Starting with the Edge Pieces...

Okay, so I'm reading in Genesis. Now wait, don't think I'm going to try reading the Bible from cover to cover. I think I would give up too soon for sure!!

Instead, I used the gift certificate I received for my birthday to buy a 365 day devotion that was totally Bible based; rather than what I usually gravitate toward. I usually like to get stuff by Max Lucado or Beth Moore or Randy Alcorn or... And, don't get me wrong, those writers are AWESOME! I just felt God reminding me that the "edge pieces" were His Word-not other popular people's opinion of His Word.

But that felt overwhelming. Why does doing the right thing the way it should be done always feel overwhelming? More on that later.

So, I persevered through the feeling of being overwhelmed and looked for a solution. And that's when I found a simple devotional book that presents scripture and then asks riveting questions.

I read the creation story. I was enjoying the whole thing until my heart stumbled upon this phrase: "God rested". I suddenly realized that I had never comprehended the idea of GOD, the ONE who knows all, created all, present now, present in the past, present in the forever future...resting. I still can't wrap my little pea-sized brain around God resting. Setting a forever example for us workaholics and do-do addicted people, He rested. What does the picture of God resting look like? I shouldn't be so surprised that I can't imagine this: it's taken me years to learn to rest. For years, I would try to rest only to find myself anxiously thinking about what I SHOULD be doing instead of resting. I felt guilty for resting.

God rests. God works and God rests. The edges are coming together....

Now, if I could just NOT feel overwhelmed about a little exercise here and there.....

Asking the wrong question...

I've been begging for an answer about something.

I want to be a good steward of how I spend the time that God has given me. Derek and I have learned the blessings of being good stewards of how we spend His money. There are BIG blessings in realizing that it's all His and we just need to be good managers.

I want to offer my best to the Lord. I want to spend what time I have the way He wants it spent, doing what He's created me to do, for the results that He has purposed.

Some say I take this too seriously and...true...that is my tendency. But today, as a New Year dawns, I'm thinking maybe we don't give this enough thought. I think many of us resolve to recreate our lives in January; but wake up and see where the day takes us the other eleven months of the year. I hear a lot of people saying things like, "I just don't know where the time's going."

So, yes, I want live "on purpose" for the Lord.

This verse in Ephesians 5: 16-17 motivates my drive for answers:

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,

making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

So, back to this morning's prayers. I prayed specifically, "Lord, show me how everything will fit. What things do I keep? What things do I say 'goodbye' to? Aspect? Finished in Five? Your gift of New Harvest has been wonderful; I know THAT'S a keeper; but what about the puny amount of the remainder of my time? How shall that be spent? Because I know you don't want me to bury it in the ground with mindless TV."

I asked in the car. I asked over coffee with dear friends. I asked while I did laundry.

But, once again, because I gave Him my time and undivided attention this morning, He could reward me with an answer. And because of how I'm wired, He answered with a picture.

I saw a picture of a 1000 piece puzzle all laid out on a table. There were a few center pieces that had been pieced together; but, otherwise, the pieces were all still scattered.

And, as I looked at the puzzle pieces, He said, "You're asking the wrong question, dear one. You need to put the edges together first before I can help you with the center."

My reply? "What are the edges?"

And He said, "The number one edge piece involves devoted time reading My Word. Second, you need to be spending time exercising to stay healthy. Next, you need to concentrate even more on the foundations of your family: your marraige. Once those 'edge pieces' are together, THEN we can talk about what should go inside."

OUCH!

I just seem to be filled with really weak excuses lately about why I'm not spending daily time reading the Bible and daily time exercising. And I'm a WRECK by the time Derek returns home from work. Just one hour per day protected for these things would do it, right? I could read for 30 minutes and walk (with Derek?) for 30 minutes. But I don't. Instead, I feel overwhelmed and over scheduled and entitled to a "break".

I think I hear Him telling me I'm taking a break from the wrong things. I'm taking a break from looking for...and connecting...my "edge pieces". After all, those are the things that will hold everything else together, right?

What are your "edge pieces"? Are you ignoring them, too? Is this why New Year's Resolutions have become so popular? And, at the same time so pathetic? Are we all trying to put together the insides of our puzzles without sorting through and attaching the edges first?

