Tag: Religion

O Taste and See That the Lord is Good

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During the school year, convenience is how we roll when it comes to breakfast.

But with the kids home for summer break, we’ve decided to think outside the “cereal box” lately — starting with this frittata recipe from natashaskitchen.com:

Seeing as I had most of the ingredients in my fridge already, it seemed like a quick and easy way to change things up.

But I soon realized this “quick and easy” recipe called for a lot more whisking, shredding, grating, frying, dicing, chopping, and sautéing than I had bargained for…

In an effort to get the job done a little faster, I enlisted the help of my family — while I chopped, grated, and sautéed, they took turns whisking in each of the ingredients.

First the eggs, then the cream, hot sauce, shredded cheese, diced onion, grated potatoes, and…

Boys: “…Ewwwww, WHAT’s THIS green stuff?!?”

Me: “Oh, that’s just spinach.” 😊

Boys: “Spinach?!? Yuck!!!” 🤢🤮🤢 “We’re definitely not eating that!”

(Ughhh…frozen waffles were sounding less and less stressful by the minute…🤦‍♀️…)

My husband could sense my frustration.

“Don’t worry…you won’t even taste it in there once it’s all done,” he reassuringly replied — and reluctantly they relented.

As I poured the batter into the muffin cups, I began wishing I had just grabbed a package of those Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches from the freezer aisle and called it a day — it would have been faster, easier, less expensive, and far less frustrating. 😩😩😩

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To tell you the truth, time, money, and frustration are the main factors that keep me from choosing hearty and healthy over hasty on a regular basis.

And when you stop to think about it, isn’t that sometimes true when it comes to our spiritual diet as well?

There are many moments when following God’s recipe for life is more costly, more time consuming, and more difficult than just picking up the conveniently (and attractively) packaged life that the world wants to offer us (Matthew 7:13-14):

– It’s a recipe that often costs us more than we bargained for. True, Christ paid our debt of sin at the cross…but we are also called to take up our own cross daily and follow Him — a choice that may cost us friends, family, money, jobs, fame, status, the list could go on and on.

But we would be wise to have to mindset of the apostle Paul when he wrote, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

– It’s also a recipe that takes time and effort and even risk to prepare…and there is always the chance that we (metaphorically speaking) might be burned by a frying pan or nicked by a knife in the process. But you know what they say — no pain, no gain. It’s all going to be worth it.

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:17-18).

– And it’s a recipe that will not often please the tastebuds of this world. The Gospel is foolishness to those who aren’t being saved by it (I Corinthians 1:18), and therefore may persecute us for righteousness sake.

But don’t give up and don’t give in. Don’t change the Word of God just to make it more palatable for yourself or others. We need only be concerned that we are a sweet aroma to the God who created us (II Corinthians 2:15).

The Bible is God’s recipe for life — a tried and true dish that’s been handed down for generations. If we follow it closely without adding to or taking away from it according to our own tastes, just like those muffins, in the end we too will rise (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

— But equally true, if we fail to take His commandments seriously, Jesus warns “…because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]” (Revelation 3:16, AMP).

And Gordon Ramsay ain’t got nothing on that.

Christ loves you. He died for you. He wants you to rise! All you have to do is follow his “recipe” and bake it ‘til you make it.

Until next time…

-PWAP

Williams-Sonoma

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When my husband and I got married, one of the wedding gifts we received was a gift card to an upscale home goods store called Williams-Sonoma.

Maybe you’ve heard of it.

I had heard of it, too…but at the time, the closest brick-and-mortar store was an hour away from us…so I’d never actually been there before.

That all changed one fateful Saturday, shortly after we said “I do,” when my husband and I decided to take a trip to check it out and use our gift card.

It was a day I will never forget.

After a 60 minute trek to the big city, we arrived in the parking lot of the most grandiose mall I had seen in my entire life. 😱

As we unbuckled our seatbelts and climbed out of our little Hyundai, I felt like Dorothy Gale arriving at the Emerald City. 🤩🤩🤩

Arm in arm, we proceeded through the front doors and down the main corridor.

Everything was suddenly in technicolor and it felt like we were walking the yellow brick road.

Our jaws dropped as we passed each consecutive storefront…Gucci, Armani, and Tiffany (oh my!).

I gave my husband a look that said, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Target anymore.” 😂😂😳

Yes, it seemed as if were actually in Oz…or at least somewhere very close to it — and by the time we finally reached Williams-Sonoma, I was half-expecting to see the Wizard himself.

