I am thankful that our country takes one day a year to focus on the endless blessings that abound here. I have been so encouraged to see nearly every Facebook status reflect a thankful heart this morning. All too often we (myself included) get so caught up in the craziness of life that we bypass all we have to be thankful for.
This year, I am thankful for a deeper relationship with my Jesus. He has pursued me and taken me to new places, and I know that I've only tasted the blessings He has prepared for those who love Him.
I am thankful for my precious Toby. Twelve years ago yesterday, November 24, Toby asked me to his house to play pool. We were juniors in high school and I was beside myself with excitement. The last twelve years have been a blast. We have grown up together and learned about life together. I have watched our jealous God turn an all-American teenage boy into a man after His own heart. It's been an incredible ride.
I am thankful for my beautiful Haley. After joining the mommy world, I learned just how many things can go wrong during pregnancy. The fact that Haley developed perfectly through pregnancy and has never been sick, to speak of, is something I will always treasure. She is growing and learning every day and each day she steals a little more of my heart...and to think, I didn't know there was more of me to give.
I am thankful for an abundance of family that loves us dearly. As an adult I have met others with family strains and distance. This thought is heart breaking. I am thankful that every branch of our family is peaceable...at least in corporate gatherings. :) Throughout the year and especially during the holidays, doors are always open and loved ones are only a phone call away. Although we are spread around the south and we don't see our family as often as we'd like, I will always be thankful for our loved ones.
I am thankful for the many friends God has put in our lives. In our six years of marriage, God has blessed us with friends who love us and love Him, friends who have challenged us to become better people and have encouraged us in our walk with Him. While our days in our new Mobile home have been fairly lonely, we have faith that He will again provide a new group of great friends.
I am thankful for our country. I will never understand the great sacrifice that so many families have made in order to make and keep our country the great place that it is. The wealth and financial bounty that floods this country is abundant. I am thankful for having everything I could possibly need. Never do I worry where my next meal will come from or whether or not I will be able to take a hot shower or turn on the lights...all things that are expected here, but great luxuries in many parts of our world.
I am thankful for all of you. While this is not something I would have ever started on my own (Jesus told me to do this) this blog has been a fun journey so far. I have been so blessed and encouraged to hear how our stories have touched you. This blog has seen hits from nearly every continent and I am constantly blown away that God is using our struggles and our triumphs for good in this world. Please feel free to share our stories and I always love to hear yours.
Let us make a daily habit of taking stock of the blessings that surround us and never take a single one for granted. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Monumental cooking
Many months ago the mentor moms at my MOPS group introduced me to "once a month cooking." The idea is to get 3 or 4 friends together, purchase ingredients in bulk, and work together to prepare and freeze 30 meals for each of you. You could do it on your own, but it's much more fun together. This weekend I have gathered with some girlfriends from college and we have decided to give this project a go. We didn't quite make it to 30 meals, but we did tackle eleven. After one day of mega shopping and nearly three days of cooking, the four of us each have at least eleven meals to take home. Our delectable treats include beef taco bake, chicken casserole, vegetable soup, lasagna, sundried tomato chicken pasta, homemade spaghetti sauce, sausage balls, pizza dough, meatloaf, squash casserole, and spaghetti pie. After doing the math, this project cost each of us $68, and breaks down to about $6 per meal. For our small families, each "meal" will feed us for dinner and even offer up a leftover meal or two.
I feel like the ultimate hunter gatherer for my family! My freezer will be full and I will be prepared to whip out a full meal with virtually no preparation...well, at least eleven times.
a freezer full of yummy meals
I have to say that I think our first go round at massive cooking went pretty well, but we have learned a few tricks that will make things a little smoother next time...we need a deeper dish for the lasagna, stacking the lasagna pans before they're frozen will likely lead to leakage, print extra and more extra labels, and the host freezer needs to be cleaned out and space maximized before the big weekend. Other than that, it was a great success and we will be doing it again.
In addition to endless hours of cooking, I have enjoyed painting my toenails, cheering on the Auburn Tigers, watching chick flicks and sleeping late, thanks to my mom enjoying Haley for the weekend. All in all, it's been a great few days away from reality and responsibilities and catching up with old friends...now I'm ready to head home refreshed and ready for the holidays!
I feel like the ultimate hunter gatherer for my family! My freezer will be full and I will be prepared to whip out a full meal with virtually no preparation...well, at least eleven times.
a freezer full of yummy mealsI have to say that I think our first go round at massive cooking went pretty well, but we have learned a few tricks that will make things a little smoother next time...we need a deeper dish for the lasagna, stacking the lasagna pans before they're frozen will likely lead to leakage, print extra and more extra labels, and the host freezer needs to be cleaned out and space maximized before the big weekend. Other than that, it was a great success and we will be doing it again.
