As I was browsing through the list of blog ideas that I've had but haven't had the time to post, I came across some notes I'd jotted down a couple of weeks ago on a Proverb I'd read.
The verse was this...
Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed. Prov 15:22 (NASB)
This verse really stood out to me because I so frequently do not follow this advice! There are many reasons for that. It might be that I am afraid someone will be hurt if I choose not to follow their advice. It might be that I just don't want too many hands in the kitchen. But, if I honestly and truthfully analyze why I don't seek help, I have to admit that it is because of pride.
I like to be the one who has the answers. I like to be the one that has great ideas. I like to be the one to give advice. But, I don't like to have to ask for those things from other people.
That obviously is very difficult to admit. It would be easy for me to ignore that tendency in myself and to deny that I really am that type of person. But, that would be a lie.
God gave us each other for a reason. There are many things I can do well, and I love to use those skills to help others. But, I also do readily admit that there are things I don't do well at all. I struggle with so many aspects of marriage, parenting, home schooling, and ministry. I need the help of others in those areas! I need their wisdom, their consultations, their suggestions. Sometimes their help will be useful to me and sometimes it won't, but God put other people in my life to help me learn, grow, and be able to accomplish the tasks He has set before me.
Lately I've been trying to be active about seeking help and advice from others. I've been trying to receive input more graciously. I've expanded my sources of consultation and counsel. And I've learned so much! I've been reminded of things I'd forgotten. I've been given new ideas that I can adapt to fit my family. And the best part is that I've been excited about it!
I don't have it all together! There, I said it openly and honestly! And proudly! :-) To all of you who have helped me so many times, thank you. To those of you who have given me suggestions that I have spurned, I apologize and seek your forgiveness. And from here on out, I look forward to growing alongside all of you, gleaning from your wisdom and strengths, and occasionally sharing some of my own! What a wonderful journey it can be!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Clouds
It's a lovely Saturday afternoon (even though you'll be reading this on Sunday!). The girls are resting with books before working on a school project. Steven is napping. Doug should be home from a luncheon shortly. The windows are open letting in the warm spring breeze. A box fan is on down the hall, sending out a pleasant, soothing hum. The mostly clear blue sky is gradually being covered by a cozy layer of clouds in advance of an approaching spring shower.
In the midst of this pleasant scene comes a thought - I'm thankful for the clouds.
That thought might not seem so odd or out of place. After all, it's a spring day in the south. The weather is very unpredictable! Last week we saw wet, chilly highs in the 50's and 60's whereas this week we are experiencing sunny, humid highs in the 80's. In fact, the next few days are predicted to approach record highs for this time of year! Some cloud cover is the perfect blessing for early afternoon when the sun is at its warmest. It means that we get to leave the windows open and still be comfortable.
But the reality is that just a week or two ago I was not thankful for the clouds. I was tired of them. I wanted some sunshine to bring a little warmth and cheer to the chilled dreariness we'd been experiencing. I was ready for the clouds to just go away!
I don't know that my thoughts go much deeper than a basic realization that sometimes I like the clouds and sometimes I don't. But, I do think there are wide applications of that thought. Just because something isn't good for one time or one situation, doesn't mean it's always bad. Just because something fits perfectly in one situation doesn't mean it works in every other circumstance. Just because I like something doesn't mean you have to, and vice versa.
Yes, I do need to be thankful in all things, whether it's clouds that are adding to the cold dreariness or clouds that protect from the hot afternoon sun. But I can also realize that there is a time and place for everything...and today is the time to thoroughly enjoy those clouds!
In the midst of this pleasant scene comes a thought - I'm thankful for the clouds.
That thought might not seem so odd or out of place. After all, it's a spring day in the south. The weather is very unpredictable! Last week we saw wet, chilly highs in the 50's and 60's whereas this week we are experiencing sunny, humid highs in the 80's. In fact, the next few days are predicted to approach record highs for this time of year! Some cloud cover is the perfect blessing for early afternoon when the sun is at its warmest. It means that we get to leave the windows open and still be comfortable.
But the reality is that just a week or two ago I was not thankful for the clouds. I was tired of them. I wanted some sunshine to bring a little warmth and cheer to the chilled dreariness we'd been experiencing. I was ready for the clouds to just go away!
