Our church has been reading books leading up to Easter for the last few years. This year we are reading "The Jesus Creed" by Scot McKnight. It's subtitle is Loving God, Loving Others. It has really been great so far especially because it is really easy for me to let the things I DO for God become my relationship with him. This has challenged and reminded me to it is about love. So I have been reading it whenever I have the chance and trying to catch up to where the church is. Scot McKnight also has a blog called Jesus Creed (http://JesusCreed.org). He is really interesting to read and I think his books are available there as well.
So, to get to the point of my observations, I was waiting for one of my kids and reading the book on Monday. There was another group of people waiting in the same hallway. There were 3 or 4 adults and a whole crew of kids. They were loud and odd. The apparent matriarch of the crew was talking loudly on her cell phone (as if we all wanted to hear her conversation) about money and wondering where it is all going. After she hung up, the rest of the adults were continuing the conversation loudly about how they can't keep helping her out, they don't have any money either and on and on. Meanwhile, the kids were running around like maniacs. Slamming the glass doors, banging on other office doors, carrying the baby around and dropping her, fighting and yelling at each other loudly. It was quite the scene.
I was really not trying to eavesdrop. I just wanted to read my book, but it was kind of hard not to hear what was going on. They were irate over the fact that one of their family members had stolen something and lied about it. They kept saying between cuss words that people must tell the truth and be honest. I was thinking that I agree, people should be honest and truthful. I want to teach my kids that. But why on earth would you be compelled towards honesty in an environment like that? They are trying to uphold Godly morals and principles without God. I think it would be nearly impossible to teach that without connecting it back to God.
I guess there are probably other ways to teach values. There are a lot of moral people that aren't Christians. But it seems like it would be empty teaching. I would quickly become apathetic about being good and moral without seeing the bigger picture of God's plan. Why should we be honest? Because God is honest and just. Because we want to be like God. Because that is how God tells us to live and conduct ourselves. Now that's something I can identify with. That presents a purpose for living that way.
The second thing I observed is how piously judgmental I was of these people. There I was with my nose stuck in my "Jesus Creed, Loving God, Loving Others" book looking down at them for the way they behave. Those are exactly the people Jesus would befriend and care for if He were here. He died for them. It was humbling to admit that I have such attitudes. I am a missionary for crying out loud. But I hope now that my eyes have been opened, Jesus will soften my heart towards the people around me - as loud and unlovable as they may be.
The Jesus Creed (Mark 12:29-31)
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind and with all your strength."
The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
There is no commandment greater than these.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Turkey Soup for the Body
I think I may have been whining before about the flu bug that's been ripping through our house for a few days now. Just as I've gotten everything cleaned up and laundry done from one person, someone else succumbs! So today Mike was sick but made it through church, I was home with Abby and in the afternoon someone pulled into our driveway. I was (and still am) in my pajamas. I was kind of annoyed because I just want to be left alone and not answer the door in my PJ's.
Well, I had to bite my tongue because this dear woman in our church brought us a big pot of turkey soup and homemade bread. It seemed a bit like liquid gold to us. I am stunned by how such a simple gesture meant so much.
Our church does a lot of meals for people who are sick, experienced a death in the family or had a baby. Sometimes I wonder if such an old fashioned practice is still worthwhile and appreciated today. Well, I think I have my answer. Caring for people by meeting their physical needs shows the love of Christ.
1 John 3:17-18
"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."
Well, I had to bite my tongue because this dear woman in our church brought us a big pot of turkey soup and homemade bread. It seemed a bit like liquid gold to us. I am stunned by how such a simple gesture meant so much.
Our church does a lot of meals for people who are sick, experienced a death in the family or had a baby. Sometimes I wonder if such an old fashioned practice is still worthwhile and appreciated today. Well, I think I have my answer. Caring for people by meeting their physical needs shows the love of Christ.
1 John 3:17-18
"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Time Flies!
