choose your song carefully

I didn’t think he would take me up on it.

I raised my hands in worship at church, singing to God about how I would love him with all my heart and my strength and my mind.

I didn’t know that would mean…

-a few hundred hours spent writing Bible studies 

-teaching 70 children a Bible story at the end of a long day, every Wednesday for four years 

-laboring over a worship planning meeting –hashing and rehashing ideas, only to toss them in the trash and start over 

-giving up coveted weekends to plan and teach

-setting up the Lord’s supper instead of taking a nap 

-offering a listening ear when I really wish someone would offer me one 

          -giving away a chunk of savings account

I didn’t know he really meant all my strength... until I drop into bed exhausted. 

I didn’t know he meant all my mind, until my eyes are crossed at the computer and I need deep tissue massage for my aching shoulders. 

I didn’t know he meant all my heart, until I wish I could drop some of these ministry tasks and relax but care too much about the people involved to do it. 

The greatest commandment in the Law:  “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

Take it from me.  Better not sing it unless you mean it.

self control: a little bit goes a long way

I lost my pizza dough.

I made a dough recipe that could be refrigerated overnight and then made into pizza the following day, but when I went to make dinner the dough wasn’t in the fridge.  I felt ridiculous looking everywhere for it.  I know where to look for car keys or my purse or my glasses –but misplaced dough?

I finally found it in the cupboard.  I was so efficient that I had put the bowl away the night before - right where it belonged.

It’s rather shocking how large a yeast dough can become when left to rise for 24 hours.

Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (Matthew 13:33) 

When my grandma would read us the Bible at the breakfast table, she would often take dramatic license just to see if we were really paying attention.  I imagine her rendition of Jesus’ parable would sound like this:  “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a very blonde woman mixed into a large amount of flour and then accidentally put in the cupboard overnight, and the pizza dough grew, and grew, and grew until the lid popped off the bowl!”

Our seemingly small lives are meant to have an effect on a large amount of the world around us.  That’s our motivation for gaining self control –because an increasing measure of control allows us to be a living, effective, productive yeast, and the influence of our lives rises to an astonishing, left-in-the-cupboard-overnight big.



MY FAVORITE PIZZA:
on homemade pizza dough NOT left to rise overnight:

1 tbsp. olive oil
a thin layer of freshly grated parmesan
steamed broccoli -cut up real small
cooked chicken -cut up
pepper
dollops of ricotta cheese
thinly sliced tomato
heaping mounds of mozzarella

after pizza is cooked -thin sliced, fresh basil

sip it!

Caleb had a horrible cold, so I kept him home from school.  There was one errand I had to run, though, so I bundled up the miserable little child in a big, cozy blanket and tucked him into the van.  To assuage my guilt for dragging him around town, I said, “Do you want momma to buy you a hot chocolate?”  He wasn’t too sick for that, so I pulled into a road-side coffee stand. 

Two dollars later I handed him a steaming cup of chocolate and waited as the barista prepared my mocha.

As she handed my drink through the window, from the back seat I heard the loud sucking sound of a straw on empty cup bottom.

And my sweet momma voice turned into another flavor as I whipped my head around and hollered at my sick little boy.

“You already drank that whole thing?!!!  I paid to two dollars for that!  Don’t you know you’re supposed to savor it?  Sip it slowly?  Enjoy drinking it?”

“Sorry” he said. 

I learned today of a Chinese expression “man zou”, which means “walk slowly”, something said as a goodbye or a see-ya-later.  A reminder to stop and smell the roses, to savor life.

Walking is easy when the day has a lot of wiggle room, but today my list of things to do is so long I already know I will fail to get through half of it.  What if I really need to hit the floor running?

Ecclesiastes 11:8 says, “However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all.”  Enjoyment requires intent.  Taking pleasure in the moment.  Paying attention to what is good right now.  I grab my list today and tell myself, “WALK!”  

And so I bid you in this day:

Man zou.

self control: the size of a deck of cards

The first time I thought about it was when my 70-something grandma went on an adventure to China.  I loved all her stories when she got back -places she’d been and especially her experience of walking the great wall.  But one comment landed in my mind and stayed there like a bur.

She said there aren’t fat people in China.  They eat very small portions and no sugar. 

Very small portions.  It was the first time I began to think about how much I eat and the first time I wondered how much I need to eat.

The lack of self control in every area of life is almost always a problem of excess.

·        Too much eating.

·        Too much anger.

·        Too much spending.

·        Too much TV.

·        Too long of breaks at work.

·        Too much focus on self.

Jesus said, “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth.”  (Matthew 6:19)  Too much stuff.  What do we really need? 

I just talked to a friend whose family of four is temporarily living in a 500-square-foot apartment.  She said when you only have that much space, you find out how much is really necessary to live on.

Nutritionists tell us a proper serving size of food is the size of a deck of cards.  I look at my plate when I fill it now. 

For one year I only owned two pair of pants, partly because funds were tight for clothing but also because I decided to see if I could live with a minimal amount of clothing.  For one entire year I took turns wearing those pants.  One pair on Monday.  The other pair on Tuesday.  No one noticed.  I was clothed.  It was enough.

In every area of life let's ask, “Lord, what portion size?”  How many words are enough?  How much food is enough?  How much recreation is enough?  How much stuff is enough?

preparing for the seventh day: stand at the window

The bad thing about a gorgeous sunrise is that you can’t describe it to someone else.

My patio door looks out on a row of snow-covered mountains.  I filled a mug with coffee and was walking quickly back downstairs to get back to work on the computer, but I happened to look out the window.

The mountains were on fire with the first light of this new day.

Proverbs 4:16 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

The seventh day was made for standing at the window with hands wrapped around a steaming morning beverage.  Remember, this hard life isn’t all there is.  See the flaming colors of the day coming.  The day with no tears and no sighing. 

On this seventh day we will stop the chores.  Stop trying to accomplish.  Stop doing.  Enjoy the sunrise and with it the hope of a new day coming.