I don't know that my thoughts go much deeper than a basic realization that sometimes I like the clouds and sometimes I don't. But, I do think there are wide applications of that thought. Just because something isn't good for one time or one situation, doesn't mean it's always bad. Just because something fits perfectly in one situation doesn't mean it works in every other circumstance. Just because I like something doesn't mean you have to, and vice versa.
Yes, I do need to be thankful in all things, whether it's clouds that are adding to the cold dreariness or clouds that protect from the hot afternoon sun. But I can also realize that there is a time and place for everything...and today is the time to thoroughly enjoy those clouds!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Playful Learning
I don't usually double-post things, but for some reason I felt led to go ahead and do this one - when I feel a prompting like that, I just have to trust that the Lord will do with it as He pleases. This is what I posted today on the Women by Grace column I write each week.
Steven and I have a game we love to play. I love to kiss his belly. There’s just something so sweet and precious about that poochy little belly! Getting that “belly kiss” as well call it has turned into this little game…
“May I have a belly kiss?”
“No!” (with a huge grin)
“Please?”
“No!” (a cackle)
“Pleeeeease?”
“A little one.” (pulls up his shirt just a tad and lets me give him a little kiss)
“Now a big one!” (huge grin - pulls his shirt all the way up for a big kiss)
It’s a precious little game that he and I both love. But, the other day I discovered that it might need to be changed just a bit.
You see, Steven was learning a lot from this game. He was learning how to ask me for things he wanted! He began coming up to me and making his request. If I said no, he would say, “Please?” If I said no again, he would give me a big, huge, pleading (and precious), “Pleeeease?” When I still said no, he would get quite upset.
At first it just irritated me that he wouldn’t accept my answer. But, then it occurred to me that he was following my example! He was just doing what I’d taught him to do in our play time!
Ouch!
Our kids learn from every thing we do. They learn from our actions, our words, our play, our work, our procrastination, our attention, our distraction - every little or big thing. How often do we slip in our attentiveness to what we say and do? How often do we teach our little ones without even thinking about it!
We’ve changed our game. I still ask for that sweet belly kiss, and if he says yes immediately, I gladly accept the kiss. If he says no, I say, “Yes, sir, I accept your answer.” The first time I responded that way, he just looked at me as if I’d ruined his day! He quickly offered me a big huge belly kiss! Since then, though, he’s caught on, and the fun of our little game has returned. Only now it’s a little game that is teaching him how he needs to respond when I answer “no” to his requests. And guess what? He’s slowly beginning to change his behavior!
Even as we play…
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
"Unnecessaries"
Doug and I recently got new phones. Thanks to online shopping, we each got a BlackBerry for free with our contract upgrade. Woo-hoo!
I must confess that I was one of those who said, "Why do you need something fancy like a BlackBerry? I mean, come on - a cell phone is supposed to be a phone! Why do you need all of that other stuff?"
Now, the bug has bitten. I really like my BlackBerry! The organizational aspects are fantastic, and I have been able to consolidate everything into two places - my planner and my BlackBerry. Yep, I'm one of those people now. I am hooked!
Having a BlackBerry, though, has also raised some thoughts in my mind. For the first week or so after UPS delivered it, I felt that I was in over my head. Setting up and learning a new cell phone can be intimidating anyway, but add to that the more extensive properties of some of these more elaborate systems and it can be downright overwhelming. There are so many options, functions, settings, and operations.
Even now there are many things that I still haven't explored and learned. But, one thing I have done has been to eliminate some of the unnecessary features. There is a beautiful little option on my BlackBerry that allows me to hide icons that I won't use. I can get them out of my way and, although they are still technically on my phone, to me they are gone.
Like a new BlackBerry, we typically have too much "stuff" in our lives, whether it be unnecessary material possessions, unnecessary activities scheduled in our day, unnecessary relationships that pull us away from the Lord, unnecessary habits, or any other unnecessary distractions that course through our lives. Like removing the unnecessaries on a new phone, we must be willing to remove the unnecessaries from our lives, settling down with only the things that allow us to function as we were intended - honoring and praising God with all that we have and are.
I must confess that I was one of those who said, "Why do you need something fancy like a BlackBerry? I mean, come on - a cell phone is supposed to be a phone! Why do you need all of that other stuff?"
Now, the bug has bitten. I really like my BlackBerry! The organizational aspects are fantastic, and I have been able to consolidate everything into two places - my planner and my BlackBerry. Yep, I'm one of those people now. I am hooked!
