January 17, 2012

In Need of a Mediator

I’ve just gotten to Job on my Bible reading schedule. The schedule I’m using places Job between Genesis 22 and 23, which is apparently where it is believed it occurred chronologically.

I still remember the first time I tried to read Job. I was 23, in my first year of law school, and had just been baptized in the Lutheran church. My husband gave me an NIV Study Bible as a baptismal gift. I don’t remember why I decided to start with Job as the first book I would read, but it wasn’t a good idea. Maybe I thought I knew enough about the Bible because I had attended two years of Sunday school in sixth and seventh grade and didn’t need to read the basics. At any rate, I would not recommend Job as a place to start for a new Christian.

Don’t get me wrong – I think Job is a great book. But for a new Christian, I think John, Romans, or Hebrews are all much better places to start. In terms of Old Testament, Genesis and Psalms are good places to start.

Job is one of those books of the Bible from which one must be careful not to pull verses out of context. The dialog between Job and his friends reveals how they saw the world and how they understood God. They didn’t necessarily have as much wisdom in this area as they thought they did.

But then again, we are often much like Job and his friends. We think we understand what God is up to, why He has done something or not done something. When things don’t go right we speculate that God is meting out punishment or teaching a lesson (especially if it is someone else’s trouble we are speculating about). And maybe He is, but maybe He’s just trying to show Satan that He knows us better than Satan does and that in spite of hardships we will maintain our attitude of worship towards God. (See Job 1-2). We really don’t know why a particular incident of suffering and hardship has befallen a good person.

What we do know is that God does what is just and right, and that His goal is the greatest good and the furtherance of His kingdom. He is faithful and trustworthy. His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. But we are His children and He loves us. (He loved Job, too, only Job didn’t know it).

I had a nice block of quiet time to myself yesterday morning, and so I made it through chapter 16 of Job. I know I just said you have to be careful about taking verses out of context, but there were four verses that really jumped out at me. I don’t know if I’d ever really noticed them before. Chapter 9 is titled “Job’s Third Speech: A Response to Bildad.” At the end of this speech Job says:

32 “God is not a mortal like me,
      so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
 33 If only there were a mediator between us,
      someone who could bring us together.
 34 The mediator could make God stop beating me,
      and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
 35 Then I could speak to him without fear,
      but I cannot do that in my own strength.”

Did you catch that? Job thought he needed a mediator between him and God. Of all of Job’s prayers, God eventually answered this one.

We now do have a mediator between us and God, and that is Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus we no longer need to live in terror of God’s punishment – Jesus took the punishment for us. We can now approach the throne of God without fear because we can do so in the strength of Jesus and do not have to rely on our own strength. Because of Jesus we have a hope that Job lacked when he was in the midst of his greatest trials. When our hope is shattered by suffering and loss, Jesus gives us new hope and peace.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:1-5 (NLT).

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January 16, 2012

Receiving and Giving

In the past two weeks I have received two blogging awards from fellow bloggers. I hope the givers of these two awards won’t mind if I combine my acceptance of the awards into a single post. Between the busy-ness of life and not feeling well since New Years, I just haven’t had time to respond individually. I figure a joint acceptance is better than none. I also want to nominate all of the bloggers listed below for both of these wonderful awards. J They all deserve it and I hope you will visit their blogs.

The first award I received was the Candle Lighter Award that was given to me by Caddo Veil at http://caddoveil.wordpress.com/awards-earthly/.

The Candle Lighter Award belongs to those who Believe, who Always Survive the day and those who Never Stop Dreaming; for those who Cannot Quit; for those who Keep Trying–and if you’re in this category, you are Entitled to this Award.

Caddo is a relatively new blogging friend of mine, and I thank her for blessing me with this special award. I also thank God for giving me that will to believe and that faith to continue on in spite of the obstacles, trials, and struggles that this world has thrown at me in life in general and in regards to blogging.

The second award I receives was the Kreative Blogger Award that was given to me by April over at Thoughts from the Porch. This one made me smile because I’ve never really thought of myself as creative. I think of my sister and my son as creative because they are both visually artistic. But as I thought about it I realized God has given me the gift of creativity with words, and that is just as special. I want to thank April for reminding me that I am creative.

