Maggie the Wonder Dog is Confounded by Tragedy

My fans know that Wonder Dogs are supposed to be wonderful all the time. We have to be at our best in good times and in bad. Today, however, has been worse than bad. It has been confoundingly awful. The unimaginable has happened to me, and I still can't believe it. 

Just yesterday, my mama gave me a new shirt that said "Barking Diva". Being a Diva is not bad. Even one of the other mommies at play day said I am a "cute little Diva Dog". I thought my mama liked me being a Diva Dog. Until today. 

It happened like this. My mama woke me up early and said, "Hey Maggie, you want to go to the barn with me? No leash!" Thst usually means I can run and play as much as I want. I sure did want to go! So I went!  I ran, and ran, and ran. I dug holes and sniffed them out. I got just a little dirty.  My mama was dirty from the barn, too, so she went inside and got all fixed up, but she let me play some more. What a great way to start a Saturday!

The next thing I know, mama is carrying me inside and locking me in the kitchen. She said, "I need to run some errands and you are too dirty to go with me."  She did not say she was mad at me. She did not! She just said ERRANDS. That usually means groceries and Maggie treats. Today, oh no. There were no Maggie treats today. 

When my mama came home, she had a brown and white furry thing and she said, "Look Maggie! I brought you a friend!" What kind of treat is that?? I wanted jerky! (You can never have too much jerky!). Jerky is a treat. That furry friend business might work with cats but it does not work with Wonder Dogs. We know a treat when we see one, and that is NOT it!!

I told my mama I did not want a treat like that and my mama said, "Oh dear! You have gotten this treat anyway! This is Mamie and she is here to stay!" I told my mama that I do not even want to look at that brown and white creature and she said, "Okay.  But you might like having a friend to play with." I did not even look at my mama when she said that! "I have friends and I do not need another one!" I said as I ran away from that brown thing. 

My mama keeps saying it is not a "thing" it's a puppy and she is my adopted sister. I have a family already. My mama and my boy Ryan are my family. I don't want a sister!

I have been so sad. My mama has tried to snuggle me, but I can smell the brown thing. She has snuggled it, too. Can you believe that? I have been betrayed! I can't snuggle up to that. I just can't. 

I heard my mama talking to Jesus. She said, "Oh Jesus, please help Maggie and Baby Mamie! I don't know what else to do. We need your help!" Later, she told me Jesus will help me. "I promise He can help and He will," she said. If He's helping, I sure can't tell it yet. 

I just feel awful and so, so, so sad. 

I don't know what will happen to me. 

I'm afraid. Maybe brown things don't get dirty in the mud. Maybe my mama will like the brown thing better than me. 

I'm so afraid. 

My mama said,"It's okay, sweet Maggie. Some things just take a little time, and this will, too. I still love you!"

That's good. But I'm still afraid. 

I'm still worried. 

I still feel all alone. 

(To be continued)

Part 21: quality Grapes (Luke 5:37)

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (Luke 5:37 NASB)

There are almost as many techniques for winemaking as there are winemakers. There is one thing that is common to all winemakers, however. Quality fruit is essential to have a quality endpoint. The single most important factor in the production of quality wine is the fruit with which you begin. None of the intervening steps make as much difference as the beginning fruit.  The manner of crushing, type of yeast, or timing of racking can vary. The fruit quality cannot. 

Here's the amazing thing. Every person is created in the image of God. Every person begins as the equivalent of "quality fruit".  Every person begins their life with full potential for transformation into someone vital and refreshing in the Kingdom of God. It has been said before, but it bears repeating. There is no one so far from God, so lost in sin, that they are beyond His grace. Life choices and life experiences can have a dramatic and long-lasting, often devastating effect, but it can be overcome by the mercy and grace of God. 

As we pray for our loved ones, remember that, no matter their life choices, they still retain that "image of God" with which they began. The very part of them that brings the greatest quality and value remains. In the transformation that only God can bring, the journey will still start with "quality fruit". Do not lose heart. 