God's Perfect Provision

This morning I heard from God that there was a blog to write. I searched my heart and found some discontent in a couple of areas and wondered if I was to blog about that.

Then, I received an email from a wonderful woman and Crown Financial counselor that Derek and I had been blessed to visit. She saw our Christmas Card, saw that I had a new job, and wanted to know the juicy details.

As I was writing those juicy testimonial morsels to her in an email, I realized that the contentedness I feel in God as a Perfect Provider is the blog for today...not any dis-contentedness that might be distracting me.

Here's what I wrote to Kim:

God is so good; there must be better words to use to praise Him!

You’ll remember that when we met with you last Summer we had a gap in our budget. We had removed the "wants" focusing only on the "needs". In order to honor God, we needed more dependable income to cover our necessary expenses.

We reviewed. You offered wise counsel. We listened and we prayed.

And not even 7 days later the elementary school called out-of-the-blue to offer me a playground monitor job. You’ll also remember that I had been very honest and open about not liking other people’s children. I thought that the offer from the school was a joke or worse: temptation from the enemy to put myself in the worst possible job where I would waste away angry and bitter.

But after doing the math and knowing that this was God making the offer and not really the school, I reluctantly took the job. Remember when I told you, “Kim, you said that the Lord had something BIG for me working in ministry that pays. How could this job at the school have anything to do with that?” At the time, you laughed and agreed that this was DEFINITELY the Lord and I should say, "Yes!" and get to work.

I hated the heat. I hated the cold. But a love grew in my heart for those kids that my body didn’t even have room for. When the year was over, I thought sure I would return.

But then, summer was hard (no paycheck for a school worker). And then the economy took a turn. With the rising gas prices and food costs, the gap in our budget got larger. The job at the school was no longer going to fill that gap.

We prayed again and I began looking for work at supermarkets and banks. But no one called.

Then, New Harvest Church posted an opening for a job in Children’s Ministry. The job was 14 hours per week and didn't involve interacting with the kids directly; but instead involved providing all the necessary supplies for the small group leaders to do what they are gifted to do. It also involved maintaining the computer system that tracks attendance and provides data for the church to use...and finally it involved maintaining a team of greeters that welcomes first time families and helps them enroll and get settled into worship as their children are blessed in small group environments. WOW! It was perfect!

Now, I have to confess: If God hadn’t softened my heart on that Copper Hills playground, I NEVER have considered answering an ad for a Children’s Ministry job. I would’ve said, “Not for me! No way!!” and kept looking. I see God’s perfect hand in what’s called his Prevenient Grace in every step of this journey.

I started at New Harvest Church in August, grateful for good and challenging work.

Then, at the beginning of November, the gap in our budget enlarged again. Why I didn’t trust God completely and immediately, I don’t know. I’m an idiot! I panicked. I began thinking once again about trying to fix the gap with my human solutions. Maybe ANOTHER part-time job?

I'm grateful for a God that wastes no time in showing me that my human solutions are pathetic. No kidding…I panicked on a Monday. And on the Wednesday of that same week, a member of our staff surprisingly resigned so she could be at her son’s Sunday soccer games. I was sad, shocked and worried about who would replace her. Then, instead of replacing her, our management asked if I would consider having my job duties enlarged and my hours increased to 20 per week!!!! I still make my own schedule and I’m waiting outside each of my children’s schools when the bell rings.

God is Jehovah Jireh. He IS.

I worried that working at a church would tarnish my ability to worship God and I have found the opposite at New Harvest. My worship is richer and the integrity is inspiring me to be a better Christ follower every day.

I thank God for that night in your kitchen for your wise Godly counsel. I thank God for YOU and you storming The Throne on our family’s behalf and being SO IN TOUCH with the Lord that you spoke prophetic words into my life. What I'm working on IS BIG. The curriculum we are using and the strategy and philosophy align with Jesus’ heart more than anything I’ve ever seen and I’m excited each day to be a part of it.

I worry a little about the coming summer. How will I structure my hours and my kids' time while I work? But, silly me! I know God has provided everything before I even know to need it or ask. So, I’m DONE borrowing trouble that is not mine.

The Changing Table

Submission

Boy, I hate that word! Do you hate that word? For a woman who loves words and doesn't allow the "h" word (hate) to be used around her, that's a pretty bold statement.

