“”We can take pleasure in God because He takes such pleasure in himself, and then from that comes His pleasure in all of His good works, which would be all of creation. But if we shortcut that and are going after the pleasure in God’s creation, then that becomes idolatry. Every creation of ours, no matter how glorious it is, is just a small reflection of God’s creative glory.“
I spent a lovely Friday morning on foot.
When I woke up and made a little sense out of my task list for the day, I realized I could get all of my errands done right here in my own little town… and on foot. What a treat! That isn’t always possible since I live in a place where the standard mode of transport — especially during winter — is the car.
But you miss so much when you’re driving around. The tendency during this season of Advent is to be too busy, running around as fast as you can checking things of the ever-growing “to do” list. I’m not a big fan of feeling that way, but I have the great ability to create that kind of environment around me if I don’t deliberately find ways to slow things down.
Getting out of the car is a great way to slow things down!
I first walked over to the Post Office to mail a Christmas package. The line was definitely longer than usual, and a considerate gentleman offered to give a very impatient lady the two stamps she needed so she wouldn’t have to wait in the line to buy a whole pack. She protested so loudly that everyone turned her way to listen to how she couldn’t possibly take the two stamps and take advantage of his generosity.
Pride is such a spectacle, isn’t it? As detestable as it is, why is it so hard to recognize it in our own lives? We are all prone to it. Apart from Christ, it is who we are.
She finally accepted the “free” stamps, attempting many times to pay the man in return for the gift. Her gratitude was somewhat reluctant. And aren’t we sometimes that way with Christ? Reluctantly accepting His gifts and vowing to find a way to pay Him back… as if we ever could. The price of Grace has already been paid.
I left the Post Office and walked up past the town Christmas Tree to the Bank and the Library and back down through the Village Green to the local Toy Store.
I remembered that I still needed a couple of teacher gifts, so I walked in. What a fun little store! It was full of color, noise, life and whimsy. I found the two gifts I needed and made my way to the counter to pay. The ladies working in the store cheerfully wrapped my two packages.
The colorful packages beg to be opened, and my children have already tried. But not all gifts look that pretty. Sometimes gifts come wrapped in lovely or whimsical paper with shiny, curly bows. Other times they are wrapped in burial cloths, stains, and heartache. In Christ though, they are all gifts.
Difficult to comprehend, but true nonetheless.
Of His many gifts to me this year, many have been wrapped in less than desirable packaging — in mediocrity, in discipline, in struggle, in death, in pain. Yet in Christ, they are precious.
Before walking home, I stopped into the neighborhood bistro for a bowl of soup and cup of coffee. I sat at a little wooden table nestled between an open window and the crackling fireplace. Between bites of soup, sips of coffee, and words on the Kindle, I lost track of time and nearly forgot to pick up my children from school.
A twinge of guilt came upon me. Who am I to have the ability to spend my time so leisurely? And then in my spirit I heard His voice saying, “Sit still for a bit. This is my gift to you, one that you should not let your pride or expectations steal away. I’ve already paid the bill, so that you are free to enjoy Me every moment of every day for all of eternity!”
The Monday morning after Thanksgiving weekend finds me awake early, sitting in the dim glow of the freshly decorated Christmas Tree. It’s quiet… for now. No one else is awake.
Our weekend was quiet, peaceful, refreshing… Thanksgiving dinner with a family we’ve come to love dearly… Friday and Saturday spent around the house… and in the yard… and at a park… Sunday spent relaxing… listening… learning.
When the 1000 Gifts iPhone App released last week, I quickly loaded it. I had already been snapping these photos and jotting the thoughts down on scraps of paper and sometimes here, so it made sense for me to combine the two.
For me, it’s quite fun (and sometimes challenging) expressing gratitude through pictures. The app itself is nice — a little sluggish, but easy to use whether you record with words, pictures, or a combination of both. It easily posts to Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.
Here are a few of the gifts I’ve made note of lately…
Monday, November 28, 2011
My children and I always talk about how we live in an Upside Down Kingdom. (Any other Ann Voskamp readers out there?)
Life here on earth doesn’t look very much like God’s Kingdom unless we, the ones who love Him, live upside down lives. Lives where the least is the greatest, the humble are lifted up, the poor are rich, the last are first, the servants are the leaders.
When someone cuts in front of you in the lunch line at school, God’s Kingdom comes when, instead of being angry, you extend grace to the other person and then delight because in Christ being last in line never means being last.
