Is Jesus Your cup of Tea?

Is Jesus Your Cup Of Tea?

Is Jesus your Cup of Tea?

By Machelle McDowell

Have you ever heard this quote, “Life is like a cup of tea…it’s all in how you make it?”  A tea bag is not only filled with flavor but can teach us much about abiding in Christ! 

This week our church is spending time in the book of John, specifically John 15 and it left me steeping over the question, “What does it mean to abide in Christ?”

In John 15 Jesus is teaching the disciples about what it looks like to have life in Him after He departs. He is preparing them for how to abide in Him without his physical presence.

The beauty of this passage is that the message was not only meant for the disciples of that day but for us as well!

Vs 4: “Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.”

We abide in Him through His word and He abides in us through the comforter that He sent for us that is available for every Christian, His holy spirit.

Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and the vinedresser. In vs 2, Jesus points straight to the pruning shears! He says, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit will be taken away, AND every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”  

Christians, we must endure seasons of pruning in our lives to become the most fruitful that we can be!

Vs 4: “Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.”

This scripture takes me back to the tea bag! We have been drinking a lot of hot tea at the office lately and I have been experimenting with a few techniques on how to prepare the perfect cup of tea! LOL

I have learned that you will never know how strong the tea bag is until you let it sit in hot water. The longer it sits the more flavor seeps from the tea bag. 

Our strengths come from the difficulties we encounter. When do we abide in Christ the most? When we are in hot water! Right? That makes us at our strongest. 

Now get this….One technique I tried was to dip the bag in an out of the hot water and when I thought it was strong enough, I laid the tea bag aside. Bad method! You don’t get the full flavor of the tea by using this method. 

Christians, we use this same technique in our Spiritual lives sometimes. When we pop in and out of church when it is convenient followed by dipping in and out of scripture and not abiding in Jesus every day….it effects the work of Christ in our lives. This makes us weak. There is nothing worse than a weak cup of tea! 

We cannot withstand the difficulties of life using this method. It is impossible to abide in Christ in such an inconsistent manner.

This is what happens to us when we try to do life on our own. We end up with a weak cup of tea…..a weak Christian. 

If you want to be a fruitful Christian, learn what it means to truly abide in Him!  Is Jesus your cup of tea?

“Abide in me, and I in you.”

The best part of waking up is JESUS in your cup!

Scripture guidance in how to abide in Christ:

John 15:4-9

John 8:31

2John 1:9

Galatians 2:20

The Love of a Shepherd

The Love of a Shepherd

The Love of a Shepherd

By Machelle McDowell

What do you call 100 sheep rolling down a hill? A lamb-slide…LOL. Sorry, just thought that joke would be an appropriate lead in to my blog this week….maybe not?

I spent some time recently in Luke 15. I couldn’t move past the parable found in verses 1-7.  Jesus was being condemned for hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. But in His unique way of making a point, he shared the parable of the lost sheep. 

He began by asking the Pharisees, “If you had 100 sheep and one went astray, would you not go after it and leave the 99?” I love this! This is what God does! 

He loves “ewe!”…..sorry again, It is addicting, LOL 

Jesus demonstrated in this story the love of God. Jesus continued to explain how the shepherd would go after the sheep and when it was found the shepherd would throw the sheep over his shoulder and rejoice! 

He would be so thrilled that upon his return the shepherd would tell everyone about how he found the lost sheep! 

Why was I hung up on this beautiful parable? And what does it mean? It dawned on me. This is my testimony! I was the lost sheep. I ran from God for so long but He continued to pursue me! 

There is a common eye disease among sheep known as “Snow blindness.” It is a bacterial infection that can cause cloudy vision or loss of sight. There was a time in which I definitely had this condition!

I had been blinded long enough! The devil had done a real snow job on me. He had persuaded me that I was enough! Who needed God? I was the only person I could trust in my life. Lies from hell sometimes consume us. 

God sent many (shepherds) into my life to be His hands and feet and help lead me into the fold. I am so thankful and grateful for the many people who prayed for me and witnessed to me about Jesus. God never abandoned me because of my ignorance or my blindness to his presence. 