However, we were immediately greeted by the Wicked Witch of the West (disguised as a pretentious saleswoman) instead.

After looking us up and down, she said, “Welcome to Williams-Sonoma, have either of you been here before?”

“N-n-nooo, this is our first time,” I managed to stutter.

She then insisted on showing us around, which I later realized was sales floor lingo for “I’ll get you my pretty…and your little gift card, too.” 😂

Nevertheless, we obediently followed her as she patronizingly pointed out all of the “must-have” kitchen gadgets and gizmos — things I never even knew existed 😳.

It was like watching one of those models showcase items on The Price is Right…only, the price was so, so wrong…😳.

I did my best to hide my sticker shock with a smile…but the more we browsed, the more it became apparent that a $40 gift card was barely going to be enough for a new set of dish towels.

And that’s when she showed us…the pasta maker.

The $300 homemade pasta maker.

About halfway through her discourse on homemade noodles, my husband and I exchanged glances and I could tell he had had his fill of this saleswoman’s highfalutin mumbo-jumbo.

That’s when he threw his arms up and said, “Thanks, but I’ve got a perfectly good box of Hamburger Helper in the pantry at home.”

😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

My face turned as red as a pair of ruby slippers.

We were finally outed for the country bumpkins we are.

I wanted to laugh, cry, and crawl under the table all at the same time…silently wishing I could just click my heels together three times and go back home.

But the saleswoman didn’t flinch — she simply peered over the rim of her Christian Dior glasses and condescendingly rebutted that only uncultured swine eat noodles from a box.

😳😳😳😤😤😤😤

Okay, okay…maybe those weren’t her exact words…but they were close 😂😂😂.

To be honest, I don’t remember what her exact words to us were, but I do remember that what she said made me feel small, insignificant, unsophisticated, and poor.

What happened next, you ask?

Well, we threw a bucket of water on her and walked away while the other customers broke into a rousing rendition of “Ding, dong, the witch is dead.” 🎶🎶🎶

I kid, I kid. 😂

We came really close to doing that, but then we remembered the whole “Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord thing. 🤷‍♀️ (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19-21)

So, we just paid for our dish towels and left.

And we’ve never been back since.

Not because of the steep prices. Not because of the long drive. But because of the way we were made to feel.

It’s just like Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

And I couldn’t agree more.

I couldn’t tell you exactly what that saleswoman said…but I can remember exactly how it made me feel.

It’s not just that we didn’t feel welcome — it’s that we were made to feel unwelcome.

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And sadly there’s a lot of visitors who don’t come back to worship with the Lord’s church for that very same reason.

They’ve been made to feel “unwelcome” in one way or another by the church.

But it shouldn’t be that way.

Because the Gospel is for ALL (II Peter 3:9; Mark 16:15), not just for those who are already Christians, but for anyone who might believe (Romans 1:16).

I need to remember, as a Christian who is working for God, that my behavior (both inside and outside of the church building) should not chase away His “customers,” but bring them back!

We should never use our knowledge of the truth or our position as a saved citizen of God’s kingdom to be condescending or dismissive, but in love and humility we should always remember to esteem others higher than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

That’s the kind of love Jesus wants us to have. And that’s the kind of love that will bring people back.

So, let this serve as a reminder to us all — there’s a whole world of people out there who need Jesus. And if we don’t treat them right the first time, we may never get another shot.

After all, you know what they say, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Until next time…

– PWAP

It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know

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Last Sunday was my last Sunday teaching the children’s Bible class for a while — yep…new year, new quarter, new teacher…all I can say is, bless her heart! 😂❤️😇😇😇❤️😂

Don’t get me wrong — I love those little Bible students to death, but I’ve always said teaching kids has to be more difficult than teaching adults.

You see, adults know a lot of things already…and the things they don’t know, they’re usually too embarrassed to ask, so they’ll just Google it…but kids?? They just use YOU as their own personal Google! 😂

Yep, there’s no shame in their game!! 😂 And for the past 16 weeks, these little elementary schoolers have been coming outta left field every Sunday with their questions about God and life and death and the universe…and I’m just over here like, Jesus help me through another Sunday…🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😂😂😂

I kid, I kid…mostly. 😉

The truth is they ask great questions…I just don’t always have great answers for them…🫠😩🤔.

But I guess that’s the beauty of it all — as the students learn, I learn, too. It’s truly a humbling experience.

