Cool NEW Rope Hat

Our family is observing No-Screen November. Instead of watching screens every afternoon and evening, we sit together in the family room and read the Bible, pray, and sing hymns together.

Just kidding. 

Let me be real with you.

We ARE doing No-Screen November, but it has NOT significantly increased our family Bible study time (that’s on the bucket list, though!). What is HAS improved is my sanity. 

Two of our three kids have smartphones, and though the majority of apps are unavailable to them, and social media is waaaaaay out of the question, we do allow them to watch certain YouTube channels. One kid is into hunting and the other is into fishing. Despite our strict rules and their supervised watching, unwanted attitudes still creep in from behind the screens. All these YouTube guys who film their hunts and fishing trips promote certain products, which, of course, my fourteen and twelve-year-old boys think they, too, must have. 

Jacin and I were constantly listening to what type of deer stand the oldest HAD to have, or what kind of fishing pole the middle NEEDED to upgrade to. The boys became absolutely obsessed with having the “best” and “newest” gear. And it wore us out. The final straw was on a ride home from school when one kid asked for this cool “new” hat. The convo went like this:

“Mom, you HAVE to see this new hat they released today. It’s so cool, and other companies are already trying to copy it. We need to order one so I can have the OG” my shotgun-riding son said as he flashed his phone at me, expecting me to take my eyes off the road to stare at his phone while I’m driving. 

“I can’t look at that right now, but what makes this hat so cool and different?” I answered, trying not to roll my eyes.

“It’s called a rope hat. It has a rope going across the front of it,” he answered, pocketing his phone. “I’ll show it to you when we get home, but it’s so cool. Everybody wants one, and I’ve never seen one like it before! I’d be the first at school to wear one!”

“Uh-huh. Ok, I’ll take a look at it later,” I said, as I stifled a chuckle because in my head I’m envisioning a rope-turban hat thingy sitting atop a tough gun-toting camo-wearing guy’s head. 

When we arrived home, he showed me a picture of this cool “new” rope hat, and what I saw on his phone made me laugh out loud. 

It reminded me of an ugly hat my dad wore in the 90s. His was neon green with a thin rope running across the front bill.  Admittedly, this cool “new” hat my son was pining for was camo with the hunting company’s logo on it, but still, it was the exact same ugly-style hat with a random piece of rope stretched across the front. Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted that these “rope hats” would make a comeback. And I definitely would never have predicted my son would want one.

“Buddy!” I said, trying to deliver the news gently, “these are not cool, and they are definitely not new. This type of hat has been around for years! Rayray had one when I was a kid. It was bright green and embarrassing.”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes as he signed and stomped off mumbling, “Mom, you just don’t get it.” 

But I DID get it. What seemed so neat and novel to him wasn’t actually neat or new.

Nothing ever is.

A passage from Ecclesiastes popped into my mind: 

All things are wearisome,

    more than one can say.

The eye never has enough of seeing,

    nor the ear its fill of hearing.

What has been will be again,

    what has been done will be done again;

    there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecc 1:8 & 9

King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, was tired, and I can totally identify. “All things are wearisome,” he says. 

Yep. Absolutely. 

Things! Stuff! The newest, the latest, the best! Hunting equipment! Fishing Gear! More, more, more! It never stops! 

Our eyes never stop seeing new stuff we want. Our ears never stop hearing about new things we need. 

And the irony of it all is that none of the “new” stuff we lust after is really new. “There is nothing new under the sun.” 

Initially, the book of Ecclesiastes appears sad and maybe even a bit desperate, but upon closer inspection you can almost hear King Solomon sharing his mistakes with us in hopes that we’ll take another route. Ecclesiastes is a warning against trying to find satisfaction in stuff, in reputation or position or power or possessions… in anything here “under the sun.” 

Nothing here on Earth is new or fulfilling. And trying to fill your cup with it will only leave you frustrated and empty. 

All of this flashed through my mind as my son walked away, disappointed that I wasn’t awed and excited about his not-so-new and not-so-cool rope hat. 

Two weeks later, the hubster and I decided to implement No-Screen November, and the results have been nothing short of miraculous. My three have played together more and have gotten along better! But the best part is, I haven’t heard one single thing about wanting stuff. Amazingly, they have endured and even enjoyed using what they already have! Incredible.  

So no, we’re not super parents. And we’re still a long way off from being a model family. But we are trying our darndest to build kids who pursue Jesus instead of worldly possessions or pleasures. It’s definitely not easy, and it’s a L O N G process, but I’m positive the pay-off will be more than worth it. 

Lieth Hard. Leaneth Heavy.

This past Monday was the absolute Mondayest Monday that has ever Mondayed. 

I woke up bright eyed and bushy-tailed late, so getting everyone ready for work and school was a wild ride on the Hot Mess Express. 

For some odd reason, my students at school acted more like rabid chickens than children, and I almost quit 5 times. 

After work, in the 55 minutes we had between school and Abie’s cheer game, the kids and I ran by Sam’s Club to make some returns, where we stood in a 4-person line for 27 minutes. 

We made it to Abie’s game on time but got in the gate late since we had to park 3 miles away. During the game, it of course rained, and I enjoyed endured my two boys running around my chair in circles and pushing each other down. (No, they are not toddlers. They are 14 and 12, and they often act like they are on Crack.) 

Jacin had to work late, so he joined our squirrel show in the 3rd quarter. 

The game ended, and we walked the three miles out to our cars. While the boys ran circles around us (again) and Abie wandered in the middle of the road we were crossing, Jacin expressed his desire to go to a sit-down restaurant for dinner. All three kids immediately chimed in, yelling their preferences and arguing with one another. 

I’m embarrassed to admit that I almost came undone.

I started shaking and stammering, “I can’t. I just can’t anymore.”

I put my hands over my eyes and tried some deep breathing. “You need to take these kids and feed them somewhere. I don’t’ care where. And please take your sweet time. I’m going home to hide.”

And without even an “adios,” I climbed into my car and slammed it into reverse. Jacin and the kids stood there in the parking lot looking at me with their mouths open. I’m pretty positive their conversation in Jacin’s truck was about how and why Mom had come unhinged. 

Meanwhile, I drove all the way home in thirty minutes of silence. I waked in the house, grabbed my notebook and Bible and jumped under the covers in my bed.

Here’s what I wrote in my journal:

God, I’m exhausted. I’m overwhelmed. I need a promise. Remind me of one of your promises, God. Please give me something to hold onto. My brain is fried and my heart is tired. Please, God. Give me a Word.

I stayed under the covers for a while and then got up to start washing dishes. I can’t explain why or how, but as soon as I turned the water on, this verse came up in the front of my mind, clear and insistent, like a text from God’s phone that I couldn’t ignore: 

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts you.” (Is 26:3)

I immediately turned the water off, grabbed my journal and Bible again, and started researching. Yes, this was a verse I had memorized (though at the moment I couldn’t have brought it to mind on my own. Thanks, God!). But no, this wasn’t a verse I had really dug into in a while. I had work to do. 

I’d love to share with you what I found when I studied this verse phrase by phrase:

(For context: The chapters before this, Isaiah 24 and 25, describe the day when the Messiah will finally triumph. Isaiah chapter 26 describes the “strong city” Jesus will establish for His forever rule.)

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts you.” (Is 26:3)

“You keep…”  -   God does this for me! Even though He is in charge of the entire universe, He still sees me and cares for me (especially on the Mondayest of Mondays).

“You keep…”  -   KEEP! This is one of my favorite Hebrew words! (In fact, it’s the inspiration for my website title. Read about it here.) It’s amazing to think that God Himself guards, protects, and surrounds me. “He is my hiding place! He preserves me in times of trouble” (Ps 32:7). 

In perfect peace…”  -   The Hebrew word used here for both perfect and peace is shalom, meaning complete soundness, safety, and quiet contentment. I love that this word is repeated in this verse - “shalom, shalom.” It’s like God is reminding me that His presence brings me complete completeness.  God doesn’t just offer us peace. He offers us peaceful peace - abundantly more than anything or anyone else ever could.

“Whose mind is stayed on you…”  -   That word stayed is a cool word. One Hebrew dictionary defines it as “to lieth hard” or to lean on heavily. I can just see that picture in my mind: leaning on Jesus hard and heavy. Let that be me!

“because he trusts you.”  -    The Hebrew word used here for trust means to have so much confidence in something or someone that you feel totally safe and are freed up to live boldly (even recklessly!). THIS is the kind of trust I want to have in Jesus. 

My time at the kitchen table, studying this verse God gave me, was sweet, and I’m thankful to say I was in much better spirits when Jacin and the kids returned home. Each morning this week, I’ve returned to Isaiah 26, rereading the chapter and my study notes, thanking God for answering me and just marveling at the depth and richness of God’s Word. 

Lord,

You promise to grant perfect peace to those who focus on you and trust you. Help me do that. Help me “stay” my mind on you. Help me lean on you hard and heavy. Help me trust you fully. Thank you for speaking to me through your Word, and thank you for your perfect peace. 

Keep keeping me, Lord.

3 Reasons Why Memorizing Scripture is Helpful in Everyday Life (Post #3: Guidance)

I saw something recently that said, “We used to print out 4 pages of Map Quest directions and travel like pirates!” Those were the good old days. Road trippin’ without a phone telling you where to turn. It’s no wonder I spent half my college years lost and asking for directions!

Even now, despite the abundance of directions and information we have at our fingertips in seconds, many people still live their daily lives lost and without direction. This is not what God wants for us! 

In Scripture, God provides not only the path to Heaven, but He also gives directions for a path of purpose on Earth.

Psalm 19:8 says, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

Psalm 19:8 gives us 3 reasons why we should memorize Scripture:

1. It gives us a moral compass

2. It gives us joy

3. It gives us guidance

This post will focus on reason #3. Check out my previous posts about morality and joy.

Memorizing Scripture Gives Guidance

The last reason Psalm 19:8 gives us for memorizing Scripture is that it gives us guidance.

Psalm 19:8 says, “The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” 

Imagine this: you’re out camping with your family, and you venture out on your own to explore. Daylight starts fading fast, leaving you alone in an unfamiliar area in the dark. This is the stuff horror movies are made of, right? As you’re lost in the dark, what one simple item would make a huge difference for you? (Other than a smartphone with GPS. Come on, work with me, here!) 

A flashlight! 

Psalm 19:8 paints a picture of God’s Word giving us light when we need it most. And descriptions of God’s Word as a light are found all throughout the Bible. It’s a simple image that we can all connect with. No matter who you are or where you live, light is pretty important - especially when you’re in the dark. 

