Fruitful Words

Lemons have many uses: as food, cleaning agents, crafts, and beauty aids. With the barrage of lemons still coming from friend’s trees, do you need more ideas? Here are some of the ideas I’ve come up with for my lemon stash.

1. Age Spots Lightened. Dab lemon juice on the age/liver spots or freckles. After 15 minutes rinse.
2. Clock Powered With A Lemon. Family Fun has the coolest doable projects. Click here for the link to make this clock.
3. Constipation Relief. Put 2-4 tablespoons of lemon juice in 1 cup warm water. Sweeten to taste with honey. Drink this before breakfast.
4. Dog barking training. Train your dog to stop barking by squirting lemon juice in the dog’s mouth every time he barks. Say, “quiet” while squirting the juice.
5. Fingernails whitened and strengthened. Soak those flimsy, yellowed nails in 1 cup warm water with ½ lemon for 10 minutes. Then dip them in a mixture of equal parts vinegar and warm water. Rinse. Repeat as needed.
6. Furniture Polish. Mix together the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of water. Pour a small amount on the furniture and buff until shiny. To make a bigger batch mix together 1 cup of olive oil with 1/2 cup lemon juice. Pour this into a spray bottle. Use up within the month.
7. Insect Deterrent. Put lemon juice into a spray bottle. Squirt lemon juice on windowsills and into any cracks where the ants are lining up. Place lemon peels outside the doors. Roaches and fleas also hate lemons. Mix together the juice and rinds of 4 lemons with 1/2 gallon warm water. Use this to wash your floors.
8. Invisible ink. Dip a Q-tip into lemon juice and write a short note on a piece of paper. Let it dry. When you are ready to read your secret message, hold the paper near a hot light bulb. The lemon juice message will turn brown.
9. Lemon detox. I did this for a week and found it very helpful. I lost a few pounds. But the main benefits were a clearer mind, less allergy symptoms and more regular elimination. Click here to read one site’s information. I did this while consulting with a doctor.
10. Lip Balm – Lemon Flavored. Gather the following ingredients: 4 oz. extra virgin olive oil, 3 oz. beeswax, ½ vitamin E capsule, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Melt the oil and the beeswax in the microwave or double boiler. Add the ½ vitamin E capsule and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Pour into appropriate containers. Let sit for 48 hours until firm to touch. Go here for precautions and other lip balm recipes.
11. Pomander. This is a fun activity for kids to make. You have to push in a lot of cloves, so I suggest that you take a metal skewer and make little holes for the cloves. This is like pre-drilling holes for a screw. This seems to take a long time, so plan on doing this at several sessions instead of all at one time. Go here for the complete instructions.
12. Simmering Potpourri. In a small pan half-filled with water put in the following: 1 sliced lemon, 1 sliced orange, 1/2 cup cloves, and 3 cinnamon sticks. Bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat down so that the water is barely simmering. Enjoy the smell.
13. Wart Removal. Dab lemon juice directly on the wart with a Q-tip or cotton ball. Repeat for several days. If the wart is not gone, dab for several more days.

I hope to make up a few lemon food recipes this next week.

What have you done with lemons lately?

