I have never been extremely domestic. My days of making my own clothes saw me sewing items that required no zippers, no buttons or buttonholes, or any sleeve but ragland. Any pattern that had the word “simple” in them but included one of the above was lying.

I am not much of a cook either––but I recently purchased an item that has improved my culinary skills tremendously.




​

After reading various reviews, and upon the recommendation of family members and friends, I finally broke down and bought an Instant Pot. I immediately went online and looked for the “50 Best Instant Pot Recipes” then culled through those to find the easiest. I have been nothing but pleased with the results. However, I did learn a valuable lesson.

After a nice vegetable soup experience––very nice I might add––I moved on to chicken tortilla soup, one of my favorites. However, I made a slight miscalculation in my shopping list. First, I forgot to buy oregano, didn’t have marjoram (which was second best according to a website), and had to settle for thyme, a distant third.

But more importantly, I forgot to buy tortilla strips, and I only purchased half the required quantity of chicken. I think you can see where this is going. Chicken tortilla soup without chicken and tortilla strips is … well … not quite chicken tortilla soup.

Our Christian lives sometimes reflect this same miscalculation. We are determined to demonstrate all of the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), yet we either don’t pay attention to what we plop in the pot, or we substitute.   

Instead of filling ours heart, soul, and mind with God’s Word (the source for our spiritual nutrients), we chose to feed on the world’s diet provided through any medium: written, visual, personal contact. For many of us, the ratio between the time spent with secular sources in relation to biblical and spiritual ones can be substantially lopsided. I just calculated mine and it was an embarrassing 6 to 1.

Matthew 15:18 begins with Jesus saying, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart…”

Even the secular world would agree. Aristotle on talking about “excellence” once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

The important part of that quote is the first part: “We are what we repeatedly do,” because as Jesus reminded us, what we  say, (and by extension do) comes from the heart. And so the basic question again is … what are you feeding your heart…your soul…your mind?

Just as we can’t expect our physical health or stamina to improve if we don’t change our diet, neither can we expect our spiritual life and Christian walk to improve if we ingest what the world is feeding us rather than God’s Word.

Sometime this week take a survey of your spiritual pantry. Then decide what you need to discard and what you need to stock up on.

Once again my journey through the Old Testament has proven to be insightful and relevant. It is I Samuel this time. In chapter 8, the elders of Israel, on behalf of the people, demanded Samuel give them a king, like all the other nations had, though they buffered their rationale with the fact that Samuel was old and his sons were not following God.



However, they forgot one very important detail. God was already their king. But God allowed them to have a king and told Samuel that “it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me . . .” (I Samuel 8:7).

Don’t get me wrong, Israel had a government and leadership: they had elders; they had prophets; and they ultimately had a king––God. But they chose to put their faith somewhere else. And as Samuel warns, a king will “Take . . . their sons . . . their daughters . . . their fields . . . their flocks” for his own purposes.

Even so, God gives them an out. In Samuel 12:14, Samuel tells them that “If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good!” But if they didn’t––God’s hand would be against them.

Our government (the United States) is built upon the Constitution and based on the desires of the people. As one can see by its Preamble it’s intent is noble:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And yet since its inception, twenty-seven amendments have been made to it, suggesting that perfection has yet to be achieved.

Likewise, we have just finished another election cycle, a time when we cast our votes and put much of our hope into one man to lead us into safety and prosperity.

But we need to remember, whether we are elated or deflated by the results, that a man or a man-made institution is at its core flawed, and can only take us so far. Our faith and trust must remain in God and God alone. And, as we saw in I Samuel, diverting that faith and trust to a person or institution can be both dangerous and destructive.

May we always remain steadfast to God and pray for our leaders that they, too, may be God-fearing and honoring, and therefore allow God to “bless America.”

I had an interesting experience the other day that was the tipping point to a revelation.

I was in Costco, perusing the shelves while my tires were being rotated. I purposefully didn’t take a cart so that I wouldn’t buy anything, even though every aisle offered me something that I just felt I needed to have. However, that is a different story.

