Posture

I find that living in unrepentant, habitual sin clouds my mind. Quite literally. I can feel the weight of it settle over my thoughts. Thinking and reasoning become laborious. Insights become fleeting, darting away into obscurity at a moments notice. I revert into the mentality of the unsaved, where the things of God are foolishness and my own desires reign supreme.
However, when I am choosing to focus my mind on the things of Christ, upon Who He is and what He has done, the fog lifts and I dwell in a spacious place. Frustration and anxiety flee from me and peace and confidence become my posture.
His yoke is easy.
His burden is light.
Amen.

Who is My Neighbor?

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”
²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

Soooo.....

 

What are we to learn from this?

Traditionally we are taught to be a Good Samaritan. To serve sacrificially.

And. of course, we should. No doubt.

But look at Jesus’ final question to the lawyer. Which of these was a neighbor to the beaten man?

Wait a minute. Jesus isn’t comparing the lawyer to each of the travelers, he is saying the lawyer (i.e. us!!!) is analogous to the beaten man.

Who is my neighbor? The one who loves me sacrificially.

At the base of this we are to see ourselves as broken and completely helpless. Christ is the Good Samaritan. He is not a part of the traditional religious establishment, He gets dirty with us, covers himself in the blood and filth of our brokenness and pours oil and wine(his anointed blood) over us. He then makes provision for us for our healing and promises to return to pay all debts.

It is only AFTER He has done this for us that we can then “Go and do likewise”

This also takes the onus off of others to somehow qualify to be our neighbors. I need to ask myself what kind of neighbor I am ?

 

Christ was my neighbor first.

After He rescues me - I go and do likewise.

 

There is so much more to unpack here. But just let your mind settle over the wonder of the Living Word. Living. Breathing. True.

 

Amen!!!

Amy

EAT CLEAN!

Ok, Amber asked for ideas, but I am copying y’all. 😉 So, eating clean, you probably already know, means only eating whole, real, unprocessed foods as close to the way God made them as possible. No chemicals, refined sugars, preservatives..... I used to wake up every morning with a headache, be exhausted by 2:00, have a “pooch” in my belly. No fun. All that is gone now and I’ve lost weight even tho I am eating more. Also, I no longer have cravings. Food still sounds good, don't get me wrong, but I don't have that I gotta have it right now!!! feeling. I don’t happen to have sensitivities to caffeine or gluten like some people, but dairy and most animal products don't sit well with me. I usually stick to a pseudo-vegan diet until dinner, because I am surrounded by carnivores who would eat ME if I stopped serving meat. What I eat most days: Apples!!! Organic Pink Lady is my fave. I just slice it and add a big ole scoop of almond butter and that's it. It’s my usual breakfast along with a couple cups of coffee. I am not hungry again till noon. For lunch I will usually have a huge, I mean HUGE salad. Dusty was a witness to the ridiculous size of my lunch. Get a giant bowl, add 4 BIG handfuls dark leafy greens (pref. organic), chop into bits, add 1 c. tex mex tabouli(recipe attached, I have this in my fridge at all times), a bunch of olives, 1 c. chickpeas, 1 diced avocado (the whole thing!), 1 handful multi-grain chips and as much salsa as it takes to coat it all. Toss. Eat. I will also do a big batch of Black Bean Burgers (recipe attached), eat one, freeze the rest (put sheets of parchment between them before freezing, heat in 350 oven for 20-25 min). Sneak greens into everything. I put them “under” main dishes (bean burgers, salmon, chicken) and also in soups and chilis. Soup!!! Just throw everything but the kitchen sink in. Filling and nutritious, a great way to use veggies that are about to go bad. Coconut milk/oil. So in love. Have attached a Tiki Masala recipe that highlights theses super awesome things. Super healthy fats. Use natural sweeteners. Fruit, pure maple syrup, honey. Don't buy reduced fat versions of ANYTHING! It just means fat was replaced with chemicals. ☹ If you truly eat clean, your body will no longer fight you. It will automatically find it’s ideal weight, your skin and hair will be lovely, you will have energy. Don’t be afraid of fat! Only animal fat contains cholesterol, only man made fats are hydrogenated. High quality vegetable based fats from avocados, olive and coconut oils, nuts are all outstandingly good for you. Try to avoid over-consuming wheat products. They are super filling and might prevent you from eating enough veggies and healthy fats. Ok..... That’s enough for today I think. Let me know if you want a “pantry staples” list. Love you!!! Amy

Tots, Tea and a Toast

This morning I met my girl Dusty, along with our kiddos, at Central Market just north of downtown Austin. Their café is awesome and it is so nice to just sit back and relax under those huge oak trees while the kids play on the toys and we sip our iced tea. Is there anything better than best girlfriends? Even in the constant interruptions of our conversation (Mom! I'm thirsty!), we manage to share the deep things of our lives (Mom! I'm hungry!) and laugh our heads off at all the silliness life brings (Miss Dusty! Sam is stuck in the slide!). I must say, I am falling for this funky town. I love that every turn of a corner brings something unexpected. Cute little bungalows, bike messengers, BBQ joints, Vegan delis, old churches, ultra-modern loft apartments, museums and thrift shops. This definitely one of those "big city with a small town feel" kinda places. Love.