Author: Megan

Faith

Why Clean When You Have Febreze?

Megan

We’ve probably all seen the Febreze commercials with blindfolded people describing what they smell. They describe a clean, fresh scent, and imagine a clean room. When they blindfolds come off, they are astounded to see what we’ve seen all along: the room is filthy. They had been deceived. What they thought smelled like a clean room, was really just a clean scent cleverly disguising a disgusting room.

Our lives can be like that dirty room. We can make ourselves appear to be something we are not. We may know the words to say or not to say when people are listening, we may know what to do and what not to do when people are watching, but in different company or when we are by ourselves, we may be completely different people. The image we try to portray may be different than the inside reality.

Maybe, we want to be seen as “nice” people, and so we try to act nice even to the people we really don’t care for. I’m guilty. There are some people who get under my skin, press my buttons, rub me the wrong way, try my patience–you name it, but I don’t want to be an unkind person, so I “try to be nice”. Romans 12:9 says, “Love must be sincere.” Instead of trying to be nice to people, what I really need is for God to fill me with more of His love for people.

I think we sometimes spend more time trying to create and perfect the image other people see, rather than becoming the people God desires us to be. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were guilty of this outward priority.

In Matthew 23:25-26, Jesus says, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisees! First clean the outside of the cup and dish and the inside will also be clean.” What Jesus was saying is that they needed to re-prioritize their cleaning; the inside needed to come first.

Like the teachers of the law and Pharisees, we need to put the inside first. Instead of appearing, we need to be. God desires us to be holy, genuine, and to have integrity. Instead of doing and saying the right things because people are watching, we need to let God make our hearts right. If our hearts are right, our actions will follow (Luke 6:45).

Inside or outside? Act or actual?  Appearing or being? Which gets more attention in your life?

In addition to being what God desires, being instead of appearing is important because sooner or later, if we are not really the people we appear to be, if we lack consistency and integrity, we will be found out.

When the blindfolds come off, when the lights come on, will your character be proven or will it be revealed? Will people see you as they’ve always seen you or will they see you as you really are?

Faith

The Unexpected

Megan
(Disclaimer: Not the cake I made.)
Have things ever turned out differently than you had thought they would? If so, you’re not alone, because I am right there with you. For instance, I planned to make a dark chocolate cake with ganache, and topped with chocolate mousse and strawberries for my mom’s birthday. Yum! Minus the strawberries, I made this combination last summer, and it had been a success.
As the cake was baking yesterday, the unthinkable happened: the cake collapsed in the center. When I saw it, my heart sunk (much like the center of the cake). After some creative thinking, I thought of a way to disguise the disaster. I then pulled the mousse out of the refrigerator, and to my horror, I discovered it had frozen. I softened it and tried beating it, and then…it started getting firmer. My plan to pipe little peaks of mousse around the edge of the cake seemed impossible, but I decided to try anyway. I was right to be pessimistic; instead of fluffy peaks, I ended up with heavy globs. Plan B was to pipe strands of the mousse in concentric circles all across the top of the cake. When I stopped to observe my work, I was absolutely mortified (and I died laughing). If I had planned it, I could not have made a more disgusting looking cake. Let’s just say…the mousse resembled something other than chocolate, and I quickly covered the whole top of the cake with sliced strawberries. The cake looked nothing like what I had envisioned.
Sometimes, life can take turns we don’t expect, and it can end up looking unlike anything we would have ever imagined. 
I highly doubt Abraham ever planned to leave everything that was comfortable and familiar, in order to reach an unknown land. I doubt he expected to be 100 before Sarah finally had the child God promised. I doubt he expected to be tested by being asked to sacrifice his son. 
I doubt Joseph ever expected to be sold into slavery by the brothers he had dreamed bowed down to him. I doubt he expected to be unjustly accused and sent to prison. I doubt he expected to rule Egypt directly under the Pharaoh. 
I doubt David ever expected to be anointed King. I doubt he ever expected that he would ever have to feign madness in the hometown of the giant he had killed. I doubt he ever expected to have a power struggle with his son. 
Sometimes, the unexpected, unplanned, and yes, even the unwanted happens. Our response to the unexpected depends on where we have placed our hope and our trust. If our hope is in our plans, in people, in our talents, or our resources, we will likely be disappointed, fearful, bewildered, or even devastated when the unexpected happens. But when we are surrendered to God, and have put our hope and trust in Him, we will not be shaken in the face of the unexpected. When our hope is in God, we can be confident through the unexpected, knowing that God sees the bigger picture and has a plan, no matter what we may see or feel at the time.