But it always leads me to wonder…when it comes to the scriptures, at this stage in life, DOES God expect me to “know it all?”

😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

And for some reason, when I was thinking about this, the name Ken Jennings popped into my mind. Remember him? The guy who holds the record for the longest consecutive winning streak on Jeopardy!? 🤓🤓🤓

He’s obviously someone with a lot of knowledge, albeit useless🙄…but that’s beside the point.

My point is, even after 74 consecutive wins (😱), even he was finally stumped!

Ken: Alex, I’ll take Psalm 23 for $100, please.

Alex: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me lie down in these grassy plains where sheep love to graze.

Ken: (*Buzzzzzz*) What is…a meadow?

Alex: No. I’m sorry, the correct answer was actually green pastures.

😂😂😂😂

Okay, okay…that’s NOT the actual question that put Ken “out to pasture” so-to-speak (no pun intended 😂)…but I would feel a lot better about my own Bible knowledge if it were…😂

But is that what God wants from us? A Ken Jennings-level of Bible knowledge? 74 consecutive wins at Bible trivia?

Or does God desire that we give Him more than just a Jeopardy-style regurgitation of Bible facts?? 🤓🤔

That kind of knowledge lives in the mind, but God wants to live in our hearts and souls as well (Matthew 22:37).

In other words, God wants you and I to do more than just quote a scripture about a Shepherd — He wants us to know the Shepherd Himself, Jesus Christ…and he wants to make us one of his sheep, so that we too can lie down in green…meadows.

  • God doesn’t want us to just memorize…he wants us to meditate.
  • He doesn’t want our orations…He wants our obedience.
  • He doesn’t just want us to learn…he wants us to love (knowledge puffs up, love builds up! I Corinthians 8:1).

David, a man after God’s own heart knew a little something about this…Psalm 119:97-105 says:

“Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me.

I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I discern more than the elders, for I obey Your precepts.

I have kept my feet from every evil path, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me.

How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth! I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every false way.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

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No, I’ll probably never know it all…but I’m going to keep learning, loving, meditating, and obeying God’s Word, because it’s the only way to know Him.

After all, sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know that counts…especially when it comes to Jesus.

Until next time…

-PWAP

New Year, New Me!

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Well, it’s New Year’s Eve!

Almost time to watch that ball drop and party like it’s…2023? 🎉🎉🎉

Oh, who am I kidding…it’s almost time to drink sparkling grape juice with my kids while my husband snores like a freight train on the living room couch. 😒😒😒😂😴😴😴😴

Got any resolutions yet???

I can already think of a couple myself.

As you already know, this is the traditional time people dedicate or rededicate themselves to positive change…in fact, “new year, new me” is a phrase often used around this time of year…

And whether your goal is saving money, losing weight, or just watching less TikToks 😂…let me just say, I hope you reach your goals this year. I hope your hard work pays off! ❤️💪

But……..do me a favor?

While you’re working hard to accomplish those goals, remember this:

Setting and reaching goals is great, but (spoiler alert⚠️)…it won’t make you a “new you.”

Shocking, I know. 🤯🤯🤯😱😱😱😱

It’s actually the same old you, just with a few new habits…

Buuuuut….there is one teeny weeny exception to the rule.

One choice, one change, one resolution that trumps the rest.

And it’s simple really:

The only way to become a “new you” is to be born…all over again.

😳😳😳😳😳😳

Sounds crazy, right?

In John 3:3-7, a man named Nicodemus certainly thought the same when Jesus first explained the divine concept to him:

But “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “

When we are born of water and the Spirit through belief and baptism, our old self dies and a new self is born…or as the scriptures so eloquently describe, it is the moment in which we begin to “…walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

It’s the ultimate definition of a “new you.”

And it’s the most important New Year’s resolution you could ever make.

If you are seeking a new life that only God can provide, there is NO better time to start than today!!! ⏰⏱️🕰️⏳⌚️⌛️🕛⏲️

And there is no better Sunday to start worshipping Him than tomorrow, January 1st.

If you need a Savior — only Jesus can save your soul…

And if you need a church, I can save you a seat. ❤️

Happiest of New Years to you all!! 🎉

Until next time…

– PWAP

So Much To Do, So Little Time

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It’s December 12th and this is the current state of my house…🎄🎄📦📦

Boxes everywhere.

Some freshly delivered from Amazon, while others have been sitting there for weeks…ever since the day I brought them down from the attic.

