The other night, as our family was going through its usual bedtime routine of snacks, brushing teeth, storytime, and hugs, I made my rounds and stopped in to see our middle child Anna.  She had something really important to tell me, and she was desperate that I understand how important it was.  She wanted me to help her make a card and a song for “Dada.”  She went on to explain that “He built me my big dollhouse and bought it for me, and he does so many other things for me, I really want to be nice to him.”  The interesting thing about this particular evening is that I had been out with some friends for a night of bunco, and my husband told me he had had to discipline Anna while I was gone for being mean to her little sister.  Still, or maybe even because of that, when I went to see her, she had a heart overflowing with love and thankfulness for her daddy, and she could not wait to express that to him. 

So, I snuggled up beside her and wrote out the words she dictated to me, for a special song and card for her beloved daddy.  By the time we finished, her dad, worn out from double duty that night, had drifted off to sleep.  She simply could not let it rest.  We absolutely had to wake him to express this love.  And after we did, you should have seen the joy emanating from her little face and entire body as she skipped back down the hall to her bed.

What Anna captured for me that evening is something so simple we often miss it or just forget it.  This is how it is supposed to be in our relationship with our heavenly Father.  We have an encounter or a moment of realization, and we are filled with gratitude, and our worship and service overflows, like music pouring out of us.  We can’t stop it.  We have to sing.  We overflow with love, and it overjoys us.  Duty and moralism can’t touch that.

I received this forward from a dear friend today, and it so echoed the way I think about eating and exercise that I wanted to share it. Plus it made me laugh. This is not original, but I don’t know to whom to give the credit. Not a stitch of seriousness here, and it made me feel a lot better about my chocolate habits, lack of exercise, and love of Chic Fil A.

Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

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Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

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Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good!

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Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!!…. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

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Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

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Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!

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Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

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Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

AND……

For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health.

It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

This month I’ve enjoyed reading a captivating story about the 16th century Mughal Empire’s empress Nur Jahan, also known as Mehrunnisa or “Sun of women.” Our book club read The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan. The novel is captivating, and it tells the historically accurate account of this woman’s life in ancient Persia/ Pakistan. She was the twentieth and favorite wife of Emporer Jahangir. She grew to great influence, eventually ruling the empire through trusted men, due to her husband’s Jahangir’s incapacitating addiction to opium and alcohol. (Don’t forget she lived under a veil and behind a silk screen when she was anywhere around men.) She also ran her husband’s zenana, or his large establishment of wives, concubines, and servants. After her husband’s death, she was isolated in a palace in Lahore by the new emperor, Jahangir’s son Kurrham, the builder of the Tah Majal. I’m hoping to soon read the sequel The Feast of Roses.
To learn more about this fascinating woman, read a bit more here.

I just got tagged by my dear friend little redhead, so here goes my response.

1. WHAT DID YOU DO 10 YEARS AGO?

Ten years ago at this time, I was moving back to Alabama from a wonderful adventure living a year near the beach in California, then a year in the glorious northwest in a small town called Roseburg. I had just met my husband-to-be at little redhead’s wedding, and we would wind up getting married in March 1999. I was beginning my job at the mental health center, counseling children and adolescents as well.

2. FIVE ITEMS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST TODAY:

Have fun. Have fun. Have fun. Have fun. Have fun. (I can always move the thank you notes and laundry and other junk to tomorrow, right?

3. SNACKS I ENJOY:

I love popcorn, the good buttery kind, chocolate of any kind, gala apples peeled and sliced thinly, diet coke with lime, homemade pimento cheese, lots of other stuff too. Food, glorious food.

4. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE A BILLIONAIRE?

Oh, that would be way too wonderful for words. I’d start a series of homes for kids who don’t have parents or whose parents neglect and abuse them. We’d have horses and all kinds of animals. I’d hire staff to live in and help care for them. We’d definitely have a getaway house at the beach. Invest a bunch. Give a bunch. Get a red jeep. Travel with my kids and hubby.

