PEN ART - THE LAUGHTER THAT BROUGHT US CHRISTMAS

PONDERING THE STORIES WITHIN THE STORIES
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Don't worry - I'm still on track with these weekly lessons of COME AS A CHILD, and they will always continue to be published on THURSDAYS as usual; but today I'm posting an extra lesson for the week.  It is a lesson that we studied when we were walking through the book of Genesis.  I'm posting it today simply because I consider this particular lesson to be a great Christmas Story; and it is that time of the year!  

This is my Christmas present to you my faithful readers!  Enjoy!

A SURPRISING CHRISTMAS STORY:
(THE STORIES HIDING WITHIN THE STORIES)

Wow!  We have seen so much happen in the stories of Abraham and Sarah’s life! 

Their story is really amazing, but I’ve been a bit distracted as I've been writing about them during The Christmas Season.  My thoughts are so focused on the stories of THIS season instead of their story.  

Because my mind has been totally focused on Christmas I thought it was going to be hard to write the next lesson about Abraham and Sarah.  My mind and heart were not in their time zone.  What could two people living way before the birth of Christ have to do with Christmas?  

When I began to study the lesson, I was pleasantly surprised; and you might just experience this same epiphany yourself!   Keep reading.......

Just in time for Christmas God has really opened my eyes a bit wider.  He has begun to show me just how much Abraham and Sarah’s lives and their stories (especially during the time of the Theophany of the Lord that happened in the groves at Mamre) intersect and bring forth pictures of a prophetic visitation that would forever have a future impact on all of the world concerning the gift of a Messiah.  

Now that's a Christmas message for sure!

I had never actually related to this aspect of the story before.  In past reviews I had kept my thoughts strictly focused on the facts; remembering that there was an announcement involving the birth of Isaac and that Sarah had laughed at that announcement.  Those two things are very important; but there is SO MUCH more to see.  

As it turns out, this angelic visitation to Abraham and Sarah by three heavenly visitors was actually all about the salvation of mankind!  Is this mentioned in the story?  No.  Is it an obvious fact?  Yes, but only when you start to compare the details.

It amazed me when I realized that elements of this simple little story we all have heard so often were actually the telling of the very beginning of the story that we all long to hear every year at Christmastime.   Until today I had simply not made all the connections. 

This day of the Theophany, the day that Abraham was visited by some heavenly visitors to announce the coming birth of Isaac, happened long before the birth of Christ.  Yet it is astounding for me to discover that this particular day was actually the day that God chose to begin to lay the foundation for the Messianic story!  

Have you ever noticed how God never blurts out the truth?  

Sometimes He lets us discover things gradually and on our own.  It is much more of an adventure that way.  What a surprise to find out that this Theophany that happened with Abraham outside his tents was the beginning of the time that God chose to set everything in motion that would (over years of time) bring us Messiah!  

How unexpected to find that everything that happened here with Abraham and Sarah was a marker of The Divine pointing us toward the coming of Christ.  

I have always heard that you can see the story of the salvation of Christ in EVERY old testament story.  This revelation proved true once more.  I will never hear this story the same again.

This Christmas Season, as I put up my Jesse Tree, I wondered to myself, “Why have I not seen these things before?”  

Perhaps I wasn’t waiting correctly.  

Maybe I had not been focusing on God with a whole heart.  Maybe I had to understand the main story to get to the truth of the story within the story.

Maybe....maybe....maybe.  

So, let me start at the very beginning of the first story…..……We begin with the fact that Abraham, the man who was told by God that his descendents would one day be as many as the stars of the heavens, was only so far the father of the child of an Egyptian handmaiden!  

At this point in our story Abraham has become very humble.  He has repented of some sins of the past and turned his entire focus back to God after wondering away for a short time.  In that time Abraham had heard from God, who advised him to be circumcised along with all of his household.  Abraham had also been given a change of names, and had gone back to the tent of Sarah (who also had a new name) to wait to hear more from God. So these things took place right after Abraham had changed some of his own selfish ways through repentance, had been marked as a child of God and had been given a new name by God.   

Abraham's sins had been about moving ahead of God's plan for his life with his own plans instead of God's plan.  It was a terrible mistake!  He had repented and made a concerted effort to change his ways.  His moving back to the tent of Sarah emphasized that he had seen and understood that he was to focus solely on the pruposes that God had blessed him with and nothing else.  He was to let God make the circumstances instead of moving ahead of God.  Sarah and Abraham had taken matters into their own hands and made a mess instead of bringing about God's will.  This had caused detours in their lives that they might not have had to face had they consulted God first.  It wasn't the first time either.  Abraham finally realized his error and he turned to God and cried out that he would be willing to change.  Abraham submitted himself completely to God's soverign authority.  He did this with his whole heart.    

Finally!  

Abraham had learned to wait on God and he was on the right track and things suddenly began to happen!  

That very thought was the subject on my mind and in my heart as I was going through Advent this year.  I was pondering how to wait on God.  

Waiting isn’t always easy and Abraham had learned the hard way that it never pays to jump ahead or try to change the circumstances of God’s destiny for your life.   He must have really pondered that statement from God when God had told him: “as many as the stars from heaven.”  Over and over Abraham must have considered what that REALLY meant to him NOW. 

During this Advent season I too have caught myself waiting and thinking about the stars from heaven, just like Abraham.  I’ve especially been thinking about one special star; that brilliant star that stood shining out over Bethlehem which had led the wise men to Christ. 

God always seems to show wise men the way!  

God often uses light to show people who He is.  

I have been thinking about light a lot too, especially the miracle of the light of Hanukkah, and how that story points to Christ as The Light of The World.

What a coincidence; in this story about Abraham and Sarah, Abraham too is being visited by three wise men!

They APPEARED to be men anyway.  

Abraham looked up from the doorway of his tent where he sat under the Terrebinth trees and he saw three men approaching.  

Immediately he knew; just like the other wise men in the story that came later, that He was encountering The Presence of The Lord!  

Abraham jumped up and ran out to meet them.  

He bowed low to the ground to honor them.  

He offered them gifts of hospitality.

Hmmmmmm…….this all sounds so familiar!  The wise men visiting Jesus also came with special gifts.  

