Chew Your Food: Advice for your Spiritual Life and for your Health

Chew your food.  That is so important.  I heard my parents say that to David and I so many times when we were young.  Sometimes when we are young, and we get hungry, we just stuff our faces with food instead of actually eating it.  Sometimes it becomes a competition - who can eat the fastest.  But you don't want to choke.  So you need to chew.

Let's break down the physiology first.

When you see food, or think about food, a couple of processes begin.  Salivation, being one of them.  Your body also begins to produce different enzymes.  When the food hits your mouth these enzymes are ready to go.  You have your salivary amylase for carbohydrate digestion.  A little bit of lingual lipase - that's for the fats.  Protein digestion doesn't hit full swing until you reach the stomach with the hydrochloric acid and various peptidases.  Are you still with me?  In plain and simple terms: when you chew your food you are able to release more nutrients and increase what your body can absorb for all of its functions and processes.

But all of these enzymes and substances can only do so much.  You have to chew; break down the food so the enzymes have a greater surface area to work with.  You have to break down the food so the enzymes can get to their target substrates.  You need to chew.

So it goes with our spiritual nourishment.  We can't just take what we're given at face value.  We have got to chew it.  To break it down.  To explore it.  We miss the full nourishment when we fail to explore, question and seek.

This is especially important when reading God's word.  Sometimes we only get bits and pieces.  We become picky eaters.  Or we take it in too quickly.  We open the book, simply read the words, and accept it at face value.  But if we don't chew - if we don't think or ask questions - we aren't really seeking.

What does chewing look like when you read scripture?  Prayer.  A lot of prayer.  Inviting God to speak to your heart through His word.  Asking the questions.  God wants you to seek His truth.  You are not any less faithful if you have some whys or what for's on your heart.  Give them up to God.  That is faithfulness.

We also need to chew non-scriptural things.  You've got Kiss FM on full blast - listening to Beyonce, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Adele.  Or you're reading a best-seller.  Maybe it's Twilight, maybe it's The Great Gatsby.  Simply because these things aren't inherently Christian or faith-based does not mean they have to be restricted or listening to or reading them makes you a bad Christian.  But you need to chew them up.  You have to seek and find if their is any spirituality present.  Look for what's missing, or what you didn't know could be found.  God can, and does often, permeate the secular.  As my pastor in Bloomington said, God can use even the most broken instruments for His glory.

You also have to determine what to take in moderation.  You have to determine your dietary restrictions.  Consider that there are some things that are toxic, and need to be cut out.  If you don't chew, anything has the potential to leave you with no nutritive value or do you harm.

Here is the big idea: when you don't chew you lose important nutrients that sustain you, keep you healthy and even make you stronger.

So chew.  Ask the questions.  As Christians we have to use our head and our hearts, and most of all, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to make decisions and to build our lives in Christ.

~SP    

My Husband is not my Soul Mate...but He is Who God has Planned for Him to Be

Recently, there has been an article that has been catching a lot of attention on the internet.  It is entitled "My Husband is Not My Soul Mate."  It is a good article!  I would highly recommend reading it - especially if you plan to continue reading this post...otherwise it may not make much sense.

I agree with a lot of the points in the article:

- God's plan for our lives is not for us to be married.  That is not the be all, end all.  His plan for our lives is to grow in a relationship with Him.  Marriage may very well be part of that plan!  Which is exciting!  But our purpose in life is not to be a wife or husband, but a faithful child of God.

- I don't really care for the term soul mate either.  For me, it is just a trendy term used to replace the term husband or wife.

- Marriage and love does involve choices.  We have to choose to be present in and work hard for our relationships.  In a marriage,  you have to choose to grow toward Christ with one another.  All relationships involve choices.  You choose to be a friend to your friends.  You choose to obey your parents.  You choose to live a life pleasing and glorifying to God.

However, I know God to be an extremely intentional God.  The article rejects the idea that God has a person meant for you.  A person planned for you.  Rather, there may be several people throughout life that we can choose to make "our person."  Yet this is the God who knits us together in our mother's womb.  This is the God who knew our names before we were born.  The plan for our lives was in order long before we took our first breath.

If we desire to be married, I believe that God hears that desire and will weave it into His plan for our life.  Marriage is a reflection of the relationship that God wants with us, and I believe that if we desire it, He also wants us to have that experience and to seek Him through it.

I do believe that God knows that person who we will each marry.  That is a part of the plan that He has worked out.  He knows when our lives will come into contact, based on His own timing.

Just as we choose to say yes to a proposal, and to say I Do on our wedding day, God also asks us to choose a life with Him.  And the purposeful and intentional God that you have the choice to say yes to is planning a course for that man or woman that you will share the rest of your life with, just as he is planning a course for you.  Of course, our earthly relationships are far from perfect.  The goal is that they are a reflection of our relationship with our creator, but we are humans and we often fall short.

We will have to choose daily to love our spouses.  It is not that there is no choice at all in who you will marry.  You can say yes, and you can say no.  However, the God who knows your heart, the God who knows the heart of all His children, is looking out for you.  He wants to lead you to Joy.  He will purposefully bring friendships and other relationships into your life.