Yes, I am embarrassed to admit that for the past 3 weeks, my family has had to carefully step around boxes of my good intentions piled up in our hallway…each one filled with enough decor to transform an ordinary house into a winter wonderland.

Last night my husband finally decided it was time for an intervention 🤣— suggesting that with less than two weeks left until Christmas, I should just throw in the towel on the rest of my decorating plans…so we can actually have some semblance of a normal living room once again.

In the words of Stephanie Judith Tanner:

How rude.

😂😂😂😂

For your information, the reason I haven’t yet finished the decorating is because I’ve been preoccupied with arguably more important things…such as keeping our kids alive and stuff.

🙄🙄🙄🤣

But if I’m being honest, in my heart of hearts, I know he’s right…😔 we can’t keep living this way…at least not without ending up on an episode of hoarders or something.

I just wish I had time to do it all — enough time to feed my kids AND and set up all 87 pieces my miniature Christmas village. 😂

But I don’t.

I’m only one person and I only have a limited amount of time.

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On a more serious and personal note…my husband’s beloved grandmother unfortunately passed away this week 😔.

It’s times like these that make you stop and pause and think about the very limited time we have here on this earth as well.

We’ve all obviously been thinking a lot about her this weekend…and one thing that struck me is how even though she lived what we would consider “a long, full life,” 90 years still somehow doesn’t seem long enough.

“Don’t blink,” they say.

Because the stark reality is that some of us won’t even live THAT long. None of us is promised tomorrow, let alone 90 years.

With such a limited amount of time…what will we use it for?

Jesus teaches us to use the time we are given to prepare.

Prepare for what?

Our own death and/or His second coming.

Thankfully, Grandma H. did use her time to prepare and she taught her family to do the same. ❤️

But why doesn’t everyone spend their time this way?

Unfortunately, some people don’t prepare because they simply don’t believe.

But as believers, we know we need to prepare! So, we set out with good intentions, but we need to make sure the time doesn’t slip away from us.

Just as I got side tracked with the Christmas decor, Jesus warns us of doing the same with our very own lives.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus warns that sometimes the “cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches” can choke out God’s purpose for our lives (Matthew 13:22).

In other words, when the frivolous things take over our time, we’re in danger of running out of time to devote to the things that really matter — the work of the Lord.

What happens when that happens?

Well, we’ll unfortunately be like the 5 foolish virgins whose lamps weren’t ready for the bridegroom — a parable that warns us to prepare for the second coming of Christ (Matthew 25:1-13).

Because we don’t know how much time we have, we not only need to prepare but prepare with a sense of urgency. Those described in Luke 9:57-62 believed, but didn’t treat their calling with the urgency it called for…why?

Simply put, because it just wasn’t a “convenient” time for them. They thought they had more time…just as Felix did in Acts 24:25.

Life is always going to be full of demands on our time…so, there will never be a more convenient time to follow Christ than the present. In Luke 10:38-42, Mary recognized this, while Martha did not:

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Christ calls us to be a Mary in a Martha world.

So, while seeing those boxes in the hallway may irritate me every time I walk past them, they should actually serve as a reminder that I’ve been trying to put first things first — God and my family. If I’m overcommitted, I’m overcommitted to Christ.

December 25th is coming in less than 2 weeks whether I am prepared for it or not. As much as I would like to turn back the clock (or the advent calendar, for that matter) and somehow magically have time to check off every item on my “to-do” list, that’s not going to happen.

And that’s fine. Because the truth is, those boxes could sit there all year long and it wouldn’t change my eternal salvation one bit. 📦😊

Until next time…

-PWAP

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

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Yesterday was the 57th anniversary of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Wow! Hard to believe that a Christmas special could be running that long and still be popular with generations today as it was back when it first aired.

But nevertheless it has stood the test of time — and I can understand why.

The show has lovable characters, colorful scenes, and a meaningful message.

It’s one of our family’s favorites.

In fact, we love it so much that this year we purchased matching “Charlie Brown Christmas” themed pajamas to wear on Christmas morning. (Yes, we’re one of those annoying families that wears matching PJs 🙄😂).

The day they arrived in the mail, I threw them in the washer to make sure they were fresh and clean for Christmas…but when I pulled them back out, I realized something had gone terribly wrong — ALL of the black ink had mysteriously disappeared! 😱😭😭😤😩😔

I was distraught…and a little puzzled. How is that even possible? 🤔

But instead of marching myself down to the store like a total “Karen” and demanding a full refund, I decided to try to salvage the situation myself…with nothing but a little black Sharpie and sheer determination. I wasn’t going to let this ruin my Christmas spirit.

