A Thought Provoked by II Peter

This post will probably not be popular. But I think it needs to be said. It's something I struggle with and pretty much every other Christian I've ever discussed the issue with struggles with it as well. Most don't even realize they are doing anything wrong.

The issue is respect for authority. 

"What? I don't struggle with that! That's a teenager problem! You must be confused because you work with teenagers all the time! Adults don't struggle with respect for authority!"

Oh really? 

What's the last thing you said about President Obama? What's the last thing you said about Congress?

If you're a conservative like I am, I'm willing to bet it wasn't respectful.

"But they don't deserve our respect! They are wicked men who are ruining our once God-fearing nation! I have a right to speak out against them! You're trying to take away my freedom of speech!"

No, I'm not. Our country is being ruled by wicked men. It's true. As men, you're right, they don't deserve respect. But as the leaders that God put over us they do. The office of President of the United States of America deserves respect no matter who is filling the position. Why? Because God put him there. 

Romans 13:1-2  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (emphasis mine)

God didn't wake up the morning after the election and go, "Oh no! How did Barack Obama get to be President? I didn't want that to happen!"

All these men are simply puppets in the hands of God. God sees the big picture. And He has our best interest in mind. These men have no power in and of themselves. It has all been given to them by God. 

Why did II Peter bring this to mind? Let's read:

2 Peter 2:9-13  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; (emphasis mine)

These verses stopped me dead in my tracks. These are strongly worded verses! God is reserving the unjust for their punishment. Peter says chiefly (particularly, especially) those who despise government and aren't afraid to "speak evil of dignities." He says even the angels don't rail against them before God. The rest of the description of these wicked people is not pretty. Is that the kind of person we as Christians are supposed to be? Most certainly not. 

Well, if God expects us to respect our leaders and He is in total control of who leads us, why do we have such godless leaders? What are we supposed to do? Just tuck our tails between our legs and suffer through it? 

No. Timothy has the answer to that:

1Timothy 2:1-2  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 

Our leaders need our prayers. Perhaps one of the reasons we have such godless leaders is because we as Christians have ceased praying for our leaders. We have ceased praying for our country. To be honest, we have ceased praying at all. 

So next time you watch the news or read an article or listen to the radio and find out about something that one of our leaders did or said that just makes your blood boil, instead of ranting about it over the phone or on Facebook, why don't you stop and pray for them? Pray for America. Pray for the few godly men who are in government. Pray that God gives them the strength and the power to turn things around. Pray for the salvation of those who are in authority over us. Pray, pray, pray.

Prayer is powerful. It changes things. 

Prayer is the change that America truly does need,

********Disclaimer: Because I know that this post is liable to make people mad I want to clarify a few things. I am not saying we should just sit by and let wicked men destroy our country. I'm not saying we should turn a blind eye to what's going on around us. Get educated about our government. Know what's going on. And do what you can to stop the spread of evil. Vote. Call your Senators and Representatives. By all means, do what you can. I'm not saying don't vote wicked men out of office. Just stop the disrespect. Stop the jokes and the slurs. If for no other reason, those don't really accomplish anything anyway.********

Thoughts on I Peter

Wow! I really enjoyed reading through I Peter this week! What an amazing book of the Bible! I don't know if I've just never read through I Peter from beginning to end before, or if I was distracted last time I did, but I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this book.

There are many familiar verses in I Peter and there are some that I felt like I was reading for the first time. In order to keep this post from turning into a book, I will limit myself to one passage per chapter. It will be hard to choose!

I Peter 1:13-16  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

Gird up the loins of your mind. This is such a vivid picture to me. In that culture they wore loose, flowing garments. If they were to go to war to fight, or get ready to run, or really get ready to do any hard work, they would gird up their loins, or pull their garments up so they would be ready for action. Here, Peter tells us to do that, not with our clothes, but with our minds. We are in a battle. We are called to be obedient children, to turn from the sinful lusts we used to indulge in, and to be holy. This is not an easy calling. It takes hard work and determination. It will not come from just floating along in life hoping for the best. We need to be intentional about our walk with God. We need to gird up our minds and get ready to work. 

