100 Things I'm Thankful For Today

These curious days have given new realizations of how kind God has been to us in the past, how kind He is to us now, and how kind He will be to us in the future.



Today, I'm thankful for:

1. The privilege of decades spent gathering together with other believers for Bible study, worship, preaching, and prayer.
2. Delivery people
3. Another 60 degree April day
4. Bread only requires 3 main ingredients to bake
5. Grocery store stockers, clerks, and management
6. The medical training that has equipped people to understand much about how the human body works
7. God put an atmosphere around Earth. That is so amazing, when you take a look at the rest of our solar system...
8. 4 boys, all playing happily (for certain periods of time)
9. Isaiah 41:10
10. Cinnamon rolls
11. Tree trimming before the tree fell down
12. Podcasts
13. Hand soap. (And an easy improvisation when none was available at the store...) 
14. The IT department
15. Our house and yard
16. The postal service
17. Chemotherapy
18. Waste management systems
19. Flushing toilets (whether or not you have toilet paper, this is a big win)
20. The Bible in my own language
21. Kind friends
22. 3-day weekends
23. Vegetable seeds
24. A cloud of witnesses, all bearing truth to God's faithfulness to His promises and urging us to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel
25. Strollers
26. Cell phones
27. Marco Polo
28. Zoom
29. Google Hangouts
30. Knowing how to type on a keyboard
31. Crews that fill potholes
32. A solid roof
33. Online giving
34. A working microwave
35. A working oven
36. A working refrigerator
37. A working freezer and a working chest freezer
38. A working washer
39. A working dryer
40. A working bread machine
41. A working blender
42. Online piano lessons
43. My camera, which takes pictures even though my phone doesn't
44. A very comfortable mattress
45. No back pain
46. No headache
47. No food pain
48. No abdominal pain
49. No nausea
50. No coughing
51. No fever
52. No broken bones
53. Homemade syrup
54. Knowing that people are praying for us and care for us even though we can't see them in person
55. The library system
56. Possibly being able to get new books from the library
57. Pharmacies and pharmacists
58. A vacuum
59. Brown sugar. You can do so many wonderful things with brown sugar...
60. Heart-stirring music
61. Romans 8
62. The promise of resurrected bodies one day
63. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
64. Chicken marinades
65. Pastor Jason's Kids Corner and Don't Lose Heart sessions
66. Our garage
67. That He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
68. The opportunity to pray for hurting people and places even on the other side of the world
69. All the epistles that Paul wrote from prison
70. Our very fun egg drop
71. Our small group
72. Our extended family
73. Our church
74. Our co-workers
75. Our neighbors, whom we have gotten to connect with a little bit more in this season
76. Safe streets to walk
77. The new heavens and the new earth, where we will dwell with God forever, if we are part of His people
78. Repentance and forgiveness for sin, because Jesus already paid for it
79. Fresh enabling to walk in God's ways, because He has put His own Spirit within us to give us new desires and new capacity for growth in Christ-likeness
80. Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass
81. The mind's ability to learn new things
82. People who are good at fixing things
83. Fresh fruit and vegetables
84. Canned fruit and vegetables
85. Long shelf-life foods like flour, rice, and oats
86. Butter. Butter can make at least as many delicious things as brown sugar, maybe more, and when combined with brown sugar, it is very wonderful.
87. Siblings
88. All the #JesusChangedMyLife videos
89. Charles Simeon Trust workshops
90. Green growing things
91. Lilacs
92. All the boys' clothes that don't have holes in them
93. Kleenex
94. Glasses
95. Family pictures
96. Being able to remember things (sometimes)
97. Excellent literature
98. Food blogs
99. The rhythm of work and rest that God built into the world
100. Jesus lived a perfect life; He willingly died on the cross, not for anything wrong that He did but in order to pay the price for our sin. He was buried. They sealed the tomb, but they could not hold Him. He is risen!

The Boundless Freedom of Being Led by the Spirit

To the untrained eye, life right now bears some similarities to house arrest. Do your emotions resonate? Do you feel trapped in your own walls, perhaps chaffing at the "cell mates" who are always right beside you? Or maybe there is no one else there with you, and the silence itself feels oppressive.

In Bible study, we've been marinating in Galatians 5 and 6, and the gospel gong that resounds here is "freedom."

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

But this morning, what landed on me in a fresh way was this:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

I've wondered in the past, why this curious phrasing? Why is Paul bringing up how no law restricts the Spirit, rather than pointing to the positive "filling up" of the law, like he does in other places:

The whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)

Or

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2)?

I can't give a full answer, but one aspect that struck me this morning is this:

No external constraints steal our freedom to walk in the Spirit.

Right now, our movements are limited, our employment may be terminated or paused, our in-person fellowship in the body of Christ isn't possible in the traditional format, and we aren't really sure when any of that will change.

But none of that restricts the boundless freedom we have of being led by the Spirit of God and bearing the beautiful, life-giving fruit of communion with Jesus.

Paul himself knew something of house arrest and chains.

As we look back on that long, painful experience in his life, we can see what God produced through it ... countless disciples of Christ, large and priceless portions of the Scripture, and an example for us to emulate in our own walk of faith.