1. I’m starting a new quarter in seminary. I need prayers for organization & diligence; a quick, retentive mind; and applicability of what I learn.
2. I have 4 more quarters until graduation. Pray that happens in May 2009.
3. Regarding that, please pray for funds, strength, perseverance and all of #1.
4. Pray that my classes aren’t just classes. I want to find God’s will & heart in each class. I want to be captured & motivated by these qualities.
5. The next M&M Saturday is April 19th at 9 am. It will be on prayer. Please ask God to show Himself REAL to each woman who shows up. . . . That each woman will be encouraged, enthused and enlightened by this one hour of time together. . . . John Wesley said that “Prayer is truly the most useful of all pastimes.” Pray that I experience the truth of that statement. And that the women do too.
6. We have two pregnant women at church. Please pray for health and safe pregnancy/delivery for mom and baby. . . . That the transition will be smooth for all concerned. . . . That God will meet all the needs spoken and unspoken. . . . That the babies will come to know Christ at an early age and walk in a close love-relationship with out Saviour. . . That the church body will thoughtfully, consistently and lovingly gather around these women and their families to meet their needs and even some of their wants. . . . Please ask God to bless them and the blessings they carry in a very tangible way.
7. Retreat is happening June 4-6. Pray that all the details will be taken care of easily, well, and thoroughly in FUN. . . . Pray for the speaker and worship team. . . . Pray that the hearts of the attendees are already being prepared by God to hear from Him. . . . That friendships will be deepened or made.
8. About 6 Bible studies are happening at church. Please pray that the leaders put in the time to prepare for the class. . . . That the attendees prepare as well. . . . That the Word of God impacts thoughts & actions. . . . That relationships will be deepened with each other & with God.
9. Pastor Mike is preaching on “God’s remedy for Financial Worries.” Pray that the Word of God is mightier than our fear, habits, and strongholds. . . . That we live in the strength, joy, power & generosity of the Holy Spirit. . . . That this series impacts us so much that our watching family, friends and co-workers notice a difference. . . . That they want to have a new relationship with Christ.
10. Our youth pastor and his support staff are awesome. Please pray that God continues to give them all strength, unity, discernment, passion, and an ongoing and pure relationship with Him.
11. Women’s Ministry needs your prayer. Pray that we do God’s will as individuals and as a team. . . . That God continues to give each of us strength, unity, discernment, passion, and an ongoing and pure relationship with Him.
12. Please pray for my ex. His birthday is on the 12th and he has been on my mind a lot this past week. . . . Pray that God’s blessings saturate his mind, soul, heart and body. . . . That healing, peace, joy and provision find and meet his needs. . . . That relationship reconciliation is a deep yearning for him that takes place soon. . . . That God is a Friend as well as Master; Lover and King; Brother and Saviour.
13. Pray that I am diligent with my 40 days of prayer. . . That I discern God’s voice in the matters I am praying about. . . . That I am humble and mature enough to follow His will.

Now, how may I pray for you? You can leave a request here, on my home phone or email.

It is a great truth that Our God hears and answers prayer. I am grateful that He alwyas answers according to our best and His glory.

New quarter has started and I had my first class last night.The prof is funny, intelligent, personable, exhaustive speaker, soul-touching preacher, and moving pray-er.  He’s been said to be a cross between Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) and Rodney Dangerfield.

The book of Acts was the topic. Here’s some of what I learned in class.

1. Acts is the only book of its type in the Bible and because of this it is the single most important book in the Bible. (Every prof says this about every book we study.  ) We could lose 3 of the 4 gospels and still know about Jesus. We could lose most of Paul’s books and still have Pauline theology. But without the book of Acts we would not have information about the early church from 30-60 A.D.
2. Acts does what no other book does; it speaks about an historical Jesus and the church.
3. Acts is an historical book, but misses a lot of history. Its focus is very narrow.
4. The book got its name, Acts,  in the 2nd Century- can’t remember by whom. Some have suggested the title “Acts of the Holy Spirit” (for obvious reasons) or “Tale of 2 Cities”because it records how the Gospel went from Jerusalem to Rome.
5. Before 40 B.C. old was better (in Roman thought) than anything new. But in 40-50 B.C. there was a new wave of artistic expression and so there was friction between this new stuff and old ways. It was an exciting time for some and a confusing, difficult time for others regarding the shifting morays.
6. The Roman authorities consistently ruled that the charges against Christians, sedition, were false. Christianity’s intent was never sedition; they weren’t preaching the gospel in order to overthrow the government. Rather, Christianity had a reforming emphasis. Therefore, those who practiced Christianity were the best citizens.
7. All of the external evidence points to Luke, the physician and traveling companion of Paul, as the author of Luke and Acts. None of the evidence says anything different.
8. Every archaeological point expressed in Acts has proven to be true per the work of Sir William Ramsay.
9. Every legal point expressed in Acts has proven to be true per the work of A.N. Sherwin-White.
10. Buy this book: According to the Scriptures by C.H. Dodd, the greatest scholar in English. There are 15 Scriptures that are consistently used in the New Testament. I.e. Psalm 2, 118; Isaiah 40, 53; Daniel 7. These form a complex theology and are mutually interpretive. Somebody did this. Paul says he didn’t do it. He never saw this mystery in the Old Testament. Rather, he received this information from the risen Christ.  This same risen Christ explained this mystery  to His Disciples as well.
11. Fellowship/friendship in the ancient world was one of reciprocity: “I scratch your back, you scratch mine.”  Jesus’ admonition for His Followers to practice “disinterested goodness” was unheard of. It was unique for groups/individuals to consistently do good for the sake of doing good.
12. The Christians are described as being “one in mind and one in heart.”This is a deep theological statement about commitment. Their ideology was one of “If it’s mine, it’s also available for your use.” 90-94% of the ancient population lived below the poverty line. Most people were days  away from starvation. So this type of unity and sharing made a startling impact on the people in Jerusalem. Perhaps this is why they added to their church number so quickly?
13. Words are not mere baubles that dissipate into the air. God takes them seriously. Therefor, be careful of oaths and the promises that we make. 

