JUNE MEETING - Lemons!

"WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS MAKE LEMONADE" was the theme for our Phebe Fellowship, for the month of June. We had a wonderful time of fellowship as we met at the home of Linda Syrjala, our lovely, hospitable, hostess for the month. She had the tables decorated so pretty with yellow tablecloths, napkins, cups & plastic ware, light green crepe paper and fresh lemons.


Here's my lonely Lemonade pie before all the other ladies got there with their goodies.
The ladies helped by providing light refreshments, sandwiches, chips, fresh veggies, lemon finger jello and Lemonade pie to go along with the theme. Then of course Lemonade to drink!

We had a good turnout, with about 30 ladies present for the evening. The evening started with a couple of fun filled games. Linda's cohort in crime was Bonnie Yager, who is always making people laugh. She is just a funny woman. To go along with our lemon theme, she came up with "Pass the lemon." A game where 2 lemons were passed going opposite directions, while a song played. When the music stopped, the 2 ladies holding the lemons, had to take a bite out of a lemon wedge and then pose to have their picture taken immediately. It was pretty funny. Some of them puckered up pretty nice for it....

While others did it without batting an eye!


After that, we were all given slips of paper and instructed to write a 4 line poem using the word lemon. Some of the poems turned out really cute and funny. Monica, our youth pastor's wife ended up writing a rhyming children's book about a child that hates lemons, and would rather take a beating than eat one! You can tell she's a Mom with 2 little ones, that's read one too many Dr. Seuss books! haha

We discussed upcoming events where the ladies help was needed. The Family camp out and Church picnic (June 13 - 14) and the Father's Day Brunch (June 15). (Both were a big success). Next on the upcoming events list is Summer camp - July 21 - 25. Many of the ladies like to come down to the camp and help out with the meals, which is a nice break for the preacher's wife.

Bonnie Yager did devotions on how to make "lemonade" when life hands you lemons.
It was so good, I asked her for a copy to share with others on our Phebe Fellowship blog.

MAKING LEMONADE OUT OF LEMONS

I Peter 1:6-8 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:"

Once while sitting in the dentist chair I saw a wooden sign on the wall tha read: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." In others words, make something good out of something not so good. I got to thinking about lemons. I know they are yellow, and I know they grow in CA, FL, and TX. I know they look better than they taste. What one of us would like to peel a lemon and eat it like we do an orange? I wouldn't! They are very sour! Just tasting one, we make an awful face. Well Christians sometimes turn sour and even bitter when things aren't going just the way they'd like them to. Sometimes our plans break down and our efforts fall short. When our plans falter, we need to make something good out of it. We need to keep on praising and lifting up Jesus. It's all about Him anyway. When a battle is raging, pour out your soul before the Lord. Don't get all upset and turn sour like the lemon. Romans 1:21 says: "Because that when they knew not God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
The Lord wants His children to be full of joy. Some grouchy Christians haven't known the joy of the Lord for a long time. They've become sour like the lemon. They go around sniffing all the time. "The board of deacons doesn't smell so good and that preacher doesn't smell just right either!" This person has wronged me and that person didn't do right by me. Sour as a lemon they've become. When someone has been bitter and sour for a long time, they pity themselves and think they are the only one who is of importance. II Cor. 3:18 says: "Let no man deceive himself, If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise."
Here is an article about a church that needs to make "lemonade!"
The typical Sunday morning in Most Miserable Baptist Church

Welcome to the most miserable Baptist church. I am Pastor Limited vision and I expect God to do nothing for us today. Our funeral-like choir will sing mournfully, my sermon will be dead and dry, and the ushers will wake you up for the dismissal. If you feel you are about to expire, please raise your hand. Last Sunday the EMT's had to check seventeen people before they found the one that had actually died. Be reminded that we have come to sit, soak and sour! We ask that you please do not smile, or speak or show any outward emotion, as this tends to take away from the reverence of our worship. We long ago quit being fishers of men and have become nothing more than keepers of our leaking aquarium.

Sour like lemons - I hope we don't become like that! We must remember who we believe in and serve. He is the Son of God, the Lamb of life, the Lily of the valley, the Bright and morning star, the Light of the world, the Altotgether lovely one, the Faithful witness, The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and the end, The First and the last, The Great Creator, Savoiour, Redeemer, The First begotten of the dead, The Intercessor, he is the one who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own precious blood. Those who truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, will also be looking and longing for His return. They will be rejoicing with "joy unspeakable and full of glory." No matter how difficult the present circumstances may be.

How can Christians turn sour and bitter when they serve such a great Lord? Discouragement comes when the circumstances seem to outweigh the situation we are in. Remember our great God never made a duck that He didn't provide a pond for. He never produced a pig that He didn't provide a mud hole for. He never called a preacher that He didn't also provide a place for him to serve. We must strive to make lemonade out of the times life gives us lemons. We should always be kind and loving. Kind words are the brightest flowers of earths existence. They make a paradise of the humblest home. Use kind words especially around the family fireside. They are jewels beyond price and more precious to heal the wounded heart and make the weighed down spirit more glad, than all the other blessings the world can give.

When life is giving you lemons, don't go sour and forget what God has done for you. Here's some ways to make something good out of it and make lemonade:

1. Smile
2. Call someone who's lonely
3. Put a love note on the refrigerator for someone
4. Send out a thinking of you card
5. Take time to play with a child
6. Give someone a warm hug
7. Take time for someone each day
8. Let someone in line ahead of you
9. Do a good deed anonymously each day
10. Always be ready to forgive
11. Take Grandpa and Grandma out for dinner
12. Always be ready to say "I'm sorry
13. Pray often for others
14. Extend hospitality to a new neighbor
15. If someone is sick, volunteer your services
16. Call someone you haven't talked to in a long time
17. Do something nice for your mail carrier
18. Take an old friend to lunch
19. Call your Pastor or his wife and ask if there is anything you can do for them today
20. Offer to babysit for a young couple so they can have some time alone

We ended our evening with a sweet time of prayer for our missionaries.
Then Linda sent us all home with a lemon drop and a smile! THANKS Linda!

The July meeting (July 8) will be hosted by our youth pastor's wife, Monica Tharp. I heard a rumor that she is doing an Italian theme. I'll post more about that one later.