Be an Inspiration this Christmas, not a Clanging Cymbal

So, I sat listening to the radio this evening to a speaker who ranted about the negative impact Santa Claus has on our culture.  I'm not sure how grown-ups believe that a fictional character has power...Mind you, this speaker sounded like the teacher on Charlie Brown...negative, nasally sounding, rant that no one wants to hear...

I for one am sick and tired of hearing what Christians are against!  I can't for one minute believe that such negativity has a positive spiritual impact on our society!  A religious "clanging cymbal" never does.  I don't want to hear any more, "If you want your children to love Jesus, you shouldn't encourage the belief in Santa."  I don't want to hear anyone's list of don't's.   Even if your motives are pure, I don't want to hear nicey nicey little sayings about the importance of always making Jesus your Lord.  Pardon my cynicism, please, and bear with me a few moments to continue....

Aren't we all much more inspired when we hear the genuine stories about what God has done in someone's life!  The soap boxes:  they may be based on a valid agenda; they may come from good will.  However, what truly inspires others is a genuine openness about our own brokenness and what God has done in our own lives.  Tell my kids how Jesus walked with you through deep valleys or healed your hurting heart or provided when there was no way.  Tell them how your faith struggles at times and how thankful you are that your walk with God is dependent on Him, not you.

If we must get on our soap boxes, let's at least inspire with positive energy:

Instead of toting that we are against abortion; let's tote that we are FOR life.
Instead of ranting that we are against pornography; let's research and speak of the painlessness of sexual purity.
Here's an extreme one:  Instead of  preaching that we are AGAINST legalism, let's start showing that we are FOR the beautiful grace of Jesus.  Legalism is not a list of rules; it is an idolatrous attitude that says, "I can earn God's favor, despite the fact that it's freely given".  At it's extreme, legalism is an attitude that says, "I can earn more of God's favor that you have earned".  Your value does not come from how good you are; if you think it does, you are living in idolatry.  It comes from Jesus and only from Jesus.  So if you live a conservative life, do so because you feel inspired to, not because you feel obligated to or because you think it makes you a "good Christian".  If you live a liberal life, do so because you care about justice and equality, instead of assuming that those with a more conservative mind set are just selfish or greedy.

 So, let's start being positive and cheerful.  The fruit of the spirit is not the Charlie Brown teacher!

And for heaven's sake!  The wonder of make-believe only lasts for a very limited number of years.  Let children have Santa Claus!

No Apologies

Okay, I am going to be a party-pooper here.  If you are the sentimental type, please forgive me. I don't have a judgement about people posting 30 days of thankfulness.  However, I choose to not participate.  I believe we should be that thankful every day of our lives.  For a similar reason, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day.  I think we should be loving and appreciative of our spouse every day of our lives, and making it one commercial day just feels too contrived and compulsive to me.  That doesn't mean I don't respect those who do honor that day.

I think though that we forget sometimes the true meaning of a holiday.  Thanksgiving wasn't started so that we can look back over the last year at the bountiful blessings God has given us.  I would hope we would be grateful each day as He gives us our daily bread.  To me, Thanksgiving goes much deeper.

It is about honoring not just the bounties, not just honoring God as our Provider, but it is about remembering:

•  the sacrifices that the early settlers went through 
• the unity and hard work required of those early settlers
• the hard work ethic and determinism that Captain John Smith inspired, enabling the colonists to survive dire circumstances
• it is about remembering all that a completely different race did for the survival and well being of the early settlers
• which to me leads me to remembering that there is basic good will in all races and cultures
• it is about seeing the similarities in humanity and honoring and appreciating the differences

For me, Thanksgiving is very much a political holiday.  If we maintain an attitude of thankfulness all year long, then hopefully, Thanksgiving is not about articulating our gratitude for our bounty so much as it is appreciating our political system, appreciating different races and cultures, and appreciating that we are not entitled to the bounties we have.  Our forefathers made sacrifices just to survive.  Let us take this month to rid ourselves of our entitlement issues whether they be material, cultural, racial, gender, or other, and reach out to those who are different.