Okay, I’m tagging chewymom, emily, and Kristen

If you have been tagged recently and you don’t wish to join in on the fun, please don’t feel obligated! Here Are the Rules: Answer the following questions about yourself. At the end of the post you pass on the questions to some other bloggers and list their names. Then write them a comment telling them that they’ve been tagged and ask them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know that you’ve accepted the challenge and refer to your post.

I listened to a sermon this week from a wonderful church locally. The pastor is going through some Old Testament stories. The story of the week was the one about Uzzah touching the ark of the covenant and being instantly killed, found in 2 Samuel 6. The main point of the sermon was that we do not any longer have a healthy fear of God, and we do not respect him or teach our kids to do so. That we should do better. Certainly there were some good and true points.

But I couldn’t help but see some major problems. I couldn’t help but think that he missed the point. Let me try to explain.

I grew up hearing and reading all of these Old Testament stories, and obtaining a very strong sense of God’s holiness, his wrath, and a huge dose of healthy fear of God. As time went on, that fear became unhealthy for me, and it certainly did not encourage a life of freedom in Christ. I found it very hard to believe God was pleased with me, that he loved me, that he liked me. And that kind of God is hard to draw close to, hard to love and obey.

Over many years and many deep valleys personally, I have come to understand something I missed all those years. And something I think most of us miss all the time.

It is true that God is holy, that in the Old Testament we see this glory that inspires a holy fear. An awe that this God is mighty and not to be messed with or taken lightly. We see that he is far from the Santa Claus God of our imagination.

BUT the rest of the story is so often forgotten. The point of every Bible story is to show us Jesus, who shows us God. There was no mention of any of this in this “healthy dose of fear” sermon. The problem was that we should all shape up and start doing better and teach our kids to do so also.

Here is the beautiful truth of the gospel that this dear man missed. In the Old Testament, all the stories are there to point to our great, desperate, panting need for a Savior. Think of it like a captivating play. The stage is all set. The characters are in a heap of trouble, doomed without a doubt. Then the hero rushes in and saves the day.

First of all, there was no mention of what the ark of the covenant contained. It housed the very presence of God. Now that is nothing to take lightly. This ark was kept in the holy of holies in the tabernacle. Only the high priest could go in that room and only once a year. But what happened to that curtain into the holy of holies when Christ took our sins on him and made atonement on the cross? It was ripped in two from the top to bottom. God ripped it. God wanted to be close to us. God made it so that everyone who calls out in trust to a Savior can enter the holy of holies any time. We can draw close to this God. (See Mark 15:38-39 and Hebrews 4:14-16)

To hear this sermon, you would think that what God wants is a distant, reverant relationship like that of a servant to an emperor. But Jesus said he calls us friends. My friends are people I let come close, let see the good and the not so good about me. I need them. I enjoy them. I like them. I want them.

Also, this pastor kept talking about the wrath of God, which is real and which is very scary apart from that Hero that God sent rushing in. It is true his wrath could and should consume all of us. But in his great mercy, he sent Someone to take that wrath. His dear Son. Now, this is not an easy thing to swallow if you take the time to think about it. But, we no longer have to fear the wrath of God. 1 John says that “There is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out all fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” Jesus took our punishment and showed us God’s perfect love, so we no longer need to fear.

So why the heck are we using fear to try to get Christians to shape up? Why do we use fear to try to get people to turn to God? A few weeks ago I saw a man on a busy street in my town with a sign that said, “Repent or burn.” This kind of thing makes me so mad. It does not show the heart of God at all, and it does not make people want to reach out to him.

Okay, another point that he was silent about that could have been a great discussion was David’s response to Uzzah’s death. David, this “man after God’s own heart,” was angry about Uzzah’s death, and then he was afraid. He wanted nothing to do with having the ark brought to him anymore, which is what Uzzah was helping to do when he died. What freedom we find in this man who passionately loved God, having a period of three months where we was a bit miffed and afraid of God. Over time, God wooed him back to himself, and he will always do the same for us. He showed David how much he blessed the house of Obed Edom where the ark had remained those three months. They were blessed by God’s presence.

