Don't Look Back

So this fellow wants to follow Jesus.  But first he wants to say bye to his family.  Jesus says that no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:57-62). 

But when Elijah told Elisha to follow him, Elisha wanted to hold off long enough to say bye to his family (1 Kings 19).  And Elijah said, "Go ahead."

That always seemed oddly inconsistent to me.

But recently someone suggested something.  "No one is fit for the kingdom of God."  No one. 

What if I can be committed enough?

No one.

What if I can be pious enough?

No one.

What if I can love the Lord my God with ALL my heart and all my soul and all my strength and all my mind?

Oh, really?  What if you can? 
Let's see how that goes for you....
(In other words, no one ....)

What we see in Elisha is that God (through Elijah) is patient and giving.  God understands our weakness.  And He forgives it and bears it.  And He chooses us even though we --in ourselves-- are not "fit for the kingdom of God."

Today's Laugh

Can you tell the difference between a piano, a tuna fish, and a bucket of glue?

Well,
you can tune-a piano,
but you can't piano a tuna.


But,
wait, ...

what about the bucket of glue???


I knew you'd get hung up on that!

stolen from a co-worker

Not Willingly

Jeremiah talks about suffering and mercy and the Lord's compassion (Lamentations 3). 

Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.  For He does not afflict willingly.

Paul talks about how we are sons of God, joined to Christ, suffering now but awaiting redemption and glory (Romans 8).  Again we hear about God's unwillingness.

The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope.

That must be why we call it God's "alien work." He doesn't want to punish, but He will do it if necessary to rescue us.



It's like Paul and Jeremiah are saying and believing the same thing.

Doth

Boy, the things you learn in choir....

"Doth" does not rhyme with "moth." It says like "duth," like as if it rhymed with "us" said-by-a-kid-with-a-lisp.

I guess it makes sense: it should sound like "does" except for the zzz.

Being in Love

Elad Nehorai writes that he didn't love his wife when they were married.  It is a most-excellent article about what love IS, and how selfish it is to "be in love," and even touches on Disney movies. 

A couple of quotes:

Marriage started sucking away that emotion.  I tried so hard to keep that fire going, to keep that emotion alight, but it got harder and harder.  I mean, how you can feel that burning love when you're sitting at the table discussing how to use the last $20 in your bank account?

Through giving, through doing things for my wife, the emotion that I had been so desperately seeking naturally came about.  It wasn't something I could force, just something that would come about as a result of my giving.



Megan, thanks for pointing out the article.
Other people, go read it.

Broken

Earlier this summer, we had to change filters on the Culligan water filters.  But after the maintenance, something went wrong.  The line keeps clogging.  We fix it.  The water works for a couple of days.  Then it clogs again.  Right now, we're buying water in town about 5 times a week.

Earlier this summer, I fixed the dryer.  Since then, the machine runs fine, but the exhaust vent keeps detaching from the exhaust hole through the window.  I keep fixing it. 

Last year, after I fixed the old [smaller] refrigerator, the temperature problem returned.  We struggled with puddles of water in the refrigerator for months until I finally fixed it a few weeks ago.  Well, at least, I think I fixed it.  Problems seem to recur around here recently.  I still hold out hope that the fridge is fixed-fixed.

Over the last couple of weeks, my computer has been misbehaving.  So my job-of-the-week has been to carefully transfer files and back up everything, with the plan of wiping the computer clean and reinstalling everything.  That scares me.  But it needs to be fixed.

At my doctor's appointment this week, he diagnosed what's wrong with my wrists.  It's not carpal tunnel after all.  It's arthritis, especially at the base of my thumbs.  That explains the brokenness in my hands.  There's really no good solution for it.  But at least I know what it is and what some of the options are.

All the neighbors have lawn tractors.  We have two push mowers.  The older one died (beyond resuscitation) today.

I'm beginning to think it's time to give up on gardening.  I love the fresh produce.  But the work required doesn't seem to mesh with that whole arthritis-thing.  Or maybe I'm just a wuss.

