a child calling on Him all over again.

―Anonymous

“Call Me First!” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 22, 2013

Being watched From Above

Watched from Above by Dee Kamp

 

 

Being Watched from Above

It was a cold and blustery November day when I climbed the sand caked steps up from the ocean beach to the main street of this quaint Oregon Coast town. My eyes constantly scanned every building, garden, alley, nook and cranny for fresh photo opportunities. I never know what will pop up next. It’s like a treasure hunt every time I walk around with my camera.

And as this thought was floating over my mind I turned up a little side street and saw an unusually large old building taking up half the block. It looked Victorian in style and stood an impressive three stories tall. The siding was unpainted and its storm weathered shingles were faded to a soft heather gray. I stood studying the unusual angles of the shingled peak windows when I felt as if I was being watched from above.

“I look up to the mountains-does my help come from there?

 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!

 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber…

The LORD himself watches over you!”

Psalm 121:1-3, 5 NLT

 

I noticed one window jutting out from the house and ran up the side of the building all three stories. As my eyes rose up looking at each floor observing plants and things setting in the windows my eyes flew open at what I saw on the third floor― a face was staring down at me!

I laughed as I made eye contact with a beautiful Australian Shepherd dog. He had a high and lofty place to sit unnoticed observing the tourists as they walked by. I wondered how many people never realized they were being watched over from above.

As I lifted my camera to take a picture the dog’s head turned down to look at me in curiosity and tipped to the side in pure cuteness.  I felt certain this doggie in the window was a delightful reminder from the Lord that though we may not see Him from His high and lofty place, He is always continually watching over us from above.

“Being Watched Over from Above” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 21, 2013

Our Dwelling Place

Sunset Reflections by Dee Kamp 

 

Our Dwelling Place

 

 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My father will love him,

 and We will come to him and make Our home in him.”

 John 14:23 NKJV

Our home is familiar to us. No one has t to tell us how to locate our bedroom, where to find what is in the kitchen or the way to go for our favorite place to rest. After a hard day of scrambling about in this world it’s so nice to come home to a place we know well, feel safe and comfortable.

God can be just as familiar to us. With Him we can feel comfortable, restful and find sweet peace.

God wants to be our dwelling place, our abode, our home. He isn’t found in a place faraway but His favorite place of all― inside our heart.

So many things may be happening at once in our lives that we may hardly have given thought of God at all.  But there is never a moment He isn’t thinking of us. God isn’t a vacation home, a holiday home away. His promise is He is we will forever find our home in Him.

“Teach us to escape the worries of the world, to live and rest in You”. ―Harriet Crosby

“Our Dwelling Place” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 15, 2013

A Trustworthy Promise is Worth Waiting For

Pacific Northwest Trail by Dee Kap

 

A Trustworthy Promise is Worth Waiting For

“It may take me awhile, as the work in the woods is slow right now, but I will pay you back for the gas and food I need to keep going,” said the rugged, hardworking logger. He was standing at the counter of our little country store and held out his calloused and deeply grimed hand for a shake on the matter.

My husband and I still enjoy the memory of this particular promise from several years ago when we owned the old Beaver Valley Store. We recalled this man’s promise among many other amazing experiences we had back then. We reminisce fondly about the unique and remarkable people who were our neighbors and who we had the pleasure of doing business. No matter their circumstances or how long it would take― they kept their promises.

“Every good thing the LORD had promised them came true.” Joshua 21:45 NIV

Promises and good intentions are not the same thing. A promise is a commitment that is always fulfilled and reflects one’s character. The second, a good intention, lacks conviction and conclusion and is rarely fulfilled. It’s all a matter of the heart.

Our God is not a God of good intentions, but a God of sure and true promises. And the heart of God is pure, holy, trustworthy and true.  Jesus is the perfect example of one of God’s most treasured promises He has given us.

We went about our business minding the store, waiting and trusting this man to keep his promise to pay. For money was short for us too back then and the winters were long and often slow. But true to his word, bit by bit, dollar by dollar, week after week he came in to pay. And then one day he walked in with a big smile on his face, his last payment in hand, and one surprising gift―a huge, beautiful Christmas tree for the store.

A trustworthy promise is worth waiting for. To the heart that is attuned to God’s promises and trusts in Him, one will find He always keeps His promises, and quite often, He comes in surprising ways.

 

“A Trustworthy Promise is Worth Waiting For” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 12, 2013

 

 

Wonderings Between the Lines

 

Nachees Lake by Dee Kamp

 

Wonderings Between the Lines

Ever find yourself sometimes wondering about what might have been happening between the lines in the stories of the Bible?

Did Adam need to give Eve a little boost up that tree to reach the forbidden fruit? Did Noah and his family get any sleep with a ship full of raucous animal sounds? Did the rain lull them to sleep or make them toss and turn all night?

And when the angel left Mary after proclaiming she would be a mother leap with joy and run right to her mother as women still do today?  

But of all the wonderings and all the questions we may still have there is one question we need never ask, “Does God still love us today?”

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORDS’s love is with those who fear him

 and his righteousness with their children’s children-…Psalm 103:17 NIV

 By the birth of a wee babe born in a stable, by His amazing love at Calvary― God says yes.

To this day the Bible is a fresh breath of inspiring truth we can depend on and delight in. God‘s story is perfectly written just the way it is. It’s a Message of hope and life that does not need one more word of embellishment for us to grasp how amazing and unlimited is God's love for us now and forever.

