The Chronicles of Biscuit - "The Snack of a Lean, Mean, Fighting Machine"

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

It's been a long time since I had a "The Chronicles of Biscuit" story, it seems. Interestingly enough, Biscuit, himself, said I should blog this story.  I think he likes it when I read him the "Biscuit" stories from his younger years. He can't help but laugh about them and be interested in the fact that he was a pretty deep thinker about spiritual and life matters.  He looks forward to the stories being given to him one day. I look forward to his own children reading them.

So this week began football practice with pads.  As soon as I picked up Biscuit from school Wednesday, I could tell something was going on.  He said he was just tired, then just hungry, then seemed better, then a little down again.  I asked if it was because his oldest brother had left for college. He said it was.  I know that's hard.  I didn't think much more about it.  Later, at bedtime, I could again tell something was wrong.  Biscuit finally told me what was bothering him:  Tackling the bigger boys that were older than him.  He wasn't sure if football was going to work out.

Last year Biscuit didn't practice for football at first.  He decided AFTER the first game to play.  His dad thought it was okay to ask if he could play and so Biscuit asked the coach.  The coach happens to be his cousin, which makes it a little scary to ask, even though our nephew is very nice.  I didn't want him to allow him to play just because he was related, either.  He said he could play and he didn't have a problem with it one bit.  

So since that had happened, and he ended up playing after not starting out, I wasn't wanting him to just quit since he had enjoyed playing last year.  But, on the other hand, our nephew has said about our middle son who didn't play last year, if there's any fear there, it can cause a player to be hurt more. Football is just different.

My husband was asleep already when this happened, but has told Biscuit in the past to get down low to tackle...that even big NFL guys can be tackled if you get low enough.  His next oldest brother gave him the same advice.  My advice was for him was to pray that night, the next morning, before practice, and any time he got scared.  I shared with him the verse, "Perfect love casts out fear" and told him that God would give him the faith and courage and strength to do what he needed to do to be braver and not as scared.

When Biscuit got up for school yesterday morning, I could tell he was better, but I still went through everything again with him, reminding him to pray.  His dad and brother again reminded him to go low to tackle.  I also thought of a funny thing that is on a bug show at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  There's an anteater character on a 3D show and he stands really funny and sticks out his long nose. He says, "I am a lean, mean, fighting machine.  I can destroy."  Biscuit thought that was funny as I told him that was his new motto and to think of that as he tackled. He got a kick out of me standing and acting like that anteater!  The anteater then 3D blasts the humans with sticky goo, which leaves the audience yelling and screaming!

After school, as Biscuit go into the car, I asked how his day went.  He said, "Good!  Guess what?  I tacked _____!  Not all the way to the ground, but I stopped him!"  We high-fived, I yelled, I chant, "Lean, mean, fighting machine"!  I was so excited!  He kept telling me it wasn't really that big of a deal, but I assured him it was.  I asked if he had prayed.  He said, "Yes, I prayed every hour yesterday during school".  That was in addition to the times I had told him to.  It WAS A BIG DEAL!  In fact, that's a huge deal.  That's how we all should do when we have a problem, or when we don't have a problem, for that matter.

So, I felt like the lean, mean, fighting machine needed a celebration of some kind.  I even offered him a trip out of town to eat or do something since everyone else was going to be gone for the evening. He opted for a trip to our only convenience store for Powerade and Funyuns!  Ha ha! We deemed this photo "The Snack of a Lean, Mean, Fighting Machine".  I'll take his word for it :).

*** 

So proud of you, Biscuit!  You learned that prayer can change things.  It can change you.  God can give you strength when you're afraid.  Thank you for that example for all of us.  I love you! MOM

Courage

Courage...."The ability to do something that frightens one."

What frightens you?

When our oldest three children were small and my husband was gone a lot, I would often have to come home in the dark with the kids.  I was afraid of the dark because of something that happened when I was in 7th grade: We had a peeping "tom" looking in our window after a Junior class party at our house out in the country.  I saw the person and was pretty much scared of the dark after that night.

 But I noticed something when my kids were small.  I was much braver when those little kids were with me than I was if I would have been all alone!  Why? Because I was protecting them.  I wasn't worried about my own fear, but in teaching them to have courage and not be afraid.

