Tag: Covid

Soul Food When You’re Weary

September 10, 2021 /

Gosh we’re tired, aren’t we?

Yes, Covid is serious, and we have serious differences over protocols, and there’s a lot else in the world that seems more defeating than ever. We need to pay attention, to do the work of mourning and mending.

But we also need to take a break, to get outside and look up, bake something yummy, take a nap, laugh out loud, celebrate the everyday graces of God.

I hope that one of the following will make you smile or lift your spirits.

Have we ever said “pivot” more times in a year? We’re all in this together!

When you’re having a bad day, be gentle with yourself.

When you have a little bandwidth, consider blessing someone else with a care package or note of encouragement.

This arrived from daughter Katy who knows I love fall and baking. The book, “My Life in France” is just delightful, and I think of Katy every time I use the spatula – see recipes below 🙂

This soup and bread arrived when my husband had surgery recently, and the card below came on the exact date I was speaking about Moses to the staff here at church.

One of my favorite Instagram feeds to follow is Kelle Hampton (aka ETST – Enjoying the small things) From her I got the idea of creating a “You’ve Got Mail” care package. It’s been so fun to assemble!

  • A fall candle from The Grace Effect CALLED “Shop Around the Corner“! I ordered one and loved the scent to much I ordered two more!
  • A Starbucks gift card (for a Tall Decaf Cappuccino)
  • A bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils
  • A copy of The Skating Shoes
  • Daisy seeds (because “They’re the friendliest flower”)
  • Twinkle lights (because, duh, who doesn’t need more twinkle lights?)
  • A couple of “You’ve Got Mail” postcards and stickers
  • A pumpkin and a “Be Brave” sign from Target

If you want a fun “You’ve Got Mail” movie night, check out this post.

Another idea I got from Kelle are these realistic looking candles with remote control and timer!

In an attempt to bring Fall to California, I’ve been baking fallish things like

THE BEST ZUCCHINI BREAD EVER. (Note: I said best, not healthiest)

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. soda
  • 1 tsp. each: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini (if large, remove seeds first)
  • 3 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk

Grease 2 8 or 9″ loaf pans.

Mix eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.

Blend in dry ingredients, then stir in zucchini.

Bake about 45-50 minutes @350. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove.

Come say hi over on Instagram?

Every day we pray this for our kids – that they would recognize some simple or dramatic evidence of God’s character displayed in their life before they go to sleep at night.

• Strength supplied in moments of weakness
• A text of encouragement
• A Scripture verse coming to mind at just the right time
• A sunset or seeing the power of creation
• A friend asking forgiveness

We want them to see Him just as we want that for ourselves.

How are you praying for your kids, your students, your nieces and nephews?

Share what you’re doing that’s bringing you joy or what others have done in the comments! If you get this in email, just click on the title and scroll down to the bottom. If you’re commenting for the first time, don’t worry if it doesn’t show up right away…it will!

3 Principles for Discerning God’s Will in Unprecedented Times

August 25, 2020 /

First, can we just agree that everyone except God is out of sync right now?

That includes me, and any kind of schedule for blog posting. I swing from thinking I’ll never post again because more words in your in-box may increase your feelings of stress, to feeling like we all may need to be reminded we’re not alone. Anyway, sorry for the inconsistency.

Decisions are hard in the best of times, but during a pandemic when conditions change day to day? Brutal!

Over and over we hear the word, “pivot” and we seek to re-imagine God-honoring choices in this time.

What’s one challenging situation you are facing that’s been made more complicated by the pandemic?

I’m grappling along with everyone else, but here are 3 of my go-to principles:

1.  Ask for wisdom.

Sometimes there is a clear, moral right and wrong answer, but often God’s will isn’t some ONE hidden secret and if you get it wrong it will be like a disaster scene out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

James 1:5

Sometimes you just need to ask, “What would be the most pleasing choice to you, Lord?” and decide. I love what Luke writes when the apostles were making hard decisions for the young Jesus-following community:

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…

Acts 15:28

God didn’t speak through a megaphone, but the apostles prayed and listened and made the choice that seemed good. Nothing may feel totally clear to you, but you may need to prayerfully choose what seems like the best, God-honoring choice.

2. Seek unity.

Let’s defer to the people who feel most vulnerable. More than ever we need to extend grace and not be offended by others regarding Covid choices about jobs, education, parenting, travel, celebrations… The people around you (even family) have challenges you may not be aware of. We’re all doing our best.

If you are married, God won’t lead one of you to one conclusion and your spouse to another. Pray and listen until you are united – both on the same page.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3

3.  Persevere. Just because it’s God’s will doesn’t mean it will be easy. (I know…Not exactly what you wanted to hear, right?)

 You may feel like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness in this season. But God grows His people most dramatically in the wilderness because we are forced to face our inadequacies and lean on Him.

Could it be that God is actually more concerned with our character than our comfort?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

Which of these is the hardest for you? Which is the most helpful?

3 Truths for Dealing with Covid Chaos, part 4

August 6, 2020 /

“I don’t know a single person right now that’s saying, ‘It’s cool, this is my fifth deadly virus pandemic and I’m an expert at these.'” Jon Acuff

None of us have ever gone through times like this! I heard someone say, “I wish we could go back to ‘precedented’ times!” This week I’m posting a series aimed at bringing Scripture to bear on the chaos we’re living through.

