Getting a Grip in this Pandemic . . . Pressing into 1 Peter 5

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Getting a Grip in this Pandemic . . . Pressing into 1 Peter 5

Brothers and sisters, we all need to get a grip! Our God owes us nothing! Absolutely zip! As Americans, as His children, as ____________ (you fill in the blank with whatever you may think you are entitled to).

All is pure gift! Absolute grace! Amazingly unconditional love!

And He certainly doesn’t consider us Americans (because we are Americans) to be exempt from sacrifice and suffering. He doesn’t say we can call all our own shots because we are the land of the free, in contrast to the rest of the world.

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Waiting Eagerly in this Pandemic . . . Pressing into Romans 8

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Waiting Eagerly in this Pandemic . . . Pressing into Romans 8

It seems that we are all waiting these days, doesn’t it? What are you waiting for, my friend, . . . maybe even waiting eagerly?

Stores and restaurants to open? Jobs to call you back in? Hospitals and nursing homes to allow visitors? Schools to reopen? Playgrounds? Pools? Churches? Beaches? State Parks?

I’m waiting eagerly. NO! I’m chomping at the bit, to be able to drive two states over to be with my military “babies.” I’m waiting to be able to grab hold of my “babies,” young and old, near (here in Dayton) and far (there in Illinois), and hug and squeeze them. And I’ll bet you have loved ones that you are dying to grab hold of and HUG too.

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The Emptying of Motherhood -- Alone? On Mothers' Day?

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The Emptying of Motherhood -- Alone? On Mothers' Day?

Motherhood is filled with emptyings -- from the emptying of the womb in childbirth to the emptying of self in child-raising to the emptying of the nest, the ultimate goal. The stripping is hard, every step along the way.

And eventually, it may mean being alone on the day when moms have always been lauded and honored. This happened to me early on in the empty-nesting process. It could have shattered me were it not for my Abba Father's loving gifts to this hurting mama.

Now in this pandemic, it may be an emptying that was totally unexpected.

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Vineyard Tour Stop #6 -- Ah! the Harvest...All About Love, Always Is

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Vineyard Tour Stop #6 -- Ah! the Harvest...All About Love, Always Is

Ah! the harvest! The reason the Vineyard exists!

When our daughter and family lived in southern California, I was able to observe grape vineyards in all major stages of growth -- from pruning to blooming with green fruit and leaves and finally to the harvest of ripe fruit followed by early stages of the "dying" process. All of this to begin again the Cycle of Life!

I love the metaphor of the Vine & the Branches in John 15! It encourages me in my FAITH . . .

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Vineyard Tour Stop #5: Growth in the Vineyard -- Extending Grace to Ourselves and Others

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Vineyard Tour Stop #5: Growth in the Vineyard -- Extending Grace to Ourselves and Others

One year, I celebrated my June birthday with my daughter and family in California. To my delight, Beth took me to my vineyard for lunch at the lovely restaurant there.

On the way to the Temecula vineyard area, I was amazed to see how the former ruthlessly pruned vines were now covered with lush green leaves. You may remember those stark vines from a previous post.

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Vineyard Tour Stop #4: Fruit Killers in the Vineyard-- Jealousy and Her Cousins

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Vineyard Tour Stop #4: Fruit Killers in the Vineyard-- Jealousy and Her Cousins

… But there are hindrances to the fruit-bearing process.  One of the biggest "blockers" to unique fruit-bearing is jealousy...and related evils, like comparison and competition, one-up-man-ship, expectations, holding offenses, and the like.  All of these will kill the fruit the Lord wants to produce in our lives.

Think about it! If we are always comparing ourselves to "other branches," we have our attention off of the Lord and what He may be doing in and through our lives. What a waste of precious time and energy...much less spiritual fruit!

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Vineyard Tour Stop #3 -- The Father's Pruning: Stripped Bare? Why me?

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Vineyard Tour Stop #3 -- The Father's Pruning: Stripped Bare? Why me?

I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me...that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1, 2

From what I understand, important to the process of growing grapes is pruning the vine. Now I am definitely not a gardener! So if I have ever pruned anything, I've done a very wimpy job of it. So I was shocked a few years ago when we visited a vineyard in Temecula Valley, CA.

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Vineyard Tour Stop #2 -- Job Descriptions: Who Does What in the Father's Vineyard

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Vineyard Tour Stop #2 -- Job Descriptions: Who Does What in the Father's Vineyard

By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.John 15:8

Have you ever started a job with no job description? I have, and it's pretty confusing.

Years ago, I was looking for a part-time teaching job. A friend asked if I would like to apply to substitute teach in ESL & GED classes. I told her that I didn't have a clue about either one of those. She assured me that it wasn't difficult. All I had to do was follow the teacher's lesson plans. So I naively applied.

