During last week's playoff game, my grandson called his friend, Kevin, to come over and watch the Seahawks play the 49er's. The conversation went like this:
Jason: "Hey, ya wanna watch the game over here?"
Kevin: "Maybe later. I'm gonna do some stuff and take a shower first."
Jason: "My mom's making cookies."
Kevin: "I'll be right there."
Deja vu. When my kids were young--especially in high school--they requested extra homemade cookies in their lunches because they needed to share with their friends. This was not a ploy to gain popularity. They all had adequate personalities to garner multiple friends. It was just that those friends were hard to say "no' to.
I had grown to love having little personal identity apart from being somebody's mom when I was introduced or referred to. I was genuinely proud to be their mom--in fact nothing else gave me as much fulfillment and pride. But this was a new era--the era of the cookie-identity. But it didn't so much define me as it did their friends. They would introduce me to their friends like this: "Mom. this is Bill. He likes your walnut shortbread." Or, "Mom. this is Susan. Your chocolate chip cookies are her favorite."
I don't want to brag, but it's my old recipe that had Kevin changing his priorities.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
ADJUSTING
We've been official San Diego residents for almost 3 months now. We have our driver's licenses; we are registered to vote and we've done a change of address with all our subscriptions and creditors. We have new bank accounts and new routines. It's all good. We know we made the right decision, but inevitably we miss "home."
It takes a while for a new city to feel like home. The things that I loved about where I came from just pop into my mind with a sweet sadness that tempts me to wonder if we made the right decision. Top of the list, of course, are the people we left behind. I can pick up the phone, but it's not like leaning in over a cup of coffee at Starbucks, confiding leisurely and intimately nose to nose.
But it's time to focus on the things I love about my new city and new friends. They are enough to ease the angst. Even better is anticipating all the things I are going to grow to love that haven't even appeared or taken shape yet.
Today it hit me that I can have suede shoes. I love suede shoes, but they were an expensive luxury in Seattle. The chances of getting caught in the rain or stepping in a puddle were constant--a sure death notice for suede shoes. Since I've been in San Diego, I've purchased THREE pair of suede shoes! I now own a black pair, a brown pair and the piece de resistance is a pair of Charger-blue open-toed wedges.
I wore them for what turned out to be the Charger's last game in the playoffs. My grandsons commented that I missed the whole effect because I should've had my toenails painted yellow--next year....
In the meantime, my all-time favorite team is still a contender for the Superbowl and they play on this Sunday. I've put away my Charger-blue suede wedges (supremely cute, though they be) and this Sunday it will be all Seahawk blue and green. And if it had happened that the Chargers had played the Seahawks? It's Hawks all the way, baby! Go hawks!!!
I'm adjusting, but some things just take time!
It takes a while for a new city to feel like home. The things that I loved about where I came from just pop into my mind with a sweet sadness that tempts me to wonder if we made the right decision. Top of the list, of course, are the people we left behind. I can pick up the phone, but it's not like leaning in over a cup of coffee at Starbucks, confiding leisurely and intimately nose to nose.
But it's time to focus on the things I love about my new city and new friends. They are enough to ease the angst. Even better is anticipating all the things I are going to grow to love that haven't even appeared or taken shape yet.
Today it hit me that I can have suede shoes. I love suede shoes, but they were an expensive luxury in Seattle. The chances of getting caught in the rain or stepping in a puddle were constant--a sure death notice for suede shoes. Since I've been in San Diego, I've purchased THREE pair of suede shoes! I now own a black pair, a brown pair and the piece de resistance is a pair of Charger-blue open-toed wedges.
I wore them for what turned out to be the Charger's last game in the playoffs. My grandsons commented that I missed the whole effect because I should've had my toenails painted yellow--next year....
In the meantime, my all-time favorite team is still a contender for the Superbowl and they play on this Sunday. I've put away my Charger-blue suede wedges (supremely cute, though they be) and this Sunday it will be all Seahawk blue and green. And if it had happened that the Chargers had played the Seahawks? It's Hawks all the way, baby! Go hawks!!!
I'm adjusting, but some things just take time!
Monday, December 23, 2013
The Search Ends with Jesus! #8
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.
When Jesus was born hope came into the world--along with light and life and power and glory and grace and TRUTH! At last, embodied in human flesh, the entire will and nature of God. What a wonder! How far beyond our imagination! And isn't it that very fact--that it is beyond the fantasies of any man--that attests to the origin and veracity of this wonderful story of love?
