When I'm not riding in the backseat of my Grandpa's restored vintage car "Mable," I'm doing other things like...
rising to most adventure occasions my husband proposes /
chasing our toddler around Brooklyn /
enjoying neighbors, strangers, and friends /
making countless trips to the laundromat /
writing for various publications and for personal reflection /
loving and serving our local church /
cleaning the bathroom /
hosting small and big crowds in our home /
meeting up with a friend for coffee /
thinking
Vocation is my strange frenemy. Though I have worked and existed in many stations/places, I am convinced that each day has good work to be done and that I am equipped and prepared to do that good work.
This blog explores the tension and the intersection of a constant vocational call - to good work, neighbor love, and living in the kingdom come.
My favorite things are coffee and creating and laughing (preferably with company). I love to listen to sermons and read biographies and make tea before going to bed.
If you think God might be tending to other, more important matters today, here is a very necessary reminder: you are the important matter. God is intimately involved in His creation and the process of our sanctification. He cares so deeply and is so relentless in His pursuit of us, that He offers a transformative grace to draw us into His presence.
Sometimes that grace confuses us because it isn’t peaceful and comfortable and full of relief. Sometimes it means getting broken… actually, I would say more times than not. Read this article by Paul Tripp about the beauty of grace and David’s prayer for broken bones to rejoice in Psalm 51.
He writes,
“Although our greatest personal need is to live in a life-shaping relationship with the Lord, as sinners we have hearts that have a propensity to wander. We very quickly forget God and begin to put ourselves or some aspect of the creation in his place. We soon forget that he’s to be the center of everything we think, desire, say and do…
It’s time for each of us to embrace, teach, and encourage others with the broken-bone theology of uncomfortable grace. Because as long as each of us still has sin living in us, producing a propensity to forget and wander, God’s grace will come to us in uncomfortable forms.”
I am reading “John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology,” and learning about John Calvin from some of the authors, pastors, and theologians I most respect. It still amazes me how words penned in the early 1500s could be so poignant today. When the Gospel is at the center, your message never wears out, I suppose.
I have been so encouraged as I grow to know a little more about this fascinating man. Most recently, I have been reading the chapter “The transforming work of the Spirit” by Thabiti Anyabwile.
I’m still carrying around the blessing of these words, quoted from Calvin’s original work.
“Hence we are furnished, as far as God knows to be expedient for us, with the gifts of the Spirit, which we lack by nature. By these fruits we may perceive that we are truly joined to God in perfect blessedness. Then, relying upon the power of the same Spirit, let us not doubt that we shall always be victorious over the devil, the world, and ever kind of harmful thing.”
Wow. I love that word furnished. We are furnished, as an empty house is with furniture, with the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts are IN us and they weren’t before. We were an empty house, except that God saw fit to give us what we did not have to be “truly joined to Him in perfect blessedness.”
Let us not doubt! God has FURNISHED us with the the power to be victorious. Always.
God always wins. Did you know that?
The other day, I was talking to a distraught student in my office who needed to make it through the day. From the look in her eyes, her 10th grade strength was failing and she needed back-up. I had the shortest counseling conversation on record, but I think I’ll be giving myself the same therapy. It went something like this:
“What is your only weapon against evil (bad days, grouchy people, sadness…)?”
(reluctantly)”God…?”
“No, wait, really. What is your only weapon?”
“God. The Bible.”
“Do you believe that?”
“Yes.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, so you are going into battle right now and you’ve got your sword, the Bible. Are you protected?”
“I think so.”
“With what?”
“Armor of God.”
“So, you are going into battle with God’s armor as protection and God’s Word as your weapon.”
“Okay.”
“Is there any chance you will lose?”
“….No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. No chance.”
“Why?”
“Because!”
“Because God always wins.”
Off she went.
You can question my counseling techniques, I don’t mind at all. But, I will say that when she left I felt like God had just given me the same pep talk. It was not a feel-good message about mastering bullies or getting my own way.
It was a reminder that God defeats evil. Always. He hems us in, behind and beside and before and for eternity, in all His victory.
He is always victorious and He has furnished our human houses with gifts of the Spirit. We shall always be victorious over the devil, the world, and every other harmful kind of thing.