The first year I worked at camp, all of the girl counselors took an evening to go and do devotions in the girls dorms with our girl campers and their leaders.  One of the adult leaders imparted some wisdom that I will never forget.  She told us all to pray for the man that we are going to marry, because God is still working on him just like He is working in all of our hearts.  He is preparing to write our stories together, just like He writes us into His own story.

 So here is my bottom line: I believe that God know's the person you will spend the rest of your life with.  He or she was created and shaped by the same God that shaped you.  You may not know their name, what they look like, what they like to eat or what their favorite TV show is, but God does.  He will bring your lives together in His perfect timing.

~SP

Hymn: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

Immortal, Invisible, God only wise

In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes

Here is another one of my favorite hymns.  From the first verse it proclaims our God, the one who is endless and timeless.  The one that we may not see in the physical, embodied sense, but rather with our hearts.  The only God.

Light inaccessible.  That is a beautiful image.  It is a radiant light of mystery and a gracious light of guidance.  The idea of God's light being inaccessible might evoke in us a feeling of insecurity or a feeling of despair.  If we can't touch it, or understand it, how can we feel safe?  How can we take refuge if it is intangible?

All of these ideas that the hymn evokes in the first two lines are things that we cannot see or touch.  Immortal: we cannot know the depths of immortality.  Invisible: it is something that our human eyes cannot see.  Inaccessible: it is not within our physical reach, we cannot touch it.

Sometimes I get frustrated with the things that I can't do on my own.  Things that I can't remedy immediately.  Things that my own strength is not capable of.  I find myself praying first for God to give me strength, when my heart still wants to lean on my own capabilities.  Then I try to truly let go, and give up to God what I know I cannot handle on my own.  But I remain scared, because I can see the light, and I know the light goes before me into the unknown, it heads into the mystery.

Part of my recent journey has been learning to take refuge in God's inaccessible light.  It is possible to take refuge and feel safe in His mystery. Psalm 42:7 says "Deep cries out to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me."  When I first read these words, the idea of being covered in water created an image of sinking and drowning.  Terrifying.  But it is not that we are submerged in the great, endless depths; we are covered.  We are safely covered in waters of grace.  We are wrapped in inaccessible light.  

So we do not have to know everything.  We can't know everything.  We have a God that longs to protect us and wrap us in His safe mystery.  He says it is alright not to know it all, because He knows it all, and He will protect us.  

The hymn continues like this:

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days

Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise    

We can trust in what we don't know, because we do know that our God is great, almighty and victorious.  That is faith.

~SP

Community: "How I Long for you with the Compassion of Christ"

Philipians 1:8.  I love these words in Paul's letter to the Phillipians.  When I read them, I can tell that they were simply bursting forth from Paul's heart towards the people that he loves.

I think a lot about what community means.  As Christians, we are called into community with one another to serve God.  I have been blessed over the past few years to build community with friends from school, church and Green Lake, and to continue in community with friends from home.  I have watched my parents build community throughout their lives and throughout my own life.

In these days I am checking off bucket list items here in Bloomington, because I know I will be headed elsewhere.  I have been blessed to spend time here with friends that I have been growing with since my first days in Bloomington.  I have also been blessed this year to spend time with friends from Green Lake and Quest, and to continue to be a part of each others lives.

It can be a strenuous season when you have to be away from the people you love and you have to learn to rebuild somewhere else.  Paul is writing a letter to the Philipians.  He has previously met them on his travels to Philipi, but he discloses in this letter that he is currently imprisoned - and therefore, can't be with them.

Paul doesn't simply say to the people of Philipi, I miss you.  He says he longs for them.  And at that, he longs for them with the compassion of Christ.  That is a beautiful, breathtaking image.  The image of Christ's compassion is His hands and feet nailed to the cross for our transgressions.  His compassion for us was so strong that He took on our sin.  The compassion of Christ is no small thing.  It is not a lukewarm feeling.  It is a deep, bountiful, incredible expression.

Paul's longing for his community helps bridge the distance.  When we care for each other with that Christ-like compassion, we are never too far away.  It reminds me of the opening lines of an E.E. Cummings poem, I Carry Your Heart:

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart).

I am never without it.  (Anywhere I go, you go my dear...)

We carry the most important part of each friendship to the next place in life.  One of my most recent prayers to God is to ask Him to bless my friendships and all of my relationships.  I ask Him that they would grow according to His will.  When you leave a place, the hardest thing to leave is the people in that place.

The most amazing thing is, that when you remember one another with that Christ-like compassion, when you carry the hearts of those you love with you, when you are back in one another's physical presence it feels like not a day has gone by.   That is how God works in our communities and our friendships. 

Just the same, when we have times that we feel far from God, our Father, and then we are brought home to His presence, His love for us has not changed.  His heart longs for us the same way as it did before.  He, above all else, knows that Christ-like compassion.

~SP

Whether it is the beloved friends from Kindergarten through high school...

...beloved roommates...

...beloved family...

...beloved friends...