The shepherds and the angels offered their hospitality.  

These stories have many parallels!  

We hear of the stories of the wise men and the shepherds and the angels at Christmas and we learn to welcome Christ.  We can also learn how to welcome Him from this story of Our Father Abraham.  

When was the last time you knew you were in the Presence of God?   

Did you look up and see Him and run to meet Him?  

Did you bow low to honor Him?  

Abraham had been humbled!  He had learned the proper way to honor God.  We must follow and do the same in our own lives. 

Abraham brought fresh, clean water to wash their feet.  He offered them rest in the shade under the big old trees of Mamre.  He gave them his choice seats at his own table.  He told Sarah to quickly bake them three cakes of bread and to use three measures of their finest flour.  He ran to where his finest, most tender, young calves were kept and he prepared meat for them himself instead of commanding a servant to do this.  He and Sarah did all of the work for these three special guest.  They did not delegate it to their servants, although Abraham had a house full of trusted servants, and Sarah had Hagar and many others to command to help if she needed.  They wanted to prepare this feast personally.  It was their gift of hospitality.  They wanted to be personally involved in this service.

Abraham  brought milk and curds and placed them on the table before his guests.    He served them the huge helpings of hot, freshly baked bread and very tasty meat portions, cooked just the right way.  

This would have been similar in nature to the feast you might serve to your family as you celebrate Christmas Day.  It was no ordinary feast!  It was a very special time of fellowship.

It was the best and the most well prepared food that Abraham had to offer. 

As his guest ate and rested and relaxed, Abraham waited nearby under the shade of the old tree.  He desired to be close by so he could be available to tend to their every need should something arise that needed attention.  

Have you ever spent time waiting near a tree in order to serve some very special guest?

 Need I remind you?  That is exactly what most of us do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!  We welcome our family in to sit under our tree and we serve them from the best that we have to offer.

Little did Abraham know that this waiting he was participating in was the very first step in the plan to bring about a bloodline of mankind from which a Savior would be born.  Abraham was simply acting in faith, giving the best he had for the God that he loved.  He knew nothing of the holy mission of these heavenly men yet.  Still we see that Abraham stayed close, under the tree, in order to make sure they had everything they needed or desired. He was simply honored to have heavenly guests in his presence and abiding at his home.  For Abraham, this would have been enough, even without all the blessings to come.  He considered it a pleasure and a privilege to serve such a Holy God. 

Do you have a heart like Abraham?  

Are you welcoming the three special guests (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) into your home during this special season?

It is easy to see that all of the things Abraham offered to his guest in this story are so symbolic of God’s relationship with His Church.  

The milk and the meat are so indicative of The Word of God.  

The three loaves of bread made from three measures of fine flour bring to mind the parable that Jesus told in Matthew Chapter 13 where a woman hid leaven in three measures of meal.  The scripture reads “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used making bread.”   Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.  This makes us think of the apostles and prophets preaching and teaching the gospel story that is just coming to life right here at the table of Abraham as he serves bread to his special guests from heaven.  

We realize that this very humble beginning  of the gospel story (like the leaven hidden in the dough) will begin to grow and spread throughout the whole earth bringing salvation to all of mankind.  You see; the stories all started right back there in the tents of Abraham and Sarah.  That is how they first went out into the world.  They proclaimed the coming of Messiah even before there WAS Messiah.  They lived and breathed the definition of true faith.  They knew and believed the message about Emmanuel even BEFORE He came to be One of us!  You could truly say that Abraham and Sarah were the very first disciples of Jesus.
 

There is one slight difference in this story though, the dough that Abraham had Sarah prepare was not leavened.  Sarah wasn't expecting these guests and she did not have time to let the dough rise in order to get it to the table of her guests for their special meal.  It was unleavened bread that she served, and that unleavened bread represented the purity of the gospel and the truth of salvation.  It stood for the very humble beginnings of God's Kingdom on this earth, the word of God that came to humble men, those who were not proud or puffed up with the superficial ways of the world.  

This feast of Abraham and Sarah was a foretaste of what God would later give to the descendants of Abraham in the wilderness.  Abraham's descendants would later come to share in this feast of unleavened bread that would be called Manna, or The Bread from Heaven.  

This heavenly bread was the same as the unleavened bread that would be given by Christ to his disciples at The Lord’s Supper at the Passover meal just before He died for our sins on a cross.

It was the same as the bread that the Israelites ate as they crossed the wilderness in flight from Pharaoh because they did not have time for their dough to rise.  In order to fulfil their destiny the Israelites had to act in haste; and it was the same with Sarah.

Do we ever act in haste when we know we have a mission from God?  

Do we hurry to fulfill our calling to the things that are holy and true?

Sarah and Abraham did.  They received their guests with the hospitality that comes from a heart full and overflowing with love.  

Do you ever think about this when your special guests are arriving at Christmas time?  Can you show them the heart of Abraham in your own home?

This unleavened bread served by Abraham and Sarah stood for all the Passovers of all times, throughout the history of the story of God and mankind.  It was the foretelling symbolism of many, many miracles of God that were to come.

This hardly even noticed unleavened bread was so very significant to the beginning foundations of the gospel as it was being laid down in honor and respect for the guests from Heaven there at the table of Abraham. 

So we see that Abraham, after he had become humble and allowed God to circumcise his heart was approached by The Lord and angels and that they walked right up to his door.  It reminds us of a scripture passage found in Revelation 3:20 where God says:  “Behold I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him and he with Me. “  

This time of fellowship, of a man having a meal with God, is a picture of The Lord as He uses the gifts and talents of human beings in His kingdom.  Any time we are able to partake of a meal with God we are given the gift of entering into fellowship with The Heart of Christ. 

So we see The Lord came to Abraham in answer to the promise of God, to start the process of fulfilling His desire to be what He was always meant to be – A Savior!  The Savior seeking to save that which had been lost had come to begin to give and show compassion to all human needs. 

Miracle of miracles, He allows Abraham to minister to Him, and we know that Abraham by the witness of his actions, had at least a glimpse of how HUGE this was.  Just as Christ allowed Abraham to serve him in this story; He also allows us to do the same.  His very words when hearing Abraham's greeting were “Do as you say.” 

