“I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works. I will rejoice and boast about You. I will sing about Your Name, Most High!”

(Psalm 9:1-2 CSB)

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No Small Miracle

by Debbie Allen

A few years ago, I stepped into a new season in my old job; at a Middle School.  Due to shifting circumstances within the building and unexpected budget cuts at the district level; my job in the school office went away and a new position in the school library awaited me.  Knowing that when God ushers change into my life, it’s always for my good; I stepped through those library doors my first day with confidence and enthusiasm for whatever challenges lay ahead of me. The Librarian, Willy, however, did not share my enthusiasm.  When I watched her walking toward me that first day; she was wearing two expressions at the same time.  A haunting mixture of joy and hatred reflected in her eyes; while “Congratulations!” and “You’ll be sorry”, fought for first place passing through her pursed lips.   Extending my hand out to her, she reeled me into one of the tightest bearhugs I ever endured.  I tried to see it as a sign of hope for our future working relationship; somehow, I sensed that hug was only the first move in a wrestling match between her spirit and mine. The place where Willy’s power and qualifications took me to the mat at every turn, contending for a chance to prove what she referred to as my lack of library-knowledge and the wrong skill-set for tackling her Library domain.

 “Lord help me!” was the first prayer I uttered, sitting at my new desk in the library that day.  It was going to take a miracle for this new arrangement to work.   Little did I know it but…God was already in the process of doing that very thing.

After working my way through lists and lists of tasks expected of me, Willy called me into her glass office, just a few feet away from my desk.  Though I longed for a simple thankyou now and then, her reward for the completion of one list, was always to hand me another.  My servant-heart sometimes struggled with this curmudgeon behavior, but my prayer was that my face would never reflect it. After weeks of working through these lists, Willy finally solicited my help on a project she deemed as, “impossible!”

 She shared her attempts to try and find a new refrigerator for the library’s kitchen.  The hundred-year-old, refrigerator died; and the donated, mini-fridge plugged-in beside it wasn’t big enough to handle all the teacher’s lunches stored there daily. Feeling buried under the load of daily complaints piling-up on her; Willy, reached her wits’ end.  

Digging in the bottom of her purse for loose change, she went on to tell me, “Oh…and one more thing.  There’s no room in the school budget to purchase anything; so, unless you can buy a refrigerator for $25.00, we’ll have to make do!”

I left her office feeling set-up for failure.  I searched adds, went to garage sales, and kept my eyes peeled for a couple of months.  Nothing even came close to the limitations I was trying to stay within.  Ready to accept the failure that seemed pre-planned to fall on my shoulders, I almost gave-up the search and admitted it was impossible.    That’s when things shifted.

The following Monday evening, I waited in the foyer of the church where I attended Bible Study Fellowship meetings.  Standing at my assigned Greeting post, I welcomed a friend, as usual, on her way into the sanctuary.  After exchanging smiles and generalities, I stepped aside for her to pass. She didn’t. Instead, she flashed a half-smile at me and proceeded to share how her life circumstances were under-going a major shift.  She was putting her house on the market for a “quick sale”, having to move suddenly, and “Did I know anyone who needed a refrigerator?”

 I stood there stunned.  Reluctantly, I asked her how much she wanted for the fridge. Knowing our unrealistic budget, imagine my shock when she shrugged her shoulders and blurted out, “How about $25.00?”

The very next day, our custodian, took Willy’s $25.00, picked up the refrigerator from my friend’s house, and had it plugged-in and ready for us to use within the week!

The first time I put my lunch into that new refrigerator, my mouth fell open. It was a virtual condo for food!  Though it was eight years old, it looked like it came straight from the Sears showroom floor.  The brand name tag on the door said “Kitchenaide Superba” but, from my perspective, that tag might as well have read, “God-Gift Ultima”

Willy smiled more that week than I’d ever seen her smile before.  Though the story of my personal encounter with God’s Goodness in our time of need never really interested Willy; she had a larger- than-life, reminder sitting back in the library kitchen to do all the talking for me!  God’s Fingerprints were all over that refrigerator…and they always would be!

