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Potluck

Potluck

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Potluck--table with lots of foodDo you enjoy potluck meals? If you grew up in a large extended family like I did, you understand potluck. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends from everywhere bring food. Lots of food. Stick to your ribs food.

Attend church potlucks, and you get a little taste of heaven on earth. Dishes that weigh down tables, plus fellowship with other believers, fill both body and soul.

Friends, co-workers, and neighbors also create great potlucks. Food and fun abound.

Potlucks may be inside, outside, or on a hillside. We once invited neighbors to a potluck picnic on top of the hill behind our house. A farm wagon served as our table. Everyone enjoyed the scenery as well as multiple plates of country cooking.

Potluck refers to a shared meal with dishes brought by those who attend.

You bring whatever dish you desire. Although unplanned, the meal usually includes plenty of everything. No one stresses, because the meal is casual and everyone helps.

Potluck (sometimes written as pot luck) means to take a chance on an uncertain outcome.

Of course, if you attend a potluck meal, you take your chances on what you get to eat. However, this also refers to other unknowns, including:

  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Work
  • Any situation with little information but high hopes

You have one certain outcome available to you.

If you trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, you never have to guess. You never have to face unknowns alone. Plus, God has planned a banquet for you and other believers in heaven.

“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15 NIV).

Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pexels.

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Ox in the Ditch

Ox in the Ditch

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Ox in the Ditch--cow in water behind treesMy friend Phyllis recently had an ox in the ditch. She and her husband dressed for church. Then they noticed a cow having trouble birthing its calf. Their cow needed help. Putting first things first, they helped their animals. They arrived at church late but with an attitude of gratitude for a healthy cow and calf.

An ox in the ditch is not usually an ox.

Examples of an ox in the ditch include:

  • Sick people who need a doctor
  • Crime victims who need the police
  • Buildings on fire that need firefighters

An ox in a ditch means an emergency.

 The need demands:

  • Immediate action
  • Total attention

A great need replaces a good plan.

The Bible says Jesus healed a sick person on the Sabbath. Work was forbidden on days of worship. However, Jesus asked if people would not pull an ox from a ditch (or well) on the Sabbath. Another time Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27 NIV).

God expects people to rest and worship one day a week. However, God also expects believers to put feet to their prayers – to meet needs when they arise.

“Then [Jesus] asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” (Luke 14:5 NIV).

Thanks to Phyllis Patton for the suggestion and Bart Woodrum for the photo.

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Poor as a Church Mouse

Poor as a Church Mouse

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Poor as a Church Mouse--mouse on a fenceIf we are poor as a church mouse, we are the poorest of the poor.

We own almost nothing.

Years ago, few churches had kitchens. Therefore, if a mouse lived in a church, it had little to eat. A child might drop crumbs from a snack. Yet, that would not last long. The poor mouse might starve.

We may have times poor as a church mouse. We may also have times rich as a king.

Our happiness does not depend on what we own.

We can be poor as church mice and happy. We make do.

We can also live high on the hog, and be unhappy.

Money matters little for true meaning in life.

We find real wealth in:

  • Peace in our souls
  • Purpose for living
  • Love for God and one another
  • Hope for the future
  • Joy for every day
  • Sharing what we have with those in need

We can’t take it with us when we die. So, why not put what we own to good use now?

“Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater” (Proverbs 28:6 TLB).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion.

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