Having a BlackBerry, though, has also raised some thoughts in my mind. For the first week or so after UPS delivered it, I felt that I was in over my head. Setting up and learning a new cell phone can be intimidating anyway, but add to that the more extensive properties of some of these more elaborate systems and it can be downright overwhelming. There are so many options, functions, settings, and operations.
Even now there are many things that I still haven't explored and learned. But, one thing I have done has been to eliminate some of the unnecessary features. There is a beautiful little option on my BlackBerry that allows me to hide icons that I won't use. I can get them out of my way and, although they are still technically on my phone, to me they are gone.
Like a new BlackBerry, we typically have too much "stuff" in our lives, whether it be unnecessary material possessions, unnecessary activities scheduled in our day, unnecessary relationships that pull us away from the Lord, unnecessary habits, or any other unnecessary distractions that course through our lives. Like removing the unnecessaries on a new phone, we must be willing to remove the unnecessaries from our lives, settling down with only the things that allow us to function as we were intended - honoring and praising God with all that we have and are.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Learning Teachers
Let me open with an apology. I'm a mama. That means that there are certain things about parenthood that I'm going to learn from that are, well, things we don't typically talk about. But, some of them just have to be shared anyway! So, just to get it all out in the open - I'm writing about learning something from teaching a little boy to potty. You're all sufficiently warned...read ahead at your own risk! :-)
Steven started potty training right around his second birthday. The training itself was so very easy, for which I was exceedingly grateful. All I'd ever heard was that boys were much harder than girls to train. Well, Olivia had been pretty hard. Angela practically trained herself, but about six months later began to have accidents (and never has stayed dry overnight) and continues to do so. So, considering that Steven was supposed to be tougher simply because he was a boy was a bit overwhelming to think about. Instead, he was my easiest. Within a couple of days he had it down, and has rarely had an accident since!
The problem with Steven is that, with a boy, it doesn't stop there. With a boy you have to worry about aim, both when sitting and standing. How do you teach a two and a half year old to aim?
And, that's where my point comes in.
I stay at home with the kids. Doug is at work. Steven is a mama's boy. Those factors all combine to form one conclusion - Mommy, not Daddy, is doing the potty training. What's wrong with that? Well, Mommy is not a boy! I've never had to learn how to aim! I don't have a clue how to teach him something that I've never known myself! So, I do the best I can...and ask Daddy a lot of questions.
Often in life we are in the same situation. As parents, we need to teach our children how to grow up in a culture we didn't grow up in. As Sunday school teachers, we struggle to teach lessons we are in the process of learning ourselves. As mentors, we strive to teach those around us even though we have never truly walked in their shoes.
So, many of us give up.
I have heard it so many times in our churches..."I'm not qualified to teach - I have too much to learn myself!"
So?!
We are all in the process of learning. I'm not really qualified to teach Steven how to aim properly, but I am the one God has put in place to teach him. So, it's my job. In the same way, we have to be willing to step up and teach and train even if we're just barely ahead of our "pupils" in the learning cycle.
The awesome thing is that we never truly have to teach without resources. God has offered every bit of help we could possibly need to teach and mold and grow others if we will just heed His instruction! We're not on our own! We're His tools - what a delight!
Let's not back away from teaching just because we feel inadequate. If God shows us a path, let's follow it wholeheartedly, learning from Him even as we are pouring in to others.
Steven started potty training right around his second birthday. The training itself was so very easy, for which I was exceedingly grateful. All I'd ever heard was that boys were much harder than girls to train. Well, Olivia had been pretty hard. Angela practically trained herself, but about six months later began to have accidents (and never has stayed dry overnight) and continues to do so. So, considering that Steven was supposed to be tougher simply because he was a boy was a bit overwhelming to think about. Instead, he was my easiest. Within a couple of days he had it down, and has rarely had an accident since!
The problem with Steven is that, with a boy, it doesn't stop there. With a boy you have to worry about aim, both when sitting and standing. How do you teach a two and a half year old to aim?
And, that's where my point comes in.
I stay at home with the kids. Doug is at work. Steven is a mama's boy. Those factors all combine to form one conclusion - Mommy, not Daddy, is doing the potty training. What's wrong with that? Well, Mommy is not a boy! I've never had to learn how to aim! I don't have a clue how to teach him something that I've never known myself! So, I do the best I can...and ask Daddy a lot of questions.