In addition to endless hours of cooking, I have enjoyed painting my toenails, cheering on the Auburn Tigers, watching chick flicks and sleeping late, thanks to my mom enjoying Haley for the weekend. All in all, it's been a great few days away from reality and responsibilities and catching up with old friends...now I'm ready to head home refreshed and ready for the holidays!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A belly laugh is good for the soul
I was raised in a traditional, conservative church, and as such the worship was generally "reserved," for lack of a better word. In this season of our lives Toby and I have branched out a little to see what else is out there. Our church in Tennessee that we loved so much, strived to embrace a balance between traditional churches and charismatic ones, and this was really our first taste to anything outside of the conservative world (minus the TV preachers, but that's a whole 'nother post).
Having visited many types of churches lately, watching and listening to church services online, and attending different retreats and seminars, I've run across a common idea in many of them...laughter. Some may call this "holy laughter" or "drunk in the Spirit" but this whole idea was new to me...but turning up constantly. I had someone tell me recently that "it's not Biblical" and quickly dismissed the whole idea. Well, having seen this on numerous occasions and even experienced a taste of it myself, I was troubled. Maybe it is in the Bible or maybe it's not. I recognize that my understanding of theology is limited, and that I have entrusted myself to others that are close to me, but now I needed to know for myself...so I started digging and here's what I found...
In his book, Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem (1) suggests that when the Holy Spirit "falls" or manifests His presence, He brings with Him the attributes of God. Well, this makes sense...seeing as how He is God and all. I don't think any Bible reading Christian would argue that the Holy Spirit often brings knowledge and wisdom with Him. It is a common teaching in the church to ask the Holy Spirit for these things as we read the Bible and He will bring forth revelations, understanding and personal application as we study. So are we still good? Good. Another common attribute the Holy Spirit carries is love. I could tell you countless stories, both my own and those of others, where the Holy Spirit has come and taken me on a love affair with Jesus. God has revealed personal, private messages of love intended only for me. God is love (1 John 4:8) and seeing that the Holy Spirit is God, of course love will ooze from His presence. Let me point to the ultimate reference to make my point here...
"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."
Acts 13:52
"...for the kingdom of Heaven is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Romans 14:17
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23
"You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit."
1 Thessalonians 1:6
This word "joy" is khar-ah in Greek and means cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness, greatly and exceedingly joyful. Now, I don't know about you, but I would logically classify laughter under exceedingly joyful. So the next time you're lost in the presence of the Lord and you feel a smile come across your face...go with it! While I've never had a moment of belly laughter and rolling on the floor, someday I do hope to reach that level of exceedingly great joy in the presence of my Lord.
The more I study His Word and the more time I spend with Him, I'm learning that God speaks my language and knows how to communicate with me. He knows when I'm in a goofy mood and when I just need to be comforted. "There is a time to weep and a time to laugh" (Ecc 3:4). While He certainly deserves our reverence and honor, that doesn't mean we have to be stoic in His presence. He made me just like He wanted me to be...goofy parts and all!
I, by no means, claim to have all the answers...in fact I can barely grasp a few. I'm simply on a journey to discovering who this God is and why He loves me so much. I'm excited to share my discoveries with you and I hope you'll do the same. While we're on that note, one other thing that has been heavy on my heart this week is the importance of experiencing Him. While it is crucial to our Christian maturity to read and study the Bible, I believe equally as important is experiencing and interacting with our Holy God on a regular basis. I could read every book and magazine in print about George W. Bush, but if I have never met the man, never shared a conversation with him...I could hardly call him my friend. I would only be a student from a distance. God wants me to be his intimate friend (James 2:23), but to do that I have to come to Him. Talk to Him. Share my thoughts, my fears, my questions, my hopes and my disappointments. He will listen and He will talk back. He will give me words of encouragement, words of correction, words of wisdom and guidance, and the ability to accomplish His high calling on my life. We all have a high calling, you know...something great that only you can do to bring His glory to this earth. So don't miss the opportunity to chat with the most High God. He has lots to say to you...just to you. It may come through a friend, a sermon, a song, or His Word, but often times it will come from the throne of Heaven straight to your heart if you're listening. May we all stay hungry for more, open to a new level of intimacy with our Lord, and humble in recognizing there is still so much more to learn.
(1) Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem, pg 644.
Having visited many types of churches lately, watching and listening to church services online, and attending different retreats and seminars, I've run across a common idea in many of them...laughter. Some may call this "holy laughter" or "drunk in the Spirit" but this whole idea was new to me...but turning up constantly. I had someone tell me recently that "it's not Biblical" and quickly dismissed the whole idea. Well, having seen this on numerous occasions and even experienced a taste of it myself, I was troubled. Maybe it is in the Bible or maybe it's not. I recognize that my understanding of theology is limited, and that I have entrusted myself to others that are close to me, but now I needed to know for myself...so I started digging and here's what I found...
In his book, Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem (1) suggests that when the Holy Spirit "falls" or manifests His presence, He brings with Him the attributes of God. Well, this makes sense...seeing as how He is God and all. I don't think any Bible reading Christian would argue that the Holy Spirit often brings knowledge and wisdom with Him. It is a common teaching in the church to ask the Holy Spirit for these things as we read the Bible and He will bring forth revelations, understanding and personal application as we study. So are we still good? Good. Another common attribute the Holy Spirit carries is love. I could tell you countless stories, both my own and those of others, where the Holy Spirit has come and taken me on a love affair with Jesus. God has revealed personal, private messages of love intended only for me. God is love (1 John 4:8) and seeing that the Holy Spirit is God, of course love will ooze from His presence. Let me point to the ultimate reference to make my point here...
