What the Heck is THAT!?

The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Exodus 16:35
I have known people who always eat the same few things every day. I personally don’t know how they do it. Got to have a little variety, myself.
Well, with enough picante sauce, I can get by, but I don’t think the Israelites had access to jalapeños. Nope, they got Manna - a Hebrew word meaning “What the heck is this?” It appeared every morning like frost and flakes on the ground. (“Frosted Flakes”, pre-Kellog! They were Grrrr-eat!)
It was pretty exciting. They’d go out Sunday through Friday and collect a couple of quarts apiece for their - ahem - daily bread. (Give us this day our daily...you know.) Except on Friday they had to gather twice as much to tide them through the Sabbath. A few lessons were forcefully and vividly imprinted on them through this: God Really Can Provide. Just do a little math. Basically a million people had to get fed every day. How could any human agency provide enough sustenance for so many out of thin air?! In a desert? Only one word for that: Miraculous!
God expects His people to follow His instructions. That’s right, there were rules for His amazing Free Lunch Plan. Gather enough for everybody for the day, use it all or destroy it before morning. If you kept it overnight, it got nasty. Except for Friday night. Then it would still be good for Saturday. Because God said so, that’s why!
What God provides is good. Wafers and honey. That’s what it tasted like. Do an internet search for “perfect food”, and honey is what you find. Biscuits and honey with a dash of cinnamon is hard to beat. This wasn’t skimpy, unpalatable survival fare. They thrived on it. When they weren’t complaining about it.
Whining about God’s provision is never a good idea. Well, duh. But we do it anyway, don’t we? Human nature, I suppose, but our imperfect memories and voracious appetites (lusts) lead us to anguished complaining about the “same old same old”. Which gets us in trouble. Every. Single. Time.
The methods and means may change, but it is still God who provides.
When they got to the Promised Land, the manna stopped. Instead, they got to enjoy the Promise Fulfilled. For generations, they had been dreaming of “a land flowing with milk and honey”. That was the Promise Deferred. When they were ready, God fulfilled it even better than they expected, in ways they never dared to dream.
Here’s a hint for your life. God doesn’t tell you every good thing He has planned. He always has wonderful surprises waiting in the wings. Don’t get so attached to todays blessings that you can’t enjoy tomorrows!
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Fear not. Faith on!

Shine it up!

Mythbusters did a segment on “Can you polish a poop?” based on a saying they often used around their shop when someone was being too nitpicky about something “You’re just trying to get a shine on that ... “stuff”. They gathered various kinds of “scat” from a local zoo and tried a couple of different techniques without success. Then they learned about the Japanese art of “dorodango” - turning balls of mud into shiny...well...balls. It actually worked! They even geeked out and tested the reflective qualities of their poo-balls with a machine that declared they were indeed 'shiny'.
But it was still poop.
All they did was superficial. It didn’t change anything about the content of their “material”. They were quite thrilled with their results, because they accomplished their goal. I found it fun to watch, even interesting, but I’m happy to say I wasn’t there.
With the smell.
Not to mention the memory of spending that much time up close and personal with something so...personal.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor. 5:17
New car smell is a good smell. Fresh baked bread? Amazing! But what God does in a sinner’s heart is even more amazing. He takes something used, abused, and nasty and makes it NEW. When you put your trust in Christ, it’s like being reborn.
That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again. Nothing else in our experience compares. It's a reboot that makes the hard drive brand spanking new!
And if it doesn’t begin there, all our charities, good works, church attendance, and good intentions are just poop-polishing. No matter what kind of shine we put on the outside, if it doesn’t come from a changed heart, it’s wasted. Not to mention, disgusting!

