. . . you’ll love this YouTube video!” When a friend told me this the other day, I gave her the cordial “yeah – I’m sure it’s funny.” She kept pressing her point until I finally told her “I really hate cats . . . and I usually don’t watch YouTube videos . . . so, I probably won’t think it’s funny.”
Harsh?!
Maybe – but she insisted nonetheless and I gave in. I have to admit, this video is pretty darn hysterical. My favorite parts are the “magician” page along with the “pepper and chips” page. Now you have to watch it to figure out what the heck I’m talking about.
I have a renewed obsession with pita pockets. Oh my goodness, I can’t tell you the number of pita-pocket sandwiches I have eaten in the past two weeks (definitely more than in the last five years combined). Here’s why:
- Whole-wheat pita pockets are low calorie and have a long shelf life
- You can put whatever the heck you want in them, and it all stays neatly contained (this may have something to do with my control issues, but we’ll save that for another post)
- They help with the whole portion-control issue (just try to overfill it . . . I guarantee it’ll fall to pieces)
- And the best reason of all – they’re cheap!
To be honest, I love/hate relationship with sandwiches in general. If you’ve ever shared an office space with me, you know who you are and you also know this to be true. You’ve watched my antics.
The fact is, I love sandwiches but I hate soggy bread and watery lunch meat. So, if I am going to take a sandwich to work, I’m very high-maintenance about the whole thing. For starters, I pack my bread entirely separate from everything else because I don’t like my sandwich bread to be cold or soggy. So in the proverbial “brown bag” I will have my bread in plastic wrap, which then promptly gets moved to my desk drawer (to avoid refrigeration, of course). Then I wrap my meat, cheese, mayo and mustard separately and put that in the fridge. Wait – there’s more . . . then I have to pack my lettuce, tomato, and pickle separately so that it doesn’t get my lunch meat all “squishy.” What drama, huh?! Needless to say, I don’t often pack sandwiches for lunch – as much as I love them. I just like everything to be fresh – is that too much to ask?! All these stipulations leave me with PB&J as my brown bag sandwich option – which I love – but just can’t stomach Monday-Friday (my apologies to Mr. Peanut).
No need to fear, though, because I have found a remedy. In recent days, I’ve had sandwich cravings. I can’t explain it, but it’s all I’ve wanted. I think sandwiches are one of my comfort foods. Due to the aforementioned reasons, though, I am steering clear of attempting to take sandwiches to work. It’s just way to much hassle. Luck for me, I absolutely love fresh-cut vegetables of any variety and have rediscovered pita bread. A couple of weeks ago I got the bright idea to switch up the sandwich routine. I use a Greek Tzatziki sauce for dressing, which makes for a much lower-calorie and more flavorful sandwich. Here’s what I came up with, and it’s simply delicious:
I’ve always heard that “it’s the little things that count.” When I was young, I didn’t really appreciate hearing this, because it generally meant that this big thing I really wanted wasn’t coming to me . . . a big Christmas gift, a special event I was hoping for, etc. ”It’s the little things” became synonymous with “it’s the thought that counts.” Really?! . . . because when I was young, I’m pretty sure that someone thinking of getting me a bicycle wasn’t quite the same as riding one. Just sayin’.
Now that I’m older, I am beginning to understand why it is that adults say these things. It’s because they are true (ssshhhhhh . . . don’t tell all the eight year olds I said this). In fact, I was thinking over the weekend how important the little things really are in regard to our general maturity and sanctification.
If you know me at all, you are aware of my tendency to be a little hard on myself at times. I am self-admittedly not a merciful person (working on that). At least I am fair, though, because while I may struggle to extend mercy to others, I also struggle to give it to myself. Thus, I continually have to remind myself that mature Godliness is a step-by-step process, not an overnight reality. It’s comparable to weight loss . . . no one wakes up one morning 20 pounds lighter than they were the day before. It just doesn’t happen that way. It’s one less brownie (or in my case, box of Milk Duds) at a time. It’s one good choice after another with day-in and day-out self control and choices that breed maturity. This really is not all-together different from our sanctification. Sanctification is built by the work of the Holy Spirit in enabling us to make one right choice at a time throughout the busyness of our lives. It is not legalism, but instead choosing to do the right things we are supposed to do.