I Peter 2:1-3  Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

The first verse of chapter two tells us to lay aside malice (the desire to cause harm or distress to another), guile (deceit, duplicity), hypocrisy (the false appearance of virtue), envy (wanting the blessings of others), and evil speaking (backbiting, slander, etc.). These are the things that are bad for us. They will stunt our Christian growth and are highly likely to turn others away from God in the process. The second verse tells us what to replace all that we just purged from our lives: the Word of God. This is what is good for us; this is what will help us grow in Christ. Why should we put away these things? Why should we desire the Word of God? Why should we endeavor to grow in Christ? Because we have experienced the grace of God. 

I Peter 3:10-12  For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 

I work with teenagers. Do you know what teenagers want most? They want to love life. They want to live life to the fullest. There is nothing wrong with that. I mean, really, who doesn't want to love their life? But this is where Satan jumps in and trips them up. He tells them that the key to a good life is to do whatever feels fun. To do whatever their flesh feels like doing whenever it feels like doing it. He tells them that life is all about them. But that's not what the Bible says. Peter tells us that those who want to "love life, and see good days" should run from evil and do good. You want to have a good life? Live for God, not yourself. God watches over the righteous and hears their prayers. But He is "against them that do evil." And having the Lord against you is certainly not conducive to having a good life. 

I Peter 4:8-9  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 

Peter tells us not just to love each other but to have fervent love for each other. What does that mean? It means zealous, demonstrative, intentional love. I love my husband. I love him very, very, very much. But if I never tell him or show him that I do, what good does that do him? Very little, if any. We need to be intentional about showing our love to others. I love verse nine, "Use hospitality one to another without grudging." Unless there is somebody in your church who is unusually perceptive, it is very easy to put on a smile at church and let everybody think that your life is just dandy. Church is only a few hours a week. Anybody can keep up a facade for a few hours. This doesn't do anybody any favors. It robs you of the blessing of being loved on and robs others of the blessing of serving you. That's where hospitality comes in. Hospitality is not just having people over for dinner. It's taking time to get to really know people. It's an attitude of openness. It's an attitude of receptiveness. It's paying attention to those around us. And we are supposed to do it without grudging. Have you ever gotten stopped on your way out of church by that person that just loves to talk and talk? You're hungry. Maybe you have kids who need to get home and eat and get their naps. The last thing you want to do is chat. We've all been there. We politely nod at what the person is saying and smile or frown and make the encouraging noises we think are appropriate but we aren't really listening. But that is not being hospitable. How are we supposed to bear each other's burdens if we won't even take the time to hear them? And most people aren't just going to come up to you and lay out their burdens. It takes building relationships. It takes intentional love. It takes being open to others.

I Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 

This verse wraps up all the other verses I chose. Why should we "gird the loins of our mind"? Because we have an enemy. Why should we put away evil from us and soak up the Word? Because we have an enemy. Why should we run from evil and do good? Because we have an enemy. Why should we intentionally love our fellow Christians? Because we have an enemy. And this enemy is not passive; he is actively trying to destroy us. He wants us to not be ready when he attacks. He wants our lives to be filled with malice and hypocrisy and evil speaking and void of the Word. It makes us weak. He wants us to seek our own way to find happiness. That's one of his favorite ways to destroy us. He wants us to try and fight him alone instead of helping each other through trials. It's much easier to fight someone with no backup. But we need to be ready. We need to be filled with the Word. And we need to have each other's backs.  

Those are just a few of the passages from I Peter that stood out to me this week. I've really enjoyed Esther and I Peter so far. I can't wait to start II Peter tomorrow! Will you join us? Don't feel the need to catch up! Just jump right in where we are!

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Have you read I Peter recently? If not, I highly suggest you do soon! Do you have a favorite verse from I Peter? If so, I'd love to hear it! 

Thoughts on the Book of Esther

Did you know that God is not mentioned at all in the book of Esther?

His hand is clearly all over the situation, but His name is never mentioned. I find that fascinating.

I have always liked the book of Esther because it has a happy ending for the good guys and the wicked get punished. But as I read through it this time more slowly than usual, I noticed some things I had never noticed before. 