Traveling Right

When preparing to travel,‭ ‬lay out all your clothes and all your money.‭ ‬Then take half the clothes and twice the money.‭ ~‬Susan Heller
I learned the value of that advice a while back.‭ ‬My Little Pie Baker and I were invited out to west Texas for a weekend,‭ ‬and since they gave us plane tickets,‭ ‬we decided to go.‭ ‬After about the‭ ‬13th stop for a rest on the Death March from the parking garage to the terminal‭ ‬-‭ ‬DFW is mathematically laid out so no matter where you park,‭ ‬you have to cross two county lines and a time zone to get to your gate‭ ‬-‭ ‬I wiped my brow and congratulated my bride.‭ “‬Honey,‭ ‬I never would have thought to pack a toaster oven and‭ ‬14‭ ‬tons of shoes for a weekend trip.‭” ‬For those of you who aren’t paying attention,‭ ‬yes,‭ ‬that was sarcasm.
Anybody who has flown lately knows that there are strict limits on luggage weight and harsh penalties for exceeding it.‭ ‬As in cash.‭ ‬Lots and lots of cash.‭ ‬Airline ticket agents are‭ ‬thrilled to see that scale show‭ ‬1‭ ‬ounce over the limit.‭ “‬Cha-CHING‭!” ‬they say,‭ ‬and‭ “‬Thank you very much‭!” ‬they chirp as they introduce you to their Friendly Customer Service Rottweilers.
What has brought up this particular topic is fairly obvious,‭ ‬I’m sure.‭ ‬In a couple of weeks,‭ ‬I’m joining a group going to Central America for a week.‭ ‬Just yesterday,‭ ‬I received a list of packing suggestions‭ ‬-‭ ‬what to wear,‭ ‬what to pack in my carry-on,‭ ‬what to pack in the single bag‭ (‬49‭ ‬lbs,‭ ‬15‭ ‬Oz,‭ ‬and not a Dorothy or Toto more‭!) ‬I’m allowed to check.‭ ‬Then we talked about what was appropriate to carry‭ ‬-‭ ‬mosquito spray,‭ ‬yes.‭ ‬Anti-tarantula blowtorch,‭ ‬probably not.‭ ‬Tuxedo‭? ‬Not needed.‭ ‬Toilet paper‭? ‬That’s a BIG‭ ‬10-4,‭ ‬little buddy‭!
But I intend to be stingy,‭ ‬because I’m not going all that way to be a Baggage Handler.‭ ‬I don’t want to have to worry about where my‭ “‬stuff‭” ‬is,‭ ‬or what might be happening to it.‭ ‬That was Jesus‭’ ‬advice,‭ ‬anyway:
He said to them,‭ “‬Take nothing for your journey‭ – ‬no staff,‭ ‬no bag,‭ ‬no bread,‭ ‬no money,‭ ‬and do not take an extra tunic.‭ ‬Luke‭ ‬9:3
Talk about traveling light‭! ‬Truth is,‭ ‬we all need to be traveling light,‭ ‬not keeping up with old baggage but discovering God's ability to generously provide.‭ ‬You see,‭ ‬those who intend to follow Him are on a narrow,‭ ‬difficult path.‭ ‬Baggage gets lost,‭ ‬or stolen,‭ ‬or becomes a heavy weight and encumbrance.‭ ‬We are WAY better off‭ “‬down-sizing‭”‬.‭ ‬Then all that energy,‭ ‬attention,‭ ‬and sweat we had been devoting to the luggage can be focused more profitably,‭ ‬and we can concentrate on traveling Right.

Therefore,‭ ‬since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,‭ ‬let us also lay aside every weight,‭ ‬and sin which clings so closely,‭ ‬and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,‭ ‬looking to Jesus,‭ ‬the founder and perfecter of our faith,‭ ‬who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,‭ ‬despising the shame,‭ ‬and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.‭ ‬Hebrews‭ ‬12:1-2‭