Jesus didn't just come to show us the way; he is the Way. He didn't just come to love us; he is love, itself. He didn't just come to bring us truth; he is truth. From his infancy to the last day of his life, Jesus is the voice of heaven summoning us to a life of joyful and meaningful fulfillment. He calls us to our spiritual destiny.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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.
When Jesus was born hope came into the world--along with light and life and power and glory and grace and TRUTH! At last, embodied in human flesh, the entire will and nature of God. What a wonder! How far beyond our imagination! And isn't it that very fact--that it is beyond the fantasies of any man--that attests to the origin and veracity of this wonderful story of love?
Jesus didn't just come to show us the way; he is the Way. He didn't just come to love us; he is love, itself. He didn't just come to bring us truth; he is truth. From his infancy to the last day of his life, Jesus is the voice of heaven summoning us to a life of joyful and meaningful fulfillment. He calls us to our spiritual destiny.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Monday, December 16, 2013
Search for Truth, #7
In Jesus' prayer the night before he died, he prayed for us. This is amazing to me. If I knew it to be my last day on earth it's unlikely I would pray a lengthy prayer for people I had never met. Of course, Jesus knew us before we were born (Psalm 139:13-16), so that sort of makes my situation irrelevant.
Nevertheless, his focus on us and his desire for his investment in our spiritual well-being to produce eternal results, is obviously uppermost in his heart. His prayer as he prepares to rejoin God in heaven reveals a longing for us to be one with him and the Father.
John 17:13-17
And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, just as I do not. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth.
What a request! Jesus' desire for us cannot be fulfilled by God without our cooperation. Jesus lived to give us the "words of truth." They will only have impact if we honestly seek them out and allow them to affect our lives--to make us "pure and holy." Truth in action is Jesus' desire for our lives! Truth CAN be found!
Nevertheless, his focus on us and his desire for his investment in our spiritual well-being to produce eternal results, is obviously uppermost in his heart. His prayer as he prepares to rejoin God in heaven reveals a longing for us to be one with him and the Father.
John 17:13-17
And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, just as I do not. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth.
What a request! Jesus' desire for us cannot be fulfilled by God without our cooperation. Jesus lived to give us the "words of truth." They will only have impact if we honestly seek them out and allow them to affect our lives--to make us "pure and holy." Truth in action is Jesus' desire for our lives! Truth CAN be found!
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Seardh for Truth, #6
Matthew 7:21-23
Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as "Lord," but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, "lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name."
But I will reply, "I never knew you. go away; the things you did were unauthorized." (NLT)
Some sincerely religious people will be unpleasantly surprised on judgment day to find they are not making it to heaven. The message of this scripture is that obedience is a salvation issue. Just believing and acknowledging Jesus as Lord is not all that God requires.
This is Jesus speaking-- the God/man who loved us so much that he died in order to secure our salvation! He is not taunting us here. He is clarifying that truth requires obedience. This is not a savior who would make truth obscure. He wants his death to count for as many souls as possible. But having his death avail for our salvation depends on our obedience. We'd all do well to focus on what he asks of us.
I believe that Elizabeth is Queen of England. I'm right in that belief. It is the truth, but it has little effect on my life and that belief does not make me a citizen of the country where she reigns. I do not obey her laws; I do not pay her taxes; I have not pledged her my allegiance. I am not a citizen of her country.
I believe that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God. I am right in that belief. It is the truth. But I must obey His laws if I am to be a citizen of his heavenly kingdom. This makes it imperative that I find the truth of his will and obey. He's made it accessible. I must take responsibility for searching it out and committing my life to it.
Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as "Lord," but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, "lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name."
But I will reply, "I never knew you. go away; the things you did were unauthorized." (NLT)
Some sincerely religious people will be unpleasantly surprised on judgment day to find they are not making it to heaven. The message of this scripture is that obedience is a salvation issue. Just believing and acknowledging Jesus as Lord is not all that God requires.
This is Jesus speaking-- the God/man who loved us so much that he died in order to secure our salvation! He is not taunting us here. He is clarifying that truth requires obedience. This is not a savior who would make truth obscure. He wants his death to count for as many souls as possible. But having his death avail for our salvation depends on our obedience. We'd all do well to focus on what he asks of us.
I believe that Elizabeth is Queen of England. I'm right in that belief. It is the truth, but it has little effect on my life and that belief does not make me a citizen of the country where she reigns. I do not obey her laws; I do not pay her taxes; I have not pledged her my allegiance. I am not a citizen of her country.
