Cookies

My culinary life will never be the same.

My friend Adam was telling me about these cookies he used to eat as a child. Basically, they were some kind of peppermint creme between two Ritz crackers and dipped in chocolate. I thought, how can I replicate these cookies, and then it hit me. Peppermint patties. I made these for Adam, his sister, and another of our friends one night and they LOVED them. Since then, I have made about 15 dozen or so...I'm giving them to my co-workers for the Christmas holidays. So here's the now infamous recipe:

Ingredients:

• Ritz crackers
• Peppermint Patties (I used Pearson's - they are slightly smaller and fit better on the cracker)
• Chocolate bark coating
• Non-stick foil
  

Instructions: Melt one package of chocolate bark coating over a double boiler (or in the microwave). Place peppermint patties between two Ritz crackers and microwave for a few seconds to soften the peppermint patties. Press down on the cracker until the peppermint patty spreads to the edges of the cracker. Dip in melted chocolate and remove carefully with a fork, letting all excess chocolate drain. Place on non-stick foil to cool and harden. One package of chocolate bark coating should make five dozen cookies.

Get a Life!

To start off, there may be many people who will not understand why I need to write this particular blog. It will likely fall into the "Duh" category for the majority of the world. And that's okay. This is for my MC/IBC buddies who understand.

I never thought of myself as someone who needed balance in my life. I worked in Master's Commission (The Mission) for four years and racked up over 17,000 hours in ministry training. I worked at (and attended) International Bible College and went non-stop from the time I arrived. I like to be busy. It's my nature.

The problem is, during those times in my life, my work/ministry WAS my life. Sure, I had friends and did social things, but they were all inter-related, or more accurately, enmeshed. I never had to stop thinking about work or focus on my life because the two were one in the same.

I find myself in a radically different scenario these days. Since moving to Cleveland, I have acquired somewhat of a life. I have relationships that have nothing to do with me ministering to someone. I have ministry jobs that have nothing to do with my friends. I am able to spend volumes of time *ahem* with people without ever mentioning work.

The problem is just that. I have started to forget things at work. Even with my to-do list. Shocking, I know. I think about "life" things at work and find myself distracted. I think about work while I'm out to dinner with someone and have to shake myself to not get off-track. This should not be.

This blog doesn't really have a purpose other than, MAN, I am so glad I got a life. Don't forget to (or be afraid to) get out there and meet people, be frivolous, go out for coffee, and just be with people.

Ministry should be the overflow of your life (so said Shelley in MC, eons ago). I think I had it backwards :)

Scandalous

Where to begin?

There has been so much scandal in the news lately. I have been cringing at radio and television advertisements for political candidates for months now, and finally the deluge is over. Sadly, where the commercials stopped, the news media took over with the recent Ted Haggard scandal. There is a great deal of commentary on this situation, both from secular and religious organizations. I have heard speculations, diatribes, and defenses from both ends of the spectrum. I have very few words in response.

My pastor spoke about the state of the church, using 1 Corinthians 5 as his text last Sunday. The irony of hearing about the illicit relationship in Scripture while hearing non-stop reports of the (then supposed) illicit relationship involving Ted Haggard was not lost on the congregation. While many I've heard condemn and crucify Ted Haggard as an immoral, hypocritical "lost cause," I lean more towards this author's response. (also here). We are all lost causes. Period. Not one of us can muster up enough righteousness to satisfy the perfect standards of God.

For a perfectionist like me, this knowledge is daunting. Nothing? Not even a small step towards righteousness? Can I at least be better than "so and so"? NOTHING. It is only by the grace of God that we are sanctified and made righteous. If it were not for the magnificent grace of God, there is no telling where I would be.

And I understand, really I do, about the issue at hand. Ted Haggard wasn't just "John Doe Christian." He was a man with power, influence, and a tremendous following. This leads me to another point that was so powerfully illustrated by my pastor on Sunday. No man or woman is without the need for accountability. No one can survive a fall if he is put on a pedestal. Whether pride puts us there (as it seems was the case with Haggard) or pressure from others, or whatever the case may be, we are all in need of people who will help us work through the junk that can accumulate in our lives. And when you get put on a pedestal, it is easy to think that there is no one to whom you can confide. And sometimes, sadly, that is the truth.

We are all in need of the body of Christ, both to encourage and to rebuke. Those in marriage relationships need to be there for one another, sharing triumphs and struggles alike. And singles, like myself, need to resist the urge to isolate themselves from others, allowing hidden sin to flourish.

We must continue to pray for our leaders and our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose.

Repent and then Rant...

As many of my fellow Cleveland-dwellers know, a well known evangelist was in town last week for an event. Our choir, along with another, was to sing, and I have to admit, I was not looking forward to it.

I know everyone has his own opinion on televangelists, and mine was on the negative end of the spectrum. I have been of the opinion that sermons geared at North American churches by televangelists tend to veer away from pure gospel and get into purely prosperity and "self-help" mindsets. I believe that if a sermon cannot be applied in South America, Africa, and third-world regions, it has little lasting value.

My opinion of televangelists in general has not changed, but my experience with this particular evangelist surprised and inspired me. He spoke of ministers who concentrate on teaching "How-To" sermons, geared at helping people do well in business, lose weight, be happy, and all manner of "nice" things that have nothing to do with kingdom work and have no eternal significance. He spoke passionately about getting back to the pure gospel of the cross, repentance and all. And all I could say was "Amen!"