God has been pursuing us from the beginning of time! It all began in the garden of Eden! Adam & Eve sinned and instead of running to God…they ran from him. Sound familiar?  

They hid themselves from him, so they thought. What did God do? He came looking for them! “Where are you?, he asked., (knowing exactly where they were). He knows our hearts. We cannot run from God. 

He came looking for me and used his earthen vessels to share His heart, His thoughts, His love, and He is looking for you too!

I remember vividly the day Jesus found me and threw me over his shoulder and carried me into the flock! 

I accepted Him as my Lord and Saviour (Shepherd) at age 21. I had been running and hiding for many years. I wasn’t looking for God, but He never took his eyes off of me. 

There was rejoicing in heaven that day according to scripture! Listen to verse 7: “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than the 99 righteous persons who need no repentance.”  A little further into Luke 15 in verse 10- “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Hallelujah!

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

Do you know the voice of the shepherd? Are you the sheep hiding in the crevices? Are you running from God? He is looking for you today! 

I would love to tell you more about my shepherd! My Lord! My Saviour! He can be your shepherd…your Lord….and your Saviour!

Feel free to contact me via Facebook Messenger or through our church website: Southfork.church. Simply fill out the form under “Contact Us” and I will respond however you request, either by phone or email. 

Praying that God has impressed upon your heart how very important you are to him! 



The Carpenter

The Carpenter

By Machelle McDowell

Focal Passage: Mark 6:1-6

Have you ever given much thought as why God chose his son to be an earthly carpenter’s son? Why not a fisherman’s son or a Tanner’s son? Why not a doctor or a writer? 

Scripture implies Jesus was a carpenter’s son, (mentioned in Mark 6:3). He would have followed in the family business. More than likely his earthly father, (Joseph), taught him the trade? 

Jesus is teaching in the synagogue in this passage and people are amazed at his words. At the same time they insinuate (rudely) that he is an uneducated carpenter’s son. They are unaware of the famous quote of Theodore Roosevelt, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education,” end quote, LOL

Being a carpenter in Biblical days was apparently a little different than being a carpenter in our society today. It is my understanding that Joseph & Jesus would have been more like civil engineers than what we think a carpenter is like today? Designing and supervising projects as they shared an eye for detail. Possibly more projects working with stone than wood? Probably one in which was mastered through hands on experience? Just something to ponder on.

Don’t you find it interesting that our God that created the world in intricate detail used that very attribute, “creativity” as his son’s means of making a living during his earlier years on earth before surrendering to the ministry… God’s son, the builder!

He is building His church. Drawing in those that are making up the kingdom of God. Utilizing all of the gifts and attributes He has designed for each of us. Psalm 139, (my favorite Psalm), goes into great detail of how we are designed and created in our mother’s womb! Knitted together based on God’s blueprint for our life! And…it gets better!
He has gone to prepare a place for all of His saints, (John 14:3)! The new Jerusalem is being prepared for the day of glory! Jesus, the carpenter, the son of God is building His church, a new heaven, and a new earth! Wow! Wouldn’t you like to see the blueprint of that? 

Jesus may have been rejected in Nazareth in our passage today, but Psalm 118:22 points to Him as our capstone! “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The cornerstone marker in which all other stones will be set! Praises!


Is Jesus, the builder of your life? Do you have a place reserved in the kingdom of God.

What are you building your house upon today? I love the lyrics of this children’s song: “The wiseman builds his house upon the rock.”

The lyrics speak much wisdom in how important our foundations are. Listen to these simple but profound words of wisdom in this song:

The wise man built his house upon the rock and the rains came and the floods came but the house stood firm. 

Then, it goes on to mention the man who built his house upon the sand and the rains came tumbling down and the floods came up and house on the sand went crash.

Is your house in order? Is Christ your cornerstone? Is he your rock? Or are you sinking in sand?

Maybe you have questions today about your salvation? Check out these resources for more answers!

In Christ,

Machelle McDowell


Heart Matters

Heart Matters

By Machelle McDowell

Focal Passage- Matthew 5:21-26— Anger

Anger is a five letter word that carries a powerful punch, (sometimes physically). Anger can push a person to act out physically and verbally. But, I am more concerned on the internal effects of anger. How does it mess with your mind? What happens to the heart when anger resides long term? It is not good. 