If you will excuse me, I'm headed back to my Project List Of Repairs.

Maybe He WAS Making Sense After All

The other day at work, the customer said something so confusing.

We turned on the microphones and said hello.  He didn't respond.  Fine -- he was rummaging around looking for whatever paperwork he needed to conduct business through the drive-up.  Since he had nothing to say, we turned off the mic. 

After a bit, I noticed that he was facing the tube through which we send paperwork back and forth from the employees to the customers.  I guessed that he was talking to us.  My partner turned on the mic and said, "Yes?" 

The man responded, "Thank you," and sent the tube to us. It arrived empty.  Odd.

"Thank you?  What kind of response is that??" my partner wondered.


So I explained to the customer that the mics were off and asked him to please repeat what he'd said a moment earlier.  He had asked, "May I please have a pen?"  When my partner said, "Yes," he thought she was answering him, and he responded with a polite "thank you."

I laughed with delight over the way the miscommunication came out on both ends.  When all the pieces were put together, it made perfect sense.  But hearing only one end or the other -- weirdo indeed.


So why are we prone to be irritated when somebody does something like that?  When the clerk is crabby, but you don't know how she was reamed out three customers ago?  When a driver does something dumb on the highway, but maybe he's just learning to drive?  When a friend seems to make no sense?  So often, we're just missing a piece here, or misheard a word there.  A little forbearance and a little clarification goes a long way.

The Handwriting on the Wall

And you, being dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
He has made alive together with Him,
having forgiven you all trespasses,
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements 
that was against us,
which was contrary to us.
And He has taken it out of the way,
and nailed it to the cross.  (Colossians 2)


Remember Belshazzar (Nebuchanezzar's son)?  Big ol' party.  Lots of drinking.  Lots of worshiping idols.  A hand that appeared out of nowhere and started writing something on the wall.  People freaking out.  (You would too, if a bodiless hand appeared and started graffiti-ing up your wall.)  "Hey, remember Daniel?  Let's get him here.  He's really wise."

And what had the hand written?  "You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting" (Daniel 5).




A long time ago, in a galaxy state far far away, there was no midweek Bible study at our church.  The men had 9-to-5 jobs.  The women were stay-at-home moms, and many of them were involved in Explorers, a humongous, city-wide, non-denom Bible study.  They finally talked me into going, due in part to my desire for a preschool-like experience for my eldest kid.  Oh my goodness -- I'd never heard of so many rules for attending Bible class!

I broke rules on my very first day.  Explorers begins with opening worship, followed by small-group discussion of the previous week's lesson, and then everybody gathers again for what is essentially preaching on the week's passages.  You are not allowed to talk in the small-group discussion if you have not completed your at-home study of the passages and written your answers to the homework.  My first week?  I obviously hadn't done homework.  And I dared to talk.  Can you believe it?

(The ladies in my class were thankful.  They were confused by how often the Old Testament talked about "So-and-so, son of So-and-so, son of So-and-so."  I knew the explanation and told them the brief history tidbit.  And everybody was happy.  Until a couple of women from my church found out later that I'd broken the No-Speaking rule.  They were not happy.  Apparently, our small group gained a naughty reputation with the leadership for speaking too much and too candidly with each other.)

Over the weeks and months I attended Explorers, I grew to love the women in my small group.  Most of them were Baptist.  (In the South, "non-denom" has a decidedly Baptist feel to it!)  These women were burdened by the law.  They wanted to be good Christian women.  They desired the Lord and yearned for Him, but they were constantly being beaten up by the law.  They did not know Him to be a God of grace, but a god of rules and commands and laws and requirements.

Oh, another of the rules for Explorers small-group is "no denomination-specific discussion."  Everything has to be non-denom.  Uh.  Yeah.  I guess I broke that rule too.  I did manage (most of the time) to hold it in with regard to the sacraments and the office of the ministry and other Lutheran views.  But the gospel?  I had to speak the gospel.  How could I not?  And after all, supposedly all Christians believe the Gospel, right?  We're readin' the Bible here, folks!  How could we keep mum about the mercy of the Lord in Christ Jesus??

