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There's JOY in the Kitchen ~
~When we realize that ~
We Are NOT Responsible For How The World Turns
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A weekly newsletter from Sarah's Tent, an
online ministry tailored towards Pastor's Wives.
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Isa 51:1-2 / Isa 54:2-3 / Heb 10:24, 25
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Garment Exchange
By JoyfulArt
Imagine if you will, a person holding in their
arms a glorious robe of praise. Their heart is
pure and joyous before the Lord, filled with
compassion and love for God's Kingdom, His
creation, and His children. This faithful saint
is making the journey to the Holy of Holies. This
is the love of their life, to bow before the King
of Heaven and worship Him without reservation.
How the heart of this saint soars as each step is
taken. Lightly, almost as if in dance each foot
touches the earth in rhythm to the song that is
bursting forth in his heart.
A stranger steps out from the shadows and
weeping bitterly stops the saint and bears his
heart of pain. Over his back lies a rotting, moth
eaten cloth, the burden of it almost breaking his
weary back. Our faithful saint removes the
fraying cloth and lightens the load of this
stranger, giving him hope in return. God is
pleased.
Further on down the road a dear friend runs to
catch up with our traveling saint and joins with
him, side by side. Conversation passes between
the two as the friend complains about his lot in
life and the garment he is wearing. The saint's
smile begins to fade and his steps slow down.
Stopping in the road our saint gives his friend
his full attention. After all, they are covenant
brothers and this friend needs his help. The
cloth that had come from the previous stranger
begins to itch as the fleas it contains begin to
roam through the saints clothing and hair nearly
driving him mad with frustration as he takes on
the burden of his friend.
The friend waves goodbye and trots off the
path. Taking another step, the saint stumbles and
falls, catching himself with the palms of his
hands. Looking down he notices that the garment
his friend was wearing is heavier than he had
expected. His heart weary, he reasons out in his
mind that at least his friend's load is lighter.
Shifting his load, the saint carries on. His
goal of reaching the Holy of Holies feels further
away than he had originally thought. A loud
distraction takes his eyes off the road and he
witnesses the conflict of a couple of neighbors,
screaming and flailing fists at one another.
Pausing in his journey, the saint crosses the
road and comes to the neighbor's fence.
"Excuse me," he calls out, "Can I
be of assistance?" The man yells back to him
all that is wrong with his wife, as his wife
throws a wet, heavy blanket at the saint shouting
at him to mind his own business. Helplessly the
saint trudges on, taking note that not only is he
carrying the strangers diseased cloth, and his
friends garment, but the wet, filthy blanket the
woman threw, the weight of which is causing him
to stumble.
Moaning, the saint presses on, his burdens
getting heavier by the mile, his destiny
appearing farther and farther away. The song in
his heart has long faded the notes but a distant
memory. Tears begin to trickle down his face as
the fleas from the stranger's cloth make their
way into the folds of cloth over his bosom.
Scratching the area over his heart anger rises
from within that he had not noticed before.
"This is a lousy lot" he fumes.
"Here I am on my way to worship God and
trying to bring some cheer along the way to the
people I meet and look at me! He calls me to love
them and to care for them, but these clothes that
are handed to me are diseased and rotten, and I
feel like I'm going to break under the
load!" He glares at the unforgiving sky as
another gust of wind kicks up some dust, stinging
his eyes and wrapping yet another rag blown in
from who knows where around his neck and
shoulders.
His steps, having gotten slower with the added
weight of each rotting piece of cloth, are now
dragging, accenting the bow of his burden laden
back. Despair now clouds his mind as he tries
desperately to remember why he was on the path he
was on, and why. Didn't God care? Hadn't he shown
care and concern over his brothers and sister?
Why then was he feeling faint and ever so weary?
The glorious robe he had been carrying had become
such a burden that he was tempted to throw it
down, yet something stayed his hand.
A gentle breeze tosses his hair and brushes a
sweet fragrance across his cheeks, replacing the
bitter winds which had become his companion.