Of course …you won’t find the story of the ‘Miracle of the Kitchenaide Superba’   written anywhere on the pages in the Bible.  It doesn’t qualify as the ‘Story of Manna Falling from Heaven’ or the ‘Parting of the Red Sea’; but, it’s no small miracle to those of us who witnessed with our own eyes, what God can do with things that seem impossible for us.

 That particular year, I miraculously witnessed a refrigerator fall from the heights of Heaven right into Willy’s lap!  Though it’s been many years since that day, I can still picture that “God-Gift Ultima” standing in the library, kitchen. It still serves as an ever-present reminder to my heart of our Great God’s Provision to His children in our everyday living… even when we don’t stop to ask Him for it.  He continually sees and meets our needs before we speak them.

As the Thanksgiving Season approaches, I pray we continue to see the variety of the Beauty and Bounty that comes from the Hand of the Lord. Whether considering the abundance and goodness of the food and family we are blessed to sit in front of on Thanksgiving Day…or the refrigerator in our own kitchen where all the left-overs go to live; be reminded, they exemplify all God’s Good Gifts in our life.  His Care and Provision for us in all our seasons and circumstances, falls nothing short of being the miracle we should be looking for and thanking Him for …every day!  Praying you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

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PRAYER:  Dearest Heavenly Father, what an incredible privilege we have to be able to thank You and sing praises to You. We are so grateful to feel Your Love in Morning’s light; and so humbled to speak of Your Great Faithfulness each night.  May Your Presence and Your Words become the Joy of our hearts and the Peace that floods our souls. As we step into another year of the Thanksgiving Season, may the words of the Prophet Jeremiah press a little harder against our hearts:

“Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living, and reorder our lives under God.”

(Lamentations 3:40 MSG)

Enable our eyes to see more clearly, the Abundance of Your Hand…Your everyday miracles and the true Beauty that comes from experiencing Your Love, Care, and Provision in our daily lives. Praising You and Thanking You Always, LORD!  In Jesus Name…Amen

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by Debbie Allen

 Though the world of child’s-play isn’t considered by most busy adults to be the most engaging place to hang out; I’ve learned over the years to relish every moment I get to spend there! One day, while watching my three-year-old Granddaughter, Morgan; she took my hand and lead me to a place I never would’ve ever experienced in my real life.  I attended my first Royal Picnic! 

Feeling a little under-dressed for this grand occasion, Morgan and I stopped off by the wardrobe closet and transformed ourselves into Princess Morgan and her Royal-Highness, Grammie.  Jeweled crowns on our heads and pink scepters in-hand, we stepped before our guests of honor in style. With a curtsey and a bow, Morgan introduced me to her royal friends; Princess Elsa, and her sister, Princess Anna of Aaron Dale!    Joining them around a red and white checkered tablecloth; we sat Indian-style, before the plastic, picnic lunch spread out in front of us on the toy room floor.  I smiled as I watched Morgan grab both Princess Anna’s hand and mine. Following suit, I reached for Princess Elsa’s hand. There, In the light of a battery-operated votive candle, flickering to the melody of a singing picnic-basket, Morgan bowed her little head on her own and prayed these words.

“God is Good…God is Grape… A-a-a-a-men!” 

Though I expected to spend a longer and more leisure time visiting with our royal friends, Morgan’s three-year-old itinerary listed things differently. Sixty seconds after she prayed her little prayer, Morgan pretend-ate the food on all our plates, packed up the singing picnic basket before the first song ended, and ran off to play with her dollies in another room.  Whoosh!  Just as quickly as the Royal Picnic began, it was over in a flash! Over…but not forgotten. 

Morgan’s words continued to sift through my thoughts. Yes, I know… the food she prayed over was plastic, but her prayer was ever-so-real. So real in fact, my adult heart could barely contain the unexpected truth God left hanging on Princess Morgan’s words for my own heart to digest. Over the following week, I did just that!