In contrast, yesterday, I was flipping through the channels and saw another well known televangelist. What I heard made me cringe. He spoke of receiving forgiveness but not repentance. He told the people that they needed to put on the "Breastplate of God's favor." While I completely believe in and rely on forgiveness, I realize that it is only through our humble repentance that forgiveness is possible. And while God's favor is something that I need, I also know that the Breastplate mentioned in Scripture is one of righteousness.

I think that's where our Christian culture has lost it. We want God's favor without accepting and living in His righteousness.

May God have mercy on us all!

On Being Grateful

Most everyone has encountered someone that lives with a perpetual victim mentality. If you're like me, it is difficult to spend large amounts of time with such people - they require inordinate amounts of attention and still feel like they've been neglected. They complain about not having things, then when they receive something, dismiss its significance because, after all, "It was way overdue and I deserved it." For a long time, I've pondered the possible reasons for this type of behavior, and though I don't understand it all, I think I may have found a root cause.

First, let's ponder Madame Blueberry. Veggie Tales can teach children a great deal, but I always get something out of the videos as well, and Madame Blueberry is one of my favorites. On Big Idea's website, they remind us that "being greedy makes you grumpy -- but a thankful heart is a happy heart!"

I think this strongly ties into the victim mentality we see in our culture. When we are thankful (or in my words, grateful), there is little room for grumpiness. People living with a victim mentality tend to see the worst in every situation. If something good happens, it isn't appreciated, but instead seen as a sign that bad things must be around the corner.

This goes along with my first blog about changing the way we see things - not seeing through critical (or judgmental, pitying, etc) eyes. If we really want to change the way we feel, we have to change the way we react, the way we perceive, the way we behave. As a friend of mine has heard me say repeatedly, the way you live your life is a choice. Circumstances may be good or bad, but you choose how you respond.

I made a choice several years ago to live in a grateful frame of mind, rather than suffer (and make others suffer) with my critical spirit.

Being "Useful"

Every once in a while, I go through my computer files to read things that I've written in moments of inspiration, frustration, pain, sorrow, joy, and confusion. Tonight, I ran across a file of desperate searching and frustration. Here is an excerpt of what I wrote in July of 2004.

"I'm useful, I'll admit that. But am I anything more? Do I inspire people? Do I inspire myself? Is there a passion that drives me to action? Why am I so afraid to take a leap of faith and instead take baby steps of certainty? What does destiny mean to me? Instead of being driven by a passionate love for God, I'm driven by a need to be needed. A call to be useful. A desire to be worth the space I occupy. Was it not enough that God created me? Is that not enough of a rationale for me to be alive? I'm sick to death of being an asset, someone who is worth the money she's paid. I'd rather have to earn my own money and live ministry that stirs my heart. Who cares if someone sees fit to pay me for ministering? I never thought I'd be so easily and willingly bought. It seems like when they pay me, it is to do their ministry, cleverly disguised as something I like. The scary thing is, I've been the one painting the pretty face on the job. Disguising myself and soaking in shallow irrelevant praise."

I think so many people have this inner anger at being "useful" but nothing else. The last two lines of that paragraph sum it up for me. It was ME who was convincing myself that "fill in the blank" was my destiny, neatly packaged and very do-able. I was creating a mold, fitting myself into it, and then cursing the very mold I had created. How often do we do that? We have this deep seated feeling that we were created for something much bigger than we can imagine and much more complex than we can orchestrate on our own. At the same time, we have a deep seated fear that if we strike out on this adventure of life, we will fail, or worse, find that our dream was just that - a dream, a fantasy, a well-intentioned break from the reality that is.

I'm getting to the place in my life that "useful" just doesn't cut it. I'm thankful to have a job that challenges me in who I am and what I know. I am more than administration in my job, and I thank God for that. Now the problem is me - stepping out into the adventure without bringing an emergency kit for quick escape. I'm not sure what it is going to take, but I'm on that journey, everyday.

Purpose Driven Pain

"Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice." - Psalm 51:8

Several years ago, I circled this verse in my Wide-Margin, Note-taking Bible without really considering it. Maybe a pastor mentioned it in passing. Maybe a professor referenced it in one of my classes. Who knows. The only thing I know is that it "nudged" me enough to warrant circling.

Now skip ahead several years to last Sunday. I was home visiting family for the holiday so I went to church in Marietta. No offense to the pastor there, but I was a little distracted in service. Couldn't quite focus on what was being taught. When I was younger, this would have prompted me to look through the Hymnal or write notes, but hey, I'm a grown-up now. Instead I flipped randomly through my Bible, seeing if anything would "strike me." Here's where the Scripture comes in.

First, "make me to hear joy and gladness." Now if you know anything about my testimony, you wont be surprised to hear that I struggled with extreme bitterness for several years. There were many reasons that I wont go into, but the majority of my bitterness was from the church and ministry. It took divine intervention and a long process for me to be freed from the root of bitterness that I had allowed to grow in my life. Not only did I have to forgive, I also had to change the way I looked at things. When I re-read this Scripture on Sunday, I realized something. In this process of getting rid of bitterness, God had to make me hear joy and gladness. He had to change the way I perceived things. Instead of looking at things through eyes of criticism, I had to see the joy and gladness of the Lord, in every situation. It was only then that I began to uproot bitterness in my heart.

Then comes "Let the bones which You have broken rejoice." This is the part that most people can't fathom. When God changed the way I perceived things, I saw the redemption in my past pain. The scars still hurt sometimes, but I was able to see the journey that the pain had brought me on. Those areas of pain and brokenness were being transformed into rejoicing. Through all of the difficult circumstances, God had kept me, and more than that, He was using those things to bring rejoicing into my life. I had found the Purpose for my Pain. No longer was I allowing my pain to define me life. My Pain was Purpose Driven not by me, but by the One who is always in control.