 Throughout the years, when the kids have been scared (our youngest is terrified of storms, which is odd because I like storms and my husband doesn't care either way), I've tried to teach them to pray fervently about that fear.  I love the picture up above with the scripture.  God will be with you wherever you go.  Why do we have to fear, then, if our Heavenly Father is right there with us?

 The answer?  We don't! We shouldn't! We don't have to live our lives that way! We CAN have courage to do what we're scared to do.

 Fear keeps people from doing so many things.  I've decided that I'm not going to let fear keep me from doing anything - especially things that are things my family would do....which is why I rode "Tower of Terror" at Walt Disney World this past Christmas!! I wasn't really scared of it, but the first time I rode it, I was hot and just didn't like it.  But my family didn't want me to be alone waiting on them, so I went.  And, guess what?  It wasn't so bad!  Then I went again, and that time it was the best time I've had on there! (It has lots of settings so not every "ride" is the same degree of intensity.")

What if I hd never tried it again?  What if that "fear" had kept me from ever wanting to give it one more try?  I would have missed out!

And a ride at WDW isn't important.  There are lots more important things that fear keeps us from doing.  Maybe we're afraid of being involved with the Lord's church. Maybe we're afraid of telling others about Jesus. Maybe we're afraid of inviting someone to worship with us on Sundays.  Maybe we're afraid to go visit the sick.  FEAR.  It stops us from doing what we should do.

Have courage, my friend!  God is with you - wherever you go!  He will walk with you. He will guide you.  Will things happen some time?  Yes, they will.  But even in those times, God is STILL THERE with YOU.  Have courage.

Do Not Fear

I read the other day that fear is the opposite of faith.  That's so true.  If we're living in fear, our faith is squashed or diminished or maybe even totally gone.  "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." 1 John 4:18

God loves us with a perfect love. He gave His perfect Son for us. There should be no fear because if we are His, then we have nothing to fear.  His love is enough. We just have to believe that truth.

This was written by Jeff Jenkins, preacher of the Lewisville, TX, church of Christ. If you're interested, Jeff and his brother have a Facebook group called, "The Jenkins Institute" with inspiring daily thoughts.

The example of Paul comes to mind when reading Jeff's message. He relied on God and did what needed to be done to further the cause of Jesus and His gospel.  He prays that his work might be done, but never for his own safety, and we know he wasn't safe and out of harm. In fact, he was harmed and in very unsafe places.

"There is so much fear in our world right now. Fear of disease, fear of war, fear of the future, and fear of death. Many people are allowing the cares and concerns of this life to paralyze them. Right now is a great time for people of God to show what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We can show the world what it means to glorify God in the face of fear. We can model what it means to cast all our cares upon Him. May God help us to share with others the peace that passes all understanding!"

Why is our own safety so important to us?  Maybe because we're so busy doing what "we" want instead of what God wants for us? Sometimes that may be the case.  Are we, like Paul, going about our Father's business, or are we too concerned about our own business?  Either way, we should have no fear.  We don't have to be afraid. We can put our faith and trust in Our Heavenly Father who can do more than we can ever imagine.  With Him in control, everything is okay....even in the face of danger.  DO NOT FEAR!

When you pass through the water I will be with you,

And the waves they will not overtake you.

Do not fear for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name.

You are mine.

Chorus

For I am the Lord Your God.

For I am the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I am the Lord. (Women: Do not fear.)

I am the Lord. (Do not fear.)

I am the Lord. (Do not fear.)

I am the Lord. (Do not fear.)

I am the Lord.

When you pass through the fire I will be with you,

And the flames they will not overcome you.

Do not fear for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name.

You are mine.

FAITH vs FEAR

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

I enjoy reading the Bible on BibleGateway.com.  I begin with the verse they have listed for the day and then open it up to the chapter and read all of it.....sometimes just that and sometimes more.  Interestingly, today's verse is  our congregation's theme verse for the series we began Sunday.  The theme is "Do Not Fear".  Our preacher....my brother-in-law.....made refrigerator magnets with this verse printed on it so that we can memorize it and say it together each Sunday morning.  

What are you afraid of?  Anything?  Nothing?