Home Made

Her children stand up and encourage her, as does her husband, who praises her:“Many women have done wonderful things,” he says, “but you surpass all of them!” Charm is deceitful and beauty fades; but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. Prov 31:28-30
To all of you precious Moms out there who would love to strangle this virtuous paragon you hear about every Mother’s Day (and half the funerals you attend), she didn’t do it all with toddlers in the house. It was a life time achievement - and she had servants to help! So, husbands, if you want the full Proverbs 31 Wife, be prepared to hire staff!
This year, I fell back on an old family tradition, and made my Mother’s Day gift with my own hands. Really brought back memories of my grubby little hands putting dandelions in jelly jars or fingerpainting “beautiful” drawings for Mom to put on the fridge. When you’re little, anything you have enough money to buy is pretty junky, and anything nice enough to give, she would end up paying for anyway, so plaster hand prints and macaroni covered cigar boxes figured prominently among my gift options. And as a parent myself - what goes around really does come around, doesn’t it? - I’ve been on the receiving end of such delightful treasures. There is something incredibly precious about a hand made gift, especially when the hands are very small and the love is very, very big.
So I baked a pecan pie.
For those of you who (quite rightly) fear for her safety, I was not alone in the kitchen. My own little Master Pie Baker was right there, talking me through every step. Did you know that when it says “a cup of flour”, you fill the measuring cup and rake off the top so it’s EXACTLY a cup? News to me!
But I followed instructions and used all the ingredients (and nothing extra - not even a LITTLE bit of jalapeno).
And Mom? I remembered something else you taught me, and washed my hands first. With soap!
It was actually kind of fun, and it gave me a chance to relive those golden days of yore - with a little less mess in the kitchen. A little. The love was about the same, though. Which brings me to the important part.
Nothing I could give God would ever come close to what He gave - and continues to give. The very best I could afford is meaningless, and the very best I could make with my own hands? Well, the Louvre won’t be calling any time soon. But when the love that fills my soul overflows toward the One to Whom I owe everything, I like to think that’s what He keeps for his Heavenly refrigerator door - smudges and all.
I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1-2

Everything?

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
I read somewhere that if you want to keep your mind fresh and young - and not give way to Old-Timer’s Disease - then you should keep learning new things. Some scientific studies - Science is On Our Side - say that the act of learning is effective in delaying the onset of dementia. Since those who know me best say I live altogether too close to that state now, I guess I’d better pay attention! One of my inspirations was a retired college professor, who in her 80‘s decided to quit saying she wished she had learned to play piano when she was younger, and do something about it. So she started taking lessons from my wife. True, it wasn’t easy for her, but what a joy to see the delight she had in even the smallest improvement.
In that spirit, I’ve got a couple of new things going on now. Many of you had your portrait sketched by Joe McKeever when he was staying with us recently. I was impressed with how disarming and fun it was to sit in the cafe or church and sketch away, so I decided to take it up. Joe told me that you learn fastest by sketching live people right in front of them, so if you see me with a pad and pen I’m just trying to stave off old age. Oh, and an important disclaimer. He figures that it took him about 500 or so attempts before he got good enough that the sketches were “keepers”, and I haven’t even got to 50 yet. Don’t take it personally if I ball up a few and throw them away without letting you see. It’s for your own good!!
“So what,” you ask “does that have to do with Ecclesiastes?” Why, just everything.
We live in the Information Age. Want to find out about sharks or lasers or sharks that shoot lasers? There’s a good chance you can from the comfort of your computer chair - in my case, a Lazyboy, but keep your smart aleck remarks to yourself. But as much information as there is, there is also Mystery, an unfathomable mystery so that no matter how much you learn about one or two aspects of Creation, you can’t grasp it all. Yet fascination with the Mystery of Eternity is hard-wired into all of us. And that means that no matter how much we learn, there’s always more, and in the right circumstances, more is beautiful. That’s the way God made it!
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! Romans 11:33
My advice? Learn something new. If nothing else, it might save your brain, or at least give you more material to bore...uh, interest your spouse or friends. Now stop bothering me, I’ve got faces to sketch.