Pray today that our loved ones will respond to the call of God with eager anticipation for the journey of transformation and that change we can see will be soon. 

The Sawdust Trail by Jimmy D. Carr Th.D.

Jesus Christ, in the Gospel of John 14:4, tells us that "where He was going, people knew where He was going, and the way there was plain." (paraphrased)

Jesus says he has plainly marked the way to Heaven.  Man is taught that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven.

In the early 20th century, a young major league baseball player named Billy Sunday became a Christian.  He was later called to preach.  During his many years of preaching, this evangelist held a number of tent revivals.  In preparation for the meetings, the floors of the tents would be covered with sawdust. People who walked down the aisle to receive Christ as Savior and Lord would be said to be "walking down the sawdust trail."

This was not the beginning of the "sawdust trail", however.  In the early days of logging in the Northwest, lumberjacks used sawdust, too.  They would fill sacks with sawdust and, when they headed into a deep, dark, unknown forest, they would cut a small hole in the sack and throw that big sack over their shoulder.  The sawdust would fall from the hole and mark their path.  When they were ready to head out, the lumberjacks would follow their "sawdust trail" back to their family and friends.

Jesus Christ has marked the path for you and me.  It is a simple path that leads from Calvary all the way to Heaven.  Be assured, dear ones, this path is the ONLY path that leads to eternal life.  Jesus tells us that He IS the way, and that we know that way.  The question is not "What is the way?".  The question is, "Will we follow that way?"

Just as evangelist Billy Sunday asked people to walk down that sawdust trail on receiving Christ, and those lumberjacks trusted the trails marked with sawdust, you and I are called to trust Jesus Christ as "the way, the truth, and the life."

Jesus loves you.

Jesus loves you and calls for you to find your own sawdust trail.  He longs for you to find your pathway out of sin and darkness.  Follow His sawdust trail.  You will not be misled.

Part 20: Second Racking (Luke 5:37)

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (Luke 5:37 NASB)

The secondary fermentation (really just a continuation of fermentation) takes several weeks. The must and sediment have been separated and the grapes are now immature wine. The yeast that have survived thus far will complete the fermentation process, producing as much as 30% of the total alcohol during this time. As the immature wine sits, the sediment still suspended will separate and fall to the bottom of the container. Evidence of the ongoing work can be seen as less frequent bubbles of carbon dioxide on the surface or in the airlock. 

At the end of several weeks, the wine will be racked again, finally transferring it to bottles. Every bit of fermentation must be complete, however, or carbon dioxide  will build up in the bottle and cause it to burst, losing all the wine the winemaker has worked so hard to produce. 

During this final racking, the transfer technique is especially important. Not one bit of sediment should be transferred. The goal is not cloudy, foul tasting wine. The goal is perfect clarity, or transparency, in the wine.

Transparency should be our goal, too. We need to be so clean inside (spiritually speaking) that there is nothing to hide, and nothing of ourselves to cloud the view of Christ in us. 

Consider your own heart today. Are there attitudes or "secret" sins that you hide from those with whom you desire to share Christ? Is there any sediment that needs to be cleared? In winemaking, the only way to remove the sediment is to siphon the wine away from it, making a clean and complete break between the wine and the cloudy sediment. Is there something clouding the transparent view of Christ in you? Maybe it's time to make some changes.  

Pray today that we would have such transparency of spirit that our loved ones can see straight through to the Christ in us, and that the view they see will be clear rather than distorted by any "sediment" we've allowed to remain. Pray that the view of Christ we present would be so attractive that our loved ones would desire a relationship with Him for themselves and begin their own journey of transformation. 

Yes and No

A friend of mine and his wife are facing major life changes. He was praying about what to do and, his text said, the instructions he received were, "Ask Leanna."  I'm still praying, but this story is part of my answer. 

