Imagine with me…

A beautiful chilled crystal bowl filled with bright red, ice cold, crisp, sweet and succulent watermelon topped with fresh mint and feta cheese! 
 
It’s the perfect solution to soothe the weary body and quench the dry tongue on a sun parched day with a heat index of 107+ degrees late in the day!  
 
Well, I didn’t have to use my imagination because that’s exactly what I ate after an early morning and long stint of mowing my lawn.  
 
After the rains poured for days, my yard was like a lake with my storage building appearing to float like a long barge in the tall blades of a marshy coastline.  It had been half a week since I last spoke with my yard guy and I couldn’t wait any longer!  I’m amazed at how quickly the undesirable takes over.
 
Just before noon, I had finished.  Ahhh!  Everything looked so fresh.  So clean.  So tidy.  I could not say the same about myself.  I was covered in dirt and grass flecks held together by pure sweat.  Not a very cute look for a southern lady, or any lady at all! 

​You know, freshness, takes time!  I often think of fresh as an immediate thing.  But, it took time for that watermelon to grow, ripen and present itself as fresh fruit.  It took time for it to sit in the refrigerator to get icy cold.  I wait every summer for the Tomato Man to put his “tomatoes for sale” sign in his yard.  I can’t wait for the sweet taste of fresh tomatoes.  It seems like forever in the waiting.

​It takes precious time for freshness to occur. I have watermelon vines, that I planted from seed, growing in small containers on my porch.  I think I planted them too late and fruit may never bloom.  It’s the same with my own tomato plants…I may have waited too late to cultivate them.  
I am learning a spiritual truth here as well as a practical one!  Start early.  Cultivate well.  Have patience.  Fruit will come.  Enjoy the sweet fresh taste!

​You see, each new year, I choose a word for the year.  I would have never imagined the kind of year that we have seen thus far or how my word has so deeply enriched and played a part in my ability to cope.  My word was and continues to be, FRESH!  

​All of the plans, programs, and events I have made for the year have been tossed to the side and new and fresh have overtaken.  I have taken advantage of freshly painting the porch, shutters, soffit and facia of my home.  I have freshened up filing cabinets, closets, garage and rooms.  I knew that the Lord had placed this word on my heart to help me refresh many things in my life.  It continues to be a work in progress, and I need to remember that it takes time to make things fresh.  In the past, hadn’t allowed myself time to work on such important things as my home, health, husband, and hearing deeply from the Lord. Now is my designated time to deal with these areas.

​Earlier this summer, I shared with a group of ladies what God has been showing me and He continues to reveal His heart for me even as I sit and write this blog.  Here is what I shared:

​It is now mid-summer.  Another new season is quickly approaching.  For me, it’s kinda like another New Year…new goals, new plans, new school year and such. It's also my birthday month, so I'm beginning a new year of life!
Even Kathy and I (my ministry partner) began to map out the calendar with thoughts of the upcoming fall and spring.

​Covid-19 still lingers strongly in our state.  Plans for schools, churches, and special activities are still uncertain.  We need a new sense of fresh!  Remember, it takes time for fresh to happen!

​A dear friend gently reminded me that it has taken a Pandemic to get me to STOP!  In my old way, I have felt the need to plunge in and forge through for way too long, ignoring God’s command to rest.  I confess and I repent!

​Behold, new and fresh has come!  And newness will continue to come along as I focus on what is important to the heart of God for me, at this time…my home, health, husband, and hearing deeply from the Lord.  God has placed this desire in my heart.  Interestingly, Kathy and I have both expressed to each other that we have neglected many of these areas far too long.  It is seeming urgent now.  The only way we can better serve you, is to take a little time to serve ourselves and feast from the table He prepares and lays before us.  I might also add that Leviticus 25, the passage of letting the land rest, has been heavy on my heart.  It is timely for me. It is timely for Restore. 

​We will be taking a little sabbatical beginning now and through the fall.  Our daily ministry to others will continue as we move through December, but we will not have a time of organized meetings or home study this fall.  Our blogs will also be put on hold but don’t be surprised if you get a little happy every now and then!  We ask that you pray for us as we seek next steps for 2021 both for our personal lives as well as for Restore Ministries.  We know that God is not finished with us or Restore.  We are awaiting His Spirit to continue to teach us, guide us, and help us better serve and love on you. We are so thankful for you in our lives and for the ministry that God has called us to through Restore Ministries.  Know that we pray for you and that we are looking forward to 2021.  In the meantime, please go back and scroll through our archives of blogs from 2013-2020 or revisit our teachings.  
Here is a little happy I made for you with an excerpt of a song I wrote and some pics: ​https://youtu.be/k6av6SsiHGA

​I’d like to close this blog with a scripture that has filled me with hope and clarity.  It also keeps popping up with whatever I listen to or whatever I read!

