God's Handiwork

My Massage School Textbooks 

 A Devotional by Margot Cioccio


Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

My Massage School textbooks arrived recently. I spent some time flipping through them and reading bits here and there. I am excited to be getting to study in greater depth God's amazing handiwork. The human body is so complex. 

I've been reading a book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. She takes a look at how primitive cultures ate and how it affected their healthy. They can tell a lot by looking at the bones of ancient people. She has some pretty convincing arguments that we have been pitched a lot of information regarding health and wellness that benefits big business and the drug companies far more than it benefits you and I. In looking at primitive cultures she points out that most ate mostly meats, seasonal vegetables nuts seeds and berries. Even when they became more agricultural the grains that they ate would have been sprouted grains and they would have added fermenting  as a way of preserving dairy, vegetables and fruits, which actually increase the nutrients available to the body.  The ate no processed flours, sugars, oils. They ate real foods that they generally collected, harvested and preserved with in their family structure. 

I'm not saying we all need to move to the farm or to the woods and live in a hut. Just as I am looking at things it seems we have gotten a long way from Gods original designs. My dad posed an interesting questions recently. He said look around your house at all the things you have. How many of those things could you make yourself. I cold maybe get a piece of wood and make a poor copy of a wooden spoon. We have become so industrialized that we are separated from how things are made. Most children think that milk comes from the grocery store not from cows. How many have even seen a cow or a goat up close or seen how milk can be turned into butter or cheese. Even most of our food often comes from cans or boxes. 

I've been spending a lot of time this summer learning how to make and preserve more things starting with fresh foods. So far I have learned how to make kefir and yogurt from milk. (I live in the city so having my own cow, goats or chickens is not an option.)  From the yogurt and kefir I can make soft cheese. I can make butter from the heavy whipping cream and I've been told you can make it from kefir too. I have been learning about laco fermenting foods and have been pretty successful with a number of vegetables. Pretty much my family is eating fresh or fermented foods and are enjoying what we've been serving. They were already used to low carb cooking and we have simply added wonderfully fermented foods to the lower carb way of cooking and eating we were already doing.

Anyway I have been thinking about God's creation of mankind and the world He has given us to live in and how far we have gone from Eden. Jesus restores us spiritually to a right relationship with the Father. He does not just zap us out of here at the moment of salvation He leaves us here. He begins a process of transforming us and he has prepared in advance good things for us to do. 

He has given us work and things to attend to in this life. Our spiritual life is not separate from the rest of our life. Our life is meant to be lived in Him. We are meant to be led and instructed by the Word and the Holy Spirit. There has been a prevalent idea in the Church life is somehow sinful and we should focus on the spiritual and disregard the body and the things of life. Jesus hung out with the tax collectors and sinners he did not spend his time locked up in the temple. He was out with ordinary folks involved in the things commonly known to man. Every day he demonstrated the principles of Kingdom life. 

I like this quote from the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon "There is a great deal to be learned from their dietary habits, but the fact is that we are not fundamentally cave men but beings with a divine component to our being. The desire to abstain from animal products, found so often in those of a spiritual nature, may reflect a longing to return to a former, more perfect state of consciousness that was ours before our souls took embodiment in physical bodies on the material plane. This longing attracts many to the belief that our bodies and souls can be purified, or that we can achieve spiritual enlightenment, through a meatless diet. Saintly individuals are often drawn to strict vegetarian habits, and some have been able to sustain themselves on a diet free of animal products for fairly long periods of time. (Some have even lived on no food at all; for many years St. Therese Neumann of Bavaria consumed only the consecrated host. Similar well documented examples are found in the lives of Catholic and Hindu saints.) Even so, it is a mistake to think that meat-eaters lack spirituality—many

highly spiritual people eat meat regularly. Perhaps they instinctively realize that when we eat animal products we are accepting, reverently and humbly, the requirements of the earthly body temple in which the soul is temporarily housed, even as we look forward to the day when we have completed our earthly assignment and our souls will be free to return to a higher condition, one in which we will no longer be dependent on foods provided by the animal kingdom. Seen in this light, strict vegetarianism can be likened to a kind of spiritual pride that seeks to "take heaven by

force," and to shirk the earthly duties for which the physical body was created."

It is not just the big things that we do for God but the everyday ordinary things that are also to be acts of worship. The kindness I show my family and others.  Even the food that I prepare should show His love to them. The environment of my home should reflect His peace, joy and be a place of refuge and refreshing for all who enter its doors. When you go to work at a job you also have daily opportunities to be a living bible. You are the only bible that many people will ever read. Your life is an act of worship and your on going continual prayers and communication rise before the Lord like a pleasing incense.  