So when those dear women fretted that God would zot them for their inability to live as they ought, I talked about Jesus and His cross and the forgiveness of sins.  A few bristled.  Many sighed with relief.  Several hugged me and thanked me. 

Near the end of the year came the story of Daniel and the handwriting on the wall.  "You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting."

Oh, the outpouring of words that day.  The baring of hearts.  The fear.  So much fear.  "I'm not good enough."  "I am going to be found wanting.  I deserve to be destroyed."

Is there any greater joy than to be able to speak to a sinner: "But Jesus was the One put in the balance.  He took your sin.  He was 'found wanting.'  But His blood forgives your sin.  His righteousness is your own.  When God weighs you in the balance, all He finds is holiness and perfection.  No, it's not your own, that you earned.  But it is yours, because your Jesus gives it to you in His mercy and love."  And the person argues with you: "No, it just can't be.   You don't understand.  You don't know what kind of secret sins I have.  You don't know my heart's doubts."  And you get to "argue" back with them, "No, really.  He forgave all your trespasses.  He has wiped out the handwriting of requirements."



Sometimes it's really cool to be with people who aren't Lutheran, people who are tickled pink when they hear the gospel in all its fresh comfort.


Given the age of most of the women, and given how long ago this happened, many of the dear saints in my small group are probably already in heaven.  Someday I'll see them again.  And hug them.  And talking to them, my hidden Southern drawl will creep back into my usually-Northern voice. 

Today's Thought

When you are dead,
you don't know you are dead.
It is difficult only for the others.


It is the same when you are stupid.

stolen from Jane's Facebook

Prayer Chains

Elijah heckled the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 19): Your gods are asleep.  Or on vacation.  They can't heeeeear you.  Better speak up.

That's how we often treat prayer chains.  God doesn't know what's going on, so we need to tell Him.  Or God doesn't care very much, so we will arm-twist Him into doing what we demand.  Doesn't "storm the gates of heaven" sound a little like the storming of the Bastille -- crowds overpowering an enemy?

When we join in prayer (at the altar or via prayer chains), the point is not to make God do what we want.  In times of national disaster, or at times of cancer diagnoses, or when there's been a nasty accident, we pray for the sake of faith.   We pray that none of us would be scandalized in the Faith because of the circumstances of our own lives: "If this is happening to me, surely God has abandoned me."  We pray likewise that none of us is scandalized by the tragedies of our brothers and sisters: "What kind of a God allows this to happen?"

We pray that we trust the Lord.
We pray that suffering does not turn us from Him.
We pray that He uses events (good or bad) to draw us closer to Him.

Oh, yeah -- and we also pray that temporal suffering be alleviated if it be His will.

"Drain the Fat"

Those recipes are always telling you to brown the meat and then to drain the fat.  For years I was a good girl; I followed the directions.

Then butter grew more expensive.
 
It bugged me: I would drain the fat off the hamburger, and then I would add olive oil or butter or whatever to the recipe.  Why?  I began to use the grease from the hamburger as the fat in the recipe.

I understand that, for many years, it was popular to decry saturated fats.  "Drain the fat from the sausage?  Oh yes, then use margarine in the recipe."  "Throw out the hamburger grease, and then put Crisco in the skillet to saute the veggies for your casserole."  Science is beginning to catch up to my mantra of: "The fat God made must be healthier than the fat the chemists invented, regardless of what current scientific studies conclude."

But how do we explain decades-old recipes that said to "drain the fat" -- recipes before Hate-Saturated-Fats became trendy?

In one of our food-history books, I came across information about rations and scrimping during WWII.  According to this book, "drain the fat" (and donate it for needs pertinent to the war effort) was a patriotic thing to do.  Keeping your bacon grease or your hamburger fat to use for your own family's needs?  Selfish! 