​I have to share with you this version because it speaks so beautifully to me.  There IS good in God’s plan and because He is the creator of all things and loves us passionately, we can put our hope and trust in Him.  

​The theme verse for Restore Ministries is taken from Psalm 23…He restores my soul.  As I re-read the psalm of David again this morning, this is right where I am!  

I hope you find yourself here, too!

​ Finding Refreshment in Him,
Sherry

Awkward. 
I hesitated before entering the church lobby. After months of watching our church service online, I wasn’t sure about the new church service protocol. 
​
The lobby seemed hushed. Where were my chattering groups of church-going friends who used to meet here, laughing, embracing, sipping coffee from paper cups and sampling baked goods? I longed for conversation, but the atmosphere seemed too solemn for small talk, so I drifted into the sanctuary to find a seat.

Dozens of questions buzzed in my head.
​
Should I wear a mask? Am I keeping my six-foot distance?
Where can I sit? So many rows are blocked off.
Is it okay to sing? I’m pretty sure I’m not sick, but if I sing, will people think I’m spewing dangerous particles into the air?  Will I be inhaling deadly germs if I take low, deep breaths?
Will I ever again have the joy of singing in the choir, or will choral music, along with handshakes and hugs, become a thing of the past?

I like change. Sometimes. I’m all for a change of scenery or a change of clothes.  I’m in favor of changes that make the world a better, safer, happier place.

But change that comes barreling in without warning…no, I don’t like that so much.
Change that brings personal loss…I definitely don’t care for that.
​
Since this pandemic swept in, we’ve been bulldozed by changes and leveled by losses. I’ve grieved for friends who’ve buried parents and spouses. I’ve fretted and prayed for people who’ve suffered financial loss.

Lately I’ve been overcome by a feeling of emptiness. I miss the human connections I used to have. People are keeping their distance. Friends are planning to move out of town. More change is coming, so I have little motivation to make plans for the future. 
​
 I wonder if I’ll be able to honestly look at my losses and “count them as rubbish,” as the Apostle Paul did when he wrote:

“For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and
count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8b ESV)

​As I wonder what the future holds and try not to fear, I’m drawn to the Psalms. It seems David asked the same question we’re asking. “How long is this suffering going to last?”

 It’s okay to tell God you’re unhappy with your circumstances. David did. But then David moved on from heartbreak to hope.  He wrote, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”

God’s love is steadfast. It’s everlasting. ( Jeremiah 31:3) He’s not going to leave us. (Heb. 13:5) Nothing can separate us from his love. Romans 8:31-39  And when God allows us to experience loss, it doesn’t mean he loves us less.
 
 God doesn’t change. Society’s values may change, but God’s precepts are always the same. (Psalm 119:160) Despite the fluctuations in cultural norms, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb. 13:8 ESV )

When my future is uncertain, it helps me to recall God’s faithfulness in the past. In Psalm 13, David wondered how long his suffering would last. But he made up his mind to rejoice and sing to the Lord because he remembered God had “dealt bountifully” to him.

Every time God has taken something away from me, he’s replaced it with something better. After the wreckage comes restoration. New growth. New purpose. New joys. A deeper, richer relationship with my Savior. 

Think about Job. Almost everything Job owned was snatched from him. In a single day he lost 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. His seven sons and three daughters all died. (Job 1). When we flip to the end of the book of Job, we see that after Job’s ordeal, God gave him twice as much as he had before: 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, 1,000 female donkeys, seven more sons and three more daughters. Wait, only ten more children? Why not twenty to replace the ten who died? Because Job hadn’t permanently lost his first ten children; they were still his, and he would be reunited with them in heaven. (Job 42:10-13 ESV)

You may be suffering great loss in these changing times. Or, like me, you may be experiencing a sense of sadness and a longing to have things the way they used to be. We can go ahead and mourn our losses. But let’s not get stuck in our sorrow. Let’s trust in his steadfast love, and watch to see how he’ll deal bountifully with us once again.

Blessings,
​Margaret Kemp