people are more important than...

I COR 8: 9-10  Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

It's pretty plain and simple.

People are more important than pleasure.

People are more important than projects.

People are more important than pinterest.

People are more important than perfectionism.

God cares about people.

God wants us to care about people.

(.)  period

something to chew on

I COR 8:7-8   But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

 This morning, I'm wondering what this means.  Since I don't live in a culture that sacrifices food to gods, I don't really identify here.

But the point is, they were taking part of something that they thought would bring them closer to God.

What things do I do that are cultural; that are religious, yes, but effective, no?

Some people are still so accustomed to idols

...so accustomed to a culture of idols that they don't even consider that it doesn't actually work to bring us closer to God.

The closest parallel in my own life might be financial giving.  Sometimes I feel that if I'm giving toward a ministry that God will be pleased - then I'm closer to Him.

Money, like food, is a neutral.  What I do with money doesn't draw me closer to God.  Jesus Christ and His work on the cross draws me closer to God.

Christ - and only Christ - draws me closer to God.  He is as near to me when we are financially strapped as He is when we have extra to share.

My Christian culture, though, implies differently.  (I realize this isn't a perfect parallel to this passage, but it's helping me think through it.)

But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Maybe this is why Jesus chose a meal to correct this perspective.  At the Last Supper he said that whenever we eat or drink to remember that His blood shed on the cross, His body broken–that sacrifice and that alone brings us into relationship with God... not food sacrificed, no.  Christ sacrificed.  His friends would have really understood that cultural reference.

And now that I look at it, He didn't intend us to just sip from a thimble and swallow a pill sized portion of bread all facing forward once a month either.  He offered a meal,  a continual feast, with conversation and chewing and passing dishes  .... Whenever...

you eat or drink! 

This implies often, habitual, continued. 

This particular Southern breakfast was so full of the presence of Christ that it is a picture of true communion.  We talked, cried, laughed as we shared what Christ had been doing in our lives since we last saw each other.

 Whenever, whatever...we eat or drink.  It's time to remember... and be REALLY thankful.

I never would have put that last supper in this cultural reference before today, but the fact is that Jesus is always culturally relevant because He cares about us!  We exist in our culture and He speaks right into it because that's where we exist - even if we pretend we don't.

So, today, as I eat my salad for lunch, my granola bar for snack, my coffee for warmth... Please help me remember what you've done for me, Jesus.  THANK YOU!

this court is now in session

I COR 8:4-6  So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

"alkdj ajdklajdljfjj oeulejlfjf"

Sometimes this is how my mind reads scripture.

I look at the letters, but I don't get any meaning out of them... until I slow down and read it just to see what it says.

I have no goal today.

I just want to see what it says.

A good lawyer gets the big picture, then goes in for the details.  I'm not a good lawyer.  I'm not a lawyer at all.  But Paul was.  If he's making these points, there was a reason.  He would have laid them out so that no argument from the defense attorney would hold water.  A lawyer with eye witnesses and a true story has the confidence that his case is won already, but he'll still need to prepare correctly or he'll get shot down with well spoken lies.

So here's Lawyer Paul.  First he establishes what we all know.

1.  An idol is nothing at all in the world.
     No carved sculpture made by man's hand is capable of changing anything.  It can't hear, answer or act.  It's just wood or stone or plaster.  Done.

2.  There is no God but one.
    This was pretty radical for those days, and even now actually.  5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”)... as in magistrates and authorities... 

 But Jesus Christ is the only ONE that offers a guilt free relationship with an infinite, all-powerful God.  (Some offer the all powerful, but you are not allowed a relationship.  Some offer a relationship, but only with a finite being.)