The thing is, I don't really hate that word. Once again, when I really consider things, what I hate is what the world around us has done to twist that word and make it seem like a painful prison cell for married women.

Let's consider the common places and times that we hear the word SUBMIT used:

Cop show on TV: "You're going to have to submit to a polygraph test. We know you're lying!"
US Government: "You must submit your tax payment within 30 days or face a penalty"
Prospective Employer: "You must submit your application, along with 3 references..."

Now, let's look at the dictionary.com definition of submit.

Based on what I'm hearing in the world and reading in the dictionary, if I were to give you my personal impression of the day-to-day definition of submission, I would say that it's: doing something that you don't like to do at all, because you're being forced to do it. Does that definition make you want to say, "Yes! Sign me up for some of that submission stuff!"?

It should be absolutely no surprise then, that women (and especially Christian women) bristle (ooh, that's a good word!) at the thought of submission to their husbands as the Godly head of the household. But, this is what the church teaches, right?

And as women, moving either boldly or cautiously along the road of following Christ, we're trying to gain confidence to follow Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This is our goal. And then WHAM! we hear the message of submission and YOU BET! sometimes we put on the brakes.

Wouldn't you know it? One of the first studies I signed up for, after joining Tuesday morning women's Bible study, was a study on the "beauty" of submission. Except this author never got around to describing the beauty part. She was clearly a legalist. The truth about legalists is this: they enjoy rules more than they enjoy a relationship with Christ. They are all about truth; but usually short on grace. Legalists generally enjoy the feeling they get following rules and often fantasize about seeing others getting busted when they don't follow the rules.

The central verse on the submission Bible study I attended was Ephesians 5:22

"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

Here's my confession: what I was learning in this study was almost a "deal breaker" for me. It was a "God, you've got to be kidding me!" moment. This only-child of an alcoholic father, fiercely independent, survived-a-failed-marriage, learning to be a blended-family wife and now boy mom...was just NOT buying that this "wives should submit to their husbands in everything" was what God really wanted for my life. I was SURE in my heart that God did not create me to be a "doormat."

What did I do? Thankfully, instead of running away from my new faith, I prayed. I prayed another one of my "Linda being real" prayers. I think I prayed something like this, "God, I love you so much. And God...surely you're kidding me! This part of your Word is just not sitting well with me at all. Please show me what you REALLY mean or show me how in the world I'm going to REALLY do this."

And, being the Faithful Father that He is, He did!

Just a few days later, I was changing little Bryson's diaper. I had him up on the changing table and, as usual, I was wishing they had straight-jackets for babies (oh no! did I just say that out loud!) I longed for restraint of some sort because changing Bryson's diaper was ALWAYS a two-person job. One person was needed to hold him down and stop him from rolling over and getting up on his hands and knees...so the other person could do the strip, clean and replace routine. Only, moms, can I get an "Amen!" here?? There's only ONE of us!!

So, as I was trying to get through this ordeal, I was quoting my earthly father. Those of you who know me well, know that this is usually the start of a BIG problem. Quotes from Dad often contain, well, offensiveness.

In a low, drill-seargent-style voice, reminiscent of Dad, I said to Bryson, "Bryson, I'm GOING to change this diaper. And we can do this one of two ways. I've got the easy way...but if you want the hard way, I've got that, too!! Bryson, if you want to spend all afternoon fighting me on this changing table, you can! Just know that I WILL WIN! And you're wasting precious play time choosing the hard way!"

And, there it was! In that precise moment, God spoke directly into my heart. It was so loud I almost cried on the spot. He said,

"Daughter, you've just described submission as I intend it. You see, I've given you this man (Derek) to be in your life. You know in your heart that Derek is a gift from me, not some accidental choice. And, because you've given your life to me now and prayed begging Me for a changed life, YOU are on MY changing table.
My goals are the same as yours with Bryson in this moment: Strip, clean, replace. I want to strip you of your bad habits that are lies and are getting you nowhere. I want to clean you so that what flows out of you is Me. And I want to replace your sorrow with gladness. I will do this by using people I've placed around you. Some will be Christians, others will not. My primary tool will be Derek. There are good things that Derek has (that he might not even be aware are for you) that he WILL give you and do for you; but you MUST sit still and be completely open to the GIFTS that Derek has for you. You can fight Derek. You can compete with him for power. You can insult him, cutting him off at the knees with your belittling comments. You can even ignore him. But all of these choices are "the hard way". If you fight MY GIFTS that Derek carries that I created and intend JUST FOR YOU, you'll be wasting "precious play time".