Thanks for letting me share some of my notes. Only 5 more classes left.

If you’d like to read more Thursday 13 posts, click here. Don’t forget to check out the blog of RunningShoes too.

1. Of course the ones on my blogroll: These are family and friends and it’s a great way to “see” what’s on their mind. Any one of them is a GOOD read.

2. Widow’s Quest - Anna is “learning how to redefine and rediscover life” as a widow. Although I’m not a widow, I benefit greatly from many of her posts that deal with grief, healing and moving on.

3. Scribbit - Michelle, born in and still living in Alaska, writes daily entries about “favorite recipes, reviews, crafts and giveaways mixed with stories of life in the Last Frontier.” She also has time to be a mother to 4. Besides the previous, I like to read this blog because I lived in Anchorage for a year or so when I was in elementary school.

4. LifeHack - This blog features “hacks, tips and tricks that get things done quickly by automating, increas[ing] productivity and organizing.” Today’s post shares how to have a more effective weekly review. Since I want to review my days three times a week, as part of my 51 things to do this year, I find this article to be most helpful.

5. See Through Faith - Lorna (in Finalnd) is journaling her walk with God as a mother, wife, woman and seminary student. Since I’m an older seminary student as well, I find her blog interesting and encouraging.

6. Tammy’s Recipes - This is more than a food blog -although there are lots of good recipes, with reviews and pictures. Take a look and tell me why you like this site.

7. Unclutterer - Blog about getting and staying organized. There are several other good blogs on this topic as well. Someday I’ll do a roundup of them.

8. Like Merchant Ships - Blog about being a well-rounded woman, wife and mother with posts on a myriad of topics that are helpful, encouraging and interesting to even me a divorced, empty-nester who is finishing her masters.

9. A Creative Journal - Posts with lots of creative journal ideas - for those who like to do that sort of thing. I used to journal a lot and I miss it. While I don’t journal that much any more, I at least think about the journal idea generators.

10. The Simple Dollar - “Financial talk for the rest of us” - many tips on how to manage finances and save some money. Reading this site has given me some useful ideas to incorporate into my financial life.

11. Free Rice - This vocabulary-building game helps me with this aspect of English and do a good deed. For each word I get right, 20 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program to the poor. I confess that I sometimes do this while having dictionary.com open.

12. Positive Psychology News Daily - Because I like to read research-based articles about “the Science of happiness and positive psychology.” Read this one about Positive Abnormality: Be a Genius by Discovering your Specialty, Uniqueness and Meaning. Leave a comment on what you think. I think these types of articles are thought-provoking, helpful, and fun to read.

13. Cordova Neighborhood Church - This site lets you know what the latest sermon series is - you can access this through an mp3 tab; gives info on the Youth, Big Kids Club and Socks and Gloves ministry. Go here for the Calendar. There’s also info about What we Believe, the Staff and more.

These are some of the sites I check on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Where do you spend your time?

For more Thursday 13 posts, go here.