Help Me! I’m an Ice Cream-oholic!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! My addiction to ice cream started with the yummy homemade peach ice cream my dad made in those old crank ice cream makers. Then, my dad enabled more love when after church each Sunday night, he’d take me to the nearby convenience store and buy me a chocolate fudgesicle. My addiction intensified when my parents gave me a quarter to buy ice cream from the ice cream man and his truck that regularly rolled through my neighborhood. It’s their fault that I fell into an ice cream world of DELIGHT!

You might know you’re an ice cream-oholic if:
1. You know all kinds of flavors from many different brands.
2. No season or sickness can stop you from having it.
3. You don’t fuss over what to eat for dessert, because you already know it’s ice cream.
4. Sometimes, you substitute meals with ice cream.
5. Your fridge might run out of any food item, but it’ll always have ice cream.
6. Your local ice cream shop owner knows what your favorite flavor is, and will generally keep it in stock.
7. You eat ice cream when you’re happy, unlike the others who eat it when they’re sad.
8. You have tried the craziest ice cream combinations (French fries and ice cream, pickles and ice-cream anyone?)
9. You try out local ice creams when you travel. (Gelato in Rome is to write home about!)
10. And finally, you know that when your day has been rather humdrum, there’s always ice cream waiting for you back home.

My son has loved Braum’s Chocolate Almond Ice Cream ever since he lived in Oklahoma. When he’s lived in other states and would come back home to us in Oklahoma or Texas, it was always a MUST DO – to get his favorite ice cream. (Braum's stores are all within 300 miles of their home store in Tuttle, OK) So in pondering what I could get him for this year’s birthday, my lightning-fast-mind remembered this “love” of his and how I could create a mutual lovefest! I purchased some dry ice and loaded up my cooler with 8 tubs of Braum’s Chocolate Almond Ice Cream, plus cones and a Braum’s ice cream scooper. Of course, I made his gift givers' A-List!

Anyone who’s experienced pangs of hunger and cravings when looking at an ice cream cone can attest that the sugary, creamy treat is near irresistible. And it’s not just because our bodies, and taste buds, have evolved to crave sugar on regular basis. When you break down the chemistry behind ice cream, it’s easy to see why: It’s been engineered to the perfect combination of elements — sugar, fat, frozen water, and air — that make up the mouthwatering concoction.

Ice cream is underrated -- just look at the benefits:
1. Ice cream can last weeks and even months in the freezer and can be enjoyed time and time again.
2. Ice Cream goes with everything.
3. Ice Cream soothes sore throats.
4. Ice Cream cools you down on these scorching hot days.
5. Ice Cream brings you back to your childhood. (Note my comments above. I left one thing off -- those graham crackers & a slab of chocolate ice cream in the school cafeteria!)

I've never outgrown the DELIGHT of ice cream, though I've curbed my addiction. By now, you're probably thinking "I know somewhere in here Donna has a devotional for us"!! And I do!
The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" And in Psalm 34:8 he wrote, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

The question is "Do our eyes light up in delight when we hear God's Words like these I just quoted? Do our eyes also light up in delight when we hear the name of Jesus or when we share His love with someone else? Or has it become a ho-hum routine love affair and the wonder is gone?"

Oh, that we would be addicted to our Lord and spiral out-of-control with our love for Him -- to delight in His presence and rejoice in His love. And, then, with that fresh, new love to spread the Good News to light up someone else's life. May we DELIGHT in our Savior and then share the light of His love--a smile, a word of encouragement, a hug -- and yes, a bowl of ice cream, too!

God Help Me! My Routine Went AWOL!

Routine: sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program, practice, pattern, regimen, plan, habits, schedule

My routine, first thing each morning, is to send a text message to my children, and my sister-in-law. Just a few love words to let them know that I was thinking about them and praying for them. My next morning routine is to go to my office and tap the SEND icon on my Facebook post and PUBLISH on my blog post. Then I quickly scan some of my friends’ activity on FB. Yesterday, I was shocked to see that my wonderful Tulsa dentist, Dr. Mark Tiernan, had passed away. Dr. Mark was a dear friend, amazing and fearless man of integrity and honor, missionary to nations to give his love away while providing his dental skills to those in need and precious man of God. Heaven just got sweeter.

My next routine is to make my way to the fitness center. I sat down at the stationary bike, inserted my ear plugs and turned on the TV. I should have avoided the news, the bickering and the sensational soundbites. I saw Mark Zuckerburg (Facebook’s creator) giving testimony to Congress about the data breaches that have made global headlines in recent weeks. I hope Congress and Mark can figure it all out and get their ROUTINES fixed, because whatever was wrong, FB is my mission field.

It doesn’t take long to deal with my own emotions, hear personal news from family and friends, along with the daily news, that the weight of the world invades my mind. I returned home from my work out and I was bombarded with those weights – not from the gym, but the world. I began to do the ugly cry – for my friends, my family, my world AND ME! I was having one of THOSE mornings. My upbeat, joy-filled, press-on, unwavering, tenacious attitude AND ROUTINE was interrupted with a wave of doubt, unbelief and concern. I was drenched in a puddle of self-pity.