These mysterious guests were The Lord and two angels.  They had no real need for food, or rest, or refreshing, but they said to Abraham “Do as you say.”  They welcomed his service to them. 

Do those words sound even faintly familiar as we go through this Christmas season and ponder all the miracles that happened to The Holy Family at the birth of Christ?  

These words have the same ring, the same tone, the same likeness of the answer that Mary gave to Gabriel as he greeted her with the glad tidings that she would carry The Son of God in her womb.  Her words were “Let it be done unto me as you have said.”   With these much the same words Mary, like Abraham, came to know the destiny that God had planned for her life.  She joyfully accepted it and allowed God to use her as a servant to His will. 

How could a man like Abraham have possibly known the wonder of all of this?  

How can we as mere human beings even begin to conceive all that is hidden in this Theophany?  

You can read it a million times and see something new every time.  And it was just the beginning of so many, many wonderful miracles that God would do. 

So the guest enjoyed their meal.  They ate and did not ask for more.  Then one of them looked up and inquired about Sarah.  

“Where is she?”

Abraham told them she was inside the tent.  Then the greatest words ever came from the guest from Heaven:  “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and behold, your wife Sarah will have a son.”

Once again this beautiful story of Abraham parallels the wonderful story of the birth of Christ.  Abraham was told by an angel that Sarah would have a son.  It seems a heavenly pattern that when a woman is married and a miracle is about to happen, her husband will be spoken to first by an angel and she will learn the news from him after the angel delivers it.  This was the case with Zachariah and Elizabeth.  They too, like Abraham and Sarah were old and past the age of bearing children when the angel came to the temple and told Zechariah he would have a son.  In the case of Mary, she was just engaged to Joseph, not yet officially married and not living with him yet when she received the glad tidings; even though in the Hebrew way of thinking when a girl accepts engagement, she is considered at that point to be legally married. 

In this incident from the stories of Abraham, Sarah was more like Zachariah than Mary.  She was hiding behind the tent and listening to the conversations.  When she heard what the angel said she laughed out loud; thinking that she and Abraham were much too old to be bearing children.

That laughter of Sarah was the laughter that eventually brought the miracle of Christmas to us!  

Just like the story of Zechariah that would happen later, the angel confronted Sarah with her lack of respect.  She lied and said she did not laugh.  She did this out of fear.  The angel corrected her statement and repeated the fact that she DID laugh.  She was not punished as Zechariah would be later, perhaps because she had regretted the laughing and had showed a holy fear for the one bearing the announcement.  

Mary, however; many years later was the one who responded so well with the most pleasing answer of all:  “Let it be done to me as you have said.”

And all of these women from each of the stories went on to fulfill their destiny determined by God; to give birth and bring salvation to the world.  

Sarah by giving birth to Isaac brought the beginning of The Nation of Israel from which would come John the Baptist, who would herald the coming of Messiah, and then; Mary would give birth to Jesus – the greatest gift ever given to all of mankind.

Consider the fact that each of these births were a miracle of God!

In each situation the birth of a child seemed totally impossible, but with God all things are possible.

And this Theophany which took place so many years ago at the tents of Abraham around his table and under the tree at Mamre was just the beginning of God’s pouring out His heart to save mankind. 

May we be ever grateful for this miracle!  May we never forget how God brought about a son who would bring about a nation who would bring about The Messiah!   

As we approach the wonder of Christmas let us remember ALL of the stories and all the stories within the stories.  

Let us consider with wonder just how many years of miracles God granted to us in bringing the Child of God to earth!  

Let us ponder how important the faith of one man and one woman played into this story, and let us go carefully about God's business in fulfilling our own destiny in His Kingdom.  Each man and each woman will have their own special part to play.  We are all a part of HIS story!

Let us all be humble servants of the LORD, welcoming Him joyfully into our hearts and our homes with the same great hospitality and honor that Abraham showed to his heavenly visitors on that great day so long ago.

May your heart be filled with the stories and joy of Christmas this season!

For unto us a child is born!  

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 148 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The eighth commandment should be pretty cut and dry, right? 

“Thou shalt not steal.” 

Easy to understand; isn’t it? 

Or is it? 

This is the commandment that God gave to Moses while up there on the mountain that protects our personal property.  It keeps us from being robbed.

To “steal” is to take something that does not belong to you.  God doesn’t wish for this to happen among His people, or anywhere for that matter.  To steal is an unrighteous act and it is considered a sin in the eyes of God.

The world operates on a system that says “GET” but God operates on a system that says “GIVE.”  If something is not given to you; you are NOT to take it.  Period.   If something belongs to someone else; it is not yours to take. 

So; this commandment is the place where God begins to teach us not to be selfish.  A selfish person thinks only of himself and his own needs; a self-LESS person considers the needs of others first.  Learning to appreciate the needs and rights of others means respecting their property and their rights as a human being.

There are a million forms of theft. 

You can take someone’s personal possessions for yourself; and that is the most common form of theft; but there is also the theft of using deceptive advertising and taking the hard earned money of other people by using a con-game to make yourself an easy living. 

Some manufacturer’s cheat their customers by making a substandard product and selling it for a top of the standard price.  This is another form of stealing.  

Some companies steal through different means of bookkeeping methods where they bill their clients for more hours than they actually spent on a job; some employees do not actually work all of the hours they mark down on their timesheets; this is another form of stealing. 

A form of stealing can happen through corrupt government actions.  People can be overtaxed to the point that they have nothing to show for their labor.  Causes can be misrepresented by officials that are greedy and taking money underneath the table. 

There are those who are perfectly able to work and those who COULD find jobs to support their families that live off of government subsidies; this is stealing.  It would be taking from those who truly need these subsidies who are actually entitled to such funds.  Living with a sense of entitlement and always feeling like the world owes you a living is stealing.

Have you ever taken a few office supplies from the office just because they were readily available?  It wasn’t much; but it was stealing.  Don’t tell me you could not afford to go out and buy them for yourself, it was laziness as well as stealing!

We could go on forever giving examples of unobvious, yet true ways of stealing.  These things go on constantly under the sun as the world turns around  and around on its axis; but God does not approve of them. 