After all, I was a coloring contest champion back in the day…how hard could it be?

So, I sat down and went to work on it.

Tracing over those faded lines, I started out confidently, slowly and gently following the path with my marker. It was starting to take shape again.

But as time went on, my hand began to tire and cramp from all of that meticulous motion, making it difficult to keep the pen from veering outside of the lines.

Maybe it’s because nowadays our hands are more assimilated to keyboards and mouse pads than to good old paper and pen, but whatever the reason, the process turned out to be more difficult than I originally thought.

Thankfully, to the naked eye, the finished product mirrored the original…even though there were a couple of moments where I came dangerously close to giving Lucy a mustache and Charlie Brown a black eye 😳😂…well, that is a bigger black eye than he’s supposed to have, anyway. 🤣

It was in those difficult moments that I gained a newfound appreciation for the talent of the original Peanuts artist, Charles Schulz.

How did he so effortless draw these characters over and over for decades????

If I’m being honest, I couldn’t even TRACE these cartoons as well as he could DRAW THEM FROM SCRATCH! 🤯

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And then I thought about Jesus.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign unto you..Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” – Luke 2:11-14

This is the time of year that the world chooses to remember the birth of Christ — I mean, that’s what the “Charlie Brown Christmas” special is all about, right? A bunch of kids finding the “true meaning” of Christmas.

But as I traced those lines, my thoughts didn’t stop at the manger — they moved through the life of Christ and the path that he carved out for us through His sinless example.

Much as my Sharpie followed the lines on that shirt, we as Christians are to follow those paths that Jesus has outlined for us as well. “…Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)

He’s carved out the path, we just have to follow it.

But just like my hand did, we will undoubtedly tire and cramp in the process, resulting in mistakes…sins, if you will.

Even in our best efforts to “stay inside the lines,”we will undoubtedly fall short of the original.

But as a Christian (and recovering perfectionist), I have to remind myself that Christ’s sacrifice forgives me of my sins…so it’s less about how well I trace…and more about God’s redeeming grace.

One day, when I meet God and show him my own proverbial “artwork” — what I’ve drawn on the canvas of my life…will it look like a masterpiece?

Probably not…after all, I’m obviously no Charles Schulz. 😂

And I’m definitely not Jesus — His life was and is the only true masterpiece.

But I am a child of God, and I can call Him my Heavenly Father.

And as my Father, when He sees my incomprehensible scribbles, I imagine His reaction to be the same as that of any loving parent whose little child comes to show him a picture they’ve colored: He, with an immeasurable amount of grace, will look at it and say, “Well done.” (Matthew 25:21)

Until next time…

-PWAP

That’s What He Said…

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Like millions of Americans, you might be familiar with a TV show called The Office.

Even if you’ve never watched it, you’ve probably at least heard of it.

Based on the inner workings of a small fictional paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the show follows the mundane routines of a colorful collection of office workers — Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam, Angela, Phyllis, Ryan, Kelly, Stanley, Meredith, and Toby — as they go about their daily task of selling paper.

It’s quite the cast, to say the least. But a roster of quirky characters isn’t the only thing that sets The Office apart from other prime time comedies.

The show also uses a unique documentary-style of filming and an unprecedented amount of “cringe humor” (comedy that plays on social awkwardness 🫠)…a combination that ended up creating a sort of middle-class magic that endeared the show to an entire nation for nearly a decade.

With that being said….

It is important to note that despite all of the show’s positive attributes, viewer discretion should be advised due to moments where the humor borders on being more crude than cringe…

…including Michael Scott’s favorite punchline, “That’s what she said.”

If you don’t know what that phrase means, I hate to be the one responsible for marring your innocence — but….for lack of a better definition, let’s just say, it’s a unique phrase able to take even the most innocent conversations out of context and give them a double meaning that’s…well, straight out of the gutter. 😳

With that being said…I wonder if anyone has ever figured out just who “she” is…and what she thinks about all of these people putting words in her mouth!?! 🫢

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And then I thought about Jesus — I know, weird time for Him to pop into my head, but…

Sometimes people do the same thing to Him — putting words in His mouth that don’t belong there.