Oh, read the goodness of the Lord

And savor all He has done;

Draw close and give your heart to Him―

The holy, sovereign, faithful One.

 

“Wondering Between the Lines” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 11, 2013

Most Unexpected Company

Fall Colors Port Gamble WA by Dee Kamp

 

Most Unexpected Company

The November wind storm was blowing shaking the branches of our trees sending gold, crimson and orange leaves flying by.

I prepared for my walk down our little country road by buttoning up my coat and pulling up my determination to walk no matter the weather.

I headed down hill with the wind to my back keeping alert should any cars come by so I could move off the narrow road and onto the shoulder.

I was feeling a bit more lonely than usual that day so I whispered a little prayer asking the Lord to join me on my walk.  But I certainly wasn’t prepared for the company He was about to send me.

 

“Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!

Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!

Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the Lord,

for he is coming!”

Psalm 96:11-13

 

Sometimes we find it difficult to focus on the Lord when our minds are spinning with things that deeply concern us. Our Abba Father delights in us coming to Him for every little need, even for the need for company on a walk.

 

I had paused when I thought I heard a car coming.  I moved to the shoulder off the road and stood waiting ―but no car appeared.

 

Strange, I thought, and I started off again. But then I heard an unfamiliar rattling― a shuffling sound like people scooting by. That’s when something in the road next to me caught my eye and I was stopped in my tracks.

 

A pile of leaves were rushing down the hill and they stopped right by me. But how strange, when I began to walk again, they picked up shuffled along and seemed to be keeping pace with me as I walked along.  Oh I how I laughed out loud! This was too funny. If I slowed to a stop, they fluttered and settled down on the road. As I began to walk again up they lifted rustling along to join me. It was silly and crazy and fun.

 I knew there was a logical explanation for all of this, but I couldn’t help laughing and simply enjoying this merry moment, a time when it seemed nature was taking a walk with me!  

 

Somehow the Lord in His mysterious ways not only lifted up those leaves to join me on my walk, He lifted up my spirits as well. God certainly has a sense of humor!

 

He’ll walk with us, He’ll talk with us as we go along our way. And with God you can always expect the unexpected ways He will delight you even with the most unexpected company.

 

“Most Unexpected Company” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 8, 2013

Behind Closed Doors

​

Blue Door Delight by Dee Kamp

 

Behind Closed Doors

 

This summer I stood high on a cliff overlooking the vastness of the deep blue sea. I felt at that moment as if a great door slammed shut behind me. I was now separated from the world and all my heartfelt concerns. I was at last alone with God.

 

“Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars.

 Don’t ask for just a few.

Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons…”

2 Kings 4:4 NIV

 

The widow had nothing left but one small jar of olive oil and a bit of flour. She was planning to make this her last meal for her and her son. But Elisha the prophet instructed her to go inside and shut the door. Now she could be alone with God and discover the wonders He had in store for her.   

 

Perhaps as the widow filled all those empty jugs over and over  from one impossibly small bottle of oil, she felt her heart being endlessly filled up with the oil of gladness of God’s great love and mercy for her.

 

There are times in our lives when we may find ourselves shut out and separated., shut away from others and the the world as we know it.

 

But take courage! There is no door too big or too strong to shut out God’s love for us. And these are the times shut away from the distractions of the world that He is able to do His most amazing works for us, and in us.  

 

Away and alone with God is the very time we will come into touch with the Divine and the fountain of His love and compassion.

 

 Behind closed doors we discover He is already waiting there for us. Here we find a place to gain new strength and hope for tomorrow. A place set aside where God wants to cut a new pattern for our lives, reveal a new way to go, to heal and display His great mercy and love in new and miraculous ways.

 

“God sometimes shuts the door and shuts us in,

That He may speak, perchance through grief for pain,

And softly, heart to heart, above the din.

May tell some precious thought to us again.”

From: Streams in the Desert

 

“Behind Closed Doors” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 6, 2013

Shoulder to Shoulder

Photo by Dee Kamp 

Shoulder to Shoulder

As I got out of my car in the front yard of my friend’s mini-farm, I stood a moment holding on to the car’s door handle bracing for what I knew would happen next. Without delay the two of them came bounding around the corner of the house shoulder to shoulder with their proverbial energy and friendly greeting that threatened to knock me over.

Molly and Maggie were two huge Golden Retriever dogs that despite their many years still had unbounding love and energy. But these two friends held a secret that no one knew until the day dear Maggie passed away.

“He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

 Even when I walk through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid for you are close beside me.” Psalm 23:3-4 NLT

 

It was right after Maggie passed away that my friend noticed something troubling about Molly. When she got up the next morning she just stood in the center of the room with her head hung down as if unable to move. They feared she had a stroke.  

Alarmed they took her right over to the veterinarian to see what the matter was.

 

The answer they got after the examination shocked them! Molly had become blind sometime during the past year and no one knew it. Maggie had been her guide, her shepherd leading to her to her food and water all this time. When they ran in the fields they were always shoulder to shoulder looking as if nothing was the matter at all.  

 

There is oneness, and a joy in the heart of the believer who knows they have a faithful friend who runs shoulder to shoulder with them through life.  For we share a priceless friendship, we have the love of our Good Shepherd that will last unto eternity. He will guide and lead us through every valley of adversity we face in life.

 

“Shoulder to Shoulder” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© November 4, 2013