John 17:14-15 (NIV)
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 

We are all works in progress for me I am seeing more and more how life in the spirit is not separated from life in the body. God desire is to restore us to wholeness in Him. 

Prayer: I pray that the Lord will meet you and help you to see His good plans and purposes for your life. That you will look at yourself and see with renewed wonder His marvelous creation. That you would find joy and fulfillment in the good works that He has prepared in advance for you. 

A New Way of Life

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV


Each of us has been given a body that is home to our spirit / soul. When we become followers of Jesus, our bodies become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies become a place of worship to the God of the Universe. For the Corinthians and many other people of the time our verse was written there was some confusion.  The idea of worshiping the sun god or the rain god or the fertility goddess was practiced by taking an offering to the place of worship and generally included having sex with one of the temple priestesses. This is not the kind of worship that this verse is talking about. In God's way of doing things sex is reserved for the marriage relationship between a man and a woman. In keeping the marriage covenants we have made before God we honor God with our bodies.

There are more ways that we honor God with our bodies.
Paul say "All things are lawful for me, says he, but I will not be brought under the power of any", 1 Cor. 6:12. There was a big deal at the time about weather or not to eat meats and foods that had been sacrificed to idols. Daniel and the boys set a great example by not eating the food from the Kings table as a way to honor God. They we slaves and had no control over how the foods were prepared and what food may or may not have been offered to idols. They decided the safest path for them at that time was to stick to the vegetables and drink water. 

I like what Paul has to say about not being under the power of anythings. There is often controversy between Christians as to weather or not one should partake of alcoholic beverages. I know some believers who see no problem with it - after all Jesus drank wine. The Bible clearly says to not be drunk on wine. Ephesians 5:18 "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." One tends to not care when inebriated. It is easier to bypass our conscious at such times and to do things that we may later regret. I suppose the biggest issue for me is that I know a number of people who struggle with alcoholism and I would prefer to pass on drinking rather than to risk causing someone to stumble. I also don't drink often because alcohol is rapidly converted to sugar in the body. I would prefer for my body to burn fats rather than sugars so I try to minimize the sugars in any form that I consume. Thats a whole other subject. The important thing is to follow the Holy Spirit and be aware that someone is always watching - you are a living Bible.

What we do or don't put into our body is another way we can honor God. I believe God wants me to be healthy. When I am healthy I am more apt to be able to have energy to put towards His Kingdom. If you ache and are sick and tired all the time its hard to leave the comfort of your couch. I know many people who just want a magic pill of some sort to solve their health issues. I tend to think we must adopt a lifestyle of learning how to care for our bodies. 

For years the Church was all about developing the spiritual lives of people. I read my bible and and I think God wants us to be whole people. That our spiritual life must mix with our mental and physical life. The three combined make us whole and healthy. Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and I tend to believe that the Holy Spirit will not only help me to be spiritually healthy but mentally and physically healthy as well. More and more I am seeing how each part effects the others. They work together. 

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

3 John 1:2 (NIV)
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.


I think we get in trouble and out of balance when we think that following God is only about growing spiritually. Yes Bible study and prayer are important. So is life with your family, and so is taking care of your physical and mental health. I have been bothered by Churches and even Christian Schools who's approach to righteousness is to simply keep you constantly busy with spiritual things so you have no time to sin. I see kids raised in such environments often fall away once they are no longer under their parents or the schools thumb. They have complied but they have not really believed and changed. I hope I'm not stepping on toes.

I see churches do the same kind of thing by having home groups and teachings and meetings every night of the week. I'm all for creating services to meet the needs of people but when spirituality is measured by how much stuff you attend I think we are heading for problems. I have seen too many marriages come to breaking points because with all the stress of the holidays the church also decides to put on a big production that takes hours and hours of rehearsal time. Not that big productions are evil. There are wonderful community and bonding things that happen during such programs. We have to find a balance that is healthy for our whole life and our families. If you are at church every night and the kids are in the nursery or home alone we are sacrificing them on the alter of our over zealous spirituality. Sometimes this comes from feeling like we have to some how be good enough. If we just pray more, and attend more bible studies, or serve more we will tip the balance in our favor. If thats you stop. Jesus fully paid the price - it is not about what you do - it is about what He did.

Finding the balance and learning to be a whole person is something I am pretty passionate about. 