Light provides comfort 

Darkness can be scary, but adding light to the equation makes fears scurry away. When my kids were little, they were sometimes afraid of the dark. They would beg for an extra light to be left on during the night. Why? Because light brings comfort. It helps us feel warm and safe. Light shows us the reality of our surroundings so we can clearly see there aren’t really any monsters lurking under our beds. 

God’s Word is full of reminders that the God we serve is all-mighty and all-knowing. Nothing is too difficult for Him; nothing surprises Him. When we hide His Word in our hearts, we possess timely truths that remind us the dark is not darkness to Him. In fact, for God, the darkness shines like the noonday sun! (see Psalm 139:12). Scripture comforts us by reminding us that the God who made the darkness is master over it, and He will walk us through even the scariest unknowns.  

Light gives guidance

A flashlight in a dark makes you feel more comfortable, plus it helps you see in front of you. Light can help you see your next step. Shining your flashlight up ahead warns you of things to avoid and reveals which way to walk. 

Though a flashlight is a small thing, it completely changes your experience in the dark. You go from lost and fearful to calm and confident just by flicking on the light. When you have light, you go from stumbling blindly to walking confidently. 

God’s Word works like a flashlight in our lives. The world we live in is dark. Sometimes it's hard to see where God is working or which way to go. There are dangers looming ahead. Dead-end paths are everywhere. And it’s easy to feel alone, afraid and confused. 

But when we memorize God’s Word, we can bring His promises to the front of our hearts and minds. Suddenly we have light! The dark isn’t so scary anymore. Though the entire road may not be illuminated, we can see where to take our next step, and a sense of warmth and comfort reminds us who’s still in charge. Scripture gives us the guidance and direction we need to take the next step with wisdom and confidence.

Psalm 19:8 is short and sweet, but it’s packed full of important truth. This verse reminds us that committing Bible verses to memory helps us know right from wrong, stirs up joy within us, and gives us guidance when we need it most.  Memorizing God’s Word is like packing your flashlight before a night hike. You memorize Scripture before you need it, just like you pack the light before it gets dark. It may not seem like a big deal beforehand, but you’ll be glad you did it when the darkness falls. 

Jesus for President! (or NOT)

I saw a bumper sticker today that said “Jesus for President ‘24.” Although I appreciate the sentiments behind this statement, it still bothers me. So you might as well pull up a chair and sit down… I’m stepping up on my soapbox for this one.

Number one: 

(when I get riled up about something, I start numbering my points on my fingers as I talk, so here we go…)

Jesus is already LORD. This means that he doesn’t need our nomination, endorsement or vote for the lowly office of President of the United States. In fact, it would be degrading for the LORD of Lords and the KING of Kings to even consider stooping to such. He’s already busy governing and sustaining the entire universe. 

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul explains it this way: 

“All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:16-17) 

He’s kinda a big deal, and compared to Him, the president isn’t. 

Number two:

Jesus isn’t running for president. In fact, he’s not campaigning at all. His position is already set and his throne already assumed. He’s not chasing votes or sweet-talking voters. He has no need for a campaign manager, a fundraising committee, or a speech writer. You won’t see him beating the campaign trail, speaking at rallies or making empty promises. You see, Jesus is quietly content and completely confident in His position. 

And us? He doesn’t need us or our votes.

During his sermon in Athens, Paul explained, “The God who made this world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath” (Acts 17:24-25)

Unlike today’s presidential candidates, Jesus’s victory doesn’t hinge on how many people like him. He isn’t concerned about the latest popularity polls. He doesn’t derive his worth from others’ opinions of Him, and He doesn’t feel the need to persuade or push. 

Instead, Jesus offers love and life and leaves it up for us to decide. 

He knocks and invites us to open the door. (Rev 3:20)

He encourages us to ask so He can answer. (Matt 7:7-8)

He invites us to seek so we will find. (Jer 29:13)

He tells us to taste His goodness so He can satisfy our hearts. (Ps 34:8) 

He offers Himself and lets us choose. (Jos 24:15)

Jesus is persistent, but He’s not pushy. 

He is devoted, but he’s not desperate. 

He doesn’t need our votes, but He does want our hearts.

Number three:

Let’s please not mix Jesus with American politics. 

To start with, Jesus’ rule extends much further than just America; His reign covers every nation and people group and individual in the world. It’s a bit egocentric of us Americans to pretend to nominate Him for such a narrow, limited job.

Plus, Jesus himself reminded us that heaven and earth are two distinct domains when he said, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). 

Yes, Christians should stand for Biblical values. Yes, believers should vote. Yes, the Bible and our faith should inform how we vote. But let’s remember that we’re voting for a national leader, not a Savior. The Jews in Jesus’ time got this confused and were sorely disappointed when the messiah in their midst wasn’t interested in challenging the political powers in their society.

Let’s not look to a human on earth to bring us the comforts and riches of Heaven. And let’s not presumptuously invite Jesus, the King of Heaven, to be in charge of a negligible nation on earth like He isn’t already. 

The truth is, neither candidate on the ballot this November can save your soul (and…dare I say it?... neither wants to). Neither candidate can even save this nation, mainly because the majority of our problems stem from sin. And rescue from sin requires a Savior, not a president. 

In Colossians, Paul writes, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins (Col 1:13).” Only Jesus can save us from our sin and set our people, families, and nation (and world!) aright.

So here’s the bad news: a human president can’t fix a God-sized sin problem.

Here’s the good news: Jesus already has the solution. And… SHOCKER!... he did it all without our nomination, endorsement, or vote. 

So before I step down from my soapbox, let’s review:

1. Jesus isn’t running for president of this nation. He’s already ruler of the world.

2. Jesus doesn’t need our vote. He already has God’s.

3. Jesus isn’t our president. He’s our sacrifice. Our Savior. Our Sustainer. Our Lord.

He doesn’t want or need our vote. He wants our surrender. 

3 Reasons Why Memorizing Scripture is Helpful in Everyday Life (Post #2: Joy)

I don’t know about you, but my brain is full. I’m not bragging about how much knowledge I have (which isn’t very much). I’m talking about the mental gymnastics my brain goes through on the daily just trying to keep up with all the different expectations and tasks at home and work. (If you know, you know.)

I know I need to memorize Scripture regularly, but sometimes I feel like adding one more mental task to my already teetering tower of thoughts might just bring it all down. 

But when I’m reminded of the many benefits of memorizing God’s Word, it’s a no-brainer. 

Psalm 19:8 says, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

Psalm 19:8 gives us 3 reasons why we should memorize Scripture:

1. It gives us a moral compass

2. It gives us joy

3. It gives us guidance

This post will focus on reason #2. You can read about reason #1 HERE. 

Memorizing Scripture Gives Us Joy

It all starts when we’re rewarded with candy for memorizing a Bible verse. (And I’m not bashing candy. Who doesn’t like a free piece of candy?! In fact… here’s a random confession: When I was a kid, my parents made my siblings and me participate in Bible Drill. Besides my parents’ coercion, one major motivator for me was the candy bars we earned when we memorized verses. It’s true: chocolate will forever provide invaluable inspiration in my spiritual life. Judge if you want to. Go ahead. I’ll wait.)

Sorry… I digressed…

The point is that candy was once the reward for memorizing scripture. Now, the reward is much longer lasting.

Psalm 19:8 says “the precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.”  One translation even says the laws of the Lord are right, “rejoicing the heart.” However you say it, the basic truth is this: God’s truth makes us happy. It brings us joy. Whether you’re listening to it, reading it, writing it, or speaking it, Scripture makes us glad (much more than a piece of candy ever could). 

This is why Christians’ lives are (or at least should be) characterized by an abiding undercurrent of joy. Jesus-followers may not always be skipping around whistling or jumping around with spirit fingers in the air, but they are joyful. Even when times are hard. Their hearts are ruled by an uncommon and sometimes illogical contentment that gladly and wholly depends on God. This is JOY.

In his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, writer and pastor Eugene Peterson says:

“Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship, it is a consequence. It is not what we acquire in order to experience life in Christ; it is what comes to us when we are walking in the way of faith and obedience.”

Utterly unique and unshakable joy is the natural result of living in Christ.

How?

Because Jesus Christ is the Word. And the same Word that saves us and sustains us also gives us JOY.

How?

How does God’s Word give us joy?

There are many ways, but here are 3 simple ones:

1. God’s Word gives us comfort

2. God’s Word gives us peace

3. God’s Word gives us life

God’s Word Gives Comfort

There’s nothing worse than being uncomfortable and being unable to fix it. Yesterday I wore a tank under my sweater, and all day it was constantly untucking from my pants and ridding up my ribcage. I bet I yanked it back down 300 times before lunch. And I hate being in a situation where I’m uncomfortable, feeling like I’m on the outside, unfamiliar with the place, the people, or the expectations. The less you know about something, the less comfortable you are. 

But regardless of your outfit or surroundings, God’s Word always brings comfort because it is right and true. Think about it: There’s a certain and sure comfort that comes from knowing we know the truth and don’t have to make it up ourselves. It’s like wearing around comfiest outfit ever, every day! Or like being on the “inside” of an uncomfortable situation and having all the need-to-know info. Plus, in a world where it’s hard to keep up with the ever changing currents of culture, God’s Word is eternal. Steady. Reliable. Like a rock. It never changes. The Bible will never go out of style, and its author will never have a change of heart. All Scripture is incorruptible, unchanging, and everlasting. That’s so comforting! 

And the more Scripture you know, the more comfort you have available to you, even during uncomfortable times. God’s unchanging truth reliably offers us reassurance and a rock-solid foundation, so our hearts can settle in joyful comfort, regardless of the lack of it surrounding us.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

God’s Word Gives Peace

Let’s face it: It’s never fun to be anxious or filled with worry. And life offers plenty of instances where we feel helpless and out of control. In those times, God’s Word offers peace - an inner calm that helps us rest in faith. 

Isaiah 26:3 says, “He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!” This means that when we turn our thoughts to God and His Word, he rewards us with inner calm and rest. And peace brings proper perspective. Even the most difficult of circumstances becomes small and manageable when compared to God. When we’re at rest and we rightly see the surrounding situation, the result is solid confidence that God knows what He’s doing. And THAT, my friends, is JOY.

And by the way, the more Scripture we memorize, the more weapons we have to fend off worry and fight for peace. 

God’s Word Gives Life

Another reason why the Bible makes our hearts happy is because Scripture gives us life! Paul called Scripture the “words of life” (Philippians 2:16) and Peter declared that Jesus’s message was the “words of life.”  The Bible is full of laws and promises for a full, abundant life. For a life that thrives, not just survives. 