A lot has happened in the month since I last blogged! I've been wanting to write but a few things have kept me away. One is the frustrating slow speed of my dial-up internet access. Well, we just got wired up for High Speed! It is kind of sad how exciting it is to be able to check e-mails in less than three hours, look things up in a flash and be on the phone and on-line at the same time!
We've also experienced a big blizzard. It's been a long time since I've seen snow falling horizontally. We were snowed in for two days. It is kind of fun and cozy at first, but gets old after 48 hours. The plow trucks were unable to make a dent in the solid 5 foot drift in our driveway so we had to have a local dairy farmer come in and blow us out with his tractor! The good news is that it's all melting and we went on our first bike ride of spring today.
We had a little bout with the stomach flu. There is nothing I loathe more than the stomach flu. I sit up all night and calculate how long it will take to filter through the entire family. It's very depressing.
The main thing that has been keeping my attentiont though lately is a very high strung almost two year old. She refuses to wear clothes, get her diaper changed, get into the bath, get out of the bath, get her coat on, go to bed, stay in bed, stay out of the garbage and more! She cries and screams and says no. She crosses her arms and glares in protest! She colored all over her face in pink permanent marker before we were heading to the orthodontist. We got a few looks. She is exhausting!
I try to be patient. I try to be firm. Sometimes, I just try to avoid her altogether. In order to avoid conflict sometimes I just let her do what she wants because I don't have the energy to fight her. I've even tried yelling and well, once I tried throwing the diaper wipes across the room in frustration (which I don't recommend) and it didn't help anyway.
I've been trying to think about what God is teaching me through this. I certainly have no advice or remedy. I thank God every night that there are some moments where 2 years olds are so cute and sweet which allows me the desire to continue on. I know, I know someday this will be a blip on the radar screen. When she is graduating from college I will look back with fond memories on this time. I hate when people tell me that! Plus, I know it is true because my 6 year old was exactly like this. She would cry over what song was on and I'd send her to her room and she'd keep crying for hours. She is better now and it is kind of funny to look back at it.
But it isn't fun or funny when you are in it. And it is a test of my patience which I seem to have very little of. I know I am frustrated because I love her so much. I appreciate people trying to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel, but mainly I just want someone to feel my pain. To come by and see her running around naked and empathize that two year olds are difficult to deal with. Although I have a lot to be thankful for such as health, I don't need to be reminded of that! Maybe they could just help me clean the mess up off the floor.
I think that is probably what Jesus is asking of us when dealing with others. In Romans 12:15 it says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice: mourn with those who mourn". Which seems to be saying forget the advice, just be there for people - whether they have suffered a devestating loss or have just had a really tough day with a toddler!
Romans 12:14-16
"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."
We've also experienced a big blizzard. It's been a long time since I've seen snow falling horizontally. We were snowed in for two days. It is kind of fun and cozy at first, but gets old after 48 hours. The plow trucks were unable to make a dent in the solid 5 foot drift in our driveway so we had to have a local dairy farmer come in and blow us out with his tractor! The good news is that it's all melting and we went on our first bike ride of spring today.
We had a little bout with the stomach flu. There is nothing I loathe more than the stomach flu. I sit up all night and calculate how long it will take to filter through the entire family. It's very depressing.
The main thing that has been keeping my attentiont though lately is a very high strung almost two year old. She refuses to wear clothes, get her diaper changed, get into the bath, get out of the bath, get her coat on, go to bed, stay in bed, stay out of the garbage and more! She cries and screams and says no. She crosses her arms and glares in protest! She colored all over her face in pink permanent marker before we were heading to the orthodontist. We got a few looks. She is exhausting!
I try to be patient. I try to be firm. Sometimes, I just try to avoid her altogether. In order to avoid conflict sometimes I just let her do what she wants because I don't have the energy to fight her. I've even tried yelling and well, once I tried throwing the diaper wipes across the room in frustration (which I don't recommend) and it didn't help anyway.
