Why I Never Eat!

Everyone has a good excuse for not attending church.  If you take those excuses and apply them to other things we do (or don't do), like eating, they might look like this...

I don't eat any more because...

1. I was forced to eat as a child
2. People who eat all the time are hypocrites; they aren't really hungry
3. There are so many different kinds of food, I can't decided what to eat
4. I used to eat, but I got bored and stopped
5. I only eat on special occasions, like Easter and Christmas
6. None of my friends will eat with me
7. I'll start eating when I get older
8. I don't really have the time to eat
9. I don't believe that eating does anybody any good.  It's just a crutch
10. Restaurants and grocery stores are only after your money.

Giving a lame excuse for not attending church or for not getting involved in ministry is just as silly as giving up eating.  Church attendance for the Christian is as important as regular, balanced meals.  Without spiritual food, we will die (1 Peter 2:2)

Rice, W. (1999). Still More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks.  Youth Specialties. Zondervan Publishing House Grand Rapids. Michigan. p.97

The Significance of a Marshmallow

"So I say, live by the spirit and you will not gratify 

the desires of the sinful nature." 

Gal. 5:16 NIV

Imagine you are a 4 yr. old.  Picture yourself in a strange room; a strange person gives you a marshmallow and promises you a second one if you don't eat the first one until he/ she returns from an short errand.  What do you do?  Do you gobble down the marshmallow, not thinking about the possibility of another?  Or, with nothing to do but stare at the marshmallow, do you muster all the self-control available to you as a 4 yr. old and wait until the giver returns?

That question has proved to be a classic in a research study conducted on a group of 4-year olds.  When researchers tracked down the children 14 years later they found that this test was an amazing predictor of how the children would do in school.  The ones- who had waited in the test scored significantly higher - 210 points higher - on their Scholastic Achievement Test.  In addition, the kids who patiently waited were, later more stable emotionally than the other group, better liked by their teachers and their peers, and were still able to delay gratification in pursuit of their goals.

The children, who had eaten the marshmallow immediately were, 14 years later, less emotionally stable, more irritable, more likely to pick fights, not as well liked, and fell apart under stress.

The bible talks about the importance of self-control. Gal 5: 22, 23 says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is not law." (NIV)  While our society places great emphasis on scholastic  success - defined as how much knowledge you can pack into your brain in a given amount of time - God, as usual has an entirely different way of measuring success.

Now science has caught up with what the Bible has always presented to us.  God promises us success, not based on worldly standards, academic achievement, or measures of wealth, but upon His Spirit working in us.  When He develops the fruit of the Spirit in our characters will be healthier and happier, our relationships will be more satisfying, our academic pursuits more successful, and our jobs more fulfilling.  Better yet, we will be successful not only in the physical  world but in the spiritual world as well.  That's where it really counts.

Isn't it interesting that one character trait - self control - 

can have such a widespread effect on a person's success in life?  

How Healthy is your self control?

Brousson Anderson. C

Kuzma, K. (2005). Fit forever.  One a day devotionals for Body, Mind and Spirit.  Review and Herald Publishing Association Hagerstown MD. p.21

Practice Hospitality

Hospitality is the opening up of our homes and welcome others into our lives.  We are not to be self centred.  Rachael Crabb in her book "The Personal Touch" states that "Christian women just don't have a choice about whether or not they'll be hospitable.  It's a biblical command."(p.)

We find this being exhorted by Jesus in Luke 14: 12 - 14. The Apostle Paul adds hospitality as a requirement for office in the church (1 Timothy 3:2) and also encourages the early Christians in Romans 12:13 to practice hospitality.  Peter adds the following concept into the act of hospitality.

"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling". 1 Peter 4:9


I have used this quote once before but it makes the point I think that Peter was trying to tell us.

My wife invited some people to dinner.  At the table she turned to our 5 year old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing/?"  I wouldn't know what to say, she replied.  Just say what you hear Mummy say, my wife said.  Our daughter bowed her head and said "Dear Lord why on earth did I invite all these people for dinner."

There are some wonderful books out there that can help with ideas and how to do it graciously.  One is found in the book review section and the other one has been around for a while and the author's ideas and experiences are offered below.

Here are a few tips from Karen Main's book Open Heart - Open Home. (p.171 - 176).

1. Never clean before company - Instead, try to clean on schedule and clean up as you go, so you'll always be ready for unexpected guests. 
2. Keep the emphasis on welcome, not performance - The purpose of hospitality is to open your arms to others, not to impress.  It's better to keep things simple and warm than to go over board.
3. Do as much ahead of time as possible - Plan ahead for hospitality - even cook ahead.  Karen says, " Hard work indicates I'm not managing my time well, not planning ahead doing too much, not being dependant on the Lord's strength, but on my own."
4. Include little touches of Beauty - A few candles and a jar of daisies picked from the year can make grilled cheese a gourmet delight.  (And they help hide the grease stain on the table cloth as well.)
5. Use all the help that comes your way - When someone offers to help, say yes! Many hands make light work - and sharing the labour can be a great opportunity for fellowship.
6. Keep records - Karen has files of easy recipes and creative entertaining tips.  Other women keep records of the guests and what was served.  I've found that to-do lists organise my scattered thoughts and help me focus my energy more productively.

There are other great books like the Gentle art of Hospitality mentioned on the book review page and also Nancy Van Pelt's Creative Hospitality.

How to tell if Your a Kitchen or Living Room Person

Test me: O LORD and try me, 

examine my heart and my mind for your love is ever before me, 

and I will walk continually in your truth. Ps. 26:2-3

I found another tit bit today while reading Joanna Weaver's book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World".  I thought the concept was particularly neat...(p182,183).  In this book she talks about service as being in the kitchen, like Martha was and the Living Room where Mary was listening to her LORD filling up her spiritual side.

Listening to your soul a balance Checklist... (don't you just love checklist, it's easy to tick off and you don't have to think about where you are up to).

Because we were created for balance, we feel the difference in our souls when our lives tilt too far in one direction or another. The imbalance will show in our attitude, our energy level, and in the way we interact with people.  Any of the following could be an indication that you need to tilt more toward either service or devotion.

Signs that you may need more time in the Kitchen

• Slight depression - You feel a vague unhappiness, a sense of being down.
• Resentment of intrusion - Rather than welcome people into your life, you find yourself wishing they'd go away. 
• Frustration over direction of life - You feel a sense of purposelessness and sometimes wonder,"Is this all there is. "
• Increased self- indulgence - You feel and itch to treat yourself to your favourite food or shopping.
• Apathetic attitude - You find that very little moves you. You know your compassion level is low, put part of you doesn't care.
• Low energy Level - Like the Dead Sea, you have many inlets, but no outlets - and therefore you are growing stagnant.

Signs that you may need more time in the Living Room

• Irritability and frustration - You find yourself snapping at people, wound so tight your about to 'snap' yourself, and especially short tempered with those you perceive as lazy or unco-operative.
• Uncomfortable with quiet - silence makes you nervous, so you quickly turn on the TV or radio.
• Low joy threshold - It's been a long time since you've sensed that undercurrent of joy and abundance running through your heart.
• A sense of Isolation - You feel all alone - as if no one is there for you and no one understands.
• Increase drivenness - You're haunted by a sense that you must do more and more.  You keep volunteering for more projects and for more committees, even though you know your plate is full.
• Sense of dryness and emptiness -  No wonder! You have many outlets and demands, but no inlets or source of strength.