"Put on the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness..." The words weave their way
through his clouded mind. "But I have taken
these burdens to carry for YOUR glory God!"
Bitterly he points out his faithfulness and the
sacrifice he has made for God.
Again..."Put on the garment of praise for
the spirit of heaviness...lift up your voice to
God!"
"Put on the garment of praise?"
Bravely the saint stands and unfolding the
glorious garment he has been carrying, he tosses
it in the air trying in vain to duck under it's
folds. Reaching an arm in back of himself, he
wrestles with the golden fabric in an attempt to
pull it over his shoulders. But alas, the rotten,
smelly rags he is carrying has made standing
upright impossible, let alone dressing in a
garment so light and exacting.
"Put on the garment of praise FOR THE
SPIRIT OF HEAVINESS..." An urging to let
loose of the burdens he carrying presses in on
his soul. "But I've been faithful!" he
cries. "These burdens do not belong to you,
Child" The voice is clear and firm.
Suddenly his heart is pricked and
understanding comes to him. His error was in
thinking that he and he alone could carry those
burdens away. His was a sin of pride. Intending
only good, he had forgotten the most vital part
of worship that he could extend. That was the
total trust in the Creator of the Universe, and a
knowing that HE and HE ALONE was able to carry
burdens.
To lift the burden of another was a good and
righteous thing, but to keep that burden was
disobedience. He had forgotten to cast those
cares on the Lord. In his eagerness to please, he
had made the gravest of sins. He had sacrificed
that which had not been asked and had not obeyed
what had been asked of him. "Oh Lord
God!" he cried out. "Forgive me for not
trusting you and for not obeying your
commands!"
Leaping to his feet the saint thrust off the
disgusting garments he had been carrying as his
own. Joyously he casts the garment of praise over
his shoulders and in an ecstatic leap and
majestic twirl, new praise bursts forth from his
lips as the song in his heart explodes in praise
and worship to His God and King. Once again he
laughs gloriously and joyously as he realizes
that he is standing in none other than the Holy
of Holies.
* * *
Dear Saint,
Has your journey to the Holy of Holies gotten
further and further out of your reach? As you
have traveled on your path, faithfully serving
your Lord, have you unwittingly taken on the
burdens and cares of others only to forget to lay
them at the foot of the cross?
Are you finding yourself mysteriously angry
and frustrated, depressed and hopeless? Has your
destiny become blurred and your vision limited?
Where is the song in your heart? Where is your
first love? Where is your trust in the Creator of
the Universe? What have you taken on that did not
belong to you? If you have only the best of
intentions, is it that you thought you could do a
better job than the King of kings and Lord of
lords?
John 10:10
"I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly."
(KJV)
Isa 61:3
"...To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of
joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified." (KJV)
Satan loves to pervert the meaning of God's
word to throw us into bondage. Be careful that
you do not fall over the fine line between,
"Gal 6:22 Bear ye one another's burdens, and
so fulfil the law of Christ." and "2
Tim 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself
with the affairs of this life; that he may please
him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."
There is a huge difference between having
compassion on a brother and lifting his burden,
and thinking that YOU are the answer to
everything. Check your motives and purify your
hearts. Pride comes in many disguises and loves
to hide in the most innocent of places.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Matt 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light. (KJV)
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What's New?
Chats!
Hosted by Sarah's Tent and JITK Not only does
Sarah's Tent host private chats for pastors wives
and ministry people, we are beginning more chats
that are open to all. If you are interested in
these chats and would like to receive a schedule
plus room links, please write us at: SarahsTent@aol.com
At this time we are offering a Bible Study on
Saturday nights and a Sexual Abuse support chat
on Friday nights.
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Letters to the Editor
The following letter comes from Karinlaine@aol.com
who's husband was killed instantly a little over
a month ago when he and the rest of the family
were in an accident on a rain drenched road.