In God’s economy each person is required to provide for their own needs as much as possible and to share with those who do not have what they need.  It is a culture of giving not a culture of being greedy and taking. 

Just like in the other commandments we have already studied; Jesus had a lot to add later on to those basic words that God gave Moses up on the mountain about stealing.  You might say that God laid the foundation with Moses and Jesus put the finishing work on the building.  

Jesus had much to say about theft.

One of the most famous examples is a parable that He told to his disciples.  He speaks in Matthew 25 of a Master who entrusted his servants with different amounts of talents.  They were to invest them and use them while he was away.  One day the Master returned and inquired as to how each had invested their talents.  Two of them invested wisely, but the third had nothing to show for all the time that his master had entrusted him with his wealth.  Because the servant did not take care of the master’s wealth and at least TRY to increase it and make it grow in some way; the Master was displeased and this servant was considered no greater than a common thief.  

How are we caring for our world while our Master is away?  He WILL return, you know?  Our wastefulness and carelessness with the things of the earth will be frowned upon.  It will be yet another form of theft from unwise servants.  

You can steal from God by being like this lazy, worthless servant and deciding to do absolutely nothing with the life God has given you, or the talents He bestowed upon you.  This would be the same as stealing from heaven.

Oh, come on!  Can you really steal from heaven?  

I believe you can!

Not only do we steal from each other; sometimes we also rob God of His tithes and offerings.  This is yet another form of stealing. 

In thinking about all of these many ways one can become a thief, one begins to realize that this commandment about stealing isn’t just about taking from others; but it is about learning to be responsible for our part in the overall operation of the world. 

I’ll let you in on a little known secret.  God doesn’t need your tithes and offerings!  He already owns everything and can do with it all whatever He pleases.  He simply gives us the OPPORTUNITY to tithe in order to teach us how to be responsible. 

I’ve heard a lot of people say that the tithe was done away with in the Old Testament because it isn’t spoken of again in the New Testament.  I once heard this statement directly from the mouth of a priest!  I’m sorry to disappoint those of you who quit believing in tithing because of such rumors; I guess everyone just totally forgot about reading  2 Corinthians 9:7, or the story of the widow’s mite found in Luke Chapter 21, or Matthew 23:23, or Acts 20:35, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Matthew 6:1-4, Luke 11:42 (note the last few words), Acts 2:44-47, and I could go on but I won’t. 

The old legal system of using animal sacrifices has been done away with because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, but he FULFILLED the law and he didn’t ABOLISH the law.  Adam to Abraham and beyond all show examples of God’s people bringing the firstfruits of their labor as offerings to God.  Jesus did more.  He gave EVERYTHING.  He is our best example.  This act of bringing offerings to God STILL honors God.  I laugh everytime I hear people say that Jesus never tithed.  He GAVE EVERYTHING, all that he had and he had no sins to pay for.  He gave it ALL for us.  Don’t tell me He never tithed  He set the perfect example in this arena too.

The New Testament readings put a firm emphasis on the act of giving, cheerfully and wisely and with your whole heart.  

My brothers and sisters; you CAN rob God.  Be careful to give back to Him from the blessings He has showered down from Heaven on you.

We must not rob God and we must not rob our fellow man. 

If you are a true child of God your heart will not rest until you stop being a thief; both to God and to mankind.   

But what if you, like all the rest of us, have already broken this commandment in a million and one ways? 

 I give you the example of the cross where on each side of Jesus at the crucifixion hung a thief.  One thief believed and repented.  To him it was given to be with Christ in paradise for eternity.  Be like that thief, the one who repented; and go and sin no more.  

OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO - CLASSIC ON NOBLE

Classic On Noble

(Written By Sheila Gail Landgraf)

 I wanted to tell you about a very special restaurant I discovered once upon a time as we were traveling through Anniston, Alabama.   It is called Classic On Noble, and it is located, just as the name implies, on Noble Street in Anniston, Alabama.

You will never find a more cozy and quaint dining experience.  This has become a place to go on special occasions for my family.  

We’ve always been for dinner in the evenings, but I’m told that their brunches are amazing, delicious and well attended.  I’ve had the brunch idea marked on my bucket list for awhile, and I know I will find it worth the drive when I get around to it.  Brunch seems to be the rave with the locals for sure. 

 In the meantime, my dinner experiences there have certainly been excellent. 

David and Cathy Mashburn are the restaurant owners.  It seems they were well established in the catering business when they noticed that the old Levy and Clark Building in Anniston’s historic district was for sale.  

The building was constructed in 1894, and had been boarded up and closed off since 1919.  When they first toured the dusty old building full of cobwebs, Cathy thought it was a hopeless case, but David thought it was “perfect.”  David won the disagreement.  Classic On Noble soon became a key element toward the revitalization of historic downtown Noble Street.  Cathy now openly admits that David had the vision from the start, and it has come together just as he imagined; “perfectly.”   

You enter the restaurant from the main street and step into an elegant fresh flowered entrance way that will either lead you back to many beautiful rooms of white linen covered antique tables graced by a lovely grand piano, or you can turn left and go upstairs via a winding stairwell to The Green Olive Room.  The downstairs interior has hardwood floors and is beautifully decorated in an elegant upbeat yet traditional style that compliments the building.  This is where brunch, lunch and some special receptions are held.  There is a station at the foot of the stairway where your hostess will greet you.  You may sign a guest book that is kept there if you like, and you will soon find yourself led to a pretty table and very comfortably seated and pampered by excellent service.

Classic Catering creates wonderful food art for a wedding reception, or any other special occasion.  

They have catered to small and large crowds for offices, events, and special occassions in homes around the Southeast, regularly delivering excellent services to people in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.   

They are willing to travel to you, or you may rent the space of their restaurant for your event.   

The last time my husband and I came for dinner a wedding party was just leaving their reception from the front door.  People threw rose buds at the bride and groom as they escaped to the outside sidewalk.  Once the wedding crowd cleared, we were able to enter the restaurant ourselves, walking in over a fresh trail of pink, yellow and red rose petals that had been left behind.  I felt like God had planned the time out for us to arrive just when we did.  It added a bit of whimsy to the time we were anticipating, and made for a great beginning to a wonderful dining experience.

