The Heart of the Pie

I bake.

OKAY....I bake a lot.

For example, in the span of a week, I baked three different types of pie and played around with a coffee cake recipe.

(Lucky for me, I've been able to round up several willing taste-testers to help me share in the calories.)

But I don't just bake because I like food...
or because I have a stunning kitchen that I can't stand to let sit there by its lonesome.

There is a list catalysts for my baking sprees but most importantly, I bake because it helps me connect to God.  In particular, it makes me feel close to his "Creator" characteristic because when I bake, I don't follow directions. I take them to be more like guidelines and use my creativity to pull together finished products.

And as I pull together my creations, I imagine Him building His.

His soft yet strong hands pulling what He needs out of thin air.  Starting from NOTHING, He creates something beautiful.... LIFE.

As I close my eyes, I can see him begin.

From nothing, I imagine a ball of matter just appearing upon His command.  Then He gently pulls out the hands and feet, creating arms for hugging and legs He will instruct where to go. 

Next He molds up a head and carves out the intricate features to grace the face; the shape of the nose, the curve of the lips, the purposefully uneven ear placement.  Each movement makes this one unique even though He's done this millions of times.  He takes his time though, placing the roots of the hair into the scalp, keeping track of their number and giving them each a unique color.  He opens the eyelids and places the sparkle in it that will light up when she's really happy.

Then He moves to the heart, placing desires deep within.  He gives her the desire to grow things, to capture beauty, to travel, to care for kiddos, to explore, to sing, and to love on others.  With the snap of His fingers, He commands the creation of the organs and quickly connects the billions of neurons throughout the body.  He places instructions for the future in the DNA and in less than a moment, the most complex system we know, is put into motion.

Now I know my creations in the kitchen aren't THAT great, but I can make some mean sweet potato pie.

And as I pull my products out of the oven to admire them, I imagine God looking at His new creation, with that proud father smile and whispering "It is good."

Thank you Daddy God for these glimpses of your character <3

"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." -Romans 4:11

Life Unscarred

To love at all is to be vulnerable.

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact,
you must give your heart to no one,
 not even to an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries;
 avoid all entanglements;
lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change.
It will not be broken;

it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.

The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Optimist Prime

I am constantly looking for the good in things.

I am an optimist.

And for me, it makes since.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

So when he created __________, it was good.

Yes, _________ may not always be the nicest pear in the box, but.... 

God made it so there must be good within it.

So don't tell me I am too optimistic.

It's not that I can't see the downside.

I am just choosing not to focus on it.

I'm choosing beauty.

I'm choosing second chances.

I'm choosing happiness.

I'm choosing a new perspective because,

life. is. good.

It's a new day.  If you're still here, there's a reason. 

 Live like it.

Send Me.

Lord capture my soul with your desire for my life.

Wrap me up with a passion that drives me into a furry to quickly chase after it.

Give me the strength to be everything you're calling me to be down here.

And send me.

Send me where you want me, where you've designed me to play my part in the grand plan.

It's not always around the world.  Sometimes it's just outside your front door. 

Wherever it is.... That's where I want to be.

I am

For I am a traveling soul
who thrives under pressure
and drowns in the loll.

For I am a sensitive heart
who cares for the weak
and those worlds apart.

For I am a helping hand
who knows what is right
and will take a stand.

For I am a creative mind
who basks in the beauty
and brings in to the blind.

For I am a hopeless wreck
who finds hope in God
and He keeps all in check.

When there's no WRONG decision...

I'm at the T of the next stage of life.

I have to choose which direction to head, and there aren't any of those Emergency Turnarounds in the median, unfortunately.

But there's also not a WRONG Choice or a BAD Choice.

There is just simply a choice.

And when it's just a choice, with no obviously direction, where do you turn?

I have learned over the years, that not making a decision is a decision.  It often leads you stranded, frozen in place.  Or it might turn out that when you fail to make a choice, someone else makes a selection for you.  Either way, you haven't avoided the situation.  You've just lost control over it.

So I will be making this decision, whether I like it or not, because there is only one other that has my best interests in mind, and He's my torch that leads me.

Thank you Jesus for loving and directing when I come to these places.

Around me I have all kinds of people who truly want me to be happy, but they don't know my heart like You do, Daddy God.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" they say, so I should make this decision.

Or "chase your dreams or you'll regret it forever" others say.

Both are good advice, but what do You say, Daddy God?

Do I choose...

the safest option?

the most profitable option?

the immediate option?

the promised option?

the dream option?

the comfortable option?

the challenging option?

the close option?

the new start option?

Daddy God, show me the choice you want me to make.  Show me where you want my hands, my feet and my heart to go.  Lead me down the path you've made for me.  Help me not to get caught up with the things that aren't leading me towards you.  Daddy God, help me make the wise decision.

The Game Changer Question

If you know me, you know I LOVE Andy Stanley, the pastor of North Point Church.  His unique style of preaching allows him to connect and direct Christians and Non-Christians alike because even if you don't believe in Jesus, the bible is full of good advice.

But his current series Ask It (Click to check it out!) is a game changer.  It will rock your life if you let it.

Ephesians 5: 15-17 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.


So what's the question we should probably all be asking, Christian or Non-Christian?

In light of MY Past Experiences, MY Current Situation and MY Future Hopes & Dreams, what is the WISE thing to do?

If you look at decisions through this lens, things change.

And here's the breakdown:

MY:


We are all different.  What's wise for me may not be wise for someone else and vice versa.  It's a personal thing.  We must look at ourselves in the following three situations to know what we should do.

For Example:  Sally has been running everyday; I have not.  Is it wise for me to sign up for a marathon next week? Probably not.  Is it wise for Sally? Maybe.  That's for Sally to decide.

Past Experiences:

History is the best predictor of our future.  As creatures of habit, we tend to repeat history.  

For example:  I know every time I've opened a box of girl scout cookies in the past, I've eaten the whole box in a day and then felt crappy about it.  Is it a wise idea to buy 10 boxes of girl scout cookies when I'm trying to get control of my weight based on how I have scarfed them down in the past?

Current Situation:

We are all in different situations.  We must consider where we are, this day, in order to make wise decisions.

For Example:  I am currently in debt up to my eyeballs, but my family wants to take a trip to Costa Rica this summer.  Two years ago I didn't have any debt and went to Mexico with them, but now my situation is different and we are trying to crawl out of debt.  Is it wise for me to be going right now?

Future Hopes and Dreams:

The decisions we make today will change things in the future.  Don't give up the things you might want in the future for immediate gratification.

For Example:  I want to give my first kiss to my future husband, but this guy I just met says that's a deal breaker.  Do I kiss him and give that up so that he will stay with me or would it be wise to walk away?

Wise thing to do:

Wise is not the same thing as right, not  a sin, popular or most lucrative.  That wise voice is the one in your head that you reason with.  You might try to make excuses for going against it or justify doing something different, but deep down, it's that gut feeling that directs you if you let it.

This question is a game changer.

Are you willing to start asking it?

Andy Stanley is challenging people to just ask the question.  You don't have to change your actions but consider this question before you make decisions.  What it reveals about the heart is empowering.