HOW JESUS TURNED A COOKIE SCOOP INTO THE GOSPEL FOR THOUSANDS!

By: Donna Selma Lind

"For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry." 1 Kings 17:16

People call him "The Cookie Man." He is a sweet gentleman who has a Cookie Ministry where he shares the love of Jesus with his home baked Cookies! 

A while back I Heard "Cookie Man" was looking for a cookie scoop to make his cookie baking easier. I told my husband, next time we go to Walmart I'm going to buy Floyd the "Cookie Man" a new Cookie Scoop.

About the same time I was the Prayer Ministry Coordinator for "LIGHT THE LAKE" a Free Christian Concert and Festival in Stockton, MO. I was trying to find donations of Bibles and Devotion books that we could hand out at the Prayer Tent. Every place I called required a large amount of money that was not in our budget. I just kept praying, God please send us copies of The Good News for us to share in the Prayer Tent, and please make them Free!

The next day Pastor Gary and his wife Linda from my Church Bolivar 1st AG, generously donated three hundred copies of the Book of John! Hallelujah!

That was a great beginning, but I still needed about seven hundred more!

I kept praying, kept believing, kept seeking and kept knocking! I was hitting a brick wall but I didn't give up, because I knew My God would supply ALL my needs according to His riches and Glory! Philippians 4:19 

A few days later we were getting ready to go to Walmart and in my spirit I heard; 

"GO CLEAN OUT YOUR PANTRY AND GIVE ALL OF YOUR BAKING SUPPLIES TO FLOYD."

What? ALL my supplies? 

YES, ALL YOUR SUPPLIES!

Everything?

YES, EVERYTHING!

I had boxes and boxes of baking supplies. Bags of Flour, Sugar, Chocolate chips, Brown sugar, Cake Mixes, Cookie mixes, Vanilla, Melting dark chocolate and white chocolate and cans of pie filling, frosting, and Oil! I completely emptied my pantry. I gave it all. 

I was reminded of the Bible story of the widow of Zarephath as I cleaned out my cupboards.

We boxed everything up and my husband added several dozen fresh farm eggs. 

I reminded my husband, We are stopping at Walmart so I can pick up a new Cookie Scoop!

Then, I heard in my spirit; 

GO TO THE DRAWER AND GET YOUR PAMPERED CHEF COOKIE SCOOP AND GIVE IT TO THE COOKIE MAN.

What? No, I'm imagining that. Not my Pampered Chef Cookie Scoop!

YES, YOUR PAMPERED CHEF COOKIE SCOOP. GIVE IT TO HIM!

But God, you know that's my favorite! But, I'm going to buy him a new one at Walmart, he will like that much better. (Have you ever bargained with God before about something?)

My husband beeped the horn. Let's go! 

I grabbed my purse and closed the door behind me.

GO BACK AND GET THE COOKIE SCOOP!

I knew it was God talking to me, so, I unlocked the door and went back in the kitchen and grabbed my favorite Pampered Chef Cookie Scoop and stuffed it in my purse.

1 Samuel 15:22 "What is more pleasing to the LORD; your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,"

We still stopped at Walmart and bought a new Cookie Scoop because I kept thinking, he is going to want a new one and not my old Pampered Chef scoop!(Someone say, Whale's Belly!)

We knocked on Cookie Man's door and we carried in all the boxes. He was surprised and overwhelmed with all the baking supplies. What a joy to be able to help this dear man in his special ministry! 

He thanked us over and over, we were getting ready to go, when I pulled my scoop out of my purse and the shiny new scoop still in it's package from Walmart and set them side by side on the table.

Now Cookie Man, which Cookie Scoop would you rather have, this nice brand new scoop or this old one here? (I was still hanging on!) 

He picked up both the scoops and looked them over and when he saw my old scoop he started to cry, "Pampered Chef? I've been praying for a Pampered Chef Cookie Scoop! I've been praying all morning for one just like this , exactly this size! I can't believe it, I finally got my Pampered Chef Cookie Scoop!"

Oh Glory to God, He cried, I cried. He was blessed, I was blessed and I knew without a doubt that it was God that was speaking to me that morning so specifically because Cookie Man was praying so specifically! 

God Hears our Prayers!

