Bible – Meghan E White

Don’t Be Afraid, God’s Here to Help

January 28, 2023 meghanewhite

Fear is a powerful force that can bring us to our knees, and strike terror in our hearts and minds. Fear can also draw us to our Heavenly Father as we ask for His help. And He delights in helping us. What an awesome God who loves us so very much!

Are you stressed out, afraid, anxious? Welcome to the club. There’s no shortage of things to be afraid of in this dark world. But……..there is hope! We do not have to stay in a fearful place. God is ready and always available to reach out and rescue us. We just need to ask.

This scripture was part of a devotion in the YouVersion Bible app a few years ago. We can never get enough encouragement. I pray you are encouraged today.

Do not be afraid! God is here to help you. He’s got your back, and your front. Keep trusting God.

Love you all,

Meghan

Lord,

Thank You for for grace and mercy, and for helping us when we are afraid. Bless every person who is reading this, and afraid. Give them peace, hope, and comfort. Take them by the hand and make a way for them. Change their perspective as they take their eyes off of their problems and look to You. We love You, Lord!

In Jesus name,

Amen

Nature

Save the Monarchs

January 21, 2023 meghanewhite

Hello to you! It’s been a while since I’ve written a post. I allowed myself an extended break, and it was delightful. No social media, no blogging, no regrets. I highly recommend social media breaks. I will write about social media another time. Today it’s all about monarch butterflies because they are beautiful, and important, and make me happy.

Right around Christmas the temperatures dropped to below freezing, which doesn’t happen often in Southeast Texas. I noticed a few monarch caterpillars on the milkweed in the garden, and then had the crazy idea to dig up the plants and bring them inside to save the caterpillars. So we dug up two milkweed plants, put them in buckets, and brought them to the safety of our dining room. A few caterpillars were placed in a terrarium. Monarch caterpillars eat the sole diet of milkweed, so there was no concern over caterpillars escaping.

We kept them inside for about a week until the weather warmed up. I would daily check the branches for new caterpillars, and they just kept showing up. There were fifteen total between the terrarium and the plants. I love all things nature, and plants, and animals, and butterflies, so this was fun for me. We felt like we were running a monarch rescue.

The caterpillars have been outside since the new year doing well. We went to a local nursery in hopes of finding milkweed to feed our ever growing caterpillar family. The nursery gave us a dozen milkweed plants for free since they were about to throw them in the dumpster. Definitely God’s providence.

Our first butterfly emerged the other day. I felt like a proud parent as it stayed on my fingers for a while drying out its wings. There are currently nine chrysalises, or chrysalides (not sure on the correct plural for butterfly cocoons) waiting to become lovely butterflies. I am enjoying every moment of watching these precious little creatures grow up.

The reason I am nerding out over monarchs is they remind me of my creator. Every stage of a caterpillar from egg to butterfly reflect God’s glory. There is no mistake or randomness in caterpillars or butterflies. They serve an important purpose to help with pollination of the vast majority of the world’s flowering plants. Monarchs are kind of a big deal. All butterflies are a big deal. Only God would make pollinators so beautiful.

As I watch each stage of the caterpillars I am blown away that everything they need is inside of them. No human can do that, only God, our magnificent Creator, can create something so remarkable. Nature brings me solace in a hurting world. I am comforted knowing God made it all, and He has the final say.

God cares for all of His creation. He cares for you too. There is nothing too hard for our awesome God! Nothing! Whatever is concerning you today, give it Him. God loves you so much.

And I love you too.

Meghan

Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:3

If you need prayer send your requests to meghanewhiteauthor@gmail.com

Family

The Big Five-Oh!

November 30, 2022 meghanewhite

Here’s where it all began for me. My first professional photo shoot. A photographer was going door to door, and my mom agreed to have my two-month old photos taken. The photographer positioned my chubby little arms in different poses. I was a very calm baby so I cooperated. The pictures are some of the few baby pictures I’ve got. I am the fourth of five children, and we were lucky to have any pictures from childhood at all. When I was young parents did not chronicle every single moment of a child’s life. You got the highlights and that was good enough.

I am fifty years old as of Thursday, November 24th, 2022. My birthday just happened to land on Thanksgiving this year. I celebrated by having a delicious turkey dinner with all the fantastic sides. It was a low key day, and I loved it. I am a pretty low key kind of a person. I don’t enjoy a lot of attention, so a chill day with my family is a dream day.

Back to turning half a century old. I suppose I should feel bad, or sad about aging, but I don’t. I feel good. Actually, I feel great. I still feel like myself, but better. Not better because I am so wonderful. I am comfortable in my skin, even if it’s a bit more wrinkly. I am just grateful for this life God has given me. My pastor used to say, “That breath you just took, you can thank God for that.”