More than a decade ago, I spent several years taking a major American city as my prayer focus each year. My city of focus one particular year was Chicago.  For months, I had been praying for revival there.  I had written a 40-day prayer guide, and I had spoken to numerous groups, recruiting people to pray with me for Chicagoland.  

I had planned a prayer walk/exploratory trip to the city so that I could evaluate the ministry opportunities and needs.  The week before I was to leave, it looked as if nothing was going to come together.  I was to stay with people I didn’t really know.  There was no clear plan for each day.  I became more nervous with each passing day.  

Over and over, I prayed, “Lord, make it clear what I’m to do.  Why am I going?  What am I to do when I get there?  This doesn’t make sense to me.  I look like a nut trying to explain that I’m going somewhere, but I don’t know exactly where, and I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get there, nor do I know exactly how long I’m going to stay.  This is crazy, and I don’t like it!” God was very quiet.  He did not fill in the details, nor did He let me off the hook.  His last instruction to me had been to go.  As far as I could tell, nothing had changed.  

Two days before I was to leave, I was almost overwhelmed with the desire to cancel.  I didn’t want to make the 12-hour drive and I certainly didn’t want to maneuver in big-city traffic.  I just wanted to stay home on my little farm, bake bread, and pick vegetables.  Truthfully, I began to practice how I would explain away my failure to obey.  “God closed that door at the last minute,” was the explanation I thought most likely to succeed.  Neither my friends nor my family were comfortable waiting for God to reveal the plan until I arrived on site in Chicago, and they would have welcomed my decision to cancel.  

The day before my trip, I had already cancelled – in my mind.  Then, I thought about how I would explain the decision to Ryan.  My twelve-year old son was not easily deceived.  He knew I was sure that God had told me to go.  There was no way to cancel and still save face with him.  I had to go.  Once again, I sat down to discuss the trip with the Lord, but with a new attitude.  “Lord,” I prayed, “I want to do what You want.  I just don’t understand, and I don’t know how to carry out a plan I can’t recognize.  Show me what to do.”  I was willing to do anything, no matter how silly I looked to the people around me.  

I sat back down at the computer and checked my email again.  Sylvie Raquel, my Chicago contact, had sent me a message.

Leanna:

just found out that the church close by is hosting a mission group of 10 college students for 2 weeks. Their original plans fell so they ended up among us. They will be doing some prayer walks as well as helping churches. If you are interested, I can connect you with them. One person

has volunteered to be their chauffeur with a van, so you could maybe drive with them. I think that they are going downtown Chicago on Thursday. Let me know if you are interested.  Sylvie

There are no words to describe how grateful I was for that precious email.  There was a plan!  God had worked everything out, weaving together enthusiastic college students from Oklahoma and a reluctant prayer warrior from Mississippi to accomplish His work.  He even provided someone else to do the “city driving.”  

Needless to say, I went.  The trip was wonderful.  The driving was (mostly) easy.  The students were a delight.  My hosts were gracious and kind.  Enroute to Chicago, the plan completely unfolded and I knew exactly what to do when I arrived. God had everything worked out. But not before my heart was willing to go without a plan.  

The last morning in Chicago, I opened my Bible to Matthew and read:  

A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said ‘Son, go to work today in the vineyard.’  And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went.  The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?’

​Matthew 21:28-31 NAS​

How close I had come to being the second son, saying I would go, but not going!  It was all because God had a plan but He hadn’t told me. 

Is God asking you to do something you don't understand? Has He asked you to go without clearly outlining all your steps? 

We serve a God who is always dependable, always faithful.  Obedience is not always easy, but it’s always best – even when you can’t see the plan. Next time God says “Go,” say, “Yes.”

Then, do it.