Jesus wants all of you. The good stuff and the ugly stuff. He takes you as you are sinful, broken, confused. Step by step he wants to walk with you through the process of transforming your whole life for His glory. 

Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

What is Faith?

One of my photos of flowers. 

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Faith is a funny thing. Where do you draw the line between faith and irresponsibility? When is waiting on God, just lack of action, indecision or laziness?

Without faith it is impossible to please God. So if I want to please God I have to some how have faith. Where do you get it? Do some people just come by it more naturally than others? Are you born with it or do you have to learn to have faith?


Lets look at some of what the Bible has to say about faith. Keep in mind I am just scratching the surface this is not an exhaustive study.

Galatians 3:22
But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.


From this verse we see that with out faith in Christ we are not going to be able to unlock Scripture. Its won't make sense. So if by chance you are reading this blog and you are not already a believer a lot of what I am saying just wont make a lot of sense for you. We also see that something has been promised and one obtains that promise through faith in Jesus Christ and is given to those who believe.

Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.


Some where along the line one needs to hear about Jesus. Somehow in hearing about Jesus and the Kingdom message, faith begins to emerge. I can look back and actually remember the instances that someone talked to me about Jesus. I was pretty closed to it for many years. I was 20 and had moved from St. Louis to Ohio to live with my aunt and her family to help take care of my grandmother who was dying of cancer. My grandmother passed away several months after I got there and the church the family attended at the time had one of those missionary camps. I figured I could enjoy the nature and tune out the speakers. Which I did. What I did not count on was that the message was also in the music. As I listened to one of the musical concerts I started to hear about the love of God, and belonging to a family. I did not make my decision to follow Christ that weekend but the message in the music had some how connected and got my attention. So I started watching the folks that claimed to be Christians. I attended some church service and youth events and asked more questions. There was an altar call in church one Sunday and I felt moved to respond. It is a decision that I have not ever regretted making in 30+ years of following Christ. He is all that He promises and so much more.

2 Corinthians 10:15
Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand,

From this verse we can see that faith is something that grows. As it grows the activity of other believers and leaders and even the teaching of the Word also expands.

Romans 12:3
[ Humble Service in the Body of Christ ] For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

This verse helps us to see that not only does faith grow but it is distributed to us by God. So I believe that God created each of us with a seed of faith that upon hearing the message of His love begins to grow and there are points through out our life where we are called to a place of decision. Decision to follow Christ is the beginning and over time we begin to see that we need to allow Him in to more and more of our life. We may have invited Him in to fix the plumbing but he takes that invitation and begins a whole renovation of our life. Of course He is always a gentle man and does not barge in where he is not welcome. He does not force us to follow Him or to do things His way. It is more that His kindness leads us to want to turn from our old ways and begin to do more and more His way.

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

How is your life stacking up to His Word? How is your life stacking up to Jesus and how he lived and responded? We must test ourselves. You are either moving toward Jesus or away from Him. It is really uncomfortable to remain sitting on the fence.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Faith is an interesting thing. I have seen people who are sick try and as a last resort try to shore up or drum up their faith. If you have been walking closely with Jesus that faith has already grown up in you. Taking your health concern to Jesus was just part of your on going walk with Him. I think sometimes there is a race against time between the illness and the person whose has late to bloom faith. I always pray for people to receive God's healing. Some do and some don't and I don't begin to know all the reasons why. I think sometimes its a matter of too little, too late. I have also seen great people of faith who had many people praying for them die. In those cases I have to trust that God knows how our days are numbered. Seeds must fall into the ground and die for new life to spring up. I think that when you are in the midst of a crisis - its a bit late to try and build up your faith. You may want to shake your fist at God because He does not immediately fix things. All too often we blame God for inaction when it was our own choice not to include Him in our life. Maybe you called yourself a Christian but you don't really have much of a relationship with the Lord.

Romans 14:1
[ The Weak and the Strong ] Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.

It is important for all of us to set a good examples for others. Our lives should reflect the love and the character of Jesus to others. We are all working on different things. An area that you have mastered may be one that I have not even begun to work on.

1 Corinthians 13:2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.


1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Well this seems to be a good place to stop for this blog post. Here are some more verses about faith for you to consider. I pray that the Lord will strengthen and encourage you in your faith as you grow to know Him more and more. 

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we live by faith, not by sight.

Galatians 2:16
know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.


Galatians 3:14
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.


Galatians 3:26
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

Galatians 5:5
For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.


Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Ephesians 6:16
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Ordinary Victories

Fireworks are beautiful but the ordinary beauty of the night sky is also spectacular. 

