Crows are drawn to bright and shiny things and so am I! Recently I wore the frayed bracelet shown in the photo. As I put it on, I recalled how I acquired it. Years ago, Craig and I were in New York City over the holidays and we passed through Bryant Park. Vendors had set up small kiosks. I saw and liked the hand-crafted bracelet, so Craig bought it for me.
I have always liked jewelry with black accents. The class ring for my high school featured an oval black onyx stone with the school name “W & L” overlaid it in gold. Though I loved the unique and classic design, sadly I did not splurge by buying it. Over the years I have gotten a few inexpensive onyx pieces as well as other costume jewelry in black. Black jewelry is elegant but bright in its own way: a versatile accessory. Bling!
After dressing for the day, I turned to my Bible reading: 2 Peter 1:12-21. There I read, “pay attention … as to light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” While this is a complex passage, we know that light dispels darkness. Spiritually speaking, keeping close to Jesus, the Light of the world, protects us from shadowy evil. I marveled at the connection of the day’s Biblical theme to my morning’s musings over the gold and black bracelet. God’s Word is truly alive and is used by Him to speak into our lives.
Later that day after having breakfast with friends visiting from out of town, I realized I had lost a favorite dangly black and rhinestone earring that I had been wearing. Apparently in putting on and off my mask (see my post, “Mask-Wearing Woes,” Sept. 24, 2020), the earring fell out without my noticing. Thankfully, it was an inexpensive pair but still disappointing to lose.
I hope you read Scripture often. I believe it is God’s perfect writing. You may not agree but would you still consider regularly reading the Bible (or listening with apps)? It will shed light on dark things; you too will experience how the Word meets your world.
Last weekend I prepared a salad to take to a couples’ dinner. As I shopped in the produce aisle, I hunted for colorful salad additions. I bought two shades of green lettuce, red cherry tomatoes, a yellow pepper, carrots and purple cabbage. The bold vegetable hues of the finished salad lit up my eyes and heart with pleasure. The raw veggies provided both nutrition and joy. Even the recognizable shapes of irregular peppers, cylindrical carrots, tomato spheres, and frilly lettuce and cabbage seemed playful to me. The featured photo is my salad two days later, but it still looked and tasted fresh and delicious!
I usually identify a blog idea and then follow-up with appropriate pictures to insert. This time, it was the visual beauty and happiness of the salad bowl that inspired me to write. The title “See and Taste” is a play on a Scripture verse found in the Psalms (Psalm 34:8). It states: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
Tasting and seeing the Lord is a good challenge for the new year. How might we “taste” God? The metaphor reminds me of a poem entitled “How to Eat a Poem.” The point may be to be proactive: to intentionally search for God, to be in His presence, to read His book, to be around others who also are tasting and seeing His goodness. Attending church and getting involved with Christian believers provides the spiritual nutrition we need to grow and be healthy. Reading the Bible regularly and thoughtfully also nourishes us so much more than other worldly junk food that might be in our diet. For ideas and Bible reading plans, see this blog post from last year https://brendaproulx.com/2019/01/
There is a pivotal Bible event about seeing and tasting without good judgement. Genesis 3 tells the story of a beautiful world forever corrupted by the eating of an enticing but forbidden fruit. But if you continue on reading the Bible, you will find out about God’s love and His plan to restore us. In addition to reading God’s Word this year, I’ll be reading a book my daughter gave us for Christmas called Taste and See by Margaret Feinburg. It focuses on Scripture themes of feasting and food – sounds delicious!
Happy New Year!
As a teacher, I’ve used many early reader books about salad, fruits and vegetables. And who can forget the Blockbuster series Veggie Tales?
My blog post from December 31, 2018 focused on truth, as demonstrated by the life and words of Jesus. I would like to continue briefly on the subject of truth.
Jesus spoke to us about acknowledging Him and the truth He taught. All the Bible contains God’s words to us. In fact, the Bible is commonly referred to as “The Word of God.” In describing the Bible, a simple comparison illustrates its function well. The Bible is like an owner’s manual. God created the world and mankind. He also wrote the guide that explains how it all works. To figure out life, the world, truth and purpose we should read the directions, the Bible.
At New Year’s you may be thinking about trying to read the Bible more. There are many ways to approach Bible reading. Several years ago, I began a method of daily Bible reading that works well for me. On most days I read an Old Testament passage, a Gospel chapter, a New Testament selection plus a Psalm. I certainly miss days, even several days frequently, but it’s my plan. There are two reasons that I like this approach: 1) it is well-rounded, giving me the full flavor of Scripture in a sitting; 2) I don’t worry about getting behind and trying to catch up. My method may be a bit much for you so do something that works for you. Also, if you’re just getting started in Bible reading get a Bible version that is easy to understand such as The New Living Translation or The Message.
Here is a link to some ideas on Bible reading: https://kenboa.org/biblical/bible-reading-guide/. In February my church will start a chronological reading plan covering the whole Bible. I will be happy to share that later with anyone who asks.
For the New Year, Isaiah 55:11 is the Lord’s great promise about His Word. It is below first in the classic King James version and then in the modern Good News Translation:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
11 So also will be the word that I speak—
it will not fail to do what I plan for it;
it will do everything I send it to do.
My daughter inscribed bookmarks for me, with hand drawn verses for each section of Scripture.
Speak Your Truth, Really? Part 1
This fall I attended an all-day workshop for teachers. As is often the case, one of the first slides of the PowerPoint displayed the norms for the day. One expectation out of the fairly short list stated “Speak your truth.” That jolted me awake! As educators, I expected a better understanding of the English language!
Truth is something that is veritable in all situations. Truth is not dependent on circumstances or personality. Truth stays the same; is absolute. I am not a grammar expert but putting the possessive pronoun “your” before “truth” is an oxymoron, a faux pas or just plain poor writing. Pairing “your” with “truth” suggests that a colleague’s truth could be different than my truth. If that is the case, that there are multiple versions of truth, then the topic is no longer truth but experiences, feelings or opinions.
Sadly, the presenters didn’t miscommunicate their intentions. They, like many, believe that truth is relative and that kindness, respect and peace are best achieved by accepting all ideas equally. Nothing in the workshop was particularly controversial. Conflict was unlikely during the training but expecting tolerance is admirable and may be necessary in this day and age, especially in a region that is extremely diverse. Of course every participant’s contributions are valued! Unfortunately, the presenters missed the point by misusing the term ‘truth.’
As we come to the end of the Christmas season and look ahead to the New Year, we can reflect on Jesus’ words about his own coming to Earth. To his interrogator Pilate Jesus said, “In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (John 18:37) Jesus was born as a baby, leaving behind His heavenly privilege, so we could experience truth. Jesus spoke the truth and He talked about true things and unchanging principles. He even called Himself truth when He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)
Christmas cards artfully portray Jesus and His various names. Christmas carols include His names too. He is called Prince of Peace, Light of the World, and Lamb of God, to list just a few. Each of these names and His many others represent something true about Jesus the Savior, the Son of God. May you be greatly encouraged that Jesus’ birth and purpose are true and real; may you not fall prey to believing that there is any other Truth.
There is a funny story about this photo. I saw this nativity scene in a nursing home, while visiting a family member. On our first visit, the manger was empty with no baby Jesus. I joked with someone that possibly one of the residents had picked up the baby Jesus; some of them like to carry doll babies and often mistakenly take things. It turns out that the Catholic tradition is to leave the manger empty until Christmas Day. Happily, baby Jesus arrived on Christmas!