I am blessed to be surrounded by friends that are in very different stages of life than my own. Many of them have young children, which has been hugely beneficial to my knowledge of and exposure to Biblical family structures. In training their children, a phrase I often hear parents say to their children is “that was a good (or bad) choice.” And it is all these little choices that add up to a lifestyle characterized by either obedience or disobedience. In my life, the ability to grow in maturity also comes down to the simple choices:
- It is turning off the TV and reading the Word
- It is praying for someone rather than silently slandering them
- It is keeping my tongue quiet rather than choosing to gossip
- It is giving thanks rather than complaint
- It is trusting God verses despairing over circumstances
- It is giving money to those in need rather than buying (another) pair of shoes
- It is being vulnerable and accountable to my Christian family instead of living in isolation
You may be thinking, “OK . . . these are all good things, but do they really add to Godliness?!” Indeed, they do. We are reminded over and over again in Scripture that you cannot be successful with the “big” things if you are a poor manager of the small. The small choices we make are a window into the house of our motivations, where there is not room for discrepancy.
One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. -Luke 16:10
As much as I might like to think that it really doesn’t matter if I gossip, slander, lie or lust – it does. Even though these things will be a constant battle while in the flesh, I can strive and fight against them instead of giving into them. I realize that if I am going to be a faithful steward of the ministry God entrusts to me and the relationships He affords me, I must seek victory in personal matters of the heart. Without purpose and intent, I will likely falter every time. I thank God for His grace that sustains me when I make a “bad choice” . . . along with all my three year old friends.
So if you’re around me and witness my decision to choose what is unholy, feel free to remind me that “it’s the little things that count;” because – after 30 years – I have just admitted to knowing what this means.
Obviously, we are all aware of the earthquake that hit Haiti last week, followed by this week’s aftershock. I am not really sure that I can comprehend a tragedy of this magnitude. I have never personally witnessed tragedy strike on such a massive scale. Similar to the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004, the pictures on TV and tremendous stories of loss can seem like a dramatic movie preview that I am so calloused to watching (for entertainment, nonetheless).
What is my tendency when things like this abound in the news? I theoretically close my eyes and try not to click these particular story links. Why? Because it’s easier that way. I can move through my life and day-to-day activities almost unaffected by the tens of thousands of people suffering so deeply. I can eat my food, drive my car and continue to get frustrated by things that are, compared to the masses of Haiti, very extravagant. It’s not that I don’t care, but maybe that I just don’t care enough . . . because the sadness that following this news story would bring is simply something I don’t want to naturally ponder. I know – it’s terrible.
Over the course of the past week, I have been convicted multiple times of my lack of compassion for the people of Haiti. I have not prayed for them as fervently as I should, and I definitely have not dug deep enough into my purse to help them. While I am eating several meals this week at restaurants, there are people starving and dehydrating to death. As I consider what outfit to wear today, there are people who have nothing but the shirt on their back, if that. I’ll confess – I really like my conveniences and daily think about how to make my life even more convenient in the future.
But, my mind keeps visiting Matthew 23. At the end of this passage, Jesus expresses his sorrow over Jerusalem. Apart from any thorough exegesis or study of the Greek text here, the mere fact that Jesus mourns over this city is what convicts me. I realize that my heart needs to be more tender towards those suffering. I need to weep over the souls of men and women who not only have no food, but are also lost in the darkness of their sin.
My eyes are simply too dry these days.
So, what is my response to be? Give more, pray more and ponder more, for starters. I need to remind myself that the world is bigger than me. There are people suffering real and intense tragedies, and my heart should break over that. So I will click more links to this nation’s tragic story of chaos in order that I can better know how to pray to the God of order. I will consider what to give, so that I do not hoard what has been entrusted to my stewardship. I must open my eyes and face the reality of a Sovereign Creator over this sin-wrecked world. And hopefully, by studying the eyes and lives of people thousands of miles from my comfortable home, my own eyes will become less calloused to the very real needs and hurts that I would rather ignore. After all, the last thing this world needs is a more selfish Liz Lockwood.
I have decided to read through the book of Isaiah. About a year ago, a dear friend encouraged me to read a portion of the book, which I have greatly benefited from (I know – shocking). Upon considering what to immerse myself in for the next month or so, I have decided to re-read the book in its entirety. This morning was Proverbs chapter six and Isaiah chapter one. What convicting and needed passages in my life!