When we memorize Bible verses, we fill our minds and hearts with refreshment, energy, and purpose. Imagine hearing a powerful pep talk from the world’s best motivational speaker, having Red Bull pumped into your veins, and seeing the world’s biggest chocolate bar waiting for you at the finish line.

(That might be a bit much, but I’m hoping you get the point…) 

Memorizing and meditating on Scripture breathes life into our lives! God’s Word helps us really live, not just be alive. 

One of the most meaningful messages Jesus left us with is the truth that eternal life starts now, not just when we die.  John 17:3 records Jesus’s words as he prayed for his disciples then and now:

And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Did you read that? 

Eternal life is knowing God. Knowing Jesus.

And we can do that NOW!

TODAY. 

We access this abundant, eternal life through the gospel, and we abide in it by hiding Scripture in our hearts. 

Want to be Joyful?

As C.S. Lewis wrote, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven,” but that doesn’t mean we have to wait until then. Joy (comfort, peace, and life!) is available to us now through God’s Word. But it doesn’t come to us by osmosis, and it won’t magically seep into our pores or bloom in our hearts without some work on our part.

One of my favorite images of joy is from C.S. Lewis:

“If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.”

Want to warm up? Get close to the fire.

Want to cool down? Get in the water.

Want to be joyful? Get in the Bible, because “the precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:8).

Super Mom with All Her Ducks in a Row

Last week was tough(er than usual). 

It was Homecoming Week, so that meant themed dress up days for my students and my own kids, plus after -school events like the homecoming parade, football game, and dance. 

And the rest of the world doesn’t stop just because it’s HoCo week. The boys still had homework and tests to study for; Abie still had cheerleading; and the hubster and I still had work. We had something going on every evening after school - one of which was our school system’s Teacher of the Year banquet. Since I have the honor of being our middle school’s TOTY for this school year, Jacin and I were invited to the banquet.

So Thursday afternoon rolls around and Super Mom here (that’s me) has already arranged for all three kids to be taken care of so Jacin and I can head to the banquet. (Not to brag, but I’m slaying life, at this point.  As the saying goes, I’ve got all my duckies in a row.) I get home from school and have 30 minutes to freshen my makeup, curl my hair, and throw on a dress. Jacin screeches in with 15 minutes to shower and dress. Since the kids are gone and it’s just us, (and one of us is the esteemed Teacher of the Year, for crying out loud,) I’m pretty positive we can leave on time.

But then disaster strikes. Twice.

I grab my new dress from the ironing board, ready to put it on and leave, but my heart sinks when I notice several stained spots on the front of it. (Have I mentioned it’s brand new? I  bought it the week before and LOVED it. And loved how I felt in it.  I even washed and ironed it the night before so I could be sure it was ready. Again… ducks in a row and all that.) Apparently the spray starch I had used the day before on the collar of the dress had left some dark spots on the fabric. Like, super noticeable spots.

Usually, one of my favorite adages is “Blessed are the flexible,” but at this point I’m not feeling blessed or flexible. I have three minutes left till go time, and my (new!) dress is a no-go. I’m trying to shift from “Oh CRAP! Mode” to “Problem-Solving Mode” while Jacin asks me fifty questions about which shirt goes best with his borrowed sports coat.  I yell something like, “Just pick a dang shirt!” as I hurl my new dress across the closet into the hamper. 

I grab the only other dress that fits me, which happens to be one I’ve had since college. (Old Navy, black with white roses. Bleh.) I grab shoes and earrings and run out of the bedroom to take the dog out. 

Pearl, our goldendoodle, trots out into the yard like she’s on parade, wagging her tail, greeting the local squirrels with a bark, and stopping to stalk a grasshopper, completely unaware that I’m already royally pissed off and in a huge hurry. She finally finds the perfect spot and squats to pee. Suddenly, mid-pee, she yelps, jumps up, and bolts back to the safety of the porch. 

Here's a for-real picture of our sweet but goofy Pearl girl.

Thinking she might have stepped in an ant hill or something, I bend to inspect her back legs and tail. She’s spinning around in circles, whimpering, and dragging her butt on the ground. I can’t find any ants, so I’m pretty sure she’s either been stung (bee? wasp?) or bitten (snake… we have plenty of them out in the woods where we live.) I hike my dress up and start walking out in the yard in my heeled sandals, trying to see if I can spot a snake or a Yellow Jacket hole. (In retrospect, this was probably not very smart of me, but pissed off women in heels are ten feet tall and bulletproof, am I right?) Pearl, of course, is not about to venture back into the yard, so she continues to spin around and bark on the porch. 

Right as I’m about to step into dog doo, Jacin walks out the front door and yells, “What in the world are you doing?” Several salty, smart-butt replies threaten to erupt from my mouth, but I bite them back and hurry back to the porch. At this point, a million thoughts are shooting rapid-fire through my brain:

We’ve got to go. Now!

But what do I do with golden dummy, here?

What if she did get stung by a bee or bitten by a snake?

What if she has an allergic reaction?

We have to leave. I can’t sit with her and wait this out. 

She’ll be ok. She’s a dog. This is ok. It’s all ok.

But what if she dies while we’re gone? This is NOT ok.

“Benadryl. I need liquid Benadryl, please. Pearl needs it. Don’t ask. Just find it!” I bark. 

Jacin, who has witnessed “Overwhelmed Wife Mode” before, follows me into the house and grabs the Benadryl. I rifle through the drawer, find a syringe, and measure out the liquid Benadryl for Pearl. Jacin straddles 70-pound Pearl and holds her mouth open. I squirt Benadryl into the back of Pearl’s mouth and stand back while she coughs and hacks and almost upchucks on the rug. 

“Ok. Let’s go! Move, move, move!” Jacin yells like we’re fleeing an explosion.

We jump in the car and look at each other. 

“You have dog hair all over your pants,” I point out to Jacin. 

“Well, you have Benadryl on your skirt,” he responds. 

We jump back out of the car, run into the house, and spontaneously combust into a wild love-making session! 

Just kidding. That only happens in the movies, and this is definitely NOT the movies.

I (maybe too aggressively??) swat Jacin’s pants legs with a lint roller while he throws a wet paper towel at my skirt. We scramble back into the car and speed across town to the country club. On the way, I call our oldest and ask him to run by the house in an hour to check on the dog. Please, God, don’t let him find our dog dead. 

I took a selfie so I could remember this night forever. Don't I look like I have all my ducks in a row? Super Mom, right here. 

By the time we arrive at the Teacher of the Year event and rush inside, the program has already started and many are already eating. I smile, calmly apologize to my principal for our lack of punctuality, and turn to Jacin, intending to introduce him to my boss. Instead, Jacin, with a paniced look in his eyes, leans over and whispers in my ear, “Sorry, babe, but my stomach is feeling pretty iffy. I’m not sure I can make it through this.” 

I sit through the remainder of the event trying to enjoy the dinner while watching Jacin out of the corner of my eye, waiting for him to bolt to the bathroom. Thanks be to God, he made it through and was able to walk (jog) to the restroom on our way out. 

That night, two things happened: 

1. Jacin experienced the first of what would become seven days of sickness and digestional misery. 

2. I was reminded that I should NEVER. EVER. AT ANY POINT. act like I have my life together. Cause I don’t. Teacher of the Year or not, my ducks are NOT in a row. My “row” is more of a mob, and my “ducks” are more like killer squirrels. 

Even on a night without three littles to wrangle, I still had trouble getting myself somewhere dressed and on time. The struggle is real. And daily. And always will be. 

So, note to self, “Super Mom”:  stay humble.

Remember how much you need Jesus. Every day. 

And watch out for the killer squirrels.

3 Reasons Why Memorizing Scripture is Helpful in Everyday Life (Post #1: Moral Compass)

Scripture memory - it’s something that is supposed to be important for all Christians. We start pushing it early. Kids get prizes at VBS or in Sunday School for saying a memory verse aloud. But as we become older, memorizing Bible verses kinda fizzles out. 

Why is that?

Maybe we focus less and less on memorizing Scripture because life happens and things get busy. Or maybe it’s because as adults, we have less accountability to motivate us. Or maybe it’s not really a priority because we don’t think it has an impact on our day to day lives. After all, how can a book written thousands of years ago matter in our lives today?

The answer is short and simple - in one single Bible verse.

Psalm 19:8 says, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

Psalm 19:8 gives us 3 reasons why we should memorize Scripture:

1. It gives us a moral compass

2. It gives us joy

3. It gives us guidance

This post will focus on reason #1. Keep your eyes peeled for the other 2 posts coming soon!

Memorizing Scripture Gives us a Moral Compass

The first part of Psalm 19:8 says the precepts (or laws) of the Lord are right. 

To start with, the “precepts of the Lord” mentioned here just refers to the Bible - the rules, laws, promises, and wisdom of God given in Scripture. 

But what does it mean for the Bible to be “right”? 

• Right establishes morality 

Contrary to what the world might say, we don’t get to invent our own morals. We can’t each decide what’s right and what’s wrong on our own. Imagine this: Bob thinks stealing is wrong but Suzy thinks it’s right and good.  Which is it? Who gets to decide? Obviously, life would be a mess if we each got to come up with our own definition of right and wrong. None of us is perfect, so none of us is really qualified to establish morality. Thankfully, God has done it for us. 

The self-existent creator crafted us from nothing and made this world to work a certain way. He’s the maker, so He gets to define right vs wrong. And that’s exactly what His Word does. Throughout the Bible, God shows us what is right and what is wrong (think the 10 Commandments in Exodus, the list of sins vs the list of spiritual fruits in Galatians, etc). And this definition of right and wrong doesn’t change! Ever.

We don’t have to wonder how changing times, advancing technology or evolving culture affects right and wrong. They don’t! God’s Word stays the same forever. 

1 Peter 1:24-25 promises that while the grass withers and the flowers fall, “the Word of the Lord remains forever.” 

The never-changing Word of God gives us a clear, everlasting definition of basic morality - what’s right vs what’s wrong. 

• Right gives us a measuring stick

The word “right” used in Psalm 19:8 not only points to what’s morally right, but the literal meaning of the word paints the picture of a straight, upright stick used to guide and measure. It’s kinda like a plumbline or ruler. God’s laws not only tell us what’s right, but they also give us a measuring stick to use in daily life. 

Is gossip wrong? Hold it up to the measuring stick of God’s Word. 

Is it okay to tell a small lie? See what the Bible says. 

Does God care what I watch and listen to? Check Scripture.

Having this measuring stick in our back pocket is super helpful. When we or those around us ask questions based on morality, our answer doesn’t depend on what’s trendy or tolerant. We don’t even have to share our own opinion! We simply whip out the ruler of God’s Word and share what the Bible says. 