If there was ever an episode of The Office where Michael Scott conducted a Bible Study the same way he conducts one of his infamous staff meetings, I can only imagine how it would go — unstudied, shooting from the hip as usual, I can imagine him trying to quote scripture, but confusing it with common motivational phrases like:

  • “Be true to yourself.”
  • “Trust your gut.”
  • “Feel good about who you are.”
  • “Happiness is what matters.”
  • “Just be a good person.”

Then, of course, the camera would pan to Jim, who might facetiously interject something like, “Michael, I think you forgot to mention, ‘Listen to your heart — the heart won’t lie.’”

A shot of Jim and Pam exchanging a humorous glance would be cut short by an sudden outburst from across the room.

And in typical knee-jerk fashion, Dwight Schrute, Assistant to the Regional Manager, would point at Jim and exclaim, “FALSE! The heart is deceitful above all things. Therefore it will lie and you cannot therefore reliably listen to it.”

😂😂😂😂😂😂

To which I would have to say…the man ain’t wrong. 🤷‍♀️ (Jeremiah 17:9)

Yet, all of those things that Michael said are things we hear in our culture almost everyday…even from Christians!

But NONE of them are what Jesus said.

What Jesus actually said is:

  • “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

To put it plainly, oftentimes “being true to ourselves, trusting our gut, putting our own happiness above all else, and simply listening to our heart” are going to be in direct opposition to the things Jesus has commanded.

Therefore, it will be necessary in those moments to deny ourselves, deny our personal happiness, stop listening to our heart/trusting our gut and start listening to and trusting Jesus instead!

We need to be careful not to take His words out of context or to replace His standards with our own.

Otherwise, in our ignorance (willful or not), we might be guilty of confusing culture with Christ.

The only way to prevent that confusion is to actually read the words that Jesus said…in the Bible itself.

And when you do, you’ll have the confidence of knowing, “That’s what HE said.”

Until next time…

-PWAP

I Came in Like a Wrecking Ball

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A “memory” popped up on my Facebook newsfeed the other day. It was a picture of my youngest son playing in the backyard. 🥰

I love it when those kind of memories pop up — but something about this one in particular brought a smile to my face.

My son, who was about four years old at the time, was pretending to build something, so in true preschooler fashion, he was dressed for the part — wearing one of those bright orange safety vests commonly worn by construction workers (and one of The Village People 🤣).

Right after donning the vest, he had run over to me and proudly announced — “Look, Mom! I’m a destruction worker!” 😬

😂😂😂😂🤣

Now, obviously he meant construction worker…but nonetheless, truer words have never been spoken. 😜🤣

But in all fairness, he’s not the only “destruction worker” in the family…look no further than my oldest son’s bedroom and you will see that my husband and I have managed to spawn not one, but two destruction workers. 🙄🙄🙄

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…and while most of the time I prefer to hold their dad accountable for passing down the destructive genes — I must confess that today I ended up doing a little destructing of my own…😬

You see…after dropping the boys off at school this morning, I stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things.

As I passed the home goods section, there was a large mirror that caught my eye. It was decently priced and I knew just the right place to hang it back at home. 😍

Only problem was finding just the right place to put it in the cart…

Like I said, it was rather large.

So, I tried putting it in the cart this way…and that way… and then the other way… and well, nothing was quite working. 🤔

So I thought, I’ll just set it across the top of the cart like so and just go real slow until I get to the cash register. I’m sure it’ll be just fine.

However…it was, in fact, anything but fine. 😳

With one hand on the mirror and the other commandeering the shopping cart, I bravely pioneered my way toward the end of the aisle.

So far, so good.

But just as I began to turn the corner…things took a “turn” for the worse…literally.

Let’s just say, in the words of Miley Cyrus — “I came in like a wrecking ball!!!!”

🤣🤣🤣🫣🫢😱😭🤦‍♀️

I hadn’t gone more than a few feet before managing to clip the end-cap display with the corner of the mirror, sending two ceramic votives free-falling to the floor. 🫠🫣🫢😵

I cringed as the sound of shattering glass pierced my ears.

Immediately, a man in the next aisle came over to help, followed by a Walmart associate.

Mortified, I knelt down picking up the broken shards and apologized profusely for causing such a scene.

The associate reassured me not to worry, everything would be fine.

As she radioed for backup, she also instructed me not to touch anything (I think she was referring to the broken glass, but at that point I wouldn’t blame her if she had actually meant “please, for the love of all that is good, don’t touch anything else in this store” 😂).