I'm afraid of snakes.  Extremely afraid of snakes.  They give me the willies :). (Is that a word??)

Years ago I had a coworker (only for a few weeks) who didn't like the fact that I was afraid of snakes.  She had a pet snake and couldn't understand why I would be afraid of them.  I really don't know, either, but I know it's a real fear.  In fact, at that time it was an extreme real fear.  I couldn't even LOOK at a picture of a snake or touch snake-skinned boots!  I'm not THAT bad now, but I still don't want to be near one.  

This coworker decided she wanted to "desensitize" me to help me become more friendly with snakes.  I assured her that there was no need in that and became pretty adamant that she shouldn't bring it to work (At a doctor's office!  Can you imagine??!!).  Finally I convinced her it wasn't a good idea and that I didn't want to be desensitized.  I'm positive my request made no sense to her, but thankfully for me, she wasn't a coworker there too long. I know she would have continued to try to help me with my problem!

God tells us not to be afraid.  Because He is with us, we should have no fear.....even with snakes around.  That may be hard for us to grasp.  It's hard for me to grasp when it comes to snakes!

I'm not afraid to fly.  Others are.  I'm not afraid of storms/tornadoes.  Others are.  

Most of us have some kind of phobia.  The problem comes when our fear of something takes over and eliminates our trust in God.  We don't have to be afraid.  We can put our total trust and total faith in Him.  Whatever scares us has no control when God is giving us strength.  He will help us overcome our fears - no matter what they are - whether big or small.

So, what are you afraid of?  Give that fear to God.  Ask Him to strengthen you and help you overcome that fear.  You may still be afraid, but when He's holding your hand and giving you strength, you can face whatever it is that comes your way!  Your FAITH takes over your FEAR!

The Chronicles of Biscuit - My Mind

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

A few nights ago, Biscuit asked me if I would lay down with him until he went to sleep.  He said he didn't feel safe in his new room (new since December).  I asked him why and it had to do with some stories fellow classmates had told at the end of school.

We talked about it for a little bit, and I told Tyler whenever he is afraid he should pray - that God doesn't want us to be afraid and that the Bible says "do not fear".  I asked Biscuit if he ever prayed at those times.  His reply was so honest and sweet, "No, mom, but sometimes my mind doesn't think right."  I told him that sometimes mine doesn't either.  I think we could all say that some times.

Why is it that we may know God - or feel that we do.  We may know what His word says.  We may know we should pray - know we should rely on Him, but then at those times when we should be praying and relying, some times we don't?  Why at times is our mind not right?

The first and biggest, and perhaps only reason, is Satan.  Satan - the devil - tells us that we should be afraid.  He says we should be scared - that the world is a scary place and everyone is evil.  Satan says to us that praying isn't going to help - that there is nothing God can do.  He says we're all on our own.

We must learn to tell Satan to "flee"!  We must learn to tell him "no!"  We must learn to get our minds right and get them back to what we know is true - that God CAN help us!  That God CAN help us not be afraid!  That God will do what He says He will do!  But, just like Biscuit, we must first realize that our mind isn't thinking right.  We must come to grips with the fact that we're not relying on God the way we should. That's the first step in getting our minds to where they should be - nearer to God.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Isaiah 41:10

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

James 4:7

What Do You Fear?

My oldest two children will be participating in a speech contest tomorrow morning at an FFA competition.  My son is using this story as an introduction, and I wanted to share it with you:

********

Two old geezers lived in the backwoods of the Ozarks: Rufus and Clarence.  They lived on opposite sides of the river and hated each other. Every morning Rufus and Clarence would go down to their respective sides of the river and yell at each other.

"Rufus!" Clarence would shout, "You better thank your lucky stars that I can’t swim, er I’d swim this river and whup you!"

"Clarence!" Rufus would holler back, "You better thank YOUR lucky stars that I can’t swim, er I’d swim this river and whup YOU!"

Every morning. Every day. For 20 years.

The Army Corp of Engineers came along and built a bridge at the river, but the insults continued every morning.  Every Day.  Another five years.

Finally, Mr. Rufus’ wife had had enough. "Rufus!" she squallered one day, "I can’t take no more! Every day for 25 years you’ve been threatenin’ to whup Clarence. Well, thar’s the bridge! Have at it!"

