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SubscriptionsSites I Read
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| "Jessica, think about it. You go to church every week. And care group. You read your Bible every day. You tithe. You pray. You go to a lot of extremes to live differently than people who aren't religious. If God was really out there, wouldn't He want to provide for your needs? Give you something simple like a job?"
Well, no. You could make the same argument for anything, like the fact that I don't have a boyfriend, or that I had to give up poor Bruce (I miss him so badly...), or any number of things.
I'm a Christian, sure. And God loves me - of that I'm certain. I'm still human though. I can't see what's to come tomorrow, next month, five years from now. There are plenty of possibilities, from "Jessica needs to have some time to read and rest and do some deep thinking" to "Jessica needs to have a good reason to move away" to "Christa needed someone to drive her home from the doctor on Friday morning" to... any number of reasons that may or may not directly affect my life but necessitate my joblessness right now. I can't see the big picture. If I were the boss, I'd have gotten a job months ago. But I wouldn't want to be the boss if I can't see what's ahead... and I can't.
Besides that. And much more importantly. There is in the question an implication that I deserve something for my good deeds. I scratch God's back and he darn well oughta scratch mine. Well, no. Absolutely no. I can't earn my way into God's good graces - I broke that communion on my own, long ago, and once broken, there's nothing I can do within myself to fix it. He fixed it for me, and it's because of His making me like Him that I have any heart to serve Him at all. Why would I deserve anything from Him... for something that He's done? He does love me, and He blesses me constantly with good things. I just don't deserve them.
I didn't actually have anyone pose the introductory question to me, but I worry sometimes that someone will, and that I won't have a good answer ready. Now maybe someone will... and my answer will make them think... and that alone would be the best reason for this time. I'm discouraged. I'm tired of hunting, of being rejected. I dislike being in limbo, especially for so long. But for all that, at least I know that even if I lose everything, I never need to lose hope that He's working all things together for the good of the bigger picture. And when He pulls back the curtain on the masterpiece, the echo of His words will still ring: "Then they will know that I AM the Lord their God."
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| I was turned down again.
I've become accustomed to job rejection, but I really, really wanted this job. And I haven't "really, really wanted" a specific job in... years. It just seemed perfect. I liked the people, the office, the location (just outside downtown), I was very interested in the jobs I'd be performing... I felt like it was a position I could excel at and make a positive impact. And they gave it to someone else.
My temp agency has another client who wants to interview me. Temp-to-hire, $2 more/hour, better benefits than this last place... but even if they wanted me, would I like it? I've had jobs that I liked, and many more than I couldn't stand. I know how imperative it is. In this scenario it's a moot point, obviously, since I can't pick one or the other, but it's been on my mind. I just so desperately want to find a job where I can feel good about settling down and getting good at what I do.
Not really worried at all, just kinda tired of it. I tell you what though - I can't POSSIBLY express to you how glad I've been to have the quality-time-lovin' friends I've had during this season. Without them (well, and Marie) to talk to, I'd be SOOO crazy by now.  Instead, the time has been... quality.
If you're there... thanks. 
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| I gripe about the American church at large, meaning the group of people who call themselves Christians yet give Christ a bad name, but I've found a good collection of believers. I was reminded this past Sunday of one of the things I like best about my church - they want you to THINK. Don't reduce Scripture to promises that sound good if that's not really what it's saying (see "Prayer of Jabez" obsession. igh.). Explore the Bible to its depths but keep the bigger picture in mind so that you don't read nonsense into it. How many typical sermons do exactly that on a regular basis? Pick some two verse passage and exegete it so much that it's nearly eisegesis, boo! (heh, sorry, CIU inside joke) No, they're concerned that our minds are engaged and that we're training ourselves to hear the intended message rather than simply what we'd like to hear.
So this past Sunday, Jim dedicated over three minutes to making sure that our heads were in the right place before we delved into a familiar verse. I appreciated and respected that very much; I've transcribed those minutes here so you can see what I mean.
Sermon (minutes 1:40-5:21)
Passage - Philippians 4:8-9 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
This particular text can be co-opped. It can be yanked from its context and read in isolation. We’ve gotta be careful not to yank this sucker out of its context to read it in isolation. If we do that, it will quickly become a behavior checklist, won’t it? Some kind of an “If, then” thing. That “if we do this, then we will earn God’s presence, God’s favor.” Or perhaps you’ve used this or counseled people (I have, sadly) for this to be some kind of like a near “mind over matter” gimmicky guarantee. “Just think on these things!” The newest 8-step method: “Perfect Peace! Victorious Thought Life!” No, that’s not what it’s saying. That’s not what it’s about. Ripped out of context, read in isolation, you can twist it to that, but that’s not what it is about.
Or we can do something very valid and focus on a point in the text. It’s a point, but it’s a SUB-point. It’s not the MAIN point. Sub-points are throughout Scripture and they’re great! And they have somthin’ to say. However, if you’re like me, a sub-point, a good-point, a God-given point can end up becoming a distraction. Worse than that, an opportunity for disobedience as I so am fascinated and I so focus on the sub-point – that little nugget, my pet thing – that I miss the MAIN point and don’t obey what God wants me to do. I miss the forest because of the trees. And this main point (Oh! The sub-point is important! It’s inerrant. It’s infallible. It’s from God. IT’S NOT THE MAIN POINT.) The main point will change you forever. So will the sub-point! But the main point’s the… main point. Right?
This text… let’s go a sub-point real quick. This is an example. This text CAN be used in a discussion about cultural engagement. It can keep us out of a ditch that can be popular in missional environments: a purposeful but non-discerning, nor Gospel-centered, temptation-causing fascination with the culture. Be it common grace for the cover of Cosmo or the latest “My church is at Starbucks on Tuesday night!” culturally driven, hip, Christian fad. This text, though, can also serve as a guardrail to keep us out of the other ditch – this “separation from the world.” So: [you have] non-discerning engagement with the world; [or] complete separation Christian ghetto from the world. Uh, no. It’s great to be separated from worldliNESS… but it’s not great to not enjoy creation. It’s not great to not enjoy common grace in this culture. That was the mistake of the monastery; that is the mistake of today’s Christian ghetto.
But we digress! See how easy it is to do? Where’s your head right now? Buzzzzzzzzzzz! We could talk about this for DAYS! And it’s good! But it’s not the main point. Enjoy the sub-point! Learn. Grow. It’s the Bible! But don’t miss the main point. Cuz it’s the. Main. Point. Duh?
Please note: my sincere thanks go out to Jim and Matt for using THEIR brains on our behalf to help us use ours better when it comes to Scripture. | | |
| Do I drink soda? Yes. Yes I do. But it's good to remind myself why I don't want to do so very often. Here's what I got in an e-mail today from a chiropractic company....
What happens if you drink a 12oz can of Coke right now:
- In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
- 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
- 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
- 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
- >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
- >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
- >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.
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| I experience few joys like the pleasure of sharing a home with a warm kitty who voluntarily invades my lap and, purring loudly, buries her face in my arm.
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