I've been trying to think about what God is teaching me through this. I certainly have no advice or remedy. I thank God every night that there are some moments where 2 years olds are so cute and sweet which allows me the desire to continue on. I know, I know someday this will be a blip on the radar screen. When she is graduating from college I will look back with fond memories on this time. I hate when people tell me that! Plus, I know it is true because my 6 year old was exactly like this. She would cry over what song was on and I'd send her to her room and she'd keep crying for hours. She is better now and it is kind of funny to look back at it.
But it isn't fun or funny when you are in it. And it is a test of my patience which I seem to have very little of. I know I am frustrated because I love her so much. I appreciate people trying to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel, but mainly I just want someone to feel my pain. To come by and see her running around naked and empathize that two year olds are difficult to deal with. Although I have a lot to be thankful for such as health, I don't need to be reminded of that! Maybe they could just help me clean the mess up off the floor.
I think that is probably what Jesus is asking of us when dealing with others. In Romans 12:15 it says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice: mourn with those who mourn". Which seems to be saying forget the advice, just be there for people - whether they have suffered a devestating loss or have just had a really tough day with a toddler!
Romans 12:14-16
"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."
Friday, February 16, 2007
Where's My White Horse?
I haven't done too well keeping up with my New Year's Resolution of blogging every day, but what can I say? The last few weeks have been a lot about sickness, ear infections and doctor's visits. Abby had another bad bout with her ears and Monday she had tubes put in. It has made such a big difference already.
Mike's been pretty busy these last few weeks. Conferences, retreats, and lot of crises have kept him away from the house a lot. And everyone loves him and misses him and is thrilled when he comes riding home on his white horse to save the day! Now, I'd like to ride in on a white horse and have everyone be happy to see me but that would necesitate me LEAVING! So everyone ignores the fact that I am the one here making lunches, doing laundry, making and going to doctor's appointments, giving medicine that is yucky and dealing with the unpleasant side effects, having the kids' friends over, getting them to scouts and gymnastics. And they wonder why I seem crabby?
When Mike returned from his conference he brought me a book called "Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God" by Noel Piper. I wasn't really that thrilled about a book full of old biographies. The first chapter was about Sarah Edwards who was the wife of Jonathon Edwards, a pastor and great writer and thinker. The subtitle of the chapter was "Faithful in the Mundane". I thought I better read that one - and it was so good and challenging. Sarah Edwards had 11 children in the 1700's, she oversaw everything in the home including the livestock and butchering. She made all their clothes from shearing the sheep to weaving ( I must say that my family would probably be naked if I had to do that). She did everything so that her husband would be freed up to study and write. His writings are still read and valued today. She served God by handling all the mundane household things. She was very well educated and beautiful and probably felt that she had more to offer the world.
It has made me think a lot about how I look at my role. I tend to hate how tied down it has me. I want more glory, I feel like I am better than this. But I think through the story of Sarah Edwards I can see that God wants me to be faithful to taking care of things here so that Mike can be the man God wants him to be. It is easy to want to make Mike into my servant, but I need to focus on being God's servant.
Last week at church was a confirmation of all this. Mike and I had a great prayer time together on Saturday and we were both excited about what God was showing us. Let me tell you, he was on fire Sunday morning (we did NOT get out of church on time) and he was so passionate about everything he was doing and saying. I was proud to be his wife and watch God use him in his role as Pastor. We have a young man in our church leaving for Iraq this weekend. Mike gathered our church family around him and to pray for him. I saw Mike holding back tears as he announced one of our elderly saints had gone home to be with the Lord that morning and praying with passion for those with overwhelming physical and emotional needs.
I hope that I do not let all the mundane things that need to be taken care of in our household stand in the way of that! Could I be doing greater things, riding around on my white horse? I don't think so.