...more beloved friends...

...or even more beloved friends.

The time we spend in each other's presence may be limited, but the time we spend in each other's hearts is not.

Worship: Bearing the Image

On occasion, I like to listen to recorded sermons from Mars Hill.  Mark Driscoll has some interesting points, and whether I agree with everything in his sermon, or not, I always walk away with something new to think about.  Right now, Mars Hill is in the midst of a sermon series on the Ten Commandments: Set Free to Live Free.  He has 10 sermons, each focusing on a commandment, and is currently on the 8th commandment.  I have only watched the first two.  The second one was particularly interesting - thou shall have no other idols before God.

Mark talks about idol worship and the distinction between idol worship and our worship of God.  He says that when we worship idols we seek to bargain - we give them something so that they will do something for us.  There is a price.  When we worship God, we worship God to bring glory to Him.  He gives to us richly because He loves us.  There is nothing that we could give Him that would increase the blessing.  He gives, because of who He is.

So Mr. Driscoll says this about worship: it is "image bearing."  We worship God by striving to be in His likeness.  We do not worship by bargaining with God - an hour of worship is not equal to a set quantity of blessings.

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I haven't had this experience yet, because I don't have children, but have you ever seen a parent's face when they are told that their child looks just like them?  They are filled with a joy and excitement like no other.  Even more so, when they are told that their child does something just like they would do it.  They know that all the time in nourishing their growth, praying diligently about their upbringing, has been recognized. Their heart is full.

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I can relate this story: first a little background info.  When I was 10, the Build-A-Bear craze was at its peak.  So for my birthday, I went to the shop and built my yellow lab, Laura.  I still have her today.  

Although it may be highly materialized and commercialized, I believe that there are some good intentions with Build-A-Bear.  When you are stuffing your animal with the best fluff money can buy, you can put a small heart inside of them.  You can kiss the heart and make a wish for it before you put it inside your animal and stitch them up.  As a 10 year old, you walk away knowing that your special Bear was made by you with love, kind of in the same way that you were created out of love.

However, Build-A-Bear is not the point to my story.  Fast forward a few years, and I'm over the craze.  But my little cousin, Haley, who was about 4, was just old enough to appreciate the chance to Build a Bear.  So my mom and I took her to the Build-A-Bear at a nearby mall.  You have to know that when Haley was younger, she spoke very softly and never said more than a few words at a time.  Now, she is the most conversational eleven year old you will ever meet.  So we finished her animal - she also decided to make a puppy like me.  

Then it was time to name the bear.  My mom, "Aunt Dawn," leaned down beside Haley to hear the name she chose.  Haley repeated the name several times, very softly and we just couldn't get it.  Tears started to swell in her eyes, and I knew I had to listen really closely...."Laura?"  That was it.  She chose the same name for her puppy as I had for mine.  As her big cousin I was honored that she thought I was that awesome, she wanted to be just like me.

Haley and I

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We are called to worship because we are called to bring glory to God.  God's heart rejoices when He sees His children striving to live in the likeness of His son, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, worship is not limited to a sanctuary for an hour on a Sunday morning.  You are worshiping or in worship whenever you strive to live in His image, whenever you strive to be like Him.  You are not limited by a praise band or pews.  You can bear the image, and worship wherever you are.

~SP  

I Will Wait For You

One of my favorite love songs as of late is Mumford and Son's I Will Wait.  By public standards, it may not be a love song, and it never mentions the word love, but I think letting someone know that you will be waiting for them is one of the greatest expressions of love.

A few weeks ago, at my church group we discussed what it means to "bring someone into tomorrow."  The discussion was derived from a book by Henry Nouwen called The Wounded Healer.  The chapter we discussed depicted a discussion between a man going into surgery and a chaplain.  The man going in to surgery had no one waiting for him at the other end of his surgery.  He had no one to go home to.  He had no one on the other side of his trials or his pain.

That is what we need - someone to wait for us.  Someone on the other side of the canyon that we are standing at, that holds to the promise of simply being there.  Think about how much of a difference it makes, after a long, trying day, when you come home to an empty home vs. a home full of people you know and love.  The latter option is the one I find more desirable.  It is the comfort of being received that melts away some of the trials.

We have this promise in Jesus: He will wait for us.  He is the one standing on the other side of the trials of this life.  He is waiting to receive you in Heaven.  I am reminded of this when I take communion.  At the last supper, Jesus sits with His disciples, passes around the bread and the cup.  As he passes around the cup that symbolizes His blood to be shed for us, He tells His disciples:

"I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Matthew 26:29

Jesus makes His journey to the cross.  Those that came to crucify Him offer Him wine.  He turns it down.  It may have seemed like such a small promise - just to avoid a sip of wine - but it is a great gesture of love.  His promise holds true: He will wait for you.

Jesus waits for us on the other side of this life.  In this life He has given us people that wait for us on the other side of our earthly struggles.  That is His love poured out through others.  Who waits for you?  Who do you wait for?  That is simply love.  Just being there in someone's tomorrow, that is love.  That is a way that we can allow Christ to work through us.

~SP