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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Leviticus 14

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“If the fungus breaks out again in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and plastered, the priest is to come and conduct an examination; if the fungus has spread, it is a malignant fungus. The house is unclean.” Leviticus 14:43-44 (MSG)

A few weeks ago, we had the upper portion of our house resided. The old siding was taken off and new siding replaced it. I had some fears about what the contractor would find when he pulled off the old siding. In one area, there had been water damage inside and carpenter ants had eaten away the wood structure beneath the siding. Fortunately, it was limited to one small area. We had the underlying structure rebuilt, sprayed the remaining wood, and made sure the water would not return.

Today’s chapter discussed the ancient prescription for dealing with the problem of mold and fungus in a house. Often, you don’t know what’s going on behind a wall, or behind your siding, until it’s too late to capably deal with the problem.

What an awesome word picture for our lives. We all tend to place siding on our lives with the way that we talk, the way we behave in public, the way we dress, and the way that we project ourselves. The real measure of a person, however, is what is happening beneath the public veneer we display to others. What really matters is not who we are when everyone is looking, but who we are in the places the public does not see. If we allow rotten and putrid things to grow unchecked behind the siding, it could very well mean the whole structure will eventually have to be torn down.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Jeremiah 13

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scream and shout
Image by mdanys via Flickr

Do I hear you saying,
   “What’s going on here? Why me?”
The answer’s simple: You’re guilty,
   hugely guilty.
Your guilt has your life endangered,
   your guilt has you writhing in pain. Jeremiah 13:22 (MSG)

I’m reminded this morning of being a child, sent to my room because my dad caught me swearing. It was summer. It wasn’t even 8:00 p.m. yet and the sun would be shining bright for another hour or more. Out of my upstairs bedroom window I could hear the sounds of the neighborhood kids continuing the game of kick-the-can from which I was pulled to serve my bedroom interment.

“It’s not fair,” my preadolescent brain wanted to argue. But my reasoning couldn’t make it very far. I said the “G.D.” word. There was no getting around it. Arguing that dad misunderstood what I said would be an exercise in futility. His hearing wasn’t that bad.

My brain continued to spin. I wanted to blame my brothers. They were the ones who taught me those words. They swore all the time (and never got caught). But, I knew that argument would go nowhere. Dad was judge, jury and executioner. He wouldn’t buy it. “It still doesn’t excuse you saying it,” I heard his voice saying in my brain.

I had to face the facts. I was stuck in my room, and it was my own “g.d.” fault.

Like children cloaked in adults bodies, I still find myself and others clinging to “why me?” sorrows while wallowing in the muck of our own making. We drive like demons on wintery roads and grieve the tickets and body shop bills. We ignore relational pains and then wonder why the relationship broke apart. We eat too much, sit in front of the television, and despair when our clothes don’t fit.

There are times when tragedy strikes without warning and wreaks havoc on life in unjust ways. However, like a child confined to his room and trying unsuccessfully to spin a plausible defense, I have to confess that much life pain is simply the consequences of my own making.

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Top Five Tuesday

Top Five Comfort Foods

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When life gets you down, there are certain foods you turn to that will nourish your body and your spirit. Here are my top five comfort foods…

5. Breakfast (or Brunch) Buffet. I love breakfast. I loved waking up to the smell of bacon frying. As a kid, I once told my grandparents that “nussin’s as good as pancakes” and I was never allowed to forget it. Sunday after church was the day for “brunch.” Eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes, french toast, and, if you’re lucky, biscuits and gravy. Mmmmm. Heaven, it’s said, is a place of feasting. I can’t wait to see that breakfast buffet!

4. Grilled Cheese Sandwich. My family will marvel that this is not first on the list. As a child I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich at every restaurant. My dad could splurge to take us out to a fancy place and I would ask for a grilled cheese. I still love ’em. Give me a grilled cheese and watch me smile.

3. Eireflensjes. This Dutch version of the crepe presumably came to the states with my great-grandfather along with his tool chest, and it has been a family treat through the generations. The paper-thin egg, milk, & flour “pancake” is sprinkled with sugar (though some will try jelly, syrup, peanut butter, etc.), rolled up, and eaten. About once a year the family gathers for an eireflensjes feast.

2. Grandma Jeanne’s Cinnamon Rolls. From a culinary standpoint, I’m sure you can find other cinnamon rolls that exceed my  mother’s recipe in taste and texture. Mom’s secret ingredient, however, is love. Every cinnamon roll on Earth pales in comparison. Grandma Jeanne’s cinnamon rolls not only please my palate, they fill my soul.

1. Blueberry Pop-Tarts. I have a confession to make. Blueberry pop-tarts are my secret indulgence. If I get sick, sad or depressed, Kellogg’s toaster pastry comes to my rescue. The sweet frosting and the sugary blueberry filling in a steamy, toaster heated treat. Mmmmmmmm.

Photos courtesy of Flickr and cordandme, manilamommy, and dwyereywd.
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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Luke 15

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Kunsthistorisches Museum
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“When [the prodigal son] was still a long way off, his father saw him.” Luke 15:20 (MSG)

There is a great parenting lesson in the story of the prodigal son that I’ve always tried to take to heart. My own experience as a dad leads me to believe that the prodigal’s father had a strong suspicion what his son was going to do when he left home. Parents aren’t nearly as clueless as teenagers and young adults tend to believe. 

Nevertheless, the prodigal’s father let his son go off to the distant country. He did not try to keep his son home. He did not run after his son to find him and drag him back home. He did not try to rescue his son and diminish the consequences of the young man’s mistakes.

This does not, however, mean that the father was uncaring or unconcerned. To the contrary, the father saw his son returning home while he was still far off. This means the father must have had his eye on the road. He was consciously watching, waiting, and I have to believe praying for his son’s safe return. He was simply wise enough to know that sometimes the best thing a parent can do for their children is to let them fail and experience the consequences of their own actions.

Today, I think back on a host of my own sinful words and actions. I have  been the prodigal. While I regret the pain I caused others, I value the lessons learned from my mistakes.

God, grant me the wisdom to know when to hold on, and when to let go.

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