So, I had to decide which I liked more: fighting, sarcasm and "games"? or precious play time? This shouldn't have been a difficult decision; except for old habits die hard.

Looking back, it has been the world (especially TV commercials) that has told me that I needed to resist. Resist being dominated! Resist being taken-advantage of! Resist conforming to silly rules!

The Truth I share with you is that I REALLY DID FIND "precious play time" in a submitted relationship to both Christ and my husband, sitting still and watching for His Gifts. And Christ and Derek are both teaching me through encouragement and love to resist. Resist loneliness and isolation! Resist the lie of power over another! Resist the world's empty, but tempting lies!

So, I encourage YOU the way I have been encouraged. Embrace the gifts that Christ has placed in people all around you. Gifts that He intends just for YOU!! Now, that's the real beauty of submission.

Breaking Away from the Father

Conversation in the car on the way to THREE schools this morning:


Blake: (Blowing his nose. A lot! He's getting over a cold. Feeling nervous to return to school after being out.)
Bryson: (Experiencing deep compassion for this brother) "Will you STOP that??!! You're giving me a headache with all that blowing!!"
Blake: "I can't help it!"
Mom: "Bryson, do you know the word 'compassion'?"
Bryson: "Yes."
Mom: "Bryson, what does the word compassion mean?"
Bryson: (Clearly the smartest 7 year old I've known) "Well, it means feeling for someone else instead of feeling for yourself"
Mom: "YES! Exactly! Wow! You do know what compassion means! Now, how might you show compassion right now for your brother?"
Bryson: "I can't! It's just too hard."
Mom: (Clearly demonstrating that sarcasm is my spiritual gift) "Bryson, how is it that you can be SUCH an only child in the midst of a big family?"

And that got me thinking...


Those of you that know me...know that I am an only child. So, when I see self-centered behavior and "call it" it's because I recognize it from pure personal experience.



In addition to having no siblings, my earthly father had some serious problems with alcohol. Ultimately, that I know of, he did not turn his life over to God before he died. This is a painful reality for me.



Watching my children respect and relate to an earthly father that has turned his life over to follow Jesus...and is not struggling with painful addictions is awesome beyond description. It's the biggest earthly gift I've received that I simply do not deserve. What grace!

After reading today's devotion from Charles Stanley for September 30, 2008. http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/in_touch/ I had a wonderful realization that I thought I'd share with you.

I did a talk recently where I shared that Values + Beliefs + Ideals + Commitment = YOUR priority. I stressed that it's difficult to live your life with honest and Godly priorities...if your values and beliefs are "jacked up". (Okay, I didn't really say, "jacked up" but our pastor uses this very fancy term sometimes on Sunday mornings and it always makes me sit up and listen more, and I thought it would just be a better attention getter than a simple word like "flawed". Which one do you like better? Flawed? or Jacked-up?)** Anyway, the idea here is the same one when I learned basic computer programming: if you put "Garbage In" you'll surely get "Garbage Out"

Now, to take this "out of the lecture and into the lab"...God combined the thought about what I had shared in my talk, with this morning's Charles Stanley devotion subject and the conversation in the car with Bryson and "BAM!"

This morning, I see clearly that, as an only child, my early value and belief was that independence was IT. It was "too hard" to be told what to do all the time, and especially by someone who made bad decisions sometimes. Add to this that my earthly father taught me that freedom was only available to those who took it by manipulation or thoughtful planning. And watching my mother submitting herself as a victim to Dad's misguided behavior made me resolve to be FULLY INDEPENDENT.

Now that I consider it more, I see that the media is also teaching us (and especially our children) and encouraging us every day to make INDEPENDENT decisions and be IN CONTROL.

And so it was, even after coming to know the Lord as the I AM, the Creator of everything and the Giver of all good things, Comforter, Healer....Who I wanted to give my life to...I still could not make Him my top priority as long as my highest values and beliefs were about being seen as SUCCESSFULLY INDEPENDENT.