This is great news because it takes our own opinions, prejudices, and desires out of the equation. Right and wrong aren’t questions of the heart; they’re questions of truth. Right and wrong have nothing to do with what’s comfortable or easy or acceptable. 

When it comes to right vs wrong, what we think or believe as individuals doesn’t really matter. 

What God’s Word says does. 

It’s that simple. 

Don’t Leave Home Without It

So here’s where the rubber meets the road: if Christians don’t know God’s Word and haven’t memorized Scripture, two things happen:

• We lack a clear understanding of God’s definition of right and wrong (so we tend to rely on our own or let those around us decide)

• We aren’t able to effectively use God’s measuring stick (so we’re timid, quiet, and unsure)

Memorizing Scripture reminds us of what’s right. It’s a universal and eternal measuring tool that establishes truth for everyone, everywhere, at all times. It’s God’s moral compass in our pockets.

This equips us to confidently discern right and wrong so that we can live righteous lives and share the truth with others.

When we don’t memorize Scripture, we leave home without God’s compass, which means we’re much more likely to get lost along the way. 

Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers

This is one of those posts where the title won’t make a lick of sense until the very end, so stick with me…

One of the AWESOME (and not so awesome) things about my job is that my own three kids can ride the bus straight to the high school where I teach. The obvious awesomeness is my own three kids come to me! I don’t have to go get them after school. The not-so-awesomeness of this is that my own three kids arrive at my place of work before I’m officially finished with work. Let me just paint the picture for you…

Before I even finish working bus duty, my oldest appears, asking if we can stay after for the football game while my middle texts me asking what time his practice starts. I’m still on the clock wrangling one hundred wild bus-awaiting middle schoolers and my youngest is walking around the room making friends with random 8th graders she’s never met, kinda like she’s the Bus Room Queen, blessing everyone with her presence. 

When I finish my bus room duty and escort the Queen back to my classroom, the boys are waiting for me like vultures. They swoop down on me with three thousand questions while the youngest empties the entire contents of her bookbag to show me her day’s work. 

At this point, trying to finish any meaningful work is a no-go, so I pack up and turn my computer off while playing referee to my three precious squabbling seagulls (I’m really into this bird metaphor thing, so stay with me). As we walk out, someone whines about what we are or are not doing this evening while someone else complains about being hungry. The third someone will pipe up and ask if we can go to Dairy Queen.  (By the way, 99% of the time, the answer to DQ is “no,” but that doesn’t stop someone from asking. Every. Day.) 

On our 20 minute drive home, the three turkeys talk over each other and fight for air time. 

“I was talking! Stop interrupting!”

“Well, you’ve talked the entire time! It’s my turn!”

“Yeah. You talk more than you breathe. Take a break and let me tell Mom about…”

And there may have been times when I’ve stopped in the middle of the road and threatened to leave someone on the side of it. 

Keep in mind, folks, this is an honest, unexaggerated description of my average after-school afternoon. 

Quiet time?  I have none. I enjoy 8 hours of middle schoolers’ yakking and then move straight into my own kids’ chatter.

Time to de-stress, decompress? Nope. I run full tilt from one high stress setting into another. Everyone wants my attention. Everyone needs something from me. 

From 7am when we leave the house heading to school until 4pm when we return home, I am “on.” Answering questions, planning the next step, encouraging, correcting, consoling… it’s 9 non-stop hours of Mom/Mrs. Burns performing in the spotlight.

So is it any wonder that when we pull in our garage, the kids get out, unload their stuff and go in the house, I quietly stay in the car, still buckled up, and watch YouTube videos of ingrown toenail removal and horse hoof trimming. 

You may call this strange, but I call it survival self-care.

And usually, after about 20 minutes of missing me, one of my little chickadees will come out, knock on the car window, and ask, “Mom? Are you coming inside?” That’s my que to turn my phone off, smile, and pray.

Lord, thank you for these three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (I swear it’s a type of bird. Google it!). Give me the energy and grace I need to survive (and maybe even enjoy?) their chaos. You chose me to parent them. Parent through me, Lord, ‘cause I’m completely worn out. Help me be the best bird mom I can be.

Unity in the Early Church and Now (Post #4): Prayer

We’ve Lost Our Way

The United States of America was founded on the idea of mutual respect and forbearance. Nothing is more American than respecting someone else with whom you disagree. And nothing is more Christian than loving someone despite differing opinions. But a few weeks ago, we witnessed evidence that many in our country have forgotten this. Recently, I had to explain to my three kids why someone would try to shoot and kill former President Trump. I had to explain how our “one nation under God” has lost its way. And the question my kids asked was “how do we make it better?” My answer was “pray.” 

If you are like me, we sometimes feel like praying is what we do when we feel otherwise powerless, when there’s nothing else we can do. It’s kinda like prayer is a last resort when we can’t think of anything practical to do to affect change. In reality, though, prayer shouldn’t be a last resort; it should be the indispensable first step. And we shouldn’t pray only when all other practical options are gone. Instead, we should pray so that God intervenes in the most powerful and practical ways. Prayer is so much more powerful than we often realize, and it played a vital role in the unity of the early church. 

Prayer in the Early Church

We’ve been studying the book of Acts over the last few months in Sunday School. We recently read the account describing Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. If you haven’t read it in a while, I’ll help refresh your memory. King Herod was working to improve his reputation among the Jewish crowd, so he was arresting leaders of the early church, “intending to persecute them” (Acts 12:1). First, Herod had “James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword” (Acts 12:2). Soon after, Herod arrests Peter. To avoid any supposed “miracle nonsense,” Herod throws Peter in prison and assigns no less than 16 soldiers to guard him. 

Luke’s account in Acts 12 describes Peter in the jail cell, chained between two soldiers and surrounded by others standing guard. It’s probably his last night alive, given Herod’s pattern of a kangaroo trial followed by swift (and deadly) punishment. 

And Acts 12:5 says some of the most powerful words in Scripture: 

“Peter was kept in prison but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” 

Whew! Did you see that BUT?

Things looked grim, BUT the church was praying! 

Death seemed sure, BUT the church was praying! 

THE CHURCH WAS PRAYING! 

And that changes everything! 

God had a plan to rescue Peter, and prayer mobilized it. 

Prayer is powerful. We know it, but we often don’t act like it. 

Knowing and Asking

In his book Desiring God, John Piper writes, “there is a direct correlation between not knowing Jesus well and not asking much from him.” 

He’s not wrong. So I’m asking myself, what does my prayer life say about my knowing and trusting in Jesus?

If I know Him well, if I trust Him to be faithful in both the little and the big, then I would be asking more. I would be asking for more. 

I think the remedy for weak and sporadic prayers is consistent time in the Word. 

The more I read about Jesus, the more I immerse myself in God’s promises and precepts, the more I know and trust Him. 

The more I know and trust Him, the more I ask of Him.

The more I ask of Him, the more I see His glory at work in the world around me. 

Prayer is powerful, but it’s fueled by a firm foundation of faith built by the Word of God.  

And when believers are each individually studying the Word and praying, then their power multiplies when they come together. Powerful prayers offered in unity to an all-powerful God results in God moving in miraculous ways. 

So whether you’re facing something little or big, something trivial or tragic, remember the power that’s available to you through prayer. Remember the power of the Savior you’re praying to. And remember the power of unity when praying believers join together to petition God. 

Watch out, world! The church is praying!

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my previous posts in this UNITY series. Check them out:

Post #1: Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Post #2: Stewardship & Service

Post #3: The Power of Presence

Unity in the Early Church and Now: The Power of Presence (Post #3)

Uhhh… What Unity?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 10 years, you know that today’s society isn’t very unified. In fact, it’s often easier to find something we disagree about than something we have in common. Wandering through a conversation can feel more like tip-toing through an active minefield with so many volatile issues just waiting to explode in your face. Abortion, immigration, gender and sexuality, and the upcoming election - it’s enough to make you want to live under a rock (if you don’t already). Maybe that’s why the unity of the early church in Acts chapter two is so special. It’s completely opposite of the discord and division we experience today. 

So how did the early church reach and keep this uncommon unity? I’ve written about some of the most obvious factors, including…

• Their perspective that studying and obeying Scripture was of utmost importance (check it out HERE)

• Their careful stewardship of resources and selfless service of one another (check it out HERE)

Now let’s focus on the priority they placed on physical presence within the community of believers. 

Let’s Get Together  Just Text Me

I won’t lie: I hate talking on the phone. I’d much rather email (old school, I know, but hey! I’m a writer!) or text, mostly because this form of communicating can be done within my own timeframe and in my chosen context. But actually taking the time to meet with someone face to face and hang out in the same airspace? Yeah, it can be super inconvenient in terms of scheduling, but MAN is it rewarding. There’s just something so basic yet profound about being physically present with someone. I recently traveled to spend a weekend in Birmingham with my best friend and college roommate. Since we live in different states and both have families and busy work schedules (and both dislike talking on the phone), we don’t talk near as often as either of us would like. But when we get together in the same place at the same time (which only happens about once a year, maybe twice if we’re lucky), it’s pure bliss. This recent weekend together, we literally only left her house two times: once for lunch and once for dinner. All other minutes of the weekend were spent sipping coffee and sitting on her couch talking. It was more refreshing than I can describe. 

Being physically present with loved ones in our lives is important, but it’s something we’re neglecting more and more. We settle for calls, texts, or Zoom meetings. Even when we are physically present with someone in the same room, we’re often not emotionally or mentally present because we’re on our phones. (Ouch. I’m stepping on my own toes.) I don’t know about you, but the fast pace of my busy life frequently makes me feel like meeting someone face to face to talk is a luxury my schedule won’t allow. It’s true that technology is a gift that makes communication much more convenient, but on the other hand, technology can also give us an “out,” allowing us to do what’s easy instead of what’s best.

Presence in the Early Church

You can’t read Acts two without noticing how much these early believers hung out. They got together to study and celebrate (v. 42). “All the believers were together” (v. 44), and “every day they continued to meet together” (v.46) See that? They actually met together “in their homes and ate together” (v. 46). They didn’t stream Bible Study on YouTube or pray over Zoom. They didn’t do prayer requests or accountability time over group text. They actually met together, face to face, in one another’s homes. I’ll admit it may have been easier for them because they didn’t have the options technology offers us today, but taking the time to gather together daily was still inconvenient for them. They still had to make time in their schedules and work around work. 

They still had to answer questions like:

What’s the best time for everybody to meet?

Where are we meeting?

Who’s bringing the food?

What are we going to do with the kids?

