JanineThrossel.com

 Some days, work is work. Some days, work is bliss. Such a fun writing assignment, requiring some research and development. :) 

“It will be celebrated with pomp and parade, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.” —PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS , 2nd President of the United States

May 31, 2022 I am pitting and freezing a few pounds of cherries today, finding a peaceful rhythm as I halve them with a little paring knife and slide out the pits with my thumb. It is a task filled with memories for me. The memory of blue skies and cheery cherry summers. The memory of my mother showing me how to use the knife. The memories of baking clafoutis with my sister. I pop a cherry half into my mouth. “Do not muzzle the ox,” my grandma would quote, “while he’s treading out the grain.” This principle I learned from her as a child (given three times in the Bible) reminds me I am worthy of my wages. Today, the wages include a cherry or two. Instantly, the taste transports me back to my grandfather’s orchard and stuffed plastic bags of fruit sitting on the kitchen table. I remember eating Rainiers the most, not the deep red cherries pictured in storybooks. Rainiers are a hybrid from the 1950s, a surprising blend of two red cherries that then became golden fruits with a little b...

 As we cry and pray and hope for Ukraine, we also see Biblical prophecy unfolding as it always does. This video by Greg Laurie tells a little bit about that. I think it's a helpful one, worth watching.   Click the "Read More" button to watch the video here or copy/ paste the following link to watch it over at YouTube.com. Blessings-- Janine YouTube link:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwMegTvUTWc 

Some moments in American history have left deep indentations. . . . The signing of our Declaration of Independence from England. The Stock Market Crash. The attack on Pearl Harbor. The Montgomery Bus Boycott. The 1963 March on Washington. The assassinations of JFK, MLK Jr. and Robert Kennedy . . . Some of those events stemmed from now-ended enmities. We are allies with Britain now. We are friends with Japan. However, the deep racism that led to white Americans killing black ones has never gone away. Laws have changed, which is huge and important. Yet, white people still kill black ones and raise their children to do the same. To paraphrase Rosa Parks, I'm tired of it. People keep saying that white silence perpetuates the problem. So let me say it loudly and publicly. Racism is wrong. Did you get that? Racism is wrong. Why does that even need to be said? Yet, in our beautiful, great, amazing country, we still have to teach it and say it. People still believe that t...

We're each different: Healthy. . . ill. . . working. . . laid off . . .homeschooling . . . relaxing. . . struggling. . . Yet, all of us wait and wonder. We wait to see if the situation we're in will get better or worse, if someone we love will get infected or if we'll keep our jobs. We wonder how this crisis happened, when it will be over, and how it will change us. Now, church buildings are starting to reopen and we have more questions. In a country covering almost 4 million square miles, the reopening plan for a church in one town is not necessarily right for another. We don't know all the answers. Yet, I believe God gives answers to one question that all believers should be considering. How should we live, as Christians, during this pandemic? As we wait and wonder together, here are some suggestions. 10 Things For Christians To Do During a Crisis 1. Remember God has not changed. Don't just remember it, but know it down deep in your bones. God is the...

May 1, 2020 I am enjoying some Water Cake this morning with my tea. Have you ever tried that? It’s an unusual recipe because it doesn’t require any ingredients from the frig like milk, butter or eggs. It’s made with water and ingredients from the pantry, including oil, flour and sugar. It’s a good recipe to have during times like a pandemic or a blackout, when you can’t always get everything you want at the grocery store or keep everything you want in the refrigerator. As I was making it this week, I was thinking about another woman who didn’t have butter, milk or eggs to cook with either. Her story is in the Bible, in 1st Kings 17. She lived at the same time as God’s prophet Elijah, and there was a drought where they were. From the beginning of this drought, God had led Elijah to a place alongside a brook, where he had good, fresh water to drink. God sent birds to him twice a day, carrying meat and bread for him to eat! Can you imagine what that delivery service might have been ...