And finally David brought the ark up to Jerusalem with great rejoicing. He partied like a wild man, dancing in the streets in only a linen ephod, and he gave loaves of bread and cakes to all the people who were there for the celebration. We can have that same response when we also find out the truth of the presence of God. It is for us, the real us. We can party like David when we realize we no longer have to fear. We can really draw close with all of our shortcomings, because he has taken them away in Jesus. We can be mad at this God and bring it to him. He will match us. He gets us.

Read this quote from my dear friend Sue:

Moral values did not hang on a cross for you. Moral values cannot know you or care about you. Moral values do not love you. Moral values cannot melt your heart and transform you. They cannot raise you from the dead. They cannot impart life to your soul. If you worship and serve morality, Christ is of no value to you at all. You are not living by faith in Jesus, but rather by trust in your own performance. You are not looking at what’s unseen, but rather in what is seen. It can feel so holy to reject your humanity and do your duty. But it’s not holy at all. It’s stoicism.

Let’s stop worshiping and serving moral values. Let us stop making “doing better” the point. Let’s get the know the real point, the Person of God we can draw close to, because the curtain has been torn in two! Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

“Christ will make our crosses medicinal, working health in our soul, working sin out and grace in.”

My five year old daughter came home from a visit at a friend’s house last night, in which she had eaten supper. Before bed, she was recalling this story:

“I glulped when I drank my water. (said just like “gulp” but with an “l” after the “g” - say it out loud) My friend said it was bad manners. But you understand that I sometimes have to glulp when I drink because I get too much water. She just needs to understand that’s the way I am, and I glulp. . .And I’m lucky. I can snap my fingers and whistle, and some people can’t do either one of those things. I’m lucky. Some people can’t see. Some people can’t walk. I’m lucky. Even though I glulp.”

Enough said.

Anne Lamott is today’s woman of wow. I absolutely love how funny and honest she is! She is the mother of a pre-teen boy and an elder in a Presbyterian church in San Francisco. She has written inspiring non-fiction and several novels. I you haven’t read any of her work, you’ve got to read Traveling Mercies. She was raised to be an atheist, and she lost her alcoholic father to cancer. When she ended up an alcoholic and drug-user, she stumbled upon Someone who cared. If you’d like to read more about her amazing story, check out this site.

The other morning my 7 year old son and I were reading the book of John about how Jesus came into the world and the world didn’t know him, even though he had made the world. This got my son to thinking. He mused aloud, “Is God ever coming back to get us again?” We had a great discussion about how he has promised he will come again, and he will do what he promised, but sometimes we wish it would be NOW.

He said a prayer aloud, “God, please come back and get us; we are hurt.” I thought it was refreshingly simple and honest. Then he quickly added, “But come tomorrow because I’m really excited about our plans for today.” Again, I loved the childlike love of life, even with the honest yearning for God to come make things right. I want to be like that, enjoying the good things in life (a day swimming with friends was enough to make my son pray for God to wait a day. . .) but still yearning for the perfection he promises to restore one day.

I first learned about Amy Carmichael in college. And ever since then, she has been one of my favorite women of all time. Her biography A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot tells many wonderful detailed stories about her life. Basically, she was an Irish-born young woman from a wealthy family who gave her life to loving the poor of India. She is best known for rescuing young girls from temple prostitution. My favorite story of her is told often. As a little girl, she prayed and prayed for her brown eyes to turn blue. Her prayer was not answered. Years later, when she would disguise herself as an Indian woman to rescue girls, making her skin darker with tea leaves, she thought about what a dead giveaway blue eyes would have been. She was able to thank God for making her the way he knew would be best for the life work he had for her. If you’d like to read a bit more about her life, check out this link. She has written extensively as well, and my personal favorite is a devotional called His Thoughts Said, His Father Said.