, 6yet...(but wait! that's not all, folks)

for us:  truth must be applied to us/for us or the law is without effect

Now the lawyer reviews our part in "what we all know":

6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; 

OK, there's God's identity:  the Father
There's God's infinite, all-powerful attribute:  from whom ALL things came
There's our puny-ness in relation to Him:  for whom we live

(Is it nerdy to admit that I am now having fun?)

and  It's cool Paul didn't say "however"  We have the infinite Father God AND Jesus.  Not either/or.

there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

there IS   ...not "there was" because he died and that was that.  There IS can be said only if Jesus was truly resurrected.  Paul was confronted in person with the resurrected Christ.  (See Acts 26)  Paul, the lawyer.  Paul the skeptic.  Paul the murderer of "mislead politically dangerous believers".

one Lord, Jesus Christ   Paul, the TOTALLY convinced about the IS of Christ.  There is one Lord, and He has a name.

through whom all things came and through whom we live.  And Christ is God, says Paul, as the lawyer attributes infinite power to Jesus as he does to God the Father.

we live.  Oh yeah, just a little cool side benefit.  I don't think Paul, the murderer, who could have been slapped the the ground and singed for his persecution of Christ takes it lightly that this all-powerful, infinite risen God, Lord lets us live...  guilty as we are... because He has the authority to chose to forgive us!

(Paul... I just glanced back at the story of his Christ confrontation.  He didn't just faint and go delusional.   When that bright light hit, he said, "We all fell to the ground,...."  I can't see many people fainting simultaneously as a coincidence.  LOL)


So for today, it's a pretty big darn deal that Jesus lets us live when we ignore Him the way we do.

This court is in recess till tomorrow.

(Oh, and have a great day getting to live.  :)

a long obedience in the same direction

Back at it.  I Corinthians.  A bit boring to me at the moment.  But that's ok.

I COR 8:4  So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols:

Food sacrificed to idols.  Sigh...  since we don't have that same practice today, but since everything is in scripture for a reason, I'm looking for the bottom line here.

What is an idol?  What is a sacrifice?  What is the unhealthy connection?

idol |ˈīdl|
noun
an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.
• a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered : movie idol Robert Redford....or the Seahawks, or chocolate, or even my favorite Bible teacher

So, if an idol is an object of worship, what is worship?  THAT question is a whole semester class at Bible School.  But just for this morning, I'll use the dictionary.

worship |ˈwər sh əp|
noun
the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity : the worship of God | ancestor worship.
• the acts or rites that make up a formal expression of reverence for a deity; a religious ceremony or ceremonies : the church was opened for public worship.
• adoration or devotion comparable to religious homage, shown toward a person or principle : Krushchev threw the worship of Stalin overboard.

STILL BORED?  me too.  But there's got to be something here.  

... a deity...  Worship is the attention and respect I give to something or someone I perceive to have unlimited authority and power over my life.  No relationship is implied here...  not for food sacrificed to idols.  Fear maybe.  Even thrill seeking maybe.  

sacrifice |ˈsakrəˌfīs|
noun
an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural figure : they offer sacrifices to the spirits | the ancient laws of animal sacrifice.
• an animal, person, or object offered in this way.
• an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy : we must all be prepared to make sacrifices.
• Christian Church Christ's offering of himself in the Crucifixion.
• Christian Church the Eucharist regarded either (in Catholic terms) as a propitiatory offering of the body and blood of Christ or (in Protestant terms) as an act of thanksgiving.

If they were sacrificing, something had to die or be given up.  There was some cost involved.

Am I giving up something as an act of respect or submission to anything or anyone other than God himself?  

Am I feasting off of other's efforts to do that?

This commitment to I Corinthians makes me think of a book title called 

'A Long Obedience in the Same Direction'           

I don't know who wrote it.  I've never read it.  But I remember seeing it on the the spine of a hardback book.  Those words shook me.  Changed me.

Am I willing to walk down the same road for a very long time in order to follow Christ?  Or will I veer off toward the amusement parks and food booths of my life?

Being aware of what's off the the side is being alert.  But the long haul obedience is all in where my feet go, which happens one step at a time.  

My feet eventually go toward what I look at most.  Where is my focus?

I've got some questions to ask myself about idols.  Where am I looking for so long that my feet start to follow?  Am I sacrificing (giving up life) my food (daily energy) to idols (God replacements)?