Ah ha!  That may be part of the answer to The Great Drain-the-Fat Mystery!

Today's Laugh

Trying to understand the behavior of some people 

is like trying to smell the color 9.

stolen from Pam's Facebook

On the Straight and Narrow

Do you know the right way to behave?  Do you "walk the walk"?  

After all, Jesus said (Matthew 7:13), "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

And, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you'" (Luke 13:24-25).

That's got to be a frightening proposition for some people.  

But is it about poor behavior?  Is it about making sure you know the right rules and trying diligently to follow them? 

Or are these passages about how many gazillion ways we can concoct of not putting Jesus first?  Of course that would include wild living and selfish indulgence.  But even good, holy behavior and "pure living" can become the thing that displaces a Savior who rescues sinners.



The narrow gate?
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" (John 10:9).

Scoring the Soap

Due to a refrigerator malfunction, I've been on a soap-making binge here the last week.  The frozen tallow (which usually lives in the fridge's freezer) was taking up space in the deep-freeze.  In a bid to make more freezer space, I determined to make enough soap to rid the freezer of tallow.  (The lard gets to stay frozen for the sake of tortilla-making.  Thank you, Glenda!)

First lesson: do not score the soap too soon.   Soap recipes usually instruct you to let the soap sit for 12-24 hours before scoring/cutting.  No!  I did that once.  Scoring the soap was an atrocious job that time: the soap had hardened too much by the time I tried to cut it.  So I fell to the opposite extreme -- scoring the soap as soon as it would hold a shape (maybe after 60-90 minutes in the soap-mold).  I learned this week that the soap is much smoother and prettier when I wait 3-5 hours before scoring. 

So far I've done three regular 3# batches (27-30 big honkin' bars) and one small batch of olive-oil soap.  Two batches to go, and I'll have all the old tallow used up.  That should be enough soap to last me and Maggie four years!

Besides my standard lard/tallow, I've made soap out of Crisco before, but never anything else.  Due to the aforementioned refrigerator malfunction and its drips, my tiny little deep-fryer had water mixed in with the fat.  Dangerous!  So I washed the fat several times.  Then I found an awesome chart for how much lye and water to use when you're making soap out of oddball fats.  In a few months we'll be able to try a bar of olive-oil soap and see what we think. 

With All Your Heart, With All Your Soul, and With All Your Strength

Last week's Bible verse was about loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).  This week's Bible verse is a continuation (verses 6-7)

These words which I command you today
shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way,
when you lie down,
and when you rise up.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart."
"These words shall be in your heart."

"Love the Lord your God with all your strength."
"Teach them diligently."

"Love the Lord your God with all your soul"
(which is sometimes translated "life").
And the verse talks about how all our being and doing (at home and away, morning and night) is when we are to speak God's words.

Y'know, a person might almost be tempted to conclude that loving God has something to do with being filled up with His words, clinging to His words, bubbling over with His words.

Caulking the Cracks

The tiny cracks in the siding should be sealed.  We don't want bugs or dampness to get in. 

And yet, in my recent wasp debacle, one of the prime rules I discovered is to NEVER seal a hole or crack in the house where bugs come and go.  After all, you may seal them in, and then you'll have a worse mess.

But ...

But if you don't seal the crack, then the insects will keep sneaking in. 


So the point is that cracks ought never to develop -- because there is no right way to deal with it?  Who comes up with this advice?

Reading Challenge: Update

Instructions were found on Jane's site to set up a reading challenge of a mere 5-10 books, something that seemed daunting as of last Christmas. Everything on my primary list (plus some extras where the book was the initial one in a series) has been read.  I've also read two books from the alternate list and some others.  I can now declare, without reservation, that I have met the goal. 

What's funny is that Gary mentioned a few days ago that he's so happy to see me being able to read again.  I wasn't sure what I thought of that: the weeks where I made great headway on my reading list was when I was too sick (or too crippled from wasp stings) to do much but lie on the couch, reading.  So the stories and/or learning are great.  The reason I'm lazing with a book -- not so great.  But maybe I'm learning something about not knocking myself out?