I believe that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God. I am right in that belief. It is the truth. But I must obey His laws if I am to be a citizen of his heavenly kingdom. This makes it imperative that I find the truth of his will and obey. He's made it accessible. I must take responsibility for searching it out and committing my life to it.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Search for Truth, #5
II Corinthians 11:3-4
But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different gospel than the one you believed.
It's interesting that Satan didn't just try to convince Eve that God didn't exist; instead, he just filled her head with half truths and misinformation about the nature and will of God. Nothing has changed. When Satan can't introduce atheistic thinking, he just twists the truth. Believers in God can become believers in a false gospel--dangerous!
The fact that such distortions could be so soon passed off as truth should serve as a warning to us. Satan has had a lot more time to introduce doubts and confusing philosophies. The advantage we have that the early disciples did not is that we have the written word. We can find truth and confirm our faith by going to the original source--the entire recorded word of God.
With such a gift, we should treasure the Bible as a source of infallible truth. We can place our confidence in the omnipotent power of God to keep it untainted through the centuries so that we can know the truth. God will surely not overlook our ignorance as an excuse when we have such a holy resource at our disposal Our search for truth begins and ends within its pages
.
But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different gospel than the one you believed.
It's interesting that Satan didn't just try to convince Eve that God didn't exist; instead, he just filled her head with half truths and misinformation about the nature and will of God. Nothing has changed. When Satan can't introduce atheistic thinking, he just twists the truth. Believers in God can become believers in a false gospel--dangerous!
The fact that such distortions could be so soon passed off as truth should serve as a warning to us. Satan has had a lot more time to introduce doubts and confusing philosophies. The advantage we have that the early disciples did not is that we have the written word. We can find truth and confirm our faith by going to the original source--the entire recorded word of God.
With such a gift, we should treasure the Bible as a source of infallible truth. We can place our confidence in the omnipotent power of God to keep it untainted through the centuries so that we can know the truth. God will surely not overlook our ignorance as an excuse when we have such a holy resource at our disposal Our search for truth begins and ends within its pages
.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Search for Truth #4
Galatians 1:6-9 (NLT)
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
Let a curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall on that person.
This is strong language from the Apostle Paul. His concern that the Galatian Christians protect their hearts from "being fooled by those who twist and change the truth" was adamant. Souls were at stake. This was not about being broad minded and flexible; this was about holding firmly to truth.
Interestingly, Paul makes reference to the timing of their shift in thinking. He's surprised that it happened "so soon" Given enough time, shifts in thinking and philosophy can invade entire cultures. Psychologists tell us that people are prone to change their thinking to fit their behavior instead of changing their behavior to fit their thinking. This leaves our convictions at risk if we are tempted, even subconsciously, to rationalize the decisions we make and the way we live or the leanings of our culture.
The strongest protection for our hearts is a desire to please God, not men--and not ourselves. God longs for us to know the truth. He did not make it obscure or hard to understand. A heart seeking God and His truth has a promise to rest on:
Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.
But be warned: spiritual truth is not intuitive. We will not find it by looking to our own reasoning. While it is universally accessible in the Bible, and easy to understand, it is often extremely challenging to incorporate truth into our characters and lifestyles. Relying on our own reasoning can lead us away from truth.
Isaiah 55:8, 9 (NLT)
"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
Let a curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall on that person.
This is strong language from the Apostle Paul. His concern that the Galatian Christians protect their hearts from "being fooled by those who twist and change the truth" was adamant. Souls were at stake. This was not about being broad minded and flexible; this was about holding firmly to truth.
Interestingly, Paul makes reference to the timing of their shift in thinking. He's surprised that it happened "so soon" Given enough time, shifts in thinking and philosophy can invade entire cultures. Psychologists tell us that people are prone to change their thinking to fit their behavior instead of changing their behavior to fit their thinking. This leaves our convictions at risk if we are tempted, even subconsciously, to rationalize the decisions we make and the way we live or the leanings of our culture.
The strongest protection for our hearts is a desire to please God, not men--and not ourselves. God longs for us to know the truth. He did not make it obscure or hard to understand. A heart seeking God and His truth has a promise to rest on:
Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.
But be warned: spiritual truth is not intuitive. We will not find it by looking to our own reasoning. While it is universally accessible in the Bible, and easy to understand, it is often extremely challenging to incorporate truth into our characters and lifestyles. Relying on our own reasoning can lead us away from truth.
Isaiah 55:8, 9 (NLT)
"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
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