"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."
Acts 13:52
"...for the kingdom of Heaven is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Romans 14:17
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23
"You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit."
1 Thessalonians 1:6
This word "joy" is khar-ah in Greek and means cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness, greatly and exceedingly joyful. Now, I don't know about you, but I would logically classify laughter under exceedingly joyful. So the next time you're lost in the presence of the Lord and you feel a smile come across your face...go with it! While I've never had a moment of belly laughter and rolling on the floor, someday I do hope to reach that level of exceedingly great joy in the presence of my Lord.
The more I study His Word and the more time I spend with Him, I'm learning that God speaks my language and knows how to communicate with me. He knows when I'm in a goofy mood and when I just need to be comforted. "There is a time to weep and a time to laugh" (Ecc 3:4). While He certainly deserves our reverence and honor, that doesn't mean we have to be stoic in His presence. He made me just like He wanted me to be...goofy parts and all!
I, by no means, claim to have all the answers...in fact I can barely grasp a few. I'm simply on a journey to discovering who this God is and why He loves me so much. I'm excited to share my discoveries with you and I hope you'll do the same. While we're on that note, one other thing that has been heavy on my heart this week is the importance of experiencing Him. While it is crucial to our Christian maturity to read and study the Bible, I believe equally as important is experiencing and interacting with our Holy God on a regular basis. I could read every book and magazine in print about George W. Bush, but if I have never met the man, never shared a conversation with him...I could hardly call him my friend. I would only be a student from a distance. God wants me to be his intimate friend (James 2:23), but to do that I have to come to Him. Talk to Him. Share my thoughts, my fears, my questions, my hopes and my disappointments. He will listen and He will talk back. He will give me words of encouragement, words of correction, words of wisdom and guidance, and the ability to accomplish His high calling on my life. We all have a high calling, you know...something great that only you can do to bring His glory to this earth. So don't miss the opportunity to chat with the most High God. He has lots to say to you...just to you. It may come through a friend, a sermon, a song, or His Word, but often times it will come from the throne of Heaven straight to your heart if you're listening. May we all stay hungry for more, open to a new level of intimacy with our Lord, and humble in recognizing there is still so much more to learn.
(1) Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem, pg 644.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Moses is a weenie (Deuteronomy)
I few weeks ago I mentioned that I have felt a huge call to study the Word and really dig in. I also informed you that you are now serving as my accountability, and I'm finally ready to share with you what I've learned from Deuteronomy. I know that "Deut" (Do you mind if I call you Deut for short? Great.) is an obscure book to randomly start with, but I suppose to should preface this with the fact that I started studying Genesis with my precious Boothmakers (aka ladies bible study) last August. We progressed through the Pentateuch and were wrapping up Numbers when I left Tennessee almost three months ago. Yes, that means it's taken me roughly three months to get through Deut on my own. But hey, it took us Boothmakers over a year to get through the first four books, so maybe I'm right on track? Either way, here we go...
A fair part of Deut is Moses' recap the last 40 years (aka what seems like aimless wandering) from his perspective. Some of it turns out to be quite humorous, like when God and Moses are referring to "your people", "no, they're your people" (9:12) when recounting all of the crazy misadventures they had endured. Deuteronomy was written at the conclusion of the wanderings, not long before Moses' death, and in preparation of entering the Promised Land.
God had been talking to the nation of Israel about this Promised Land for centuries...all the way back to Abraham, before there even was a nation of Israel. Now, after centuries of hearing about this land, the time had finally come to take it. One thing I've learned from reading so far is that we humans are not much different, whether we live in the 21st century or a thousand years before Christ...we're all pretty much the same. That being said, repetition is key! Moses goes on and on for 34 chapters and basically repeats himself about 15 times. Being the "simple" person that I am, if somebody repeats himself 15 times, I'm guessing he means business, so let's see what he was going on and on about...shall we?
Confidence to be Obedient
"The land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them." (1:8)
Moses references the Abrahamic covenant at least 24 times...perhaps to remind them that taking the Promised Land was not some hair-brained idea that somebody cooked up. This had been God's promise for generations and He WOULD make good on it. (7:9)
"The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf." (1:30)
Moses notes this 7 times...It is His battle to fight, not mine...regardless of how big the people look or how strong the walls appear. I just have to sit back, let Him plan it out, and move when He says move.
"For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing." (2:7)
Moses also reminds them that their clothing and shoes did not wear out, even after 40 years of hiking (8:4 & 29:5) and they were continually provided with food throughout the years (8:16). At no point over the last 40 years did God leave the Israelites or fail to provide what they needed. Now, He may not have provided their needs in the extravagant way they were accustomed to in Egypt, but their needs were met none the less.
Moses knew that entering the Promised Land and kicking out the seven nations currently living there would be no little task and that the whiny Israelites would easily become afraid. He knew they would need this boost of confidence as they were charged with leaving a monumental footprint on their nation's history.