For this award, I am required to share 10 things about myself. Some of these things may already be known by those who read my blog or know me in person, but here goes:

  1. I was born in California.
  2. I have a sweet little dog named Roman, named after the book of Romans.
  3. I’ve been married for 25 years.
  4. I was baptized during my first year in law school, when I was 23.
  5. I am spatially challenged, and if you move the furniture I can’t picture how it was before you moved it.
  6. At 5′ 8″ I am the short one in my family.
  7. My favorite color is red and I love to wear red clothes, especially my red leather (lambskin) jacket that my mother-in-law gave me.
  8. If I had my choice of cars, it would be a red Thunderbird, the model with the little round window in the back.
  9. I love to cook, but I hate to clean up afterwards.
  10. I would be lost if not for Jesus as my Savior and the Rock to which I cling every day.

Okay, now for the fun part. Here are __ of my favorite bloggers that I want to share these two awards with. I didn’t get to read all of their blogs as much as I would have liked in 2011, but am determined to visit them more in 2012.

http://blesseddad.wordpress.com/

http://brokenbelievers.com/

http://inhislovingservice.wordpress.com/

http://iftodaywehear.wordpress.com/

http://justifiedfreely.wordpress.com/

http://efalkenbury.wordpress.com/

http://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/

http://outofedenministries.wordpress.com/

http://shoesforanimaginarylife.com/

http://sptp2011.wordpress.com/

http://butchdean.wordpress.com/

There are a lot of other blogs I like, but since I’m going to have to go notify everyone I give these awards to that I’ve given them, I better stop here. I’ll save the rest for the next time someone gives me a blogging award.

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January 15, 2012

Sending a Clear Message

Our pastor started a new sermon series this morning titled “Mixed Messages.” It’s a five-week series on how, as Christians, we sometimes send mixed messages to the world about our Christian faith. We some send mixed messages about Jesus.

The specific topic this morning was money, always a sensitive topic with most people. We really don’t like talking about money or about giving it away. We don’t like to be scrutinized in this area of our lives, because we all tend to like our own stuff and our own money just a little bit too much.

And that’s just the point. As Christians, we should have the extravagant and generous mind and attitude of Christ regarding our money. It isn’t really our money anyway – it is a gift from God – it really all belongs to Him anyway.

Pastor Dave encouraged us to send a clear message about who Christ is by the way we give to those in need and in how we use the money that God has blessed us with. We need to send a clear message so that non-believers will know who Christ truly is and what the Christian faith is all about.

As I pondered writing this post, I decided to reread the passages in Matthew that I read last week as part of my Bible reading schedule, because I remembered I was reading the sermon on the mount. Not really wanting to write about money and mixed messages, I was trying to find something else to write on.

At first I didn’t find anything that spoke to me, so I read the section that I should have read either yesterday or this morning but I skipped my reading time both day. Here is the very next passage on my reading schedule, Matthew 6:19-34 (NLT):

Teaching about Money and Possessions

 19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

 22 “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

 24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

 25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Okay, so I get the message loud and clear! I need to pay more attention to what message I am sending to others in this area. Is it a clear message of extravagance and generosity in the image of Christ? Or do my selfish actions belie my words of faith? Where is my treasure stored?

I think these are questions we all need to ask ourselves periodically. We are human and are going to mess up sometimes; we are going to sometimes send the wrong message. But if we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and to correct us, to help us send a clear message, then perhaps the world will hear the truth of Christ loud and clear.

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January 13, 2012

Finding the Right Herb for Recipe Friday

I don’t have a recipe for today. Instead, I want to share some information about selecting herbs and spices from an old cookbook I have titled How to Cook with Herbs, Spices & Flavorings by Doris Townsend. I don’t know if I’ve ever actually made one of the recipes in this cookbook, but there is a chart in the front that tells what herbs and spices go best with various foods that I refer to a lot.

This chart includes columns for appetizers, soups and chowders, salads, fish and shellfish, poultry and game, meats, sauces, eggs and cheese, and vegetables. My favorite, and most used, column is the vegetable column. This is the one I want to share today.

I hope this information helps you in your side-dish cooking as much as it helps me.