And maybe we can envision how our walking in the Spirit in these days of physical constraint might be used by God for eternal fruit "beyond all we ask or imagine."

May He grant us eyes of faith to see our true freedom and express it in love to others, whether we can reach out and touch them personally or whether we are asking God Himself to do so.

Love by Listening and Learning

If you are like me, you are facing this Monday with a very perspective than last Monday.

COVID-19 has prompted calls for action that I have not previously experienced. We are walking a path we haven't walked before.

That said, here are two ideas that have been growing in my mind for what it looks like to "let all you do be done in love" in the midst of COVID-19.

First, listen to others.

My ideas of what this virus means have been changing. My personal risk (and my family's) is not high. But when I have heard the hearts of those who are in an extremely vulnerable position ... or are caring for those who are, my perspective on what it means to act in love have changed.

It has helped me ask this kind of question: "If I were the one caring for a child on immuno-suppression medication, how much would I want others to act with conservative, protective, proactive care within the community?"

Listening is also a way of caring for others in a season where some people are facing loneliness like never before. Asking for neighbors to reach out if they needed help or prayers has already created connections and shared stories that I didn't have before.

Second, be a learner.

Since much of what we are experiencing is new (new virus, new pandemic experience, new implications being realized each day), have the posture of a learner.

I'm not commending that you race to read all the panic-inducing updates on the spread of the virus.

Rather, listen to counsel. If your medical provider or government officials make a request or recommendation, take it to heart. If you see how your actions could be changed to be more protective of the vulnerable, make a change. Find trusted resources for wise action, and do not look out only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.

There are some heart-breaking stories of the dramatic and widespread consequences of just a single person failing to heed advice. This is a time for humble hearts. Let's be good learners.

1 Corinthians 16:14 calls us to "let all you do be done in love." May the Lord grant us that grace.

Meals with What You Have

Like many others, I am trying to serve others by sticking close to home these days. It is amazing to realize how many times I run to the store in a week!

In hopes of minimizing my own trips to the store, I'm brainstorming a list of easy, flexible meals that work with what you have on hand.

In case it's helpful:

• One of my favorite sites has a "Fridge Forage" post. Excellent ideas! 
• Scrambled eggs (or fried eggs, for half my family)
• French toast
• Simplest version: any kind of sliced bread, dip in a mixture of beaten eggs and milk (with cinnamon and vanilla is best). Grill until golden, flip and finish on the other side. Top as desired.
• PB&J
• Ever a classic (Try grilling it for a gooey twist. Or sub honey for jelly.)
• Pizza tortillas 
• Simplest version: tortillas with cheese and pepperoni ... if desired, add marinara sauce, other veggies/pizza toppings. Microwave or heat in a skillet.
• Ants on a log
• Simplest version: Celery with peanut butter  ... sub any other veggies, hummus, other nut butter or substitutes, make your own peanut butter, add raisins or craisins
• Yogurt (try homemade) 
• Soup
• Simplest version: saute carrots, onion, celery, and garlic (or whatever you have) in a little oil, add water and bouillon, any meats, veggies, pastas, rice, beans, etc. Tasty with 1 teaspoon oregano and basil.
• Supper on a slice
• Simplest version: slice a loaf of French bread in half, top with 1-1.5 pounds ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, etc). Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Top with shredded cheese and bake 5 min more. (Slightly dressed up version.) 
• Quesadillas
• Simplest version: tortillas with any kind of meat and cheese inside. Make them crispy in the oven with this recipe.  
• Fried rice
• Simplest: use cooked, cooled rice and add frozen veggies, meat, a bit of soy sauce, garlic powder ... if desired, add ginger, scramble in an egg, etc
• Stromboli
• Simplest version, make a simple pizza dough, fold it around meat and cheese. (Like this.)
• Beans and rice
• Try something like this. 
• Rice and Cheese Souffle
• Surprisingly easy, filling, and good. 
• Smoothies
• Simplest version: frozen bananas (or other fruit) with milk, juice, water, etc.
• If the only fruit you have is bananas, this or this is still really delicious.
• Pasta
• Simplest version: cook noodles per box. 
• Toppings: marinara sauce, olive oil or butter and garlic powder with Parmesan cheese, add meats, veggies, cheeses.

The Really Big Problem ... and the Greatest Rescue

There is a big story unfolding in these days, and we don't know all the chapters it will bring. But for all the seriousness and impact of COVID-19, a far greater story of peril, sacrificial love, and rescue surrounds it:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

The problem: We are ungodly (all of us) and under a penalty of eternal death.

The risk: Not just unknown danger or potential hazards, but certain death on the part of the rescuer.

The motive: Love. Not our kind of love that settles on those who are lovable or already part of our people. This is love for the ugly, the enemy, the ones who have created the problem for themselves.

The rescue: God himself sent his own Son Jesus. He lived perfectly, keeping the standards that all of us have broken. He gave his life as a substitute payment for what we owe.

The offer: Receive him. Give up your way of trying to produce your own worth before God. Look only to Jesus for your perfect righteousness, your fully paid debt, and the resources to live in God's ways by God's own strength and Spirit.

It's an awesome story. Let's not forget it, no matter what unexpected twists come our way.