Wow! So, imagine this with me: my earthly father has died. I've found hope and healing in my Heavenly Father. I'm praying "thy will be done, Lord," saying "Amen," and then opening my eyes and running off in a million frantic directions without Him. Day after day after day.

My motives were "good" according to what the world calls "good"; but now I know they were seriously flawed. (See? "jacked-up" is just better than "flawed" Oops, back to the story) I was determined to show God that He'd done a good job in teaching me some cool stuff; but He should be proud of me (like my understanding of what I wanted from my earthly father) as I break away and live a "good life" without Him.

You know what? When I'm listening to the enemy's lies, IT TRULY IS ALL ABOUT ME!! And who does God think He is, anyway, not blessing my plans and my success??? Can't He just be proud of me and then step back and watch?

Big Problem Discovered: As a teenager, breaking away from the earthly father was all I thought about. He would no longer control me. And my success, despite his control, would ultimately make him proud. It became my life's desire. And I also decided it would be how I measured success as an adult.

Did I find this success? Yes! Did I find joy? No. Ultimately, this life formula for success brought me confusion, loneliness and abandonment.

Then, God reached me. Fascinating: that I found Him everywhere I looked for Him, once I started looking.

But, after meeting Him, I unsuccessfully tried to apply my life's jacked-up "measure of success" to my relationship with Him. After fully discovering Him (in my early 30's) I thought I would get to know Him and then impress Him by how well I could apply His teaching away from Him.

Using my flawed belief system: I saw God as this Wisdom-Giver (which He Is) that I could run to when things weren't going well out there in INDEPENDENCE land. He would supply the Wisdom. I would thank Him. And then I would run off again to impress Him with my ability to apply His Wisdom well.

After reading Charles Stanley's devotional this morning, I see I'm in good company...all the way back to the beginning...Adam and Eve wanted to have what God had to give but believed the enemy's lie of INDEPENDENCE that they deserved all God's best AND self-centeredness.

So, you're telling me that the very thing I held in highest regard and valued the most: INDEPENDENCE is a lie!! Wow! That's harsh! But it sure explains a LOT of failure in my life where I was sure there should have been success.

So, now in my 40's, I'm trying to unlearn INDEPENDENCE as my highest value. And God has been gracious to show me that INTERDEPENDENCE is not where it's at either (as my college courses taught). That's another blog entirely about how depending on other humans for what you REALLY need doesn't work and just wears everyone out.

I'm living every day to decide each morning to throw away those broken values and beliefs and become hopefully, utterly and unashamedly DEPENDENT completely on our Father. And I'm experiencing the Truth that this Ultimate Father loves unendlingly, provides fully, comforts softly and restores completely.

So, now it's your turn. What are your highest values? And how are those values being played out in your life's priorities? Ask God today to reveal what's hidden (jacked-up) in the way you view Him. He WILL answer this prayer! (You might want to ask him at the same time for the courage to actually look at what's hidden, while you're at it. It might not be pretty.) And, just to reassure you, he probably won't answer your prayer in a booming voice from the sky. He'll answer it in circumstances and people around you. Be ready! Be watching!!

And join me in making each day a day where we choose NOT to believe lies so easily believed before and that we would allow God to change us that fewer and fewer lies would be retold.

So, I guess I'm no longer hoping that when I arrive in God's Perfect Presence, He'll say, "Well done, you successfully independent ladder-climber! I've been bragging about you to all the disciples. Were your ears burning?"

Instead, I want what the Bible promises. I want Him to say, as He said in Matthew 25, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share [MY] happiness!!"

**PS If you want to check out a Truth-telling Bible-believing Grace-dispensing church where the pastor actually uses the term "jacked up" to describe situations with flaws, join Derek and I as we attend New Harvest Church in Clovis, CA on Minnewawa between Herndon and Alluvial.

Building Lego Masterpieces

It occurred to me this morning that I shared Bryson's favorite thing: eating!! And more specifically, eating at Hometown Buffet, without sharing Blake's favorite thing.

So, to be fair and even, I must talk today about Legos.