So what's the promise we're after anyway?
In addition to the land itself, "that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess" (5:33b) and "The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow." (28:12)
Ok, sounds good...How do we get it?
First, you must "possess the land"! (1:8) I'm not sure how much more clearer Moses could have been on this one. In 34 chapters, Moses tells the nation of Israel to "possess the land" at least 33 times! Obviously, the first step in this is to drive out the existing nations and move in, but there's more to it than that..."possess" or yarash in Hebrew means to occupy, be driving out previous tenants and possessing in their place, by implication to seize, to rob, to inherit, also to expel, to impoverish, to ruin-cast out, consume, destroy, disinherit, depossess, drive out, enjoy. God did not intend for the Israelites to simply gain political control of the land and live side by side with the Canaanites...He wanted them out! Gone! And all their messed up idol worship and perversions with them. Perhaps this is one of the reasons they hung out in isolation in the wilderness for so long. Knowing they were coming from an idolatrous nation and heading into another, God needed time to clear their heads of all the nonsense and focus them on Him and His higher ways. This "possess" is not passive and it's not easy. It's active and it goes on the offensive to take back what Satan has stolen and perverted. It's high time we get off our tushes and out of our safe church buildings and start taking back what belongs to our Lord! This includes our neighborhoods, our schools, our TV shows and holidays...including Halloween. I don't know about you, but I refuse to let Satan have even one day a year to parade His nonsense around. I will not hide away in my house, I will not let him steal October 31 any more and I will not let him diminish our celebration of the fall season!
Second, you must remember where God has brought you from and what distractions are waiting for you ahead. Moses tells the Israelites to "remember" or "be careful" at least 16 times. He wanted them to establish a habit of remembering the mess God brought them from, in this case oppressive slavery in Egypt. In my case, ho-hum legalistic, box-checking religion, void of His supernatural presence. He also constantly reminds them that in the coming years they will be faced with seemingly appealing idol worship by the foreigners, but to remember the things God taught them in the wilderness. His ways are higher and better than any other option.
Next, you must "purge evil" (13:5)...no exceptions. In the last 9 chapters, Moses tells them to "purge evil from their midst" 9 times! Again, if he's going to repeat himself that many times, he must be serious. "Purge" or ba'ar means to kindle, that is consume by fire or by eating. This is also active, on the offense, and exhaustive. We must choose to do away with evil, all evil, if we want God's best. Even a little dabble can cause us to miss some of the blessings God has for us. A few years ago I heard a mom tell me about a family rule they have...they can watch a TV show or movie until the third cuss word, then they have to turn it off. To the American culture, this seems nice and conservative, but my question is why the third word? Isn't this compromising? If God clearly tells us to think on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, and lovely (Phil 4:8), how do using His name inappropriately, demeaning others with offensive names or simply being crude fit into this commandment? I think accepting three curse words, or supporting the idea of sex before marriage or alcohol abuse (all themes that are common place in today's entertainment world) qualify as compromises and dabbling with evil. "God, let me dabble, just a little, with what You've told me to stay away from, and You can hold back some of Your blessings...deal?" NO WAY! I do not want to sacrifice anything He has for me, and certainly not for the sake of exposing myself to a few little curse words!
Next, obeying the Lord's commandments is not for the purpose of feeding the big God's ego, but it's because He wants what is best for us. "Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statues which I am commanding you today for your good." (10:12-13) Moses tells the congregation to obey the Lord's commandments at least 21 times (I'm sure I missed some). Our sophisticated society has revealed the science behind why God gave some of His commands. For example, they were not to eat or handle a dead pig (14:8). While this may seem silly and trivial, we now know that pork spoils easily and He simply did not want them getting sick...it's that easy! The reasonings behind some of God's commandments are obvious, some are not and some Satan twists to try to make them look silly. For example, God repeatedly tells us to keep sex inside marriage, our culture says it's not only 'ok' but 'normal' to use it as you please, especially if the two "love each other." God's reasoning is to prevent a long list of unnecessary issues: STDs, unexpected pregnancies, drama, shame, guilt, a loss of confidence and sense of worth, relational issues with your future spouse, and the list goes on. For those that choose to obey this command, the blessings abound: unity in your marriage, no fear of disease or pregnancy, and an opportunity to experience pure intimacy in the way God designed...there is no substitute for His original intention.
Remind me again, why so much effort?
The promises and blessings waiting for those who whole-heartedly seek Him are endless. God promised them prosperity in this new land, with their crops, their livestock, their children, and their enemies. Some additional, even more exciting blessings include God's presence, aid, and love for this generation and those to come. The greatest blessing of all is having the most awesome, powerful and jealous being in all creation, the Uncreated One, pouring His love, guidance, and favor on us. That's enough for me! (4:7, 24, 29, 35, 39, 5:33, 7:9, 21, 10:17, 11:8-17, 12:28, 28:1-2, 33:29)
As "hard" as it may seem to live up to the lofty expectations of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, it's doable for those willing to pour out the effort, "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach." (30:11) The question is, how badly do I want God and His blessings?