Truth #3: You have nothing to fear.

Our fears reveal what’s most important to us and where we trust God the least.

Fear is a natural by-product of chaos. We are plagued with “What if’s…”

  • What if my kids can’t go back to school?
  • What if I lose my job?
  • What if one of my parents gets Covid?
  • What if the elections are derailed?

But…

God is JEHOVAH SABAOTH – the Lord of the heavenly armies.

Throughout Scripture, this is the name God’s people would use to call on Him when they were in despair.

He will always fulfill His purposes, even when we fail.

from Ruth Chou Simons

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

psalm 89:8

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

1 samuel 17:45

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…

isaiah 43:1-2

Which of these do you need to hear most right now?

What do they say about God and about you?

3 Truths for Dealing With Covid Chaos, part 2

August 3, 2020 /

Everything is just hard these days.

If you’re like me, every new email in my in-box makes me tired before I even read it.

So I decided two things: 1) I’m going to send this series to you in short posts, one a day and 2) Then I’m going to stop posting for the rest of the month.

Before diving in, may I make a suggestion? Maybe read these in the morning, or whenever you are doing your devotions? Take a little time to soak up the faithfulness of God through His Word.

Last Monday I wrote about dealing with chaos as a spiritual practice that God may use to make us more like Jesus.

Kind of like alcoholics admit they are powerless over alcohol, I suggested that a first step is to admit we are powerless over much of the chaos swirling around us in this season.

via GIPHY

That doesn’t mean that God is powerless, or surprised, or not at work on our behalf!

I believe we have two choices:

We can choose to live BOTTOM UP – starting with our circumstances and projecting onto God (That is…If things are bad, God must be bad.)

OR we can choose to live TOP DOWN – starting with the character of God and trusting Him to bring the meaning to our circumstances.

As I live in the tangled mess of uncertainty that is my life right now, I remember three truths a friend shared with us years ago – you have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to fear.

These truths are rooted in the character of God. But it’s only as I trust Him, living top down, that they make a difference.

I’d like to share these with you accompanied by a bunch of Scripture that I pray will bring some calm to your chaos.

Truth #1: You have nothing to prove.

We each have an ego-driven self that is bent on proving our control and worth, and if we ever had a year that showed us the futility of that it’s 2020, amiright?

Circumstances are tenuous for everyone – schooling options, job opportunities, health, family dynamics, Covid restrictions, finances… When you lean into these to define your worth you’re living out of your false self. But…

God is EL ROI – the One who sees me.

Circumstances change, but what will never change is God’s presence and the way He cherishes you. No.Matter.What.

You are a beloved child of the creator of the universe. This is your true identity and you don’t have to prove anything.

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

Isaiah 65:2

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you  with singing.”

zephaniah 3:17

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

psalm 139:1-12

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork…

Ephesians 2:8-9

Which of these do you need to hear most today?

What does it say about who God is and who you are?

3 Truths for Dealing With Covid Chaos, part 1

July 27, 2020 /

The other day I was at a tennis drill that was, well…maddening. It was designed to create chaos in order to help us practice responding under pressure.

The pro would feed a “poachable” ball to the net player on one side and the player’s goal was to pound it directly at the feet of her opposing net player.

If the net player was able to return the ball it wouldn’t be pretty and it was unpredictable. The point would unfold from there, everyone trying to survive and bring some kind of order to the chaos.

If you don’t play tennis and don’t understand the explanation above, it doesn’t matter. The point is that chaos was meant to help us get better.

green tennis ball on court
Photo by Bogdan Glisik on Pexels.com

Turns out I don’t do great in chaos. Few of us do. Welcome to 2020.

After the drill I was talking to the pro and he said the thing that happens with everyone in chaos is that they tense up.

You feel the pressure to prove yourself or perform in the midst of uncertainty, and your muscles tighten. You’re afraid of losing.

You play from a place of fear and confusion. My coach said the first step is just acknowledging what’s going on. Say to yourself, “I’m in a hard position here. Just breathe, relax and ask what’s the next right thing to do.”

I do not believe God “sent” or “created” this pandemic. Illness is a result of the Fall. But God did allow this, and I believe He desires to use it to form us into people more like Him if we’re willing to pay attention.

This week, situations reminded me of three truths a friend of ours used to repeat years ago, which I’ll write about in the coming days. But first I had to acknowledge the situation – the chaos and the resulting pain.

We may be inclined to think that God judges us for being brutally truthful with Him about how we’re feeling – emotions of anger, confusion or uncertainty. But we see differently in Scripture, especially in the Psalms.

Like an inconsolable toddler reaching up for his mother, crying out to God is intimate. It draws us near to His heart.

I call out at the top of my lungs, “God! Answer! I’ll do whatever you say.” …

I was up before sunrise, crying for help, hoping for a word from you. I stayed awake all night, prayerfully pondering your promise. In your love, listen to me; in your justice, God, keep me alive…

Let my cry come right into your presence, God; provide me with the insight that comes only from your Word. Give my request your personal attention, rescue me on the terms of your promise…

Put your hand out and steady me since I’ve chosen to live by your counsel…

And should I wander off like a lost sheep—seek me! I’ll recognize the sound of your voice.

psalm 119 MSG

So, today, maybe talk to God honestly about how you feel in this season of chaos. Journal a prayer or take a walk and pray. Acknowledge the situation and your needs.

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