Esther 1:9  Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. 

Vashti was also hosting a party. She refused her husband in front of not just all of his guests, but all of hers. This could be why they were so concerned that her disobedience would spread to all the women of the realm. If their queen doesn't have to obey the king, why should they obey their own husbands? I liked what Matthew Henry said on the subject of her quite harsh punishment:

"Strifes between yoke-fellows are bad enough at any time, but before company they are very scandalous, and occasion blushing and uneasiness. . . .Had this unhappy falling out between the king and his wife, wherein she was conqueror, been private, the error would have remained with themselves and the quarrel might have been settled privately between themselves; but it happening to be public, and perhaps the ladies that were now feasting with the queen having shown themselves pleased with her refusal, her bad example would be likely to have a bad influence upon all the families of the kingdom."

I had always though that Vashti was just hanging out in her chambers or perhaps already asleep when she was called for, but I learned that was not the case.

Another thing I learned was that Mordecai's faith was stronger than I realized.

The story of Esther is pretty familiar. I thought I knew it pretty well.

Haman has the king duped into condemning all the Jews to death. Mordecai comes before the king's gate in mourning and Esther sends to know why. He tells her the plight of their people and asks her to go before the king and intercede for them. She says she can't because nobody can go before the king unless they are called for or they will kill her and she hasn't been called for in a month. Mordecai tells her that even if that is the case she very well may have been made Queen "for such a time as this." She's their only hope. She has to at least try or they are doomed.

But that's not exactly how it went.

Esther 4:13-14  Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (emphasis mine)

Mordecai wanted Esther to be used of God to save her people. But his faith wasn't in her. She was not his only hope. He knew that if she wouldn't save them, God would find another way.

How often do we put our faith in the wrong thing? We trust our husband, or our parents, or our pastor to do the right thing and put all our faith in their walk with God to lead us correctly. But people mess up. Even godly people fall sometimes. And then we are left disillusioned by Christianity when all along we had our faith in the wrong thing. Only God is perfect. Only He can promise to never fail us. We need to make sure our faith is in the right thing.

I love reading the Bible through at this leisurely pace! I have more time to dwell on what I'm reading and make sure I am digesting every word and phrase. Why don't you join me? We're starting I Peter tomorrow!

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Have you been reading Esther? What did you learn? I would love to hear from you!

Thoughts on Vashti

The first book we are reading in our Blogging through the Bible series is Esther.

Originally I had titled this post, "Thoughts on Esther." Then I wrote a giant post on just the first chapter and I'm not even done with the whole book. So look for a later post with the rest of my thoughts on Esther.

Vashti. The displaced queen from the beginning of Esther.

She's quite a minor character in the grand scheme of things, but her story is well known.

Was she wrongly deposed? Should women everywhere stand up for poor Vashti? Was this random queen condemned for standing up against sin and wickedness?

I have often heard that Vashti was right in refusing to come to her husband when he called for her because he was asking her to come dance for them naked. Well of course she should refuse! How wicked! What a sinful man to ask such a thing of his wife!

Let's read the verses:

Esther 1:10-12  On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him. 

Huh. Where's the nakedness? Where's the dancing? It must be in there somewhere. 

So I looked at the Hebrew. 

It's not there either.

So why did Vashti refuse to come? Surely she must have had a reason. Here all of the even slightly probable reasons I could come up with for why Vashti wouldn't come:

- She was trying to save her husband from the embarrassment that would come to him when he recovered from his drunkenness and recalled what he had done. (It was not considered acceptable at that time for the queen to attend a party of men. The queen was protected and shielded from the public eye as much as possible in this culture; the other wives and concubines of the king were usually the ones called on to appear in such a public fashion.)

- She thought it was degrading for her to be asked to attend his party (as mentioned above, this would normally be the job of those considered "lesser" wives).

- She didn't want to be paraded in front of a bunch of drunken men simply because she was beautiful. (Talk about awkward.)

- She was busy with her own party (Esther 1:9) and didn't wish to leave it.

- She was also drunk, and not in her right mind either.

- She had just stubbed her toe and didn't want to walk on it. (Hey, I said even slightly probable!)

