simplelife

Do you fast? If so, how - or why?  Scripture instructs us to do most disciplines in private. However, sometimes it's good to know what we can expect during those disciplines. In a country of food overabundance like the USA, fasting food is considered difficult and even impossible. As Lent approaches, many of us may consider leaving out something in our routines. Food fasting is not impossible, but it can be difficult at times. Here are some insights from a recent 3-day food and tea fast: Day 1: I'm hungry and looking away from food all day.  This is the day of distractions. I purposefully must find things to do, reminding myself of the importance of the discipline. This fast was in conjunction with my breath-prayer:  O Lord, free me to love you.  The fast's purpose - freedom from the love of food to love Christ more - helped me through the day. Day 2:  I feel nauseated, cold, and have headaches as  my body detoxes . I plan work that requires focus on thi...

Jesus took time to catch his breath. In his steady focus on doing his Father's work, he moved through countryside and towns. We read that he ate, drank, exercised (lots of walking!), had conversations, and times of prayer just like everyone else. "Aren't there 12 hours in a day?" he asked a group of followers. That makes me shake my head at the imbalance we perpetuate, trying to do 16-18 hours of work before crashing into bed. No one rewards us for killing ourselves and it sets a bad example, as though God demands a killing pace and unending drugery. If Jesus could bring salvation to humanity in a 12-hour day, what makes us think we need more time? I love Jesus' prayer pauses, the times for worship, and the simplicity of his meetings with others. Music and speech need pauses to make sense. Life is no different. Having done all God asks, why can't we rest in his provisions? Let's pray that the beautiful pauses in Christ's life would be part of ou...

Things have changed. We are now in a season of serving in a country some would consider less safe than Canada or the USA. It's all a matter of perspective ... and of God's protection. ---Our warm bed and quiet home released me into the day. A leisurely stroll with the dogs, then breakfast, then the weekly scrub of the kitchen, before heading upstairs to study. It's been an ordinary day, so far. For us, that is. From our safe vantage point, we can follow the news about Libya, Japan, Israel, China, and other parts of the world. Most shocking is watching infrastructures and modern cities disappear into rubble, whether by warfare or a natural disaster. We can build no defenses secure enough to ward off disaster when life turns upside down.In the back of our minds, we also realize that between the headlines, many people groups in turmoil never appear in sanitized spots on the BBC or NPR. Venturing out onto the streets this morning, I thanked God for the ...

Remembering our hope today, with news of Billy Graham's passing. This repost is from 2014. We'd been friends for years. Jama and I lived in the same city and thousands of miles apart. We shared music, prayer, and conversation. She taught one of my kids piano in exchange for her own lessons. For years, she and another single student joined our family for supper between their lessons. She moved back to Seattle a few year ago. When I visited her in the hospital, we'd been acquainted for nearly 30 years. Cancer had invaded her body several times, but her spirit and vision remained undaunted.  Watching Jama, I was encouraged by God's work among us. Her body was frail. But she was certain about what God had spoken to her. And that gave her hope. She expected healing, but if God did not heal her, she would be taken into his presence. Remembering Jama during Lent gives me hope. God alone can do the impossible. He alone can override natural laws for disaster preve...

Praise the  Lord ,  my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2  Praise the  Lord ,  my soul, and forget not  all his benefits— 3  who forgives all your sins and heals  all your diseases, 4  who redeems your life  from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5  who satisfies  your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed  like the eagle’s.  Psalm 103:1-5 We say, "She's a good woman," or "He's a good man." By which we mean ... what? Perhaps she does good deeds. Or he has a consistently wholesome character. She may fit her job well. And he may be a generous person. But Good? Really Good so that there is "no shadow of turning" or that 'when we are faithless, he remains faithful because he cannot deny himself" - that kind of Good? No person measures up completely. Except God himself. He never changes. He never gives up on us. He steadily...

Self-assesssment: Do you ever find yourself reading a passage from the Bible, surprised that what you assumed is not the intention of the writer? That it means something beyond what you've been told?  If so, how do you respond? We often quote (or hear) these verses as a promise that life will be good and the weather sunny: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and  not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and  come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when  you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 However, the prophet Isaiah is telling Israel this in the middle of his book. He's been warning his nation how awful their captivity will be. Yet, despite his judgment, God says he will be faithful and restore what he has dismantled. What?! This isn't a magic formula for an easy life? We're encouraged to do good and avoid evil. But li...

Self-reflection: what do I know to do that I am avoiding? What should I not do that I am doing? Am I willing to follow God's ways with all my heart? Throughout my childhood, Grandma used to quote verses in German from Isaiah, her favorite book.  Isaiah's bold promises about the coming Messiah are quoted during Advent (the season before Christmas) and Lent (the season before Easter). Many of the familiar lyrics of Handel's 1741 oratorio,  The Messiah , come from Isaiah: All  we   like   sheep  have gone astray;  we  have turned every one to his own way; and the  Lord  has laid on him the iniquity of us  all . Isaiah 53:6  And  the   glory   of   the   Lord  shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for  the  mouth  of   the   Lord  has spoken it. Isaiah 40:5 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be ...