Don't get me wrong...I'm no "saint", and I've certainly got my record, but I refuse to let Satan continue to point fingers at my past mistakes and keep me in fear from stepping out, being obedient and receiving the blessings next time. Won't you? Go ahead and tell Satan where he can put that finger! All that past mess is covered in the blood and now is the time to start fresh...it's never too late!
The death of Moses
When we first started studying Exodus, I have to admit that I called Moses a "weenie." In the beginning when God first asked him to do some pretty big things, he came up with one sorry excuse after another. Frankly, I got a little annoyed with him. But now, at the very end of his life, once he decided to be obedient and trust God with the commands he was given, Moses was hailed as the greatest prophet that ever lived. To think, a murder and fugitive experienced some of the greatest encounters of any human that has walked this planet. He saw God face to face. Not just once or even twice, but so regularly that his life was marked by it. (34:10) The relationship with the most High he was blessed with was so extraordinary and intimate, that God himself buried Moses. It was just the two of them. Even though Moses was a hearty 120 years old, he was still a kicking old timer! He didn't die of natural causes, but because of his dabble in disobedience (Num 20). After an unbelievable 40 year journey and before bringing him home, God took Moses to Mount Nebo and gave him a tour of the Promised Land, by the artist himself. I can't imagine what an amazing reward and intimate moment this must have been. May it be said of me at the end of my days that I knew the Lord face to face. Now that's worth fighting for.
A fair part of Deut is Moses' recap the last 40 years (aka what seems like aimless wandering) from his perspective. Some of it turns out to be quite humorous, like when God and Moses are referring to "your people", "no, they're your people" (9:12) when recounting all of the crazy misadventures they had endured. Deuteronomy was written at the conclusion of the wanderings, not long before Moses' death, and in preparation of entering the Promised Land.
God had been talking to the nation of Israel about this Promised Land for centuries...all the way back to Abraham, before there even was a nation of Israel. Now, after centuries of hearing about this land, the time had finally come to take it. One thing I've learned from reading so far is that we humans are not much different, whether we live in the 21st century or a thousand years before Christ...we're all pretty much the same. That being said, repetition is key! Moses goes on and on for 34 chapters and basically repeats himself about 15 times. Being the "simple" person that I am, if somebody repeats himself 15 times, I'm guessing he means business, so let's see what he was going on and on about...shall we?
Confidence to be Obedient
"The land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them." (1:8)
Moses references the Abrahamic covenant at least 24 times...perhaps to remind them that taking the Promised Land was not some hair-brained idea that somebody cooked up. This had been God's promise for generations and He WOULD make good on it. (7:9)
"The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf." (1:30)
Moses notes this 7 times...It is His battle to fight, not mine...regardless of how big the people look or how strong the walls appear. I just have to sit back, let Him plan it out, and move when He says move.
"For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing." (2:7)
Moses also reminds them that their clothing and shoes did not wear out, even after 40 years of hiking (8:4 & 29:5) and they were continually provided with food throughout the years (8:16). At no point over the last 40 years did God leave the Israelites or fail to provide what they needed. Now, He may not have provided their needs in the extravagant way they were accustomed to in Egypt, but their needs were met none the less.
Moses knew that entering the Promised Land and kicking out the seven nations currently living there would be no little task and that the whiny Israelites would easily become afraid. He knew they would need this boost of confidence as they were charged with leaving a monumental footprint on their nation's history.
So what's the promise we're after anyway?
In addition to the land itself, "that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess" (5:33b) and "The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow." (28:12)
Ok, sounds good...How do we get it?
First, you must "possess the land"! (1:8) I'm not sure how much more clearer Moses could have been on this one. In 34 chapters, Moses tells the nation of Israel to "possess the land" at least 33 times! Obviously, the first step in this is to drive out the existing nations and move in, but there's more to it than that..."possess" or yarash in Hebrew means to occupy, be driving out previous tenants and possessing in their place, by implication to seize, to rob, to inherit, also to expel, to impoverish, to ruin-cast out, consume, destroy, disinherit, depossess, drive out, enjoy. God did not intend for the Israelites to simply gain political control of the land and live side by side with the Canaanites...He wanted them out! Gone! And all their messed up idol worship and perversions with them. Perhaps this is one of the reasons they hung out in isolation in the wilderness for so long. Knowing they were coming from an idolatrous nation and heading into another, God needed time to clear their heads of all the nonsense and focus them on Him and His higher ways. This "possess" is not passive and it's not easy. It's active and it goes on the offensive to take back what Satan has stolen and perverted. It's high time we get off our tushes and out of our safe church buildings and start taking back what belongs to our Lord! This includes our neighborhoods, our schools, our TV shows and holidays...including Halloween. I don't know about you, but I refuse to let Satan have even one day a year to parade His nonsense around. I will not hide away in my house, I will not let him steal October 31 any more and I will not let him diminish our celebration of the fall season!
Second, you must remember where God has brought you from and what distractions are waiting for you ahead. Moses tells the Israelites to "remember" or "be careful" at least 16 times. He wanted them to establish a habit of remembering the mess God brought them from, in this case oppressive slavery in Egypt. In my case, ho-hum legalistic, box-checking religion, void of His supernatural presence. He also constantly reminds them that in the coming years they will be faced with seemingly appealing idol worship by the foreigners, but to remember the things God taught them in the wilderness. His ways are higher and better than any other option.
