HOW TO MAKE SPIRITUAL
STONE SOUP
CREATE
LOVE, JOY & GRATITUDE REGARDLESS!
LET THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN!
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| WE ARE AT THE DAWN OF THE NEXT ROARING 20'S |
RECIPE:
Start with what’s available, even if it’s just a stone, pot and some water. Make the best of it. Enjoy & celebrate. Invite others to celebrate. Welcome and love unconditionally. Whatever’s shared is tithed.'
'A woman woke up one morning flat broke with nothing to
eat in the house. The electricity was turned off, but she had water. She was
wise enough to understand that everything happens for a reason and she was not
the exception to life’s situations for inspiration.
“Why not you to solve this problem? Teach what your learn! Appreciate what you have!"
She thought ‘I'm so not poor just broke, God must want me to make some stone
soup. That always makes people happy.’
The key seasonings for stone soup are
love, joy and gratitude. One of stone soup’s delicious flavors from this
combination is faith replaced with direct experience of The Lord. She blessed
through prayer and meditation what she had (“prayertation”, “prayertating”).
She understood the power of gratitude to move things
forward. Since The Lord is everything, He Who made & spins our atoms, she
went outside, picked the best rock she could find, washed it and put it in
boiling water. She then slow simmered the stone in the pot. It must have made a great mineral broth. She celebrated
because she had soup and her current breath.
A neighbor who was sad at the time heard the woman’s praise
and laughter. He saw the joy in the presence of stone soup as the strange source of her gratitude,
a rock simmering in a pot of water. Yet, she was in a state of unconditional
love for the Lord’s Will. After awhile,
the formerly sad man said, ‘I have some greens and noodles to add.’ They put that in the pot and let it simmer
and continued the testimonies of the many times the Lord has saved their stupid
asses, and others too.
Their combined joy caused many neighborhood to
come to the party – bringing bread and wine and cheese and other elements, raising the level of joy, praise and unity. Some came with nothing and left with songs
of praise and healing in their hearts, bellies full plus food to take with
them. Some came with peace pipes, elevating the level of the party even higher.
When everybody left the woman went to her kitchen,
still in a state of praise, and found her cabinets overflowing with blessings left by her guests. She looked up as the room was flooded with light. A friend of a friend had quietly contacted the power company and the electricity was turned
back on.
She had another affirmation that ‘a state of divine intervention is
eternally in effect.’ The Lord had not deserted her in ‘this the latest
trouble.’ He was just helping her, motivating her to create as much joy as she could regardless of the circumstance. Start with what is ethically available.'
The
above fable was told to me at one of my dinner parties in the 1980’s in NYC.
This is a re-write from ancient memory after overcoming 4 brain seizures in 4
years, the first a grand mal that rendered me legally dead. No problem. I
survived and learned that Satan has a restraining order against me, so I got
sent back. Since I am known in my family for burning water while lowering the
temperature in hell by helping souls, I’m qualified to retell this story. Are you? Pass
it on.
Sermon by J. Nayer Hardin - Missionary General & CEO, Veterans Church.
Leslie C. Hardin, Veteran,
President & Missionary General, Newington, CT
