This passage of scripture, from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 3, has been on my mind...
"For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men? For when one says, I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not [proving yourselves] ordinary (unchanged) men? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Ministering servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord appointed to each his task: I planted, Apollos watered, but God was making it grow and gave the increase. So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater."
I wish churches, individual fellowships of believers, could get this. So much more could be accomplished if we didn't feel the need to claim that our pastor is the best, that we have all the right answers and that we are the best. In saying we, I mean the church at large, not any one church. I just wish there was more unity, respect and cooperation.
I don't care where you go to church, so long as it's Biblically solid, and it's serving and loving people (not that it matters what I think, but I'm just saying). Let's not be childish, unchanged people.
There. I feel better. ;)
8.28.2011
8.23.2011
Look Who's Talking
These are some of Baby's favorite words right now (this would be Christopher, but he gets called Baby more often than not):
The Words With Translation
The Words With Translation
Kickee - Cookie
Cuck - Truck
Cuck - Cup (context clues are essential around here)
Coocoocle - Motorcycle
Bite - Bite
Bite - Bike
Bup - Bus
Moooowa - More
Peeeeeee - Please (in the sweetest voice ever)
Poon - Spoon
Poon (while pointing at the cabinet) - I want peanut butter on a spoon
Baw - Ball
Ba - Bottle (yes, he still drinks milk from a bottle)
Therthy - Thirsty
Caycake - Pancake
Yeahhhh - Yeah, yes, okay, yes I want some of that, sounds great
MaMA - Mama (emphasizing the second syllable)
Nite nite - His blanket
Thzzzzzzz - Cheese
Thzz it - Cheez-Its
Yayee - Stroller ride...no idea why
Yayee - Caeley
Da-yee - Daddy
You see a theme? Most are food related, no surprise. The boy loves to eat.
8.12.2011
More Riley-isms
More Riley-isms - I have to keep up with this stuff ;)
Does God eat the food in my tummy or smoothies or what? "Why?" I ask. Well, He lives in my tummy and there's food in there.
Do bees burp?
I don't want Baby to be a daddy one day, because I love Christopher. I want him to stay a baby.
I wish you got two chips for being mean. It's hard to be nice! (re: the poker chip reward system)
I love my baby moth...let's give him a hug and kiss!
Yes, I am in charge!
I am in charge of baby.
Mom, Corban is not obeying meeeeeee!
Mom, you are not obeying meeeeeee!
Daddy is a lifetime thinker. He's always thinking about things, so he's a lifetime thinker.
I wish I had a Smurf (which sounds more like Smurp).I don't have any pets and I want a Smurf.
Does God eat the food in my tummy or smoothies or what? "Why?" I ask. Well, He lives in my tummy and there's food in there.
Do bees burp?
I don't want Baby to be a daddy one day, because I love Christopher. I want him to stay a baby.
I wish you got two chips for being mean. It's hard to be nice! (re: the poker chip reward system)
I love my baby moth...let's give him a hug and kiss!
Yes, I am in charge!
I am in charge of baby.
Mom, Corban is not obeying meeeeeee!
Mom, you are not obeying meeeeeee!
Daddy is a lifetime thinker. He's always thinking about things, so he's a lifetime thinker.
I wish I had a Smurf (which sounds more like Smurp).I don't have any pets and I want a Smurf.
7.14.2011
Salt
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Part 1 - Salt
This is a very familiar passage of scripture found in Matthew 5, and I've been thinking about it a lot. It tells us - followers of Christ - that in relation to the world, we are salt and light. It says that's what we are, not what we can be...we are, present tense, indicative mood...a simple statement of fact.
Salt is both a preservative and a seasoning, but in the context here, it's clearly referring to it's taste, not it's ability to preserve. How many times have you eaten something and said, "It needs a little salt?" Whenever a dish is lacking in flavor, salt is almost always what it needs. It is added to cookies to enhance the sweetness, and it's added to vegetables to make them tolerable. I mean, really, you can manage to eat just about anything, if you can add a little salt.
The verse says, what good is salt if it loses it's flavor? It's good for nothing. Here's the thing: pure salt can't lose it's flavor. It's salt, so it's salty. It's a mineral, not a spice that comes from plants and whose flavor does fade over time. Salt can lose it's flavor, however, if it becomes contaminated with something.
If we are salt, then we need to be used as such. We keep our salt in a salt shaker. It's salty in there, alright, but useless until it's poured out, bringing flavor to whatever it touches. Until then it's just a shaker filled with potential. I feel that our churches are much the same. As long as we stay contained inside our buildings, doing the Jesus thing during designated hours of the week, we are potential flavor in a bottle, never poured out for the world.
I don't know if you've noticed, but the world can be a very tasteless, intolerable place. A little salt would go a long way. A smile, a little conversation, an extra tip for the waitress, some yard work for a single mom, a little elbow grease for an elderly person, clothing for someone in need, a judgment-free hot meal for the homeless, and I could go on and on. Salt.