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Vineyard Tour Stop #1 -- The True Vine: Tell Us about Your Name

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Vineyard Tour Stop #1 -- The True Vine: Tell Us about Your Name

I AM the True Vine... John 15:1

“Tell us about your name…”

That was the opening “ice-breaker” at a teacher in-service I attended a few years ago. I was glad for that topic, because I have an interesting name. In fact, each of my names (even including my married name) has something unique about it.

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A "Virtual" Pandemic Tour -- Welcome to the Vineyard

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A "Virtual" Pandemic Tour -- Welcome to the Vineyard

I would venture to say that many, if not most, Americans like to travel — even if it is just across state lines for a day or to the neighboring town for a change of pace. And it seems that though the current quarantine has halted it all, folks have found ways to travel.

How? By taking to their computers and other devices to do “virtual tours” of museums, zoos, famous landmarks, parks, and vacation spots. In fact, there are so many choices that it is mind boggling where technology can usher us.

Well, I woke up this morning realizing that I can offer a bit of a “virtual tour” right here at A Branch in the Vine. This “tour” is one of the first I had “offered” way back in 2011 when I launched A Branch in the Vine.

So let’s take a trip to the Vineyard . . . but not just to any vineyard . . .

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Abiding Today in this time of Quarantine and Every Today

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Abiding Today in this time of Quarantine and Every Today

Abiding, dwelling, sinking down deep … living IN HIM Who lives IN ME! That’s what this hidden time is all about, isn’t it?

We don’t know for how long or when it will end. But we do have an amazing opportunity right now to learn in our experience what it means to abide … whether in quarantine or in our everyday TODAY.

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Fruitful Hibernation: Reflections by Kathy Godwin

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Fruitful Hibernation: Reflections by Kathy Godwin

Hibernation! It is for bears, bumblebees, hedgehogs, ground squirrels, bats, turtles, woodchucks, and a few other animals. But we humans do not hibernate very well!

We are all learning and experiencing much during this mandated hibernation. Our experiences and emotions vary – some are entertaining or teaching lively, restless children or some are struggling with loneliness, some the frustration of trying to work from home with many distractions or all the above and more!

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Balancing Acceptance and Hope: How to Make It through a Crisis

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Balancing Acceptance and Hope: How to Make It through a Crisis

… Well today, in the midst of it all, a beautiful nugget of emotional and spiritual health was briefly shared by Dr Acton at the end of her report. In referring to a favorite book of hers authored by a Holocaust survivor, she shared that two things kept in balance helped folks survive situations of extreme crisis, such as the Holocaust and others down through the years. The implication was that this same balance can help us survive this present pandemic crisis.

The two things kept in balance are “accepting our present reality” and “holding on to hope” at the same time….

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This Time of Pandemic -- God's Sifting

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This Time of Pandemic -- God's Sifting

It was sixteen years ago now ... that day when we unboxed the items my mother-in-law was discarding because of her need to downsize. Betty Jean Loyd was moving to a senior community, states away from where she had lived most of her adult life and where she had married a man and raised an only son.

At 80 years of age, Betty Jean, an only child herself, knew that she needed to be near us, her only family. So we helped her dispose of her discarded things.

And there it was -- her sifter!

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Learning from Jesus…the Father’s Perfect Child (a Bible Study)

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Learning from Jesus…the Father’s Perfect Child (a Bible Study)

The parent-child metaphor is perhaps the most tender picture of our relationship with God as believers. This is so movingly expressed in the Scriptures by the Hebrew term for Father God "Abba," meaning "Daddy." In our last post, we explored the truth that in reality we are all adult-children deep down who still really need a Father in order to do an adult life right here and now.

Let's look at Jesus, the perfect Son of our Abba Father God, and do a little digging into the Scriptures. Let’s ask the Spirit to speak to our child-hearts.

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Feeling like a "Child Incognito" especially Now

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Feeling like a "Child Incognito" especially Now

Helpless! Not in control of anything … the virus devastating our country and the world, our economy drastically in jeopardy, even our daily life changing every day. The good news is that our adult lives in this crisis world was never meant to be lived on our own. We have a Father with whom we can be needy and vulnerable so that we can face what is before us. So join me as we revisit what is means to be …

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Resurrection ZOE -- the Dance of LIFE!

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Resurrection ZOE -- the Dance of LIFE!

Easter isn't Easter unless it's Easter to YOU!

So declared a radio preacher early in Holy Week a few years ago. At first I said, "Yes!"  Then I thought about it awhile and said, "Not really! Easter is Easter whether I get it or not."

What is Easter anyway? Easter is the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the grave. He had conquered sin and death on the cross and then was raised, so that we could walk in newness of life. (cf. Romans 6:4)

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