Thankfully, the votives were small and relatively inexpensive…and Walmart was not going to hold me to the old “you break it, you buy it” slogan.

I felt ashamed, yet relieved at the same time.

😔😔😔😔😔🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😌😌😌😌😌

Truly remorseful for my lapse in judgment and thankful for the pardon I had received, I apologized again as I slowly wheeled my buggy away from the scene of the crime vowing to never attempt anything like that again.

In fact, I put the mirror back on the shelf — taking the incident as a sign that that purchasing that mirror was not, in fact, a part of God’s plan for my life…🤣).

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Of course…if you know me at all by now, you know that I couldn’t walk away from this experience without having learned at least a couple of invaluable lessons from it.

One of which is…as alone and singled- out as I felt in that moment, I’m sure I’m not the only one to have ever broken something in a store before. And I probably won’t be the last.

And the same is true when it comes to sin.

I Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind…”

Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

Spiritually speaking, we’re all “destruction workers.”

It’s been that way since Adam and Eve…talk about the apple not falling far from the tree. 🙄

And yet, destruction was never God’s plan for any of our lives.

That’s why He sent His Son Jesus to save and pardon us.

There’s no “you break it, you buy it” clause with Jesus around.

Why? Because Jesus already paid the price!

Romans 5:18: “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”

Praise God!

That’s not to say that we should just go around “breaking things” on purpose like a bunch of rioters or vandals…as Paul writes, “Should we sin that grace may abound? God forbid!” (Romans 6:1-2)

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus says that the broad way of living that leads to destruction, but the narrow “aisle” leads to life (even for those of us who are more accident-prone 😉).

But how do you find that narrow aisle?

In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Jesus is that narrow aisle. He is the way to salvation and eternal life. And it was Jesus himself who said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved…” (Mark 16:16)

In all my broken, clumsy ways, He has saved me. And He can save you too, if you will only let Him.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall…Jesus really is the fairest one of all.”

Until next time…

-PWAP

The Road Ahead: A Blog About Fog

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This morning, I drove the boys to their first day of school (5th and 1st grade). It was so foggy here that we could barely see down the road in front of us as we pulled out of our driveway.

My oldest son took notice right away, “Wow, this fog is really creepy. It looks like the road just all of the sudden ends!”

He was right.

And if I didn’t know any better, I’d think the same thing myself: surely this is the end of the road — we can’t go any further.

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Sometimes it’s that way in life, too.

Actually — that’s pretty much the way it is in life every day.

Every minute of every day, even.

From day we’re born, we live our lives not knowing what the next second holds for us.

Sometimes that can be a blessing…and sometimes that can be downright scary.

But even though we don’t know what lies ahead…God does.

And even if we can’t see past the fog…God can.

If we believe what Deuteronomy 31:7-8, we can be comforted by the fact that God is not only with His people…but He goes before them to prepare the way as well:

“Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Have faith that though you may not always be able to see the road ahead, it’s still there and that He is the one paving it.

Keep ‘em at 10 and 2 and keep driving forward — just like we did today.

My boys would’ve loved nothing more than for me to turn that car around, give up, and let them go back to bed for the rest of morning, but after spending the last 78 days straight with them, I didn’t care if that road dropped off the face of the earth beyond that fog, we were NOT turning around! 😂

And ya know what happened? The road was there after all. Sure, it had some potholes along the way, but (much to the boys’ dismay 😂) we eventually made it the school!

But in all seriousness…I know a lot of us moms are a little scared today as we drop our kids off at school…not knowing what lies ahead. Praying they will be safe. Praying they will make friends. Praying they will learn and grow and overcome challenges. But not knowing exactly how it will all go.

But God’s commands and promises ring true in this scenario and in every other: Do not worry. Do not fear.

Don’t let fear keep you from moving forward. Take that next step in faith.

Have determination like I did to just keep driving forward come what may…trusting that what’s ahead is better than all that’s behind.

Be hopeful.

Be faithful.

And drive carefully along the path that God has laid out for you in His Word.

And one day you’ll reach a beautiful destination.

Until next time…

-PWAP

Too Big for Your Britches

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“You’re gettin’ too big for your britches!”

For a pretty scrawny kid, I heard this phrase a lot growing up…🙄

Of course, it had nothing to do with me actually outgrowing my pants — it usually meant I needed an attitude check.

As an adult, however, this phrase has taken on a much more literal meaning…

You’ve heard of the freshman 15, right?