Next, you must "purge evil" (13:5)...no exceptions. In the last 9 chapters, Moses tells them to "purge evil from their midst" 9 times! Again, if he's going to repeat himself that many times, he must be serious. "Purge" or ba'ar means to kindle, that is consume by fire or by eating. This is also active, on the offense, and exhaustive. We must choose to do away with evil, all evil, if we want God's best. Even a little dabble can cause us to miss some of the blessings God has for us. A few years ago I heard a mom tell me about a family rule they have...they can watch a TV show or movie until the third cuss word, then they have to turn it off. To the American culture, this seems nice and conservative, but my question is why the third word? Isn't this compromising? If God clearly tells us to think on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, and lovely (Phil 4:8), how do using His name inappropriately, demeaning others with offensive names or simply being crude fit into this commandment? I think accepting three curse words, or supporting the idea of sex before marriage or alcohol abuse (all themes that are common place in today's entertainment world) qualify as compromises and dabbling with evil. "God, let me dabble, just a little, with what You've told me to stay away from, and You can hold back some of Your blessings...deal?" NO WAY! I do not want to sacrifice anything He has for me, and certainly not for the sake of exposing myself to a few little curse words!
Next, obeying the Lord's commandments is not for the purpose of feeding the big God's ego, but it's because He wants what is best for us. "Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statues which I am commanding you today for your good." (10:12-13) Moses tells the congregation to obey the Lord's commandments at least 21 times (I'm sure I missed some). Our sophisticated society has revealed the science behind why God gave some of His commands. For example, they were not to eat or handle a dead pig (14:8). While this may seem silly and trivial, we now know that pork spoils easily and He simply did not want them getting sick...it's that easy! The reasonings behind some of God's commandments are obvious, some are not and some Satan twists to try to make them look silly. For example, God repeatedly tells us to keep sex inside marriage, our culture says it's not only 'ok' but 'normal' to use it as you please, especially if the two "love each other." God's reasoning is to prevent a long list of unnecessary issues: STDs, unexpected pregnancies, drama, shame, guilt, a loss of confidence and sense of worth, relational issues with your future spouse, and the list goes on. For those that choose to obey this command, the blessings abound: unity in your marriage, no fear of disease or pregnancy, and an opportunity to experience pure intimacy in the way God designed...there is no substitute for His original intention.
Remind me again, why so much effort?
The promises and blessings waiting for those who whole-heartedly seek Him are endless. God promised them prosperity in this new land, with their crops, their livestock, their children, and their enemies. Some additional, even more exciting blessings include God's presence, aid, and love for this generation and those to come. The greatest blessing of all is having the most awesome, powerful and jealous being in all creation, the Uncreated One, pouring His love, guidance, and favor on us. That's enough for me! (4:7, 24, 29, 35, 39, 5:33, 7:9, 21, 10:17, 11:8-17, 12:28, 28:1-2, 33:29)
As "hard" as it may seem to live up to the lofty expectations of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, it's doable for those willing to pour out the effort, "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach." (30:11) The question is, how badly do I want God and His blessings?
Don't get me wrong...I'm no "saint", and I've certainly got my record, but I refuse to let Satan continue to point fingers at my past mistakes and keep me in fear from stepping out, being obedient and receiving the blessings next time. Won't you? Go ahead and tell Satan where he can put that finger! All that past mess is covered in the blood and now is the time to start fresh...it's never too late!
The death of Moses
When we first started studying Exodus, I have to admit that I called Moses a "weenie." In the beginning when God first asked him to do some pretty big things, he came up with one sorry excuse after another. Frankly, I got a little annoyed with him. But now, at the very end of his life, once he decided to be obedient and trust God with the commands he was given, Moses was hailed as the greatest prophet that ever lived. To think, a murder and fugitive experienced some of the greatest encounters of any human that has walked this planet. He saw God face to face. Not just once or even twice, but so regularly that his life was marked by it. (34:10) The relationship with the most High he was blessed with was so extraordinary and intimate, that God himself buried Moses. It was just the two of them. Even though Moses was a hearty 120 years old, he was still a kicking old timer! He didn't die of natural causes, but because of his dabble in disobedience (Num 20). After an unbelievable 40 year journey and before bringing him home, God took Moses to Mount Nebo and gave him a tour of the Promised Land, by the artist himself. I can't imagine what an amazing reward and intimate moment this must have been. May it be said of me at the end of my days that I knew the Lord face to face. Now that's worth fighting for.
Pancake breakfast
A rainy day was upon us, so Haley and I planned to spend it at home catching up on laundry, cleaning and paying bills. Ok, so Haley has mostly played with her little kitchen and watched Woody and Buzz, while I have worked today. The point is, I wasn't in the mood for the same old breakfast.