Rufus thought for a moment. Chewed his bottom lip for another moment.

"Woman!" he declared, "I’m gonna whup Clarence!"

He walked out the door, down to the river, came to the bridge, walked about halfway over the bridge, then turned tail and ran screaming back to the house.  He slammed the door, bolted the windows, grabbed the shotgun and dove under the bed.

"Rufus!" cried the missus. "I thought you was gonna whup Clarence!"

"I was, woman, I was!" he whispered.

"What in tarnation is the matter?"

"Well," whispered the terror-stricken Rufus, "I walked halfway over the bridge and saw a sign that said, “’Clearance, 13 feet, 6 inches.’ He ain’t never looked that big from the other side of the river!"

******

Have you ever hesitated at an opportunity? Has something ever caused you to pause because it was a whole lot bigger than you thought it was? Often times the things we fear aren't really as scary as we imagine them to be, yet we let the fear of it immobilize us. 

God tells us over and over:  Do not fear.  I am with you.  I will give you strength.  Yet time after time, we chicken out or turn away and run.

What fear do you need to face?  What is keeping you from facing your fear?  Is your fear causing you to doubt God's promises?

Cross the bridge and face it!  Not with self-confidence, but with GOD-confidence.  He will help  you!

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid

Psalm 27:1

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Praying and Singing in the Cellar

During yesterday's tornado, while the students were in the cellar, the elementary students and teachers were joined by several of the girls from the high school basketball team.  The high school girls helped the teachers and staff by comforting the younger children.

When I talked to Biscuit after they got home, I asked if he was scared.  He said "Yes....I almost cried."  I asked him, "Did you pray?"  He answered, "Yes and me and Lauren (his big sister) and Kennedy (Lauren's best friend) sang church camp songs."  I told him I was sorry he was scared but thankful that the prayers and songs helped him.  Later on I told Lauren how much I appreciated her helping comfort Biscuit. (I will tell Kennedy the same thing when I see her!).

The praying and singing in the cellar reminded me of Paul and Silas in the Bible (Acts 16).  Paul and Silas were arrested for telling others about Jesus.  Prison didn't make Paul and Silas praise God, though.  In fact, Paul and Silas continued singing and praying.  At midnight, an earthquake shook the prison and the bars were opened.  Paul and Silas were free!  The jailer was so shocked by the whole event that it caused him to believe in Jesus and be baptized!  So were those in his household!  What a wonderful story!!

When tornadoes or earthquakes or even prisons come in to our lives, we don't have to be afraid.  We don't have to quit praising God.  In fact, in those times, we should be praising Him even more.  Because, you know what?  He is the only One who can bring peace and comfort and strength in all of those scary situations.  Yes, at times it's very hard to not be afraid, but our concerns and worries should bring us closer to God, not further away.

¹ God is our refuge and strength, 

   an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam    and the mountains quake with their surging. 

Psalm 46:1-3

Scared by the Scarecrow

Tuesday afternoon I was in the kitchen making a lot of appetizer-type foods in preparation for our daughter's birthday party that was going to be later on that evening.  It was a pretty day, so I had the front door open and could see out to the front yard from the kitchen counter.

As I worked, I caught a glimpse of someone at the front door.  It kind of startled me because the person was just to the right of the door...more towards the flower bed.  Typically at that angle, I wouldn't be able to see a whole person, but maybe just an arm or a piece of clothing.

Quickly, after being startled, I realized what had actually scared me was a scarecrow!  How goofy is that???!!  I just bought the scarecrow last week and stuck it in the edge of the flower bed with some pumpkins.  I had to laugh at myself for being scared of a scarecrow....a scarecrow bought and put in the flower bed MYSELF not too many days ago!

Sometimes, as Christians, we are scared and our fear is just as silly as me being afraid of my own scarecrow.   I found a great definition of fear that is an acrostic:  False Evidence Appearing Real.  Such a true definition of what fear really is to those in whom it takes residence.  The scarecrow is just a fall decoration for me, but they also have a use....to keep bird and pests out of gardens and fields.  Me being scared of it was absolutely "False Evidence Appearing Real".

What are you afraid of?  Is it something real or is it something not real....something your mind makes real?

