Brownies, Eggs, Coffee, and Bibles

      Let me prequel this by saying that the things I write about are almost always things I struggle with. So when reading this, just remember that - I don't have this all figured out, rather I'm working on the application of it :)

      I was just in the kitchen whipping up a batch of brownies (no, not homemade - but still good! :) As I was going through my normal ritual of "cleaning the bowl" (ie, eating the batter that never made it into the pan)  I suddenly thought about a friend of mine. See, this friend finds eating batter disgusting (cookie, brownie, whatever) because of the raw eggs in it. As I sat there I found something curious: I would never eat a raw egg, in fact the thought makes me slightly queasy, yet I've always loved batter. So how do I rationalize eating the batter, knowing the raw egg is there? I decided that since there are enough things in it that I like, it gives me reason to ignore the fact that something I'd normally avoid is in it too.

      Don't we seem to do the same thing with sin? An ugly sin, out in plain sight of everyone, is something we avoid, detest. Yet, when Satan mixes up a sin with a little something fun - perhaps even good - we partake, choosing to ignore the sin that we know is still there.

      It's kind of like with coffee. I don't really like the taste, but over the summer (due to lack of sleep) I would start drinking it mixed with hot chocolate - something I like. Little by little, I became more and more use to the taste of coffee - perhaps one day I may get so used to it that I'd drink it plain. In the same way, Satan slips us sins. First highly diluted ones. These then open the doors of us potentially getting sucked into bigger and bigger sins. We get used to the lifestyle/taste, and let our guard down.

      Lastly, this whole thought process made me think about ingredients, and the question: how, if someone wants to keep something out of their system, a person can avoid it? Answer: Look at the facts in the ingredient list of course!

       Many people read labels on food to see what is in it. They don't just take the item at face value (even if marketing people created the greatest logo and catchphrase). A conscientious person will look at the ingredients - see what is hiding beneath all the fun. This simple awareness of what we are really putting into our bodies can make the difference between a healthy and unhealthy person.

       Now, where does a person look to keep spiritually healthy? The Bible of course! Considering God created us, and has the best plans for us, it goes without saying that we should look to Him when we are trying to figure out what is really good. The world will "market" many things to us that it presents as good, but we must be vigilant to check the things that the world gives us against the truth of the Bible. This way we can avoid being taken down by the things of this world that can bring us a spiritually unhealthy place.

Change Anyone?

     I decided to consolidate some of the notes I've written on Facebook to this Blog - it's the organizer in me.

     I re-read this particular note for the first time in a while today, and God used words He gave me nearly 2 years ago to remind me of a lesson I still haven't quite gotten straight. I hope that even if you've read this before, God can use it to remind you as well.

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"Change Anyone?"

                  I was lying in bed – attempting to sleep, but my mind was going a mile a minute. I felt God was laying the following thoughts on my heart to be shared (something I too often ignore doing). So I climbed down from my loft, and typed them. Forgive me if it is choppy … but it is 12:34am ...

Change – it can be uncertain, scary, potentially painful, exciting, or hard, but to be changed for the better… well, that is always worth the cost.

          My roommate Melissa has needed a new glasses prescription for some time now, and a few days ago she finally got the new, updated pair. With her old ones she could see, but not sharply. There was a time those glasses were exactly what she needed, but time had passed, and new glasses were in order. These new glasses have sharpened her vision for the better, but now she must go through a transition time with them. Wearing the new ones gives her better vision, but also comes with discomfort and coordination issues as her body learns to adapt to seeing differently. Of course she could just go back to the old pair, the comfortable one, but she would then be missing out on all the beauty in this world that she could be seeing clearly.

          In my life it seems people usually resist big changes. Even with the knowledge that changes God intends for us are for the better, it can be disconcerting to see things differently – to leave something we are used to, even if we know it is for the better. But the longer we fight the change, the more we are missing out on...

If there are changes going on in your life right now - be encouraged, God is faithful ^_^

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     This message was pertinent back then because I was struggling with big life changes that were going on - by way of a relationship break up. God had to remind me that relationships can be used by Him for good, but also sometimes must be let go of for the better. This message is pertinent to me now because I've found the transition from college student to adult to be something terribly daunting.

The cover for an old Overflow album captures how I've been feeling best:

     I've always liked this picture. It looks so silly, but I find myself acting like the fish in the bowl way too often. I need to embrace the changing seasons of my life, not be scared of them, knowing that each stage pulls me closer to what God has in store for me.

Fortune Cookie Bible

       I was thinking today about how I need to make time in my days for personal Bible reading - and I mean making consistent time, that I don't allow myself to flake on. Too often I fall prey to what I am dubbing the “fortune cookie” method of reading my Bible. When I feel like it, or on special occasions, I'll “crack it” and read a little blip of what it says. Then I put my Bible up and go on with my day.

       Without taking time though, I end up having devotionals that stay on my mind for a little bit, but as the day progresses I start to forget. (Not to mention, reading only little bits and pieces of Scripture also puts me at risk of getting things out of context, and that is never good.)

        It's ironic that back when Bibles where hard to come by (due to the fact that the printer had not been invented yet) people would go so far as hand copying any part of it they could, just so they could study and pour over The Word. Yet now, in America where Bibles are a plenty, people seem to care less. Is the fact that they are commonplace dulling us to the reality of what The Bible is?