Our table was reserved in The Green Olive, the upstairs upscale bar area that is full of unique original art, antique furniture, vintage chandeliers and beautiful woodwork.    There is an amazing antique chess set in one area, and some of the former wedding party I mentioned earlier, were having a mixed drink and playing a game of chess while waiting on their meal.  

Our cozy table by the window was all very quite though, and that is one of the things I like so much about the place, you can actually have a conversation and hear what the other people at your table are saying. 

The Green Olive Room proclaims selections from a well stocked wine cellar.  The atmosphere of the bar area might remind you of the fact that once there was a time in the early history of the building during the Prohibition era, when the Green Olive Room’s floors were covertly being used to sell alcohol.  There was also live dancing and music back in those days.  Often there were raids by the local law enforcement.  However, no such commotion is happening now.   It is quite the opposite, and there is such a peaceful, elegant, “living-room feeling” in the Green Olive Room.   

We chose an excellent wine from the wine list, although you may also order mixed drinks.   We sipped our wine in the comfort of the pleasant surroundings as our waiter took our order from the delicious choices found on the menu.  I was amused that the waiters have to carry the food up to everyone from the other floors of the building.   The building is three stories high, so I guess this means that every time they bring food they must navigate three flights of stairs.   In spite of this fact, our waiter was very accommodating and didn’t mind making extra trips for our requests.    

There are several menu choices available, and we have tried all of them on different trips.  I’ve found them all to be quite delicious.  The Chef here is wonderful, and adds an elegant, yet southern flair to everything.  I love that.  This girl is not ashamed of being Southern.  

The Nobel Salad is famous, and so is The Wedge, but my favorite salad is the Fried Green Tomato Salad.  It is very tasty, and the presentation is very pretty and unique.    

There are many excellent choices for entrée’s.  My favorites were the Shrimp and Grits, The Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and the Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab Cakes.

Dessert is never the same and changes each time we go.  I especially remember sharing some fried ice cream once that was” to die for.”  Whatever they are offering for dessert is always excellent and there are always plenty of special choices. 
   

I was not surprised to learn that Classic On Noble has been featured in Southern Living, Historical Restaurants of the South, 100 Places to Eat Before You Die, The Anniston Star, The Birmingham News and many other well known publications.  

Nor was I surprised to learn that many famous and well known personalities have enjoyed their fine food.  The list includes former President Jimmy Carter, US Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, Congressman, Mike Rogers, former and present Governors from Alabama and otherwise, Amy Grant, the band called Alabama, among many others.  We added some more people to that impressive list by bringing our daughter and son-in-law with us the last time we went.  They loved the restaurant too.

So what are you waiting for?  It is well worth the drive.  

Go for brunch, or an elegant dinner.  

Call them up for your next special catering occasion.   

Check out their website, it has excellent driving directions from anywhere. 

I'm told this is the perfect restaurant to visit during Christmas holidays, because it is always decorated like a winter wonderland. 

Bon Appétit!

  

PEN ART - BENEATH THE TEREBINTH TREE

A short story written by Sheila Gail Landgraf:

He was born laughing.  It is said that his parents laughed when they conceived him.  Even his beautiful mother had to ask God's forgiveness about her laughter over him, but he never thought any of the laughter was wrong.  He loved the laughter! 

It was the meaning of his name - laughter.  He felt the laughter did not happen often enough, and life for Isaac was sometimes very serious and very hard, so when the laughter came it was always timely and welcomed.  It was always good to him, and it was as refreshing as cool water in the desert.  

He constantly longed for more of the laughter.  He sought after it and he was always looking for ways to make it happen again. This was easy with his mother; not quite so easy with his father.  He had learned there was a proper time to bring it forth, and a proper time to let it alone.  This was a day to keep silent.  It was not a day for laughter.

There was no laughter in his father's voice as he told him to gather the wood they would be taking on their journey.  Isaac obediently gathered the wood into his bag.  This wood  was for the sacrifice they would be taking with them when they left tomorrow.  Abraham had insisted on cutting all of the wood himself.  He cut it from some of the branches of the terebinth tree he had planted right outside his tent many, many years ago.  This tree had grown large, strong and tall and had spread its branches in such a way that it shaded Abraham as he gazed upon it from the door of his tent.

Abraham had lived many happy days under the generous shade of this huge old twisted tree.   It had been under the shade of this tree that the three men of God had visited Abraham and Sarah nine months before Isaac's birth.  Abraham had often told Isaac the story.  God had promised Abraham a nation would be his heritage, but Abraham and Sarah had grown old without a child between them.

On that same day of the visit, when Sarah's laughter came at the announcement of Isaac's birth, the same Three Men of God had been on their way to Sodom to destroy the whole town because every single person living there was wicked.  Angels had reported this to Heaven and the prayers of the nearby town's people had risen up to the ears of The Lord over and over again.   Abraham pleaded with God to spare any godly men from the destruction of Sodom; and Isaac's cousin Lot and his family had been spared, except for Lot's wife; who had turned back to remember the carnal things of that city just one last time.

When she turned to look back she instantly became a pillar of salt.  Isaac had been shown the place where she had been changed.  The story had always horrified him, and he shuttered each time he thought of it.  But it had happened the day that God Himself, in the form of  three men, stopped in to visit with Abraham under the tree on His way to this mission.  They all sat together and shared a meal under the very branches of the terebinth tree that Abraham was now using for firewood.

Funny how things happened sometimes, Isaac thought to himself as he gathered the wood.  On their way to put an end to something evil, they had stopped to proclaim something good.  They told Abraham that Isaac would soon be born.  Sarah had heard from inside the tent and that was when she laughed.  Isaac had heard the story over and over again as he grew up.  He didn't mind though.  He always loved hearing it.  He often thought of this story and smiled, even now that he had grown into a man 37 years of age.

