I’m not sure what first attracted me to dandelions.

I’m sure, like most small children, I was taken by the “flowers” that had sprouted up with the spring weather.

The temperature gets to the point where in upstate New York you can start to go outside without a jacket, and these beautiful yellow flowers (to a small child) start sprouting up EVERYWHERE!

And (as the photo testifies) you can pick these flowers, and no one will yell at you.

In fact, I remember my Uncle David making wine from dandelions at some point long ago during a visit…

So why do most people- those of the Neighborhood Associations and neatly manicured Kentucky bluegrass lawns- consider this versatile and delicious flower a…

weed.

I recently took some pictures of dandelions. I’d been enjoying the spring weather with a walk to clear my head during work, when I stopped to admire the dandelions.

I thought about what makes the dandelion unique…

• Dandelions are created by God and beautiful in Their eyes.
• Dandelions are great for kids to enjoy.
• Dandelions are able to grow in any condition.
• Dandelions are easily able to spread seeds.
• Dandelions are tough plants. They keep coming back multiple times.

And I realized…

I am a dandelion.

Around the age of 9 or 10, my hair decided, pretty much all at once, to curl.

This earned me the nickname “dandelion head” (from a cute girl I was crushing on)– proof below.

Or “faggot” from the bullies who incessantly tortured me in school.

I don’t remember how many insults or punches I took, but I do remember fighting back- once. As I passed one of my more relentless enemies, I ambushed him with one swing.

My right cross caused one lump- his head hitting the locker caused another.

I seem to remember my Principal might have smiled as I sat with him after the incident. The bullying subsided for a little while- but the damage was done.

Dandelions are marginalized- they are something that are loathed by most homeowners- Americans spend around $35 BILLION dollars a year on lawn maintenance. Dandelions are prime suspect number one in the weed lineup.

We work to eradicate dandelions to replace it with…another weed (grass)??

(And I understand that grass is a ‘plant’ and not a weed technically- although if you don’t grow it to eat it or admire it…it’s a weed).

So our society determines what weeds look appropriate and which ones should just go away…but God’s original plan was different.

Genesis 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

(That was day three. On day six…)

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

…29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

So God considers the dandelions (and lillies of the field) to be good, but considers human beings made in Their image VERY good.

Yet I look at American society today, and the Christian church in general, and I see whole groups of people marginalized.

People who are beautiful in the eyes of God.

And I remember how I felt being cornered and pummeled in the corner of the gym one day. Or I try to remember how many times I was called ‘gay’ or ‘faggot’ (the exact number escapes me). And I empathize with those on the margins of our society for whatever reason.

You are also dandelions- and you are beautiful.

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

I've included some John Steinbeck in my summer reading, and this quote from Cannery Row struck me.

The two lists of character traits look like what amounts to a power struggle within a person. I see it as a struggle between pride and humility.

the Bible has a lot to say about this subject... Habakkuk 2:4(NKJV) “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

God opposes the proud because in the only place in the Bible where Jesus describes Himself, he says- Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (The word gentle in the Greek also can mean humble.)

Merriam Webster defines pride as, “A feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.”

Pride follows alongside achievement and mirrors the second set of traits in the Steinbeck quote.

I would like to propose a more straightforward definition pride is inward trust. Another word for trust is faith. I wear suspenders and I have faith, or trust that they will keep my pants where they belong (everything works better that way for everyone...) So we can have faith in anything… Pride is self-faith, self-trust, self-reliance, self-interest, all about trusting me, me, me. I can handle it- no problem. I can tell you by personal experience that doesn’t work out well.

The opposite then, humility, is outward trust. Or outward faith

We as humans have been given a choice we have free will we can choose pride- many do or we can put our trust in someone or something else to be successful.

Jesus put His trust in God John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

We must also swallow our pride and submit ourselves to, and trust in (put our faith in) God. Not to any other person Not to our country Not to any political party Not to any organization Not to any movement Not to any thing

So if you humbly empty yourself and fill yourself with faith in God, what will happen?

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

If you allow the relationship to take hold it will work miracles in your life.

You will see a gradual shift from the second list in the Steinbeck quote to the first.

Your pride, your beliefs, your biases all change because of the work of God in your life.

He will exalt you- raise you up. Why? The light and love of God that is in you will show off the glory of God.

Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christ in you- Christianity is an intensely personal experience. We have to allow God to work in us. If we don’t we are like an iceberg- all “Christian-y” on the top but still having a huge underside of pride. (I know a few people like that)

It seems like we can’t fix things- alone we can’t but God can, through us! He wants to see His light and His love shine through us. He wants us to know Him.

To close, a little downside up reading of an Old Testament verse...

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

I believe that we must first walk humbly with our God, then we will learn to love kindness and mercy, and do justice... and shift the world a little from the second list to the first.

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

#areyousmarterthana5thgrader? #MondayMath

here is today's problem (don't forget to show your work)

Jack, Jill, and Bill each carried a 48-ounce bucket full of water down the hill. By the time they reached the bottom, Jack’s bucket was only ¾ full, Jill’s was 2/3 full, and Bill’s was 1/6 full. How much water did they spill altogether on their way down the hill?

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

When my wife and I became more vocal in our affirmation and support of the LGBTQIA+ community, many Christian 'friends' cast us out.

One of their biggest complaints was that the LGBTQIA+ community 'celebrates' sin.

I am not here to argue or condemn what is or isn't sin-

Not my job

I just want to show that every human valued and precious to God created in His image are in the same circumstances- both in their sinful nature and complete forgiveness by God.

We have to understand that all of us have at one time or another 'celebrated' sin whether we are aware of it (admit it) or not. it is in our nature.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned

I personally love 1 John 2:2

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

The sins for the whole world are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. That means that EVERYONE is forgiven. That's right E V E R Y O N E

But...

forgiveness is not salvation.

Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

And salvation eternal life is a relationship with the God who created you.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Just my opinion, but it seems that many Christians have difficulty truly understanding God's forgiveness and salvation.

We must understand that each salvation plan is unique between the individual and God but we all receive the same forgiveness and salvation

...and that bothers people. They don't want certain groups of humans to have the same salvation that they received.

This comes either through ignorance or self-interest.

It reminds me of one of Jesus's parables found in Matthew 20- the Laborers in the Vineyard (included below).

Each laborer, no matter when they began to work, received the same wages at the end of the day.

The laborers who were hired first 'grumbled' at this (out of ignorance or self-interest) and the master said

'Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'

Please understand that God's love and forgiveness is infinite and for every human being created in His image.

Laborers in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

I once was found but now I'm LOST Wanna get me some of that there but I can't afford the cost

Livin' a no money no h o n e y not sunny this ain't funny kind of life I've seen better days, Better days better find me again

Had a sugar mama who b-r-o-k-e my heart Been livin' the sweet life now it's tore apart

Dealin' with frying pans flying hands support demands and other mans I've seen better days, Better days better find me again

Despite my fall from grace there's a smile upon my face I know my hope is in my Lord

One thing I know for sure my God’s got the cure

First thing that I'll do is make some better days with you

Better days are comin' can't get no worse Better days are comin' I got the God of the universe

Better days are comin' gonna take a stand Better days are comin' God make me a better man

Your love helps me to know that I'll find

Better days #newsong

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

truth 1. the body of real things, events, and facts : (ACTUALITY) 2. the state of being the case : (FACT)

This is a traditional definition of truth. The issue is that for many folks (myself included) we occasionally take opinions and state these as truth

There are those of you out there (you know who you are 45) who take straight up lies and loudly proclaim them as truth until people cave. louder is only better in music (God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason...)

There is another definition of truth I would like to focus on. truth 3. sincerity in action, character, and utterance : (FIDELITY, CONSTANCY)

This was the definition in the past- truth was more subjective You were true if you were sincere in what you did and what you said

When my life was insane (PC: Pre-Christian) I asked multiple times for just the truth. My family drama was intense with many-sided descriptions of the carnage.

God showed me that HE was the truth. In the Old Testament, God also was truth.

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Deuteronomy 32:3 For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God. 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth.

And of course there was Jesus... John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I need a God who is rock solid in truth- who cannot lie or repent we humans are half-crazy

Christian or not- we are sinful in nature and slow to come to the understanding of the Truth

This version of the truth leads to less judging God as truth is the only qualified judge. but we have an advocate

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

The best we can do in our human state is to be as true to Him as we can while being sincere in our action character and utterance

There are many in the LGBTQIA+ community that are more sincere in their actions, character, and utterances than many Christians I know (sorry- knew)

What would be the opposite of someone who is truthful? The Bible tells us.

hypocrite 1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion 2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

The word hypocrite is a transliteration of two Greek words that had their roots in the theater. Actors would wear masks during a performance- to hide their true identities so they could interpret the story from underneath.