I admit it, I dragged my feet for a bit, it isn't always easy to obey God, but it is ALWAYS Good to obey God and God is Always Good!

I got home that day and the phone rang, and it kept ringing! Calls from other Ministries donating Bibles and Devotions for our "LIGHT THE LAKE" outreach! Tom and Cindy Johnson from SLING N STONES gave over one hundred Bibles! 

Other Ministries called and donated! 

In the end God took a Cookie Scoop, some Flour and Oil and Baking supplies and turned them into several thousand copies of the Good News of Jesus Christ to share with the multitudes! Praise the Lord!

The night of our Light the Lake Outreach nearly ten thousand people came! Hundreds gave their hearts to Jesus, countless re-dedicated their lives to the Lord and many were Baptized under a huge 25 ft. Cross that lit up the hot July sky!  

Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! All Glory be to God!

We passed out the copies of the Good News all day and night and I still can't explain how when the event was over we had boxes of Bibles and Devotion books leftover! 

Just like Jesus did with the Loaves and Fishes! 

But here is the coolest thing that brings this story full circle! (I know it's a BIG circle!)

Right before the last Altar call, I looked at my purse and there was a Cookie Scoop sticking out of it! That's right a Cookie Scoop, a PAMPERED CHEF COOKIE SCOOP! in the middle of a Prayer Tent in a sea of thousands of people, how did a Cookie Scoop end up in my Purse?

I questioned everyone, and no one knew. I was convinced the Cookie Man gave it back especially since it was a Pampered Chef exactly like the one I gave away! (Hey I should get some kind of a kick back for mentioning Pampered Chef so many times in this story! ;-) 

I found out the next day that our Church Youth Pastor Mike's wife Christa had heard the story about how God turned my Cookie Scoop and the Flour and Oil baking supplies into thousands of Bibles and Devotion Books! 

She said she was baking some chocolate chip cookies and reached into the drawer for her cookie scoop and there were two in the drawer! She only had one and had know idea how she ever ended up with two! When she picked the extra scoop up and examined  it closely it was stamped inside the handle with the words PAMPERED CHEF! Christa said she never owned a Pampered Chef Scoop! She knew God put it there for her to give it to me! Thank you Christa!

Can you believe that? Glory to God! He gave me back my Cookie Scoop! Thank you Father God!

Because He loves us and He wants to Bless His children! He is a good, good Father! Yay! He loves us!

 

When we let go of what is in our hand, God will release what is in His hand!

 Sometimes we hold onto something or someone so tight that we don't have any room left to open up to something far greater and better than we can ever imagine!

What are you holding onto? 

What are you ready to let go of so your life and the Kingdom of God can grow, multiply and be glorified? 

  "And the Word of the Lord continued to grow and be multiplied." 

Acts 12:24

"Give and it will be given unto you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will it be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."Luke 6:38

AND THAT'S THE SCOOP! ;-)

I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE

By: Donna Selma Lind

"I was blind but now I see!" John 9:25

A few months ago we added a brood of newborn chicks to our already large chicken flock. I had picked out a couple of new exotic breeds that I thought looked like fun. The kind with the fancy fountain feather heads. As the baby chicks got older they started to explore outside of their Coop. Well, all but the two special ones, they never wanted to go outside, they always hung back and clung together in the corner of the Coop. We just thought they were a little skittish because they were fancier than the normal "farm chicks!" ;-)

One day after my Husband opened the door to let the chickens out he peeked through the window to see what "Martha and Mary" were doing. They were clucking and squawking and dashing back and forth bouncing off the walls and into each other! He went inside, picked up the chickens and after a thorough examination called me over for a second opinion. 

I think the chickens are BLIND! he announced. Look at their eyes!

I don't see their eyes! 

Exactly, that's why they don't go outside with the other chickens. That's why they hide in the corner and run into the walls! They're BLIND!

We started to move the feathers around on their fancy feathered knot-heads and all of a sudden the tiniest green eyeball peered back at me! It was only opened a tiny slit and the eyelid was fluttering and blinking like someone flung open the curtains on a sunny morning and shouted;
"GOOD MORNING! IT'S WAKE UP CALL!"   

They weren't blind at all, the poor babies just couldn't see because their fancy feathers had grown down and covered their eyes! 

After a quick you-tube tutorial on; "How to cut fancy feathers off around chicken eyes!" the operation began.