Isaac marveled at his father's actions in cutting the branches of the sacred tree.  He did not fully understand, but he had learned to wait for understanding.  Abraham had taught Isaac this virtue long before he grew into a man.  In time Abraham would share his heart with Isaac, and Isaac knew Abraham only did what God instructed him to do.  So Isaac did not ask why.  If God told Abraham to use the branches of the terebinth tree, Abraham would be obedient.  This Isaac was sure of.  Abraham was always obedient, at all costs, and so was Isaac.  This trait also had been instilled in Isaac's character from the first day of his birth.  Isaac knew he was a promise fulfilled, and he must stay true to God because of this blessing.

Abraham had been careful to carry out the covenant promise of circumcision when Isaac was only eight days old.  Everything about Isaac's upbringing had been carefully planned and well thought out by his parents.  So careful even that his mother had insisted he not be allowed to play with his older brother Ishmael when the two were growing up together.  It seemed that Ishmael liked to taunt Isaac, even when he was just a toddler, perhaps their mutual jealousy had started way back then.  This had certainly continued on - and Isaac had seen Ishmael only in short visits with Abraham since that day that Sarah got upset with Ishmael.  Ishmael was thirteen and Abraham had given him a bow and arrow.  He was quite good with it and very precise when he shot.  He had begun a game of shooting his arrows to land just inches away from Isaac as he lay in his crib.  This had happened more than once and it horrified Sarah.    She had insisted that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away.  It was a long time after that before Isaac was allowed to visit with Abraham when he took supplies to Hagar and Ishmael.

Isaac remembered one visit with his half-brother when he had just grown to be  a teenager. Ishmael had taunted him again over the issue of circumcision which made them both a part of the covenant with God and Abraham. This was the very covenant that kept Abraham from severing ties completely with Hagar and Ishmael.  The adults were off tending to some other business and the two boys, Isaac a young teen and Ishmael a young man, were sitting around the fire talking. The usual happened; they began to compare themselves as the future heirs to Abraham's covenant with God.  

Ishmael had proclaimed he was most loved since he was circumcised when he was thirteen and Isaac was circumcised as a baby.  Ishmael had noted that Isaac could not refuse as he was only a helpless infant, yet he, Ishmael had made a brave conscious decision to perform the covenant act and had done it in a time of life that was much more painful; so he reasoned that his sacrifice to God was greater and more deliberate than Isaac's.  

Isaac had calmly looked at his half-brother and replied if God desired of him to be slaughtered he would not refuse even to offer up his whole life as a sacrifice.  This was a common practice for the pagans in Ishmael's hometown.  Isaac could still remember the sneer on his half-brother's face upon hearing these words.  Isaac knew Ishmael would never make such a statement, because he would not be brave enough to carry through with it.  Isaac's heart and intent were true.  He truly would lay down his life if God should demand such a thing from him.  From time to time those words haunted Isaac in his dreams.

As Isaac gathered up the wood he continued thinking of the interesting traits of  the terebinth tree.  The tree was a very strong and sturdy oak.  It had deep, deep roots.  It had remained green through all of the droughts of the land.  That tree had provided shade for many a sojourner. It was a resilient tree.  If one of these trees should die or be cut down, it was known that the stump that was left would sprout up and grow new life again.

The tree was so large  that it could be seen from a distance for miles and miles.  It had become a landmark; a way that Abraham had of telling people how to locate his tents.  He had used the tree to mark this place of his home after so many years of wondering.  It was very close to the cave where he had reverently and thoughtfully decided would be the future burial plot for his family.  He was glad the cave was so close to the tree that he had grown to love and admire.  

It had actually been Sarah's idea, to buy the caves at Machpelah.   She had purchased them herself with some of the money that came from her own dowry, explaining to Abraham that she felt sure she had found the very site where Adam and Eve had been buried by God.  Abraham had patiently listened to his wife when she spoke of this.  Other husbands might have ignored this far fetched tale from a wife, but Abraham knew that some times Sarah just knew things.  It defied all logic, but always proved out.  Over the years he too came to believe this story was true. 

 Just as a double check, Abraham had asked God to confirm this fact to him as well as Sarah.  On the day that the Three Men of God came calling Abraham had ran out to kill the fatted calf for their dinner.  The calf had gotten away  and ran from him and Abraham chased the calf through the land.  The chase led him right up to the caves where Abraham beheld Adam and Eve's burial sites with his very own eyes.  He instantly knew God had shown it to him too, and after that he knew the cave was a very sacred place.

When Sarah had first expressed her desire to be buried in this spot beside him one day, he remembered looking at his charming wife and noting that she was the most beautiful woman in all the land.  He had taken in her innocence, her ability to make the world feel right and perfect and her deep wisdom.  The thought of her not being alive was very painful to him.  He had realized long ago that she was blessed with the gift of prophecy and this incident with the cave was yet another proof of it.  He had seen how the glory of God surrounded the tent where she prepared their meals each day.  Her dough never ran out.  She hospitably gave portions of it away to people as blessings as they came and went through the home of Abraham and enjoyed many meals prepared by Sarah.  

Abraham had seen how the lamps lit during Sarah's prayers lasted from Sabbath to Sabbath, never going out during the week, providing light for their home day after day after day.  How was it that God had blessed him with such a wife?  He always marveled at it, even now, in their old age.  He had completely agreed that he and Sarah were to be laid to rest together in the cave near the Terebinth tree of their tent where God had finally established them a permanent home together.  

Isaac did not yet understand how significant the cave was, but he did understand the importance of the tree.  This strong tree stood for everything that God had promised to Abraham. It was an ever present reminder.   The roots were deep and old.  The branches were fruitful and many.  The leaves were full of life.  Abraham had often told Isaac that the tree was sacred.  Yet, just yesterday Abraham had raised his ax to some of the branches of this tree for firewood.  He had chosen it deliberately to provide the fuel for their sacrifice.  He had chosen something of the best from this place of blessings from God and taken something from it to give back to God.  Isaac understood that much of his father's thinking as he carefully filled his bag with the wood and then moved on to help load the donkey.

Abraham had carried a branch of this tree to the land where Ishmael lived and he had planted it beside the well where Hagar worked.  Ishmael had brought some of the wood from that tree too and he began to mix it with the wood that Isaac was hauling.  "Stop!" Isaac almost panicked as he saw what he was doing, but Abraham had come and stood between the two men and allowed the wood to be mixed together.  Isaac was amazed at this, but he said nothing.