Often in life we are in the same situation. As parents, we need to teach our children how to grow up in a culture we didn't grow up in. As Sunday school teachers, we struggle to teach lessons we are in the process of learning ourselves. As mentors, we strive to teach those around us even though we have never truly walked in their shoes.
So, many of us give up.
I have heard it so many times in our churches..."I'm not qualified to teach - I have too much to learn myself!"
So?!
We are all in the process of learning. I'm not really qualified to teach Steven how to aim properly, but I am the one God has put in place to teach him. So, it's my job. In the same way, we have to be willing to step up and teach and train even if we're just barely ahead of our "pupils" in the learning cycle.
The awesome thing is that we never truly have to teach without resources. God has offered every bit of help we could possibly need to teach and mold and grow others if we will just heed His instruction! We're not on our own! We're His tools - what a delight!
Let's not back away from teaching just because we feel inadequate. If God shows us a path, let's follow it wholeheartedly, learning from Him even as we are pouring in to others.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Thoughts from the Dryer
Yesterday was sheet-washing day. We have lots of sheets - the queen set from mine and Doug's bed, Olivia's double set, and Steven and Angela's twin sets. I am continually thankful for my extra large capacity washer because they all fit in one huge load! Woo-hoo! What a blessing!
As I was loading the sheets into the dryer, a thought occurred to me. I had been putting them on a full dry cycle only to have to come back and turn them on again for another twenty minutes or so because some of the sheets were still damp. But for the past few weeks, I haven't had to do that.
Then it dawned on me that it probably had to do with the weather. When it was cold, it took longer for them to dry. Once the temperatures started warming up again, the sheets began drying in a normal length of time.
Circumstances do make a difference in productivity, don't they?
Often in our way of thinking, we get the idea that when circumstances affect our productivity, we should just be excused from being productive. We have all sorts of excuses - all sorts of reasons why we should be let off the hook.
So, I should just let my dryer off the hook for the winter, right? I should just string clothesline up all over the house and let the clothes dry on the lines.
True, that might save us some money on our power bill, but it seems a bit ridiculous to suddenly quit using the dryer just because the dryer has to work a little harder to dry my sheets in the winter.
In the same way, we need to realize that our circumstances are not an excuse to quit. If something is a little harder than we think it should be, that just gives us the boost to work a little harder - to reach a little further to achieve our goals.
When circumstances make it tougher for you to walk through life, keep working. Give yourself a little boost from the Word and the encouragement of others and get back to it! It might take a little more effort, but the results are worth it!
As I was loading the sheets into the dryer, a thought occurred to me. I had been putting them on a full dry cycle only to have to come back and turn them on again for another twenty minutes or so because some of the sheets were still damp. But for the past few weeks, I haven't had to do that.
Then it dawned on me that it probably had to do with the weather. When it was cold, it took longer for them to dry. Once the temperatures started warming up again, the sheets began drying in a normal length of time.
Circumstances do make a difference in productivity, don't they?
Often in our way of thinking, we get the idea that when circumstances affect our productivity, we should just be excused from being productive. We have all sorts of excuses - all sorts of reasons why we should be let off the hook.
So, I should just let my dryer off the hook for the winter, right? I should just string clothesline up all over the house and let the clothes dry on the lines.
True, that might save us some money on our power bill, but it seems a bit ridiculous to suddenly quit using the dryer just because the dryer has to work a little harder to dry my sheets in the winter.
In the same way, we need to realize that our circumstances are not an excuse to quit. If something is a little harder than we think it should be, that just gives us the boost to work a little harder - to reach a little further to achieve our goals.
When circumstances make it tougher for you to walk through life, keep working. Give yourself a little boost from the Word and the encouragement of others and get back to it! It might take a little more effort, but the results are worth it!
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Flour Story: Success!
If you haven't read The Flour Story, you might want to go back and do so. This is the last post in "The Flour Story" series. I though I posted it last Thursday, but apparently it's been stuck as a draft instead! Oops! So, hopefully you will enjoy it today...
I've been baking cookies since I was about eleven or twelve years old - maybe even longer. Chocolate chip cookies are one of my specialties. They are my fall-back recipe, the one thing I make when I need to make something but don't have the mental wherewithal or the energy to do anything else. I'm good at making cookies. I always have been!