You are salt. I am salt. If we aren't making a difference in the world, then I see at least two things that could be the problem: one, we just aren't carrying our faith outside the church building; two, we are contaminated.
We live in an environment full of contaminants. If we don't guard our hearts, that stuff gets in, watering down our flavor, and then we taste just like everything else. We blend in, no noticeable difference. Self-centeredness is probably the biggest contaminate, and shows up through materialism, fear, trying to fit in, even being "relevant" to the point that you are no different - you've just added Jesus, and maybe you're a little nicer. Well, I don't know about you, but if I am salting my green beans, I don't want to add more green bean flavor...I want something different. I want salt. Ask God to show you if there is anything contaminating your life - that's His job, not mine. I'm just encouraging you to think about it.
I know I have a long way to go, but this is what motivates me to reach people. He re-created me for this. You, too. We really can make a difference in the world we live in...wherever we find ourselves planted in it. This Saturday, July 16, is a great opportunity to love people in Auburn. If you live here and want to serve, meet us at Church of the Highlands at 8:00, and we will help you find a place to serve. I am praying that this becomes a lifestyle for us, as a church body.
Part 1 - Salt
This is a very familiar passage of scripture found in Matthew 5, and I've been thinking about it a lot. It tells us - followers of Christ - that in relation to the world, we are salt and light. It says that's what we are, not what we can be...we are, present tense, indicative mood...a simple statement of fact.
Salt is both a preservative and a seasoning, but in the context here, it's clearly referring to it's taste, not it's ability to preserve. How many times have you eaten something and said, "It needs a little salt?" Whenever a dish is lacking in flavor, salt is almost always what it needs. It is added to cookies to enhance the sweetness, and it's added to vegetables to make them tolerable. I mean, really, you can manage to eat just about anything, if you can add a little salt.
The verse says, what good is salt if it loses it's flavor? It's good for nothing. Here's the thing: pure salt can't lose it's flavor. It's salt, so it's salty. It's a mineral, not a spice that comes from plants and whose flavor does fade over time. Salt can lose it's flavor, however, if it becomes contaminated with something.
If we are salt, then we need to be used as such. We keep our salt in a salt shaker. It's salty in there, alright, but useless until it's poured out, bringing flavor to whatever it touches. Until then it's just a shaker filled with potential. I feel that our churches are much the same. As long as we stay contained inside our buildings, doing the Jesus thing during designated hours of the week, we are potential flavor in a bottle, never poured out for the world.
I don't know if you've noticed, but the world can be a very tasteless, intolerable place. A little salt would go a long way. A smile, a little conversation, an extra tip for the waitress, some yard work for a single mom, a little elbow grease for an elderly person, clothing for someone in need, a judgment-free hot meal for the homeless, and I could go on and on. Salt.
You are salt. I am salt. If we aren't making a difference in the world, then I see at least two things that could be the problem: one, we just aren't carrying our faith outside the church building; two, we are contaminated.
We live in an environment full of contaminants. If we don't guard our hearts, that stuff gets in, watering down our flavor, and then we taste just like everything else. We blend in, no noticeable difference. Self-centeredness is probably the biggest contaminate, and shows up through materialism, fear, trying to fit in, even being "relevant" to the point that you are no different - you've just added Jesus, and maybe you're a little nicer. Well, I don't know about you, but if I am salting my green beans, I don't want to add more green bean flavor...I want something different. I want salt. Ask God to show you if there is anything contaminating your life - that's His job, not mine. I'm just encouraging you to think about it.
I know I have a long way to go, but this is what motivates me to reach people. He re-created me for this. You, too. We really can make a difference in the world we live in...wherever we find ourselves planted in it. This Saturday, July 16, is a great opportunity to love people in Auburn. If you live here and want to serve, meet us at Church of the Highlands at 8:00, and we will help you find a place to serve. I am praying that this becomes a lifestyle for us, as a church body.
7.13.2011
Progress
**I realize this is a "lightweight" post. These are the kinds of projects I do when I am processing the bigger things in life.**
Progress is happening in the living room. The USB cable for the camera is missing, so I had to resort to Instagram to take a picture...which means things look even more monochromatic than they really are. One day maybe these walls will get painted, but for now I'm happy.
Again I wish there was a before picture, so you could fully appreciate the difference. It was so thrown together, haphazard and wires were showing everywhere.
The bookshelf is almost finished. There are two shelves that need painting, then it will be done. Somehow it always seems like there is some little detail of a project that is left undone. I won't leave it that way for long this time.
This is a napkin I found at World Market...I bought two of them. They will be a pillows. Eventually.
Progress is happening in the living room. The USB cable for the camera is missing, so I had to resort to Instagram to take a picture...which means things look even more monochromatic than they really are. One day maybe these walls will get painted, but for now I'm happy.
Again I wish there was a before picture, so you could fully appreciate the difference. It was so thrown together, haphazard and wires were showing everywhere.