I rushed to my journal, another routine, and I began to write: “My feelings hurt! I’m too sensitive. I’m too fleshly. I'm weary. I feel so weak. Restore my soul, oh Lord. Renew a right spirit within me. Lord, PLEASE HELP ME!” I quickly went to another of my morning routines, my Bible and my devotional booklet. Up popped these scriptures from Psalm 34, and, soon, all was well.
~ “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall ever be in my mouth.”
~ "I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
~ “Look to Him that you may be radiant with joy and your faces may not blush with shame."
~ “Taste and see how good the Lord is; blessed the man who takes refuge in Him."

Thanks be to God. I could breathe again. I’m so thankful that the Bible goes to great lengths to show us that all the people on its pages were ordinary and average, doing one little thing after another, rooted in trust, grounded in good news, and drenched in fear or hopelessness. Even people like Moses, Noah, Abraham and Sarah had their weaknesses and made their missteps. The only one who rose above it all was Jesus. As for the rest of the people in all the stories of the Bible, God filled them up with His Holy Spirit and breathed life into their ROUTINES, their dreams and their plans, and God, through ordinary people who did ordinary things, made miracles happen that changed the world for good.

Maybe today, your ROUTINE is out of whack. You also long for the “all is well” state of being. Take heart, my friends. All IS well. We just need to keep breathing….deeply. We do our part. We fight the good fight. We keep looking up. We can count on God's ROUTINE...He is ALWAYS faithful.

Got Hunger? Get Filled!

Yesterday, I posted about the thirst for water AND God’s living water that will quench our thirst as we draw closer to Him. Today, it's hunger for natural food and the food of God’s Word and presence.

Our 13-day faith pilgrimage most certainly DIDN’T include a spiritual fast from food. We were literally filled with the finest food. We were well fed in each restaurant and hotel that we were in – as Psalm 81:16 says “But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” And we were, including the honeycomb we were served while in Jerusalem (shown here).

At the Mount of Temptation (hot and dry desert), we not only saw where Jesus was tempted by the enemy and we related only somewhat to His thirst, but most certainly not his hunger because we had been fed so well. We heard Jesus' response to the enemy: "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Matt 4:4

Indeed, “Man shall not live by bread alone because our Father has prepared a banquet for us -- a feast of His presence, but we won’t have the appetite for it if we’re satisfied with something or someone else. The desire Jesus was referring to is for Him, and it's not reserved for only a few over-the-top passionate believers, but for all of us.

Psalm 107:9 tells us that God "satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things", but there’s a requirement before satisfaction comes -- we must be thirsty and hungry.

When we are spiritually hungry, we naturally desire the richness of spending time with God -- praying, attending Bible and prayer meetings, listening to teaching tapes, reading books on spiritual topics, attending conferences and retreats because days are filled with pursuing God and feeding on Him.

Don’t we wish it stayed that way? But life happens. Marriage, careers and children happen. Distractions happen. Lots of distractions like anxiety, fear, discontentment, and over-commitment keep us from that sweet intimacy that we may only find in hungering for God.

Jesus always has a table set before us of His presence, yet because we’ve been snacking on lots of other things, we aren’t hungry for Him. We try to satisfy ourselves, instead of having an insatiable hunger that can only be satisfied by fellowship with our Lord.

Matthew 34:8 says “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Honestly, "tasting" has become the motivating force in my life. I long to know Him more, and the more I crave Him like I did for certain foods when I was expecting my babies, the more I receive assurances from heaven that remind me I am feasting on Him.

While on the Mount of the Beatitudes, we heard Christ’s words from Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:for they shall be filled.” Lord, please make us as hungry and thirsty for You and Your presence, as we are for the best meal and drink at a 5-star restaurant! Only you can satisfy the hunger and thirst that satisfies our souls!

I LOVE Chocolate

Day 12 in this Month of Love -- I LOVE Chocolate
How can I be celebrating the Month of Love without celebrating my LOVE for chocolate? Actually, I am a recovering chocoholic. I'm not near as addicted as I was when the sweet, savory and delectible chocolate treats DIDN'T go to my hips! LOL! Last April, while on a Northern European cruise, one of our ports was Hamburg, Germany -- the home of the Chocoversum by Hachez factory and museum. My dear shipmates indulged me by going by train with me to get there for their famous "German" chocolates.

One of my earliest kid memories was Mom's chocolate gravy and after Sunday night church, my dad taking me to the little store next door for a chocolate soldier drink. Remember the ice cream trucks coming through the neighborhood? Chocolate fudgesicle!! So I blame this addiction on my parents. LOL! That was just the beginning. From there, it was chocolate cake, chocolate candy, chocolate pie, chocolate brownies, chocolate malts.....you can see how my "chocolate" enthusiasm spiraled out of control!

I've never outgrown the delight of indulging in creamy, dark or light, crunchy or nutty chocolate. You're probably thinking "I know somewhere in here Donna has a devotional for us"!! And I do!

The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" And in Psalm 34:8 he wrote, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

The question is "Do our eyes light up in delight when we hear God's Words like these I just quoted? Do our eyes also light up in delight when we hear the Name of Jesus or when we share that morsel of delight with someone else? Or has it become a ho-hum routine love affair where the chocolate's melted and the wonder is gone?"

Oh, that we would spiral out-of-control with our love for our Lord -- to delight in His presence and rejoice in His love. And, then, with that fresh, new love to spread the Good News to light up someone else's life.

Let's delight in our Savior and then share the light of His love--a smile, a hug, a word of encouragement -- and yes, some CHOCOLATE too!