When my chocolate chips cookies failed not once but twice, I felt defeated! What could I possibly have done wrong? Why could I no longer make cookies?
Then came the biscuits. Simple, easy biscuits. Instead of holding their shape and staying light and fluffy, they spread out like pancakes. Okay, they weren't quite as flat as pancakes - and they weren't inedible like the cookies - but they still didn't turn out right.
How could I possibly have become so inept at baking? I love to bake! I've always baked! I'm better at baking than any other type of cooking! What was wrong with me?!
The truth is, I didn't do anything wrong other than to use bad flour. It wasn't my technique. It wasn't my implementation. It was my ingredients.
Sometimes we do everything right and things still go wrong. That's just the way life is. All too often, when that happens, we consider ourselves a failure and determine that we will just not be able to succeed in that area. We do it at home, at church, at work, and in every aspect of our lives. We assume that we are incapable when really all we need is the right ingredients.
A few days after the biscuit incident, we went grocery shopping and bought a bag of good flour. I then proceeded to mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookie bars. Spreading the dough in the pan, I realized it looked right. I snatched up a bit (yes, I eat cookie dough - can't help it!) and realized it tasted right! One ingredient change, and it was all right!
A few days later I made up another batch of biscuits, this time cutting them and freezing them for later. We pulled a bag of frozen biscuits out of the freezer this week for breakfast, and they were right! One ingredient change...
Of course, then I had to make some brownies this week. And, wow, were they perfectly good!
When we fail in life, we have to stop assuming that we just can't do it. We have to look at all of the factors involved. True, there will be things that we're not capable of doing. But more often than not there's an "ingredient" that just isn't right. We have to be willing to try again. And when we finally do succeed, the success will be as sweet as a perfectly made chocolate chip cookie bar!
I've been baking cookies since I was about eleven or twelve years old - maybe even longer. Chocolate chip cookies are one of my specialties. They are my fall-back recipe, the one thing I make when I need to make something but don't have the mental wherewithal or the energy to do anything else. I'm good at making cookies. I always have been!
When my chocolate chips cookies failed not once but twice, I felt defeated! What could I possibly have done wrong? Why could I no longer make cookies?
Then came the biscuits. Simple, easy biscuits. Instead of holding their shape and staying light and fluffy, they spread out like pancakes. Okay, they weren't quite as flat as pancakes - and they weren't inedible like the cookies - but they still didn't turn out right.
How could I possibly have become so inept at baking? I love to bake! I've always baked! I'm better at baking than any other type of cooking! What was wrong with me?!
The truth is, I didn't do anything wrong other than to use bad flour. It wasn't my technique. It wasn't my implementation. It was my ingredients.
Sometimes we do everything right and things still go wrong. That's just the way life is. All too often, when that happens, we consider ourselves a failure and determine that we will just not be able to succeed in that area. We do it at home, at church, at work, and in every aspect of our lives. We assume that we are incapable when really all we need is the right ingredients.
A few days after the biscuit incident, we went grocery shopping and bought a bag of good flour. I then proceeded to mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookie bars. Spreading the dough in the pan, I realized it looked right. I snatched up a bit (yes, I eat cookie dough - can't help it!) and realized it tasted right! One ingredient change, and it was all right!
A few days later I made up another batch of biscuits, this time cutting them and freezing them for later. We pulled a bag of frozen biscuits out of the freezer this week for breakfast, and they were right! One ingredient change...
Of course, then I had to make some brownies this week. And, wow, were they perfectly good!
When we fail in life, we have to stop assuming that we just can't do it. We have to look at all of the factors involved. True, there will be things that we're not capable of doing. But more often than not there's an "ingredient" that just isn't right. We have to be willing to try again. And when we finally do succeed, the success will be as sweet as a perfectly made chocolate chip cookie bar!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Other Side of the Coin...
In the Change or Growth post, I supported the idea that growth is preferable to change of mind when it comes to belief systems. But, I want to present another train of thought in relation to that topic.
Whether change or growth is better depends on where our belief system lies in the first place!
I am a Southern Baptist. I always have been. I'm only in my early thirties, so I cannot say with conviction that I always will be a Southern Baptist, but so far the Lord has not led me to change. (Although I must admit I have thought about it.)