Karin has been gracious enough to continue to
update us with her family's progress in healing
from this horrible event in their lives, and in
giving praise to God for His faithfulness.
Hello Sisters!
Many of you have asked how my kids and I are
doing since the death of my husband. I thought
I'd better write ya'll and give you an update.
First of all I want to thank all of you for
your prayers. I have felt them intensely. In
fact, I believe that they are the only things
that are keeping me going. Keep it up!
Our physical injuries are doing much, much
better. My daughter got her cast off, although
the Dr. says that her leg is not completely
healed yet. She will go in to get another X-ray
on the 21st to see when she can start dancing
again. Please pray that it will be good news.
Dancing is a huge part of her life and it's
killing her not to be able to participate.
We were very worried about my youngest, who is
two. She just wouldn't stop limping and we could
not determine what the injury was. I finally took
her to a pediatric orthopedist who specializes in
the after effects of car accidents. He said that
most likely her pelvis was extremely bruised but
that there should be no long term damage. Lo and
behold, he was right! She has almost stopped
limping now and my mind is eased considerably.
My injuries are also doing better. A CAT scan
showed that my fractured skull is almost
completely healed. I have only a week left to
spend in the dreaded collar! (Do I hear the
Hallelujah Chorus???) My bruises are almost gone
and so are my hematomas. I'm gonna have some very
funky looking scars on my left leg, but I can
live with that. My foot is healing very slowly,
as predicted. The only way to speed it up is to
stay completely off of it. Yeah, right!! As it
is, I can get a regular shoe on it if I do it
first thing in the morning. If I try to wait a
bit, no way. It hurts and swells, especially
toward the end of the day. But, once I can get
rid of the collar, I can handle just about
anything.
Emotionally, things are hard. As I focus less
on physical hurts, the emotional pain is more
evident. I miss my husband very, very much. He
was my best friend and I keep wanting to pick up
the phone and tell him what's going on. I cry a
lot, especially in the car and late at night.
The kids are doing OK emotionally. It helps
that the older two are kept busy with school,
soccer and other activities. We can talk about
Daddy freely and remember the happy stuff without
a lot of tears. They can talk to me about it when
they feel like crying. This is good. The thing
that tears my heart out, though, is when the baby
starts walking around looking for Daddy or is
waiting by the front window for him to come home.
How do you explain to a two year old that Daddy
is never coming home? Mainly I've just been
saying "He's not here." Then I have to
go somewhere a cry a bit.
Most of the physical injuries are past, the
emotional ones are here, but there are big
challenges ahead. My attorneys have finished the
petition and we file suit next week. This is not
something we wanted, but were forced into by the
insurance company. We are going to have to relive
the accident again and again during this process.
They are even talking about putting my oldest (9)
daughter on the stand. Please pray for us as we
deal with this. Pray that things will go
unusually quickly and that a settlement will be
reached before we have to go to trial.
That's about it. We are healing and dealing
with things the best we can. With the help of
your prayers, I think we are doing rather well.
I love you all!
Karin
***
Shannon,
Thanks once again for the powerful uplifting
articles and encouraging words in your
newsletter. It continued to be a real blessing.
As we returned from Albania during this last
civil unrest, we are ever more thankful for God's
grace and mercy we experience each day. The
political situation became too tense to continue
there so we have come home to reestablish and
allow our daughter to finish her high school in
the states. She is in 11th grade. This is an
unplanned time in the US but we are confident the
God has a reason and a plan for our life.
Please remember the many missionaries who are
still there to let His light shine.
Debbie
HFTW@MAF.Org
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Your children learn more of your faith
during the bad times than they do during the good
times.
Beverly LaHaye
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POT LUCK!
CABBAGE AND BEEF SOUP
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 stalks chopped celery
1 16 oz. Can kidney beans (drained)
1/2 medium sized head cabbage (chopped)
1 28 oz can tomatoes (chopped)
1 28 oz tomato can of water
4 beef bullion cubes
small amount of chopped fresh parsley
Brown the beef in a small Dutch oven, add the
remaining then cook until the cabbage and celery
is tender.
