Forty Days

Often in the Bible we find stories of events that lasted 40 days. Can you remember any of them?

• The rain fell to flood the earth- 40 days and 40 nights
• The Egyptian physicians embalmed Israel (aka Jacob)
• Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai jotting down the 10 commandments (twice)
• The 12 spies spent 40 days exploring the promised land
• Goliath challenged the Israelite army every day for 40 days before David took him down
• Elijah ran away from Jezebel, a 40 day journey
• God gave the Ninevites 40 days to repent
• Jesus fasted in the desert 40 days before he began his public ministry
• Jesus stayed 40 days on the earth after his resurrection

So many things accomplished in a 40 day span. People around the world today knelt to have an ashen cross drawn on their foreheads. Today, they enter into a period of remembrance, of repentance, and sorrow for what they have done this year.

I've never observed Lent, though I'm intrigued by the idea of sacrificing something for the sake of remembering my sins and Jesus' suffering. God worked so many sacred rhythms into our lives, I can't help but believe he must be pleased by the millions who sacrifice in his memory. Lent is like the modern, stretched out Yom Kippur, a chance to let go of all the evil that weighs us down and be rescued.

If you had to give something up, what would it be? Chocolate? Coffee? Movies? Are the things we surrender really where we should be spending our resources in the first place?

What will you do with your next 40 days?

Thanksgiving Show and Tell

It's Thanksgiving time, a holiday for remembering all the things in our lives to be thankful for, a day for gathering with family or friends, for good food and good times. Tell us about YOUR Thanksgiving.

1. Do you cook all or part of the meal?

2. Do you eat at your house or someone else's?

3. White meat or dark?

4. What is your perfect bite?

5. Anything you won't eat for Thanksgiving?

6. How do you spend the morning?

7. The evening?

8. Favorite leftover?

9. Favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

10. Favorite Thanksgiving memory?

11. What are you thankful for this year?

From the Root of Jesse

Coupon Flyers, Christmas lights, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It's easy to lose the truth of Christmas in the frantic pace of December. The truth is that God came to earth.

Did you get that? God, who opens his mouth and breathes out galaxies, became a helpless embryo, the child of an unwed teenage mother. But don't worry. It was all part of his plan.

In our family, we find it helpful to take some time each day to remember the enormity and purpose of God's plan. We do this by putting up a Jesse Tree. In our house, it's a small pine tree, but you could use a branch or a paper tree. Each day, we tell a story of God's plan, leading up to his incarnation, his taking on human flesh. Most Jesse Tree sites start 28 before Christmas in order to celebrate for 4 full weeks before the big celebration. I find it works better for our family to start on December 1, so that's what we're going to do.

Walk with me through the Bible this month. I'll post a blog every day with the following day's thoughts.

December 1 - The Jesse Tree

God made a promise to his people that they would not always have to live in fear and bondage. He promised a deliverer, someone who would bring peace to the earth, who would save through the power of the Spirit of God. He would come from the line of Jesse, the father of David. The people didn't know when this Savior would come, but they looked forward to him delivering them from generations of suffering. They watched the signs, they prayed for the Messiah to come quickly, and they kept their eyes on the family line of Jesse.

Today's symbol - the tree

Today's verse - Isaiah 11:1-7

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord--and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

Cedar and Seder

As each week flows into the next, it's easy to forget the small milestones that mark the passing of time. Here are a couple from last week.

The first hike of the season... really just an excuse to get out and breathe fresh air. We chose to spend an afternoon with friends at the Cedar Plank Longhouse in Ridgefield, WA. If you squint, you can spot a couple of natives measuring the doorway.

The following Saturday, I dusted off the Seder plate and enjoyed an evening of good food and fun with family and friends. I think we lose so much of the rhythm of life when we ignore feast days. A once a year reminder about salvation, safety, and new life is always a good idea.

Gummi Boils

Skipping Thanksgiving

My 5 year old has big plans. She's been counting down to Christmas since there were 52 days to go. She's down to 38 now. I'm not sure if that's right or not, but it's what she says.

She's been through the wish book and circled something on every page. She NEEDS a remote control parrot, not to mention a mermaid doll that converts to one with legs, a roller coaster kit, and anything with dragons.

"Did you know," she asked the other day, "that Christmas is Jesus' birthday?"

"I've heard that somewhere," I said.

"Why is he always a baby in the Christmas pictures? Why aren't there any grown-up pictures of Jesus on Christmas?"

"Good question."

It's not like she's seeing commercials on TV that tell her Christmas is coming. It's just in the air. I hate to break it to her that there's a whole 'nother holiday before Christmas. She must have picked up on the subtle vibe that holiday season starts in August when the stores put out the holiday displays.

I, for one, refuse to wrap any presents or sing any carols until Friday. House Rules. I want to spend the week being thankful, not greedy.

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Imaginary Peer Pressure

I probably shouldn't have been in the game store in the first place since my husband and I gave up on "Hallmark holidays" years ago. I think Valentines Day fits in that category, doesn't it? Anyway, I'd just come from a nice activity where we'd made some really nice Valentines cards and I wanted to get a little gift to go with it.

So I ended up at the game store looking through stacks of used XBox games for a particular one we've been wanting-- not just any video game, mind you, but the 4th in a series of puzzle solving games we've played together on our "date nights" when we lived overseas. They didn't have the game I was looking for, but we were there, so I started looking for something else that would do. The kids and I finally settled on a second choice that was reasonably priced and that would be fun for him if not for me.

I paid for the game and waited for the clerk to get it for me. After several minutes he came back and said the game I'd purchased was missing. He refunded my money and made me sign a paper that I'd received a full refund.

I should have walked out then. But I didn't. I felt this imaginary pressure to purchase a game, any game. Not that my husband was expecting a gift or that he needed or even wanted a game. But I was there, I'd been thwarted twice, and I wasn't leaving without a game in hand.

I waffled back and forth for a while before selecting a game that was almost 5 times the amount I'd been planning to spend. I plunked down my card (less painful that way, you know) and walked out of the store.

And turned right around and walked back in.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "But I'm going to need to ask for a refund on this game. I came in looking for one thing and left with another." The clerk didn't know how to give a refund since I'd paid with my card, so I came home fuming, angry at all my imaginary friends who made me feel like I needed to buy something that I neither needed nor wanted. It doesn't matter to me at this point whether we keep the game or not. I just wish I could gather up my dignity and hide in the corner.