The Blessing of Friends

Today I was reminded just how important our women friends are, especially our Christian women friends.   

I recently applied for a different position with my employer.  I asked my girlfriends to pray with/for me. I had asked them to pray for "without a doubt clarity" on the  direction God would have me take and for me to have a willingness to submit to His plan no matter which position I end up in.  

Each friend sent me notes along my journey with Bible verses, experiences they have had and words of encouragement.  
 
Today I learned I didn't get the new position.  My friends all sent notes as soon as they learned the news.  They continued to lift me up in prayer and they turned my focus to God and His GREAT plans.  

Each friend had wonderful words of wisdom and advice.  They noted that sometimes we as Christians believe we are boasting or not being humble when we talk about our skills, accomplishments, talents.  But these are all gifts from God and He would be proud to hear us describe those gifts to others, especially if we are seeking to continue to use those gifts in another job.  

They pointed me to Matthew 7:7. "Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened." 

They continued to pray with me.  
 
After hearing from each, I was encouraged that God did answer my prayers.  He has a plan.  I will trust that plan.  
 
Praise God for loving me.  Praise God for the wise women in my life.
 
Ruth

Buying Local at the Richland Farmer's Market

Since our goal is to Buy Local in Richland, Michigan I thought, what a better topic than the Richland Farmer’s Market!  Now that’s taking the ‘eat local’ concept one step beyond the restaurant to buy fresh goodies for your home table. 

I make it a point to get to the market almost every week and fortunately my schedule allows me to get there just after opening so I get the best selection of everything the market has to offer. 

My first stop is always to get a nice cold glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade to keep me cool and quenched while I shop. You see, there is a young lady who makes and sells it to fund her summer camps. It always makes me feel good to help a young entrepreneur. 

My next stop is the Fruit Man from Ferndale. He is typically on the right side about 3 booths in and in my book, he has the best fruit around. This week I picked up a 10 pound box of blueberries which I will freeze to enjoy this winter. I also grabbed peaches and huge, beautiful blackberries. Yumo!

Next, I picked up a peck of pickles from the folks at Russell Farms to make Sun Pickles. They also offered zucchini, onions, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, and so much more!

Next thing I know, I'm at Jane’s booth where she sells hydroponically grown wasabi. Yes, you heard me right, wasabi. No, not that green horseradish stuff you get at many restaurants! This is the real thing which is actually a rhizome that you simply grate to add a bit of heat (without the sinus clearing action of the green paste). She also sells the leaves which make a lovely pesto and the stems which are fabulous in a salad or (I’m told) a bloody mary!

In addition to lots of fresh fruits and veggies, there are ready-to-eat items. Succulent pasties, spicy tamales with chips and hot sauce and local honey are just a few items. I am in love with the strawberry cupcakes from Sweet Helen’s and I always pick up a bag of Kahoona Kitchen’s freshly made granola bars. 

There are even booths with fresh meats, jerky, colorful scarves and organic soaps. 

As I was leaving, The Hoot Owls were just beginning to fluff their feathers and I wished I could stay to listen, but it was time to get home and put away my haul. 

The market is open every Wednesdays from 3 - 6 pm through Mid-October. It’s conveniently located behind the Gull Lake Middle School on M-89 in Richland where there is plenty of room for both booths and parking. 

What are you waiting for?

Here's to enjoying the bounty of God's green earth. Blessings to all!

Miriam

In Honor of Friendship Day

My calendar indicates that today is Friendship Day, which made me think of Girlfriends Breaking Bread!

So, I found a couple of Bible verses about friends and thought what a better way to share them than on our blog. I hope these verses help you celebrate the joy of good friends. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

John 15:12-15

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Blessings to you and your friends!

Ruth

From Hamburgers to Hammer Toes

Elisabeth here.  Another great dinner with the girlfriends in the outskirts of Richland. We ventured to The Dock at the Bayview across the street from beautiful Gull Lake.  Weather was great and we perched outside on the deck, overlooking the bay.  A little breezy, but warm sunshine and great company kept us cozy.  

I was anxiously awaiting this particular dinner since the Dock has recently re-opened and I had heard somewhat mixed reviews.  

Photos on The Dock's Facebook page showed the inside looking nicely updated with a shiny wide open dance floor and evenly spaced tables surrounding.  The view is always great, so I knew that would not disappoint.  

What did disappoint is that the pictures were much more generous than the real thing.  Though it was clean and somewhat updated, there wasn’t much difference in the layout, the table and chairs were the same old ones, carpeting had not been replaced, and to top it off, the salad bar boat was still there! 

Having said that, the atmosphere was lively and there were plenty of thirsty golfers and lakers enjoying a cool drink and a bite to eat.  

Our food was good and served hot within about 20 minutes; not the best burger I’ve ever had, but for a bar and grill, I thought it passed the test.

Enough about the place.  It was really the company that was the best.  Sarah, Miriam, and Ruth joined me and the conversation always abounds.  We covered the gamut, from kids to spouses to bosses to parents.  

It seems no matter how old we get, kids always seem to continue to be a topic of concern and prayer.  Some of us are happy that the kids have finally left the nest, and others are hoping for new babies to arrive.  Whatever the case, we continue to lift our children up in prayer, knowing that God’s ultimate plan is always the best, no matter how much we think we may know better!  

Health was an interesting topic this week, too.  How we went from trigger fingers, to hammer toes, to rotator cuffs, to hot flashes, I do not know, but it was very entertaining!   Our conclusion was that too many doctors merely want to do surgery to solve every problem, and that we need to be cautious about overlooking  less invasive alternatives.  Whatever happened to physical therapy first?  

Jobs, well, what can I say?  Jobs are always a source of many prayer requests from our group.  As hard as it may be to comprehend, we actually do pray for our bosses!  Go figure.  Maybe instead of always praying for things to work out for us, we should pray that God opens other hearts to see things differently.  Maybe this will positively impact our situation.  What a concept…. take the focus off me. 

All in all, it was a great evening and I always leave in good spirits knowing that I have strong women to support me, listen to my whining, lift me up in prayer, and just love me!  It’s a great feeling. 

‘Til next time… Elisabeth signing off.