...across the room and out of the box...

All the fall and winter activities seem to come to an end by May 1st and so it is with the Bible Study I attend Wednesday mornings at my church.  Our last study of the semester is always a good PARTY instead of the usual study.  To mix it up a little we were asked to go shopping this week for an outfit costing not more than $25.  I was not looking forward to this (I just REALLY don't like to try on used clothes!) and confess I did not put much effort into it.  I decided to go to Winner's and did actually find a workout outfit for $25.  

I knew when the fashion show started that I would not be modelling my outfit.  The fashion sense of these women was incredible!  Some had purchased outfits complete with earrings, bracelets, purse (leather none the less!) and shoes, CUTE shoes, and DESIGNER clothes!  My clothes looked SO FRUMPY compared to what these women who put some effort into the assignment looked like and I made up my mind right there that if we ever do this again I will get into the spirit of it and have some fun!

I do have a little problem shopping at places like Value Village and Salvation Army Outlets because I feel like I am snitching clothes from people who HAVE to shop in those places because they can't afford to buy new clothes.  I suppose I could just buy them for the event and then donate them back again and that way I could join in the fun without feeling guilty.

I do draw the line at shoes though.  I just really don't want to wear used shoes.  I think about the "creepy little bugs" that might be lurking in the toe part of the shoe ready to pounce on my toes and give me a fungus outbreak!  ACK!  No can do!

Besides, I made a decision this year to not buy anything I don't need and so tomorrow I think I'll just dig into the back of my closet to see what I haven't worn for awhile and maybe I'll feel like I'm wearing something new to go to work in!

At the end of the day it's good for me to have to get outside the box once in awhile and do something different!

...across the room to honor Him....

The strength of a horse does not impress Him; how puny in His sight is the strength of man. Rather, the Lord's delight is in those who HONOR Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love.  Ps. 147:10-11 NLT

WOW!  Did that verse ever catch my attention today!  Sooooo, how should I honor God?  I realized today that I have not been honoring God in a specific area of my life.  I finally realized that by holding on to a certain right I thought I had, I was really telling God that what He did in this situation was wrong.  If I really believe that He has absolute control over everything in heaven and on earth then I must let go of this belief, or "right" and acknowledge His sovereignty in this situation too.  Why is that so hard to do?  It means that suddenly this issue is not about me.  I relinquish my right to the feelings I want to feel because they feed something in me.  This "right" focuses on me instead of God.  And I give up any control over this situation that I've felt like I've had quite a bit of control over.  It means I will trust God in this situation to do whatever He wants to do.  Ouch!  This is rather bitter sweet!  On the one hand I want to stay in control (intellectually I'm quite aware that I control nothing really, other than my freedom to choose!) and yet to give over to God an area of your life you know you are trying to control is to be set free!  I know that when I wake up in the morning and think about this I will feel a great sense of relief and freedom knowing that this is all in God's hands...not mine!

"Forgive me Lord, and help me to honor and please You in everything I do." 

We've had a few days to think about those questions I posted but I see that nobody is talking about them.  They are questions that require some thought and introspection to be able to answer truthfully (at least for me that's the way it is).  So.  It's OK, no worries.  I'm still thinking about them too.  

The book I'm reading is called "The Gospel According to Starbucks" by Leonard Sweet.  A disclaimer on the front cover reads "This book has not been authorized by Starbucks Coffee Company"!  He obviously LOVES Starbucks coffee though and suggests that no one stands in those long line ups at Starbucks just to buy a cup of coffee.  People stop for the experience surrounding the cup of coffee. 

I don't think I'll tell you what the book is about.  At least not yet.  However, I would like to post a few more questions from the book for you to ponder:

1.  How do you see meaning and passion in your spiritual life?  What do you engage in regularly that nurtures your soul, your dreams and your passion?

2.  What is present in your life that leaves you feeling incomplete or unfulfilled?

More next time!

PS...I just thought of this.....since I started reading this book I have been to Starbucks A LOT!!

 

...across the room for a reality check.....

Have you ever met someone and wondered what the person is REALLY like underneath all the mindless chit chat we so often engage in?  What do we strive for in our lives?  What kind of person do we want to be and who are we really?