Are you afraid to praise and honor God because of what others might think? 
Are you afraid of what others might think if you decide to become a Christian and turn away from a sinful lifestyle?
Are you afraid to put total trust and faith in Him because you think you need total control? 
Are you scared to even think about teaching others about Jesus? 
How about teaching a Bible class? 
How about inviting others to worship?

Now....when you look through that list.....aren't those fears just as silly as my fear of the scarecrow???

God says, "Do not fear because I will strengthen you and help you."

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

I'm afraid of snakes.  I don't like real ones.  I don't like plastic ones.  I don't like pictures of them.  I don't even want to see snake-skinned boots.  I think I would have a heart attack if one came into my presence.  Really.

I once worked with a girl who had a pet snake, and she thought it would be good to bring the snake to our work place to "de-synthesize" me and get me used to them.  Let's just say I strongly encouraged her NOT to bring that snake to work! But, even though I'm afraid of snakes and don't want them around me, it's not like I have to encounter them very often - just occassionally along the road (and amazingly one little tiny one came in our front door a few years ago!).  I don't think about snakes constantly. I don't worry about them.  I don't dream about them.  It's not something that consumes my life or leaves me afraid of doing things.  But, I don't want them near me.

Fear can keep us from doing things.  It can keep us from doing the things we need to do or should do.  Some fears we need to face.  We need to face them head on and conquer them.  God can help us face our fears.

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27: 1

For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!

Isaiah 41: 13

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

What do you fear?  How do you face your fears?

Is Your Heart Chicken??

(Note: Can you believe these two chicken strips? I noticed after cooking them that they were stuck together like a heart! My son, Jacob, and I thought that was really cool. We had to take a picture....and of course I planned on using it somehow, someway in a blog post!)

Is your heart "chicken"?

Do you live your life in fear?

Fear of the future. Fear of the present. Fear of the memories of the past.

With God in your life, there's no reason to fear.

God will use you, if you will let Him.

Serve God. Live for Jesus. Do not fear.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

Psalm 27:2-4

God - Our Protector

This is Lucy. She is a Great Pyrenees and serves as a guard dog for some of our goats. Lucy is friendly and will let us pet her, but is very protective of the goats, especially the little ones. One of the little goats had to have a shot last week. My husband said Lucy cried the whole time he was working with the little goat. Isn't that sweet?


These little goats just lie around and jump up and down on the hay bales. They even get on Lucy and play on top of her. They don't know she's there to guard them. They sense no danger.


Unfortunately, sometimes there is danger. Little foxes like to sneek up during the night and get baby goats. We saw several last spring and occassionally a little goat would disappear. But, not since Lucy has been around! She is doing her job by protecting the goats.

Sometimes we are like these little goats...completely unaware of danger that may be lurking nearby. But we read in the Bible that Satan trys to snatch us - catch us off guard. He wants to harm us - just like the predators that try to get baby goats. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

But God is ready to protect us. As Christians, He is our Shepherd. He is willing and able to help us, if we will rely on Him.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...Psalm 46:1-2a

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Thank you, God, for protecting me and strengthening me - even when I don't realize I'm in danger.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

EEEEK!!! A Mouse!

A month ago....I thought I saw something run across the floor. I actually thought it was a big spider. A few days later I saw a few mouse droppings and immediately called hubby and asked him to get some traps. He got the traps and put them out a few days later. That very night we caught a little mouse! We put another trap out for a few weeks, but never had any more trouble, so took it out.

Yesterday morning....I was making the kid's lunches for school and went into the pantry, which is in our laundry room. My son, Zachary, and hubby were in the laundry room, too. As I opened up the pantry, out came a little mouse!"EEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!!! A MOUSE!!!"I screamed and the little mouse ran out and OVER my son's foot - YUCK!!!! Immediately hubby went to get another trap and sat it out. I was expecting to catch the mouse last night, but we haven't - yet.

But here's the problem.....hubby is out of town for a few days. If the little mouse gets in the trap, what am I going to do?????? I don't know if I can take it out. Maybe I could talk one of the kids into doing it for me, you think??? Maybe we can pick a number and the looser has to take it out. That seems fair, doesn't it??? We'll see.

God will give us strength in times of need - even if I end up having to take out a mouse :).

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 41:10