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Psalm 149:4 NIV
It started out to be a fairly normal day. Music lessons in the afternoon. I thought, no problem I can do a little extra practice and prep work in the morning. Then we got a call from one of my older son's friends. Do you know Kalena is moving and is having a going away party today? Nope - some how we missed the memo. I had talked to Kalena's mom a week or two ago and she said nothing about moving to Texas. So I thought I better check out the story and make sure it was legit. Sure enough they are moving on Tuesday. In the craziness she missed telling me.
Well that changed my day a bit because Texas is pretty far from Spokane and it is important to celebrate and say fair well to friends. So I looked at the clock and calculated if I could make the 45 minute drive to get Niah there and myself back in time for lessons. Let me tell you it was cutting it pretty close. I would not have been able to pull it off if my mom had not been here to take Cai on ahead to lessons. I got back in time for my lessons with about 2 minutes to spare.
Cutting it a little close. Then I did all my lessons and drove back out to pick up Niah and his friend. So I did about five hours of driving today in addition to teaching lessons.

I don't know what this has to do with "the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory." Other than to say that some how it all worked out. Everyone got to where they needed to be and although it was a lot of driving I enjoyed talking with Niah and his friend on the way there. The way back I had to rush a bit but tried to mentally prepare for the lessons ahead.
The drive back later in the day was nice, my mom went with me and we had a nice time chatting and the time passed quickly. The way back the car was full of people sharing about the day and that drive passed pretty quickly as well.

I came home and found a recipe for energy bars made with chia seeds and decided to make that, because low carb energy bars would be nice to have on days when I am on the go.  So I got those done and they are out of the oven cooling. I won't eat one till tomorrow because chia seeds are pretty amazing energy boosters and I'd like to sleep tonight. We already learned that lesson the hard way. I did try a tiny nibble and they are pretty good - I'll make them sweeter next time.

So it is late and I am finally getting around to writing.
Victories are not always big things. Sometimes its just a busy day turning out ok. Navigating it with out getting all stressed out. I call them ordinary victories. No one's going to give you a medal for such victories. In fact most of the time no one even notices them. Maybe even you take the ordinary victories for granted. I like today's verse.  It is good to remember that the Lord takes delight in you. You are one of his people. Your day and how it goes matters to God. Stuff works out for the humble. I'm not saying humble like door mat, rather humble acknowledging that God is with you. That you as a practice look to God to lead you by His Holy Spirit even on days that take unexpected turns. No medals but the satisfaction of knowing you navigated through a mine field of things that could have gone wrong but didn't.

The Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Psalm 149:4. Maybe not a particularly profound post but perhaps there is some value in rejoicing in the ordinary victories of your day. There are people and things to be thankful for. Our whole life is not made up of those mountain top experiences. Sure they are nice when they happen but the vast bulk of our lives are lived out in normal everyday stuff. There is joy and value in living your ordinary days well in the presence of the Lord. The stuff that did not go as well as you hoped .... well tomorrow is a new day and there will be new opportunities to fine tune things. We learn, we adjust, we look for ways to make life better not just for ourselves but for the people who grace our days. 

I read a quote that I liked. "At any point, an artist can change the painting. So can you. You are the artist, the designer of your own life." ~ Gerrie - Ellen Johnston

Prayer: I pray that the Lord will help you to see the ordinary victories. That He will help you to be aware of His hand of favor, grace and mercy upon your life. That you will be keenly aware of His enormous love for you. That you will be so full of His life, that it will over flow and touch everyone around you with His love.

Amen - Let it Be.

A photo I took on one of my bike rides. 

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your right rulings

will surely last forever. Psalm 119:160 VOICE

You probably all remember the Beatles song called Let It Be. I always thought that Paul McCartney must have had some Catholic roots. The song states "When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom ... Let it be... Let it be. It was recorded about the time the band was breaking up. Paul McCartney had a dream one night that inspired the song. It seems that in the dream, his mother who's name happened to be named Mary came to him with some wisdom. I suppose the wisdom that she spoke was to "let it be". In looking through song facts I discovered that his mother had died when he was 14 and that the song was not well liked by John Lennon because it seemed too Christian.  I don't know how accurate song facts are but here's the link http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=182  

Did you know that when you say Amen that you are agreeing to the truth that has been spoken and stating your willingness to accept the consequences of your agreement.  In Jeremiah 11:5 The voice translates the Amen found in the New International to. "Yes, O Eternal One! Let it be." 