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your Spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Mike's been pretty busy these last few weeks. Conferences, retreats, and lot of crises have kept him away from the house a lot. And everyone loves him and misses him and is thrilled when he comes riding home on his white horse to save the day! Now, I'd like to ride in on a white horse and have everyone be happy to see me but that would necesitate me LEAVING! So everyone ignores the fact that I am the one here making lunches, doing laundry, making and going to doctor's appointments, giving medicine that is yucky and dealing with the unpleasant side effects, having the kids' friends over, getting them to scouts and gymnastics. And they wonder why I seem crabby?
When Mike returned from his conference he brought me a book called "Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God" by Noel Piper. I wasn't really that thrilled about a book full of old biographies. The first chapter was about Sarah Edwards who was the wife of Jonathon Edwards, a pastor and great writer and thinker. The subtitle of the chapter was "Faithful in the Mundane". I thought I better read that one - and it was so good and challenging. Sarah Edwards had 11 children in the 1700's, she oversaw everything in the home including the livestock and butchering. She made all their clothes from shearing the sheep to weaving ( I must say that my family would probably be naked if I had to do that). She did everything so that her husband would be freed up to study and write. His writings are still read and valued today. She served God by handling all the mundane household things. She was very well educated and beautiful and probably felt that she had more to offer the world.
It has made me think a lot about how I look at my role. I tend to hate how tied down it has me. I want more glory, I feel like I am better than this. But I think through the story of Sarah Edwards I can see that God wants me to be faithful to taking care of things here so that Mike can be the man God wants him to be. It is easy to want to make Mike into my servant, but I need to focus on being God's servant.
Last week at church was a confirmation of all this. Mike and I had a great prayer time together on Saturday and we were both excited about what God was showing us. Let me tell you, he was on fire Sunday morning (we did NOT get out of church on time) and he was so passionate about everything he was doing and saying. I was proud to be his wife and watch God use him in his role as Pastor. We have a young man in our church leaving for Iraq this weekend. Mike gathered our church family around him and to pray for him. I saw Mike holding back tears as he announced one of our elderly saints had gone home to be with the Lord that morning and praying with passion for those with overwhelming physical and emotional needs.
I hope that I do not let all the mundane things that need to be taken care of in our household stand in the way of that! Could I be doing greater things, riding around on my white horse? I don't think so.
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your Spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Mommy Test
Last night I was out with some friends eating onion rings and chasing them down with an entire bottle of Tums. Someone mentioned they heard a study that you actually lose 8 percent of your brain cells during pregnancy. Being the math genius that I am, I quickly calculated 8 times 5 is 40! I am only operating at 60 percent! That explains a lot. One of the girls wondered if we might be able to qualify for disability pay?
But then I got this information, I hope it adds a smile to your day! (Then be sure to go on and read My Storm Rages On - it's much more important than this!)
The Mommy Test
I was out walking with my 4 year old daughter. She picked up
something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I
took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that. "Why?"
my daughter asked. "Because it's been on the ground, you don't
know where its been, it's dirty and probably has germs" I
replied. At this point, my daughter looked at me with total
admiration and asked, "Mommy, how do you know all this stuff? You
are so smart." I was thinking quickly. "All moms know this stuff.
It's on the Mommy Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you
be a Mommy."
We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but
she was evidently pondering this new information.
"OH...I get it!" she beamed, "So if you don't pass the test you
have to be the daddy." "Exactly" I replied back with a big smile
on my face.
But then I got this information, I hope it adds a smile to your day! (Then be sure to go on and read My Storm Rages On - it's much more important than this!)
The Mommy Test
I was out walking with my 4 year old daughter. She picked up
something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I
took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that. "Why?"
my daughter asked. "Because it's been on the ground, you don't
know where its been, it's dirty and probably has germs" I
replied. At this point, my daughter looked at me with total
admiration and asked, "Mommy, how do you know all this stuff? You
are so smart." I was thinking quickly. "All moms know this stuff.
It's on the Mommy Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you
be a Mommy."
We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but
she was evidently pondering this new information.
"OH...I get it!" she beamed, "So if you don't pass the test you
have to be the daddy." "Exactly" I replied back with a big smile
on my face.
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