I soon found myself in the women’s clothing and there were two ladies from my church talking. I joined them in conversation which turned toward our outdoor church services. One said excitedly that she enjoyed being outdoors because we could sing. The other, brought up another local church that was holding full indoor services with singing despite our purple tier situation. Then she announced that if our church didn’t do the same, she was leaving, going to the other church, and wouldn’t be back until something changed.

The point of relating this story is not to discuss the two church policies, but my observation of my fellow churchgoer. The more she talked, the angrier she became, and I noticed one common thread in her discourse––the word “I.” Everything she related centered around what she wanted. She was leaving so that she could worship the way she wanted. Do what she wanted (which was probably why she was now holding her mask in her hand). She was not happy.

Happiness, or unhappiness, and self-centeredness seem to go hand-in-hand. In addition, one psychiatrist, Michael McGee, claims that “Being self-centered is costly.” It damages relationships and can even lead to health problems and a shorter life span.”

So what is the alternative?

Paul encourages us to “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Those “one another” phrases are the key, and they popped up again while I was listening to former Good Morning America Weekend anchor Paula Faris’s Journey’s of Faith podcast. Her latest guest was Max Lucado. Paula asked him that in light of these difficult and tumultuous times, “What do you think the role of the church is right now?”

Lucado’s answer? First, the church should do what the church does best: Point to Jesus. (A belief echoed by a pastor in my family as well.) Then, he reminded listeners that the New Testament was also written during a time of polarization. So he suggested that we look at what the Apostle Paul and Jesus would be telling us if they were living on earth today?

Lucado pointed out that there are approximately fifty-six (59 really) “one another” messages in the Bible, such as . . .

Love one another (John 13:34 plus 10 other references)
Through love, serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Tolerate one another in love (Ephesians 4:2)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another’s burdens (Galations 6:2)
Give preference to one another (Romans 12:10)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)

And the list goes on.

He continued by asking, “What if our strategy became not to be perceived as the group that’s right, but to be perceived as the group that really cares about one another. That really put into practice the ‘one anothers.’ The commands of scripture. That we excelled at that?”

Good question … as it seems that anger and self-rightness and -righteousness just seems to be driving people apart.

As we move forward—as that is the only option we really have—perhaps we should adopt this new approach—“regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)––which really isn’t new at all, but a staple of the Christian faith. And then practice all the one anothers.

Not only would we be more Christlike, but who knows, we might be happier as well.

* * * *

drmichaelmcgee.com/self-centeredness/

www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/journeys-faith-paula-faris-max-lucado-urges-evangelical-63683542

If Californians and other Westerners have learned anything these past few years, it is the importance of being ready.

Though high winds create an immediate concern, most residents are already attuned to listening for the sound of fire engines, helicopters, and air tankers, all telltale signs that a fire has broken out somewhere.

In light of this constant threat, two essentials have emerged: the list and the go bag.


The list consists of everything you want to take with you during an evacuation should you have time to pack. The list comes in varying lengths depending on how much time you have. Naturally, everyone’s list is a bit different. I looked over mine and there are some pictures, a computer, some books, and, of course, golf equipment.

The Go Bag, however, is entirely different. It is packed and ready now. It is available at a moment’s notice and includes food and water, personal items, clothing, safety necessities, communication devices, paperwork and cash. The go bag is a survival kit. And if you  don’t have time to grab anything else, you can at least grab it.

The now constant threat of fire, and the subsequent need to be ready, has reminded me that all of us need to be ready spiritually. While, we might have some warning as to when a wildfire is coming our way (however small), there is often no warning as to when our time here on earth is over.

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:14).
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Luke 12:25)

Neither do we know when Jesus will return for the second time.

"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44).

Both  of these undisclosed end dates indicate that our time for decision making is over.

And in these two situations there is no go bag. There is nothing we can take with us that will provide comfort or safety or alter our eternity. Our eternal future is decided by a list: The Book of Life: those individuals listed who have been deemed righteous by God prior to Jesus’s sacrifice, and those who have been made righteous through Christ by accepting his sacrifice and lordship over their lives.

So, if you have not prepared for your eternal future, do so now, for we never know if we will have another day, hour, or minute to decide. We must be ready.