Jeremiah 11:5 The Voice (VOICE)
5 "I wanted nothing more than to keep My promise and to bless your ancestors with a land flowing with milk and honey—the land of promise on which you stand today.”

Jeremiah: Yes, O Eternal One! Let it be."

Sadly it was not God who broke the covenant, it was His people. They decided to adopt the ways of their neighbors and little by little they moved farther away from God and his ways and His plans and purposes for them.

Nehemiah 5:13
New International Version (NIV)

13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”

At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised."

In the end they were shaken right out of their houses and their land and went off to captivity. Jeremiah was to tell them. Jeremiah 5:19 "So when they ask you, “Why has the Eternal done this to us? Why would our one True God treat us this way?” remind them and speak to them My words: “Because you have rejected Me and bowed down to foreign gods in a land that was yours, now you will bow down to a foreign people in a land that is not yours.”

We live in a world that does not like absolute truth. We want to bend truth to accommodate our preferences or desires. We would prefer the Ten Suggestions rather than the Ten Commandments. "I mean who does God think He is telling us how to live?"

I suppose eventually we have to look at lives lived our own way and ask the question, "How's that working out for you" It might be time to humble yourself before the Lord and seek Him for His way. 

I think all to often we are busy singing the songs in Church with out really realizing what we are singing. Most of the songs we sing are like prayers to God. Its easy to sing along with things that have a catchy tune and a nice beat. Words are powerful things that we set in motion. The songs and the "truths" you sing can move your either closer or farther from the Lord. I have had teenagers argue that they really don't pay attention to the words they just like the music. I have seen demonstrations where old commercials were played for people and 30-40-50 years later they were able to sing the words along with the music. I guess my point is that we should be more aware of the stuff that comes out of our mouth. I was driving the other day and pulled up to a stop light and in the car next to me was a young woman and she was singing along to some rap song. I listened to the words and they were unbelievably degrading towards women. Yet she was caught up in the beat and clearly un aware of the things she was agreeing as she happily sung along.  I suppose if you were to stop her and ask her if she really believed women should be sexually taken advantage of. If women should be beaten and abused. She would say no - she was against such things. The song she was singing was really horrendous and was clearly promoting not only male domination but abuse. 

Our verse today is about God's truth and how it stands the test of time. 

God is very patient giving not only nations but individuals giving lots of time and opportunities to change. Eventually the consequences catch up with us.  

John 3:16-17
New International Version (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.


Ezekiel 18:23
New International Version (NIV)
23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

How about you. Have you been turning more and more away from God and finding yourself more in agreement with the culture around you. There is a children's song that says" Be careful little eyes what you see... Be careful little ears what you hear."  How are the things that you are watching and listening to lining up with God's truth? What are you feeding your spirit? I have to ask these questions of myself as well.  So I am not pointing a self righteous finger your way, I'm looking in the mirror and asking you to do the same. 

I notice with food things that there are a lot of hidden ingredients. I have to read the labels very carefully to avoid things I don't want in my physical diet. We have to do the same thing with the things we feed our spirit. What are the hidden messages and the half baked truths. How is what we are listening to and watching desensitizing us. I love what one of my students family does. In the month of August they turn off all the tv's and all the devices and they try to enjoy each other and the out of doors.

   

I feel like I should leave you with Revelation 7

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

Why Tell Stories

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Well I missed posting on Friday. I had a house full of company and never got a chance to sit down to compose my thoughts or to write anything. I suppose none of you were too terribly put out because I didn't get any up-set comments or e-mails.

Welcome to August, in my house it is a time when routine does not really exist. Routines start in September. For now we are enjoying the summer. Even with this blog some days I write in the morning and some days later in the day or even just before I go to bed. It is all over the map. Anyway I'm sure you will manage if I happen to miss a day here and there. I wrote everyday Monday thru Friday for two year. I think I have established a pretty strong habit of writing. I also think there is plenty here for you to read if I miss a day. So I will probably be a bit more relaxed about posting in this third year, especially with going to school and having a lot of studying to do.

Here's todays verse.
When Your words are unveiled, light shines forth; they bring understanding to the simple. 

Psalm 119:130 VOICE

Here is something that I have noticed through the years. I hear people complain how they can't understand the bible. It is written for those who have decided to follow the Lord. Jesus spoke in parables even when he walked on this earth. He realized that until we really choose to seek Him and know Him we are not really ready for what He has to say. He explained things to his disciples.
The disciples wanted to know why Jesus told stories. I like how Matthew 13 is worded in the Message. 10 The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?”