I’ve often said that “sin makes you stupid.” I have experienced this truth in my own life and have seen its effects in the lives of those around me, sadly. We just seem to lose grasp of what’s important and eternal when we sin. Temporal pleasures and justices take the lead role from holiness and grace. Sin has a way of clouding our judgement regarding what’s most important and who’s in charge. I forget the eternal and seek to make my own name great through pride, slander and rebellion. This is not a pretty picture.
Today, I was struck by Isaiah 1:18 in a way that I have never been before. While the first portion of this chapter recounts sins and half-hearted attempts of worship, verse eighteen brings with it a change in course. The first seventeen verses adequately show us that the Lord desires sincere devotion unmingled with hypocrisy, and then verse eighteen strikes us with the reality of God’s gracious reasoning.
So stop and note Isaiah 1:18 with me. The Lord knows the evil in us, and can’t tolerate it – but what is His response to this?
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
Only in the Lord’s economy could this make sense. Reason, says the Lord, is forgiveness of our sin when we confess. Left to our own will and sinful volitions, He knows that we will reason ourselves into sin time and time again. The Lord, in His grace, convicts us and grants us the ability to see what real wisdom is – repentance. This is reasoning we cannot argue with when granted an eternal perspective.
Most of you know that I am in the process of joining the team at Revive Our Hearts [ROH]. Let me just say that the more I get to know the leadership and staff at ROH, the more excited I grow about serving alongside them in ministry. They really are a stellar team.
If you are in or around the Louisville area this Saturday morning, January 9th, I would love for you to attend a support event to be hosted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Nancy’s teaching ministry is central to the ministry of Revive Our Hearts through publishing, radio, and conferences. You may be familiar with her best-selling book, Lies Women Believe.
Nancy has graciously agreed to come and speak to my friends and ministry partners, and I hope you will take advantage of this unique opportunity to interact with Nancy in a small group setting. She will give the vision and burden for the ministry of Revive Our Hearts, explain my role within the ministry, and give you an opportunity to be a vital part of God’s work through Revive Our Hearts.
Meeting Details:
Date: Saturday, January 9, 2010
Time: 10:00-11:30 am (coffee will be served)
Location: Legacy Center Room 303 (on the campus of Southern Seminary)
I would love to see you there!
I can’t believe another year of Christmas has come and gone already! This will be quick since I am short on time, but I wanted to include a few pictures of my time at home. My camera seems to be dying on me, so I didn’t take as many as I had hoped.
My mom, Linda
My older brother, Jason
We usually go to the mountains the day after Christmas – It was a beautiful day!
Me and Mom at the Overlook
Lee and I in Gatlinburg
A tribute to one of my now-favorite Christmas movies
I love Christmas – I do. I love the parties, the food, the shopping, the decorations, the hussle-and-bussle, the baking, the red cups at Starbucks, the twinkling lights and the traditions. I love to go to out to dinner on Christmas Eve and then snuggle up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watch It’s a Wonderful Life. I love to leave the TV on all day when TBS runs A Christmas Story continually. For all these reasons and a thousand more, I absolutely love Christmas. But what if this was it – what if all the things I just listed were Christmas wrapped in a nutshell? Christmas would have to be renamed Giftmas and our hearts would be caught up with nothing more than perhaps a pat on the back for purchasing “the best gift ever” and December 25th would be just another day to indulge ourselves in all our favorite things.
I am pondering this morning what Christmas would be like without the birth of Christ, and let me tell you – this picture is bleak. Without the birth of Christ, we have no crucifixion and no empty tomb. Without the birth of Christ, we have no means of redemption from our sins (even the Old Testament believers offered sacrifices in faith of the Redeemer who was to come). Without this necessary redemption, we are left to our own desires and sins, which (if you haven’t noticed) doesn’t usually bring out our best qualities. Our fleshly desires are not for Christ, but for ourselves, so without Christmas we get what we deserve and choose – death and destruction for all eternity.
But there’s more – so much more, to Christmas.