When we ignore anger, it imprisons us. It is sin and we open the cell of our hearts inviting the enemy to have his way. Anger hinders God’s spirit to move freely within us, blocking us from showing his mercies and grace to others, the Bible says, “who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” That is serious.

Harboring anger creates an internal battle that affects our whole being when left alone. One of the most unfortunate consequences is that of unforgiveness. It is impossible to forgive when anger resides. Which wins out? Your right to be angry with someone who sinned against you or your Christian duty to show mercy/forgiveness. Jesus chooses mercy/forgiveness. He demonstrates this model that we may mimic in the same way.

Which wins out? Anger or mercy? The squeaky wheel gets the oil. The one that is screaming the loudest in our heads and in our hearts….what is in your heart will eventually come out in some form or fashion…..usually through our mouths.

I am reminded of a baby with colic. Nothing seems to soothe the baby. A hug, a cuddle, a rocking chair session, a bottle, nothing…..the pacifier is useless. The baby cannot be pacified. Anger is like colic, it cannot be pacified either. It has to be diffused by the love of God, but we must be willing to let go of it. 

We are such simple creatures. We tend to hold on to anger with a misguided sense of pleasure. Subconsciously thinking we are punishing the culprit that sinned against us. In essence, we only punish ourselves. The person who sinned against us could care less that we are angry, LOL. 

Jesus made it clear for us. A matter of fact, He emphasized it “twice”, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”…(Matt 12:34 & Luke 6:45). I am a visual person so My mind immediately pictures a hot water kettle. Inside the water begins to boil and builds up a pressure the container can no longer hold…….it spews steam! Sound familiar?

We tend to hurt everyone around us with our words and actions that stem from an angry heart. The heart matters!

Jesus considers it far better to be reconciled with your brother than to perform a religious duty. He says it is always your turn to seek restoration. Ouch! That is hard on the old pride isn’t it? 

Grant it, we are not to put up with abuse, but we are to show love and forgiveness. We tend to think by turning the other cheek, you lose. The truth is, you win! Your not saying you give up, but that you are going to let God fight your battle.

You win by demonstrating an action that can only come by the hand of God! Only God can quench an angry heart and lead it to the fruits of the spirit.  What a way to glorify Him! 

What if we were only angry about the things that angered God? This is a righteous anger. Things that break God’s heart: child abuse, porn, racism, homosexuality, a lengthy list that could fill this page. Our anger over issues that break God’s heart should ultimately bring others to know and love God. 

One way to handle anger is to not hold onto it but to pray for the person who angers you. Pray that God change the anger into love for that person…it is called grace. 

A prayer I sometimes pray is for God to help me love that person the way He loves them. This may sound impossible for you to consider in your situation. If that is what you are thinking, there is a good possibility anger has a stronghold on your heart and only God can release that kind of hold, my friend. 

Let’s stop retaliating when we are angry.  When we don’t hit back, the other side usually stops, (LOL). Turning the other cheek just means your are turning toward a Father on your behalf.

The heart matters. What is hanging around in yours?

Quality H2O

Quality H2O

By Machelle McDowell

John 2- Wedding at Cana

One of the biggest tasks of a bride to be is making plans for and seeing to it that enough refreshments are prepared for the reception! It would be quite an embarrassment if your guests went away hungry or thirsty! This is the dilemma we read about in John 2 this week, “The Wedding at Cana.” They ran out of wine!

Jesus and his disciples were invited to this wedding along with Mary. I feel, (apparently), Mary was somewhat close with this family. She was close enough that she took it upon herself to help keep the family from social disgrace by making Jesus aware of the situation. Culturally speaking, during this period of time, It was a dishonor If a party giver failed to provide sufficiently for their guests, food & drink.

Mary spoke to Jesus and it almost comes across as if Jesus is surprised by his mother’s response to the issue. He responds to her, “What does this have to do with me? “It is not my time.” I can only imagine that he must have spoken to the Father at that moment to discuss what was about to unroll??