A few careful snips here and there and eyesight was restored to a couple of very happy chick-a-dees! 

Martha and Mary ran outside clucking and flapping their wings, seeing the barnyard and their fine feathered friends for the first time since they were babies! That night they flew up and sat on the roost for the first time, so proud and happy just chuckling away!

They were Blind, but now they see!

How many of us stumble around in the darkness, bumping into the same old walls of sin and bad habits, unforgiveness, envy,pride,anger and offense? 
We hide in the dark corners hoping no one will notice and call us out of our selfish, sinful lives.
We think it's easier to hide in the darkness, easier to push away the fear and the pain and push away the people who love us and want to help us. 

"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." John 3:20

In the darkness we are Blind. Spiritually Blind. We can't see the truth in the dark. And we don't want to! We cannot grow in the dark. We can't fly in the dark! 

"But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3 :21

As believers we are to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to a world of darkness.
We are to shine in a way that those in the dark would want to come into the light. Show the world truth in love and share our testimony of how God trimmed the little chicken feathers off our eyes so now we can see and walk in the light. 

And when we walk in the light, we can "SEE"with spiritual eyes, how to reach out and help someone else who is stumbling in the darkness like we once did. We can share our story of hope and God's amazing Grace of how we once were lost but now we're found. 

"I was Blind but now I see."

This week ask the Lord to trim your "fancy chicken feathers" off of your eyes so you can see to help someone else see who is struggling and stumbling around in the darkness!

"We were blind but now we see!" John 9:25

WHEN ONE FALLS DOWN

By: Donna Selma Lind

"For if either of them falls, the other one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up." Ecclesiastes 4:10

Last week my husband fell down and broke his wrist and  fractured his ribs.

Sometimes we don't realize how much we rely on one another or take for granted the other person until they no longer can do what they did or until they are gone.

What an unfortunate way to learn to appreciate the ones we love.

When my Husband and I married we took vows that said "And the two shall become one."

 We really have become one. We do complete one another. And isn't that God's plan?

We have established a routine in our life where I take care of certain things in our household and my Husband takes care of other things. We work together as a team, I help him and he helps me, it has become an automatic system where we each have a part to do and we do it. We have each others backs, we rely on one another, we count on each other. So, when one of us falls down, the other lifts up his companion and helps him up.

 Last spring I "fell down"with Pneumonia and was sick for about four months, Stanley was right by my side to help me with chores and whatever I needed help with. When he fell down last week I came alongside of him and am helping with his chores and everyday life stuff that he needs me for. 

 

Maybe it's because we are getting older and things aren't as easy to do as they once were but I really noticed this week how much we rely on each other and how much of a team we really are, and how much I really love and appreciate my other half.

We are a little different in case you haven't noticed. And we really are sappy in love. I bet Stanley tells me he loves me a hundred times a day, well maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. He says "I love you", he sings me love songs, he picks me wildflowers, saves me the curly crunchy potato chips and the last bite of chocolate, well maybe not the last bite of chocolate, but the point is, he loves me and tries to show me and make me feel special and know his love for me and I try to do the same. One of the things he has always said to me since the beginning is "Honey, I'd be lost without you." He says this to me everyday over and over. And I really get that, especially this last week. I feel like God has opened my eyes to see our love and what a blessing my Husband is to me. Truth is; I'd be lost without him.

The little things that usually annoy me don't seem to bother me so much this week. The things on my "To Do" list can wait, I just want to spend time with my best friend. I don't want to take him or our time together for granted anymore. I know God has given me this man as a gift to treasure and I do; I just want to do it more now.  Time seems to be zipping by so quickly, life and loved ones can be gone in the blink of an eye.

I want to love more and live more with my husband, companion, my best friend. I want to be the one to lift him up if he falls and be his helpmate as he is mine.

 I didn't think it was possible to love him more, but somehow this last week God has enlarged my heart. 

Take the time to love. Tell the ones close to your heart that you love them and don't take them for granted. If they fall be there to lift them up, help and encourage them. Speak sweetly, love softly, forgive, be patient, be kind, cherish them and know they are a treasure and a Gift from God!

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live a hundred minus one day, so I would never have to live a day without you." Winnie the Pooh

"LOVE NEVER FAILS" 1 Corinthians 13:8