Christ in a manger is more than a sweet story or famous legend for us to share when the weather gets cozy. He is more than a moral lesson in selflessness and giving, and He is certainly more than just a “good man.” Christ in the manger is the very reason we have hope to get out of bed on Christmas morning, Easter morning, or any other morning that we take in the breath that He grants us. Christ is the very reason we exist, and if we do not remind ourselves of this, Christmas becomes nothing more than shiny paper and meaningless stars. If we do not ponder the miracle of Christ’s humility in being born as a helpless infant, then we will find ourselves arrogant and empty. We will take down our trees and unstring our lights year after year, with a longing for something more. I am guilty of it at times. I get caught up in buying creative gifts, finding good bargains and getting stressed about shirt sizes and stocking stuffers.
I am thankful that today, the Lord has reminded me of why we have Christmas – and why I exist: for His glory. It is all for His glory. So as you unwrap gifts, fellowship over food and take down your tree this year, take a minute to truly ponder what a gift Christ in a manger is to us . . . and thank God for the most undeserved gift one could ever possibly imagine.
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to Our world
[Chris Rice]
I realize that my previous post came complete with an apology for the lack of my blogging that was to follow. And for the few of you that pay attention to this tiny little space on the internet – I’m sorry for the lie. I simply could not go any longer without writing something. Actually, several somethings is more like it, since I have all these thoughts swirling and twirling around in my brain. So today as I enjoy a morning off work and a television in the background, I am opening the gate of thoughts begging to be released from my mind . . . for your reading pleasure and my personal therapy of composition.
• December 10: For most, this is just another day on the calendar. A couple weeks after Thanksgiving and 15 shopping days before Christmas. For most of my life, it was the same – just another day to worry about what to buy my family for Christmas and whether or not I will make a New Year’s Resolution. But now, December 10th is different. Now, it marks the date of my dad’s death (six years ago). I never quite know what to do on December 10th – I usually wind up thinking a lot, reflecting on the life of my father, and spending time with friends. I think about memories that I have with him, the way that he managed his life and the events surrounding his death. Some things are painful to recollect, but there is also such a sweetness that comes in reflecting on the ways that God has upheld my family and taught me about Himself. My dad is with the Lord, and that is an absolutely amazing thing to (try to) wrap my mind around.
• Ted Spottswood: The week before my dad’s anniversary, I received news that Ted Spottswood passed away. The details were oddly familiar – he was about my dad’s age, healthy, etc. Even the weather was the same as the day my dad died, which made the news seemingly identical in ways. Ted died suddenly of a heart attack, and was truly one of the finest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was also one of the most joy-filled Christians that I have ever known – someone to model your life after. Ted came to me after my dad’s death and said that “as much as I can be, I want to be like a father for you – for whatever you need.” He was a Godly man, and will be so missed. I have been praying for his sweet family so often, and can only trust that the Lord will use this to deepen their faith, as He did with me.
• “Behold the Lamb of God” Tour: In my opinion, Andrew Peterson is a musical genius. I have always loved his style, authenticity, and deeply theological albums. There are some artists that tend to grow numb to your ears with each album they produce – things just sound the same and don’t press you to think beyond their familiar melodies and rhythms. Andrew Peterson’ music, though, seems to get only better with age. This past week, he and his crew were in town doing their Christmas tour. This concert has definitely been the highlight of my Christmas season. What an amazing evening of musical ability and theological perspective on the birth of Christ. If you don’t have this Christmas album, it would be well worth your money. Deeper than some of the familiar Christmas tunes played on the radio countless times, this album draws you into the stable, with a recognition of the fact that a Savior being born in a barn is the greatest miracle man could ever hope for or dream – and it is all true – and it is our greatest hope.
• Christmas Shopping: I just want to brag that I have mine done.
• January 9th: I am pretty excited about this date. As you probably know, I am currently raising ministry support to join the staff at Revive Our Hearts, the ministry affiliated with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. On January 9th, Ms. DeMoss will be in town to help me with a support-raising event. It will be a great time to introduce individuals to Nancy, the ministry and my role there. More details to follow.
Several years ago, I swore that I would never have a blog. Amongst the many reasons for my adamancy was the fear that I would not post regularly enough, and that my little blog would just become another black hole in cyberspace.
Sadly, the season of life I am in does not lend itself to much extra time devoted to writing. Thus, I resign myself to a break from blogging. Actually, I would like to think of it more as a season of sabbatical (that way, I don’t feel as guilty). Regardless, I will not be posting anything new for a couple of months, until I am closer to having my ministry support raised.
So, while I am officially “that girl” who isn’t adding anything new for a while . . . you can’t say I didn’t warn you.