I am making an honest effort to be careful about suggesting books to people that they may not be ready to read.  When I read something that grabs me I just want to share that treasure with everyone I know but I have found that I have to be ready for every message I get for it to really speak to me and quite possibly you are the same.  And so it was with the book I've just opened as my next read.  It was a gift from one of my daughters awhile back, I did look at it but wasn't ready to read it yet.  I never just open a book to page one and get going.  I "shop" the pages.  When I am out shopping for something in particular I may find something I really like almost immediately but my personality is such that I absolutely HAVE to check out other stores to make sure there isn't something even better.  I'm glad I shopped this book because in the back pages I found a discussion guide with questions for coaching and conversation.  I've only read the intro and first chapter and was glad I had read the first few questions so I could think about them as I read.  There are four "headings" in this section.  They are 1.  Being   2.  Real   3.  Engages the   4.  World

So these are some of the questions under the first heading:

WHO do you want to be now?

What  is CREATING who you are? 

What DISTRACTS you from being all you can be?

 

Under the second heading is another set of questions including:

How much of who you are now is who you WANT to be?

What is going on in you and through you that you are not proud of?

What would have to change in order for you to be more real?

What is the best version of yourself and how often do you see it?

I think these are great questions unless you prefer to never allow people to see you as you really are.  Honestly, I want to be an open book ALL THE TIME.  I do not want to waste time and energy pulling the wool over people's eyes to get them to see me as a different person from what I really am.  I know.  It's risky business.  At least it feels risky to me sometimes.  I get strange looks from people sometimes when I speak my mind.  Even better is when people "gently" and "diplomatically" try to "teach" me.  At times I can laugh about that but sometimes it is hurtful.  I would still rather have that than pretence any day.  I know, I know.  I'm off on a tangent here but this is what was going through my mind.  I'm going back, to ponder those questions and yes, next time I may very well tell you what I'm reading!!  But for now, I will just leave you with the questions in case you want to walk across the room to talk about those.....

...across the room to share a recipe....

I just have to share this recipe with you in case you might like it as much as we do.  This is a great recipe to play around with.  The original came to me from my nephew Patrick (t.y. Patrick!) but I can't ever leave anything as is and make something different every time I use it.  I call it Patrick's Chick & Chickpea Curry.

The original:  2 chicken legs, thigh and leg; 1 can chickpeas, 1 large can stewed tomatoes, 1-2 good sized onions diced, 1/3 jar curry paste, 1/4 cup half & half cream, chopped parsley.

Cut meat into bite size; brown onions, add chicken, cook until sealed.  Add curry paste and cook 2 min. then add tomatoes and chickpeas, simmer an hour or more.  Dispose of chicken bones, mash up some of the chickpeas if you like to thicken the gravy.  Add cream and garnish with parsley.  Serve with rice.

Today I used leftover chicken breast so I just simply browned the onions in a little oil then added the curry.  After cooking it with the curry for two minutes I added the tomatoes and chickpeas and simmered for 15 min.  Then I added one large cooked potato (cut up) that I had in the fridge, along with a big spoonful of peanut butter and the cut up chicken.  I simmered that for another 15 min., added the cream and parsley.  The addition of the potato turned it into a one dish meal and I just love peanuts and curry in the same dish so that's why I added peanut butter.  No need for rice this time but it's pretty hot if you add as much curry paste as the recipe calls for so I tone it down some.  We still needed a little piece of bread to curb the heat.  I serve it with a green veg. salad with oil and vinegar dressing.  YUMMY!

...across the room to hear my name....

Trying to prolong the Easter weekend I decided to read the story again.  Does something different grab you every time you read it?  That's just how the Bible seems to work.  It's God talking to us after all so it stands to reason that we'll see something different every time we read it depending on what is happening in our lives.  I'm not saying that the actual meaning changes.  It's just that something different may catch my attention each time I read the same chapter.

This time it was the part where Mary Magdalene is weeping outside the tomb because the stone has been rolled away exposing the empty tomb.  First she spoke to the two angels seated where Jesus' body had been.  Hmmmm, those angels don't seem to freak her out at all!!  Then she turned and saw Jesus, although she did not recognize Him.  He asked her why she was crying and who she was looking for, yet she still did not recognize Him. Then He called her by name "Mary".  This was all He said.  Immediately she recognized who He was.

I wish that I would always respond to Jesus as though He is calling my name.  Like Mary, I wish that I would IMMEDIATELY recognize Him when He calls my name and respond just as quickly as she did so as  to not waste any time wondering where He is.  I want to remember that He is as close as the mention of my name (that's a bit of twist on the title of a song "He's as close as the mention of HIS name" .... I'm not being sac-religious!).  He is always right there...calling me by my name.  Elayne.  I hope you had a meaningful Easter.  It is finished.  He is ALIVE!