I love vs 5, Mary does not come right out and ask Jesus to help, but she instructs the servants to, “Do whatever he tells you.” To me, it seems she knew he would help this family in some form or fashion because of his compassionate heart. 

There were (6) huge water jugs! It has been said that those jars combined would have held approximately 150 gallons of water. 

Jesus could have filled those jars with wine on his own but he chose to allow the servants to be a part of the work, (miracle), just like he invites us today.

 He allows us the privilege of being a part of His bigger plan!  He doesn’t need us, but allows us to reap that blessing. If the servants were part of the work they too would share in the blessing. 

They obediently acted and did exactly what Jesus asked! Because of that obedience, they shared in the joy that followed that miracle! 

Jesus told them in verse 7, “Fill the jars with water.” They filled them to the top… to the brim! That was a lot of water. I have no idea how many servants there were or if the  jars were completely empty, or half full, but there was a lot of water gathered and poured into those jars. It has been said that they held between 25-30 gallons each! 

Do you think any of the servants were tempted to not fill the jar to the top? I’m sure they grew tired of carrying that water! And, if they hadn’t would there have been enough wine? Greater still, would they have missed out on the blessing of seeing God’s hand at work? They were a part of Jesus’ first miracle.

Then, he tests the servants, (again). He asked them to take some of the wine to the master of the feast.

 Interesting that he didn’t ask just one, the Bible says, they all went to the master of the feast. What were they thinking about as they walked slowly in the presence of the master of the feast? They had not tested the wine! As far as they knew there was water in the jars! And they did as Jesus said and took it anyway. Trusting that God was about to do something BIG! 

Get this: Think about it, the master of the feast did not know it was a miracle…he just knew it was the best wine he had ever put in his mouth! He was amazed that the host kept the best for last. Brilliant! LOL

The servants however….stood amazed that they just witnessed the hand of God! A miracle that they had faith enough to be a part of!

God’s glory was manifested that day in Galilee from a spark of “compassion.” I like to think that Mary showed compassion for her friends and Jesus in turn acted out of compassion. He still does to this day. He loves us so much that he was willing to die for us to make a way for us to come to the Father! 

Would you like to taste the living water? Quality H2O? It will change your life forever. You might be asking, “How do I do that?” A helpful link listed below presents a simple explanation of the gospel and how you can accept Jesus as your Savior. Take a peek!

https://www.trustworthyword.com/how-can-i-become-a-christian





What Will You Give Up?

Gone Fishing Lately?

What Will You Give Up?

By Machelle McDowell

Mark 1:16-20

Do you remember the game, Follow the Leader? Someone would be in the lead and everyone else would follow along behind them and do whatever the leader did. There was no looking back, you had to keep your eyes on the Leader to not miss out on the action. Sometimes, you had to leave a friend behind to keep up.

I was reminded of this game as I contemplated what it would have been like to have Jesus (physically) look you in the eye and say, “Come, follow me.” What would that look like? What would you have to leave behind or maybe who? This happened to the disciples when they were called to follow Jesus. 

Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee and saw (2) brothers who were fisherman, Simon & Andrew. Jesus said to them “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Get this! The Bible says, they (immediately) left their nets and followed them. No questions asked? They left their livelihood behind and followed the bread of life.

Shortly afterwards Jesus chose another set of brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus greets them with the same command, “Come, follow me, I will make you fishers of men.” I love this! It meant, the disciples were not called because of any credentials, but because God saw what He could do through them and it was going to be a learning process.

This is what being a Christian is truly about, following Jesus. These fisherman did not just leap out of boat and onto the mission field ready and equipped for what God had in store for them, but that He would equip them to be good followers! 

And notice once again, the brothers immediately left their father sitting in the boat along with their servants and followed Jesus. (Mark1:19-20). You might be thinking, God wants us to leave our families behind? 

I firmly believe that Mark depicts the heart of Jesus in that Jesus wants us to put him into the right perspective. That is, FIRST. 

When the “Sons of Thunder,” AKA James and John, walked away from their father, it was not an act of abandonment, but a display of the right order….does that make sense?  