While my heart digested, my hands were in the process of making over seventy-five jars of jelly out of the fifty pounds of concord grapes, harvested off the grape arbor on the side of my house. I’d made jelly numerous times before and just seen LOTS of grapes that needed LOTS of tending and tedious, work; before becoming LOTS of jars of jelly!  Focusing on only the work surrounding me, kept me from seeing the beauty hidden in the processes required to get the grapes from the vine into the jar.

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“Focusing on only the work surrounding me, kept me from seeing the beauty hidden

in the processes required to get the grapes from the vine into the jar.”

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The rare combination of Morgan’s prayer still echoing inside of me; coupled with the steps necessary to get the grapes from the arbor to the jelly stage; somehow deepened my understanding of the fruit itself. Even before my husband harvested our grapes; I couldn’t deny they had an intoxicating, allure. One that filled up all your senses if you stood anywhere near them.  Being warmed by sunshine during the day…and frosted by the chill of autumn nights; produced in them a heavenly aroma meant to entice the world around them. Every cluster became its own Divine Invitation to passers-by, urging them to come nearer…to taste and see for themselves the rich, deep flavor of the fruit on the vine.

After those clusters were plucked from our vine; every grape was pulled from their stem and cast, by the hundreds, into a waiting stock pot. There, they were crushed again and again; then held to the flame until their skins finally burst and fragrant, purple juices flowed like royal blood.

Crushed beyond recognition by this stage, the grape pulp was poured out into a sieve and pressed through its tiny holes for even further refining.  Held to the flame once more, the grapey residue finally thickened enough to be poured-out into glass jars.  Every jar was then crowned with a ring of gold, sealed tightly; set aside and left untouched for at least three days.

When I think of the fifty pounds of grapes harvested from our vine and the seventy-five jars of jelly resulting from them; I consider the Goodness and Generosity of God and the extravagance of His Love and Provision for us. But even more…I am reminded of this unforeseen discovery, “God is Grape.”  The Creator, God, has poured Himself out into all of His creation; and the Concord grape is no exception. From the vine to the jar there are hints along the way of the reality of God’s life-giving Presence among us.  It’s no accident that the Concord grape’s dark, purple color happens to be the shade of Royalty. And that every cluster of fruit bears a Heavenly scent as it ripens on the vine; with such a powerful allure, it’s like Good News, beckoning to all who would choose to step closer to the vine, and taste of God’s Goodness. 

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“God is Good…God is Grape… A-a-a-a-men!”

—Prayer by ‘Princess Morgan’ —

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Even the long-suffering processes behind each jar of jelly reflect the kind of beauty that comes from living a surrendered life. Together, they silently tell the story of Salvation. Consider all the sacrifices that must take place in order for the grapes to become a sweet gift for others.  There is the crushing process… refinement over flame…and being poured out and refined; all for the ultimate good of others.  When I consider all of this, I can’t help but see Jesus in every jar of jelly. He was crushed beyond recognition, bled and died for our sins on the Cross…  willingly, held to a flame meant for you and I…and poured Himself out for humanity, so we could choose to taste the sweet Gift of God’s Goodness down inside of us; His Grace, both now and for all Eternity. There is no greater Gift in this life to be given…or to be received.

God used the precious thoughts of a three-year-old to broaden and beautify my perspective of the reality of God’s Grace on display all around us in this world!  I believe those displays are not there by accident.  They are placed, by His Divine Hand, in our paths to deepen our hearts and expand our vision.  Because of one rushed Royal Picnic, one misspoken word in my Granddaughter’s little prayer, and one fall, jelly-making session in my life; my heart now knows, in a most profound way, that “God is Good and God is Grape!”  Every jar of grape jelly in my pantry stands as evidence of this unexpected truth.  Every spoonful of jelly that passes through my lips speaks to my heart of the Grapeness of our God, and serves as a visible testimony of just how sweet Life can be when lived out in the Light of God’s Goodness! 

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how Good God is.  Blessed are you who run to Him.”  (Psalm 34:8

MSG)