Meeting and being together still wasn’t easy, but it was obviously a priority for the early church. It’s mentioned four times in just these five verses, so we can see how important it was for them, and still is today!

Coffee and friends: both are blessings from God.

The Power of Presence

To see the priority God places on presence, just look at how He chose to rescue us! He sent Jesus to live among us. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and moved into our neighborhood” (the Message translation).  For hundreds of years, God sent prophets with His message, but God’s final, most powerful move was to come to Earth Himself. That’s how important physical presence is to God. This eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who exists outside of time and space limited Himself and came down to be with us. To walk with us, sit with us, eat with us, and share the same airspace. He chose to be with us. And when it was time for Jesus to leave Earth and return to Heaven, He made sure to leave us the Holy Spirit, who would never leave or forsake us. Presence matters to God. And it should matter to us.

Presence is Important

Being physically present with someone else is powerful. It proclaims to that person, “you are important to me. You are worth every bit of time and travel it took for me to come be with you.” God says this to us through Jesus, and He calls us to love others in the same way - by being present with them. 

Although life’s demands make it impossible to be present with everyone every time we’d like to be, we can still be intentional about scheduling and showing up for time with others. Especially other believers. The writer of Hebrews reminds Christians of this: 

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Heb 10:23-25). 

In order to “hold unswervingly” to God and His gospel, in order to continually remember and rely on God’s faithfulness, in order to encourage and inspire each other, we need to meet together. In these three verses, the writer of Hebrews makes it clear that the health of our individual, private faith lives is closely linked to our investment in the faith community’s unity and health. Meeting together is not something we can skip or “give up.” It’s vital, for individuals and for the group. Think about it: nowhere in the New Testament do we see an isolated believer walking out his faith alone, apart from a body of fellow believers. It’s just not there! Isolated Christianity is not a thing.

The Benefits of Presence

When the early church gathered together, it helped them in innumerable ways.

1. They bonded and built friendships as they shared meals and worshiped together. 

2. They practiced loving each other like Jesus when they opened their homes and shared their resources. 

3. They learned from each other as they read and discussed Scripture and heard the apostles’ teaching.

4. They encouraged each other and held each other accountable as they put their faith into practice in their daily lives. 

5. They became bolder in their faith because they were surrounded by others who were moving in the same direction for the same reasons. 

6. They were unified in their practices because they were unified in their purpose. And they maintained this unity by meeting together regularly.

The benefits of consistently meeting together with other believers, the value of our physical presence in our faith community, cannot be overstated. 

Practicing Presence

I’ve heard the story of D.L. Moody visiting a man in his Chicago home on a cold winter day. As Moody discussed the importance of attending weekly services and Bible Study, the man made excuses for his absence, saying “I feel I can be just as good a Christian by myself as I can be with a group of other people.” Moody said nothing but silently leaned forward from his chair by the roaring fire and separated out a single lump of burning coal. Within seconds, the hot orange piece of coal visibly lost its warm glow and its embers cooled.  Without looking up, Moody smiled as the man said, “Ahh. I see.” 

The fire contributes to the warmth of the coal, and the coal contributes to the warmth of the fire. 

We need the body of believers, and the body of believers needs us. 

Our faith should definitely be personal, but it was never meant to be private. 

We must practice presence. The early church seemed to get it and do it. Do we?

Unity in the Early Church and Now (Post #2): Stewardship and Service

Unity in the Early Church

If you take time to read the book of Acts, it’s hard to ignore the commitment and unity of the early church. How did they achieve and maintain this unity? To me, three main factors played vital roles: perspective, presence, and prayer.

In the first post about unity, we looked at the early church’s shared perspective on Scripture (and you can read that HERE!). Individually and corporately, the members of the early church relied heavily on the Apostles’ teachings, and they met together regularly to study and learn. This common prioritizing of Scripture helped them keep the main thing the main thing, but it also changed their perspective on several practical, everyday issues like stewardship and service. 

Starbucks and Stewardship

Stewardship is just a fancy word for managing something that has been entrusted to you. Every day, you and I steward our time, energy, talents, and resources. All these things might seem like our own - things we earned or developed ourselves. But the truth is, everything is God’s. Our money, our time, even the air we breathe. Even though He’s allowing us to use it while we’re walking the Earth, it’s all from God, for God, and really still belongs to God. Most of us know this - we understand the concept. But if you’re like me, “stewarding God’s resources” isn’t something that stays at the front of my mind. I admit it doesn’t usually play a role in my daily decision-making. 

For example, when I’m out and about in the mornings, swinging through Starbucks for a coffee is always a temptation. (My drinks of choice fluctuate between a hot white mocha, a chai tea latte or a cold caramel crunch frap. It just depends on the day.) Usually, the deciding factors for me are how many calories or how much money I have available to spend that given morning. Honestly, I rarely think to myself, “is buying Starbucks today really the best way to steward God’s money?” (I’m definitely not saying buying a drink at Starbucks is a bad thing. Plus I’m pretty sure that coffee is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. I’m just pointing out that the concept of stewardship doesn’t usually enter my mind when I’m headed toward the Starbucks drive-thru.) Keeping a perspective of “stewarding God’s resources” isn’t always my strong point. But it definitely was for the early church. 

Stewardship in the Early Church

In Acts chapter two, Luke describes the early church:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need” (verses 44-45). 

These two verses reveal something pretty radical about these early believers: they shared their stuff. I’m a parent and a teacher. I fully understand that “sharing is caring” and it’s best to be a good “share bear,” but sharing is HARD! Apparently, sharing was one of the distinguishing marks of the early church. Scripture doesn’t give us a detailed run-down of their financial plan, but the facts that they “had everything in common” and “sold their property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need” make it clear that they shared their stuff. The early church clearly had a stewardship perspective. 

In order to share their stuff, they must have understood that everything belonged to God, so why not share it? There’s no need to hold your money tightly with a closed fist if it doesn’t really belong to you in the first place. Psalm 24:1 reminded them (and reminds us!) that everything we have is from and for God. He owns it all, so sharing should be a no-brainer. 

Now keep in mind that this passage in Acts 2 just describes the early church. It doesn’t necessarily prescribe a specific way of life that we must now imitate. But their overarching attitude and perspective of selfless stewardship is definitely something we can and should copy today. And because the early church understood stewardship, they also prioritized service. 

Service in the Early Church

Acts 2 says the believers were “together and held things in common” (verse 44). Being together made it easier for them to notice the needs of others. And their stewardship perspective made it easier for them to share their own resources to meet others’ needs. They sold their own stuff and dispersed the funds to any who had need. This may seem difficult (or even financially stupid!), but think about it…

It can definitely be hard (maybe even painful) to donate 100 of my own hard-earned dollars, even if it’s for something good - like helping to buy someone groceries. On the other hand, it’s a lot easier to give those 100 dollars if they belong to God, not me. (Just ask your kids - they’re experts at spending someone else’s money!) Serving others came easier to these early church members because of their stewardship perspective. They weren’t giving away their own money or time. They were simply using God’s resources for His glory. 

Stewardship and Service Today

Stewarding God’s resources wisely and selflessly serving others shouldn’t be hallmarks of just the early church. These should be descriptions of today’s modern church, too. But before our local churches can be unified in stewardship and service, we first have to prioritize these individually in our own lives and families. 

Where can we start?

• Model a balance of saving, spending, and tithing with your family budget

• When your kids earn money, help them see the importance of using “their” money to tithe and serve others

• Take advantage of opportunities as a family to do local service projects with your church

• Let your kids think of little ways to serve strangers who show up in your everyday life (cashier, trash men, delivery person, etc)

• Point out random opportunities to serve others in public places (holding the door for someone, putting up a grocery cart that’s not yours, helping load someone’s groceries, etc)

The more we look for ways to steward God’s resources to serve others, the more this habit will become our lifestyle. The more of us who live this lifestyle, the more unified the church will be in loving others like Jesus. 

Unity in the Early Church and Now (Post #1): Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Unity in Real Life

Unity. It’s defined as a state of oneness, or the combining of many individual parts into one whole. Unity is a worthy goal for any group or organization. Things tend to operate much smoother and move much faster when you’re unified. And the absolute quickest way to lose unity in a family unit is to ask everyone where they want to go to dinner. In my household, you’ll get five completely different and very loud opinions ranging from a sit-down steakhouse to the McDonald’s with the playground. And the reasons behind the varied opinions aren’t just differing preferences; differing priorities play into the equation, too. Usually, I’m looking for somewhere that offers some healthy options. The oldest little will predictably campaign for McDonalds or CookOut (simple because he knows what he likes and doesn’t see any need for change). The middle little will opt for a place we haven’t visited in a while (because who doesn’t want some variety in your out-to-eat diet?). The youngest little will support anywhere “fun” (like, does it have a playground? Does the kids’ meal include prizes?). And my hubster inevitably supports the quickest and cheapest place. The second you glance in the rearview mirror and say, “Hey, guys, where should we go to dinner?” everyone starts talking at once. It doesn’t take long to remember why you shouldn’t have asked it at all, and inevitably the final decision leaves everyone grumpy. 

Unity. It’s a great thing, but it’s tough to maintain. Any time you put together a group of sinful, selfish humans, the most likely result is chaos, not unity. And that’s exactly what makes unity so very vital for the church. The world around us values the “make your own way” strategy where you follow your heart and prioritize your own wants and successes, even at the expense of others around you. In stark contrast, Jesus teaches us the first in His kingdom are those willing to be last; the one who loses his life will gain it; and reward comes to those who put others first. It’s an upside down way of thinking and living, and when we do it right, the watching world notices. 

Unity in the Early Church

Unity within the body of believers was so important to Jesus, He prayed about it right before His death. In John 17, we read Jesus’s prayer that his disciples “may be one” (verse 11), that they would experience the same closeness and singleness of mind that He and the Father experienced. Jesus also prayed for future believers (that’s us!), saying “may all of them be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you… may they be brought to complete unity” (verses 20-23). If unity was important to Jesus, it should be important to us today, too. 

And God knew we would need an example of this. He knew we would need a blueprint, a real-life picture, of what unity looks like. So He gave us the book of Acts. Luke, the Gentile physician who wrote the Gospel of Luke, wrote Acts as a type of sequel to document the humble yet miraculous start of the Christ-following church. This early body of believers wasn’t without challenges, yet the fact that these babies in the faith persevered and spread the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the ends of the Earth makes their start worthy of our attention. What the early church lacked in knowledge, they made up for in obedience and dedication, and the results were nothing short of miraculous. When we read in Acts about the example of the early church, one of the easiest things to spot and study is this group’s unity. 