Blake's newest excitement is Lego Factory. Blake wants to be a Lego designer when he grows up. So, it's awesome that Lego.com offers a download-able program called Lego Factory where kids can choose from a multitude of virtual Lego pieces to build...well...just about anything their mind can imagine. When they're done building their Lego model on screen, they can then design the packaging and purchase the thing!!

Here's a photo of Blake on the day when one of his Lego Factory sets arrived.

This got me thinking about Legos. They're so cool! You can take a pile of pieces and make whatever your mind can imagine.

Blake was showing me a 3,803 piece Lego set that provides everything needed to construct the Star Wars Death Star. He couldn't believe they actually made sets that large. He was beside himself with excitement. The set costs $399.99. I told him he better save his allowance.

But, thinking more about Legos caused me to have another of those "Aha!" moments with God.

Imagine with me 3 sets of people sitting in 3 groups in 3 different rooms. I move from room to room and hand each group of people their own separate, but identical, pile of 3,803 pieces.

But, to GROUP ONE, I give the finished-product picture of the Death Star along with the step-by-step instructions.

To GROUP TWO, I give only the picture of the finished product: The photo of the completed Lego Death Star.

To GROUP THREE, I give nothing except the pile of 3,803 pieces. And...no...the groups cannot see each other.

I return after 2 hours and visit each room. And what do I find?

It's pretty predictable, actually. GROUP ONE, with the photograph and step-by-step instructions, will have completed their Death Star or they'll be pretty close to completing it.

GROUP TWO, with the photograph and no instructions, will be struggling to complete random parts of the Death Star. And...they'll likely be more grouchy than the first group.

And GROUP THREE will have made something random and "cool"; but they'll also have a whole pile of leftover pieces!! And, they'll wonder what took me so long to return!

And so it is with life...taking us out of the lecture and into the lab...

I think about how I've related to the "photograph and step-by-step instructions" (aka Jesus and The Bible) over the years.

Sometimes, I've been like GROUP ONE. I see the picture of Jesus and I open the Bible and I follow the step-by-step instructions and my life reflects Him. It isn't an easy life; but the pieces keep falling into place and I have peace in knowing that I'm moving in the right direction.

Other times, however, I'm more like GROUP TWO. I choose to try to imitate the picture without instructions. These are times that I feel the greatest amount of tension in my life, interestingly enough. I want the picture! The goal is before me! But, instead of searching for and opening the instructions, I think I'm smart enough to get there on my own. I fail repeatedly and miserably; and I feel and appear hideous.

I've also lived GROUP THREE. In my high school and college years, I didn't know about the picture and I SURELY didn't open any instructions. I just wandered around bumping into people and situations. If I found a pile of "metaphorical Legos", I grabbed some pieces and threw them together until I made something that my friends would say was "cool". Never mind that there were LOADS of left-over pieces just lying there waiting to be made into something WAY better. I didn't know about better. I thought my life was "as good as it gets". I didn't care. And I didn't look.

Like building Lego sets, I think I'm seeing that there are 3 distinct ways we can respond to The Word.

Response #1 We can ignore its existence and try to please our environment without ever knowing or believing there's a better way. This approach makes me sad because I know that God's promise in Jeremiah 29:11 to each of us individually is true when He says, "I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Response #2 We can acknowledge its existence; but believe that we don't really need it. We are strong enough to get there on our own, we think. I've lived this existence more than the others and I can testify that it's the most painful. You "just know" there's a better way; but you're not willing to sacrifice to get there. Here's what Jesus Himself taught (taken from The Message) "This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won't believe and be saved. The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep. It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone. And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun." Luke 8:11-14

Response #3 We acknowledge that the Word contains both the Accurate Picture and the step-by-step instructions AND we acknowledge that just can't build anything worthwhile without Him and His Word. Guess what?? There's more to the story in Luke!! Here's how Jesus finishes the story in Luke 8:15 "But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest."

Want to build a super-cool Lego Death Star?

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Life Imitating Word

Did you see the new quote in the title bar...over there on the left? I love it!! It's the new honorary sub-title of this blog: "Taking us out of the lecture and into the lab".

I think this quote speaks to me so completely (and I can't wait to read the book Captivating) because it describes EXACTLY how God teaches me the things I must know in my life.