I simply don't think that not wanting to sin was one of her reasons. There is nothing in Scripture that indicates what he asked her to do was sinful.

"But wait!" you say, "Ahasuerus was a drunk, heathen king surrounded by drunk, heathen men! Surely he must have been asking her to do something sinful!"

Perhaps. I mean it's possible. But it's not in Scripture.

Another thing to consider is that although Ahasuerus was a heathen king, Vashti was a heathen queen. She wasn't a Jew like Esther who cared about what God thought. We don't even know that had he asked her to do something sinful that she would have been that put off by it. And that's the conclusion that I came to after all the study I did.

We don't know.

The reason Vashti refused the king is not there. You can argue one way or the other. You can try to read between the lines. But you can never be 100% sure because the answer is not there.

And do you know what I learned? That not knowing why Vashti refused her husband's orders is okay. because the story of Esther is about so much more than that.

A Fresh Start, a Different Perspective, and a New Focus

It's been over three years since I last posted. A lot has changed.

I had a baby.

My husband got a full time ministry job.

I moved to Michigan.

I've learned a lot about life and people and myself.

Mostly myself.

I learned I am not a food blogger. I am a cook and a baker and a photographer but I am not a food blogger.

I learned that that's okay.

I learned that I am not the kind of blogger that can post on a regular schedule and that if I try to hold myself to a schedule I will fail and then not blog at all for three years.

I learned that that's okay.

I learned that if I try to center my life around what I think other people expect of me I will fail.

I learned that that's okay too because it was never supposed to be all about them anyway.

But there's one lesson I learned that is more important than all the others.

I learned that I can't make myself a better person. Only God can do that. I was looking at the Christian life all wrong. I was reading the Bible and seeing the things that I needed to change and trying to do it all in my own strength. I was trying to complete the checklist of things I thought made me a "good" Christian so that God would be pleased with me. God wasn't interested in my checklist of good Christianity. He wanted my heart. He wanted my life. He wanted ME. I was so busy trying to be a "good" Christian that I didn't have time for Him.

And I leaned that that's not okay, because it's not all about me either.

It's all about Him.  

So this fresh start comes with a different perspective. This blog isn't going to be about me. It's not going to be about what I am eating or what contests I'm entering or what events are going on in my life. It's going to be about Him.

One of the best things I did in the last three years was read a book called Women Living Well by Courtney Joseph. (It's a fabulous book. I suggest it to anybody striving to be a godly wife, mother, or woman.) Courtney also runs a most excellent blog over at womenlivingwell.org and today she is starting a series called Blogging through the Bible. It is just what I am looking for in a Bible study in this season of my life and I am super excited about it. If you are looking for a Bible study I highly suggest you check it out!

As I read through the Bible over the next however many years it takes, I will be posting my thoughts on what I read. I can't promise consistent posting. I can't promise tha what I post will be interesting to anybody.

But I can promise that what I post will not be forced. It will be real. It will be from my heart.

I hope it speaks to somebody out there. I hope that I can bring joy or hope to somebody who needs it. Nobody starts a blog without the hopes of people reading it and being touched in some way by what they read.

But if not, if the only person who ever reads this is me, if all this blog ever becomes is a way for me to organize my own scattered thoughts as I strive to learn what it really does mean to be a follower of Christ, then so be it.

Because that's okay too.

BBQ Chicken Thighs

Hello again everybody! Sorry it's been so long since I posted! I have no excuse other than the business of life which is really not a good excuse!

Today's recipe is BBQ Chicken Thighs!

Random fact about me: I hate BBQ sauce... Unless it's cooked... Then I LOVE it! :o) Something magical happens when it's cooked!

Random fact about my sister: She likes to dip her bananas in BBQ sauce... Oddness runs in the family!

All you need:

 boneless chicken thighs (enough to feed whoever you're feeding)

garlic (as many cloves as you like... I used 2)

olive oil (optional)

BBQ sauce (whatever kind you like... I used a Kansas City kind this time and liked it a lot, but I don't like sweet BBQ sauce at all and a lot of people do, so whatever BBQ sauce you would usually use will be perfect!)