“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.  When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them– the Lord, who remains faithfulforever.  He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.” Psalm 146:3-10

Here’s the recipe I used: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/deep—dark-ganache-cake
I modified it and used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Power. Good recipe!
Faith

Becoming Cultured

Megan
I am currently taking a class called “Organizational Dynamics”, and this week one of the chapters we were assigned to read was about company and office culture. While reading this chapter, I started thinking  about culture in general. My textbook defined organizational culture as, “a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that… show what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior.” According to this definition, culture helps us to define what behaviors are acceptable and expected and which behaviors are unacceptable.
We are a part of the culture of our offices, schools, and families. On the large scale, we are a part of the culture of the country we live in.  If you are a Christian you are also a part of another culture that should supersede all other cultures. According to Ephesians 2:19, believers are “citizens with God’s people, and members of God’s household.” As citizens and members of His household, we need to live according to His Kingdom’s culture.
There are many places in the Bible that show us what this culture is supposed to look like. One of my favorite passages is Romans 12:9-13, which says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
In this passage, we see that we need to genuinely love people–we can’t just pretend to love them  or try to act like we like them. We need to put other people first, and we need to be generous and hospitable. We also see that spiritual laziness is not an option; instead we need to be spiritually zealous and fervent.  These are things that give our fleshly nature culture shock, and so we have to allow God to work in us and to shape us, mold us, and refine us. 
Are we living according to the culture of God’s Kingdom? Is God’s love evident in us? Are we humble, generous, and hospitable? Have we become cultured or are we still experiencing culture shock? Which are we able to identify with the most, the culture of our country or work place or the culture of the Kingdom? Which culture do our attitudes, actions, and behaviors most often reflect?
Photo by Lindley Ashline

Faith

Can God…?

Megan
I have a confession:  I do not enjoy exercising. In fact, it makes me feel like I’m dying. (Which is probably proof that I need to exercise.) In keeping with the feeling of dying, and the need for peace, I decided to listen to Psalms instead of music as I exercised the other night. As I listened, Psalm 78 caught my attention.
In this Psalm, the Psalmist tells about the Exodus. In verses 13-14, we read of the things God had done; God delivered them through a sea, He visibly guided them, and He gave them water from rocks. His presence and provision were evident in ways that most of us will never experience.  Yet, in verse 17, the Psalmist writes that they continued to sin against God and rebelled against Him in the desert!
 As I was struggling for breath while exercising, verses 18-20 really stood out to me:  “They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the desert?  When He struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can He also give us food? Can He supply meat for His people?” After all that they had seen, they had the audacity to ask if God was able to provide food in the desert. They remembered the water that came from the rock, but somehow, they doubted that He was capable of providing food.
Verses 21 and 22 say, “When the Lord heard them, He was very angry; His fire broke out against Jacob, and His wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in His deliverance.” These are the same people who had seen the sea divided so that they could walk through. These are the same people who saw the cloud by day and fire at night, and who drank water that gushed out of a rock. Yet, despite all this, they didn’t “believe in God or trust in His deliverance.” It seems unbelievable that they would have trust issues after all that they had seen! But, I think we sometimes do the same thing. At least I do.
Even though I have seen God provide, and I know that He has led me where He wants me to be, I sometimes find myself doubting or not trusting Him fully. My fears and worries begin to sound a lot like the Israelites. “Yes God provided before, yes God led me, but will He provide in this instance? Does He even care to provide?” Sometimes, because I can’t see or understand, I allow myself to forget the truth.
 The truth is God is able. There is nothing too difficult for Him. If God is leading us, even if it is into a desert, He is able to provide. The God who led us knows exactly where we are, and He is mindful of our needs.  We cannot allow fear, worry, impatience, or dissatisfaction to drown out the truth of God’s character and His ability.
Do things seem hopeless or impossible? Remember where God has brought you, who He is, and what He has done. Then trust Him; watch and wait to see what He will do this time. 

Faith

Perception

Megan

Last fall, I purchased a 4 wheel drive, Jeep Compass. Living 30 minutes from both work and school, and 15 minutes from civilization, 4 wheel drive seemed like a good idea for winter. 
My Jeep reminds me of a mullet, the front has a different look than the sides and back. The front is the traditional Jeep front, but the side…kind of reminds me of a middle-aged, soccer mom’s vehicle. Which is fine, I like my car. I was surprised that I liked it, because I have never liked white vehicles.
However, when it snowed for the first time, I soon realized that I had not purchased a white Jeep Compass. Instead, I had purchased an off-white, or even a cream Jeep Compass. 
(Please excuse the dirt!)
Compared to the pure, white snow, my Jeep is not quite white. Our perception sometimes changes with our perspective. What appeared to be white, was shown to be cream when it was next to something truly white.
Our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and motives can be the same way. Proverbs 21:2 says, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Because we live in a corrupted, sinful world, our perceptions may be incorrect.

Compared to God’s Word, and His standards, do our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and motives still seem pure? Are we acting out of love for God and others? Are we willing to pray, as David did in Psalm 139:23, 24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”? 
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12, 13