doing

-
Remember that work I was in such a hurry to get to St. Louis for, just a couple of days ago (read EMBRACE WARMTH for a recap)?

Well, I didn't do any of it that night. Instead, I sat in the hotel's hot tub, ate another bowl of soup, and watched cable TV.

The work really did have to be done, though, so I got up the next morning and worked from 6 a.m. until 11 when I had to check out of my room (these are my "peak" working hours anyway, so I made way more progress than I would have if I'd skipped the hot tub the night before). I pulled into Starbucks at precisely the moment my boss's secretary was emailing me asking if the work was going to show up in her inbox anytime soon.

"Getting online at Starbucks. One minute." I replied.

Normally I would feel guilty that she had to send this reminder/request. But here is why I didn't this time...

The work I was doing was a manuscript critique for a book set to be published next year. About how to deepen your faith. Key to deepening your faith is actually living out what the Bible says. So, since the reason the critique was half a day late was because I was eating grilled cheese with a homeless man, I figured I should actually get bonus points for putting the precepts into practice.

Like it says in James 1:22, "Don't just listen to God's word. You must DO what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves."

EMBRACE DOING.

What is your favorite Bible verse? Do you believe it enough to do it?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

names

-
Image
Yesterday my sermon was about the importance of names. Matthew 1 begins with a list of names, the genealogy of Jesus. Mark 1 begins with baptism, when our name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Luke 1 begins with an angel telling Zechariah he would have a son, to be named John. And John 1 says "In the beginning...", reminding us of Genesis when God called things into creation, named them, and gave Adam his first assignment--to name all the animals. And because we are celebrating Jesus' birthday this week, we talked about His all important name. Jesus, which means "God saves." And Immanuel, "God is with us." Not "for" us. But "with" us. Dwelling among us. Walking the earth. Filling our hearts. I also shared that Katie means "pure". A name I've always been intimidated by. A name I never thought I could live up to. But through this year of self-exploration, of embracing fears and family and lessons ...
Read more

No Purpose in Pie Town

-
Image
Life is always changing. Sometimes it feels like a long process, sometimes it happens in an instant, and other times it just sneaks right up on you. A year ago, Randy and I were in the middle of nowhere ( Pie Town, New Mexico ), 100 percent sure that it was our next move. His mom was told she only had 6 months to live , so our plan was to care for her in her final days. During our visit, I envisioned putting my office in the loft. And already anticipated being irritated by the television and phone calls and visitors below. Randy made up the plans to convert the garage into a master suite for us. We even picked out our flooring. I researched getting certified to teach at the local elementary school and Randy had scoped out the local diner where he planned to "sling hash." We were excited about the hiking and bouldering opportunities in the area and even bought special shoes. But as the months passed by, mom seemed to be as stubborn and healthy as ever. An...
Read more

shortcomings

-
Image
I am a terrible housekeeper. I never remember to dust and I haven't seen my kitchen table in months. Yes I do eat at said table. And if you want to join me you are welcome to put your plate on a book or magazine of your choice. I have zero willpower. Every 3 months for 10 days I do a "cleanse" and only eat lean meat, fruits, and vegetables. I am yet to make it to day 5 without cheating. I am very wasteful. I waste everything. Everything. I had never heard of Saint Nicholas Day until yesterday (even though Wikipedia says it is popular in Cincinnati). And it sounds really scary. Kids getting butchered (on a similar note, did you hear they are going to make a movie out of the books Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ?). Demons kidnapping naughty children. Giving presents to unmarried women who "need" to find a husband. (Maybe it's not such a shortcoming to have neglected to put my shoes outside Thursday night.) Typically when we talk about shortcomings ...
Read more