Basil

Beans
Eggplant
Onions
Peas
Squash
Tomatoes

Bay Leaf

Beets
Carrots
Potatoes
Stewed Tomatoes

Chervil

Beets
Eggplant
Peas
Potatoes
Spinach
Tomatoes

Dillweed

Beans
Beets
Cabbage
Celery
Parsnips
Potatoes

Marjoram

Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Onions
Peas
Spinach
Zucchini

Oregano

Broccoli
Cabbage
Lentils
Mushrooms
Onions
Tomatoes

Parsley

Carrots
Potatoes
Tomatoes

Peppermint

Carrots
Peas
Potatoes
Spinach
Zucchini

Rosemary

Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Mushrooms
Peas
Potatoes
Spinach

Saffron

Vegetables & rice
Squash
Zucchini

Sage

Carrots
Eggplant
Lima beans
Onions
Peas
Tomatoes

Savory

Artichokes
Asparagus
Beans
Lentils
Rice
Sauerkraut

Tarragon

Cauliflower
Celery root
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Spinach
Tomatoes

Thyme

Asparagus
Beans
Beets
Carrots
Onions
Zucchini

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January 12, 2012

Man of Conscience – A Poem

Last night we watched part two of a two-part show on PBS about Martin Luther. It was very well done and informative. It inspired me to write a poem about Martin Luther for Thankful Thursday because I am thankful for the reformation of the church for which Luther was responsible.

I am thankful for the truth he taught that salvation is a gift of God. Salvation is not something I must earn by my own deeds, or worse, by the purchase of indulgences from the church. I am also thankful for Luther’s translation of the Bible into the language of the people, the forerunner of our modern day Bibles that are translated into almost every language in the world so that all may learn of God’s love and mercy.

1/17/12 Update: Decided to link to this poem for dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night as an example of a poem that, as Natasha says, “bears witness to our history.” I also made a small tweak to line 3, which never seemed quite right before.

Man of Conscience

Man of conscience who
Argued his point in the 95 Theses
Risking excommunication and death
Though fear was abolished by courage
Instilled by God, His Holy Spirit power
No man could make him recant

Lifelong pursuit of his God
Unable to find peace for his soul
Til the Word of God opened his heart
Heretic they called him for the hope he shared
Eternal life as a gift from the Lord, not earned
Reform turned revolution leads to truth

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.” Martin Luther, Diet of Worms.

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January 10, 2012

Less than Nothing – A Poem

On my way home from work last night I was listening to Sanctus Real in my car. The song Change Me came on. I love this song.

One of the lines in the song gave me an idea for a poem. The line is “‘Cause I know I’m nothing without You.” As I worked on the poem in my head, while trying to simultaneously see through the rainy darkness ahead of me, I realized that this line of the song is not completely accurate. I realized that without Christ I am not “nothing,” I am less than nothing.

Less than Nothing

Nothing is what
I thought I was
without You

But now I realize
it is much worse
than I imagined

Without You
I am something
that is less than nothing

Arrogant, prideful
Selfish and self-centered
Hateful, angry, and bitter
Jealous and envious
Lazy, slothful, and out of control
Unkind, thoughtless, and mean

I’d rather be nothing
than be what I am
without You

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:19-23 (NIV).

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January 9, 2012

How to Get a Clean Slate

Yesterday in church our Youth Minister Colie gave the sermon because our pastor was at the men’s retreat. She shared a wonderful illustration that I liked so much I wanted to share it.

She said that we all start with a clean slate, like a blank sheet of paper, but over time we mess up our clean slate with sin. It’s like writing on that sheet of paper in ink. We all do this, though to different degrees.

If we try to wipe the slate clean, to undo our sin, it’s like trying to erase what we’ve written on a piece of paper, or to cover it up with white out. No matter what we do, we can never restore that sheet of paper to what it was before we wrote on it. Even if we only write in pencil, you can never completely erase the effects of what was written there.

But there is still hope. We can get a clean slate, a new clean sheet of paper, because if we confess our sins to Jesus then He will wipe the slate clean for us. He will give us a new sheet of paper. He will forgive all our sins if we just ask.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV).

This morning as I was getting ready for work, the song Nothing but the Blood of Jesus by Jars of Clay with background vocals by The Blind Boys of Alabama came on my iPod. As I listened and sang along (I love to sing along to this one), I realized that it was the perfect song to go with Colie’s illustration.

Nothing but the blood and mercy of Jesus can wash away our sin and give us a clean slate. Nothing we do to try to atone for our own sin will ever work. We might be able to cover up our sin and hide it from the world, like using white out to cover up ink on a sheet of paper; but God will always be able to see our sin unless we ask Jesus to wash it away for us.

So what are you waiting for? Do you desire a clean slate today to start off 2012? Just ask Jesus and He’ll give you one.