I have a friend who says I'm not a typical Southern Baptist, and I just chuckle. The truth of the matter is that I don't automatically identify with the actions or face of my denomination. I could probably find a large group of people who would identify with me more closely such that we could form our own denomination! But, as far as what is established right now, where I am is where I most closely fit, especially when the foundational beliefs of the Southern Baptist denomination are evaluated. I disagree with many of the ways we are presenting ourselves to the world, but I am encouraged to challenge those presentations from within rather than criticize them from without.
Having said that, though, I have to express something about denominational affiliation. So often we agree with what our specific denomination or doctrinal group believes, and therefore that is our perspective on Scripture. That would be like saying that I am a Baptist because I like what Baptists believe, and therefore I have a Baptist view of God's Word.
In the words of my mother, "No!!! No!!! And a thousand times NO!!!"
I must first have a foundational belief rooted in Scripture. Then, when I look around me, if Southern Baptists are most in line with that understanding, I join with them. Our understanding of Scripture comes first. Then our denominational or doctrinal affiliation can follow.
If our belief system is based on our denominational understanding of Scripture, then growth is not what we need. We need change! We need to redirect the foundation of our belief system! I cannot be founded in a denomination. If I do so, then when my denomination begins acting in ways that are unbiblical, I'm just going to follow right along with them! Instead, I must be founded in Scripture so that when my denomination strays I can remain firmly grounded. I would rather be considered a renegade to my denomination than be so devoted to my denomination that I stray from the Word of God.
Sometimes it is hard to determine whether we are devoted to God's Word through the lenses of our denomination or if we are associated with our denomination through the lenses of God's Word. But, that is the very thing we must prayerfully evaluate. If need be, we must change. Our solidarity lies in the Word of God. Period.
Whether change or growth is better depends on where our belief system lies in the first place!
I am a Southern Baptist. I always have been. I'm only in my early thirties, so I cannot say with conviction that I always will be a Southern Baptist, but so far the Lord has not led me to change. (Although I must admit I have thought about it.)
I have a friend who says I'm not a typical Southern Baptist, and I just chuckle. The truth of the matter is that I don't automatically identify with the actions or face of my denomination. I could probably find a large group of people who would identify with me more closely such that we could form our own denomination! But, as far as what is established right now, where I am is where I most closely fit, especially when the foundational beliefs of the Southern Baptist denomination are evaluated. I disagree with many of the ways we are presenting ourselves to the world, but I am encouraged to challenge those presentations from within rather than criticize them from without.
Having said that, though, I have to express something about denominational affiliation. So often we agree with what our specific denomination or doctrinal group believes, and therefore that is our perspective on Scripture. That would be like saying that I am a Baptist because I like what Baptists believe, and therefore I have a Baptist view of God's Word.
In the words of my mother, "No!!! No!!! And a thousand times NO!!!"
I must first have a foundational belief rooted in Scripture. Then, when I look around me, if Southern Baptists are most in line with that understanding, I join with them. Our understanding of Scripture comes first. Then our denominational or doctrinal affiliation can follow.
If our belief system is based on our denominational understanding of Scripture, then growth is not what we need. We need change! We need to redirect the foundation of our belief system! I cannot be founded in a denomination. If I do so, then when my denomination begins acting in ways that are unbiblical, I'm just going to follow right along with them! Instead, I must be founded in Scripture so that when my denomination strays I can remain firmly grounded. I would rather be considered a renegade to my denomination than be so devoted to my denomination that I stray from the Word of God.
Sometimes it is hard to determine whether we are devoted to God's Word through the lenses of our denomination or if we are associated with our denomination through the lenses of God's Word. But, that is the very thing we must prayerfully evaluate. If need be, we must change. Our solidarity lies in the Word of God. Period.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Flour Story: Looks Can Be Deceiving
If you haven't read The Flour Story, I recommend you do so - this post will make a lot more sense. There are also several other posts in this series, all with "The Flour Story" in the title.
When my attempt to make cookies with the bulk flour failed, and then this morning when my biscuits didn't turn out quite right, Doug and I began to analyze what could possibly be wrong with our flour.
Our first thought was that somehow the flour was so coarse that we were actually not getting a full cup of flour when we measured it out. We love to watch Good Eats on the Food Network, and host Alton Brown insists that the only way to measure flour is by weight. Why? Because the same volume of flour could weigh different amounts due to different circumstances. One cup of our bulk flour could be so much less than one cup of a finer flour. That would explain much of our problem - not enough flour can greatly effect the outcome of baked goods.