My life is in God’s hands. He has already decided when my life will end. He has not given me the knowledge of an exact date. I am to trust Him, and know that He has a plan for me. So I do my best to trust Him, but I’m not always good at it. I am a planner and not knowing the future has tested my faith time and time again. The Lord knows this about me, and graciously walks me through my challenges, fears, and doubts. He is faithful, even when I am not.

I’m still breathing as of this writing, and God is not done with me yet. It could be tomorrow when He calls me home, maybe another ten years. Or maybe in fifty years! Which seems so strange. On that day, will I hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,”? That’s my prayer, but I fall short often. Thank God for His amazing grace.

For some, turning fifty means it’s all downhill from here. The best years are over. I disagree. I’m just getting started. I’m ready for what’s next. I know who holds my future. I know who will carry me through every trial. I know who will never ever leave me. His name is Jesus. He is my Lord and Savior. Thank you Jesus for saving my life, and giving me hope. Thank you for my birthday. Thank you for today, and each day you have blessed me with. I don’t want to waste what You have given to me. Life is a beautiful gift.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. James 4:14, NASB

From one vapor to another, have a great day.

Love you all,

Meghan

Marriage

27 Years Ago

September 30, 2022September 30, 2022 meghanewhite

These two were in love and having a great time on their honeymoon in San Francisco. After twenty-seven years, these two are still in love. We may be a bit older, with a few more wrinkles, but hey, we’re still here by the grace of God.

San Francisco was not our first choice for a honeymoon destination. We wanted to go to Paris. We were researching going to France, from books. Remember books? Ha ha ha!! This was the early days of the world wide web. My dad offered to send us to France if we exchanged a big fancy wedding for a much simpler one. That was incredibly generous of my dad. Thank you Dad!

The decision ultimately came down to me. I was a very young, soon-to-be bride, who wanted my dream wedding. So I chose the beautiful, fancy wedding over the fantasy honeymoon. I don’t regret my wedding at all. I do regret not choosing Paris. I would like to tell twenty-two year old me, “Go to Paris, you dummy!”. My choice was made, and we had a fantastic honeymoon. Lots of great food and fun in an amazing city.

We have nothing exciting planned to celebrate our anniversary today. Tom is working 12 hour night shifts right now, and he works tonight and all weekend. But that’s life. And sometimes, that’s married life. You go through challenges and challenging times. You have mountaintop experiences where you are high-fiving each other because you made it with the Lord’s help. And when you are in the valley together, you hug each other, and hold on to one another, and trust God to make a way. And He does make a way, every time.

So today I celebrate my husband, Tom. He’s a good, Godly man, who leads our family, and works tirelessly to provide for us. I also celebrate the wonderful gift of marriage. God made marriage and it is good. Thank you Lord for carrying us all these years. It is by Your amazing grace that we are here today. You get all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise!

A little side note. I keep every card Tom has given me over the years because the words mean so much. He has always chosen the most gorgeous cards and I cherish them. I am a card hoarder. I feel better now that I confessed. Here is one of the anniversary cards he gave me, several years ago. It’s so pretty!

And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

Thanks for coming along with me today!

Love you all,

Meghan

Food

Grilled Salsa Roja

August 25, 2022 meghanewhite

My family loves salsa. We have eaten so much of this wondrous, spicy, delectable sauce over the years that it flows through our veins. That may be a slight exaggeration, but we have consumed our fair share of every kind of salsa. We love everything from restaurant salsa to store bought. Our favorite salsa is homemade.

Fresh salsa can’t be beat. This super simple recipe for salsa roja is fantastic. Just as good, if not better than any restaurant. A few minutes on the grill brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes while adding a rich flavor. I use an immersion blender, but a regular blender works well too. If you have never made salsa this is a great one to try.

Happy Eating!

You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3

Grilled Salsa Roja

Ingredients

2 lbs Roma tomatoes

1 large onion cut in half

3 to 6 garlic cloves

1 large bunch of fresh cilantro

1 jalapeño pepper

juice of 2 limes

3/4 – 1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat grill to high.
Grill onion halves for 5 to 10 minutes. Long enough to char the onions, then remove them.
Grill the tomatoes and jalapeño long enough to char them. When the tomato skins split on all sides remove them from the grill. This takes just a few minutes.
Using tongs, remove the tomato skins and cut off the stems.
Place grilled tomatoes, onions, and jalapeño in a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Blend thoroughly with an immersion blender. Or place all ingredients in a regular blender and blend.
Taste, and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

Notes:

Half of one jalapeño gives the perfect amount of spice. Add more or less to make it as hot as you like.
Add more or less garlic to your preference.