Well, over the past two years, I’ve put on the “Covid 19” — if you know what I mean…😜

And as a result, I’ve literally gotten too big for my britches…😂😂🤣😔

When I first noticed that my pants weren’t fitting the way they used to, I thought…no big deal, I’ll just cut back on the calories…take a few more walks…and I’ll be down to my previous weight in no-time.

Ha.

Turns out, it’s a lot easier to pack on the pounds than it is to take them off.

So, despite my good intentions, it became clear that I needed to go with Plan B…

…Buy some bigger pants.

🤣🤣🤣

Ahhh…much better.

In the moment, it seemed my problem was solved…but there was just one glitch.

You see, I changed my pants without changing my habits.

I became so comfortable in my new, roomier pants that it allowed me the wiggle room to continue being complacent in my old eating habits.

Since my old snug pants were no longer there to make me feel like a busted can of biscuits every time I tried them on, there was no longer any catalyst for change.

So…….as I continued along over the course of a few more months, I reached a point where even my new pants were getting a little snug. 😱😱😱

And eventually (I’m ashamed to say), I decided it was time to activate Plan C…

…Stretchy Pants.

😂😂😂

I mean, it was during the height of the pandemic, so we really weren’t going anywhere anyway…(besides Wal-mart pickup, that is)….so it seemed like the perfect solution. 😂

But in the long run, it was more of a band-aid to my problem than a cure.

And in my heart of hearts, I realized that if didn’t break this pattern, it could become an endless cycle…if I outgrew every successive pair of pants I purchased, one day I’d have my own reality TV show and have to be removed from my house by a crane. 😳😳😳

***************************************

But my struggle is nothing new…experts have been spouting statistics for years about the American diet/lifestyle and how it is contributing to conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

We get ourselves in these predicaments in at least one of two ways:

1. By eating for taste, not for hunger.

2. And a lack of exercise.

I think we all know that by now.

But what experts have yet to report on is that Christians in America are having similar issues with their spiritual diets as well:

In a spiritual context, choosing to “eat for taste, not for hunger” means we only consume Biblical teachings that are palatable to us (e.g. God’s love, forgiveness, and grace)…without feeding on the Word of God as a whole.

Many believers in America today want to skip over the “meat and potatoes” of the Bible and go straight to the “dessert” — and many churches are responding by holding back parts of the Truth for fear of offending picky palates.

But this isn’t Golden Corral.

You don’t get to just pick and choose what you put on your plate — and you definitely don’t get to skip straight to the Chocolate Wonderfall. (🤭)

By failing to acknowledge both God’s love as well as His severity (Romans 11:22), we’re not just loosening a belt…we’re loosening doctrine itself…for the purpose of our comfort.

And just like my own experience, it’s a slippery slope.

Over time, as we become more and more set in our unhealthy habits, the belt only tends to become looser and looser…the pants bigger and bigger…until, like me, one day you find yourself just lounging around all day in a pair of “spiritual sweatpants” (you know, the ones with the mystery stain and the elastic waistband that’s almost shot) feeling more than comfortable in your sins 😱…

I suppose that’s fine if you’ve got no where to go and no one to see…🫣

But let me remind you of this… just as one day the pandemic waned and I actually had to put on real pants to go out in public again…one day, we will have an appointment with God as well…and the last thing we want to do is show up looking less than presentable.

************************************

God calls us to be imitators of Him, and the only way to do that is through spiritual diet and exercise.

Maybe you aren’t glossing over what the Bible says. Maybe you are feeding on every thing God’s all-you-can-eat buffet has to offer…that’s good and I commend you.

But that’s also a lot of calories to consume in one sitting.

So, we can’t just settle for a sedentary lifestyle…we also need to walk…with God.

James 1:22 puts it like this…”Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.”

Or to use a more familiar phrase…Just Do It.

It may be Nike’s slogan, but it applies to our walk with Jesus Christ as well.

What good are all those calories if we don’t put them to good use? Calories were meant to sustain our energy as we expend it!

In I Corinthians 9:27 (NLT), the apostle Paul says, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

Indulgence and complacency feel good in the moment, but the effects of their habitual practice are far-reaching…you know what they say, a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. 😉

When it comes to what God’s Word says on a subject, don’t go “shopping around” for a better fit…instead make the effort to allow God to mold you to fit what His Word says…

…because after all, when we find ourselves getting too big for our britches, it not because He’s changed — it’s because we have.

Until next time…

-PWAP