You can find this recipe and others at: Doffycook's
Nethome
For even MORE recipes, click on these!! More
Recipes and Once-a-Month
Cooking (OAMC)
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NEEDING PRAYER?
Contact Sarah's Tent at SarahsTent@aol.com
, and not only will we pray, but your request
will be sent to the proper prayer chains as well.
Just be sure to send your praise report when God
moves on your behalf!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
CHUCKLES
Sent in by JMT214
Influencing The Jury
Murphy, a dishonest lawyer, bribed a man on
his client's jury to hold out for a charge of
manslaughter, as opposed to the charge of murder
which was brought by the state.
The jury was out for several days before they
returned with the manslaughter verdict.
When Murphy paid the corrupt juror, he asked
him if he had a very difficult time convincing
the other jurors to see things his way.
"Sure did," the juror replied,
"the other eleven wanted to acquit."
Sent by: JDValdivia
Mr. Johnson, a businessman from Wisconsin,
went on a business trip to Louisiana. He
immediately sent an e-mail back home to his wife,
Jennifer. Unfortunately, he mistyped a letter and
the e-mail ended up going to a Mrs.Joan Johnson,
the wife of a preacher who had just passed away.
The preacher's wife took one look at the
e-mail and promptly fainted. When she was finally
revived, she nervously pointed to the message,
which read: "Arrived safely, but it sure is
hot down here."
Sent by: reecreat@compumise.com
The Birds & Bees .... from AngeIStarz
One day little Johnnie came up to his father
and asked, "Dad, where did I come
from?" Dad squirmed a bit, but thought it
was time his son knew the facts of life. So, Dad
told his son how the expression of love resulted
in the beginning of life, how life developed in
the womb and finally how a child was born. As Dad
told the story, his son's eyes got wider and
wider.
When Dad was finished, his son said,
"Wow, that's really neat. That sure beats
what Billy told me. He said that he came from
Akron."
Sent by: SamC400
Christian Bear
A country preacher decided to skip services
one Sunday and head to the hills to do some bear
hunting. As he rounded the corner on a perilous
twist in the trail, he and a bear collided,
sending him and his rifle tumbling down the
mountainside. Before he knew it, his rifle went
one way and he went the other, landing on a rock
and breaking both legs. That was the good news.
The bad news was the ferocious bear charging at
him from a distance, and he couldn't move.
"Oh, Lord," the preacher prayed,
"I'm so sorry for skipping services today to
come out here and hunt. Please forgive me and
grant me just one wish ... please make a
Christian out of that bear that's coming at me.
Please, Lord!"
That very instant, the bear skidded to a halt,
fell to its knees, clasped its paws together and
began to pray aloud right at the preacher's feet.
"Dear God, bless this food I am about to
receive..."
Sent by: SamC400
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pattie's Picks
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Citizens
Forum - "America Links Up" and the L..
This is a great way to get involved with
Internet issues in your church and with your
children. "A coalition of government,
community, civic, and corporate interests has
designated September 14-20 as "Kids Online
Week." The nationwide event has been
organized as a kick-off for a campaign to promote
a safe and rewarding experience for children on
the Internet. Schools, libraries, parents,
teachers, and law enforcement officials all over
the country have been encouraged to hold their
own programs during that week and The weeks to
follow to bring the event to the local
level."
If you have any web sites you would like to
recommend, please send them to PattieRWR (Pattie)
We'll be happy to write reviews for the
newsletter!
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Joy In The Kitchen is an extension of Sarah's
Tent An online ministry devoted to gathering
together God's silent warriors, the wives of
pastors and ministers of all denominations and
cultural backgrounds, as well as their families,
for fellowship, support, laughter and prayer. Isa
51:1-2 / Isa 54:2-3 / Heb 10:24-25
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