And yes, it's worth saying right at the beginning today, that God is SO BIG he works differently in each of us based upon how He's created us. The reason I simply must stop to say this is: I don't want anyone out there to say, "I need to do things the way Linda does them." On the contrary!! I share what works in me in a hope that you might look inside you and see what works just for you.

Back to this topic, here's a tidbit that might shock you: I find reading the Bible only marginally interesting. Pretty "Ho hum" actually.

Yes, you read that right.

What I've discovered to be exciting beyond measure, however, is studying the Bible. Reading just one verse and then asking God to show me what's going on and how it relates specifically to my life.

Sometimes, when I ask this, I'll feel led to do more research on the words and their original Greek and Hebrew meaning. I know!! I'm a word geek!!! It's hopeless! I just get downright excited about the wisdom and meaning that are power-packed into those words.

But other times, God will show me something in my surroundings. And that picture, or moment "hits me like a 2 x 4" to teach me more about His meaning and desire for my life. And isn't that what we're all looking for anyway??

Case in point: HomeTown Buffet.

No, I'm not doing an advertisement for HomeTown Buffet; but I must say, this place is my son, Bryson's favorite restaurant. This kid never stops eating! I'm serious! I can't get the older ones to eat...and I can't get my 7-year-old to stop! So, there you go, HomeTown Buffet is his favorite.

During a recent time in my life, I was asking God for more information about the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5: 22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Specifically, I remember asking why this fruit existed in such small and inconsistent amounts in my life.

I should share that, during this same time in my life, I was separately battling my hypoglycemia diet. I was once-again angry that the things I craved so intensely were the things that were making me SO tired, irritable and sick. Every book and every doctor said the same thing: more protein and complex carbs; fewer sugars and simple carbs.

And then came the "2 x 4 over the head". BAM!

I saw a very clear picture of someone holding a tray with a large plate on it, moving through the lines of a buffet.

Have you ever given any thought to the consistent design of any buffet line? Think about the stuff that's offered first and quickly: melon slices, gelatin in several colors, cottage cheese, potato salad, macaroni salad...

Let's explore the possibility that maybe life is like "pushing your tray" through a giant decades-long buffet line.

The picture I saw showed someone who, upon arriving at the buffet, filled their plate to overflowing with the high-carb, sugary, empty calorie foods that are offered at the beginning.

After sitting down and gorging themselves on what they had taken, there really wasn't any room for main dishes. So, they slapped a piece of fried chicken on the plate to justify dessert and then made a bee-line to the soft-serve ice cream and fudge sauce!

Uh, oh...[Camera angle change]...and...BAM! (there's that pesky 2 x 4 again) The person holding the tray is me!!

Derek often coaches me about the size of my "plate" and that I need to careful about what I put on it. When I say to him, "I want to start doing X..." He says, "Okay, what things will you remove from your plate so that you can do X?"

Hmmm....recurring metaphors about plates....Leaders trying to teach me despite my stubborn resistance....

And then God hit a home run with this word picture! His home run (His message to me in my life at this time) was this: If you want your life to overflow the fruit of the Spirit, you must say, "No thank you!" to those multi-colored gelatin, macaroni-salad kinds of temptations that come first and fast in the buffet line of your life. You must, instead, pass by what feels good in the short term, in order to have My best for your life.

Practical Example: Someone shares juicy gossip (green gelatin)? Say, "No, thank you!" and keep "pushing your tray" past it to the place where there's love and peace (broiled chicken and steamed asparagus).

Another example: Let's say someone hurts your feelings or even humiliates you? Will you put a heaping portion of angry rage (macaroni salad) on your tray...leaving no room on "your plate" for what will fill you most completely? No way!! Instead, you'll say, "No, thank you!" and keep "pushing your tray" to the place where the Spirit offers gentleness and self-control (grilled fish and green beans).

Here's another important tidbit: We must push our trays past the temptation, but NEVER past the precious person. It's the temptation we say, "No, thank you" to; NOT the person.

Using my mind and strength, saying, "No, thank you" to the potato chips and soda...and, "Yes, please" to the strawberries and tea, has brought the blessings of energy, ability to persevere and positive outlook.

In my heart and soul, saying, "No, thank you" to anger, jealous comparisons, perfectionism and gossip...and saying, "Yes, please" to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, has brought...hmmm....would you look at that?! It's actually brought increased amounts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to my life.



"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30