The bookshelf is almost finished. There are two shelves that need painting, then it will be done. Somehow it always seems like there is some little detail of a project that is left undone. I won't leave it that way for long this time.
This was an old mirror that I got for free at a thrift store. I removed the glass, which looked terrible and turned it into a chalkboard, where I can write not-so-subliminal messages to my kids.
This is a napkin I found at World Market...I bought two of them. They will be a pillows. Eventually.
Next is to deal with the furniture. We have no less than four different fabrics happening in there. Serious visual clutter. I'm seriously considering an attempt at making my own slipcovers. Pray for me.
6.27.2011
Tree Star Smoothies!
I don't know how your kids are, if you have any, or how you are (because you might be a picky eater, too), but mine won't touch anything of the green vegetable variety of food. Or any other color for that matter. So I found a great recipe for a healthy green spinach smoothie here.
I wasn't sure how it would go over, or if they (meaning Riley) would even try it, but they did and they loved it! And I decided that for our purposes, they would be called Tree Star Smoothies - my kids are hooked on the Land Before Time movies. They have no idea there is spinach in it, and I have issued a gag order for Dave and Caeley. They cannot know there is spinach in there until they are like 20.
So, the moral of this story is, if you or a child you know are picky and lacking balanced nutrition, then try this! One caveat, if you don't like bananas you might not dig it. Otherwise, give it a try!
THE END.
I wasn't sure how it would go over, or if they (meaning Riley) would even try it, but they did and they loved it! And I decided that for our purposes, they would be called Tree Star Smoothies - my kids are hooked on the Land Before Time movies. They have no idea there is spinach in it, and I have issued a gag order for Dave and Caeley. They cannot know there is spinach in there until they are like 20.
So, the moral of this story is, if you or a child you know are picky and lacking balanced nutrition, then try this! One caveat, if you don't like bananas you might not dig it. Otherwise, give it a try!
THE END.
5.31.2011
A Little Light Reading
I'm doing a little light reading this morning, from Ignatius' (he was a student of the apostle, John) letter to the Magnesians (I have no idea who they were, but I wonder if they invented Milk of...nah). If you're a follower of Christ and have never read the writings of the early church fathers, maybe you should consider doing so. I always thought of them as the fathers of the Roman Catholic Church, and since I am not catholic, I never considered reading them. But guess what...if they are RCC fathers, they are mine, too, since we all came from the same root.
Anyway, I was reading a few minutes ago and came across this:
Now it becomes you also not to treat your bishop too familiarly on account of his youth, but to yield him all reverence, having respect to the power of God the Father, as I have known even holy presbyters do, not judging rashly, from the manifest youthful appearance [of their bishop], but as being themselves prudent in God, submitting to him, or rather not to him, but to the Father of Jesus Christ, the bishop of us all. It is therefore fitting that you should, after no hypocritical fashion, obey [your bishop], in honour of Him who has willed us [so to do], since he that does not so deceives not [by such conduct] the bishop that is visible, but seeks to mock Him that is invisible. And all such conduct has reference not to man, but to God, who knows all secrets.
It goes on to talk about Daniel, Solomon, Josiah, Timothy, etc, who were all young, but very wise and godly.
The bottom line is that if we argue with, complain against, our pastor (they said bishop), then it isn't him we do that with, but God Himself. He is the true authority and He tells us to respect our authority(ies) on the earth, and in so doing, we respect Him. And the warning here is in the context of a young pastor, because Ignatius, and Paul, knew that youth doesn't always get respect.
This strikes me today simply because we do have a young pastor, and I can see how it would be easy to treat him "too familiarly" and forget he is answerable to God for this body of believers, and that he is in charge. A good word for me this morning.
Anyway, I was reading a few minutes ago and came across this:
Now it becomes you also not to treat your bishop too familiarly on account of his youth, but to yield him all reverence, having respect to the power of God the Father, as I have known even holy presbyters do, not judging rashly, from the manifest youthful appearance [of their bishop], but as being themselves prudent in God, submitting to him, or rather not to him, but to the Father of Jesus Christ, the bishop of us all. It is therefore fitting that you should, after no hypocritical fashion, obey [your bishop], in honour of Him who has willed us [so to do], since he that does not so deceives not [by such conduct] the bishop that is visible, but seeks to mock Him that is invisible. And all such conduct has reference not to man, but to God, who knows all secrets.
It goes on to talk about Daniel, Solomon, Josiah, Timothy, etc, who were all young, but very wise and godly.
The bottom line is that if we argue with, complain against, our pastor (they said bishop), then it isn't him we do that with, but God Himself. He is the true authority and He tells us to respect our authority(ies) on the earth, and in so doing, we respect Him. And the warning here is in the context of a young pastor, because Ignatius, and Paul, knew that youth doesn't always get respect.
This strikes me today simply because we do have a young pastor, and I can see how it would be easy to treat him "too familiarly" and forget he is answerable to God for this body of believers, and that he is in charge. A good word for me this morning.
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