I have decided to just post our weekly Dinners from now on, since Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks are the same much of the time.
I am not strong.
As the Lord spoke to me this morning from 2 different passages of His Word, and was delivering this message right into my heart, I grabbed a hold of what He had to say and what His offer is for my current heart condition and current life circumstances.
I’ll start with the Eternal Word that changes lives and hearts:
The LORD reigns; He is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed;
He has put on strength as His belt.
Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty!Psalm 93:1, 4
Paul’s pray for the church in Colossae:
“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father…”Colossians 1:11-12
I daily face challenges where I say, “I can’t do this,” “I can’t handle this,” or “I don’t want to do this.” I am not currently experiencing a tragedy. I am not being persecuted for naming the Name of Christ. No, I am a wife and a mommy who daily (sometimes moment by moment) struggles to give to Jesus what is rightfully His: my life.
Psalm 93 and Colossians 1 spoke right into that.
I am not strong. I realize this more and more as I age, as I grow more in Christ, as I continue on in marriage, as I raise my children, manage my house, finances, ministry joys and burdens. For as long as I have been a follower of Christ, I have been slightly bewildered by the verse, “When I am weak, then I am made strong.” Although, theoretically I understood the meaning for all these years, I didn’t really understand what that practically would look like, having never been aware of my weakness. But I have recently realized that it is one of those verses that is made clear through experience. I am weak, fragile, without strength, stamina, endurance or ability. I am not “mom enough,” wife enough, mommy enough, housekeeper enough, pastor’s wife enough, friend enough, or Godly enough. And I never will be. Through minor sufferings (though nothing like some people are going through at this very moment or what I may go through in the future), I have become acquainted most personally with the understanding of what being made strong through weakness means.
It means that CHRIST is our strength. We are weak, He is strong. Compare and contrast me to Him and He comes out the clear winner and victor every time. So today, when I read passages like Psalm 93, whereas I formerly would retort, “Of course, God is strong,” I now rejoice and exult, take refuge in and shelter myself in the truth that He has girded Himself with strength and I ONLY need to be in Him to receive the strength I need. Our God is indeed strong, and it is never seen clearer as when we are weak.
So, Colossians 1′s prayer is given weight.
“That I may be strengthened” (by One robed in majesty)
“According to His glorious might” (the One who has put on strength as His belt)
“For” (in order that I might receive something… namely…)
“Endurance, Patience, Joy, Thanksgiving” (to the One who has endured, was patient in affliction, joyful in suffering… thankful to the One mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea.)
As I walk through various trials, as I pray fervently for friends aching and going through great hardships and sufferings, heavier than they can themselves bear, as I am engulfed by many waters and mighty waves of the sea, may I look up. Look up to the One on high, who is girded with strength and who is mightier than the waters and the waves. Of the Pacific ocean and of my daily struggles and sufferings.
“He is stronger, He is stronger, Sin is broken, He has saved me.” And He will strengthen because He alone has sufficient and unwavering, sustainable and supreme strength.
Menu Plan Monday
Family is coming to town at the end of the week and we will be eating every meal together… this whole GAPS thing could get a little interesting! We’ll see how it goes… but we’re committed, so I am predicting that I will be jealous and have a lot of cravings! 
Here is the menu for this week.
Menu Plan Monday
Continuing with the GAPS Introduction Diet (sort of… we’re modifying a bit…)
Menu Plan Monday
Week 2 on the GAPS introduction diet. We discovered that my husband isn’t allergic to egg whites, just egg yolks, so he has been eating those freely and with joy! We are in stage 2-3 as he has not had any reactions or digestive difficulties at all until I tried to introduce cooked applesauce last night. Apparently his recovering intestines aren’t ready for apples yet… So here is a week of soups and easily digestible food.
Book Review: The Explicit Gospel
Let me start by saying that it is my opinion that every Christian should read this book. I know I may have a whole load of books that I could say that about, but truly this one should be read. Even Rick Warren says that. If Rick Warren’s book recommendation/review doesn’t mean anything to you, you should check out the lonnnnnnnng list of revered and respected pastors, teachers, and influential Christians that recommend this book. It is not long, it is not difficult, but it is so important.
Matt Chandler, Pastor at The Village Church in Texas, writes this book to separate the assumed Gospel from the explicit Gospel. I know all Christians think they have heard the Gospel and know it well. But maybe not. I know a lot of Christians personally who do not know it well and who may have never heard the explicit Gospel in their lives. This does not mean that people who love and trust Jesus are not saved. It just means, their understanding of their own salvation and their own God that they serve is clouded, incomplete, and sometimes unbiblical and errant.
Please, please read this book. Pass it around and let all your friends read it. Whether they grew up in Sunday School or not. Whether they are teaching Sunday School or not. There can be a whole lot of abuse, misunderstanding and misapplication of the Gospel, but there can never be too much Gospel proclamation, understanding and fluency.
Rating: A (++++++)
Highly Recommended!
Title: The Explicit Gospel
Author: Matt Chandler with Jared Wilson
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Spiritual Life
Menu Plan Monday
Last week’s grain free dinners were all a superb HIT! Here we go again… This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. However… we haven’t taken out dairy fully yet. We’ve turned it down, but haven’t shut off the tap. After we have used up all the dairy in our fridge, we are going on the FULL GAPS diet. Up until now it has been really just no grain, no sugar, no starch, add probiotics. My next goal is to FERMENT! We already do some fermented stuff, but not too many homemade things. I will be doing yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, beet kvass and maybe more. My house may smell like a brewery
So here is April, week 2:
Book Review: The Transforming Power of the Gospel
Many think the Gospel is this: the “Good News” of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus so that we can go to heaven. That is certainly part of the gospel. But what about that transforms us?
Jerry Bridges devotes a whole book to addressing that question. The Gospel doesn’t start and end with heaven. The goal of God was not to save us from hell, although He does do that. The goal of God in sending Jesus was to reconcile us back to Himself. And then to give us Jesus-power to live the Christian life, for Him, and for all to see, that others may know Him and be reconciled back to Him as well.
This Gospel isn’t just for unbelievers. It is for Christians. We need a higher and better concept and grasp of the Grace of God. Jerry Bridges will practically help you see yourself for who you really are and by contrast, see God for whom He really is.
Read this book and see what a daily embracing of the Gospel looks like. See how spiritual disciplines will move you deeper and closer in your relationship to the Gospel and to Christ Himself. See how we are responsible to live out the commands of Jesus, while at the same time depending “on the Holy Spirit to both do His own work and enable us through His power to do the work we must do.”
Rating: B+
Definitely Worth Reading
Title: The Transforming Power of the Gospel
Author: Jerry Bridges
Length: 192 pages
Genre: Spiritual Life
Menu Plan Monday
Okay, we’re doing it… at least we’re going to try to do it. The GAPS diet, that is. We’re taking the no-grain and no-sugar (and no-starch and no-fun) plunge!!! (We’re kind of easing our way into it by starting out sort of Paleo and just not eating grains at this point). Attempt #717 at healing my husbands gout without drugs, here we go. This could be a 2-year commitment and I’m not promising we’re staying committed, because if something else came along at any time that convinced me through it’s gout-healing promises, I may bite the bait.
But here is my grain-free diet plan for this week, anyway!