The Juggler

I possess a few skills, carefully honed over a lifetime of discipline and effort to an almost butter knife level of sharpness. I can cook on an outdoor grill without ever once - in 40 years - burning down a house. I can vacuum a carpet or squish a bug - often at the same time! I can drive a stick shift, 3-, 4-, even 5-on-the-floor, not to mention 3-on-the-tree. Impressive, I know. But one of the skills I’m most proud of is, of course, my juggling.
Many years ago, I came across a book in the library that promised to teach anyone how to juggle in just minutes a day. I checked it out, read a few pages and looked at diagrams, and then did something that few attempt. (All the self help books on your shelves are no use if you don’t actually help your self!) I grabbed 3 tennis balls and went out in the backyard (to minimize damage) and tried. And tried. Amazingly enough the book was correct. Any idiot CAN learn how to juggle!
Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings, not unimportant people. Proverbs 22:29
I like to think I have a reasonably accurate grasp of my limitations. I never acquired a level of skill that would get me on TV, not even cable access. And I have yet to be informed of a Command Performance for any semblance of royalty. Three balls with the occasional drop is as far as I’ve gotten, but I did get one other thing out of my afternoon in the backyard - a glorious sense of accomplishment, and a sneaking suspicion that my Dad was right - I really CAN do just about anything I set my mind to!
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Yes, I really can. I can discern what’s going on in people’s lives - not mind reading, spiritual awareness from the Spirit of God. I can stand firm on the Truth of the Gospel. I can love the unlovely, forgive the unmerciful, bless those who curse me, bind up the wounded, search for the lost. Everything that God wants me to do, He empowers me to do. I stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords, juggling for the souls of men and women.
I used to hear people say about people who were full of themselves, “He has delusions of Grandeur”. Me? I don’t even have Delusions of Adequacy, which is great because instead of trusting in my own skills and talents and resources, I’m forced to trust in His. No, I don’t have an Inferiority Complex, just a valid assessment. And I’ve learned the Secret. His resources are Abundant. Sufficient. Superior to the best humanity has to offer in every conceivable way. The skill that stands me before my King is not some parlor trick learned in afternoon once upon a time, it is Faith, the activity of the Redeemed - Forsaking All I Trust Him.
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Is anything too hard for Him? I don't think so!

The Right Tool?

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; Ephesians 4:11-12

I went in to the bathroom the other day and saw something on the counter that really disturbed me, so much so that I just had to ask my wife about it.

“Honey, I know I don’t know much about make up or beauty products, but I can’t imagine what a woman as pretty as you are needs with a steak knife as part of your equipment.”
Happily, there was a logical explanation. The shampoo bottle had a little sticker over the mouth that she couldn’t get open with just her fingernails, and her normal opener (me) was unavailable. At least, that’s HER story, and of course I believe her. But I’m watching my step, and if it shows up in the bedroom, I’m sleeping on the couch!
You know the saying, “The right tool for the job”? I carry a Swiss Army knife most of the time, so I’ve usually got a tool I can use, at least for small jobs, and I know that in pinch, “Any tool can be the right tool”, but mostly you’re better off with the tool that was meant for the job, and there are quite a few jobs that would ruin the wrong tool.
That’s why you have people with different skills and inclinations in the church. We are tools in God’s hands, crafted for a purpose and intended for use. I know that some people have their tools carefully placed on a pegboard in their garage and even outlined so they have a visual cue about which tool goes where - although I think that’s more about decoration than anything else. Wouldn’t surprise me if those tools are as fresh as the day they were purchased, never moved once placed, with the working tools kept in a box in the work area. But God doesn’t do “decorator tools”. He always has purpose for the tools He chooses - even you.
For some reason, people want to act like decorator tools, potentially useful but very surprised if they’re pulled off the shelf. But if each of us is available to God, then things that are either being done poorly or not done at all will instead be done well. Another good old saying: “Many hands make light work.” By uniting our efforts, we share the burdens, making them lighter and we share the joys, making them sweeter by the sharing. Be the right tool in God’s hand, and be worthy of that highest of blessings: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
And let’s keep the steak knives OUT of the bathroom!