May’s Final Five

I enjoy sharing my favorites with you. I know it’s just my opinion and you may not share it, but it’s been fun to think about what I like and then narrow it down to just five things. So to conclude a rainy, sloppy, cold-then-hot-then-cold-then-wet-then-tornado month, here are my final five for May.

(1)  Casey’s pizza

For those of you reading this from anywhere other than Middle America, you have no idea what Casey’s pizza is. I’m sorry for your loss. Casey’s General Store is a chain of convenience stores in just about every small town throughout the Midwest. They have decent coffee, really good donuts (if you get there before they’re picked over), normal convenience store items like small cans of oil, overpriced 2-liters of pop, whole shelves full of beef jerky, beer (and more beer), bottled water and…pizza. Really good, greasy pizza. Download their app so you can order it at the end of your tutoring session and have it ready for pickup at your most convenient location. As I ordered my large pepperoni pizza the other night, I had four Casey’s locations within 1 mile of me…life can be so good sometimes.

(2)  Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Grilled Chicken

Don and I enjoy trying new recipes. Made this pasta dish over the weekend. Definitely a keeper!! Didn’t take any pictures of the finished dish but trust me, it looked and smelled amazing. And tasted so so good. Lemon zest and lemon juice in the alfredo-style sauce made it feel lighter than other pasta dishes…so I had two helpings. Don’t judge.

Another culinary entry – this makes 3 out of 5 favorites are food related. I know – I’m suffering.

(3)  Gianni’s Italian Beef

My downfall is that Gianni’s is within close walking distance from my work so though we’ve only been there twice, we’ll definitely be going back…over and over again. Take the time to read the back story on the restaurant’s owner and how the name Gianni’s was selected…and tissues.

If the story doesn’t grab you, the Italian beef will. Or the Italian sausage. Or the seasonal Italian ice. I plan to try the salad and the beef hot dog at some future visit, but that Italian beef is tough to pass up. Small menu but big flavor. Love the atmosphere too.

(4)  Joy Williams 

My go-to resource for new music is my adult children. All four of them love music so I have a never ending list of artists to try out. David and Tristen love Joy and now I do too.

Joy Williams – Front Porch

Give a listen to her latest album “Front Porch” – such a sweet, soulful, slightly country sound. An interesting side note: I am also a huge Ben Rector fan. Ben’s song “Boxes” off his “Magic” album talks about CDs given to him by wanna-be musicians as he tours around the country. It’s a really good song (as are all of his) and includes these lyrics:

“On through this Rolodex of railroad tracks and fresh-cut hair
I see Joy who won some Grammys and is now a millionaire”

That’s Joy Williams – isn’t that cool? Well, I think so anyway.

(5)  Ephesians 4:1-3

I read my Bible every morning. Sometimes things jump out at me…sometimes not. But I trust that my obedience in reading God’s Word will feed my spirit, even when I may not “feel” like it. Recently read this passage from The Message version…

“In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.”

Isn’t this awesome? Run on the road God has called you to travel. Run!! Quit sitting around waiting for God to tell you what to do. Move forward until He tells you to stop. This journey He has for each of us is not a sprint – it is a marathon. And our training isn’t done via YouTube…it’s done out there in the real world. So put on your running shoes and run!

The Power of One

As a parent, I know how powerful my relationship with my husband is when it comes to dealing with our children. It doesn’t take a kid very long the try the old “if Mom says ‘no,’ get to Dad before she does” move. Don and I learned early on to communicate with each other regularly and present a united front to our boys. Our unified front brought a measure of peace and security, even though the guys may have thought differently at the time.

In the account of the building of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, prior to confusing the languages, God talks to the others in the Trinity (notice use of word “us”) saying, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Gen. 11:6) What an illustration of the power in unity!

Romans 15:5-6 – “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If I’m causing division by my words, then I am definitely not participating in a spirit of unity and absolutely not giving glory to God. Unity is a necessity to live a life worthy of my calling. Unity brings maturity. I challenge you to look at your words and actions when it comes to other believers. Do you talk down about someone in another denomination? Do you make fun of someone’s beliefs because you don’t understand it or believe it yourself? Am I guilty of picking apart a church’s Tenets of Faith because it doesn’t include everything mine does? Am I guilty of causing division, even in little things like my one-on-one conversations with others?

I challenge you to read Ephesians 4:1-15 – a large commentary by Paul on living in unity. I am a part of the Body of Christ. I can’t be in disunity with other body parts or my goal to tell the world of Jesus will be worthless.

Colossians 2:2-3  – “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Chaos is default. Unity takes work and determination and love. It’s a choice. Maybe the reason we can’t understand all of what God wants to do in the Earth is because we kill our wounded. Maybe the reason these other world religions are growing is because they don’t see anything in us as believers in Christ that would cause them to want to be a part of what we have. We need to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We need to forgive each other and choose to love. That will unite us all. (BTW – thats Colossians 3:12-14)