My mom makes the greatest pancakes on the planet and she always makes them for me when I'm in town. See...she cooks from the heart too, so I know I come by it naturally. She laughs at me when I praise her pancakes and insists it's just baking mix, milk and eggs..."It's so easy. You could do this." Well, for whatever reason, I am incapable of duplicating her pancakes, so I've quit trying. They're either too runny, too thick, they burn easily or don't cook evenly. When we're at home we do waffles and I let the world's greatest pancakes be a special treat. Anyway, this morning I decided to go at it from another angle and searched for a quick pancake recipe and whipped up a batch. Oh my, they were so yummy! I think it was the vanilla in the batter, but the list of ingredients way complicates them compared to mom's, but they were so good!
The recipe had a great tip that I will be utilizing in the near future...mix up the dry ingredients in advance and put it in a zip top bag so it's ready to go when you are. Kind of like buying those pre-made pancake mixes at the grocery store, only without the high price tag or preservatives. Since I wasn't sure of the yield, I went ahead and made the full recipe which gave me 13 beautiful pancakes. Obviously, Haley and I didn't put away 13 pancakes at breakfast, so I froze the leftovers and will pull them out a few at a time over the next few days. Again, kick the breakfast freezer isle to the curb.
Click here for the recipe. I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour because the batter was a little runny for my taste. Just to warn you, they're not as great as mom's, but they're a close enough second. Enjoy! (And just for the record, I think my picture looks way more yummy than theirs...I'm just sayin'.)
My mom makes the greatest pancakes on the planet and she always makes them for me when I'm in town. See...she cooks from the heart too, so I know I come by it naturally. She laughs at me when I praise her pancakes and insists it's just baking mix, milk and eggs..."It's so easy. You could do this." Well, for whatever reason, I am incapable of duplicating her pancakes, so I've quit trying. They're either too runny, too thick, they burn easily or don't cook evenly. When we're at home we do waffles and I let the world's greatest pancakes be a special treat. Anyway, this morning I decided to go at it from another angle and searched for a quick pancake recipe and whipped up a batch. Oh my, they were so yummy! I think it was the vanilla in the batter, but the list of ingredients way complicates them compared to mom's, but they were so good!
The recipe had a great tip that I will be utilizing in the near future...mix up the dry ingredients in advance and put it in a zip top bag so it's ready to go when you are. Kind of like buying those pre-made pancake mixes at the grocery store, only without the high price tag or preservatives. Since I wasn't sure of the yield, I went ahead and made the full recipe which gave me 13 beautiful pancakes. Obviously, Haley and I didn't put away 13 pancakes at breakfast, so I froze the leftovers and will pull them out a few at a time over the next few days. Again, kick the breakfast freezer isle to the curb.Click here for the recipe. I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour because the batter was a little runny for my taste. Just to warn you, they're not as great as mom's, but they're a close enough second. Enjoy! (And just for the record, I think my picture looks way more yummy than theirs...I'm just sayin'.)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Home Sweet Home
We followed Jesus' lead and moved to Mobile, Alabama 2 1/2 months ago, knowing there would be tons of adjustments ahead. One of the biggest was our home. We had a house waiting for us (cool story, click here and here to read about it), so we were grateful to skip over the house hunting headache. The problem was that our new house is about half the size of our house in Tennessee. Like most red-blooded Americans we started our marriage with the biggest house we could afford and subsequently upgraded with the next one. And what good is that big, pretty house without lots of nice things to fill it? I am almost ashamed to say that I was dreading leaving my beautiful, 2-story, 5 year old house for one that was half the size, six times the age and severely lacking many of the conveniences...snobby, I know.
In the last few weeks, God has helped me to understand that "home is where the heart is". Before this experience, I would have told you this wise Cracker Barrel saying was true, but now that I've lived through it, I can honestly say that it's not the size of the house or it's fancy furnishing that make it home...it's the love that is shared within the walls. Soon after our move here, God told us to "possess the land" and so "possess" we have done. In fact, this small, old house strangely feels more like home than any other place we've lived. I guess it's the extra effort we have put into making this house really become ours. Our previous two houses were beige...beige carpet, beige walls, beige furniture...blah. Truth be told, I hated it. But we were too concerned with resale value to actually make our house like we wanted it. This house has been different...we've painted the kitchen, Haley's room and the hall bathroom (and they're all different colors, mind you) and we've screened in the back porch so we can enjoy the outdoors all year. But even with all of these cosmetic changes, it's been the life we've lived in the last few weeks that has transformed this house into our home.
One day last week I grew a wild hair and made homemade cinnamon rolls and orange rolls. And when I say, "homemade" I'm talking flour, yeast, the whole nine yards! I love to bake, but this was my first time baking on this level, unsupervised and all by myself. I wish I could show you a picture, but my orange rolls were less than impressive looking, but oh how they were delicious! A little tweaking to account for this ridiculous Mobile humidity and I think they'll be perfect. A big thank you to the Pioneer Woman for the recipe! (recipes: cinnamon rolls / orange rolls) From this point forward when we make these rolls for guests or the holidays, they will always be tied to this sweet house.