The Origin of 'Hypocrite' from Merriam-Webster

Jesus uses the term to address the Jewish leaders for being alive on the outside (mask) but dead on the inside.

So many Christians today are heaping scathing hatred on the LGBTQIA+ community from behind a mask of Christianity- ignoring what is most important.

Love God Love each other reconcile people to Christ so we all can enjoy a relationship with the God who created the universe

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

Merriam-Websters word of the day is stoic – showing no emotion especially response to pain or distress.

My Wordle today (spoiler alert) was heart

and that got me to thinkin' it must be hard to be a stoic if you have a heart. Truth is if you are a stoic you are pretty self-reliant. as a Christian, I am very God-reliant.

He started with my heart

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Upon salvation, I was

transformed

by the Holy Spirit.

My heart which was once in opposition to God was changed from stone to flesh. I now am able to have a relationship with the God who created the universe (and the fediverse).

God created you... and values you... and only a relationship with Him will meet your most basic needs for love, acceptance, security and much more

Upon salvation, I also was not transformed into some Christian robot only able to do what I was commanded to do.

I am still Scott- basically weird, but mixed in with Jesus- super cool I now am Scott+Jesus Because of this, I don't have to suppress my personality and weirdness- God uses it for His glory!

And...

I don't have to be emotionless.

I can express myself in this world through my joyful contemplative annoyed blissful broken heart.

Why? Because God hears me and will help me through whatever trials come up in my life.

I trust Him fully- that is what hope is. If you don't know God, you struggle through your trials without Him (BTW that's REALLY hard...I tried that way for about 40 years)

Peace with God Through Faith

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

I have peace, grace, and joy through the Holy Spirit I also have sufferings (because of the world)

My hope is two things 1. My eternal hope of heaven at the end of this life 2. My current hope of my testimony of what God has already done for me

Being a stoic must suck (no offense to the stoics- but they won't get upset anyway...)

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

Access to this blog is now available on Mastodon! Search @lovelight-alliance@write.as and join me on my journey to new writing frontiers.

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

Broken- “God can always fix the broken in you.”

Broken glass shattered dreams Broken hearts tore at the seams Broken vows wrecking families People cry out ...(silently)

Broken bones plaster casts Broken people behind their masks Broken trust tell me how you feel Wounds are deep ...and hard to heal

...But

God

He is my strength He is my shield I hope in His great love I love Him with a heart He has healed

My redeemer and my Rock God is all that is true

No matter what you’re going through

God can always fix the broken in you

Broken logic lights a broken way Broken message in disarray Broken pieces in a broken game Broken lives ...who’s to blame

Broken will gives up the fight Broken spirit no strength or might Broken souls look through vacant eyes Broken vessels ...in great disguise

...But

God

He is my strength He is my shield I hope in His great love I love Him with a heart He has healed

My redeemer and my Rock God is all that is true

No matter what you’re going through

God can always fix the broken in you

No matter what you’re going through

God can always fix the broken in you

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)

As a Lutheran, I've heard the phrase “open table” to represent that anyone is welcome inside a church to worship. Certainly all churches would say that they offer an open table- but it's one thing to say it and another to actually do it.

I recently left my church family over their doctrine on same-sex marriage and their views of the LGBTQIA+ community. I had to leave the table because love was no longer being served.

The Instagram post above reminded me of another table where after supper, love was served...

John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Later in the chapter, Jesus explains why He washed their feet.

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Jesus then takes it one step further...

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Me must lead with love as Christians. B U T We have to do this with the humility of Jesus who turned the power structure upside down changing from power OVER to power WITH

All human beings are deserving of love and respect- made in the image of God. With love through humility, the table can be truly opened to ALL

Grace & Peace Scott ps– all scriptures are NLT unless stated otherwise- all emphasis is my own. pps– subscribing by email is the best way to follow the winding writing path I am on (and I am pretty sure Jesus loves subscribers ;–)