That's all for today.  Gotta think.

dressing out of the dryer

Imagine a world where the ground is perfectly flat.  The grass is perfectly shorn to one precise height.  The trees are all the same diameter, height, and grow perfectly in a line.  Imagine clouds that are all the same golf ball round shape and move across the sky at exactly the same height, propelled at exactly the same speed–left to right.  It would be intriguing... for about fifteen minutes.

That is perfectionism.

No mountains to climb for the possibility of the view.  No trees swaying in the breeze casting an infinite kaleidoscope of never ending shadow dances on the ground.  No lying on your back to watch a poodle transform into a dragon in the clouds, then disappear into a Viking ship.

This week was so busy, I found myself having to go to the dryer for clean clothes to put on.

Dressing out of the dryer in not what a perfectionist does.

It's just not.

I'm learning, ever so painfully, that perfectionism is over-rated.

I used to think I had to be a perfectionist in order to live a balanced life.  I thought balance was "doing everything right, so everything would go right."

Where is all this coming from?  This dissecting of perfectionism?

A few short deadline packed days ago, I worked incredibly hard on a photo shoot and had a total blast.  But whenever my perfectionist tendencies started to eek into my work, something went wrong.  It was as if the people around me became tense as they fed off my tension.  These were only seconds of reactions within larger delightful minutes.  It was normal.  It was variety.  But as I got tired, I became harder and harder on myself.

Afterwards, three of us were riding home together.  We were punchy in a wow-we-did-it-and-it-went-really-well kind of way.  Three professional women laughing easily about pretty much everything, but especially messes.  Birth story messes.  Life messes.  Relationship messes.  Past work messes.

The joy for me is that I get to work really hard with women who were close friends before we ever started.  At some point, though, I made a tangled word comment that implied they weren't perfect.  They laughed and teased, "Wait.  You don't think we're perfect?"

While they took it totally in stride, I panicked.  Isn't it a good thing not to be perfect?   That's exactly what makes them–well–perfect friends.  But did I hurt their feelings?  How do I get my exhausted brain to communicate what I'm feeling?

In the end, I failed.  I went to bed hoping they didn't think I viewed them as anything less than perfect even in our imperfections.

This word, perfect, is so messy.  So imperfect.

Balance

better word 

Still messy though, if you're a perfectionist.  The perfectionist wants to get it right, and then to have it STAY exactly that way.  Stagnant, actually, but perfect.

There is a true balance that is healthier.  If I think of someone who has great balance, it's the surfer able to ride the anything-but-stagnant wave.

It's the mountain biker who doesn't fall off while careening over rocks and climbing muddy slopes. 

It's my mother who laughs at her mistakes and looks for rainbows on cloudy days.

Balance is about being able
                                        to adjust
                                                   to movement.

Life moves.  Changing by the second. No two days or even minutes the same.

Relaxing into a wave yet having well toned muscles and strong support are both key. 
Rest and strength building = thrill and success.

A good surfer even knows how to fall well.

I am not a surfer. 

But I love my friends and am in awe of their gifts.  They are perfectly delightful, because they aren't exactly perfect.  Never stagnant.  Never boring.

There are five of us on this particular dream team.  Every time we work together, there's amazing balance.  We shift and adjust.  Occasionally bump.  Adjust again and then, wave after wave (fashion shot after fashion shot) find that sweet spot.

I leave slightly insecure, mostly in awe.  Why I get to be on this team is so beyond me.

What a perfect gift of glorious imperfection.  Solid, touchable beauty.  Not some display that screams, "DO NOT TOUCH OR YOU'LL MESS EVERYTHING UP!"  We feed off of each others' ideas.  We get to learn from each other. We work really, really hard and then follow our gut and enjoy the moment.

This shoot is in the bag.  The waters are calmer today, but I'm looking forward to the next swell.  Mostly because I get to be with these people again.  It'll be totally different.  And that's the best part.

...the price of glory is change

I wrote this an never posted it.  But considering I'm about to take a hard look at idolatry in I COR, I realized it all comes together in "change" and my willingness to go there.  So here's the foundation I received as a Christmas gift to launch me into the new year.