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” - Hebrews 4:12

        God's Word was not meant to be read lightly like a fortune cookie, with a little piece here and a little piece there. I need to pour over Scripture till it permeates every part of me. To the point where in all my daily activities I meditate on what I've read, and apply it to my life. I cannot get stuck in this shallow place anymore. God calls us to a deeper relationship than that.

Of Kids And Playdough

    A couple weeks ago, I babysat two little kiddos. At one point in the day, we all sat around the table and played with Playdough (can you say awesome, and nostalgic!? :) Anyways, I wowed them both with my mad Playdough snake rolling skills - it was a hit. I'd roll them each a snake, they'd play with it, and give it back to me when it needed to be mended.

    Now, I realize some of you reading this may not be proficient Playdough snake rollers, so let me explain one thing: to make a good snake, you take some dough, and squish it together, making sure all the flaws (cracks and such) are out – then you'll be able to roll a nice long snake that will be more resilient to little hands :)

    So, back to the story: a funny thing happened, the smiling 2 year old would give me his cracking/breaking snake to fix; knowing I'd made it, so I could fix it. I'd then take the snake and mush it all together into a fresh ball again. When he looked over to see his snake being crushed, his little face would distort into a look of confusion and unhappiness. Motioning at me to roll it, not break it he seemed to say, “What are you doing, I wanted you to fix my snake, not kill it!?”. I tried to assure him that everything would be fine, but he just kept his eyes on the ball of dough, and did not smile again till he saw a snake being rolled out once more.

    This process happened several times, it made me laugh. How could he forget so quickly that even though I was destroying his snake, it was for the purpose of building him up a better one? Why wasn't he trusting me? I mean, he had seen me do it before for him... It hit me later, that I am the exact same way with God. I'll give Him things in my life that I want to be made better, asking Him to fix it. Sometimes though, God has to tear down, to be able to best rebuild. Then, like the little 2 year old, we forget all of God's faithfulness to us from before, and stay so focused on the things falling apart that we forget to keep trusting God's abilities to take the broken things in our lives, and heal them – even if we can't grasp how the process works.

    I decided I should take this Playdough lesson to heart, and next time I feel like God is allowing something to fall apart, to remember that He knows better than I, and life doesn't always have to make sense to me - I simply need to have faith that God is in control of life's changes. That should always be reason enough to not fret.

    I am a “fretter” though, so this is something I know I will have to continually work on.

Hebrews 13:5 - “...be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”

Dinner For Two - And Guest

    I've been contemplating what my first real Blog entry should be about (the “hello” one doesn't count you see). After tonight, I now know exactly what I'd like to write about. Dinner.

    My sister Sarah and I got some Chili's gift cards from our neighbors in return for watching their cat periodically whenever they go on trips and such. After a week of trying to figure out when to use them, we finally got around to it today. It was lovely. Just the two of us going out to dinner together, something we realized doesn't happen that often (unless you count Chick-Fil-A or Taco Cabanna trips). This was a rare “sit in a nice restaurant and dine” experience. Our waiter obviously didn't care too much about us being there though, since throughout dinner waiting for anything always took FOREVER. Now, I can understand when a restaurant is hopping and people are just too busy to get things done right away, but this was different - there was hardly anyone else there! I played waiter “I Spy” and found that he kept going to the other side of the place to talk with his friends. Even sat down too – not ok. Well, once everything was eaten, we were waiting (ha, what else is new!?) for the check to come, when Sarah suddenly announces that there is a big fat roach, a couple booths down from us, on a “Presidente Margarita” sign. Uh oh!

 *Let me interject that Sarah has one of the worst roach phobias of anyone I know. Therefore, my initial concern was for the restaurant, and how they'd handle a screaming customer.*

    I could tell Sarah was ready to sprint out of there the moment that roach might decide we were more interesting than the sign and fly over. (She had slide from sitting near the window of our booth to the far side near the walkway). I started to get nervous when I saw our little roach friend flutter her wings – ick! Sadly we still had to pay, and couldn't really leave without saying something, if only for the sake of the other diners.

    We managed to get an employee who was cleaning tables to come by, since who knows where our waiter was. We proceeded to tell him about the roach, to which he really didn't show that much surprise. Actually the only emotion he displayed was dread, like he was the unlucky one that now had to do something about it. He just stood there just looking at it, then finally spoke, “Man, that's not good” he said, “I mean, roaches in the kitchen that fall in your salad that's ok – but out here, that's bad. Haha, I'm just joking!”

We were not impressed with his joke.

    Our waiter came back around (he probably was nervous we were telling on him) and when he realized what was going on all he had to say was, “Y'all didn't see that...”

Uh huh.

    The unlucky employee went over to the roach with a broom. Not wanting to be around to see how that approach would go, we gave our waiter the meal money and left lickety split. I felt bad though, because there were two girls sitting across from our booth who looked less than pleased at the turn of events, especially since they had just received their food. Yum.

    Moral of the story: avoid eating at Chili's in the Alamo Quarry – unless you are partial to big ole' bugs coming over to ask you how dinner is going.

Hello Blogging World!

    Before this Blog relationship begins, I must let you know that sometimes I will forget to Blog, but never take it to heart. My Blogging absences are not because I do not care, rather probably because of one of two reasons:

1. Nothing of interest has happened and I don't want to spam any of the followers I may be lucky enough to have.
2. Too much of interest has happened and I haven't gotten the chance to sit down and share right away.

    Either way, I hope you'll stick with me - through the lengthy posts, and the nonexistent posts. Most of all I hope that this Blog is used by God for something bigger than I could ever plan.