...across the room for my daughters....

I used to chuckle to hear my Mother talk about her sons and daughters and how proud she was of each one.  She would focus in on how different we all were and in particular the traits that she loved in each of us.  More often than not she would end up saying "sometimes I feel so proud of my kids I feel like I'm going to burst"!

Well this mother is feeling a lot like that these days as well.  This post could easily turn into a manuscript so I will focus on something my daughters have in common.  They both sing beautifully.  Within the past month I have heard them both perform in front of an audience and I am so proud of them.  Growing up my girls seemed so different.  One played with dolls, the other took apart pens and toys and then tried to put them back together.  Their choice in clothing was completely different as was their choice in friends.  More recently I've noticed how very alike they are in many ways.  Like I mentioned, they both sing and they sing very well. What thrills me most is that they both simply desire more than anything for God to be the centre of their lives and therefore their music.  They choose songs with a strong message and they "belt it out" from the heart!  I have felt so blessed to listen to my girls bless God with their voices.  I used the word perform above, but really, when they sing you simply feel like they are sharing part of themselves with you.

Well, tonight was another special night where I got to experience this great pleasure of listening to my daughter sing and I just simply wanted to share the words to the song that she sang.  It seems to cover pretty well anything you might be going through and tells you where you can turn, what you can do, who you can cry out to in the valley you may be in.... (I'm sorry I don't know who wrote this song)....

To everyone who's lost someone they love long before it was their time

You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye.

And to all of the people with burdens and pains keeping you back from your life

You believe that there's nothing and there is no one who can make it right.

There is hope for the helpless; rest for the weary; love for the broken heart.

There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing, He'll meet you wherever you are

Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus.

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on; they lost all of their faith in love

They've done all they can to make it right again, still it's not enough.

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains,

You try to give up but you come back again,

Just remember that you're not alone in your shame and your suffering.

When you're lonely, and it feels like the whole world is falling on you

You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus, cry out to Jesus.

For the widow who suffers from being alone, wiping the tears from her eyes,

For the children around the world without a home say a prayer tonight.

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary, love for the broken heart

There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing, He'll meet you wherever you are.

Cry out to Jesus.  Cry out to Jesus.  Oh, cry out to Jesus.

...across the room for Easter thoughts.....

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed what a quiet "holiday" Easter is? Having experienced once again this year the frustrations that this world has created for Christians trying to celebrate Christmas in peace I am amazed that there seems to be no objection to Easter celebrations.  Mind you, the word Easter does not have the name of Christ in it and I suppose that makes all the difference to some?  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not disappointed!  Just a little surprised that we can celebrate a Christian holiday with no interference.  

My Mom was always glad when Good Friday had come and gone and we could celebrate Easter Sunday.  Every year I get a better sense of why she felt that way.  Good Friday was necessary, but so very sad.  That God would have to give His very own Son; that Jesus, God's Son willingly went to the cross; the LOVE that this demonstrates (will I ever REALLY understand such love as this?); and that we could do something so horrific as to nail our Saviour to a cross!  Yet, we all did just that.  We were all essentially in that crowd.  It is important to set aside time to reflect on the cost of our freedom.

Personally I find Christmas easier to celebrate than the 'two-fold' death and resurrection focus of Easter.  It's tough to get ready for Easter when the reality of Good Friday is looming on my heart and mind.  That makes Saturday a definite work day for this girl!  I love cooking a special meal for whoever is at our table Easter Sunday.  I love the excitement surrounding this special day.  "HE IS RISEN" I tell my Dad when he answers the phone every Easter Sunday morning when I call him.  The response from him is always the same "He is risen indeed"!  What a rush for all who have experienced the freedom that comes from having your sins forgiven and your life changed by God Himself!....the Risen Christ!

For some this special season is for giving gifts, stuffed rabbits and chocolate.  I'm so glad that no matter what this world tries to do to change the meaning of the two most significant events of all time, Christmas and Easter; God still sent His Son to be born in the most primitive setting for any King; Jesus still willingly went to the cross for all of us; He still rose from the grave and is ALIVE today; and His love is for all of us.  Nothing and no one can change that.

This Easter season I am more thankful than ever before for the freedom I have because of this great love; for the freedom I have to celebrate without any interference; for the freedom and blessing of family and friends to celebrate the real meaning of Easter with!  My heart is full of gratitude!