Start by heating up your pan over medium heat and adding the olive oil (or just heat up your pan). Press the garlic into the pan and stir until you can smell it.

Add your chicken thighs. They should sizzle. If they don't, your pan's not hot enough which is fine, just be more patient next time. :o)

Brown the chicken on all sides. It doesn't need to be cooked through now, just browned.

Once browned, turn heat to low, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes.

After that, add your BBQ sauce. It will be watery and look kinda nasty to be honest but don't worry... It will change into a nice thick sauce.

Keep turning and basting the chicken with the BBQ sauce until it reaches the thickness you want. I usually cook it until my mashed potatoes and veggie are done, about 20-30 minutes.

YUM! Excuse my poor choice of veggie as far as pretty pictures go... I know you're not supposed to have that much white on the plate... But it was yummy!

This Kitchen Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us

I apologize for the lack of posts last week. It was a rough week, but I still dropped the ball and I hope to do better in the future! I hope this post at least makes up for it a little... I think it's going to be a long one!

You all know I hate raw chicken. I can't stand touching it or really even looking at it. But since my grandma gave me a roasting rack and roast chicken was on sale at the grocery store last week, I knew the time had come to face my fear.

So I did. I bought a roasting chicken. And I was starting to get kind of excited... Being able to roast a chicken is like a coming of age, right? I would take the giblets out of the inside and boil them in water with some spices and have chicken stock and my roast chicken would come out beautifully with tons of juice to make gravy with and we would have all sorts of leftover chicken to make all those yummy meals that call for already cooked chicken and then I could make soup out of the bones... It was going to be beautiful...

How's that for a defensive stance? It looks like it wants to fight. Well fight we shall.

The problems started when I took the giblets out of the inside of the chicken. When I roasted a turkey for Thanksgiving a few years back (Yes, I've roasted a turkey but not a chicken... And yes, to me there is a huge difference.) there were like three livers and two necks and who knows what else in the bag. There were only two little pieces of I don't know what part in THIS bag. Not enough to do anything with. Bah. Oh well, at least I'll have chicken. I muttered to myself about not being surprised since it was a sale chicken from Giant Eagle and they probably kept most of that stuff and sold it separately for an exorbitant price to make up for the sale.

Then I looked more closely and realized that the neck was still attached.

So I swallowed the panic that was rising in my throat and did what any sensible grown woman would do in a moment of kitchen crisis. I called my grandma.

Hello, grandma, I'm getting ready to roast my chicken and it appears that the neck is still attached. Is that normal?

Yes, just cut around it and snap it off.

...

...

You're joking right?

No, and don't forget to squeeze the gooby purple stuff out of those little crevices I told you about on the inside. I think those are the lungs and the chicken will taste funny if you leave them in.

*whimper*

This is my neckless chicken. I think I also broke its back. And yes that is the torture tool I used. It looks much less menacing and much more defeated now don't you think?

So that trauma over, I rinsed all the nastiness I could out of the middle and proceeded to pat it dry with paper towels both inside and out. Then I sprinkled the inside with salt. I meant to put some onion and garlic inside the chicken before I tied it up, but I forgot. Bummer.

Once the chicken's legs were tied to its tail and its wings were tucked under, I was beginning to feel much better. I placed it on the roasting rack, coated it with olive oil, and sprinkled some parsley, oregano, and basil on top. Go easy on the basil, it tends to be strong.

I then roasted my chicken for 1 hour and 45 minutes at 375 degrees. It was done a good hour before my hubby was due to be home... Oops...

Now, I may be biased, but I thought it looked fantastic. But there was almost no juice for gravy. Boo. There went dream number two. I made some roasted potatoes and carrots and made gravy out of the pork stock I had made a while ago while I waited for my hubby to come home.

And then we ate the entire thing. There wasn't nearly as much meat as I had imagined. There goes dream number three. It was pretty moist, but it didn't have much flavor. I think the onions and garlic that I forgot would have helped. And I did save the bones for soup... That dream remains yet to be...

My adventure being over I washed the mountain of dishes that goes with roast chicken and decided that I could do that again. I would still rather roast a chicken every day than cut up raw chicken breasts once a week... Ew...