Part 19: The Racking (Luke 5:37)

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. (Luke 5:37, 38 NASB)

The entire process of converting grapes to wine is fairly amazing. The grapes are harvested, crushed, put in a vat, yeast is added, and the work begins. First the yeast reproduce, then they gobble up all the available sugars in the must. The period of yeast "eating sugar" is known as fermentation. During this time, the yeast give off waste products of alcohol and carbon dioxide. Because the carbon dioxide is a gas and is formed at the bottom of the vat, we can "see" the action of tiny bubbles (that seethe at times) on the surface of the vat. This fermentation over the first few days (7-10 days) is called primary fermentation. As the yeast use up the available sugars, the alcohol that is released begins to build up to levels that are toxic to the yeast. There comes a point when the level of alcohol is greater than the yeast can survive, and they begin to die. 

To bring the wine to full fermentation, an intervention is required. The wine must be "racked".  That is an odd term for transferring the wine to a second container. The transfer separates the developing wine from the dead yeast cells and the sediment of the fruit (leftover from the crushing) so that the fermentation can be completed. Winemakers call this secondary fermentation. This is not a second fermentation.  It is a completion of THE fermentation. 

You may remember (from the section on crushing) that the skin, seeds, and pulp from the wine's former life as a grape are allowed to remain for a while. Eventually, the remnants of the crushing will have to go, and this is the point where it is all removed. The grape will never be thought of as a grape again. Although it is not fully mature wine, it's well on its way and that former grape will forever after be considered wine. It is transformed. The process is not yet complete, but it is clearly underway. 

It's amazing to me that God, in His infinite mercy is so gentle to us. He tempers the crushing with His great love, allows us to keep the remnants of our former life far longer than seems sensible, and at the point where that former life has lost its luster for us, He separates us from it completely. We are transformed through this amazing process. It's a process all maturing believers experience. Where are you in this fermentation process?  Where is your loved one?

Pray today that we and our loved ones would quickly reach the end of our "primary fermentation", that point where our old life and old ways are stripped away, and we are transformed in such a way that we are "never a grape" again. 

The struggle about the wine

Today was the eighteenth day that I have written about Luke 5:37 and the business of new wine and fresh wineskins. I've agonized over this series as with none previously. During the fifteen years of my prolific writing career, nothing has been this hard. I've worried that I was giving a bad impression. I've feared that I, the adult daughter of an addict, might lead someone into a potentially addicting substance. I've been concerned that my college-student son might see the series as an excuse to drink alcohol with abandon. I dispaired over giving instruction without seeming to give permission.

Late this afternoon, my boss and I were discussing the series. "You've written about everything but the wine. When are you going to get to the wine?" he asked. After my absurd litany of excuses about the writing, he said something so profound. "Why is the wine so hard? Jesus held out the wine and said 'This is My blood, shed for you.'  It's all about the blood of Jesus and THAT is what matters. You don't have to be afraid of the blood of Christ."  

Indeed. Somehow, I've been frightened by what man has made of what Jesus died to give... His lifeblood that set me free. Jesus drank wine, Jesus made wine, Jesus was the wine. In that last Seder meal, He was the cup of Redemption. The wine in that cup was a beautiful symbol of what Jesus would soon spill on their behalf.  On my behalf. On your behalf. 

As the disciples watched from afar while blood dripped down His head from the piercing of the crown of thorns, they must have remembered that Cup of Redemption. I doubt red wine ever looked the same to them again. It would, forever after, be a reminder of all Christ taught, all He gave, all He would share when they joined Him in eternity. 

In the same way that Jesus turned water to wine at Cana, He turns our communion wine, our Cup of Redemption, to His blood. It is a mystery I will never fully understand, and one I will never need to understand. It is a symbol and a divine transformation that Jesus chose, and that is enough for me. It is faith in the redemptive blood of Christ that sets me free, and there is nothing to fear. 

I've suddenly understood, after eighteen agonizing days, that, when I'm writing about wine, I'm really writing about the blood of Christ, and there is no more precious topic in this world. Like the disciples, wine will never look the same to me again. 

I learned it as a little girl, and I'm reminded of it again tonight. "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."