So, I will not apologize for not posting 30 days of thankfulness because I hope that I am aware on a daily basis of God's provision in my life, but I will take this month to teach my children about different cultures, about their founding fathers, about what the early settlers went  through to survive, and about how people from very different cultures/different races can find a common good will in each other if they choose to look for the good in others.  If God has prompted your spirit to post 30 days of gratitude, don't let me get in His way, but for me personally, I am choosing to remember and to teach my children why this day started in the first place.

I have a new mantra in my forties:  "You make choices".  I truly believe that the generation that is now parenting grew up with so much entitlement that we see ourselves as stuck, helpless, hopeless victims when we can't have it all or do it all.  

Once we stop blaming life or our circumstances and own responsibility for our lives, we can come to a place of peace (That aha moment of, "Oh, that's why I chose this; well then I'm willing to live with the consequences of that choice because I value...."  ...you fill in the blank)  The other option when we see we truly do have power to make choices is to make a change... (Life can always be different).

Am I stuck at home with kids?  No, I chose that when they were little.  Along with that choice came occasional ruts of boredom.  Along with being home also came huge financial sacrifices!  Is that life's fault?  Was I stuck?  No, that is what the business world calls "opportunity cost".  When you choose one thing, you are choosing to say no to other things.

Do I have to work outside of the home?  Me personally?  No, but I choose to now because I want my kids to have things like piano lessons and I want to have some extra savings.  Does that mean I will be tired and miss them at times?  Yep...opportunity cost.  Does that mean I HAVE to work outside of the the home?  No.  It means I am no longer willing to sacrifice those things in order to be home.  Does that make it the wrong decision?  Not if I understand and am willing to take responsibility for the opportunity cost.

Do I deserve to be sheltered from the risks that go along with owning a business?  Nope, opportunity cost.

Can I get that Ph.D and have 4 children?  Hmmm, maybe.  For some that window might close.

Is it my fault I got sick?  No.  Should I be in denial and try to keep up with everything I did before I got sick?  No, my job is to take as much responsibility for my health as I can and to use my gifts in ways God has purposed for me to use.  He does not want to stop using me when I am sick.

Are you stuck in a bad relationship?  Hmmm.  You cannot make someone be nice, but you are making choices.  Is it the right choice?  I would never presume to have the answer to that.  What I will say is, own the consequences that go along with that choice.  You can stay, hoping that the good times outweigh the bad.  You can leave and trade a time of loneliness for peace.  Neither is necessarily the right answer, but you own the consequences of the choice you make.


Proverbs 4:14 says  "Counsel and sound judgement are mine; I have understanding and power". (NIV)

Do you see that?  God gives judgement and power!  Power to have it all work out the way we want?  Not always, but judgement to see that we have choices and power to choose other options.  We are not helpless or stuck.  Isn't that a gift!  Okay Generation X and Y, time to stop whining and accept the choices we have made and the consequences that go along with those choices. 

Recipes in Frugality

Taken from portions of Proverbs 31 NIV

"A wife of noble character who can find?  ...works with eager hands...She gets up while it is still dark...She considers a field and buys it...She sets about her work vigorously...She sees that her trading is profitable...her lamp does not go out at night...She opens her arms to the poor...She watches over the affairs of her household."


Boy this woman was industrious and efficient!  She made important business decisions AND worked hard at home!  How do we, in today's economy, see that our family budget is profitable?  How do we have extra to give?  I love all the new hype about spending less that you make even if you have to live counter-culture, but few authors or speakers address the how!  (If you haven't joined the hype but want to have more money than month, I encourage you to read Dave Ramsey's book, Financial Peace.)   Whether you work outside of the home or are a full time stay-at-home-mom, all of us look for ways to have more money than month, right?  There will be many more ideas to come, but if you look to the recipes page at the top right of the blog, you will find  recipes that will feed your family for under $1 a person.  They are gathered from moms working outside of the home and those working inside of the home, so time wise, they should work for all.  Note that the average meal usually costs $3-$4 per person, so if you used one of these recipes once a week, that could save you a minimum of $400 a year for a family of 4.  Try a lower cost meal every night, and you may be saving up to $4,300 a year for a family of 4!!!