Christmas.  Today is December 30th.  Lots of people have already packed away their ornaments and are headed into the New Year with clean floors and bathrooms.

My bathrooms are OK since we've had continual out of town company since Thanksgiving.  YAY.

But our tree is still up.

I still need Christmas.

I was rather numb this year.  Normally, getting ready for Christmas always meant Christmas music, sappy Christmas movies playing while I wrapped gifts, preparing madly for a Christmas play, baking cookies.

All these things happened, but through delegation.  My family has been FANTASTIC, but I've discovered I don't care for being an executor of Christmas tasks.  I don't know how we could have done it differently, but I almost lost Christmas this year.

Still, in a candle, it came.  Wonder.

I stuck this candle in my pass-through as an afterthought.  But it's the serviceable area where I spend the most time cooking and looking through to the living room.  For some reason, the candle melted in a fluted pattern around the edges.  (Maybe the fluted dish caused it?)  I was mesmerized by the gorgeous design that I had nothing to do with.  Christmas.  A gift.  The Holy Day began to slowly warm up.

On Christmas morning, my husband handed my dad a Bible and asked him to read the Christmas story from Luke.  The print was small causing my Dad to read slowly and carefully.

...and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

  (Luke 1:9)

This one phrase, read so carefully, caused me to see the something so simple that it was profound.

The price of glory is change.

We pray and pray hoping God will listen to our tired, repetitive, begging prayers.  We beg God to change things.  But when He actually shows up, it can be terrifying!  Why?

...because, when He shows up, we invariably have to DO something.  You simply can not be faced with the presence of God and remain unchanged.  We are altered when we face an encounter to answered prayer.

Why?

I think it's this.  We pray our heart's desire, but within that prayer is our own vision of how God should answer.  Typically, we envision Him changing everyone and everything else while we get to stay comfortably as we are...unchanged happy beneficiaries sitting comfortably in our favorite spot receiving our heart's desires.

But that's not the M.O. I see when I scroll through encounters with Jesus in my mind.  Every person was given something to do that would require a change in their mindset and behavior.  "Go and sell all you have and give to the poor."  "Leave all that and follow me."  "Go and sin no more."  "Go dip."
"Go show yourself to the priest."  "Stop getting in the way of children."  "Feed the crowd."

It occurs to me that the actions He requires are a gift.  They cement the work He does.  They give us personal ownership. They are the first day of a new habit.  The first step out... out of fear, out of muck, out of "old".

Is God going to mess with my chocolate?

I Cor 8:1-3   1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3But whoever loves God is known by God.

Well, here I am again.  Back at it.  The new year means my daughter's 16th birthday.  After we celebrate tomorrow, Rich and I are going to (can you guess?) alter our weight.

So it's only appropriate that this next section is about food.  LOL.  Is God about to mess with my chocolate?

HOWEVER, there's a foundation for looking at food sacrificed to idols and it seems to be motivation.

What I see in these verses is that knowledge focuses inward.  Navel gazing self absorption.  It puffs up.

While love, on the other hand, love builds up........    others.

Knowledge isn't there for the sake of showing how smart we are.  Knowing as we ought to know is about being known by God.

Whoever loves God is known by God.  

When we say, "Oh, I know her really well!"  it infers a close friendship.

I want a close friendship with God!

Whoever loves God is known by God.  Which means I can't be known by God if I'm only looking only to my own interests. 

(If you have "MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST"  read January 8.  It deals with why God asks us to give certain things up.  It's not just to make us do without.  Hey!  I just discovered a facebook link.  You can read it here:  https://www.facebook.com/MyUtmostForHisHighest.  Funny, I "just happened" to read "Ozzie" today–my nickname for Oswald Chambers.  Haven't touched it in months. I love how it "just happened" to give me insight into this passage I'm studying. wink.)

So this is the foundation  of what Paul is about to say about food sacrificed to idols.

idols.  sigh.  I guess I'll have to look at idolatry in my life next.

Won't be able to blog tomorrow since it's a full day celebrating my girl starting with breakfast.

But January 10th, I have a feeling, will be interesting.