Their unity was simple yet deep; practical yet profound. They were brought together by their belief that Jesus was the long-waited-for Messiah. But how did they stay together? How did the early church maintain this unity over the long haul? The answer can be boiled down to a few simple but super important elements: perspective, stewardship & service, presence, and prayer. (Unity is a simple concept, but building and maintaining it can be complex. I’ll break this topic down into several different posts, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled!)

Perspective

Many times in life, we find ourselves in the middle of circumstances we didn’t ask for and can’t control. We may not be able to change the situation or even the outcome, but we can change our perspective. Often, looking at things from another angle alters our attitudes and gives us valuable insights that we might have missed before. In my own life, it’s a constant struggle to ditch the worldly perspective and cling to a Biblical perspective. The early church may have battled this, too, but they were successful in fine-tuning their focus on kingdom matters. 

Based on the first few chapters of Acts, we can see that in the beginning, the early church was most likely made up mostly of Jews who either lived in Jerusalem or who were visiting to observe the holiday of Pentecost. At that time, the Roman government was reasonably tolerant of Judaism, even granting it legal status as a government-recognized religion, but rumors about a new renegade group of believers following “The Way” sparked unease and even fear. Discrimination and persecution against members of the early church weren’t uncommon. And growing up in a devout Jewish family and then proclaiming Jesus Christ as Messiah? It was viewed not just as a sudden and silly change in loyalties; it was seen by many as the most serious form of familial betrayal. Overall, the early church was surrounded by challenges and conflicts. Yet despite this, and maybe even because of this, the early church still kept the main thing the main thing. 

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

I had a youth minister who once told us, “the main thing in life is to keep the main thing as the main thing.” I haven’t forgotten it, but it’s much easier said than done. I tend to first focus on the conflicts around me, and I’m easily overwhelmed by the challenges. Acts 2 illustrates the early church’s strategy for keeping proper perspective, for keeping the main thing the main thing. And it centers around Bible Study.

The saving faith for members of the early church was based on, first and foremost, Scripture. The majority of Acts chapter 2 details the argument Peter gave to prove Jesus was and is the promised Messiah. He uses multiple Old Testament passages, which the Jewish audience would have known and trusted. Once they surrendered and believed, the men and women of the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (verse 42). They didn’t have the New Testament to read or study, but the early church had the apostles in the flesh, sharing their first hand experiences with Jesus and teaching the lessons they learned from Him. In essence, the members of the early church studied the New Testament before it was even written down! And they did this on the daily. Acts 2:46 says “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts and broke bread in their homes.” They were devoted, committed, to learning about the life and heart of Jesus. This wasn’t just a casual club membership or an once-a-week activity. These believers prioritized studying Scripture. They did it at church. They did it at home. They did it daily, like they needed it to breathe. And they did it together. 

For the men and women of the early church, meeting together to study Scripture was a regular part of their daily routine. In their eyes, there wasn’t anything more important. Work, family, making money, hanging with friends… nothing trumped gathering together to learn God’s Word. 

And me? I’ll just be honest, here.  Sometimes I struggle to prioritize it just one day a week. 

Their shared perspective, their common prioritizing of God’s Word, held them together and helped them keep the main thing the main thing. Studying God’s Word regularly also helped them see the rest of life through a different lens. Once they had their “Bible Glasses” on, the early church believers saw persecution as an opportunity to forgive; they viewed inconvenience as a chance to serve; they considered conflict an occasion for humility. 

It’s important to remember that the accounts of the early church in Acts are mainly meant to be descriptive, not necessarily prescriptive. But if the habit of meeting together regularly to study Scripture worked for the early church, it can work for us today! Heaven knows we’re all in need of a little help keeping the main thing the main thing.

(Stay tuned for more on this super-important, timely topic!)

I’m (Not) Available Right Now

Every mom knows and accepts this one basic truth: potty time is not private time. On the contrary, it seems like the moment you step in the bathroom and shut the door, someone is going to need you desperately. It’s almost magical, like kids have a spidey sense that tingles when mom puts her butt on the toilet seat. “Mo-o-o-m!” they’ll yell from the far corners of the house, repeating their thousand-decibel call until you’re forced to yell back, “I’M IN THE BATHROOM! GIVE ME A MINUTE!”

For those with littles in the toddler years, I wish I could tell you that it gets better. It doesn’t. Most days, my 14-year-old doesn’t want to talk to me at all, EXCEPT when I go into the bathroom. I’ll go in the bathroom and shut the door, and suddenly he’s got tons to tell me. I’m telling you, the spidey sense is real. 

But, I can offer some hope. Recently, to help maintain my sanity, I developed a response to use when I don’t want to carry on a conversation through the bathroom door while peeing. 

“I’m not available right now!” I’ll sweetly call through the door. And my super smart kids usually take the hint and hit the road. 

It’s a great response, and I’m enjoying the results. So much so that it’s become my go-to reaction when something threatens my comfort or convenience. So much so that I’m afraid it’s becoming my go-to response to God. 

Recently in Sunday School, we studied the last half of Acts chapter 9. After Saul/Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, the narrative switches back to focus on Peter. Acts 9:32 tells us that Peter leaves Jerusalem and takes the gospel on the road. He travels to Lydda, a town 30-ish miles from Jerusalem, and finds a small band of believers there. In a matter of days, many unbelievers in this town turn to Jesus after Peter miraculously heals a paralyzed man named Aeneas. Things are going well, and Peter’s little mission trip is wildly successful. It’s not hard to imagine Peter taking a break, smiling and eating with the new converts, enjoying the fellowship and hospitality of the Lyddan believers. 

But then, suddenly, verse 36 switches to Joppa, a coastal town 15ish miles away from Lydda, where a well-loved disciple named Tabitha dies. Acts 9:38 tells us that the believers in Joppa know Peter is nearby in Lydda, so they send messengers to Peter, pleading for him to leave Lydda and hurry to Joppa. And Peter’s response is astonishing.

He says, “I’m not available right now!”

Just kidding! He doesn’t say that. 

Acts 9:39 simply says, “Peter got up and went with them.” 

Wow. Even though Peter didn’t have all the details, even though he was resting and comfortable in Lydda, even though he probably still had work left to do where he was, even though packing up and traveling at the spur of the moment couldn’t have been convenient, “Peter got up and went with him.” 

Peter was available. He was ready to move at a moment’s notice. He held his own agenda and goals loosely, willing to let go if God ordained a change in plans. 

Peter wasn’t perfect, but he was available. And when he got to Joppa, God used Peter to raise Tabitha back to life.

It occurs to me that I have become much too comfortable telling others (and God) “I’m not available right now.” How many adventures and miracles have I missed because I’m more focused on my own comfort than on God’s kingdom? 

Lord, help me reorient my life around you, not myself. I want to see you at work around me and join you. I’m not available right now.

Ruling the Roost

It Started Early

From the time I started talking until well into my elementary years, my dad would often lean down, put his face close to mine and gently yet firmly ask me, “Who’s in charge?” While at times I felt like I was being brainwashed (just kidding, Dad. Sort of.), it was obvious that Little Miss Bossy (AKA me) needed early and frequent reminders that I was not holding the reins. (Growing up, I had a pillow on my bed with a fancy embroidered quote: “Princess of Quite A Lot.” That’s what we’re dealing with, here.)

And I still need reminders today that I’m not in charge (EVERY day, if I’m being honest).  

 So when I landed on Psalm 131 last week, I just smiled and figured it was time for another reminder of who is really in charge. (Spoiler alert: it isn’t me. Or even my dad. It’s God.)

I read Psalm 131 in the ESV and the NIV, but when I read it in The Message, it stopped me dead in my tracks. Usually, I start by copying a Scripture passage into my journal. But this time, as I copied Psalm 131 into my journal, I found myself adding in my own thoughts with each verse…

Straight from My Journal

Psalm 131

God, I’m not trying to rule the roost (or maybe I am),
    I don’t want to be king of the mountain (well, actually, I wouldn’t mind it ).
I haven’t meddled where I have no business (lie detected)
    or fantasized grandiose plans (mmmm, yeah, I have. I do).

I’ve kept my feet on the ground (and my head in the clouds),
    I’ve cultivated a quiet heart (and a loud mouth).
Like a baby content in its mother’s arms,
    my soul is a baby content (in a milk coma, maybe?). 

Wait, Israel, for God. Wait with hope (I swear I’m trying, God, but you’re taking a super long time! Do you need my help?).
    Hope now; hope always (*sigh* Ok. I’ll try.)!

My Prayer

Lord, this one stepped on my toes. Full disclosure: I HAVE tried to rule the roost. I HAVE tried to make things happen on my own, and I’m a LOUSY wait-er. 

I spend so much time planning out how things will work in the future that I miss what you’re doing in the present. I know none of this surprises You, Lord, but there. I’ve confessed. And I know I need to say it, so here it goes:

I am NOT in charge. You are. 

I surrender. I give up trying to steal the reins (at least today, I do. Just telling you upfront:  I’ll probably need a reminder again tomorrow).

You see and know everything, Lord. The past, present and future are in Your hands. Nothing surprises You, and nothing is too hard for You. Your plan is infinitely better than anything I can even dream up. Why would I not trust You? Why would I not wait for you?

Conquer me, Lord. Surround me. Hem me in. Keep me. 

When I’m tempted to run ahead, help me wait and rest. 

Help my soul sit patiently, content like a baby placid preschooler, criss-cross-applesauce, hands in my lap, mouth closed, quietly waiting with confidence that my teacher has exciting plans for me. 

Keep keeping me, Lord.

Pushing for Persever(ence?)

Lord, I read about perseverance today - something I can’t spell and don’t have a lot of. 

And watching the Olympics, seeing all these athletes who don’t even know how to give up or quit.. well, it’s a bit convicting. 

You already know this, Lord, but I’ll say it out loud: I tend to give up quickly when things get the least bit tough. 

Yesterday, arguing with my teenager made me want to quit. Today, wrangling middle schoolers made me consider early retirement. Tomorrow, I know facing a dirty house and piles of laundry will tempt me to move into a tent. 

My go-to reflex response to difficulty is to throw up my hands and walk away. 

But Lord, you’ve given me purpose, and that should push me forward (even when I’d rather sit down and cry). 

Remind me of my purpose, God. 

Image by Unsplash

In parenting, Jacin and I are training our kids to obey us so that obeying you becomes second nature. 

In my classroom, I’m building relationships with students, showing them the unconditional love of Jesus.

At home, I can serve my family and worship you through small acts of faithfulness (and drudgery) like vacuuming and washing clothes.

And YOU, Lord, show me exactly what perseverance looks like. 