Abraham carefully gathered up the fire-pots and the knife for slaughtering the sacrifice.  Eliazer and Ishmael  helped with the food supplies.  They gathered all the necessities they would need to sustain them on the long six day journey.  Hagar had come with Ishmael as he had not wanted her to be alone in his absence.  She had reluctantly submitted to this, hating every minute that she would be stuck in the tent with her former mistress, Sarah while they were away.  

Isaac wished just he and Abraham were going alone.  He did not get along well with his older half-brother, and he knew his mother would not be pleased to be spending the time away with this former slave women.  Ishmael had often reminded Isaac that his mother had been a princes of Pharoah before she had volunteered to be his mother's handmaiden.  Isaac wished she had not been so hasty.  Former princess or not, she always brought trouble to the camp.  When Abraham and Sarah had sent Hagar and Ishmael away when Ishmael was thirteen a miracle had happened.  They had found a pure well in the dessert and had established their home there.  Hagar had provided for them by selling the pure refreshing spring water to people passing through the land.  They had been quite prosperous from this.  Hagar had no need for Sarah's pity now.  She no longer was a slave and she made quite a good living for herself.  Ishmael managed her wealth for her.  She would be there only for a quick visit and then she would be heading  right back to their home again.  She longed to be going with Ishmael and Abraham instead of staying behind while they journeyed off together. 

 Both mothers gazed longingly at their sons as they prepared to leave them behind.

Both boys had grown up constantly seeking Abraham's full undivided attention.  One was always trying to please him above the other, in hunting, in fishing, in building, in growing crops.  Their lives had been one long competition for Abraham's affection.  Now they were both grown men and this situation had not changed.  It never went away.  Perhaps this very competitive spirit had been handed down from their mothers.  Each of these women were also constantly seeking Abraham's undivided attention.  The women did not have room for one another and they despised each other, so much so that Sarah had convinced Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away, but Abraham had maintained a long distance relationship with them off and on and had always looked after them in spite of the fact that God had made it clear to him that Isaac was the son of promise.

This was something that Sarah had learned to bear quietly in her heart.  Sarah was smart enough to understand that anger and jealousy did not make a woman beautiful or cherished.  Hagar seemed incapable of learning this lesson.  When Abraham moved Hagar and Ishmael away, Sarah bore this grief against them all alone and tried not to share it with anyone.  She knew of the times Abraham went to them with supplies and she secretly wondered what went on between them, but she said nothing.  She had her cherished Isaac.  She lavished him with all the love that a mother had for a son, and she ignored that Abraham was not always in her tent.  She accepted that this whole situation was her own fault and she had asked God to forgive her for it long ago.  She knew in her heart of hearts that Abraham cherished her above all women.  She had tried to make her peace with this situation, but if she was not careful it would always rise up against her.  

Now Sarah knew her son was going away and that woman's son - Ishmael - would be going on the journey too.  This did not please her one bit.  Abraham had tried to prepare Sarah for Ishmael's presence here by explaining the necessity of having good and trusted servants on this journey.   That is what he told Sarah, but Abraham had other thoughts about this too.

He had also told Sarah that he was taking Isaac to the school established by Shem (son of Noah) on Moriah so that he could study Torah and learn all the ways of God from the masters in Shem's school.  It was said that Shem's school carefully guarded the mysteries of God and taught them to only very trusted blessed men.  As much as she knew this would be a good thing for her son, she had an unexplained apprehension about it. She realized these teachings were necessary in order to fulfill the calling and purpose of his life, but she had not been able to rest well because of it.

For some reason she sensed a deep sadness in Abraham's voice that did not sound like the excitement of a father taking his son to learn from the great masters.  Did he not realize how many years this would take Isaac away from her?  She wondered if her husband was telling her everything.  Abraham had been very silent, very quiet and was going off to pray by himself a lot these days.

When evening came Sarah could not rest.  She rumbled through her tent and found the lavish, beautiful garments and turban containing a special stone.  This had been given to her by King Abemeleck.  She had saved them for Isaac one day.  She took them to Isaac and told him to dress himself in them as he appeared before the masters in the land of Moriah.  Isaac, astonished at their beauty, took them and hugged her expressing his sincere thanks.  It was another case in Sarah's life where something good had come from something wrong.  King Abemeleck had not touched her and had honored her marriage to Abraham when he had learned the truth.  He had sent her away with lavish gifts.

After she had given him presents from her greatest treasures, Sarah wept and told Isaac how much she did not want him to go away.  Neither of them could sleep that night and they spent the night just talking of Isaac's childhood and expressing their fond memories of all the good times God had granted them with one another as he grew up.

She would not deny him the special time he was to spend with God which would truly make him a better man; but why was Abraham making this journey so mysterious?  Why did she catch her beloved husband gazing at her with what seemed to be a tinge of tender sorrow.  He had always been so protective of her heart, and she sensed he was somehow wanting to be protective of something yet again; she knew not what.  She dared not ask.  

Sarah had learned to let life happen as it happened.  This had been a hard lesson for her to learn.  She had learned not to question, though it was not her true nature.  After the horrid mistake she had made with that Egyptian slave named Hagar, she had learned to let God fulfill His own blessings in His own way in His own time.

She was sad in her soul about this journey, and she was not excited about this parting, even if it was for  a noble cause in Isaac's life.  Even if the study of the Torah would help to fulfill his destiny, she would miss him terribly! She would also miss Abraham.  Would he come home only to leave again to take Ishmael and Hagar back?  She hoped Abraham would give that task to Eliazer. 

Sarah  knew so much could happen in six days, so much!  A whole world had been created in six days!  It would take them six days altogether to make the journey, three days to climb the mountain where Abraham would leave her beloved son to be schooled, and three days for Abraham to return to her, leaving Isaac behind.   Sarah began to petition her great God to look after them both, her beloved husband and her blessed son.  She reminded God, as she often did, of His promises to Isaac and Abraham.  She prayed that God would provide everything that they needed in every minute of this journey.