These fishermen were obviously fairly well-off financially. They owned their own boat and had servants. So many times, we are consumed by making a living or building a status for ourselves in the world. And then, if you add family and loved ones to the equation leaving God the leftover slot, it results in the wrong order that God designed for us. God is not saying leave your family, he is saying, “Love me First.”

They were totally surrendering their life to love God and then others in that order.

What would you be willing to leave behind to truly surrender your life to follow Jesus? 

Our walk with God is a lifelong journey. He prepares us as we follow Him on a daily basis. We too have been called to be fishers of men. 

There is an old contemporary song titled, “Each One Reach One.” It has such a simple profound message behind its meaning. It is the same challenge the disciples had hundreds of years ago, share Jesus with a lost world. 

Think about it, (exponentially), if each one reached one and that one reached another and that process continued………..see the big picture?! We would all be fishers of men!

Gone fishing lately? 


Silence Is Golden or Is It?

Silence is Golden or Is It?

Silence is Golden or Is It?

By Machelle McDowell

Luke 1

The discipline of silence is an art; it is good.  It is far better to be a good listener than a speaker, that is straight Bible, (James 1:19), LOL!  It has been said that speech is sliver but silence is golden. Sometimes, it is better to say nothing. 

I think our friend, Zechariah found in Luke 1 of our Bible reading plan this week would beg to differ? 

Zechariah was an (incense) Priest. His job was to burn incense in the temple while everyone outside the temple was praying. It was an honor!

Only priests from a certain lineage could serve in the temple. During this time, there were thousands of priests and they would draw lots to see who would serve.

Listen to this, the priest may have only served in the temple once in his lifetime. So, this honor was probably one of the greatest highlights in the life of Zechariah.

Incense was offered in the morning and in the evening. There were actually (3) priests that were chosen to prepare the incense, but after preparation, two would leave and the incense priest would stay. What an honor! He was left alone in the midst of the holy atmosphere of the Lord.

If this wasn’t enough of a blessing for this man, while he was in the temple relishing the moment, he was visited by an angel of the Lord! 
Let’s ponder on this a moment. Zechariah is in prayer in the midst of the greatest honor of his life, serving His God in this manner.

I imagine him being caught up in the spirit and his thoughts and prayers were floating in the heavenly realms!! And then…he opens his eyes and raises his head to catch a glimpse of,“an angel?” Speechless gives a new description to “silence.” 

The angel tells him to not be afraid, right? Gabriel continues to explain that the prayer Zechariah had been praying all of his life to have a son had been honored. 

He concludes with, “You will have a son and you will call him, John,” “You will have joy and gladness!” 

This is where the story takes a turn …..Zechariah began to doubt. Wow, this man was in the presence of an angel, and he doubts? 


He began to think about the circumstances in his life and not at what God could do. How many miracles have we robbed ourselves of by this kind of thinking? His disbelief robbed him of the very joy the angel spoke of at that moment.

“I am an old man,” he said, “My wife is well advanced in years.” I love what Gabriel says next and in the manner he says it. “I stand in the presence of God and I was sent to speak to you and bring you this news.” 

It is almost like Gabriel was alluding to these questions, “Are you serious?” “God himself sent me!!” “You are in the holy temple honoring your God as a Priest, and you doubt?”

Zechariah was bridled with silence. He could not speak! Disbelief had robbed him of sharing the greatest news of a life long unanswered prayer now miraculously heard and answered in a time such as this. 
Was his lot divinely drawn so that he would be in the holy temple to receive the news of the messenger?

The one who would herald the news of the coming Messiah! Zechariah’s son would pave the wave for our very own Jesus!

He couldn’t even share his experience with Elizabeth! Ironically, God had been silent for  the last 400 years and now, the silence was not golden but was broken! 

God spoke through Gabriel to Zechariah that he too would carry the message to Elizabeth and on to Mary & Joseph. Zechariah’s own son would become a messenger for our Lord and Savior! 

The silence was over except for Zechariah in that very moment. But, this did not make Zechariah bitter but only better.  