You, Lord, demonstrate astounding stick-with-it-ness in your relationship with me. No matter how sinful or inconsistent I am, you never throw in the towel. You never give up on me or leave me. 

Help me imitate your purpose and persistence. 

Remind me to look to Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.” 

Remind me to “consider Him” so that I “will not grow weary or lose heart” (Heb 12:1-3). 

Knowing & Doing

The Ascension

At the beginning of Acts, Luke describes how the recently-risen Jesus leaves Earth and returns to Heaven. It’s a shockingly brief account:

“He (Jesus) said to them (the disciples gathered around Him): ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.” Acts 1:7-9

Boom. That’s it! Luke tells it almost like it’s just an everyday thing for the once-dead Son of God to be sucked up into Heaven in a whoosh of clouds. Scripture says the disciples stood “looking up intently into the sky as He was going” (Acts 1:10). I’m sure their eyes were wide and their mouths wide open in amazement. And if they would have had time to digest what they had just seen, I bet their next thought would have been… Whoa. Ok, so what now?

But they didn’t have much time to mentally mull over what they had just seen because “suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’” (Acts 1:10-11)

What Are You Looking At?

Suddenly two angels appeared. They sure didn’t waste much time. And it’s almost as if they punched the disciples in the arms and said, “Hey! What are you guys looking at? He’s gone, so let’s go! Stop standing around with your mouths hanging wide open. Get to work!”

The angels’ question, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” uses the Greek word istemi, which means to stand firmly or to fix or establish. It makes me imagine the disciples’ feet were cemented to the ground, overcome with awe. But these “Men of Galilee” had no time to stand and wonder. No time to ponder or even praise. The angels’ words made it clear the disciples weren’t meant to stop or stay.

The Transfiguration

It reminds me of the time Peter, James and John witnessed Jesus’s transfiguration. Scripture says Jesus was “transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus” (Matthew 17:2-3). Wow. This was undeniably an incredible spectacle to behold. In response, Peter suggested they build temporary shelters and camp out in this obviously holy spot. It wasn’t a bad suggestion - to stop, be still and worship - but this wasn’t the time for sitting and soaking. In fact, immediately after, Jesus leads them back down the mountain, back into ministry.

In both instances, the disciples experienced something amazing beyond words. And in both instances, God urged them to watch, learn, and go.

Interesting.

There are definitely times in the Bible when God commands us to be still and let the Lord fight for us. There are times when Jesus reminds us to sit and soak, like Mary, instead of busting it in busyness like Martha. There are certainly times in life when we need to stop and worship.

But there are also times when we need to stop soaking and go; times to put our knowledge into action.

Knowing and Doing

While the angels’ words to the disciples may seem sudden and even harsh, the meaning behind their message is unmistakable. Experiencing Jesus’ transfiguration and later His ascension was not just to increase the disciples’ knowledge or strengthen their faith (though these were certainly byproducts!). Walking and talking with Jesus, seeing Him perform miracles, rise from the dead and then return to Heaven - all the disciples experienced- was meant to transform their lives and propel them in obedience; to compel them to service. And the same is true for us.

I’ll be the first to confess that I like soaking. I enjoy reading and learning. But is my soaking and all the knowing really accomplishing anything?

It occurs to me that learning about Jesus is much easier than teaching others about Him. Knowing Jesus requires much less energy than sharing Him with someone else.

Experiencing Jesus in personal Bible study and worship is much more comfortable than serving Him in public.

But if my worship doesn’t result in obedience, what good is it? If learning about Jesus in Bible study doesn’t transform us into His servants, why waste the time?

Knowing and doing are two vastly different things. While it’s not smart to rush into doing without first knowing, it’s equally unhelpful to possess much knowing without then doing.

This is exactly what James was thinking when He wrote that believers shouldn’t just know the Word of God; we should also obey it.

“Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).

And this is the same message the angels gave to the disciples when they said,

“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). In other words, stop soaking! This same Jesus, the one you’ve walked and talked with, the one who makes promises and keeps them, the one who walks on water and calms the winds, the one who was and is God in the flesh, He will return. It’s time to take what you know and go.

In his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, John Stott wrote,

“God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad.”

Like the disciples, standing on the mountain top, worshiping in church, learning in Bible study must all culminate in going, in serving, in obeying. Our knowing must result in doing.

Surrounded & in Perfect Peace

I love the word pictures Scripture uses. I’ll admit that sometimes the Bible can be tough to understand. But other times God paints a picture for us using simple language and comparing eternal truths to everyday images we understand. The passage I read this morning was one of these simple word pictures.

“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forever more.” (Ps 125:1-2)

I’m no geographical scholar, and I can’t tell you much about the topography of Israel. However, I can easily envision Jerusalem sitting safe in a lush valley surrounded by mountains and cliffs which form natural barriers of protection for the city. And just as the mountains encircle Jerusalem, this Psalm says we as believers are surrounded and protected by God. What an image! God Himself surrounds us, encircles us, hems us in on every side.

In his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Eugene Peterson notes:

“People of faith have the same needs for protection and security as anyone else. We are no better than others in that regard. What is different is that we find that we don’t have to build our own.”

The book of Psalms is full of these images of God as our protection. God is our “refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps 46:1). He is our “fortress” (46:7). He “encamps around us” and delivers us (34:7). He is our “rock of refuge” (Ps 31:3) and “hiding place” (Ps 32:7).

During Old Testament times, many ancient cities built walls to defend against outside opposition, but even then, life wasn’t ever 100 percent safe and secure. The Isaelites were constantly threatened by surrounding enemies - Pharoah, the Philistines, Babylon, Rome. But in the midst of conflict, the Israelites knew their safety didn’t come from walls or armies; their safety came from our all-powerful God who set the stars in the sky simply by stretching out his arm. Is anything too hard for Him?

How amazing to know that this same God protects us still today. His word tells us that He “will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord himself is the Rock eternal” (Is 26:3-4).

So whatever comes up today, whether it’s trouble or hardship, confusion or frustration, we can move forward in confidence because our security doesn’t come from any man-made military or citadel. The Lord Himself is our fortress. And when we’re not sure we can hold ourselves up, we can be sure God is holding us. Be held. Be surrounded. Be at perfect peace.

How to Obey When It’s a Struggle

Good Advice I Didn’t Take

I’ll never forget it. I was 12 years old and I had just gotten a cool new outfit for Christmas. Blue and black Umbro shorts and a matching quarter-zip sweatshirt. (Umbro was cool back then for soccer fan families like us.) The day after Christmas we scrounged up a street hockey game with some friends across town. I got dressed in (duh!) my new Umbro outfit and headed out the door. My mom stopped me and strongly suggested I change clothes. She warned that I’d probably be cold in shorts (since it was like 30 degrees outside. Yes, that’s cold in Georgia). I shrugged her off. My dad echoed her concerns and said something like, “I’m not gonna stop the game and bring you home if you’re cold, so you might want to wear something warmer.” Yeah. Right. I was looking good and refused to change clothes.

Half way through the street hockey game, I was working up a sweat but admittedly, my legs were cold. (DANG IT!) In fact, the longer we played, the more my legs stung from the chilly wind. Being the nonathletic quitter that I am, I gave up the game and went to sit in our van. I thought the car would surely be warmer than the winter air, but I was sorely mistaken. Inside the van was just as nippy as outside. I remember curling up into a tight ball in the back seat, trying desperately to imagine some far off balmy beach and fall asleep. Not much helped as I waited another 90 minutes for my dad and siblings to finally finish their street hockey game and return to the van.

It’s a small moment of time that still stands out as significant to me. It was the day I realized my parents might actually not be stupid.

Have you ever gotten sound advice that you decided to ignore?

Ever been told to go one way but you went the other?

Been told don’t, but you do?

Told do, but you don’t?

God’s Advice the Israelites Ignored

The Israelites in Jeremiah’s day could definitely identify. After one of their own assassinated Bablylon’s appointed vassal king, the Israelites ran to Jeremiah for advice.

Is Nebbechanezer, the king of Babylon, angry?

Will he come after us in revenge?

Should we stay put or flee to nearby Egypt?

They were scared and desperate for some divine direction. Jeremiah agreed to pray on their behalf, asking God for guidance. Then days later, Jeremiah shared God’s answer with the anxious band of Israelites:

“He said to them, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land’ “(Jer 42:9-12).

“Just stay put,” God told His people. “Stay here. There’s no need to run off to Egypt. Remain here in Israel, and I will protect you. Don’t worry about old King Nebbie. If you just chill here, I’ll cause Nebbie to be compassionate towards you. You’ll be safe. I promise.”

Obedience: The Struggle is Real

God’s advice was clear, but it didn’t make much sense. The Israelites were just sure King Nebbie was itching for revenge. It was only a matter of time! Why in the world would they stay and wait like sitting ducks?!?! The answer was clearly Egypt. It was right next door, and Egypt had everything Israel didn’t - peace, food, safety. Yeah, God said to stay here, but Egypt was clearly the better option.

And surprise, surprise… God knew what the Israelites were thinking. He knew their fear and saw them calculating routes to Egypt, so God doubled down to make sure His instructions were crystal clear. He spoke again through Jeremiah:

“Then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die’” (Jer 42:15-16).

God’s directions were simple, but obeying was tough. Their common sense screamed, “Run! Go hide in Egypt!” Following God’s advice meant the easiest and safest route was actually deadly, while the dangerous, risky road was really safe. It made no sense. So what did they do? They packed up and followed Google maps to Egypt. And later, just like God had warned them, King Nebbie invaded Egypt and killed them all.

Huh. Who saw that coming?

When we start with surrender, obedience is the natural next step.

Seriously, though. It’s easy to point fingers at the stubborn (and maybe stupid?) Israelites, but don’t we often do the same thing?

We read God’s Word and know what we need to do to obey. Then we don’t.

We know the good we ought to do, but we don’t.

We know there’s a more godly way to spend our time or energy or money, then we don’t do it.

Surrender: The Solution to the Struggle

Yep, there’s gotta be some Israelite blood in us somewhere down deep, cause we’re not much different. The majority of the time, we know what we need to do to live in obedience. It’s actually DOING it that’s difficult. The struggle is real. What’s the answer?

Surrender. Again and again. On the regular.

Some might say, “I did that already. When I became a Christian, I gave my life to Christ.”

True. But how many times after that have you tried to take it back? Tried to regain control? Take back the reins? We’re human, and part of our sin nature is a self-serving pride that says, “I know better than God. I’ve got this.” This was the Israeltites’ issue. They understood God’s directive: stay put. But their pride whispered doubts and suggested another route. That pride is one reason we struggle to obey. So surrender has to happen repeatedly. Regularly.