She felt the salty tears from the Holy Spirit trickle down her face as she prayed and prayed and she knew God had heard her.  Just that He listened to an old woman like her gave her hope and courage.  She reminded herself of how God had kept His promise to them even when it had seemed impossible.   She smiled sweetly at her husband and her beloved son as they prepared for their long journey.

"Perhaps I should go with you," she remarked to Abraham as they sat around the fire that night.  Because of the dark she had not seen the terror that presented itself in his face.  He could not bear to explain all of this to her.  "No, my princess, you must stay behind this time."  Sarah was silent.  As the fire danced before them she leaned on her husband's chest and pondered how she might walk a way behind them without their noticing her presence.  Yes she was old and frail, but she was also courageous and determined.  Had she not waited 25 years for Isaac to be born?  She had seen God's miracle then and she knew he would protect her now.  After Abraham went to sleep she hastened to pack some food and water for herself, then she lay down beside him to rest for a few hours.

The men left early, even before Sarah woke.  It distressed her that she had not been able to tell her son goodbye again as he departed.  She walked outside the tent only to see the face of Hagar staring at her from the shade of the tree. It was the last thing she wanted to see today.

Sarah quickly gathered her things.  She would not be too far behind them.  The first time that Hagar turned her back Sarah was gone down the road.  She knew the general direction toward Moriah.  It took a few hours before she caught up with the men.  They were shocked to see her and amazed that she had followed them so far.  She ran toward Isaac and hugged him close.  "My son!  Who knows when I will see you again?  I could not let you go without saying another goodbye!"

That is when the tears poured forth.  She wept and Abraham wept and Isaac wept, each of them for their own reasons, each of them in deep pain and agony.  After much weeping Abraham and Isaac convinced Sarah to turn back and wait at home.  She stood in the road watching everything that mattered to her walk away to a place where she could not go.   She had never felt so much pain, as if a knife were cutting into her throat and bleeding all of the life out of her.  She finally could not see them anymore and she turned back toward Hebron.

As she approached her tent she noticed an old man walking behind her.  He saw that she had seen him.  She wondered who he was and why he seemed to be following her.  She stopped, though much afraid and faced him.  He bowed low to her and proclaimed that he had come from the school in which her son was to be a pupil.  She drew a deep breath of relief and asked what his business was.  "I am a prophet and I have come to declare the truth to you that your husband and your son have not told you, I fear you will be terribly upset when I tell you, but your husband has gone to build an altar and there he will sacrifice your son to God.  You will not be able to reach them in time to stop it.  I am sorry to have to tell you this."

Sarah screamed the loudest scram ever heard in any land.  It was the wale of a mother with a broken heart. As she felt the strength of  her life leaving her body she thought she saw a vision of her son cut and bleeding and tied to an altar.  She was too weak to walk back to the tent.  She could not bear this horrible news.  She could not bear to think that Abraham would do such a thing.  Her scream was heard by Hagar, who despite their past came running to her side.

The next words from Hagar shocked Sarah again.  "They have told you, haven't they?"  Sarah's eyes looked an answer for the rest of the sentence.  "They have told you that Isaac is to be the sacrifice at Moriah!"  Sarah fainted and Hagar was afraid that she would be blamed for her death.  She panicked and ran away.  The old man had also mysteriously disappeared from the road.  Sarah was left there alone and unconscious for hours until some friends of Abraham passed by and recognized her and took her to their tent and tried to nurse her back to life.

They watched anxiously as Sarah faded in and out of consciousness, and she talked to them about what God was showing her in a dream.  She mentioned how Abraham would only do God's will and that Isaac would only do what God had required of him.  She once again, even in her dream state, confessed that everything God did was always good, even when she did not understand.  The people were astonished at her testimony and admired her courage as she lay dying of grief.   They knew they had cared for a true prophetess.  Finally, in peace and the hope of God, Sarah having lost all reason for living now, gave up her spirit and passed into the other world.  The people of the village preserved her body and waited for Abraham to pass back through the land so they could give him the sad news that the wife he dearly loved had died.

It was several days before they heard his footsteps on the road.  Men were watching and waiting on Abraham, dreading what they had to say to him.  Abraham was deep in thought as he approached alone.  He was still in awe of what God had done for him and Isaac.  He had painfully walked up to Moriah, Isaac at his side.  Isaac had asked the obvious question; "Father, where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"  Abraham had answered "My son, God will provide the lamb."  It was when he had spoken this that Abraham knew that Isaac knew and understood his destiny.  He had moved on willingly and had not resisted one thing that was done to him.  He only asked that his father bind him tightly so that he would not be tempted in a moment of weakness to jump away.  

As Isaac lay down on the altar he remembered his words to Ishmael that day.  They played over and over through his mind.  He heard those words as Abraham raised the knife to slay him and perhaps Abraham had been slow because of another sound that he heard.  A long loud blast from a rams horn sounded forth.  In the midst of that sound Abraham had thought he also heard Sarah screaming and he hesitated for only a moment, but a moment was just enough time for him to hear the Angel say "Stop!"  

And the Angel assured Abraham that everything that God had required of him had been proven and he need not sacrifice the boy.  Suddenly he had seen a ram caught in the thicket.  He quickly untied Isaac and together they sacrificed the lamb that God had provided.  A day of sadness had become instantly a day of joy.  

Abraham had left Isaac with the great Masters to learn the secrets of Torah and he had hurried home to Sarah and he was full of thankfulness and excitement.  He could not wait to share this story with his beloved wife.

His countenance quickly changed as the men stopped him with the tragic news of  Sarah's death.  Abraham, only hours ago had escaped the greatest grief he thought he would ever know, but now he realized that Sarah's death would leave him only half a person.  He was not sure how he would go on living without her.  The men who had met him in the road saw him age 20 years in his appearance from the short walk from where they found him to the place where they had laid Sarah.

Abraham took his beloved wife and buried her in the cave at Macphelah, just as they had discussed when  Sarah was living.  He knew God would look after her there and it was a way for him to fulfill one last wish from her.  

With a broken heart he went to sit alone under the terebinth tree and he mourned for days.  Finally he lifted his head and rode out toward the dessert.  It would be a long time before Isaac returned, and Abraham could not bear to stay in Hebron without him.