Thinking on these things . . .

This morning I'm cleaning out the pantry; clearing the shelves of things that have been there for a while (some "a while" longer than others!) I'm making all kinds of discoveries of forgotten or misplaced (as in put back in the wrong place) items. There are all those durable goods like cans of soup and jars of spices, and then there's the crackers they almost bend they're so full of moisture. I am seeing what has been packed away in there and finding there are things that are good and things that can most definitely be disposed of! When the shelves are cleared and cleaned I'll start putting back the important necessary stuff and arranging it so I can find what I need.This is a good thing. At the moment it feels more like a tedious, irritating thing but I know in the end that I'll be grateful I've gone through this process. There are times that God stops our frantic whirling and we're faced with cleaning out the stuff of our living. Times we are...

Have you heard this song? ( here's the link if it doesn't come up as a video so you'll know what I'm talking about! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VrsCxXkNgY ) Can you identify with the feeling? Who speaks what into your life? According to who are you a loser? Who tells you you're"funny, irresistible, and everything they've ever wanted"? Who are you with when you like who you are? On The Good Wife TV show there was a scene when Will's character says "I like who I am when I am around you." Our words are powerful - how do we make those around us feel? Stupid? Useless? Can't do anything right? A mess? Or, according to us, do we make others feel beautiful, incredible, irresistible? Do they like how they see themselves through our eyes? There's not a person we met who is not engaged in some type of struggle.Everyone you'll meet today is battling with something, carrying some problem, perplexed about a decision that has to be mad...

Metanarrative - isn't that a great word? I've just heard it and it's HUGE and rich and it means...the story above all the stories or the BIG story. We're familiar with this concept in regards to the Bible - all the stories, the seemingly random disjointed stories, are all part of God's plan of redemption of man. From the fellowship in the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the worship of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Revelations, it is all about God being having a relationship with His children. It over arcs the whole book and thousands of years of history. Is the same true for us? Is there a metanarrative for our lives? When we look back over all the stories of our history - all the incidents and relationships, the jobs and opportunities, the high and low points, what is the metanarrative? What ties it altogether? I think Paul had the word metanarrative in mind when he wrote Philippians 3 - particularly vs. 10 and 12 - what do you think? (no, really, what do y...

" The essential thing is that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living." - Friedrich Nietzsche There's an advantage to getting older and it is the ability to look back. ("they" also say that you can tell when you're old because you look back now instead of looking forward like you do when you're "young"!) I'd found some fifteen year old journals yesterday and it was like discovering old photographs - a glimpse into a time far removed from the present. We are pilgrims on this journey of life; disciples of Christ for the long haul - a long obedience is necessary for it is a long journey and as I read through those pages I realized the stages of my own journey of faith- amazed both at where I was and where I am. These books though told me another truth - a truth more valuable than the impetus of my having a long obedience; th...

It is a common motif in Scripture and in our music; this idea of God holding the world and our life in His hands because, of course, He is God and He is sovereign; this is basic Christianity 101. But then there is this more personal application of the idea when we choose to put our lives in His hands - in other words to surrender ourselves to whatever He wants for us. Typically this is a long range type of thing. "Lord, my future is in your hands. Wherever you lead I'll follow." or "I trust you to bring me to the place you have for me and fulfill the purpose for which you created me." But have you ever noticed how "tomorrow" is always a day away? My "future" is some other time out there, that e v e n t u a l l y I will arrive at... So while God is in charge of the end destination of my trip, He's not necessarily concerned with the fact that this is a long road, my tank is on empty, and I really need an exit to pull off to refuel - right?...

It's spring now; time for new life and growth. Winter is over, the snow is gone and it is the season of possibilities. In preparing my flower bed for new flowers I found these dead, dried up stalks from last year's Black Eyed Susans . Their brittleness stood out starkly against the lushness of the new green grass and already sprouting perennials. Their season had passed. There was no beauty now in them.It's all over. Done. Nothing left to offer... Death is not limited to flowers. It happens in jobs and opportunities, relationships and endeavors. What once was vibrant and flowering has now shriveled and dried up. Things that seemed like they would flourish forever, gone. There's a saying that "When God closes a door, He opens a window" and this is akin to that. In every opportunity, endeavor, or relationship that is no longer blossoming in the landscape of your life, there are things to be learned from it, positively or negatively, that can impact what is plan...

I've acquired a new tool and it is so great I keep coming up with reasons to use it. And, the more I use it, the more applications I'm finding it has! My new tool is a weighted, balanced chef's knife and so far I have chopped cilantro, expertly eviscerated chicken, smoothly sectioned a cream pie, and deftly divided peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's a joy to hold and use - someone, quick, get me something to dice! The Bible is full of tools for our use. Truths we can leverage our life against. Truths about: raising children- Ephesians 6:4 honoring parents - Ephesians 6:2 dealing with arguments- Proverbs 15:1 fear- Psalm 56:3 protection - Psalm 28:7 prayer-Psalm 116:1 necessity- Philippians 4:19 peace - Isaiah 26:3,4 God's presence - Hebrews 13:5 and on and on the list goes- this tool box is overflowing! A while ago when it seemed everything was out of my control I reached in and grabbed the tool of "God is in control", a truth that actually came wit...

I was awakened by a pre-dawn phone call (which are never good) to find out that a friend's mother had died. I lay there praying for them and then for other friends who are... -selling a home and moving - trying to sell a home having already moved elsewhere - are unemployed with few prospects - have broken relationships - struggles in the workplace - one with a mother in intensive cancer treatments and custody battles for her grandson - are waiting for biopsy results on a newly discovered brain tumor And each one of these are "big" things that encompass much more emotion and angst than a single sentence description. This is not the world; this does not take into account the starving children in 3rd world countries or war in the middle east. These are just the trials of friends closest to me and collectively they're overwhelming. They are tsunamis that come in unannounced. They sweep you off your feet and wash you far into the depths and then come in and destroy the str...

You have a list of errands and a block of time... A checkbook balance and a stack of bills... A quart of milk and numerous bowls of breakfast cereal... The question is always will there be enough? Will I have enough time to do all that needs to be done, enough money to take care of all the expenses, and enough milk so no one is eating dry cereal? While the money is worrisome, the errands stressful, and the lack of milk just a bother there are other things in our lives that it's critical we have enough of - love, patience, endurance, joy, faith. Will I have enough to get through what I'm facing? And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need , you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 This is not some power of positive thinking platitude; this is assurance. This is gallons of milk, millions of dollars, and weeks of time compared to what we need. Grace in abundance, abounding to us so that in all th...