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January 8, 2012

A Psalm (by Linda)

During 2011, to help me meet my post-a-day challenge, I posted a Psalm every Sunday. I may do that one some Sundays in 2012, too, because it was a popular posting theme. I think these posts were popular because the Psalms are such wonderful prayers that they are a blessing to all who read.

But yesterday it occurred to me that I would like to write a psalm of my own. That is, to write a poetic prayer in the nature of a psalm. As I lay in bed last night this psalm formed in my mind, and so I offer it to you, and to my God, this Sunday morning.

Psalm LK

O Lord, my God
I bring You praise
and worship You
Your love and mercy
are forevermore
In the morning
on my knees
In the evening
Lying on my bed

O my Lord God
I intercede for
the anxious and the lost
Calm their fears
and light their way
In the morning
on my knees
In the evening
Lying on my bed

O Lord, my God
I plead for
the injured and sick
Heal their wounds
and cure their disease
In the morning
on my knees
In the evening
Lying on my bed

O my Lord God
I beseech You
on behalf of the proud
Humble them before
Your mighty power and love
In the morning
on my knees
In the evening
Lying on my bed

O Lord, my God
I bring my petitions
before Your throne
You know my needs
before I even speak
In the morning
on my knees
In the evening
Lying on my bed

O my Lord God
My Savior and Redeemer
I offer my thanksgiving
for each answered prayer
for who You are
In the morning
on my knees
In the evening
Lying on my bed

1/10/11 Update: Decided to share this post over at dVerse Poets Pub for Open Link Night (which, oddly, is during the day).

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January 7, 2012

Whoosh – A Poem

At dVerse Poets Pub today, Sheila provided us with the interesting prompt of writing a poem involving onomatopoeia. As I read her post, the word-sound “whoosh” came to mind and I could see the roomful of disciples on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them. I decided to try to write a poem based on this sound of God.

Whoosh

Whoosh
Did you hear that?
It sounds like the wind
blowing through the trees

The doors and windows
are all closed, locked up tight
Whoosh
It couldn’t be the wind
It couldn’t blow in

Now we see
Now we know
It is the Holy Spirit
that sounds so strong
Whoosh

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 (NIV).

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January 6, 2012

Grampa Cookies for Recipe Friday

Ever since I have known him, which is almost 27 years, my father-in-law has made the yummiest cookies at Christmas time. Each family gets a tin filled with these cookies every year. We call them Grampa Cookies.

This year I decided to get the “recipe” from him to share with all of you. When I asked, he replied, “Well, there really isn’t much of a recipe.” And in some respects that is true. But as we talked more I gleaned from him the tricks to executing this seemingly simple recipe successfully — tricks he has learned from trial and error (followed by success) over the past 27+ years. I think he has it down to a science now. Hopefully I can save all the errors for others who try this recipe, including me next year.

This is a picture of the tin of Grampa Cookies we got for Christmas this year. They were almost half gone before I could get the picture taken, and so I don’t have an example of a vanilla one, but they are yummy, too. I think my father-in-law said he made 260 Grampa Cookies this year. That’s a lot of melting, dipping, and love!

image

Grampa Cookies

Ingredients:

Almond bark (chocolate or vanilla)
Ritz crackers
Creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter between two Ritz crackers to make a sandwich. Repeat until you have made enough for as many cookies as you want.

To coat the sandwich cookies, use almond bark, an easy melting candy coating that comes in chocolate and vanilla (and possibly other flavors I don’t know about). It comes in squares that can be easily broken apart. Place 7 squares of almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and stir. Microwave a second time for about 30 seconds and stir. Microwave a third time for about 30 seconds, and the almond bark should be ready for dipping the sandwich cookies.

My father-in-law said you have to be ready to dip quickly and not allow for interruptions once you start dipping. The 7 squares should be enough to coat 20 to 25 cookies. Use a pair of tongs to turn the sandwiches over and over in the dip until they are coated on all sides, then set them on a piece of wax paper, parchment paper, or Saran wrap to set.

Do not try to re-melt the almond bark as it won’t turn out right. Being a thrifty guy, my father-in-law scrapes the last of the almond bark in each batch out onto this broken cookie sandwiches — he called these his “seconds” because they taste just as good but don’t look like a nice cookie that he would want to include in our gift tins.

Repeat this whole process 20 sandwich cookies at a time until you have the number you want. These can be stored for several months in cool temperatures, but tend to crack open around the edges if frozen.

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