My primary list:
Anne of Green Gables   by L. M. Montgomery  Jan 24
Anne of Avonlea   (these two with Maggie) Feb 24
Christ Have Mercy   by Matt Harrison April 7
Mara, Daughter of the Nile   June 7

Love Divine   by Alan Kornacki July 30
A Great and Mighty Wonder July 31
One Thing's Needful Aug 5

Mitford's These High, Green Hills Aug 16
Out to Canaan    by Jan Karon Aug 27
A Common Life Sept 2


The list that someone else made for me:
Lutheran Catechesis   by Bender Dec 27, 2012
Old Testament Catechesis   by Bender March 1
New Testament Catechesis    by Bender
Bible Stories for Daily Prayer    by Fabrizius



Alternates:
Kristin Lavransdatter  by Sigrid Undset
To Kill a Mockingbird   by  Harper Lee May 8
Luther, the Reformer   by James Kittelson
The Right to Be Wrong   by Seamus Hasson
On Being a Theologian of the Cross   by Forde
Luther on Vocation   by Wingren July 15


Books not on the original list:
A Long Way from Chicago by R Peck audio book April 16
A Year Down Yonder by Peck audio book April 18
And She Was a Christian: Why Do Believers Commit
Suicide by Peter Preus May 7
Heaven Is for Real June 27

Psalm 119:176

I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
seek Your servant, 
for I do not forget Your commandments.

 "I do not forget Your commandments."  Worth a pat on the back for me?  "Oh yeah, man, I am such a good Christian and do such a fabulous job of obeying God's commands."

Then why, pray tell, do we need to be sought after?

How can someone go astray, be in need of rescue, and still say, "I do not forget Your commandments"? 

We're always so quick to make it all be about me ME me and my obedience.  But that just doesn't jive here.  If I am lost, I can't very well makes claims on God because of my obedience to His commands.

"I do not forget Your commandments" maybe, just maybe, means more about His promise to be faithful to us even when we're off gallivanting in selfishness.  Maybe "I do not forget Your commandments" is a bold prayer that He will hunt me up when in sinful blindness I am erring hour by hour.

The Pastor's Tone of Voice

The Word is the Word.  Does it matter how it's spoken?  Won't it be efficacious no matter how we say it?

The other day, as Pastor discussed the first commandment during chapel, he spoke in Jesus' stead: "Trust Me.  Trust Me." 

And my heart melted.
And I keep hearing that particular configuration of sounds: "Trust Me."

I don't know about you, but I've heard "trust Me" spoken in a scolding voice.  The tone carries the message that it's going to be a chore to trust God, but we'll just have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and do it.

I've heard "trust Me" spoken in an arrogant voice.  The tone carries the message that God deserves to be trusted, and we are peons, and we just better get our groveling-act up-to-snuff.

But "trust Me" is a sweet invitation.  It's a word like unto a daddy telling a child, "I've got it all under control; it's going to be fine; I will take care of it for you!!!" 

And it's lovely when the non-verbal communication communicates that.

Deviled Eggs

James Beard advised in his book Hors D'Oeuvre & Canapes that no matter what else was served at a cocktail party, a tray of deviled eggs would always be popular and disappear the quickest.

from a kids' history book subtitled 

American Cooking from the 1920s through Today

by Loretta Ichord

Deviled eggs?  Oh YES please!

At a homeschool potluck once, three people brought deviled eggs.  About 7 dozen.  Some who proffered deviled eggs worried, "Oh, too many."  Nope.  They disappeared easily.

For symposium reception, I volunteered to bring deviled eggs one year.  Another woman told me that she was bringing three dozen deviled eggs, so I didn't have to.  Three dozen?  For 150+ people?  I brought several dozen.  So did someone else.  They disappeared easily.

My mantra is that there can never be too much fruit salad, and there can never be too many deviled eggs.  

And this history book backs me up!