As the months past and he worshiped in silence and waited impatiently for the day of his son’s birth. Can you only imagine what transpired within him during those long months?  His doubt turned to praise, gratefulness, thankfulness, and awe.

 At the moment of naming his child, God loosed his lips and he was filled with the holy spirit and out from them came praise and He blessed His God! The silence was over!

Join us in reading through the New Testament in 2022! You can find the reading plan on our website. This week Luke 1 was one of the chapters we covered! 

My Grandson is Christ!

Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged- Proverbs 17:6

By Machelle McDowell

“I have no greater joy than to know my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4)

As grandparents, sometimes we take pride to an unhealthy level when it comes to our grandchildren. After all, Proverbs 17:6 says it well….”Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged.” AMEN! 

They can give us a sense of enjoyment that is indescribable.

What if you were the grandparents of JESUS? How would you have handled that appointment?? 

The Bible does not speak much about Mary’s parents other than her father was from the tribe of Judah, (Luke 3:34). 

It is speculated by tradition that her parents were saints and that her mother was barren for many years and blessed with Mary later in life. I don’t know if any of these statements are true, but something to consider?

I can’t help but wonder as a grandmother, “Was Mary’s mother aware of the strange encounter her daughter had with Gabriel?” “Was Mary’s mother even present in Mary’s life during this life altering event?” “Did Mary’s mother ever know that she was the earthly grandmother to the Messiah?” “Did Mary share any of it with her parents?” Nothing is ever mentioned about her family?

The (NLT) Luke 2:19 states simply that Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

So, did this mean she did not speak of them? Did this mean even before Jesus was born she kept all of what she experienced a secret? Did she ever share any of this with her family other than Elizabeth? So many questions.

I feel this couple, (Mary’s parents), deserve mentioning, even if they were kept anonymous in the Bible….. God chose their child to give birth to Jesus! Out of respect for Grandparents Support Club, LOL, I want to say, “Well done.” 

I am sure there was much more to the story than was ever recorded when it came to Mary’s parents. God saw fit to keep it a mystery. Maybe, one of those stories we can hear about when we get to heaven? Lots of questions. We can begin with, “What did you do to become the grandparents of Jesus?” Right? 

Mary must have possessed some of their traits as parents? And, if that is not enough reason to make mention of them, how about this one? Their grandson is Christ! Boo-yah!

Can you even imagine the family conversations around the dinner table? The emotional roller coaster that the entire family rode out as they lived through the (9) months of waiting and uncertainty. Was the whole town gossiping about the strange relationship between their daughter and Joseph?

Even if they were not aware of the supernatural aspect of the situation. They could not deny they had an unwed daughter expecting a baby. That in itself leaned toward cause of concern for their daughter’s future.

All of this is pure speculation, but fun to think about!

Was Mamaw Anna, (Possibly, was her name), filled with awe or pride? Did she use the Jesus card at the temple after his birth? “I am Jesus’ grandmother, I deserve to sit in the front of the temple.” Or did her parents present humility the way Mary demonstrated? Did they too treasure these things and ponder on them. Were they humbled by the fact that their child was the mother of the Messiah? Did they even know?

The popular song, “Mary Did you Know” is so beautiful as the lyrics bring to light questions Mary must have asked. Did she know that the child she would deliver would deliver her? Wow. 

We could change the Title of that song to, “Mamaw (Anna?) Did you Know?” and the lyrics might ask, Did you know your grandson would heal the blind and the deaf and the lame would leap? The sleeping grandchild that you hold, ( if she did get to hold him), is “The Great I Am?” 

There are a lot of uncertainties when it comes to Mary’s parents and what their role was in the big picture or if they even had a role? 

If Mary’s parents knew and believed all that was to come to pass….they bring a new meaning to this verse, 3 John 1:4. “I have no greater joy than to know my children are walking in the truth.” Wow! Mary and Grandmother (Anna?) rejoice that their child/grandchild does not only walk in the truth but IS the truth! 

A special message to grandparents all over the world, “the greatest gift we can give our grandchildren is Jesus…….and the greatest joy we can have in them is to know they are walking in the truth.” 

Merry Christmas! 

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