Who Gives a Hoot about Holiness?

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Who Gives a Hoot about Holiness?

Holiness is not a popular word in today’s Christian circles.  If you do use it, most folk consider you part of some recluse religious sect. Or you're a "super saint" if holiness is a hallmark of your life.

I’m reading through the Bible in a year and am wrapping up the the book of Leviticus. But who really reads through the book of Leviticus much less enjoys it right? I’ve never really been a fan of the book. I’ll admit, my eyes have glazed over in times past with all the talk of sin offerings and how to kill animals. But this time around, I have to admit I’m finding it quite fascinating.

Of course, the whole premise of the book is God’s holiness and how the children of Israel (who had just come out of slavery in Egypt) had to follow a laundry list of ritualistic guidelines to ensure they were clean or pure to enter into God’s presence represented by the Tabernacle.

What struck me is that these people had to always be aware of their state of purity or impurity.

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The Slippery Slope of the Selfie Ministry

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The Slippery Slope of the Selfie Ministry

As I hopped on the computer this morning and scrolled through my Facebook and Instagram feeds, I was struck at how many selfies I ran across. And I'm not just talking about regular selfies, I'm speaking of "ministry" selfies. You know those photos that people post of themselves along with a scripture, word of encouragement or invitation to a ministry event.

Today's discoveries made me think of a line from A.W. Tozer's Pursuit of God, which I'm reading now. It says:

"Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice."

The book was published in 1948--nearly 70 years ago. Self was an issue in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned, it was an issue in 1948 when Tozer wrote the book and it still is an issue today.

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Stop Scrolling and Start Scribing: A Call to Writing Out the Bible

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Stop Scrolling and Start Scribing: A Call to Writing Out the Bible

I have been memorizing the book of Ephesians since last year. It's been a slow and steady process. As part of the memorization, I have been writing out the entire book of Ephesians in a Moleskine notebook. Then the thought hit me: wouldn't it be awesome (and very ambitious) to write out the entire Bible. Crazy thought I know! But a quick Google search proved that it's not as crazy as it seems. I found lots of people who are writing out the Bible. There was even one entry where a family had its patriarch's handwritten scriptures bound in leather books as a family keepsake.

But as awesome as the idea was, I knew I could never do it because I work, have three kids and don't have extra time to spare. Then, as only the Holy Spirit can, He whispered: "instead of scrolling, you could be scribing."

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What I'm Reading in 2016

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What I'm Reading in 2016

I've dubbed this the year of the Christian classic.

It's also the year that I start reading the hundreds of books on my Kindle before I buy another hard copy book.

For years, I've been wanting to dedicate time to reading Christian classics (or books by authors who have written a Christian classic) so the top of the year seemed like the best time. And it doesn't hurt that I've got quite a few Christian classics already loaded on my Kindle.

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Planner Peace: Introducing My Midori Traveler's Notebook

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Planner Peace: Introducing My Midori Traveler's Notebook

I think I may have stumbled upon planner peace...again. 

Last year, I settled in nicely with the kate spade Wellesley planner and  I loved it. It was compact, it zipped and it doubled as my wallet. The only thing I discovered that I didn't like is that if I wanted to move things around, I had to hole punch inserts and re-laminate dividers. It never happened, so half of my planner went unused.

Then late last year, I watched a video on the Midori Traveler's Notebook. I'd seen them before, but never understood how it worked. This video summed it up so well, that I was sold

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My Resolution for 2016: I Give Up

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My Resolution for 2016: I Give Up

As I scroll through my social media feeds today, I've found a common theme: they are full of New Year resolutions, vision boards, weight loss challenges, one word themes and lists of goals. Every where I look, people are declaring what their year will look like and what is going to happen. The more I scrolled, the more I realized that the Lord was laying something entirely different on my heart.

This year, I'm giving up.

Before you write me off as a quitter, let me explain.

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The Spread of Sin's Crimson Stain (Genesis 4 Recap)

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The Spread of Sin's Crimson Stain (Genesis 4 Recap)

Genesis 4 opens with Adam and Eve fulfilling God’s command to be fruitful and multiply.

  • Eve may think that Cain is the promised Messiah that will bruise the serpent’s head. She soon finds out that her messiah child picked up the sin trait.
  • Cain and Abel begin the pattern of 2 sons - one chosen by the world, the other chosen by God. Bottom line - God is sovereign and He alone will determine how the Messiah will come about.
  • There are two camps of thought when it comes to the Abel preference.
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On Learning the Good Art of Resting in Toil

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On Learning the Good Art of Resting in Toil

I'm equal parts Mary and Martha.  

I sit at Jesus' feet. But while there I am anxious and troubled about many things.

Most of us know the story of Martha and Mary well.  Martha is exasperated as she works to be a gracious hostess to Jesus who has come to visit her home. Meanwhile, Mary sits at His feet listening to Him teach. 

I often exasperate myself with my constant striving for what has already been freely given. I cannot work for the peace that comes from abiding in God's presence.

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