That is something beautiful. Evil doesn’t stand a chance.
Timothy Keller challenges us once again to think through some of our assumptions about this time, maybe too quickly labeled “post-modern.” Keller questions whether our labels are justified in the personal accounts of this generation. Towards the end of his blog post, “Late Modern or Post-modern?” Keller writes,
“The underlying thread that ties all this together is the inconceivability of a moral order based on an authority more fundamental than one’s own reason or experience. That was the founding principle of the Enlightenment, and that is the cornerstone of the most recent generation. So how can we say the Enlightenment is over?”
Interesting. What do you think? And does the label matter as much as the question of gospel presentation? Or, is gospel presentation more effective with an understanding of the former?
All good questions to think during my lunch break at my desk!
Can harvest pumpkin brownies determine a day’s delight?
You can argue, but I have a Tuesday chock-full of evidence to hold up against your argument!
I have a sneaky little suspicion that this string of so-good-very-great days is no accident. It’s a little something called overflow. I’m no physicist, but I’ll propose a theory called “overflow” to explain this strange turn of events of the past week that has resulted in an abundance of joy. If you’d really like to know, the formula is complicated and cumbersome, so I will give you the wordier version (which happens to be my expertise).
I wish I could just write the numbers and letters and slashes and signs, because delight too often eludes description. Let me paint you a picture on this flat-screen canvas.
PAINT ME THIS: fellowship with the saints by way of several amazing biographies…
hours… beautiful hours… spent with students who push me to be convinced about my convictions
words, words, words… in books and articles and conversations…
…listening to sermons around the world and here in the city with a grateful heart that I can do just that…
challenged to THINK … but completely and passionately, knowing that knowledge always produces acts of love…
…baking a recipe for the first time with a wonderful partner in cooking crime… and filling almost every minute with laughter
I know… I just read over this “paint” list and I wish I could give each ambiguous phrase a story as perfect as the reality I am walking through. The bottom line is… my delight is not about the pumpkin brownies as much as it is about the overflow of my delight in the Lord. God keeps pouring more of Himself (Romans 5) out through His Spirit and I can’t help but burst with joy. I keep thinking it’s the coffee, but now I’m convinced it’s the overflow. The more the Spirit pours out into my life, the more overflows everywhere else.
People get blessed… God gets glorified… and it’s another good day.
But, tonight I feel I have to fail at any further explanation and ask you to take my word for it!
Here are some tangibles that have inspired:
Andrée Seu has an article on Psalm 40:3 that spoke directly to my heart
Tim Challies shares thoughts on being a better listener (a message I always need to hear) and also how we can make frugality an idol as Christians
I’ve got a little something stirring with my partner in cooking crime here … but only click if you want to discover the collision of two worlds in a kitchen 🙂 Desiring God National Conference just happened this past weekend and I am slowly but surely going to listen to as many of the messages as I can.
I hope the next time I start a blog submitting I have some sort of theory it ends better than this!
You may not believe it, but Mondays are capable of bizarre to brilliant status.
When you start the day off with your clothes on backwards, you have to wonder how things are going to go down. Add to that a proclivity for post-weekend depression (especially after one so beautiful), and you’ve got yourself a recipe for Monday morning disaster!
It’s pushing 10 pm right now and I won’t hesitate in saying this Monday shone brilliantly! I want to pack it neatly into a pretty package and send it to you, so your day might open just as wonderfully, but since I cannot this list will have to suffice. I know all of these elements are a result of God‘s great goodness (and in spite of me), so maybe your Mondays can sparkle too!
REASONS WHY THIS MONDAY IS BRILLIANT
Last night, I set out my outfit for today and therefore squeezed at least seven more minutes into my morning coffee-quiet time-journaling routine.
My morning soundtrack is bumping with some new tunes.
Before school even began, the smile would simply not be suppressed… a group huddled outside my office and I cannot tell you why, but I couldn’t help the top-of-the-morning tilt of the head and lopsided smile.
Mondays always add an extra boost because we have chapel in the morning. There’s something about standing with my seniors in worship that gives me goosebumps every time. (I also love that they’ve been bringing their Bibles lately… nevermind that it might be due to a little baking bribery 🙂 A little bribery always worked just fine for my Aunt Jane during swimming lessons!