I meet a lot of people here who remind me that while the Kingdom of God is coming one day when Christ returns, it is also coming today when the lovers of Jesus stand and serve one another, manifesting His love and grace to those who need it. And don’t we all need it?
Yesterday as the men met together planning and dreaming of what God may do in Mukono, a woman named Betty worked long and hard preparing a delicious meal for a school full of children, the workers at the church, her own family, and us.
She didn’t order a pizza or warm up something in the microwave. You can’t do that here. Instead she stirred large pots of beans and rice and sweet potatoes and matooke and pumpkin.
She roasted chicken and made stew over little charcoal fires in a building off to the side of her house.
She worked for hours on this one single meal, and to her side was her 2-month old baby, Peter.
I watched her wipe the sweat from her brow. I wanted desperately to jump in and help her cook, but I didn’t how to do it the way she does. So I cradled little Peter and we talked about how similar our lives are despite how different our cultures are.
And we talked about how different are lives are because we do come from different cultures.
But in Christ, we are sisters, a connection that not even the fiercest powers on earth can separate.
She stirred, I swayed with Peter. The servant was the leader and I watched the Kingdom Coming.
And I begged God to let His Kingdom come in me and through me…
“Your mercy come
Your justice come
Your will be done through us on earth
Your healing come
Your peace will come
Your will be done through us on earth.”
~Shaun Groves, Kingdom Coming
My husband and I returned from our trip to Africa last week. Returning always causes me to go through an adjustment phase… a new normal seems to form. And this time, the wicked combination of jet lag and Daylight Savings coming to an end has left me feeling particularly tired. Please don’t laugh if I tell you that I can’t seem to stay awake past 9 p.m. these days.
Despite the fatigue, I am slowly returning to my usual rhythm of life… for instance
If there is one theme that is reinforced every time I travel to Uganda, it is this: Less is often much, much more! It is so easy to complicate everything we do — indeed, everything we are — but we don’t have to live life with such a fast-paced, consumeristic, multitasking mindset. We don’t have to buy more, do more, or eat more to enjoy the perfection, and true purpose, of this season. It’s probably very good, and by His design, that this is fresh on my mind as we go into the holiday season with it’s tendencies towards abundance and indulgence.
Small isn’t what keeps us from that grand vision.
Small is what keeps us for that grand vision.
~ Lysa TerKeurst
That’s my carry-on bag… a bit OCD isn’t it?! We are leaving for Uganda very soon, and I think I may finally have everything ready to go. I’ve been so busy enjoying – rather, savoring – Autumn in Ohio that the trip has been steadily and somewhat silently creeping up on me. When my new packing cubes arrived last week, I realized I had better start getting my things together.
Packing for a trip like this is always a tricky task. There are so many gifts and ministry supplies to consider and of course my personal items and camera equipment, and all of that must fit within the airlines’ luggage restrictions. Not an easy task. This year alone we are trying to fit in about 30-40 lbs of books and literature, another 25 lbs or so of electronics, and about 45 gift bags for the sponsored children we will be visiting.
What does that mean for me? My clothing and personal items must be sufficient, but minimal.
There are many, many things I have learned during my past trips to Uganda. Among those things are these
I’ve pared down my wardrobe substantially over the past couple of years, and I am aiming to pack significantly lighter for this trip. A lighter personal suitcase means that I can bring more useful supplies to our partners and friends in Uganda!
If you feel like your closets are out of control, too full, or just in need of some attention, I’m including a couple of links that have helped me in both of these endeavors.
If you’re interested in following along with our Uganda trip, I’ll try to update a little here, but I’ll also be updating the New Life in Uganda Blog. Feel free to join us over there.
When I was writing the previous post, I was reminded not to let this fleeting season pass by too quickly. Autumn is so momentary. So glorious. And winter arrives so soon. And there is beauty in both, but I don’t want busyness to rob me of His glory in this season. That is, after all, why I take pictures.
So I decided to spend the morning at Inniswood, my favorite local garden. I snapped dozens of pictures, and while I meandered the leaf strewn paths I came up with a list of some of the things I love about Autumn.
25 Things I love about Autumn…
After writing out this list I looked back over it, and I chuckled at just how many lines involved food. Fall is a wonderful time for food… perhaps I should take a little diversion into food photography. Maybe.
What are your favorite things about Autumn?