Today, a new friend came over to make laundry detergent with me. Now, I realize that saying this out loud makes me sound like a 1950s housewife, but this is one of my favorite money saving tips! With about $4 and 30 minutes of effort, you can have a year's worth of laundry detergent stashed away. I first made this recipe last year on Halloween weekend, having been inspired by a super creative Tennessee friend, and am just now making another batch today. This is crazy easy and I hope you'll get a chance to check it out. My friend today even said she has one of those new fancy HE washing machines and her research has said this detergent will work fine with it! Please let me know if you discover differently. Thanks to the Duggars for this recipe, by far my favorite TV family. (recipe: laundry detergent)
As great as these things have been, they are still topped by the surprise my Jesus had waiting for me in the front yard last week. I pulled up in the driveway to see flowers blooming in my...ahem...flower bed. Our poor flower bed has been all but neglected over the last three years. While we were in Tennessee, a great friend kept up with the lawn and last fall gave the flower bed a face lift, but it hasn't received much attention since then. Among all of the weeds was a group of beautiful, purply-pink flowers...I wish I knew enough about flowers to tell you what kind, but my Jesus knew how much I would love them and I have really enjoyed having this little bloom in my front yard!
For those of you keeping up with Toby's schooling (aka, the reason we returned to Mobile), he got an A in his first class and his second class starts this week. This new class is "Christian Worldview" and is an undergraduate class required by all university students. My understanding is that it teaches the students to approach their professions through a "God-filter." I think I'm just about as excited as Toby. His books for this class are Think like Jesus by George Barna, How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin Schmidt, Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis and God at Work by Gene Veith. Our prayer for the coming weeks is for Toby's reading. He's not the biggest fan of reading, so tackling four books in six weeks will be a challenge! Hopefully he will only be required to hit the highlights in each one...we'll see. Thank you for your continued support and prayers in this journey. It's been an awesome ride so far...
In the last few weeks, God has helped me to understand that "home is where the heart is". Before this experience, I would have told you this wise Cracker Barrel saying was true, but now that I've lived through it, I can honestly say that it's not the size of the house or it's fancy furnishing that make it home...it's the love that is shared within the walls. Soon after our move here, God told us to "possess the land" and so "possess" we have done. In fact, this small, old house strangely feels more like home than any other place we've lived. I guess it's the extra effort we have put into making this house really become ours. Our previous two houses were beige...beige carpet, beige walls, beige furniture...blah. Truth be told, I hated it. But we were too concerned with resale value to actually make our house like we wanted it. This house has been different...we've painted the kitchen, Haley's room and the hall bathroom (and they're all different colors, mind you) and we've screened in the back porch so we can enjoy the outdoors all year. But even with all of these cosmetic changes, it's been the life we've lived in the last few weeks that has transformed this house into our home.
One day last week I grew a wild hair and made homemade cinnamon rolls and orange rolls. And when I say, "homemade" I'm talking flour, yeast, the whole nine yards! I love to bake, but this was my first time baking on this level, unsupervised and all by myself. I wish I could show you a picture, but my orange rolls were less than impressive looking, but oh how they were delicious! A little tweaking to account for this ridiculous Mobile humidity and I think they'll be perfect. A big thank you to the Pioneer Woman for the recipe! (recipes: cinnamon rolls / orange rolls) From this point forward when we make these rolls for guests or the holidays, they will always be tied to this sweet house.
Today, a new friend came over to make laundry detergent with me. Now, I realize that saying this out loud makes me sound like a 1950s housewife, but this is one of my favorite money saving tips! With about $4 and 30 minutes of effort, you can have a year's worth of laundry detergent stashed away. I first made this recipe last year on Halloween weekend, having been inspired by a super creative Tennessee friend, and am just now making another batch today. This is crazy easy and I hope you'll get a chance to check it out. My friend today even said she has one of those new fancy HE washing machines and her research has said this detergent will work fine with it! Please let me know if you discover differently. Thanks to the Duggars for this recipe, by far my favorite TV family. (recipe: laundry detergent)
As great as these things have been, they are still topped by the surprise my Jesus had waiting for me in the front yard last week. I pulled up in the driveway to see flowers blooming in my...ahem...flower bed. Our poor flower bed has been all but neglected over the last three years. While we were in Tennessee, a great friend kept up with the lawn and last fall gave the flower bed a face lift, but it hasn't received much attention since then. Among all of the weeds was a group of beautiful, purply-pink flowers...I wish I knew enough about flowers to tell you what kind, but my Jesus knew how much I would love them and I have really enjoyed having this little bloom in my front yard!
For those of you keeping up with Toby's schooling (aka, the reason we returned to Mobile), he got an A in his first class and his second class starts this week. This new class is "Christian Worldview" and is an undergraduate class required by all university students. My understanding is that it teaches the students to approach their professions through a "God-filter." I think I'm just about as excited as Toby. His books for this class are Think like Jesus by George Barna, How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin Schmidt, Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis and God at Work by Gene Veith. Our prayer for the coming weeks is for Toby's reading. He's not the biggest fan of reading, so tackling four books in six weeks will be a challenge! Hopefully he will only be required to hit the highlights in each one...we'll see. Thank you for your continued support and prayers in this journey. It's been an awesome ride so far...
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