We are gearing up for another SLEEPOUT this year on October 22nd and the first promo ran in chapel today… the excitement is building!
Though it is temperaturally (made up that word) impossible in Honduras, it felt every bit like fall today, from the bold sun to the cool breeze… and I wanted to burst out singing Patty Griffin‘s “Heavenly Day” at the top of my lungs.
Over lunch, I got to pray with a beautiful, dear co-worker and God made Himself so alive in those moments of community.
Armed with a can of pumpkin and after beautiful discussion on every topic imaginable (so deep I missed our turn), I started what might make Mondays most beautiful this year. If that interests you, check this out.
On the car ride home, I belted OUT some mad tunes from Starfield, Bright Eyes, and Joel Rakes.
Now, night. I get to sleep sound, curled into my bed.
Here is something to start off your morning… a message from Francis Chan that he gave this past weekend at the Desiring God National Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I woke up this morning still thinking about it and challenged by it in my morning devotions (ironically on the self-centeredness of Saul).
Anyway, if you feel like meditating on 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 and growing a heart for your brothers and sisters, you better listen.
Think Hard, Stay Humble: The Life of the Mind and the Peril of Pride on DesiringGod.org
When I worked in Austin, Texas, I saw this bumper sticker in the parking lot of the university I worked for:
“Don’t pray in my school and I won’t think in your church”
I realize bumper stickers are often cowardly ways to make big, bold statements, but this one rubbed me the wrong way. I wrote this blog post in reflection.
Now, three years later, I want to add a postscript to that blog post. John Piper has a new book out called, “Think” and it examines the questions so many raise and so few answer. Why do we have a mind? What is the purpose of thinking?
The Desiring God National Conference was actually going on this weekend and focused on just that – using our minds to glorify God, enjoy Him and share Him. I get goosebumps thinking about how our minds are made to glorify our Creator!
I’m off to worship this morning in spirit and in truth… glad for God’s design to engage my thoughts with His thoughts.
I wish I could post this video on the back of my car in bumper sticker form. Better yet, I wish I could live life proving this video true. How about that for a rebuttal?
Last night, we experimented with a recipe from my Good Housekeeping Healthy Choices cookbook. The recipe was for tortillapizza, but we transformed it into a lasagna and it was so wonderfully delicious! My roomie is a veggie (my affectionate term for the vegetarians in my life), so I’m always on the lookout for recipes that we would both like. This one turned out to be the BOMB!
Then, for dessert, I made baked apples with a recipe from the same cookbook in an effort to welcome fall to the rain and sun of this country that knows not the four seasons.
Tonight, I’m having my high school girls over for movies and THIS incredible apple cinnamoncupcake dessert! Doesn’t it look amazing?
apple cupcakes!
Here’s the description from the website:
Shredded apple replaces some of the oil and keeps the cake moist in these cinnamon-spiked cupcakes. There is a generous amount of fluffy marshmallow frosting to mound or pipe on top for a festive look.
****UPDATE****
Here is the result of several hours in a warm kitchen… lots of laughter… and maybe a few foibles. The recipe is posted below the slideshow.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
To make the CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups shredded peeled apples
1/2 cup diced dried apples (I used a baked apple leftover from yesterday to save on cost)
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, plus 3/4 cup, divided (I used 1/2 cup loosely packed for less sweet)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
PREPARATION
To prepare cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cupcake liners or coat with cooking spray (I made about 17 cupcakes with this recipe)
Combine shredded and dried apples in a bowl with 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside. Beat oil and the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla, increase speed to high and beat for 1 minute.
Whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until just combined. Stir in the reserved apple mixture until just combined. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. (The cups will be full.)
Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before frosting.
To prepare frosting: Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler. Combine 1 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water in the top of the double boiler. Heat over the simmering water, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add reconstituted egg whites, cream of tartar and pinch of salt. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is glossy and thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the top pan from the heat and continue beating for 1 minute more to cool. Add vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and beat on low just to combine. Spread or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle cinnamon on top, if desired.