11-15 He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:


Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.
Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.
The people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won’t have to look,
so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them.

16-17 “But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.
The good new is that if you are a follower of Jesus he sent the Holy Spirit to help you. If you are struggling to understand you might want to stop and pray and ask that the Holy Spirit would help you to understand.

John 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Here is a good prayer to pray from the Psalms. When we pray in line with the Word of God we can be assured that we are praying in accordance with Gods will and that He will answer our prayers.

Prayer:
Psalm 25:5
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

You are my Hiding Place

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Psalm 119:114 NKJV

My kefir ready to strain out the kefir grains. 

Earlier this week I purchased milk kefir grains. They come dehydrated in a tiny package. You bring them home and they become like a new pet that must be cared for daily. If you do they create a batch of kefir every 24 hours. Day one you put your kefir grains in a canning jar with a cup of milk and cover it with a coffee filter.  Day two you pour the milk through a stainless steel strainer and fish out the tiny grains and put them in a new jar with another cup of milk. The process continues during the 3-7 days until one morning its not milk that is poured through your stainer but something thicker than milk and thinner than yogurt.  So today was my third day and ta da I have kefir. It tasted a bit sour to me so I am doing a second ferment with it. Which means I removed the kefir grains and gave them new milk in a new jar and in another jar I added a couple of flavored tea bags to the completed kefir and will let it sit till this evening when I will put it in the refrigerator. 

So kefir is like yogurt in that it contains live healthy bacteria that our bodies need to be able to fight off the bad bacteria. The good bacteria can get killed off by things like antibiotics. If they don't get replaced things like yeast take over and can begin to cause a whole new host of health problems. 

So yogurt that you get in the store and says "live cultures" contains about 7 strains of good healthy bacteria. Kefir is like a super food it contains 50+ strains and not only does it clean house in your gut it actually sets up colonies that then do good things like create B vitamins. Be vitamins help you to better deal with stress. 

Anyway I bought my grains on Monday thinking I'd have kefir by Tuesday. I did not realize there would be about a week of getting the kefir grains up to speed. So Tuesday I bought unflavored kefir from the the store because I felt impressed upon by the Holy Spirit that my body needed it. I drank a cup in the morning and a cup later in the day. I noticed that night when I sat down to practice piano that I could actually concentrate. I was able to stay focused and play through my pieces multiple times. I have not been able to stay focused while practicing for almost two years. Interestingly 2 years ago I was very sick and was given three rounds of antibiotics and still was not well. The doctor at that point suggested slowing down, and getting extra rest. Which I did and eventually felt a bit better but I still would get sick very easily which at times led to more antibiotics. 

This summer I decided to work on improving my heath and wellness. I have eaten low carb for many years except for the times when I have gotten off track and gone back to processed foods. 

I always feel better when I am eating fresh vegetables and meats and staying away from high carbohydrate and processed foods. This summer I began reading about the heath benefits of fermented foods. I made my first batches of laco fermented vegetables and saw a lot of my brain fog and memory improve. It seems that the fermenting process causes more of the vitamins present in the food to become bio available. So that fermenting led me to reading about kefir another fermented food. I'm still pretty new at fermenting and making things like kefir.
I am liking the results. I am feeling healthier, I have more energy, much better mental focus, and memory, and I am shedding unwanted pounds. Plus I'm having fun with my kitchen science projects.   

So what does this have to do with today's verse. "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word." Psalm 119:114 NKJV The Lord has been my hiding place and I have seen the Holy Spirit leading and directing me to research and study various things to improve my heath and wellness. When we are feeling lousy and stressed out we are less effective for the kingdom. I think of the story of Daniel and his buddies who asked to decline the rich fare from the kings table and asked for vegetable instead. They honored the dietary guidelines that God had given them in a foreign culture. Turns out they were the healthiest and smartest of the bunch.  Maybe the God who created our bodies knows what it takes to keep them healthy and how to fix them when they are broken? 

Daniel 1:11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.

15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king.

Our verse today says "I put my hope in your Word." The Word promises in John 16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

If you are struggling with something God has the answers. The question for you is weather or not God is your first or your last resort? Most of the time His answers require that we begin a journey of transformation of your mental, physical and spiritual health. We try to put God in a box and relegate Him to church on Sunday, when He is interested in every part of our life.

Mark 12:30
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Prayer: I pray the Lord will continue the good work He has begun in you. That you would be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and that you would make the Lord your hiding place. That you would find hope in His Word.