So, we did an experiment. We went online to find a chart indicating how much an average cup of all-purpose flour should weigh. Then we pulled out our trusty kitchen scales and measured out a cup of our bulk flour. To our surprise, the cup of flour weight exactly what it should!
So, what was the problem? Our conclusion was that the composition of the flour was different. There was something in the flour that made it weigh the appropriate amount without maintaining the full properties of flour, and thus not functioning like a cup of flour should. Maybe too much water?
Too much liquid in the flour doesn't cause a problem with bread recipes, pie crusts, or tortillas. The very process of making those recipes makes it easy to adjust the moisture level. Cookies and biscuits are another matter. So, knowing the composition of the flour is essential!
How much more in spiritual matters? How often do we rely on things we read or hear without knowing what they're truly made of?
Our flour claimed to be basic all-purpose flour. It looked like basic flour. If felt like basic flour. It weighed what all-purpose flour should. For many things, it worked just like any other all-purpose flour. But when put to other tests, it failed.
Many things we are handed in the world of Christian tools claim to be just what we need to accomplish our purposes. But, there is only one true one-size fits all tool in the hand of a believer, and that is the Word of God.
We must be careful as we sift through all of the programs our churches put together, all of the books and studies our Christian publishers release, and all of the ideas that we pass around. They are handy tools for certain purposes, but none of them are perfect and reliable tools for every situation.
Our God is an unchangeable, perfect, consistent God who has worked creatively and uniquely in various situations throughout history. The methods He has used in one situation may not be the ones He uses in another almost identical circumstance.
God has given us the wisdom to come up with all sorts of resources, but the only way they can be useful is when we use them as He intends.
So, let's not try to use bulk flour when we need to use name brand. Let's be attentive to what our tools are made of, where they come from, and the purpose for which the Lord has provided them.
When my attempt to make cookies with the bulk flour failed, and then this morning when my biscuits didn't turn out quite right, Doug and I began to analyze what could possibly be wrong with our flour.
Our first thought was that somehow the flour was so coarse that we were actually not getting a full cup of flour when we measured it out. We love to watch Good Eats on the Food Network, and host Alton Brown insists that the only way to measure flour is by weight. Why? Because the same volume of flour could weigh different amounts due to different circumstances. One cup of our bulk flour could be so much less than one cup of a finer flour. That would explain much of our problem - not enough flour can greatly effect the outcome of baked goods.
So, we did an experiment. We went online to find a chart indicating how much an average cup of all-purpose flour should weigh. Then we pulled out our trusty kitchen scales and measured out a cup of our bulk flour. To our surprise, the cup of flour weight exactly what it should!
So, what was the problem? Our conclusion was that the composition of the flour was different. There was something in the flour that made it weigh the appropriate amount without maintaining the full properties of flour, and thus not functioning like a cup of flour should. Maybe too much water?
Too much liquid in the flour doesn't cause a problem with bread recipes, pie crusts, or tortillas. The very process of making those recipes makes it easy to adjust the moisture level. Cookies and biscuits are another matter. So, knowing the composition of the flour is essential!
How much more in spiritual matters? How often do we rely on things we read or hear without knowing what they're truly made of?
Our flour claimed to be basic all-purpose flour. It looked like basic flour. If felt like basic flour. It weighed what all-purpose flour should. For many things, it worked just like any other all-purpose flour. But when put to other tests, it failed.
Many things we are handed in the world of Christian tools claim to be just what we need to accomplish our purposes. But, there is only one true one-size fits all tool in the hand of a believer, and that is the Word of God.
We must be careful as we sift through all of the programs our churches put together, all of the books and studies our Christian publishers release, and all of the ideas that we pass around. They are handy tools for certain purposes, but none of them are perfect and reliable tools for every situation.
Our God is an unchangeable, perfect, consistent God who has worked creatively and uniquely in various situations throughout history. The methods He has used in one situation may not be the ones He uses in another almost identical circumstance.
God has given us the wisdom to come up with all sorts of resources, but the only way they can be useful is when we use them as He intends.
So, let's not try to use bulk flour when we need to use name brand. Let's be attentive to what our tools are made of, where they come from, and the purpose for which the Lord has provided them.
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