I grew up angry at these eight words because hard work was always the guilty result of this catchy little phrase. It appeared when we discussed our 4-Hlivestock projects and how little we had worked with them (if you are not from the country, you wouldn’t understand leading a cow around by a halter in your yard). It wedged into conversations about refinishing projects and youth group commitments and grades in school. Many a conversation ended with a knowing, stern look from either Mom or Dad and these words, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”
Now, working with youth, I wish more parents used this guilt trip method to motivate their kids. I realize guilt should not mainly motivate us to do things ‘right,’ but guilt is not the lesson that has stayed with me these 25 years. The lesson is about worth.
Last night I watched one of my favorite movies – Steven Spielberg‘s “Amistad.” In one of the last scenes, the attorney speaks on behalf of the Africans being prosecuted for insurrection on the slave ship where they were so inhumanely transported in the slave trade en route to Spain.
John Quincy Adams, played by Anthony Hopkins, says these words in front of the Supreme Court (7 out of 9 of which are Southern slave owners),
“Yea, this is no mere property case, gentlemen. I put it to you thus: This is the most important case ever to come before this court. Because what it, in fact, concerns is the very nature of man.”
At this point in the movie, something very human in me connects with the John Quincy Adams leaning against the polished hardwood handrail. I want to shout, as his quiet words seem to do so well, “Yes, gentlemen, what are WE WORTH? What is man worth?” Is our nature – the nature of man – carry some inherent value or is rather something to discard?
I can tell you what I felt about our worth as I watched one of the captured Africans, Cinque, struggle against the chains that bruised his wrists and neck.
We were not made for this.
In Genesis, when God breathed life into the man He’d formed from the dust of the earth, He was intentional. His ways are perfect, so I refuse to believe any part of His creation process was not done “right.” Every piece and particle, from the smallest micro-organism to the most complicated systems in the human body, God designed us exactly right.
In His image we were made (Genesis 1:26-28), male and female He created us in His image. I can’t help but think my parents’ old adage came from a deeper understanding of God’s own very intentionality in our design. If creation was worth doing at all (and, I’ll admit, sometimes I wonder), then God would be the only One able to do it right. I really believe the ‘nature of man’ is a question of beginnings, which (not so ironically) is what the word “genesis” means.
Our genesis (beginning) is bound up in the intentional mind of a sovereign God, whose purposes are forever, beautifully… right.
I say all of this because I am pondering what it means to live life. I made up a word last week when I was trying to process the biography of Bonhoeffer because I was grasping at dictionaries to find a description for his approach to living out theology. I came up with vivology, after a quick greek/latin roots and suffixes search.
The question bouncing about in my head lately has been, “How do I live right?” Because, I know live is worth living (God’s intentional, perfect design)… so it must be worth doing right.
Whether or not this title is earned, many people look to Christians for examples of ultimate hypocrisy (oh, how little has changed in thousands of years!) instead of examples of ultimate servants. I was reading this article over at the Desiring God blog and I really believe it’s a message we need to allow to take root in our hearts.
I’ll admit, Christians can be so stubborn and fearful about theology that we miss the point in living out what theology tells us. In our absence, others step in and try a hand at serving, loving, and giving without the power of redemption at the center. Their efforts, no matter how amazing, simply cannot take the place of life-altering redemption and a secure eternity.
The world is groaning (Romans 8:22) for redemption and (NEWSFLASH) Christians aren’t the only ones feeling the pains of childbirth. The human race, along with creation, is desperate to right the wrong condition of things.
But, there is only one option for redemption and that is through Christ. And in Christ alone I am qualified to do good works.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV)
If the God of the universe is making all grace abound to me, so that I may abound in every good work, I think it is important to seek out the work. Think of it – God is sufficient in all things and at all times and it is HE who makes me able to abound in every good work.
I believe God is calling us to Himself… calling us to obey… and calling us to live in the delight that will come as a result of our committed hearts (Ecclesiastes 5:20 and 2 Chronicles 16:9) working in day-to-day acts of service.
I want to live BELIEVING so strongly in God’s story of redemption that I wake up LOOKING for ways to abound in every good work. It’s not charity or public policy or brownie points… it’s simply life lived in the bounty of His grace to the glory of His name!
MUSINGS IN THE MIDST 