If you have a favorite recipe that feeds your family for $1 per person, please leave it in the comments below, and I will add it and your name to the recipe page at the top!

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight".

Can you count the number of times you have made a bad choice because you didn't go to God or seek counsel?  Can you count the number of times you went to God, and the situation turned out miraculously better than you could have imagined?

There probably are millions of examples in each of our lives.  There is one in particular that stands out in my mind.  Years ago, there was a time when we could have lost our house.  In fact, we should have lost our house.  Every time we prayed, we heard God say, "I put you here".   Well, He surely did.  To make a long story short, the bank not only decided to do a modification for us (making our payment cheaper than any house we could rent anywhere nearby), but because of details in the situation, we were also given back seven months worth of mortgage which we had previously paid.  So, not only did God provide for us to stay in our home, He also gave us a huge savings buffer!

Does God always fix our problems?  No, but how many of our problems may have been circumvented or ameliorated if we had just gone to Him in the first place?

I do not know if I can say that I had even shoestring faith over our housing issue, but I can say this, "God supplies, and He makes our paths straight".

What is it today that you are trying to solve?  Are you relying on your own understanding first, or are you going to God first?  Sometimes it is easier for us to go to Him with big things like a house.  It can be a lot harder to hand over the little things of the day.  We so often forget that we have a loving, impeccable genius just waiting to make our paths straight.

I am not a farmer, nor do I play one on t.v.  I will not pretend to know what a mustard seed looks like, but I do know what a shoestring looks like.  For a time, I even knew what a shoestring budget looked like.  It's not very big...I can relate to that-something small that may hold together an entire center of balance.  You can trip over your shoestrings if they are not tied.  You can trip over many obstacles in life if your faith is not anchored.  The opposite is also true though.  Tied shoelaces are a necessary part of climbing a mountain literally or metaphorically.  So, put on your shoes, tie those laces, and join me in my marathon of anchoring our faith in Jesus.

Okay, out of the esoteric and into the pragmatic...We all know what yesterday was.  I am not going to rant about who won or did not win.  What I am going to say is that Jesus is not limited by our vote or by our political system.  We, in the United States of America have been so privileged with the freedom of election that we we take for granted a much higher and even much more needed behavior:  prayer. 

I Timothy 2:1-3 NIV says, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Will you join me today when you get home from work or at some point of your day and with the faith of a shoestring, or more if you have it, to pray for the following:

1)  Lord, give me a godly attitude towards our leadership.  (Congratulations, Mr. President.  Thank you for taking on this huge responsibility.).

2)  Lord Jesus, we pray in your name for protection for our nation's leaders and for their families.  Please protect President Obama and his family.  May they always have safe travel.  May they be protected in all ways physically, spiritually, emotionally.  We pray this also for our Senators, Congress people, governors, and all of our other leaders.

3)  We pray for wisdom for our nation's leaders.

4)  We pray that our leaders would be granted the discernment to hear your voice and the courage and humility to follow.

5)  We pray that revival in our homes would spiritually ignite our nation and impact our culture for Your Kingdom.

6)  We pray for protection for children: those unborn, those who are orphans.

7)  We pray for opportunities to show our children what Your word says about topics to which our culture exposes them.

8)  We pray for justice for all.

9)  We pray for protection from our enemies from other lands.

10)  We pray for continued freedoms of:  speech, worship, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...

11)  We pray for financial and physical protection for widows and for single moms who have been physically or financially abandoned.

12)  We pray that we would always value life above money.

13)  We pray for a heart to serve others.

14)  We pray for protection for our land's resources.

15)  We pray for purity.

16)  We acknowledge that it is not simply our vote that empowers us, it is You being on Your throne.

17)  Thank you for this great nation.



In Jesus name.  Can I get an amen?