I find that the mornings are a great time for this. Whether it’s during my morning quiet time, or on my drive to work, or in the brief moments alone in my classroom before the chaos begins, I try to find time to stop and surrender:

God, I am not my own. I was bought with a price. My body, my life, all that I am, is yours. Lead me today. Use me for your kingdom work. Bring yourself glory in and through me today, God.

So go ahead: raise the white flag. Surrender. Admit your weakness and access His strength. Confess your sin and dress in His righteousness. Acknowledge your limited knowledge and trust His omniscience.

When we start with surrender, obedience is the natural next step.

Packing a Lunch that Jesus Can Use

I love when you read a passage of Scripture you’ve read many times before and still walk away with fresh truth every single time. Truly, Scripture is living and active. It’s God-breathed and supplies us with exactly what we need each time we read it. Here’s an example of encountering new insight in an old passage:

I was reading in Mark 6 about Jesus sending out the 12 disciples, then listening as they reported all the amazing things they saw and did on their inaugural mission trip. As usual, people kept pressing in, so Jesus suggested they take a boat across to a quieter spot. Then, SURPRISE!, the people “ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them” (Mk 6:33). Instead of sighing and whining about the inconvenience, Jesus “had compassion on them” and began healing and teaching them.

As the day wore on, the disciples started to worry about the logistics of hosting a huge, hungry throng of people in the middle of the wilderness. It’s not like McDonalds was close by, and GrubHub wasn’t yet a thing. How were they going to feed all these people? The answer seemed obvious: send them home. Here’s how Mark records it:

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” (Mk 6:35-36).

Seems completely logical to me. But, because Jesus is Jesus, and because He loves to teach about His powerful provision, Jesus gets that twinkle in His eye and responds, “You feed them.”

Huh.

If you’re confused, you’re not alone. The disciples were baffled. Despite the fact that they had just returned from a mission trip where they experienced first-hand Jesus’ power over sickness and evil, they still looked at this problem through a worldly lens.

Ummm… what?

Us feed them?

Riiiiight.

With what money? With what food?

How in the world do you want us to accomplish this?

I imagine Jesus smiling, immensely enjoying himself but masterfully concealing his excitement about what’s coming next. He calmly tells them to go amongst the people and see what food they can gather. The disciples return with only five small loaves of bread and two fish. (Commentaries indicate that such a small amount packed in a lunch probably indicates it belonged to a child.) And then… well, you know the story… Jesus uses that meager amount to miraculously feed the enormous crowd of thousands, with plenty left over to feed the astounded disciples.

We’ve all read it before. It’s a familiar passage that many of us have heard since we were little people in Sunday School. But this time, when I read it last week while at my kitchen table, I started to wonder about that kid in the crowd. The one who gave up his lunch. As I paused and looked up from my Bible, I gazed across my kitchen, with the sink full of dishes and the countertops cluttered with school papers, mail, and lunch boxes. And my mind wandered from that boy in the crowd to his mother at home. That kid probably had a mom who packed his lunch before he took off with his buddies, running to find Jesus. And that mom probably had no idea that her kid’s lunch would be the raw materials for a miracle. There’s no way she could have known she was packing the makings of a mid-day meal for thousands.

That mom was just going through the motions of her daily grind, taking care of her house, husband, and kids. Packing a lunch was probably something she did daily - just another insignificant household chore. Little did she know that Jesus had big plans for her son’s lunch. And as I was thinking these thoughts, it struck me. It may sound wacky, but it was just like God whispered it (silently) to my mind:

You never know when the lunch you pack for your kid may later be used for God’s glory.

You never know when the lunch you pack for your kid may later be used for God’s glory.

I’m not talking about Jesus appearing at my kid’s elementary school and performing miracles with his turkey sandwich and doritos. But I am talking about everything else I pack into my kids’ hearts and minds before school. I suddenly have lots of questions.

Before school each morning, what am I doing to help prepare my kids to see God at work around them throughout their day?

During the morning rush, how am I equipping them to live Godly lives at school that day?

What truths am I sending with them daily as they walk out the door and into the school building?

When they leave home each morning, are they ready and excited to love others like Jesus?

I realize that on most school mornings, I am often much more focused on packing my kids’ lunches and bookbags than I am on packing their hearts and minds. And you and I never know when the things we pack for our kids will later be used by the Savior. So this week I’ve tried to be more intentional about the process of “packing.” When I sign their homework folders, I pray for their teachers. When I pack their lunches, I pray for them. On the way to school, we listen to Christian music or work on our family memory verse (which the older ones just love - insert eye roll here). When we sit in car line, I remind them to keep their eyes open today for someone who needs the love of Jesus (“I know, Mom, I know. *sigh & eye roll* Bye!”).

We’re not perfect. Some days the prayers are much shorter than others. Other days the ride to school is silent or moody (“Y’all stop arguing! Don’t look at each other, talk to each other, or touch each other!”). But I’m a work in progress, and so are my kids. I may not pack the yummiest or healthiest lunches on the planet, but I can at least be purposeful with what I pack in my kids’ hearts and minds. May they each have something available for Jesus to multiply and use.

Why You Really Shouldn’t Follow Your Heart

As I was growing up, one of my family’s favorite animated Disney movies to watch was Mulan. If you haven’t seen it, you should. For my sister and me, it was an instant hit because of the main character. Mulan is a girl who disguises herself as a guy and joins the Chinese army. She does it to save her father, but along the way she realizes her self worth and begins to figure out who she really is. For my brother, Mulan was a favorite because of Mushu, Mulan’s miniature dragon sidekick. Eddie Murphy voiced Mushu, so you can imagine the humor the dragon adds to the movie. And now twenty five years later, my 3 littles love watching Mulan, too. In fact, we’ve even purchased the sequel to Mulan, creatively named Mulan II, which they also love. (Just the other night, we watched the live action version of Mulan. It was still good, but it didn’t have Mushu in it, so the kids gave it two thumbs down.)

I’ll be the first to say I appreciate Disney movies and the hours of entertainment they provided throughout my childhood. I’m also thankful for the hours of quiet they’ve afforded throughout my years of motherhood. However, I don’t always agree with Disney’s worldview. In fact, I’ve been known to pause a Disney movie playing in our van or family room and discuss how that particular movie’s scene was contrary to our Biblical worldview. (And each time I do this, my kids cry out in unified sing-song style complaint, “Mooo-ooom!”)

As good as Mulan and Mulan II are, these two movies are definitely, without a doubt, pause-worthy. I’ve hit pause on these movies so many times, my kids now know it’s coming. And here’s why: Mulan, like many other Disney princesses, lives by the mantra “follow your heart.”

And “follow your heart” is possibly the absolute worst advice anyone can give, even if it is from a beautiful Disney princess.

Our society’s answer for everything is to look within and follow your heart. This view assumes that the human heart is essentially good and can be trusted to guide us in the right direction. Friends, this is bogus and even dangerous advice.

The Worst Advice Disney Ever Gave

At first glance, the advice to “follow your heart” might seem harmless, perhaps even inspirational! Every Disney movie worth its salt says this line at least once. (Hallmark movies love it, too.) And it makes sense. We want our kids to live full, happy lives! I mean, don’t we want them to know they can be and do anything their hearts desire? Well, sorta, but no, not really. There are much more reliable things to follow instead of your heart. Let me explain.

Today’s society counsels kids (and even adults!) to FOLLOW YOUR HEART! We see the heart as the beautiful, pure, trustworthy center of our true selves. Our heart is where we form our own identity. It’s where we look for truth. Our heart helps us determine our destiny. Want to know what’s true (for you)? The world says, Follow your heart. Want to know who you really are? Follow your heart. Want to know which way you should go? Follow your heart. Want to know what to do next? Follow your heart. Our society’s answer for everything is to look within and follow your heart. This view assumes that the human heart is essentially good and can be trusted to guide us in the right direction. Friends, this is bogus and even dangerous advice.

The Bible’s Advice

As Christ-followers, we need to see the heart as the Bible sees it, not as the world sees it.

Contrary to what the world tells us, the Bible teaches that “the heart is deceitful beyond all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Whoa. Did you get that? God’s Word says our hearts cannot be trusted. Instead of trusting our hearts, we should be suspicious of our hearts. The Bible tells us that we are all born sinful from the very beginning, which means our hearts are NOT inherently good. Instead, our hearts are self-centered, sinful, and flawed. Romans 3:11 tells us that, apart from God, “there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away and have become worthless.” The moment we emerge from the womb, our hearts are programmed to be for us and against God. Basically, the Bible teaches that the human heart is selfish and sinful. It cannot and should not be trusted.

Though it’s a nice sentiment to follow your heart, let’s be honest. Our hearts are impulsive and super emotional. If I were to make all my day-to-day decisions based on what my heart wanted, I would have killed several people, cussed out a lot more, and be fat and hopelessly addicted to chocolate. My heart is selfish! And a lot of times it overreacts. Or goes in the absolute wrong direction. Following my heart would actually get me in a lot of trouble.

The World’s Advice

The world’s advice to follow your heart is a symptom of a common illness called self-helpism. Teasi Cannon describes it best in her contribution to the book Mama Bear Apologetics: “according to self-helpism, I don’t have to deny myself or repent of anything. I only have to find myself. For Christ followers, its’t the opposite. We don’t truly live until we die - die to selfish desires that exalt us against the wisdom, love, guidance, and righteousness of our maker. We are called to surrender all,” not find and follow ourselves.*

That’s deep. You might want to read that again.

We are called to surrender all, not find and follow ourselves.

The whole “follow your heart” mantra boils down to your basic belief system.

• Why are you here?

• Whom do you serve?

• Are you here for yourself or God?

The answer to these questions helps you know whom/what you should follow.

Duty or Dooty?

At one point in the Disney movie Mulan, she says, “By following my feelings, I wound up doing the right thing. I guess I’ve learned that my duty is to my heart.”

Hold up! Hit that pause button and tell your kids several things:

If you follow your feelings, you’ll do lots of things you’ll regret.

Your feelings (or heart) won’t lead you to do the right thing. In reality, following your heart will often lead you to do the selfish, sinful thing.

Your duty is to obey God, not your heart.

At the end of the day (or movie), I want my kids to know that following your heart is not their duty; it’s actually the opposite! Following your heart will actually leave you in deep dooty.

*(If you don’t have the Mama Bear Apologetics book, I highly recommend grabbing it. It’s a deep read, but it’s an EXCELLENT handbook on how to teach our kids to think for themselves through a Biblical lens. Check it out HERE. At the very least, check out the Mama Bear website with tons of resources HERE.)